eighteen

Laurie took Zeke’s hint and headed for the shower. Keelie stayed by the RV door and watched as her father dropped onto one of the sofas and shook out a wrinkled copy of Ye Wildewood Gazette.

Sir Davey winked at Keelie and walked into the kitchen area. “Oatmeal coming up. What’s today’s plan, Zeke?”

“I’ve got a Council meeting to attend at eight o’clock, and I’ve got to check on the oaks, go to the woodlands near the stream, and open the booth.” Dad popped the paper in angry emphasis.

Knot hopped up beside him, placing an orange paw on Dad’s knee in a comforting gesture. Stupid cat. Acting all lovey-dovey to get on Dad’s good side.

Sir Davey whistled as he looked at the counter. “I’ll print out the information you requested about the forest before the dam was built. You’re going to need it.”

Peering up from his paper, Dad glowered at Keelie. She sensed tension flow toward her like an invisible electrical current connecting them. She reached for the rose quartz in her pocket and closed her hand over its familiar contours, but it didn’t help.

She served herself a cup of coffee and watched Sir Davey. He was busy at the computer keyboard on his office desk, which was converted from the rollout pantry at the far end of the kitchen counter. His attention was focused on a crystal orb attached to his computer. A topographic map flashed across his screen, some areas heavily outlined in green, others beige like a desert. The bottom of the screen read, “Wildewood.” The image grew as Sir Davey zeroed in on a pale rectangle of a rushing river and woodlands as far as the eye could see.

“This is an image of the Wildewood as an Old Growth forest, before it was logged.”

Keelie’s heart ached at the vision of beauty before her. She thought of the oaks in the Faire, the only remaining survivors of this ancient forest—no wonder they were so emotionally scarred. She glanced over at her father. Say something, she thought. Anything.

The sound of the shower running, followed by a sharp yell, broke the tense silence. Laurie had probably hit her head on the low-hung, Davey-sized showerhead. Good! If they hadn’t gone into the tent, Keelie wouldn’t be in this mess. Dad wouldn’t have to attend this stupid Council meeting, and she might have had time to help Einhorn. It was just like back in school, when Keelie got in trouble because of Laurie’s not-so-bright ideas. Funny what you forget when you’re away from someone for a few months.

Dad folded the paper. “Keelie, time to talk. Outside.”

She let her shoulders slump and kept her head down; if her body posture conveyed that she was being very humble, maybe he would go easier on her. She closed the RV door behind them, then held her coffee cup in front of her like a shield.

Dad looked at the trees at the edge of the clearing and blew out a sigh. “I know that Lord Einhorn summoned you. Tavak told me.”

Keelie frowned. “I don’t understand why Tavak sent me to help the unicorn. You totally outrank me. What could I do that you couldn’t?”

“He trusts you,” Dad said softly. “Lord Einhorn has reason to distrust elves. He chose you.”

Keelie’s hands tightened on the cup. “Okay, explain this to me, Dad. I’m about to turn sixteen. Elia, who’s like, sixty, called me a mutt, and she’s not wrong. I’m not elf, I’m not human, and I just found out about all this ‘other world’ stuff. So why me? Why can’t you help? Why can’t the other elves? Or Sir Davey’s Earth magic? Or Janice with her herb lore? I mean, if Lulu can do magic, why the heck am I the chosen one?” She realized she was waving her arm, and sat down on the RV’s steps. “You never explain anything. I need answers.”

Dad sighed. “I can’t protect you. I thought I could, until you knew more, but your magic seems to draw trouble. As for why you, only Lord Einhorn knows, but I suspect it’s because you are a child of two worlds and are apart from our struggle.”

Keelie frowned. “So the answer is that there is none? You don’t know, and that’s it.”

Dad untied the green velvet bag of rocks from his hip belt. It pleased her that he had them.

He closed his hands into a fist, then absentmindedly rubbed the rocks together, making them click against one another. A verdant glimmer glowed from between his fingers. Her aspen heart talisman felt warm. Keelie didn’t think she was doing any magic. Normally, tingles ran through her body. It must be Dad.

