All's Fairy in Love and War (Avalon: Web of Magic #8) by Rachel Roberts

magical animals are special. If the bond is true, they are the most formidable of magic users.”
    “I didn’t do so well with that horse,” Kara reminded the queen.
    “It’s a Firemental,” Selinda said as if that explained everything. “A very bold plan from Tangoo. Some might even say desperate.” Looking out over the grand gardens, she continued. “Everyone here knows what’s at stake. They want to believe in you.”
    “Even the goblins?” Kara asked, trying to imagine the hot-tempered Goblin Queen spreading magic for the good of the worlds.
    Selinda’s fine features tensed. “The goblins have been terribly manipulated by the Dark Sorceress. We have had our differences but I know Raelda wants the best for her kingdom, and I would like to think we could become friends. But if we have to go war, we will.”
    Kara thought of Lorren. Was she his friend or his enemy? Whose side was she on, anyway?
    Seeing Kara’s troubled expression, the queen fell silent for a moment as they walked toward the Fairy Ring.
    “I heard there was quite a party last night on the Fairy Isle.” The queen raised an eyebrow, a twinkle in her eye.
    Kara gave the queen a quick glance. “I, um…”
    “Angelo filled me in.” The queen smiled.
    Kara frowned. Ooh, that big mouth comb!
    “Fairy raves are very much a part of us,” Selinda explained. “Music, dancing, and creative expression are what we live for. Although in these times, raves can be dangerous.”
    Kara glanced at the queen. “I’m sorry I snuck out.”
    “Evidently you had good company.”
    “He’s not what he seems,” Kara said quickly.
    “Now that’s your fairy blood speaking,” Selinda chuckled softly. “Many things are not what they seem in the Fairy Realms.”
    “Wait, how can I be part fairy? Does that mean my family is, too?”
    Selinda shook her head. “Fairy blood skips human generations but is particularly strong in you. You are directly descended from Queen Lucinda, the greatest of all Fairy Queens.”
    “Tell me about her,” Kara asked.
    “She was a great leader, a blazing star. She truly believed in the goodness and magic of all living things.”
    “What happened to her?”
    “She had a sister.”
    Kara stiffened. “The Dark Sorceress.”
    They walked into the empty Fairy Ring, heading through archways of yellow and pink flowers swaying gently in the breeze.
    Selinda smiled, her violet eyes searching Kara’s troubled expression.
    “I wish I had all the answers for you, Kara. In a few hours, this ring will be filled again with the kings and queens from the other kingdoms and we must decide the future of the Fairy Realms. And perhaps the future of the web itself.”
    Kara looked in Selinda’s eyes. They were full of compassion.
    “You do not have to stay here against your will.” The queen paused. “You have a legacy of great goodness, and also of darkness. But your path is your own.”
    Kara steeled herself. There was only one path for her right now. “Queen Selinda, I’m going to save Lyra.”
    “Then you must go to the goblins.” Queen Selinda waved her hand to the grand mirror by her throne. “You are the one we’ve been waiting for. Be strong and proud of who you are.”
    “Thank you. I will.” Kara stepped to the mirror and held up her jewel. It blazed with the mighty power of the unicorns. The mirror’s surface swirled, spreading like circles in a stream. Kara raised her hand and slipped it through the glass. Before she could change her mind, she stepped through and vanished.

O N THE OTHER side of the mirror, Kara found herself on a parapet walkway looking over a bustling courtyard in the center of a huge castle. Towering spires stood at the four corners with the main castle keep in the center. She looked over the ramparts and gasped. The enormous castle was built of gleaming gray stone, perched on a cliff overlooking amazing waterfalls that plunged straight down into clouds of white foam. In the distance the landscape