Slowly, so as not to startle the animals, Emily walked to a flat rock at the edge of the pond and sat down. She pulled off her sneakers and socks, stuck her feet in the water, and splashed her toes lazily. Her reflection swirled in the water. It felt so refreshing, clean, and cold, like a mountain pool. She dashed some on her face, then flicked water at Biscuit. With a bark, Jellybean took a flying leap and landed in the pond, sending water cascading all around. Emily threw water at Pumpkin, who ran around barking happily.
And the water turned pink.
Emily stared. Bright colors—orange, purple, red—began to bubble up, sending soft circles out across the pool. The colors deepened, becoming darker and richer. Emily jerked her feet out of the water. Then she saw something under the surface, glowing.
Leaning over, she stuck her hand in the water, reaching… The tips of her fingers bumped against something small, cold, and hard in the wet clay. Her hand closed around the object and her stomach lurched. She felt as if she had just taken the first drop in Gigantor, the huge wooden roller coaster that used to terrify her.
There was a loud rustling in the forest. Terrified, Emily scrambled to her feet, looking around. The dogs pressed tightly against her legs, whimpering. What was happening?
Wind whipped across the glade, sending up small eddies of dried leaves and dirt. Three, four, then six tiny whirlpools spiraled and twirled across the grass. One spun right by Emily’s legs and, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw a figure. A figure made of twigs, dirt, and leaves? A sound buzzed from the swirling debris.
“Beeeeeeeeeeeeee…”
“What?”
“Bbeeeeeeewrrrrrrrrrrr…” Another mini-tornado twirled by, sending pebbles and bits of dirt flying. Squinting against the dust, Emily stood stock-still as a third little whirlwind spun crookedly by her leg.
“Beeeewaaarre…” it hummed.
The shrieking wind grew louder, scattering the figures across the glade. Tree limbs snapped and came crashing to the ground. Emily sank to her knees, wrapping her arms tightly around the dogs. Frantically she looked about for a place—any place—to hide. Then she saw it—and her heart stopped. A dark purple shape loomed up through the trees, making its way straight for her and the dogs. She whirled around—and saw the ghostly mist flow from between two trees and seep into the glade. It was about to envelop her, and there was nothing she could do. She was trapped. Her heart was in her throat; she couldn’t breathe. The mist fell silently over Emily and the dogs, covering them in a soft blanket. The dogs shivered. She hugged them close, soundlessly willing them to keep quiet. Through the misty veil she saw a shadow move past. It looked like a giant dark purple bear. Emily didn’t know why, but for a moment she wasn’t frightened. She allowed herself to breathe.
Boom!
The ground rocked. Something had fallen out of the sky! Something big. The earth around her trembled from the impact. The wind kicked up again, as if blasted by the beating of great wings. The air itself seemed to twist, a wobbling spiral that made Emily sick to her stomach. She sensed animal cries of terror, creatures frantically fleeing through the brush.
Emily didn’t move. The thing that fell from the sky was some kind of animal. No, creature. She could feel it probing, searching for prey. Whatever it was, it was no bear; she was sure of that. It was bigger, more dangerous. It moved slowly around the glade, snorting and growling.
Emily huddled in the thick mist with the dogs tight against her. She was so frightened she could hardly think. The dogs were wriggling and starting to whine. Trembling, she pulled out the group leash and, one by one, hooked up each dog. “Shhhhh,” she whispered. But she fumbled the last hook, and it closed with an audible snap!
The creature whirled and came straight toward them. Emily’s heart pounded like a sledgehammer. Even through the misty veil, she could see the faint outlines of long, sharp claws, monstrous wings, and red-hot glowing eyes.
She could smell it, too, something rotten. She was going to gag. She closed her eyes as a blood-curdling roar made the dogs whimper. There was a beating of great wings, a rush of hot air—and the creature took off, disappearing into the sky.
Then all was quiet. Emily opened her eyes—and stared straight into the eyes of the silver wolf. They blazed with gold fire. She wanted to scream, but nothing came out.
