Into The Wildewood Part 25

"Yeah, sure. We'll drive straight up the mountain in your dad's Jethro truck with possessed trees chasing us. And the evil witch will grant our wish and then we'll click our heels together-"

"It's not a joke, Laurie. It's the only way we can get there in time to save Dad and the unicorn."

As if on cue, Knot ran toward them, a jingling, s.h.i.+ny thing in his mouth. He dropped it at her feet. Dad's key ring.

"That cat is something else." Laurie looked down at him. "Where's your little white friend?"

"He's probably hiding out someplace safe." Keelie turned around and held the rose quartz up high, and in its pink glow she saw that her friend's eyes were still glazed with fear. The harp music sounded again from the forest, getting closer. Keelie grabbed the keys. "You go to Admin if you want. I'll drive."

"Do you think I'll see the unicorn if I go with you?" Laurie sounded hopeful.

Keelie knew she would not, but didn't answer.

Laurie sighed. "You can't drive. Give me those keys."

The Swiss Miss Chalet was, thankfully, unharmed. Keelie pulled dropped branches off the hood while Laurie cranked it up. Then Keelie jumped in, with Knot right after her.

"Drive to the end of the parking lot, then get on the little trail that goes toward Admin." Keelie could feel the bhata bhata clinging to her hair like a weird woodland hair bow. clinging to her hair like a weird woodland hair bow.

Knot's fur bushed out to maximum pouf. He hissed and looked toward the forest. Laurie turned the engine off. She hadn't even turned the headlights on.

"Why did you turn it off?" Was she crazy?

"Look." Laurie's voice trembled. She was pointing a shaking finger at Elianard, who had stepped out of the forest. He held a glowing silver rope, and at the end of it floated Dad, limp and unconscious.

"Let go of him, you b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Keelie screamed, opening the door.

Laurie grabbed the back of Keelie's s.h.i.+rt. "It's a trap."

Elianard glowered angrily, his hawkish nose harsh in the moonlight. "So very human to resort to name calling, but as you wish, I'll let go of him."

He twirled his amulet and Dad dropped, landing on the ground like a discarded marionette. "Oops, didn't mean to drop him so hard. I'm sure that wasn't very good for his internal organs, especially in his weakened condition. This is a nasty disease, especially for elves."

Keelie's heart skipped a beat. Laurie stuck her head out the window and yelled, "Yeah, well, how come you're unaffected?"

"This does not concern humans."

The bhata bhata touched Keelie's eyelid, and she saw her father's image flicker. She remembered her dream. Dad was in a cabin up on the mountain. touched Keelie's eyelid, and she saw her father's image flicker. She remembered her dream. Dad was in a cabin up on the mountain.

More crackling leaves, and this time Lulu walked out of the woods. Elianard didn't look happy to see her.

"I can tell you why Elianard is able to resist the tree disease. He's using the unicorn's magic to protect himself and his daughter." Lulu smirked at Elianard, apparently unafraid of his powers.

"Shut up, witch."

Lulu almost hissed at him. "You think you're too good for me. Well, I'm taking the unicorn's horn for myself."

"Vain witch. How do you propose to capture him? With your charms charms?" Elianard sneered at her, but moved farther away.

Keelie noticed her father cast no shadow in the moonlight. It really wasn't him.

"You've caught him for me. Your daughter plays her harp and the poor beast can't move. You think I didn't follow you, to see for myself?"

"I should have known you would try to take his magic for yourself." Elianard glared at Lulu. "The unicorn belongs to me."

Keelie closed her eyes. She sought out her father, but his consciousness was blocked. She reached out to the trees who'd answered her before; she called out to Tavak. Nothing.

Evas. No answer. No answer.

Elianard pointed to Keelie. "Blame her. She has fought against us and strengthened the trees. Einhorn called to her to help him break the enchantment."

Lulu's face hardened, her mouth contorted into an angry scowl. "I should've known. Ever since you showed up, kid, I've had the worst luck."

"Laurie," Keelie whispered. "Can you start the camper up again? No lights, just aim for the road that Sir Davey took."

