“Blahaha!” The purple ferret cackled gleefully as he turned her backpack upside down, dumping everything into his wide, toothy mouth.
“Glurp!” Ozzie chomped a sock with big square teeth.
“That’s my ladybug sock!” Emily lunged for her stuff, playing tug-o-sock. “Spit it out!”
The ferret looked up at her, a stubborn expression on his face, and clamped his lips shut.
“Come on.”
Ozzie shook his head from side to side.
Emily pounded him on the back, making him spit out the sock.
“Ppphllooot!” Ozzie dove forward in the sand and began scooping the Power Bars into his mouth, wrappers and all.
Even for the ever-hungry Ozzie, this was weird.
“Emmmeeemee.”
“Huh?”
He sidled up to her with a bobbing walk that rocked from side to side, almost like he wasn’t used to legs. He stuck out a large lavender lip and pouted. Big blue eyes brimmed with tears as he fell back on his rump.
“What do you want now?”
Ozzie pointed to a stubby big toe. “Owwie.”
“You’re hurt?”
“Ahgaga!” He waved his hairy foot in her face, nodding emphatically.
“Sit still,” Emily ordered. “I’ll take a look.”
Closing her eyes, Emily tried to form a connection. A wave of blackness washed over her, as if she’d suddenly gone blind. She couldn’t feel anything at all. The same thing had happened when she tried to heal that weird sea dragon pup at the Wave Fest. But this was Ozzie, her closest friend.
Then she froze as she saw Ozzie’s neck—there was no collar. “Ozzie, what happened to your ferret stone?”
Ozzie sat in the sand gnawing on the straps of her backpack.
“Spitooie!” Wide indigo eyes locked on her rainbow jewel. “Oooooo.”
Realization dawned.
“You’re not Ozzie! Who are you? What happened to Ozzie?” The healer scrambled to her feet, but the creature was too fast for her. He grabbed her wrist, tugging at the bracelet that held her jewel.
“Ow!” Emily pulled back. “Stop it! You’re hurting me!”
Wild colors swirled across her jewel’s surface, racing up her arms. A burst of power sent the creature tumbling back.
Something twinkled in his small paw.
“No.” Emily held up her wrist, panicked. Her healing stone was no longer on her silver bracelet.
“A har!”
Emily watched, horrified, as the purple creature tossed the jewel in his mouth and swallowed with a strangled gulp.
“Ahhhhhh,” he sighed with a satisfied grin.
“No!”
“Blah ha ha!” The creature jumped to his feet and barreled into the tropical jungle, trailing rainbow sparkles.
“Come back here!” Emily screamed.
But it was too late. The purple whatever it was—and her healing stone—were gone!
“WHAT RAINED ON this parade?” Kara surveyed the overturned Oct-A-Whirl and crushed food stalls littering the Wave Fest.
Beached sea dragons sprawled across the shore, surrounded by angry merfolk. The prince’s guards swarmed around the dragons, fencing off the surrounding beach. Barges floated offshore, confining the dragons to a small area of water.
Tasha’s jewel device beeped as she walked through the debris.
Dreamer padded over to Adriane. “There has been a lot of magical activity here.”
Lyra landed, her golden wings folding and disappearing. “I can’t reach Emily or Ozzie.”
The blazing star clutched her unicorn jewel, frowning. “Me either.”
Adriane and Kara exchanged a worried glance.
“Those are the dragon riders,” Zach said, pointing to the group of tough-looking warriors. “We don’t want to mess with those guys.”
“Jaaran!” Adriane ran to the tall sea dragon rider and gave him a hug.
“Adriane, I’m so glad you’re here.”
Zach raised an eyebrow.
Lorren grinned. “Probably just friends.”
“Yeah, I can see that.”
Adriane stepped back from Jaaran and flushed. “Jaaran, this is—”
“Yes, I’ve met Zach.” Jaaran sized up the blond teen. “We have much in common.”
They looked on as the dark-haired warrior hugged Kee-lyn and Meerka.
“We both ride dragons,” Jaaran said.
Zach nodded. “I’m sorry your dragons are not well.”
“The healer was trying to help them,” Kee-lyn explained.
