twelve

If this was what a hangover felt like, then she was never, ever going to touch alcohol, Keelie thought miserably. Her head pounded in time with her heartbeat. She pulled the covers higher on her chest, then grimaced at the loud sound the sheets made as they rubbed on her skin.

Raven held up a green dress with about a billion yards of fabric in the trailing sleeves. "How about this one?"

Ribbons of green flowed straight up from the dress. That couldn't be right. Keelie wished she'd taken the willow-bark tea that Janice had sent along. Stupid fairy dust. When she caught up with the tiny terrorist, she'd feed him to Knot. But how to tell a fairy bug from a real bug?

"Keelie? This dress?" Raven looked at her, eyebrows raised.

Keelie lowered the covers. "Too much," she whispered, and wished Raven would, too. "It's too tempting for Knot. Of course, he might suffocate in it, which would be a plus." He was the one who'd gotten the fairies riled in the first place.

Fairies. She groaned and put her palm against her forehead.

"Raven, could you leave me alone, please? I need to die."

"No way." Raven grinned. Her teeth were so, sobright.

Raven smiled and put the dress back on the wooden rack that she and Janice had brought in, loaded with costumes for her to try on. She took down the next one.

Keelie groaned. That morning she'd bolted upright, her heart racing, remembering Moon, the aspen tree, the little stick creature, and the poisonous bug. Her awful headache lingered, as if someone was hitting the back of her head while squeezing her temples, like the bellows the blacksmith used over at the sword-making booth.

Angry fairies, Zeke had said. She'd lost the whole evening, put under by fairy dust. He'd also said that the little creature might be mad at her for healing Moon. If she hadn't seen it herself, she would have thought it was more of her father's weirdness. Of course, the whole event in the field made her father look less weird by the second.

"You need that headache tea," Raven said.

"Bring it on. Make it a double." Keelie looked around, in case the creepy little flying thing was around somewhere. "Why did the fairies put a hit on me?"

Raven patted her shoulder. "Your dad's looking into it." She rummaged through the dresses on the rack. "You can lie down a little while longer, but it's better for you to move around."

Her father had already left for his shop when she'd come out of the fairy-induced sleep and discovered her right hand was Crayola green. Janice had been sitting by her bed, a cup of soothing, honey-sweetened tea ready for her. It was cold now. Raven had taken over after an hour, when she'd gone back to finish her shop's bookkeeping.

Keelie reached for the cup that Raven offered. "So you believe in fairies, too? Have you seen them?" The tea was cool, but it smelled good.

"I've never seen them. Mom calls them the bhata." She pronounced it "watta." Raven sounded wistful. "But this Red Cap everyone's worried about? I've seen what he can do. Two guys almost killed each other over a missing MP3 player at the Shire, and neither of them is the fighting kind. It was bad vibes, and very weird. Scary weird."

"Scary weird? Coming from She-Who-Likes-SlasherMovies?"

"Hey, I don't like to live them." Raven tipped up the bottom of the cup with her finger. "Drink up, small fry, and then we'll get your blood moving."

Keelie did as she was told, draining the cup. She felt better already, though the room still shifted to the left if she turned her head too fast. "What do you mean, get my blood moving?"

Raven looked mysteriously at her, then reached toward the floor and pulled out a long black scarf covered in jingling gold coins. She stood up, swishing her hips as she wrapped the scarf around them and knotted it in front. "Time for your lesson."

"Now? Raven, I'm dying. This is not a good time."

"Get up, slacker. Dancing will make you feel better, promise." Raven grabbed the covers and yanked them to the floor, exposing Keelie's poor, dying body to the chill.

"Oh, that's cruel. Now I'll die of pneumonia, too."

Beneath the bed, Knot purred.

Keelie rolled over and bent her head over the side of the bed, anchoring herself with her hands clutching the sides of the mattress. Under the bed, Knot was chewing on one of her socks, drooling over the shredded fabric.

"I took a fairy bullet for you last night, fuzz ball. Let's have a little gratitude." Hanging upside down was a bad idea. Her head was pounding even more.

Knot stared at her with huge green eyes, then darted a paw and swatted at her. As he moved, she saw her cell phone protruding from under his pudgy side.

"Hey, my phone." She reached in and grabbed it, avoiding his claws. She tried to straighten up but slid off the bed, landing in a heap on the wooden floor.

