All's Fairy in Love and War (Avalon: Web of Magic #8) (17 page)

“Okay,” she smiled.

He bowed. “Now my friends are all insisting on dancing with the mages. So please help me or I may have to fight them off.”

“Wait right here,” she told Lorren, then dashed over to her friends.

Taking in the scene, Adriane quipped. “How are we ever going to keep Cinderella down on the farm?”

“That’s your job,” Kara responded, throwing her arms around Emily and Adriane’s shoulders. “Whatever happens, I’m counting on you and…”

They looked at Kara.

“I love you all very much.”

Lyra, Dreamer, Ozzie, Emily, Adriane, and Kara stood together, Goldie whirling overhead. Clasping hands to paws, the mages and their magical animal friends smiled at one another.

“Now let’s dance!” Kara commanded.

Colfax spun Adriane on the dance floor as Emily whipped Ozzie into a ferret-stomping frenzy. Lorren and Tasha moved and shimmied, laughing as all the guests whirled around the floor in celebration, their joyous laughter filling the air.

Kara looked on and smiled. She raised her unicorn jewel and gazed into its light. Diamond white and red fire entwined and sparkled. Her magic had changed, and she with it. Starfire’s magic had mixed with her own, strengthening and tempering her power. She was no longer trapped by her magic. She didn’t fear it. Come what may, she was now free to choose
how
she would use it. She might make mistakes—correction, she probably would make mistakes—but there was no going back. The past shaped who she was. But the kind of person she would grow to be, well, that was all in her hands, like the magic running through her jewel. Her friends loved her. She knew that as sure as the bright sun shining over the wondrous Fairy Realms. But it wasn’t about how much love she could gather in her life, it was how much she was willing to give back. That was the magic of the blazing star.

T
HE GIGANTIC BLACK
spider thrummed down its web, dragging cocooned bodies past the three mirrors embedded in the silken strands. Long, spiked legs paused as it hissed at a cloaked figure that stood below.

“Yes, my pet, I missed you, too.” The Spider Witch laughed, pixilated eyes roving gleefully around the octagonal courtyard of her lair.

The Dark Sorceress stood a few steps back, watching uneasily as her ally stroked the spider’s massive head.

Appendages wriggling, the spider’s huge fangs slipped from its mouth, sinking into a carcass as it began to feed.

The Dark Sorceress turned away, shuddering as the spider clicked and slurped. There were some things not even she could stomach.

She cursed herself for showing such weakness. But this was a small price to pay for freedom. She had to admit the Spider Witch’s plan had worked perfectly. They had slipped undetected from the Otherworlds during Tangoo’s use—albeit short-lived—of the power crystal. It had been enough. They were free, and their enemies were none the wiser.

The Fairimentals now had two crystals in their possession, and soon it would be time for the Dark Sorceress’s own plan to begin. She needed only one more crystal in place to begin turning the Fairimental she had chosen to serve her.

The rustle of legs broke her thoughts as the Spider Witch approached.

“Poor thing hasn’t had fresh meat for a long time.”

The two swept into the castle’s dimly lit main chamber, where the witch had already begun work on a new tapestry. Hundreds of spiders hung from the stone ceiling, releasing silken strands of webbing that stretched down to the floor.

“How do you like it so far?” the Spider Witch asked, multifaceted eyes glistening yellow-green within the folds of her hood.

“It has its merits,” the Dark Sorceress replied, looking at the patterns already forming on the exquisite strands: trees, rivers, fields; a map of a dense forested region.

“The blazing star outdid herself,” the Spider Witch hissed.

The Dark Sorceress smiled, vampire teeth catching the light. “Your sorcerer made her angry.”

“Angry enough to destroy a power crystal. Did you know she had such power?”

“Yes.”

“And you still think you can turn her?”

The Dark Sorceress paused, her animal eyes flashing a twinge of doubt.

“There are two others, you know…” The Spider Witch’s words trailed off as she ran her pale, blue-veined fingers along the tapestry’s webbing. In the center, a large, gothic manor house was forming: Ravenswood Manor. “The mages must be taught a lesson.”

The Dark Sorceress raised an eyebrow.

“It is time for them to learn the meaning of revenge.”

Paladins are the ultimate protectors of good. Composed of pure elemental magic, paladins can be summoned when their bondeds are in great need. A bonded paladin elevates a mage to Level Two status, opening up greater degrees of magical abilities. Starfire is bonded to Kara, fueling the blazing star with extraordinary fire magic.

Crafted from exotic magic as a gift to the Fairy Princess, the enchanted accessories live to beautify. (l-r) Mirabelle, beauty expert compact mirror, Angelo, self-imposed leader comb, Whiffle, scent-spritzing atomizer, Skirmish, goblin brush, and Puffdoggie, fun-loving powder puff.

Large lizard-like creatures, Bulwoggles are strong, ferocious, and quick-tempered. Bulwoggles hunt the web searching for magic. They hire out their skills as magic trackers and mercenaries to anyone willing to pay for their services.