They passed through the iron gates of the preserve and headed down the main road.
“What’s a portal?” Emily asked.
“It’s a… you know… a portal,” Ozzie said.
“No, we don’t know,” said Adriane.
“A doorway between worlds,” Ozzie explained. “I fell through one and ended up here.”
“And where did you come from Alice… Wonderland?” Adriane asked, rolling her dark eyes.
“Ozzie! And I came from my world!”
Adriane was starting to get impatient. “Listen, ferret face…” She leaned toward him.
“Gak!” Ozzie dove back into the pack.
Emily gave Adriane a stern look. “Does your world have a name?” she asked Ozzie.
“Aldenmor,” Ozzie squeaked from inside the pack.
“What are Fairimentals?” Emily asked.
Ozzie popped his head back out. “Don’t you know anything? They’re magic— the really powerful stuff.”
“What do the Fairimentals want?” Emily asked.
“They are looking for…something.”
The girls stopped and both looked at the ferret. “What?”
“Mages,” Ozzie whispered. “Magic users.”
“Magic? You sure fell down the wrong rabbit hole, Alice.” Adriane laughed and smacked the backpack again.
“It’s Ozzie!”
The road ended at the circular drive in front of the manor house. Emily stared in awe at the old architectural monstrosity. Close up, it seemed spookier than ever, but at the same time, it looked inviting, full of secrets waiting to be revealed.
“You actually live here?” Emily walked over and peered in the sidelight windows that framed the enormous wooden front door. Ozzie clambered out of her backpack and leaped to the ground.
“No, we live in a cottage around the back,” Adriane explained.
“I wonder what it’s like inside,” Emily murmured, burning with curiosity.
“Most of the place is locked up,” Adriane told her. “But it has a ton of rooms and an old library up top.”
“That sounds cool.” Emily stepped back and looked at the huge brass door knocker. It was shaped like the head of a lion. “Kevin told me they used to have tours here.”
“Yeah, that was a long time ago.”
“So what do you think happened to Mr. Gardener?” Emily asked.
“I don’t know. He just disappeared.”
“I hope he ended up better than I did,” Ozzie commented.
A sudden scuffling noise from inside the house made them jump.
“Maybe he’s still inside,” Emily said, uncertainly.
“No way,” Adriane scoffed.
“Should we knock?” Emily pressed on the door—it was open. She glanced at Adriane with a look of surprise, then pushed the door in all the way. The hinges squealed softly.
The girls peered in. Ozzie craned his head around Emily’s legs to get a look for himself. A wide hallway ran from the front door to an open foyer filled with couches, tables, and chairs. The girls were careful to leave the door open behind them. In silence, they edged forward, into the foyer. Emily let out a loud breath.
“Wow! Look at this place!”
Paintings hung on the walls: animals in beautiful garden settings; the mansion itself, in all its early glory; gardens filled with deer, peacocks—even lions and tigers!
“These are amazing!” Emily stopped in front of a large painting of a man surrounded by three white tigers. “Who’s that?” she asked.
Adriane glanced up. “That’s Mr. Gardener.”
Creeeaaakkk—thud!
The front door had closed. The girls whirled around as a figure stepped out from a column of dusty sunlight.
“I see you’ve made some new friends, Little Bird.”
It was an old woman. She had dark wrinkled skin, and piercing dark eyes like Adriane’s. A long white braid hung over her shoulder in sharp contrast to her forest green ankle-length dress. Her arms jingled with silver and turquoise bracelets.
“Gran, we were just looking for you,” Adriane exclaimed. “This is Emily… and this is, um…”
Ozzie stood beside Emily, arms crossed, tapping one paw on the floor. He didn’t say a word.
Gran bowed to him. “Welcome, Woodland Spirit,” she said. Ozzie’s eyes widened.
Then Gran turned and looked Emily up and down with a piercing gaze. “Come here, child. I don’t bite.”
Emily shuddered. Kevin had said this woman was a witch. She knew that had to be nonsense, but staring at the old woman now, she suddenly wasn't so sure. She glanced uncertainly at Adriane, who just rolled her eyes.
