Dark Mage (Avalon: Web of Magic, Book 11) (3 page)

S
UN-WARMED GRASS CARESSED
her paws as she stood in the open field. She sniffed the early summer breeze, relishing the crisp pine and wildflower scents of the Ravenswood Preserve.

“
The portal field is full of flowers.”
Dreamer mischievously crammed his snout into a patch of tiger lilies the mages had planted this past March.

“
I can see that.”
Adriane laughed as her vision became a blur of vivid orange.

Off in the brush, her keen ears picked out the rustle of scurrying animals and the faint whisper of the stream beyond. With a surge of energy, she was loping across the field. Trees and branches zoomed past as her low, sleek body raced through the forest. Sunlight blazed across the treetops, spilling along the branches as if every tree were glowing with vitality.

Adriane wanted to howl with pure joy. She had never felt so whole, so complete, so right. She felt she could run forever, a wild thing, connected with the forest that surrounded and protected her.

“Steady, warrior,”
Lyra’s soft voice called in her mind.

In a whirl of light and shadow, Adriane’s vision returned to where she stood, half a mile from Dreamer. She stomped her hiking boots on the forest floor, taking a moment to adjust to her own two-legged body.

The warrior rubbed her forehead, letting the dizziness wash away. She smoothed the glossy black hair hanging halfway down her back.

“You were slipping away.”
A large leopard spotted cat sat beside her, green eyes filled with concern.

“I... it was so awesome, Lyra!”

“You and Dreamer are the only ones who can do this,”
Lyra said.
“But you have to be careful. I won’t always be there to help you back.”

“Thanks.” Adriane rubbed the cat’s silky neck. “But it wouldn’t be as much fun without you.”

Caring for every inch of the preserve took a lot of time and energy, so Adriane had been practicing seeing through Dreamer’s eyes to cover more ground and speed up her daily inspections. She had discovered the ability to actually merge with her pack- mate, something she hadn’t been able to do as a Level One mage. It was beyond incredible, seeing the world through enhanced mistwolf senses, feeling so connected to the forest and the spirit that lived there. Adriane and Dreamer had been fine-tuning the process, the warrior eagerly pushing forward, seeing how far this new connection could take them.

She didn’t believe it was dangerous, as Lyra seemed to think. Real danger was the landmark commission denying Ravenswood its seal of approval. Adriane had a personal stake in its being granted landmark status. This was her home.

The commission would soon send a representative to inspect the property. There were boundary marks to maintain, road repairs, debris cleaning, and checking trees for insect, disease, or storm damage. Adriane was determined to show off the healthiest forest this side of Yellowstone National Park!

Once Ravenswood received landmark status, the forest could never be razed, and nothing could ever be built on it. But it was also her responsibility to protect the preserve from another kind of danger, one more destructive than any outside force—dark magic.

Adriane had learned that Ravenswood sat on a key point along a complex pattern of magic—the magic web. The preserve was the only place left where magic still flowed from the web to Earth. She lived here now with her grandmother and all the refugee animals that had come to Ravenswood for shelter.

The Spider Witch had tried to take over the preserve but the mages and their animal friends had stopped her. But the Dark Sorceress and the Spider Witch were gathering their forces. Securing the power crystals and finding Avalon came down to one thing for the warrior: keeping Ravenswood safe.

“When do we learn to fight, Packleader?”

Adriane whirled around—she’d been so lost in her thoughts, she hadn’t realized she had company. A duck-like quiffle flapped its wings in excitement. A group of other magical animals gathered by her side. To them, she was the packleader.

“Being a warrior doesn’t always mean being a fighter,” Adriane told them. “A warrior must also be strong in mind and spirit.”

“Packleader, how do we know the forest spirit is even here?” another quiffle queried.

“The spirit of Ravenswood is all around us.” Adriane closed her eyes and opened her arms wide to embrace the magic. A gentle breeze tugged at her long hair. “If you listen you can hear her.”

