Linda Chapman lives in Leicestershire with her family and two dogs. When she is not writing, she spends her time looking after her three children, reading, talking to people about writing, and horse riding whenever she can.
You can find out more about Linda on her websites at lindachapman.co.uk and lindachapmanauthor.co.uk
Books by Linda Chapman
BRIGHT LIGHTS
CENTRE STAGE
MY SECRET UNICORN series
NOT QUITE A MERMAID series
SKATING SCHOOL series
SKY HORSES series
STARDUST series
UNICORN SCHOOL series
To Jessica Duxbury and Iola Chapman whose
enthusiasm from the beginning helped me so much
PUFFIN BOOKS
Published by the Penguin Group
Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
Penguin Group (USA) Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA
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Penguin Books Ltd Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England
puffinbooks.com
First published 2010
Text copyright © Linda Chapman, 2010
Illustrations copyright © Nellie Ryan, 2010
All rights reserved
The moral right of the author and illustrator has been asserted
Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser
ISBN: 978-0-14-194332-9
Contents
In the Magic Land of Ice and Winter…
1. Emily
2. The Competition
3. Getting Ready to Go
4. On Their Way!
5. Listening
6. Off the Path
7. The Ice Ghost
8. Race to School!
9. And the Winner Is…
In the Magic Land of
Ice and Winter…
Everything looked just as it always did. A blanket of crisp snow covered the fields and meadows, towns and villages. Frozen lakes glittered in the rays of the pale sun and a mist hung over the tops of the jagged mountains. Silvery robins darted from tree to tree while white fluffy fox cubs tumbled after each other. But the ice sylphs who lived in the land knew something was different.
At the edge of the land one of the mountains had changed shape. Something had curled around it, great wings folded flat. Its dark-red scaly sides moved in and out, and every so often it would open its mouth and a great jet of fire would stream out.
At the Magic Ice-skating Academy three teachers were talking.
‘The snow on the mountains is melting,’ said Madame Li anxiously, glancing out of the window. ‘We haven’t got long.’
‘Soon we will choose our Ice Princess,’ said Madame Letsworth, the headteacher. ‘We have to hope that she will be able to help us.’
‘She will, if we choose wisely,’ said Madame Longley, a tall ice sylph with grey hair.
‘I wonder which girl it will be?’ pondered Madame Li.
The three of them fell silent, each thinking about the fourteen girls downstairs.
Madame Letsworth looked thoughtful. ‘This week’s competition is going to be very interesting – very interesting indeed.’
Chapter One
Emily
Glide. Shoulders down. Chin up. Left skate, right skate. Here we go…
Emily reached back with the toe of her left leg and kicked it into the ice. Pushing upwards with her right leg, she left the ice, spinning round twice in the air. For a moment she felt weightless as the ice sparkled beneath her. She landed, her arms coming out to the sides. Yes! she thought, grinning. A double toe loop.
There were thirteen other girls on the ice, all jumping, spinning and gliding as they enjoyed the free skating session. Emily spotted her two best friends – Hannah and Molly – on the other side of the rink. Hannah, her long blonde hair tied back in two plaits, was practising two jumps one after the other, her face determined. She turned a perfect double toe loop followed immediately by a double flip.
To Emily, both jumps looked great, but Hannah gave an annoyed shake of her head and tried again. Emily knew she would keep on trying until she got it absolutely right. Hannah was one of the best skaters at the Magic Ice-skating Academy and she practised really hard.
Maybe one day I’ll be as good as she is, Emily thought.
When all the girls had been whisked away by magic from the human world to the Land of Ice and Winter, Emily had been one of the least experienced skaters. But she had practised lots and had won the competition at the end of the first week. The girls had had to perform a dance to show they were skating with their heart. It had been a wonderful feeling to win and Emily had been presented with a pair of snow-white skates with silver laces.
The second competition – and the violet skates that were the prizes that week – had been won by two of Emily’s friends, Zoe and Heather, for skating the best as a team. It was now week three and Emily wondered what the competition would be. Madame Letsworth, their headteacher, had hinted that it would involve skating outside. I can’t wait to find out what we’ll be doing, thought Emily, and what colour skates the winner will get this time!
She started to move round the rink again. Being at ice-skating school was wonderful. Emily could vividly remember standing in the school hall on that first day with all the other girls, listening to Madame Letsworth telling them that if they wanted to, they could stay at the ice-skating school for six weeks to learn about the land and take all sorts of different classes that would improve their skating. Madame Letsworth had explained that, at the end of that time, one of them would be chosen to be the Ice Princess, a girl who would help the ice sylphs in some way. She hadn’t said how the Ice Princess would help, just that the chosen girl would perform a task and, if successful, would be granted her heart’s desire.
Emily’s blades carved neatly across the ice. As she moved smoothly and swiftly, skating in a way she had only dreamt about before she came to this magic land, she smiled happily. She might not be the best at the Academy at doing difficult spins or jumps, but no one else could possibly love skating more than she did!
