"I know Ermentrude says you need to meet with Herne, but I don"t want you to," Sean muttered.
"I"m going to let you two love birds work this out. I"m desperate for some goat cheese. It was total misery not to be able to eat at the faire." Elia waddled off. She seemed to have recovered from her shock.
"Sean, I"ll be fine. I"ll take Knot with me. You"ll be patrolling the area for goblins, right?"
"If I can talk the Northwoods elves into it. They may already be doing it."
Miszrial had stepped aside from Ermentrude and was watching Sean and Keelie like a huntress.
"Come on, we can discuss this later. We need to join the others."
As they walked up, all conversation stopped. One of the elves glared at Keelie. "Can we help you?"
Keelie"s cheeks burned. "I thought..."
Ermentrude winked at her. "Keelie, I think you"ll find what you"re looking for in the woods behind Norzan"s cabin, toward the north. Knot will go with you."
Sean began to follow her.
"Lord Sean, you"ll need to turn to the east because the elves who volunteered as border guards are awaiting your instruction." Ermentrude smiled benevolently at him.
Sean bowed his head, but Keelie swore she heard some not very nice words being quietly uttered.
Honestly, she didn"t relish the idea of meeting Herne by herself, in the woods, with goblins about. She had no idea how she was going to convince him to help with the repair of the rift. If Herne was angry with Vania, then Keelie didn"t know what she could do. But she had to try. Ermentrude really was persuasive.
Dragons!
Purring thrummed against her leg. Keelie looked down to see Knot trotting along beside her.
"Glad you"re doing your guardian job."
He turned his head away as if she didn"t deserve any acknowledgment from him.
"Are we heading in the right direction?"
He crooked his tail forward.
"You could talk to me."
He kept walking.
"So, you want to have a mead sometime?"
He stopped and washed his b.u.t.t.
"I take that as a personal insult. I"m sure you meant it that way."
He started walking again.
"Fine, I don"t want to have a mead with you." Keelie wasn"t even old enough to drink mead. She trudged past the village"s stone buildings to the trail heading north. It went straight up a hill, through thick pine trees.
She reached out to the trees. Do you see Lord Herne?
He waits for you, the trees replied as one.
Suspicion stung her, and Keelie didn"t know who to trust. Terciel, Herne, Ermentrude, King Gneiss, and Queen Vania were all powerful beings, and they probably all wanted a piece of the wild magic. She would have more information after meeting with Herne, but she was going to talk to Norzan and Dad. If any of these beings had made secret alliances, there was no point in trying to get them to work together. This was way out of her league. What she needed was a magical United Nations peacekeeping force.
The faintly marked trail that led up the hill was springy with fallen pine needles, and every step released their aromatic scent. The silence was unnerving. No birds, no rustling leaves. And no bhata followed her, as they had since she"d arrived.
A twig snapped behind her. She jumped and spun around, heart racing. "Who"s there?"
Branches rattled in an unnatural breeze.
Is someone in the forest?
Yes, the trees answered.
Is it a goblin?
There was no answer.
Another twig crackled, and Keelie whipped around, ready to face the goblin. Her hand went to the charred heart that hung around her neck, and it warmed as its magic was released. Keelie"s heart raced, pounding against her chest as adrenalin fired her muscles.
A deer stepped delicately into view, its head crowned by a huge rack of antlers. Keelie"s fear quickly became awe. Strong muscles clenched under its sleek hide, and its powerful neck arched. It turned, pinning her with its blazing obsidian eyes.
"Do you fear me, Keelie?"
She"d expected Peascod or a goblin, not Herne himself. Keelie backed up as the deer stepped closer to her. She shielded her eyes with her forearm as a flashing swirl of light blinded her, and when she lowered her arm, she saw that the deer had transformed.
Cloaked in dark green, Herne seemed a part of the forest. Green blanketed the ground around them, and the nearby hardwoods sported fresh leaves. Flower petals drifted in a warm, sweet-scented breeze. He exuded power, far more than any fae she"d met, and the dark fae magic she"d absorbed in the Dread Forest responded to his presence.
