“Lord Elianard, if you will.” Niriel gestured, and the Lore Master rose from his chair and placed a torn square of thick paper in the middle of the table. The candlelight acted as a spotlight, making the shred of paper glow.
Keelie forced herself not to react. She recognized the parchment from the Compendium. She lifted her face to find Niriel staring directly at her.
“I see you recognize it.”
Keelie refused to answer, biting down on her lip as she turned to her father for guidance.
“Where did you get it?” Dad asked. “Did the Compendium not burn in the fire?”
“We found it with this creature!” Niriel flourished his hand over Cricket. “He was eating it.”
Keelie winced.
The little goblin threw the remains of his soft drink bottle at Niriel. The elven lord stepped back and raised his hand as if he was going to strike the goblin, despite the bars that enclosed the creature. At the last moment he clenched his hand, probably remembering that he had an audience, and pointed his index finger accusingly at Keelie. “Do you know where the goblins have hidden our Compendium?”
Chaos erupted in the room as all the elves started to argue at once. Cricket panicked, throwing himself against the bars of his cage with frenzied squeaks, and Keelie dashed forward and flung open the cage. The goblin skittered across the table like a spider, then wove his way between feet, up the wall, and out the door, adding to the confusion in the room.
Her joy at his escape was cut off abruptly as she saw Niriel’s triumphant expression. She had just given him more evidence, and in front of all the elves. Could he be using a charm, or some other form of magic? Keelie angled her head fifteen degrees and Earth magic zinged through her body. She focused on Niriel and silently recited the words Finch had taught her: Allow me to see truly.
She caught a tiny flash, then nothing, as Niriel turned from her.
“Keelie, it is time to go,” Dad said.
He escorted Keelie out of the communal building, lecturing her on proper protocol and common sense. As he turned toward the bridge, Keelie stopped.
“I thought we were going to Davy’s RV?”
“I’m taking you back to Janice’s shop. Stay there until the meeting is done.”
“But Dad-”
“You stay there. Speak to no one. Do not try to find the goblin.”
She only nodded, numb at the events of the night.
Janice met her with a cup of tea and a hug, then handed her pajama pants and a sweatshirt. “No need to wake up early. It’s almost morning now, and you’re done in.”
Keelie put on the borrowed pajamas and crawled into bed next to Raven. How could the elves think she would give the Compendium to the goblins? She’d been planning to post it online, so that there wasn’t only one copy.
The worst thing was, she didn’t know what to do about Dad’s anger. He had defended her, and then she had released the goblin, pretty much proving herself guilty. She hoped he didn’t do anything foolish back at the elven village. Her face burned at the position she’d put him in.
And why hadn’t Sean defended her? Was it because his father was back? She’d never expected to see Niriel again. Or maybe in a hundred years or so. The only being worse than Niriel was Peascod, and at least he hadn’t shown his masked face here.
When the first rays of morning light filtered through Janice’s homemade curtains, Keelie felt as if she’d barely slept-although Raven was no longer next to her, so she must have been asleep for a little while. She yanked the covers over her head. All night long she’d wondered how she could find out what had happened to the Compendium, and who had started the fire at Heartwood. She’d thought about trying to contact Herne; however, with the elves upset about the goblins, it didn’t seem like that would be a good idea.
Neither Cricket nor Knot had returned home. No, this was not home. This was Janice’s shop. This was Raven’s home. Keelie’s had burned and all was lost.
She sighed and rubbed her chest. Was this heartbreak? She hoped Knot and Cricket were safe.
Janice knocked softly on the door and poked her head in. “Are you up? You have a visitor.”
Keelie lowered the quilt from her face. “Who is it?”
“It’s Sean. Why don’t you come out when you’re dressed?”
Keelie sighed. “I don’t want to see him.”
Janice frowned. “He’s very insistent. He says it’s an emergency.”
Keelie thought of Dad heading back to the elven village and fear pulsed through her, along with images of him hurt and alone. She flipped the covers off, grabbed her running shoes with yesterday’s socks jammed into them, and ran downstairs wearing an old pair of Raven’s pajama pants and Janice’s Earth Is Our Mother sweatshirt.
