Magic Prophecy: A YA Portal Fantasy (Legends of Llenwald Book 3)

by DM Fike

  Kay stayed there unmoving, dazed by her exit. Avalon came up to him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder as he stared downward. “Are you okay?”

  He turned around to show her the object in his hand: a small glass stone radiating every color of the rainbow glistened. “Aye,” he said. Then he pulled Avalon in a startling fierce hug. “Aye, I am.”

  EPILOGUE

  AVALON MET ISOLDE well after midnight in the dark corridor between the Lightning Tower and the outer castle wall. The roaring of Emerged Falls namesake added to the feeling of dread she felt in the pit of her stomach. Maybe it was just the effects of standing so close to the enchanted tower.

  But running away probably had something to do with it.

  Isolde appeared equally nervous, shuffling her feet from side to side. She wore a modest knapsack stuffed to the brim with paper sticking out the sides. She glanced over her shoulder, even though the only guards on duty would be the ones at the front gate. No one patrolled back here.

  “You ready?” Isolde asked.

  “Yep. I even have a dagger.”

  “You know how to use a dagger?” Isolde asked incredulously.

  “Nope. It’s one of the many things to learn on my to-do list.”

  Isolde did not so much as crack a smile at Avalon’s light tone. Instead, she faced the stone wall, feet braced apart. She stretched her arms in front of her, then swiveled her head, causing an audible crack in her bones. “I can do this,” she said, pumping herself up.

  Avalon laid a hand on her shoulder. “But you don’t have to do this.”

  “You’re joking, right? I’m not staying here. I may not bear the brunt of intense political scrutiny like you, but things will shift to me sooner or later. I’d rather be gone before that happens.”

  Avalon didn’t blame her. The last few weeks had been full of nothing but meetings upon meetings, with escorts leading her everywhere. The Guardians had no idea what to do with a new Child of the Statue. Kay, Desert Rose, and Isolde had also been part of those discussions, although more as an aside. Once the Guardians determined a course for Avalon, her friends’ roles in the battle against Scawale would naturally be discussed next. Since Isolde avoided the issue of her paternity like the plague, it was wise for her to move on.

  “After you.” Avalon patted the stone wall.

  Isolde squatted low onto the ground. Avalon felt a heaviness in her own limbs as the boulder elf pushed aside large blocks at the base, the sealant holding them together protesting as she broke through them. She made the smallest hole possible, allowing just enough space for them to crawl through one at a time.

  On the other side, they faced the wide forest that would eventually lead out into the Quawash. Avalon scanned its dark canopy as Isolde rearranged the stones back to cover their exit. It may or may not be discovered later, but at least they wouldn’t give many clues as to how they had escaped.

  “Do you know the way?” Avalon asked.

  Isolde scanned the sky. They had planned to leave yesterday, but clouds had delayed their plans. Now, with a vast expanse of bright twinkling stars, Isolde could navigate the forest.

  “This way.” Isolde skittered down the bare earth and into the tree line below. Avalon followed.

  Isolde waited until they were covered underneath the evergreens before pulling a small lantern from her pack and lighting it. The flickering light led the way through the underbrush, animals scuttling away from their feet. While Avalon stumbled over overgrown roots and uneven terrain, Isolde forged ahead, graceful as a deer. They hiked for the next half hour, Avalon praying that the last phase of their plan would work.

  They had almost made it to the rendezvous point when they heard the faint sound of alarms in the distance. Avalon’s heart quickened as Isolde picked up the pace, finding the hillside where they had agreed to meet. It broke above the trees, giving them some cover while also providing a partial view of the castle.

  Isolde fiddled with the straps of her knapsack, nervously shuffling. “They figured that out quickly. Maybe we should have left together.”

  “We talked about this. Separating makes it more much likely that at least we’ll be able to slip away.”

  “But do you think he’ll make it?”

  “He’ll make it,” Avalon said with conviction. He had to.

  They watched lights flicker on around various points of the distant castle. When the Earth Tower’s jagged top floor grew bright, the roof still completely blown off from earlier damage, they knew Lord Emerson had been summoned. Avalon hoped they had discovered her and Isolde missing first and not their brazen theft.

  Otherwise, they might have to leave him behind.

  “Well, howdy there, ladies!” an obnoxiously loud voice boomed behind them. “Fancy meeting you here.”

  Both Avalon and Isolde screamed. Even in her terror, Avalon recognized the empty void of dark magic. She grabbed onto Isolde’s shoulder to keep her from attacking as they whipped around to face a grinning Nobody.

  “Oh yeah!” Vimp squealed, draped like a sock over Nobody’s shoulder.

  “Nobody!” Isolde said, shaking. “You scared us half to death.”

  Avalon shoved a finger in his face. “Where have you been?”

  “You think I was going to stick around a place where I’m a wanted criminal? No way, Enrique. I’ve been laying low and keeping to myself.”

  “And you chose this very moment to come back?” Isolde asked. “That’s suspiciously convenient.”

  Nobody shrunk a bit back, sheepish. “Sure. Convenient.”

