Song of the Unicorns (Avalon: Web of Magic #7)

by Rachel Roberts

  An instant later, the whirlwind disappeared, specks of colored magic dissipating like mist.

  Ozzie’s paws flew to his ferret stone. “Emily! Come in, Emily!”

  “I’m here, Ozzie,” the mage answered. “Did you find something?”

  “Did I?! You’re lucky I’m still a ferret! A weird magic whirlwind just melted a cactus and a rock and the wagon. It nearly got yours truly in the process!”

  “Slow down, what are you talking about? A wind?”

  “Actually, it was an elemental shift in paramagical forces, to be precise,” a new voice broke in.

  “GAAAHH! Aliens!” Ozzie screamed. “Emily, warn the others, I’ll—”

  EMILY HAD ALMOST reached the sloping trail to Echo Ridge when Ozzie’s frazzled voice vanished.

  “Ozzie? Ozzie?” Emily called frantically.

  There was no answer. Heart thudding, she looked toward the canyon. “Sierra,

  Ozzie’s gotten loose. I need to go look for him.”

  The brown-haired girl brought Apache up sharp. “Okay, but hurry. I’ll round up the others and meet you back here on the trail.”

  Sierra started Apache forward and called over her shoulder, “And whatever you do, don’t go into the caves!”

  “Okay, I’ll be careful,” Emily promised.

  Domino sensed the mage’s urgency and broke into a gallop, racing back into the canyon. Fear pulsed through Emily’s veins. If anything happened to Ozzie, she didn’t know what she’d do.

  She was halfway across the canyon floor when she realized the wagon was gone. In its place was a large pool of water. Leading Domino to the canyon wall, she searched for Ozzie.

  “Give me back my stone or you’ll never see your spaceship again!”

  Emily turned toward the sound of the ferret’s voice. She saw Ozzie hopping up and down on what looked like a pile of twigs.

  “Ozzie,” Emily called, sliding off Domino and running to her friend. “What are you doing?”

  “Interrogating him.” Ozzie waved a paw at the twigs. “This alien attacked me!”

  Emily looked closer at the mass of twigs, desert grass, and shrubbery. “Ozzie, wait a minute.”

  The pile suddenly spun and formed into a little wobbly whirlwind.

  Crackling and rustling, the tiny whirlwind took another shape before it came to a halt. Slightly shorter than Ozzie, it looked like a little stick figure, made of twigs and brush magically held together. A gray-green clump of sagebrush served as its torso and another as its head. Sparkling eyes of quartz looked at her curiously. Hanging around its neck was a small turquoise gemstone on a chain woven of desert weeds.

  “This thief took my jewel!” Ozzie yelled.

  “You’re a Fairimental!” Emily gasped.

  “Why I oughta—huh?”

  Fairimentals were very powerful and mysterious magical creatures who protected the magic of Alendmor. Made entirely of elemental magic, they took their physical forms from water, fire, earth, and wind. This one was an Earth Fairimental.

  The little twig figure stared at Emily’s rainbow gem. “You are the healer?”

  Emily nodded. “Yes.”

  “Oh, thank goodness. I found this mookrat impersonating a mage—does this belong to you?” A spindly branch held out a golden stone.

  “That’s Ozzie’s ferret stone,” Emily said.

  “Gimme that!” the ferret grabbed his stone and attached it back to his collar. “I’ve met Fairimentals and they never robbed me. How do we know you’re one?”

  “I’m an E.F., and my name is Tweek,” the creature said.

  “What’s an E.F?” Emily asked.

  “Experimental Fairimental. I’m the first ever of my kind. The Fairimentals made me at their lab.”

  “The what from the where?” Ozzie demanded.

  “It used to be a place called the Shadowlands, but now it’s a magic preserve and research facility called The Garden. I’m designed to stay on Earth for long periods of time.”

  Fairimentals had visited Emily, Adriane, and Kara on Earth in the past, but their particular magic could only be sustained in this world for minutes, sometimes seconds, before falling apart.

  “What are you doing here?” Emily asked.

  “I materialized my elemental byproducts in Ravenswood but I was attacked by a pack of brimbees so I had to triangulate on your jewels, construct a portal path—”

  “Gah!”

  “What are you doing here?” Emily repeated.

