Scarlett and Blaze

by Julie Sykes

  As the girls and unicorns approached the map, the force field protecting the map glimmered more brightly. Goosebumps skittered along Scarlett’s arms. Would it let them through? The magical field hummed musically. Scarlett and Blaze walked through the shimmering barrier, their skin sparkling gold. Layla and Dancer followed. There was a bright flash and the force field vanished.

  “Look,” breathed Scarlett, leaning over the mini lake and fountain. “Frozen solid just like the real ones.” Her eyes searched the map. “That’s where we have to go,” she said, pointing to a glacier in the Frozen Wastelands in the north. It had steep sides leading up to a tall, icy crown. Frozen beneath the surface of the crown, hundreds of diamonds seemed to sparkle.

  “Hold my hand,” Scarlett said to Layla, who was suddenly looking very anxious. “We have to touch the map and then it will take us where we want to go. My sisters told me that.”

  Excitement rushed through Scarlett as she reached out and touched the glacier. Immediately, an icy wind whipped round them, whisking her off her feet. Layla’s hand was torn from hers as they spun around. Lights sparked, cold air pinched her cheeks and nose. Then she was falling…

  Scarlett clung to Blaze’s mane as they plummeted downwards. A heap of soft snow cushioned their fall. Scarlett jumped to her feet, shaking the snow crystals from her blonde hair. Blaze leapt up too and they both looked around. They were at the foot of the steep glacier. Scarlett’s heart sank. The diamonds were at the top of the glacier at the crown. They were going to have to climb!

  There was a whizzing sound, reminding Scarlett of the whine of a fly, and something plopped into the snow at her feet. Instinctively, she snatched it up but before she could look to see what it was, Dancer came thudding down through the air, skidding into Blaze and sending her flying.

  “Sorry!” Layla’s eyes were huge as she hung on tight to Dancer until he finally stopped rocketing around. “What’s that you’ve got, Scarlett?”

  “I don’t know.” Scarlett held out her palm, revealing a toy building, like a tiny model. It looked familiar but it took several seconds to work out why. “It’s Unicorn Academy,” she said in surprise. “Is it yours, Layla? It’s definitely not mine.”

  Layla shook her head. “It’s not mine either. Where did you find it?”

  “It found me!” Scarlett studied the toy closely. She was impressed with how life-like it was. But why had it just appeared?

  “What’s that noise?” Layla said suddenly.

  Scarlett could hear it, too; a fearful growl that made the hairs on the back of her neck stand up. It sounded like…

  “A sabre-toothed polar bear!” she cried as she turned and saw a giant bear behind them. She shoved the little model of the school into her pocket. The white monster bear was ten times bigger than Blaze. Its tiny eyes burned with fury as it reared up, standing on its hind legs. Its long claws were sharper than knives. Opening its cave-like mouth, it roared, showing yellowing razor-sharp teeth.

  Layla screamed.

  “Gallop!” cried Scarlett, vaulting on to Blaze’s back. Her legs were like jelly as Blaze took off. All she could think of was being impaled on the polar bear’s teeth or slashed by its deadly claws.

  Blaze stormed up the side of the glacier with Dancer right beside her. Scarlett’s heartbeat matched the thud of Blaze’s hooves as she galloped away. The ground behind them shook as the polar bear gave chase.

  “Faster!” urged Scarlett. Her hands gripped Blaze’s mane as she leaned forward, willing her on.

  The polar bear was close behind them. Every time it roared it gave off a blast of hot breath that stank like rotting fish. Blaze and Dancer galloped bravely, but their hooves were slipping and sliding as they climbed up the glacier. The sabre-toothed bear was gaining on them. There was no way they could outrun it and there was nowhere to hide. Scarlett glanced across at Layla. Pale with terror and looking like she was about to faint, she was clinging to Dancer’s neck.

  “I need something to fight with!” Scarlett scanned the glacier for sticks or rocks but there was nothing there but ice.

  “I can do it!” panted Blaze. “Hold tight, Scarlett. I’ll fight this bear with my fire magic.”

