Full Circle (Avalon: Web of Magic #12) (8 page)

“Look, Kara.” Logan moved in close to the girl. “For what it’s worth, I’m glad you didn’t become the dark mage.”

“That doesn’t change anything,” Kara said coolly, but couldn’t help flashing a quick smile.

“When this is all over, perhaps you’ll come back and let me prove it to you. There is so much we could discover.”

“I doubt it.”

The handsome fairy smiled, undeterred. “Then I’ll just have to come visit you.”

Adriane walked over and faced Logan squarely, cold eyes focused on his.

His smile fell away.

“You listen to me,” she hissed. “If I catch you or any of your friends anywhere near Ravenswood, you’re going to wish you were born in another galaxy.”

Logan stepped back, raising his hands in defense. “Got it.”

Adriane turned on her heel and marched away.

“I don’t want you catching any more of these shadow creatures,” Emily warned him. “No animal should be kept in those tiny little cages!”

Buttercup stuck out his forked tongue and scampered after Emily.

Kara lingered just a second, sneaking a glance at the dark fairy.

“Let’s go, Kara,”
Lyra urged.

Logan winked at the blazing star. Something told her she hadn’t seen the last of him.

T
HE SHADOWY EXPANSE
of ancient trees loomed over the land in a thick maze of cedar snags and dark pines, giving credence to the name Black Forest. Here, deep in the heart of Aldenmor, was a place the residents of the Moorgroves had never dared to explore, leaving its mysterious creatures and hidden places of magic as yet undiscovered.

Drake had landed in a small clearing, the drop-off point indicated by Logan’s map. Among the scattered remains of supply crates and broken wagons, the mages had found a fire pit and enough wood to start a campfire.

The pop and crackle of the flames were strangely soothing. But huge black snakes slithering along the twisted tree trunks and the whispering calls from unseen creatures assured them danger lurked outside the fire’s bright circle.

With Goldie protectively fluttering around her, Kara paced the camp perimeter, stretching her legs after the long flight. Drake was a big dragon, but it was cramped flying with three mages, not to mention Dreamer and Buttercup sharing one traveling basket.

Emily and Adriane had unpacked Drake’s saddlebags, laying out cooking supplies and grooming brushes.

Drake’s dragon tummy rumbled as he watched Adriane pour pre-measured sacks of noodles into a collapsible cooking pot Zach had designed.

“Okay, I hear ya.” The warrior gently rubbed her baby dragon’s snuffling snout.

Emily ran a brush over Dreamer and Lyra. The animals stretched out, letting their tight muscles relax under the healer’s soothing strokes.

Buttercup poked his long nose into the supplies, sneezing prodigiously when the warrior tore open a package of zesty red seasoning.

“Ak sauce,” she explained, pouring the powder into the broth and letting the noodles simmer.

“Akarup.” Buttercup bounced excitedly as the aromatic spices wafted through the air.

“All right, let’s have a look at you.” Adriane reached for the bizarre new member of the group.

Startled, Buttercup leaped behind Emily and growled.

Dreamer sat back on his haunches, tongue lolling in a wolf snicker.
“What a noob. Good luck training him.”

Lyra snorted, unimpressed.

Emily stroked Buttercup’s long rounded head, speaking softly. “It’s all right. Adriane just wants to see how pretty you are.”

Buttercup’s mismatched eyes brightened. An array of black and gold spikes suddenly sprang from his neck, fanning into a wide circle around his head. A huge grin stretched across his lips.

“Whoa!” Kara exclaimed.

Buttercup sauntered toward Adriane, allowing her to admire him properly.

The warrior kneeled to examine his natural armor. “No scales, leathery skin.” She ran a hand over his thick muscled legs and lifted a paw to examine long yellowed claws extending from his three large toes. She inspected the webbing between his toes, shining gold in the firelight. “Built for swimming, too. You’re tough, aren’t you?”

“Ruff!”

“We’ll get to the pedicure after dinner,” Kara announced, taking some special provisions out of Drake’s saddlebags.

