“No way.” Kyle looked at the ferret, confused. “Huh?”
“I said is Kara finished… getting ready?” Emily covered up, pushing Ozzie behind her and pointing to his magical ferret stone. He was supposed to use his jewel to speak telepathically when around others.
“The princess is upstairs,” Kyle said, wiping sugar sprinkles from his shirt. “Hey, guess who’s here?”
“Who?” Emily asked, anxiously peering beyond Kyle.
“Joey. You’ve got to see his costume!” Kyle walked back toward the kitchen.
“Joey?” Adriane said incredulously. “I just left him backstage. He was setting up the lights—”
“Oh, so that’s why you were hanging out in the auditorium,” Emily teased, walking into the foyer.
Adriane’s cheeks flushed bright red. “Not! Joey asked me to help him, that’s all.”
“It’s in there.” Dreamer pointed his nose toward the kitchen.
Adriane raised her wrist to check her amber wolf stone. The gem was not pulsing. “I don’t sense anything dangerous.”
“Just be careful.” Emily checked her own rainbow jewel. Although hers reacted to animals in distress, it, too, would warn her of impending danger. “These are the first creatures to cross over in months,” she continued anxiously. “No telling what kind of magic they have.”
The mages entered the kitchen and stifled gasps of shock. A strange-looking boy—really strange—was at the breakfast table, greedily pouring a bowl of cereal into his mouth. Dressed in a weird pirate costume, which included aviator goggles and tan knee-high boots, no one would guess he was human. Which, of course, he wasn’t.
Two dragonfly heads popped out of Emily’s backpack. “Froot Loops!!”
The costumed creature turned big gray eyes to the group and, “Splooof!” spit out the cereal in shock. The bowl crashed to the floor as he leaped to his feet, reaching into his utility belt for several colored vials.
“Goblin!” Ozzie yelled, then quickly slapped his paws over his mouth and telepathically added, “It’s a goblin!”
Adriane instantly swung into a fighting stance, crossing her arms in front of her face. Dreamer crouched to strike, teeth bared, a deep growl rumbling in his throat.
“Mistwolf!” the creature screamed, edging backward and knocking into Kyle.
“Freeze, goblin!” Adriane hissed, her jewel pulsing with constrained fire.
“I’m not a goblin!” The creature raised his hands, eyeing the glowing jewel with fear. “I’m a hobgoblin!”
Kyle howled with laughter. “Shakespeare is way cool!” he said, slapping the startled hobgoblin’s shoulder.
Emily gently pushed Adriane’s arm down. “So… Joey,” she said carefully, sending calming magic to Dreamer. “Nice of you to… drop in.”
“I came for the princess! She is—”
“Yes,” Emily cut him off. “We all want to find the princess.”
The hobgoblin’s eyes narrowed suspiciously. “The reward is already claimed.”
“Dude, you’re way too into this play,” Kyle chortled.
“My name is not Dude,” the hobgoblin said, still eyeing the mages warily. “My name is Musso.”
Honk! Honk! Honk!
A car horn sounded from the driveway, followed by the ringing doorbell.
“There’s Kara’s ride,” Kyle said, jumping to answer the door. “What’s taking her so long?”
The minute Kyle walked away, Adriane demanded, “Listen you, whoever you are! Where is our friend?”
“The princess is in Queen’s Fairy Ring,” the hobgoblin blurted.
“No she’s not, she’s in some forest!” Adriane countered.
“Uh-oh.” Musso scratched a pointy ear. “The porta-portal must have misfired.”
“Who else is with you?” Emily asked.
“Sparky—he’s a magic tracker. We are great adventurers. Perhaps you’ve heard of us?” Musso puffed out his chest. “We braved the web in a magic bubble to get the prin—”
“You mean kidnap her!” Adriane snapped.
“Yeah!” Ozzie added.
“PhoooL!” the dragonflies chimed in from inside the backpack.
“How do we get her back?” Emily asked the hobgoblin.
Wiping milk-soaked hands on his red leather pants, he pulled a round blinking ball from a deep vest pocket.
Adriane swung her arm up, wolf fire blazing to life.
“No, wait!” the hobgoblin squawked. “It’s a fairy map! The portal is moving. I can’t tell when it will open again.”
“Hark, what reeky, clay-brained dewberry arrives?” Kyle called from the foyer.
