Chapter 17

CHAPTER 17

P aige hadn’t expected to actually enjoy the nature hike. Under any other circumstances, she might have relished a chance to explore the woods, but chivvying a reluctant pack of shifter kids through the wilderness did not sound like a relaxing experience.

Yet as she followed the pack, she could feel the tension draining out of her spine. The whisper of the trees settled over her mind as softly as falling leaves. When she inhaled, her lungs expanded more easily, as though a weight had slipped from her chest.

Conleth took charge, herded the kids along with such relentless energy even Ignatius didn’t have a chance to complain. Paige was left with little to do except bring up the rear and make sure no one fell behind.

It was the first chance she’d had to properly appreciate the beauty of the mountain. All the kids’ activities so far had taken place within the grounds, or down at the lake. Camp Thunderbird was certainly scenic, but you were still never far from a cabin or some other sign of civilization.

Out here, however, they might have been the only people on the planet. The camp wasn’t that far from the nearest small town, yet she couldn’t hear any hint of traffic. Apart from the kids’ voices, the only sounds were natural ones—birdsong, and the sharp scolding calls of squirrels, and the murmur of leaves.

She knew she should be engaging with the kids, yet she found herself slowing, falling behind the rest of the group. As the campers disappeared around a bend in the trail, she couldn’t resist stopping entirely for a moment. Tipping her head back, she closed her eyes, letting the forest fill her other senses.

She’d only meant to indulge herself for a moment, but it must have been longer than she’d thought. When she opened her eyes, Conleth was standing nearby, watching her with a rather quizzical expression.

“Sorry to interrupt,” he said. “I sensed you weren’t with us, and doubled back to check everything was all right.”

Heat rushed into her face at having been caught slacking off. “I was just resting for a second. Sorry.”

“Don’t be.” He tilted his head, still scrutinizing her with that strange intensity. “I never thought I’d say this, but I find myself glad my original plan failed. You would have hated working in the office all summer.”

“I wouldn’t have minded,” she said, though in truth he was right. “I normally work in offices, after all.”

“Mmm.” It was not a sound of agreement. “I have a hunch you don’t enjoy that, either.”

“CONLETH! I FOUND SOME NATURE!”

Conleth’s expression shifted to one of profound dread. He snapped around so fast, he practically turned inside out. “Archie, what are you— no, don’t poke it with a stick!”

He dashed away in a blur of inhuman speed. Paige was left to follow along rather more slowly, somewhat disconcerted by the conversation. By the time she caught up with the rest of the pack, Conleth was climbing the last few feet down a tree, Nancy clinging to his back.

“And that ,” Conleth said, ducking to let Nancy slide off, “is why it’s important to observe nature quietly and respectfully, from a healthy distance. Rather than deciding to play lacrosse with it.”

“It wasn’t dangerous ,” Archie muttered, hands shoved into his pockets. “And anyway, I didn’t mean to fling it at the girls.”

Conleth brushed stray pine needles from his hair. “I am well aware of where you meant to fling it.”

“I hate nature hikes!” Hetta wailed from behind Rufus. “I want to go hoooooooome!”

“Maybe we should head back to camp,” Paige said, suppressing a brief pang of regret. “It seems like we’ve had enough hiking for one day.”

“I certainly have,” Ignatius muttered, inspecting the bottom of one of his sneakers. “Ugh. I’ve stepped in some nature. Can we return to civilization?”

“Not just yet. We’re in the right area now.” Conleth tilted his head, eyes going unfocused. “Ah yes, there we go. Estelle, come with me. Everyone else, wait here.”

He bounded off without waiting for a reply, leaving the rest of the pack staring after him in confusion. They didn’t have to wait long, though. In a few minutes, Beth twitched, head turning as though someone had called her name.

“ Ohh ,” Beth breathed. She tugged at Paige’s arm. “Uncle Conleth just contacted me telepathically. He says to come and see. But quietly.”

Paige motioned the other kids to fall into line behind her. Taking Hetta’s hand, she pushed cautiously through the undergrowth, following Beth.

Light shone through the trees. Beth put a finger to her lips, face bright with excitement. Paige crept forward, the rest of the kids following behind, until they could all see what lay ahead.

Estelle sat cross-legged at the center of a secluded glade, eyes closed. Butterflies danced around her, flitting in and out of the bright shafts of sunlight filtering through the break in the forest canopy. Wildflowers carpeted the area with bright blooms of purple. Against the lush vegetation, the girl’s pale skin and silver hair almost seemed to glow.

