Secret of the Unicorn (Avalon: Web of Magic #4)

by Rachel Roberts

  “Nuh uh! No cuddles! Get to work and start spinning!”

  “Oookee dookee!” Goldie sprang into the air and started squeaking. The others buzzed with excitement, flocking over the pile of magic strands. Soon the dragonflies were busy weaving a new dreamcatcher.

  “All righty then,” Kara said, wiping her hands together. “Anything else?”

  “Gee, let me think.” Adriane scratched her chin thoughtfully.

  “Um, guys.”

  The girls looked down at Ozzie. The ferret nodded over to the side of the field where Ghyll sat, hunched over and looking very sad.

  Adriane and Emliy looked to Kara.

  “What?” Kara stared back, then rolled her eyes. “Okay, let’s get this over with.”

  Ozzie and the girls walked over to the depressed flobbin.

  “Hey, big guy,” Adriane said.

  Ghyll looked up. “Oh, hi.”

  “Look,” Kara began. “You helped us save Lorelei, and you did save me from falling into a bottomless void. So…” She puckered up. “I’ll lay one on ya.”

  Ghyll looked down again.

  “What’s wrong, Ghyll?” Emily asked.

  “I lied to you all, and I know it wasn’t right.”

  “So why did you do it?” Emily asked.

  “The Dark Sorceress turned me into a flobbin, and I thought she would turn me back if I helped her get the unicorn.”

  “What a chump!” Ozzie said.

  “Ozzie!” Emily scolded.

  “Sorry,” the ferret mumbled.

  “So I tried to get you to send it back. I know now that I was wrong. The sorceress was using me just as she uses everyone and everything. When I saw her” —he gestured at Kara— “I figured with her magic, she might be able to change me back without having to get the unicorn involved.”

  “And cousin Brommy!” Ozzie said.

  “I thought that if you liked me, you might help me and be my friend.” The flobbin blinked his big eyes at Ozzie

  “Ghyll, you made a mistake,” Emily said. “We all do. But then you helped us. That’s what counts. That’s what makes friends.” She smiled.

  “I don’t have any friends,” the flobbin said sadly. “Who would like a flobbin?”

  “Hey! I’m all puckered here!” Kara called out. “Last chance for a magic kiss!”

  Ghyll turned sad eyes down to his big flippers. “I made that up, too. There’s no such thing as a magic kiss,” he said dolefully.

  “Oh, really?” Kara said, eyes narrowed. “You have no idea what you’re dealing with, flubber. Girls? Shall we?”

  Kara daintily held out her hands. Emily and Adriane stepped closer, allowing Kara to take their hands in hers. The wolf stone and the rainbow jewel flared to life, glowing with magical energy.

  Bending over, Kara planted a kiss right on Ghyll’s lumpy blue forehead. The flobbin’s eyes went wide.

  Sprlllloinnnnng!

  A brilliant white burst of magic exploded into the air around them, hiding Ghyll from sight.

  “Yaaak!” Ozzie cried. “What a kiss!”

  Popping and sparking, the magic cloud swirled around Ghyll for a moment, then faded away…

  …revealing a glowing purple figure the size of Ozzie. Dressed in a long, belted jacket and pointed shoes, the new Ghyll sported a humanlike face, shiny skin, and a long tail. He looked like a cross between an elf and a purple lizard.

  Kara put her hands on her knees and bent down for a better look. “Little short for a prince.”

  “Well, I’ve been told I bear a striking resemblance to—whoa!” Ghyll cried as he looked down at himself. “I’m back!”

  “Hey!” Ozzie exclaimed. “How come you never told us you’re really a spriggle?”

  “I’m a spriggle!” Ghyll yelped. “You did it!”

  Kara shrugged. “Okay, cool. You’re not a flobbin anymore. Case closed.” She wiped her hands and stepped away.

  “You are a princess of magic!” Ghyll jumped up and down, stamping his small, pointed feet.

  “And don’t you forget it!” Kara said.

  “How can I ever thank you?” Ghyll’s purple ears quivered in joy.

  “You can thank us just by doing the right thing,” Emily told him.

  “I will. I’ll go back to Aldenmor and work with the mistwolves.” He looked quickly up at Storm. “You don’t eat spriggles, do you?”

  “Not lately,” the mistwolf replied.

  The dragonflies were buzzing like busy bees, stretching the golden dreamcatcher tight over the opening of the portal.

  “If you want to go, you’d better do it now,” Emily told him. “Before it closes.”

  “With the web all messed up, how will I be sure I get to Aldenmor?” Ghyll asked.

  Emily held up the unicorn horn. “Lorelei did say that I could have magic of any type I desire.”

  She pointed the horn at the portal and made a wish. “I wish for our friend to get to Aldenmor safely.” The horn glowed, briefly followed by an answering flare from inside the portal.

  Ghyll walked proudly to the portal.

  “Hey, Ghyll!” Ozzie called out.

  The spriggle turned to Ozzie. “Yes?”