“You brought hot dogs?” Adriane exclaimed.

Goldie flapped excitedly.

“Organic veggie dogs from The Garden.” The blazing chef expertly speared several on a long stick and held the tasty morsels over the fire. “Goldie’s favorite.”

In no time they were sizzling hot. Kara held the stick in front of their new friend. “Here, try one of these.”

Buttercup took a sniff and scarfed up three dogs in one gulp, forked tongue licking his lips in delight.

“HaaaatDogggg!” He bounced up and down.

“Nuh uh,” she scolded. “Goldie’s turn.” She gave one to the mini dragon who chomped on it delicately.

“Haaaaawwtdoggg!” Buttercup insisted.

“I think your new friend is part pig,” Kara told Emily.

Buttercup nodded emphatically as Kara gave in and handed him another one.

Brrrrummble.

A rude noise rumbled across the glade.

“Steady there, Drake,” Adriane said, giving the boiling noodles a final stir. “Almost done.”

The dragon’s golden eyes blinked in surprise. “
That wasn’t me.”

“Then whose tummy was it?” Kara looked at Goldie, who shrugged.

Dreamer sprang to attention, sniffing the air. “
Something smells familiar.”

“Company,” Adriane confirmed, instantly connected to her packmate’s keen senses.

Something was hiding in the darkness beyond the fire line. Something big. And it was moving toward them, sneaking steadily from tree to tree.

Lyra growled, her emerald eyes scanning the forest.

Adriane carefully lowered the cooking spoon and gave Dreamer a nod. The mistwolf sprang into the shadows and vanished, with Lyra right behind him.

Holding her finger to her lips, the warrior signaled for Kara and Emily to take position by her side.

Jewels pulsing red, silver, and blue, the trio stood listening to the faint scrape of wind against the trees.

The silence was suddenly broken by ferocious roars followed by a sharp scream.

Branches bent and snapped as a huge, black shape crashed into the clearing, tripped over a downed root and fell with a giant
thump!

“Ow.”

A pair of big purple eyes widened at the sight of three mages wielding fearsome magic. Lyra and Dreamer stood on either side of this new intruder, their sharp teeth inches from his sleek, horse-like head.

“Gwyx!” Adriane exclaimed, giving the all-clear signal to the others.

The black dragon scrambled back, tried to stand, and fell over.

“Ow.”

Dreamer and Lyra eased off, but remained on guard.

“Hi, brother Gwyx!”
Drake trumpeted happily.

“Don’t give me that brother doodoo!”
The black dragon sat up and rubbed his horned head. “
You ruined everything!”

“How did you find us?” the warrior asked. The last time she had seen the black dragon, he was returning to Dragon Home, triumphant with his supposed victory over the shadow dragon.

“I’ve been tracking you for hours,”
Gwyx grumbled.

Although slightly smaller than Drake, the dragon was formidable. Giant muscles rippled along his sleek body.

“We didn’t even notice you,” Adriane said, impressed.

“Well.”
Gwyx proudly stretched his immense, purple streaked wings.
“I am very stealthy.”

Kara eyed the unexpected guest. “What are you doing here?”

“
You!”
Gwyx wheeled on the blazing star, eyes sparking.
“You ruined everything!”

“You can thank me later.”

“Why would I ever thank a human?”

“She killed the shadow dragon,” Adriane told him.

“She did?”
the black dragon snorted.

“The shadow creature possessed me.”
Drake huffed a lick of flame.
“It would have tried to kill all the dragons at Dragon Home.”

“Ah harkle! So that is where the beast hid.”
Gwyx nodded sagely
. “Cleverer than he thought.”

“Doodoo,” Buttercup added.

“What is that thing?”
Gwyx studied the bizarre creature sniffing his leg.

“Buttercup,” Emily answered.

“Oh.”
Gwyx shooed him away and stomped over to Kara.
“You stole my quest!”

“You’re welcome.”

“Now what do I do? I need a new warrior quest!”

