Cry of the Wolf (Avalon: Web of Magic #3)

by Rachel Roberts

  Emily opened her eyes, awestruck. They stood on an immense, circular platform, looking out upon the web itself. The magic web! An endless array of gleaming strands stretched out in every direction, woven into impossibly complex patterns. At every intersection, tiny glittering stars twinkled with pure white energy. When she looked down, Emily realized the platform was made of thousands of tightly woven strands. The platform formed the base of a giant circle, surrounded by connecting strands of the web. Smoke plumed from various places along the pathways. Upon closer inspection, she could see that sections of the web had been burned away. Loose strands unraveled as sparking embers of green glow spread from the edges—Black Fire. Through the gaping holes she could see where sections of starways crumbled and burned, falling away into the black of nothingness. Even the flobbin seemed stunned by the devastation of the ruined web.

  “Where are we?” Adriane asked.

  “A nexus,” Ghyll said quietly.

  “A what?”

  “There are sections of the web where many paths converge in one place,” Ghyll explained. “This is a nexus.”

  “Like a train station,” Emily said.

  “If you follow the right path, you can jump to different places, worlds.”

  “Is it safe here?” Kara asked.

  “I’ve never seen the web destroyed before. It’s terrible. And dangerously unstable.” Ghyll shifted his flippers nervously.