Shadows of the Redwood (13 page)

Grandmother walked with Keelie around the stage.

“I’m going to L.A. tomorrow,” Keelie told her. “Remember? I have to handle some things for Mom’s estate. They’re selling the house.”

“I’m not senile, Keliel. I know all about your trip. Why have you not introduced me to your friend? She must be a charming girl, for Alora to think so highly of her.”

Keelie grinned. “You’ll meet her tonight.”

“While you’re away, I will be meeting with Bella Matera,” Grandmother said. “The redwoods are growing more and more worried with each passing day about Viran, and I am, too.”

Keelie didn’t know if she should bring it up, but she decided to go ahead. “I’m not exactly sure about the redwoods’ motives, especially after Bloodroot and his demonstration last week.”

“I’m going to ask Bella Matera about him,” Grandmother said. She looked up at the stands, as if practicing hearing the applause.

“Don’t say too much to Bella Matera until we know more about the redwoods,” Keelie replied.

Grandmother’s face became pinched and drawn, and she was once again the more serious, uptight woman Keelie knew. “Child, I am centuries older than you, as old as many of these trees. Give me credit for a little sense.”

“I’m sorry.” Grandmother did know a lot, but she didn’t have any modern street sense.

A mist rose suddenly from a corner of the stage and Bella Matera drifted forward.

Keelie backed away, seeing anger in the tree spirit’s ethereal features.

Grandmother started forward, but Bella Matera blocked her path and confronted Keelie. The tree spirit ran her sticklike fingers down the side of Keelie’s face. “Calm your fears, child. There are no secrets in this forest.”

And that was what Keelie feared most.

Laurie’s mouth gaped at the elven village high up in the trees. She clutched the rose quartz that Keelie had given her to fend off the sickening nausea and fear of the Dread, which was strong enough by the village to deter even the most determined hiker.

“Where are the Ewoks?” she asked.

“No Ewoks. Elves,” Keelie corrected.

“How do you get up there?” Laurie pointed up, her face pale. “You’re not expecting me to climb, are you? I don’t climb. If you need to read the Laurie book of instructions—it says no climbing. Born with a fear of heights.”

“Maybe I can find a charm for your fear of heights.” Keelie had lugged the Compendium home from the shop after she’d caught Knot reading it. He had opened it to the charm for fresh breath. It had worked, too. His breath was minty with a hint of catnip. Maybe the book was going to prove more useful than a doorstop after all.

Knot sat next to her. He blinked and yawned as if saying, “Chicken.”

Keelie focused on the tree. Could she do this on her own? She almost felt like she had, already, even though she’d always had an escort. “You’ll have to hold my hand,” she told Laurie.

“Do you need help?” Risa said, in a superior, snarky tone that grated on Keelie’s nerves.

“We can do it.” Keelie juggled the Compendium in the crook of her left arm.

“Fine.” Risa closed her eyes. Whoosh! Away she went.

“Whoa,” Laurie said. “Where did she go?”

“She’s up there.” Keelie pointed upwards.

Way, way up high, a small figure waved down to them.

“Close your eyes,” Keelie said. She grabbed Laurie’s clammy hand.

“You mean you can do this, too? How often do you whiz up and down trees?”

“First time for everything.” Keelie visualized traveling up the tree, green sap pulsing in her mind.
Take us up
, she told Wena.

The glow of the tree’s magic enfolded them. Beside her, Laurie’s eyes bugged out.

Whoosh!

She’d done it! They were on the wooden rope bridge outside the tree house. Keelie tried to keep the silly grin off her face, in case Risa was looking. Laurie dropped to her knees. She stuttered as she clung to Keelie’s legs.

Holding out her hand, Keelie reached for Laurie’s. “You’re fine. Just don’t look down.”

“I don’t know if I can breathe.”

“Easy,” Keelie encouraged her. “It gets better.”

Laurie accepted Keelie’s hand and got shakily to her feet.

Keelie slowly scooted, with Laurie clutching her shirt, to the tree house door. Once inside, Laurie collapsed onto a chair. Her face drawn and pinched, she closed her eyes. Keelie noticed her friend’s hands trembling.

