“What’s the danger?” asked Maya.
“There’s a knight at the royal castle who hates magical animals – a really horrible man! He’s set out to destroy them and we think he’s on his way here. We’ve spent all day flying around looking for him but we haven’t seen him yet.”
“I’m very tired from all the flying!” grunted Windrunner. “I will rest a little, Sophy.” He blew warm breath on the ground and then settled down with his tail curled around his body.
Sophy and Maya climbed to the top of the riverbank, where the path led to the bridge.
Maya held the two pieces of her magical stone tightly. “But how did you make friends with a dragon?”
“I rescued his baby brother from the castle,” explained Sophy. “I work there as a maid. That’s how I know Sir Fitzroy – he’s the knight I was telling you about—” She broke off as footsteps sounded on the bridge.
“Maya, is that you?” called her mum. “Are you all right? You’ve been such a long time that we wondered where you’d got to.”
“I’m fine, Mum! Just a minute,” Maya called back, before whispering to Sophy, “I’m sorry – I have to go. But I really want to help … and a knight rode past here today. He might be the one you mean.”
Sophy nodded. “Meet me here – just underneath the bridge – at first light and we’ll work out what to do. Remember your stone only works for you! Don’t show it to anyone.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t!” Maya smiled at her new friend before hurrying across the bridge.
So many strange things had happened in one day. First she’d helped the unicorn foal, and then this girl – Sophy – had appeared from nowhere! Now she had a special stone that let her talk to magical animals and that was the most amazing thing of all!
Chapter Four
The Town by the Lake
Maya found it hard to sleep that night. She stared up at the drawings of famous dancers pinned on the wall above her cabin bed. Usually the gentle movement of the water underneath the boat helped her to sleep, but tonight her mind was full of sky unicorns and magical stones.
Just before dawn she got up and took the special stone from under her pillow. Fetching a thread from the sewing basket, Maya tied the two pieces together. Then she made the thread into a necklace and hung it round her neck as Sophy did. The stone was hidden beneath her dress where no one would see it.
Then she tiptoed out of the cabin and climbed to shore. Feeling a little shy, she crossed the bridge to find Sophy and Windrunner.
Sophy was already waiting for her. “Are those your boats?” She pointed across the river.
“Yes, we travel along the rivers and lakes putting on shows in each town.” Maya forgot her shyness as she told Sophy all about the different acts in their show.
Sophy was especially interested in Maya’s dancing. Then she told Maya about life in the castle and her troubles with the wicked knight, Sir Fitzroy.
Maya nodded. “He sounds just like the knight I saw yesterday.” And she explained to Sophy how he’d chased the sky unicorns before galloping towards Blyford.
Sophy’s cheeks flushed. “Horrible man! If he took the path to town we should follow him and see if we can find out what his plan is.”
Windrunner lumbered up the riverbank and yawned, showing rows of glistening teeth. Then he shook his tail and stretched his leathery wings. “If you are venturing into the human town then I must leave you for now, dear Sophy,” he said. “I’ll scare the townspeople if I fly too close to their houses. Send a golden songbird to find me when you need me again.”
“Thanks, Windrunner.” Sophy hugged him.
The huge green dragon launched into the air and flew away across Misty Lake. Maya watched him soar upwards, amazed at how fast he could fly. She noticed how the wind gusted and the clouds swirled as the dragon flew away.
Sophy’s stomach rumbled. “I didn’t realise I was so hungry.”
“I’ll bring us some breakfast,” said Maya. “And I’ll fetch the show posters. Pinning them up gives me a good reason for going to town.”
Quickly, Maya fetched some blueberry scones and a handful of the posters. The girls sat on a tree stump and munched their breakfast.
“Thanks, Maya!” Sophy beamed. “These are delicious.”
Maya smiled back a little shyly. There was something she really wanted to ask. She just hoped Sophy wouldn’t mind. “Do you think … have we got time to look at the sky unicorns before we go to town?”
