Dark Mage (Avalon: Web of Magic, Book 11)

by Rachel Roberts

Emily’s stomach flipped as her paladin leaped off the precipice. The gorge tilted below them, jagged rocks piercing the fog like teeth.

  In a flash, they landed in darkness. Everything was eerily quiet.

  She patted Indi to keep him still while her eyes adjusted. They were deep within the lair, its massive weight pressing down on them as if they were inside a tomb. Murky yellow crystals set in the walls illuminated a cavernous room. In the corners, pools of black swallowed the dim light.

  The place may have looked deserted but Emily knew instantly it was not.

  “Healer.”

  Something moved in the dank shadows. Something that knew her.

  Slipping from Indi’s back, Emily crept forward.

  “Lorelei?”

  “Come closer,” the unicorn’s voice rasped.

  Fear tingled up Emily’s spine. She recognized the voice of her unicorn friend, but something about it was off. “Are you hurt?” Emily held up her jewel, sending a beam of light into the shadows.

  “Lorelei!”

  Instead of the pure white unicorn that Emily knew and loved, the creature before her had transformed. Lorelei’s horn blazed with red magic, and her warm golden eyes were glazed sickly yellow. Even her snow-white coat was dull and grayish.

  “What happened to you?” Emily whispered, horrified. Her stomach twisted with pain as she searched for Lorelei’s strong, pure aura. What she saw sickened her. The unicorn’s magic had been rewoven, tainted with dark red.

  “Emily.”

  The healer whipped around, jewel light slicing through the gloom. Dozens of unicorns, all with twisted, red magic gleaming from their proud crystal horns converged on her.

  “Pollo, Riannan?” Emily reached out to the unicorn prince and princess, her eyes filled with tears.

  “We have been waiting for you, healer.”

  The unicorns surrounded her, their once-sparkling eyes now glowing evilly. She felt as if she would suffocate as their dark magic engulfed her.

  “Lead us, dark witch.”

  Frantically, Emily sent her healing magic billowing over the unicorns. But the new weaving was knotted too tight, it wouldn’t budge. Only a master weaver could have captured creatures as powerful as unicorns.

  “Indi, help!” Emily cried.

  “Your paladin can not help you, healer.”

  Emily staggered back, horrified by the figure emerging from the shadows.

  Dark hood pulled over her head, her spider body hidden by a flowing black robe, the witch slowly advanced. In her pale, veiny hands, a large crystal glowed red—the power crystal they’d been chasing! Tendrils of magic arced from the witch’s bony fingers, flaring over the unicorns and—

  “Indi!” Emily screamed.

  But Indi could not hear her. The mighty paladin stood transfixed as strands of sticky green webbing slithered around his body, draping over him in a darkly gleaming net. The unicorn’s bright rainbow horn swirled to red as he too fell prey to the witch’s weaving.

  “No!” Emily lashed out, trying to sever the witch’s magic. But she was no match for the master weaver.

  The Spider Witch’s faceted insect eyes glinted with pleasure. “Right on time, little fly.”

  “WELCOME TO MY world,” Logan said proudly.

  Kara stared at the fairy’s enormous underground workshop. It looked like he had combined Frankenstein’s laboratory with a magic shop.

  Hanging crystals cast steel-blue light over a long chrome table crowded with supplies. Bunsen burners, scales, jars of what Kara hoped weren’t tiny eyeballs, and bundles of dried herbs, all gathered in separate clumps as if Logan were working on several projects at once. Tall shelves crammed with ancient leather bound books lined three walls. Along the fourth wall, neatly labeled glass cabinets gleamed with swirling potions, talismans, and various jewels.

  Everything seemed precisely organized, groups of gross-looking things over there, glowing ugly things here, vials with potions, skulls, and a few dried bats hanging over there.

  “Are you a sculptor, too?” Kara circled a dozen statues that looked similar to the stone guards in the club. Some were missing an arm, leg, or hand, while a few resembled molten lumps of clay. The blazing star could just imagine Logan down here late at night sculpting these things like a mad genius.

  Lyra’s sharp cat eyes watched Logan’s every move.

