eighteen

“Stop, Round Ear.” A jouster was close behind her. He tripped, and Keelie felt a gloved hand close around her ankle.

Come to us, child, the aunties called to Keelie. Whether in command or invitation, it was her best bet.

She kicked the hand and scrambled away. Above her she heard Ariel’s keening cry. The hawk plunged down and attacked the downed jouster, her talons gripping his exposed head. He screamed and swatted at her, but she kept attacking, releasing him briefly, then swooping down to slash at him again. He fell to his knees and cowered, protecting his bleeding head with his forearms and yelling for help.

Ariel circled upwards, and then turned and came in again for another attack. The screaming jouster’s mail shirt rattled, but it was his head that needed protection since he wore no helm.

Keelie couldn’t believe it. Ariel hadn’t flown away— she’d returned to help her. Jake had said that the hawk been transformed by the dark magic, but here she was, saving Keelie, giving her a chance to get away.

Hurry, Keliel. Come to us, now, the aunties urged. But she couldn’t. She had to help Jake and Elia.

Ariel screeched as if she were saying, Go, go, while you can.

“What’s happening?” A deep voice shouted from nearby.

Keelie’s heart pounded so loudly she was sure whoever had shouted could hear it.

“Over by the trees. Hurry, get this damn bird off me.”

Where could she go? Wherever she went, she’d be found. The elves knew this forest much better than she did.

The three giant oaks, the aunties, beckoned her with their massive branches. Come, Keliel. Come to us.

Something furry brushed up against Keelie’s ankle. She jumped, looked down, and to her relief saw that it was Knot. “Where have you been?”

The shouts of the jousters were getting closer and she could hear the pounding of their booted feet, but before she could run, cool greenness filled her, pushing away the darkness, clearing her mind of fuzzy thoughts.

Knot didn’t wait. He dashed toward the village green, and Keelie ran after him, freed from indecision. Some elf folk made as if to stop her, and then hung back. Maybe they thought the dark magic that filled her was contagious. She grinned. Yep, they were afraid of her darkling cooties.

Knot disappeared between the massive roots of the giant oaks. It was as if he’d walked into an invisible doorway.

Keelie stopped, wondering what to do next. Knot’s head popped back up from behind a tree root. He blinked his eyes, then motioned with his head for her to follow. She swallowed. She had definitely seen that. She clambered over roots until she was at the base of one of the aunties.

“She’s up near the circle.” She heard someone shout, then heard Tamriel’s voice mingling with the others.

Knot meowed and wriggled down a hole next to the root. Keelie stared, dismayed at the smallness of the crevice. She could never fit through it. But as she watched, the root moved, widening the opening. A branch lowered and pulled the book from under her arm. The book vanished up into the tree’s high canopy. With the jousters now in sight, Keelie had no choice. She threw herself feet first into the hole.

The soil was moist and cool, and hair-like rootlets hung like untidy fringe from the top of the little cave. Above her the root shifted again, covering the hole and leaving her in darkness.

Tightness squeezed her lungs as the dark seemed to suck the air out of them. Fighting claustrophobia, she thought of open meadows and wide paths through the forest. It was no use. The hole seemed to be tighter, like a grave.

She thought of a mall parking lot. Acres of black asphalt shimmering under a hot California sun. Suddenly she could breathe much easier.

Above her, she could hear the rattling armor of the elven jousters as they surrounded the tree. Heavy footfalls echoed all around her.

Her fingers closed around the rose quartz in her pocket, but she couldn’t use it to see by. The light might spill out from around the roots and reveal her hiding place.

Even though the jousters’ voices were muffled, Keelie could make out their conversation.

“She vanished in here.”

“I saw her.”

“She’s a tree shepherd. The trees will protect her,” a frustrated voice shouted out.

The deep clang of metal hitting something rang out. One of the jousters must have hit one of the aunties with his sword. How dare they! The sound was followed by a yelp of pain. Keelie imagined the aunties swatting the jouster with a branch, like a naughty child being spanked.

“We’re not going to find the girl here,” Tamriel’s deep voice said loudly.

There were mumbles of agreement.

