Excerpt:

A maple at the edge of the orchard splattered red and orange against the muddy clouds. Underneath, russet skirt flying, a woman swayed in the wind, eyes closed and auburn hair floating against the brown backdrop of the tree trunks behind her. As each gust shoved her sideways, the movement would start at her upraised arms, into her shoulders, and wave down her body until, at the last possible moment, her feet would glide underneath her. Suddenly dropping down into a ball, she spun toward the maple, and fetched up sitting against the trunk. She leaned back, molding herself against it, and a moment later, had been there all her life, regarding him with sparkling green eyes.

“You’ve been watching me,” she said. It wasn’t a question.
“No, I, uh, well, yes.”
She laughed, a rich alto. “We haven’t met.”
“No.”
She waited, raising a single brow.
“uh. Sorry. My name is Carl.”
“It may be a pleasure to meet you. We’ll have to see.” She smiled. “Who are you, Carl-with-no-last-name?”
"I’m a guest instructor at the Castle.”
“And what do you teach there?”
“Greek, mostly. Maybe some other things, too, once I’m settled in.”
“And what do you learn there?”
“What do you mean? They recruited me to teach.”
“Ah.”

The dancer lifted to her feet, started down a path past the maple, her auburn hair rich against her sage green sweater, stopped. She looked back over her shoulder.
“You don’t make the best first impression, Carl-with-no-last-name, but it wasn’t unpleasant to meet you. Let’s talk again when you know what you’re learning.” The dancer turned back to the path and began to walk away. Carl started after her.

“Wait! What’s your name?”

Her laughter tinkled back to him as she broke into a run, then cut between the trees. In moments she was gone.