Spellsinger (Avalon: Web of Magic #5)

by Rachel Roberts

  “Ahhhhh!” dozens of girls screamed with her.

  “Ahhhhhhhh!” the crowd screamed and screamed and screamed some more.

  Sid Stewart put his hands over his ears, screaming in pain.

  “That’s right, we’re holding a contest for one special person to sing with me...” Johnny eyed Adriane. “To take a chance and dance,” he crooned lightly.

  From the corner of her eye Kara caught a twinkle at the dark haired girl’s wrist.

  “If I can only find him…or her.” And then, suddenly, he zoomed in on Kara and seemed to see... something. “Maybe I already have.”

  Kara’s heart skipped a beat.

  He means me, she thought. Yes! He’s talking about me!

  Kara struggled to control herself. She took a step toward the microphone and was about to speak when Adriane suddenly grabbed the mike.

  “Johnny,” Adriane said, gazing at the handsome star. “As a representative of the Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve, I want to thank you again for your support of animals all over the world—”

  Kara pulled the mike out of Adriane’s hands.

  “As president of the Ravenswood Preservation Society, I want to personally thank you for supporting worldwide wildlife—”

  Adriane stepped on Kara's foot and grabbed the mike back. “I'd like to invite you and your crew to stay at Ravenswood Manor,” she quickly said, holding the mike away from Kara’s grabbing fingers. “What better way to get exposure for Ravenswood than for Johnny Conrad himself to stay there?” She smiled.

  “Whoa, Ravenswood Manor.” Johnny beamed. “Now you’re talking!”

  No way! Emily mouthed to the girls, dumbfounded.

  “Outstanding!” Johnny said. “I’d be honored to make Ravenswood Manor my home away from home.” He turned to his entourage. “How do you like that for hospitality?”

  The members of Johnny’s band all nodded enthusiastically.

  The crowd cheered.

  Adriane glanced past Kara at the pop star, her wolf stone glowing. “I can’t wait to practice with Johnny.”

  Kara felt unsteady. What did Adriane think she was doing? Suddenly a flare of magic sparkled in her eyes—then she saw the photographers snapping away.

  Kara felt a white-hot fire of fury rise within her. It was all she could do to keep from screaming at the girl. This contest was the most important thing in the world! “I’m going to win that contest,” Kara hissed. “It’ll be me onstage singing with Johnny.”

  “I guess we’ll see about that.” Adriane strutted off.

  Kara put her best smile on display for the crowd as she and her dad prepared to take the activities inside. The Town Council and their friends and families couldn’t wait to meet and greet the great Johnny Conrad.

  Ooooh! That Adriane! Finally the real warrior has surfaced, Kara thought. The one who just has to compete with me. Fine, let her try. I will win, Kara thought. I will!

  There was just one slight glitch: Kara couldn’t sing a note in tune if her life depended on it. And everyone knew it.

  STREAKS OF LAVENDER stretched across the horizon as stars winked into existence over the forest. Kara and Emily walked down the gravel driveway to Ravenswood Manor. The girls had about an hour before Johnny and his entourage were due to arrive.

  “What got into you two?” Emily demanded. “That was the most immature display I’ve ever seen!”

  “I just got so mad! How could she do that?” Kara was steaming at Adriane's totally irritating behavior. “She’s trying to outdo me, steal my thunder.”

  “You’re not in this alone, Kara,” Emily reminded her.

  “Then how are we going to get the entire Ravenswood Manor ready?”

  “I don’t know,” Emily answered. “We’ll just have to keep everyone out of the library.”

  She stopped at the front doors of the manor. “And we have to keep the magical animals out of sight!”

  “About time!” Ozzie called out.

  A gathering of animals milled around the cobblestone path to Adriane’s house led by Ozzie, Lyra, the pegasus called Balthazar, and Ronif, leader of the duck-like quiffles—all key members of the girls’ inner circle of trusted magical animal friends.

  “What kept you?” Ozzie asked, crossing his furry ferret arms and tapping a rear paw. “Everyone’s waiting for Fairimental updates.”

