Ghost Wolf (Avalon: Web of Magic #9)

by Rachel Roberts

  “Maybe I will!”

  “We’re doomed!” Rasha cried.

  KAooOOGAH!

  Everyone jumped, startled by a booming blast from the ferret stone.

  Ozzie marched to the front of the group, determination shining in his eyes, and began speaking in a loud, clear voice. “Listen up! I may be a ferret but—”

  “You’re an elf,” Tweek corrected him.

  “I may be an elf but—”

  “He’s an elf?” a startled quiffle asked.

  “You look like a ferret,” a mistwolf observed.

  “GaH!”

  “Quiet!” Emily demanded.

  “It doesn’t matter what we are,” Ozzie continued. “The Dark Sorceress and the Spider Witch are back and more dangerous than ever. Wild magic is flooeying all over the place. Our home is in terrible danger—”

  A few quiffles and brimbees started crying.

  “The only way we’re going to succeed is if we work together!” He walked to a quivering quiffle, lifting its beak.

  “It doesn’t matter that we can’t even make a simple magic… er, thing.”

  He turned to a brimbee. “When the Dark Sorceress blew up the whatever-that-was, did we back down?”

  “No!” the group answered.

  Ozzie challenged the mistwolves. “When the mistwolves were trapped, did Stormbringer let them down?”

  “No!” Adriane yelled.

  “That’s right! So are we going to give up when Ravenswood needs us?”

  The resounding “No!” echoed throughout the glade.

  “Whatever the Spider Witch has planned, whether it’s disgusting webs, incredibly powerful elemental magic, giant fanged spiders—”

  “Whoa.”

  “Whatever comes,” the ferret shouted. “we are going to work together and save Ravenswood!”

  “Yay!” everyone cheered wildly.

  “It’s time!” Tweek screamed.

  “Let’s go!” Ozzie yelled, frizzled hair sticking straight out.

  “No, it’s time!” Tweek’s twigs rattled as he found a match for Zach’s mysterious symbol on the Rocking Stone. “Zach is time, a fifth element!”

  Everyone’s attention shifted to the glowing symbols.

  “What does that mean?” the boy asked.

  “You are the anchor, the one who keeps all the other elements rooted here in the real world,” Tweek explained.

  “Like the Circle of Protection.” Dreamer understood.

  “Exactly,” Tweek agreed. “With the dragon, you can hold Adriane steady—well, steadier, if she goes back in.”

  Adriane clasped Zach’s hands in hers. “You mean when I go back in.”

  “I won’t let you get lost again,” Zach vowed.

  Adriane smiled and nodded. “Okay, here’s the play,” she said, addressing the group. “Dreamer and I are going back. We’ll find Storm, and together we’ll find the spirit pack.”

  The mistwolves howled in a chorus of agreement.

  “The magic of the spirit pack will help attract the power crystal,” the warrior declared, turning to the blazing star.

  “Yeah, that should do it,” Kara concurred.

  “Dreamer will bring it back,” Zach agreed.

  “And we’ll use the power crystal to heal the forest sylph,” Emily concluded.

  A cacophony of cheers meant all the animals were down with the brave plan.

  “Let’s hear it for Ravenswood!” Ozzie hollered.

  “Yay!”

  “Hoot!”

  “Honk!”

  “Nothing will distract us now!” the frenzied ferret screamed.

  “Someone’s here!” A mistwolf emerged from the ring of trees.

  “Oo, be right back!” Ozzie darted toward the manor house, Emily on his heels.

  They scrambled through the woods, skidding to a stop near the front of the manor. A delivery truck emblazoned with an orange and green logo: BURGERS N’ THINGS was parked in the main driveway.

  The driver stepped out, smiling at Emily. “I have your order here.”

  “What order?” the healer asked.

  “Fourteen hundred hamburgers, four hundred and fifty milk shakes…”

  The mage glared at Ozzie.

  “What else was I supposed to do? Feed them a quiffle?”

  “And one order of curly fries,” the delivery boy finished.

  “That’s mine,” Ozzie called out.

