“Peter, just leave me alone.”

“Alone?” he asked her. “How? We’re in some other world with no way back to Earth, and all you care about is–”

Cerys smacked his hand away as he started to point to Nashtra, then glared at him even more.

“But he’s your type, isn’t he? Long ha–”

“Peter, shut up!” she ordered him from between gritted teeth. “He can probably hear you.”

Looking between his sister and the elvan man, Peter shrugged. “If he can, hen he’s really goo at pretending that he can’t. That, or he’s to busy talking to your best friend to care.”

Cerys knew exactly how he was trying to get to her, and she had not interest in allowing him to succeed. She only told him, “Well, she’s to busy being my best friend to care about who’s talking to her!”

Then she headed over to Nashtra’s side and said, “Is there anything I can do to help us get ready to move along?”

“All is ready,” the tall elf told her. “Let us board the wagon, shall we?”

He stepped over to the side of the wagon and opened a wooden panel. Bayani got in first, leading Peter along behind him, and together they sat near the travel packs. Nashtra helped Himeko get in next, and then Cerys. When he closed the panel and climbed up to the driver’s seat, she leaned forward so that they could talk.

“So what did you want to ask me?” she said once the horses began to walk towards the road leading out of the village.

Nashtra glanced at her. “What?”

“When I said that Himeko didn’t want her parents to worry,” Cerys reminded him, “you said that you wanted to ask me about that.”

“Ah, yes,” he said, nodding and looking back up at the road. He thought for a moment, then turned the other way to look at Himeko. “Your parents… Did they give you their blessing to come to Summerlay?”

Himeko gave the elf a grave look before he turned away to watch the road. She sighed and look at her friend. “None of our parents did.”