The ferret covered his stomach with his paws and scowled.
“You missed the orientation,” Emily told him.
“Sorry, Em. I had to register and get the bags to the rooms,” he explained, smiling at the dark-haired girl who had joined them. “You must be Adriane. I’ve heard so much about you, I feel you’re a real part of the family.”
“Thank you,” Adriane said, beaming. “This is Dreamer.”
“Hey, boy.” David leaned to ruffle the pup’s scruff.
Emily saw the dark-haired woman straighten her suede jacket and step forward. Edging past Dreamer, she pushed her flowing hair into place with perfectly manicured nails.
“Emily, this is Veronica,” David began.
“Emily, darling!” Veronica grabbed Emily in a hug, then looked her over as if appraising a piece of furniture. Her smile revealed faultlessly white teeth framed by glossy red lips. “Your dad has told me so much about you.”
“Hi,” Emily muttered. She felt Veronica’s eyes canvassing every part of her, from her wild, curly hair to her denim shirt and jeans.
Emily felt woozy.
“Em, are you okay?” her dad asked.
Focusing on the dark auburn of his hair, she nodded. “Just a little tired from the trip.”
“I’ve had the most precious time with your friend Kara. She is just the best!” Veronica’s pale skin seemed too white.
Emily nodded mutely, watching Kara’s beaming smile.
“I just love those boots, Veronica!” the blazing star said, admiring the woman’s stylish beige suede boots. “Where did you ever find those?”
“Paris, hon.” Veronica winked. “Perks of being a curator. The galleries I represent send me to Europe a few times a year.”
“That is so cool!” Kara gushed. “Isn’t it, Em?”
Emily managed a faint smile, thinking: Someone get me out of this nightmare!
Dreamer sniffed Veronica curiously. She frowned, brushing mistwolf slobber off her purse.
“Hey!” David said excitedly. “Guess what, girls? I managed to reserve a cabin just for the three of you.”
“A cabin!” Adriane beamed.
“A cabin?” Kara wailed. “We’re not staying at the resort?”
“Veronica and I are. We figured you girls would have more fun at the horse camp. Isn’t that great?”
“Cool! Thanks, Mr. Fletcher,” Adriane said.
“Yippee-kay-yae,” Kara said sarcastically.
Veronica pulled a slip of paper from her purse and smiled. “I have a pass to the spa for you, Emily. I thought we could spend some quality bonding time in a mud bath.”
Mud bath! I’m not a boggle! Emily thought, aghast.
“I’m not big on spas,” she managed, clenching her teeth. “Kara might like it, though.”
Kara was practically salivating.
“Well, if Emily doesn’t feel like using it, you can certainly join me instead, Kara.”
“Giddyyup!” the blonde whooped.
“So how you fine folks doing?” Texas Slim asked as he approached, grinning broadly. Sierra was at his side.
“Ooof!” Veronica stumbled as Dreamer sideswiped her.
“That’s some hound dog you got there.”
“He’s a dingo,” Kara said quickly, earning a sharp look from Adriane.
“Your daughter’s already met my niece, Sierra,” Texas said to David and his new wife. “Best darn horse wrangler in four states.”
Sierra’s eyebrows rose at the sight of the huge ‘dingo.’
“I’m Kara and I love your pendant,” the blond girl said, stepping forward smiling. “Turquoise is always so in.”
“Perfect accessory for any outfit,” Veronica added, smiling at Kara.
Emily looked at the beautiful gemstone that hung from Sierra’s neck. Why hadn’t she noticed that before?
“Thanks. It’s been in my family for generations.” Sierra touched the bright turquoise oval suspended by a silver chain. “Your gems are really cool, too.”
Kara proudly held out her sparkling unicorn jewel. “I found mine in a little place over the rainbow—”
The unicorn jewel suddenly popped with diamond light. Startled, Kara jumped back.
“Kara, where did you get such an outrageous fashion statement?” Veronica giggled in delight. “I love it!”
Emily looked at Kara’s jeans. The blazing star’s belt had turned into a pink feather boa.
“Never did understand fashion.” Texas Slim shook his head.