She pointed at his rocks. Instead, he placed his left index finger against his lips. He didn’t want her to say anything. He opened his hands and the rocks, cocooned in green energy, levitated one by one like little space satellites floating above the Earth. Keelie inhaled sharply.

Dad looked at her. “Why was Laurie out in the meadow with you?”

“Laurie followed me. I told her I was looking for Knot and the white cat.”

“Did she believe you?” The rocks, glowing green, still suspended in air, hovered above his outstretched hand.

“No, she asked if I was going to do some type of ritual. She heard Robin Hood—I mean, Jared—playing the guitar, and saw the party tent. Off she went. Laurie is a real social butterfly.”

“I spoke with Laurie’s mom.” The rocks dropped one by one in his hand. He clasped his fist around them. “That woman is a piece of work. I tracked her down using tree magic. She’s in Lake Tahoe with her boyfriend. She didn’t want me to send Laurie back, told me if I wanted to ground her to go ahead; that it may make the girl think about consequences. I can’t believe you wanted to go live with that woman.” Dad’s expression turned glum as he tightened his fist around the tumbled stones, and the green glow faded away.

Time to do some damage control. “That was back then. I was desperate to get back to what I thought would be the closest thing to having Mom.”

Dad reached over and ruffled her curls. “And now?”

“I’m home.” Keelie leaned into him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulder. “What happens next?”

Sighing, Dad looked up at the trees as if the bhata might be holding up a cue card as to what he should do with a teen daughter and her wayward friend. “Don’t discuss the unicorn with anyone, and Keelie, don’t go into the forest without me. I told you that Einhorn has reason to distrust the elves, and you do, too.”

“That sounds like a warning.”

“It is. I can’t lose you again.”

“Then clue me in, Dad.” She stepped away from him, angry. “You’re treating me like a kid. If there’s real danger, then tell me what’s going on. This ‘only Einhorn knows’ is bullshit.”

His eyebrows rose in surprise. “I’m trying to protect you. You’ve been through a lot in the last few months. Magic is new to you and I’m still trying to deal with how powerful your magic is. The best thing for you is to stay out of the forest, and stay away from the unicorn.”

“The unicorn, the jousters—sure, I’ll stay away from everybody and everything. Just lock me up in the Swiss Miss Chalet and call me Rapunzel. I heard about the memo you sent the jousters. Jared told me.”

“Stay away from him, too.”

“What? Okay, who can I talk to?” Her voice rose with each frustrated word. “You, Janice, Sir Davey, Knot, and I guess the trees.”

“Not the trees.”

“Great.” The word came out in a shriek. “Let me know how to keep them out of my head, Tree Shepherd.”

He ran a hand over his face and leaned against a chestnut sapling, as if taking comfort from it. “I don’t know what to tell you. I want you to be safe.”

“Ever since we got to this Faire, you’ve changed, Dad. We talked all the way here, and then suddenly you clam up. You were teaching me about the trees, about the elves, and ever since I saw the unicorn you’ve said nothing except to tell me stay out of the woods. Hello? Teaching opportunity. I can’t learn everything from osmosis.”

“There’s something very wrong with the forest here, something that could be dangerous to you. You don’t know enough about your magic, and I can’t help you now. I’ve got the forest and the unicorn to deal with.” The tips of his pointed ears were red, and his face was pale, making the dark circles under his eyes starker.

“I stopped the Red Cap, didn’t I?” The murderous little creature had almost killed Sir Davey.

“We were lucky, and there’s no guarantee that you’ll win the next time it happens. So please, Keelie, stay out of the woods.”

Keelie had been ready to yell at him again, but she stopped. Fine. She’d stay out of the woods. For now. But the next time the unicorn called her, she would go.

Dad’s leaf-green eyes looked glazed. She hugged him. “We’ll talk about it later.” She’d do what she had to do. “I know you were sick yesterday, and you’re not looking so good.”

He hugged her back. “I’ll be fine. Just tired. I’m not looking forward to this meeting. I think I may drink some of Davey’s coffee.”

Shocked, Keelie couldn’t believe that Dad would even consider drinking coffee. He must be on the verge of exhaustion.

