The footsteps grew louder until the tunnel rang with the sound. Then Josie felt a brush of air as the bodies moved past. As she opened her eyes a fraction she had to swallow a shriek. The sound was a being made by a whole army of zombies, arms outstretched, shuffling in unison. A zombie army? What was the Goblin King planning?
Thankfully the zombies seemed to be so focussed on marching they didn’t notice her. Once the last rank passed, she allowed herself to breathe. Then she remembered Lumpy – they were marching straight for him!
Please let him find somewhere to hide, she begged silently. There was no way she could help him from here, except by defeating the Goblin King. Not that it seemed likely, if he had armies of zombies under his control.
Her shoulders slumped as she plodded onwards. The purple light took on a reddish hue and the air felt like an oven. As she peeked round the next corner she saw why. The tunnel opened into an enormous cavern. In the middle there was a giant stone throne, with a creature sitting high in the centre. In front of the chair, a charm table glowed purple, hissing and crackling as if it were alive. And all around the island flowed red-hot lava.
Josie scanned the rest of the cavern for other enemies, but it was hard to make anything out in the shadows. She prayed the Goblin King was using all his army to patrol the tunnels. Not that it mattered. If she couldn’t defeat the creature on the throne, she’d have to make it back out past a zombie army. She shivered, despite the heat from the lava, and cudgelled her brain for a plan.
What do I have to use?
Concentrate on the positive, that’s what Mum would say. Well, she had a sword, bow, a few arrows, and a bucket. Josie searched the roof above the Goblin’s head, hoping it might be made of gravel or something she could use to bury him. Even if she made it to the island, somehow killing a Goblin King felt a lot harder than attacking a skeleton or a zombie. From what Amber Evergreen had said, the Goblin King was a real person, if not a very nice one.
She peered out again from her hiding place. The Goblin hadn’t seen her yet. He appeared engrossed by a book in his hands. No, not a book, a tablet! Excitement fizzed through Josie. Was that it? Was he playing the game and using the charm table to make it real? If she could destroy the table, or the tablet, would it end the game?
It felt like a long shot, but she clung to the idea. If only I had some explosives, she thought. A charge of explosives, set off by a burning arrow, would finish off the charm table. Of course it would probably bring the roof down too and bury her alive. Hmmm. Not a great plan then. But what other choice did she have?
I should have let Lumpy come.
Without him, there was no magic. Was there? Josie looked at the bucket and then closed her eyes. She felt for her unicorn friend, behind her in the tunnels, reaching out for his spark of magic. There it was! Almost too faint to feel, but definitely a spark.
Water, she thought, concentrating on the bucket. The slosh sounded impossibly loud in the cavern and Josie flinched. Would the Goblin King hear? A quick flicker of her eyelids showed him to be still engrossed in his game. Right, explosives next. That would be harder, much, much, harder.
“Impossible, I would think” a voice spoke. Josie jumped and nearly kicked over the bucket. Her eyes flew open and met the murky grey gaze of the Goblin King.
Chapter Fourteen
“Oh yes, I can read your thoughts,” The Goblin King sneered. “Silly girl. Did you really think you could sneak up on me? Defeat me? A puny human girl. Really, taking over Rainbow Valley is going to be easier than I thought.”
“You’re wrong!” Josie yelled, more in fright than out of any conviction. “The unicorns and the sprites will stop you.”
“How? They sent you, didn’t they? Pathetic.” He glanced down and prodded at the tablet with one long finger. Even with the boxy shaping of the game world, Josie could see he had disgustingly long dirty fingernails. Suddenly a zombie appeared to Josie’s right. She pulled out her sword and attacked. The Goblin King prodded again and another appeared, and another. Josie had to do something before she was overrun.
With a flash of inspiration, Josie picked up the bucket and ran towards the island, relying on the zombie’s shuffling to keep them from catching her. When she reached the lava, she threw the water out towards the island. It worked! The lava turned black and Josie scampered across the obsidian with the zombies close behind. She turned and kicked the first zombie into the lava, swiping at the second with her sword. The third she knocked over with the bucket still in her hand.
Panting with exertion, Josie turned and glared at the Goblin King. “Anything you throw at me is going to get you too, now. Stop this game! Why are you doing this?”
“Because I can,” the creature snarled. “Because of silly little girls like you, that’s why.”
“What do you mean?” Josie faltered. How was this her fault?
“You humans don’t believe in magic any more. You’re all too busy tapping at your screens, playing your games. This world lives on your belief in magic, did you know that?”
Josie shook her head.
“No wonder that lump of a half-pony couldn’t do any magic until you arrived! It’s only your belief that lets him cast his pathetic spells. As soon as you’re gone he’ll be back to being a joke.”
