Chapter 3

Strolling through the forest on a bright, cool morning, Hut and Berin, kirin lads of the Yorl clan, were out hunting for mushrooms. They came across clusters of several varieties. Entering a stand of white ash trees, where sunbeams cast a patchwork of light and dark on the moist forest floor, the boys marveled at a new find.

    “Have any idea what these are?” asked Hut.

    The younger Berin shook his head.

    “Morel mushrooms, a garden of them,” said Hut, no taller than the tallest morel. “See the ridges and hollows in them? They only grow in early spring when lilacs blossom. They’re great to eat. C’mon, let’s get ’em.”

    Out came pruning knives, and they began sev...

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