Shadows of the Redwood - By Gillian Summers Page 0,5
was perfect! Running a faire shop was a piece of cake for her now, and she could also go see her former home. Would Laurie, her old school friend, drive up and take her to L.A.? But how could she take her father’s place, since he’d said that only the strongest tree shepherds could deal with the redwoods? And how was she going to get to Juliet City?
Keelie only voiced some of these thoughts. “How can I drive myself all the way to the redwoods? They’re down on the California coast. And do you really think I’m powerful enough to deal with the ancient trees?”
Just at that moment, Grandmother appeared in the woodshop’s doorway. “I will attend to the Redwood Forest. Keelie can tend to the festival.”
Keelie looked at her grandmother’s stern face, which was framed by tightly braided silver hair. Keliatiel Heartwood was dressed in linen robes embroidered with forest motifs, every inch still the Lady of the Forest.
“Your grandmother knows the redwoods of old,” Dad explained. “She will deal with the trees and the other tree shepherds. You will learn much from her.”
Goodbye, L.A., goodbye, fun. Keelie looked once more at her stuffy, old-school grandmother.
Grandmother’s eyes swiveled to meet hers. “I drive.”
Life sucked.
Two days later, Keelie stood staring at the skimpy candy selection in the Gas-A-Minute, fifty yards over the California state line. Two kinds of chocolate bar, dusty-looking, foil-wrapped mint patties, and chewing gum brands she’d never heard of. That was it. Not a sour gummy anything.
Keelie stared at the rack, trying to summon up a little appetite. She deserved a treat, and nothing here was treat-worthy.
She glanced outside. No sign of Grandmother, who’d lost every bit of elegance the minute they’d pulled into the gas station parking lot. She’d pushed the driver-side door open and had raced to the ladies’ room, leaving Keelie to turn the car off and wait.
At least they were finally in California. The first two stops had been in Oregon.
“You want some chips instead?” The woman sitting behind the counter, reading a magazine, had been watching Keelie.
Keelie considered, then chose a bag of SunChips. “I’ll take these, please.”
The woman stood to ring up her purchase. “You can quit looking outside. She’s still in the restroom.”
Keelie bit her lip. Had she been that obvious?
“Older women sometimes have to go a lot,” the woman confided, speaking as if she had personal experience with the problem.
“You don’t know my grandmother.” Keelie paid for the chips and went back outside, holding the metal bells that dangled from the back of the plate glass door so that they were quiet. Their jangle had made her shudder when she’d entered, or maybe it was because the whole building was made of concrete, steel, and glass. Even the counter was plastic.
She let the door close behind her and inhaled the fresh outdoor air. It smelled different from Oregon, and the trees murmured to her of rain and fog. She hadn’t noticed a difference in the tree smells before last summer, when the trees had called to her and she’d discovered that she could talk to them, along with all sorts of other strange creatures that lived in forests. Her half-elf blood had gotten her into so much trouble lately.
She was glad for this road trip, even if Grandmother hadn’t let her get near the steering wheel even once.
A screen door screeched shut behind her, and Keelie turned to see Grandmother exiting the little wooden bathroom. Keliatiel walked calmly, with dignity, not like an old lady who’d spent fifteen minutes in a gas station bathroom.
Keelie walked toward her, their paths crossing just short of the truck.
“Are you ready?” Grandmother pulled open the truck door and climbed in, her linen trousers barely wrinkled under her long, leaf-embroidered tunic.
“Of course.” Keelie took her place next to her and pulled out the road map.
Juliet City, California, was just seventy miles ahead.
An array of colored crystals was arranged on the dashboard. Sir Davey had taught Grandmother to drive using the crystals, and they guided her better than any GPS.
Grandmother ran her hands over the crystals and the truck’s engine turned over. Two minutes later they were back on the road south, headed toward the redwoods.
Keelie leaned back in her seat. All she hoped to get out of this journey was a last look at the house she’d shared with Mom, and maybe a glance at her old school.
“You thought the trees in the Dread Forest were old, Keliel, but you have not seen anything