by Astrid Foss
“That was so much fun!” said Hanna, her spirits restored by the exciting ride.
“Our dresses are totally ruined now though,” said Ida as she squeezed the water out of her hair and looked down at her soaking wet, torn dress. “Can you imagine the telling off we’re going to get from Madame Olga when we get back?”
“Who cares?” said Hanna. “We’ve saved the day!”
Chapter Seven
Talking about everything that had happened, the three sisters set off up the cliff. They were almost at the top when they heard the sound of voices calling their names. They stopped in shock.
“Is… Is that Mother and Father?” Ida stammered, hardly daring to believe it.
There was a barking sound.
“That’s definitely Oskar!” cried Magda, her heart leaping.
“We’re down here!” shouted Hanna.
The others joined in. “Mother! Father!” they shrieked.
Oskar appeared at the top of the cliff with Freya and Magus beside him. His fur had been torn out in places but otherwise he looked unharmed. Freya and Magnus were pale and disheveled but when they saw the girls their faces lit up with joy. “Girls!” Magnus roared.
Hanna, Magda and Ida squealed in delight and raced to the top of the cliff. Their parents were free! Reaching them, they jumped into their arms.
Their mother’s green eyes shone as she stroked her girls’ hair and kissed their foreheads. “Oh, my darling girls!”
Their father hugged them all to him while Oskar snuffled at their faces.
“I can’t believe you’re here!” said Ida.
“It’s like a dream come true,” said Hanna.
“We’ve been waiting and waiting to see you again,” said Magda. It was all she and her sisters had been longing for since the night their parents had been taken prisoner. “And Oskar, I’m so glad you’re all right too.” She hugged Oskar tightly. He nuzzled her neck and made a contented wuffling noise.
“We’ve been so worried about you,” said Magnus. “We’ve been thinking about you every second of every day while we’ve been trapped.”
“How did you escape?” Hanna asked their parents.
“Because of you, my clever girls – you realised what you needed to do and when the snow globe fell into Jorin’s Pool and the Everchanging Lights streamed back into the sky, I felt Veronika weaken,” Freya said. “So I used the last of my strength to take back the magic she had stolen from me.”
“So that’s why she looked different?” said Hanna. “Older and frailer?”
“Yes,” Freya said. “As her power left her, the ice cave we were trapped in started to melt. We escaped and as we were coming down the mountain we met Oskar and he led us here.”
“I think he had smelled us and was coming to see if he could help us,” said Magnus, ruffling Oskar’s fur. Oskar made a contented grumbling noise and licked their noses. Then he shrank back to cub size. Ida scooped him up and he snuggled into her arms and immediately fell happily asleep.
Magnus and Freya put their arms around their daughters. “We’re so very proud of you all,” said Magnus. “You’ve been so brave and clever, and so determined. You have saved Nordovia.”
“And us,” said Freya, clutching the girls’ hands. The sisters grinned in delight. “It’s time to go home,” added Freya. “My strength is returning. If we wait a while longer, I’m sure I shall be strong enough to use magic to get us back to the castle in time for the Ceremony of the Lights.”
“It’s all right, Mother. There’s no need to wait. We can help!” said Ida proudly. She knelt down and drew a magnificent sleigh in the snow using a stick. Magic rushed through her, stronger than ever before, and almost before she had finished drawing, the sleigh appeared.
“That’s amazing, Ida,” Freya cried. “What wonderful magic!”
“And I’ll get us some ponies to pull it,” volunteered Hanna. She ran across the snowy heather. From her vantage point, she could see a herd of shaggy ponies grazing. She’d never tried to move animals with her mind, but her magic felt so strong now, she was sure it would work.
She concentrated on the ponies and felt the magic spark through her. She focused on two of the ponies and imagined them coming towards her and they did. As if they were pulled by a magnet, they trotted across the heather until they stopped in front of her. They looked confused and snorted in alarm. For a moment, Hanna thought they were going to gallop away but then a third pony appeared from behind Hanna and trotted up to them.
Magda! Hanna realised her sister had transformed into a pony herself. Magda nuzzled the anxious ponies, touching her nose to theirs and reassuring them with gentle whickers and snorts. The ponies relaxed and then followed her over to the carriage. Magda turned back into herself and they stood quietly, allowing her to attach the harnesses as she murmured softly to them.
Freya and Magnus shook their heads as they watched. “Our girls. Our little girls,” said Magnus in wonder. “You’ve grown up so much.”
Freya’s eyes shone happily. “You’re going to be the most powerful Auroras who ever lived, I can feel it in my bones.” She climbed into the carriage and smiled. “And now, thanks to your magic, we can all return home for the Ceremony of Light!”
Magnus took the reins and the ponies set off across the plains. The girls snuggled up to each other and to their mother and Oskar dozed on Magda’s lap. They told their parents about all their adventures – everything they had seen and done and learned since their parents had been captured. As they approached the castle, the guards on the battlements spotted them and a cry went up – first one guard and then another until all the guards on the battlement were joining in. Trumpets sounded, the gates were opened and the villagers and castle servants flooded out to see Freya and Magnus and the triplets return.
