Tara Duncan and the Spellbinders (46 page)

“Ten at once,” Sparrow counted soberly.

Manitou turned to the others:

“C'mon, let's deal with the Portal,”

Cal, Robin, Angelica, and Tara joined him in a circle. Somewhat apprehensively, Tara held the living stone in her hand.

“Chem is going to locate the Portal at the precise spot the living stone is placed,” Manitou explained. “So put it in the center, and use your magic to prevent it from moving. Any questions?”

“I have one,” said Angelica, who was trembling with fear. “What happens if Master Chem can't get through the Portal?”

“Do you hear the Mud Eaters?”

“Yes.”

“If Chem doesn't make it, we'll have a long stay in the Eaters' burrows and then we'll be taken back to the Gray Fortress in chains.”

Angelica swallowed hard and decided to concentrate.

Manitou looked into the living stone.

“Chem?”

“Yes, are you ready? What's the hang-up, for heaven's sake?”

“We're being attacked by the Mud Eaters. Open the Portal, we're all set.”

“By Balthazar's horns, Baldur's entrails, and Grisol's rotten teeth!” cursed the high wizard. Then he quickly said, “By Transferus, Portal, open wide. Transfer me to the other side.”

An enormous Portal opened before him, big enough to allow the elves mounted on their pegasi to pass through. Almost immediately, an identical Portal appeared in front of the young spellbinders, in the middle of their circle. It was right above the living stone, held motionless by their power.

Behind them, the sounds of battle suddenly intensified. The Mud Eaters had managed to set foot on the island. Protected by their thick fur and using their powerful claws, they were pushing their way through the rosebushes. That's when Sparrow, Sheeba, and Fafnir fell on them. Baring her threatening fangs, Sheeba forced them back. Fafnir heaved them into the water, swamping the other rafts. And Sparrow grabbed them two by two and banged their heads together, knocking them out. But despite the trio's fierce resistance, the Mud Eaters' pressure gradually forced them to retreat. Suddenly Fafnir tripped over a body she hadn't noticed and the struggling dwarf disappeared under a pile of Mud Eaters who started to tie her up.

Terrified, Tara suddenly lost control of her power. Her eyes turned completely blue and her magic merged with the living stone's. From the other side, she could hear the pegasi champing at the bit, waiting for the Portal to be ready to transfer them.

Tara was sure of what she was doing and had no intention of waiting. Without bothering to see if the Portal was fully activated, she mentally seized the dragons and elves waiting in Lancovit and instantly transferred them to the island.

In the next moment, Chem was stunned to realize that he, along with fifty elves on their pegasi, some fifty dragon wizards, Master Dragosh, and half the Travia Castle courtyard walls now found themselves on the Island of Black Roses, facing two hundred equally stunned Mud Eaters. Then the Portal slammed shut.

Master Chem didn't try to understand. Instead, he changed back into a dragon, and charged. The other dragons did the same, taking to the air while the elves and the vampyr leapt into action.

They attacked the Mud Eaters en masse, who couldn't understand what was happening to them. The dragons' wings blew them down and knocked them out, their fierce flames singed their fur, and their huge jaws terrorized them. The Eaters must have thought that hell itself had swallowed them up. Within seconds they were destroyed or driven into the water, to be dealt with by its inhabitants. The elves did the mopping up, but there wasn't much left to do. The Mud Eaters who weren't able to flee on rafts tried to swim, screaming when a glurp came close. There were many hungry glurps, so there was a lot of screaming.

In the darkness, nobody noticed the bushes stirring. Creepers with black, razor-sharp thorns moved toward the unconscious Mud Eaters. One of them came to, shaking his head as if dazed, and saw the tendrils reaching his companions. He let out a squeal of despair and tried to escape. But Robin had done good work, and rosebushes now covered almost the entire island. The Eater didn't stand a chance. The creepers tracked him, tripped him, and quickly enveloped him, stabbing his body with their thorns. Curiously, they were careful to leave the spellbinders and the dog in peace.

An evil laugh that seemed to rise from a thousand voices then whispered in the darkness: “Free! I am free!” Tara was about to explore but the voice cautiously fell silent when the dragons returned, their fanged jaws open in wide smiles.