“Well, hello, Laurie.” Dad was looking over her shoulder.

Keelie turned around and saw Laurie standing at the RV’s door, wearing jeans, and—Keelie couldn’t believe it—Keelie’s Vampire Girl shirt, the one she’d bought with her own money at La Jolie Rouge. “What are you doing with my shirt?”

“I found it. Looks good on me, doesn’t it?” Laurie stepped down and turned to model it.

She was going to kill Laurie. That shirt had been neatly folded in a suitcase, tucked away where Knot couldn’t find it, which meant Laurie had been digging through Keelie’s stuff. “You have mountains of new clothes, so why are you poaching on mine?”

“Your clothes are new to me. Come on, girlfriend, you and I always share clothes. What’s the diff?”

The “diff ” was that thanks to Knot, her fashionable clothes could fit in a Ziploc bag, and now Laurie was wearing part of Keelie’s pathetic little fashion stash. But Keelie let it drop. Laurie was staring at her dad as if he were about to cut her head off.

“Are you going to make me go home?” Laurie looked like she was used to adults discussing her as if she were a traveling piece of luggage, to be shipped to whoever would take her. Earlier, Keelie would have been on her side, but that shirt made her think it would do Laurie some good to sweat it out.

“You may remain with us, but you will have to obey my rules, the same rules that Keelie has to follow.” Dad looked grim.

Laurie exhaled, obviously relieved. “I will. I’ll follow your rules to the letter. Thanks for letting me stay.”

Keelie was glad Laurie was staying, but they had to talk about her rules, too. Keelie would never violate her friend’s privacy. They’d shared clothes and secrets in the past, but those had been freely given, not taken. She had to establish parameters with Laurie, especially if she was going to help the unicorn. Balancing magic with real life was tough.

“Today’s my first day of the Faire, so what are we doing?” Laurie rubbed her hands together.

Annoyed, Keelie noted how quickly her friend had shifted from acting like the repentant teen to being a resort guest expecting to be entertained. “This is not Club Medieval.”

“Keelie has to go to the Administration building to meet with Finch, the Faire director. Keelie has a job, whereas you, Laurie, will have a chaperone to escort you around Wildewood.”

“Chaperone?” Laurie rocked back in her Converse sneakers as if she were going to faint.

“Who’s going to chaperone her?” Keelie asked, equally horrified. “Knot?”

“Your cat?” Laurie had a can this get any worse? look on her face.

“Me,” answered a voice Keelie hadn’t heard in weeks. “I got in late last night, and got recruited by Sir Davey to babysit some kid first thing this morning.”

Keelie spun around and, to her delight, found herself face to face with her friend Raven. Shrieking with glee, she ran to hug her.

Raven was dressed in full gothic Renaissance couture, like a Goth fairy queen. She wore a shiny vinyl bodice, which emphasized her trim figure and looked sleek against the soft white of her off-the-shoulder blouse. Her ruffled black skirt cascaded down into red-trimmed scalloped edges, which were pulled up on one side and tucked into the skirt’s waistband to show off her black-edged, white-ruffled petticoat and velvety black-suede boots.

Raven laughed, hugging Keelie tightly to keep her from jumping up and down. “Stop. Stop. Stop. I’m glad to see you, too. But I have to tell you, I’m not one bit happy about being here. My God. Who gets up this early in the morning?” Raven pressed her hand to her head as if she suffered from a hangover. She took her hand away and batted her eyelashes, making it obvious that she was just fooling around. She grinned at Laurie. “And you must be the famous Laurie. I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“Nice to meet you, I think.” Laurie looked to Keelie for help.

“I heard you girls snuck out to Rivendell. I’m impressed. But you know the party doesn’t start without me.“ Raven snapped her fingers and struck a pose.

Dad cleared his throat. “Let’s not encourage them.”

Raven nodded as if in agreement. “Of course, Zeke.” She winked at Keelie. “But you owe me.”

Keelie was suddenly in heaven. The two girls she cared for most in the world, and they were right here with her. She would love to go to the Faire, and just be carefree and have a great time. But she couldn’t. She had a job, and she had a unicorn to save, not to mention the trees.