Raven snatched the phone from her hand. "Yuck, it's all covered in dried mud." She scraped at the crusty shell with a fingernail. "I think it's had it."

Keelie lay on the floor, looking up. Any minute the crime-scene guys would show up to draw a chalk line around her.

"But you never can tell. Maybe if you cleaned it out carefully and dried it fast it might work again."

Keelie closed her eyes. "I need it to work. It's my only connection to my friends in L.A." She thought she heard Raven snort, but she was probably wrong. "Yesterday was so strange. It was like a dream. The day started normal, but then it went out of control. I think I saw Knot wearing boots and fighting those stick fairies with a sword."

"I wouldn't be surprised," she heard Raven answer. "Knot is an interesting creature. Sort of a mystery, like the Bermuda Triangle."

"A mystery? Misery's more like it. I can think of other words to describe him, too."

That one made Raven laugh.

Knot purred as he rubbed up against Raven's legs. She stepped back. "Oh, nasty. I have kitty slime on me. He's drooled all over my custom-made boots."

Something heavy landed on the bed above her head. Keelie didn't need to look to know it was the hairball. He purred.

"Can I look at the dresses later? I think I need to get back in bed." She picked up the sunglasses that she'd dropped on the nightstand the day she arrived and put them on. Darker, but better.

"Do those help? You're still a little green."

Keelie opened her eyes. "At least I'm not seeing green streamers shooting out of your head."

Raven felt the top of her black hair. "Thank goodness. Green is so not my color. " She gestured at the rack full of dresses. "You've got two underdresses, those are the white ones-they can double as nightgowns. We've got three gowns for you too, including the green one, and Mom measured your shoes for medieval boots. They're sort of a mix between bedroom slippers and boots. Super comfy, mud repellent. You should have those in a few days."

In a few days, Keelie hoped to be gone. She felt guilty accepting the costumes, but she still needed garb to wear until then, and she could always wear them when she came back to visit her dad. It's not like they'd go out of style or anything, being four hundred years past their expiration date already.

"You and your mom are so nice. It sure is different from that Muck and Mire Show outfit." She was sure Elia would find something snarky to say about her new clothes, as well as remind everyone about the tacky handprints on her old Muck and Mire Show skirt. She wondered how much Elia knew about the fairies. Could she see all this weird stuff, too, or was it just a family thing? She remembered how the rain had not touched Elia even when everyone else was soaked.

Keelie rubbed her right hand against her nightdress. The skin on her hand and fingers were still stained green but didn't feel sunburned any more.

Raven couldn't see the fairies nor the faces in the trees. What if she ended up having more in common with Elia than with Raven? She shuddered. No way.

"Sir Davey dropped off some coffee for you. It's in the kitchen. He said to sip it every few minutes."

"Thanks." Coffee as medicine. Gotta love it. Sir Davey was another one she needed to talk to. He'd mentioned Earth magic. Maybe that was what she'd done yesterday.

"I promise I'll be back later. I have to check out what's going on in the meadow."

"In the meadow? What?" Keelie sat up, then clutched her head. Jeez. Like it hadn't been pounding for hours. She remembered that creepy manic midget in the red hat and the thing living in the stream. "What's happening in the meadow? Is it Moon? Is she okay?"

Raven helped Keelie get up. "Moon's on the mend. Remember I told you? Don't worry about what's going on. It's a Shire thing. Our party last night kind of got out of control. I'll be back, I promise. Skins and I are going to go and investigate some stuff. Aviva, one of my belly-dancing friends, lost a silver ring carved with rowan leaves. It's a family heirloom. Maybe we'll find the missing MP3 player, too."

"Okay. If you promise to come back and tell me everything." The Shire partied, and Keelie turned green. If she didn't feel so bad, she'd make a joke about it. "Can I take a rain check on that dancing?"

"Yeah. Get some rest, and when you feel better, I'll show you how to do some hip lifts." Raven helped her get into bed.

"Hip what?" Keelie rose up on her elbows.

Raven lifted her hip and then it dropped in a smooth, fluid movement. Then she did it several times, the coins on her scarf jingling like a tambourine. Knot's head moved up and down like a fuzzy kitty yo-yo as he watched Raven's moves, and Keelie became dizzy. Raven stopped. Keelie plopped back down on her pillow. "I'll never be able to do that."