No, wait. Estelle was glowing. A soft, silvery radiance surrounded her, as if she’d been dipped in moonlight. Butterflies circled around her head in a living crown, like moths drawn to a porch light.

The butterflies weren’t the only creatures fascinated by that elusive glow. A family of rabbits ringed Estelle as well, ears up. Some of them were babies, no more than handfuls of fluff with big eyes and tiny twitching noses. As Paige watched in delighted astonishment, one of them hopped closer to the motionless Estelle, nuzzling against her hand.

“Oh,” Hetta breathed, sounding just as entranced as the wildlife. “Bunnies!”

In a crash of snapping twigs, Archie shouldered between them. “Where?!”

Estelle yelped, her eyes flying open. The gleaming light flickered out like a blown candle. With a flash of white tails, the rabbits streaked away.

Beth gave Archie a disgusted look. “Well, there were bunnies.”

“Never mind,” Conleth said, appearing from behind a tree. “At least you all got a chance to see them. Thank you, Estelle.”

“Yes, that was amazing,” Paige said, meaning it. “I didn’t know you could do that, Estelle. It’s quite a talent.”

She’d expected the girl to preen at the praise. Instead, Estelle flushed, dropping her head.

“It’s a stupid talent,” Estelle mumbled. “My grandad can heal anything short of decapitation, and my dad can literally stop bullets. Me? I just put out calming vibes. Big whoop.”

“That seems like a great talent to me,” Hetta said. Paige noticed she was eying Estelle rather thoughtfully, as if suddenly seeing her in a new light. “Does it work on people as well?”

“Yeah, but not very fast,” Estelle said glumly. “And it just makes them feel relaxed and happy. It’s not like I can snap my fingers and hypnotize someone into doing whatever I want. I’ve tried.”

“Making people feel good is an amazing talent,” Beth said staunchly. “And who knows? Maybe when your unicorn fully emerges, you’ll discover there’s more to your power than you think.”

The rest of the kids spilled into the glade, spreading out to investigate. The butterflies, at least, showed no sign of alarm at the noisy invasion. They continued their serene dance, flitting between nodding wildflowers.

“Okay, this is pretty cool,” Nancy conceded. “Even if it’s flat.”

Finley held out a finger, trying to coax a butterfly to step onto it. “How did you know about this place, Conleth?”

“I have worked at this camp every day of its entire existence.” Conleth jerked his head at the sky. “I don’t usually live on site. This glade is on the direct flight path between the office and my house.”

Paige had never really thought about Conleth existing outside the boundaries of the camp. “You have a house near here?”

Conleth raised a sardonic eyebrow at her. “Did you think I filed myself away with the accident reports and invoices every night?”

“Uncle Conleth’s house is really nice,” Beth volunteered. “We go over to watch movies there sometimes. He has a home cinema. And a rooftop infinity pool. And a hot tub.”

“Oh, for the love of gold.” Ignatius made a gagging sound. “Just send her a copy of his tax return. It would be quicker, and less painful to witness.”

Finley, ever the peacemaker, stepped between the pair. “Well, I’m glad we came here. I haven’t seen some of these plants before.”

“Yes, we’re all grateful to you for showing us this place, Uncle Conleth,” Beth said, rather too loudly. “And I’m sure we’d all love to hear more about this ecosystem. Right, everyone?”

Estelle yelped as Beth kicked her. She pointed to a plant at random. “Uh, right. What kind of flower is that?”

Conleth subjected the bloom to a long, critical appraisal.

“That,” he announced with utter confidence, “is a flower.”

“Yeah, but what kind of flower?” Nancy asked.

Conleth didn’t bat an eye. “A purple one.”

Archie snickered. “You have no idea, do you?”

“None whatsoever.” Conleth shrugged off his pack. “I didn’t realize there was going to be a pop quiz.”

The tall purple flowers brought a half-forgotten page to mind. Paige touched one of the blooms, remembering long hours in the library, diligently copying illustrations…

“Fireweed,” she said. “It’s called that because it often grows after a forest fire. It needs open space and light, and it’s able to propagate quickly, so it can establish itself before any other plants have a chance to grow. It produces a lot of nectar, so it attracts pollinators like bees and butterflies. And it’s useful for people, too. You can fry or grill the young shoots, like asparagus. You can even eat the flowers.”

