Spellsinger (Avalon: Web of Magic #5) (13 page)

Kara wandered, waving to the crowds spread out across the great lawn. This was going unbelievably well, she thought. She looked great in her new rhinestone accented jeans, boots, and brand-new faux-fur trimmed jacket over her Ravenswood tee. So why did she feel like a total loser? She knew exactly why. Although she had learned Johnny’s new song, she was torn between using the magical help of the unicorn horn and just being herself, no matter what she sounded like. The pressure of debuting a Johnny Conrad original was unbearable! She had never felt so nervous, so out of sorts. How could she
not
use the magic!

“Kara!”

It was her dad. Mayor Davies was standing with the Town Council near the side of the stage, being interviewed by a group of reporters. The mayor was waving to her. “Kara, honey! Over here!”

Kara trudged over as a woman reporter stuck the mike in her face. “What’s your message to the world about Ravenswood?”

Kara thought hard. All those long months of planning, all the worry, the problems, the dreams, had all come down to these few moments. Images of her friends flashed through her mind: Emily, Adriane, Molly, Heather, Tiffany… the animals, Ozzie, Storm, and, once upon a time—Lyra.

“Ravenswood is more than just a wildlife preserve,” she said at last. “It’s… It represents our whole planet. We share our world with animals who count on us, and we count on them. And with help from all our friends, we can make our world a better place for everyone.”

“Well said.” The reporter was clearly impressed. “I’m putting this on the national feed,” she told an elated council. “Ravenswood is an inspiration for all of us.”

The reporter shook Kara’s hand. “The whole world will soon see what a fine example you have set for young people everywhere.”

Kara stiffened. What if the whole world saw that she was a cheater? “Um, thank you,” she said uncomfortably. She had to get out of here—and take care of this once and for all. “Dad, I have to go... check on some final details.”

“Okay, honey.” The mayor didn’t miss a beat, continuing to smile and talk proudly about Stonehill’s future as Kara slipped away.

A fine example for young people everywhere
…What a crock! She
had
to fix this. Clutching her backpack tight against her chest, she hurried through the happy crowds and snuck in through the back door of the manor.

She scurried up the stairs to the library, determined to do what was right—put the unicorn horn back. Whatever happened onstage later would happen. At least she would do it on her own. She was through with the cheating, the lying. In the end, she knew she had only deceived herself.

She reached the library door and was surprised to find it unlocked and open a crack. Then she heard sounds from within.
Click-clack. Tap-tap-tap.

Someone was using the computer!

Kara grabbed the knob and swung the door open, ready to ask Emily or Adriane why the door was unlocked with so many strangers on the grounds.

But it wasn’t Emily or Adriane at the computer. It was Johnny.

Johnny Conrad sat at the keyboard to their secret computer, weird images flickering on the screen before him. He looked over at Kara and grinned. “Hey, what’s up?”

“I—I—” she stammered. Trying to mask her surprise, she ran her hands through her mane of blond hair. “What are
you
doing in here?”

The computer was way off-limits to anyone but the girls. The files held all kinds of secrets about… magic.

Johnny looked confused. “I was just checking my e-mail. Adriane told me it would be okay. What, did I do something wrong?”

Worried that someone else might walk in, Kara swung the door closed behind her. Johnny seemed relaxed and confident as ever, not at all like someone who was about to perform in front of thousands of people… in about ten minutes! “Aren’t you supposed to be, like, in your dressing room, getting ready?”

“I don’t have a dressing room. This isn’t exactly the Staples Center, you know,” he joked. “Hey. Check this out. There’s a live web feed of the whole event.”

Kara walked over and stared at the screen. A window was open. It displayed a live camera view of the stage and great lawns. Had Johnny seen her walking to the manor?

“Adriane also showed me all these cool files you’ve set up for your website.” Johnny swung back around and hit some keys. Pictures of the animals appeared in windows. “It’s really great.”

Kara drew a sharp breath. Crossing her arms over her chest, Kara cautiously came closer and got a better look at the screen. Had Adriane completely lost her mind? The girls had made a solemn pact to keep the computer secret!

“So, you all set for your number?” Johnny got up and stretched like a sleek jungle cat. He moved to one of the large windows overlooking the event out back. The window was open and the sound of laughter drifted up to the library.

“I guess.” Kara frowned as she joined him. They looked out at the vast crowd. Onstage, techies were finishing the last of the sound and light checks. “So... Adriane let you in here?” she asked.

“Well,
yeah
.” Johnny smiled. Then his gaze narrowed. “What—did you think I picked the lock or something? If I wanted to be sneaky I would have snuck in at, like, three in the morning.”

Good point, Kara realized. Yet...

“I just don’t get why Adriane would do that,” Kara said suspiciously. “Some of the things we keep in here are… private.”

For the first time, Johnny looked uncomfortable. “You and Adriane
are
friends, right?”

“Of course. Why do you ask that?”

Johnny pointed out the open window. Chants and cheers began to rise from the happy crowd. “Johnny! Johnny!”

“Remember what we talked about, about what being a star means?” Johnny asked her.

“Yes.” Kara felt the locket grow warm against her skin.

“Stars have to make sacrifices. Look at the crowd out there. When you’re onstage, it’s all for them. ”

Kara felt the excitement of performing starting to build.

