Davey threw himself out of the RV and disappeared into the campground, his cries of “Fire!” cutting through the merriment.
Dad leaped out of the RV after him and ran to a large, military-style lodge-tent next to them, calling out, “Fire!” He ran on to the next tent as Tarl and his friends poured out of the lodge, tankards in hand, sniffing the air.
Dad ran back to the RV. “To Janice’s, Keelie,” he yelled, then raced up the road as Tarl’s men spread the alarm. In seconds, the spaces between the tents were full of faire workers who’d dropped their meals, guitars, and books to help.
Davey returned and grabbed a fire extinguisher from under a cabinet, which he handed to Keelie. “Take this to Janice. Not sure if she has one, and I have an extra.”
Keelie stared at the fire extinguisher. If the fire wasn’t controlled early, it would turn into a monster like the one that had engulfed Heartwood. No fire extinguisher could have stopped that one.
“I don’t want to run away,” Keelie said. “I’m part of this faire and I want to help.”
“You’re not running away,” Davey said earnestly. “You have to warn Janice so that she can save her shop and spread the alarm to those living on the grounds.”
Keelie grabbed the heavy red extinguisher and ran up the road, pushing past the blue-jean-clad faire folk who jostled past her, carrying shovels, rakes, buckets, and even more fire extinguishers as they rushed toward the blaze, visible now as an orange glow on the horizon near the jousting arena. Thomas the Glass Blower huffed his way down the path, carrying a hoe, Sam the Potter beside him.
“I wonder if this was Vangar the firebug’s doing,” Sam said.
“Don’t know, but Finch will defend him if it is,” Thomas answered as they glared at Keelie.
She was the only one headed away from danger as she turned toward Green Lady Herbs, wishing she had the Compendium.
“Hurry, Keelie!” a red-faced Raven shouted, waving Keelie to the herb shop.
Janice was hosing water onto the roof and around the building. “Keelie, thank goodness you’re here. I need your help. Go inside and cover my herbs and tinctures with cloth.”
Inside the shop, the sweet, woodsy scent was now mixed with the smell of burnt wood. Keelie blinked back tears-the faire was slowly dying. Shimmerlight, Lavender Lollipop, and Lily Limerton showed up and helped cover the herbs. Then Janice ran toward the jousting arena, the girls behind her.
The stands were fully engulfed, the flames shooting high into the trees. The trees shrieked in Keelie’s head, howling in terror as the flames licked at their trunks and branches.
Keelie joined a bucket brigade that scooped water from the horses’ spring-fed trough and passed buckets to be flung at the fire. It was like spitting into a volcano, but it was something. Endless buckets passed her on their way to the roaring inferno, and while her body worked mechanically, her mind was trying to soothe the forest.
She sensed her father’s voice as he worked on the other side of the fire, and then she felt her uncle and her grandmother joining in from their far forests. The tree shepherds were working together. Despite her fear and exhaustion, Keelie’s pride lightened her heart.
Around her were signs of a similar spirit as the faire workers pitched in to help each other. The faire folk were family, maybe not by blood, but by choice and circumstance.
It wasn’t until after midnight that the last remnants of the fire were under control. The jousting arena had been turned to ashes. The Silver Bough Company would have to perform its demonstrations in the parking lot until the embers cooled.
Keelie trudged back to Green Lady Herbs with Janice and Raven, thinking this was getting really old.
Dad joined them just as they neared the shop. Janice stopped walking a moment, overcome with emotion at the sight of her little cottage unharmed.
Dad was dirty and his hair was loose, his ear tips exposed. “Thank you for letting Keelie stay with you, but she’ll sleep at Sir Davey’s tonight.”
“She helped me save my shop. I couldn’t have done it without her,” Janice said.
“Can’t she stay with us?” Raven asked.
Dad shook his head. Keelie sensed that something was off about him. For one thing, he never showed his ear tips around humans, even Janice and Raven who knew about the elves.
“Keelie, thank you for all of your help,” Janice said. Her cap was askew, and her face ashen and smudged with dirt.
Keelie wiped her hands over the forehead. Dirt and smoke came off in her hands. “I think I need a shower.”
“Let’s head to the RV.” Dad rubbed his eyes with the palm of his sooty hands.
“Be careful, especially around Vangar.” Janice hugged Keelie.
“We’ll be fine,” Keelie said.
Walking back to the performer’s campground, exhausted and desperately wanting to feel hot water sluicing down her body, Keelie yearned for Sir Davey’s RV and its expansive luxury spa bathroom.
“Keelie, I hope you didn’t say anything to Janice about the goblins?” Dad asked.
“No, we didn’t have time to talk.” Keelie frowned. “Why don’t you want her to know about the goblins? She knows you’re an elf. “
“Things have changed. The battle in the Northwoods has convinced the elves that the less we interact with humans, the better. For the Ren Faires there’ll be little change, but even so, the less humans know, the better.”
Keelie stopped. “It’s wrong, Dad. I think we should be more open, not less. Why can’t humans know about elves, anyway?”
Dad shook his head. He seemed so standoffish right now.
