Her name was Naya Ashveil, and she had silver eyes and a scar that ran from her left ear to her jaw that she hadn't had when she walked into the Old Growth six years ago.
Fen told us this on the road. He had come to meet us at the Growth's edge rather than sending us in blind, which told me the situation required preparation, or that Naya required it, or both. He looked the same as he always did, which was slightly too thin and slightly too alert, and he was carrying more than he was going to volunteer.
He walked beside me while Kael, Cass, and Jax followed at a distance that let them listen but gave the conversation space.
"How long have you known?" I said.
"Known known? Since I read the archive." He paused. "Suspected? Since you arrived in the Growth." He looked ahead at the trees. "