“Where is she?” Adriane asked.
“Gone,” a rider answered.
“What do you mean ‘gone’?” Kara demanded.
“Aquatania is closed! Everyone go home!” shouted a merman with graying hair and beard. His purple ceremonial robes billowed as he stormed up and down the beach, golden crown gleaming atop his head.
“That’s King Spartos,” Lorren said.
“Your Majesty.” Kara pushed her way past the barricades. “I am the blazing star.”
“You!” The king’s sea green eyes angrily studied Adriane and Kara. “This whole mess is your fault.”
“Go blazing diplomat,” Adriane muttered.
“What happened here?” Kara pressed.
“My son is missing!” the king cried.
“Prince Marlin is gone too?” Adriane asked.
The king flashed a dark look at Kee-lyn and Jaaran. “These dragon riders were the last ones to be seen with him.”
“What are you insinuating?” Jaaran’s cheeks flushed deep green.
“It’s no secret you’d prefer a dragon rider as next king,” Spartos accused.
Kara planted her hands on her hips. “Look, we don’t have time to chitchat. Our friend is missing.”
“So is our merprince!” the king bellowed.
“Well, so is our ferret!” Kara retorted.
The king bristled.
“Kara,” Lorren said, pulling the blazing star back. “May I?”
Kara waved her hand forward. “Knock yourself out.”
“King Spartos.” Lorren approached the merking. “With all due respect, sir, the three mages saved Aldenmor.”
The king grunted.
“The blazing star saved the Fairy Realms as well,” Lorren acknowledged Kara.
“You are right, of course, young prince.” Spartos raised a bushy eyebrow at Kara. “I’m very upset.”
“Apology accepted,” Kara said, and smiled. “We’ll do everything we can to find your son and our friends.”
“Very well.” The merking sighed. “Let the mages investigate.”
Lorren grinned at Kara. “Well?”
“Impressive.”
King Spartos looked sadly at the sea dragon warriors. “I am sorry, dragon riders. Once those dragons served us well. But I fear the time of magic is over.”
“We will not let our dragons die!” proclaimed Kee-Lyn. “They are the last of their kind! The last of our magic.”
The king snorted, pointing at the messy beach. “And look what your magic did.”
“We had nothing to do with that wild magic storm!” Jaaran insisted.
“Wait a minute, what wild magic?” Adriane asked.
“A wild magic storm swept through the Wave Fest moments before they disappeared,” Jaaran explained. “No one has seen them since.”
“I’ve got something,” Tasha announced, eyes glued to her magic locator. “Portal residue.”
“Eww.” Kara checked her pink sneakers.
“Oops, sorry, Lyra.” Tasha distractedly walked right into the big cat. “Emily definitely fell through a portal.”
The goblin girl pushed some buttons on her machine. Light streamed upward, projecting a map of Aldenmor. Twinkling dots indicated portals. “I have a fairy map of Aldenmor loaded in here.”
“Tweek has the same map in his jewel!” Kara exclaimed.
Tasha nodded. “We’ve been exchanging data.”
“Using various harmonic wavelengths and uploading patterns—”
“Yeah, she can do that.” Lorren smiled.
“Where is Emily now?” Zach asked.
“I don’t know. According to the map, there’s not supposed to be a portal here on Aquatania Beach.”
Kara’s face fell. “They could be anywhere.”
“Like right here.” Tasha slid her finger across the sleek surface as the device squeaked.
“You found Emily’s jewel?”
“I’m getting a fuzzy reading a few miles due south.”
“Drake!” Zach called his bonded animal.
A massive red dragon soared from the skies and landed among the startled merfolk. Drake roared with distress as he saw his cousins, the sick sea dragons.
“Easy,” Zach soothed his friend.
Adriane scratched behind the dragon’s ear. “We’re going to help them.”
“Okay, Mama.”
“He is amazing!” Impressed dragon riders gathered around the red Drake. “This is your dragon?”
“Yes,” Adriane said, smiling proudly. “He imprinted on me, but Zach is his rider.”
Two goblin bats swooped from the skies and landed next to Lorren and Tasha.
