The Tree Shepherd's Daughter

by Gillian Summers

  An orange blur followed him. Things wouldn't be so dreadful in the Dread Forest. She just had to get over this age thing.

  Upstairs, Keelie lifted the green pillow from her father's face and smacked him on the legs with it. He bolted up. "What? Keelie, are you all right?"

  She placed her hands on her hips. "We need to talk. Now!"

  Keelie liked her new look. The mirror reflected a curlyhaired brunette with fashionable flair. Maybe Mom would have enjoyed the way Keelie had redone Renaissance flair with contemporary touches.

  Her cool new boots were an old pair of her mother's that Dad had saved for all these years. They fit her perfectly.

  She thought she looked great, except for the dirt under her nails. She could almost hear Mom's voice saying, "Keelie, what were you thinking? You need a manicure."

  Keelie put a hand over her heart. "You're here, Mom; I'll love you forever."

  Keelie and Dad had talked for hours. He'd answered some of her questions, although she was still confused.

  "Keelie, wait up." Raven jogged toward her, wearing some of her new clothes, too. "I heard you were out with Sean last night. Elia is so mad she can't stand it."

  "Yeah?" Keelie felt a mixture of fear and joy. She was afraid of what Elia would do, but it was great that she was suffering. She tried to dredge up a little pity for the elf girl, but none came.

  Keelie was grateful that Raven didn't bring up Keelie's abrupt departure from the belly dance shop. "So she's really mad?"

  "Sure enough. So far today, she's pulled her best friend's hair, slapped one of the members of the Royal Court, and pitched a fit in front of the Rose Arbor." Raven laughed. "Everyone is enjoying it so much. We've never seen her this angry before."

  "I wonder how she found out." She either had a spy in the woods or Sean had told her. Or Elia herself had followed them. That last one didn't seem likely.

  She thought of sixty-year-old Elia. She didn't know how much Raven knew, but she was pretty sure that some aspects of the elves' lives, including maybe that they were elves, weren't shared with humans. Zeke had told her that she would age a lot slower than most humans, but she wasn't going to live to be five hundred years old, like her grandmother.

  Her dad sure didn't look 327 years old. He looked good. And Dad said the plus side was that as Keelie aged, she wouldn't get wrinkles. So she'd never have a Botox face.

  Raven headed back to her mom's shop, and Keelie went on to the mews, still thinking about the elves. Now that their problems were over, the trees weren't talking. They might know something that she could do to help Ariel. Maybe the oak in the meadow would let her know, although she wasn't excited about returning to the meadow.

  At the mews, Keelie slipped her hand into the leather gauntlet and opened Ariel's cage. Ariel called out and flapped her wings. Keelie could not accept that Ariel would never be free. If there wasn't a medical way to heal her, maybe some form of magic would.

  Ariel hopped onto Keelie's wrist.

  Cameron popped up from behind the cages. "Hey. Just cleaning cages." She smiled when she saw the hawk on Keelie's wrist. "You work wonders with her. She knows when you're coming."

  Ariel rubbed her feathery head against Keelie's cheek. Her golden eye glinted and her head bobbed up and down, as if sensing something different about her human best friend. Keelie wished she could talk to hawks, too.

  Cameron chattered on. "And who would've thought that Sir Davey and Louie would've bonded the way they have."

  Keelie said, "I'm going to look in on Sir Davey. I'll check on Louie, too."

  "Thanks."

  Outside the mews, Keelie released Ariel, who winged to the aspen trees near the Dragon Horde Shop. Her right wing brushed a tree and she careened toward the ground, then recovered and flapped back up onto a branch.

  Arms pressed her shoulders. Keelie didn't turn. Her tear-filled eyes were on the hawk.

  "We'll have to decide soon, Keelie. Is it fair to keep her in a cage for the rest of her life?"

  Keelie didn't want to hear Cameron's sympathy. "There has to be a way to help her." She closed her eyes and tapped into the trees. "Watch her."

  The leaves in the tree rustled in reply.

  Ariel followed her, flying from tree to tree until she got to the Dragon Horde. "Don't go too far," she cautioned.

  The shop windows glittered with crystals. She sniffed. Coffee. Sir Davey had brewed his headache-eradicating blend. She heard a moan from the back of the shop and hurried toward the location of the sound.