After a few minutes, silence.

Keelie lay in the nest of the roots and didn’t dare move for fear of being discovered, but a cool breeze tickled her ankles. She listened again for footfalls and conversation outside the trees. Nothing. She reached out for the aunties, opening her mind to them.

Is it safe?

You cannot go up to the village.

I’ve got to find my father and help the others.

Your father is safe for now. You must follow the guardian.

Somewhere below her, Keelie heard a muffled meow. Knot! Relief spread through her. She wasn’t alone. If she was going to follow him, though, she had to have some light.

She reached for her rose quartz and its soft pink glow illuminated a narrow passageway. She wiggled and dropped a few feet, then stopped. It was like being on an annoying slide that wasn’t slippery.

She wriggled her way down the narrow, womblike passageway toward Knot’s meow. After a few more feet the space widened and she inhaled cool, earthy air.

Another wiggle and suddenly she was sliding fast. A quick pang of fear was followed by panic as her legs slid into nothingness. Her heart clenched as she flew out into space, thinking in that split second of all the things she’d wanted to do with her life, of her mother and her father, her friends and her new life in the forest, and how at least Ariel would be able to fend for herself now that she could see.

She landed hard on her backside, which knocked her breath away. She sat still for a moment, grateful to be alive, and held the rose quartz high.

The pink light illuminated a huge underground room. It was like an alien airport hangar with limestone stalagmites growing from the ground and massive tree roots hanging down. Clods of dirt fell from the earth ceiling.

Are you safe now, child? She was under the aunties. That meant she was under the village. She didn’t think that the elves knew about this cave, or the aunties wouldn’t have shown her the way down.

Something moved at the edge of her vision and she turned her head, startled, holding her quartz up like a lantern. She relaxed when she saw that it was a bhata, a big one, staring at her with juniper berry eyes. Next to it was another one, and then another. To her surprise, hundreds of them moved into view, a breathing mass of sticks, leaves, and moss. They covered every inch of the floor and the walls, and clung to the roots that hung from the ceiling far above. Keelie moved forward carefully, shuffling gently for fear of stepping on one of the stick fairies.

The bhata made way for her. “What is this place?” she whispered.

A meow echoed from far away, and Keelie realized that this was not the only room. There was another cavern, and beyond it she sensed another. She had the impression of great space above and around her.

“You are Under-the-Hill, Keliel of the Dark Ones,” a hivey voice said.

She turned around warily, expecting to see one of the elves. But there was no one there, only the bhata. Far ahead she heard Knot’s faint meow, urging her on.

Follow your guardian, the aunties encouraged.

The bhata parted, showing her a path. She ran to catch up with Knot. The next room was just as large but with less rubble, and the roots hanging from above were smaller.

Here lit torches were set into the walls. Somebody lived down here. She wondered who, and did they possibly have something to do with the disappearing Dread?

Knot led her through cavern after cavern. Some rooms were illuminated, others dark. She tread carefully, afraid she’d break an ankle and no one would ever find her.

After a while, she noted something familiar about the pattern of the caverns’ layout. They were spiraling inward, always turning toward the right. It reminded her of the symbol on the book covers—an immense underground spiral labyrinth. She thought about the last time she’d seen the design on the book, and her mind became cloudy with the need to hold it once more.

A soft tapping came from nearby. Somebody was close. Knot had vanished. Afraid to call out to him, Keelie hurried. She didn’t want to be alone.

She heard a meow ahead and, relieved, entered the next chamber. It was empty, and completely cleared of the bits of rubble and dirt that had cluttered others. It looked as if it had been swept. On the far side, the opening to the next chamber glowed with warm light.

She glimpsed Knot’s silhouette and hurried to catch up with him. She found herself in a room filled with glowing stones set in the spiral pattern. On the far side was a stream, dark and deep, running through a crack in the bedrock outside of the labyrinth. The center of the spiral was below a bare place in the ceiling. Knot sat in the center of the spiral, his tail twitching as if he had been waiting for her for a really long time.

What was this place? The tapping sound became louder, echoing all around. If someone else was down here, she would meet them soon enough.