“They'll still be running tomorrow morning!” thundered a delighted Master Chem. “Come to my arms, children!”

Tara, who was talking with the living stone and half hypnotized by the power of their symbiosis, didn't stir. With a shout of joy Robin hugged his father, T'andilus M'angil, who was heading the elf group. The others looked nervously at the dragon's sharp spines and scales.

Chem suddenly understood, and laughed.

“Oops, I'm sorry. I forgot. I'll change again.”

Once he was back in human shape, Sparrow happily hugged him, half burying him in her fur. Cal and Robin, who were more reserved, greeted him with pleasure. Fafnir held him so tight, she almost broke his ribs. Sheeba gave him a welcoming roar.

“I'm so happy to see you all again,” the old wizard shouted. “I have to admit, you really scared me! And how the devil did you manage to transfer all of us here before the Portal was fully activated?”

“We used the link that was already formed,” said Tara in a strange, lilting voice. “Saving our three friends was very urgent, so we extended our power to your entire group. We apologize for the Castle courtyard. We didn't calculate that quite right.”

“Bah!” said the wizard, puzzled by her tone. “They're just some old stones. We'll fix everything up when we get home.”

Then he turned to Manitou and whispered, “What's the matter with her?”

“She's in communion with the living stone,” said the dog. “I think she doesn't know how to break the symbiosis. And when she says ‘we,' I imagine she's speaking for the stone and for herself.”

The wizard heaved a worried sigh.

“Goodness gracious, a living stone? I thought I hadn't heard correctly earlier. I think I could break the link between the two of them, but her extraordinary power might be useful to us, so—”

“So what?” interrupted Manitou dryly.

“So if Magister hasn't been alerted by Tara's magical action, it would be stupid to recreate a Portal. We have to take everyone with us. The Mud Eaters could return and attack them again.”

“Put the children on pegasi behind the elf warriors, and take them somewhere safe.”

“No, that would deprive me of six fighters, and I need all the elves I've got to attack the Fortress.”

“I completely disagree,” said the dog. “You're going to put them in danger!”

“Manitou, this is war! Magister kidnapped those children and was willing to pervert them with demonic magic. I'm not going to use them to conquer the Fortress. I just want them to accompany us. They can stay a mile away, guarded by a couple of elves, and won't join in the fighting. Does that suit you?”

“Don't ask me, ask them!”

“What?”

“Stop thinking that the humans are only here for your little games, Chem. Ask them their opinion. And if they say no, it'll be no. Period.”

The high wizard looked at him angrily, then shrugged.

“So be it . . . Tara!”

“Master?” replied the strange lilting voice.

“Your great-grandfather just reminded me that humans also have free will. What would you like to do? Come with us to the Bloodgrave Fortress or take cover somewhere while waiting for the fighting to be over?”

“Our mother is imprisoned in that Fortress, Master. We must come with you to free her.”

“You see, Manitou,” began the old wizard, “she—”

He suddenly interrupted himself.

“
Your mother
? But I thought she—”

“—was dead. So did we. But that's not the case. She is under a deadly spell that prevents her from leaving the Fortress. You are the only one who can release her from it. So of course we are going to come with you.”

“Where Tara goes, we go,” said Fabrice firmly, and the others concurred.

Master Dragosh came over to them.

“We're going to have a problem then,” he said. “Who is going to transport the children?”

“I have an idea about that. But first I need the elves to go on ahead. Their pegasi can't fly as fast as we dragons can. And they should take Gallant with them.”

He turned to Tara.

“Ask your familiar to go with the elves when they leave. Can you tell us where the Fortress is?”

“Yes, it's right here,” she said, pulling out the map. By Detailus, show my location please, so I can travel at my ease.”

The map obligingly opened up, but couldn't help making a few remarks.

“Oh my, dragons!” said the chatty chart as it displayed the route they had just taken. “Scads of dragons! Kindly hold your breath, I'm extremely flammable. So you want to know the way to the Fortress? Well, it won't take you more than two hours as the crow flies— forgive me, the dragon.”

