been in contact with the Dread Forest, and when Alora, the Queen Tree, asked to see Keelie, they’d decided to skip the Wildewood Faire and head back to their home forest. Keelie hated saying goodbye to her friends, but Dad said they would pick up the Ren Faire circuit again in a few months. They needed to replenish their stock of furniture to sell, in any case.
Keelie looked forward to helping Dad, and of course she had to adjust to monitoring the forests of the Northern Hemisphere on her tablet computer. She would miss her friends, but Zabrina was in Edgewood, and Elia was close to her delivery date.
Sean and the Silver Bough Jousting Company had booked Ren Faire gigs year-round, so he wouldn’t be returning to the Dread Forest anytime soon. Although saddened at the loss of their relationship, Keelie knew they would become friends in time. And didn’t she have lots of time? Maybe it was for the best.
A loud ding from her tablet pulled Keelie out of her thoughts. She looked down and saw that a new icon had appeared on her tablet’s menus: an antlered deer head.
She recognized that deer. She pressed the dark nose.
“You called?” a familiar voice said. A tall, handsome man appeared before her, dressed in green that complimented his curling chestnut hair and, yes, the deer antlers coming out of his head. Herne, hottie god of the hunt.
“Did I call you?”
“You did.” He looked around the tiny camper cabin. “Very cozy. Like a turtle, but with a hotplate and a bookshelf.” He smiled at her. “If you ever need me, just press my app and I’ll be at your side.”
“A god with an app. Gotta love progress,” Keelie said. “But I don’t think I need the Herne app.”
Herne pretended to look hurt, but then smiled sunnily, with more than a hint of mischief. “Don’t delete it, Keelie. You have a tendency to find yourself in misadventures.”
“I don’t think I’ll be having any more adventures. I’m going to be working as a messenger and spending time with my family.”
“Ah, family. You’ll find that the definition of that word will change drastically for you, and soon.”
At Keelie’s wary frown, Herne smiled and spread his arms wide. ”My dear Keliel, your adventures are just beginning.”
Keelie looked down at her tablet, where other mysterious apps were popping into existence.
She grinned. Herne didn’t know the half of it.