  “All we know so far,” Emily explained, “is a few came to warn us about possible danger, so I want all of you on high alert.”

  “I’ve got Stormbringer and a pack of pooxim on patrol,” Ozzie said. “Look out, evil!”

  “Adriane returned a short time ago, acting very strangely,” Lyra said softly.

  “Strange like how?” Kara asked.

  “There have been bursts of her magic all through the manor.”

  Kara and Emily exchanged worried glances.

  “Looks like we’re going to have some guests for a few days,” Emily announced to the animals.

  “Who?” Balthazar asked.

  “Johnny Conrad!” Kara dramatically swooned.

  The animals looked at each other, bewildered. Ronif shrugged.

  “I want Lyra, Balthazar, and Ronif with Storm on perimeter watch. Gather the rest back at the glade, Ozzie,” Emily ordered. “I need a complete head count.”

  Ozzie led the animals toward a forest trail behind the manor.

  “And make sure everyone stays there!” Kara added.

  Emily turned to Kara. “You find Adriane and see what's going on. And play nice.”

  “I can sing, you know,” Kara sniffed.

  “Adriane is really talented, too,” Emily said. “Besides, it’s not about who’s the best.”

  “Yeah, it’s about being onstage in front of a zillion people with Johnny Conrad!” Kara exclaimed, then grumbled under her breath, “Besides, she started it.”

  “It doesn’t matter who started it. What’s important is that the two of you work this out.”

  Kara frowned. “Okay. But hurry and get back and help me get this place ready. There’s probably a million things to do.”

  Emily dashed off toward the woods following after the animals, while Kara hauled the front door open and bolted into the shadowed foyer of the manor.

  “This place is always so dusty and—”

  She hit the hall light switch and stopped dead in her tracks.

  The manor had been transformed. WELCOME JOHNNY! banners and band posters were everywhere, and the manor itself sparkled. Little signs with arrows and notes like THIS WAY TO THE KITCHEN, THIS WAY TO JOHNNY’S ROOM, THIS WAY TO BAND QUARTERS, THIS WAY TO REHERSAL AREA, and many more were all over the place.

  “Adriane!” Kara screamed, storming into the foyer.

  A loud power chord ripped through the empty halls and echoed throughout the manor. With the volume turned up a notch, a succession of new chords barreled over Kara, bouncing around the entryway in a catchy rhythm.

  Adriane was practicing her guitar already? How had she gotten the manor ready so fast? Putting all of this together must have taken days—unless, of course, she had a little magical help. And Adriane was certainly the most adept at using her magic to make things happen.

  Ignoring her relief that everything seemed ready for Johnny, Kara stomped up the wide main staircase to the second floor.

  Funky chords shuffled down the hallway as Kara peeked into the open doors. Every room she looked in had been thoroughly cleaned and dusted, sparkling and ready for guests.

  Squealing guitar feedback echoed away into silence as Kara walked along the brightly lit corridor to the library. Then she heard something else and froze. Footsteps. From one of the rooms just ahead of her. Someone moving things around.

  The lights went out, plunging the hall into darkness. Pale moonlight streamed through a small window at the end of the corridor as Kara’s eyes took a moment to adjust. Suddenly, a figure sprang from the library and raced toward the window, cutting a hard left and disappearing down another corridor before Kar
a could get a decent glimpse.

  “Hey, Miss Guitar Hero!” Kara called out.

  She ran toward the window, nearly tripping on a section of rug that had been bunched up. By the time she reached the corridor’s intersection, the long hallway leading down to other rooms was empty.

  “Adriane, come on!” Kara yelled. She didn’t have time for this. Then she noticed a weird, golden glow at her feet, making her shadow stretch far and wide before her. Turning, she saw a flickering light reaching out from the open door to the library.

  “Adriane?” She peered inside the library cautiously. No one was there. The library felt oppressively silent.

  Kara walked into the large circular room. Moonlight glowed through the huge picture windows, illuminating rows upon rows of books lining the walls. The panel concealing the Ravenswood computer screen was closed. Everything seemed untouched.

