by Wood, Karen
‘Exactly,’ said Grampy.
‘Why would he do that to me?’
‘They’re old foes,’ said Grampy. ‘Many years ago, when Levinia and I were becoming famous in Europe, there was a competition to determine the most fearless trick riders in the land. The prize was your Boswell belt buckle. It was said to give the wearer extra courage and strength.
‘Levinia’s brother Yaan asked us to ride with him. Yaan was strong and brave, so we welcomed his idea. We had to make up a whole new routine for three people. We practised every minute, every day.’
Grampy’s eyes took on a faraway look. ‘That was when we invented the Shooting Trickstars move. Yaan was so powerful, he could throw both Levinia and me at once. We flew through the air like shooting stars. It was quite something.’
Grampy sighed suddenly and his voice changed. ‘The Hexleys also competed. They bet everything they had on winning. When they lost, they had nothing left. They accused us of cheating and blamed us for their new-found poverty. Many people believed them.’
‘But you would never cheat,’ said Lexie. ‘How could anyone think that?’
‘By coincidence, one of the judges had bought a filly from us a couple of weeks before the competition. The Hexleys said we gave it to the judge as a bribe, but it was completely innocent – we didn’t even know he was to be on the panel. The man paid us a good price for the filly and she was worth every penny. The sale had nothing to do with the judge’s decision. We were simply the best on the day.’
‘This buckle,’ said Lexie. ‘It was the prize?’
‘Yes,’ said Grampy. ‘The Hexleys always believed they should have won the buckle. To this day, they believe it is rightfully theirs. It was a very close competition.’
Lexie frowned as she put her hand on the buckle. She believed it was rightfully hers. No way was she giving it to that horrible boy from the forest, or any of his family.
A waft of fresh caramel hit Lexie’s senses. ‘How long until dinner?’ she asked, changing the subject. The smell was very distracting. ‘Dessert smells delicious.’
‘I’m sorry,’ said Analita. ‘It must be the Phantosmia. I really haven’t cooked anything.’
‘It’s making me so hungry,’ Lexie moaned. ‘How do I get rid of this curse?’
‘That depends on what herbs he used,’ said Kit, appearing with Levinia’s diary in her hands. ‘It says here, we need to mix a small sample of the original plants with their botanical opposites. Mix into a paste and take one teaspoon, three times a day for two days.’
‘Two whole days?’ groaned Lexie.
Kit nodded. ‘The sooner we make a remedy the better. We need to find out what herbs he used.’
‘Bloodroot and baneberry,’ said Lexie. ‘I remember him saying so.’
‘There should be three herbs,’ said Kit. ‘Did he say what the third one was?’
Lexie’s heart sank. Then it lifted. ‘The bowl,’ she said. ‘The Hexley boy dropped it in the forest. There might be some herbs left there too.’
‘Then we need to go and find it,’ said Kit.
‘It’ll be dark soon,’ said Analita. ‘Have dinner and go first thing in the morning.’
It wasn’t long before Analita placed plates of steaming noodles on the table. But to Lexie, they smelled like boiled cabbage and fish food. She curled her lip in disgust and pushed the plate away. ‘Sorry …’
Later, she tried to watch television, but she felt so nauseous she couldn’t even concentrate on her favourite show, Horses of the Sands. She stood and ran from the room, her hands over her mouth.
The spell seemed to be getting stronger. She had to find that silver bowl.
The next morning, Lexie felt worse. She joined her sisters in the barn. Kit helped her onto Featherfoot and they made their way back to the forest.
‘I think this is the spot,’ said Lexie when they reached the clearing. She dismounted and began scanning the ground for the bowl.
‘Let’s split up,’ Ruby said. ‘You stay here. I’ll search along the top of the ridge.’
‘I’ll look further along the track,’ said Kit.
Lexie kept searching, all the while fighting the urge to be sick. The smell was sour milk now.
She pushed through the dense scrub, leading Featherfoot behind her until she came to another clearing. Several people stood there, arguing. She jumped behind a tree and whispered to Featherfoot to join her. Who were they? She had never seen them before.
She peeked around the tree. They all had orange hair. The Hexleys, she thought. Behind them were two old caravans. A black horse raised its head from grazing and whinnied. Featherfoot snorted quietly.