  Sir Davey sat on his little couch with a huge chunk of hematite pressed against his forehead. Louie perched on the sofa's edge with his beady eyes fixed on Sir Davey.

  He opened his eyes. "I'm dying, lass. My head won't stop pounding, and whenever I look up, I see this harbinger of death looming above me. He's waiting for me to die."

  Keelie said, "You need to get up and move around. Get the bloodstream going. It worked for me."

  Sir Davey moaned. "You were touched by magic. I brought this on myself."

  She went to the kitchen. She poured coffee, thick and strong, into an earthenware mug and took it to him.

  Louie spread his wings as Sir Davey sat up and accepted it. "The room won't stop spinning."

  "Drink your coffee. It helps. Trust me. I know."

  "I guess you do, lass. No side effects from last night?"

  "No. I'm fine."

  "You look different. I think it's your eyes. They seem more Elven than human. As if you know things that others don't."

  "I had a long talk with my dad. By the way, how old are you?"

  Sir Davey chuckled into his coffee mug just as he was about to take a sip. He winced as he swallowed. "Aye, learned about the age thing, did you?"

  "Yes. So, how old are you?"

  "Old enough to know better and young enough not to stop." He put a finger in the air as if testing the wind.

  "You're not going to tell me."

  "No. I have to have some secrets. Keep an air of mystery about me. Ladies like that." He waggled his steel gray caterpillar eyebrows up and down, then winced again.

  Keelie stood. "You're not off the hook about this, but get some sleep."

  Louie settled back down on the edge of the sofa. Sir Davey closed his eyes and pulled the coverlet up to his chin. "You did good, Keelie."

  She turned out the light. "I know."

  Outside, the early afternoon sun was bright, and the air was crisp and clean. She raised her face, allowing the soothing warmth to cover her. It was the comfort of a hot bath, as opposed to the feel of Sean's lips on hers.

  Sean had said he'd wanted more than friendship, and she was ready to explore that avenue, too, regardless of his age.

  Keelie climbed Ironmonger's Way to the herb shop, where she noticed that the blue tarp had been replaced with a brand-new door. The scent of lavender wafted from the shop.

  Aviva was walking around the building. She blushed when she saw Keelie and hurried past her. Try and be nice, and some people have to be mean about it.

  She knocked on the front door. "You guys open for business yet?"

  Raven opened the door. It was unlocked. "How's Sir Davey?"

  "Hung over. He'll live. You want to come up to Heartwood?"

  "I can't. We've got more cleaning to do. And Mom keeps burning candles. The shop's going to violate antismoking ordinances pretty soon. I'll be heading down to the Shimmy Shack later if you want to join me."

  Keelie dug into her pocket and pulled out a five-dollar bill. "Will you pay for Knot's tassel? I feel really bad about it. And I hope Aviva doesn't think I took her ring. I saw her just now, and she didn't exactly look friendly."

  Raven waved her hand. "Forget her. I was so mad at her, and I let her know in no uncertain terms that's no way to treat a really good fiend of mine. Besides, you returned the ring. What planet is she from?"

  "She could be like Elia, an el-"

  "An elf like Elia? No, Aviva's been smoking and partying too much at
the Shire. And I know all about the elf thing, kid."

  Keelie grinned. "Raven, you know everything."

  "Hold on. I've got something for you." Raven ran into the back and returned with a small box. "Open it."

  "What is it?"

  "It's a present, doofus."

  Keelie removed the lid and pulled out a string of gold tassels. She laughed. "Thanks, I think."

  Raven shrugged. "Didn't seem fair for Knot to get one, especially after you chased him. I figured you really wanted that tassel."

  "Knot so." Keelie tried to keep her face straight.

  Raven swatted her arm. "Stop it, or I'll have to kill you. Hey, there's a really big party down at the Shire tonight. Word is out that the pirates have set up their own tent in celebration of Captain Dandy Randy. Seems our Don Satterfield sold a software game he created to one of the big companies."

  "So, all that time he spent in his mother's basement playing video games paid off? Good for him."

  "Want to go? I'll be your personal security guard if you do. The pirates won't mess with you. Unless you want them to, of course."

