“What is this Voice?” Josie thought it sounded a bit spooky and wasn’t entirely sure she wanted to know.
“I will show you.” Lumpy flicked his ears and turned away from Misty. The other unicorns remained silent, as if unwilling to choose sides.
Chapter Four
They rode in silence away from the trees, towards a rumbling sound that grew louder and louder, until Josie could barely hear Lumpy’s hoof beats over the noise. At last she saw what was making the noise. The rippling jade grass dropped away and frothing white water cascaded over a cliff at their feet. They were at the top of a humungous waterfall. Spray filled the air, wetting her skin and sparkling on Lumpy’s coat like jewels. She wrapped her hands deeper in his mane and hoped he wasn’t going to do anything stupid. Jumping in the lake was one thing, but she didn’t fancy going anywhere near that gushing torrent.
But Lumpy turned to one side and trotted towards an barely-visible path that zig-zagged down the cliff. The noise was deafening and Josie was about to make Lumpy turn back when the path disappeared behind the curtain of water.
Josie shivered as they left the warmth of the sun behind. Her leggings were soaked from the spray and her summer top provided no comfort. She leaned closer to the warmth of Lumpy’s shoulders and hugged him round the neck.
Lumpy paced down a long tunnel in the rock, twisting and turning until the noise of the waterfall was a muted hum. The only light was the golden glow of his horn, which cast eerie shadows up the wall. Josie’s heart tip-tapped and she chewed her cheek nervously.
At last the tunnel opened out into a cavern filled with flickering light, dazzling after the darkness. Josie blinked away bright spots until she was able to make sense of what she could see. Crystals dotted the jagged cavern walls and inside each one there seemed to be a twinkling light, as if a thousand stars had been captured and stored inside the stones. At the back of the cavern a pool of water gathered beneath a tiny trickling fountain. Lumpy headed for the pool.
“Dismount, child,” he murmured as he lowered his head to the pool. He didn’t drink, he merely gazed into the water. Josie slumped to the floor. Her legs burned from the effort of gripping on without a saddle for so long, and for a while she could think of nothing else but how much she wanted to burrow beneath her duvet and sleep. Eventually, the pain faded, and she crawled over to see what Lumpy was staring at.
Looking into the water, Josie expected to see her and Lumpy’s reflections. Instead the pool was like a sheet of blank black glass. She shuddered. Just then, the surface of the water rippled and a face appeared. It was a girl, older than Josie, but with similar tangled hair. Her face radiated calmness and as she met Josie’s eyes, she smiled.
“You have come.”
“Who are you?” Josie asked, ignoring the gasp from Lumpy. He’d called this ‘the voice’ – she wondered if he had ever seen the face before.
“My name is Amber Evergreen. I am the guardian of Rainbow Valley. The unicorns know me as The Voice.”
Josie realised she’d asked the wrong question. She should have said, “What are you?” But it seemed a bit rude.
Almost as if he’d read her mind, though, Lumpy breathed, “What manner of being are you?” Then he lowered his head as if expecting a rebuke.
“I am a water sprite.”
It was only half an answer, and a dozen more questions rose in Josie’s mind. Could she leave the pool, was she magic, why was she showing herself to Josie when she hadn’t shown the unicorns? Why did she think Josie could save the world?
“You have many questions,” Amber Evergreen said in her sing-song voice. “I understand. We will meet. Sugarlump, thank you for your service. Please carry the maiden to the moon pool. I will meet you there at sunset and we can discuss what must be done.”
Both Josie and Lumpy drew breath to speak, but before either could utter a word, the face vanished.
“Well!” Lumpy said, shaking his mane. “Who knew The Voice was a water sprite. No wonder she was so mysterious.”
“What do you mean?” Josie asked.
“The unicorn herd have little time for sprites. Tricky mischievous things.”
“Then why did they listen to a voice in a pool? Or send you to find me?”
Lumpy snorted bitterly. “You heard them. They let me go precisely because they thought The Voice had no idea how to help and was playing for time.”
“But you believed her?”
“How could you not? That lyrical voice? I would do anything she bid me.”
