Free Secret of the Unicorn (Avalon: Web of Magic #4) by Rachel Roberts

it!”
    Zzzzzinnnng! Pop! Buzzzzz! Slllllurrrrp!
    “No! No! You’re not supposed to eat the spaghetti, you goofballs!”
    “Yummmmmyyyyyyyyyy!”
    “Aargh! Stop them, Kara! I have noodles in my hair!”
    Even before Emily entered the meadow, she could hear the loud, excited voices drifting toward her on the slight breeze. What in the world was going on?
    She stepped into the field just in time to see Adriane brushing frantically at her long, dark hair as Stormbringer circled her anxiously. Lyra was crouching in the grass, batting at Fred as the dragonfly flew about, skillfully missing the big cat’s playful swipes. Nearby, the other dragonflies, Barney, Goldie, Blaze, and Fiona, and others Kara had not named, careened around the field, leaving trails of twinkly magic sparks everywhere. Kara was waving her arms around, obviously trying to control the cluster of dragonflies.
    “Emmeee!” Goldie flitted toward Emily, banking just in front of her face.
    “Hello, Goldie. What have you got there?”
    “Magiccc noodilll!” Goldie squeaked.
    Adriane glanced at her and rolled her eyes. “We’re testing another one of Miss America’s lame-brained ideas,” she replied.
    “I don’t see you coming up with anything better, Miss Crouching Tiger,” Kara snapped back.
    Emily held her hands up to avoid getting hit with a wet noodle. “Whoa,” she said. “Somebody fill me in, okay?”
    “Since the dragonflies wove the last dreamcatcher, I figured they could weave another one,” Kara explained. “I even let them take a few strands of my hair, and that didn’t work.” She crossed her arms over her chest, then ducked as Blaze buzzed past, wobbling crazily under a mass of spaghetti strands.
    Emily had to admit that the plan made some sense but, “Spaghetti?”
    “I like spaghetti. It could work,” Kara said.
    A few weeks ago, a wild burst of uncontrolled magic had caused Kara’s hair to grow super long and turn every color of the rainbow. Once her hair had been trimmed, the dragonflies had used the cut strands to weave a protective web over the portal. It had worked like a dreamcatcher, only instead of keeping nightmares away it had covered the portal to keep nightmare creatures from coming through. That way, only good magical creatures had been able to pass through when the portal opened. But now the dreamcatcher was gone.
    Emily glanced at Adriane.
    The dark-haired girl grimaced. “We’ve already tried Kara’s yarn, some ribbon, some socks, and now this.”
    “Yeah,” Kara added morosely. “That spaghetti was supposed to be lunch today.”
    “Well, there’s always more possibilities, right?” Emily said, remembering what Gran had just told her. “We just need to find something else with Kara’s magic touch to give them.”
    Adriane stared thoughtfully at Lyra. “Hmm,” she said. “What about—”
    “ Poooowieeee!” Fred went flying as Lyra batted him across the field.
    “ I don’t think so ,” the cat interrupted before Adriane could finish, backing away warily.
    Emily brushed away Blaze, who was buzzing excitedly near her left shoulder, and pointed at Kara’s feet. “What about those?”
    Kara looked down at her pink sneakers. “You mean my shoelaces?” she exclaimed. “I had to search every store in the mall to find these! They exactly match my pink baseball cap.”
    “Fashion is so fickle, you know,” Adriane commented. “I heard purple is the new pink.”
    “All you ever wear is black, so how would you know?” Kara rolled her eyes, but took off her sneakers. As she slid the laces out of the holes, she glanced at Emily. “Hey,” she said. “What’s happening with our mystery guest?”
    “Pretty much what I already told you,” Emily sighed. She’d texted Kara and Adriane about Lorelei as soon as she’d gotten home last night. “I just can’t seem to get through to her. How are all the new animals?” she asked instead.
    “Fine. Most of them are over at the glade. Ozzie and