  “I am quite the artist,” Logan said proudly. “These are golems.” He patted an armless giant. “With the right spell I bring them to life, as you saw.”

  “You really are Dr. Frankenstein,” Kara commented.

  “That guy was an amateur,” Logan scoffed. “Everyone knows if you try to raise the dead you only get a zombie.”

  “Duh.” Kara rolled her eyes. “So you use warlock magic to make golems, then.”

  “Some. Mostly I use alchemy—the science of transforming one thing into another,” Logan explained. “Not quite the fireworks of a blazing star, but much more precise. When I animate these rock guards, I know exactly what’s going to happen. All I need is the right ingredients, patience, and careful planning.”

  “Quite the gourmet.”

  “Exactly.” Logan’s voice was like warm honey.

  Kara liked the fact that Logan could get what he wanted, when he wanted it. It was like using her wishing crystal.

  “So maybe I should learn more about arcane magic,” she said coyly.

  Lyra growled.

  “Shhh, not now,” Kara whispered.

  She leaned in close to him, brushing against a strange, gleaming cage. “So tell me more.”

  “I wouldn’t stand too close to—”

  Kara reeled as something inside shrieked and slammed against the cage door.

  Her unicorn jewel showered blood-red sparks as the creature viciously latched onto her magic. Lights flashed in front of her eyes as her unicorn jewel dimmed like a dying flame.

  Lyra rushed to her aid, teeth bared.

  Kara jerked back, severing the creature’s greedy hold on her jewel. She had never felt anything like its icy magic. Instinctively she knew the creature would have drained every last spark of her magic if she had let it.

  “Are you all right?” Logan reached out to steady her.

  “What’s in there?” she breathed, pushing hair from her face.

  “A shadow creature.”

  Strengthened by the blazing star’s magic, a shape materialized. The ghostly gargoyle slinked in and out of sight, sharp wingtips, long teeth, and razor claws glistening. The creature growled menacingly as it pulsed in and out of solid form.

  “It attacked her!” Lyra snarled.

  “The blazing star is more than a match for one little shadow creature.”

  “How come it went after my magic like that?”

  “That’s what a shadow creature does. It’s a magic parasite, sucking magic until the host dies.”

  “What are you doing with it?” Kara asked.

  “Special order for a client. I designed this cage to hold it,” he bragged.

  Kara watched the creature disappear into smoke.

  “Ah, here we go.” The warlock pointed behind her. A large black cabinet with a strange padlock loomed in the shadows. “Crystal ingredients are in there.”

  Kara put her hand on the crystal knob. It was locked.

  “Only I can open that. Anyone else who touches it will grow six horns on their elbow.”

  Kara jumped back, horrified.

  “Kidding,” Logan chuckled.

  “Oh, that’s hilarious.”

  Logan raised his pale hands. Tendrils of silver magic zapped from his fingertips, opening the door. Inside were glowing boxes, velvet sacks, and carefully wrapped ingredients. It all looked extremely valuable.

  “Kara, I don’t like this.” Lyra pressed against Kara’s side. “He’s trying to make you use dark magic.”

  “Chill, kitty cat.” Logan closed the cabinet, holding an armful of supplies. “Magic is just a tool to get what we want. Kara w
ants to open the Gates of Avalon, and arcane magic can make another power crystal. Simple.”

  “Exactly,” Kara agreed.

  Lyra growled, not convinced.

  A sudden flare of anger flushed Kara’s cheeks as she turned on Lyra. “This is our chance to replace the power crystal. Don’t you want to get into Avalon?”

  The cat’s emerald eyes flickered. “You shouldn’t be experimenting alone. You, Emily, and Adriane can make this crystal together.”

  “I’m going to get everything I want right here, right now, and you want me to wait so those two can yell at me again? I don’t think so.” Kara glared at her bonded. “A little support from you wouldn’t hurt, either. What? Now you don’t you trust me either?”

  “Magic has a price,” Lyra replied evenly. “This is too dangerous for you.”

  Furious, Kara stalked away, leaving Goldie and Lyra alone. Her desire for the power crystal burned inside her. Why was it that none of her friends ever supported her when she needed it? Replacing this crystal would not only get them into Avalon, it would prove once and for all that she was a good mage, a great mage, the best mage! And if Lyra, her best friend, didn’t understand, well, Kara had just made a new friend.