“We’ll argue about this later. Once I drop you off at Sir Davey’s, I must meet with the elves.”
“Again? It’s the middle of the night.” Keelie dropped her sarcastic tone and placed a hand on his sooty shoulder. “Dad, you need to rest too. You’re getting a little loopy.”
Dad hugged her. “Later.” They had reached the edge of the campground, and he left her standing among the parked cars. Thomas the Glass Blower waved to Dad as he walked toward the woodland path leading to the elven camp.
Feeling abandoned, Keelie went inside the RV for her much-needed shower. She’d get some sleep and clear her head. Two fires in two nights was not a coincidence. Someone in the faire was an arsonist, and he or she had to be stopped.
Four hours later, Keelie threw her pillow at the goblin tree in the corner of the RV’s living area. “Shut up.”
She’d gotten two hours of sleep before the tree had started singing pub songs about wenches. Loudly.
Oh, the pretty lass was quite the wench.
But she never washed, she had a stench.
It added more verses as it went along, and it was clearly no Grammy hopeful.
Keelie sat up. “We should have known not to put that tree where it could hear Tarl and the mud men.”
Knot meowed angrily, walked over to the little angry tree, and unsheathed his claws. “Meow firewood.”
“Threaten me all you want, stinky cat, but you don’t scare me,” the goblin tree shouted out loud. It pushed its face though its bark and stuck its green tongue out at Knot.
Keelie lowered herself back onto the sofa, hoping to go back to sleep.
“I saw you naked when you showered,” the tree continued. “I sent the image to all the trees around the mountain.”
Keelie blushed with embarrassment. “Silly tree. There’s a lot of serious stuff happening here. Besides, I don’t care. What do trees care about naked people?” But it gave her pause that the tree had spoken aloud. It was growing in power.
Keelie couldn’t stay in the RV another moment with the obnoxious thing. If she’d had the Compendium, she would’ve used a silence spell on it and then, just in case, sent out a forget-it spell to the trees so they wouldn’t remember the image of her naked.
A wave of regret washed over her as she remembered the Compendium. Cricket climbed on top of her head, as if sensing her sadness.
Keelie’s tree sense kicked in. Hrok?
Lady Keliel, your father is still in the elven village, and he will be so for many hours. He says you need to rest.
Thank you, Hrok. She paused. Hrok, can you sense the goblins? Are they near the entrance to Under-the-Hill?
No, milady. They have moved, but we do not know where. We sense they are near.
Yesterday, you told me that the goblins are your friends. I find it hard to believe that a tree could say that.
Oh yes. We like them very much.
Later, Hrok.
Keelie abruptly ended the conversation. She’d have to be careful talking to trees about goblins if they thought the goblins were their friends. Something was badly wrong with them, and with Dad too. She thought about her actions the past two days, but couldn’t think of anything strange about herself other than bone weariness and a growing hatred for the smell of woodsmoke. Whatever was going on, it was affecting more than tree shepherds.
A knock at the door interrupted Keelie’s thoughts.
“Hey, Human. Somebody is at the door. Can you ask them if they have some fertilizer? It will be an improvement over the company in this place.” The goblin tree swatted a branch at Knot as he strolled past on his way to the door.
Knot hissed and smacked the air in front of the pot.
Keelie needed a shovel to bury… no, to replant the tree in some clean, nourishing soil that might help with its attitude. Maybe a personality transplant could be done too.
She opened the door of the RV, blinking in the bright daylight that streamed in. Outside, Lily Limerton was looking up at her. She wore a T-shirt and jeans, and looked like a mundane except for the fake glittery wings still on her back.
“Finch said she needs to see you in her office,” Lily announced.
“When?”
“Like an hour ago,” Lily Limerton said. “I got lost.”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
“Thanks. I don’t want to make her mad. She scares me.”
“Me too.” Keelie wondered if she and the fairy girl could become friends. She seemed nice when she wasn’t in character.
Lily pursed her lips and rocked back on her heels. “You know, I shouldn’t ask, but I was wondering, since you and Sean aren’t together right now, if it would be okay if I went out with him?”
Keelie felt as if she’d been knee-punched in the stomach. How had word gotten out so quickly? Forget the part about being friends. “Sean is a big boy,” she managed to say.
“Thanks.” Lily smiled. “Hob said you were scary, but I don’t see it.”
“Hob said that about me?” Maybe she and Finch hadn’t been as discreet about their investigation as they’d thought.
“He doesn’t seem to like you.”
“I don’t know why.” Keelie felt miffed. Hob had certainly pretended to like her.
“See you later,” Lily Limerton waved, spun around, and walked away, almost skipping.
Keelie slammed the door.
“Sounds like Hob and I need to have a drink together,” the goblin tree said.
Tired and mad at the world, Keelie decided she might as well make her way to Finch’s office. She thought she’d take the path by the elven village in hopes of maybe seeing Dad or Sean. Give both of them a piece of her mind.
Crossing the bridge over the stream, Keelie listened for the water sprite, but she wasn’t revealing herself. If she’d had time, she would’ve tried the To See Truly spell. Cricket followed her, munching on bits of trash he found along the way. Knot kept step with her. He’d been by her side almost constantly lately. Good old Knot.