  “Ee.” Vimp covered his yellow eyes with his mitten hands.

  Avalon folded her arms across her chest. “How did you find us, Nobody?”

  Nobody kicked an imaginary pebble in the dirt. “I might have maybe, sorta tied one of Vimp’s hairs on your shoe.”

  Avalon bent over her shoes, Isolde adjusting the lantern light so they could both see. It took some prodding, but sure enough, Avalon pulled a long strand of yarn-like hair woven between the left laces.

  Isolde fumed. “You’ve been magically tracking Avalon?”

  But Avalon dismissed it with a sigh. “Yeah, he does that. Nobody, what do you want?”

  Nobody leaned against a tree, looking about as casual as a teenager about to spray paint a store. “I knew sooner or later you’d ditch this joint. And when you did, I wanted to escort you home.”

  Avalon blinked. “You mean back to Earth? Why?”

  “Don’t you want to go back? You gotta be sick of Llenwald by now.”

  Isolde smiled at him with a smug look on her face. “But she’s the new Child.”

  “Yeah, sure, when she’s surrounded by her little posse. But I doubt she wants to hang around a bunch of weirdos for the rest of her life. Without us, she’s a nobody, and not the suave kind like me.” The gremlin shrugged at Avalon. “No offense, kid. Just stating facts.”

  Isolde turned to Avalon. “Show him.”

  Avalon hesitated, which made Nobody titter. “Show me what? I already know you’re way more powerful than you oughta be.”

  Avalon sighed, trying to find something to showcase her newfound skills. She saw a lump on Nobody’s head, one that he’d either gotten in the fight against Scawale or simply deserved because of his charming personality. She touched it with her fingertips.

  “Ow.” Nobody flinched.

  “Wait for it.” Avalon reached down deep into herself and drew on a familiar power. Slowly, her hand began to glow with a healing light, and as she concentrated, the bump faded away into nothing.

  “Holy hospital bills!” Nobody shrieked as he realized what was going on. “That’s light magic. How is that possible? Did Bedwyr actually survive?”

  Avalon’s heart felt heavy in her chest. “No, he’s gone. There was nothing anyone could do to save him.” Plus, the Guardians had not wanted to announce his involvement with the dragon attack and stir up trouble, so there had been no funeral. No one but a select few would know his role
in healing the Child of the Statue.

  “But Avalon can cast light magic anyway,” Isolde continued, oblivious to Avalon’s sadness. “She’s even been using dark magic without you around.”

  Nobody’s eyes bugged out at Avalon. “No way.”

  She grinned. “Yes way. I teleported out of my guarded Wind Tower room to escape.”

  Nobody’s shock slowly morphed into disgust. “It’s not fair! You break all the rules.”

  “It’s definitely not as powerful as when you’re around,” Avalon tried to soothe his ego.

  “Don’t say that to peanut butter me up,” Nobody said, although by the size of his grin, it did make him feel better. “So that’s it, eh? Just two ladies waltzing out of Emerged Falls?”

  “Who says it’s just the two ladies?”

  Avalon’s face brightened as Kay landed on the grass, wearing a simple tunic, leggings, and his sword hilt attached to his belt. She wasn’t used to him dressed in gray rather than traditional Emerged Falls colors, but it matched his piercing eyes. Avalon threw her arms around the fairy, who eagerly returned the embrace. The world narrowed down to just the two of them.

  “Did everything go as planned?” Kay whispered in her ear.

  She nodded. “I was so worried when the alarm went off. I thought they’d caught you.”

  He brushed the side of her face with his glove. “I’m the son of a thief. Give me some credit.”

  She clenched his tunic tightly. “I didn’t want to leave without you.”

  “I’d never let you.” And then he pulled her into a deep kiss.

  Avalon didn’t register anything else until she heard Vimp gagging. She forgot they had an audience. Isolde was blushing, staring off into the trees.

  Nobody had slouched into a facepalm. “Ugh. Who invited Winged Wonder?”

  Kay reluctantly let go of Avalon. “You’re the one who’s uninvited.”

  Avalon got in between them before it came to blows. “Kay’s the one who coordinated our escape. And without him, we couldn’t have stolen the statue pieces.”

  Nobody’s jaw dropped. “Say what now?”

  Kay smirked as he triumphantly held up a familiar velvet pouch. “I stole all the statue pieces Lord Emerson had tucked away at Emerged Falls.”

  “Ooooooh.” Nobody adopted a singsong voice. “That smells like treason, boy. Lord Lovelylocks ain’t gonna like that.”

  “I don’t care what he thinks,” Kay said. “The statue pieces aren’t his.”

  Avalon nodded. “They’re my responsibility now. And I think they need to disappear again where no one can find them.”

  Nobody wiggled his eyebrows at her. “You really are embracing this whole ‘I am the Child of the Statue’ thing, aren’t you?”

  “There are lots of unanswered questions about who I am and what I can do. But I do feel the statue is my responsibility.”

  “And then after that, are you homeward bound?”

  Avalon sighed. “I don’t know where home is anymore. I don’t have anyone left on Earth. Maybe I’ll look into keeping my promise to Bedwyr to help the dryads. Or travel around Llenwald for a bit. I’m not in a rush.”