The Hexleys instantly fell silent. Their eyes darted about the forest. Lexie tapped Featherfoot’s front leg and gave him the command to bow down, then to lie on his side. When he lay quietly, hiding in the shrubs, she knelt beside him with her heart pounding furiously. Her mind whirred. How could she sneak away without being seen? She wished her sisters were with her.
She looked back the way she had come and gasped. The boy with red hair stood staring at her.
He grinned, revealing a gap between his front teeth. In his hands he held the silver bowl. ‘Looking for something?’
Lexie leapt to her feet. Featherfoot jumped up beside her and pinned his ears back at the boy.
The boy took a step backwards.
Lexie put a hand on Featherfoot’s neck to steady him. ‘What’s in the bowl?’ she asked, trying to sound brave.
‘Just a few herbs,’ he said. ‘A little bit of bloodroot and a sprinkle of baneberry. Did you enjoy them?’
From the corner of her eye, Lexie saw the rest of his clan closing in on her. ‘No, I didn’t,’ she said. ‘You put a horrible spell on me. What’s the third herb?’
The boy pulled a face. ‘I don’t remember.’
‘Lexie!’ From across the forest, she heard Ruby and Kit call her.
The boy spun around.
Lexie took her chance. She grabbed Featherfoot’s mane, vaulted onto his back and kicked him on. As she cantered past the boy, she reached out and snatched the bowl from his hand.
‘Hey!’ he yelled.
Lexie kept riding. But after only a few more strides, Featherfoot braced to a stop.
A woman stood in their path, waving her arms. She too had orange hair but it was long and streaked with grey. ‘Ay ay, what’s going on?’ she said.
‘She stole my silver bowl!’ yelled the boy. ‘My special one.’
‘Did she now? What would she want with that?’ said the old woman. She kept walking towards Featherfoot, reaching for his reins.
Lexie took off in the other direction, leaping over bushes, but now the rest of the clan were in front of her. An older boy stepped forward and grabbed Featherfoot’s bridle. ‘Did you steal something from my brother?’
Lexie tried to turn Featherfoot away, but the boy had a firm grasp. So she leaned forward and slipped the bridle over her horse’s ears. She rode on again, steering him with her legs, leaving the boy with empty leather straps in his hand.
‘Stop her,’ he yelled.
The clan had surrounded her. Featherfoot spun on the spot while Lexie clutched his mane. Her heart was racing. Out beyond the circle, Kit and Ruby watched helplessly.
‘Leave her alone!’ Grampy’s voice boomed across the forest. He appeared behind her sisters and strode towards Lexie.
A tall, stooped man stepped forward from among the Hexleys. His greying orange hair fell in a long plait down his back and his eyes were rimmed with wrinkles. ‘Do as he says.’
The people surrounding Lexie stepped away and she felt her heart slow down. Grampy came and stood next to her. ‘Shadrak Hexley,’ he said in a frosty voice. ‘It’s been a long time. I heard you’d come to Australia. What brings you to Kulnara?’
‘You know why we’re here, Gallius,’ said Shadrak. His voice dripped with bitterness.
‘The buckle,’ said Grampy. ‘Haven’t you given
up on it by now?’
‘I propose another competition,’ said Shadrak. ‘A fair one this time.’
‘The original competition was fair,’ said Grampy.
‘Are you worried that we would beat you?’
Grampy scoffed. ‘I am worried you would cheat. Look what you have already done to my granddaughter!’
Lexie had no idea what she looked like, but she felt an uncomfortable shade of green.
Shadrak’s eyes scanned Lexie and his expression changed. He turned to the younger boy. ‘Silvanus, come here! What have you done to this girl?’
Silvanus shuffled forward, looking at his toes.
Shadrak pointed at Lexie. ‘I told you, none of those shenanigans! Where’s that bowl?’
‘She took it,’ he said.
Grampy held out his hand and Lexie passed the bowl across, noticing that it was empty anyway.
Grampy tossed it to Silvanus. ‘You keep your herbs and potions to yourself,’ he said.
Shadrak turned on the boy. ‘If we win that buckle back, we need to do it fair and square,’ he snapped. ‘So there is no disputing it is ours.’ With a wave of his hand, he sent Silvanus scurrying away.
