Circles in the Stream (Avalon: Web of Magic #1) (17 page)

“Try and hold it!” Adriane called out.

“I can’t!” Emily screamed.

“Stay together! All of us!” Adriane ordered.

Kara hung on to Adriane and Emily as sparks of power raced over her to fuel the magic fire. Adriane and Emily swung the stream of fire like a bat. It came around hard, smacking the manticore, knocking it across the field.

The creature curled in upon itself and fell to the ground.

Wild lightning zigzagged erratically all around them.

“I can’t control it!” Emily yelled.

The air wrenched. The ground twisted. The sky cracked…

And the portal opened.

It was an immense empty space hanging in the air just off the ground. Trying to see through it was like trying to see through a thick fog. They could just make out a web of glowing lines, stars winking in complex patterns.

“You did it!” Ozzie shouted.

“Wow!” Kara looked into the endless void of the magic web.

“Hurry, get Phel up!” Ozzie was pushing at Phel’s side.

The girls rushed over and gently helped Phel to his feet. He was so light they had a hard time grabbing onto him.

“Hold on, Phel! Please!” Emily called. “You’re almost home!”

The web of stars twisted into a sparkling tunnel. They pushed Phel toward it. He floated into the portal and was gone.

Emily and Ozzie looked at each other. “Go, Ozzie, take care of him.”

Ozzie faced the doorway that would take him home. The twisting tunnel was already getting smaller. He looked back at the girls.

“Go, Ozzie!” Emily yelled. “Before the portal closes again!”

Ozzie leaped after Phel—and vanished.

“We love you,” Emily called.

A rush of hot wind whipped the girls’ hair and clothes. They clutched one another in terror as the manticore returned and swooped in to land beside the portal. Phel’s twinkling ball of stars was cradled in its huge, clawed hands.

The girls backed away.

The creature held up the sparkling ball. “I will be rewarded for this prize. Though I did enjoy the hunt, and the animals were amusing sport.” It grinned wickedly then turned red-hot eyes on Emily. Emily shrank back from the intense gaze and her gem flickered with dark purple.

“You have deceived yourself.” The red eyes were hypnotic, and Emily felt herself falling back into those familiar feelings of despair. “Magic cannot change what you really are. You are weak and helpless and doomed to failure.”

“No!” Emily cried out. She held up her gemstone. “I am a healer!”

Adriane raised her stone in the air. Kara stood between them, outstretched hands touching each of the jewels. Diamond-white blazed through her body to join the growing glow of blue-green and sun-gold.

“And no one messes with our friends!” Emily shouted as the magic built into an inferno of unearthly fire.

Fear flashed in the monster’s eyes.

Blinding light streamed out of the gemstones and hammered into the manticore. Still clutching the fairy map, it fell backward into the portal. The mist closed over it.

The twisting tunnel vanished as the web of stars glowed brighter and began to expand, spreading like an immense spiderweb over the entire field. The more it spread, the thinner it became…until nothing was left but a bright star hanging in the air where the portal had been. It twinkled—and winked out.

The clearing was still and quiet. Stormbringer came padding across the grass. Adriane ran to her, hugging the wolf and burying her face in the thick fur.

Exhausted, Emily sank to the ground, covering her face.

“Ozzie did it. He got home. That’s all he ever wanted,” she said quietly.

“He was one brave ferret,” Adriane said.

“And kinda cute, too,” Kara added.

“I’m going to miss him so much,” Emily cried.

“Gee, you’d think I was already dead.”

The girls whirled around. The ferret was standing right behind them.

“Ozzie!” Emily got up and ran to the ferret, picking him off the ground in a sweeping hug. “What happened?” she asked. “We thought you went home.”

“And miss all this excitement? With all the trouble you get into, who do you think is going to look after you three?”

“But I thought you wanted to go home,” Emily said.

“I did, and here I am.” Ozzie smiled.

“We lost the fairy map,” Adriane said.

Ozzie shrugged. “Together we’ll find another way.”

“But what if the monster comes back?” Kara asked.

“It got what it wanted. But the Fairimentals also got something
they
wanted.”

All three girls looked at him. “What?”

“You.”

“W
ELCOME TO THE
Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve,” Gran said politely. The group gathered on the great lawn behind the manor had been oohing and ahhing over the expansive gardens, with their beautiful fountains and sculptures. Everyone turned expectantly to Gran. The entire town council was there.

“Mrs. Charday, on behalf of the town council, I’d like to thank you for inviting us to this remarkable place,” Mayor Davies said formally. Beasley Windor scowled, looking around as if she expected a wild animal to jump out of a bush. “And, of course, our appreciation goes to Dr. Allison from the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta.”

Standing next to Emily’s mom, the CDC health official waved. He was a tall, handsome man. Emily and Adriane stood next to Gran. Kara was not there. Since the bizarre events two weeks earlier, they hadn’t seen her or heard a peep out of her.

“The Ravenswood Preserve has been a safe haven for animals for over a hundred years,” Gran said. “My granddaughter, Adriane, and her friend, Emily, will take you on the tour. Hiking is a bit difficult for me,” she added with a small smile.

“That’s our cue,” Adriane whispered as they stepped forward. “Hi, everyone. If you’ll all follow me, we’ll begin the tour out back here on the great lawn.”

The group followed the girls across the lawn to the maze garden.

On the other side of some hedges, a family of deer watched them.

“Ooh, deer,” one of the women said.

“Can we pet them?” another asked.