“Good girl, Gertie.” A gray and white bat nuzzled Tasha as she hopped into the red leather saddle.
“Let’s go!” Zach climbed into the black and tan saddle on Drake’s back. He reached down to help Adriane aboard as Dreamer leaped behind her. The mistwolf settled into a basket secured to Drake’s back.
“After you, Princess.” Lorren helped Kara onto Nightwing, his black goblin bat.
“We’ll find Marlin and Emily,” Kara promised the dragon riders.
“And Ozzie,” Lyra added.
“And bring back a cure for your dragons,” Adriane said confidently.
With that, the flying foursome soared into the stormy clouds overhead.
EMILY TRUDGED UP an incline dotted with palm trees. She had to find the purple creature who’d eaten her jewel. She could not stop shivering as her emotions swung between anger and fear.
She looked at her empty bracelet. What would she do without her magic?
Maybe she was better off, she thought forlornly. A few hours ago she had been worried about becoming a Level Two mage. Now the sea dragons were about to become extinct, she was lost on some island, she had no idea where the real Ozzie was, and she had no jewel! Some mage she was turning out to be—
A piece of wood snapped.
Emily froze, trying to listen and look everywhere at once.
Warm winds sent glints of sunlight waving through the palms.
Another branch snapped loudly. Something was tromping through the underbrush, coming right toward her!
Emily whirled. Where could she hide? Her heart pounded in her throat. Without her jewel, she was completely defenseless.
“Baaaaah!” Branches flew as a figure sprang from the bushes. “Don’t make me use this!”
“Marlin!” Emily cried with relief. “Is that a coconut?”
“Prince Marlin,” the merboy corrected her, brandishing… yup, a coconut!
“You’re the mage!” He pointed a bejeweled finger. “I won’t tolerate being kidnapped.”
“Kidnapped?” Emily echoed, astounded.
“You attracted wild magic and zapped us here.”
“I don’t know how we got here,” the healer told him. “But I’m glad to see you.”
“Me too, this was getting heavy.” Marlin stepped back into the bushes and dragged out a palm frond filled with coconuts and brightly colored fruits. “Get these, will you? I’m exhausted.”
The merprince strode down the dunes toward the beach, brushing off his bright ceremonial robe.
“Hey!” Emily grabbed the edges of the palm frond, straining to drag it across the hot sand. “Do you have any idea where we are?”
Marlin glanced at the two pale orbs just visible in the afternoon sky.
“Judging by the position of the moons, we’re somewhere on the Giant’s Footpath, a group of islands on the southeastern shore of Aldenmor. That must be Port Tuga over there.”
Emily gazed at the landmass in the distance. “How do we get across?”
“Use your magic.”
“I’m a healer, not a helicopter.” She looked at her bare wrist. “Besides, my magic is gone.”
“I’m not surprised. Magic has been vanishing for a while now.”
“No, I mean my jewel—” The empty silver bracelet gleamed in the sunlight. “Oh, never mind.”
“I’m hungry,” the prince complained, stretching out on the sand, hands folded behind his head.
Emily dropped the leaf near her backpack. “How can you be so calm?”
“Relax. The Imperial Merfolk will find us.”
“Well, you’ll be waiting a long time.” She fished a water bottle from her pack. “Even if they could find us, it would take them days to get here.”
“Took us, like, three seconds,” Marlin scoffed.
Emily thought for a minute. “That’s true. There must be a portal here somewhere.”
“Exactly.” Marlin closed his eyes and waved his fingers dismissively. “They’ll find us.”
She glared down at him. “If we don’t get back soon, you’re going to lose your dragons.”
“The dragon riders have no place left in our society. The sooner they accept it, the better.”
“There must be something you can do.”
“Well, I know what you can do.” Marlin leaned back against a piece of driftwood. “Fix me lunch.”
Emily’s jaw dropped. Who did this guy think he was?
“What? It’s your fault we’re here!” Marlin exclaimed. “Humans shouldn’t be allowed to use magic—they always mess things up.”
Emily gritted her teeth. “If we fell through a portal, I didn’t open it.”
“You didn’t?” Marlin looked up at her, brow wrinkling in confusion. “Well, if you didn’t and I didn’t, then who did?”