  “I was sent to find the mages.” Tweek’s quartz eyes eyed Ozzie. “You’re not one, are you?”

  “I’m the fuzzy one!” Ozzie crossed his arms angrily.

  “I have a very important message!” Tweek cried, waving his arms so dramatically that a few twigs flew off.

  “What is it?” Emily asked worriedly.

  Tweek’s twiggy features settled into serious lines. “Something terrible has happened. Avalon has lost its magic.”

  Ozzie pressed his paws to his head. “What!?”

  “Can you tell us anything else, Tweek?” Emily asked.

  Twigs and leaves fell to the ground as the E.F. shuddered. “This is my first assignment,” he said, picking up pieces of himself. “Maybe I didn’t get everything just right, but I know I have to find the missing magic—AHHHHH!”

  Mage and ferret mage stared at the E.F.

  “Look out behind you, it’s a—”

  Bang! Tweek exploded into a cloud of twigs and brush.

  Emily whirled around, her rainbow gem pulsing a deep crimson warning light.

  Four sparkling tornadoes were touching down on the far side of the canyon. The desert floor bulged and undulated as if it had suddenly turned liquid.

  Domino neighed, stomping her hooves, ready to run.

  “Let’s get out of here!” Ozzie cried.

  Grabbing Ozzie, Emily sprang into the saddle as the horse bolted. She had to warn Adriane and Kara. This was no ordinary sandstorm.

  “Go, Domino!”

  The horse ran at breakneck speed, slaloming around the first whirlwind. The tornado spun like a giant, colored top, roaring over rocks and melting them to vile black sludge. Another wind engulfed several cacti, twisting them into horrible thorned monstrosities. Emily leaned left as Domino raced between a pair of oncoming tornadoes, narrowly missing them. Stinging edges of dark magic whirled past Emily as her jewel blazed upon her wrist. She stifled a scream. Nature itself was being twisted and bent into unnatural forms. She leaned forward, urging Domino to outrun the fourth wind, leaving the twisters spinning against the canyon walls like pinballs.

  Within seconds they were safe, out of the canyon.

  Behind them a huge jagged fin rose up and then disappeared beneath the sands.

  “EMILY.”

  Emily walked into her living room. Ghostly beams of light played over what used to be couches and chairs, now twisted into slabs of black ice. She caught movement from the corner of her eye. Spiders skittered up and down the walls.

  Carolyn stood in the hallway watching her daughter. “Your new mother is here to see you.”

  A tall woman stood facing the hearth, long dark hair falling down her back. The woman slowly turned, and Emily’s voice locked in a silent scream.

  The woman’s porcelain white skin matched the streak of white lightning in her jet-black hair. And her eyes, the vertical slits of an animal, pulsed with a feral glow.

  “We’re family now, dear,” the Dark Sorceress sneered, beckoning Emily forward with a long silver claw.

  Vampire fangs appeared at the edge of her thin lips as the sorceress embraced Emily, pulling her into darkness—

  “Emily, are you in there?”

  Emily opened her eyes to find two noses, one furry, one damp and cool, in her face.

  Dreamer gave her a lick as Ozzie dropped a tangle of curly hair back over her face. Wiping sleepy eyes, Emily let the nightmare fade.

  “We brought you something to eat,” Adriane said, standing by the
bunk bed. She handed Emily a covered tray and a container of juice.

  Suddenly feeling famished, Emily swung her legs to the wooden floor and opened the tray. “Thank you,” she said, biting into the most delicious tuna sandwich she had ever tasted. “Why didn’t you wake me earlier?”

  “You were exhausted,” Adriane said. “The social butterfly mage covered for you at dinner.”

  “Hey, kids,” Kara said, bounding through the screen door and flouncing on the bed next to Emily. “Veronica invited me to the Moonlit Mudbake at the spa tonight.”

  “Yeah, that’s great,” Emily mumbled over a pickle.

  “Emily, I was just trying to be friendly,” Kara said. “You should give her a chance.”

  “Well, thanks for keeping her busy.”

  “No prob.” Kara popped open two matching floral suitcases. Their contents immediately spilled out. She started sorting through shoes, pastel bandanas, silk shirts, jackets, and assorted outfits.

  Emily pulled her hair back, taming it with a scrunchy.

  “Can you still hear them?” Ozzie asked, ferret face full of concern.

