Ghost Wolf (Avalon: Web of Magic #9)

by Rachel Roberts

  “You first, Dreamer,” Kara said, popping open the silver case.

  A golden clamshell mirror, jade brush, silver comb, powder puff, and skunk-shaped atomizer tumbled out excitedly.

  “It’s spritzing time!” Whiffle yelled, puffing a perfume cloud over Angelo.

  “Quiet, quiet!” Angelo, the silver comb, clapped his feet. “Let the princess speak.”

  “Special assignment.” Kara pointed to Lyra, Dreamer, and the line of quiffles, jeeran, and brimbees spilling off the front porch.

  “Oooo, mistwolf!” Skirmish, the jade brush, dove under Dreamer’s tummy, making him leap to his feet.

  “He stinks!” Whiffle scuttled toward Dreamer on crystal feet, puffing clouds of rose-scented perfume.

  Dreamer took one sniff and sneezed.

  “I’ll just groom him myself, thank you very much.” Adriane ran her own brush over Dreamer’s silky fur before Puffdoggie, the powder puff, could unleash a cloud of sparkly powder.

  “Princess Lyra’s turn,” Kara directed.

  “Yay!” The enchanted objects dove into Lyra’s orange-spotted fur.

  “My fur needs to be extra shiny!” The large cat primped and preened with every stroke, brush, and spritz.

  “I swear, Lyra, you’re becoming more like Kara every day,” Emily said as she walked through the sliding screen door.

  “Thank you.”

  Adriane turned away as the blazing star beamed at her bonded cat.

  Emily knelt in front of Dreamer. Gently holding his head, she looked into his deep green eyes.

  “What is it, Dreamer?” Emily’s gem pulsed soft greens and blues. “What’s wrong?”

  The wolf cocked his head, leaned forward and licked Emily on the nose.

  The healer got to her feet with a sigh. “His magic is blocked.”

  “It’s like he’s lost,” Adriane said softly, glancing at her gem. The paw-shaped stone lay quietly on her black and turquoise bracelet.

  “No.” Emily firmly faced the warrior. “Not while he has you.”

  “I can’t help him!” Adriane cried, her voice cracking with emotion. She knelt beside her packmate, hugging him protectively.

  The others waited, staring as she took a deep breath.

  “Something is here.” Adriane gently stroked the wolf under his chin, turning his liquid green eyes to her own. “It’s doing something to Dreamer.” She was about to add and to me.

  “We’ve searched the whole preserve,” Kara said. “No one has seen anything.”

  “Then it’s something we can’t see,” Emily stated.

  “How do we fight something we can’t even see?” Kara asked.

  “We just haven’t figured out how to look,” Adriane said, rising to her feet.

  “No bows!” Lyra growled as the accessories attempted to secure a scented purple ribbon around the cat’s neck.

  “I’ll take it!” Rasha pushed to the front of the line.

  “Hey, I was first!” Ronif protested, his silvery rubber bill scrunched into a frown.

  Mirabelle, the clamshell mirror, flapped open, releasing a gob of green liquid that settled over the quiffles’ head feathers.

  “Cool,” Rasha said, admiring Ronif’s new coif. “What is it?”

  “Duckity doo.”

  “What about us?”

  The animals surged forward onto the porch, crowding the mages.

  “One at a time,” Emily shouted. “Kara, I think your accessories may be a bit overkill—Kara?”

  The blazing star was gazing through the oak trees that arched over Adriane’s cobbled walkway.

  “Heads up,” Kara said, pointing to the circular driveway in front of the manor house. “We’ve got company.” A line of cars was making its way down the main road toward Ravenswood Manor.

  Kara consulted her watch. “The tour isn’t supposed to be here for two more hours.”

  Dreamer sprang to his feet, a low growl rumbling in his throat.

  “Adriane, take Dreamer to the glade.” Emily’s face was tight with concern. “Now.”

  “Pancakes are ready!” Ozzie ran from the kitchen, blobs of whipped cream flying off his fur.

  “Let’s go!” Balthazar shouted, herding the magical animals off the porch and into the forest behind the cottage.

  “Dreamer, come on.” Adriane’s jewel sparked as she saw the dark SUV screeching to a stop in the circular driveway. It was followed by a patrol car marked with the Stonehill Sheriff’s star.

