The Protectors of the Wood Adventure Series is the story of a group of teenagers and young adults who unite to save the forest preserve and the secrets of Hidden Valley. Abby's mysterious mission leads to a dangerous climax as she confronts a mob in a wild thunderstorm, and flees through the forest to the hidden house of her godmother Wendy. Abby is in despair, with her plans in ruins, but Wendy helps her see different points of view, and initiates her into the secrets of the underground world. Abby has escaped from Middletown with the mapstick, a staff given to her by her father. The mapstick is able to shine with a strange blue light, and can even communicate with Abby, giving advice and support in her mind.
The day after her exhausted arrival, Wendy leads Abby on an underground adventure to an ancient cavern of initiation, where she looks into a giant globe of dreamstone, and has a vision that gives her understanding and strength for the challenges that lie ahead.
Chi Chi, Wendy's brother, arrives with good news from Middletown for Abby, and guides her underground, back to the churchyard cottage that has been her home during the drama and danger of the previous month. On the way back, Chi Chi tells her:
You must be aware that very few people can dream while awake - like you - without going into a panic. And even fewer can follow the dreamworld to the stars or deep underground. But still... people need a map of all three: underground, the surface of the earth, and the heavens, in order to understand their own world and their own lives.
