“He’s with—” Kara started. They hadn’t said anything about Dreamer being with Gran.
“He’s at my house,” Adriane quickly finished. “He’s just a little upset.”
“Upset?” Dr. Fletcher raised an eyebrow as she stopped at her green Explorer.
“He’s fine now, really,” Emily assured her mother.
Carolyn took a deep breath as she opened the SUV’s front door. “Now listen to me, girls. You know I support your efforts at the preserve.”
The three mages stopped near the rear door and looked at one another.
“Uh-oh.” Emily winced. “Here it comes.”
“But it might be time to think about other plans,” Carolyn said.
“Mom, can we discuss this at home—” Emily started.
Carolyn held up her hand—which meant, Zip it, we discuss now!
The mages climbed into the backseat, Emily and Kara flanking Adriane.
“What happened to your plans for expanding the Pet Palace, Doc?” Carolyn asked, sliding into the driver’s seat. “Not to mention school and band practice.”
“Mom, you don’t understand!”
“What? What don’t I understand, Emily?” Carolyn asked, turning to her daughter. “The city council received a highly agitated call from your tour group.”
“Dreamer didn’t attack anyone, Doctor F.,” Adriane insisted.
“They claim he did,” Carolyn replied, starting the ignition. “There have been clear cases of wild animals turning on their handlers.”
“Not Dreamer!” Adriane cried, wolf stone flaring.
“Easy, girl,” Kara cautioned.
As Carolyn pulled out of the parking lot, she glanced at the girls in the rearview mirror. “I know this is a lot to deal with right now,” she said gently, “but perhaps it’s time to think about placing Dreamer in a secure place.”
“Like a zoo, or a circus?” Adriane shouted. “No way!”
“Mom! That would be terrible!” Emily objected.
“I don’t have to remind you of what we went through last summer,” Carolyn continued. “Another wild animal getting loose is the last thing the town council wants to hear.”
“It’s a preserve—they’re supposed to be loose,” Adriane said.
“They see Dreamer as a potentially dangerous animal,” Dr. Fletcher said. “I mean, no one even knows where he came from. If we don’t do something, someone else will—and they might not have Dreamer’s best interests at heart.”
“Dreamer didn’t attack anyone!” Adriane protested again.
“He just wouldn’t, Mom!”
“And I suppose he told you that?” Carolyn asked.
“He can’t!” Adriane exclaimed, then caught herself. “Uh, I mean, we just know.”
“You can’t talk to him?” Emily asked.
Adriane tensed. “Something’s wrong with his magic.”
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Kara locked eyes with Adriane.
“I… dunno…” Noting the uncertain look Emily and Kara exchanged, she added firmly. “Dreamer was trying to protect Gran.”
“From what?” Kara asked.
“Have any of you been listening to a word I’ve been saying?” Carolyn demanded.
“What did you say, Mom?”
“Adriane,” Carolyn sighed. “What about moving in with Emily and me until Gran gets out of the hospital? You’re family, we’d love to have you.”
“Totally,” Emily agreed.
“Thanks, Doctor F., but…” Adriane began.
“I insist you move in with Emily,” Kara said.
“I’d feel better at home.”
“How about if Kara and I move in with Adriane?” Emily suggested.
“We have lots of food left over from the party,” Kara said.
Dr. Fletcher nodded. “If Kara’s parents agree, then it’s a deal—at least for the weekend.”
Emily and Kara leaned close to Adriane, their three jewels pulsing.
“Adriane, what is going on?” Emily asked.
“There’s something at the preserve,” Adriane said.
“What is it?” Kara asked. “How come you and Dreamer are the only ones sensing it?”
Carolyn’s eyes darted to the rearview mirror. “You know, ever since you girls took over running the preserve, it’s as if you’ve been hiding something, keeping a secret.”
“That’s so silly,” Kara replied. “Tonight, group meeting. Don’t tell anyone!”
“WHERE’S MY OTHER Elmo?” Ronif, a duck-like quiffle, wailed.
“Err!” Lyra growled. She had two moose slippers on her back paws, one pink bunny on her left front, and an Elmo slipper on right front paw.