  The wolf hunched low, growling and snapping at the air before taking off for the trees.

  “Dreamer!” Adriane yelled.

  “I’ll go after him.” Lyra bounded off the porch, vanishing into the forest.

  “Is it the good witch or the bad witch?” Kara asked, frowning.

  The SUV’s door swung open, and a spindly gray-haired woman stepped out. Beasley Windor’s steely eyes darted everywhere at once as she marched toward the cottage.

  “What’s she doing here?” Ozzie asked.

  “She’s brought Sheriff Nelson,” Emily said nervously, watching the angry city councilwoman approach with the sheriff.

  Kara stepped forward. “I’ll handle this.”

  Kara stepped forward and flashed her diamond bright smile. “Good morning, Mrs. Windor. Hello, Sheriff Nelson.”

  “Hi, Kara.” The sheriff smiled. “How’re you doing?”

  “I’m terrific. You get the brownies we sent over?”

  “We sure did. Your mom bakes them really swell—”

  Windor cut him off with an icy stare.

  “Sorry, Kara,” Sheriff Nelson whispered. “We’re here on business.”

  “We have all our permits,” Kara said. “I made sure they were filed—”

  “Do you have a permit for—this!” Mrs. Windor shouted, holding up the Stonehill Gazette.

  Bold letters jumped out on the front page: WOLF ATTACK AT RAVENSWOOD PRESERVE! Below the headline was a full-color photo of the horrified tourists.

  “That was an accident,” Kara said calmly. “No one was hurt.”

  “I’m afraid it’s gone beyond that, Kara,” the sheriff said.

  “These wild animals have terrorized the town long enough,” Mrs. Windor snapped. “We’ve come for the wolf.”

  “He didn’t do anything!” Adriane protested. Her jewel pulsed a warning.

  “Adriane.” Emily held her friend’s arm.

  “What do you know about taking care of animals?” Adriane cried, wrestling away from Emily to get in Mrs. Windor’s face.

  “Enough to realize you have no business running this preserve,” Mrs. Windor responded, staring the warrior in the eye. “And now it’s over.”

  Kara pulled Adriane back. “My father gave us full authority to watch over these animals!”

  “Who do you think authorized the sheriff’s visit, Missy?”

  The Sheriff nodded. “Sorry, Kara. We have our orders.”

  “I’m calling him right now.” Kara whipped out her pink phone.

  “Mrs. Windor,” Emily said, trying to remain calm. “We have a tour in an hour—it’s very important we have all our animals here.”

  “The tours are cancelled,” the councilwoman stated, holding the newspaper. “There will be no tour today, or ever.”

  “I need to talk to my father right now!” Kara screamed into her phone.

  Fear gnawed at Adriane’s stomach as a plume of dust rose on the main road. Another vehicle pulled up to the manor.

  “You can’t do this,” Adriane hissed.

  Beasley Windor smiled wickedly. “Just watch me.”

  “My mother will straighten this out,” Emily said as Dr. Fletcher’s green Explorer pulled to a stop.

  The vet stepped out the driver’s door, followed by two other people in the back.

  “Oh, no.” Adriane turned ashen.

  “Who are they?” Emily whispered to Adriane as the trio approached.

  Adriane stepped back. “My parents.”

 
“Adriane.” A tall, athletic man strode past Mrs. Windor to stand in front of Adriane. He wore tailored blue jeans and a dark blue blazer over a white T-shirt. Brown eyes shone from a ruggedly handsome face framed by wavy brown hair.

  “What are you doing here?” Adriane asked in disbelief.

  He stopped and smiled awkwardly. A slightly built, dark-haired woman approached hesitantly behind him. Her olive skin set off intense black eyes.

  “How long did you expect us to wait until you called, Adriane?” her mother asked.

  “We just came from the hospital,” Adriane’s father said in a slight French accent. “Your grandmother’s condition is unchanged.”

  Adriane’s mother put her hand on her daughter’s cheek, a tiny smile fleeting across her pretty features.

  Adriane was surprised to find herself standing a little taller than her mother.

  Her dad turned his attention to Mrs. Windor and the sheriff. “I’m Luc Charday, and this is my wife, Willow.”

