Spellsinger (Avalon: Web of Magic #5) (12 page)

“B
LAZE
!”

“Barney!”

“Fiona!”

“Fred!”

“Goldie!”

Adriane, Emily, Balthazar, Ozzie, Storm, Ronif, and Rasha moved through the portal field calling the names of Kara’s dragonflies. Although usually complete pests, the magical mini-dragons were useful at times. They had woven the dreamcatcher from strands of the magic web to protect the portal. They could also open a small window to Aldenmor.

But without Kara the dragonflies were not showing up.

“One thing I can say about her,” Adriane grumbled. “She’s consistent.”

The early morning mist had evaporated, revealing the deep woods of the preserve that surrounded the field.

Emily looked at her watch again. Nine o’clock. Kara was an hour late.

“All right,” she said. “We need another plan.”

“It’s useless,” Ozzie complained. “Those dragonflies will only come to Kara!”

Adriane turned to Storm. “Storm, do you think you can reach out and call to Moonshadow?”

“
The wolf song is strong, but not strong enough on its own to cross between worlds.
”

Emily’s face brightened. “This dreamcatcher is made of the magic web itself. It might amplify your call.”

“
The wolves did contact me through the portal once before,
” Storm said.

“But how do we open the portal?” Balthazar asked.

“Lorelei’s horn can open it,” Adriane said.

“How about with this?” Emily asked, looking through the pages from the spellsinging book she had taken from her backpack. She handed pages to Adriane and some to Ozzie.

“I saw Summoning Spells in here the other night,” she said. “Try to find them. Maybe we can use one to summon the portal.”

“All right,” Adriane said, looking through the pages. “Beats standing around waiting for Goldilocks.” Considering the way Kara had been acting lately, the last thing Adriane wanted to admit was that they actually needed her.

“Here’s one,” Ozzie exclaimed. “
Say it loud but reverse the words, you’ll speak in tongues from a mirror’s curve
.”

“That’s a backward spell, Ozzie,” Emily said. “Makes everything you say come out backward.”

“haG! I have enough trouble just being a ferret!”

“
Float like a cloud, so high, so light
,” Adriane read, “
Hear these words and fly like a kite
.”

“Lightness of Being Spell,” Emily said. “Makes you lighter than air.”

“Can’t wait to try
that
one out on Rapunzel,” Adriane giggled.

Emily gave her a stern look.

“You’re right,” Adriane sighed. “She’d just put designer cement in her boots.”

“Here.” Emily found the page she had been looking for and scanned the text.

Hear our call, strong and clear

We use this song to bring you near

We summon the image we see inside

We need your power, by this spell, abide

“Sound okay to you?” Adriane asked the others.

“If we all focus on the dreamcatcher, it might work,” Balthazar said.

“Just one last thing,” Emily said. “These spell songs can only be used
once.
After we use it, we’ll forget how it goes. The words will disappear from the book, and probably from these pages, too. I read that in the introduction.”

“Okay, so we get one shot. Let’s add some healing and wolf power to the mix,” Adriane said, holding up her wrist and exposing her wolf stone.

Emily held her rainbow jewel next to Adriane’s jewel. A spark of magic jumped between the stones, connecting them.

“You take it, Adriane.” Emily handed the page to her friend.

Adriane started humming a small phrase from a familiar song and then added the lyrics of the spell.

Hear our call, strong and clear.

We use this song to bring you near.

We summon the portal to see inside.

With our magic, by this spell, abide.

At first, nothing happened. The wind stirred a little then died down. Adriane had reached the end of the song, but the words were still fresh in her mind, the characters still printed on the pages.

“Once more,” Emily said to Adriane. She turned to the others. “Picture the portal in your mind. Focus.”

Adriane nodded and sang again, and this time—the air began to swirl faster. Winds blew across the grass. Adriane looked down—the words were vanishing from the page. They had done it right!

The air filled with twinkling lights as a giant shape took form in front of them. With a
whoosh
of air, the portal opened. And the dreamcatcher sparkled before it, hanging in the sky. The intricate weaving of threads caught the light of the morning sun and glistened like a thousand diamonds.

“We did it!” Ronif yelled.

“Hurry, Storm,” Emily said. “I don’t know how long the spell will last.”

The silver wolf stood in front of the dreamcatcher and raised her silver-maned head majestically. She howled into the swirling portal. In response, the dreamcatcher gently fluttered.

Then Adriane threw back her head and howled with her friend.

Mist filled the circle in the center of the dreamcatcher.

“Again!” Adriane cried. Storm howled the wolf song, a song filled with thousands of years of wolf memories, connecting her to the pack.

Suddenly, another howl cut through the morning air, echoing across the field.

“
Moonshadow!
” Storm called out. “
Hear me!”

The group gathered and peered into the dreamcatcher's center.

The mist began to clear and they saw darkness. Dimly, moonlight shone over tree-covered hills spreading into the distance. Dark shapes moved.

A giant black wolf head slid into the misty picture, bright golden eyes aglow. “
Stormbringer! My heart fills with happiness
!”

“
As does mine, pack leader
,” Storm answered.

“There is so—rarrg!”
A blond head of hair shoved the big wolf aside. Zach’s face filled the window.

“Adriane! Are you there, too?” Zach asked eagerly.