Sophy glanced at the sun rising in the sky. “I’d love to see them too. We can be quick, can’t we?”
Maya nodded eagerly. “They’re in a hidden valley not very far away – I’ll show you!” She led Sophy away from the bridge. They crept through the trees and down the slope into the little dell that Maya had visited the evening before.
Many of the unicorns were awake and grazing quietly. They raised their heads as the girls tiptoed closer, and their golden horns gleamed in the sunlight. Then, when they saw that it was Maya and Sophy, they went back to nibbling the grass again.
“Aren’t they beautiful?” whispered Sophy, her blue eyes shining. “I guess you’ve seen sky unicorns before, but I’ve lived in the castle my whole life. I’ve seen plenty of royal banquets and golden crowns, but I’ve never seen anything as amazing as these creatures!”
“I never saw them close up till yesterday,” said Maya. “Look, there’s the little foal!”
The baby unicorn left his mother and gambolled around the dell, flicking his little tail. Maya crouched down and held out her hand. The foal tossed his snowy mane and gazed at her. Then at last he trotted up and gently nibbled her fingers.
Maya’s heart leapt. She’d hardly dared hope that she would get so close to him again and now the magical stone gave her the chance to talk to him too!
She swallowed. “Hello, my name’s Maya. Don’t be afraid – I have a magical stone that lets me talk to you.”
The foal looked startled and took a few steps back. Then he crept closer again. “My name’s Clover,” he said in a soft, high whinny. “Thank you for helping me yesterday!”
“You’re welcome!” Maya smiled.
Clover danced forward and nibbled at her hair, before galloping off around the valley again.
“What a sweet little foal,” said Sophy. “Come on, let’s go into town and see if Sir Fitzroy is there. I’m determined that he shan’t have the chance to harm any magical creatures.”
The girls left the tiny hidden valley and followed the path to town. Blyford was a large place with bustling streets and a town square in the middle.
Sophy gazed round. “I’ve never been to a town this big before! You must be used to all this because of travelling around on the boat. You live an amazing life!”
“You live in the royal castle!” said Maya. “That’s pretty awesome!”
“Well, I do like polishing the queen’s tiaras,” said Sophy, laughing.
Maya giggled too. She couldn’t help liking Sophy. She was so chatty and had a warm smile. There were lots of questions she wanted to ask her, like how many tiaras did the queen have? And how had Sophy rescued the little dragon? And when Sophy was flying on Windrunner’s back, wasn’t she afraid of falling off?
She was just wondering what to ask first when she saw a man in silver armour on the other side of the town square. “That’s the man who chased the unicorns!” she said to Sophy.
“Is he your horrid knight?”
Sophy shivered. “Yes, that’s Sir Fitzroy. I wonder what he’s up to.”
The girls crossed the square, weaving in and out of the fruit sellers and stalls full of shoes and hats. A tall lady dressed in a dark-red cloak came out of a grand building and walked down the steps to shake the knight’s hand.
“That’s the leader of Blyford walking out of the Town Hall,” muttered Maya. “Her name’s Dame Gibson.”
Maya and Sophy edged closer to the steps and then stopped to look at a hat stall. They pretended they
were interested in buying a purple hat. It gave them the chance to listen to Sir Fitzroy’s conversation.
“Greetings, Sir Fitzroy,” said Dame Gibson. “We haven’t seen you in Blyford for many years. What brings you to our town?”
“I’m hunting down every magical beast in this kingdom,” snarled Sir Fitzroy. “Her Majesty, Queen Viola, was nearly killed by a dragon attack on her own castle two days ago. It’s time we sorted out these disgusting creatures once and for all.”
Chapter Five
Mr Inigo’s Show Begins
Maya glanced over her shoulder at Sir Fitzroy, who was still talking to the town leader. “Was there really a dragon attack?” she murmured to Sophy.
“No!” Sophy whispered back. “There was one poor baby dragon who wanted to go home.”