Opening the Compendium, Keelie searched for a charm for fear. Under “Calming Charm,” she read about the magical words and the energy she needed. It required her to tap into “nature” and pull a string of magic. Nature?

Keelie scratched her head. She wasn’t quite sure what the book meant by “nature.” Maybe it was tree magic. Earth magic? But elves didn’t tap into the deep Earth for energy. She peered more closely at the text. She didn’t want to use tree magic, not here in the redwoods.

Keelie turned to the index: “Nature: pages 1000-1003.”

“You’re reading while I’m dying over here.” Laurie opened one eye and glared. “I’ve seen some weird things with you, but this ranks right up there.”

“I’m looking for a cure for you.”

“Nature: The energy of the living earth, the sun, the wind, and the energy of living things. When creating charms, it is important to have a base of nature to energize the magic.”

Keelie closed her eyes and imagined sunlight reaching out to Laurie, wrapping her in a blanket of calm. Keelie felt warm as she recited the words of the charm. Then there was a tug from within her as she felt power flow from her. Her hands became hot, and when she opened her eyes, her hands glowed with yellow light. She lifted them up, and the golden light formed a sphere.

The light floated over to Laurie and bounced over her head like a beach ball. Then, like an egg cracking over a bowl, the light spilled out and poured into her body.

Keelie sniffed. The aroma of lemon oil and cedar shavings filled the air. It smelled like the Heartwood shop after she had polished the furniture.

Laurie bolted upright and blinked several times. “Wow! I feel like I’ve been to the spa and had a detox avocado body wrap with a lemon juice tonic.” She stretched her arms. “What did you do?”

“I used a calm charm to help you recover from your fears,” Keelie answered.

“A charm? Isn’t that the magic thing your Dad did to whammy that town council woman at the Wildewood Faire?”

“It’s one of the charms the elves use most,” Keelie said. “I’m learning.” She gazed down at the Compendium.

Laurie’s expression darkened. “I’m not going to have any side effects, like growing cat ears or a tail?” She pressed her hands to her face. She touched her nose as if seeking reassurance it hadn’t returned to its pre-surgery shape.

“I don’t think so.” Keelie hadn’t thought of side effects. She’d have to ask Elianard about them. She wanted to be confident in front of Laurie, but she’d have to keep an eye on her friend.

“Is this appropriate for L.A. and the mall?” Risa walked into the room, holding out a beautiful green gown with flowing sleeves, the elven fashion norm. She held up another one, a blue empire gown (Jane Austen inspired) with puffed sleeves at the shoulder.

Laurie and Keelie exchanged looks.

Keelie hauled out the street clothes she’d packed. She had jeans, T-shirts, and tennis shoes. Her wardrobe had become sort of rustic since living with Dad. Back to basics. When you lived in the Dread Forest, you didn’t wear Dolce or Stella to the Edgewood Diner.

“You want me to wear this?” Risa sneered, inspecting the clothes.

“You’ve been shopping online from Enviro Girl, haven’t you?” Laurie said with disbelief in her voice. “I told you to stay away from that website.”

“I’m a tree shepherd—I can’t go around wearing Prada in the forest. I have to at least attempt to blend in.” Keelie was about to pack her clothes away. Let Risa wear her elf clothes and face the ridicule.

Risa lifted a shirt with the tip of her index finger. The shirt hung limply, like the droopy flag of some forsaken country that had lost its independence.

Laurie frowned. “Your clothes aren’t cute. There isn’t any style to them. It says Nature Geek.”

“What do you mean they aren’t cute?” Keelie couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She picked up a green T-shirt with a crackled and fading image of the planet and the words “arth, a Great Place to Live.” The “
E
” had disappeared several washings ago.

Risa nodded. “They’re ugly, too.” She wrinkled her nose as she held up a pair of camo cargo pants with several pockets down the leg.

