Song of the Unicorns (Avalon: Web of Magic #7)

by Rachel Roberts

  Emily took Adriane’s hands in hers. Cool blue light from the rainbow jewel mixed with sparks of golden fire from Adriane’s wolf stone, reinforcing the bond between healer and warrior.

  “Hoooot!”

  A white owl barreled from the sky right toward Emily’s head. The red-haired girl instantly stretched her arm out—and the bird made a perfect landing, wings shimmering with gold, turquoise, and lavender.

  “What is it, Ariel?” Emily asked.

  “Come quickly,” the owl said. “Blazing star out of control.”

  “I left her in the library,” Ozzie said. “How much damage could she possibly do?”

  “GAH!”

  Ozzie ducked as a flying book smacked into the library wall. The Ravenswood Library was a whirlwind of motion as dozens of books careened in all directions at once. Adriane and Emily swung the door fully open, knocking the ferret onto another diving leather-bound tome. Ozzie was whisked high into the air.

  Dreamer dashed inside and chomped a low-flying journal. Shaking it furiously, shredded pages fluttered around him like snow.

  “Dreamer, no!” Adriane dodged a large bookend shaped like a dragon. She raised her arm, releasing a wave of gold from her jewel. She spun the light into a shield to protect herself and Emily from the myriad of flying objects.

  Under the oak reading table, a large gold leopard-spotted cat, Lyra, huddled next to a pegasus called Balzathar. The cat had unfurled magical golden wings to cover Ronif and Rasha, two duck-like quiffles.

  “Mage gone wild,” Balthazar warned, swatting a book away with his tail.

  “Thank goodness, we’re rescued!” Ronif popped out from under Lyra’s shimmering wing. His mate quickly caught the quiffle as he was lifted in the air by the magical forces.

  “Kara?” Emily shouted, shielding her face as a screaming ferret whooshed by.

  “Up here!” a voice called out.

  Hunkered under Adriane’s golden shield, Emily made her way past the elaborate celestial mobile hanging from the domed ceiling. Suns, moons, and planets swung in concentric circles.

  The spacious library occupied several top floors of Ravenswood Manor and was lined with shelves to store the wealth of books. High atop the tallest bookshelf sat a blond-haired girl with a crystalline jewel sparkling erratically from her silver necklace.

  “How did you get up there?” Emily asked.

  Kara pointed. The tall, rolling ladder was making its way around the far side of the library, barreling straight for the mages.

  Adriane whipped the shield into a rope, ensnaring the ladder and pulling it to a stop next to Kara.

  “Thanks, Indy.” Kara daintily climbed down, holding the book she had retrieved, oblivious to the chaos.

  “Kara!”

  “Yes?” She looked up, blinking her bright blue eyes.

  Adriane and Emily each extended an arm, indicating the magical mess.

  “Oh, that.” Kara closed her eyes and held up her unicorn jewel. The flying objects suddenly crashed to the floor in crumpled heaps. Dreamer yelped and dove under the table, scattering the other animals like bowling pins. Ozzie’s book skidded atop the table, sending the ferret flying into a furry heap on the couch.

  “Fascinating.” Kara Davies’s blue eyes sparkled happily as she read from the book. “Did you know that amulets and talismans date back to cavemen?”

  “A monkey couldn’t have made a bigger mess,” Adriane said angrily.

  Kara rolled her eyes.

  “I could use a protection amulet,” Lyra complained, green eyes glinting as she stretched her lithe body.

  Kara stuck her tongue out, turning it green for a split second. She had absorbed her new shape-shifting abilities from one of the Dark Sorceress’s minions, a Skultum, after defeating the fairy creature in a battle of wits.

  “We’re supposed to practice together,” Adriane warned. “Every time you use magic, everything goes crazy!”

  “Oh, this is nothing. I’ll fix it in a jiffy,” Kara said, raising her dazzling jewel.

  “No!” everyone in the room yelled at once.

  “Whatever.” Kara slumped in a chair and read from her book.

  “Kara, you know you have to be careful with your jewel,” Emily lectured. “We have no idea what it’s capable of.”

  “How am I supposed to find out if I don’t use it?” Kara pouted.

  “It’s obviously very powerful, so we should all be together when you do—just in case, okay?” Emily reminded her.

  “Okay, okay.”