  “If you see Brommy…”

  Ghyll looked at the ground, embarrassed.

  “Give him my regards.” Ozzie finished, and smiled.

  Ghyll smiled back. “Will do.” With that he jumped through the dreamcatcher and vanished into the mists.

  “Well, this princess of magic is going home to take a six-hour bath,” Kara announced.

  “What are we going to do with the horn?” Adriane asked.

  Kara eyed the glimmering jewel in Emily’s hands.

  “No, you can’t wear it,” Adriane said.

  “I think it’d be best if we hide it in the library,” Emily suggested. “Until we figure out what to do with it.”

  “Agreed,” Adriane said. “That’s the best solution.”

  Kara pouted. “Okay,” she said at last. “But I still want a jewel!”

  “Say, about this magic kiss business.” Ozzie ran over to Kara. “You got another wet one in there?”

  Kara swooped up the astonished ferret and spun around, planting kisses all over his furry head.

  “Gahh! Watch the fur! Put me down!”

  Adriane fell to the ground, laughing, her arms tight around Storm’s neck.

  Emily watched her friends and smiled. They had learned a lot about magic in such a short time, had seen its terrible potential for destruction and the wonder of healing and renewal. But most of all they had learned of its responsibility. The Fairimentals would be proud. In just a few months they had learned more about what it meant to be a mage than if they had apprenticed for years, not in the knowledge of spells and jewels, but something more essential, the truth in their hearts.

  EMILY OPENED THE door to the Pet Palace and slipped quietly inside. She hadn’t seen Ozzie all day. Her mind flashed back to the disastrous scene with the dog food the other day, and she sighed, scurrying to track him down. If he made another mess, her mother would probably ship her off to boarding school and have the ferret stuffed. Besides, it was past time to do the afternoon feeding.

  Emily heard humming. She hesitated, tempted to sneak back out.

  But Carolyn looked up and saw her. “Em!” she exclaimed with a smile. “Come here, sweetie. Did you know your ferret could do tricks?”

  “Huh?” Emily blinked, noticing for the first time that Ozzie was standing on a wooden box, juggling liver snaps. He tossed them into the air, then one by one caught them in his open mouth.

  She narrowed her eyes at him. He merely grinned in response, then did a backflip.

  Carolyn laughed with delight. “You know, this is the smartest ferret I have ever seen. I just love him!” She grabbed Ozzie and gave him a hug. “You were lucky to rescue him, Emily.”

  “I know.” Emily stared at the grinning ferret, thinking back to the day she and Adriane had discovered him caught in
a trap in Ravenswood forest. That day had changed her life forever. And it never would have happened if her mother hadn’t forced her to move to Stonehill. No matter how hard it had been to start a whole new life, she would never regret any of it. Ever.

  She suddenly realized that Carolyn was watching her. With a flash of guilt, Emily remembered their argument again. How could she have said such terrible, hurtful things to her mother?

  “Mom,” she said softly, “I—I—”

  “Yes?” Carolyn turned away from Ozzie, facing her daughter.

  Emily took a deep breath. This was harder than she would have believed possible. Still, she knew she had to do it. She had to take responsibility for her own actions.

  “I’m sorry,” she said simply. “I acted like a total brat. I didn’t mean to hurt you with those awful things I said.”

  Carolyn sighed and looked down at her hands. Then she took a step toward Emily. “I know,” she said softly. “This move hasn’t been easy for either of us. And I’m sorry, too—I had no idea how much you were hurting. You seemed so happy with your new friends.”

  “Oh, I am!” Emily put in quickly. “I really am. I guess I just wasn’t as over it all as I thought, you know?”

  Carolyn nodded. “You know you can always talk to me, no matter what’s on your mind. And I’ll do the same, okay?”

  “Yes.” Emily smiled and stepped forward into her mother’s embrace. They hugged for a long, safe, comfortable moment.

  “I love you, sweetie.”

  “I love you, too, Mom.”

  Rrrrrrrip!

  “Ozzie!” Emily cried. Over Carolyn’s shoulder, she spotted the ferret tearing open a fresh bag of liver snaps.

  Carolyn turned and laughed. “Naughty, naughty!” she exclaimed, hurrying over to pull the bag out of Ozzie’s grasp. “Come along, now. If you’re a good boy, I’ll let you taste my special vegetarian lasagna.” She cradled Ozzie in her arms, then glanced at Emily. “School night. Don’t stay out too late, okay, hon?”

  “Uh, okay, Mom.” Emily watched in surprise as her mother headed to the door with Ozzie. The ferret waved as he passed her.

  Emily shook her head in confusion. Who ever would have guessed that Carolyn would bond with Ozzie like that?

  Oh, well, Emily thought. It’s nice that Mom has a new friend, even if it is a wacky magical elf disguised as a ferret. Of course, that leaves me with nobody at all. She thought about Lorelei. They had become so important to each other in such a short time. They had healed each other, become friends. Why couldn’t they stay together? After all, Adriane had Storm. Kara had Lyra. Who did Emily have?