“Um, it’s the latest thing,” Kara explained quickly. “Belts that change from casual to casual-er. They’re still working out the bugs.”
Sierra's brow furrowed suspiciously.
“Listen up, everyone!” Texas Slim waved his hat in the air. “I’m gonna be leading a hike to the Arrow Rocks just a yodel south of the resort, and Sierra’s leadin’ a trail ride to Echo Ridge, a holler or so up north. That’s a lot of beautiful country to see. So let’s get crackin’.”
“Emily, come on my trail ride,” Sierra pleaded. “Domino would love it.”
“Okay, I guess.”
“Great, see you guys later,” Sierra said, heading back to the stalls.
“We’re going to check out the hotel. Dinner’s at six,” David said, giving Emily a hug. “It was great to finally meet everyone. Have fun!”
Veronica’s hand slipped into David’s arm, pulling him away.
“Your stepmom is so awesome!” Kara raved. “What?”
Adriane glared at Kara. “What are you doing?”
Kara squeezed her eyes shut and changed her belt back into brown Gucci leather. “I didn’t do anything.”
“Keep your magic in check,” Adriane warned the blond girl. “We’ve got a situation.”
“I’ll say. I’m not sleeping in a log cabin.”
“You can sleep in a tree if you want, but I was referring to Emily.”
Kara noticed the tight lines of distress on her friend’s face. “Emily, what’s wrong?”
Taking a deep breath, Emily told the blazing star. “I think there’s a magical animal in trouble.”
Kara looked around. She’d been through enough with the mages to trust Emily’s intuitions about animals and magic. “Here?”
Dreamer barked in agreement, sending an image of the desert.
“Somewhere out there,” Emily said.
“What do we do?” Kara asked.
“Okay, huddle up,” Adriane ordered. The three mages leaned forward, heads touching. Ozzie scrunched in between with Dreamer in the center.
“Here’s the play,” Adriane said. “I’ll go on Texas Slim’s hike and let Dreamer do some scouting. You ready for that?”
Dreamer barked affirmatively.
“Good boy. Emily, you go on Sierra’s trail ride and canvas the area. You find anything, you let us know right away.”
Kara clutched the free pass in her hand like it was a magic gem. “And I will check out the spa!”
“Fine. But no one goes near anything unusual without the others. Okay?”
“Hike!” Kara exclaimed as the three mages clasped hands, fuzzy ferret paw on top, wet wolf nose underneath.
“And no more magic, Dorothy!” Adriane said to Kara.
“Okay, okay.” Kara bit her lip, fingering her stone nervously.
“Don’t you worry, Emily,” Ozzie said. “We’ll find whoever it is.”
“I know we will, Ozzie,” Emily whispered, her senses reeling. That’s just what she was afraid of.
THE GROUP OF eight riders marveled at the sun-bleached desert stretching to the horizon. Contrasting starkly with the panorama of muted yellows, browns, greens, and silvers, the brilliant azure sky soared overhead.
The riders had stopped at Vista Point lookout to view the picture-perfect postcard vista.
“We’re in the Guadalupe Mountain Range,” Sierra said, pointing to the bronze mountains rising like majestic towers. “In the middle of the Chihuahuan Desert. Althoug
h it looks dry and parched, it’s teeming with life if you know where to look.”
As if in response to Sierra’s words, a gaggle of twittering quails skittered between nearby cacti.
“Easy, girl,” Emily said, patting Domino’s neck.
The mare shifted anxiously, sensing Emily’s concern. Something was definitely reaching out to her, drifting across the wide-open space like tumbleweed. Even Ozzie’s ferret stone was reacting, flashing erratically with golden light. The ferret sat in front of Emily, braced against the saddle horn. With one paw to his brow, he surveyed the land while holding his stone out in the other.
Sierra moved among the group, offering advice to the novice riders, tightening stirrups and bridles.
Although Emily hadn’t ridden in years, Domino seemed to make it so easy for her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. Her senses filled with sweet, dry, desert air, the smell of leather, and the heft of Domino’s strong smooth muscles beneath her.
“I’m hungry!”
“FooB!”
“I’m scared.”
“I’m itchy.”
