She pushed forward, but the closer she got, the farther away the crystal seemed to go, just out of reach, as if something were constantly pulling it from her grasp. With a mighty effort, Emily flung her magic toward the crystal—and came to a screeching halt.
The kobold’s section of web abruptly ended, trailing off into an immense black chasm.
She gasped at this startling discovery. The kobolds’ home was not connected to the rest of the web!
She could not follow the power crystal without creating some kind of bridge to link the two sections of web. The power crystal must have isolated the kobolds’ home. Why else would this land be completely cut off? She was going to need more than Ozzie’s magical back-up to weave the two sections of web together.
Instinctively, Emily summoned more magic, reaching out to any animal that could hear her.
Power rushed through her, swift and sharp, as animal strength amplified her magic. But this magic looked nothing like the bright auras of the Ravenswood animals. It was dark, shadowy, reaching out for her with predatory hunger. She didn’t have time to be afraid as her web blossomed into a giant network. Auras blinked so fast she couldn’t tell exactly who had answered her call, only that enough of them had.
Her vision rocketed across the silvery magic web. She didn’t think about how to weave this magic. She just did, her Level Two powers filling her with confidence. She was actually healing the web, her fears melting away as bright magic flew from her fingers.
Weaving the animals’ magic into a bright thread, she looped it through the two edges of the severed web. In a few moments the kobolds’ home was attached to the rest of the magic web. With a final tug, she pulled tight, knotting the sections of web together.
Suddenly bright spikes of magic flared across the web like a tidal wave.
Beneath her feet, the land rippled with a powerful earthquake.
Her eyes flew open. The beautiful trees and flowers had completely disappeared, revealing an ugly, dank land. Craggy volcanic mountains belched foul smoke into the gray skies. Icy rain drizzled onto thorny trees with wicked orange spikes and shriveled fruit.
The kobolds danced with joy. “Great witch, you have performed a miracle!”
Lorren regarded Emily with complete awe. “How did you do this?”
“I just could,” she whispered hoarsely.
“Emily!” Tweek’s voice suddenly exploded in her ear.
Fiona was sitting on her shoulder.
“Something’s happened!” Tweek’s voice blared from the d-fly. “The web is in total chaos!”
But Emily was too busy looking at this rewoven landscape. Dark monoliths loomed above her, glistening like black ice. Something about this place was strangely familiar.
“Where are we?” she asked.
“Our home.” The kobolds grinned. “The Otherworlds!”
“We have a situation!” Tweek shouted. “Hello, is this thing on?”
Lorren shook his head. “The Otherworlds aren’t even connected to the web, we couldn’t possibly be there.”
Ice ran through Emily’s veins. The Otherworlds! That’s where she had seen this place before, in terrible nightmares sent by the Dark Sorceress. It was a prison to unimaginably dark creatures. And she had just connected this awful place to the rest of the magic web!
Little Fiona hopped from foot to foot as Tweek screamed. “The Spider Witch’s web just expanded! And you’re right in the middle of it!”
Emily’s stomach knotted with fear. What had she done? Frantically she tried to find the power crystal again. Maybe its magic would help her fix this terrible mistake.
Red lightning spiked through her jewel with a jolt. That was no power crystal. A mass of creatures, fierce and greedy, had latched onto her magic. And they knew exactly where she was.
“We have to get out of here,” she said through clenched teeth.
“The Spider Witch wanted the Otherworlds attached to her web.” Lorren stared at the healer.
A bloodcurdling yowl pierced the air.
“What was that?” Ozzie asked, hair frizzed on end.
“Now.” Emily gasped as more and more dark creatures attached themselves to her magic.
Sleek bodies with yellow eyes moved like ghosts through the mist.
The glint of cold steel flashed as Lorren unsheathed his sword.
“Shadow cats!” The kobolds turned tail and fled, vanishing into murky caves along the mountain walls. “Hurry, take shelter with us!”
Another unearthly shriek rang out, and then another, and another.
Lorren turned toward Emily, his face pale. “We need a portal.”
