Isabel and Cloud

by Julie Sykes

  “The sand’s firm here – we can gallop if you want,” Cloud said to Isabel.

  “Race you to catch them up,” said Scarlett, pushing Blaze into a gallop.

  “We haven’t found them yet,” Sophia called to them as they galloped up to her and Ava.

  “Let’s go and help Olivia and Layla,” said Isabel. Shielding her eyes from the sun, she looked at the caves. “There they are – see that tall rock jutting out into the sea? There’s a cave at the bottom. I can just see Dancer’s tail.”

  “Watch out for the sinking sand,” called Cloud anxiously. “There are patches all around here.”

  “How can you tell?” Blaze asked him.

  Cloud looked surprised. “I can just feel it with my hooves. It feels wetter than normal sand. Can’t you feel it too?”

  “No,” said Blaze.

  Cloud pawed the ground and for a moment Isabel thought she saw a faint pink spark flicker into the air. She frowned. Was there really a spark? But no. It had gone. She focused her mind on the important thing – reaching Olivia and Layla.

  “Everyone follow Cloud,” instructed Isabel. “It’ll be safer.”

  The others fell into line behind Cloud and followed as he picked his way sure-footedly around the patches of sinking sand.

  “Look at the sea,” said Scarlett suddenly. “It’s coming in really fast. Olivia, Layla!” she shouted. “Get out of the cave. Now!”

  Isabel felt a shiver run down her spine as she realised Scarlett was right. Long fingers of water were curving round either side of the caves and huge waves were breaking on the rocks.

  “Olivia, Layla, you have to leave!” Isabel shouted desperately. “They can’t hear us. If they stay in the cave any longer they won’t get out. We’ve got to warn them! Cloud and I will go.”

  “We’re coming too,” said Scarlett.

  The incoming waves swirled round Blaze and Cloud, pushing and pulling at their legs.

  “Hang on, Scarlett,” shouted Blaze, stumbling.

  Scarlett slid on to Blaze’s neck. With shaking hands she pushed herself upright.

  “Enough!” said Isabel. “You two stay here. Cloud and I are going on alone.”

  “No way…” Scarlett began to protest.

  Isabel’s mouth set in a determined line. “It’s too dangerous and it’s silly for us all to take a risk. Cloud is best at working out where the sinking sand is so you have to let us go.” She urged Cloud on and he leapt into a canter, splashing into the water and heading for the cave entrance.

  The waves quickly covered his fetlocks and then his knees, reaching up to his belly. Isabel cried out as a wave broke against them and Cloud staggered. His mane was sticking to his neck like silvery-blue seaweed. Isabel’s legs were drenched. She could see Olivia and Layla just inside the cave entrance. They had clearly noticed the water and tried to get out but realised they were trapped. She could hear Dancer and Snowflake whinnying over the roar of the incoming sea.

  Cloud struggled to stay on his feet as the waves smacked into them again. “It’s no use,” he shouted. “We’ll have to go back to the academy and get the teachers to help.”

  “There isn’t time,” protested Isabel. “We have to help them out, Cloud. If we don’t, they’re going to drown!”

  “What are we going to do, Isabel?”

  Isabel sensed Cloud’s panic. The unicorn trembled as a wave almost knocked him over.

  “I’ll think of something,” she said, trying to keep calm despite the fear that was rising inside her as she listened to her friends’ shouts for help. “The waves are strong but maybe we can still get to them and help them out.”

  Cloud hesitated. Isabel wrapped her arms round his neck and hugged him tightly. “We can do this, Cloud. Trust me!”

  The hug seemed to rally Cloud. Staring intently at the sea he took a step towards the cave and then another, pushing his legs through the swirling water as it rose higher and higher. With each step his confidence seemed to return.

  Isabel urged him on. “That’s it, Cloud. Keep going!”

  Suddenly she noticed something strange. The sea seemed to be moving away from Cloud’s hooves.

  “Cloud, are you doing that?” she demanded.

  Cloud looked to where Isabel was pointing. “Y–yes, I think I am. I was just thinking about the sea parting to let me through and … and it seems to have happened!” he said in astonishment.

  “Try it again,” said Isabel.