  Seeing that her mother had already filled the dogs’ food dishes and taken care of the rest of her chores, Emily sighed and headed for the door. Outside, the reddish glare of the setting sun made her squint. As her vision adjusted, she saw two figures walking toward her across the lawn.

  “Hey!” Kara called cheerily. “There you are. We were just thinking about walking into town for some ice cream. What do you say?”

  “Yeah.” Adriane added. “I need you to buffer-zone Miss Goddess of Magic. Her radiance is blinding me.”

  A feeling of warmth flooded through Emily. They understood. Her friends understood. They would be there for her, no matter what.

  “Sure,” she said.

  They walked slowly back across the lawn. “So I’m totally psyched about the benefit concert,” Kara said. “You’ll never guess who’s going to be the musical act.”

  Adriane shook her head. “No, but I’m sure you’ll tell us.”

  “Well, what do you think about B*Tween?”

  “Yeah , sure,” Adriane scoffed

  “Huh? Huh? How cool is that?”

  “I’ve heard them—they’re really good,” Emily said.

  “They totally rock!” Kara exclaimed.

  “And they’re coming to Stonehill?” Adriane asked incredulously.

  “Right into your backyard, baby.”

  “Wow, Kara. That’s cool,” Emily smiled.

  “What are we going to do about Mrs. Windor?” Adriane asked.

  “Oh, I’ll take care of that. I’ll send her free tickets.”

  “No way!”

  As her friends continued to chat, Emily felt a flash of sadness mixed with pride. As much as she wished Lorelei could have stayed on Earth with her, she knew her friend had important work to do on the web. It was hard to accept that they couldn’t be together—almost as hard as accepting her parents’ divorce. It was going to hurt for a long time. Before encountering the unicorn, Emily herself hadn’t even realized how deeply wounded she was. She had done such a good job of hiding her pain and sadness from everyone else that she’d hidden it from herself, too. She had been chasing an elusive ending to a song that needed to be sung. Now they both had to move forward, take what they had learned, and do their best to make things better.

  Even though her father didn’t live with her, it didn’t mean he loved her any less. She would always carry the lessons he had taught her—and those still to teach—in her heart. Her mother’s love would always be there, no matter how far from home Emily might journey. And her friends. Her wonderful friends who cared about her and supported her. That was stronger than any magic spell.

  Emily took a deep breath of crisp autumn air, lagging a bit behind her friends. The sun had just dipped below the horizon, and the clear evening sky was growing darker with every passing moment. As Emily looked up, she saw that stars were starting to wink into sight here and there. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted a flash of light diving toward the horizon—a shooting star.

  Emily smiled up at it, still thinking about Lorelei. Their friendship was like that star—all too brief, but bright and unforgettable.

  Thank you, she thought, hoping that somehow, some way, Lorelei would hear her and understand. Thank you for everything.

  In return, she heard a faint, melodic whisper of a reply, like the distant echo of a shooting star’s celestial song. And it was perfect.

  We'll touch the sky

  And we'll find a new tomorrow

  We'll discover dreams in ourselves

  And we'll fly, you and I

  I'll be taking care of you

  You'll be taking care of me

  After all we've been through

  I know I've found a friend in you

  Wommels are red koala-sized creatures with thick fur and large eyes. They are native to the Moorgroves forests in Aldenmor. They appear cute and cuddly but Wommels are fiercely protective of their families. Working together, many wommels can provide relatively strong magic.

  Pooxim are sleek creatures that looks like a cross between a songbird and a rabbit. They have a natural sing-song voice that conducts musical magic. The pooxim’s thrilling songs of the wild can be heard echoing through the Moorgroves of Aldenmor, keeping the forests healthy and rich with magic.

  Flobbins are large fairy creatures, rotund and froglike. Fairy in nature, flobbins have a reputation for being schemers and tricksters. Flobbins are also natural magic trackers with a special knack for finding magic blobs, loose pockets of wild magic.

  Harpies weave spells using musical enchantments. Not true shapeshifters, the harpy’s music creates a beautiful vision, sort of a dream-time state—disguising it just long enough to get close so it can attack. Only those with powerful magic of their own can see the harpy’s true form.

  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.

  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.

  “All right then, thank you, Mrs. Windor.” She signaled her crew to move on to Johnny.

  Mrs. Windor sneered as the rock star walked past. “Ravenswood should be shut down, not saved!”

  Johnny raised an eyebrow. “I’m here to support a worthwhile, charitable cause.”

  “You have no idea what kind of animals are really here!” Mrs. Windor snapped. Kara couldn’t believe what she was hearing. She had to do something!

  Suddenly, Inky was sweeping in ahead of Johnny. “Come on, now, people,” Inky said with a broad sweep of his big arms that forced Mrs. Windor out the front door. “Animal rights is an important issue and we’re here to support all animals.”

  “Soon the whole world will know what you’re hiding here!” Windor bellowed as the door closed in her face.