Her bare feet were cold on the hardwood floors (oak from Northern California). Sean stood there alone, surrounded by displays of bottled tinctures and baskets of loose herbs. He turned to look at her, handsome in his jousting clothes, with his blond hair pulled back by a leather tie.
“Is it Dad? What’s wrong?” Keelie rushed to him, dropping the shoes and placing her hands on his chest.
“Your father’s safe,” he said. He leaned down and kissed her softly on the lips.
Relieved, Keelie bent to put on her shoes, schooling her face as she jammed in her feet and tied the laces.
“If you were to stay in the elven village, it would be easier for me to watch over you.”
“I’m happy staying with Janice and Raven.”
Sean stepped closer to her, as if bridging the distance between them could make her do as he wanted. He pressed his forehead to hers. “We would be together, and the other elves would see that you’re with me, not running around with fairies and goblin creatures. They will take note that you’re trying to be more elf.”
Before Keelie could answer, Knot pushed his way through the door, followed by Cricket, who had several bhata riding him like a spidery golf cart. Feithid daoine buzzed around the open window. Something had the fae and dark fae creatures in turmoil. Knot saw Sean and pushed Cricket back out the door, then sauntered back in, arching his back and meowing.
Sean cast a glance at Knot. “Stay here at Janice’s, then. The elves are looking for the goblin.” He didn’t see Cricket, who was climbing out the window, probably headed for the roof with his bhata riders.
Tension threaded through Keelie’s body. It would be hard to keep Cricket out of sight. “Let’s go for a walk. It’s stuffy in here.”
Keelie looked back at Knot and motioned for him to stay. Knot’s tail twitched angrily. “I’ll be right back. Sean and I need to talk.”
“Meow.” He narrowed his eyes.
She didn’t want to say it aloud, so she thought at Knot, hoping the telepathic connection they once had would work again: Keep an eye on Cricket. He may know where the Compendium is, if it survived the fire.
Knot ignored her and washed his front paw.
She didn’t know if he heard her, but she knew Knot wouldn’t listen to her anyway. When did he ever?
eight
Keelie and Sean started down the path. There was a different vibe to this stroll.
“As I said, your father is well. He’s in talks with Elianard and my father.”
“Thank you. I was worried. So, if he’s okay, what’s so urgent that you have to speak to me this morning?” She stopped and folded her arms across her chest.
Sean sighed. “I’m here on official business, representing the Elven Council.”
Keelie fought not to roll her eyes. “Again? Another summons?”
“No, just me this time.” Sean looked down at her, face sad but stern.
“You’re here to represent the elves.”
Sean nodded, standing stiffly. “Keelie, if only you would listen to me, then we… I wouldn’t have to do this.” Rubbing his chin in frustration, he watched her sadly.
“Do what?” She shivered, and it wasn’t from the chilled morning air.
&n
bsp; “They’re going to question you, maybe by magical means, to discover the location of the goblins. You and I both know you’re not telling them everything. I thought I’d give you a chance to speak freely, away from the others. You can tell me what you know about the goblins.”
Keelie inhaled, taking in the green scent of the forest to help steel herself against her sudden anger. She should be shocked at his words, but maybe she was numb from the loss of Heartwood.
“No amount of magic can make me say what I don’t know. I’m not psychic, and the goblins don’t send me texts to tell me where they’re headed.”
Sean’s eyes glinted like emeralds. “You’re endangering yourself and all elves by your association with the goblins.”
“I’m not endangering the elves or myself. I am a tree shepherd. I deal with the problems of the forest. In the Northwoods, that included goblins. And might I remind you that the elves sent me there?”
The muscles in Sean’s face twitched, and he stepped forward to lean close. “You get yourself into situations that put your life at risk. When Herne took you
Under-the-Hill, I couldn’t go. I feel like a puppet that hangs around you, unable to stop whatever threat is coming. Not this time, Keliel. You have to let us, the elves, handle the goblins. You need to stay out of it. You’re putting our future children in jeopardy.”
