“He’s using some kind of magic!” Emily exclaimed.
“’Pard, or boar with bristled hair,
In thy eye that shall appear…’”
“The fairies will reward me generously for dealing with spies!” Musso cried out.
“’When thou wak’st, it is thy dear.
Wake when some vile thing is near.’”
Musso lobbed the glowing green orb at Marcus. “I’ll show you a vile thing!”
Racing over from the wings, Adriane and Emily swung their fists up. Glimmering gold and blue light streamed toward the stage, shielding the unsuspecting Marcus from whatever Musso’s spell was about to do.
With a twink, the green spell ricocheted off the mages’ shield and flew offstage.
“Very cool lighting, Joey,” Marcus gave him props. “Really rad.”
“That was close,” Emily said, letting out a breath as the shield faded.
Poof!
A flash of green light erupted off stage.
“Uh-oh.” Adriane grimaced.
“Okay, Nick Bottom, you’re on!” Rae ordered.
“Hee-Haw!”
A loud donkey bray echoed throughout the auditorium, making everyone jump. Adam stumbled onstage, tugging at the ears on his donkey-head costume.
“Excellent!” Rae said. “And… action!”
“Hee-Hawww!” Adam tried to read a line, stumbled across the set, tripped over Musso and flew backstage next to Adriane and Emily.
“Adam, are you okay?” Adriane asked.
“Never better, why?” he scratched his ears and continued to read his lines. “‘I see their knavery.’”
Adriane tried to pull off his mask. It wouldn’t budge.
“Hee-HaW!” Brown fur covered Adam’s shoulders and arms.
“Musso’s spell!” Emily’s hand flew to her mouth as she watched Adam’s tail swish behind him.
“It turned Adam into a real donkey!” Adriane cried.
KARA WATCHED ANXIOUSLY as the black iron cage was pushed into the riding arena on huge rollers. Rocky walls several stories high circled the stadium. The bleachers were filling fast with the kings and queens of the Fairy Realms and their entourages.
“Everyone will be perfectly safe when the shield goes up,” Oriel reassured Kara.
Safe from a horse? She bit her lip. “What kind of horse is this?”
“He is a fire stallion,” Tangoo replied proudly. “One of a kind, forged from the very heart of elemental fire magic.”
“A perfect match for the blazing star!” The fairy king beamed.
“Do not worry, Princess,” Queen Selinda murmured. “The stallion cannot get out.”
“Neither can I,” observed Kara.
“I have faith in you,” the queen said as she gracefully headed toward her seat.
As the guards placed the glimmering cage and its angry occupant into the center of the arena, Kara thought about the Firemental that had once paid her a visit in the Ravenswood Library. Composed of free-flowing elemental magic, the creature was dangerous and unstable, but it had helped her. How she wished she were back in the warmth of that room now, safe with her friends.
She looked to the brave little dragonfly on her shoulder. “Goldie, I want you to leave—”
“Stay with Kaaraa!” the dragonfly protested, gripping Kara’s shoulder.
“Thank you,” Kara said softly, petting the mini’s head. She was grateful for all the magical help she could get. In fact… “Goldie, can you call Fiona?” Kara asked. She held her jewel tightly. “I need to talk to Emily, and fast!”
“Okeee-dokee.” Goldie curled close to Kara’s ear, softly squeaking a series of beeps. “Kaaraa for Emeee,” the mini whispered.
Kara heard an answering peep.
“Hello?” Kara said tentatively.
“Kara?” Emily’s voice floated near Kara’s ear, surprised and relieved.
The blazing star jumped. “Emily, it’s me!” Kara whispered into Goldie’s yellow belly.
“Are you okay?” Emily asked.
Kara fought back tears. “No! I turned Lyra into a quicksilver statue and she’s melting!”
“Oh no!” the healer’s voice echoed with concern.
“I don’t have much time. I have to bond with an elemental horse to save Lyra,” Kara explained hurriedly. “What should I do?”
“Deep breath, Kara,” Emily urged her friend. “Magical animals love you. You’ve already bonded with Lyra, the dragonflies—not to mention half the unicorn population.”