Gran reached out and touched Emily’s cheek with gentle fingers. “You are a special one, child.”
“Thank you…I think.”
Gran chuckled. “It is good to see Little Bird with friends. My name is Nakoda, but you can call me Gran.”
“These pictures…” Emily asked. “Do all those animals live here, on the preserve?”
“At one time or another,” Gran replied. “I have been with Mr. Gardener for over forty-five years now.”
“Where is Mr. Gardener?” Emily asked.
“Oh, I’m sure he’s on important business.”
“Something to do with animals?” Emily pressed.
“Most probably. He’s quite the animal expert.”
“My mom’s a vet. We love animals.”
“I can tell. Come, its so dusty here, why don’t we go to our house.”
The girls followed Gran out the front door. Emily leaned in to whisper to Adriane. “How come she calls you Little Bird?”
“It’s my Indian name—she gave it to me. She’s Bird Woman, so… I’m stuck with it, until I find my own.” Adriane paused, looking uncomfortable.
Emily shrugged. “My mom calls me ‘Doc.’ I don’t mind.”
“Yeah, real cute. Hey, you don’t have to stay if you don’t want—it’s okay.”
“Are you kidding? This place is so cool!”
The caretaker’s cottage was off to the left of the main house, down a cobblestone path and through a grove of pines. The cottage was more like a lodge, with dark wooden beams making geometric patterns against a white plaster background. The girls and Ozzie followed Gran down a narrow hallway into a cozy, old-fashioned kitchen in the back of the house. It was bright and cheery. Crystals hung in the windows, catching the sunlight and casting rainbows on the walls. Gran poured some lemonade for the girls.
“Please, sit, eat,” she said, gesturing to the wooden dining table off to the side of the room.
The girls sat down and Ozzie sniffed around the table. Suddenly famished, Emily took a cookie from the serving plate on the table. It was moist and delicious. Ozzie grabbed two cookies and ran off with them. Adriane sat without eating.
“Gran, we have to talk,” she said. “About the animals.”
“I know,” Gran replied.
“What’s happening to them?” Emily asked, trying not to sound accusing.
Gran looked sad. “I don’t know, Emily. This place has always been a safe haven for animals. But something has changed.”
“Gran,” Adriane said, “people are going to come and shut the place down. Maybe worse…”
“I know, Little Bird. The mayor’s office called earlier, requesting my presence at a town meeting tomorrow night. Animals are being hurt, and people are frightened.”
“But they can’t shut Ravenswood down!” Adriane protested. “It’s our home!”
“Yes, this is our home and Mr. Gardener’s, and home to many animals,” her grandmother agreed.
Adriane stood up, eyes sparking. “We have to fight this!”
“Ah, Little Bird, you are so full of fire. Sometimes patience is the road to follow.”
“But we have to do something!” Adriane pleaded.
“Have faith, Little Bird,” Gran said calmly.
Emily and Adriane exchanged glances. Then Adriane seemed t
o come to some internal decision. She sat back down.
“Look, Gran,” she said, pulling her stone out of her pocket. She held it out to show her grandmother.
“I found one, too,” Emily said, holding out her stone.
Gran’s eyebrows rose as she studied the stones. “Where did you get these?”
“We found them in the woods,” Adriane told her.
“Keep these very safe,” Gran said. “Crystals and gemstones are often charged with energy. They may hold strong magic.”
The girls looked at each other.
“Magic?” Emily repeated.
Ozzie popped his head up by the side of the table.
“But the stones don’t actually do anything.” Emily turned to Adriane. “At least, mine doesn’t.”
“Sometimes that which seems to do nothing can have great effect,” Gran explained. “A tiny pebble, thrown into a quiet pond, makes one ripple, then another, then a whole wave of ripples that spread in ever-growing circles.”
“English please, Gran,” Adriane said.
“There is much to learn about magic, Little Bird. Perhaps the obvious is not always the answer.”