  “Beasley Windor, Stonehill city council.” Mrs. Windor nodded curtly. “Your daughter and her friends have been keeping dangerous animals on this preserve and jeopardizing the entire town,” she accused.

  “She doesn’t know what she’s talking about!” Adriane cried furiously. “Dreamer didn’t do anything!”

  “Dreamer?” Willow asked, her eyes full of concern.

  “It’s a wild wolf,” Windor broke in.

  “He’s not wild!” Adriane rounded angrily on the woman.

  Suddenly a howl echoed from the trees.

  Willow’s long dark hair fell over her black eyes as she anxiously took in the preserve.

  “No!” Adriane shouted. “Stay away!”

  But it was no use. Responding to his packmate’s distress, Dreamer lunged from the trees, landing between Adriane and Mrs. Windor. He looked fierce and ready to strike.

  Emily dashed to the snarling mistwolf, pulling him back.

  “You see that?” Windor scrambled behind the sheriff. “That wolf attacked me!”

  Luc eyed the big black wolf. “Adriane, this isn’t exactly a golden retriever.”

  “You don’t even know him!” Adriane shot back, stepping in front of her packmate.

  “Mom!” Emily pleaded.

  “We went over this,” Dr. Fletcher said evenly. “The animal needs to be in a safe environment.”

  “We’ve come to take you back with us,” Willow said quietly to Adriane.

  Adriane couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “You just show up out of nowhere and expect me to leave? Ravenswood is my home!”

  “Adriane, we want—” Luc began, but stopped short as a large yellow and brown van pulled up behind the sheriff’s car. Wire mesh covered the rear windows.

  Adriane gasped as she read the logo on the van’s side: DEPARTMENT OF FISH AND GAME.

  “You can’t do this!” Adriane grabbed Dreamer in a fierce hug. “You can’t take him away from me.”

  Two men in tan uniforms jumped out, carrying nets and rifles.

  “Why did you even come here?” Adriane cried. Red-hot fear spiked through her. “I hate you for this!”

  Willow cringed.

  “Mom!” Emily begged.

  “Dad!” Kara wailed into her cell.

  “Dreamer, run!” Adriane cried.

  “Packmates stand together,” the mistwolf insisted, hackles raised as he stood his ground.

  For a second, Adriane was startled—Dreamer had spoken.

  “Adriane,” Luc said, pulling her away from the wolf. “We’ll figure something out. Just let the sheriff do his job.”

  “He won’t feel a thing.” One of the game wardens cocked a tranq gun, leveling it at Dreamer.

  She heard Emily yell, “Kara, no!” as the blazing star raised her jewel.

  “Turn to mist!” Adriane screamed, trying to break free of her father’s strong grasp. “Please! They won’t hurt me.”

  Dreamer pawed the ground, unsure what to do. His eyes fixed on his packmate as the men closed in. Adriane reached out, trying desperately to help him. She felt his magic at the edges of her mind, but it was ragged and broken. He couldn’t turn into mist.

  Flashes of Storm’s golden eyes played through her mind, flooding pain through her until she could barely breathe. This couldn’t be happening, not again!

  “Packmate!”

  With a wild snarl, Dreamer lunged.

  “Look out!” the sheriff shouted.

  Two loud bangs cracked through the still air.

  Dreamer howled as the yellow darts sank deep into his side.

  “No!” Adriane broke away from her father and ran toward her packmate.

  The wolf fell into Adriane’s arms, struggling as the tranquilizer took hold.

  “Stay with me,” she pleaded, burying her face in his silky fur.

  Dulled emerald eyes focused on her as he tried to stay conscious.

  Adriane was suddenly pulled to her feet, torn away from the drugged wolf.

  “Adriane, let him go,” Luc said.

  “How can you let them do this?” Adriane screamed wildly, pushing away from her parents, tears streaming down her face.

  The warrior watched helplessly as a heavy net tightened over the wolf.

  “Do you have to do that?” Emily shouted angrily. “He’s got enough tranq to knock out an animal twice his size!”

  “He won’t be causing trouble again,” Mrs. Windor said, watching with satisfaction.

  “We’re going to get him back,” Emily promised.

  “I’ll convince my dad,” Kara said, running to Adriane’s side.