“Do not be afraid.” She heard no sound, and yet she understood the voice perfectly. “You are safe for now.”
Emily blinked and shook her head. The dogs were staring at the wolf, amazingly calm, as if they, too, had heard the reassuring words.
A tightness in her arm made her realize she’d been clenching her fist all this time. She opened her hand and saw that the object she’d picked up from the water was in her palm. It was a small, rough, dark stone.
She looked back to the wolf, but it had disappeared again. What had just happened? What was that flying… thing?
Without another thought, she pulled on her shoes, grabbed the leash, and ran as fast as she could, back past the Rocking Stone, back the way she’d come. The dogs galloped ahead and she let them pull her along. Soon she was back at the dirt trail and followed it to the main road out of the preserve.
The farther she got from the woods, the more the whole thing felt like a dream. Ghosts weren’t real. Wolves didn’t talk. There were no rainbow flowers. And huge flying monsters? Was that what had attacked the cat? She shuddered.
Biting her lip, she sped up again, tugging on the leash. She was not going to think about any of this weirdness anymore. She was going to go straight home, where she belonged.
“UNABLE TO LOCATE server. Please check the server name and try again.”
Shoot! Emily sat at her desk, staring at the computer screen.
As soon as she’d gotten home and cleaned herself up, she’d gone online, trying various search engines to track down information on the Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve. But either the links had the address wrong or the website no longer existed.
She couldn’t ask her mom for help—she didn’t want to explain about almost losing the dogs and going into the woods.
She thought of e-mailing her dad. He was a scientist. He’d know what to do. But what would she say? “Dear Dad, having a terrific time here. Today I met a monster and a ghost and I discovered some new flower with rainbow seeds that light up like tiny fireworks…” Ha! Her dad would think she had moved to Transylvania, not Pennsylvania.
Okay, think… “If one thing doesn’t work,” he’d say, “then try another way.” She typed in “Rocking Stone.” A page of sites came back. “Indian Totems.” She hit the hot link button.
The site was part of a Web ring dedicated to Native American legends and stories. She skimmed down the listing. There it was: “The Rocking Stone.” A sacred monument called “Aluns,” a Lenni Lenape name which means “arrow.” Such stones were believed to be landmarks used to locate doorways to the spirit world…
She sat back. Those woods were haunted, all right. Kevin had not been wrong about that. Something was going on out there! But what had happened to her today was simply not possible. She had to have imagined it. Except she hadn’t imagined the cat. Something evil had attacked it. And whatever it was, it was still out there.
“HEALER…”
“What—who are you?” She walked through silver-white fog. Faint outlines of trees shifted in the corners of her vision. She had an impression that animals were hiding in the swirling mist, watching her.
A chorus of voices called to her. “Healer…help us…”
“I’m not a healer!” she cried in frustration. “I don’t know how to help you!”
Waves of color swirled violently. The voices vanished as razor claws ripped away the misty curtain. The monster snarled, revealing a mouth full of dripping fangs. Red-hot demon eyes fixed on her. It knew she was helpless! With a roar it attacked—
Emily bolted up in bed as her eyes flew open, her mouth agape in a silent, choked-off scream. Her Pooh night-light glo
wed softly near the door. She fought to calm her breathing. It was only a dream, it wasn’t real… Something else was glowing in the room, and it wasn’t coming from the night-light. Emily quietly slipped from her bed and padded over to the pile of clothes she had thrown off earlier. She stared. The glow came from the pocket of her shorts. She reached inside. A pulsing blue-green washed over her face as she pulled out the stone she had found at the glade. It felt warm and reassuring in her hand—smooth and slick to the touch. Smooth? The stone she’d plucked from the pond had been rough!
Somehow most of the crusty layers had vanished. The stone was shiny and faceted in places. The blue-green surface was shot with clear, sparkly veins of purple. She turned it over and over. How could she not have noticed how pretty it was when she found it?
It felt… magical.
“Ridiculous!” she snorted.
