Shadows of the Redwood (19 page)

Keelie accepted this as part of her strange new reality. She wondered what it would take to really startle her.

She glanced into the back seat at Sean, who still slept. She knew he had been wiped out, but she figured he could join the conversation. She had been thinking about how their relationship had heated up. Where were they headed? They had years ahead of them. Of course, Sean was ridiculously older than she was, even though he acted as if he were her age.

But. She turned her head and studied the long blond lashes resting against his cheeks. Asleep, and so handsome. Her heart quivered as if it had been shot by Cupid. She had no idea what her own lifespan would be. Would she be like Dad and live hundreds of years, or like Mom, who never made it to forty? That was her last thought before she fell asleep.

When she woke up, something was licking her eyelids. Before she opened them, she grabbed for the psycho feline. She was going to strangle him, but he was gone before she could wrap her hands around his neck.

“You two have a very strange relationship, even for the fairy world,” Coyote commented, sounding like a nature-show narrator.

Keelie bolted upright. A big orange furry butt was climbing back into the back seat for sanctuary. She leaned back. “You’d better stay up there.”

Laurie looked in the rearview mirror. “Is Keelie being mean to the sweet kitty cat?” Purring filled the car.

Sean was awake, and watching her. He reached out for her hand. He turned it around and kissed her wrist. It was such an intimate touch, even in a crowded car. In that second, Keelie’s world narrowed to a sharp focus on just Sean and herself. Her stomach churned like white water in a rapidly flowing river.

He held her hand for a while, as if he had to feel her pulse and know how fast her heart was beating. She felt lonely when at last he released her and she turned back to face the road.

Knot and Coyote watched them closely.

They passed the Redwood Forest park entrance just before sunrise. Coyote lifted his head. “Let me out here.”

“Why?” Keelie asked. They’d already dropped Sean off at the stables, so he could check on the jousters and the horses.

“I want to investigate.” Coyote lifted his nose and sniffed. “I sense a familiar magic.”

“What if people see you?” Keelie was concerned about his safety in the woods. She liked Coyote. Knot meowed darkly from the backseat.

“I’ll be safe. I’ve been living in L.A. Nobody saw me there.” Coyote lowered his eyelids, as if he didn’t want to reveal too much of himself.

Keelie opened the door and Coyote slipped out. “Be careful.” She watched him disappear into the deep green forest.

In the festival parking lot, a hairy fairy stood in front of Sir Davey’s RV. Keelie relaxed and smiled. It was Sir Davey, except he was wearing gauzy blue fairy wings that twinkled in the sunlight. He motioned for Laurie and Keelie to come inside. Risa dragged along in their wake, Knot strolling beside her.

Sir Davey held open the door of the luxurious motorhome. “Ladies!”

Keelie pointed toward his back. “Very fashionable!”

He shrugged. “I just got back from the costume shop. If you ask me, I think they bought them at the local discount store.”

Risa grimaced as she joined them and studied Sir Davey. “Your wings are prettier than mine. That’s not fair. I’m going to register a complaint.”

“Talk to the costume shop,” Sir Davey suggested.

“I will. If I’d known that I had to go back there, I would’ve gotten out with Sean.” Risa twirled on her heels, but then pirouetted around like she’d suddenly remembered something. She looked down at Knot, who was enjoying the fresh morning air. “Are you coming?”

He bolted inside the RV.

Shaking her head, Risa stomped off in the direction of the Globe theater.

Sir Davey arched an eyebrow and smiled mischievously. “Problems with the lovebirds?”

“I think the feelings only run one way.” Keelie gazed in the direction of the RV door. “In fact, I’m worried about Knot. He seems stressed.”

“How so?” Sir Davey asked.

“His fur is all mussed up. He’s not being himself.” How did you describe a cat not acting like a cat? It could be that Knot was stressed out about Coyote showing up, too.

“Maybe he needs a nap, and being away from Risa will do him a world of good. As long as he sticks by you and does his guardian duties, then I say he’ll be fine,” Sir Davey said. “Some days we handle stress better than others.”

Laurie walked up the RV steps, yawning. “That nap idea sounds great.” She yawned again. Sir Davey and Keelie followed her.

“Your grandmother wanted you two to stay around here, rather than go to the elf village. She wants you to help with some tree shepherd stuff while she’s busy with the play. Her performance as Queen Elizabeth has impressed everyone.”

Keelie rolled her eyes. Great, her grandmother would win a Ren Faire Oscar for her supposed acting ability. What everyone didn’t know was that she was like that all the time. A grump. An imperious grump.