“Children?” Keelie’s eyes widened in shock. She wasn’t ready for a family. She was too young to think about starting a family.
“Yes, children. I want children. I want a family, but I’ve begun to wonder what you really want. I don’t know if I’m going to have to wait a couple of hundred years before you decide you want a child, and then there’s no telling how our child will turn out. Will it chase faeries and trees?”
Keelie stepped back. She realized for the first time they wanted very different things. She hadn’t really accepted yet that she would live a far longer life span than a normal human. And she was sixteen. Driving was new to her. Children? Heck no.
“I haven’t really thought about kids yet, but I hope my child would choose to do the right thing, and would come to the aid of whoever needed him or her-whether pureblood elf or not,” Keelie said firmly. “I have done everything I can for the elves, and still you mistrust me. I restored the Dread. I saved the Redwoods, too, yet now I’m accused of being a traitor because I’m open-minded.”
“You’re not the only one who has made sacrifices, Keliel. I stood up to my father for you,” Sean’s eyes darkened. “Now he won’t even speak to me, other than to give me orders.”
“Your father has been plotting his return to the elves. He must have scurried up to meet with Terciel right after we left the Northwoods. Notice how he didn’t meet with Norzan. Terciel hates me. Heck, he doesn’t even like Elia, his own kin, because she married Uncle Dariel after he became a unicorn. Not elf enough for him.”
“My father’s heart was in the right place. He wanted to save the elves, but chose the wrong way to do it, and he’s paying for it.” Sean stopped walking and looked at her earnestly. “Father thought one unicorn horn would save all the elves of the Dread Forest. But you want to sacrifice the elves to help the goblins.”
“Goblins are part of the Other Realm. They serve a purpose. Didn’t the rift in the Earth, the crack in Gaia’s dome, prove that we must keep a balance in magic, in nature, and with the Earth? We can’t exterminate goblins as if they were bugs.”
Sean shook his head. “We’d be doing the world a favor if we did. You need to get your priorities straight. You’ve already lost one of our greatest treasures to the goblins, and I will not lose you as well.” Sean’s ear tips grew red.
Outraged and indignant, Keelie had to try twice before she could form words. “The Compendium was lost in the fire. The fire that destroyed everything I owned. I tried to go back for it… ” Anguish rolled over her as she recalled the acrid smoke, the screaming trees, and the blistering heat. “My priorities? Didn’t you learn anything at the High Court?”
He pointed his finger at her. “I learned to protect my own.”
“Well, you don’t have to protect me. I’m not yours.”
“You never were, and now I think you never will be.” Bitterness and sadness filled Sean’s green eyes.
“You want me to be the good traditional elven girl, and that’s not me.” Stunned, Keelie realized her words were true. “Is this it?” she asked.
They stared at one another, at an impasse. Who was supposed to say the next word? Make the next move?
At last, Sean nodded. He reached out and touched her cheek. “We’re too different, you and I.”
Keelie blinked back tears. First, Heartwood, and now she was losing Sean. Maybe she’d already lost him on the plane ride from the Northwoods.
He took a deep breath and straightened, his austere elven expression replacing the sweet Sean she had thought she loved. “You say you don’t know where the goblins are, but you have ways of finding out. Your pet goblin, for instance.”
“He’s a baby. Tell the elves to figure it out for themselves. I don’t know.” Heat crept up her body and into her face as anger flowed through her.
“Keelie, before this is finished, you will come to me for protection.” Sean turned and strode away, leaving her alone on the path.
She watched him march toward Water Sprite Lane, his back stiff with hurt elven pride.
Keelie tried to examine her feelings, but her heart and mind were in a confused jumble. She turned her steps back toward the Green Lady Herb shop. She heard Sir Davey’s deep voice in conversation inside, but she wasn’t ready to speak to him or to anyone else. She hadn’t had time yet to mourn the loss of Heartwood, and now of Sean. And she couldn’t answer the elves’ questions-she just didn’t know.