  Cloud strode forward.

  Isabel felt something crackling in the air. It was accompanied by the rich smell of burnt sugar. Isabel recognised the smell instantly. Magic! All of a sudden there was a sound like paper ripping and the sea divided, opening up like a long zip.

  “Cloud!” squeaked Isabel as a path of wet shining sand appeared before them, leading straight to the cave. “Look what you’ve just done!”

  Cloud didn’t answer. Isabel could tell he was concentrating hard as he used his water magic to hold the sea back.

  Olivia and Layla, on Snowflake and Dancer, came slowly out of the cave. They looked round in astonishment, staring at the sea that was being held back on either side of them, two looming blue walls of water.

  “Hurry,” gasped Cloud. “Get to safety! I haven’t got the strength to hold the sea back for long!”

  “Go that way!” Isabel shouted, pointing to where the tide was coming in more slowly. If they could reach the base of the cliffs they could follow a path that led up to the cliff top, where the others were anxiously waiting.

  The unicorns didn’t need any more urging – they cantered through the water, heading towards the cliff path. Cloud whinnied and charged after them. As he galloped down the sandy path, the sea wall collapsed behind him. Isabel urged him on, stroking his neck. “You’re amazing, Cloud! You’re the best unicorn ever!” She felt new strength surge through Cloud and he galloped faster than he ever had in his life, his tail streaming out like a banner behind him.

  At last all the girls reached the cliff and scrambled up the path to where the sea couldn’t reach them. Then Isabel felt Cloud’s legs wobble and he collapsed on the ground, his sides heaving. Isabel slid from his back.

  “Oh, Cloud, you were fantastic.” She threw her arms around him and buried her face in the unicorn’s soaking neck. “Are you OK?”

  “I’ve found my magic,” said Cloud, sounding dazed. “I can control water. I can part the tide and the waves. I bet I can even make it rain.”

  “Don’t make any more rain!” said Scarlett in alarm.

  Cloud managed to laugh despite gasping for breath. “No more rain. I promise.” He turned to Isabel and nuzzled her. “You helped me to find my magic, Isabel. Thank you.”

  Isabel was filled with a glow that fizzled right through her and her brain raced as she thought of all the amazing things she and Cloud could do with his new-found water magic. She hugged him and he tried to stand but his legs gave way beneath him. “I’m sorry,” he gasped. “I’m sure I’ll be OK in a minute.”

  Layla looked worried. “You look exhausted, Cloud. Parting the sea must have used up all your energy.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Cloud said bravely. But although he tried again, he still couldn’t stand.

  Isabel looked anxiously at Layla. She knew the most about unicorns. “What can we do?”

  “We need something to give him strength,” said Layla. “We really need sky berries or water from Sparkle Lake.”

  “But we haven’t got those,” said Isabel. Cloud’s muzzle sank down on the ground and his eyelids flickered. She couldn’t bear it. He had been so brave, they had to find a way to help him. “Isn’t there anything else we can do?”

  “There’s a plant called Unicorns’ Gold that gives unicorns strength,” Ava put in. “It grows on cliffs near the sea.”

  Isabel frowned as she remembered something. “What does it look like?”

  “The flowers are gold with five petals and a silver centre,” said Ava.

  “
I saw some flowers like that earlier!” Isabel burst out, thinking of the flowers she’d seen on the cliff. “They were over there.” She pointed across the cliffs to where she and Scarlett had been searching.

  “We can’t get over there now because of the tide,” said Scarlett.

  “Don’t worry. If there was some Unicorns’ Gold there, then there is very likely to be some near here too,” said Ava. “These are the perfect growing conditions for it.”

  “Up there!” gasped Sophia, squinting and pointing to a ledge high above them. “I can see some gold flowers! Is that Unicorns’ Gold, Ava?”

  Ava followed her gaze. “It could be.”

  “I’ll go and find out,” said Isabel.

  “Be careful!” gasped Cloud.

  Isabel scrambled up the cliff path and started to climb out on to the cliff face towards the ledge where the flowers were. Halfway up, Isabel looked back at the others. There was a dizzying drop beneath her and there was still a long way to go. But even from here, she could see Cloud’s sides heaving. Isabel turned back. I don’t want to do this, she thought, her palms starting to sweat. But I have to. I can’t let Cloud down.