  Blaze skidded on the ice, using the momentum to turn to face the bear. Scarlett gasped, her fingers sinking deeper into Blaze’s mane. She felt Blaze tremble but she kept calm and took a deep breath. CRACK! Blaze shot a fire bolt from her gold and red spiralled horn. The bear roared in surprise and leapt away as the fire landed at its paws.

  Scarlett punched the air with her fist. “Go, Blaze!”

  “Be careful!” squeaked Layla.

  The bear reared up, claws slashing the air, but it looked less confident now. Blaze sent more fireballs spinning its way. This time they hit the bear’s paws and the smell of burning fur filled the air. The bear yelped. Blaze fired another round. Two fireballs singed the bear’s ears and another hit it on its nose. The bear roared and then turned round and fled back down the glacier away from the fireballs and the two unicorns.

  Scarlett, her heart in her mouth, found she couldn’t speak for a second.

  “Thanks, Blaze,” said Layla hoarsely.

  Blaze looked delighted. “That’ll teach it to attack unicorns!”

  Now that the bear had gone, Scarlett began to enjoy the ride up to the top of the glacier. She’d never been in the Frozen Wastelands before and it was a place of strange beauty with sparkling white snow, pale-blue skies, glittering ice and jagged mountains. She was so busy enjoying the feeling of being on an adventure, it was a while before she realised that Layla and Dancer had fallen behind. Dancer had stopped and was talking to Layla.

  “What’s up?” called Scarlett, looking round.

  “I… I’m scared, Scarlett.” said Layla in a trembling voice. “I don’t want to be here. I want to go home.”

  Scarlett blinked in surprise. She’d just been thinking how much fun it was exploring somewhere new.

  Layla’s eyes filled with tears. “I’m sorry. I’m such a coward.”

  As Scarlett took in Layla’s pale face, she remembered that Layla hadn’t seemed keen on the adventure at all, but that she’d still insisted on coming. Scarlett suddenly felt bad and instead of teasing her, she rode Blaze over to Layla and put a hand on her shoulder. “You’re not a coward. Anyone would be scared after being chased by a polar bear. But the bear’s gone now and it’s not too far to the top where the diamonds are.”

  “I know but I don’t usually ride much at all,” Layla said. “And I’m tired.”

  She was clinging to Dancer’s mane, her knees gripping his sides and, for the first time, Scarlett realised that for all Layla’s knowledge about unicorns, she wasn’t at all confident on her unicorn’s back. It must have been a really big deal for Layla to agree to come with her. It must have taken a huge amount of courage.

  Dancer nuzzled Layla’s leg. “I promise I’ll look after you, Layla,” he told her. “We’re almost there. We can’t give up now.”

  Scarlett nodded. “We don’t have a choice. We’ve got to go on, to save Sparkle Lake and all the people, animals and plants of Unicorn Island.”

  Layla gritted her teeth. “You’re right,” she said.

  Scarlett smiled at her. “We’re going to do this! We’re going to save the lake!” As Blaze picked her way up the side of the glacier beside Dancer, Scarlett chatted to Layla, distracting her attention away from the steep, icy climb.

  When they finally reached the summit, Scarlett fell silent. The crown of the glacier was like a huge glass tabletop with hundreds of sparkling diamonds just below the frozen surface. Below them, Unicorn Island stretched out far into the distance, every bit as beautiful as the magical map. Scarlett was filled with a mixture of wonder and pride. This was her home. If she could just collect a diamond and take it back to the lake, she would be able to save it.

  She lifted her chin. Nothing’s going to stop me! she thought.

  Scarlett dismounted and crouched down bes
ide a large pink diamond that shone like the setting sun just beneath the surface of the ice. It was tantalisingly close but the glacier surface was as hard as iron and no matter how often Scarlett hit it with the heel of her riding boot, she didn’t even make a dent in the ice.

  “Let me try, I can melt the ice,” said Blaze. Standing over the diamond, she stamped down hard. There was a pop and a ball of fire sizzled across the surface. Blaze stamped harder sending bigger balls of fire hissing and crackling over the ice but it remained solid. Blaze breathed gently on the ice, causing so much steam she almost disappeared, but still the ice stayed frozen.