"Probably not. You're so California. See ya, kid."

Raven left the room, then stuck her head back in, grinning. "By the way, you missed a great party, but I understand. It was for a good cause." She ducked out of sight again, and Keelie heard the door and Raven's voice say, "Hi, Zeke. She's doing a lot better."

Footsteps sounded loudly on the wooden floorboards, making her wince, and then her father appeared in the curtained doorway. "Glad to see you sitting up." He held a tray, and on it there was a silver carafe with a glass lid sparkling with different jewels. She inhaled the aroma of coffee.

"I thought I would bring you some of Sir Davey's `clear away anything giving you a headache' coffee."

She nodded. "Coffee. Great. I'm still alive. Freaked out, but living."

"Want to hear some good news?" He placed the tray on the bedside table and poured the coffee into a green clay mug embossed with a gold leaf.

"About?"

He handed her the mug, and she gripped it with both hands. The warmth soaked into her skin, then she sipped the strong but delicious brew. Immediately, the throbbing in her head eased.

"It seems your luggage has made it to London." He was smiling, but his eyes held a look of concern. He didn't believe she was all right.

"London. As in England. As in Great Britain." Her head pulsed. She shouldn't have nodded. She sipped more of Sir Davey's coffee.

"It's getting closer. It'll be in New York City in a couple of days. That's New York, as in New York State. As in the United States." He smiled. "Why don't you lay down and rest?"

"I'm fine. I want to change into my new clothes. I'm feeling better. I think I can move now." Her head whirled, but not as much.

Despite her headache, she was happy about the good news. Things were looking up. Her luggage, including Mom's pictures and Boo Boo Bunny, were on their way back to her. She needed to see Mom's pictures. She needed to make sure she remembered her face the way it had been. And she could use a stuffed bunny hug about now.

"If you're up to it, I'd like to have some folks over to talk about Faire business tonight. Just Janice and Sir Davey. They're worried about you, too, and I didn't want to leave you alone. We'll move the meeting if we bother you.

He looked at his hands, his soft voice deepened with remorse. "I feel badly about what happened, Keelie, and that you had to deal with it unprepared."

Keelie wrapped her arms around herself. Had Dad carried her back from the field? She didn't remember anything after the bug bite, or whatever it was.

"You keep saying that we need to talk," she said. "Just tell me now."

He shrugged and looked as if he was about to say something, then changed his mind. After thinking for a moment, he lifted his head and looked at her. "Remember the tree I was working on yesterday?"

"How could I forget?"

"You said something about an allergy, and then the fairies attacked Knot and we didn't talk again. What did you mean?"

"Mom said I was allergic to wood, ever since the trees talked to me in the park when I was five and I told her about it. She said it was allergen-induced psychosis."

His expression grew grim. "Your mother wanted to protect you, and she did, the best way she knew how. But you don't have any allergies, Keelie."

"I figured. It's been worse since I moved here, but I wasn't itchy or sneezing. I was hearing the trees. I can feel them in my skin. Can you do that, too?"

"Yes." His leaf-green eyes looked directly into hers.

"And that sad face in the oak in your shop was real. I know that now, because I saw a face in the aspen in the meadow, too. He talked to me." Keelie held her breath, wondering if he would trust her with the truth.

He nodded thoughtfully. "I saw the power interchange. Have you ever done that before?"

She shook her head.

"Could you feel the tree spirits in California?"

"Yes. Well, a little. There weren't too many trees where we lived. But here-Dad, just touching wood I know what it is, where it came from. What's that about? Can you do that, too?"

"I do. We're more attuned to nature than other crea tures, Keelie. All trees have spirits, and their roots drink deep of the Earth's healing magic. There are those who aid the trees, keep malevolent forces from harming them, and in turn, the trees allow them to draw from their magic."

"The aspen called me Tree Shepherd's daughter," Keelie said.

"I'm one of the shepherds." Her father sounded weary. "Seems you're one, too. I was expecting it."

She lowered her sunglasses. "Right. They didn't cover this in Career Day at school. My dream job is not wandering through the woods, watering trees and chatting with them about squirrels and angry fairies."

Dad gave a short laugh. "That's not exactly what it's about, and the teachers at your old school have no idea, but you need to learn to control your gift."

