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

creature sliced through thin clouds into silvery night sky. Below were lush forests, and every so often, mysterious glades hidden in star shadow. Dark mountains ringed the distance, hugged by billowing clouds, deep and thick barriers at the edge of the world.
    With a slight rumble, the bat ducked its head and swooped low, gliding over a huge lake that gleamed like liquid moonlight. In the distance, a mist-shrouded island rose from the luminous waters. Ablaze with lights, the isle twinkled like a floating jewel.
    The bat glided onto smooth silver stones near the lakeshore, setting down neatly between a pegasus and a flying carpet. Music echoed across the still waters.
    “Thanks.” Kara patted her steed’s leathery neck as she slid to the ground and straightened her dress. She looked up in awe. Hordes of costumed creatures were entering through a crystal archway. She had no idea what kinds of creatures hid beneath the elaborate disguises and sparkling masks; it was probably just as well.
    Relax, Kara told herself. Parties were her natural environment. If anyone knew how to handle a tricky social situation, it was her.
    Sauntering to the end of the line, she looked around for the Forest Prince, but he was nowhere to be seen.
    “… the Queen’s Fairy Ring was, like, completely destroyed! ” The creature in line in front of her, wearing a floppy headdress shaped like a crescent moon, gestured excitedly as he spoke to his friend.
    Word got around even faster in the Fairy Realms than it did through the grapevine at Stonehill Middle School, Kara thought.
    “The Fairies are desperate,” the second creature declared. It was smaller than the first, and Kara saw bits of orange fur poking out from its giant fish head costume. “If they can’t find that power crystal, the goblins will declare war. That’s all we need, kingdom against kingdom fighting over the magic. No war! No war!” it shouted, encouraging the others in line to start chanting. The fish head turned to Kara. “What do you say?”
    “Um…” Kara quickly glanced down. Her unicorn gem was safely hidden inside her bodice. “War, what’s it good for?”
    “Absotootly nothing!” Goldie concluded.
    “Excuse me.” Kara hurried up the line looking for the Forest Prince.
    “Hey! No cutting in line,” someone called out.
    Kara scanned the crowd. “I’m just looking for some— doof! ”
    Had she walked into a wall? Or…
    Uh-oh. Kara looked up. And up. And up. A hulking two-headed beast was staring at her. Not in a friendly way. Each of the creature’s heads wore a floppy elephant trunk mask, and beneath the black velvet costume Kara caught a flash of scaly gray skin and bulging muscles. All four of its malevolent orange eyes were trained on Kara.
    “Invitation?” One head scowled.
    Kara panicked. Everyone else had small invitations made of bark with a mysterious symbol etched onto them. They looked nothing like her black parchment with glittering purple writing. Was she in the wrong place?
    “Here ya go.” She casually slipped the invitation from her purse.
    The creature snatched the parchment, then turned around and bellowed through both mouths. “We got a PIG here!”
    “Hey!” Kara exclaimed.
    Goldie blew a raspberry at the creature.
    “This invitation says you’re a PIG,” one head growled.
    “Pretty Important Guest,” the other head snarled.
    “That way,” both heads chorused. The thing pointed to a separate glowing archway up the path.
    “Oh,” Kara gulped. “Thanks.”
    “Ooooo.” The crowd was impressed. “Who is that? Told ya this is the rave to be at.”
    “No conjuring, no enchantments, no spells that last more than an hour…” the two-headed bouncer called out to the crowd.
    “Let’s get this party started,” she told Goldie and walked briskly through the arch—straight into the wildest party she had ever seen! Music thundered, pounding across the glade. Floating fairy lanterns strobed deep colors across a mass of