Shadows of the Redwood - By Gillian Summers Page 0,39

spirit ran her sticklike fingers down the side of Keelie’s face. “Calm your fears, child. There are no secrets in this forest.”

And that was what Keelie feared most.

Laurie’s mouth gaped at the elven village high up in the trees. She clutched the rose quartz that Keelie had given her to fend off the sickening nausea and fear of the Dread, which was strong enough by the village to deter even the most determined hiker.

“Where are the Ewoks?” she asked.

“No Ewoks. Elves,” Keelie corrected.

“How do you get up there?” Laurie pointed up, her face pale. “You’re not expecting me to climb, are you? I don’t climb. If you need to read the Laurie book of instructions—it says no climbing. Born with a fear of heights.”

“Maybe I can find a charm for your fear of heights.” Keelie had lugged the Compendium home from the shop after she’d caught Knot reading it. He had opened it to the charm for fresh breath. It had worked, too. His breath was minty with a hint of catnip. Maybe the book was going to prove more useful than a doorstop after all.

Knot sat next to her. He blinked and yawned as if saying, “Chicken.”

Keelie focused on the tree. Could she do this on her own? She almost felt like she had, already, even though she’d always had an escort. “You’ll have to hold my hand,” she told Laurie.

“Do you need help?” Risa said, in a superior, snarky tone that grated on Keelie’s nerves.

“We can do it.” Keelie juggled the Compendium in the crook of her left arm.

“Fine.” Risa closed her eyes. Whoosh! Away she went.

“Whoa,” Laurie said. “Where did she go?”

“She’s up there.” Keelie pointed upwards.

Way, way up high, a small figure waved down to them.

“Close your eyes,” Keelie said. She grabbed Laurie’s clammy hand.

“You mean you can do this, too? How often do you whiz up and down trees?”

“First time for everything.” Keelie visualized traveling up the tree, green sap pulsing in her mind. Take us up, she told Wena.

The glow of the tree’s magic enfolded them. Beside her, Laurie’s eyes bugged out.

Whoosh!

She’d done it! They were on the wooden rope bridge outside the tree house. Keelie tried to keep the silly grin off her face, in case Risa was looking. Laurie dropped to her knees. She stuttered as she clung to Keelie’s legs.

Holding out her hand, Keelie reached for Laurie’s. “You’re fine. Just don’t look down.”

“I don’t know if I can breathe.”

“Easy,” Keelie encouraged her. “It gets better.”

Laurie accepted Keelie’s hand and got shakily to her feet.

Keelie slowly scooted, with Laurie clutching her shirt, to the tree house door. Once inside, Laurie collapsed onto a chair. Her face drawn and pinched, she closed her eyes. Keelie noticed her friend’s hands trembling.

Opening the Compendium, Keelie searched for a charm for fear. Under “Calming Charm,” she read about the magical words and the energy she needed. It required her to tap into “nature” and pull a string of magic. Nature?

Keelie scratched her head. She wasn’t quite sure what the book meant by “nature.” Maybe it was tree magic. Earth magic? But elves didn’t tap into the deep Earth for energy. She peered more closely at the text. She didn’t want to use tree magic, not here in the redwoods.

Keelie turned to the index: “Nature: pages 1000-1003.”

“You’re reading while I’m dying over here.” Laurie opened one eye and glared. “I’ve seen some weird things with you, but this ranks right up there.”

“I’m looking for a cure for you.”

“Nature: The energy of the living earth, the sun, the wind, and the energy of living things. When creating charms, it is important to have a base of nature to energize the magic.”

Keelie closed her eyes and imagined sunlight reaching out to Laurie, wrapping her in a blanket of calm. Keelie felt warm as she recited the words of the charm. Then there was a tug from within her as she felt power flow from her. Her hands became hot, and when she opened her eyes, her hands glowed with yellow light. She lifted them up, and the golden light formed a sphere.

The light floated over to Laurie and bounced over her head like a beach ball. Then, like an egg cracking over a bowl, the light spilled out and poured into her body.

Keelie sniffed. The aroma of lemon oil and cedar shavings filled the air. It smelled like the Heartwood shop after she had polished the furniture.

Laurie bolted upright and blinked several times. “Wow! I feel like I’ve been