Shocked, Keelie looked at her wardrobe. Risa and Laurie were right. A lot of her clothes were various shades of green and brown—like a tree. She was dressing in forest colors. She’d buy some bright new happy colors at the mall in L.A.

“Maybe we need to stop at La Jolie Rouge,” Laurie suggested.

Risa turned to Laurie. “What is this La Jolie Rouge?”

Laurie beamed. “It’s this awesome store with cool clothes.”

“I would like to go shopping at this La Jolie Rouge,” Risa pointed to Laurie’s shirt, a pink and white top with an embroidered sunflower. “I like your clothes. Maybe you can guide me in my selections?”

Laurie’s face lit up with radiant happiness. “I’d love to be your stylist.”

Keelie listened as Laurie and Risa talked about clothes. The two had similar styles. Laurie and Keelie used to talk about clothes at Baywood Academy, when her life had been focused on the mall, fashion, and their friends. Now it was the trees and Dad. Keelie lifted her battered “arth” shirt. She had changed a lot.

“I need to get ready for tonight’s show,” Risa said, looking out the window and noting the position of the sun in the sky. She turned to Laurie. “Why don’t you come with me, and we can continue our discussion about fashion.”

Laurie was about to agree, but she stopped and her eyes held Keelie’s with a searching gaze. “I think we’re going to go to that French restaurant in Juliet.”

Keelie nodded.

“Perfect. We can all meet after the show.” Risa smiled like she’d just negotiated a treaty for world peace.

“Works for me …” Laurie said tentatively. “Keelie?”

Keelie glared at Risa. She hated how the elf was worming her way into every aspect of her life. A sharp pain lanced through her temple, and just as quickly as it had appeared, it was gone.

Suddenly, fatigue drained the energy from her muscles. Keelie sat down. Maybe she was tired from using the charm. She didn’t have the energy or the inclination to argue with Risa right now. “Sure, why not?”

Two hours later, Keelie, Laurie, Risa, Sean, and two other jousters met up under the Globe’s arched doorways. Streams of theater-goers pushed past them, leaving the building.

“Your friend Scott is coming too, along with three of his friends,” Risa told Keelie.

Sean scowled. “Who invited him?”

Risa batted her eyelashes. “I did. Are you jealous that Scott talked to me?”

“No, but I saw Knot sitting with one of Queen Titania’s handmaidens at the Queen’s Alehouse. He was purring as she scratched underneath his chin,” Sean said.

Risa shot him a venomous look. “How long ago?”

Sean shrugged. “Possibly fifteen minutes ago.”

“I have to hurry. I’ll meet you in the parking lot.”

As Risa rushed away, Grandmother appeared, still in makeup. She allowed herself to be photographed, and signed autographs while making her way toward Keelie. She motioned for Keelie to join her in a corner. “Kalix has summoned us back to the forest. It’s an emergency.”

“What’s going on?”

“Norzan is missing.”

Stunned, Keelie stared in disbelief at her grandmother. “We have to find him.”

She thought about Sean and Risa being together at the French restaurant. Everyone would be having fun and hanging out while she, once again, would be trudging through the forest. A pang of envy zapped her. At least Laurie would be there to keep an eye on Risa, in case she forgot Knot and made a move on Sean.

“Okay, Grandmother. Give me a moment.”

Grandmother patted her arm, adjusted her jewelled red wig, and returned to the crowd awaiting their queen.

Keelie sighed heavily and looked toward the stage. Sean now sat on the boards, one leg raised and the other dangling, looking like any other gloriously hunky teen guy. She knew that, being an elf, he was way past eighty years old. So why did she still think he was so hot?

He was laughing at something his friend Bromliel said.

Oh yeah, because he WAS so hot.

“Sean, I can’t go to dinner.”

He jumped off the stage and took a good look at her face. “What’s wrong?”

“Norzan is missing. I have to help Grandmother find him.”

“We’ll all help.” Sean looked over at his elven jousters.

Keelie grabbed his sleeve. “No. You’ll start some kind of war here. It’s tree shepherd business until declared otherwise. Go to town. I’ll try to catch up with you guys.”