Keelie felt her dry cheeks. She wondered if it was her dark fae blood that was keeping her from falling apart even though her heart felt like a shattered mirror, all the brightness broken forever.
When she’d been in school at Baywood Academy in California, she’d gone running whenever she needed to shake off bad feelings. Before she knew it, she was racing down Ironmonger’s Way. She didn’t even look toward the jousting field. The very thought turned her stomach. Freedom. She wanted the sweet freedom that running gave her.
She wondered what Sean would tell the elves.
Did they think she’d armor up and join this goblin army that she supposedly knew the location of? But what if it wasn’t an army? Peascod had recruited his fighters from urban streets-hungry, solo goblins. Alone, they were no threat to anyone. If she ran into a few goblins making their way through the faire’s trash bins, she wouldn’t tell, not even Dad.
If they were armored, like Peascod’s fighters, then she would tell her father and let him make the decision. Dad would take her information to the Council, and it would come under debate-or would it? The elves would more than likely go immediately into defensive mode. The goblins could even be killed.
The elves still didn’t trust her, and she didn’t trust them, either.
Thomas the Glass Blower waved as she sprinted by his smoking kiln. She lifted a hand in return. Humans were friendlier than elves, and right now she preferred their company. The mud men pretended to jump out of her way, with exaggerated movements, as she passed them on King’s Way. “Make way for the lady in a hurry!”
Keelie noticed the flickers of sympathy in their sun-wrinkled, mud-encrusted faces.
At least humans, or most humans, were more accepting of each other. Differences were celebrated. Elves-it was their way or nothing. You were shunned for being different.
The Birds of Prey show wasn’t too far ahead. She thought fondly of Ariel, the Cooper’s Hawk who had once been part of the show and was now free in the Dread Forest.
She slowed a little, her muscles fatigued more quickly than she’d anticipated. She hadn’t run in a while. She’d let her workouts slide because she’d been so busy with her tree shepherding duties.
The Birds of Prey area was open, but Keelie didn’t recognize the costumed workers. Cameron was probably cleaning cages in the back. She should stop by and visit with her soon. With Heartwood gone, she might have time to help feed the birds.
She ran past the candle shop, where Trixie, the round, sixtyish owner, waved as her daughter, Karen, as spindly as her mom was robust, smiled. She returned the friendly gestures but didn’t stop. The Horne Shoppe’s owner, Elizabeth Hawkins, smiled at her as she stocked her displays of faux devil horns, unicorn horns, and fairy wings. Her cat Luci was asleep in the shop’s gutter, paws dangling. He was probably recovering from a Knot-induced bender.
Ahead, Keelie saw the tall front entrance of the faire, which looked like a castle wall, and the tarot shop in its shadow. The shop was little more than a deck with a roof over it, the sides hung with colorful draperies and twinkling glass ornaments that twirled with every breeze that billowed out the silky cloths. It looked as if Sally had a client, and Keelie would recognize that mane of red hair anywhere. Finch.
She needed to ask the faire director why she’d encouraged Vangar to ask her for help clearing his name. Maybe the answer would anger her, which might numb the hurt of her breakup with Sean. And she needed something to do since Heartwood was no more. Finch might give her a job.
Keelie pushed aside a vermilion curtain covered in tiny embroidered mirrors and stepped up onto the wide-planked floor of the booth.
“Busy?”
Finch lifted her upper lip in a snarl. “What does it look like?”
“It looks like you’re having your cards read.” Keelie sat down on the fat purple velvet cushion that covered the wooden bench and the faire director scooted over to give her room.
“Yeah, this is all new to me.”
“What? Dealing with angry crowds?”
Finch motioned nonchalantly with her hand. “Them, I can handle. This other thing I can’t.”
“I’m lost. But I do need to talk to you.” Keelie flicked her eyes over at Sally. She wore a scarf around her curly blond hair, and she was shuffling her cards while humming softly to herself.
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