“I am here.”
Adriane’s heart leaped at the sound of the familiar voice in her head. “Where are you?”
“The pack is on the move.”
Through Storm’s eyes, Adriane saw them. Several hundred mistwolves, adults and pups, cresting the hill before her. The smell of the pack filled her nose and she longed to run with them. Storm howled, and the pack howled in return. The wolfsong filled her heart. Adriane threw back her head and howled with them.
“Stormbringer!” a different wolf growled.
Moonshadow stood before her, eyes blazing. “The human will not join the pack.”
“I have brought something for you from the Fairimentals,” Adriane said eagerly.
“Is this some human trick?”
“She is my packmate,” Storm growled as she faced the pack leader.
The wolves circled around Storm.
Adriane felt her own lips pull back into a snarl. She growled—or was it Storm?
“Human,” Moonshadow said to her.
With a start, Adriane realized the pack leader was talking to her.
“We are moving, seeking a new pack home far away from here. The pack must be protected. We need Storm now.”
“The Fairimentals want you to have this gift,” Adriane said. “I think it might help you find your new home.”
Moonshadow snarled. “I will give you until the two moons rise in the sky to bring this gift to me. If you are not with us in that time, so be it.”
The wolves began to disappear into mist.
“Storm, how do I find you?” Adriane asked quickly.
“The magic is with you,” Storm’s voice echoed through the mist and disappeared.
Adriane blinked. Sparse, empty hills stood before her. The sensation of sharing the wolf’s mind, of being a wolf, had filled her heart with joy. To be separated from that made her feel so empty. She shivered.
The pack was leaving, migrating to a place far away. She had until Aldenmor’s two moons rose over the valley to find them. Reaching out, she spun slowly in a circle, silently calling Storm. When she faced the hills to her right, the wolf stone glowed. Dusting herself off, she headed down into a valley of shadows.
The valley was thick with trees. But these woods were not inviting like the lush forests of the Moorgroves. Here the trees seemed to twist and bend, fighting against one another, struggling for a foothold in the rocky earth.
She wound her way around giant, gnarled roots and misshapen logs until she came to a dirt path. The going was easier, with better visibility, so she could see if anything was coming—which also meant that whatever she saw could see her, too.
She tried not to think about that and focused instead on what she had learned from the Fairimentals.
Three will be tested. One will follow her heart, one will see in darkness, and one will change utterly and completely.
What did that mean? She wished Emily and Ozzie were here to help figure it out, they were much better with riddles.
Were they each being tested in some way? Emily had learned to be a healer and had healed the animals at Ravenswood. Kara had saved the unicorn. Now was it her turn?
Three will find Avalon and heal the sadness. Heal Aldenmor? She should have asked the Fairimentals more, but she had a feeling they didn’t have all the answers either. What was happening on Aldenmor was only the tip of the iceberg. If this sorceress—this witch—was not stopped here, Aldenmor, Earth, and the web, even Avalon itself, would not be safe. What would happen then? She shuddered. She had spent most of her life learning to live with loneliness, but she had never felt more alone than she did right at this minute.
Crunch!
Adriane spun around, ready to defend herself.
Nothing.
A dry branch cracked nearby. Then another. Behind her. She turned, but saw only gnarled trees, thick with thorns.
Searching for a good place to hide, she spotted some large rocks partway up the side of a gully. Rivulets of melted snow formed splotches of water, some running into small streams, some lying stagnant. She tried to avoid splashing in the puddles as she scrambled up the ravine and ducked behind the rocks.
She waited. Her heart was beating fast, and she took deep breaths, willing herself to calm down.
A loud snap behind her made her jump. Something was pushing through the dense undergrowth, coming right toward her. Adriane gasped, thinking of the small, agile imps. She looked left and right. She had made a strategic error. The rocks she thought would hide her were boxing her in.
Adriane stood, back to the rocks, and held her gemstone out before her, its golden light pulsing… and waited.