As she shoved her hands into her pockets, Keelie felt the parchment. She pulled it out and looked at it.

“What can you tell me about this, Sir Davey? It was inside my mother’s safe at our old house, but everything else was missing, and there was some kind of spell on it.”

Frowning, Sir Davey took it. He held it up to the light. “It’s not parchment.” He sniffed it and nibbled an edge. “Not vellum, either. It doesn’t look like anything I’ve ever seen.”

He waved his hand over it, closing his eyes and making a strange humming sound. Keelie hadn’t seen him do this before. Maybe it was a new way of doing a magical analysis. Finally, Sir Davey opened his eyes. He shook his head. “If it’s associated with magic, it’s not Earth-based magic. If it’s fairy magic, then stay away from it, Keelie lass. You’ve messed with that once, and it changed you.”

Keelie took the scrap of paper from him. She rubbed it between her fingers, remembering the fairy spell that had briefly appeared when she first held it. It wouldn’t take a giant mental leap to think that Mom had used fairy magic, given her fairy blood. Of course, anyone who’d known Mom would have denied it. Keelie remembered how her mom had tried to scour anything magical or fantastical from their lives. The only toy that Keelie ever really played with were her My Little Ponies. The beautiful wooden toys that Dad sent her were special treats; Mom always gave Keelie nonfiction books and toys that had educational value.

Keelie studied the paper scrap. She had to know what this was from. The more she learned about her Mom, the less she really knew her.

“Why don’t you call your father?” Sir Davey suggested. “The cell phone is on my dresser. Let him know what you’ve been up to. I need to run to Admin,” he added. “They’ve received a delivery from my brother in Arkansas.”

Keelie went back to the bedroom to get the phone, and was not surprised to see the movie
The Two Towers
playing on the big-screen television mounted at the foot of Sir Davey’s bed. Saruman was commanding the Uruk-hai to destroy the humans. Something about Saruman reminded Keelie of Bloodroot. It could possibly be that the tree was a lot like a wizard. She took the iPhone from its charging cradle and went back to the front of the RV.

Laurie had crawled onto the couch and pulled a quilt over herself. Knot sat in the window looking out into the parking lot. She knew something wasn’t right about him.

“Are you waiting for your girlfriend?” she asked.

He didn’t turn around. She reached out to pet him and he moved his head so she couldn’t touch him.

“Are you mad about Coyote?”

Knot wouldn’t look at her.

“You’re my guardian. He’s just a friend.” She didn’t like having Knot upset with her.

His tail twitched angrily.

“Maybe you could use the extra help.” Keelie had to be honest with him. “I feel like you’ve been preoccupied ever since we came here. And I don’t trust the redwoods.”

Knot turned and stared at her. Keelie reached out to pet him and he snagged her arms with his claws.

Keelie disengaged them and rubbed her arms. “Good. Glad to know we have an understanding. If you’re stressed, I can make you some catnip tea.”

Knot gave a slight nod.

“Okay, I’ll make you a cup.” She put water on to boil and rooted in the cupboards until she found a baggie of catnip. She wanted to hear Dad’s voice, but first, she’d call the person who knew the most about fairy magic.

Keelie reached for the iPhone and tapped in a number.

“Hello.” Zabrina’s chirpy voice warmed Keelie up like a ray of sunshine. She missed her friend and her home in the Dread Forest—and she never used to think that was possible. Keelie even sort of missed her lore lessons with Elianard. She thought of the Compendium, which she’d left at Heartwood. She’d go get it this afternoon and study. The lore lessons were proving to be very useful.

At least in the Dread Forest, she’d had her routine. She had a rhythm to her days and knew her place. Here, everything had changed. California was no longer the home she’d held precious. The memories of growing up would always be with her, but L.A. wasn’t home anymore. Her childhood home was in her heart.

“Hey. It’s Keelie.”

“Hey, Keelie. How are the redwoods? Are they full of good energy vibes?”

“Well, they’re sending vibes. Their tree shepherd is missing. They’re a different sort, these trees.”

“How different?” Zabrina’s voice held concern. “What kind of trouble are you in? Missing tree shepherd—it sounds like you’re starring in one of those detective shows where the detective goes to a different location to solve a mystery. Except in your case, it’s with trees.”

“I need your help.”

“See, you’re the detective calling the friend to check on some evidence for her,” Zabrina said.