Molly was spinning round on the spot nearby. Emily slowed down to watch. Her friend stopped with her hands up, her straight black hair falling like a curtain to her shoulders. Catching sight of Emily, she waved and together they skated over to Hannah.
‘I just can’t get this double-double combination right,’ Hannah said in frustration when they reached her.
‘It looks really good to me,’ said Emily.
‘Not good enough,’ Hannah sighed.
<
br /> ‘Forget about it. Let’s play follow-my-leader instead,’ said Molly. ‘I’ll be leader!’
‘Oh, OK,’ said Hannah. ‘I could do with a quick break, I guess.’
Molly set off, at first quite sensibly, making them skate with one foot in the air and then with their hands on their head, but after that she made them pretend to be elephants waving their trunks.
Tilda and Alice, who shared a dorm with them, joined in and Molly made them all be chickens, pretending to lay eggs. Soon they were giggling so much they could hardly stand up.
A pretty girl with strawberry-blonde hair glided past. ‘You lot are so immature,’ she said witheringly.
Molly opened her eyes wide. ‘Camilla, did you eat a lemon at lunchtime?’
Camilla frowned. ‘Of course not. Why?’
‘I just thought you must have done because your face is so sour!’ Molly said with a grin.
Camilla glared at her and skated off.
Emily wished she was more like Molly. She never seemed to mind what people thought of her, but Emily hated it if people didn’t like her or were mean to her.
Just then, Madame Letsworth appeared beside the rink and blew a whistle. ‘Time to get changed, girls. I’ve got an announcement to make.’
‘Do you think we’re about to find out what the competition will be?’ Hannah said, looking at the others.
‘And what colour the skates will be this week?’ added Tilda.
Excitement rushed through Emily. ‘I hope so.’
‘Come on!’ cried Molly. ‘Last one off the ice is a squashed tomato!’
Chapter Two
The Competition
The girls got changed. Most days they wore simple skating dresses, tights and wrap-over cardigans, but for the competitions at the end of each week they often had special outfits that the frost fairies made. The frost fairies were tiny creatures who helped look after everything in the Magic Ice-skating Academy. Emily loved them. Their voices were too high for her to understand, but she would often go down to the rink and sit quietly, letting them perch on her shoulders and arms, their delicate wings fluttering.
When everyone was ready, Madame Letsworth held up her hand for silence. ‘It’s time to tell you about this week’s competition, girls,’ she announced.
There was a buzz of excited chatter. Madame Letsworth waited for it to die down. ‘This week,’ she said, when everyone was giving her their full attention, ‘the winners will each receive a pair of scarlet skates with silver laces.’ She pulled a pair of skates out of a bag beside her. They were a glowing red with glittering silver laces and fastenings.
Emily gazed at them. They were beautiful.
‘This competition will be a test of your resourcefulness and courage. We want to see how well you cope in the land outside,’ Madame Letsworth went on. ‘And so you will be going on a two-day scavenger hunt. This will involve skating and cross-country skiing, using a map to get through the woods and the foothills of the mountains as you try and find five special things. You will work together in teams of three or four.’
Emily caught her breath. What an amazing competition!
Amanda, a pretty girl with long dark hair, didn’t seem to think so. She was staring at Madame Letsworth in horror. ‘We’re going to be outside for two whole days! But it’ll be cold and –’
‘Will we be able to choose our own teams?’ interrupted Camilla.
‘Yes, you will,’ Madame Letsworth replied.
‘We’re a team!’ Molly whispered immediately. Emily and Hannah nodded. All around them, people started to talk to their best friends.
Amanda kept on. ‘Do we have to go? Can’t we stay here?’
‘You’ll enjoy it, Amanda,’ Madame Letsworth told her briskly. ‘And yes, everyone has to go. Quiet now, please, girls. You can sort out your teams in a minute. First, a few more details. The scavenger hunt will take place on Thursday and Friday. You will carry rucksacks with changes of clothes, maps and food.’
‘Will we be camping out in tents?’ asked Zoe, who was in the Ice Owls dorm.
‘No, each team will have their own shelter in the woods with sleeping bags, food, a stove and a heater.’
Hannah put her hand up. ‘What things will we have to find, Madame?’
‘A feather from an ice owl, an unmeltable icicle from the Starlight Caves, a reed from the Rainbow Pools and a leaf from a burning bush,’ replied Madame Letsworth. ‘And finally you must also find out one new fact about the land that you have not been told about in a lesson.’ She smiled round at them all. ‘Now you may decide on your teams.’
Tilda and Alice immediately pounced on Emily. ‘Will you come in a team with us, Em?’ Tilda asked.
‘I can’t,’ Emily said quickly. ‘I’m with Molly and Hannah. Why don’t you ask Heather or Zoe? They’re really nice.’
‘Good idea,’ said Tilda. ‘We’ll ask both of them!’
Two of the other Ice Owls had made a pair – Olivia and Tasha. Emily saw them hesitate and then reluctantly include Amanda, who was in their dorm too. Camilla had made a team with her three friends: Helena, Clare and Tess. They were all in the Snow Foxes dorm.
