The Quicksilver Faire (3 page)

Mom's fault, of course. Mom had tried to protect her from her otherness, from the half of her that was destined to be a tree shepherd like her father. And lately she'd discovered that Mom had other secrets, too. Mom's mother-Keelie's beloved Grandma Jo, whom she considered the ultimate cookie-baking granny-had fairy blood. This meant that Keelie's so-called "human half" was not fully human after all. Elia sometimes called Keelie a mutt. She was being deliberately mean, but she was right on target.

The green forest crowded closer to the road, and ahead, the black-asphalt ribbon wound around a hill covered with squat, slate-roofed buildings. They swung around the curve and there was the town of Big Nugget. Brightly colored pennants fluttered from peaked rooftops, and a ferris wheel towered over the shops, seats rocking in the morning breeze.

It was as if a big party was going on. They passed the first of the shops, with glittering mullioned windows and a wooden sign that read "Freat's Treats." A woman with wildly curling flame-colored hair was sweeping the sidewalk. She released the broom to drag her sign to the curb, and waved at them. Keelie gasped as the broom continued to sweep on its own.

"Did you see that?" Sean asked.

Two boys ran across the street, dressed in medievalstyle, loosely woven trousers and belted tunics, caped hoods around their shoulders. They headed toward a bright blue maypole where other children danced, weaving silky, colorful ribbon streamers. The children's shoes hovered two feet above the ground. Their watching parents did not seem to notice anything amiss.

"Is this due to the magic leak?" Keelie asked.

"Yes, the humans have sensed the magic and are using it for their pleasure. The Shining Ones at the High Court have put us all in peril. This must be stopped." Miszrial's hands tightened on the steering wheel. "Big Nugget used to be a quiet village, but when the wild magic was discovered two years ago, it drew this carnival." The elf's upper lip curled. "Their so-called Crystal Faire." She sniffed, as if the humans were silly.

They wound their way through the town, passing even more examples of magic. Kites with no strings hovered around a vendor, and a dazzling flock of fantastically colored birds swooped, chattering, over the SUV on their way to a silver-haired woman who controlled them with a gesture.

"My father has long cautioned elfkind on the dangers of letting humans see us," Elia murmured, sounding shocked. "Many think that the Renaissance Faires are a clever way of hiding in plain sight, but Father would be appalled at the flagrant use of magic here, and by human beings." Lord Elianard was not fond of humans.

Keelie touched her very human, rounded ear. Even with her unusual elven powers, she had never been able to fly, or summon fairy birds, or make brooms sweep by themselves (although that last one could come in handy). There was definitely something wrong going on at the Crystal Faire.

As soon as she was able to, Miszrial picked up speed, shot out of Big Nugget, and headed up the mountain.

Keelie caught her breath. She thought she saw faces peering at them from the underbrush that bordered close by the narrow road. "Stop the car!" she said loudly. Had it been her imagination?

Elia covered her mouth. "Yes, please. I don't feel so good after witnessing that nauseating display."

"We can't stop. Our destination is Grey Mantle," Miszrial stated. Elia craned her neck to look back imploringly at Keelie and Sean.

Keelie stared at the passing greenery, looking for more faces. Had they been animals? She started as they passed a gate made of twisted trees, the top of its arch decorated with the skull of a great deer. Even more startling was the sight of Peascod, the jester she'd last seen in the Redwood Forest. He waved at her, his eyes glittering behind his rigid, eternally smiling mask. They zoomed past, and then he was gone.

Keelie grabbed Sean's arm. "Did you see Peascod?" Fairies, elves, and now this. Had Peascod come here to take advantage of the leaking magic? Miszrial had called it wild magic. That was certainly fitting, if Peascod could use it.

Sean looked back, over her shoulder. "You're seeing things. It was probably a bear."

"No, it was Peascod," Keelie whispered. Her upcoming diplomatic duties were making her nervous, and she didn't need the added worry of the presence of the criminal jester. Dad needed to know.

