“I think I want to learn the guitar first,” I told Vida. It was our turn to stay with the wagon and watch over it and the horses, who were picketed and grazing nearby. That meant we were alone, and I didn’t want to waste a moment. “Fin said I can use hers if you’re teaching me, she’s playing the– uh…” I’d forgotten the name.

“Crwth?” Vida asked, closing her book. 

“Yes. That one.” 

“Sure, I’ll teach you. Do you know where it is?”

“Fin showed me!” I grabbed the edge of the wagon and jumped in. Over on the wall was Fionnuala’s guitar. Most of the instruments and tools in the Cantores collection were shared between the group, but everyone had something special to them. Fin’s was a beautifully made guitar that had been a birthday present, and she made sure to keep it clean and in good condition. She had first choice of using it, and often did, but she wasn’t stingy about others using it. I only knew it was hers because her name circled the neck in tiny, perfect letters.

I undid the clasps on the case and lifted the guitar out to settle it on my lap.

“Other way, love.” I smelled roses as Vida settled behind me, her skirt rustling. “Flip it over, Fin’s left-handed. We could restring it, but we’d have to tune it after, and then switch it back and tune it again before she gets back, and that’d take too much time.”

“I could just use the other one–”

“Blythe’s using it tonight.” She patted my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, you’ll just start off playing backwards. Now, put your left hand here, near the base of the strings–” She scooted over, taking my right hand. “And your right up here. Left hand has the easy job, just picking at the strings same as I do with my lute.” Her right hand wrapped over my right hand, her fingers strong and sure as they moved mine up the neck of the guitar. “Press here as you’re playing, it’s called fretting. Keep strumming, that hand has the easy job, remember. Now…”

Focusing on learning was difficult, with Vida’s body against my back, and her hair falling over my shoulder, and her fingers guiding mine. There was too much else to focus on to think about the music. The way she smelled, her hand on mine, her breath on my ear… Light, it was too much!

It took a long time to play a simple tune, and when I finally managed it was soft and sweet, the notes floating out into the night. I leaned back into Vida and felt her breath hot on my ear as she yawned. “That’s enough for tonight, I think, don’t you?”

I didn’t want the lesson to be over, because it would mean she’d no longer be so close. “But I’ve only just got it.”

“Better to quit while we’re ahead, end on a good note.” She gently took my fingers off the strings. “You’ve made wonderful progress, Destiny. We’ll work on it more tomorrow.”

Tomorrow! I waited to stand until after she did, and took the guitar back to its case. “I’m looking forward to it,” I told the case, focusing on the clasps to hide my smile.

I’d barely gotten it put away when a sharp gasp from Vida had me spinning around. “What? What is it?”

“Come here, Destiny, quickly!” she whispered.

“What is it?” I hurried over.

Wordlessly, Vida pointed out into the dimming evening.

I squinted, but couldn’t see anything, until something moved. My mouth snapped shut and I tilted my head, trying to see better.

There at the edge of the trees was a deer. No– two– three. And– oh, those weren’t deer…

“They’re perytons,” Vida whispered. “Aren’t they pretty?”

“They’ve got wings.” I scooted closer to the edge of the wagon, entranced. I caught a flicker of white as one peryton dipped its head back to the grass. Another one ruffled its wings. “Like you… Do sprites keep pet perytons?” I’d heard stories of tame perytons, though not many.

“Most sprites don’t have a death wish, love. They’re pretty from here, but they’re territorial little beasts. Last sprite who tried taming one got killed by it.”

“...Oh.” They didn’t seem so wonderful now.

The biggest peryton lifted its head, turning to look towards us. Light glinted off its eyes, and I shivered. “W-will it hurt the horses?”

“Horses aren’t a threat. We are.” Vida patted my shoulder. “They don’t tend to initiate, they’ll only attack if we get too close and threaten them. From here, all they are is pretty.”

I watched the big peryton go back to grazing, and kept watching as the light grew dimmer. In a sudden flurry of motion I could barely see, all three took wing and vanished through the trees.