A furry paw stretched across the table, followed by a long furry body. “Delightmmphul,” Ozzie mumbled, stuffing another cookie into his mouth.
The girls stared at the ferret. They stared down at their sparkling gems. They looked back at Ozzie.
“Whaaa?” Ozzie demanded around a mouthful of cookie. “Whaa I do?”
Gran didn’t seem to notice. “I have work to do,” she said, getting up. “You two—three—stay and eat.” She walked out the kitchen door.
“I really like this house,” Emily said after Gran had left the room.
Adriane jumped up. “Want to see my room?”
“Sure.”
Emily got up and followed Adriane, leaving the ferret to his feast. “Don’t eat too much,” she called back to him. “You’ll get a tummy ache.”
“bUrrp,” Ozzie replied.
Adriane’s room was an explosion of color. Bright yellow paint peeked out in the spaces between the patchwork of posters on the walls; the ceiling was dark blue with constellations of glow-in-the-dark stars. Emily studied the posters. Rock bands, mountain climbers high above the clouds, Motocross bikers careening down dirt trails, snow boarders shooting sprays of white snow… She hardly knew Adriane, but she never would have pegged her for the type to have a room like this!
She turned around full circle, taking it all in. “It’s fantastic!”
“Thanks.” Adriane was much more animated in her own space. She leapt over the bed to rummage through the shelves by her stereo. “You like Smash Fish?” she asked over her shoulder.
“I’ve never eaten it. Any good?”
“Ha! It’s a band. Here, listen to this.” Crunching music blared out of two tower speakers. Two smaller satellite speakers hung from the opposite corners, creating a surround-sound effect. The music was a little harsher than what Emily was used to, but it was catchy, with a strong melody. She noticed a red electric guitar leaning against a wall. “Is that yours?” she asked.
“Yup!” Adriane bounced over to the guitar and picked it up. “Sweet, huh?”
“I guess.”
Adriane ran her hands over the polished red body. “A real Fender Strat!” She strummed across the strings. “I’ve got this cool practice amp, too,” she said, indicating a small box on the floor. “Check it out!”
The girls laughed as Adriane rocked out with the music.
“What is that horrible sound?” Ozzie stood in the doorway, paws over his ears.
“It’s rock ‘n’ roll, Ozzie,” Adriane said. “Real magic!”
Ozzie’s eyes widened. “Ah, so this is magic in your world. It’s so noisy!”
Adriane turned down the volume on the stereo and set her guitar gently against the dresser.
“Ozzie,” Emily said, “we don’t have magic here.”
“I knew I fell in the wrong portal.” Ozzie jumped on the bed and flopped over a large pillow. “Ooh, I just want to go home.”
“So tell us, what’s the magic like where you come from?” Adriane asked.
Ozzie stretched over the pillow. “Well, there’s not much left. That’s why the Fairimentals sent me here. To get help.”
“Why do they need help?” Emily asked.
“Our world is in danger,” he said. “There’s something called the Black Fire. It’s poisoning everything.”
“Including animals?” Adriane looked to Emily.
“I suppose so. I was told it’s the result of horrible dark magic.”
“Tell us more about Fairimentals,” Emily prompted.
“They’re forces of nature and they protect the good magic of Aldenmor. I’m no expert but all magic is fueled by nature—air, water, earth, and fire.”
“Sounds confusing,” Adriane said.
Ozzie sighed. “You’re confused? The Fairimentals sent me to find three human mages who can help us, but there’s no magic here and I haven’t met any mages—only you.” He flopped over on his back. “And I’m a ferret!”
For some reason, Emily flashed on the bizarre twirling bits of leaves and dirt she had seen in the glade. “What do Fairimentals look like?” she asked.
But Ozzie had fallen asleep. Emily sat back, leaning against the wall. Then she noticed several objects hanging over Adriane’s bed. They were round wooden hoops, with a variety of colorful strings and cords threaded across them, like a spiderweb. Gemstones were woven amid the strands, and feathers hung from the bottom.
“What are those?” she asked Adriane.