“How about storming the Dark Sorceress’s castle and fighting an army of lizard guards?” the blazing star offered.

Gwyx looked startled.
“Um, no, thank you. You must come to Dragon Home with me and explain everything so I can get my name back.”

“Fine, but we have our own quest,” Adriane said. “You can wait here with Drake.”

“Have some noodles,”
Drake offered.

“That’s disgusting.”
The black dragon sniffed the bubbling noodles and spicy sauce, large nostrils flaring. “
Maybe one taste.”

Kara opened Logan’s map and studied it. “This only tells us how to get here. What now?”

“We sniff.”
Magic tracking senses alert, Dreamer snuffled over the ground, ears twitching. He stopped just beyond the clearing.
“This way.”

Everyone crowded around to look at the mistwolf’s discovery: dozens of lizard-like footprints in the mossy earth.

“Can you follow the trail?” Adriane asked.

Dreamer nodded.

“All right. Let’s move out.” The warrior zipped her jacket tight and adjusted the black and turquoise bracelet on her right wrist. “Drake, stand by. I’ll call if we need you.”

Emily pulled her long curls back tight with a scrunchy. “Buttercup, you stay here with the dragons.”

“Tuff!” Buttercup stood his ground, wide mouth set in a stubborn frown.

“Doesn’t look like he knows how to stay,” Adriane observed.

“Maybe he could help me.” Emily met the creature’s eyes. “You stick close, okay?”

Buttercup nodded.

“No magic unless I tell you.”

Buttercup nodded again.

“Good boy.” Emily patted his head. “Let’s go.”

R
ED-TINGED MIST CURLED
around them as the mages made their way through the Black Forest. Dreamer, on point, followed the lizard guards’ scent through the gnarled trees and thorny underbrush. Lyra brought up the rear, alert for trouble.

In less than a mile the group stopped, staring in silence: They’d come upon an enormous fortress rising from the forest floor. Mighty trees had been magically welded together to form an impenetrable wall.

The Dark Sorceress had not even bothered concealing her new lair with an invisibility shield. She’d counted on the Black Forest itself to scare off intruders.

The bottom half of the lair was hidden behind the wall, but the mages could see a rocky tower angling up in the center of the structure. A faint yellow light flickered in its open window.

“Looks like someone’s home,” Kara noted.

Adriane signaled for silence and pointed. An arched iron gate cut through the wall like the clenched teeth of a great beast. Quietly, the mages and animals crept around the perimeter. Now they could see a courtyard through the bars—and about a dozen guards slouching near the entrance.

“One way in, one way out,” the warrior observed as the others huddled around her.

“What if the sorceress is in there?” Emily whispered anxiously. For all they knew, their enemy could have returned to her lair, strengthened by the magic of Avalon.

“Then we deal with her,” Adriane stated. The others looked at her expectantly, waiting for the warrior’s battle plan.

“Direct assault is out,” Adriane said after a moment. “No fireworks. We go in under Dreamer’s mist. Emily hits the guards with a mind spell. Got it?”

Emily’s anxiety was evident.

“It’s okay.” Kara took her friend’s hand. “No one will know we’re even here.”

Kapow!

The iron gates burst open, torn loose in a squealing crunch of twisted metal.

Smoke poured from the gaping maw as yelling erupted inside.

Adriane was instantly alert, jewel blazing.

Kara and Emily stood beside her as magic coursed like lightning in the courtyard.

Dreamer and Lyra leaped to position, ready to attack.

“Stand your ground!” Adriane ordered.

Through the haze, Buttercup stood in the middle of the scorched earth, grinning proudly. His body was crackling like a sparkler.

“Or, we could go with Plan B,” the blazing star said wryly.

“Blowduppup!” The creature bounded over to Emily.

“How did you do that?” Emily asked, too startled to be angry.

Dozens of tall lizard guards poured through the gate brandishing long jewel-tipped staffs. Sharp teeth bared, they charged.

“Emily, take them out!” Adriane rushed forward, Dreamer and Lyra by her side.