Saber tooth fangs and spiked tails wavered in and out of sight. As suddenly as they appeared, they vanished, leaving only glinting snarls like nightmarish Cheshire cats.
Ozzie scrambled onto Emily’s shoulder and throttled little Fiona. “Find us a portal!”
Emily reeled as the shadow creatures swirled around her, ripping away shreds of her bright aura.
Lorren was at her side. “Can you run?”
“I… think so.” She tired to push wet curls from her face but she was so weak.
“Lean on me.” The goblin prince draped her arm over his shoulders.
“Twigman!” Ozzie shouted.
“There are several portals directly south. They’re moving fast so—”
“Run!”
Emily and Loren bolted, Ozzie falling headfirst into her backpack.
The goblin prince guided Emily quickly through the moor, veering right and left along a trail only he could make out.
She glanced over her shoulder, heart skipping a beat as she saw dozens of black smudges in the mist. They seemed to be everywhere and nowhere all at once.
“Which way?” Lorren yelled.
“Left!” They heard Tweek scream as Fiona swooped overhead, jeweled eyes whirling in distress. “Right!”
Emily dodged under a spiky tree, staggering back as a sharp thorn ripped her denim jacket.
Yellow eyes and glowing fangs leaped straight at them.
Ozzie poked his head from the pack. “Ahhh!”
Lorren’s sword sliced through thin air as the swift beast soared overhead and vanished.
“Straight ahead!” Tweek guided frantically. “Wait, bear right, right!”
Slipping on the slick rocky ground, Emily and Lorren sprinted, barely thinking as they leaped over a muddy stream. She landed shin deep in slimy water, losing precious seconds as she slogged forward, breathing hard.
“Well?” Ozzie grabbed the red dragonfly.
“I’m triangulating,” Tweek advised.
“I’m gonna triangle all over your head!” Ozzie yelled, squashing Fiona into the pack.
“There it is!” Lorren pointed to a glowing blue doorway drifting along a foggy ravine.
“The portal’s moving,” Tweek cried. “Hurry!”
“Go!” Lorren pushed Emily forward as he turned to fend off their pursuers.
Emily struggled through tangled growth, desperately fighting off the crushing attacks. Blackness swirled around her in suffocating waves as her magic was torn away.
“ROARRRRRRR!” A deafening bellow boomed through the air, sucking the breath from Emily’s lungs.
The shadow cats vanished like smoke.
“What was that?” Lorren asked incredulously.
Ozzie stood atop a small boulder, ferret stone glowing. “I call it my mantichorus.”
“Nice.” The goblin prince grinned.
Emily skidded to a halt at the edge of the ravine, sending rocks disappearing into deep fog below. The glittering doorway hung in the air a few feet away from the cliff’s edge.
“Ozzie, come on,” Emily called.
Ozzie turned his liquid brown eyes to hers. “They won’t be fooled for long.”
“Jump!” Lorren ordered.
The portal was too far away. Desperately, she tried to pull it closer, but her magic was ragged, weakened to the point of exhaust
ion. She reached out and her footing gave way. Grasping at something, anything to stop her fall, she tumbled down the ravine and crashed in a painful heap at the bottom.
“Emily!” Ozzie yelled.
Through thick mist she watched in horror as dozens of shadow cats sprang at the ferret and the prince. Heart pounding, Emily struggled to her knees, ignoring the agony in her left ankle. Hundreds of yellow eyes swarmed into the gully. She felt their cold breath run down her back, their sharp teeth hungry for her magic.
“Help!” she screamed.
A sudden explosion of light blinded her as another portal opened. She tried to shield her eyes against the purple blur that leaped from the swirling brightness. Light and sound rushed past her as she fell through the magical doorway, twisting and tumbling, reaching for her friends.
But they were no longer there.
“FANTASTIC!”
The Dark Sorceress gazed into the seeing pool, smiling in satisfaction. On the glowing surface, the image of a blonde girl, a leopard cat, and a golden fairy dragon shimmered. The sorceress’s eyes sparked greedily at the sight of the luminous crystal in the young mage’s hands. Abruptly the image went blank.