Knot moved quickly across the room, and Keelie rushed after him. She tried to go across the spirals but was knocked back, as if she’d run into a wall. She reached out, but could feel nothing. Knot meowed. Keelie got up and dusted herself off. Fine, she’d follow the crazy spirals.

“Slow down, Knot! Some guardian you are.” The evil kitty was the only one who could get her out of here.

She traveled around the labyrinth, and as she grew closer to the center, a path appeared that led to a small stone bridge that crossed the dark stream. On the other side she could now see a workroom, with stone benches and tables. Three small people, a woman and two men, stared at her from the benches.

Dwarves!

One of the men jumped up and came toward her. He was dressed in jeans and a Flogging Molly T-shirt, and as he grew closer Keelie saw that he wasn’t much older than she was. Light glinted from a minute shard of crystal just above his eyebrow.

He grinned. “I’ll bet you’re that elf girl that Jadwyn’s always talking about.”

“And you must be the guy who got the silver eyebrow ring from Zabrina.”

The little man touched his transformed eyebrow ring, grinned, and held out his hand. “My name is Barrow.”

The woman scowled at him. Keelie figured this must be his mother. Mom used to have the same expression on her face whenever Keelie was caught doing something she wasn’t supposed to do.

Barrow confirmed her suspicion. “That’s my mom, Madalyn, and my dad, Radorak.” The elder bowed his head gravely.

Madalyn eyed Keelie. “So you’re Zeke Heartwood’s daughter?”

Yes, ma’am.

“How came you here? How did you find us?” Radorak asked in a serious tone.

“I wasn’t looking for you, I promise. I got lost when I stumbled over some tree roots and found my way down here. I didn’t know this place existed. Do the elves know?”

The three of them looked at each other. Madalyn sighed. “The elves don’t know. They keep to the Above-world. But the trees know, and thus the tree shepherds know.”

“Or at least, they know of the Underworld. None have been here,” Radorak corrected.

“How do you keep an entire world secret?” She wondered how much Dad knew about this place.

“Easy,” Barrow answered enthusiastically. “Most people never know what exists beneath them. Look at Portland and Seattle. Dwarves have lived underneath the subways and streets for years and the humans have no idea.”

“Oh! I guess you’re right.” Keelie had lived in L.A. all her life, but she couldn’t imagine what was below the sidewalks and streets.

“There are dark things here, too, like the dark fairies, trolls, Red Caps, and such, but they won’t bother you unless you aggravate them. Or summon them.”

Keelie shuddered. She glanced at the creek’s black flowing water. She wondered what was beneath its surface, then decided that she really didn’t want to know. But if it flowed to the outside world, it might be her way out. “I need to get out of here.”

As if sensing her urgency, Madalyn reached for Keelie’s hand and patted it reassuringly. “We’ll show you the way to the town. There you can get to safety. We’ll help you.”

Keelie shook her head. “No, I have to go back to the forest. My family’s in danger.”

By the flickering firelight of the torches, Keelie saw a look of concern pass among the dwarves. “Zeke is in trouble?”

Keelie nodded. “The Dread has failed.”

Radorak frowned. “Jadwyn must know immediately.”

“By Jadwyn, you mean Sir Davey?”

“‘Sir.’“ Radorak laughed. “Gives himself airs Above-world, he does, but Underworld, he’s Jadwyn. We’ll tell him to meet you at the store.”

“What store?”

“We run the hardware store in town.”

“I remember it. You’ve got funky yard art in front and a display of expensive gardening tools.”

Madalyn nodded. “Yes, we make the forged-steel gardening tools. Since we’re so familiar with the earth, we make excellent gardeners, too. We give good advice, and folks have listened over the years, so we’ve built up a good business.”

Barrow beamed and his chest puffed out. “And our yard art sells very well, too. Especially the one of the water sprite. Lots of people like to buy that one after rafting down the river.”

“It would be great if Sir Davey—er, Jadwyn—could meet me at the store. Let’s go. The sooner I can get back, the better.” Keelie felt as if a weight had been lifted from her shoulders.