The warrior twisted into the air, fists blasting silver fire. Roaring in fury, mistwolf and cat tore into the creatures.

Emily raised her jewel, blindly sending waves of magic into the fray. As much as she wanted to help, she felt unbalanced—and the spell had little effect.

Adriane and Dreamer were a blur of motion, taking out dozens of guards before they could get any closer. But there were too many. A second line aimed their staffs and fired.

Kara’s diamond magic collided with the oncoming barrage in a fireball of light.

Gasping for breath, Emily wiped sweat from her eyes. This was no group of frivolous, partying magic users. These were seasoned troops of the Dark Sorceress. The familiar fear roiled inside. She was too weak to help her friends.

Buttercup’s mismatched eyes met the healer’s, orange and purple bright with determination.

“I can’t,” Emily protested.

But it was the only way. The dark power was hers, if she chose to use it.

Raising her jewel high, she reached for the magic rooted deep inside. Held steady by Buttercup, the shadow spell coiled from her gem like a serpent. Rippling through the air, the magic came swift and strong, striking the guards with the full force of her deepest, darkest fear. Shrieks of terror rang into the night as the guards dropped their weapons and scattered in all directions.

Emily was still shaking when Adriane pulled her into the mist.

“Easy.” Adriane gathered everyone under Dreamer’s invisible cloak. “You okay?”

“I... don’t know how long it will hold,” Emily stammered.

Kara smiled. “Looks like they’ll run all the way to Port Tuga.”

“Shhh! The warrior led the group into the courtyard and up the steps to the iron-studded door of the keep. Ready to take on anyone waiting inside, she kicked it open.

Her dark eyes scanned the cavernous foyer. “All clear.”

Mages and bondeds made their way into a stone-walled antechamber. Marble pillars marked the way to the main chambers.

They came to a stop in an enormous room gleaming with black marble floors. Red stained glass windows lined the upper levels. A long swath of midnight velvet led to an intimidating ebony throne.

A cloud of mist morphed into wolf form and padded across the floor, sniffing for danger.

“Still decorating from Dungeons ’R Us,” Kara observed, dusting herself off.

“She’s not here,” Emily stated flatly.

Adriane nodded. “Still in Avalon then.”

Kara scanned the empty throne room. “Your spell must have cleared the whole place.”

“It only hit the guards outside.” Emily and Buttercup had moved to another corridor to the right of the throne. “Whoever was in here ran from something else. Up there.” The healer peered at a narrow staircase spiraling up into darkness.

Dreamer crouched by her side, hackles raised. “
Something foul.”

The mages’ jewels all pulsed in sync, a deep red signal of danger.

“Stay together,” Adriane ordered, making her way up the staircase.

At a signal from the warrior, Dreamer and Lyra brushed past, sniffing carefully for traps.

Goldie clung to Kara’s neck, ready to protect the blazing star.

Jewel light played against the stone walls in a carousel of color that made the mages feel even more claustrophobic inside the curving stairwell.

Emily’s jewel suddenly whirled to a dark purple bruise as they ascended the last steps. Chills prickled up and down her arms. “Dark magic.”

“Where?” Adriane asked.

An empty hallway stretched before them. Starlight danced through rows of windows glittering in the dank air. Pinpoints of magic grasped at the perimeters of the healer’s mind, converging dead ahead.

“In there.”

Sweeping bands of jewel light illuminated a wooden door at the hallway’s end.

Buttercup growled and wedged himself in front of Emily.

“Dreamer, with me.” Adriane glanced at the others. “The rest stay here.”

Locked into her packmate’s heightened senses, the warrior silently crept forward, mistwolf by her side. At her touch, the door creaked open ominously. Shadows rippled as flickering torchlight spilled from the room. Something flew past the door, slithering across the ceiling, vanishing into the hallway. It was so fast, it could have been a trick of the light.

The mages whirled around. They had all seen it. But what was it?

Streams of jewel light lit every corner.