  Kara wasn’t the only one who had acquired a magic jewel recently. Ozzie scampered to a leather chair and used his new jewel to open a secret sliding bookcase. Hidden behind was the Ravenswood computer. The computer stored all sorts of magical information plus their website and blogs. Ozzie immediately began pounding away at the keyboard.

  “So what’s with the long faces?” Kara asked, peering over the top of her book.

  “Emily has to decide if she’s going to New Mexico,” Adriane answered.

  “You can’t avoid meeting her forever, you know,” Kara said to Emily. “She’ll think you don’t care.”

  “She obviously doesn’t care what I think,” Emily shot back. “I’m not dropping everything and going all the way across the country just to meet her.”

  “Isn’t your dad going, too?” Kara asked, eyes twinkling.

  “Funny!” Emily scoffed, then added, “Yeah, I really want to see him.”

  “So, there you go.”

  “It’s not that easy.”

  “Yes it is. Three simple words: get over it,” Kara advised.

  “That is so not helpful, Miss Overachiever,” Adriane said.

  Kara extended her fingers into claws and morphed her face into a horrid image of a wizened banshee.

  “Keep it up, Princess,” Adriane laughed. “Maybe your face will freeze like that.”

  Kara’s eyes widened, and she quickly morphed back, checking her face in the wall mirror to make sure.

  “Found it, Emily,” Ozzie called out. “The Four Winds Resort, located in sunny Carlsbad, New Mexico.”

  Emily and Adriane walked to the computer and glanced over the ferret’s head.

  “Wow, check out these desert pics!” Adriane exclaimed, hitting some of the links. “And right next door is the Happy Trails Horse Camp. It would be so awesome to ride horses for a whole week!”

  “If you think it sounds so great, you go,” Emily muttered. She stopped short, her own words giving her an idea. “Hey, you should come with me.”

  “I dunno,” Adriane responded. “How would I afford it?”

  “I’ll ask my dad,” Emily said excitedly. “I’m sure he’ll cover it.”

  “What about our chores here?”

  “Balthazar, Ronif, and I can handle that,” Rasha quickly put in.

  “Well, what about Dreamer?”

  “He’s still small enough for a transport cage. Pleeeeeeze, Adriane!!! You’ve got to go. I’m not going unless you do,” Emily insisted.

  Adriane thought for a minute, then turned to Kara. “What about you, Goldilocks?”

  “Send me a postcard. As of today, there’s only two weeks left before the Valentine’s Day dance!” Kara began counting off on her pink-polished fingers. “I have to get the band, arrange for the decorations, find the perfect dress, get my hair done, a manicure, a pedicure, a—”

  “Fine,” Emily said, hitting a link on the screen. “We’ll check out the spa without you.”

  Kara’s eyes opened wide. “What spa?” Dropping her book, she leaped to her feet and crammed between Adriane and Emily, reading the computer screen.

  “The Fours Winds is home to the world-famous health and beauty spa…” Kara read, suddenly radiating with enthusiasm. “Honey-infused facemasks, exotic kelp wraps, mud baths, complexion massages! I’m in.”

  “What about your ball, Sleeping Beauty?” Adriane asked.

  “After a week at the Four Winds, I’ll totally be the bel
le of the ball!”

  “Nature hikes, desert tours, horseback riding—they have it all!” Adriane exclaimed.

  “Girl, we are going to have so much fun!” Kara squealed.

  “I’m shocked,” Adriane stated.

  “What?” Kara checked her sweater for stains.

  “This might be the first time we’ve agreed on anything.” Adriane laughed and gave Kara a high five.

  Looking at her friends’ eager faces, doubt gnawed at Emily. “Guys, what about the… you know.” She held up her wrist, her rainbow jewel catching glints of light. “What if we’re needed on Aldenmor?”

  “We don’t know what’s happening on Aldenmor!” Kara jumped away from the computer. “We did our job, so let the Fairimentals do theirs. It’s time for us to get back to our normal lives.” She wagged a long purple finger.

  “Normal, huh?” Adriane arched an eyebrow.

  “Oops.” Kara quickly changed her digit back. “Besides, the Fairimentals have a knack for finding us if there’s an emergency.”

  Lyra rubbed against Emily’s side. “I’ll hold down the fort.”