“You need to stop watching cable television.” Keelie filled a tea ball with catnip leaves. Knot appeared on the counter, nostrils flared.

“Hey, I just got that satellite dish and I’m catching up. So, what do you need help with?”

“I have this piece of vellum-looking paper that was in my mom’s house, and it looks like it came from a lore book. But Mom wouldn’t have owned anything like that. Anyway, I thought about your glasses. Maybe if you looked at it, you could tell me more about it.”

Zabrina had a pair of enchanted glasses that allowed the user to see through glamour. Useful when dealing with fairies. Keelie dipped the tea ball into a mug and poured boiling water over it while Knot flopped over onto the baggie of catnip and writhed. She yanked the bag out from under his furry bottom and put it back in the cupboard.

Zabrina hummed a bit. “Yes, I can. But there’s a problem.”

“What?”

“I can’t see over the phone.”

“Oh!” Keelie felt her cheeks get hot. She should have thought of that.

“Mail it to me, and I’ll let you know. Or wait until you get back and show it to me.”

“Would it work if I emailed you a picture of it?” Keelie didn’t want to wait for the mail.

“No. Then I would just be looking at an image, not the real thing. Can you send it by overnight express?”

“I can. Be on the lookout for it.”

“Bye, kiddo.” Zabrina hung up.

Keelie really missed her. It felt like clouds had come back, and a chill permeated the air. She wondered if her watcher tree was hanging around nearby. She was going to have to corner it and get some information.

Knot licked up hot tea while surveying the parking lot. His ears twitched like little furry radar antennae.

“I’m going to Heartwood to grab the Compendium. Want to come?”

Knot looked interested. Keelie glanced at Laurie, who was still snoozing, and let herself out quietly. The Compendium was just where she had left it. She’d taken a chance leaving it like that, because it was one of the elves’ treasures and she’d put it under the counter where anyone could have snatched it.

Keelie opened it up randomly on top of the counter, and glanced down at the chapter titled “Goblins.” Interesting, since she’d encountered a Red Cap. She read,

Goblins are an Under-the-Hill species that live in urban areas, although they are also known to live in forests. Large populations live in Seattle, Washington; London, England; the Northwest Territories; and Moscow, Russia.

Unusual locations. At least L.A. wasn’t polluted with them.

Goblins are practitioners of dark magic, and using their blood in spells and charms guarantees a grim outcome. A strong charm must be used to deter these foes of elves.

Suggested charms:

Air charm—Harnessing the powers of the wind can create a thunderstorm; thus, an elf can call lightning down upon the goblin.

Spirit Charm—Binding the goblin’s spirit to a place, object, or sometimes a live container will keep him locked in this place until he is freed. One must be careful to remember where one has bound the goblin. A goblin’s spirit can taint a location, an object, or its living container the longer it stays in that location. A goblin’s death can taint a locale even more strongly.

Hay-fever Charm—Goblins suffer from hay fever, and recreating the conditions of newly mown grass will immobilize your enemy as they sneeze their way to defeat.

Hay fever? So Mr. Heidelman was keeping the goblins away all that time with his midnight mowing. Who knew?

Knot placed his paw on Keelie’s leg and meowed.

“Okay, buddy, let’s see if that calm charm will help you.”

She turned to the page and said the magic words, visualizing a calm beach with palm trees as she patted the cat on the head.

Knot eye’s widened, and Keelie definitely smelled the scent of suntan oil. Knot purred and slunk away, kitty muscles relaxed, his lofty tail held high.

Keelie liked the Compendium. The goblin stuff was creepy, though. She wanted to think they didn’t exist. She pushed all thoughts of goblins to the back of her mind. Anyway, she’d just avoid Seattle. No big deal.

Gobblers.

The word came back to her like a wave of cold Arctic air. It chilled her all the way to her bones. The little mall tree had said the gobblers had told him fairies were bad. Could his gobblers be goblins?

And the little tree lived in L.A., not too far from her old house. She shivered.

Keelie grabbed her charm book and the piece of parchment. She was going to have to mail this to Zabrina as soon as possible. She slammed the book shut and ran back to the RV.

“Laurie, wake up!” She shook her friend. “I need you to take me to Juliet City. I need to go the post office.”

“What?” Laurie opened her eyes.

“I need for you to drive me.”

Laurie reached into the pockets of her jeans and placed the BMW keys in Keelie’s hand. “You drive. I was having the best dream. Orlando Bloom was fighting for me.”

