mage,” Gardener said. “At least, not permanently.”
“The Fairimentals wouldn’t listen,” Kara said, annoyed. “Now we’re doing the quest for Avalon, take two, by ourselves.”
“How do we get back inside?” Adriane asked. “Make new power crystals?”
Gardener shook his head “It is not the crystals themselves, but the magic of the animals they contained. The power crystals were merely the best way to gather and store high concentrations of magic.”
“Emily can do that,” Adriane said.
The healer nodded, looking a little nervous.
Gardener arched an eyebrow at the healer. “There is no question you have come this far because of your remarkable abilities to bond with animals. But finding enough to open the Gates of Avalon could take years.”
“HAWWWTdogg!” Buttercup suddenly announced.
“Brilliant!” Adriane cried, patting Buttercup’s knobby head.
“Buttercup’s right!” Emily exclaimed. “The Garden.”
“Everyone is there—mistwolves, unicorns, griffins, cats.” Kara grinned. “You name it, they love us!”
“And we’ve got dragons,” Gardener added, beginning to get excited.
Gwyx had put aside his bowl of noodles and was shuffling away.
“Two of them,” Drake boasted, arm around his dragon brother, pulling him back.
“One,” Gwyx corrected him.
“The unicorns are ready,” Emily stated.
“The mistwolves, too,” Adriane said proudly.
“We need more than one or two dragons,” Gardener sighed. “Where can we find enough dragon magic?”
They all looked at Gwyx.
“Oh, now you want to go to Dragon Home?” Gwyx turned his back and crossed his arms.
The warrior patted the startled dragon. “I give you your new warrior quest: convince the dragons to help us open the Gates of Avalon!”
“No way. No dragon will follow me to aid humans and their plotting. I have heard enough of these ridiculous stories!” Gwyx stormed off.
“Brother Gwyx, wait,” Drake pleaded.
“Let him go,” Adriane said.
“Only took one dragon to make the crystal, anyway,” Kara said. “Combined with my unicorn jewel.” Her dazzling gem caught the firelight as she twirled it.
Gardener froze. “I see you wear Lucinda’s jewel.”
“It was given to me by fairy wraiths.”
Gardener shook his head sadly. “Yes, protected, no doubt, until they could find you.”
“Actually,” Kara corrected him, “I found them with fairy maps.”
Gardener’s blue eyes moved from the jewel to meet Kara’s gaze.
“You and Lucinda were close?” the blazing star asked, sensing more to the story.
Gardener smiled wistfully, a blush coloring his pale cheeks. “We were to be married.”
“You fell in love.” Kara swooned dramatically. “That is so romantic!”
Tears glistened in his eyes. “She was the best of us all. She also had a paladin, an incredible white unicorn.”
“I know that unicorn!” the blazing star exclaimed. “He totally rescued me, twice! He brought me to the unicorn jewel!”
“He must be connected to you through the jewel,” the wizard said. “I should not be surprised that her paladin is still strong. All animals loved her.”
“Sound familiar?” Adriane smiled.
“She was a blazing star, duh,” Kara remarked. “But what do you mean still strong?”
Gardener continued, his voice raw with emotion. “Lucinda tried to save Faylinn, but the dark magic was too strong. They were both killed by Miranda.”
“That’s terrible!” Goldie sobbed.
Kara petted Goldie. “Chill, G, you met Lucinda, remember?”
The mini blinked her jeweled eyes. “Oh yeah.”
Gardener leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”
“She helped me bond with my paladin,” Kara told him. “She brought me to some astral plane of magic. I thought she was a fairy spirit or something. She said she was trapped. But if you and the Dark Sorceress and the Spider Witch have lived this whole time, then it’s possible Lucinda’s alive too, right?”
“Alive.” The
“The Fairimentals wouldn’t listen,” Kara said, annoyed. “Now we’re doing the quest for Avalon, take two, by ourselves.”
“How do we get back inside?” Adriane asked. “Make new power crystals?”
Gardener shook his head “It is not the crystals themselves, but the magic of the animals they contained. The power crystals were merely the best way to gather and store high concentrations of magic.”
“Emily can do that,” Adriane said.
The healer nodded, looking a little nervous.
Gardener arched an eyebrow at the healer. “There is no question you have come this far because of your remarkable abilities to bond with animals. But finding enough to open the Gates of Avalon could take years.”
“HAWWWTdogg!” Buttercup suddenly announced.
“Brilliant!” Adriane cried, patting Buttercup’s knobby head.
“Buttercup’s right!” Emily exclaimed. “The Garden.”
“Everyone is there—mistwolves, unicorns, griffins, cats.” Kara grinned. “You name it, they love us!”
“And we’ve got dragons,” Gardener added, beginning to get excited.
Gwyx had put aside his bowl of noodles and was shuffling away.
“Two of them,” Drake boasted, arm around his dragon brother, pulling him back.
“One,” Gwyx corrected him.
“The unicorns are ready,” Emily stated.
“The mistwolves, too,” Adriane said proudly.
“We need more than one or two dragons,” Gardener sighed. “Where can we find enough dragon magic?”
They all looked at Gwyx.
“Oh, now you want to go to Dragon Home?” Gwyx turned his back and crossed his arms.
The warrior patted the startled dragon. “I give you your new warrior quest: convince the dragons to help us open the Gates of Avalon!”
“No way. No dragon will follow me to aid humans and their plotting. I have heard enough of these ridiculous stories!” Gwyx stormed off.
“Brother Gwyx, wait,” Drake pleaded.
“Let him go,” Adriane said.
“Only took one dragon to make the crystal, anyway,” Kara said. “Combined with my unicorn jewel.” Her dazzling gem caught the firelight as she twirled it.
Gardener froze. “I see you wear Lucinda’s jewel.”
“It was given to me by fairy wraiths.”
Gardener shook his head sadly. “Yes, protected, no doubt, until they could find you.”
“Actually,” Kara corrected him, “I found them with fairy maps.”
Gardener’s blue eyes moved from the jewel to meet Kara’s gaze.
“You and Lucinda were close?” the blazing star asked, sensing more to the story.
Gardener smiled wistfully, a blush coloring his pale cheeks. “We were to be married.”
“You fell in love.” Kara swooned dramatically. “That is so romantic!”
Tears glistened in his eyes. “She was the best of us all. She also had a paladin, an incredible white unicorn.”
“I know that unicorn!” the blazing star exclaimed. “He totally rescued me, twice! He brought me to the unicorn jewel!”
“He must be connected to you through the jewel,” the wizard said. “I should not be surprised that her paladin is still strong. All animals loved her.”
“Sound familiar?” Adriane smiled.
“She was a blazing star, duh,” Kara remarked. “But what do you mean still strong?”
Gardener continued, his voice raw with emotion. “Lucinda tried to save Faylinn, but the dark magic was too strong. They were both killed by Miranda.”
“That’s terrible!” Goldie sobbed.
Kara petted Goldie. “Chill, G, you met Lucinda, remember?”
The mini blinked her jeweled eyes. “Oh yeah.”
Gardener leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”
“She helped me bond with my paladin,” Kara told him. “She brought me to some astral plane of magic. I thought she was a fairy spirit or something. She said she was trapped. But if you and the Dark Sorceress and the Spider Witch have lived this whole time, then it’s possible Lucinda’s alive too, right?”
“Alive.” The
Similar Books
The Evil That Men Do: FBI Profiler Roy Hazelwood's Journey Into the Minds of Sexual Predators
Stephen G. Michaud, Roy Hazelwood