“I’m more itchy!”
Startled, Emily turned toward a canyon running about a mile east of the lookout. The reds, beiges, browns, and purples of the ridgeline swept into the enclosed space.
“Ozzie?” She nodded her head toward the voices.
He swung his ferret stone toward the canyon walls, and it glowed deep gold. “Yes, definitely over there.”
“I’m going to try and contact whoever it is.”
“Right!” Ozzie held his ferret stone close to the healing stone on Emily’s wrist.
She closed her eyes and reached with her mind. “Hello. Can you hear me?”
“Poot?”
“My name is Emily. I’m a healer mage.”
“PHHOOOOLLL!”
“BoooF- FrOOOth!”
“PaWOooO!”
Emily’s mind was bombarded with overwhelming noise. She gasped, covering her ears.
“Are you all right, Emily?”
Emily opened her eyes to see Sierra swinging Apache around beside her.
“Er, yes, I’m okay,” she answered. “What’s that canyon over there?” Emily pointed east.
“That’s Pecos Canyon. It’s part of Carlsbad Caverns, which run throughout these mountains. They’re world famous for deep caves. Just don’t ever go inside without an experienced spelunker.”
“A what?”
“A cave explorer,” Sierra explained. “You could wander about for days and never find a way out.”
Emily eyed the canyon worriedly. “You’ll probably think I’m crazy, but I think there’s an animal in trouble there.”
Sierra’s eyes widened. “How do you know that?”
Emily frowned, not wanting to say too much. “Something doesn’t feel right to me.”
Instead of questioning Emily further, Sierra called to the others, “Everyone stay here. Emily and I are going to check something out.”
The group, grateful for the chance to ease sore behinds, cheered.
Apache snorted and took off at a gallop.
Domino followed, allowing Emily to adjust to a canter before breaking into full gallop. The paint moved in perfect harmony with her rider.
The two horses sliced a wake of dust as they made their way down the sloping trail. They soon found the entrance to the canyon.
“Hold up,” Sierra called, slowing Apache to a walk.
Brown and red sand stretched before them on the canyon floor, surrounded by high, striated walls. They reminded Emily of sand sculptures she had seen, layered with pastel colors. Low lying creosote bushes crouched on the rocky terrain, their small jade leaves sprouting stubbornly from twisted, bone colored branches.
“We’ll do a quick pass through and head back,” Sierra said.
“Thank you,” Emily said gratefully, letting Domino lead the way.
“You always had a way with animals?” Sierra wondered.
“I grew up around them. My mom’s a vet.”
“Ah, that explains it.” She nodded toward Domino. “I’ve never seen Domino so taken with a rider before.”
“She’s the best, Sierra. I just love her,” Emily said, patting the horse’s neck.
Domino nickered, radiating waves of pleasure.
“What about you, Sierra? I mean, you seem so in touch with the land.”
“Before I left Mexico to live with Uncle Tex, my grandpa gave me this jewel.” Sierra fingered her turquoise pendant. “He said it had special powers that only I could use.”
Emily could have sworn the turquoise jewel pulsed just then. It must have caught a reflection of sunlight.
“Emily, I wanted to ask about your jewels.”
The healer stiffened.
“Each of your friends has one. Even Ozzie. I read on your site that sometimes jewels have… properties.”
“Yes, that’s true. They focus different types of energy.”
“Sometimes mine helps me see things, feel things… differently. I can sense things about the desert,” Sierra said as her attention was drawn to a solitary dune rising from the center of the canyon floor.
“What is that, Sierra?” Emily asked, eyeing the strange mound.
“I don’t know. But it wasn’t here last week.”
“Emily, look,” Ozzie said, pointing at the ground.
Splintered wooden planks littered the sand as they approached the mysterious mound.
They were practically on top of it before they realized what they were looking at—the wreckage of a fancy carriage. The size of a bus, it was face-down, half buried in the sand. The rear axle was broken, one back wheel ripped to pieces. Broken wood surrounded a gnarly hole in its side where a large chunk of the wagon was missing.
Sierra pulled back on Apache’s reins and slid effortlessly to the ground. Emily dismounted, set Ozzie on the sand, and joined Sierra by the wreckage.