“Dreamcatchers,” Adriane told her. “Gran hung them. She says they’re a web of protection. They’re supposed to catch bad dreams and let the good ones in through the center hole. The energy of the gemstones strengthens the good dreams.”
“Like a barrier between two worlds,” Emily said in a hushed voice.
“Emily,” Adriane said hesitantly. “What if Ozzie really does come from another world?”
“So now we’re also supposed to believe in magical worlds, too!” Emily shook her head.
Adriane stared at her. “After what’s happened here—after what you’ve seen—can you sit there and tell me it’s not possible?”
“I don’t know,” Emily had to admit. “There’s so much weird stuff going on, I don’t know what’s possible.”
Adriane was silent. She gazed at the dreamcatchers. A slight smile played across her lips. “You know what might be cool?” Her jet-black eyes flashed. “What if we took the stones we found and weave them into…”
“Dreamcatchers?” Emily guessed, intrigued.
“Better. Power bracelets,” Adriane responded.
Emily was into it. “Sorta like making our own web of…”
“Protection.” They’d said it together.
A few minutes later, the girls sat cross-legged on the floor amid a pile of rawhide strips, satin, and lanyard. Adriane had the idea to combine the colored lanyard and black satin string, and Emily shared some knots she knew. It took some trial and error to find a way to hold their stones securely, but at last they each had a very cool new bracelet.
Adriane held her arm out and turned her wrist this way and that. “Not bad,” she said admiringly.
Emily stood up and stretched her legs. Her gaze settled on a framed photograph of a handsome couple.
Adriane saw her looking and took the photograph down. “My mom and dad. They’re artists. They do these ‘performance art’ and sculpture exhibits. Pretty weird, huh?”
“How come you live with your grandmother?” Emily asked.
Adriane shrugged. “They left to go on a world tour. So they dumped me here in a nice stable environment for a change. They say they’re going to settle in upstate New York when they get back but I’ve never been in the same school more than a year, sometimes less.”
“My dad lives in Seattle. We e-mail each other a lot,” Emily said.
“At least you talk to him. My parents send me postcards... sometimes.”
Emily couldn’t imagine being so out of touch with your own parents.
“So, you’ve been here six months, right?” Emily said, not wanting to intrude further. “That means you’ve been to school…”
“Middle school.” Adriane snorted. “The way some kids act, you’d think it was Stonehill Academy.”
“There must be some kids you like?” But Emily remembered the girls in the park.
Adriane shrugged. “Friends are overrated.”
Emily blinked. “You can’t mean that.”
Adriane’s silence told her she meant exactly that.
A pang of homesickness swept over Emily. She’d always had friends she totally connected with.
She turned around to face Adriane. “What do you think is going to happen at the meeting tomorrow night?”
“They’ll probably kick me and Gran out of here.” Adriane began to pace back and forth. “Then they’re gonna send in the Army to kill all the animals. Then they’ll cut down all the trees and make a golf course or something!”
Emily laughed, not knowing if Adriane was joking or not. “That’s a bit extreme, don’t you think?”
“You saw the letter. Quarantine! How extreme is that?”
“What can we do?” Emily asked, feeling a familiar wave of helplessness.
“If we can prove there really are rare animals here, they’d have to leave Ravenswood alone! That glade where you found your stone—do you think you could find that place again?” Adriane asked.
“It’s right behind the Rocking Stone.”
Adriane stopped. “There’s nothing there but woods.”
“No, that’s where I saw it. I was going back there when I ran into you and Ozzie.”
“We need to find that glade! Can you get away tomorrow?” Adriane asked.
“As long as I get my chores done…which reminds me, I should get back. “
“What should we do about him?” Adriane jerked her thumb in the direction of the snoring ferret.
“I’ll take him with me.” Emily gently scooped the ferret up and deposited him in her backpack.
“Mommy, I don’t want to ride the flobbin,” Ozzie mumbled, sleepily.
Adriane shrugged. “Elves! Come on, I’ll walk you and Alice up to the main road.”
Circles in the Stream (Avalon: Web of Magic #1) Page 5