  “Not now.”

  “Ozzie filled us in,” Adriane said. “Dreamer and I checked the grounds. No sign of unusual whirlwinds or any magical activity. We think it was isolated to that canyon, drawn to the magic of whatever’s in the caves.”

  Emily nodded.

  Kara was neatly laying out several outfits. “Well, you can go out tomorrow morning and look around all you want.”

  “No,” Emily said. “We have to go now!”

  Kara put her hands on her hips. “You’re going to go wandering around in the desert now?”

  “We can’t wait,” Emily said, slipping into her hiking boots. “Whatever animals are in there could be hurt.”

  “Emily says we go, we go!” Adriane said.

  Dreamer paced the room and sent an image of the moon.

  “Come on, you can say it,” Adriane urged.

  “The wolf hunts at night.”

  “That settles it.” The warrior looked at Kara. “Four against one.”

  “I’m not going to miss the mudbath to go wandering around in the dirt!” Kara glared, and her hair stuck out like a porcupine.

  “Nice,” Adriane commented.

  “It’s at least three miles. How are we going to get there?” Emily asked.

  “The Bride of Frankenstein here was kind enough to secure us a ride.” Adriane pointed through the screen door. A shiny new golf cart sat in front of the cabin. FOUR WINDS RESORT was stenciled on the sides in looping turquoise.

  “No way! I’m not walking, like, way over there.” Kara headed to the cabin’s bathroom and yelped when she saw her hair in the mirror.

  Dreamer huffed, the equivalent of a mistwolf laugh.

  With a brilliant zap, Kara tamed her hair back to normal. Satisfied, she cleared Emily’s and Adriane’s toothbrushes off the shelf and started carefully arranging her lipstick from palest to darkest pink. “Maybe I’ll just keep it like Veronica’s.” As Kara spoke, her blond tresses twisted and shimmered into Veronica’s flowing black mane.

  “Don’t do that!” Emily said angrily.

  Kara gulped and shut her eyes in concentration. Her hair turned blond. “Sorry.”

  Emily paused on the woven Southwestern rug. “It’s not funny.”

  “It’s not a fashion accessory. Get your jewel under control!” Adriane ordered.

  Kara fretted, twisting the unicorn jewel in her hand. “I am, I’m trying…”

  Emily caught a glint of fear in Kara’s eyes. “Okay, you stay here, Kara,” she said, plucking the jean jacket from her suitcase.

  “Let’s move out,” Adriane ordered, zipping her down vest. “Anything happens, you call us right away,” she said to Kara.

  “Check.” Kara saluted.

  Adriane, Dreamer, Emily, and Ozzie barreled out the cabin’s screen door.

  “Your carriage, m’lady.” Adriane bowed formally, gesturing to the golf cart.

  “Thank you, kind knave,” Emily giggled, stepping into the front passenger seat. Dreamer and Ozzie climbed in back.

  Adriane swung into the driver’s seat and started the ignition, Dreamer and Ozzie hanging anxiously over her shoulder.

  “Hey, no sweat. I’ve been driving lawnmowers since I was seven.”

  The cart jumped backward.

  “Okay, eight.” The cart lurched forward, crunching along the gravel-covered path that wound between clusters of cabins.

  “The trail starts beyond that big rock.” Emily pointed.

  Adriane swung the cart off the main road, jostling over small rocks and brush.

  The last purple glow of sunset had disappeared, swallowing the desert in darkness. Adriane switched the headlights on, projecting a bright circle of light. They rode through an earthy sea of rolling hills and vast plains. Emily and Ozzie directed them by landmarks spotted earlier that day as they moved into wide open desert.

  “There’s Echo Ridge.” Emily pointed to a shadowy wall looming in the distance. “Follow the ridgeline east.” She moved her finger. “The canyon’s about a mile… over there.”

  Adriane steered the cart toward the canyon. The rising moon cast its ghostly white glow over the land, making everything stand out in stark relief.

  At the wide entrance to the canyon, Adriane brought the cart to a stop.

  Mages, Ozzie, and Dreamer sat listening to the night sounds of the desert. Insects chirped and buzzed, a coyote yipped in the distance.

  “There’s a big cave on the far side of the canyon,” Ozzie said.

  The warrior looked at her jewel. It lay quietly on her wrist.

