Circles in the Stream (Avalon: Web of Magic #1) (5 page)

Somehow most of the crusty layers had vanished. The stone was shiny and faceted in places. The blue-green surface was shot with clear, sparkly veins of purple. She turned it over and over. How could she not have noticed how pretty it was when she found it?

It felt… magical.

“Ridiculous!” she snorted.

She sat holding the stone, looking at it for answers. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound completely insane. Maybe it was radioactive, or part of a meteor, but it felt so…right. More strange things had happened to Emily today than in the whole rest of her life. She hated things she couldn’t explain!
Everything
had a scientific explanation, didn’t it? Okay, so what
had
really happened?

She knew what she had to do. Regardless of what might be in those woods, she was going back, back to that glade to find some answers for herself.

THE SUN HAD risen, but the dew still sparkled on the grass. It was going to be another beautiful day. Emily walked across the park and playing fields, her long shadow stretching ahead of her as she followed it westward. It fell to her right when she turned up the main road to the Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve. As she approached the iron gate, she hesitated.

What was she doing? Last time she’d
had
to go in there—she’d had no choice. This time she was going back on purpose—and she knew it might not be safe.

Emily was terrified. Had she actually seen a monster in those woods? She thought of the glowing stone.
Could
it be radioactive? Was someone doing experiments on the animals there?

She squared her shoulders. She was determined to find that glade. She’d stick to clear trails. Any sign of trouble, she’d turn back immediately.

She swung the heavy iron gate open and passed through.

This time she followed the main road. There was no sign of the magical puff flowers. And no sign of the ghosty mist, either. The path turned into a pebble driveway that sloped downward through an expansive lawn. And at the far end stood the imposing structure of an incredible mansion, nestled in the woods. As Emily approached, it rose up like an ancient castle complete with ivy covered, stone turrets. The main house was huge, and there were smaller buildings that could have been guesthouses or stables. Two large front windows seemed to watch her like dark eyes. She had the oddest feeling that the house itself was alive.

Yeah, right! Houses were
not
alive. A light flared from a second-story window. That was strange. Could Mr. Gardener have returned? Or maybe it was a witch with a big cauldron! Maybe she was a good witch, like Glinda. Or maybe she ate little children like in Hansel and Gretel. Stop it! Emily scolded herself. You’re being silly. Those’re fairy tales, kid stuff.

Then she heard the scream.

“OWEEEIIIOO!”

What was
that
? Someone was in pain!

“Ooooweeeiooooo!”

Frantically Emily looked around. The high-pitched moan was coming from somewhere in the woods!

“Heeellp!”

Emily turned and ran in the direction of the voice. She zigzagged through the trees, making her way around thorny thickets and muddy hollows. The cries were nearer now and more distinct.

“
Ow! Ow! Heeelllppp—gah!”

Emily crashed into a small clearing—and stopped, panting hard. Kneeling by a tree was a girl. She had her back toward Emily as if doubled over in pain. Long, shiny black hair fell over her dark T-shirt. She wore black jeans and hiking boots.

“Are you okay?” Emily gasped, out of breath.

The girl turned her head, fixing startled dark eyes on Emily. It was that strange girl who’d brought the wounded cat to the clinic. “What do you think you’re doing here?” she demanded.

Emily moved back a step. “I…I…you called for help,” she said, confused by the girl’s hostility.

“I did not!” The girl was crouched over something. “This is private property. Get out of here!”

Emily wasn’t about to be intimidated again. “And what gives
you
the right to be here?” she shot back.

“I
live
here,” she said.

Emily tried to peer over the girl’s shoulder. “What’s that you’ve got there?”

“Nothing,” she insisted, maneuvering her body between Emily and whatever she was hiding.

Emily edged closer.

“Go home!” the girl demanded, dark eyes flashing. “You don’t belong here.”

“Neither do I!” exclaimed a high-pitched voice. “And whatever I am, I’m certainly not nothing. Ow, my leg! Ow-ow-owwwie!!!”

