epilogue

Keelie sat against the big pine on the ridge and watched the forest below. Gone was the earth-moving equipment, and even the bare dirt. The magic that had flowed down the mountain five months before had erased all signs of human work. Spring was just around the corner, and buds were starting to appear in all of the forest’s trees.

Ariel had caught a thermal and was just a hawk-shaped speck in the sky. She was still dark, but so beautiful that she made Keelie’s chest ache. Her joy in flying and hunting was wonderful, except for when she brought Keelie torn-mousie love presents. Only Knot enjoyed those.

Keelie wondered how the elven spokesmen would explain the forest’s change to the town. Of course, with the Dread’s effect working full force, it was unlikely that any human would want to build this close to the Dread Forest ever again.

She scratched her arm, dislodging the bhata that clung to her sleeve. The fairies really had a thing for her now. They were everywhere, too. Who knew there were this many stick and bug people? The forest was crawling with them.

A giggle sounded from the other side of the tree. Keelie rolled her eyes. Elia and Jake were all over each other again. She couldn’t bring herself to call him Dariel, although he sure looked different now that he was the unicorn lord of the forest.

She will bear a child, a voice whispered in her head. She looked at the bhata that was climbing up her jeans leg, its holly berry eyes intent on her face.

Really? The thought of Elia as anyone’s mom was pretty scary, but it would make her a local hero, and Elia loved attention.

It hit her that she would be Aunt Keelie. She smiled. She kind of liked that. No, wait. If Jake was her uncle, then his baby would be her cousin. Not as cool. She’d hold out for being called Aunt Keelie.

Aunties are cool. The voices of the oaken aunties, the Queens of the Dread Forest, trilled at each other.

I want to be an auntie, Alora said. When are you going to have an acorn, Keelie?

Not for a long, long time.

The bhata nodded in agreement.

Leaves crunched under booted feet, and Keelie watched as Sean jumped over the stream, then waved at her. He wore a Silver Bough Jousting Company jacket, since they were working hard for the upcoming Renaissance Faire season and he was now in charge. Since the trial, Lord Niriel had kept to the forges, working the fires and twisting steel into beautiful new swords. Recently he’d gone to Germany to work with the Black Forest elves on a sword-smith exchange. A new swordmaster would soon take his place in the Dread Forest.

Some of the Dread Forest elves thought that pardoning Lord Niriel had been a mistake, but Sean was so happy and relaxed these days that Keelie knew it had been the right thing to do. For right now, at least. And since Risa’s father didn’t want his little girl involved with Niriel’s family, the wedding was called off. Risa didn’t speak to Keelie, but she had seen the elf girl watch Sean, her face full of yearning. Risa kept busy with her gardens, drying herbs and bottling herbal elixirs. The rumor swirling around the village was that Risa would soon be joining the faire circuit, starting with the Juliet City Shakespeare Festival in California. Keelie suspected that Sean’s relief at being off the hook would soon be ended.

Keelie was going to be at the High Mountain Ren Faire with her father in May, and she knew that her grandmother had plans for them to visit several failing forests. Keelie was now considered an expert in forest renewal. She was going to hold out for getting a driver’s license first, since she’d been taking lessons with Zabrina—a few more dings on Vlad the VW didn’t seem to bother her new friend.

She lifted her hand to return Sean’s greeting, then stood up and brushed off her jeans, deliberately shutting out the tiny voice of the prophetic bhata.

Whatever the stick fairy had to say about her and Sean would have to stay a secret. She ran down the hill toward him. She couldn’t wait to find out on her own.