All the animals stopped and closed their eyes.

“I hear wind,” Eddie, a blue bunny-like brimbee, whispered.

“Be the wind.” The warrior swayed, gently dipping her arms as if she were floating.

The animals all swayed and dipped with her.

“I hear birds singing,” Rommel the wommel said.

“Be the birds.” Moving in a circle, Adriane waved her arms like wings. The animals trailed behind, arms and wings flapping.

“I hear the river!” Rasha, a quiffle, called out.

“Be the river.” Adriane crept low, moving her arms in a swimming motion. The animals followed, with Lyra doing a perfect feline crawl.

“No baths without Kara,”
Lyra insisted.

Adriane laughed as the animals piled around her, hooting and giggling.

“You see, you can all touch the spirit of Ravenswood. The forest will tell you when and where there is any trouble.”

“But what about using
real
magic, Packleader?”

“Right.” Adriane stood and dusted herself off. “Protecting Ravenswood takes physical skills too.” She surveyed the eager group. “And today, I’m going to show you how.”

“Yes!”

“Ooo, magic lassos?”

“Death ray?”

“Fire breathing?”

Adriane smiled, pausing for effect. “We are going to grow flowers.”

“What?” The animals squawked and honked, confused.

“Keeping the forest strong means knowing how to enhance its natural beauty,” the warrior continued. She unrolled a map marked with her list of repairs. “Besides, we need to fix the rest area by Mirror Lake. Let’s move out!”

Heading down Hidden Falls Trail, she looked over her shoulder at the line of animals marching happily behind her. Three dozen quiffles followed by a herd of hopping blue brimbees, long-eared deer-like jeeran with purple and green stripes, five pegasi, several red koala-like wommels, and one confused peacock.

A smile spread across her face as she noticed delicate flowers in an unmistakably familiar shade of gold. Ever since Adriane’s first bonded animal—a mistwolf with golden eyes named Stormbringer—had become the spirit of Ravenswood, the warrior had noticed subtle changes throughout the forest. The clearing where Adriane and Storm had first met was always lush with the most colorful flowers in the whole preserve. Branches filled with leaves never shaded the flat rock where Storm had loved to soak up the sun. Storm was also Adriane’s paladin, a powerful protector forever connected to the warrior and her wolf stone.

Lyra padded up beside her, two small quiffles hitching a ride on her back.
“Her presence here is stronger than ever,”
Lyra purred, her emerald eyes scanning the vibrant forest.

Adriane’s heart surged with happiness and she impulsively hugged the cat. “I love our home.”

For the first time Adriane felt totally confident about who she was and what she was doing. And no matter where her adventures took her, Storm would be here to guide her home.

A snowy white owl glided overhead carrying a little stick figure—literally. It was made up of twigs and leaves.

“Hi Ariel.” The warrior waved at the owl.

“Hooody,” the owl answered.

“We have fourteen new birch trees and six new swans!” the twiggy figure spoke excitedly, reading a list projected from a turquoise crystal hung around his neck, his Handbook of Rules and Regulations for Fairimentals.

“That’s wonderful, Tweek.”

Tweek was an Experimental Fairimental. Fairimentals were powerful beings made of pure magic, guardians of Aldenmor. Tweek had been sent to Earth to help the mages.

Adriane ducked under the branches and emerged on a well-worn pathway that led to Mirror Lake. Along the shore was a row of benches where tourists could sit to observe the animals.

“I’m hungry, packleader,” a quiffle complained, waddling past her on its silvery webbed feet. Opposite the benches, metal bins used for winter feedings stood in a neat row.

“It’s almost summer, we don’t store food here,” she told the little creature.

“Ozzie does.” Ozzie was Emily’s special friend—an always-hungry ferret that was also a mage, although he hadn’t learned what his true magical powers were yet.