Josie had to agree. Amber Evergreen’s voice spoke directly to her body, forcing her to obey, like Mum when she used The Look. She felt exhausted. How long had it taken them to get to the Rainbow Valley? She’d give anything for a piece of cake and a glass of milk. As if in response, her tummy rumbled like the waterfall.
“What is that sound?” Lumpy asked curiously.
“My tummy. I’m hungry.”
“What do maidens eat? The grass in the valley is delicious.”
Josie laughed. “The grass looked lovely, but I don’t think it would fill me up. Do you have any cake?”
Lumpy gave a long-suffering sigh and shook his head as if Josie were a pesky fly. “We’d better visit the fairies.”
“There are fairies here too?” Josie’s eyes gleamed. “Let’s go!”
Chapter Five
Josie pestered Lumpy for details about the fairies, but he refused to talk. His whole demeanour was of someone being forced to visit annoying relatives out of duty. Josie thought she must be imagining it. Who wouldn’t want to hang out with the fairies?
She was glad when they left the tunnel and plodded back up past the waterfall. A sudden thought occurred to Josie and she leaned forwards to yell over the thundering water.
“Why don’t you fly us back up?”
Lumpy shrugged his shoulders, nearly knocking Josie off his back, and carried on walking. What did that mean? As soon as they reached the never-ending meadow, Josie slipped from Lumpy’s back and stood in front of him.
“Okay, what gives?”
“I don’t know what you mean,” Lumpy said stiffly, trying to walk past.
“You don’t like fairies, or sprites. You clearly hate the other unicorns, and you can’t fly here. I don’t get it.”
Lumpy hung his head. “I’m only half-unicorn. My mother was a mortal pony. That’s why the others tease me for being small and fat. I don’t have any magic. I think The Voice - the sprite - must have given me help to get to you. Sorry, child, as unicorns go I’m pretty useless.”
Josie ran forwards and hugged Lumpy’s neck, burying her face into the thick mane. “I think you’re lovely. Much nicer than those snooty unicorns.”
“You don’t really mean that,” Lumpy said, but his voice sounded lighter. Josie kissed his cheek and then pulled away.
“I don’t have many friends, back at home. I know what it’s like. My brother is always leaving me out – I hate being the only girl in the family.”
“What’s wrong with being a girl?” Lumpy asked, gazing at her with his huge brown eyes.
“I have to brush my hair, and wear dresses,” Josie complained. Lumpy looked askance at her tangled locks and tatty leggings. “Okay, not right now,” Josie amended crossly. “But for school I do. And my stupid brother won’t let me play football with the boys. He only lets me play in his DelveBuild world because our cousins aren’t allowed to play it. Too much killing of zombies.”
The outpouring of words seemed to startle Lumpy, but he didn’t complain. Instead he nuzzled Josie’s hand and gave a little whicker. “I have no idea what zombies are,” he said, “But I’m sure you fight them magnificently. Amber Evergreen said you were a fearsome warrior.”
Josie laughed. “That’s in a computer game, with a bow and arrow or an enchanted sword. I don’t think I’d be much good against real zombies.” Her laughter faltered, and she said in a whisper, “What is it that I have to fight, do you know?”
Lumpy
shook his head. “There is darkness, at the edges of Rainbow Valley. It grows a little bit every day, and the land looks flat, as if it has lost its magic. The unicorns don’t know what causes it, and their magic can’t touch the grey.”
A shiver ran down Josie’s skin. It sounded creepy and not at all something a small girl could battle.
As if sensing her disquiet, Lumpy nudged her playfully. “Don’t fret about it now, Amber Evergreen will explain more later. And no one can battle on an empty stomach. Let’s see the fairies.”
Josie nodded and when Lumpy lowered his front legs she scrambled onto his back, but her joy at meeting fairies was tainted by the fear growing steadily inside her. What if it was zombies? What if it was worse?
Chapter Six
The fairies lived deep in one of the many woods that dotted the meadow, hidden by feathery ferns. In the centre of the clearing a circle of blood-red toadstools shone in beams of dappled sunlight.
Josie looked around eagerly for sight of the fairies. She had no idea what they would be like. Amber Evergreen seemed about human-sized: did that mean the fairies were too? Or would they be tiny – as small as a daisy - like she’d seen in pictures. If they were, Josie hoped that didn’t mean their food was tiny as well; she was starving.