She sat holding the stone, looking at it for answers. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t think of anything that didn’t sound completely insane. Maybe it was radioactive, or part of a meteor, but it felt so…right. More strange things had happened to Emily today than in the whole rest of her life. She hated things she couldn’t explain! Everything had a scientific explanation, didn’t it? Okay, so what had really happened?
She knew what she had to do. Regardless of what might be in those woods, she was going back, back to that glade to find some answers for herself.
THE SUN HAD risen, but the dew still sparkled on the grass. It was going to be another beautiful day. Emily walked across the park and playing fields, her long shadow stretching ahead of her as she followed it westward. It fell to her right when she turned up the main road to the Ravenswood Wildlife Preserve. As she approached the iron gate, she hesitated.
What was she doing? Last time she’d had to go in there—she’d had no choice. This time she was going back on purpose—and she knew it might not be safe.
Emily was terrified. Had she actually seen a monster in those woods? She thought of the glowing stone. Could it be radioactive? Was someone doing experiments on the animals there?
She squared her shoulders. She was determined to find that glade. She’d stick to clear trails. Any sign of trouble, she’d turn back immediately.
She swung the heavy iron gate open and passed through.
This time she followed the main road. There was no sign of the magical puff flowers. And no sign of the ghosty mist, either. The path turned into a pebble driveway that sloped downward through an expansive lawn. And at the far end stood the imposing structure of an incredible mansion, nestled in the woods. As Emily approached, it rose up like an ancient castle complete with ivy covered, stone turrets. The main house was huge, and there were smaller buildings that could have been guesthouses or stables. Two large front windows seemed to watch her like dark eyes. She had the oddest feeling that the house itself was alive.
Yeah, right! Houses were not alive. A light flared from a second-story window. That was strange. Could Mr. Gardener have returned? Or maybe it was a witch with a big cauldron! Maybe she was a good witch, like Glinda. Or maybe she ate little children like in Hansel and Gretel. Stop it! Emily scolded herself. You’re being silly. Those’re fairy tales, kid stuff.
Then she heard the scream.
“OWEEEIIIOO!”
What was that? Someone was in pain!
“Ooooweeeiooooo!”
Frantically Emily looked around. The high-pitched moan was coming from somewhere in the woods!
“Heeellp!”
Emily turned and ran in the direction of the voice. She zigzagged through the trees, making her way around thorny thickets and muddy hollows. The cries were nearer now and more distinct.
“Ow! Ow! Heeelllppp—gah!”
Emily crashed into a small clearing—and stopped, panting hard. Kneeling by a tree was a girl. She had her back toward Emily as if doubled over in pain. Long, shiny black hair fell over her dark T-shirt. She wore black jeans and hiking boots.
“Are you okay?” Emily gasped, out of breath.
The girl turned her head, fixing startled dark eyes on Emily. It was that strange girl who’d brought the wounded cat to the clinic. “What do you think you’re doing here?” she demanded.
Emily moved back a step. “I…I…you called for help,” she said, confused by the girl’s hostility.
“I did not!” The girl was crouched over something. “This is private property. Get out of here!”
Emily wasn’t about to be intimidated again. “And what gives you the right to be here?” she shot back.
“I live here,” she said.
Emily tried to peer over the girl’s shoulder. “What’s that you’ve got there?”
“Nothing,” she insisted, maneuvering her body between Emily and whatever she was hiding.
Emily edged closer.
“Go home!” the girl demanded, dark eyes flashing. “You don’t belong here.”
“Neither do I!” exclaimed a high-pitched voice. “And whatever I am, I’m certainly not nothing. Ow, my leg! Ow-ow-owwwie!!!”
Emily faked to the left, then twisted around to her right. Before the other girl knew it, Emily was past her.
She blinked, totally surprised. In front of her, a golden ferret writhed in pain, his foot caught in a steel trap that was way too big for his elongated, furry body. “He needs help!” Emily exclaimed.
“That’s what I was trying to do, genius,” the girl replied.
Emily bent over to examine the ferret closer. His fur was mostly pale gold with wisps of brown; his feet, tail tip, and mask were darker brown.