"How about I ignore the gift? So far it's just been a big headache." Literally.

"You can't ignore it. Not in a forest. Keelie, I am so proud of you. What you did was very brave. Cameron can't stop talking about what you did for Moon."

Tears burned Keelie's eyes again. Thank goodness she was wearing dark shades, she was turning into a swamp. This time her tears were not grief. Her father was proud of her.

"I'll come down in a bit and show you my new garb. Janice and Raven picked them out."

Her father smiled and touched her cheek. "I'm sure you'll dazzle everyone. You even look beautiful in Muck and Mire Show clothes. But stay away from the pirates!"

What did he know? "Are they magic, too?"

"No. Most of them are just hormonal college boys looking for pretty girls."

After three cups of Sir Davey's coffee, Keelie's headache had almost completely disappeared, but she really had to go to the bathroom. She sat up carefully, then dropped her legs over the side of the bed. So far, so good.

"Do you need help?" Dad asked.

"No. I'm fine. Raven said I needed to move."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"I need to tend to something in the shop really quick. I want to make sure Scott is handling the crowds and sales. Sometimes he can get overwhelmed."

"I'm better. Go down to the shop."

When Dad left, Knot opened his eyes and yawned. He hopped down onto the hardwood floor in front of the garb that Raven had brought.

Keelie said, "Don't even look at them. If you pee on them, I'm going to have a new kitty muff."

As she returned to her bed a few minutes later, Keelie realized her headache had totally disappeared. She wasn't green either, to her delight. She was happy she wasn't going to go around looking like Kermit the Frog's human cousin.

Crowds walked outside the shop, and from the near distance, cheers resounded as the joust took place. Was Sean riding today? Probably. She glanced at the rack, the dress colors glowing like jewels. Watch out Elia, Keelie was going to be dressed to kick butt.

"I wonder how Moon is doing." Keelie said to Knot, but he'd disappeared.

After everything she'd been through to heal the owl, Keelie wanted to make sure she was recovering. The path to the mews just happened to go by the jousting ring. Maybe she'd run into Sean on the way, and he'd notice her new look. Goodbye, Mud Girl.

Outside, thunder rumbled from faraway. Did it ever stop raining here? You'd think it was Seattle, not Colorado. Keelie was glad Janice and Raven had gotten her a good thick wool cloak. The Irish cloak's large hood with the ruffled rim let her see everything without being claustrophobic.

Keelie dressed, happy that the big sleeves were comfortable. She had to watch it around doors, though. Leaving the apartment, she'd gotten a sleeve caught in the door and had been brought up short, landing on her butt on the landing.

"Dad, going for a walk," she called as she passed the shop.

He was busy showing a chair to a woman with overflowing cleavage. Another hovered nearby, anxious for his attention. Of course.

He looked up and waved at her, then did a double take when he noticed her garb.

"Looks like Sir Davey's brew did the trick." He bowed to her with a flourish, and she did what she thought was a curtsey, then took the path to the jousting ring.

She recognized the silver and green, black and gold of Sean's colors as he galloped around the ring before going into the lists. She paused at the crowd's rim to watch as a page tossed a tall spear into his hand. He caught it lightly, even though Keelie knew they were heavy and awkward. Inside her cloak, she whispered, "Go, my brave knight, go."

"Ah, what lovely is this before me?"

Keelie knew that voice. Donald Satterfield, a.k.a. Captain Randy Dandy, her amorous pirate. She turned, dropping her hood.

He staggered back a little, "Whoa. You." He recovered, putting his hands over his heart. "Ah, lass. You've made my heart stop beating. There's only one medicine for that. A kiss, sweeting, from your lips." He leaned against the tree, blocking her view of the jousting ring, and held out his arms, making kissy noises.

She backed away as he leaned toward her, lips pursed, smelling like mead. "Go away. Not interested."

"But lass, it seems Lady Love conspires to bring us together."

"You're drunk." She made a face and turned to leave but stopped when she heard him laughing behind her.

He'd stopped weaving and stood still. "Keelie, my sweet. Do you think the Faire admin would really let me be drunk around the mundanes? I'd get my pirate ass fired. I just take a sip before speaking to make it real for the guests." He bowed and made a farewell gesture, with his hat in his left hand, the right held over his heart.