Dame Gibson shook her head. “I’m shocked, Sir Fitzroy! Here in Blyford we’ve always loved magical animals. Many creatures like sky unicorns roam the Emerald Plain. I can’t believe they deserve such harsh treatment.”
“You can say what you like but you’ll have to obey Royal Orders like everyone else,” growled Sir Fitzroy, unrolling a scroll of paper with the mark of a crown. “Now, where do these sky unicorns live? I saw them yesterday but the wretched things sneaked away. I command you to show me where they are.”
Dame Gibson shook her head. “I’m afraid I can’t. People say that the sky unicorns have favourite places where they like to graze, but there are lots of little valleys on the Emerald Plain. They could be anywhere!”
Someone coughed just behind Maya. Turning her head, she thought she recognised the man behind her, but he disappeared into the crowd before she could be sure.
“Look, Maya!” Sophy nudged her. “Is that your travelling troupe?”
A murmur of excitement ran through the town square as Mr Inigo swept in wearing the multicoloured patchwork cloak that he put on for each show. Behind him were the acrobats, as well as Maya’s brothers – the jugglers – and the dancers, Floella and Daisy.
Maya suddenly remembered that she was supposed to have put up posters for the show. She quickly ran to pin them on the nearby walls.
“Roll up! Roll up!” called Mr Inigo, twirling his moustache. “Come and see some acts from our show for free. Then buy tickets for our spectacular Grand Show tonight!”
“Maya, we need you.” Maya’s brother Rick tapped her shoulder. “Mr Inigo’s decided to set up right here and show the crowd a few of our acts so that they buy tickets for the main performance. We need you to dance.”
“All right then!” Maya felt a fizzing in her tummy. Dancing in front of a crowd was always exciting and a little bit scary.
“I’ll watch you – good luck!” said Sophy.
The acrobats, Monty and May, laid out dancing mats and tied a ribbon around eight poles to keep the performance area clear. The crowd pressed forward, eager to see.
“Maya!” Floella dashed over and handed Maya her dance shoes. “Start with your freestyle routine and finish with the ballet dance. Mr Inigo will play the music for you.”
“Thanks, Floella.” Maya put on her dancing shoes and smoothed her long dark hair.
Mr Inigo held up his hands for silence. “And first, I’d like to introduce one of our youngest and best dancers. Please give a round of applause for the Magnificent … the Marvellous … the Magical Maya!”
The crowd clapped wildly. Maya blushed and got into her starting position with her legs straight and her arms high above her head. Her heart was racing as Mr Inigo began to play a tune on his violin.
As soon as she started to dance, Maya forgot to be nervous. She sometimes wondered how she could dance in front of a crowd when she often felt so shy. The music seemed to set her free. She leapt and spun to the beat, and the crowd began to clap in time with the music.
Maya finished her first dance and dropped a curtsy, blushing again at the cheers from the townspeople.
Sophy was standing right at the front. “Well done, Maya!” she called. “You were great!”
Mr Inigo twirled his moustache again and then struck up a slower melody. This was the music for Maya’s favourite ballet dance. Pointing her toes, she moved to the music and leapt gracefully across the floor. Then she swayed and twirled, before moving into a beautiful arabesque.
As she turned to repeat her movements, something caught her eye. The knight, Sir Fitzroy, was still standing on the steps. He was frowning as if he wasn’t enjoying the performance at all. Then a figure slipped out of the crowd and joined him.
Ruben Gribba, the magician, muttered in Sir Fitzroy’s ear. A nasty smile spread across the knight’s face, which turned Maya’s heart cold. The movement of the dance took her in the other direction. When she turned back again, Sir Fitzroy was giving Ruben a handful of gold coins. Then the two men walked down the steps together and disappeared behind the crowd.
Maya carried on dancing but an icy dread rose inside her. What had Ruben done? She pictured him the evening before, watching the unicorns grazing in their hidden valley. Was it possible he’d told the horrible knight where to find them? She wanted to run after the two men but she was in the middle of a dance and everyone was watching. What was she supposed to do?
