Just as a heads-up, the primary lines on those maps are what we call streamlines. But, you have the right call on what it means: the tighter they are, generally the stronger the winds.

Emily could go the same way as Charley, but the current or forecast conditions do not favor it. This is subject to change, but the model guidance has been pretty consistent in maintaining the storm on a westward path towards the western Gulf in about 4-5 days.

The following website uses research done into the tracks of tropical cyclones to come up with the best "steering layer" to use when trying to make a track forecast. As Danny mentioned, the upper levels are better for deeper storms, while the lower levels are better for weaker ones; the best layer for any given storm (based off of pressure) is noted on the page: http://cimss.ssec.wisc.edu/tropic/real-time/atlantic/winds/winds-dlm.html

Hope this helps!