  The delivery guy looked around, puzzled. “Everything’s been billed to… let’s see here,” he took out a slip of paper. “The Pet Palace.”

  “Uh, you can leave everything here,” Emily said, taking the bill.

  The boy quickly carted boxes and cups from the back of the van, stacking them in a precarious pile as the other mages emerged from the forest.

  “How am I going to explain this one?” Emily groaned.

  “Enjoy!” the delivery guy called out as he sped off.

  “Mine has extra pickles!” Rasha called out, pushing the mistwolves aside to inspect dinner.

  As the group gathered round to carry the goodies back to Adriane’s house, the warrior’s gem crackled red. Time was running out. She hoped Ozzie was right and that their determination would be enough. It was all they had.

  THE DARK SORCERESS pushed aside tendrils of loose webbing as she entered the weaving room. Thick mist brushed past her ankles.

  The Ravenswood tapestry crackled as the Spider Witch skittered back and forth, conducting the hundreds of spiders busily weaving the final details. If the witch was capable of this, then there was no question she could re-weave the web with Avalon’s magic.

  The sorceress could not let that happen.

  Right now, the important thing was to stay focused on the warrior. Press forward and attack. With the warrior out of the way, she would proceed with her own plan to turn the blazing star.

  From an act of unspeakable treachery, the dark mage would rise.

  Satisfied, she stepped back as a giant spider descended out of the mist.

  The Spider Witch laughed, stroking the spider’s spiky head.

  “I know what you’re thinking,” the witch said slowly, her voice low and threatening. “How can you use Avalon’s magic for yourself?”

  The sorceress blinked, startled, then bowed her head. “You have the power here, not me.”

  “Serve me and I can complete your magic.”

  The sorceress’s animal eyes flashed.

  “Or I could feed you to my hungry friend.”

  Clattering mandibles clicked an eerie staccato as the spider watched the sorceress coldly.

  “I would prefer the former,” the sorceress conceded.

  “Then we stand together as Ravenswood falls.”

  The spider moved away, silver thread trailing from its swollen abdomen. The final threads had formed the glittering Rocking Stone near the center of the tapestry. The witch raised her hand. A ruby gem gleamed powerfully on her finger. With a quick slash, she cut the final strand with a sharp fingernail.

  The entire tapestry shifted, rippling like a reflection in a pool. Silken threads quivered as the building magic writhed through the design. A sudden gust of wind surged through the chamber, carrying the crisp scent of ancient forest. High, keening wolf howls leaked from the swirling patterns.

  The sorceress’s skin prickled—the weaving was coming to life!

  The Spider Witch cackled gleefully. “Watch and learn what a magic master can do.”

  It was if they stood high above Ravenswood, looking down. The witch waved her hand, and the glade zoomed forward, magnifying every secret in exquisite detail. Every tree, every blade of grass, the woodland trails, blue streams running into lakes, the intricate sculpture gardens, topiary animals, Ravenswood Manor—and in the center—the magic glade, the heart of Ravenswood.

  “All is ready.”

  ADRIANE AND DREAMER ran upon the Spirit Trail, the future ahead, the past behind. She closed her eyes and focused.

  Sh
e could feel her friends through the layers of swirling magic. Tweek had been right: dragon magic was as ancient as time itself, and it was Drake and Zach now keeping her steady. With Dreamer guiding her, she kept on the path.

  Wild magic swells rose and fell to the sides, attracted to the wolf stone and mistwolf, brilliant spray breaking upon the trail’s edge.

  A sudden feeling of loss stopped her. Emptiness, vast as an ocean, swept over her. She felt alone, all her fears and memories bubbling to the surface. But this time, instead of pulling away, she reached for them, allowing the jagged feelings of isolation and sadness to fill her with frozen dread.

  She took a deep breath. “This is where it happened,” she said calmly.

  The black mistwolf trotted to her side. “The spirit pack was taken here.”

  But there was something else here.

  Adriane let mistwolf magic flow through her. Blues mixed with swaths of white and green swirled in her head. Her nose filled with the extraordinary scents of wood, loam, and wildflowers. Her heart raced with the devotion and love of her packmate. She pressed on, trying to see through Stormbringer’s eyes, feeling what Storm was feeling—and reached for her lost friend.