“Yes, they’re very tame.” Adriane handed around some small bags of animal feed.

The group looked to Dr. Allison.

“It’s quite all right,” the CDC official assured them. “These deer are perfectly healthy and quite native to these woods.”

The crowd gathered round to pet and feed the deer.

Mrs. Windor stood to the side, remarking loudly about how easily these lawns could be transformed into the back nine holes of a golf course. Fellow councilman Sid Stewart nodded enthusiastically.

Ronif popped his head out of a hedge behind Emily. “How’s it going?” the quiffle asked.

Emily pushed the quiffle’s head back down in the bush. “What are you doing? You’re supposed to be waiting with the others!”

“Everyone wants to know what’s happening,” said the bush.

“Fine! Now get back and make sure the others stay put,” Emily whispered.

The quiffle skirted away through the bush. One of the branches poked Beasley Windor’s behind. Startled, she scowled.

Emily giggled as the group followed Adriane into a sculpture-filled water garden where peacocks strolled between the fountains, displaying their resplendent feathers. Everyone oohed and ahhhed, and Emily began to think they could really win them over.

“Oh, look!” someone cried. Heads turned skyward.

An incredible owl was perched atop a tall fountain. Emily winked, and Ariel winked back. Spreading her magnificent wings, the owl took off. She glided in slow, perfect circles over the heads of the amazed group and came to land on Emily’s arm.

“How’d I doo”?

“Just wonderful!” Emily kissed the owl’s head and smiled at the astonished onlookers.

“Well, Miss Fletcher, you certainly have a way with these animals,” the mayor said.

Emily beamed. “Her name is Ariel. She’s a snow owl, very rare.” Ariel looked at the humans with huge, sparkling eyes.

The group looked to the CDC official. He laughed and gave a thumbs-up. Everyone crowded around Emily for a chance to pet the owl.

On the way back to the manor house the group buzzed with excitement. Beasley Windor was loudly suggesting the perfect place for the clubhouse when she stopped in midsentence.

In the middle of the lawn, a large silver wolf sat staring at her with golden eyes.

Beasley Windor pointed. “Aha! See? A dangerous animal!”

Adriane walked over and patted the wolf. “Please don’t be frightened,” she told the crowd. “I’d like you all to meet Stormbringer. She lives with us here at the preserve. We take care of her, but she really takes care of us.” She smiled.

“Incredible!” someone said.

“I never knew such creatures lived out here,” another commented.

“She’s very friendly and loves childern.” Adriane ruffled the wolf’s fur.

All heads turned to Dr. Allison. He walked up and patted the great wolf. “Certainly seems healthy,” he declared. “And obviously very well people-trained.”

Storm stood admirably still, allowing everyone to pet and admire her.

Adriane hugged her. “You’re the best!” she whispered.

“I’d rather be running with you through the forests.”

“Fantastic!” Mayor Davies exclaimed, taking in a deep breath of the crisp late summer air. “I’d forgotten how invigorating being out here felt!”

“That’s all well and good,” Mrs. Beasley stated, “but what about the woods? How do we know it’s truly safe out there?”

“There have been no attacks in the last two weeks,” the mayor responded. “No reports of anything unusual, and Dr. Allison has personally checked these animals.”

Carolyn stepped forward. “I’ve seen no sign of anything that would be cause for shutting down this preserve.”

Dr. Allison spoke up. “Frankly, I haven’t seen a trace of disease or toxins. Of course, something like that could still be lurking—”

“You see?” Mrs. Beasley interrupted triumphantly.

“Excuse me,” the CDC man continued firmly. “Dr. Fletcher and I both agree that it could have been a diseased animal responsible for the attacks, but I’ve found no evidence of anything here that might pose a danger to public health. My recommendation would be to watch and wait. If anything further is detected, Dr. Fletcher will contact me, but for now I’d say you have a one-of-a-kind treasure that the whole town should be proud of. As far as the CDC is concerned, Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve gets a clean bill of health!”

“Yes!” Emily burst out as she and Adriane high-fived.

“Thank you, Dr. Allison.” Beasley Windor stepped forward. “We’re all very relieved at your report. However, the issue still remains. These animals can live anywhere. What the town needs is income, not animals. We need to put this to a vote, and
I
vote for the redevelopment of this land into the Stonehill Golf Course and Country Club!”

“She has a point,” Sid Stewart said.

Emily’s heart sank. “Oh, no!”

Adriane kicked a stone. “I knew it! Nothing ever works out!”

“Aww, you girls break a nail?”

They turned around to find Kara standing there.

“Kara!” Emily said.

“Oh, of course, you had to come and cast your vote for the country club,” Adriane said snidely.

“Well, if we get one, I know I won’t be seeing
you
there!” Kara shot back

Adriane fumed. Kara fumed right back at her.

“Mrs. Windor,” Mayor Davies said. “Before we vote, I have a proposition for Mrs. Charday.”

Everyone looked at the mayor. He pointed to Kara. “My daughter, Kara, has suggested we open the preserve for tours, to give people a chance to see this beautiful place and learn about the animals—just like it was years ago.”

“Not a bad idea,” someone said.

Emily and Adriane looked at Kara.

“I told you I could talk Daddy into anything,” Kara said nonchalantly.

“What do you say, Mrs. Charday?” the mayor asked.

Gran, standing with crossed arms, shook her head. She started to say no but stopped herself when she looked at Emily, Adriane, and Kara. Her expression relaxed and her eyes twinkled. “On one condition.”

“Name it,” the mayor asked warily.