“Very good. All right, let’s get started.” Adriane clapped her hands sharply.
The magical animals scrambled about, falling into formation just as Adriane had been teaching them. The small quiffles and brimbees stood at the center, with jeeran, pegasi, and larger animals forming the outer ranks.
“Who’s first?”
The animals started shouting.
“I want to try!”
“Me first!”
“I’m ready to fight!” A quiffle kicked several brimbees in mock battle.
Adriane held up her hand. “What’s the first rule?”
“Focus,” a wommel answered.
The animals fell silent, proudly demonstrating their concentration.
Adriane studied two wilting dogwood trees growing on either side of the benches. Their drooping branches gave her an idea. “How about we grow an archway over here?”
Cheers went up from the crowd of animals as they sat down and passed out snacks.
“Dreamer and I will start,” the warrior said.
The branches would have to grow at least five feet to weave into the canopy.
With a flick of her wrist, Adriane released a small flurry of bright magic from the jewel set into a turquoise-studded leather bracelet. She sent a flash of silver deep into the cool moist earth. Dreamer responded instantly, his solid presence anchoring her. The gnarled dogwood roots seemed to reach out as Adriane pushed her magic into the trees. Bight green raced up the skinny trunks and spread into the branches, making the leaves tremble.
Then, like a ray of sunlight, Stormbringer’s magic surrounded the warrior and her pack. With the power of the forest spirit, the dogwood began to grow, bark creaking, leaves rustling.
“Okay.” Adriane pointed to Rasha and Roniff. “How about some dahlias around the trunks?”
The two quiffles stepped forward and waved their tail feathers, making brilliant pink flowers spring up from the rich earth.
“Nice,” Adriane approved.
“Ooo, ooo, me, me!” Two overly eager brimbees tumbled forward, sending honeysuckle and rose petals fluttering through the air like confetti.
Several wommels wove a strand of silvery green magic around Tweek. Adriane smiled, helping out with a flurry of magical sprinkles. The Experimental Fairimental’s quartz eyes whirled in surprise as a buttercup bow tie popped onto his neck.
“This is not authorized attire!” Tweek spluttered.
“I think you look handsome,” Adriane giggled.
“Oh, thank you.” The E.F. proudly adjusted his new tie.
“Now, everyone concentrate,” the warrior instructed. “We’re only halfway done.”
Adriane closed her eyes. She gently guided the animals, helping them feel where their magic was most needed. They got into the groove, weaving the branches into a living canopy of brilliant colors.
“Almost there,” the warrior breathed. The branches were only a few inches apart. Now she just had to make them entwine to support each other.
“Hey, Earth Mother!”
Adriane’s eyes flew open as Kara’s voice blared in her mind.
“Ahhh!”
The dogwood branches whipped back, sending fur, feathers, and hooves flying. The arch collapsed, flowers spinning everywhere.
Adriane pushed to her feet, quickly making sure the animals were all right before shooting an angry thought back to Kara. “You ruined it!”
“Get your roots to the library,” Kara said impatiently.
“What’s going on?” Adriane demanded.
“It’s time.”
“IS THIS IT?” Ozzie, the golden-brown ferret, pointed a paw at the Ravenswood Library computer. A 3-D image of a hulking sea beast with bulbous orange eyes and large webbed feet slowly rotated on the screen.
Emily shook her head. “No, it had black fur and no scales.”
“Black fur, no scales,” Ozzie repeated, clicking away at his search engine.
Tweek perched on the desk next to the keyboard, tapping his twigs impatiently. “You know, if you organized your files properly, you’d have identified it already.”
“I have everything just how I like it!” Ozzie snapped, adjusting the pile of pillows on his chair.
“What kind of comprehensive monster list is this?” Tweek spluttered, poking at the screen. “‘Creature/horrible, creature/not so bad, creature/eats weasels.’”
“I’ve been working on that for months.” Ozzie swatted Tweek’s twigs away. He scrolled to a creature that resembled a big blob of lime Jell-O.
Emily shook her head. “No, it was more bear-like and it was wearing amulets and feathers.”
