Stormchaser and the Silver Mist (8 page)

“There must be an open exit we can slip through at the top end of the Abbey land,” Charlie said, trying to sound confident.

“What if they’re all sealed up, though?” Rosie asked. “We might be trapped.” She was still feeling nervous. They hadn’t spotted Mr Pyke yet, which meant he could be lurking anywhere with his gun.

“We’ll have to risk it,” Mia said, her cheeks getting red as she tried to stop a restless Wish from stepping into any brambles that might cut her legs.

Charlie, Mia and Alice sprang back into their saddles, while Rosie struggled to bounce up onto a shifting Dancer. But as soon as they were mounted, their journey through the woods became easier. Rather than having to find paths wide enough for them and their ponies to walk side by side, their ponies could just pick their own way through the dense woodland.

They rode, through pockets of mist, until they joined their favourite Abbey track. The Pony Detectives recognised it at once, even though they would normally reach it from a clearly marked entrance into the woods, straight opposite the stable yard.

The track curved gently uphill, through dense trees on either side. Beyond the trees to their right, the Perryvale estate began. The woodland track was wide enough for two horses to be ridden next to each other, and it was springy under hoof.

The ponies were still on edge, picking up on the girls’ mood.

“Is everyone okay for a canter up here?” Charlie asked, as Phantom coiled up like a spring beneath the saddle. Her arms were aching from trying to contain him, and she didn’t know how much longer she could hold him. And she couldn’t put her finger on why, but now they’d used up their luck not being discovered by Billy and Archie, she wanted to get out of the Abbey as quickly as possible.

The others agreed. As soon as Charlie softened her fingers on the reins, Phantom bounded forward. She heard the rhythmic beat of the other ponies trotting behind her. With barely the slightest shift in her weight, Phantom picked up canter. Charlie took her weight out of the saddle, and balanced over Phantom’s withers. Her horse lengthened his stride, his mane flowing as he began to calm beneath Charlie.

Charlie felt herself starting to relax, too. The only thing they had to worry about now was finding a way out at the top of the estate. But she was sure there’d be another gap between
trees further along the boundary. She felt herself start to smile, enjoying the thrill of sitting on a horse as powerful as Phantom, when suddenly a shot rang out into the silence, filling the air. It echoed in Charlie’s ear as loudly as if it had been fired right next to the path, right at her.

Phantom seemed to pause in the air for a second, stunned, before pinning his ears back and bolting. Charlie grabbed the front of the saddle quickly, trying to stay on top as Phantom flew into a wild, uneven gallop. She knew he was running blind, in a panic that had taken him straight back to instinctive flight. There was no way she could turn Phantom, the path wasn’t wide enough, and all the time he was going straight he was picking up speed. She was almost being thrown out of the saddle with each stride, and one foot had slipped through her stirrup iron, making it difficult to balance as they galloped in and out of low lying mist patches.

All Charlie could do was hang on until her horse began to tire, but she knew Phantom, and
she knew that moment may take some time to come. Charlie was aware of shrieking behind her, but she didn’t dare turn round. She didn’t know if the others were still on board, or if any of them had come off. All she could think about was how stupid someone was to fire a gun that close to horses.

The end of the wooded track loomed up ahead, suddenly appearing out of a patch of mist. Charlie had ridden up this path lots of times, and it used to peter out, then lead into a dirt track. But out of the swirling mist in front of her emerged a line of newly planted, tall hedge plants. Charlie closed her eyes, and braced for the impact, but Phantom swerved to the left at the last moment, narrowly avoiding them. Charlie somehow clung on, hanging sideways out of the saddle and losing a stirrup. Then they were careering off again along the edge of a field, following the new hedge.

The icy cold air she was gulping in was burning her chest, and she had no idea where the path was taking her; the mist patches meant she couldn’t see far ahead. She pulled on the
reins, but Phantom was still in full flight mode, and there was little she could do.

Suddenly Phantom’s hooves clattered off grass and onto a firm track. As they careered along it, they flew into another mist patch. Charlie began to dread where the path might be taking her. She felt a cold sweat break out on her face. There was only one place in the Abbey grounds she did not want to be, one place that could spell instant death for Phantom…

They flew out of the disintegrating pocket of mist, and instantly Charlie could see what she and Phantom were bearing down on with every stride. Charlie’s breath caught in her throat, and for a couple of strides she was frozen with fear. She didn’t know how close the others were behind her, or if their ponies were bolting too. She had to warn them, but the words got stuck in her throat. Then, at the last second, she managed to squeeze them out.

“CATTLE GRID!”

Just after the gun shot, Wish’s sensible nature had deserted her, and she had flown up the track like the devil was on her tail. Mia tried to get her mare back under some kind of control. But Wish had fought for her head, bunny hopping and launching herself into the air in protest. They were nearly at the end of the track, facing the new hedge before Wish finally steadied and began to calm down, even if she was still travelling at a speedy canter. Phantom, swifter than the wind, disappeared in front of her, but Mia knew that if she could slow Wish, Alice and Rosie would have more chance of getting their ponies under control, too. After she’d managed to cling on as Wish swerved violently at the hedge, she dared risk a glance over her shoulder.

