Trickster s Girl - By Hilari Bell Page 0,37

ahead. I'll ride with you today."

"All right." If they rode together, maybe she could get him to answer some questions. Like why the shapeshifters hadn't -

"Wait a minute. If humans can use the leys for healing, why didn't you tell us about this? Centuries ago? My father could have been cured!"
CHAPTER 6
KELSA TOOK THE ROAD NORTH by herself, fuming.

How dare they keep the power of the leys a secret when it could have saved not only her father, but hundreds, thousands, millions of human lives?

Raven had finally snapped that if his people had told humans about the leys, they would probably have treated them like the rest of this world's resources, and the leys would have been damaged beyond repair long since!

That was when Kelsa had mounted her bike and sped off without him. She was too angry to bother with breakfast. When she saw the sign for the Woodland Cafe, it was past lunchtime and she was starving. The cafe was one of those rambling log-built structures that were still common in the mountains, despite the energy efficiency of plasticrete.

The dining room held the usual booths and an old-fashioned counter for people who didn't mind eating in front of the waitress. Kelsa took the Seat Yourself sign at its word and claimed a booth next to one of the windows. It wasn't as if the place was full. The only other customers were a pair of senior citizens, who'd doubtless come from the motor home Kelsa had parked next to, and a burly man at the counter who probably drove one of the trucks that were parked on the shoulder of the road.

She would go on healing the ley, Kelsa decided. But she was doing it to stop the tree plague and save her own planet. To hell with the shapeshifters!

One of the two waitresses offered Kelsa a bright smile and a menu, and she recovered her temper enough to smile back. She might be planning how to use that Raven creep for her own purposes - even more than he was using her! - but she still had to eat.

She was weighing the merits of a superburrito against a double-lean cheeseburger and salad when the bikers pulled up and parked outside.

There were five of them, all dressed in the dark, fiber-reinforced jackets and pants that serious bikers wore. Much the same pants Kelsa was wearing, though she'd left her jacket strapped on the back of the bike.

Some college kids, out for a summer adventure, assumed the same dark clothes and ragged-cut hair as the legally homeless biker gangs. They hoped to be mistaken for kids who were tough and lawless, though they didn't do tough, lawless things like fight for routes with rival gangs and buy and distribute illegal drugs.

The elderly couple with the motor home might well be legally homeless too. It was a class of citizens that lumped together everyone who didn't pay taxes from a fixed place of residence. The majority of the legally homeless were either retired travelers or college-age kids taking a year or two off to have fun before settling into a job.

But something about the young men who strode into the cafe made the back of Kelsa's neck prickle in primitive warning.

One of them, a boy with reddish brown hair and freckles who was probably only a few years older than she was, met her eyes. Kelsa looked down and away.

She'd just eat lunch and ignore them. It wasn't necessary to suddenly regret that Raven wasn't with her - though if he had been, she could have told him what she thought of people who held back vital information! Information that could save...

The bikers seated themselves at another booth, between Kelsa and the door. The waitress brought them menus and water before coming to take Kelsa's order.

She wasn't as hungry now, but that was foolish. She was in a restaurant full of people. She ordered the burger.

The bikers placed their order shortly before she was served. Since Kelsa was facing them, she could see that they cast several glances in her direction, distracting her from her angry thoughts. Another retired couple parked a motor home and came in. After a single glance at the four bikers, they took a table on the other side of the room. The first couple ordered dessert.

Kelsa finished her burger, took two bites of the salad, and decided she was ready to move on. The bikers had been served only a few minutes ago. She had