  "I'd love to go. I knew there was more to Captain Donald than his cute booty."

  Raven rolled her eyes. "When we get to the New York Faire, I'll show you around. They really know how to throw a party at Rivendell."

  "Rivendell? Is that the name of the town?"

  "It's from The Lord of the Rings, California girl."

  Everything seemed to be from The Lord of the Rings. She'd have to read that book.

  "See you tonight around nine."

  "See ya."

  Ariel skimmed over Keelie's head as she walked up King's Way. The stained-glass shop was closed, and Ariel landed in the cedar trees between it and the front gate. The hairs on the back of Keelie's neck prickled. She looked around, but she didn't see anything unusual. She'd gotten the same feeling from the Red Cap, but he was definitely gone.

  Ariel perched on a tall cedar branch and watched her.

  Keelie stared at the pay phones. She needed to do this. Laurie would need to know that the Great Escape was off. There was no going back to California for Keelie now. Her life was with Dad and Ariel. She was no longer the same person who had walked through the gates, although Mom's girl was still there, inside of her.

  Keelie pulled some quarters from her pouch and dropped them into the pay phone's coin slot. She dialed Laurie's number.

  "Hello?" Her friend's voice seemed so normal, and brought back memories of what normal had been for her in California.

  "Laurie, it's me, Keelie."

  Keelie had to hold the phone away from her ear to protect her hearing from Laurie's loud shriek.

  "Oh. My. God. I thought you were never going to call. I mean like I've been trying to call you for ages and ages and ages."

  "What are you talking about? I've been talking to you every other day about the Great Escape. You need to call your cousin Addie and tell her that Sunday is off."

  "What cousin Addie? What are you taking about? I haven't talked to you since you called that night from some pay phone. I mean, that's so desperate. Calling collect on the pay phone."

  The hairs on the back of Keelie's neck were at full alert. She sensed a tinge of the dark magic she'd experienced with the Red Cap.

  "Hey, Keelie, are you there?" Laurie's voice asked, but she sounded faraway.

  Elia stood underneath the cedar trees. She put her thumb and index finger against her ear and mimicked a phone call, then smiled broadly.

  Keelie swallowed. She'd been had. Elf girl was toast.

  "Laurie, I'll call you later. I've got to go."

  "Okay, but call me back really soon. I have to tell you all about Constance's new boyfriend, and the really cool shirt she bought at La Jolie Rouge. It's to die for."

  "Bye, Laurie." Keelie hung up, and the receiver clunked back into place.

  A beating of wings alerted Keelie in time to thrust her leather-covered arm into the air. Ariel landed on her wrist.

  Keelie's skin crawled with the green tree energy. "Beware.

  Elia stood much closer, eyes small and slitted, staring at Keelie and Ariel. How had she done that? Keelie didn't see her move. "You should've left when you had the chance," Elia said.

  Keelie lifted Ariel closer. The hawk shifted uneasily. She stroked the bird's smooth, feathered back, comforting her. "I'm not leaving, Elia. I belong with my father."

  "You are a mistake. Half human. Like your stupid bird. We Elves know what to do with mistakes. We fix them." The air around them shimmered. Keelie shivered. It felt like magic, but not like the warm tree magic. This was more like fingernails scratching inside her skin.

  Ariel cried out and tried to flap her wings, then fell to one side. Keelie grabbed her and pulled her close. The hawk hung limply in her arms.

  "What did you do to her?" Keelie asked, frightened.

  "She's not dead. I cursed her, that's all."

  "Cursed her how? Take it off."

  "Make me." Elia backed away, smiling. "That's right, you can't-human. Now this will prove to everyone that you're not so special. You're a half-breed mongrel."

  Suddenly, Ariel was awake, her head whipping back and forth. Her beak scratched Keelie, drawing blood.

  Keelie cried out, but not because of the pain. As the hawk turned her head, she'd noticed the reason for her distress. Both of the hawk's eyes were now milky white. She was completely blind.

  Elia shrieked when a fuzzy orange ball yowled and leapt from the gabled roof of the stained-glass shop onto her golden curls; it seemed as if Knot had fused himself to her head. She ran down King's Way screaming and swatting at Knot, who clung to her head as if he were a rodeo bronco buster.