  “Except to get out of Emerged Falls,” Isolde said.

  Avalon flashed Nobody her brightest smile. “You could come with us.”

  “Avalon!” Kay protested. “He wasn’t part of the plan.”

  “He’s one of my Guardians,” she shot back.

  “We didn’t tell Desert Rose about our plans.”

  “Desert Rose is basking in her newfound role as savior of Emerged Falls. We all know she’s not going to give that up anytime soon.”

  As Avalon and Kay faced each other off, clearly digging into an argument, Nobody laughed at them. “I hate to be a home-wrecking ball, so let me make this easy. I ain’t coming with you.”

  Avalon turned to him. “Why not?”

  “I don’t work well with others, for starters.” He gave Kay the side eye.

  “Then why are you here at all, gremlin?” Kay asked.

  “Because I wanted to make sure Avalon was okay.” He threw an arm around her shoulder. “I’ve grown fond of her. Like a parasite loves its host.”

  “Gee, thanks,” Avalon muttered.

  The gremlin wrapped his other arm around her, giving her a fierce hug. He whispered into her ear. “Enjoy your freedom. I’m sure I’ll catch you on the flipside.” In a louder voice, he yelled, “Smell ya later!”

  Then he disappeared into the night.

  Kay groaned. “Sadus, he’s so dramatic. Glad to be rid of him.”

  Isolde glanced back nervously at the now active castle. “Come on.” She ushered them back into the forest. “We should get going.”

  “Aye.” Kay wrapped his fingers around Avalon’s, pulling her forward. “Let us go.”

  They blended into the trees, Avalon squeezing Kay’s hand. She had no idea what the future held, but for once, she didn’t mind.

  She was no longer alone.

  THANK YOU FOR READING!

  If you loved Avalon’s adventures in Llenwald, please consider leaving an honest review on Amazon for this book. Her journey is finished for now, but I had enough interest, I would consider writing more of her story.

  You can check out my other series, a secret society of nature wizards that protect our national forests with Ina, the lightning shepherd:

  CHASING LIGHTNING

  You can also get a free short story by subscribing to my newsletter at dmfike.com.

  MAGIC OF NASCI SERIES

  “I do not recommend striking a whale corpse with lightning. You will regret it.” – Ina, nature wizard-in-training

  Ina is a rookie nature wizard, learning the ropes of elemental magic—fire, air, earth, and water. She can also wield lightning, setting her apart from the other followers of the goddess Nasci. If you like action-packed urban fantasy with just a hint of a slow-burn romance, you’ll love reading about Ina’s adventures in the Pacific Northwest’s national forests.

  BOOK 1: CHASING LIGHTNING

  BOOK 2: BREATHING WATER

  BOOK 3: RUNNING INTO FIRE

  BOOK 4: SHATTERING EARTH

  BOOK 5: SOARING IN AIR

  LEGENDS of LLENWALD TRILOGY

  “I drive like I color: outside the lines.” – Nobody the gremlin

  Avalon Benton has nothing: no parents, no money, and no future. Her bland existence unravels when a mysterious knight statue shows up at the Hall of Mirrors at the theme park where she works. Suddenly, a beggar begins stalking her every move, and she has abilities she cannot explain. As Avalon gets pulled toward a secret world where others covet her legendary powers, she must decide whom to trust—an amnesiac fairy, a shapeshifting trickster, or even her former doctor—all of whom may only be exploiting her for their own gain.

  BOOK 1: MAGIC PORTAL

  BOOK 2: MAGIC CURSE

  BOOK 3: MAGIC PROPHECY

  ABOUT THE AUTHOR

  DM Fike worked in the video game industry for over a decade, starting out as a project manager and eventually becoming a story writer for characters, plots, and missions. Born in Idaho’s Magic Valley (you can’t make this stuff up), DM Fike lived in Japan teaching English before calling Oregon home. She loves family, fantasy, and food (mostly in that order) and is on the constant look out for new co-op board games to play.

  More places to keep in touch:

  Website: dmfike.com

  Email: dm@dmfike.com

  Facebook: facebook.com/DMFikeAuthor

  Amazon: amazon.com/author/dmfike

  BookBub: bookbub.com/profile/dm-fike

  Instagram: instagram.com/dm.fike/

  GoodReads: goodreads.com/dmfike

  A SPECIAL THANK YOU

  This book has been the culmination of over two decades of scribbles and thoughts. Although it’s not the first book I published, it is the one I cut my teeth on. There are countless people who read early versions of this story, but I’d like to thank Justin Madsen, Sama
ntha Marshall, Jennifer Marshall, Sandra Schiller, and Justin Scott in particular for all your love for Avalon and her buddies over the years.

  Many talented people gave this book the professional care it deserved. I found my editor Lori Diederich through the 20Booksto50K Facebook group, an invaluable resource for writers.

  A final shout-out always goes to my husband Jacob Fike, whom without his encouragement and support, I never would have tried publishing in the first place. Love is indeed a choice we make every day.