“The blazing star has found the perfect power crystal,” she gloated. “And she snatched it right from the Spider Witch’s web. I could not have planned it better myself.”
She glanced at Gardener, slumped across the marble floor beside her. Shivers racked his ragged frame as the shadow creature on his back pulsed ominously.
But the magical charge had been enough to show her what she needed.
“Aww, tired already?” the Dark Sorceress mocked.
“She should not have to be sacrificed.” Gardener pushed lank hair from his face as he struggled to sit up.
“Don’t think of it as a sacrifice. The blazing star will become a valuable ally.”
“She will become a monster.” Gardener’s eyes flashed. “Like you.”
“I am what I’m supposed to be,” she shot back. “Living proof that the prophecy always comes true.”
“You poisoned Aldenmor,” he said angrily. “Was that part of your prophecy?”
“If I hadn’t released Black Fire, the mages wouldn’t even have a prophecy to test,” she retorted. “The fact is, evil defines goodness.”
“Choices define good and evil. We were the ones, Miranda, until you betrayed us. I will never forget what you did.” Gardener’s eyes glistened with emotion. “I would have given anything to have a bond like that.”
The sorceress ignored the emptiness welling in her chest. “I am way past caring for the creature. Whatever happened that day has kept us all alive.”
“Alive,” Henry scoffed. “Silvan is half spider, whatever you are isn’t close to human, and Lucinda….”
The Dark Sorceress watched the pain gleaming in his eyes. “There is always a price to pay.”
“The price is too great, Miranda.” Gardener shook his head. “We have lived beyond our time.”
“Henry, you are right.” She turned away, silver-streaked hair hiding the fierce hunger in her eyes. “I’m tired of hunting scraps of magic here and there just so I can survive. I must move on.”
“The mages will stop you.”
The sorceress wheeled to face him, eyes burning like fire. “I’ve helped these mages. I gave the warrior a power crystal, I taught the healer about her magic, and I have watched the blazing star from the beginning. Where were you? You left them without a mentor.”
“They turned out all right.”
The scrying pool sparked, reflecting an image of the blazing star.
“We’ll see, won’t we.”
“I will never give you what you want.”
“Oh, I think you will.” The sorceress raised a clawed hand.
At once the door to the scrying chamber slid open. Rusted wheels creaked eerily in the stone room as two lizard guards entered, pushing a steel and glass cage. Murky smoke hid the roiling dark masses within.
One of the guards slid back the hatch and stepped quickly away. Mist exploded from the tank as the voracious creatures leaped free. Black as night, monstrous leeches sank long needles into Gardener’s legs, arms, and torso, binding him in a nightmare of pain.
“You will tell me everything—and more.”
KARA GAPED AT the brilliant display cases in the jewelry shop. Necklaces, earrings, bracelets, rings, pendants, and tiaras twinkled with glittering gems of every color, shape, and size imaginable.
“Ahhh, a potential customer.”
A short, stubby, green creature stepped around the counter, his shifty eyes twinkling, wide mouth grinning from ear to ear. And what ears! Big, green, and pointed, they protruded from the sides of his wide head like wings.
“I am Goblin Feldman.” He bowed, his bulbous nose nearly touching his big green feet. “I cater to only the highest level of customer. And you’re pretty tall.”
Kara studied the short green creature warily. “You don’t look like a goblin.”
“You know goblins, then?” His eyes darted around the shop suspiciously.
“Only Prince Lorren and the whole royal family,” Kara boasted.
“Oh, well, I’m the handsome type.” Feldman straightened his leather vest and white shirt. “Not like your boyfriend.”
“He’s not exactly my, oh never mind. I need some info on a rare gem.”
Feldman’s hand swept over a display case. “May I suggest an emerald collar for your feline friend and a petite peridot pendant for your fairy dragon?”
Goldie flapped her wings excitedly.
“No.” Kara bent low and whispered. “A rare gem, magic rare.”