"What?" Sean's eyes examined the blur of trees. "Maybe you imagined it. Maybe it was a strangely shaped twig."

"Bears and twigs don't wear masks."

He nodded slowly. "If it was really him, what does it mean?"

Keelie shuddered as she thought of what Peascod could do if he wielded magic. "He could take revenge on us. Bad things would happen that would seem like accidents."

Sean looked out the window at the seemingly endless forests, seeming as troubled as she was.

"What are you two whispering about? It's not polite." Elia glared at them from the front seat, still looking queasy. "I hope you're not hurt that the elves here may treat you with disdain. They dislike the fae even more than humans, and they hate humans." Elia looked at Miszrial. "Is there a place we can stop?"

"Don't listen to her, Keelie," Sean said.

"I'm used to it. Don't worry about me." Keelie felt Sean's warm hand envelop hers.

"That's why I'm here," he assured her. "I'll remind them that you are the daughter of the Lord of the Dread Forest." He smiled at her, making her stomach all fluttery. His smiles always did that to her.

"I'm not sure I can complete my diplomatic mission if I'm treated like a walking infection." Keelie leaned closer to Sean, enjoying his strong, warm presence.

"And while we're here, I will call you Keliel. My kin are so much more formal than the elves elsewhere," Elia continued.

Did she ever shut up?

"Of course they are." Keelie turned her face so that Elia wouldn't see the smirk on it. She needed to get serious to make her father proud. He'd sent her to impress the Northwoods elf clan, to help them resolve their problems, and since their problem had to do with the fae's High Court, she was glad she had fae blood no matter how much of a mongrel it made her in the elves' eyes.

Keelie hoped the rest of the drive to Grey Mantle would be short and swift. She was squished in the back seat between the cat carrier and Sean, behind a queasy elf girl who was looking worse with every fast turn on the twisty road that wound through the mountains. Knot meowed louder with each stomach-churning curve.

Keelie felt a warm greeting from the local trees. She caught telepathic snatches of greetings as she passed them.

Greetings.

May your roots find comfort in our soil.

Let the sun bless you with many leaves.

The Great Sylvus bring you happy days.

Keelie sent a foresty embrace back to them.

After another hairpin turn, Elia slapped her hand over her mouth. "We need to stop." She burped.

Keelie scrunched closer to the door because the sound of the burp wasn't an I've-had-a-great-dinner-and-my-bellyis-full sound. was an I'm-going-to-lose-the-contents-ofmy-stomach sound.

"We need to stop." Keelie used Grandmother Keliatiel's commanding tone to get the elf guide's attention and cooperation.

Miszrial shook her head. "Can't. Need to get to the village."

Surprised, Keelie snapped her mouth closed. Normally when she used her commanding voice, she got results. Quickly.

Ahead, she saw a "You've missed the Crystal Faire, turn around!" sign. Below this was the small word "Restrooms."

Keelie leaned forward and pointed at the sign. "We need to go back."

"No. Can't. We need to get to Grey Mantle."

"If you don't stop, one pregnant elf and one cat might not make it there alive." Keelie studied Knot, who was staring balefully at Miszrial. His tail twitched, swishing sharply left, then right.

"Stop now," Sean barked.

Brakes slammed, pushing them all forward, then back again.

Miszrial glanced out the driver's side window and did a double take. Keelie watched her face in the mirror and saw fear slip into the elf woman's eyes.

"Something's out there," Miszrial said.

Keelie peered out the window and thought she saw, once again, faces peeking through the underbrush. Maybe the bhata dwelled closer to the ground in this section of Canada; each region and area was different. She wondered if she could encourage a swarm to come and attack the SUV-then elf guide would be forced to listen.

If she were honest with herself, Keelie was nervous, too, especially about meeting with the fae. She shivered, thinking about being in a room full of fairies. She was used to the feithid daoine, who were bug fairies, and the bhata, who were mossy, sticklike creatures. What if she encountered a goblin? She'd pass. One encounter in the Redwood Forest was enough, thank you very much.