  Emily realized her friends were right. With the Ravenswood portal closed, there was nothing they could do for the Fairimentals for the time being.

  She’d have to meet her dad’s new wife sometime, and she’d rather have her friends by her side when it happened.

  “All right,” Emily said. “I’ll let my dad know.”

  “Wait a minute!” Ozzie shouted, nose plastered against the monitor. “New Mexico is ‘the Land of Enchantment.’ Are there wizards there?”

  “That’s just the state motto, silly,” Emily laughed.

  “The only thing you have to worry about are aliens,” Adriane said, pointing to the Roswell link.

  “Aliens?” the ferret gulped.

  “Those are just stories, Ozzie,” Kara said, “like dragons and trolls and, uh, okay, so we’ve actually seen those.”

  Ozzie narrowed his eyes and looked at each of the girls in turn. “Somehow I get the feeling this is going to be quite an adventure.”

  “HELP!”

  “TooPH!”

  “It’s dark in here.”

  “CroooOP! You stepped on my tail!”

  “Where are we?”

  “EEEooo-eeoop—that smells!”

  A jumble of sounds and voices echoed in Emily’s mind. She shut her eyes, blocking out the mental barrage. She seemed to be picking up a magical transmission. But what could be calling to her in New Mexico?

  She paced outside a big red barn as crowds of happy tourists gathered inside. The Happy Trails Horse Ranch was a series of stables, corrals, picnic grounds and low-rise buildings sprawled across several acres of desert. Emily shaded her eyes as she scanned the Four Winds Resort about three hundred yards up a dirt road. The complex glistened like a glass-and-chrome oasis complete with lush succulent gardens, fountains, and shimmering swimming pools.

  She watched Dreamer and Adriane running along the dusty road leading from the resort to the ranch. The wolf, ecstatic to finally be outside, was sniffing and exploring everything in sight.

  “I still don’t hear anything,” Ozzie said, his eyes squeezed shut as he gripped his jewel. He was sitting in Emily’s backpack. “What’s it sound like?”

  “It’s weird, like a jumbled radio,” she admitted. As soon as they’d landed, she’d heard it: snippets of sounds rippling through her mind.

  Her senses always increased exponentially with the magic of her healing stone. Like her past experiences, these feelings were unfocused, like a half-remembered melody echoing across the desert.

  “I can’t get Dreamer to calm down. Can you help?” Adriane called, approaching as Dreamer pulled and chewed on the leash.

  Emily kneeled to rub Dreamer’s head. At her touch, he instantly calmed, looking deep into the healer’s eyes. Waves of sparkling colors floated across Emily’s mind. “You feel it too, don’t you?” she asked the mistwolf.

  A low growl slipped between Dreamer’s teeth. “Magic.”

  “Magic? Out here?” Adriane asked, startled. “You sure?”

  Dreamer nodded. He was a natural magic tracker, and Adriane had worked especially hard honing the mistwolf’s skills.

  “I think an animal is in trouble,” Emily fretted.

  Adriane examined her amber wolf stone. “I don’t sense any danger.”

  “Gather round, cowpokes!” boomed a deep voice from inside the barn.

  “Any sign of your dad yet?” Adriane asked.

  “No.” Emily was almost glad her dad was late. She needed time to pull herself together before dealing with her new stepmom.

  “Come on, we’re going to miss the welcome speech,” Adriane said, hitting the retractable leash and pulling Dreamer close.

  The trio walked into the cool shade of the barn. Inside, guests gathered in the center, about twenty-five kids, teens, and adults. On the far side, Kara stood chatting away with a dark-haired woman wearing an expensive western skirt, silk shirt, and jacket.

  Kara laughed and chatted with the woman as if they were old friends.

  Leave it to Kara, Emily thought. Making friends already with a mannequin from some well-dressed western fashion catalog.

  “Hoooo doggies!” A tall, burly man stood in the center of the barn, whooping. He was dressed in full cowboy gear, from his hat, boots, and bolo tie down to a big brass belt buckle with a bucking bronco. “Lemme hear you, now! Come on, let’s do some whoopin’!”

  The group gave a cursory whoop.

  “Naw, that’s a city slicker whoop. We need a real Texas whoop!” He smiled.

  The group whooped louder. Dreamer threw his head back and howled, startling everyone.