She felt her face get red. Of course. She should've known.

Captain Randy Dandy winked and put on his big pirate hat again. "I'll catch you later, sweeting. And believe me, I will. Captain Randy always wins his battles."

Cheering erupted behind her. Keelie spun around to face a large crowd of people, some in garb, some in their ordinary everyday clothes. They clapped and whistled. Keelie whipped back around to see Captain Randy taking a sweeping bow.

"Curtsey," he hissed.

She bobbed down, holding her skirts.

"Pirates." How dare he use her for material for one of his improv performances? What kind of place was this, where your private life became part of the ticket price?

More thunder rumbled, and the crowd started breaking apart. One man herded his kids away, saying, "Time to get home."

The wind raced through the trees, and a branch from a large oak crashed to the ground. She felt the tree shake itself. The branch had been half-dead.

A strong smell of ozone filled Keelie's nostrils, then her hair prickled. A flash of lightning hit the ground nearby. People started to run for shelter in nearby booths, waved in by merchants.

Keelie lifted her face. The clouds swirled wildly above her like vengeful spirits. Rain pelted her face, cascading from the sky. Little muddy streams formed along the paths in the ground, carrying away sticks and little bits of pine bark. Keelie picked up her skirts and ran for the mews. She wanted to check on Ariel and Moon before she went back to Heartwood. Once she reached Ironmonger's Way, though, running was out of the question. The rain had turned the dirt path into a treacherous mud slick. At least she didn't have to worry about mudslides like she did in California. As she ran, the sodden hem of her skirt slapped around her ankles. She could've sworn she heard that nasty little Red Cap's voice in the wind.

Keelie raised her head again. The sky was a funky green. Green sky? This couldn't be good. She remembered the previous tornado warnings, and the sky had been this same pea soup color. She longed for the sun. It had been days since she'd felt its warmth on her face. The trees swayed as the wind whipped around them. They agreed. It had been too long since the sun had touched their treetops, their roots craved the nurturing energy that fed them.

Everywhere the shops were crowded with mundanes trying to stay dry. The mews were ahead, and she hurried to get into the shelter of the tarps that covered the cages. The musky smell of birds surrounded her.

Cameron's helpers were running back and forth, unlatching raptor cages from their stands.

"What are you doing here?" Cameron looked frantic.

"I came to see how Moon was. What's going on?" Everyone worked quickly and precisely, but there was a thread of fear in their movements.

"Haven't you seen the Weather Channel? Cold front moving through, hitting a warm front that just appeared out of nowhere. Tornado warnings posted everywhere. Security's getting the visitors out."

The wind lifted a tarp off of a vulture's cage. It squawked. A great horned owl banged its wings frantically against its cage. Ariel called when Keelie ran to her. "Cameron, do I need to get her out?"

Gently removing Moon from her cage, Cameron said, "Yes. Find a carrier for her."

Cameron placed Moon inside a carrier that reminded Keelie of the one that Laurie's mom used for their mean Himalayan cat, Pickles.

Once Keelie wrestled Ariel into the carrier, the hawk pecked at her hand. It drew blood, but Keelie hung onto the handle for fear of dropping Ariel. "Where are we taking the birds?" She shouted to be heard over the increasing shrill of the wind.

"Across to Sir Davey's. It's the strongest shelter. Hurry." Cameron raced ahead.

Keelie wondered where her father was, worried for him. Wrapping her cloak around Ariel's cage to try to calm the frantic hawk, she followed Cameron. James ran with efficient and urgent speed as they gathered the other birds. They loaded them into the back of a jeep, stacking the cages precariously.

Keelie raced toward Sir Davey's shop, more concerned for Ariel's safety than her comfort. Her skirts wrapped around her legs. Hail pummeled her as she crossed the little clearing toward Ironmonger's Way and the Dragon Horde Shop. She had to stay focused, deflecting the trees' fear of the approaching storm. If she left herself open to them, their panic would paralyze her.

Sir Davey barked out orders. "Move them birdies to the back. They'll be safer there." His gray eyebrows rose like little hairy caterpillars when he saw Keelie. "Lass, what are you doing up and about after that episode last night? Does your father know you're here?"

"Your really great coffee fixed me right up." Keelie pushed her cloak back and revealed Ariel's cage. The hawk was bobbing back and forth on her perch. Her shrill calls made Keelie's ears hurt. The pounding of rain on the metal roof didn't help.