The children, understandably, looked at her as though fireweed had sprouted out of her ears. “How do you know all that?” Estelle asked.

“Oh.” Paige felt oddly embarrassed, like she’d been caught playing with dolls. “I used to read a lot of nature guides, back when I was a kid. I guess some of it stuck.”

Hetta let out a shriek, flapping at the air. “Something buzzed past my ear! Is it a bee? Are there bees here?”

“Oh wow, yeah!” Archie’s face lit up. “And they’re massive! ”

Conleth hastily shielded Hetta. “On second thoughts, perhaps this was a bad plan.”

“There’s no need to be frightened, Hetta. Bees won’t sting you unless you disturb them.” Paige gently tipped a flower to study the oblivious insect inside, more memories resurfacing. “In fact, this one can’t sting you. See the black body? It’s a male carpenter bee. They don’t even have stingers.”

Hetta peered cautiously around Conleth. “What about the girl bees?”

“They do have stingers, but they’ll only attack you if you disturb their nests. They chew burrows in wood, that’s why they’re called carpenter bees. Just don’t poke your finger into any holes.”

“Good advice in general,” Conleth said, peeling Hetta off his waist. “It’s all right, Hetta. If any insect starts coming toward you in a menacing fashion, I promise to intercept it.”

“I didn’t know you liked bugs and plants and stuff, Paige.” Archie looked rather put out, as if she’d been hoarding snacks rather than nature facts. “How come you never said?”

“Well, it doesn’t really come up, back home.” She took off her backpack, rolling her shoulders. “Why don’t we have a look around and see what else we can find?”

Most of the kids were eager for a chance to poke around the glade. Hetta stuck close to Conleth for a while, but even she couldn’t resist when Beth found a couple of hummingbirds, flashing like living jewels as they darted from flower to flower. Paige did her best to identify everything, surprising herself with how much she could recall.

Eventually, she needed a break from the constant stream of questions. Leaving the kids to entertain themselves for a bit, she rejoined Conleth, who’d been busying himself setting out snacks and drinks on a picnic blanket at the other end of the glade.

“I suspected you’d enjoy a nature walk,” he murmured, handing her a water bottle. “I had no idea how much. Did you really remember all that from a few guides you read as a child?”

“Well, it was more than a few. We couldn’t afford to buy many books when I was a kid, so I used to spend almost every weekend in the public library.” She smiled, thinking of her old reading nook, and the indulgent librarians who’d sneaked her endless notepads and pens. “I must have hand-copied every field guide they had. For a long time, I wanted to be an ecologist or a park ranger. Or any job that was outdoors in the wild, really.”

“That doesn’t match your job history, from what I recall of your CV. Why didn’t you pursue a career that matched your interests?”

“It just wasn’t practical.” She found her gaze resting on Archie, who was now poking under a fallen log with a stick at the far side of the glade. She quickly looked away again, taking a drink of water. “You need a college degree for most conservation jobs. Or to be able to spend months living in remote locations, for not much pay.”

Conleth glanced at Archie too, understanding flickering across his face. “Ah. I see. Sometimes circumstances change.”

That was far too close to topics she didn’t want to discuss. Time to steer the conversation back to less dangerous waters.

“I would have loved to explore a place like this when I was a kid,” she said. “I’m glad the campers seem to be enjoying it now. Even Hetta.”

“I thought she might, despite her fears,” he replied. “Most shifters like to spend as much time as possible outside. Our animals are more relaxed in a natural environment.”

He looked more relaxed himself, she realized. He still had that sense of constant, boundless energy, but he seemed less twitchy out here in the woods.

“I thought you used to spend all your time in the office,” she said. “And that you were some kind of high-flying corporate executive before that.”

“I was.” He shot her a curious look. “Why?”

“Just struck me as odd. It doesn’t sound like you would have had much time to get out in nature.”

“Indeed,” Conleth said dryly. “Which is why I appreciate how uncomfortable that can be for a shifter. Though that wasn’t the only reason I was so keen to get Hetta out on this nature walk. I was hoping it would also provide an opportunity for Estelle to demonstrate her talent.”

“You think she could calm Hetta’s nervousness?”