  Slowly, she clambered upward, stopping several times as she searched for the next handhold. Once, she accidentally looked down and froze, her heart skittering at the enormous distance to the ground.

  “You can do it!” Scarlett’s voice floated up to her. “Keep going!”

  “Go on, Isabel!” gasped Cloud.

  The other girls shouted encouragingly and the unicorns whinnied, urging Isabel on.

  Isabel breathed slowly until her heart slowed and her legs stopped trembling quite so badly. Reaching up for the next handhold, she determinedly hauled herself up to the ledge.

  “Made it!” Isabel pulled herself up and sat with her back to the rock face. The view was amazing, even if it made her feel extremely squiggly inside. She looked at the flowers – they were just as Ava had described: five gold petals with a silver centre. It must be Unicorns’ Gold! She began to pick handfuls and stuff them in her pockets. Suddenly her fingers brushed against something that sent a tingle up her arm.

  “What’s that?” Isabel parted a clump of flowers and her mouth opened in surprise. Hidden in the middle she found a large stone and five blue pearls! Her heart flipped in her chest.

  “The rain seeds!” she shouted to the others in astonishment. “I’ve found the rain seeds!”

  Whoops and cheers floated up to her from below, and the unicorns whinnied as Isabel put the rain seeds and the stone, which she guessed must have come from Sparkle Lake, in her pockets along with the handfuls of Unicorns’ Gold.

  Climbing back down to the path was much easier. As soon as she reached the others, she gave some flowers to Cloud. He ate them eagerly and she shared the rest out. The other unicorns gobbled them up.

  Cloud’s velvet-soft lips gently nuzzled her fingers. “That feels so much better!”

  “I feel stronger,” said Dancer.

  “And faster,” said Star.

  “I can stand again,” said Cloud. He got up and raised his nose to Isabel’s face, breathing out gently. “Thank you, Isabel. It was incredibly brave of you to climb up there.”

  Isabel hugged him. “You’re the brave one. You fought through the water and found your magic power.”

  “I couldn’t have done it without you,” said Cloud.

  “And I couldn’t have done any of this without you,” said Isabel, thinking how much she had learned in the last few days. She glanced round at her friends and their unicorns. She was beginning to understand why the others hadn’t minded when they lost the dormitory quiz. Working with friends and being part of a team was as good as winning, sometimes even better!

  She kissed Cloud’s forehead. “Thank you.”

  “Enough with the soppy kissing! If Cloud’s better, we should go,” said Scarlett with a huge grin on her face. “You need to use the model of the academy. It will take us home.”

  Isabel vaulted on Cloud’s back. Taking the miniature Unicorn Academy from her pocket with one hand, she reached out to Scarlett with the other. “Hold hands, everyone,” she instructed.

  The tiny Unicorn Academy sparkled brightly and Isabel felt the magic as it thrummed against her hand.

  “We want to return to Unicorn Academy, please.”

  A strong wind sprang up. Isabel gasped as it rushed around her then whisked her and her friends up in the air. Isabel’s hair flew everywhere and she shut her eyes as the wind spun her round and round. The spinning stopped suddenly, then Isabel felt herself fall. With a gentle bump, Cloud landed.

  They were outside the academy. As Cloud started to gallop round the back of the school to the lake, Isabel noticed that her hand was empty. The tiny Unicorn Academy building had disappeared.

  Cloud and the other unicorns pulled up at the lake, skidding to a halt in a spray of dark mud.

  “Not a moment too soon,” said Isabel, pointing at the tide of murky water oozing over the grass towards the academy. The rain was still falling and the lake had overflowed its banks.

  The girls dismounted and everyone formed a circle. Isabel looked at the soggy grass. There were plenty of puddles to choose from. Selecting the nearest, she placed the rain seeds in the middle and stood back. “It’s up to the unicorns now,” she explained. “The bad magic can only be removed from the water when a unicorn breathes on the rain seeds and the stone. On the count of three: one, two, three…”

  The unicorns blew together, sending a long draught of sweet-smelling breath over the rain seeds. The seeds glowed bright blue until each one emitted a loud pop then fizzled away to nothing.

