Spellsinger (Avalon: Web of Magic #5) Read Free Page B

Town Hall. It was a little after four on Thursday, and hundreds of people were gathered on the sidewalk facing the old red brick building. Main Street had been cleared of parked cars and blocked off, and the park across the street from Town Hall was filled with even more spectators. Photographers and professional TV news crews had descended upon the normally quiet town square.
    At the top of the steps, near the front entrance, stood a small podium with a microphone stand. A WELCOME JOHNNY CONRAD banner fluttered above the doors.
    A pudgy security guard with curly red hair and freckles stood beside the main doors. “Hello, Emily. Got quite a crowd today.”
    “Hey, George!” Emily said breathlessly as she slipped past him. She flew down the dark wood-paneled corridor, passing dozens of photographs detailing Stonehill’s history. She whipped past an open door where she smelled food and heard laughter. Inside, Mayor Davies and the Town Council gathered in the small room, chatting.
    The real activity was centered in the main meeting room. Emily burst through the doors and was nearly run over by Kara’s brother, Kyle, and his friend Marcus, who were rushing by with stacks of folding chairs in their arms. The meeting room had been transformed into a reception hall, complete with streamers strung across the walls, balloons bouncing above decorated tables, and a budget-busting buffet piled with enough food to satisfy the entire population of Stonehill—twice!
    “Over to the left…a bit higher,” Kara commanded, standing in the midst of her “troops,” more than two dozen volunteers from school. Her buds Heather, Tiffany, and Molly were doing their best to center a big poster of Johnny Conrad on the rear wall.
    “It looks great, Kara!” Heather yelled.
    “My arm is getting sore,” Molly muttered.
    “No pain, no party!” Kara hollered. She looked down and brushed the front of her new leopard-print blouse, one eyebrow raised defensively at the possibility of a stray crumb.
    Resisting the urge to duck and cover, Emily announced herself. “Sorry I’m late, Kara, the McHenrys dropped off their monkeys at the Pet Palace. The monkeys used to be in a circus. You should see them, they’re so smart and—”
    “Emily!” Kara snapped, cutting her off. “Ice!” She slipped a large bowl into Emily’s hands.
    “Nice to see you, too,” Emily groused, glancing over at Kara’s clique. Molly shrugged and waved. Heather held up a small sign with an arrow and pointed it at Kara. It said: G IRL OUT OF CONTROL !
    Emily giggled as she headed past them. It felt good to be on the same side as Kara’s other friends for once. Maybe this event was exactly what the town needed to come together and support Ravenswood. And it was all thanks to Kara.
    “Attention! Johnny will be here at seventeen hundred hours sharp!” Kara bellowed. “That’s less than an hour from right now for those of you who haven’t been paying attention. Everything has to be perfect!”
    Kara’s blond hair whipped wildly as she spied her brother and his friend daring to rest for half a second. “Those chairs won’t move themselves, you slackers!”
    “Aye, aye, mon capitan ,” Marcus snapped to attention, giving Kara a salute.
    Smiling, Emily walked into the kitchen. She was just starting to fill the ice bowl when Kara breezed in.
    “Everything under control at Ravenswood?”
    “Ozzie’s in command,” Emily answered quietly. “He’s under strict orders to keep the animals at the glade.”
    “He better not let anyone past his fuzzy face,” Kara whispered, frowning. “We’re lucky Mrs. Windor hasn’t said anything about what she saw. Yet.”
    “Doesn’t make me feel any better about what happened.”
    “We can’t worry about that right now.” Kara scanned the kitchen for any other slackers.
    “It’s our job to worry about it.” Emily dumped more ice.
    “Hey!” Kara yelled at Joey. “Easy on the food, save some for the rest of