Conleth see-sawed one hand in a ‘maybe’ gesture. “It might help in some circumstances, but Estelle has to concentrate to use her talent, and she can’t keep it up for long. But that’s not the main reason I wanted Hetta to see it. I think those two could be good friends. They have a lot in common.”

“Estelle and Hetta?” Paige found Hetta, quietly examining flowers with Rufus and Finley. Estelle, in contrast, seemed to be trying to sneak up on Ignatius with a double handful of dirt. “You’re kidding.”

“Sometimes people who appear to be complete opposites are more alike than it might seem,” Conleth replied, watching the campers as well. “Estelle’s embarrassed by her talent, because she thinks it isn’t as powerful or useful as those of other unicorn shifters. And Hetta, for whatever reason, seems to feel the same way about her shift form. Not the same problem, but similar emotions. Though I don’t think either of them have realized that yet. I’ve been looking for opportunities to nudge them together.”

He had put a lot of thought into this. “You really are taking this whole counselor thing seriously.”

He glanced down at her, one eyebrow quirking. “You sound surprised.”

“I am, to be honest. Archie told me you never showed any interest in the campers. And Zephyr said you’re only here at camp at all because…” Crap, they were back on dangerous ground again. “Well, you know. The prophecy.”

“True,” Conleth said, voice perfectly neutral. His gaze moved past her left shoulder. “Ah. It seems we’ll have to cut this conversation short.”

Oh, thank God. She glanced around, but couldn’t see anything wrong. “Why?”

“Because your brother has been giving us hard looks for the past few minutes, and just snuck off into the woods,” Conleth replied. His eyes had gone a little unfocussed, so she assumed he was tracking Archie with his pegasus abilities rather than any conventional sense. “I believe he’s intending to hide an item of clothing somewhere unpleasant. At least, that’s what I hope he’s planning. I can think of several alternatives, none of them particularly appealing. In any event, it seems we’ll find out in three… two… one…”

“CONLETH!” Archie hollered, right on cue. “I CAN’T FIND MY SHIRT!”

Paige raised her eyebrows at her co-counselor. “Were you given a whole list of remarkably specific prophecies, or do you have some other talent you haven’t told me about?”

“Neither,” he said wryly. “Simply some experience with the inner workings of a certain type of young mind. I suppose I’d better go see how inventive he’s been.”

“No, you stay here.” Paige was all too grateful for her brother’s interruption. “I’ll take care of it. Where is he?”

“That way.” Conleth pointed without looking. A slightly pained expression crossed his face. “Please make sure he turns out his pockets before he returns.”

Sure enough, when Paige found her brother, his pockets bulged suspiciously. Under her stern glare, he reluctantly emptied them.

“But Paaaaaaige,” he protested as the pile of earthworms writhed apart. “It’s spaghetti night!”

“I think Conleth would have noticed.” She folded her arms. “Now where did you put your shirt?”

Archie morosely watched his precious catch disappear into the leaf litter. “It’s over there. But I need Conleth to get it.”

Glancing around, Paige spotted her brother’s shirt draped over a nearby tree stump. “No, you don’t. Go and fetch it yourself.”

“Ummmmmmm.” Archie eyed the glossy green leaves covering the stump. “I really think it would be better if Conleth did that, actually.”

Paige took a closer look herself and groaned. “Archie, can’t you recognize poison ivy?”

“Of course I can!” Archie said indignantly. A smirk spread across his face. “But I bet Conleth can’t.”

She shook her head, casting around for a long stick so she could fish his shirt out safely. “You’ve got to stop persecuting him like this.”

“I’m doing it to protect you!” Archie protested. “I saw you just now, getting all cozy together. You’ve got the mating fever, and you don’t even know it!”

“For the last time, Archie, there’s no such thing as mating fever!” She managed to snag his t-shirt, pulling it free from the stump. “You aren’t going to be able to wear this until it’s washed. Maybe Conleth can fly back to camp to fetch you a spare shirt. And I mean it about leaving him alone from now on. You know it upsets Beth.”

“Only if you promise to keep your distance from him,” Archie said stubbornly. “Don’t let him trick you again. He’s going around acting all nice, and you’re falling for it! You gotta be more careful!”

Paige glanced over her shoulder. Through the trees, she caught a glimpse of Conleth, now calling the other kids back for a snack. As if sensing her attention, he paused, head turning. She quickly looked away before his eyes could meet hers.

“Yes,” she said under her breath. “I will.”