Emily faked to the left, then twisted around to her right. Before the other girl knew it, Emily was past her.

She blinked, totally surprised. In front of her, a golden ferret writhed in pain, his foot caught in a steel trap that was way too big for his elongated, furry body. “He needs help!” Emily exclaimed.

“That’s what I was trying to do, genius,” the girl replied.

Emily bent over to examine the ferret closer. His fur was mostly pale gold with wisps of brown; his feet, tail tip, and mask were darker brown.

“Watch out, he’ll bite you,” the girl warned.

Cautiously, Emily reached down to find a good grip on the trap.

“Owwie, owwwie…ow—Aghhh!!!!”

“Hold still a minute,” she told the ferret. “I haven’t done anything yet.”

“Oh. Well, get on with it.”

Emily’s jaw dropped. She stared at the ferret. “It’s…it can’t be—but I think he’s
talking!
”

“Score one for you,” the girl replied.

Emily tried to pull apart the steel jaws, but she wasn’t strong enough. The other girl reached out to help. Together, they pulled the trap open just enough for the creature to wiggle his foot free.

“Oh, that feels so goooood! I could kiss you, but I’m not sure I even have lips.”

Emily’s head whirled. This was impossible!

The ferret sat and examined his foot. “What in the world am I?” he asked, alarmed. “I look like some sort of
rodent
!” He stood and hobbled. “Aaahhh! How could they do this to me?” Then he looked up at Emily and his small eyes, set inside the brown mask, blinked. “Hey, aren’t you the one who hit me on the head with that big rock?”

“It was a soccer ball,” she corrected distractedly. Wait a minute! She was correcting a
ferret
!

“Is that some kind of formal greeting here? Beaning me on the head?”

“It was an accident.”

“What kind of world is this? Everything hurts!” the ferret whined.

“What’s he talking about?” the other girl asked. “You hit him?”

“No, I mean, yes, I—” Emily stopped suddenly. “But—but—that means…” She sat down hard on the ground. “If we can
both
hear him, then it must really—I mean, can it be talking?” She shook her head. “No way! Not possible!”

“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here,” the ferret complained. He tried to walk on his wounded paw. “Owww!” He was obviously in pain.

That snapped Emily back to reality. “We’ve got to get him to my mom. She can fix up his leg.”

“No way—I am staying right here. I am
not
going anywAahHH!” The ferret screamed and leaped onto Emily’s leg, grabbing at her shirt with his claws. Emily turned. Her heart began to pound. A great silver wolf stepped out of the shadows and walked to the dark-haired girl’s side. It sat down and cocked its head at Emily. It was the wolf from the glade.

“Hello, healer.”

Emily was stunned. Was that the
wolf
’s voice in her mind?

“Help, it’s a mistwolf!” yelled the terrified ferret.

The girl was patting the wolf. “You know this person?”

“We had an adventure,”
the wolf replied.

“What?” The girl sounded hurt.

“Thank you for…whatever you did,” Emily stammered, trying to pull the panicked ferret off by his good leg. “I think you, uh, might’ve saved the dogs and me.”

“How can
you
hear her?” the other girl demanded angrily.

“I don’t know,” Emily whispered. “I just can.”

The dark-haired girl raised her hands in frustration. “What’s going on around here?”

“Good question,” Emily answered, shaken. What
was
going on in these woods? Some weirdness that made her think animals could talk?

The other girl turned and bent close to the wolf. “I don’t like this. I thought you only talked to me.”

“This is unlike you, warrior,”
the wolf said.

“But it’s
our
secret,” she pleaded.

“She is a healer,”
the wolf replied calmly.

Emily was a little shaken by the wolf’s words.

“Gahh! Stay away from it! It’s a mistwolf!” the ferret screamed, poking his head out from behind Emily’s arm.

