“To answer your second question,” Herne said, interrupting Dad, “yes, we’re back on Earth. You did well, Keelie Heartwood.”
“Keelie?” Dad asked. “Are you really okay?”
“Yeah, I think so.”
Suddenly, she remembered what Herne had been doing before she fainted and looked around wildly. “Where’s Tavyn? Did you get him?”
“He escaped in the chaos when we returned to Earth.” Fala frowned. “But we will catch him in good time. Do you recall that Peascod is no more?”
She nodded, shuddering at the memory of his death, and then grabbed hold of Herne’s breastplate and pulled him toward her. “I saw the old gods, and Sylvus, too. He spoke to me, Herne.”
“They must trust you, to allow you to see them,” Herne said. He didn’t seem surprised at her revelation.
Dad’s face appeared above her. “What did Sylvus say? Did he answer the riddle of the tree ring’s focus? Or about Lord Mariel’s Compromise?”
“I don’t know about the riddle or any compromise. He said that I’m to be a go-between for the old gods, and for magical beings too.” Fala and Herne exchanged glances. Keelie couldn’t read what passed between them.
“Things are going to be interesting from this point on-for humans, fairies, and elves,” Fala said.
A helicopter flew overhead. “Have the elves come back to the faire?” Keelie asked.
“No, that’s the media. They’re our other problem,” Herne said. “Seems the human newsfolk arrived here after reports of dragons and goblins, and they saw the entire mountain vanish.”
Fala nodded. “Then they saw it return.”
The Compendium opened its pages.
Dad’s eyes opened wide. “Did you do that, Keelie, or is it moving on its own?”
“It seems to have a mind of its own, for sure. I can’t wait to tell Elianard.”
“News reporters are all over the place, asking questions,” Herne continued. “Even worse, Homeland Security. Once, when I took a human flight over the Adirondacks, my magic responded to the land and my antlers appeared. The air marshal on board was quite upset.”
Keelie bolted upright. “So the mountain is back where it belongs?” What if it had landed in downtown Fort Collins?
Herne nodded. “Once you jammed your staff into the ground, you collapsed, and the faire and everyone within it was transported back to Earth. It seems the Compendium augmented your tree shepherd magic, allowing you to return us to this dimension.” He paused, looking troubled. “Before that, of course, you opened the portal between worlds and allowed our armies to travel to the faire. Then you used the Compendium to tap into my magic from Under-the-Hill and link it to me.” Herne frowned. “Keelie, there may be an after-effect from such magic use-”
His words were interrupted by a woman with a microphone who rushed up to Keelie, followed by a cameraman.
“Honey, can we have a word?”
Keelie recognized the woman-Teresa Smith, the news reporter from a national cable news channel. Teresa tossed back her perfect hair and looked into the camera.
“We’re here live at the High Mountain Renaissance Faire, where we’re about to talk to an injured girl waiting to be transported to the hospital for emergency surgery.” She shoved the microphone in Keelie’s face. “Can you tell me what happened? The world wants to know what you saw. Did you see dragons?”
Here was Keelie’s chance to tell humans everything. Should she expose the magic? Before the battle, she’d wanted to tell humans about the magical world so that they could protect themselves from the goblins, but now, what purpose would it serve? If this hysteria was any example of what could happen, learning about magic would tear apart society. People would be afraid, and some would covet the power. She glanced at Herne, and then at her father.
Herne’s antlers had retreated into his skull, and Dad had pulled his hair back over his ears. Fala’s fairy glow was muted as he attempted to blend in with everyone else.
She saw Vangar and Finch in the distance, back in human form, rushing around trying to help injured people.
What would the world do with the knowledge that there were live dragons at the faire? She loved and cared for these people. If they wanted the secret revealed, then it would be up to the many magical races to make that decision. It wasn’t her secret to give away.
Keelie smiled. Guess they would have to call a Council meeting.
She looked into the camera. “I thought it was an earthquake,” she told Teresa.
The reporter looked frustrated. “Come on kid, you don’t have a brain injury. You remember what you saw.”
“There’s dragons and fairies all over the faire, but you don’t believe they’re real, do you?” Keelie frowned at the woman as if she thought she was nuts.
“Come on, Herb,” Teresa said. “There’s got to be livelier interviews somewhere else.” The two hurried off.
Dad dropped back to his knees. “Keelie, are you really okay?”
“I’m fine.”
Fala turned to Herne, his forehead creased with worry. “What are we going to do about this situation? Was this Peascod’s intent all along? Revealing the world of magic to humans will upset the balance.”
“Elves will be in peril,” Dad said. “We’d be an object of scientific curiosity. I’ve seen this behavior before, when humans are confronted with something new and different. Fear compels people of all forms to do dangerous things. At least the fae live in another realm.”
Okay, Sylvus. A little help here. Keelie searched the trees for a message from Sylvus, but there was no answer.
The pages of the Compendium opened. Talk about an answer from above. She remembered Sylvus implying that it was her instruction book.
Ancient Oblivion Spell:
Have you done embarrassing things at parties that you wished everyone would forget? Made embarrassing speeches at a Council meeting? This spell will erase selective memory and not harm the participating subjects.
Important note: If used to make humans forget, and if more than one race was present at the time of the gaff, all races must be represented at the time of the spellcasting.
Keelie smiled.
Thanks, Sylvus!
She stood and held the Compendium. “I think I have an answer to our problem, but I need a dragon, an elf, a dwarf, and two fae-one dark and one High Court. Do we have everyone we need?”
Herne stood next to her as Finch, Vangar, Dad, Sir Davey, and Fala formed a circle near the Admin building. Nearby, reporters trawled the faire seeking people to interview.
Keelie stepped into the center and read the Oblivion spell. As she read, a pale gray mist appeared from beneath her feet and crawled to each of the members of the circle, who looked apprehensive but didn’t break ranks. When all had been touched by the mist, it expanded, then burst, and flowed like waves across the fairegrounds.
“Everyone will remember a strong earthquake,” Keelie said as she completed the spell.
She cut her eyes over to Herne. “I hope it works.”
The mist traveled through the faire, touching reporters, shopkeepers, and performers. A glazed look formed in their eyes when the magic settled on them.
Teresa Smith stopped nearby, her curious expression replaced by blankness. “What am I doing here?” she asked herself.
Finch winked at Keelie. “I’ve got this.”
Tarl the mud man walked up to Teresa. “You’re here to cover the earthquake.”
Several other High Mountain Faire folk joined them. “I was in my shop when all of my pottery went flying out the window,” Sam the Potter said. “I found one of Hob’s masks all the way down here.” He lifted a broken, bone- white mask, then tossed it on a heap of trash and wiped his hands. “Creepy thing.”