“Stay here!” Adriane warned the hobgoblin.
“’Course, my calculations could be off—the web is totally flooie.” Musso examined the map. “I have to find the nearest portal!”
The mages raced through the foyer just as Kyle opened the door, bowing deeply. Sparkling fairy wings, silky outfits, and expertly applied glittery makeup twinkled in the morning sunlight.
“I do believe in fairies. I do believ—”
“Zip it, Kyle,” Heather said, stepping past him. “Where’s Kara—”
“What are you guys doing here?” Tiffany asked. Her pale green brow furrowed as she looked at Emily, Adriane, the golden ferret, and the large black wolf pup.
“Uh, just here to check on Kara,” Emily explained.
“Shake a wing, girls,” Molly said impatiently, heading for the stairs. “My mom’s already late for work.”
“You can’t go up there!” Adriane cried.
“Why not?” Tiffany demanded.
“Kara’s sick,” Emily said quickly.
“She is?” Heather asked.
“She is?” Adriane echoed, then caught herself. “Oh, totally.”
“She’s got a stomach ache,” Emily blurted—
Just as Adriane said, “Really bad pimple. On her stomach!”
“We talked to her, like, an hour ago, and she was fine.” Tiffany swept past Kyle, her pale yellow wing smacking him in the face.
“We’ll tell her you were here,” Adriane promised, blocking the stairs.
“Jeez, you guys are weirder than normal,” Heather said as she and Tiffany and Molly edged past Adriane and trotted upstairs toward Kara’s room. “We’ll tell her ourselves.”
Emily and Adriane ran after them, Dreamer following close.
“It’s probably just a little stage fright,” Tiffany said, her hand already on the door to Kara’s room. “She asked us to pick her up.”
The mages winced as she flung the door open.
Kara’s room was empty.
“K, you in here?” Tiffany asked, scanning the cluttered mess.
“Zzzrrrrp.” A sleepy grunt came from a lump under Kara’s fluffy pink and white quilt.
Adriane pushed past the trio and dashed inside, pulling the covers down tight as the lump began squirming.
“Hey girl, what’s wrong?” Molly asked.
“FooaaaRTT!”
“Bad taco,” Adriane concluded as she struggled with the lump.
“Oh Kara, you sound awful!” Tiffany exclaimed.
“You poor thing!” Heather added.
Emily gulped as she saw Barney and Blaze sitting frozen in a pile of Kara’s stuffed animals.
“She got sick, like, so totally fast,” Tiffany said worriedly.
Honk! Honk! Honk!
“Come on, my mom’s waiting.” Molly waved a painted green hand.
“Kara, you just rest up,” Tiffany said.
“BlaaaaPHH!”
“See, she’s feeling better already,” Adriane said, smiling.
“We’ll check on you later, K,” Heather called out.
“She’ll probably be taking a long nap,” Emily said, “so just leave her a message.”
“Bye!” Emily, Adriane, and the d-flies chorused, cheerful smiles plastered on their faces.
As soon as Heather, Tiffany, and Molly closed the door beh
ind them, Adriane yanked the quilt back. A long, whiskered nose popped out, attached to a big, fuzzy head.
“What are you trying to do, smother me?” the mookrat demanded, whiskers twitching. His beady eyes widened as he saw three magic jewels trained on him.
“Ahhh!” He dove back under the covers.
“Come out of there,” Emily said. “We’re not going to hurt you.”
“Much,” Adriane added.
The mookrat stuck his nose out again and took in the group. “Sparky’s the name,” he said, quivering voice muffled by the quilt. “Magic’s my game.”
“We just heard the news,” said a new voice from Kara’s window. A little figure made of twigs and moss was perched atop a beautiful white owl.
“Just in time, Tweek.” Emily walked over to the little Earth Fairimental. “Hi, Ariel,” she greeted the magical snow owl.
The owl ruffled her feathers, displaying shimmering streaks of gold, lavender, and turquoise. “That is not Kara,” the owl observed, liquid eyes looking accusingly at Sparky.
“It’s the mookrat who kidnapped Kara!” Ozzie informed her, glowering.
“We were hired to find her,” Sparky protested, pointing his nose toward Kara’s closet. “We followed the portal into that chamber.”