Sir Davey nodded. "I see how it is. There's a bond betwixt you and the hawk. Now move her and yourself to the back. And stay there."

Something hard plunked onto the metal roof of Sir Davey's shop, followed by more. The hail was getting bigger. Keelie huddled down next to Ariel and whispered to her. "It's going to be okay. I'm here." Ridiculous thought. If a tornado hit the building, they would both die.

There were more shouts from the front of the shop. Cameron yelled something to James. The howling wind drowned out his reply. The weather radio beeped, and the announcer in a dull, robotic voice said, "Tornado Warning for the greater Fort Collins area, including the High Mountain region."

Sir Davey waddled back into the small room of the shop, muttering to himself as he carried a cage almost as large as himself. Inside, the turkey vulture flapped its wings and squawked.

Plopping the cage next to Ariel, Sir Davey said, "Keep an eye on this buzzard; he's a trouble maker."

He whirled around. "When I find out who or what is behind this storm, I'll be whipping up a spell to teach him a lesson."

Shivering, Keelie looked up. "You think this storm was caused on purpose? Who could do that?" Maybe the singing she thought she'd heard in the wind really had been the Red Cap. Her heart raced. Was that little creep magically that strong?

The buzzard flapped his wings, causing his feathers to brush against her arm through the cage bars. She wanted to move away from the ugly bird, but he stopped squawking and tilted his bald head as if he was studying Keelie, trying to figure her out. He calmly folded his wings. The verdict was in: he liked her. She didn't know if that was a good thing or not.

Twenty minutes after they took shelter, the storm passed. As Cameron's helpers left to assess the damage, Sir Davey walked Keelie back to Heartwood. "Cameron's quite pleased with you. Your help made all the difference today."

Keelie blushed. She'd been glad to help Ariel, but it was nice to be appreciated. "Sir Davey, you said you thought something or someone had caused this storm. Do you think it was the Red Cap?"

He eyed her from under his hat brim. "Don't mention him aloud in the forest. The poor trees have just been through a storm. They're traumatized enough."

Keelie looked up at the tall trunks around them. Solid and unmoving. Silent as ever. But she could feel the nervous energy that ran through their sap. It flowed up and down her skin like a million ants. She rubbed her arms through her big sleeves.

"How can we get rid of him if we don't talk about him?"

Sir Davey gripped her arm in his strong hand. "Leave it to the adults, lass. This is too dangerous for you. You're new to the magic, and though you're strong, you don't know what you're getting into."

Pounding steps squelched through the mud behind them. It was James. "All the cages were turned over and the tarps are gone. Cameron wants to know if the birds can stay where they are."

"Yes." Sir Davey looked stunned. "All those birds in my shop? The Dragon's Horde has been turned into a veritable roost."

His warning about the Red Cap was sobering, but she'd seen the nasty decaying mushrooms on both sides of the path and all around the shop.

"It's a good thing we're having our meeting. In fact, I may be staying over and sleeping on your dad's couch. Those birds smell."

At the shop there was no sign of Knot, thank goodness.

"Zeke's waiting for you upstairs, Sir Davey," Scott said. He looked at her. "You're all wet."

"Thank you, Lord Obvious." She needed to change into dry clothes and hang up these wet ones to keep them out of Knot's reach. Upstairs, Janice sat on the couch drinking from a green mug decorated with gilded trees. Steam rose from the rim, and the aroma of mint lingered in the air. Her father stood by the stove, pouring boiling water into the pot.

He stopped what he was doing and hugged her, releasing her quickly before she could protest. "I was so worried for you during that storm, but I learned you were with Sir Davey. Is everything okay at the mews?"

"Messed up, but the birds are okay." Keelie lowered her voice. "Zeke, the trees were afraid. I felt them telling me when the storm came."

Zeke sighed. "I did, too. Dark magic has upset the balance of energy in the forest."

"We found the mushrooms, Zeke, and it isn't good." Janice had risen from the couch and walked to the kitchen. She placed her mug on the kitchen table, bracelets jangling. Keelie noticed that Janice wore a purple sweater and jeans, normal clothes for a change. She looked nice.

"I saw the mushrooms too. They were all around the Dragon's Horde."