“Well, there’s a problem. Jadwyn has to get back, first.” Radorak sat down on a stone bench.

“How long is it going to take him to get here?” The weight returned to Keelie’s shoulders.

“He should be here the day after tomorrow.”

“That’s too late. I have to go back now.”

“It’s too dangerous for you to go alone,” Madalyn said. She blushed. “We hear things down here. We heard about the book.”

“Then you know that I have to go.”

Knot meowed.

Madalyn looked at him and her eyebrows rose. “If that’s the way it has to be. If you ask my opinion, she’s a mere babe to be doing such things.”

Barrow wrinkled his face. “Mom, are you talking to that cat?”

She gestured him away. “Never mind that, Barrow. Keelie, you’re going to have to take the stream. If you ask me, the child needs a cup of hot coffee and a good night’s sleep, but she has to go back Aboveworld…”

Keelie recoiled at the thought of stepping into the oily-looking black water. The offer of a cup of coffee and a good night’s sleep was much more appealing.

A cool greenness filled her mind, driving away the dark thoughts. The calmness of the trees and a mental surge of sunlight warmed her veins. Keelie stretched out her arms and reached upwards to the roof of the caverns, seeking the warmth of the sun. There had to be a balance of dark and light. The elven part of her needed the sunlight—the human part of her needed the earth. But there was still something else she needed… She didn’t quite understand.

The aunties’ mingled voices filled her mind. You are your Grandmother Josephine’s child, too. She was half fairy, and her fairy blood gives you access to the Underworld. Find the water sprite. She will lead you out.

Fairy? So Grandmother was telling the truth about Grandmother Josephine? Is that why Dad said I was under the protection of the fairies?

Yes.

The image of kindly, matronly Josephine in her nurse’s volunteer uniform came to Keelie’s mind. There wasn’t a fairy bone in her grandmother’s body. She loved helping people, but that didn’t make her a fairy. Then Keelie remembered that Grandmother Josephine never talked about her childhood.

A bhata touched Keelie’s cheek. Knot rubbed his head against her ankle.

Keelie shook her head as if clearing it. What’s going on above ground? My father? Elia and Jake?

The tree shepherd and the others will stand trial tomorrow.

Keelie had less than twenty-four hours to save Elia, her new-found uncle, and her Dad.

The bhata dropped to Keelie’s shoulders and pointed behind her. She turned, as did the trio of dwarves. Hundreds of bhata had followed her.

Madalyn placed her hand against her chest. “My word, I’ve never seen them congregated together like this.”

“You must be something special for them to be here.” Barrow eyed Keelie with new respect.

Radorak’s deep blue eyes held a wisdom matched by his deep voice. “Davey said you were a gift, a rare gift among elves and humans, and now I understand.”

Knot rubbed his head up against Keelie’s ankles. Then he bit her.

“Ow!”

The water sprite bobbed up from the stream.

Keelie splashed backwards. “Holy cow. How did you get down here?”

“This is the same stream that goes through the forest and down to the river rapids.” She giggled. “I told you he liked you.”

Knot hissed, baring his fangs.

Keelie rolled her eyes. “He had a bean burrito for lunch. This is just a gas attack.” She rubbed her leg. She was going to need a rabies shot, a tube of Neosporin, or maybe a quarantine for cat cooties. She examined her leg. Knot hadn’t broken the skin, although it hurt as if he’d taken a chunk out. She glared at him.

He was now washing his tail as if he hadn’t done anything wrong. Like big deal, I bit you—get over yourself.

“You’re a psycho!”

Knot stopped washing his tail and straightened, his spine crackling as he did so. He blinked at Keelie, then purred. He really hadn’t had a bean burrito for lunch, but she’d covered for him.

The water sprite shook her head. “You need a tour guide out of here.”

“Yes, I do. Can you help?”

“I’m a great guide. I swim down to the river where the humans go river rafting. Sometimes I like to freak out the people as they’re coming over a big rapid and I pop out of the water. They’re screaming anyway, and then when they see me, they scream even louder.”

“Isn’t that dangerous, exposing yourself to humans?” Keelie hadn’t realized how far the little sprite got around.