“I’m going to find out.”
“Can we eat first?”
“Fine.” Emily stood with her arms crossed. “Go right ahead.”
“Fine!” Marlin leaned forward, arranging driftwood in a circle. “That’s the trouble with magic. It’s completely unreliable. When I’m king, Aquatania will be much better off without it.”
“You can’t be serious.” Emily was shocked. “Sea dragons are your bonded animals.”
“I don’t need magical animals. I figure everything out right here.” Marlin tapped his head with a piece of wood.
Emily couldn’t believe his attitude. “These animals are essential for making magic,” she argued angrily.
“Oh? Where’s your bonded animal?”
Emily’s face fell. “I… don’t have one.”
“Uh-huh, and where’s the magic on your world?”
Emily flushed. “Except for Ravenswood, I haven’t technically seen any magic.”
“I rest my case,” Marlin huffed. “Aldenmor’s going to be just like Earth. It’s called evolution. The sooner we accept it, the better. Look at me,” he said, proudly displaying a delicately webbed hand. “The perfect product of evolution.”
“Your brain is so big, I’m surprised your head isn’t gigantic. Oh, wait. It is!”
“That’s not funny,” he said, self consciously patting down his poufy brown hair. “Besides, we don’t have a choice, do we? No dragons, no magic.”
Emily had never heard such stubborn arrogance in her life. “So use your advanced merbrain to get us out of here instead of sitting around complaining.”
“All right, I will!” Marlin burst out, then shut his mouth with a snap. A dark green blush washed across his cheeks.
“Well, I’m waiting.”
“Well, I’m thinking.”
She slumped down beside the merprince, handing him the water bottle. “Great, we’
ll be here forever.”
ADRIANE TIGHTENED HER grip around Zach’s waist as Drake glided over the rough northern waters. Gertie and Nightwing flew side by side in front of the dragon, with Lyra in the lead, golden wings glimmering.
The warrior zipped her vest tight and glanced over her shoulder at Dreamer.
“What you got?”
Dreamer’s head poked out of his basket, tongue lolling, fur blowing in the wind. “I smell a ferret.”
Deep blue waters flashed beneath them, broken by jagged rocks that rose from the sea like serpent’s teeth.
“I can’t see anything but water,” Kara complained, scrunching behind Lorren to block the spray from her face.
“Coming up right on it!” Tasha called. Her robes whipped behind her as she studied her jewel tracker.
Below them, bobbing in the choppy waves, a giant tortoise meandered its way between rocky islands off the shore. As big as the creature was, it looked teeny in the vastness of the ocean.
“Hurry up, you floating thing!” Ozzie jumped up and down on the tortoise’s shell, making it rock precariously. “At this rate we’ll get to Aquatania in a year!”
Skimming across the surf, Drake landed with a belly flop.
A huge wave bounced the tortoise high in the air, washing it onto an outcropping of rocks. The dragon floated to a stop, nose to nose with the shocked tortoise and ferret.
“AAH! Don’t eat me!”
“Ozzie, it’s us,” Adriane called down from the back of the dragon.
“Oh.”
Drake’s long, forked tongue shot out, lifting the ferret into the air and dropping him onto the dragon’s head.
“Do not lick the ferret!”
“Are you okay?” Adriane asked.
“Gak!” Ozzie wiped dragon slobber off his head. “I’ve been floating out here forever!”
“At least an hour,” Zach observed.
“Exactly!” Ozzie looked up as the two giant bats landed on the rocks. “Where’s Emily?”
“That’s what we were going to ask you,” Adriane said.
“I knew it!” Ozzie flapped his arms in the air. “She’s been kidnapped! gaH!”
“What are you talking about?”
“That purple toothed, grin-eating farFoOFiE!” Ozzie screamed.
“Ozzie, calm down,” Kara ordered. “Tell us what happened.”
“These cyclones hit the beach. I went one way,” he said, pointing. “Then Emily went the other way.” He crossed his arms, pointing with his other paw. “Then that sea dragon went the other way!” He pointed with his foot and toppled over.
Heart of Avalon (Avalon: Web of Magic #10): Page 3