"You can smell them before you see them." Sir Davey's caterpillar eyebrows vibrated. "Those birds will be staying in my shop until the mews can be repaired. Mind if I bunk with you, Zeke?"

"Good idea. There's another front moving through and the weather might get rough again." Dad handed Keelie a cup of tea. "I can make coffee for you two. I've got some left."

"You have coffee?" Janice's eyes were wide.

Zeke shrugged. "Some of Sir Davey's blend. He brought it up for Keelie this morning. Keelie was feeling a little queasy after the excitement of saving Moon."

"I'll have orange juice, if it's all the same to you." Keelie craved sunshine, even if it was the liquid variety.

"No coffee?" Zeke pretended to be shocked.

Sir Davey took her hand and turned it over. A green tinge lingered in her palm. "Too much acidity will off-balance the photosynthesis her body is trying to counteract. No orange juice."

"Coffee, then." Keelie sat down on the sofa, hugging a green pillow to her chest. "I'm tired." She leaned forward to examine the weather maps spread across the coffee table. Strange runic symbols were drawn over the Rocky Mountains. There were dots of green outlining forests. Some of the forests were labeled "Sentient." And there were dots of dark brown labeled "Earth."

Keelie asked, "What's this mean?"

"Those are the magical centers over the mountains," Zeke said.

Sir Davey sat down next to Keelie. "The Earth magic centers are fewer, but they are deep and very ancient. Forests come and go, but the Earth is there forever."

"How does Earth magic work?"

"Thought you'd never ask." Sir Davey beamed at her. "Hold out your hand. Don't be afraid." She raised her palm upward, and he placed a cold, round ball of raw, unbaked clay in her hands. It was hard and squishy at the same time, but thankfully not like mud. Where did he get it? She pictured him walking around with mud balls in his pockets.

"Remember, Keelie. Remember mud pies, remember sandboxes, remember splashing in puddles on a warm summer's night."

Keelie closed her eyes and wrapped her fingers around the cool clay. It was soothing, like a balm to her fractured heart. Her fatigue eased.

The memory of splashing with Laurie in her pink wading pool was suddenly clear. She had forgotten about the pool, and how they'd made mud pies next to it and had underwater tea parties and played with their dolls for hours while Mom sat in her lounge chair reading Glamour magazine.

Keelie giggled, remembering the warm sun and playing hide-and-seek with Laurie in the flower garden. Mom had complained about the tall lilies that their neighbor had planted and that now grew inside their fence, too. And suddenly, another memory surfaced. She felt her jaw drop as she remembered the little insect-like people that joined in their games.

She could almost feel the warmth of a California night, alive with fireflies that sang to her. Keelie danced with the little lights, and the stars seemed as bright as the blinking fireflies, and her skin tingled with the caress of their magic.

When Mom called, "Time to come in," Keelie wouldn't want to, and Mom would turn on the floodlights. She knew they were more than bugs, because they always disappeared when the lights went on. After the incident in the woods, she never mentioned the fairies to Mom.

Mom. Mom wearing blue jean shorts and a cool white blouse with embroidered roses on the pocket. Keelie squeezed the clay harder. She wanted to slip back into that memory and be that little girl again and have her mom tuck her into bed. She wouldn't play with the fairies if she could have her mommy back.

The memory began to fade. "No! Mommy, come back." Keelie tightened her grip on the clay. Nausea and fatigue washed over her. She opened her eyes and let the mutilated clay drop from her fingers onto the floor.

Sir Davey watched her, his gray eyes grave. Keelie closed her eyes again and saw the images of Moon, the face of the man in the aspen tree, and the stick man flying in front of her. Finally her mother's face appeared, exactly as she remembered her. She hadn't forgotten her at all. Keelie opened her eyes and noticed that Sir Davey's eyes were misty. He held her hand.

Tears slipped down her face, too. She couldn't stop them. She tried to push all the sadness back into the box she'd created for her feelings, but the lock had been broken. The overwhelming sadness wouldn't fit anymore. It had grown too big for her to hide, and she had no choice but to let some of it out.

"More," she whispered.

Davey shook his head. "I didn't do anything, Keelie. You summoned that memory on your own. Your quartz works the same way as the clay. Things of Earth ground you and help you to focus your energies without distraction."