  “The cat has a point.” Logan’s smooth voice said. The fairy was standing close beside her. “Magic does have a price. The question is, are you willing to pay it to get what you want?”

  The wishing crystal glowed, filling her with confidence.

  Kara glanced at Lyra. Goldie perched on the cat’s head. They seemed to be whispering to one another. What were they discussing? She had the sneaking suspicion they were plotting against her, trying to stop her from working with Logan.

  “I’ll do whatever it takes,” Kara stated.

  Logan smiled his devastating smile. “Then let’s do it.”

  She followed him to the worktable and helped him lay out the supplies. He pulled a wide chrome basin from a shelf beneath the table.

  “I anodized this myself with a special anti-corrosion spell,” Logan informed her.

  “Cool.” Who knew Logan would turn out to be such a brain? Maybe it was time to see what else he knew. “So why are you helping me open the Gates of Avalon, really?”

  “You see all those books? Not one of them says a thing about the power crystals,” Logan said. “Strange, isn’t it? The most famous gems in the world, and there’s not even an honorable mention. Seems like whoever made them wanted to keep it a secret. I, for one, would like to know what’s inside the gates.”

  Kara nodded, suddenly feeling nervous.

  “What?”

  “It’s just that I still don’t really know what’s going to happen,” she burst out. “We get nine crystals to this weird tropical island, and then what? Nobody can tell us anything.”

  “The true nature of what lies inside Avalon is one of the great mysteries of the web.” Logan smiled reassuringly. “Trust your instincts. You’ll know what to do.”

  Lyra and Goldie approached the table, watching Logan like a pair of hawks. The fairy untied a velvet pouch and poured out a palm full of glittering red sand.

  “Iridium,” Logan explained, pouring the fine dust onto a silver scale. “A powerful bonding element. Every magic jewel has some iridium.”

  “What’s all the other stuff?”

  “Mithril, agate, quartz, essence of fire.” Logan tossed the ingredients into the chrome basin as he named them off.

  “So we say abracadabra and then I’ve got a power crystal?”

  “Only the shell. You’re going to need a magical creature to fill it.”

  “How about Goldie?” Kara suggested.

  Logan grinned at the little dragon. “No offense, short stuff, but this isn’t just any jewel, it’s a power crystal. You need a strong power source to give it some oomph. A group of unicorns might do it.”

  Kara scowled as Lyra looked at her pointedly. “I can’t find any unicorns.”

  “How about some mistwolves?” Logan suggested.

  “They’re spread out all over Aldenmor.”

  Logan thought for a moment. “A dragon would definitely do it, but what dragon is going to help you? They’re extinct.”

  Kara’s eyes opened wide. “I know a dragon. He loves me!”

  “You’re full of surprises, star.”

  “That’s why I’m so popular.”

  “Putting dragon magic in this shell is only a temporary fix,” Logan warned. “It’ll be as strong as a power crystal, but only for a little while. You must be in place and ready to use it as soon as you get the magical charge.”

  “Can’t you make it last longer?”

  Logan shook his head. “Afraid not.”

  “Fine, I’ll have to do it at the gates, then.”

  Rrrrring.

  Goldie shook her head. “Not me.”

  “Excuse me.” Logan slipped a slim black phone from his pocket and put it to his ear. “Yes?”

  Giving Kara an apologetic look, he wandered to the other side of the chamber to talk in private, leaving the three alone.

  Lyra nudged Kara. “He’s not telling you something, Kara, this isn’t good. Let’s go. Now!”

  “No dark magic,” Goldie huffed.

  “You guys sound just like Emily and Adriane!” Anger flooded Kara’s senses. “I figure out how to make the missing crystal and you’re scolding me!”

  It was so frustrating, Kara thought as she watched the unicorn power crystal glow in her hand. None of her supposed friends ever wanted to let her do what she needed to do.

  “Wish us out of here,” Lyra insisted.

  “Fine.” Kara’s hand closed around the unicorn power crystal. She was running out of time. “I wish you guys would go back to Ravenswood.”