“That’s Sir Davey’s TV,” Keelie laughed. The sounds of the elves and the Uruk-hai facing off in battle still came from the bedroom. Keelie went and watched for a second before turning off the TV, wondering what real goblins looked like.

There were no problems driving to and from Juliet City. Keelie enjoyed the sense of freedom driving gave her. With the parchment on its way to Zabrina, Keelie felt satisfied. Back at the festival grounds, she parked next to Sir Davey’s camper.

Sean was leaning against the RV, his hands crossed over his chest. “Where did you go?”

“To Juliet City. Why? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing. I was worried about you,” Sean said. “Laurie said you asked for her car. With Norzan missing, I don’t feel comfortable with you going out by yourself. Did you take Knot?”

“No. I put a calm charm on him.”

“A calm charm?”

“Yeah. He’s stressed out with Risa stalking him all hours.”

Sean snorted. “He’s a big boy; he can handle her. Well, how do you feel about going back to town and having an early dinner with me? I thought you might like to walk along the beach?” He raised an eyebrow. “I mean, we could be alone.”

Keelie smiled. “Are you sure?”

“We might get a whole twenty minutes together. I’m hoping for an hour.”

“Dare we hope we have that long?” Keelie asked with a smile. “We’re always being interrupted.”

Sean nodded “Yeah. Well, I’m in charge of the jousting company, and you’re a tree shepherd—both jobs are twenty-four-hour gigs. We have responsibilities …”

They exchanged understanding looks, and Keelie felt something connect between them liked they’d never experienced before.

“Do you ever get tired and want to run away?” Keelie asked. “Sometimes it’s all so overwhelming, and I need to be alone.”

“We can’t forsake those that depend on us.” Sean took her hand. “We’ve been chosen. Me to lead the jousters and uphold traditions, and you have the forests to help and to heal. What we do makes a difference.” He really understood.

“I know, but sometimes I just want to escape and be normal.”

“I understand. You want to go and hide, and let someone else take care of the problems.” Sean nodded. “I know all too well what you mean. You always have to be there, and sometimes you feel lost in the role assigned to you by our people.”

Keelie’s stomach became light. She leaned her hand against the RV to steady herself. She looked directly at Sean. “You said ‘our people.’”

“Yes. You’re part of the Dread Forest elves. Our people.”

“I don’t think anyone has ever said that to me.” Keelie felt warm but confused. Sean was thinking of her as an elf.

“I thought you knew you were one of us.” He grimaced. “Keelie, I know there have been difficulties, but know this—the jousters and I will do whatever we have to do to protect you. You are one of us.”

She rubbed her round ear. “Sean, what about Risa? The other elves? They don’t think of me as one of them.”

Sean grabbed Keelie’s upper arms and turned her around, tilting her face up with his hand. “What does it matter what other elves or people think? You have to be true to yourself, Keelie, and you are. That’s one of the things I …”

He stopped. She held her breath.

He moved strands of hair behind her pointed ear, then behind her round ear. “Did you know that Etilafael sings your praises at the Council meetings?”

Keelie shook her head. “Still, Risa and some of the other elves will never accept me.”

“Why is it so important to have elves like Risa accept you? You can’t please every elf in the forest. Anyway, Risa has issues. She’s still working out the fact that we’re not going to be married. Elves don’t handle rejection very well. Remember the love potion?”

“Knot sure does.”

Sean arched an eyebrow. “Do you know I’m jealous of that cat?”

“You’re jealous of Knot?” Keelie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Why? He’s an obnoxious fairy cat.”

“Because he’s with you all the time.”

“He’s a pain in the butt.”

“Nevertheless, he’s with you all the time.” Sean threw his hands up. “It’s hard to leave you when I have to lead my men, or you have to go and be a tree shepherd.”

“What are we going to do?” Keelie leaned against him.

“We cherish the moments we do have, and we begin now. Let’s go.” Sean held out his elbow, and Keelie slipped her hand into the crook of his arm.

They ate in town, at the Capulet Café, and afterwards walked along the beach. At first Keelie was reluctant, seeing the large shapes of the sea lions that called this stretch of beach home. Sean assured her that it was safe. He’d cast a charm that made them invisible to the beasts. Keelie should have known, since she’d smelled the cinnamon that signaled elven magic.

She was amazed at how large the sea lions were. They reminded her of Knot when he lounged out in the sun, except the sea lions didn’t have fluffy kitty fur. They had to be anywhere from six to eight feet long, and weighed hundreds of pounds. They brayed and went back to sleep on the beach as Keelie and Sean passed.