“Zach! It’s me!” Adriane’s heart filled with joy at the sight of her friend. “Are you all right?”

“Yes. We’ve left the Packhom
garhh—
” Zach was nudged out of the window by the black wolf.

“
There is much to say and not much time,”
Moonshadow warned.

“Tell us,” Emily said.

“
The Black Fire has stopped raining from the skies.”

“That’s good news!” Adriane exclaimed.

Zach shoved in next to his wolf brother, angling for position. “We thought so, at first. We’ve been camped on the foothills near the Shadowlands, sending in scouting teams.”

He looks tired, Adriane thought. She wished she could sit beside him, talk and laugh with him like she had done on Aldenmor. She tried to ignore the sadness welling in her chest. “What is the Dark Sorceress up to now?” she asked.

“She’s planning something big!” Zach told them. “She built four giant crystals. We think they’ve been designed to hold magic, lots of it.”

“
Aldenmor grows barren of magic. We fear for the Fairimentals!”
Moonshadow howled sadly. Howls of the pack echoed behind him.

“If there is so little magic left on Aldenmor, then why has she built these crystals?” Balthazar asked.

“She means to draw magic from somewhere else,” Zach said worriedly.

No one had to ask where that might be. There was only one place that held the kind of magic the sorceress desired. The home of all magic: Avalon.

Zach was silent for a few seconds. “She has the fairy map with the correct sequence of portals to Avalon.”

“
I, too, carry a fairy map of Aldenmor, given to me by my human wolf sister!”
Moonshadow managed to stick his nose in.

Adriane smiled. “It was a gift from the Fairimentals. I just brought it to you.”

“Wait!” Emily said. “You can only use fairy magic if it’s given to you. The sorceress stole that fairy map. She can’t use it.”

“But there is one person it
was
meant for,” Ozzie said, almost to himself. “Who
can
use it.”

“Kara,” Emily and Adriane said at the same time.

“The portal is closing,” Ronif yelled.

“The Fairimentals were trying to tell us something about the fairy map,” Adriane said.

“Be careful,” Zach said, talking faster. “The sorceress may have sent someone to your world to get Kara to open it for her.”

“But nothing bad can come through the dreamcatcher,” Ronif pointed out.

“Someone new
did
show up at Ravenswood recently…” Emily began.

“Yeah, someone who
volunteered
to come,” Adriane continued.

“Someone who Kara is spending an awful lot of time with…” Emily added.

“Johnny!” Adriane finished.

“Adriane, whatever happens,” Zach called out, “you can’t let Kara open that fairy map!”

Adriane nodded. “Stay strong, Zach. I promise we will see you and the pack again. Soon! And you’d better be right at the portal when I get there!” She had to fight back her tears.

Zach smiled, his green eyes warm and full of light as he faded away.

The portal was vanishing, swirling sparkling lights twinkling back into mist.

Suddenly, a mighty howl rose from the entire wolf pack, reaching across the worlds. Adriane and Storm howled back, cementing their bond with the ancient wolf song, and the spirit of Avalon.

“A
DRIANE
!”

Gran was standing in the open doorway of their cottage, waving. “Come here a moment.”

“Can it wait?” Adriane asked, pausing on the cobblestone pathway behind Ravenswood Manor. “I’m kind of in a hurry.”

“This will just take a minute. I need to show you something.”

Shrugging, Adriane turned and followed her grandmother into the house.

“What’s up?” she asked as they entered the living room.

“I don’t feel so good,” Gran told her, pointing at the couch.

Adriane spun around—and was shocked to see... her
grandmother
lying on it? She heard the front door lock behind her.

“Huh?” Adriane whirled around to face the other grandmother, who was smiling sweetly. There were
two
Grans. But that was impossible!

“This is where you’re supposed to say: ‘My, what sharp teeth you have, grandmother.’” The imposter leaned toward her with a little snicker.

Before Adriane could react, the old woman sprang at her with a strength and speed that Adriane would have thought impossible—if she’d had the chance to think at all. She was too busy screaming as her grandmother’s face changed. For a brief moment, Adriane thought she was looking at Johnny; then the creature’s skin turned green and scaly, fingernails turned to talons, teeth grew sharp and long, and the eyes blazed with a terrible inhuman fire.

“Time for a little nap, dear,” the Skultum said, its huge hands covering Adriane’s face.

Adriane tried to raise her stone but the dark magic sunk deep, paralyzing her senses. She caught a sudden, terrifying glimpse of the creature’s form changing once more, becoming a perfect duplicate of Adriane herself. Then all was black.

R
OWS OF PEOPLE
, in line for the concert, stretched all the way down the driveway leading into Ravenswood Preserve. Behind the manor, families strolled with children in the crisp afternoon sun; teens hung out by the huge speakers blasting music from the stage set on the great lawn. The entire town had shown up. Kara had heard that over three thousand people were in attendance, not huge by stadium standards, but a smashing success for Stonehill and for Ravenswood. Concession stands were doing brisk business selling popcorn, hot dogs, and lemonade. Everyone wore Ravenswood T-shirts, sweatshirts, hats, and bandanas. There were even small stuffed toys of favorite Ravenswood animals: Ariel, Storm, Lyra, and Ozzie.

A huge banner hung behind the stage. The words SAVE RAVENSWOOD! were stenciled over an image of a giant dreamcatcher. That had been Adriane’s idea.