The fire horse snorted and kicked wildly inside his cage. Kara gasped for air. “That’s different.”
“No, it’s not,” Emily continued, calm but firm. “Trust is everything. Open yourself. Feel what the horse is feeling.”
Kara let out a long breath. “Okay.”
“Kara, we’ll get you home! Don’t panic—”
“Good luck, Princess. You’ll need it!” the guards yelled, fleeing the arena.
Sparkling beams crisscrossed the air, forming a glittering dome that enclosed the arena. It was some kind of forcefield trapping the horse inside. And Kara with it.
“Emily!” Kara cried urgently, but the connection to her friend was lost.
With a violent flash, the front of the black cage fell away.
“Ahhh!” Goldie dove behind Kara, who staggered as a wave of intense heat blasted from the open cage. Something seared through her, piercing her mind, burning away any resistance she could offer. Then a wave of power broke over her, pulling her down as if she were caught in a riptide.
A blur of bright orange surged from the stall and flew across the sand. Choking, her eyes watering, Kara squinted through clouds of dust and smoke.
Behind the shield, the crowd surged to its feet, awed by the sight of the powerful creature.
He was huge—almost twenty hands high. Blazing plumes of flame swirled from his body. He snorted, and smoke billowed from flared nostrils. Hooves of molten lava pawed the sand; strong legs nervously danced. His crackling mane and tail thrashed fire. Kara struggled for breath. She had seen many magical creatures, but the thing standing before her was beyond her wildest dreams.
The horse was made entirely of fire.
The stallion’s wild eyes, smoldering like golden coals, turned—and caught Kara in an iron grip of power. She stumbled forward as diamond magic erupted from her jewel, running up her arms and swirling around her body.
Goldie clung to Kara’s neck, talons digging into skin.
Kara hadn’t meant to retaliate, but her magic tore across the sand and slammed into the stallion. Rearing in defiance, fire exploded from his body. Searing heat practically singed Kara’s hair as the creature towered above her and Goldie.
“I’m sorry,” she cried to the stallion. “I can’t stop it!”
A second bolt from Kara exploded like fireworks, sending the stallion staggering back.
With all her might, Kara willed her jewel to stop.
“Nice horsie,” she croaked, clinging to Emily’s advice. Open yourself. Kara stepped forward.
The horse reared back.
“Stay away from me!” the stallion’s voice roared through Kara’s mind.
She felt the sheer force of the horse’s anger surging through her own body. The stallion raced around the perimeter in a blur of reds and orange.
This is good, she told herself, trying to calm her mounting terror. Any breakthrough is good.
Grasping her unicorn jewel tight, she thought of Lyra. Kara always felt so protected, so safe, when her friend was near. Gathering her courage, she advanced toward the horse.
He snorted and backed away, stirring trails of scorched earth.
“I know you don’t trust anyone,” Kara said soothingly, willing the stallion to feel the friendship she was offering. She pleaded with all her heart. “But my friend is hurt, and if I don’t ride you, she is going to die.”
The horse held steady; he did not back away this time.
En
couraged, she took a step closer.
“I am fire!” the horse thundered.
The unicorn jewel flared white-hot in her hands as a whirlwind of feelings bore into her like a drill. Hopelessness, fury, confusion, pain, and overwhelming sadness.
“I run alone!”
Trails of fire streaming from his mane, hooves, and tail, the horse charged straight toward her.
The crowd broke out in pandemonium, yelling in fear for the girl.
Before Kara could think, the stallion was on her. She screamed, and diamond fire shot from the unicorn jewel, slamming into the horse with the force of a cannon. The horse fell headfirst, sending dust and debris flying as it dug a smoking trench into the ground.
“I’m sorry!” the blazing star cried, tears streaming down her dirt-streaked face as the horse staggered to his feet.
Somewhere through the buzzing in her ears, she heard the crowd panicking.
“That’s enough!”
“Get her out of there!”
“She’ll be killed!”
Guards were running toward them, long spears with sparkling blue tips held high.