  “Dreamer!” the warrior called frantically, her wolf stone pulsing bright gold. “Dreamer, are you all right?”

  But the unconscious mistwolf could not answer.

  “No!” A primal cry ripped from Adriane’s throat as the officers tossed Dreamer’s limp body into the back of the van and shut the doors, blocking him from sight.

  For the second time, she had failed her packmate.

  THE DARK SORCERESS descended the spiraling staircase deep beneath the lair. Stagnant air felt musty and heavy with age as she followed the Spider Witch into the depths of the mountain. Walls of rock closed around her like a tomb. Yet her senses were sparking like wildfire. The source of the witch’s power was somewhere down here. She was sure of it.

  Crystals embedded in the walls cast dull yellow light, illuminating the Spider Witch’s bulky form. The clatter of her legs echoed across the stone steps. “This old place is full of secrets.”

  The Dark Sorceress shuddered as they finally arrived at the bottom and entered a subterranean chamber. Her animal eyes focused on dozens of faded tapestries lining the walls. They were nearly identical to the Ravenswood scene the spiders were now weaving. Some were faded; others were dusty and unraveling, decades old.

  “Why are you bringing me here?”

  “Ravenswood is only part of my plan.”

  “You have tried to secure Ravenswood before.” The sorceress ran her hands over a frayed image of the imposing manor house. “What makes you think you will succeed this time?”

  “Thanks to you, our old friend, Henry Gardener, cannot guard his precious forest anymore,” the witch snapped. “This time, I will control the magic of Ravenswood.”

  The Dark Sorceress frowned as she passed more decaying tapestries. “How is this going to help us retrieve the remaining power crystals?”

  The witch turned faceted eyes on the sorceress. “I believe one has landed in the astral planes.”

  The sorceress stopped short. She had used the elusive planes to focus her dream magic, but it was exhausting and unreliable. What was the witch planning? It would be impossible to enter the astral planes, let alone bring back something solid like a power crystal. “And just how do you propose to get to the astral planes?”

  “You know very well there is one creature capable of world walking.”

  Mistwolves!

  The sorceress flushed with ange
r. She had come so close to stealing the magic of the mistwolves. She would have succeeded if not for the warrior and her wolf.

  Sensing the sorceress’s thoughts, the witch sneered. “Where you failed, I will succeed.” She gathered her robes and swiftly moved through an arched doorway.

  The Dark Sorceress followed, brushing stray spider webs from her pale cheek. Suddenly the air coiled around her like a snake, pulling her forward. Something powerful was here, waiting in its crypt, dark and hungry.

  The craving for magic made her blood pulse fever hot.

  The Spider Witch cackled and spread her arms wide. “Behold.”

  An enormous glowing tapestry stretched from floor to ceiling, radiating power. Silvers, blues, greens, and reds lay in complicated patterns, like interlocking grids amid a dazzling array of stars. It was a map of the magic web.

  “How is this possible?” Stunned, the sorceress forced her voice to remain steady. “Even a fairy map contains only a small section of the web—it is impossible to map the entire thing!”

  “At the core, it is a just a web, a pattern of magic,” the witch said smugly. “But you are right. This is not the magic web. Look closer.”

  Dust filtered across the chamber, captured in beams of yellow light. This web looked different. The lines were harder and more squared off, not the complex swirling lines of the web she had known.

  Power thrummed through her, beating like a black heart. “This is your weaving?”

  “I have had many years to plan the web’s new design. When the Gates of Avalon are opened, I will be ready!” the Spider Witch laughed.

  The Dark Sorceress listened with mounting concern. The thought of her ally having that kind of power was terrifying. The sorceress contained herself. “So that’s why you wanted the unicorns—to spread Avalon’s magic onto this web.”

  “Yes, but I am not concerned. The more the mages bond with these animals, the weaker they become. But you know that.”

  “We still have to find Avalon,” the Dark Sorceress insisted.

  “Once I have the key, Avalon will be revealed.”

  The sorceress stood back, the enormity of the witch’s master plan sinking in. Twisting the magic of Ravenswood made the warrior weak, while strengthening the demon sylph. The demon would create enough chaos on the astral planes to attract the power crystal where a mistwolf would retrieve it. Once they had the nine power crystals, they would use Avalon’s magic to reweave the web in this ancient pattern.