Right above them, trapped in the light, was a slimy black ink blot with hideous pulsing tentacles. With a siphoning hiss, the creature absorbed the light, plunging the corridor into darkness.

“Shadow creature!” Kara cried.

The thing flew at the mages, but Dreamer and Lyra intercepted the attack, tearing at it with teeth and claws.

Dreamer howled as the shadow creature melted over him like a black leech. Dripping needles pierced his skin, paralyzing his cries to a whimper.

Magic exploded in the corridor.

“Hold your fire
!”
Adriane snarled. “You’ll hit Dreamer!”

Blue magic flew from the rainbow jewel. “Help me heal it!” Emily cried.

Buttercup bounded in front of her, shaking his head. “Baaaadogggg!”

But his warning came too late. Emily screamed as the creature leeched into her magic, twisting it to the core. The creature had no aura, no light at all. Only a bottomless black hole of pure violence.

“Emily!” Kara tried to help her friend, but her bright magic was pulled into the thing with such force, she could barely break away.

“Kara!” Goldie spun overhead.

Slashing and snarling, Lyra struggled to free Dreamer from the deadly attack.

“Stand back!” Adriane yelled. Silver light burst around her body. In a flash, the warrior turned to mist and shot into her bonded. Suddenly Dreamer vanished, only to reappear across the room. Shrieking in fury, the shadow creature flew at the blazing star.

Kara was thrown backward, diamond pink exploding from her jewel. Windows shattered in a hail of colored shards. But instead of injuring it, Kara’s blast only strengthened the nightmarish thing. Sucking in the magic of the blazing star, it doubled in size.

Kara scrambled to her feet and grabbed Goldie. “No good, it’s feeding on our magic!”

Emily’s mind flashed to the sea wolves attacking defenseless creatures in the oceans of Aldenmor. Like those predators, she could not heal the shadow creature. This thing was a ruthless killer that only cared about taking magic from its victims.

Emily knew there was only one choice.

“Stay with me,” she told Buttercup as her hazel eyes shaded to black.

With surprising ease, her rainbow jewel glistened blood-red. She reached for the creature, the darkness flooding her veins.

Its bloodcurdling shriek abruptly stopped as it disintegrated in a haze of smoke.

Voracious hunger ripped through Emily. The dark power had infected her and wanted more magic. Buttercup fought to hold her, but it was not enough. She was slipping over the edge. Power radiating in dark waves, Emily descended on Dreamer, covering his black fur in a blanket of red magic. Silver light whipped from his body, absorbed into the twisted rainbow jewel.

“Emily, you’ll kill him!” the warrior screamed, wolf fire exploding from her jewel.

Adriane and Kara grabbed hold of their friend, draping her in a blanket of silver and pink. Buttercup, Lyra, and Goldie added their magic, struggling to give the healer the strength she needed.

Emily eyes cleared to bright hazel.

The downed mistwolf lay panting on the ground, his silver aura frayed and torn. But Emily quickly rewove the beautiful pattern, spreading it back over the mistwolf. As Dreamer’s aura shone true, Emily’s jewel phased to green, then blue. All traces of darkness were swallowed by her pure healing light.

The healer’s heart pounded in her chest. It was as if she had been watching herself, helpless as the darkness took over. She may not have become a dark mage permanently, but the cold hunger for magic lay buried inside, waiting to strike.

Dreamer stretched and stood, eyes bright.
“Thank you, healer.”

Adriane hugged her packmate, then met Emily’s haunted eyes.

“Logan was right,” the healer said faintly. “Dark magic kills them.”

“Guys, over here!” Kara was through the door, her eyes wide with shock. Emily and Adriane hurried to her side.

An old man lay sprawled on the floor, his skin as pale as the thin white hair on his head. His skeletal ribs barely moved with the weak breath rattling between his cracked lips.

“It’s him!” Kara gasped.

Though they had never met him, the healer, the warrior, and the blazing star all knew they were looking for the first time upon Henry Gardener, the wizard who should have been their mentor.