  Dreamer raised his nose in the air and sniffed. With a bark, he leaped from the cart.

  “What you got?” Adriane asked.

  “Magic.”

  “Okay, but stay close.”

  With Dreamer leading the way, eagerly sniffing the night air, Adriane drove the cart into the canyon.

  “Mage?”

  A soft voice crept into Emily’s head.

  “Yes, I’m here.”

  “Are you really a mage?”

  “Yes.”

  “Then what’s my name?”

  “Quiet, Clio! Don’t speak to strangers!”

  “Clio,” Emily answered.

  “Ooo, you hear that, Riannon?”

  “She heard me say that you bubblebrain!”

  “Another message?” Adriane asked, sensing Emily’s thoughts.

  “Yes, let’s hurry.”

  Emily’s jumbled thoughts settled on the memory of a beautiful white unicorn.

  Lorelei was her name. The Dark Sorceress had captured Lorelei and cut off her horn in an effort to steal the unicorn’s magic. Emily shuddered, not wanting to think about what they were going to find. It was her job to feel that pain and heal it.

  “Emily!” Adriane whispered, holding up her wolf stone. It blazed with a warning light.

  The healer’s hazel eyes shone, reflecting the deep red of her pulsing gem.

  “Where’s it coming from?” Ozzie looked all around, his stone also ablaze with a magical warning.

  Dreamer sent an image of sand.

  Adriane focused a beam of light across the surrounding sands. Nothing moved in the silvery desert dreamscape. “I don’t see anything.”

  The mistwolf’s hackles rose, and he whirled around, growling.

  The cart suddenly rose and lowered as if cresting a wave.

  “Whoa!” Ozzie said. “Look!”

  Behind them, the desert floor billowed and rolled like a stormy sea.

  Emily held on tight, then stood, her jewel radiating light. The threat was all around them. “Faster, Adriane!”

  “We’re going as fast as we can!” Her foot was flat against the cart’s floor.

  “I think I see—ooof!”

  Emily landed on the ground, face first in sand. She twisted around and looked up. The cart careened into the air. Spinning head ove
r wheels, it landed with a dull thud.

  Pushing to her knees, she frantically looked for Adriane.

  A blaze of golden light caught Emily’s eye as she saw the warrior’s wolf stone spark to fire.

  “Emily! Are you all right?”

  “I think so.” She tried to clear her head and squinted. The sands swelled with movement. Something was swimming in there. A sharp fin rose, slicing its way toward her. She couldn’t outrun it, it was too fast.

  The monster erupted from the sands not three feet in front of her! For an instant, Emily saw its massive shark-like head and maw of stalactite teeth.

  Dreamer crashed headfirst into it, viciously ripping at the thing’s throat.

  The shark twisted and leaped, its full body rising out of the desert sand.

  Adriane aimed her fists, and golden fire flew in the night, striking fast and hard. The beast exploded in a cloud of sand and stone.

  “It’s made of sand!” Emily shielded her eyes from falling debris.

  Adriane cut the stream of magic, sharply pulling the fire back to her wrist.

  “Warrior wolf!” Dreamer growled proudly.

  “Yes!”

  Behind the dust, flashing lights suddenly appeared in the desert sky.

  “Spaceships!” Ozzie yelled.

  A whirlwind spun into existence. Bright reds, greens, and purples cast an eerie glow across the sand.

  “Another magic whirlwind!” Emily cried.

  Like a snake, the whirlwind burrowed into the ground. Amid the roiling desert, eight sharp fins materialized.

  “Where’s the cave, Ozzie?” Emily shouted.

  “Er… this way… no over there… Gah!”

  The ferret skidded to a stop as a huge dorsal fin burst from the sand.

  “Dreamer! Cover our backs!” Adriane ordered, honing the glowing golden beam from her gem into a light saber. “Emily, take the right! Ozzie the left!”

  “We can’t hold them, Adriane,” Emily cried. “Run!”

  But it was too late. Dozens of black fins surfaced. The mages were completely surrounded.

  UNDER THE MOON’S ghostly light, the desert churned as the creatures swarmed, sending rippling waves of sand against the four defenders of magic. Emily, Adriane, Ozzie, and Dreamer stood back-to-back, gems drawn. The mistwolf bared his teeth and snapped at the monsters.