Tweek leaped from the owl and dashed into the closet. Lifting a sparkling turquoise jewel from a chain about his neck, he started scanning Kara’s shoes. “Hmmm, magical residue.”
“Stay here with Barney and Blaze!” Adriane ordered the E.F. and Ariel. “If this mookrat moves a whisker, you call us.”
“We have to get that hobgoblin,” Emily said.
“There’s one,” Ariel said, perched on the windowsill.
“What?”
The group rushed to the window. In the driveway, Kyle was climbing into Molly’s mom’s minivan. Musso clambered in behind him, hands poised by his utility belt full of strange vials. He slid the door closed just as the minivan pulled out of the driveway.
“Oh no!” Emily groaned. “Kyle’s taking a hobgoblin to school!”
KARA FOLLOWED QUEEN Selinda, King Oriel, and Tangoo along a path surrounded by bright wildflowers. The path wound through the gardens, leading to the fairy stables.
It was a large rectangular building created from living trees. What looked like giant oaks stood at each corner of the stable, their branches interweaving like logs to form the walls. Inside, rows of stalls lined the corridor, each gleaming with golden bark and lush leaves in countless shades of green.
The Fairy Queen led Kara to a beautiful stall made of glossy green ivy and daisies. Inside, a pale green horse with bright flowers in her lustrous mane stuck her head over the half-door and nuzzled the queen’s face lovingly.
“This is Gaia, an Earth Elemental Horse,” the Fairy Queen said, laughing as the mare turned curious azure eyes to Kara.
“Welcome, blazing star.”
Kara smiled and petted Gaia. The animal’s strong magic was warm and pure. She instantly felt a little better. Everyone had acted like this was going to be such a big deal, but she could totally ride this nice horse. Lyra was going to be saved even sooner than she’d hoped.
“Should I just ride her now?” Kara asked.
Selinda shook her head. “Gaia is my horse. Elemental horses only bond with one rider.”
“Oh.” Kara was a little disappointed, but there were probably pretty horses just like Gaia in the other stalls.
King Oriel reached into a stall of gleaming crystal to pet a powerfully built silvery blue horse. “This is Frost, a Water Elemental Horse. We’ve been bonded since I was a child.”
“The blazing star will make a strong rider.” Frost’s sapphire eyes regarded her thoughtfully.
Kara smiled, and then frowned. Frost was bonded to the Fairy King. She wasn’t going to be riding him, either. Where was her elemental horse?
Boom!
A huge blast shook the corridor, followed immediately by loud cries and snorting from somewhere outside the stables.
Queen Selinda walked straight toward the commotion, leaving the stables through the rear doorway.
Kara followed. Out back, a dark and ominous cage stood isolated from the other structures. Kara couldn’t tell exactly what the structure was made of, but it looked like black metal. It was completely enclosed except for a small window set in the front door.
Tall fairies standing guard yelped as a jet of fire erupted from the open window.
Goldie quivered and grabbed a talon full of Kara’s hair to hide behind.
Whatever was in there was angry. Best to keep away from that one, she thought.
The door buckled as something slammed into it from inside. An eye, wide with terror, appeared in the small window. Kara felt a jagged bolt of fire rip through her body, as if her blood were boiling. She gasped, feeling her magic swirling inside, climbing to a fever pitch—it felt like it was going to explode!
Then in an instant it vanished. The window was empty.
“What’s in there?” Kara asked breathlessly. “A manticore?”
Tangoo grinned proudly. “This, Princess Kara, is your horse!”
THE STONEHILL MIDDLE School auditorium buzzed with activity. Backstage, it was jammed with costumed students preparing for dress rehearsal. It wasn’t going to be easy for Emily and Adriane to find their runaway hobgoblin. Offering magical assistance, Fred and Fiona popped their little heads out of Emily’s backpack, scanning the scene with brightly swirling jeweled eyes.
“Anything?” the red-haired mage asked the minis.
“Nope.”
“Double nope.”
“Our fairies are here,” Adriane noted dryly, pointing to center stage.
Molly, Heather, and Tiffany were putting finishing touches on the Fairy Ring set. It was decorated with bright silk flowers and paper-mache toadstools, with a backdrop of painted forest trees.
“Wassup?” Joey—the real Joey—approached, carrying a box of light bulbs. He smiled broadly at Adriane. “Good call on the bulbs—the ones I was using were way too low wattage.”