Nothing happened. Cautiously, she stepped forward and parted the thick brush, slowly opening the vines and bramble. There was something there all right—
“Ahhh!” Adriane fell backward as the big speckled egg, bright colors swirling happily, rolled out on top of her.
“What the—?” she exclaimed.
The egg tilted over and lay on her.
Adriane sat up, cradling the egg in her lap. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be back in the Fairy Glen! Bad egg!”
The egg’s colors shifted to blues and purples, and it quivered. Adriane rolled it to the ground and got to her feet, shaking her finger. “Oh, no! Don’t give me that. You are a very bad egg!”
The egg shyly leaned into Adriane’s legs, shaking.
Adriane sighed. “Okay, okay. I didn’t mean it. You just surprised me.” She knelt down and hugged the egg. “I’m glad to see you, too. I missed you.”
The egg beamed with bright colors.
“Do the Fairimentals know you followed me? You know I’m going to have to take you back to the Fairy Glen, if I knew where that was. But I don’t. So I guess you’ll have to come with me to meet the mistwolves.”
Bright colors swirled over the surface of the egg as it bounced up and down.
“But then I’m taking you back.”
Adriane climbed down from the rocks and started on the dirt path again. The egg rolled after her.
“Say, you didn’t happen to bring any of those red coconuts? No? Just wondering. And I like your name, Drake. It’s so smooth, like a rock star.” Adriane laughed. “Rock star, get it?”
The egg tagged along right by her side, glowing brightly.
“Never mind.”
They continued across the valley floor. The trees began to thin out. The rivulets became streams, and the ground started becoming rockier. Several times Adriane had to help Drake over fallen trees and jutting stones.
“Okay, let’s take five,” Adriane said as they came upon a deep gully. A small stream ran though it. She was thirsty, but she dared not drink the water, which might not be safe. She slid down the hill to the stream and sat down against a tree. Drake rolled down and leaned into her.
“I wonder how much farther it is.” She huddled close, arm around Drake. “Looks like we’re almost across the valley. I just need to rest for a bit … ”
Something shook Adriane awake. She opened her eyes. How long had she been sleeping? Drake sat silently shaking next to her, ribbons of bright red swirling. Adriane looked closer. Two reptilian eyes opened just under the surface of the shell.
Adriane gasped. Something tickled at her mind. She fell over as the ground trembled. What was that? She barely had time to look around before another shock wave hit, sending vibrations up and down her spine. Her wolf stone was pulsing with a strong, crimson light. She recognized the pulse immediately as a signal of danger. She heard the sounds of monstrous feet slamming into the ground. Something was coming—something big!
ADRIANE PUSHED THE heavy egg up the sloping side of the ravine. It was fiery red and warm to the touch. She glanced over her shoulder. Whatever was coming was getting closer. If she had to fight it, she wanted the advantage of height.
“C’mon, Drake.” She pushed the egg over the top of the slope as a tree fell over, smashing to the ground behind her.
Adriane whirled around and gasped.
It stood at least ten feet tall, massive with muscle. It had the head of a pig, with long curved teeth protruding from its bottom lip. Slightly hunched, its arms were like tree trunks. One giant hand held a double-headed ax, the other a gigantic round shield. Its beady, black eyes looked up at her and the egg. Its mouth turned in a vicious grin. The thing grunted something unintelligible and stepped forward, enormous feet with pointed claws hitting the ground, making it tremble.
Adriane scrambled over the top of the gully and stood protectively in front of the egg. She raised her gemstone, hoping it was powerful enough to stop this monster. The thing raised its ax. She braced herself as it stomped up the ravine.
Something flew through the air, swinging in on a vine, and crashed into the giant. Eyes widening in astonishment, the huge thing toppled over and fell back down. The ground shook as it hit bottom. Adriane carefully peered over the hillock—someone jumped up, knocking her back.
“Are you okay?” Zach looked down at her.