“Nah, the only ones that can truly see me are the ones with fairy blood. Anyway, it gets boring hanging out with elves, who can’t see me and are too busy playacting the Middle Ages, and with dwarves who are too busy working all the time.”

The water sprite sounded lonely. Keelie could sympathize.

Barrow seemed insulted. “I don’t work all the time. I do sculpture. I even did one of you. I see you in the caverns splashing around.”

The sprite seemed surprised, “Really?” She gazed dreamily at the dwarf. “Why don’t you say hi? I could pose for you.” She lifted herself up from the water.

“Yeah.” Barrow blushed.

A piteous meow broke the moment. Knot was crouched at the edge of the stream, his eyes dilated. He dipped a paw into the water, then looked back at Keelie. She figured he was telling her that it was time to go.

“I’ll take you up on that offer of a tour guide.” Keelie slipped down the bank into the cold, black water, reaching gingerly for the bottom. To her relief, the water was only waist-deep.

The sprite swam ahead of Keelie.

She tried not to think about anything living in the water as the wetness weighed down her jeans. She would focus on getting out of here, back to Dad and the others.

Knot meowed, pacing along the bank.

“What?”

He meowed louder and moved close to the water, then bounded back.

She couldn’t leave him here, although the thought was tempting. Very tempting. She needed him, but she’d at least get something out of this favor.

“I’ll carry you, but no more sleeping in my underwear drawer or sticking your face in my oatmeal.” She should probably negotiate for more, but she was too worried to think straight.

Knot’s tail twitched back and forth and his eyes narrowed to slits.

The water sprite snickered. “He’s got it bad for you.”

Knot tilted his head, then gave a little yowl and waited for her at the edge of the stream.

She braced an elbow on the edge of the stone bank and reached out for him. He was a dead weight in her arms, atleast twenty-five pounds. Keelie’s arms were going to be numb by the time she reached the village.

Knot had other ideas. He was not going to get wet. He climbed up her torso as if she were a rock-climbing wall, digging his claws into her skin. When he got to her shoulders he placed his back paws on them, and his front paws on her head. She knew he must look like an Egyptian pharaoh kitty. Her shoulders cramped from the weight.

“You’re going on a diet.”

He dug his claws into her scalp.

“Ow, ungrateful beast.”

Keelie waved goodbye to her newfound friends and slogged forward.

After what seemed like a long time, she saw enormous tree roots hanging down from the cavern ceiling. It had to be the aunties. Are you there, oh, great trees?

We’re here. You need to go to the treeling. She needs to be with us.

Guilt washed over Keelie. Alora was alone—she had to get back to her. She reached out to her.

The treeling sniffled. Where have you been?

Long story. I’ll be there soon.

I heard some mean elves stomp into your house.

Meaning that the jousters had searched her bedroom. Are you okay?

Yes. But I heard them say that at least you’d gotten rid of the puny plant. I’m not a plant. I’m a tree. I’m Alora, acorn daughter of the Great Tree of the Wildewood Forest.

Relieved, Keelie smiled. You sure are. Alora was okay. I’ll be there soon.

Hurry it up! I’m thirsty.

The sprite stopped. They had reached the first cavern, where Keelie had entered. The underground stream ended here as well, vanishing into the wall.

Knot launched himself off Keelie’s head and onto the bank with an elegant jump that didn’t do her scalp any favors, but her head and shoulders felt tons lighter. She twisted her neck and hunched her shoulders, trying to readjust her muscles. She was going to need to see a chiropractor once this was all over.

Still waist deep in the water, Keelie looked down at the little sprite. “Thanks.”

She stared up at Keelie with wide eyes. “You going to be okay?”

“I have Knot.”

The water sprite shook her head. “That’s not saying a lot.”

On the far side of the tree roots, Keelie noticed movement from several bhata. They were returning. “I’ve had help from the fairies, the trees, and the dwarves. I think I’m going to get through this.”

“I’ll be around if you need me.”

“Thank you.”