  “It’s useless,” Blaze sighed.

  Scarlett could feel the uncertainty coursing through Blaze’s body. She stroked her neck. “No it’s not. You can do this, Blaze. You’re the only unicorn at the school with fire magic. Even Sage can’t do that! If anyone can get this diamond, it’s you!”

  As she spoke, Blaze lifted her head, her eyes glowing with new confidence. She stamped her hoof and with an explosive crack, golden-red flames shot from her horn and drilled into the frozen ground. Steam rose in the air and the ice bubbled and spat as it dissolved.

  “Ooh! That’s lovely and warm,” giggled Scarlett, pulling her glove off and dipping her hand in the meltwater. A moment later she plucked the sparkling diamond free. Dripping water down her arm, the diamond glittered brightly. “I’ve got it, Blaze! You did it!”

  Blaze nuzzled Scarlett. “We did it, but it’s not over yet. We’ve got to get back to the lake. How are we going to do that?”

  Squinting into the sinking sun, Scarlett looked at the island. The Frozen Wastelands stretched far into the distance before the landscape gradually softened into the green meadows and blue-grey mountains beyond. Her heart sank. They were miles from home. However were they going to get back?

  She saw Dancer, Blaze and Layla all looking at her expectantly. But she didn’t have an answer. “We’re going to … um…”

  Playing for time, she pushed the diamond deep into her pocket and as she did so her fingers touched the model of the academy that had mysteriously appeared when they arrived at the Wastelands. Her fingers tingled as they brushed against it and she pulled it out. It was sparkling and glowing! She stared at it in astonishment.

  “Of course!” gasped Layla. “That’s how we’ll return to school!”

  “It is?” Scarlett said uncertainly.

  “Yes! It makes sense. The map wouldn’t be any use without a way of getting back home. Look at the way the model’s sparkling. It’s magic and I think it’s ready to take us back!” She rode Dancer over to Scarlett. “Hold my hand!”

  Scarlett vaulted back on to Blaze and the two girls held hands. The little model sparkled brightly. “We want to return to Unicorn Academy!” Layla said.

  A fierce wind sprang up. Scarlett gasped as her hair flew out behind her like a banner and then she and the others were whisked up into the air. Round and round they spun, faster and faster. At first she could see Layla and Dancer spinning beside them then everything blurred. She felt herself plummeting down and then Blaze hit the ground with a thump.

  “We’re back!” cried Layla in relief.

  They were standing in the school gardens. Scarlett’s hand was empty. The model had vanished. Scarlett pulled the diamond from her pocket. “Now, let’s get this to the lake!”

  The girls and their unicorns set off towards the lake. Blaze raced like the wind across the grass, speeding past other unicorns and their riders. Scarlett heard shouting and neighs but she blotted them out. As Blaze skidded to a stop, Scarlett threw the diamond to the centre of the lake. It soared through the air. Plink! It slid across the ice leaving a long thin scratch in its wake. The ice gave a groan and the whole surface shook. Scarlett heard surprised shouts behind her. There was a loud crack and the ice shattered into a thousand glittering multicoloured pieces. Water oozed and bubbled over the shards of ice and bubbles surfaced and popped in little clouds of colour.

  “What happened?”

  “What did you do?”

  A babble of voices rose up behind Scarlett and Layla. They turned and saw people running towards them, including the rest of Sapphire dorm. Scarlett waved at Isabel in delight. She couldn’t wait to tell her best friend what she had been up to. She knew Isabel and Cloud were going to be thrilled that the lake was saved!

  Another voice rang out. It was Ms Nettles!

  “What are you all doing?” Ms Nettles sucked in her thin cheeks and her glasses rattled furiously. “What is all this shrieking and shouting about?”

  Her words were drowned out by the drum of hooves as Sage galloped up from the school with Ms Primrose on his back.

  “The lake!” Sage exclaimed, looking almost lost for words. “You’ve melted all the ice, Blaze!

  “Yes, she did,” Scarlett said. “Well, we both did, but not by using Blaze’s fire magic.” The words rushed out as Scarlett explained about the freezing spell and about her adventure with Layla to the Frozen Wastelands to get the magic diamond.