She kept on going till the end and tried to smile as the crowd applauded her. Then, when Mr Inigo announced the next act, Maya slipped away and found Sophy. “Quickly!” she gasped. “The knight’s gone! I think Ruben’s told him where to find the sky unicorns.”
“Who’s Ruben?” said Sophy.
“He belongs to our troupe. He was talking to Sir Fitzroy. Then they both disappeared really fast.”
The girls struggled to get through the crowd. They reached the edge of the square, but for a moment Maya couldn’t remember which street to follow. At last she recognised the right one and the girls ran until their legs ached. They stopped where the houses ended, trying to catch their breath.
“It’ll take us too long to get back to the bridge,” said Sophy. “If Sir Fitzroy’s riding his horse he could be there already!”
Maya looked around desperately. She pictured Clover galloping round the hidden valley, his turquoise tail flying. She couldn’t let Sir Fitzroy hurt him. There had to be a way to get there faster.
They were close to the waterfront where the boats were moored. Maya noticed her brothers’ boat tied to the jetty. They must have sailed up here with the dancing mats and other equipment.
“We’ll catch up with them if we go by boat,” she told Sophy. “This one belongs to my brothers. Come on, let’s go!”
Sophy climbed aboard while Maya untied the mooring rope. Then they pushed off from the jetty and hoisted the sail. Maya wished she could have asked her family for help, but if Sir Fitzroy discovered they’d gone against Royal Orders they’d all be in terrible trouble. She and Sophy would have to help the sky unicorns without anyone finding out.
The wind whistled across the lake, whipping up little waves. Maya turned the wheel and the boat sped up at once. They glided up the lake towards the river just as Sir Fitzroy and Ruben Gribba rode on to the bridge. The knight got off his horse and took out a small telescope to peer closely at the riverbank. Ruben pointed in the direction of the hidden valley and Sir Fitzroy mounted his horse again before they rode off together.
“Now what?” said Sophy. “Shall we get to the shore?”
Maya’s forehead creased. “We’re still going to be too late. We have to let the unicorns know they’re in danger!”
She dived into the cabin, rummaging under her brothers’ things. She threw juggling sticks and beanbags aside. She flung odd socks and orange peel out of her way. Then she found what she wanted – a gleam of silver under all the mess.
“Found it!” She drew out a large silver trumpet. “We’re going to warn the sky unicorns without anyone ever knowing it was us.”
Chapter Six
The Silver Trumpet
“Will it work?” Sophy eyed the trumpet doubtfully.
“It makes a really
horrible noise every time I try to play it. I’m sure it would scare any animal! There might be some drums in there too. See if you can find them.” Maya dashed back to the deck.
The boat had glided closer to the bridge with its narrowly spaced pillars.
“Sophy!” called Maya. “Can you help me with the sail? We’ll have to take it down to get under the bridge.”
“Sure!” Sophy ran out carrying a red-and-white drum and two beaters. “What do I need to do?”
Maya showed her which rope lowered the main sail. Sophy put down the drum and together they heaved and heaved until the white sail came down. Then they tied the rope firmly in place.
“Help me with the wheel!” said Maya.
Together the girls held the wheel steady as they glided under the bridge. Maya held her breath. Going wrong here would send them crashing into the pillars that held up the bridge! A moment later, they passed safely into the sunshine on the other side. Then they turned the boat towards the shore where the unicorn’s hidden valley met the water’s edge.
Glimpses of white coats and golden horns could be seen between the trees. Maya felt excitement rising inside her. The sky unicorns were still there. She and Sophy had made it in time. Two unicorns with purple tails raised their heads as the boat zoomed into view.
“Run away!” Sophy called to the creatures. “Danger’s coming!” But the wind whipped the words from her mouth and the unicorns were too far away to understand.
Maya lifted the silver trumpet to her lips. She had to get this right. It had to be a really loud sound to scare the sky unicorns away. Taking a deep breath, she blew into the instrument.
All that came out was a funny blowing noise, like an elephant with a cold.
Secret Rescuers Page 2