Sticks crackled in the bushes nearby. Keelie’s pulse quickened, but she steadied herself.
Keep calm, she thought.
She felt the Dread when she got within several feet of the path that, hidden among the trees, led to the elven camp. She clasped a polished rose quartz tightly and felt the elves’ strong aversion spell being beaten back by Earth magic. Her anxiety eased.
The bushes rustled again. Keelie’s heart raced with real fear as she searched the darkly shadowed trees for any sign of goblins.
An elf stepped out in front of her. She started to relax until she saw that it was Sean’s father, Niriel.
“Halt! Who goes there?” Niriel raised the sword in his right hand.
He knew who she was. Keelie lifted her hands to show she was unarmed. “It’s me.”
Knot hissed at Niriel.
“Identify yourself. You might be a goblin in disguise,” Niriel commanded.
Keelie sighed. “Keliel Katharine Heartwood, daughter of the Lord of the Dread Forest.” She needed to remember to act like the daughter of the Lord of the Forest when dealing with Niriel and other Council elves. “I was walking past the camp, and I thought I would see if Dad was out of his Council meeting.”
“Keliel, you may be the daughter of our Lord of the Forest, and some of the elves may think you’re special, but to me you’re an abomination, a mutt. Something that should not exist in this world.” Niriel narrowed his eyes. “Why you? Why were you chosen to be blessed with magic? I don’t understand.”
Cricket climbed up Niriel’s leg, chirping in delight at the chain mail leggings, which made an easy climbing wall of metal links.
“Speaking of abomination-this creature needs to be destroyed. The fewer of them, the better.” Niriel pulled Cricket off his leg. The goblin’s little legs scrambled in the air, looking for purchase.
“Hey, let him go.”
Niriel threw Cricket, not even turning to watch where he landed. “Take your goblin and get out of here. Your kind isn’t wanted. The Council has moved to banish you until the end of the faire. If I see you or that creature skulking in this area, then I will have no choice but to turn you in.” He flourished his sword at Keelie. “Or I may mete out your punishment myself.”
Keelie plucked Cricket from the ground and cradled him. “Banished? When did that happen?” She wasn’t upset, since hanging out at the elven village wasn’t among her favorite activities.
“At a recent Council meeting, according to our laws.” Anger simmered underneath Niriel’s cool elven exterior, and she had to admit he was scary.
“Glad to hear you get stuff done at those endless Council meetings.”
“You scoff, Keliel Heartwood, but you will find how serious a matter this truly is. It is good to see your father acting like a true elf.” Niriel peered down his nose at her. “I suggest you follow his example.”
“Come on, Knot. I know where we’re not wanted.”
“Smart move, girl. I never understood what my son saw in you.”
Keelie blinked back tears as she clenched her fists. She wanted to hurl a green energy ball at Niriel, but it would be considered an attack, and Dad would experience the consequences from the Council. She didn’t want him to lose his position because his mutt daughter had lost her temper and used magic against the elves.
She remembered what she’d said in the Redwoods, when confronting Bella Matera, the mother tree of the forest. She wondered if it would confuse Niriel.
“Ever heard of the karma fairy?” Keelie kept her voice calm.
He shuddered and his voice constricted. “Karma fairy?”
“She balances magic and punishes those who do wrong.” Keelie projected her voice like Mom would in the courtroom, making her appear more confident and stronger. Convincing. “If I were you, I’d be careful, because you know I have fae blood-which makes me, as you put it, a mutt. But the karma fairy still sees me as one of her own.”
“Then leave before you befoul me with your evil magic.” Niriel’s nostrils flared and his ear tips turned red as he shoved his sword back into his scabbard. “Be gone and take your creature with you.”
Keelie marched away with Knot following her. She grinned down at the fairy cat.
“Meow not trust him.”
“No kidding.”
As Keelie traveled up the East Road, she stopped in at Mrs. Butters’ and grabbed a turkey-on-whole-wheat sandwich. She just about inhaled it, she was so hungry. Shimmerlight and Lavender Lollipop were back in costume and character. They sat at a corner table along with Thomas the glassblower.
“I think we need to run Vangar out of the faire,” Thomas was saying.
“Hob’s got our back, but Finch doesn’t. How are we going to entertain the people when our jousting arena has been burnt?” Lavender said in a conspiratorial whisper. She caught sight of Keelie and her face flushed bright red.
“Poor Sean is beside himself,” Shimmerlight said in a very loud voice. “Lost his love, and now his jousting ring.”
It was time to leave before they broke out in song.
Keelie paid for her lunch. A lot of the faire folk were disgruntled, and she questioned whether the faire should open at all this weekend. But she also knew things would be worse if they were closed. If people started to put two and two together, they might think she was a jinx. But it was the goblins, and Peascod, and whoever controlled them who were making the faire a dark place.
She cut by the Muck and Mire Show stage and found herself on King’s Way. It all came down to discovering the truth about Hob, she realized. He seemed to be fanning the embers of discontent among the shopkeepers and performers at the faire. Finch might know what the next step should be.