“I’ll trade you SpongeBob for the bunny,” Balthazar, a pegasus, said, nodding to the mismatched set of slippers adorning his hooves.
The cottage’s cozy living room was filled to capacity with mages, magical animals, and enough sleeping bags, blankets, and pillows for everyone.
Adriane sat curled on the oversized lounger, gently stroking Dreamer’s back. The wolf lay at her feet, chin on his front paws, eyes anxiously darting over the room.
Whap!
A pair of red pajamas decorated with robots flew across the room, hitting Adriane in the head.
“Sleepover rule number one: Everyone wears pajamas!” Kara yelled, digging in her bulging suitcase, which she had opened in the middle of the Navajo patterned rug. All the animals swarmed around, picking out matching sleepwear.
“I prefer my sweats,” Adriane said, eyeing Kara’s pink satin sleeping set.
“Those are for Dreamer.”
“Ooo, I’ll take these.” Emily reached into the suitcase and pulled out a pair of blue chenille socks that matched her moon-and-star patterned flannel pajamas.
“Lyra, heads up.” Kara sent a stuffed cat, monkey, and moose flying out of the overstuffed bag. “Everyone grab a snuggly.”
Lyra deftly caught the snugglies and walked around distributing a mouthful to everyone.
Dreamer sat eye to eye with a snow-white rabbit with long, floppy ears.
“Ohhhhhhh, twigmentia,” Tweek groaned miserably.
“That’s not a very good place for you to rest, you know,” Rasha, another quiffle, pointed out.
The Fairimental was lying flat in the fireplace.
“Popcorn’s ready!” Ozzie tottered into the cottage’s living room holding a huge bowl over his head. Maneuvering the maze of snugglies, he deftly avoided tripping over the hem of his oversized plaid pjs.
“Yum!” Rasha stuck her beak in the bowl.
“That’s disgusting!” Ozzie complained.
Emily helped Ozzie set the bowl on the coffee table and grabbed a handful. She flopped on the couch next to the white owl so Ariel could snack, too.
Kara rolled her eyes as the animals crowded around, grabbing wingfuls and pawfuls of hot popcorn.
Dreamer stayed where he was, head down, watching all the activity with wary liquid-green eyes.
“Time to call this meeting to order,” Kara said, satisfied that all the animals had matching sleepwear. She strode to the center of the comfortable room to address the group. “As you all know, today’s opening tour spectacular was… not.”
“It sucked,” a baby quiffle squawked.
“Who’s seen anything weird on the preserve?” Kara asked.
Everyone raised a hand, paw, wing, or flipper.
“I mean today.”
All eyes turned to Adriane and Dreamer.
“Hey, this isn’t a trial,” Emily said, then asked her friend. “So what’s going on?”
“Spill it!” Kara ordered.
“Okay.” Adriane scratched Dreamer’s silky black ruff and tucked her long hair behind her ears. “Last night I had a really weird dream,” she began. “I was running through Ravenswood and wound up in the magic glade, but everything looked different.”
“Go on,” Emily urged gently.
“I was attacked.”
Adriane took a deep breath. “A mistwolf.”
A unified gasp filled the room.
“Inconceivable!” Tweek declared, falling out of the fireplace.
With a snarl, Dreamer thrashed his head back and forth. White fur flew in a frenzy as a rabbit ear went flying across the room. The wolf looked up, holding the remains of his snuggly between clenched jaws.
“You killed it!” Kara was appalled.
With a low whine, the wolf slunk back down, head lowered.
“Adriane, things always appear different in dreams,” Emily pointed out.
“It wasn’t a dream exactly.” Adriane pushed up the leg of her sweats, revealing a ragged scratch. “There’s more.”
Silence fell across the warmly lit room.
Adriane shuddered with the memory. “In the glade I met a forest sylph called Orenda and then a mistwolf—”
“Rewind,” Kara ordered. “What’s a sylph?”
“It’s an elemental fairy creature.” Tweek wobbled across the rug. “Every magical forest has an earth sylph as a protector.”
“Why haven’t we seen it before?” Ozzie asked.