The goblin’s eyes lit up. “Ahh, wink, wink. I got what you need.”
He ushered her to a case draped in red velvet. With a dramatic flair, he swept the covering aside.
Kara’s jaw dropped.
“The unicorn jewel of the blazing star!” Feldman proclaimed proudly.
“Not bad.” Lyra assessed the fake gem as Kara calmed the indignant Goldie with a scratch between the wings.
The jewel was slightly smaller than Kara’s and the swirling colors emanated from what looked like battery-operated lights inside.
“Unique, one of a kind, absolutely guaranteed to be authentic. It belonged to the fairy princess herself,” the goblin confidently assured her.
“Gee, I guess mine must be an imitation, then.” Kara casually pulled her unicorn jewel from the folds of her jacket. Twinkles of magic dazzled along the flawless pink, red, and white facets
Feldman’s eyes practically popped out of his head.
“BlarPH!” Goldie blarphed.
“’Scuse me, d-fly call.” Kara turned away from the amazed shopkeeper.
“Base to Star One,” Tweek yelled. “Come in.”
“Star One here.”
“Thank goodness I finally found you. We’ve got some major shifts along the web and Emily—holy twig!” Tweek sputtered. “You’re right on top of a power crystal!”
“Really?” Kara pulled the magnificent power crystal from her pocket. Magic danced around the room in bright sparkles.
“Where are you, exactly?” Tweek asked.
“We got sidetracked. Is everything okay with Emily?”
“Beebeebeebeep,” Goldie vibrated, letting Kara know another voice was joining their magical conference call.
“Wolf Fire to Star One,” Adriane sounded anxious. “I can’t reach Emily. Kara, where are you?”
“Well, I’m at this mall check—”
“The mall?” Adriane asked incredulously.
“Actually, I’m in a jewelry store—”
“What!?”
“You should see this dress I found!”
“What are you talking about?” the warrior demanded, annoyed.
“Duh, only the most important school event of the year.”
“You have the power crystal in your possession?” Tweek asked.
“You found a power crys
tal?” Adriane echoed.
“Yeah, but it’s really acting weird.”
“What’s weird is you not doing what you’re supposed to!”
“I don’t even know how she got to where she is,” Tweek fretted.
“Jeez, cut me some slack here.” Kara was getting ticked now. Once again, every time she tried to do something on her own, everyone came down on her like she was the Dark Sorceress.
“Take the power crystal to The Garden right away!” Adriane ordered.
Kara flushed with anger. “What, you don’t trust me with a crystal, is that it?”
“And don’t do anything stupid.”
“I wish all of you would just leave me alone!” Kara yelled.
“Your mage-nificence!” the goblin store owner shouted. He had he overheard every word of Kara’s conversation. “The blazing star no less! On a quest to save the web and—is that a real power crystal of Avalon?”
“Realer than your unicorn jewels,” Kara snapped.
“Bah, that’s for tourists,” he scoffed.
Kara rolled her eyes. “Star One to Base.” She tapped Goldie’s head but all she heard was a tiny tummy grumble. “I can’t believe they all hung up on me!”
The little d-fly just shrugged.
Lyra nudged Kara. “Adriane’s right. We have to head back.”
“We will, but you have to admit this jewel is pretty flooie.”
“We said we would take the power crystal to The Garden,” Lyra reminded her.
Goldie nodded at Kara.
“What’s if it’s tainted like the one that turned Marina?” Kara asked them.
Goldie nodded at Lyra.
“Besides, we don’t even know how we got here.” Kara studied the power crystal. So dazzling and bright and beautiful. How could it possibly be tainted?
“What can you tell us about this?” Kara handed the crystal to Feldman.
Feldman plucked a jeweler’s loop from his vest pocket and squinted hard to hold the lens in place. He peered at her with his magnified, blinking eyeball. “No one knows more about magic jewels than me. Except maybe my cousin Maury, but he’s retired.”
Dark Mage (Avalon: Web of Magic, Book 11) Page 9
