Ravenspell Book 3: Freaky Fly Day by David Farland

joy down Amber’s spine.
    I feel so good, Amber thought, that I think I might just melt into the armchair.
    Amber had never liked a human before—other than Ben, if he still counted as a human—but she was finding that she was growing fond of Mona.
    “Tell me how to pet you better,” Mona said. “What does a mouse like?”
    Amber didn’t know for certain, but moments later Mona tenderly rubbed the insides of her ears then pinched Amber’s tail and rolled it between her fingers, sending waves of gladness through the young mouse.
    Mona leaned close. “I know how you feel about Ben,” she whispered.
    Amber’s heart began to pound. “You do?” She couldn’t imagine how Mona could know. Whenever Ben was around, Amber felt as if she might melt from happiness.
    “You need to know that I love him, too,” Mona said. “He’s my son. Even though you might want him to go to your school with you, to S.W.A.R.M., he’s still my little boy. I . . . you understand that I can’t give him up. I can’t just let him go away.”
    Amber didn’t answer. Her heart was breaking.
    While Ben scampered around, climbing up the seats and then leaping from the back of one chair to the next, Lady Blackpool only sat gazing ahead as if looking into the future.
    Like a faithful watchdog, Serena took up a spot on the chair next to Lady Blackpool.
    Finally, Lady Blackpool said softly to Amber, “If anything happens to me in the next few days, I want you to make me a promise . . .”
    “Nothing will happen,” Amber said hopefully.
    “But if it does,” Lady Blackpool said, “I want you to promise to go to S.W.A.R.M.”
    “How will I know the way?” Amber said.
    “You’ll find the way,” Lady Blackpool said. “You have great powers, and even though there are spells that hide the school from the rest of the world, you will find a way.”
    “Nothing is going to happen to you,” Amber affirmed. “Ben and I will protect you.”
    Lady Blackpool smiled weakly. She whispered, “Life must come to an end. Even for old ones like me. I’ve seen this beast in a vision, this Belle Z. Bug. I must face her alone. You have no power now—no power to stop her, no power to save me.”
    “But I can’t just let you go alone!” Amber said.
    “I let you fight the bat Nightwing alone,” Lady Blackpool reminded her. “That was a task you and Ben had to face in order to grow together. Everyone has a time in their life when they must stand alone against evil. Now it is my turn.”
    “But,” Amber said, feeling very sad, “if you know that you’re going to lose, why fight at all?”
    “I go to my death,” Lady Blackpool said, “but that isn’t the same as losing. I hope to purchase something with my life.”
    Serena spoke up and asked, “Purchase something? Like fly-shadow?”
    Amber didn’t understand. What could her friend hope to gain from fighting a battle that she couldn’t win? “What could possibly be worth your life?”
    Lady Blackpool said, “I am going to teach you a lesson, Amber. I am going to teach you how to fight a battle calmly, while facing a more powerful foe. I’m going to teach you to use your imagination—not to rely upon force alone. Folks need to know these things.”
    So they rode through the air, flying over the mist-covered mountains of Oregon, looking at the green fir trees far below, passing through clouds where Amber could practically see the ice crystals hanging in the air.
    When the movie was over, Amber closed her eyes for a nap, but she couldn’t really sleep. She was too worried for Lady Blackpool.
    Suddenly the captain spoke over the intercom. “Be advised that there is a very large, very dark storm cloud ahead. It’s kind of a weird one, folks. I don’t think I’ve seen anything quite like it. I’d prefer to avoid any turbulence, so I’ll just try to nose around it. If you folks would all put on you seat belts, it would be greatly appreciated.”
    Ben’s mom and dad buckled down, and Amber