“Are you two okay?” she called out. She glimpsed Alice just behind her, struggling with a headstrong Scout, and Rosie grimly hanging on for dear life to Dancer’s mane. Dancer was throwing up great clods of earth with her pounding hooves; her head was low, her ears flat back to her neck, her eyes goggling.

Rosie and Alice called out that they were all right. Mia was relieved they were both still on board, but she couldn’t be so sure about Charlie. Then she heard her friend yell, “Cattle grid!” and she felt her blood freeze in her veins. Cattle grids were death traps for horses. Mia passed the warning back to Rosie and Alice, then sat deep into her saddle and used all her strength to pull Wish up. Scout and Dancer almost crashed into the back of her, but it worked, and they all slowed. Then all they could do was sit and watch in horror as the pockets of mist on the path in front of them finally lifted and ahead, Phantom steered a runaway path directly towards the hideous, metallic trap.

Charlie saw the broad, deep hole with its metallic frame, rushing up to greet her. Across the frame ran thick, solid metal poles. It was designed to stop cattle from leaving the estate grounds. But at the speed they were going, if Phantom didn’t see it, his front legs
would plunge straight down between the gaps. Their momentum and the weight of Phantom’s body would carry him onwards, snapping his legs in an instant. It was as if everything were happening to someone else, not her.

Charlie felt fear grip her throat. Phantom had been through so much in his short life. She’d nearly lost him once before, and she wasn’t about lose him now. The trouble was, she also knew there was no way she could stop Phantom in time. So Charlie did the one thing that might just save him. She sat down in the saddle and kicked for all she was worth, lifting her reins at the same time, crying, “Hup!”

The black horse’s ears flickered. Then with a grunt, he was soaring into the air. Charlie tucked in close to him, not wanting for a second to unbalance her horse, or bring him down to earth before it was safe. She glanced down and saw the ugly dark hole with its great metal bars flash beneath her. Phantom arced powerfully, as if suddenly spooking from the danger beneath him. Then Charlie felt his front legs flick out, ready for landing. She desperately
hoped it was far enough. She prepared herself for the jolt, and got it, almost bouncing out of the saddle as Phantom touched down on the dirt track the other side. He tipped onto his nose and scrabbled forward with his hind legs, desperately trying to get them underneath him. Charlie sat back to help as much as she could, and as soon as he recovered, Charlie squeezed on her reins. Phantom finally listened, all his fight evaporated and he skidded to a halt. Charlie felt her eyes blur, overcome by what had almost been. Without wasting a second, she turned to look for her friends.

She was just in time to see them drag their ponies to a halt on the other side of the grid. Finally, Charlie let out a long, shaky breath; her fingers were trembling like crazy on the reins. Her legs felt like jelly. For a moment they all sat where they were, unable to speak.

Mia collected herself, and called over to Charlie. “We’re going to find a way over to you a bit further up.”

Charlie nodded. She didn’t trust herself to speak just yet, as tears of shock were suddenly
welling in her eyes. She and Phantom were now standing on a lane outside the Abbey grounds, on one side of a stout hedge. There was an area further along where the hedge was a bit smaller, and the others popped their ponies over from an active trot. Even Dancer didn’t think twice – she was so pumped that she flew straight over.

Once they were all on the lane, they rode over to where Charlie and Phantom were waiting. Charlie leant forward and hugged her horse around his hot neck, feeling utterly grateful that he was alive. The other three ponies were dark with sweat, and still twitchy.

“Did anyone see Mr Pyke?” Charlie whispered. “I can’t believe he’d actually shoot at us like that – he must be mad! I feel like riding back in there and telling him as much, too!”

Mia could tell that, as brave as Charlie might sound, she wasn’t really in the mood for going back into the Abbey grounds. Especially not to confront Mr Pyke.

“Well, it’s not the first time he’s taken a pot shot, is it?” Alice reminded them, shakily.

The others nodded, wondering how anyone could be so reckless.

“Come on, we’d better get the ponies back,” Mia said. She meant it as much for her friends, as well as the ponies. She could see how pale the girls all looked, and knew that she must look exactly the same.

“Okay,” Rosie puffed, her breath still coming in shallow gasps, “but we need to go to the village shop first.”

The others stared at her, wondering if the fright had turned her a bit peculiar.

“What on earth do you want to go
there
for?” Charlie asked, wanting to get home, and see Phantom safely tucked up.

“I want to go there,” Rosie said, her jaw set, looking determined, “because I think we should sign that petition against the Abbey, and I think we should sign it now.”

Rosie stepped into the shop just before it closed. She fished about in her pocket to see if she had
any change hiding somewhere in the depths of her jods. She was convinced, as she walked up to the noticeboard to look for the petition, that some chocolate would settle her shaken nerves very nicely She’d left Alice holding Dancer. Her pony had tired quickly after her exertions, and was standing with her muzzle dramatically low, almost touching the floor. Dancer’s eyes were still goggly, but as Rosie disappeared inside the village shop with a ping of the door, the little pony was busy lapping up all the sympathetic pats she was getting from the other three girls.