She slid off Lumpy’s back and the unicorn immediately edged away from the fairy circle. Josie’s tummy did a flip. The forest felt darker without Lumpy’s solid warmth behind her.
“Hello?” she called hesitantly.
“What do you want?” a tiny voice replied. There was a loud droning noise, like a swarm of bees, and suddenly four or five creatures appeared from above Josie’s head. They flew around her too fast for her to see any details apart from a flash of red hair and a blur of wings.
“I er I’m hungry. Lumpy – that is Sugarlump – said you might have something I could eat?” As soon as she’d stammered out the words, a tinkling peal of laughter rang through the woods. It wasn't a pleasant sound.
“Didn’t want you stealing his food, did he? Fat lump that he is,” one of the tiny people said nastily.
“Why should we share our food with you, human girl?” another said. “You’re big and dirty and smelly. Go away.”
“Yeah, get lost,” a fairy with orange hair said, hovering in front of Josie’s face so she could see the shake of her tiny fist and the scowl on her face. “We don’t like mortals. You’re all maths and no magic.”
Above them, two more fairies threw berries and nuts at Josie and the unicorn. A sob built in Josie’s throat as the nuts stung her skin. These weren’t the beautiful creatures from her fairy tales. Why was everyone here so mean!
Just then, warm breath tickled her neck as Lumpy nuzzled her hair. “I should have warned you, I’m sorry. Vicious little vermin. Come on, child, let’s go.
“Josie. My name is Josie,” she said, but she followed him out of the clearing, ignoring the burning in her throat as she swallowed down tears. If it wasn’t for the meeting with the sprite later, she would ask Lumpy to take her home. But Amber Evergreen had seemed kind and Josie really wanted to help.
Lumpy took them across the meadow towards a different patch of trees, near the foothills of a range of misty mountains. Josie munched on the berries and nuts that had caught in her clothing – after checking with Lumpy that they weren’t poisonous. She wouldn’t put anything past those horrible fairies.
“I don’t usually venture this far,” Lumpy confessed, gazing around him. “Without magic, it’s a long walk, especially when you have legs as short as mine. We’ll look for some more berries – you have to eat.”
Josie nodded but she wasn’t really paying attention. Her mind rang with the sneering voices of Misty the unicorn and the taunting fairies. It was worse than being at school. At least there, when someone was mean, she could find Dylan or ask a dinner lady to help. This no longer felt like an exciting adventure. She missed her mum, she even missed her brother, and all she wanted was to go home.
As the sun cast long shadows across the meadow Lumpy rode towards a rocky outcrop surrounded by brightly-coloured flowers in every shade of the rainbow. Josie could see how the valley got its name. The musical burbling of dancing water echoed loudly in the gathering gloom. It was a pretty sound, nothing like the roar of the waterfall.
Before long they reached a glade where water lay in a deep pool. Josie slid off Lumpy and ran to the water’s edge. By the light of the setting sun she searched for the sprite, but saw only her own face peering back.
“Oh,” she said in disappointment. “Where is she?”
“Here.”
Josie sat back on her heels and whisked her head left and right. Amber Evergreen seemed to glow as she swept towards them through the flowers. She was tall – taller than Dylan even, Josie guessed – and her waist-length hair shimmered green in the dusk. It moved too, waving gently like pond-weed in the lake when she or Dylan jumped in.
“Welcome.” The willowy sprite held her hands out in greeting. Josie ducked her head and let her hair fall over her face. “Do not be shy, child, you are here to save us all.”
“How can I help you?” Josie blurted out. “You can do magic.”
“But you can do maths, child.”
“Josie, my name is Josie, and I’m rubbish at maths. You need my brother for that.”
Amber Evergreen fixed her gaze on Josie and her eyes were like fathomless pools full of wonder. “Nonsense,” she said gently. “Maths and magic together will rescue us and you believe in both.”
It was true; Josie couldn’t imagine Dylan running off with a unicorn he discovered in the back yard. He’d probably video it and put it on the internet.
