A Special Surprise by Chloe Ryder

Author:Chloe Ryder
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Bloomsbury Publishing
Published: 2014-02-06T05:00:00+00:00

This castle was nothing like Stableside. It was smaller and mostly in ruins. Ivy grew everywhere, blackening the outside with its thick woody stems and dark green leaves. The turrets were crumbling and through the tumbledown walls Pippa saw a dismal round room with plants growing through the floor. The massive front door was covered in cobwebs. Pippa shivered and clamped her jaws together to stop her teeth from chattering. A thin curl of smoke rose from the back of the building.

‘Someone’s home,’ said Pippa. Her arms broke out in goosebumps. Taking a deep breath she added, ‘Shall we find out who?’

Stardust nodded. Her eyes were round and her nostrils flared. On the tips of toes and hooves Pippa and Stardust crept closer and round the side of the building. The ivy grew thicker here, covering the window slits. Pippa tore it aside. Dirt flicked in her face and something pricked her finger.

‘Ouch,’ she said as she sucked it to stop it from stinging. This time she was more careful as she ripped the ivy from the walls. The first few rooms they looked into were empty save for dust and cobwebs that hung from the ceiling like thick, grey curtains. They found the kitchen, a vast room with a huge stone fireplace. There was a stone feeding trough draped with a few wizened carrots and another for water.

‘Eeew! I wouldn’t drink from that,’ said Stardust.

They carried on until they reached almost the end of the building. Pippa had a hard time pulling the ivy from the window slit. She was about to give up and go round to the back of the castle when she heard a noise. She put a finger to her lips to warn Stardust. With extra care Pippa pulled back the ivy. A familiar voice drifted through the air.

‘Volcanica was mine . . . stole it from me . . . if I can’t have it . . . so you see . . . pony world . . . here . . . mine . . . all MINE!’

Pippa stared at Stardust. ‘She’s power crazy. Listen to her, mumbling to herself.’

‘What did she mean by “pony world”?’ asked Stardust.

‘I don’t know.’ Pippa pushed her face right up against the window opening. It was dark inside and it took her eyes a while to adjust. A sour smell drifted towards her. Pippa’s throat constricted. She swallowed hard, choking back the cough that threatened to give her away.

‘Can you see anything?’ hissed Stardust.

Pippa’s eyes swept the room. It was set up as a laboratory. A complicated piece of glassware, supported with a metal stand and clamps, sat over a small fire. A vile yellow liquid bubbled inside a round bottomed flask. Clouds of smoke billowed from the opening and over to the window slit. Pippa turned her head away, took a deep breath of fresh air then looked through the window again. Her pulse raced as she spotted Divine, dressed in her long dark cloak, leaning over a sturdy oak table.

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