“No!” Kara screamed. “Leave him alone!” She reeled, half-blinded as the magic swelled inside her. She struggled to separate her feelings from the stallion’s but he bore down harder, overwhelming her. Kara’s heart threatened to break apart as the horse’s despair filled her being. She was the stallion, trapped, desperate, and alone.
More than anything, she wanted to be free.
Kara’s eyes locked onto the stallion’s. The truth hit her.
The stallion couldn’t control his immense power—just as she could not control hers.
The unicorn jewel erupted in an explosion of blinding colors.
“Stop! Please!” she cried out. But the magic kept flowing, stronger and stronger, as if there were no end to the ocean of power within her. Kara swooned, terrified. Without Emily and Adriane at her side, she was losing herself.
Through the crystal haze, the stallion’s burning eyes locked on hers.
“I am fire!”
“I am fire!”
Raging, Kara flung her arms wide and let the magic go.
The shield exploded in splinters of light, disintegrating as horrified onlookers scrambled from the bleachers.
The fire stallion leaped to freedom, careening over the fleeing crowd in a single bound. Like a flash of lightning, the horse vanished.
The last thing Kara realized before she blacked out was that she was laying on the ground, Goldie circling overhead frantically calling out her name.
I must go seek some dew-drops here,
And hang a pearl in every cowslip’s ear.
Farewell, thou lob of spirits; I’ll be gone;
Our Queen and all her elves come here anon.
MOLLY, HEATHER, AND Tiffany bowed as Rae clapped her hands. “Good reading, fairies! That’s it for today, everyone. Be here bright and early tomorrow for a final check before the show.”
“O’ me face,” Musso cried, face down on the floor. “The queen is coming, I lost the princess, and soon the war will be upon us.”
“Keep quiet,” Adriane said firmly. She, Emily, and Ozzie were sitting on the squirming hobgoblin as they watched the actors leave the auditorium.
After his wild display of spell casting, the mages had managed to wrangle Musso off stage and the dress rehearsal had continued with another actor standing in for Kara.
“Where’s Adam?” Adriane asked, searching for the tall donkey.
“He went home,” Emily answered. “He doesn’t seem to think anything’s wrong.”
“Oh, great.”
“I’ve got to find a portal!” Musso wailed desperately.
“I thought you told us you were renowned magic trackers,” Adriane scowled.
“Going to be.”
Emily sent a wave of calming magic over the hysterical hobgoblin. “We’ll let you up if you promise not to use any more magic.”
“Okay, fine,” Musso agreed.
“What did you do to Adam, anyway?” Ozzie demanded.
“I don’t know,” he answered, absently fingering the glowing vials on his utility belt. “Some kind of shape changing spell. They’re all labeled in Spider.”
“How do we find our friend?” Emily asked.
“The porta-portal is tuned to the princess’s unicorn jewel,” Musso explained. “You’ll just have to wait until it opens again.”
“What do we do now?” Adriane asked, running out of patience. “We can’t goblin-sit all night!”
“Hobgoblin,” Musso interjected.
Emily and Adriane’s jewels suddenly flared to life.
“Emily! Adriane!” Tweek’s loud voice blasted in their minds.
“We’re here, Tweek. What is it?” Emily asked.
“You’ve got to get over here, now!” the Fairimental yelled. “This might be our only chance to get Kara home!”
“What’s going on?” Adriane asked.
“Unless my calculations are wrong, and they never are, the portal is going to reopen in Kara’s closet precisely sometime tonight!” Tweek cried. “Hurry!”
KARA WAS FLOATING. Long, golden hair swirled around her head as she bobbed gently upon a sea of night. Stars winked faintly, falling in and out of focus.
“Still trying to play with your magic,” a familiar voice chided.
The stars pulsed and formed a shifting kaleidoscope. Though fragmented, Kara could make out two figures. They were draped in long dark cloaks, cowls covering their heads.
One was large, an unnatural bulk shifting beneath the robes; the other was tall and lithe, her long, silver hair streaked with jagged lighting.