“Accessorizing monsters?” Kara sat by the large curved windows that overlooked the great lawn and gardens in back of the manor. Beside her, Lyra purred as Kara vigorously brushed the cat to a golden glow.
“Tribal dress suggests intelligence and a well organized society,” Tasha mused, peering behind the monitor into a muddle of cords and adapters. She was trying to hook up her jewel-tracking device to the Ravenswood computer. “It may be unidentified. The Fairy Underground has been reporting strange creatures appearing in all sectors of the web.”
“The magic web is breaking down,” Tweek agreed. “It’s anybody’s guess what portal will open where.”
“A random portal in school! A creature in the library!” Adriane paced up to the computer, Dreamer at her heels. “What’s next, dragonflies in French class?”
“Actually, that already happened,” Kara reminded her.
“I don’t think this was a random portal opening.” The healer frowned, troubled. “The creature was looking for me.”
“What’s this?” Tweek poked a key and a file popped open.
Dear Ozzie, you are the best part of Ravenswood. We want you to star in our brand new TV show. Please email back right away at—
With a click of a stick, Ozzie’s file suddenly vanished.
“Gah! You deleted my email!” Orange sparks sputtered from the ferret stone on Ozzie’s leather collar as he rattled Tweek’s twiggy neck.
“That’s it!” Emily cried, pointing to the monitor.
“You said it! Huh?” The ferret froze, back paws pressing down on several keys. Then he saw the picture of the creature he’d accidentally called up.
“Kobold. Six feet tall, red eyes, amulets,” Emily read the stats. “Home world, unknown. This image was recorded in the Fairy Realms a few weeks ago.”
“You know, Tash,” Kara said, polishing her unicorn jewel, “I was the one who got the projection to work before, but I don’t even know how.”
When the girls had first discovered the hidden computer in the library, it had contained a cryptic message from Ravenswood’s missing owner, Henry Gardener, welcoming the mages to the magic web.
“Did you do this?” Tasha typed a command on the keyboard. The sunny library instantly became dark as the bay windows shaded over.
“Maybe.”
The solar system mobile hanging from the ceiling lit up as planets and stars spun in a tight orbit. Sparkling lights cascaded along the dome, pulling together into a sprawling map. Pathways of bright stars swirled and pulsed.
“It’s a map of the magic web,” Kara explained. “We saw that when we first opened the computer.”
“Inconceivably fantastical!” Tweek gasped. “The web is pure elegance in design,” he lectured. “Magic flows along the strands, giving every realm what is needed. Where strands of the web meet, there’s a portal.”
“Mr. Gardener must have loaded this map before he left Ravenswood so we know the image is a few years old,” Tasha figured. “And this—” The goblin sorceress tapped a key and a new image appeared across the dome.
“This is the magic web today,” Tasha said proudly.
“Holy twig!” Tweek’s sticks stuck out in astonishment.
Emily, Kara, and Adriane stood several feet apart, each mage looking up at the incredible display, bright lights reflecting in their eyes.
This web was completely different. What had been neatly organized was now clumped together in random patterns; large gaps appeared between strands, and some sections seemed to be missing altogether.
“Wow, how did you do that?” Emily asked.
“I’ve been assembling data from The Garden, the goblin labs, warlock maps, and all of Tweek’s current fairy maps.”
“The entire web is falling apart!” Tweek tottered as he pointed at the ceiling. “Look! Portals are off axis, moving to where they’re not supposed to be.”
“Doorways to places that have been shut for hundreds of years are opening again,” Tasha confirmed.
“Worlds colliding,” Emily muttered.
“Why is the web shifting so much?” Kara asked.
“Simple. We’re running out of magic. No magic, no web,” Tweek explained.
“Unicorns are doing what they can to keep the web stable, but this is more than they can handle.” Tasha pushed a sequence of keys. “Hold on to your muffins.”
A small section of green enlarged. Unlike the rest of the web, it was neatly patterned, intricately beautiful like—a spider’s web.
“The Spider Witch is isolated on the edge of the Fairy Realms,” Tasha continued. “With the web so weak, she is simply weaving the strands into a pattern all her own. It won’t be long before she re-weaves the entire web.”