Shadrak turned back to Grampy. ‘I challenge you to a trick-riding duel,’ he said, ‘with the buckle as the prize.’
Grampy folded his arms stubbornly across his chest. His mouth twisted.
‘Accept the challenge and I’ll give you the third herb from the spell,’ said Shadrak.
Grampy was silent. Was he actually considering the idea?
‘No way!’ Lexie interrupted.
‘Do you want to have phantom smells for the rest of your life?’ Grampy hissed.
‘The rest of my life?’
‘Without the proper remedy, you will have them on and off forever.’
‘Do you accept the challenge or not?’ Shadrak demanded.
‘Who would ride from your clan?’ Grampy asked.
‘Silvanus, Sabina and Seth,’ he said, gesturing to a stout girl and a teenage boy standing near Silvanus.
‘And where would you hold this competition?’ Grampy asked. ‘Who would judge?’
‘At the Summer Festival,’ said Shadrak. ‘I’ve already spoken to the mayor.’
Lexie looked at Grampy in horror. The Summer Festival was the largest outdoor festival in the region. Thousands came to celebrate the peak of the local growing season. They entered the pumpkin-carving competitions, sold blueberry tarts, ate summer fruit salad and drank melon punch with luffa flowers. They danced to the music of gourd pipe flutes and on the third day they crowned Miss Peachy Queen.
It was massive. No way would Grampy say yes.
‘Done,’ said Grampy. ‘I will take the buckle to the mayor for safekeeping. But when it is decided, you are to let the matter rest, once and for all. Understood?’
Silvanus nodded solemnly.
‘Grampy, no,’ pleaded Lexie. ‘We don’t have to do this. The buckle is ours – you won it fair and square back in the beginning.’
‘The Hexleys have carried this grudge for thirty years, Lexie,’ said Grampy. ‘They’re never going to give it up unless there is a re-match. If you are to keep the buckle, I want you to wear it without fear. And if it goes to them, well, at least the story will have its ending.’
Lexie felt a double rush of nausea. She wasn’t sure if it was the spell or the idea of riding in front of a huge crowd. She put her hand on the buckle. Without it, she didn’t know if she could even clamber onto Featherfoot’s back right now. ‘Grampy, this is crazy. I can’t…’
‘You won’t be riding,’ Grampy said. ‘It is my past, my responsibility. Now, pass me the buckle.’
Still Lexie hesitated. ‘You’re riding?’ That seemed even crazier. Grampy was older than the dinosaurs.
Grampy lowered his voice to a tone that only she could hear. ‘I warned you these amulets would bring trouble. Do you believe me now?’ He opened his palm for the buckle.
Slowly, Lexie undid the belt from her waist and removed the golden buckle. With great reluctance, she handed it to Grampy.
‘I will take it to the mayor myself,’ Grampy said to Shadrak. ‘Now, tell us the third herb?’
Shadrak’s mouth curled into a smile. He snapped his fingers at Silvanus. ‘Give it to them.’
The men slapped hands and the deal was done.
‘Bloodroot and baneberry,’ Kit said, examining the small pouch of herbs. Levinia’s diary sat on the kitchen table next to it. ‘And these look like nightshade flowers. Excellent; we have all three herbs.’
‘Can you reverse the spell?’ asked Lexie. She didn’t think she could take these phantom smells much longer. Cat vomit was just too disgusting; it was making her want to cry.
Kit sprinkled some flowers and leaves into a stone bowl and began grinding them with a pestle. ‘The opposite herbs are dropwort and foxglove.’ She paused for a moment. ‘But I can’t be sure what the opposite of nightshade is. I’ve looked and looked through Levinia’s diary, but I can’t find anything.’
Ruby flipped the pages of the diary. ‘It says here that basil is good in general remedies. Perhaps we could try that.’
‘It’s worth a shot,’ said Kit. ‘I’ll get some from the garden.’
Lexie sat miserably at the kitchen table while her sister prepared the paste. Since she had taken off the belt, she felt even worse. ‘I’m so hungry, but I can’t eat!’
‘If this works, you’ll get your appetite back.’ Kit held a spoon in front of Lexie’s mouth.
It smelled like a wet dog. Lexie tried not to breathe as she choked it down.