A burst of wind made the single whole wheel creak in a slow circle.
“It’s a wagon, but I’ve never seen one like this before,” Sierra said, examining the woodwork. Sections were carved with intricate details and inlayed with polished stones.
Emily peered into the hole. “There’s nothing inside.”
She looked closer. Deep rents scarred the richly grained wood—teeth marks. Running her fingers over the serrated slashes, Emily shivered, suddenly feeling cold in the bright afternoon sun. Whatever had made those marks was big.
“And there are no tracks.” Sierra swept her arm over the surrounding area. “It’s as if the thing just fell from the sky.”
“Emily, look at this!” Ozzie was digging into the sand where the front of the wagon lay submerged.
It was a section of polished wood. Ornate symbols were carved in a brass plate.
“It’s some kind of academy crest,” he explained.
“You mean like a school bus?” Emily asked.
“Yes, I think so.”
“Then what kind of students was it carrying?”
“Mage? Are you there?”
“Shhh, quiet! How do we know it’s a mage and not a werebeast?”
“Oooot, you’re right.”
“Gimme that.”
“Hey! That’s my last sunbeam cracker!”
The magic hit Emily like a fist. She gasped, eyes drawn to the sheer canyon face in front of them. Several cave openings riddled the base. It was coming from inside one of them. And now she had no doubt. She had felt the same wild wave of power before when her friend Lorelei was in trouble—unicorn magic. But how was that possible?
“Ozzie, it feels like unicorn magic,” Emily told the ferret.
“Unicorns? You sure?”
“Yes. I think there are unicorns here—and I think they’re in trouble.”
Ozzie knew as well as the mages that unicorns were the most powerful of all magical creatures—and the most coveted by those who desired magic. The mages had fought for them before, rescuing a unicorn na
med Lorelei from the Dark Sorceress and saving the unicorn jewel that had eventually become Kara’s.
“We have to get the others and head back,” Sierra said, scanning the desert skies. “There’s a sandstorm coming, a bad one. If you’ve sensed an animal here, it’s probably a lost bobcat or cougar. They make quite a racket.”
The horses pranced nervously as they, too, sensed approaching danger.
“Let’s go, Emily,” Sierra called as she mounted Apache.
“You start back with Sierra,” Ozzie said. “I’ll look in the nearest cave, see if I can confirm a sighting.”
Emily bit her lip. She couldn’t risk saying anything else to Sierra. “Okay. Five minutes, and be careful!”
The ferret scrambled away and disappeared into the desert.
OZZIE CREPT AGAINST the rocky wall near the entrance to a large cave. The high sandstone was ribboned with rich earthy shades from pale peach to rusty red. Scraggly prickly pear cacti sprouted in clumps, with spiny, paddle-shaped leaves. The ferret’s eyes darted everywhere as he searched for anything suspicious.
“Ahh!” Ozzie leaped and spun around, putting his paws on his ferret stone. Grimacing, he carefully extracted a cactus needle from his fuzzy bottom.
A strong breeze blew through the canyon, sending small pebbles and bits of sand flying in the air.
“Pa-tooeey!” Ozzie shielded his eyes as the wind grew stronger.
At the far end of the canyon, a whirlwind shimmered into existence. Ozzie blinked—was he really seeing that? Or was it a mirage? But it was no trick of the desert.
The spiral grew larger, pulsing with brilliant colors like a rainbow twisted around itself. It touched down on the desert floor, twirling forward like a tornado. Ozzie watched in amazement. Wherever the whirlwind touched, the ground buckled and warped like soft clay. The dazzling spiral ran over several squat cacti, melting them to thorny muck.
The tornado danced over the half-buried wagon. The effect was amazing—brilliant lights shimmered, morphing the wreckage into glistening blue-white ice!
The whirlwind then wobbled—and headed right for the startled ferret.
“Gah!” Ozzie dove for cover behind a rock outcropping.
The twister coiled overhead in a flurry of color. Inches from his head, a rock morphed into a strange, marshmallowy mass.
Song of the Unicorns (Avalon: Web of Magic #7) Page 3