“What’s she waiting for?” Emily asked.
“These.” Tasha touched her jewel meter and three glowing points winked brightly on opposite sides of the magic web. In a sea of golden stars, the spots shone deep purple, blue, and red.
“Power crystals,” Emily guessed.
“That’s the good news. Here’s the bad: I found them because they’re all being drawn into the witch’s web,” Tasha said grimly.
“Where’s the fourth?” Adriane asked, searching the map for the fourth blinking light.
“I can’t get a lock on it. But it’s only a matter of time before it’s drawn into the Spider Witch’s web, too.”
“We still need all nine power crystals,” Tweek reminded them.
Kara stiffened as all eyes turned to her.
“Maybe it will work with eight,” Lyra suggested.
“If you don’t have all nine crystals, you can’t open the Gates of Avalon,” Tweek said with authority.
The blazing star’s voice was calm and steady. “Any luck figuring out how to make a new crystal, Tash?”
The goblin teen shook her head, black hair swinging.
A heavy silence hung over the room. If they couldn’t replace the crystal Kara destroyed, their quest to open the Gates of Avalon would fail.
“What does your crystal say about making a new one, Tweek?” Emily asked.
“No data, sorry.”
“You’ll figure it out, Tash,” Kara said quietly.
Adriane faced the goblin sorceress. “How much time do we have?”
“Approximately none,” Tasha answered. “We’ve got to leave right away and track down the crystals.”
“Let’s go!” The ferret charged, then skidded to a stop. “Wait. Where are we going?”
Tasha pulled a small pen from her robe and pointed it at the far left side of the map, projecting a pinpoint of red light. “This crystal is near Dalriada.”
“That’s the Unicorn Academy!” Emily exclaimed.
The goblin moved her pointer to the second crystal. It hovered around a section of the web that trailed off into blackness. “This one is in uncharted territory. The third crystal is near the Fairy Realms.”
“They’re so far apart from each other.” The warrior studied the bright crystals on the map. “We’ll never get from one point to another in time.”
“It’s obvious what we need to do, isn’t it?” Kara arched an eyebrow.
“What?” Adriane demanded.
“Three crystals, three mages, you do the math.”
The warrior narrowed her eyes. “Do you think it’s smart to split up?”
“We’re all pros at this. We each have paladins to protect us if things get rough. We can handle it,” Kara said with confidence.
“That’s not what I meant.” Adriane’s gaze hardened.
“Hello, we’ve been through this already.” Kara rolled her eyes. “I helped Zach use his magic and we saved the dragon eggs. Three words: Get over it.”
Adriane stepped close to the blazing star, her body tense with anger. “Why don’t you just admit it was wrong?”
“What was I supposed to do?” Kara challenged. “Sit there let those dragons die?”
“Oh, you’re a real team player, Kara,” Adriane growled. “The whole quest to save Avalon is in danger because you destroyed a power crystal.”
“That was an accident!” she shouted.
“Yeah, it seems you have a lot of those,” Adriane snarled.
Kara’s diamond jewel sparkled red. “It would just kill you to give me credit for anything, wouldn’t it?”
“Stop it!” Emily snapped.
Kara and Adriane stared at the healer.
“I don’t have time to play referee.” Emily stood a few feet away, rainbow jewel glowing on her wrist. “If you have to fight, do it after we save the web.” Her hazel eyes glinted. “We have to split up to find the crystals. But we stay in contact with each other.”
“D-fly phones will keep us all in the loop,” Ozzie suggested.
“Okay,” the warrior said, not taking her eyes off Kara. “But no one does anything without calling the others.”
“Agreed,” Emily said, then turned to Kara.
The blond girl muttered, “I’d much prefer working solo than having dragon girl breathe down my neck.” Before the warrior could respond, Kara picked up her unicorn jewel and sent a silent summons to the mini-dragons.
“I’ll take the Fairy Realms,” Emily stated. “Maybe I can learn more about the kobolds.”