"But your dad-"

"I don't think that's really Dad. I think you're right-it's a trap."

Keelie heard shouts of men in the distance. "Hey Char-lie, that strange light's coming from down here."

"It's the EPA." She felt panicked. "They're going to find us."

Laurie cranked the camper, and with a howl of triumph shoved it into gear and stomped on the accelerator. The old Swiss Miss Chalet surged forward, b.u.mping over branches and bits of abandoned camping gear as Laurie aimed it at the road.

Elianard held his amulet up. The glowing silver rope faded, and so did the image of Dad. It had had been an illusion. A silvery lightning bolt streaked toward them, and Keelie screamed, "Faster!" been an illusion. A silvery lightning bolt streaked toward them, and Keelie screamed, "Faster!"

The bolt hit the back of the camper, and bits of gingerbread trim went flying past the cab windows.

Knot's green eyes glowed with a h.e.l.lacious hatred as they pa.s.sed Elianard, who was just a blur in the darkness. The white figure of Lulu leaped back, and then they crashed over the curb and were careening down the path toward Admin.

Keelie watched the forest, feeling for the logging road. The ghost trees filled the woods with their spectral presence. "Here," she yelled, and Laurie wrenched the wheel to the right, knocking Knot off the back of the seat. With a yowl of surprise he thudded to the floor, then crawled back up, hissing briefly at Laurie before squeezing onto the dashboard-an evil kitty dashboard ornament.

Then something totally unexpected happened. A figure rose from the bracken and stretched out a white hand toward them. Laurie shrieked, and would have turned off the logging road, but Keelie grabbed the wheel.

"Stop the car!"

Laurie stomped on the brake and they flopped forward against their seat belts. Lucky for Knot, he couldn't move anywhere.

The figure struggled through the undergrowth, and then stepped into the beam of the headlights. b.l.o.o.d.y, gown torn, and hair hanging around her shoulders, she limped toward the truck. Despite her bruised face, she smiled when she saw who had stopped for her.

It was Raven.

twenty-seven.

Keelie leaped out of the camper and ran around the front to help Raven climb in. "Are you okay? Where's Janice?"

Laurie was poking her head out the window, looking up at the ghost trees that were now crowding the haunted forest.

"Our shop took a pounding and I ran into the forest. The trees didn't seem to be coming from here." Raven looked awful, but sounded okay. "I'm really worried about Mom, though. She took Lady Annie to Admin after Annie's shop took a direct hit, and I don't know where she is now."

"Probably safe." Keelie was relieved at the news, although the destruction of Lady Annie's shop disturbed her. She was right next door to Heartwood. "Sir Davey rounded everyone up and took them there, too. He'll protect them."

Raven leaned back in the seat and closed her eyes. A tear trailed down her cheek. "Thank G.o.d."

They needed to keep moving. "We cross there, Laurie." Keelie pointed toward the stream. She could see a spectral road, a silver shadow overlying the darkness. The unicorn was somewhere above them, on the mountain.

"Not that way." Raven opened her eyes. "There's a huge drop to the stream bed. But if you go about fifty yards left, it's like a beach. We go skinny-dipping there when it's really hot."

"Really?" Laurie seemed to want to hear more.

"Will we be able to drive across the stream there?" Keelie interrupted. "We have to get to the top."

"No one drives through the woods, Keelie. There's no road. You're insane." Raven held onto the dash with both hands.

"That's what I think, too, but we have to save the unicorn." Laurie steered around a huge tree stump. "I can make it. I've driven on the Los Angeles Freeway in rush hour, so driving through the woods is a piece of cake."

Keelie remembered the first night she saw the unicorn, and the sense of awe she'd felt. Now, desperation clawed its way inside her to get to him and save him. "Go for it."

They got to the stream and Laurie gunned the truck across the bed, not giving the tires a chance to sink into the soft, sandy bottom. Keelie touched the Queen Aspen's heart and tried to strengthen her magic sight. She felt queasy for a moment as the two worlds were visible at once, overlaid one on the other. "I can see the road. It's an old logging trail."