  A shadow moved near Kara’s feet. She looked up and stared at the giant mobile that hung from the center of the library’s domed ceiling. It was made of a series of celestial pieces, a sun, planets with moons, comets, and stars all designed to swing in synchronous movement. It swayed lightly in the air. Had someone just hurried by it?

  Moving under the mobile, she bumped into the large reading table. Rich leather-bound books with gold trim were piled high. Had Adriane been reading all these volumes?

  Kara stopped. One of the old musty books lay open. A candle cast a wavering light upon its pages. A low, whistling breeze taunted the flame as it flowed into the room from an open window a dozen feet away.

  Someone had been in here, reading this book. She looked at the ancient gold lettering along the book’s spine: The Art of Spellsinging. What kind of research was Adriane doing?

  A shuffling noise from the hall made Kara spin around again. She didn’t like this game Adriane seemed to be playing one bit.

  But was it Adriane?

  She thought about calling Lyra, but Johnny and his people would be here any minute. She examined the book. She was about to close it when the wind kicked up, making the candlelight shine brightly upon one particular passage.

  Song of truth, words of age

  Spread in song what you read on this page

  Music awakens the power of the lightbringer

  For stars to shine, call upon the spellsinger

  Kara stared at the passage for several long moments. The rest of the world, all her responsibilities and even her fight with Adriane, were suddenly swept away and forgotten.

  The power of the lightbringer? It almost sounded like the book was talking about her. She was the blazing star, after all. That’s what the Fairimentals said, even if none of the girls had figured out exactly what that meant. The three had been chosen to become mages, magic users. Emily was a healing mage, using the power of her rainbow jewel to help animals. Adriane was a warrior, using the magic of her wolf stone to defend the magic. But Kara hadn’t found a jewel and still didn’t understand her blazing star powers... Maybe spellsinging was the answer.

  “What’s that you’re reading?” a familiar voice asked over her shoulder.

  Kara jumped and stumbled away from the table, knocking over the candle in the process. She reached for it—but Adriane was closer and quicker; the warrior snatched the candle before it could fall and set it back upright, its flame never going out.

  She didn’t even look at Kara. She swung her cherry-red electric guitar across her back on its black leather strap and stared at the open pages, her lips forming the words Kara had just read. “Spellsinging. That’s cool…”

  “Yeah, well, it’s better than loud obnoxious power chords! That’s so last century!” Kara glared daggers at Adriane, but the warrior was oblivious. “I can’t believe you are so jealous that I’m going to sing with Johnny.”

  “No one said it’s going to be you, Miss Center of the Universe,” Adriane retorted as she scanned more pages. “Besides, I wouldn’t exactly call what you do singing.”

  “Oh, that’s so funny I forgot to laugh!”

  “Didn’t that Fairimental say something about spellsinging? Where did you find this book?”

  Kara crossed her arms. “Oh, like you weren’t so reading it before I got here!”

  Adriane looked up. “I’ve never seen it before.”

  “Tell me another one.” Kara paced back and forth under the mobile. “That Fairimental also said use the fairy map. How can we do that? The sorceress has it.”

  “If you hadn’t lost it,” Adriane waved her arms in frustration, “we might still have it!”

  “I didn’t lose it! I… I—oooh!”

  “It did say you’re in danger—all of us,” Adriane continued.

  Kara shot a withering gaze. “Well, that’s your department, isn’t it? Saving the day? I just have my stupid little concert to take care of, thank you very much!”

  A loud squawk buzzed from her backpack. She fished out the walkie-talkie.

  “What!” she snapped.

  “Drone One to Queen—”

  “Yeah, yeah, what is it?”

  “Target on route to Ravenswood—”

  Kara’s eyes went wide as she shut off the walkie-talkie. “He’s coming!” She surveyed the room frantically. There were several strange-looking objects strewn across the tables. “We have to put away anything that looks magical!”

  “We can hide everything next to the computer,” Adriane said, gathering up the books from the table and walking to the secret compartment. She lifted her wrist and held her amber wolf stone against the wall panel. The stone flashed with golden light, outlining the wall with bright lines. The panel silently slid back to reveal the computer screen of the Ravenswood library.