  In a flash, her two bondeds disappeared.

  Logan strode across the room, slipping his phone back into his pocket. “I told my client she’d have to wait because I have a very important guest.” He scanned his workshop. “Where’d Sylvester and Tweety go?”

  “Oh, I sent them home.” She smiled as he arched a perfect eyebrow. “I know, pretty dramatic, but I’ll catch up with them later. They just don’t understand. Not like you do.”

  “That’s another problem with mage magic: Everybody’s always giving you their opinion.” Logan poured the gleaming iridium into his palm. “Magic is fluid, constantly in motion, constantly changing, whether we realize it or not. You have to know what you want and grab it before it’s gone.” He paused, a palm full of iridium balanced over the chrome basin. “You ready?”

  “Absolutely.” Kara’s eyes sparkled with glee. This was exactly what she wanted.

  Logan let the iridium fall in a glittering shower.

  He reached his hand out to her.

  Kara placed her hand in his, flushing.

  “To get the strongest crystal, we must imbue these ingredients with a fiery enchantment.”

  “Fire, that’s me,” Kara whispered.

  Logan pulled her closer, looking deep into her eyes. “You must be very careful. Let your emotions take over, and the spell is ruined. You’ll create something you don’t want. You must be calm, cool, completely in control.”

  “I’m cool,” Kara assured him.

  Logan bent his head. When he looked up, his eyes seemed even blacker, huge dark moons in his pale face. He began chanting in a strange language she had never heard before. The basin glowed as the ingredients bubbled, then swirled into a tiny vortex.

  “Showtime.” Logan plunged their clasped hands into the whirling spell.

  Steel gray magic crackled from his fingertips, mingling with the fire erupting from Kara’s fingers. The spell instantly latched onto her magic, its pull more voracious than the starved shadow creature. Sweat prickled her forehead as she fought the instinct to pull back. She wanted this, she reminded herself, and forced her magic to flow freely.

  Struggling to keep her emotions under control, she gasped as a form began to take shape in the roiling magic.<
br />
  Wisps of red and pink and silver melted into hard flat shapes.

  “Steady, we’re almost there,” Logan said calmly.

  The little pieces spun in a tight circle, clicking together to create a perfect golden gem with gleaming facets. It was done. Kara whooped, unable to maintain her cool any longer.

  The power crystal was hers at last.

  EMILY HAD WALKED right into a trap. She stared in disbelief at the immense tapestry hanging from the wall in the Spider Witch’s vast chamber.

  The design on it was an image of the entire web, every tiny strand intricately woven into place. It didn’t look like the free-flowing map that Tasha had displayed on the library ceiling. Instead of glittering loops and swirls, the tapestry’s version had sharply defined lines in diamond and square shaped patterns. It felt cold and lifeless. A monstrous aberration, just like its creator.

  “Magnificent, isn’t it?” The Spider Witch gazed at her masterpiece, the power crystal glowing in her hands.

  Emily stiffened as the unicorns gathered closer, their horns flashing erratically, strobing the room with crimson. Indi stood in their midst, trapped like the others in the witch’s spell.

  “Let them go!” Emily demanded. Indi’s twisted aura cut through her senses like a knife. She tried to focus as the walls tilted, colors dripping like blood.

  “I’ve had experience entrapping paladins.” The witch emitted a clicking sound like grating laughter. “You can see for yourself that he and the other unicorns have not been harmed.”

  Not physically, anyway. But the witch had twisted their pure magical auras into a pattern of her own design. Her heart ached to help them.

  “I should thank you, healer. It’s been a long time since the Otherworlds have been a part of the web.” The witch pointed a long finger at a glowing diamond-shaped green section.

  Emily saw how the section fit perfectly into the rest of the tapestry, like a piece of a puzzle. Her face flushed with anger and guilt. “You tricked me.”

  The witch’s yellow eyes glittered from the darkness of her hood. “Yes, I sent the kobolds to you. I knew you could not resist the desire to help them. You are a healer.”

  Emily eyed the power crystal gleaming in the witch’s hands. For the first time, Emily could clearly see the crystal’s aura. It radiated murky waves of purple and black. She shivered. “You used that to lure me here.”