  The shift was slight, barely perceptible.

  Through a warm haze, Adriane saw herself. She was standing on a grassy hill, eyes closed, arms outstretched.

  She opened her eyes and looked in wonder. The forests of Ravenswood spread for miles in every direction, a sea of greens and browns sparkling under skies of blue and white.

  But it was not the shock of being back in Ravenswood that made her gasp. In front of her, not ten feet away, stood a lone mistwolf. Her silver-and-white fur gleamed with magic, golden eyes shining.

  “Storm!”

  Without thinking, Adriane raced to her friend. The large wolf reared up to place her paws on her packmate’s shoulders in a wolfish embrace.

  Adriane had never felt such joy. She howled with pleasure, jumping and leaping, rolling in the heather just as they once had.

  Atop the windswept hills, amid the wildflowers and tall, sweet grass, Storm lay beside Adriane, golden eyes glinting with light. Together, they looked out upon the forest they both loved.

  “Storm, I can’t believe it’s really you.” Adriane threw her arms around her friend, burying her face in warm, silvery fur. “I never want to leave here, ever!”

  “I wish that could be, Adriane,” Stormbringer answered.

  “So much has happened, I… I…” She was about to introduce Storm to Dreamer when she realized the black mistwolf was nowhere to be found.

  “The mistwolves are in terrible danger.”

  Suddenly, the silver wolf’s form wavered, dissipating to mist, before snapping back.

  Adriane scrambled to her feet, panic shooting through her.

  “Storm, what’s wrong?” Adriane asked nervously.

  “I must return to the spirit world.”

  “Aren’t we there now?”

  “This is only a dream state.”

  Only a dream. But it felt so real, so alive.

  “Will you come with me, warrior? See me as I really am.”

  “I know who you really are,” Adriane said, bracing herself. “Take me with you.”

  Storm nodded, closing her golden eyes briefly. Her fur shone like moonlight.

  In a swirling wash of greens and browns, the forest melted away.

  A sudden rush of sound thundered like the roar of a cannon. Dust filled Adriane’s eyes and throat. The scene before her was one of total chaos, a cacophony of noise and confusion. Huge slabs of rock crashed to the ground. Adriane staggered as the walls of the underground chamber fell around her.

  Adriane had been plunged into the middle of her worst nightmare: her packmate trapped, and she was helpless to do anything about it.

  In the center of the chamber, the last of the sorceress’s crystals splintered and cracked as it filled with waves of magic. The Dark Sorceress had trapped the mistwolves in immense crystals, using them to attract the magic of Avalon. Storm stood, wavering in and out of mist as she helped the last of the mistwolves leap free of the death trap.

  Across the vast chamber she heard her friends desperately calling to her. Kara, Emily, and Zach tried to reach her, but instead she ran toward her struggling packmate. She would never let her down. Golden fire sprang from the wolf stone, spiraling toward her friend. The magic locked around the fading mistwolf.

  “Do not let go.”

  “Never!” With every fiber of her being, Adriane held on to Storm. The world turned upside down as Adriane was swept through an endless forest, wordless memories of sorrow and passion filling her senses.

  Time crashed to a stop.

  Adriane stood at the edge of a high cliff. Silver rocks glittered, leading from the ledge to the sprawling drop far below. A stream of mist bridged the chasm, stretching over a river of raging wild magic. Ribbons of brilliant blue, purple, red, and silver thrashed in the narrow gap, surging upward, flowing in a fast river.

  “I knew you would find me.”

  Storm’s voice echoed in her mind, but the silver wolf was nowhere to be seen.

  On the far side of the chasm, Adriane could see the glistening lines of the Spirit Trail. The end of the misty bridge entwined with the glowing lines, fading away in the distance. A bolt of crackling magic burst from the river below, shredding a section of mist to fragments.

  Adriane’s wolf stone blazed with danger as pain tore through her, as if a part of her were being ripped to shreds.

  “Storm, where are you?”

  “I am here.” Storm’s disembodied voice echoed in the wide space.