“Stop whining, she’s not going to eat you!” The dark-haired girl got to her feet, distracted from her anger and suspicion.

“I will leave until later,”
the wolf told her.
“The little traveler needs time.”
Rising, the wolf wheeled about on her haunches and padded back into the woods.

“Smart wolf,” Emily commented.

The other girl glared at her. “I don’t know who you think you are, but these are
my
secrets.”

“Whatever!” Emily felt like her circuits were overloaded. She couldn’t take any more of this bizarre input. “I’m taking this ferret back to the clinic.” “A ferret?!” The ferret was looking himself over in Emily’s arms.

“Maybe my mom can figure out what it is,” Emily continued.

“What do you mean, what it is?” The other girl moved closer.

Emily tried to stay calm. “Animals do not talk.”

“Well, this one does. And all we need is your mom to tell everyone.” The girl started pacing. She gazed in the direction where the wolf had disappeared, then looked pleadingly back to Emily. “People think this place is weird enough already!”

“You’re just going to accept a ferret that talks?”

“Could you wait, at least?” the girl asked.

“For what?”

“Just wait, that’s all… to tell your mother. Until we can figure out what all this is about.”

Emily stared at the girl she had only just met. She could tell that the girl cared deeply for these woods—and for the animals that lived here.

“Well, my mom can set its leg anyway.” Cradling the ferret gently in her arms, she started walking away.

“It’d be faster if you go the other way.”

Emily stopped. “What?”

The raven-haired girl sighed. “Come on, you’ll just get lost,” she said, dusting off the seat of her black jeans.

“Fine!”

Emily followed the girl and soon they were on a narrow dirt track, heading out of the preserve. The ferret lay still in the crook of Emily’s arm, muttering incoherently.

“I’m Emily Fletcher,” Emily offered.

“Adriane Charday.”

“Hi, Adriane. Nice to meet you again.”

“Yeah,” Adriane said half-heartedly. “Uh...same here.”

“….maybe it was the wrong portal,” the ferret mumbled. “Maybe I should have gotten better directions…maybe I should have just stayed home!”

“I didn’t know there were wolves in this part of the country,” Emily tried again.

“This
is
a wildlife preserve, you know,” Adriane snapped. She caught herself and calmed down. “Her name is Stormbringer. She’s a mistwolf.”

“Mistwolves! What have I gotten myself into?” the ferret whined.

“I’ve never heard of mistwolves,” Emily said, trying to ignore the fact she was holding a talking ferret.

“Mistwovles are legendary, everyone’s heard of them!” the ferret squirmed in Emily’s arms.

“She’s the last of her kind,” Adriane said.

“How do you know that?”

“She told me,” Adriane answered.

“That is so weird!”

“No weirder than the fact that
you
can hear her speak,” Adriane retorted.

The girls looked at each other.

“Just what kinds of animals are on this preserve?” Emily asked incredulously.

“All kinds—supposedly. I haven’t found any except for Storm…and the cat—and now this ferret.”

“Adriane, I think the wolf saved me yesterday,” Emily said in a soft voice. “I was about to be attacked by this...I don’t know, animal-thing, I couldn’t really see it clearly, but the wolf hid me in this mist….” she faltered. It still seemed so unbelievable.

“You think that thing attacked the cat?” Adriane asked

“I… don’t know.”

Adriane took a deep breath. “Look, I’m sorry I was such a jerk. I didn’t want to share this with anyone. I’ve only known Storm for a few weeks, she’s
so
amazing…”

“I understand.” Emily nodded. “Not that I’ve got anyone to tell,” she added under her breath.

Adriane heard her anyway. “What do you mean?”

“We just moved to Stonehill, my mom and me. I don’t have any friends here.”

“I should have stayed in the Misty Moors…dumb Fairimental magic…” the ferret complained as the girls walked on.

“Noisy, isn’t he?” Adriane commented.

“Adriane, animals
don’t
talk!”

“Before I met Storm I would’ve said the same thing.”