The phone rang in the hallway. Lexie heard Analita pick it up. A few minutes later, she walked into the kitchen. ‘That was Fred Grover from the festival committee,’ she said. ‘The trick-riding duel has been scheduled.’
An ominous silence fell over the kitchen.
‘We can’t let Grampy ride,’ said Ruby. ‘He’s too old. He’ll get hurt. We should ride instead.’
That was easy for Ruby to say; she loved being the centre of attention. Lexie did not. The thought of riding in front of hundreds of people made her break out in a sweat.
‘It would be better than one of you three getting hurt.’ Grampy appeared at the kitchen doorway. He wore gym pants and trainers, ready to practise.
‘Umm, there was one other thing,’ said Analita, sounding uncomfortable. ‘The mayor saw the triplets in the newspaper. He wants to see them ride.’
‘The pompous old fool,’ Grampy stormed. ‘He would put my grandchildren at risk for the sake of his entertainment? Tell him I said no!’
‘But Grampy, we need to win the buckle back,’ said Ruby. ‘And it’s the mayor who’ll decide. We can’t say no to him.’
‘Oh, yes we can,’ said Grampy.
‘Please can we ride?’ both Kit and Ruby begged together. ‘We promise not to do anything dangerous. If you help us, we could make up something that was more like a show. Just low-risk stuff.’
‘And how would that give us a chance at winning?’ Grampy retorted.
Lexie didn’t know who to support. She had loved trick riding at the flower field that day. She loved the wind in her hair and the rush of adrenalin. She loved feeling powerful and being with her sisters. She had never felt so alive before. But she’d thought no one was watching.
What if the audience didn’t like their show? What if she made a fool of herself? What if the popcorn at the festival smelled like petrol fumes? The spell remedy did not seem to be working at all. Lexie dropped her forehead onto the table and moaned loudly.
Ruby grabbed her arm and shook it playfully. ‘You worry too much, Lex.’
‘And you don’t worry enough,’ she groaned.
‘We have all Levinia’s costumes,’ Kit said. ‘We could wear extra sequins.’
Grampy laughed out loud.
‘Oh, come on,’ said Analita. ‘Let the girls have a go.’
Grampy shook his head. ‘You won’t let u
p until I say yes, will you?’
The triplets and Analita shook their heads.
‘Fine!’ said Grampy. ‘Have it your way. But I decide the tricks, and you do exactly as I say, or we have no deal. Understood?’
Ruby and Kit nodded happily. Lexie’s stomach churned.
‘And if we get that buckle back,’ Grampy continued, ‘I’m going to lock the silly thing away forever!’
Kit leaned over to Lexie. ‘Super fabulous outfits will give you all the confidence you need,’ she said gently. ‘Let’s look in the trunk.’
By the time Lexie reached the lounge room, Ruby and Kit already had the Trickstars trunk open. Their grandparents’ old trick-riding costumes – glittery outfits covered with feathers and sequins – were scattered about the lounge-room floor. Ruby pulled out an orange turban with purple feathers and placed it on her head. ‘This could work,’ she said.
‘You look like you have a pumpkin on your head,’ said Lexie.
Ruby smiled. ‘That might be a good theme.’
Lexie snorted.
‘How about these dresses?’ Kit said. She pulled out three satin garments, yellow, pink and orange. ‘They need resizing and a bit of jazzing up, but they’re nice summery colours.’
‘Analita will help us with that,’ said Ruby.
Lexie ran her hands around her waist. She didn’t care what they wore. If she didn’t find the third remedy herb, or courage to ride without her belt buckle, no fancy outfit was going to help.
On Monday morning, everyone at school was talking about the newspaper article. Haylee White had even brought it in for show-and-tell.
Lexie wanted the ground to swallow her up when Haylee held the photo up for everyone to see. But Ruby and Kit looked chuffed.
‘I was there and I saw the whole thing,’ Haylee said proudly. ‘It was completely fabulous. ALL THREE of them did tricks on ONE HORSE and they were GALLOPING! I’ve never seen anything like it.’
‘My dad wrote that article,’ Harry Chalkman called out. It was true; his father was the local journalist. ‘He said it was the most boring thing he’s ever written.’
‘Oh right,’ Haylee replied. ‘As if being a famous stunt rider is in any way boring!’