“I’ll take Dalriada,” Kara jumped in. “I need to deliver some supplies to the Unicorn Academy anyway.”
“Fine. Dreamer and I go into uncharted territory,” Adriane said. “Dreamer’s the best magic tracker we’ve got.”
“But we just can’t leave the preserve unprotected,” Emily suddenly realized.
“What am I, compost?” Tweek demanded.
“Yes,” Lyra confirmed.
“I’ll stay,” Tasha volunteered. “Zach is at The Garden guarding the crystal vault. I can monitor the web from here.”
“Ariel and I will patrol day and night,” Tweek promised. “Nothing will get past us!”
“A goblin, an owl, and a twig—Ravenswood is doomed,” Ozzie moaned.
Adriane stood tall, wolf stone flashing on her wrist. “The animals of Ravenswood can protect themselves and the forest, I’ve made sure of that.”
“Oh no, the tours this weekend!” Emily exclaimed.
“Great.” The warrior threw up her arms. “Know any cloning spells, Tasha?”
Kara arched an eyebrow. “One of you is all I can handle, thank you very much.”
Adriane made a face, silently mimicking Kara.
“Twighead can’t give tours,” Ozzie said, pacing the room.
“I know some people who could.” Kara casually twirled her unicorn jewel.
The others stared at her blankly.
“Oh no,” the warrior protested, realization dawning.
“They know the routine better than anyone,” the blond girl insisted.
“Who?” Ozzie demanded.
Emily nodded, warming to the idea. “Plus they already expect Ravenswood to have a few quirks.”
“Hoo?” Ariel asked.
Adriane jumped to her feet. “And what happens when a flock of quiffles starts singing to Molly and Tiffany, or a portal opens and dumps a manticore on your brother’s head? They’ll freak.”
“Perfect,” Kara giggled.
“Oh, them,” the ferret grumbled.
Scowling, the warrior stalked across the library, Dreamer a dark sha
dow at her heels.
“So we’ve got our missions,” Kara concluded. “Any questy-ions?”
“One more thing,” Tasha advised. “You won’t be the only ones tracking the crystals. Those reports of dark creatures spotted all over the web…”
“Weasel eating creatures?” Ozzie squeaked.
“Much worse.” Tasha’s eyes lit up. “Creatures of legend, like basilisks and chimeras and krakens are appearing for the first time in—ever. My friend in the Wildlands saw a fire-breathing worgon.”
“Wow!” Tweek goggled. “What I wouldn’t give to see one of those.”
“Be my guest,” Ozzie muttered. “You’d go up like a Yule twig.”
“You must be careful.” Tasha leaned forward, motioning for them to squash in close to hear her hushed voice. “These are horrible, terrible, fearsome monsters—”
Knock knock knock!
“Ahhhh!” Ozzie screamed, his fur standing on end.
“They’re here!” Tweek rattled. “Save yourselves!”
“Calm down, it’s only the door,” Adriane said, walking slowly across the library.
Kara, Lyra, and Emily crept up behind the warrior. Adriane swung the door open, Dreamer close at her side.
“There’s no one here,” Emily whispered.
“Bon jour, mademoiselles.”
Five mini dragons—only inches high—stood on the floor, waving their little paws. Red Fiona, yellow Goldie, purple Barney, blue Fred, and orange Blaze buzzed into the air, flapping happily around the group.
“How polite, you knocked.” Kara beamed, scooping Goldie up and giving the golden d-fly a hug.
“You can make gateways between magical worlds but you can’t open a door?” Adriane asked as Fred landed on her shoulder.
“I’ve been teaching them portal etiquette,” Kara explained, petting Goldie.
“Here’s the plan,” Adriane instructed. “Anyone finds a crystal, they check in with the others via d-fly. Then head straight to The Garden, where Zach will put the crystals into the vault.”
The mages and their friends nodded in agreement.
“I’ll guide your jumps from the Ravenswood portal to get you where you’re going.” Tweek was scrolling through images on his HORARFF. “But I can’t promise you’ll come out exactly where you need to be.”
Dark Mage (Avalon: Web of Magic, Book 11) Page 3