"That was impressive." Keelie tried for a light tone, to hide the fear he"d seen.
She remembered gazing into his black eyes when they"d danced in Queen Vania"s ballroom. He was just as irresistibly handsome now as he"d been as an elf. Herne was trouble, but he was also the key to keeping disaster from striking. She had to stay.
"I didn"t mean to frighten you." His words seemed to be wrapped in warm caramel.
"I need answers. I came to help the fae and the elves talk to each other, and instead I find that the problem is something else entirely, and that there are dwarves here and even dragons. And you. The situation is a lot more complicated than I was led to believe. Please help by being part of the solution."
Herne"s eyes twinkled. He seemed amused by her little speech.
Keelie examined the forest floor for Knot. He"d better not be off having an ale with Ermentrude when he was supposed to be her guardian. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw a curtain of leaves forming a barrier between them and the rest of the world. She realized how quiet it had become, hearing just the sound of her own breathing. "Where"s Knot?"
"He"s been detained." Herne smiled wickedly. Keelie shivered. The plot to a horror movie popped into her mind: Shapeshifting deer stalks elf girl. She wasn"t sure what the King of the Dark Fae wanted with her, and she didn"t like feeling vulnerable in front of him. Now would be a good time to make a retreat, but ... Keelie wanted to stay. She sniffed. No cinnamon.
"Do you smell something that offends you?" Herne arched an eyebrow, unsure of what she was doing.
Keelie blushed. "No, it"s just that whenever elves use magic-" Should she reveal this information to him? The fairies might not know about the elven charm.
"Ah! You were wondering if I have charmed you."
Relieved, Keelie figured that by now, the fairies and elves up here knew a lot about each other. "I need you to come back with me. You must speak with Terciel and Ermentrude, and then we can go to Queen Vania once more." She tried to sound like Finch, the Wildewood administrator who certainly knew how to be blunt-spoken. She wanted a straight answer.
"You get right to the point-I like that about you," Herne said. He snapped his fingers, and a big red apple appeared in his hand. He brought it to his mouth with a flourish, then stopped and raised an eyebrow at Keelie. "Would you like one? I love a snack before making a big decision."
Keelie didn"t know if he was aware of the symbolism of producing the apple. She wouldn"t take a bite. It hadn"t worked out for Snow White or Eve.
He bit into its glistening red peel with a loud crunch.
"Are you going to have a snack, or are you going to discuss what is going on? If not, I need to go."
He grinned. "Patience is not one of your virtues."
Keelie rolled her eyes.
"Mayhap a cup of tea to help you with your mood, and a more substantial offering."
Herne clicked his fingers, and two mushroom-shaped chairs with big poofy cushions appeared, along with a table laden with delicious cakes and a hot teapot filled with fragrant tea.
"I don"t have time for a tea party, and I"m not in a bad mood."
Herne sat down on one of the chairs. He waved a hand over the table. "I have always found it easier to negotiate business terms over a meal. It keeps everyone at ease. In fact, this is my own blend. I grow it myself."
"I was warned not to eat fairy food." Keelie sat on the edge of the chair, but as it started to tip, she moved back and found herself trapped in its comfortable depths.
"You"re part fairy, so eating fae food won"t hurt you. Anyway this tea will help you see things more clearly." Herne poured her a cup.
"Conversation can do that, too." Keelie took the cup, bone-white china painted with acorns.
Herne chuckled. "Then let"s talk."
Keelie took a sip of the tea. "Are you going to help me?"
Herne snorted as he served himself. It wasn"t a rea.s.suring sound. "All in good time." He settled himself more comfortably in his chair.
"Sean and the elves will miss me if I"m gone too long. They know I"ve come to see you."
"I think your young Sean won"t know you"re missing for a while." Herne reached into his cloak and produced a gold pocket watch, the kind that railroad engineers wore during the Wild West days. Keelie had seen a similar watch recently.
"Did you get that from the Timekeeper?"
Herne shook his head. "I got it from a friend. Sometimes it doesn"t work the way I intend."