  Adriane looked at the bridge of mist and gasped. “What’s happened to you?”

  “I am holding the last of the mistwolves’ magic.”

  The section of Spirit Trail stretching over the chasm had been destroyed. Now only Storm’s mist united the two sides, keeping the trail whole. Once her mist faded, the entire Spirit Trail would collapse, and the memories and magic of the mistwolves would vanish into nothingness, lost forever.

  “I cannot hold on much longer,” the mistwolf said, her voice strained.

  Adriane looked around desperately. “Where is the spirit pack?”

  “They are lost. You must find them.”

  “I don’t understand,” Adriane said. “If they were swept away by the wild magic, why aren’t you with them?”

  “I was never part of the spirit pack.”

  Adriane was unable to speak. The realization rocked her to the core.

  “I have remained here in mist form to protect the pack.”

  “But why didn’t you tell me?” Adriane asked, tears running down her cheeks. “I could have helped.”

  “You did. You have held me in your dreams.”

  Adriane flashed on the dark dreams that had haunted since she lost Storm—her desperate attempts to hold onto her friend, to keep her from slipping away. “I thought they were nightmares,” she whispered, horrified. “I didn’t know.”

  Storm’s mist wavered, nearly disintegrating before pulling back together.

  Fear tingled up and down Adriane’s spine. Storm had become a living bridge to keep the Spirit Trail whole and keep the mistwolves of Aldenmor from losing their magic. She had been trapped in her mist form. And that meant if Adriane could find the missing pack in time, she could bring Storm back with her—alive!

  Adriane fought to remain calm. There wasn’t much time. She had been given a second chance, and she wasn’t going to waste it. But only the magic of Avalon itself could help her.

  “I have to find the power crystal.”

  Suddenly a tremor shook the chasm, and the wild magic exploded. A shock wave surged through the air, sending Adriane tumbling through walls of vibrant color.

  “No!”

  It was too late.

  She felt the magic of her friends take hold and drag her from the spirit world, Storm’s mist vanishing before her eyes.

>   She heard the sounds of yelling as magic flashed everywhere.

  “Adriane!”

  Zach ran toward her. “Are you all right?

  “I… don’t know.” She stood in the glade, watching the scene as if this, too, were a dream.

  “We’re under attack!” Kara yelled.

  Sudden pain lashed through her, making her cry out. She saw Emily and Kara, magic blazing from their jewels. The mistwolves ran about the glade, trying to contain the dark forces that had finally broken through. Trees sagged into the water, their flowing branches weighed down by glistening spider webs. And in center of a willow grove, suspended by twisted hunks of spider webbing, hung the sickly, green cocoon. Blistered with pockmarks, the thing pulsed, tearing wicked cracks up and down. The vile apparition shuddered, ready to unleash the demon inside.

  “The webs appeared out of nowhere!” Emily cried, running to Adriane’s side as she fired volleys of healing magic.

  Adriane tried to add her magic to that of her friends, but all she felt was the agony of the forest sylph. She ignored the intense emotions bombarding her and searched for the one who could help her most.

  “Dreamer!” she called out desperately.

  But Dreamer was gone.

  IN A FLASH of blood-red light, heavy webbing exploded over the glade as the cocoon burst open. Adriane felt the world spinning, twisting her stomach in a knot. Wolf stone sparking, she looked around frantically for Orenda, but all that remained was a mass of strands coiling over the trees. Whatever was in the cocoon had disappeared.

  The mistwolves leaped through the glade, snarling as they searched for the forest sylph.

  The healer rushed toward Adriane, red curls tumbling wildly over her sweat-streaked face.

  “Emily,” Adriane whispered, dark eyes shining. “She’s alive.”

  “Who?” Kara raced over, Lyra landing beside her.

  “Stormbringer.”

  Emily and Kara gasped.

  Adriane turned to Moonshadow and Dawnrunner. “She’s been trapped in mist form ever since she saved the mistwolves from the sorceress.”

  “Storm is the one connecting us to the Spirit Trail,” Moonshadow realized, his eyes glinting with feral light.

  “I have to go back before it’s too late,” Adriane said. “Dreamer’s still there.”