“That's perfect,” said Chem, raising an eyebrow. “May I borrow this . . . map, Tara?”

“Of course, Master.”

Chem turned to the Lancovit secret services chief, whose arm was still affectionately draped around his son Robin's shoulders.

“Master T'andilus?”

“Yes, High Wizard?”

“Here is a map of Gandis. The route is easy to follow. Leave now and be careful. It's essential that the Bloodgraves not notice your presence. Land nearby, but keep out of sight. Here, for example.” He pointed to a spot on the map. “We'll join you there. Ah, just a second!”

“High Wizard?”

“I'm going to darken the coats of your pegasi.” A startled Gallant neighed in protest, but the wizard ignored him. “They're much too visible the way they are.”

He was right. When the pegasi had been turned black, they became shadows that melted into the night and disappeared in a great flight of feathers—led by an extremely grumpy Gallant.

The old wizard rubbed his hands.

“All right, it's our turn. Tara, have you ever shape-shifted before? I mean, ever taken some other form?”

“No, Master.”

The strange lilting voice betrayed no surprise, and also no interest, as if Tara's emotions were submerged by something else.

“I want you to change into a dragon. I will ex—”

She gave him no time to finish his sentence.

“Very well, Master.”

Tara began to swell and swell like a balloon. Chem stepped back in surprise. With a a pair of wings sprouted from her shoulders, her skin turned to scales and her hands to claws. A spiny ridge rose on her back, her face lengthened, and crystal fangs sprouted in her jaws. Within moments, an enormous golden dragon with entirely blue eyes and a luminous crystal rock set in its forehead like a third eye had taken the girl's place.

“—plain,” finished the wizard, thunderstruck. “Oh, I see you've already got the knack. That's good, very good. A little unnerving, but very impressive. Now, will you agree to carry your friends, so we can go faster? I will carry Angelica, Manitou, Master Dragosh, Robin, and Fabrice. You will have to take Cal, Fafnir, Sparrow, and Sheeba. My fellow dragons are too snobby to let anybody climb on their backs.”

The other dragons hissed in annoyance and took off.

“Very well,” Tara agreed. “Let our friends climb on our back. We are ready.”

“Wait!” yelped Angelica. “What about me?”

The high wizard blinked.

“What's the matter, little Angelica?”

“The matter is that I want to go home. I don't want to wind up in the middle of the fight between spellbinders. Send me back!”

“No.”

Tara's lilting voice had answered for the wizard.

“What do you mean, no?”

Angelica spun around, ready to slap her, until she realized that Tara was now fifty feet long—longer than a brontosaurus!

She turned imploringly to Master Dragosh.

“Don't you agree with me, Master?”

But the vampyr had already climbed onto the dragon's back.

“Angelica, the Master of Bloodgraves is extremely powerful,” Tara said in her odd, lilting voice. “If we open another Transfer Portal he might discover our presence, and we would lose the element of surprise. Climb onto Master Chem's back. As soon as we're finished with these monsters, you'll be able to go home.”

“But . . . ”

“If you keep arguing, we will leave you here with the Mud Eaters. Obey!”

Angelica turned to Master Chem, but he indicated there was nothing he could do. Shaking with her hatred of Tara, Angelica climbed onto his back, trampling the old dragon's scales. To give people more room, Chem changed his shape until he was as big as Tara.

They took off, and soon the island, the strange voice that had whispered in the darkness, and the black rosebushes were nothing but a speck in the distance.

T
ara was peacefully cruising along when the living stone released itself from their fantastic symbiosis, restoring Tara's consciousness to her. For a moment, she watched as the ground raced by . . . then suddenly realized she was six hundred feet above it! In a complete panic, she started pedaling in the air and stopped beating her wings—and immediately went into a steep dive.

“Heyyy!” yelled Cal. “Stop that! Pull up!
Pull up!
”

The ground was rushing up at them dangerously, and Tara suddenly understood that her wings were what kept them aloft. She desperately flapped them and barely avoided a collision with a huge tree . . . by flying underneath it. She leveled off with her muzzle skimming the branches rushing toward her, but couldn't help clipping a top branch with her wing.