A Glittering Gallop (8 page)

“I can’t believe it’s the town fair tomorrow!” Zoe said to her nana at lunchtime the following day.

Joy Swann smiled and handed Zoe a salad. “It’s exciting, isn’t it? Your mom’s arriving first thing, so she can watch you in the competition. And I think I’ve got a good chance of a getting first prize for my bantams this year.”

After lunch, Zoe and Flame went over to the twins’ house. They spent the afternoon practicing the jumps and then left the ponies out in the paddock.

Zoe went into the tack room with Todd and Tracy. They all cleaned and polished until their arms ached. Everything had to be gleaming for tomorrow’s show.

Flame curled up on the old wooden
chest, where the horses’ brushes and clean saddle cloths were kept. Zoe noticed that he kept looking around anxiously. Once he stood up and stared into space, the hackles on his back rising.

Zoe felt a flicker of alarm. What was wrong with him?

Flame insisted on getting into her shoulder bag for the short walk back down the lane to Nana’s house. Tucking himself into a small, tight ball, he pressed himself into the corner of Zoe’s bag.

She slipped her hand inside to stroke him. He was trembling all over. “What’s wrong, Flame?” she asked worriedly.

“I sense my enemies drawing closer.
I may have to leave in a hurry,” Flame whined softly.

“Oh no,” Zoe said, feeling her heart sink.

She had hoped that this day would never come. Now it looked as if Flame might have to leave at any moment. She didn’t know how she was going to cope with losing him.

Zoe felt distraught for the rest of the evening as Flame was clearly terrified. She didn’t know what to do, except stroke him reassuringly. That night, Flame crawled trembling into the back of Zoe’s wardrobe and stayed there. Zoe lay awake for a long time worrying about him.

The following morning, however, Zoe was awakened by a little, furry head nudging her cheek. Flame was on her bed. His emerald eyes glowed and he seemed just like his usual self.

“Oh, Flame! You’re still here!” Zoe sat up sleepily and gathered him into her arms. She had been almost certain that he’d be gone when she woke up.

“My enemies have passed close by, but they couldn’t find me. I think I am safe again for a little while,” Flame purred, snuggling up to her.

“I’m so glad,” Zoe said with relief. She just hoped his enemies kept on going and never came back.

“Zoe! Are you awake?” a familiar voice called up the stairs.

“Mom!” Zoe leaped out of bed.
She hopped about on one foot as she hurriedly pulled on her jeans and then dragged a brush through her short hair. “Come on, Flame!” she called, racing downstairs.

She threw herself at her mom and gave her an enormous hug.

Zoe’s mom smiled. “I’ve missed you, too! Oh, this must be the kitten I’ve heard so much about!” She bent down to stroke Flame. “Hello, little one.”

Flame gave a little mew of greeting. He rubbed his small furry body against Helen Swann’s ankles.

“I’ve got a feeling he might be coming home with us,” Helen said to Zoe.

“Definitely!” Zoe said. She promised herself to keep her fingers and toes crossed that Flame would.

Flame padded after Zoe and her mom as they went into the kitchen where Zoe’s nana had breakfast ready. As soon as they had all finished eating, it was time to get ready for the town fair.

“Who wants to help me bathe the chickens?” Joy Swann asked, tying a bright yellow headscarf over her hair.

Zoe’s mom made a face. “That’s not something you get asked every day.”

“Come on, Mom, don’t be ‘chicken’!” Zoe giggled. “I wish I could help, but I have to go get the ponies ready with Todd and Tracy.” She had arranged to go to the fair with the twins and their parents in their cool horse trailer.

Her mom smiled. “Off you go then,
sweetie. Your nana and I will see you at the show.”

Flame trotted at Zoe’s heels as she went out the back garden gate and into the lane.

Neither of them noticed the long dark shapes that prowled among the trees in the orchard. “He is very close. We will soon have him!” growled a cold voice.

“Ebony will reward us well,” snarled another.

Zoe leaned forward excitedly as the Trapmans’ horse trailer turned into the showground. Flame was on her lap, peering out curiously from inside her shoulder bag.

“Wow! It’s much bigger than I expected!” She craned her neck, looking at all the white marquee tents, arenas and show pens.

“I’ve got butterflies in my tummy,” Tracy moaned.

“You’re lucky. I’ve got whopping great bats in mine!” Todd said.