“No!” Adriane yelled. “What are you doing here?”
“Rescuing you.” He grabbed her hand and hoisted her to her feet.
Adriane ran to the egg and struggled to lift it. “Nice of you to drop in.”
“I thought so.” He edged her aside and hefted the egg in his arms. Together, they took off, running along the ridgeline. Zach searched for a place to hide.
“Couldn’t live without me, huh?” Adriane called after him.
“More like the drake here couldn’t live without you,” Zach replied.
They leaped across a small chasm to a dusty ridge. The cliff wall below was filled with rounded caves.
“We’ll have to borrow one of these caves. We can’t fight them.”
“Them? As in more than one?”
“They’re in a patrol, six of them.”
He placed the egg down and carefully leaned over to examine the caves.
“Six?!” One was horrible enough. “What are they?”
“Orcs. Disgusting.” He spit on the ground, reminding Adriane of something Windy would have done. “We’ll have to hide out and hope they pass us by.”
“And if they don’t?”
“Orcs aren’t too bright. You’ll think of something,” Zach said.
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
She watched Zach slide down the hill and begin sweeping branches and debris aside, uncovering a large opening in the ravine wall. His Elven sword was strapped to his back.
“This one looks empty,” he announced. “Come on.” He held out his arm and helped Adriane slide the egg into the hole. She followed, hoping they weren’t disturbing anything too nasty inside.
It was dark and musty, but from the opening they could see all the way to the valley floor below. Adriane placed Drake near the back of the cave while Zach quickly pulled back the brush and branches to cover the opening. They could just see through the debris, which acted like a screen.
Zach turned to Adriane. “Here.” He took out three small red coconuts from his pocket.
Adriane smiled. “You came all the way here to bring me coconuts?”
“I thought you’d be hungry.”
“Well, I am. Thank you.” She put two in the deep vest pocket next to the orb, and cracked open the other, gratefully drinking the delicious milk inside.
“Actually, the Fairimentals sent me to bring back you-know-who.” He gestured with his thumb and turned to look through the screen of brambles. “Orcs aren’t great magic trackers but they can sense the drake.”
“What do we do if they come?” she asked.
“You’ll have to create a distraction.”
“Good idea. I’ll just run around and they can chase me for a while.”
“I was thinking of something a bit more magical,” he said, looking at her wolf stone.
Adriane followed his eyes. “Oh. I can do that.”
Zach crawled back to examine the egg. “What’s with the drake? It’s all hot. I can barely touch it.”
“I know. And it’s all red.”
The boy’s eyes met hers. “I have to get it back before—” His face grew pale.
“Before what?”
Zach blinked. “You think those orcs are monsters? You have no idea what a dragon is. It’s mean, and vicious and, and—horrible!”
“How do you know that?”
“Because.”
“Because why? Have you ever met a dragon before?”
“Well, no … ”
Adriane crossed her arms. “So you’re just assuming it’s a horrible monster.”
Zach turned away and crawled back to the opening. “Everyone knows it’s true.”
“Well, I don’t. And no one is going to harm this egg!”
The ground outside trembled. The orcs were approaching.
Adriane tossed her empty coconut shell aside and kneeled next to the boy, peering out.
“They’re coming this way,” he said.
“I’m going to try something.” She held up her stone and concentrated, focusing on the trees across the ravine. She pictured them shaking and rattling.
Suddenly orcs came into view, their ugly pig snouts opening and closing, drooling over fearsome boar’s teeth. Some carried axes, some wielded spears.
Adriane concentrated harder and across the gully two trees shook. Maybe she could fool them by sending a ghost image of the egg and placing it behind the shaking trees.
The orc leader stopped and sniffed at the air. It looked at the far side of the gully and moved in the direction of the trees.
“It’s working,” Zach whispered. “As soon as they cross that stream, we’ll make a break and run.”
“Where?”