Although fear and doubt twisted inside her like a bucket of maggots, Josie couldn’t resist the calm certainty of those eyes. “What do I have to do?”
“There is an enemy threatening Rainbow Valley: a magician of sorts, although he has magic we have never seen before. And creatures.” A faint shudder flickered across Amber’s face. “Creatures that come out at night and shuffle and lurch.”
Josie’s eyes grew wide. “Zombies?” she said in disbelief. Zombies, in a land of fairies and unicorns? That wasn’t right.
“I know not,” Amber said with a shake of her living hair. “Let me show you.”
She led Josie and Lumpy towards the pool. Josie had almost forgotten the unicorn. It wasn’t like him to be silent for so long. Concerned, she looked into his face and saw his eyes glittering with awe. She guessed it was pretty amazing to meet the source of a voice and find something so wonderful.
Amber Evergreen knelt beside the pool. Her billowing dress and twisting hair made her seem part of the landscape. She reached one hand forward, and Josie noticed her skin glowed luminescent in the light of the rising moon.
As the sprite pressed a single finger into the water, the whole surface rippled. When it grew still it was no longer merely black. Josie could make out figures moving in the shadows. Green and grey and strangely square. It took a moment for her to make sense of what she saw.
Suddenly she blurted out, “DelveBuild! This is DelveBuild!” She laughed. “It’s only a game.” Relief fizzed through her like chilled lemonade. “I don’t know how you’re seeing the pictures, but this is a game we play in our world. The zombies aren’t real.”
“I knew you were the one,” the sprite murmured. “However, this is no game. These creatures are in our land. They have yet to reach the meadow, but their power grows daily. If Sugarlump were to ride until the moon was high, he would come upon the creatures and the broken landscape in which they roam.”
“Broken how?” Josie asked, ignoring the wobble in her voice.
“Square and lifeless, the colours all flat and muted. As you see here.” She touched the water again and it grew brighter. Josie saw what looked like the meadow – flowers, trees, little rocky outcrops - but all in pixels like in her DelveBuild worlds.
“Someone is turning Rainbow Valley into DelveBuild? Ho
w? Why?”
“The how we know not, but the why is clear. This is the work of the Goblin King.”
Chapter Seven
Josie shivered as Amber Evergreen’s words sank in. A Goblin King? That didn’t sound good.
“So you’re saying this Goblin King is somehow turning your world into a computer game. And you want me to stop him?” She laughed. “You’re nuts.”
Lumpy whinnied in disapproval. “Don’t talk like that to the sprite, child.” He nudged her shoulder as she sat in a heap on the ground. “Stand up. You’re a fearsome warrior - act like one!”
“No I’m not.” Josie rose and put her hands on her hips, swamped with fury. “I’m a girl, a child. I should be at home eating my tea, getting ready for bed. Giving Mum a kiss goodnight and sleeping until it’s time to get up.” A tiny voice in her head said she wouldn’t be doing any of those things, not without a fight anyway, but she ignored it.
“You have been chosen to help us - doesn’t that mean anything to you?” Lumpy’s nostrils flared and Josie took a step back.
“Peace!” Amber Evergreen held up her hands. “Sugarlump, the maiden is free to choose her destiny. We are grateful that she came to help us. If she desires it, she is free to leave.”
Josie took a deep breath. Put like that, what choice did she have but to stay?
Josie stretched her neck. It ached from staring into the pool, trying to learn as much as she could about the Goblin King. There didn’t seem any sense to his actions. The zombies shuffled randomly around, terrorising rabbits and any other creatures that got in their way. But they weren’t mounting an attack. It looked just like the game. Thankfully she hadn’t spotted any of the exploding sort, or the skeletons. There wasn’t much defence against them, and she guessed there would be no rebirth here.
“Do you have a plan?” Amber Evergreen’s voice broke in on her thoughts.
“No,” Josie said honestly. “In the game, you fight the baddies to collect cool stuff. Weapons and gossamer thread. There’s no plan.”
The sprite sighed wearily. “Then there is no hope.”
“I didn’t say that!” Josie stared back at the water, but it had gone dark. Amber must have let go of the images. The sprite look tired – Josie hadn’t thought how much energy it had taken to show the images for so long.