Three quiffles crammed their beaks in the containers and pulled out a jumble of liver snaps, oatmeal cookies, and gumballs.

“Packmate.”

Adriane smiled as a sleek black wolf abruptly materialized in front of her, white star mark gleaming on his chest. Dreamer had long since mastered turning into mist, and often moved about the forest as silent and invisible as a ghost, much to the surprise of many a woodland creature.

The warrior knelt down and placed her forehead on his, inhaling the familiar smell of her packmate as she looked into his deep green eyes.

“Packleader, our magic isn’t strong like yours,” a brimbee said.

Adriane turned to the group. “You see this little blade of grass? Might not look strong, but see how it stands together with every blade in the meadow.”

“
Like a pack,”
Dreamer added.

“Each of you is a warrior inside because—”

“Packmates always stand by each other,” a quiffle said, puffing out his chest.

“Very good. All right, let’s get started.” Adriane clapped her hands sharply.

The magical animals scrambled about, falling into formation just as Adriane had been teaching them. The small quiffles and brimbees stood at the center, with jeeran, pegasi, and larger animals forming the outer ranks.

“Who’s first?”

The animals started shouting.

“I want to try!”

“Me first!”

“I’m ready to fight!” A quiffle kicked several brimbees in mock battle.

Adriane held up her hand. “What’s the first rule?”

“Focus,” a wommel answered.

The animals fell silent, proudly demonstrating their concentration.

Adriane studied two wilting dogwood trees growing on either side of the benches. Their drooping branches gave her an idea. “How about we grow an archway over here?”

Cheers went up from the crowd of animals as they sat down and passed out snacks.

“Dreamer and I will start,” the warrior said.

The branches would have to grow at least five feet to weave into the canopy.

With a flick of her wrist, Adriane released a small flurry of bright magic from the jewel set into a turquoise-studded leather bracelet. She sent a flash of silver deep into the cool moist earth. Dreamer responded instantly, his solid presence anchoring her. The gnarled dogwood roots seemed to reach out as Adriane pushed her magic into the trees. Bight green raced up the skinny trunks and spread into the branches, making the leaves tremble.

Then, like a ray of sunlight, Stormbringer’s magic surrounded the warrior and her pack. With the power of the forest spirit, the dogwood began to grow, bark creaking, leaves rustling.

“Okay.” Adriane pointed to Rasha and Roniff. “How about some dahlias around the trunks?”

The two quiffles stepped forward and waved their tail feathers, making brilliant pink flowers spring up from the rich earth.

“Nice,” Adriane approved.

“Ooo, ooo, me, me!” Two overly eager brimbees tumbled forward, sending honeysuckle and rose petals fluttering through the air like confetti.

Several wommels wove a strand of silvery green magic around Tweek. Adriane smiled, helping out with a flurry of magical sprinkles. The Experimental Fairimental’s quartz eyes whirled in surprise as a buttercup bow tie popped onto his neck.

“This is not authorized attire!” Tweek spluttered.

“I think you look handsome,” Adriane giggled.

“Oh, thank you.” The E.F. proudly adjusted his new tie.

“Now, everyone concentrate,” the warrior instructed. “We’re only halfway done.”

Adriane closed her eyes. She gently guided the animals, helping them feel where their magic was most needed. They got into the groove, weaving the branches into a living canopy of brilliant colors.

“Almost there,” the warrior breathed. The branches were only a few inches apart. Now she just had to make them entwine to support each other.

“Hey, Earth Mother!”

Adriane’s eyes flew open as Kara’s voice blared in her mind.

“Ahhh!”

The dogwood branches whipped back, sending fur, feathers, and hooves flying. The arch collapsed, flowers spinning everywhere.

Adriane pushed to her feet, quickly making sure the animals were all right before shooting an angry thought back to Kara.
“You ruined it!”

“Get your roots to the library,”
Kara said impatiently.

“What’s going on?”
Adriane demanded.

“It’s time.”