Zach looked at her. “I go back with the egg, and you … go where you have to.”
“You could come with me,” Adriane suggested.
“No way. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t bring the egg to the pack. Trackers would be all over them.”
Adriane hadn’t considered that. She could be putting the entire pack in danger by bringing the egg there. “But the Fairimentals want me to give this to Moonshadow.” She held out the sparkling orb on its chain for Zach to see.
“They gave you that?” he breathed, eyes wide.
“Yes, what is it?”
“A fairy map,” he told her.
So it was like the gift Phelonius had tried to give Kara. “What is a fairy map?”
“A map of portals.”
“So the mistwolves can leave,” Adriane realized sadly.
“So they can leave safely,” he corrected. “Hey, don’t forget your mistwolf abandoned you to fend for yourself here.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Adriane shot back in anger, slipping the orb back into her pocket. The pack might have treated Zach callously, but Storm would never treat Adriane that way! Would she?
“Just that the pack leader has his own agenda. And the pack will follow him.”
“So you’re saying Storm isn’t coming back.”
Zach’s eyes filled with compassion. “I don’t know, Adriane. Things change.”
He turned to look back outside. “Get ready to move, they’re across the stream. Be… very… quiet.”
Craaack!
Adriane jumped. “What was that?”
“It wasn’t me,” Zach said.
“Well, it wasn’t me, either.”
A high-pitched screech filled the cave.
The orcs had stopped and were looking around suspiciously.
Adriane and Zach exchanged stares.
“If it wasn’t me or you… ” Zach began as they both turned to look behind them.
The egg had a big crack right down the center.
“Oh, no!” Zach scrambled over to check it out. The egg writhed suddenly, its sides splitting into a dozen smaller cracks. Zach watched in horror as shards of shell crumbled. A low whine began to emanate from within. The egg was starting
to hatch!
The boy’s eyes widened in terror. “Make it stop!”
“What?! Are you crazy?”
With a screech, a single hideous claw broke through the shell.
“We’ve got to get out of here!” Zach kicked away the brambles covering the cave opening.
Adriane had a sinking feeling that Drake might not be what she expected. The creature inside the egg was screeching like a banshee. A second clawed foot kicked out another section of egg. Two red reptilian eyes opened and peered out at her. As Adriane stared into those eyes, something flashed in her mind.
Zach grabbed her shoulder, whirling her around. “Let’s go! Now!”
Adriane didn’t know what to do. What if whatever was hatching was worse than what was waiting outside? She was trapped between an egg and a hard place.
ADRIANE STUCK HER head out of the cave. The giant orcs were stomping across the gully… right toward them. She looked back at the hatching dragon egg. “What do we do?”
“We run!” Zach grabbed Adriane’s hand and yanked her out through the opening. They skirted the top of the ravine, making for the next valley. Zach was determined to put as much distance as possible between themselves and whatever monsters were behind them.
Adriane couldn’t get those eyes out of her head. It was as if the dragon were calling to her, connected to her.
“Wait!” she yelled, pulling Zach to a stop. “I can’t leave Drake. I’m going back!” Adriane ran back atop the ridge.
“I was supposed to bring back an egg,” Zach shouted after her. “Not a live dragon!”
Adriane leaped over the ridgeline, sliding and skidding down toward the cave.
Bent low, she scrambled inside. All that remained were goo-covered shell fragments. Whatever had hatched was gone.
Zach tentatively peeked into the cave. “Well?”
“It’s not here!”
“Oh, great.” Zach slumped, head in hands, trying to figure out what to do.
Adriane spotted something out of the corner of her eye. Something in a shell fragment. She bent, pulled it free, and looked at it. It was a stone, rough-hewn but definitely some kind of crystal.
“Come on, Adriane!” Zach yelled in to her.
She slipped the stone into her vest pocket and climbed outside. “Which way?” she asked.
Cry of the Wolf (Avalon: Web of Magic #3) Page 8