“Watch out, he’ll bite you,” the girl warned.
Cautiously, Emily reached down to find a good grip on the trap.
“Owwie, owwwie…ow—Aghhh!!!!”
“Hold still a minute,” she told the ferret. “I haven’t done anything yet.”
“Oh. Well, get on with it.”
Emily’s jaw dropped. She stared at the ferret. “It’s…it can’t be—but I think he’s talking!”
“Score one for you,” the girl replied.
Emily tried to pull apart the steel jaws, but she wasn’t strong enough. The other girl reached out to help. Together, they pulled the trap open just enough for the creature to wiggle his foot free.
“Oh, that feels so goooood! I could kiss you, but I’m not sure I even have lips.”
Emily’s head whirled. This was impossible!
The ferret sat and examined his foot. “What in the world am I?” he asked, alarmed. “I look like some sort of rodent!” He stood and hobbled. “Aaahhh! How could they do this to me?” Then he looked up at Emily and his small eyes, set inside the brown mask, blinked. “Hey, aren’t you the one who hit me on the head with that big rock?”
“It was a soccer ball,” she corrected distractedly. Wait a minute! She was correcting a ferret!
“Is that some kind of formal greeting here? Beaning me on the head?”
“It was an accident.”
“What kind of world is this? Everything hurts!” the ferret whined.
“What’s he talking about?” the other girl asked. “You hit him?”
“No, I mean, yes, I—” Emily stopped suddenly. “But—but—that means…” She sat down hard on the ground. “If we can both hear him, then it must really—I mean, can it be talking?” She shook her head. “No way! Not possible!”
“Stop talking about me as if I’m not here,” the ferret complained. He tried to walk on his wounded paw. “Owww!” He was obviously in pain.
That snapped Emily back to reality. “We’ve got to get him to my mom. She can fix up his leg.”
“No way—I am staying right here. I am not going anywAahHH!” The ferret screamed and leaped onto Emily’s leg, grabbing at her shirt with his claws. Emily turned. Her heart began to pound. A great silver wolf stepped out of the shadows and walked to the dark-haired girl’s side. It sat down and cocked its head at Emily. It was the wolf from the glade.
“Hello, h
ealer.”
Emily was stunned. Was that the wolf’s voice in her mind?
“Help, it’s a mistwolf!” yelled the terrified ferret.
The girl was patting the wolf. “You know this person?”
“We had an adventure,” the wolf replied.
“What?” The girl sounded hurt.
“Thank you for…whatever you did,” Emily stammered, trying to pull the panicked ferret off by his good leg. “I think you, uh, might’ve saved the dogs and me.”
“How can you hear her?” the other girl demanded angrily.
“I don’t know,” Emily whispered. “I just can.”
The dark-haired girl raised her hands in frustration. “What’s going on around here?”
“Good question,” Emily answered, shaken. What was going on in these woods? Some weirdness that made her think animals could talk?
The other girl turned and bent close to the wolf. “I don’t like this. I thought you only talked to me.”
“This is unlike you, warrior,” the wolf said.
“But it’s our secret,” she pleaded.
“She is a healer,” the wolf replied calmly.
Emily was a little shaken by the wolf’s words.
“Gahh! Stay away from it! It’s a mistwolf!” the ferret screamed, poking his head out from behind Emily’s arm.
“Stop whining, she’s not going to eat you!” The dark-haired girl got to her feet, distracted from her anger and suspicion.
“I will leave until later,” the wolf told her. “The little traveler needs time.” Rising, the wolf wheeled about on her haunches and padded back into the woods.
“Smart wolf,” Emily commented.
The other girl glared at her. “I don’t know who you think you are, but these are my secrets.”
“Whatever!” Emily felt like her circuits were overloaded. She couldn’t take any more of this bizarre input. “I’m taking this ferret back to the clinic.” “A ferret?!” The ferret was looking himself over in Emily’s arms.
Circles in the Stream (Avalon: Web of Magic #1) Page 3