"My day in the High Court lasted a month. Meanwhile, the rift widens. Herne, I can"t afford to stay here more than the few minutes that normal time allows."
"I"ll do my best."
"Why couldn"t we meet back in Grey Mantle, or in the forest where we first met?"
"Because the rogue goblins are at large. We must go to Under-the-Hill."
"We"re not in Under-the-Hill now?" Keelie looked around at the now-summery scenery. Maybe this Underthe-Hill was different from the one back home.
"No, this is an alternate reality I"ve created that will last only as long as I need it. We must speak privately." Herne leaned forward to gauge her reaction.
She sniffed the tea before taking another sip. The scent of jasmine and apples was indeed soothing. She glanced at Herne, who was watching her over the rim of his cup. So maybe he grew his own apples and tea plants, or perhaps these were imaginary refreshments, part of his alternate reality. Keelie hoped he"d grown them, since he was more connected to the Earth than court fae like Fala and Salaca. People who worked with plants were mellow. She knew dealing with trees had given her a different perspective on the world.
Herne stared down into his teacup. "What has the dragon told you? She hears everything." His voice was very serious, and his gaze held hers.
Keelie swallowed. "She only said I needed to talk to you, and that all magical beings need to work together to heal the rift. I tried to do it alone with Queen Vania, and failed."
He nodded. "I respect Ermentrude. She gives good counsel."
"So you"ll work with Vania?"
"That"s another matter." Herne frowned. "The High Court has always held itself apart. And the queen"s sister, Linsa, died not long ago. The queen mourns, and blames me for her sister"s death."
Keelie stared at Herne. She wanted to go huh?
"She was found slain next to the rift," Herne said. "Vania thinks that I talked Princess Linsa into trying to overthrow her, and then murdered Linsa when she would not go through with the plan. But believe me, that is not true. I think that Linsa was trying to prove herself worthy to her sister, who never showed her love, and was killed by one of Vania"s slavish minions. Vania killed Linsa, even if she did not do the actual deed."
Keelie listened, shocked. The fairy queen had shown no sign of sorrow, and there hadn"t been much mourning going on at the party. "Why would she blame you?"
"Because Linsa and I loved each other, and Vania didn"t approve of our relationship."
Keelie had to remind herself that this being was not a man. That he ruled over the underworld, the dark fae. Even so, stray threads of compa.s.sion escaped. "I"m sorry."
Herne shrugged. "Have you ever heard of dragon magic?"
"I never even thought dragons were real until Ermentrude crashed the party last night. Er, last month."
"You"ve probably noticed that dragons are enigmatic creatures. Perhaps I can help you understand them better." Herne plucked a book from the air and handed it to her.
Keelie took the heavy book, but she couldn"t read the rune-like symbols of the t.i.tle. Its cover sparkled like Ermentrude"s scales, and its thick, deckled pages were age-spotted, and written in the same strange script. "I already have to read the Elven Compendium of Household Charms. I feel like the homework fairy has cursed me."
"I don"t know him." Herne pointed to her cup. "You need to finish your tea before it gets cold."
Keelie wrapped her fingers around the cup and let its warmth soak into her body. She took another sip, then drained the contents. Her vision clouded, and objects began to seem strangely elongated. She didn"t feel dizzy, more as if she were being propelled forward on a rocket through s.p.a.ce, but at the same time still sitting in her chair. She seemed to be able to see another layer around her, a different dimension that affected everything. She"d experienced something similar when she"d used dark magic.
Herne smiled mischievously. "It"s the fairy in you responding to the tea."
"Have you awakened the dark magic? What have you done to me?" Panic welled up in Keelie. She had struggled so hard to control the dark magic now dwelling within her.
"You"re fine. It"s just kicked up your abilities a notch or two. Look at the book."
Keelie blinked, and realized that she could now read the t.i.tle of the book. "It"s called Into the Minds of Dragons."
She thumbed through the pages. The strange letters rearranged themselves on the paper, and Keelie understood what she was reading.