Keelie climbed up the bank toward the tree roots, squelching with every step, and grabbed an exposed tree root to pull herself up. As she touched the root, familiar green energy filled her, as comforting as chicken soup. The queen oak above her sent her strength.

Go to the youngling. She is to play an important role and she needs her shepherdess.

For a second Keelie remembered her old life, when her fate was not manipulated by ancient trees and curses. She sighed. What about the jousters? Are they guarding you?

The one named Sean is here. He will help you.

Sean has betrayed me. I don’t trust him.

His heart is yours, Tree Shepherdess. He is true.

Tell that to Risa, Keelie thought.

We do not have time to discuss the hearts of humans. You must help the treeling.

Trees. Where was their loyalty?

Keelie climbed up through the roots, working to push her wet clothes through the dirt. She was going to be a mud ball when she got out of here. She broke through to the night air and inhaled the fresh green smell of the forest gratefully. She had come up under a different tree, another of the aunties.

Sean stood under the tree that had first led her to the Underworld. His blond hair moved in a pine-scented breeze and her heart beat faster despite his betrayal.

She was going to have to trust him. She hadn’t believed him when he’d said the marriage hadn’t been his idea, and his father had turned out to be her family’s enemy. But now she was going to have to trust him. The aunties were asking for a lot.

“I need for you to get his attention,” Keelie whispered to Knot.

He blinked. Gotcha, he seemed to be saying. Or at least she hoped he was.

He sauntered over to Sean, who was looking up into the aunties’ branches. Keelie glanced up and saw Ariel perched on a low bough.

“Ow!” Sean hopped on one foot and glared at something on the ground.

“Everything okay?” One of the other jousters shouted.

“Yes, everything’s fine.”

Keelie shook her head. Had that cat ever heard of subtlety?

Knot sat behind Sean, out of view of the other jousters. He was admiring his paw, claws extended. Sean looked ready to drop-kick the kitty out of the forest. Knot motioned his head in Keelie’s direction, and Sean’s gaze turned to her. She popped up and waved.

Sean hesitated a moment and then sauntered over, standing with his back toward her. “Where have you been? We’ve looked everywhere for you.”

“I need to get to Alora. It’s important.”

“Who is Alora?”

Keelie blinked, surprised, then remembered that Sean didn’t know the princess treeling. Thank goodness, or the jousters who searched Grandmother’s bedroom would have taken the treeling.

“She’s a friend.” Okay, so maybe she didn’t totally trust Sean, no matter what the aunties said. “She’s in my grandmother’s bedroom.”

Sean nodded. “So you need to get back to the house? I’ll help you.”

“How?”

“I don’t know. We need a distraction.”

As if on cue, Knot sauntered out of the sheltering roots.

“There’s that cat,” one of the jousters shouted. “Lord Niriel said to catch him.”

Knot waited until several men had spotted him, then dashed into the forest.

Keelie ducked back into the roots.

An armored man clattered by. “Stay here and guard the trees, Sean,” he said, already breathing hard.

Knot would lead them on a merry goose chase.

When they were out of sight, Sean held out his hand, rough from hard work, and Keelie accepted it. He clasped his other hand over hers and she felt a delicious tingle run up her spine.

A shout went up from behind them. “There she is!”

Sean turned quickly, then looked back at her. “Run, Keelie.”

Run? To where? Keelie ran back to the massive tree trunk. Open the door. Her mental shout got a quick response. The giant root that blocked the entrance to the Underworld twitched to one side, as if it were a dainty lady’s finger and not a tree root the size of a station wagon.

Keelie dropped into the exposed hole and slid painfully down the way she’d just climbed out, faster now that she was coated in slick mud. Above, the jousters’ shouts grew louder. They’d spotted her escape hatch. Why wasn’t the auntie covering the hole?

Her heels hit the bottom hard, jolting her, and she took off, racing down the dark cavern passage. Behind her, she heard the metallic clatter of a jouster falling down the hole.

She hoped he was okay, but she couldn’t stick around to find out. Echoing shouts told her that more men had come below ground, and they’d be after her in a second. She ran faster, retracing her earlier route. At her side, a shadow raced. Knot was with her once again.