Keelie barely paid attention to Sir Davey. She stood up, releasing his hand. She didn't want clay or crystals to ground her. She wanted Mom. Keelie wobbled and would have fallen if Zeke hadn't caught her. He held her in his arms, and she relaxed. Just this once she would hold onto him. Just this once she would let him comfort her until the sadness shrank enough for her to stuff it back into its box and build another strong brick wall around it.

Her dad held her, and she held him back and cried into his shoulder. He kissed the top of her head. "I miss her, too. Keelie. I miss my Katy."

Keelie excused herself to wash her face. When she walked into the bedroom, Knot was on her bed, his weird green eyes focused on her. She saw herself reflected in the window against the growing darkness outside. It was too early for night. Another storm was approaching. As she looked, lightning flashed silently beyond the forest.

She heard her cell phone ring, the subtle chirp her mother had insisted on. The sound was coming from the bedside table. She picked up the mud-encrusted phone and checked its screen, but it was blank. She would have to call Pacific Bell for a replacement. Wonder what service they had in the Dread Forest?

"Stupid mud."

A tiny voice came from the phone. Surprised, she held it to her ear.

"Hey, you answered." Laurie's voice!

"You wouldn't believe it. This phone is destroyed. I haven't been able to get it to work at all," said Keelie. "How are you? How's everyone at school?"

"Okay." Laurie sounded impatient. "Cousin Addie is coming through for us. She'll be at the Faire on Sunday evening, and she's springing you then."

"Sunday." She should have been happy, but she felt flat.

"Yeah, that's all the time you've got left to suffer at the Freak Faire."

Hearing footsteps outside the bedroom, she whispered, "I've got to go, Laurie. Call me tomorrow."

Quickly, Keelie shoved the cell phone under her pillow as Dad poked his head through the bedroom curtain. "Aren't you coming back out?"

Knot watched her. When she made eye contact with him, his gaze dropped to her pillow, then back to her, as if he knew what she was planning.

"Yeah. I was just looking at my new clothes." That was lame.

Her father's face faded. A cold fear clamped around Keelie. Hrok's voice was in her head, Tree Shepherd's daughter, help her.

She shrieked as she dropped to the floor. Her arms felt as if they were being torn out of their sockets as the wind tugged on her body like an evil zephyr, demanding her to dance with it. The branches of the oak tree outside the shop slapped and scratched the glass window panes. Hrok's voice echoed in her head. Tree Shepherd, stop the storm.

Stop it? How could her dad stop a storm? She felt as if her arms and legs were being pulled, her hair yanked by the roots.

Then she lost her connection to Hrok, hearing instead sadistic laughter in the howl of the wind. The Red Cap. Panic swelled inside Keelie, bursting out of her in a scream.

In the dark and cold was the green panic of the trees as they thrummed their danger call deep underground, root to root.

Sudden warmth drew her attention, and then she heard the weather radio beep its storm warning. Hands. Hands were clutching at her.

"Open your eyes, Keelie," Janice said.

"We're right here, lass. Open your eyes." It was Sir Dav- eys voice.

She did, and saw Sir Davey and Janice were kneeling on either side of her. "Dad." Her voice came out in a croak.

"He'll be all right. Are you with us now?" Sir Davey's voice was like an anchor, a strong rock that would hold her down, keep her safe.

Keelie closed her eyes again as a cry for help rose in her mind once more. She saw a tall, regal aspen growing in the forest on the other side of the mountain. She sensed that the aspen was a queen, and the smaller aspens surrounding her were her handmaidens and members of her woodland court. The trees were in danger, surrounded by debris whirling counterclockwise. Lightning sizzled and hit the aspen. Fire consumed her papery bark. In that moment, Keelie felt the tree's life force fading away.

"Keelie." She heard her father's voice, but it was in her mind, a warm green haze that wrapped around her. She struggled to find her voice. "Tornado."

Fear and pain flooded through her. Hot pain seared her ankles. It felt as if rough fingers had grabbed hold of them and were pulling. The aspen's roots were being torn from the Earth. The last of the tree's consciousness filled Keelie. Protect the magic, Tree Shepherd's daughter.

The green blanket that resonated with her father's magic enfolded her as the tree crashed to the forest floor. Its spirit disappeared from her mind, but she was left with the image of the tornado plowing through the woods like an angry titan of air.