“They expect the best you can be,” Johnny reminded her, “and you have to deliver, no matter what it takes. Being one in a million means standing alone. It changes everything. People you thought were friends can turn on you, betray you.”

The words snaked into Kara’s mind.
Adriane has always been jealous of me.

Johnny looked at her with his dark, soulful blue eyes. “How well do you really know Adriane?”

Kara was taken aback. Had he read her mind? “I’ve only known her for a few months… Why?”

“When you’re a star, friends can do things, act weird. Has anything happened recently? Anything that, I dunno, might have
changed
her?”

The locket sparkled, tingling against her skin—and suddenly, Kara thought about the time Adriane had spent on Aldenmor... and in the Dark Sorceress’s dungeon. Was it possible that Adriane had come back
changed
somehow? That maybe the Dark Sorceress had gotten to her, had made her evil? It would sure explain why Adriane had been acting like such a little
witch
lately.

“Adriane... went away for a little while,” Kara said. “She met some not-so-nice people.”

“I’ve seen it before.” Johnny rubbed his temples. “Listen, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but it’s for your own good.”

“What? Tell me,” Kara demanded.

“Your friend Adriane has been asking me and Inky, right from the beginning, how she can get a record contract. She wants to sing her own song, which Inky thinks could be a single, onstage at the concert.”

Kara flinched. The locket was even warmer now—but nowhere near as fiery as her anger. “What else?”

“She said…
she
should be the blazing star. Not you.”

Kara was speechless.

Johnny nodded. “Does that mean anything to you? Was that, like, supposed to be a name you wanted to record under?”

“I… I don’t believe that,” Kara stammered.

Johnny’s eyes filled with sympathy. “Well, she’s in the ballroom right now, rehearsing.”

Her brow furrowed in confusion and anger. She spun around and started pacing. “I cannot believe that girl!” Kara yelled. “She told me she wasn’t going to sing onstage. We had a deal!”

Johnny watched her. “I’m sorry. But like I said, when you’re a star, friends can turn on you.”

The locket flared—Kara was enraged. How could Adriane do this to her?

Spellsinging under his breath so softly she wouldn’t hear it, wouldn’t detect his lips moving at all, he exerted just enough influence. He had to be careful, the talisman could focus her blazing star magic, but it was no match for the magic of the unicorns.

“Why did you come to the library, Kara?”

“Huh? I was going to return something…”

“Remember what I said. You need to use whatever you can to show the world that
you
are the blazing star. That’s the only way you can beat Adriane.” A slight smile played across Johnny’s lips.

“Oh, don’t worry about that. I am going to blaze so bright the entire audience will need sunglasses!” She didn't give another thought to returning the unicorn horn or leaving Johnny alone in the library. Kara stormed out of the room.

The
only
thing she cared about right now was dealing with Adriane once and for all!

Johnny Conrad watched her go. A cruel smile appeared on his perfect face.

He hummed the first few notes of “Shine Your Light” and spread his fingers. A twinkling ball of stars winked into existence, floating in midair. He grinned as he stared at the sparkling fairy map, bright silver stars in its center, waiting to shine... so much like a
blazing star
.

He was, of course, much more powerful than Kara as a spellsinger, but magic was more than spellsinging… much more.

“Poor, confused little Kara,” Johnny sneered, raising his hand and touching the floating orb.

The little fool. He knew her weaknesses, her vulnerabilities... She was so pathetically easy to read—and to manipulate. Completely ruled by emotions and with no gem of her own. Getting her to use the unicorn horn had been easy, although he had been surprised how powerful the magic was in her hands. But even that had proved a blessing in disguise. He chuckled at his selection of words.

With her power—strengthened by her use of the unicorn horn—his spellsong could not fail. Kara would spellsing the words that would unlock the fairy map. The portals between this world, Aldenmor, and Avalon itself would open in just the right order, laying the path for the sorceress to do as she pleased.

He had to make
very sure
that Kara sang her song tonight. The locket could help to sway her, influence her, but it could not control her completely.

There was one final thing left to do: to make her use her magic with enough force to trigger the map. She had to let her fire rage—and turn completely against her friends.

He smiled, his voice musical, chiming and tremulous. Before him, the fairy map returned to its invisible hiding place. “Places to go, people to be...”

Closing his eyes, he stood by the open window. He concentrated, reaching out with his otherworldly senses.

“Show time,” Johnny said. Throwing his arms open wide, he allowed his form to shimmer and change, to melt as his arms transformed to wings. His body morphed into a large, dark bat.

With a flutter of wings, the Skultum flew out the window.

T
HROWING OPEN THE
double doors, Kara stomped into the large ballroom. The clip-clop of her boots against the hardwood floors echoed in the empty space. All of the band’s equipment had been moved out. The formal dining table, which had been moved to the side, was covered with bottles of water, fresh fruit in large bowls, and platters with sandwiches, cakes, and other leftover sweet treats. Drapes covered the immense windows, leaving the room dark.

Kara stopped and stared in utter amazement as she saw what hung on the walls. The heavy wood-framed pictures of wilderness scenes were gone. In their place were posters, each featuring Adriane singing, dancing, and playing guitar. They read: #1 HOT HOT HOTTIE, THE NEW MUSIC SENSATION, OOPS, I WIN AGAIN!