  “Dreamer!” Adriane hissed, struggling to untangle the wolf from his leash.

  “That’s the ticket. Name’s Texas Slim. And I welcome ya’ll to the Happy Trails Horse Ranch. For the next five days you’re gonna be livin’ the life of cowboys and cowgirls. Ridin’ horses, explorin’ the desert, cookouts...”

  “PhoooBB!”

  “Move over!”

  “Faaahtooot!”

  Emily looked sharply around her. “Ozzie, did you hear that?”

  “No, I can’t get my stupid stone to do anything,” Ozzie whispered, shaking his ferret stone.

  Emily moved away from the crowd to try and get a clearer impression from the strange sounds. Shining saddles sat on stands, and bridles hung from wall hooks as she walked past a row of stalls. An image of carrots suddenly popped into her mind. Where did that come from? She looked at the nearest stall. A black-and-white splotched horse stared at her with beautiful, liquid eyes.

  Emily petted its velveteen muzzle, half listening to Texas Slim’s speech.

  “Some of ya’ll might be in the Southwest for the first time. It’s prettier than a painted peach, but there’s an old sayin’ ‘bout these parts: Everything in the desert is gonna try to bite, sting, or scratch you, and sometimes all at once...”

  Emily scratched the horse’s soft ear. “I’m sorry, I don’t have any carrots for you.”

  “How’d you know carrots are Domino’s favorite?”

  A pretty teenage girl with short, dark brown hair and dark eyes slipped out of the neighboring stall. She quickly latched the wooden door before a white-and-reddish brown spotted horse could follow her out.

  “I’m Sierra Sanchez.” The girl took a carrot from the pocket of her brown suede vest and handed it to Emily.

  “Hi, I’m Emily Fletcher.” The healer took the carrot and smiled.

  “You’re from the Ravenswood Preserve,” Sierra said as Domino eagerly devoured the carrot from Emily’s palm.

  “Yes, how did you know?” Emily was startled.

  “Ravenswood is so cool. I’ve been to your website,” Sierra said excitedly. “When I saw your name on the guest list, I practically freaked. We have a lot in common. I’m a guide here.”

  “My friends Adriane and Kara are here, too,” Emily
said. “And Ozzie.”

  The ferret leaned toward Sierra and pointed to his mouth.

  “He’s adorable!”

  “And hungry.”

  “She’s a beautiful paint pony,” Emily quickly said, stroking Domino’s head as she gave Ozzie a stern look.

  “You know your horses,” Sierra approved, feeding another carrot to the horse in the stall next to Domino. “I’ve ridden paints my whole life, mostly this gelding here. His name’s Apache…”

  Sierra’s words faded. Loneliness, fear, and confusion filled Emily’s senses.

  Something felt so familiar—

  “… beautiful bracelet. Are you all right?” Sierra asked, glancing at Emily’s wrist.

  “Just a little jet lag.” Emily smiled weakly, covering her glittering jewel with her shirtsleeve.

  “Emily, twelve o clock.” Adriane’s voice popped in her head.

  At the barn doors, a man stood waving.

  “Excuse me, Sierra, I see my dad,” Emily said.

  Forgetting about everything, she began running—and stopped short. His wave had not been for her.

  Oh no! The woman talking to Kara was waving back at her dad.

  Emily watched in horror as he walked to the woman and gave her a kiss. She stood frozen as Kara pointed right at her.

  David Fletcher’s hazel eyes, the exact color of Emily’s, widened as he caught sight of his daughter. “Em!”

  He ran over and caught her in a big bear hug, just like he used to do.

  “Daddy!” Emily hugged him back, tears leaking from her eyes.

  “Emily, sweetheart, look how you’ve grown.” He held her at arm’s length, eyes also damp. “You’re so beautiful!”

  Emily smiled self-consciously, trying to tame her long red curls. She and her dad hugged again. She felt the familiar comfort from his presence, and her heart soared.

  “You look good, too, Dad,” Emily said truthfully. He did look good. He had thinned down, his warm, friendly eyes and strong brow were framed by neatly trimmed curly hair.

  “Gah!” Ozzie had wedged himself firmly between Emily and her dad.

  “Oh, sorry, little guy!” David let Emily go and patted the ferret. “This must be Ozzie. A little chubbier than I thought.”