“How did you find me?” Kara croaked as she tried to crawl away. A shiver ran down her spine.
“My dear girl.” The voice was calming, engulfing, drawing her in. “You so underestimate your power. It is like a beacon.”
Kara reached for the twinkling lights, but it was like trying to grasp smoke.
“There's so much more to magic than talking to cute animals, isn't there?”
Kara flashed on Lyra, melting away. Her fault. She didn’t deserve magic.
“So many willing to risk everything for a taste of your power,” the Dark Sorceress said softly. “Everyone uses the blazing star.”
Kara could almost feel the cold breath in her ear.
“Until there is nothing left.”
Soon Lyra would be nothing. Kara struggled to move.
“Don’t you worry your pretty little head. We’re going to help you.”
Above her, the light blossomed, forming an exquisite flower. Kara struggled to reach its spreading petals—
“Just as you will help us.”
—and opened her eyes, disoriented. Her heart pounded. Where was she? She was safe at home, dreaming, in her own comfy bed! Relieved, she smiled and rolled onto her back. And looked up, startled. Twined tree branches, golden and shimmering like sunlight, lined the ceiling. This wasn't her room at all.
Urgent whispers broke her jumbled thoughts. Someone was in here with her.
“What if it’s a sleep spell?” a chirpy voice asked worriedly.
“Oh no! That could last a hundred years!” another voice, this one high-pitched, exclaimed.
“That’s absurd! She’s not enchanted,” a third voice countered.
“I think she’s up!”
“Someone go look.”
“No way. I’m not messing with that fairy dragon.”
Kara lifted her head from a lavender-scented silken pillow. Her eyes found Goldie patrolling the foot of the big bed, marching back and forth.
“Goldie,” Kara rasped.
Startled, the d-fly squeaked and leaped. “Kaaraa!” Goldie dove, clasping her wings around Kara’s neck in a tight embrace.
“I’m so happy to see you,” Kara said, hugging her little friend tight.
Kara noticed the walls and floor were made of the same interwoven tre
es as the ceiling. Here and there lush bluebells and foxgloves peeked between the golden bark, brightening the room with rainbow-hued petals. Thick rugs in vibrant colors covered the floor.
“Goldie, what happened?” Kara asked. “What am I doing here?”
“I told you it wasn’t a sleep spell,” a voice whispered.
“Who’s there?” Kara demanded, instinctively grabbing her unicorn jewel. She swung her feet to the floor and carefully stood up, surveying the room. But no one else was there.
She walked to the open double windows. Outside, the moon was rising, casting a silver sheen over the magnificent fairy gardens. She must have been out for hours. She remembered now. She was stuck in the Fairy Realms, and had failed to bond with the fire stallion. The Fairy Realms would go to war, possibly destroy each other—and the worlds she loved—and Lyra would melt into nothing.
“Look at that jewel!”
Kara went rigid. The voices were louder now, closer. Goldie fluttered above her shoulder, jeweled eyes scanning the room.
A large oak vanity table carved from an entire tree grew straight up from the floor. A chair sat before it, facing an oval mirror ringed with purple heather. Kara caught her reflection and grimaced. The girl staring back at her was a mess! She was covered in dust and grime. Her hair was matted in a tangle of knots. Her Fairy Queen costume was ripped and filthy.
“Stop squirting me, Whiffle!”
“Oh, I can't stand it!” another voice whispered loudly. “I’m delirious with excitement.”
Kara rubbed her eyes. The voices seemed to be coming from the top of the vanity table. Was she still dreaming?
An odd assortment of accessories lined the top of the vanity below the mirror: a jade green brush, a silver comb with long handle, a gold clamshell mirror, and a quivering white powder puff.
“For a second there I thought they were talking,” she muttered to Goldie, shaking her head at the ridiculous idea.
Goldie nodded.
Or not.
Suddenly the big white powder puff launched itself from the vanity and flew at Kara’s face in a sparkly white cloud.
“Ahhhh!” Kara ducked. The powder puff collided in midair with Goldie.
All's Fairy in Love and War (Avalon: Web of Magic #8) Page 5