  Keelie watched as Janice removed the poultice from Ariel's eye. After twenty-four hours of Janice's, Cameron's, and Sir Davey's careful nursing, the hawk was still blind.

  Raven had hovered near Keelie off and on, encouraging Keelie to go to the pirate party. But she'd stayed with Ariel. Elia was so going to pay for what she did.

  "Honey, we've tried everything," Janice said. "I've made every recipe for eye injuries that I know."

  Sir Davey said in a very solemn voice. "I've used every healing spell I know, lass, but I can't break an Elven curse."

  She lifted the hawk onto her leather-covered forearm. Keelie leaned against the mew's wooden partition fence. She brought Ariel close to her face, and the hawk rubbed her head against Keelie's cheek. The downy softness reminded her of Mom's goodnight kisses. Being near Keelie was the only thing that calmed Ariel, and she'd stopped eating.

  Janice seemed about to say something else, but she was suddenly quiet. Keelie looked up. Cameron was walking toward them, and her dad was with her. Keelie's throat tightened.

  Cameron looked at her, and Ariel. "Keelie, we need to talk."

  Keelie couldn't answer. Her heart beat faster. She knew where this was going.

  Ariel opened her wings, and Keelie forced herself to relax her clenched fists.

  Zeke reached out to take Keelie's free hand.

  "Dad, Elia did this."

  Dad lowered his voice. "I know, and she'll have to face the Elven council for her actions. Elianard has reassured them that he will see to Elia's punishment."

  Keelie wanted to barf. "Elianard isn't going to punish her. I think I saw him racing the Red Cap for that book, and when Elia zapped me, I felt a tinge of dark magic."

  Dad said, "All the more reason to wait it out. I think this goes deeper than Elianard, and for whatever reason, your destiny is tied up with it. We have to be careful. You have to promise me you will not go near Elia and confront her about Ariel. It's not the Elven way. The council will resume discussions in New York. Elianard and Elia will be there, too. When we go to New York, we'll take Ariel with us and take care of her. I promise you I'll do what I can to find a cure to restore the hawk's sight. There are ancient Elven texts in the Dread Forest that could hold the answer."

  Keelie sighed. "Dad
, I won't go near Elia, but if she comes near Ariel in New York, then I will use whatever magic I can wield to protect her. That's the human way. "

  epilogue

  Where was her luggage? Keelie stood in front of the Swiss Miss Chalet. She'd accepted the fact that Dad was an Elf with magical powers, and that she herself was half-Elven, but the stylish California girl in Keelie balked at the curlicue-decorated wooden house on the back of the rusted pickup truck.

  Stuff was bulging out of every window, and her father was using what must have been some pretty awful Elven words as he worked to store it all.

  "You're going to have to get a bigger camper," she yelled to him.

  He leaned out a window and looked down at her. "This will expand. I've just got to add more space over the cab."

  "Dad. No. It's going to look like something from a Mother Goose book. You know, the crooked house down the crooked lane? Except this one will be the crooked house on wheels."

  "I think you're going to have to share Knot's bunk."

  She thought of his reindeer-embellished, fleece-lined kitty bed. Where was he?

  A horn honked, and driving up in a plume of dirt was a small pickup truck loaded down with pirates in full costume. The truck stopped in front of Keelie. All of the pirates in the bed of the truck raised up their mugs of ale and argghed in unison.

  Captain Dandy Randy was driving. He stared straight at her with a lusty glint in his eyes, then he made smoochie kisses at her. Keelie placed her hands on her hips and made smoochie lips back at him. She could play the part of a pirate wench. He placed his pirate hat on top of his head and opened the truck door. His booted feet crunched on the parking lot gravel.

  He swaggered up to Keelie. The other pirates whooped and hollered in the back of the pickup and held up their mugs of ale. Several hearty "hail, maties" were issued.

  Captain Dandy Randy winked at Keelie. "I've returned a fellow pirate to ye, seeing as you're about to set sail."

  He opened the passenger door. A furry orange lump on four legs stepped out. He had a red bandana tied around his ears, and he purred as he walked past Keelie. His tail was at full mast. "Knot?" Keelie asked.