Dad furrowed his eyebrows. “Right. Girls, I have eyes and ears all around the Faire—and in the meadow.” He said this while staring directly at Laurie, who seemed oblivious to Dad’s this means you gaze because she was too busy gawking at Raven. He gave Keelie a stern look, then gave up and headed toward the parking lot.

“Be careful, Dad.” He’d told her to trust no one, and she wanted to give him the same warning. The meeting with Lord Niriel sounded unfriendly.

He waved. “I will.”

Laurie didn’t notice that he’d left. Her eyes were still glued on Raven. “I love your outfit, Raven. Where did you get it?”

“I bought this at the Francesca booth by the front gates,” Raven replied. “It’s from their Dark Ages collection. You have to be a real badass to pull off the look. Sorry, babe, you’re too blonde to do that.”

Laurie gasped. “I can wear black.”

“Tell you what, we’ll hit Francesca’s and see what works for you.”

“What? You’re going shopping without me?” Keelie would be slaving away while her two best friends went shopping together. They were going to need her to be a referee, especially at the Francesca booth. Totally unfair.

“It sucks that you have to go to work.” Raven looked sympathetic. “But welcome to the real world.”

“I’ll miss you.” It didn’t look like Laurie really meant it, but even the fake sympathy made Keelie feel a little better. “Yeah, I’ll be busy with whatever kind of torture the Faire dragon has for me today.”

Raven grinned at her. “Don’t pout. You have to work because you went shopping first, right? I heard about your designer boots. What possessed you? You have your mom’s boots and the ones my mom gave you at the High Mountain Rennie. It wasn’t like you needed another pair.”

“I don’t know.” Keelie shook her head. “They were so gorgeous that I couldn’t resist.”

Laurie’s excitement grew. “You bought designer boots here? Do they have any left? Where?”

“In the Faire.” Keelie wondered if she could keep Laurie from finding out about Lady Annie’s. Laurie’d just whip out her credit card, and then she’d have a pair, too.

“Sometimes impulse buys come back to bite you in the ass, don’t they?” Raven said, grinning. Then, as if they’d exhausted the subject of Keelie’s boots and job problem, she turned to Laurie. “Hey, do you belly dance?”

“No, but I’ve always wanted to learn.”

“Good, I can introduce you to Rhiannon Rose. I really don’t want to spend the day just shopping. Maybe Rhiannon can give you some belly dancing lessons or something.”

Keelie glowered. Laurie had never said anything about wanting to learn how to belly dance when they were at Baywood together. Besides, belly dancing was what she and Raven did together. Not Laurie and Raven. Just thinking of their names together made her feel miserable.

“Rhiannon is performing later at the Fletcher’s Row stage, and she’s totally awesome. You’ll love her.” Raven noticed the glare Keelie was aiming at her and grinned even more widely. “Don’t be a baby, Keelie. We’ll stop by to see you wherever you’re working. Once you’ve paid for your boots, you can have fun, too. I have to work and pay for my own stuff. Mom says it builds character.”

Laurie shrugged. “My mom isn’t into building character; she just gives me her credit cards.”

“Oh, come on, California, around here characters are just assumed personas. Maybe you can buy one.” Raven swept her hand toward the Faire, its colorful flags and pointed tower tops visible through the trees. “And if you give me any grief, I’ll arrange for you to be a volunteer at the Grime and Slime Show.”

Laurie looked aghast. “I don’t know what that is, but it sounds awful.”

The RV’s door opened and Sir Davey stepped down, holding onto the door for balance. “Still here? Oh, it’s Raven come for breakfast.”

“Hi, Sir Davey. Got any coffee? If I don’t have some soon, I’ll be crankier than Finch.”

“Speaking of Finch, I came out to tell Keelie that it’s time to get to Admin.” Davey vanished into the RV again.

Keelie knew she needed to concentrate on working off the cost of her boots. She couldn’t lose another job, no matter how jealous she was of Raven and Laurie’s friendship. Time to face the dragon.