“You have, just not in its original form. A sylph melds into the forest, spreading magic.” Tweek twirled toward Emily. “Didn’t you tell me you found your jewels here?”
“I found mine in the lake,” Emily said. “Adriane found hers in the forest.”
“Well, I saw the sylph,” the warrior murmured. “She was under attack also.”
“By mistwolves?” Kara asked.
“No. Spiders.”
Tweek’s twigs sprang out in astonishment.
“She was trapped in a huge spider web. It was awful. She was in terrible pain. And—” Adriane hung her head, trying to control her emotions. “There wasn’t anything I could do to help her.”
“Well, that doesn’t sound good at all. What else?” Kara pressed.
“Nothing. Dreamer woke me, and Gran was sick,” Adriane continued, taking a deep breath. “Gran said… the forest spirit was dying.”
Everyone stared at Adriane and Dreamer.
“Why didn’t you tell us?” Kara found her voice first.
“Do you tell me about every dream you have?” Adriane challenged.
“If I thought it was important, I would,” Kara replied.
“Adriane, we’re your friends,” Emily said. “You’re supposed to tell us.”
Kara raised her arms in the air. “After all the work I did with the council, getting my dad to hook up the tour. Everything is in jeopardy!”
Adriane jumped to her feet, jewel pulsing. “Why is it always about you?”
Kara stepped back, caught off guard.
Dreamer sprang to the warrior’s side, low growl rising in his throat.
If Kara perceived any kind of threat, she didn’t show it, dismissing the warrior with a flick of her wrist. “That’s not what I meant. Hello! If we lose this tour, the council could shut down the whole place.”
“You don’t think I know that?” Adriane cried. “This is my home!”
“Well, I can’t put a spin on all this bad publicity, no matter how good I am,” Kara said.
“Oh, you’ll figure something out.” Adriane stalked across the rug, turning on Kara. “What Kara wants, Kara gets—right?”
The blazing star flushed, releasing a pulse of bright white from her jewel.
Lyra stepped to Kara’s side, hackles raised.
The animals shuffled nervously, feeling the tension rising.
“Just go to Daddy, he’ll fix it for you,” Adriane taunted.
Emily stepped between her friends, but looked at the warrior. “Adriane, that’s not fair.”
Kara’s face fell. “I’m not like that anymore.”
Dreamer growled, teeth flashing in a wolf grin.
“You know, Adriane…” Kara faced the warrior. “You and I have been through a lot, and believe it or not, I understand how you feel.”
“Kara, there is no way you can understand how I feel!” Adriane felt the room closing in. Her chest was tight, emotions raw. “You think it’s so easy! You saved the Fairy Realms, bonded with a paladin and—” She stopped abruptly.
“And what?” Kara’s eyes narrowed suspiciously.
“Nothing.”
“I know what you were going to say.”
“Leave me alone.” Adriane whirled away, hair flying.
Kara pressed on. “You were going to say I saved Lyra, weren’t you?”
“Get away from me!” Adriane’s wolf stone sparked dangerously.
“And you couldn’t save Storm!”
Adriane’s jewel erupted with power.
“Adriane!” Emily shouted.
Kara’s unicorn jewel flared bright. The two beams smacked together, diamond light against golden fire.
With a snarl, Dreamer lunged.
“Ahh!” Kara jumped back.
Lyra sprang in front of Kara, eyes locked on Adriane. “Calm your wolf down, now!”
The two animals faced each other, teeth bared.
“That’s enough!” Amplified by his ferret stone, Ozzie’s voice boomed across the room. The ferret marched between the much larger animals and pushed them apart. “You should be ashamed of yourselves!”
“What’s going on?” Emily asked in shock, running her healing jewel over Dreamer. “Adriane, I’ve never seen you like this.”
Adriane fell on the couch. Dreamer moved to her feet, head lowered, tail between his legs.
Emily sat next to her friend. “Losing Storm has been really hard on you,” she said gently. “And now with Gran—”
“Stop shrinking me!” Adriane cried, all her emotions bubbling to the surface. “I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s going on.”
Storm had been her first real friend, and now she was gone. The thought of losing someone else she loved filled her with white-hot fear.