"Whoa. Your eyes are like glow-in-the-dark green." Raven looked at Knot. "So are his."

With Keelie guiding them with the magic sight, they drove up the hill, switching back and forth as Keelie focused on the road that was hidden underneath the growth. Branches thumped against the camper. Shadows of trees, the spirits of the old trees who had been logged from the forest, grew alongside the road with the living trees, whispery shades in the moonlight.

Keelie recalled the Tree Lorem ceremony that Dad had performed for Reina, the Aspen Queen in Colorado whose charred heart she wore. He'd released Reina's spirit so that the other trees in the forest could heal, and grow deep roots and tall limbs reaching for the sun. No such ceremony had taken place here in a long time.

Leaves from the trees slapped against the winds.h.i.+eld. Keelie could see faces in the tree trunks, like she did with the oak trees at the Faire. It was amazing how individual they all were.

Laurie almost hit a tree; fortunately it jumped back in time, and she missed it.

"Whoa, pay attention to the road, Laurie," Raven shouted over the roar of the truck and the cras.h.i.+ng underbrush. She clung to her seat belt and braced her feet against the glove box. The bhata bhata had lodged itself in one of the visors and hung upside down, its berry eyes wide and fixed on the forest ahead. had lodged itself in one of the visors and hung upside down, its berry eyes wide and fixed on the forest ahead.

"What road? There's no road."

Keelie had to focus on Dad. Save Dad. Save the unicorn. That would be her mantra.

"Why didn't you ever tell me you were an elf?" Laurie suddenly asked.

"Half elf. And I didn't know, until I came to live with Dad." A pang went through Keelie's chest. He had to be all right.

"Were you going to tell me?"

"I don't know."

"Oh, that's just great; keep secrets from your friend."

"Me keep secrets?"

Laurie gripped the wheel and glanced at her accusingly. "Yeah, you."

"You're one to talk. Hey, keep your eyes on the invisible road. Why don't you tell me about why you can't see the unicorn?"

Silence.

Again, Keelie looked over at her friend.

Laurie was hunched in concentration. "I didn't think I'd be outed by a mythical beast." She glared at Keelie. The truck s.h.i.+mmied and slid sideways.

Keelie pointed straight ahead. "Well, are you going to tell me? You know my secrets."

Raven groaned. "Guys, just fess up before we fall off the mountain."

Laurie gritted her teeth and stepped hard on the accelerator. The truck shot forward. "Trent and I were dating, and I was at his house, watching movies, and we kissed, and one thing led to another, and we sort of did it."

Keelie gasped as a tree motioned for them to turn to the right, like a policeman directing forest traffic with branches. She pointed and Laurie turned. The truck's engine whined at the steep climb.

"So you and Trent really love each other, right?"

"He broke up with me and started dating Ashlee."

"What a jerk," Keelie and Raven said at the same time.

"And Ashlee put the story on her Mys.p.a.ce page. She blogged about it."

"No. That b.i.t.c.h." Keelie slammed the dashboard.

Raven shook her head. "Unbelievable. Some people."

Knot meowed. Laurie patted him on the head, then put both hands back on the wheel when the truck swerved.

"This is very surreal," Raven said quietly. "We're talking about high school drama, driving up a road that doesn't exist yet somehow does exist, on our way to rescue a unicorn."

"And my dad," Keelie reminded her. "I've lost one parent, and I'm not going to lose Dad because of Elianard and Elia."

A white deer ran out in front of them, and Laurie pressed on the brake. They fishtailed to a stop, and the wheels toward the inside of the trail lifted a bit before coming back down.

Knot fell onto the floor, and Raven lunged sideways as she braced her arms against the dash. "Are you crazy?" she shouted.

"I've never seen a white deer before. Creepy." Laurie started forward again.

Keelie slapped her forehead. She pointed into the darkness. "White deer, white cat, white unicorn. He's a shape s.h.i.+fter!" She pounded the dashboard as she put the supernatural equation together. "The glowing white fur, the eyes, the white cat was the unicorn!"