  In the silence that followed, the rain stopped. The puddles retracted and the water seeped back into Sparkle Lake, which now shimmered brightly with every colour imaginable in the suddenly strong summer sunshine. A triple rainbow appeared over the lake, its graceful arches sparkling.

  “We did it!” cried Isabel.

  “Isabel,” squeaked Scarlett. “Look – your hair!”

  Isabel pulled at a curl and saw that it had turned silver and blue, the same colour as Cloud’s mane.

  “We’ve bonded,” she whispered in delight. “Look, Cloud. We’ve actually bonded.”

  Isabel beamed as she led Cloud down to the lake for a well-earned drink of the magical water. The others followed, and when they were full Cloud dipped his hoof in the lake then stood back. A split second later a fountain of water rose up from the lake, spraying everyone.

  “Eek!” Isabel squealed with delight as Cloud continued to play, creating huge waves and fountains and even making it rain on the girls until everyone was thoroughly soaked.

  Isabel was having so much fun she didn’t notice Ms Primrose cantering towards them on Sage. Cloud had just created a tunnel through the lake, and Scarlett had stepped beneath its watery roof, when Cloud heard Ms Primrose shout. He let the tunnel collapse, drenching Scarlett and Blaze with glittering water.

  Isabel’s stomach tightened. “Now I’m for it,” she muttered. “Gosh, Ms P does look angry. I hope she’s not going to expel me for breaking so many rules, especially using the magic map without permission.”

  “Isabel,” said Ms Primrose sharply. “Girls! What are you doing?”

  Cloud began to tremble. “Don’t let her send you away, Isabel. I couldn’t bear it if we had to part.”

  “I won’t!” said Isabel fiercely, hugging him. “Whatever happens, nothing’s going to separate us. You’re the most perfect unicorn in the world.”

  She stepped forward, feeling the sun already drying her wet clothes. “I’m sorry, Ms Primrose. This is my fault, all of it. Please don’t expel anyone else. I talked them into helping me with everything, including using the map, but I couldn’t sit back and let the academy close. Oh, and if you do expel me, I’m taking Cloud with me. We’ve bonded and I won’t go anywhere without him!”

  Ms Primrose looked angrily around the group, taking in each and every one of t
he girls and their unicorns. “Well,” she said. “I really think I should expel you all…”

  Isabel felt a rush of sickness at Ms Primrose’s words. Did she mean it or was she joking? She certainly looked cross, but then Isabel suddenly became aware of the sound of hooves. To her amazement she saw the teachers riding their unicorns at a fast gallop towards her. Ms Nettles was in the lead and she stopped just short of Isabel and Cloud.

  “It’s stopped raining.” Ms Nettles held out a tiny scrap of paper to Isabel. “You did this, didn’t you? I found this after you’d been sorting out those books. I could just make out a few words. Rain seeds and west coast: you found a way of stopping the rain.

  “I’m proud of you, Isabel. I was beginning to think that you’d never knuckle down and make use of that super-smart brain of yours.”

  “Quite,” said Ms Primrose, sounding flustered. “You shouldn’t have used the map without my permission and you certainly shouldn’t have left the academy without telling anyone. But I’m glad you did, girls, and of course none of you shall be expelled!” Her eyes held Isabel’s and then she smiled. “Your quick thinking and bravery today has saved not just Unicorn Academy but the whole of Unicorn Island. The rain seeds were contaminated with very bad magic. Whoever did that clearly hopes to gain control of the lake and the magical rivers of Unicorn Island. We must all continue to be vigilant.”

  “We will. We promise.” Isabel couldn’t stop smiling. They’d saved the island!

  “Take your unicorns back to the stables then go and unpack your suitcases,” said Ms Primrose. “After dinner, I’ll hold a special inter-dorm quiz to celebrate your achievements today.”

  Isabel was so happy she felt like she was floating as she rode back to the stables on Cloud, beneath a clear blue sky. The feeling continued as she brushed him down then went to the feed room to collect his evening meal of sky berries. On the way back to Cloud’s stable Isabel heard someone shout her name.