The carriage swept in through the gates. Everyone surrounded the Auroras, asking questions, pointing to the sky where the Everchanging Lights danced and swirled again, wanting to know what had happened. The girls leapt out and their mother and father stood up.
“Nordovia has been saved thanks to our wonderful daughters!” Magnus shouted above the din. “The Everchanging Lights are back in the sky. The Shadow Witch has fled. All shall be explained. But for now, let the festivities commence!”
A great cheer went up. The musicians started to play, the servants hurried around, the ponies were taken off to be fed and watered while the villagers set up the tables and chairs again and more food was brought out.
The girls held hands, watching happily as everyone hurried around, beaming with relief and delight.
“Hanna! Magda! Ida Aurora! Where have you been?” Madame Olga’s voice echoed across the courtyard.
They swung round guiltily as their governess swept towards them.
“Uh-oh,” said Magda, tensing.
“She’s going to be really cross with us for disappearing again!” said Hanna.
“I feel awful. She must have been so upset,” said Ida.
“Girls, I’ve been so worried!” Madame Olga cried. “I didn’t know what to do when I saw you being carried off by giant eagles!”
“Well, actually one of those eagles was me,” Magda admitted.
Madame Olga’s eyes bulged. “You, Magda?”
“Yes, Madame. I know it was a little bit dangerous,” said Magda. “But I had to be an eagle so we could follow Ida and save her.”
“And then she had to be a narwhal,” said Ida.
“And she’s been a pony,” said Hanna. “Ooh, and an owl.”
Madame Olga looked as if she was about to faint. “Narwhals? Ponies? Owls?”
“It’s a long story,” said Magda. “Please don’t be cross with us.”
Madame Olga opened her arms and to the girls’ surprise she gathered them into a huge hug. “I’m not cross, girls. I’m proud,” she said, her eyes filling with tears. “But I’m so pleased you’re home. I don’t think my nerves could have taken much more!”
There was t
he sound of trumpets playing a fanfare. “The sun is rising high for the new day. It’s time for the Ceremony of the Lights!” said Madame Olga, releasing them.
Everyone gathered in the courtyard, forming a circle. In their hands they all held paper lanterns. Freya walked to the centre of the circle with an ornate golden lantern in her hands. The colour had returned to her face and she looked strong, proud and happy.
“Girls,” she said, beckoning to the triplets who had gone to stand with their father as they usually did at the Ceremony of Light. “You have now come into your powers and so it is time that you join me in the centre of the circle.”
Hanna ran into the middle, grinning. Magda saw Ida hanging back, looking a bit embarrassed. Ida hated people staring at her.
“Come on,” whispered Magda, squeezing her hand. “If you can fight Aunt Veronika, you can do anything.”
Their eyes met, Ida smiled at her and let her sister lead her to the centre of the circle.
A hush fell and Freya spoke.
“My friends, we have faced a great enemy but she has been defeated. Nordovia is safe again. The Everchanging Lights are back in the sky, bringing happiness and peace to our island. As the new day dawns, we will now perform the Ceremony of Light to strengthen the Lights’ magic for the year ahead by sending light and love into the sky.” She looked up and waited – one second, two seconds, three seconds…
Suddenly a rose-pink colour flushed across the sky – a beautiful, magical sunrise. There was a collective gasp of breath.
Freya whispered a soft word: “Frystora!” and suddenly time froze. Everyone stood perfectly still. The only people still moving were Freya and the triplets.
Freya smiled at her daughters. “I now have my powers back. Your aunt can no longer freeze time. Let us complete the ceremony.”
She held the golden lantern out. “Touch the lantern with me, girls. Shut your eyes and concentrate on those you love. Do not open your eyes until I say.”
The girls all touched the lantern and shut their eyes. Pictures swirled through their heads: their mother, their father, Oskar, Madame Olga, each other, the land itself…
On the other side of their shut eyelids they could sense a bright light shining.
“Open your eyes, girls,” their mother whispered. They did as she said and saw the lantern was now ablaze with golden light.
Freya blinked and time started moving again. She held the glowing lantern up and all the lanterns around the circle magically lit up too. The people cheered. “Release your light and love into the sky, my friends!” Freya called.
She let go of the golden lantern and it floated upwards. The other lanterns did the same, a multitude of rainbow lanterns, all floating up towards the sky, pulled by magic. Higher and higher they went until they all exploded and disappeared in a single bright flash and the Everchanging Lights doubled in intensity. Magda, Hanna and Ida wanted to laugh and dance and sing. All around them, people were hugging and smiling.
“Light and love in Nordovia for the year ahead,” Freya whispered to her daughters. “And the most powerful thing of all – hope.”
Magnus came to join them and the Aurora family stood together, arms around each other, watching as the blue, purple and pink Everchanging Lights swirled in their beautiful dance across the Nordovian sky.
Copyright
First published in the UK in 2019 by Nosy Crow Ltd
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Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd
Text copyright © Working Partners Ltd, 2019
Cover illustration © Sharon Tancredi, 2019
Interior illustrations © Monique Dong, 2019
The right of Working Partners, Sharon Tancredi and Monique Dong to be identified as the author and illustrators respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
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ISBN: 978 1 78800 020 8
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