  “I’m sorry I went on an adventure without you,” Scarlett added to Isabel and Cloud. “Everything happened so fast and Layla wanted to come and help.”

  “That’s OK,” said Isabel. “I’m just glad you’re all right and that you’ve saved the island!”

  Scarlett couldn’t help smiling as her guilt lifted. “Blaze was amazing today! She fought off a sabre-toothed polar bear and got the diamond out of the glacier. Layla was fantastic too. She helped me find all the information we needed and she came with me even though she was afraid, and she got us back to school!”

  “I didn’t want Scarlett doing something so dangerous on her own,” said Layla. Scarlett glanced at her quickly. So that had been Layla’s reason for coming – that made her even more brave in Scarlett’s eyes.

  She looked at Ms Primrose. “Are we in trouble for using the map? If we are, please don’t blame Layla. It was all my fault. She did try to stop me.”

  “Yes, you are in trouble,” said Ms Primrose. “You shouldn’t have used the map without my permission. I can see you had the best intentions but you should never go off like that, especially without telling anyone.” Ms Primrose fixed Scarlett and Layla with a very hard glare. Then her face softened into a smile. “But well done for thawing the lake, all of you. I can see I should be watching Sapphire dorm – this is not the first time that someone from your dorm has saved the day!”

  “Someone must have cast the freezing spell in the first place,” said Layla. “We must find out who it was.”

  “You can definitely leave that to me, my dear,” said Ms Primrose. “I will give it my urgent attention. But for now, I think a little celebration would be appropriate. You may have a special dinner by the lake. Ms Nettles, would you kindly arrange for plenty of warm blankets and a big bag of marshmallows? And, Blaze, I think you might have one more small job to do for this evening’s celebrations…”

  “Yes, Ms Primrose. Good work, girls and good work, Blaze and Cloud,” said Ms Nettles, and she even managed a faint smile.

  A short while later, Scarlett, her friends from Sapphire dormitory and their unicorns all stood by the lake waiting for Blaze to light a huge stack of wood for a bonfire. Blaze lifted her foot to light a spark, when Isabel suddenly cried, “Scarlett, look! Look at your hair.”

  “What?” Scarlett tilted her head and a fiery-red lock of hair fell over her face. Her eyes widened as she held it up to Blaze’s mane. The colours were identical. “We’ve bonded!” Scarlett threw her arms round Blaze’s neck. “We’ve really bonded,” she squealed.

  “Of course we have. We’re best friends forever,” cried Blaze, nuzzling Scarlett’s neck.

  Scarlett’s eyes caught Layla’s.

  “Thank you,” Layla said softly, sidling up to her. “You helped me today when we were in the Wastelands. I was so scared.”

  Scarlett shrugged. “I didn’t do anything.”

  “You did,” said Layla. “I was terrifie
d but you didn’t tease me and you made me feel better.”

  “It was really brave of you to come along when you don’t like riding much,” Scarlett said. “Thanks for coming with me – and helping me in the library before we went.”

  “Any time,” Layla said with a smile.

  Scarlett didn’t think she’d ever felt happier. She turned to Blaze. “Ready?” she asked.

  Blaze stamped her hoof. It cracked on the ground and the bonfire flared into life with a whoosh.

  Scarlett reached for a bag of pink and white sweets. “Anyone for marshmallows?” she called. “I hear they’re very nice toasted!”

  Scarlett shared the marshmallows out as the other girls crowded around her, warmed by the orange, gold and red flames that flickered and danced, lighting up the dark-blue sky.

  COPYRIGHT

  First published in the UK in 2018 by Nosy Crow Ltd

  The Crow’s Nest, 14 Baden Place, Crosby Row

  London, SE1 1YW, UK

  Nosy Crow and associated logos are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Nosy Crow Ltd

  Text copyright © Julie Sykes and Linda Chapman, 2018

  Illustrations copyright © Lucy Truman, 2018

  The right of Julie Sykes, Linda Chapman and Lucy Truman to be identified as the authors and illustrator respectively of this work has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved

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  A CIP catalogue record for this book will be available from the British Library.

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