‘We’ve got the best team,’ Molly declared gleefully to Emily and Hannah. ‘We are so going to win.’
‘In your dreams, Molly!’ Camilla snorted. She held up her hand and the others in her team high-fived with her. ‘Snow Foxes rule OK!’
Molly raised her eyebrows. ‘Snow Foxes lose OK,’ she muttered to Emily.
Emily giggled. Looking round, she realized that Hannah wasn’t looking as excited as her and Molly. ‘You’re very quiet. What’s up?’ she asked.
Hannah bit her lip. ‘It all sounds a bit dangerous, doesn’t it? Being out on our own with no teachers and no one in charge. What if something goes wrong?’
Madame Letsworth overheard. ‘This challenge is supposed to test your resourcefulness and courage, but don’t worry, Hannah. You will be given a way to contact us if you’re in real need.’
‘It’s going to be really cool,’ Molly reassured her. ‘Ice cool!’
Hannah took a deep breath and smiled. ‘Yeah,’ she replied. But she didn’t look convinced.
At the Magic Ice-skating Academy, the girls had regular lessons about the Land of Ice and Winter, where they learnt all about the land they were staying in.
Emily knew that some of the girls like Camilla and Tess thought these lessons were boring, but she loved them. Madame Longley, their teacher, often brought in creatures for them to see – they had met tiny ice dragons and a snow fox. Madame Longley had also told them about some of the bigger creatures, like ice monsters, mountain lions and fire dragons – huge dragons with fiery breath who skirted the land on their way to other places.
Later that day, Madame Longley unfolded a large map in the bright, airy classroom and pinned it to the wall behind her. ‘Today we will be thinking about the geography of the land. Look at this section of the map,’ she said, circling a large area to the north of the school that included a forest and a mountain range. ‘This is where you’ll be going for your scavenger hunt.’
Emily leant forward eagerly. She didn’t want to miss a single thing in case it might help in the competition.
Madame Longley started to tell them about the Starlight Caves – icicle-filled caves lit by glowing crystals in their roofs, about burning bushes that leapt with strange golden flames, and about how ice owls were moody birds and had to be approached with caution. Then she pointed out the various places on the map.
‘These are the Starlight Caves and these are the Rainbow Pools,’ she said, indicating two areas in the foothills of the mountains. ‘As you can see, the woods between the school and the mountains are thick. There are three main rivers that run down from the mountains through the woods and into the lake at the back of the school. There are also many smaller rivers that branch off. The maps you will be given are marked to show any rivers that you can skate along and any areas where it is safe to ski acros
s country. You will have to make sure you stick to the marked areas. There are ravines and cliffs in the woods – steep drops that you can come across suddenly if you go off the paths. You must be careful.’
‘Oh, we will be,’ Hannah muttered to Emily.
Chapter Three
Getting Ready to Go
For the rest of the day, all everyone talked about was the competition. The maps were given out after supper. Hannah spent ages poring over her copy, chewing her thumb as she tried to work out the best – and safest – route to take. Meanwhile Amanda just sat on one of the sofas in the common room and moaned.
‘I just don’t see why we have to go outside. This is supposed to be an ice-skating school, isn’t it, so why do we have to go skiing and stuff?’ She looked around. No one was really listening. Amanda pouted. ‘I hate getting cold and I hate getting wet. It’s not fair and…’
‘Oh, Amanda, be quiet,’ Camilla groaned. ‘You’re giving me a headache!’
For once, Emily had to agree with her.
The door opened and Madame Letsworth came in. ‘How are you all getting on with your maps? Any questions?’
‘Do we have to go?’ Amanda said plaintively. She gave a little cough and held her hand against her chest. ‘I get colds really easily. At home, my mum doesn’t let me outside when it’s freezing. She says it’s bad for me and –’
‘You’ll be fine, Amanda,’ Madame Letsworth cut in.
‘But…’
‘No buts. You’ll be going out with the others and that’s that.’ Amanda turned away sulkily. ‘So, any questions?’ Madame Letsworth asked.
Zoe put up her hand. ‘Do we have to stay in our own shelter? Or can we visit the other teams?’
‘We don’t want anyone leaving their shelter after dark,’ answered Madame Letsworth. ‘It would be too dangerous – you could get lost in the woods. So the answer is no.’
She walked around checking everyone was OK and then left.
‘Right,’ Hannah announced to Molly and Emily, her brow furrowed. ‘I think I’ve got a plan now. It will be most sensible to go to the furthest point first and then work our way back. That means going all the way to the Starlight Caves and then coming back by the Rainbow Pools before going to where the ice owls nest in the woods.’ She pointed to where ‘Ice Owls’ was marked in some trees. ‘And after that, we can find our shelter for the night.’ There was a small hut marked with a star. ‘Then the next day, we get a leaf from one of the burning bushes that grow over here.’ She indicated the place on the map. ‘And last of all, we come back to school.’
Skating School: Scarlet Skate Magic Page 1