Mr. Trapman parked in the lot and Zoe helped the twins get the ponies down the ramp. Flame sat down near
Fudge, watching as Zoe groomed her and tacked up. Eventually all the ponies were ready.

Todd, Tracy, and Zoe changed into matching white shirts, jodhpurs, boots, and hats.

“We still have an hour before the competition. What should we do?” asked Todd.

“We could go and see how my mom and nana are doing with the bantams,” Zoe suggested.

She held her bag open, so that Flame could jump in. Shouldering the bag, she walked across the fairground with the twins. As they neared the poultry marquee, a tall boy in riding gear came out.

It was Jake Fawsley.

“Well, if it isn’t that nosy kid again!” he sneered at Zoe. “I just saw your nana get first prize. I was surprised she had any bantams left to show. How many did the fox get?”

“So it
was
you who let them all out the other night!” Zoe cried, bunching her fists. “What a terrible thing to do! I should tell your dad what you’ve been up to!”

Jake sniggered. “I’d like to see you try to prove it!” He walked off, whistling to himself.

Zoe stared after him, fuming.

Todd and Tracy linked arms with her. “Jake’s not worth it. Dad says people like him get what they deserve in the end,” Todd said.

“That’s true,” Tracy agreed. “Come
on, let’s go congratulate your nana.”

“Okay,” Zoe said. She put her hand into her bag. As she stroked Flame’s soft fur, she felt herself starting to calm down.

Zoe’s nana and mom greeted Zoe and the twins with proud smiles. There was a colorful ribbon pinned to Cocky’s cage. “Well done, Nana!” Zoe said giving her a big hug. “Isn’t it great, Mom?”

“Wonderful! I’m so proud of her,” Helen Swann said. “I’m looking forward to seeing you now. How long is it before the competition?”

“About half an hour,” Zoe told her.

“I’ll see you over there then,” her mom said. She pressed some money into Zoe’s hand. “Why don’t you go and get yourselves an ice cream?”

“Thanks, Mom!” Zoe called over her shoulder, already heading for the ice-cream van.

She, Todd, and Tracy bought double cones. They ate them hungrily as they wandered toward the show-jumping enclosure. Flame stuck his head out of the bag, looking at all the interesting sights. Zoe gave him some ice cream on the end of her finger and giggled as his rough little tongue tickled her.

Zoe suddenly saw a rider on a familiar dark-bay pony who was just beginning his show-jumping round. “Look! It’s Jake! Let’s go watch him.”

They all went and stood by the fence as Jake rode over the jumps. Zoe put her bag on the ground so that Flame could get out and stretch his legs.

Jake’s pony cleared the first few jumps easily. But on the next jump, Jake turned his pony sharply as it landed.

“He misjudged that! There isn’t room for the pony to get a good run at the jump,” Todd said, as Jake approached the water jump. “If he’s not careful, the pony will stop before it jumps, and he’ll get a refusal.”

The bay pony ran toward the fence. It laid its ears back and faltered. “Go on!” Jake shouted, slapping it hard on the rump.

The pony threw down its head and came to a sudden halt. Jake shot over its neck and landed head first in the water. He stood up with water and mud dripping down his face.

“Oh, bad luck!” Zoe shouted cheerfully.

The twins were openly laughing. “It couldn’t have happened to a nicer person!” Tracy said loudly.

Jake glared over at them. He opened his mouth as if about to say something, but then seemed to remember all the people watching. His shoulders sagged as he squelched around the jump and
picked up his pony’s reins. His face was as red as a tomato.

Still chuckling, Zoe bent down to pick up her bag. She wondered if Flame had had anything to do with the hilarious scene!

“Did you…?” she began to ask him in a whisper.

But Flame wasn’t inside. Zoe looked all around, but could see no sign of the tiny calico kitten. Strange. Flame had never gone off without telling her where he was going before, especially as he knew how bad she felt for forgetting him that one time when she had been riding Fudge. A dreadful suspicion built inside her, and her heart thudded.

Zoe hurried toward a nearby marquee, looking around desperately
for Flame. As she rounded the tent’s side, there was a blinding silver flash. Zoe rubbed her eyes and saw Flame standing there, looking magnificent as his true lion self. Silver sparkles glittered in his thick white fur. There was an older gray lion standing next to him.

“I’m sorry. They have come back,” Flame’s deep voice rumbled sadly.

And then Zoe realized that Flame must leave. However much she adored him, he couldn’t stay and be in danger from his enemies.