  Kara tapped her foot and crossed her arms. “I don’t have a jewel. How am I supposed to get in there?”

  “Oh.” Adriane smiled wryly. “I forgot.”

  Frustrated, Kara stormed across the room and started gathering items. A snow globe that was anything but what it looked like, several talismans of protection given by the wondrous creatures of Ravenswood, and a small woven dreamcatcher.

  “What’s the deal with all these candles?” Adriane asked. “Why didn’t you just turn on a light?”

  “I thought that was your touch. You have been, like, so busy around here,” Kara retorted with a snort.

  “Yeah,” Adriane chuckled. “I was cleaning up the manor with Storm, but we weren’t in the library—” She looked at Kara, then pointed to the books. “If you didn’t find these books and I didn’t—”

  Kara felt a chill that had nothing to do with the cool air filtering in through the window. Someone else had been here. The person she had glimpsed in the hall hadn’t been Adriane. Was that person still here?

  She regarded the open window. “Someone else has been here,” Kara said stiffly.

  “No way,” Adriane disagreed, picking up the book about spellsinging. “Storm would have warned me if someone had snuck into the manor.”

  Kara dumped the items she had gathered behind the secret panel. “Or some thing…” She flashed on the Fairimental’s warning of danger.

  “This could be very useful for my singing debut with Johnny,” Adriane said, opening the book again.

  Kara’s entire body tensed. She was about to start screaming when something sparkled from the hiding place. Kara’s eyes opened wide. It was the horn of Lorelei, the unicorn, given to Emily to lead the girls across the magic web and back home to Ravenswood. The power of the horn was supposed to grant the user any magic he or she desired. Kara cut a quick glimpse back at Adriane and saw that the raven-haired girl was riffling through the pages.

  With one quick, furtive motion, Kara snatched the crystalline unicorn horn and slipped it in her backpack.

  Emily was right, Kara decided. It didn’t matter who started this business between her and Adriane—only who finished it.

  In other words, whoever stood onstage with Johnny Conrad, singing in front of the world, the envy of everyone, was the winner!
>
  The unicorn horn sparkled with magical energy as she closed her backpack.

  KARA HEARD THE knock at the manor’s front door and only barely beat Adriane to it. She smiled brightly as Johnny and his mix master, a dude called Inky Toon, stepped inside. Inky was a big guy, well over six feet tall, with ebony skin and cropped black hair. He wore a red hoodie with oversized jeans, silver sneakers, and a black bandana with little yellow squares. He sported sunglasses and a blinding smile.

  Johnny was, as always, totally laid-back and cool.

  “Hello, paradise!” Johnny whistled as he looked around the spacious foyer. “This place is awesome!”

  Kara smiled. “Welcome to Ravenswood Manor. I’ll be happy to show you guys the digs.”

  “Cool crib, girl,” Inky said. “You know what I say, life is always a par-tay, and this is a place where we can work it.”

  Looking vexed that Kara was getting props for welcoming Johnny and his people to the manor, Adriane cleared her throat. Inky nodded toward the raven-haired girl and handed her his leather jacket. “Yo, guitar girl—hang that up for me? We got a few things out in the car, too. Thanks!”

  Adriane took the jacket, adjusted the guitar still hung over her back, and walked off with it. “Yeah, sure, you’re welcome...”

  “Everyone else is on their way,” Inky said.

  “Everyone else?” Kara stopped in mid-grin.

  “Yeah, you know what I’m sayin’—we got our crew to take care of.”

  “Sure… okay, I guess.”

  Soon, the entire mansion was buzzing. Johnny’s band and all his technical people had arrived, along with Emily and Gran. Adriane’s grandmother looked concerned about the way the manor was being taken over. She even took Adriane outside for what looked like a stern talking-to.

  Good, Kara thought.

  The band’s equipment piled up in the immense dining room, which would be used for rehearsal space. The parlor, kitchen, and adjoining sitting rooms were overflowing with the newcomers, including a reporter interviewing Mrs. Windor!

  “I do not listen to rock and roll music,” Windor was droning on. “Big events are dangerous for a small community. Attracts all the wrong elements.” She eyed the reporter suspiciously.