There was a definite change in the atmosphere around the SUV. It was as if a dark cloud had descended over them. She lifted her head and studied the sky. Puffy clouds floated in the air. Nothing ominous about them.

Keelie thought about the fairies. Perhaps she was sensing them. She'd been much more sensitive ever since restoring the Dread, the elven curse that kept humans away from her home forest. Or else she was just spooked from glimpsing Peascod.

Another loud burp issued from Elia, who then leaned over and threw up.

Keelie gagged, and pulled Knot's cat carrier closer to shield herself from the splatter.

"She can't do that," Miszrial shouted.

"Guess she did," Keelie replied, with at touch of I-toldyou-so in her voice. "Now you have to go back to Big Nugget to clean out the SUV, because there's no way I'm going to ride in this smelly vomit car."

"You'll just have to wait until we reach Grey Mantle." Miszrial bit her lip and glanced nervously out the window as if searching for something. Keelie wondered if fairies might be in the woods. Though the elves and the fae had never gotten along.

"We have to get to the village for dinner," Miszrial added, clenching her jaw. "It's four o' clock. We can't turn around-we're going to have to drive straight through. It will only take an hour."

Elia gagged. Perfect timing.

"Fine. We will return to Big Nugget, but it will be a quick stop," Miszrial said. She pulled a U-turn and drove back toward town. When they reached Main Street, the Crystal Faire was still in full swing. Miszrial parked the SUV and they all clambered out.

Keelie was glad for the chance to get a closer look at the Crystal Faire. It was a strange combination of medieval faire meets Wild Wild West. Bright pennants snapped jauntily in the cool breeze, and the boxy buildings were painted in a variety of dizzying bright colors. It was as if somebody with ADD had opened a box of crayons and decorated the town.

Sean had read up on Big Nugget, and as they strolled, he told them about it. It had been a mining town back in the late 1800s. Legend had it that dwarves lived in the mines. There was even an entire city down there, according to some miners who had dug deep into the Earth seeking treasure, only to return to the surface with fairy-tale stories.

Another local myth said a dragon lived under one of the mountains. While the trees grew strong and tall toward the sky, the creature guarded its treasures from would-be robbers. Keelie started to laugh, then stopped. There really could be a dragon. She'd often wondered if Finch, the scary administrator at the Wildewood Faire, had some draconic relatives somewhere.

Knot was staring longingly at the Rollicking Mermaid Tavern. Keelie told him to go ahead. "One mead. That's it." Knot crooked his tail and strode away-which meant yeah, yeah, yeah!

"Maybe I should go along to keep an eye on him." Sean looked thirsty.

"Not a bad idea. Just one mead for you, too. We have elves to impress."

Sean gestured toward his blond surfer hair, whose careless curls covered his pointed ears.

Keelie laughed. "Yeah, but you're not from around here. We still have to make a good impression."

Miszrial had returned to the SUV and gone on a quest to find a car wash. Good luck, Keelie thought. She hoped Miszrial became lost and had to drive to Grey Mantle without them. Maybe she would tell Norzan she'd lost her passengers in Big Nugget and they'd send another car for them.

Not a bad idea. There had to be a hotel here. They could hide out until knights came to their rescue. Or would that be cavalry, in this place? They might have knightly cowboys. Keelie surveyed the myriad of brochures at the tourist center welcome desk while she waited for Elia to return from the ladies' restroom.

A middle-aged woman with curly blond hair smiled at them. She wore a purple tie-dyed sundress and a silver pentacle around her neck. "Hi. Is there anything I can help you with?"

"No, thank you."

Elia stumbled back to the counter and leaned against it as if her legs couldn't hold her up any longer. "You should've come with me. I needed you to hold my head."

"I'm not your nursemaid."

"You're supposed to help me."

"Holding your head was not in my job description."

Elia scowled. At least her face was now a shade of sticky pale, not a funky sea green, and she was complaining, which meant she was over the worst of the car sickness.