“It’s okay, Adriane,” Ozzie said, placing a paw on Adriane’s hand.
“I don’t know how, but I saw the forest spirit, and she told me she was sick.” Adriane wiped her cheeks. “But I was at the glade this morning and there was nothing there. How did I see her?”
“Wwoaarold-wALk-warlking,” Tweek sputtered.
“What?” Ozzie asked.
“World walking,” the E.F. said, pulling his twigs together. “It means traveling through the astral planes. Mistwolves are the only living creatures who connect to the spirit world.”
“What are the astral planes, anyway?” Kara asked. “Are they connected to the magic web?”
“The magic web connects all physical worlds like Earth and Aldenmor,” Tweek explained. “The astral planes lie hidden from the web, only intersecting in certain places. There are several layers, including the dream state, and on top of that, the spirit world.”
“I’ve been there before,” Kara said excitedly. “Lucinda brought me there.”
“I doubt if you could go back by yourself. A human world walker is extremely rar-ooblaCH!” Tweek shuddered violently.
Adriane looked at the scratches on her leg. “So I was in the spirit world.”
“When mistwolves die, they join the spirit pack, giving their magic back to the living wolves. And you are bonded to the pack.”
“It was a spirit wolf I saw?” Adriane asked.
“BaLEEvmeeNoWow!” Tweek rattled, losing a pile of leaves.
“What’s wrong with you?” Kara asked.
“I’m feeling a bit scattered,” Tweek groaned.
“You miss Storm so much, you dreamed about a mistwolf,” Kara deduced. “Case solved.”
“But I saw it. It was a ghost. And I think it attacked Gran.”
“This is the real world,” Emily said, unconvinced. “There are no such things as ghosts.”
“There’s one,” Ariel reported, perched on the windowsill.
The mages and animals scrambled over to the window.
Outside, the fore
st lay in the shadow of night. A twinkling light bobbed gently up and down, threading its way through the trees.
“It’s headed this way!” Rasha exclaimed.
“It’s getting closer!” Ronif cried.
“It’s—”
With a soft flash, the light was suddenly inside the living room.
“—right here!”
The animals all scampered back from the floating light.
“What is that?” Ozzie asked, sparkly twinkles tickling his whiskers.
A small winged creature spun around Tweek, checking him out. Lights ran around its body, pulsing from delicate wings.
“That’s something,” he stammered, quartz eyes rolling in his head. “Definitely something.”
“Looks like Tinkerbelle,” Emily said.
“It’s a fairy wraith,” Kara exclaimed, holding out her finger so the delicate fairy creature could land upon it. “They loved me in the Fairy Realms.”
But the small fairy was not interested in Kara.
With a tinkling of bells, the wraith zipped to Adriane, flashing brightly.
Adriane stared into the wondrous creature’s wide eyes—and heard something familiar. The wraith’s bells carried a fragment of Orenda’s song, the song of the forest.
The wraith smiled at Adriane and suddenly zipped back out the window, hovering in the air expectantly.
“By the great tree! A Ravenswood fairy wraith!” Tweek gasped. “Follow it!”
“Let’s go,” Adriane said as the light sped off into the woods.
Dreamer howled in agreement, scrambling anxiously toward the cottage’s front door.
“Everyone stay here!” Kara ordered as Balthazar barreled past her. “You’ll ruin your slippers!”
“It’s headed toward the manor,” Emily pointed out, digging for her jacket in the pile of blankets and pillows.
Adriane slipped into her vest and stepped outside into the chill night. It was unusually cold for spring, making her breath cloud in front of her.
Dreamer ran after the glittering trail of fairy dust winding through the dark woods.
“Good boy!” Adriane exclaimed.
With a running leap, Tweek landed atop Ariel. Ozzie jumped onto Lyra’s back. Ferret and E.F. glanced at one another as the owl and flying cat took off.
Adriane’s heart raced as she followed Dreamer along the cobblestone path that led from her house. This felt eerily like her dream, following a mysterious summons through the dark forest.
Ghost Wolf (Avalon: Web of Magic #9) Page 3