“Cool,” the warrior answered, still scanning the auditorium. She stepped aside as four boys lugged a large prop tree on stage. “You haven’t seen Kyle, have you?”
“Kyle?” Joey frowned. “Not yet.”
“What foul news!” someone cried in a loud, grating voice. “Our Fairy Queen hath fallen ill! We cannot read this scene without Queen Titania!”
Incoming: Rae Windor, student director of the play. She glared at the mages, irritation blazing in her steely eyes.
“Alack, poor Kara,” Emily called out.
Rae grasped her frizzy brown hair and scowled at Joey. “Whither wander you? You’re playing Puck and you’re onstage in five minutes! Get ready!”
Joey shrugged. “I gotta change. See you guys later.” He hurried off stage right—just as Kyle emerged from stage left with Musso.
The hobgoblin’s eyes widened as he took in the scenery. “A Fairy Ring!”
“Hark! Shall I compare thee to a brick outhouse?” Kyle quoted from his Shakespeare insults book.
Rae glowered. “That is so not hilarious.”
“Sure it is. Right, Joey?” Kyle asked the hobgoblin.
Rae’s eye’s widened. “Forsooth! That’s the fastest costume change I’ve ever seen. You’ll make a perfect Puck.”
A fairy rushed across the stage. “Have you the heard news about the Fairy Queen?”
“Everyone’s heard,” a girl dressed in a toga chimed in dramatically. “She is deathly ill.”
“The queen is sick?” cried the hobgoblin. “This is terrible news! Not with the fairy wars brewing!”
Adriane and Emily needed to run interference. Fast. They hurried over. “Joey, could we speak to you for a minute, alone?” Adriane asked.
Kyle stepped back, grinning. “Don’t let me get in the way of true love, Romeo. Break a leg.”
“Break your own leg!” Musso grumbled angrily.
Rae g
rabbed Musso. “Joey, stand in for the Fairy Queen in this scene.”
Musso flailed as Rae dragged him onstage. “But it’s illegal to impersonate royalty! I’ll be turned into a flobbin!”
Emily and Adriane tried to snatch Musso back, but Rae raised her hand imperiously. “Only actors onstage! Places everyone.” She clapped, herding Molly, Tiffany, and Heather. “Mustardseed, Peaseblossom, Cobweb, into position.”
“Where’s Nick Bottom?” Rae looked around as she pushed Musso to center stage.
“Ready, milady.” Adam, a friend of Kyle’s, was playing the role of Nick Bottom, the character who turns into a donkey after a spell is cast on him. He stopped next to the mages. “I heard Kara has some rare disease.”
“Oh, great.” Adriane rolled her eyes.
“What Fairy Ring is this?” Musso gaped as he stepped onto the fake flowerbed. “Where’s the magic mirror?”
“Stick to the script!” Rae yelled. She gestured to another boy standing offstage. “King Oberon, front and center! Okay, now this is your big scene, where you cast a love spell on Queen Titania. And when Nick Bottom comes out, he’d better be wearing his donkey costume. Got it? And… action!”
Marcus, a cute guy dressed in the flowing robes of a fairy king, adjusted his golden crown and stepped onstage.
Musso yelped, diving face first while grabbing the boy’s legs. “Oh great Fairy King,” the hobgoblin groveled. “I have traveled the web and found the Fairy Princess.”
“Hey man, take it easy, Joey!” Marcus hopped up and down, trying to shake Musso loose.
Rae got frantic. “Peoples! Stop adlibbing!” She shoved Musso facedown into the bed of silk flowers. “Stay there and don’t move!”
Musso lay in the flowerbed, eyes darting left and right. “The Fairy Ring has been infiltrated,” he mumbled.
Marcus cleared his throat and read his lines in a loud, clear voice.
“’What thou seest when thou dost wake,
Do it for thy true love take…’”
Musso dug frantically in his spell utility belt. “I must protect the Fairy Ring!”
“’Love and languish for his sake.
Be it ounce, or cat, or bear…’”
Musso held out a small, round vial. It glowed briefly.
“What’s he doing?” Adriane asked, startled as her wolf stone pulsed, signaling danger.
All's Fairy in Love and War (Avalon: Web of Magic #8) Page 4