It couldn’t be true. Josie’s heart lurched. Poor Lumpy. But why hadn’t Amber Evergreen said their magic fed off human belief? Did she know?
“Oh, she knows. Sprites are tricky, you shouldn’t believe everything they say or rather don’t say in this case. This game cripples the sprites, did you know that? It’s all about destruction and attacking the earth. It attacks the very thing that gives them power. Control water? You control a water sprite. Dig the earth, chop down the trees? No more tree sprites. Genius.”
“It’s just a game,” Josie spluttered. “They’re not real trees.”
“Not for you maybe, but here, thoughts and dreams become real. And now I control them!” The Goblin cackled. Josie stared at him, wondering if she could grab the tablet and chuck it in the lava. Then she tried not to think it, but it was too late.
“Yes, human child, I can pick the thoughts from your head. You believe in maths and magic, I can tell. You’d never have got this far otherwise. But you’ll get no further. I am in charge here and you’re out of options. Alone and friendless, just like at home. Not that you’ll ever see your home again!”
Josie took a step back. Maths and magic. She’d got this far by playing the game, remembering how to build things and fight things. But it was only a game. It always ended when…. She killed the thought, and began singing Humpty Dumpty loudly in her head.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
“What?” The Goblin shrieked. “What is this nonsense? What was it you thought of, child? I demand you tell me!” His voice rose higher and higher.
Josie carried on singing and let her skin feel for Lumpy’s magic without thinking about it. Holding her breath, chanting in her head to drown out her innermost thoughts, Josie took one step, then two, towards the throne. When she felt Lumpy’s magic tingling at her fingertips, she raised her arm and pointed a shaking hand at the device on the Goblin’s lap. Then she let go.
The lava winked and died. The purple glow of the charm table flickered out, plunging the cavern into darkness. Josie stood completely still, willing Lumpy to come and find them and bring the comforting glow of his horn to light the pitch black.
From the darkness, the Goblin’s wails echoed eerily off the cavern walls. Thank goodness the cavern was real and not part of the game, or it really would be game over.
“What did you do!” the Goblin screamed. “What did you do?”
“If you knew anything about humans, about the game, then you would know one thing that always ends a battle.”
“Tell me! Tell me!”
“Running out of power. I flattened your battery, Mr. Goblin. Happens all the time. That’s when you go outside and rem
ember it’s just a game.”
“Nooooooooo!”
A faint glow appeared in the corner of Josie’s vision. She turned and saw the golden light of Lumpy’s horn as he trotted towards them.
“You did it, Josie-child!” He gave a triumphant whinny. “Bring the device and let us leave before he recovers from his loss.”
Josie nodded. She grabbed the strange tablet from the Goblin’s nerveless hands and ran to the unicorn. “Are you strong enough to carry me?” she said. “My knees are a bit wobbly.”
In response Lumpy lowered his neck and let Josie climb on board. “Of course, my child. Let me take you home.”
Chapter Fifteen
It took less time than Josie expected for them to make it back to the cavern where she’d freed the dragon. The zombies and skeletons had gone and Lumpy seemed invigorated by his rest. He flew them up through the roof and away across the meadow.
Sunlight poured in through the opening and Josie blinked as they rose into a new dawn. The grassland outside the mine waved gently in the breeze, with no sign that it had ever been turned to block.
“I wonder if he’ll try again,” Josie mused as they headed back to Amber Evergreen’s moon pool. “He’s right, you know, no one believes in magic any more.”
“I am certain he will try something, but perhaps not this, perhaps not anything for a long time. The sprites will make it harder. Besides, Josie-child, you believe. If one person is keeping magic alive, that is a start. You woke my magic, after all.”
“Will it still work, when I go back home?” Josie asked hesitantly, not sure she wanted to know the answer.
“I don’t know,” Lumpy replied. “But home you must go.” He gave a whinnying laugh. “Besides, I’ve had enough adventure for now. A long rest and some lush grass is all I want.”
Josie’s stomach growled in agreement. When had she last eaten? It felt like weeks ago.
As they landed by the pool, Josie suddenly wondered if Amber Evergreen would be able to appear in the daytime. Would they have to go back behind the waterfall? She slumped wearily. She just wanted to go home.
Josie scrambled off Lumpy’s back and practically fell to the water’s edge. She scooped a handful to drink and wondered if it would be rude to go for a swim? She felt caked in soot and zombie dust.
“Be my guest,” a gentle voice sang out.
Josie looked up and saw Amber Evergreen sitting on a fallen log by the water. With a grateful smile, Josie jumped in the pool fully clothed. It was only then that she noticed the armour had gone, and Lumpy’s too. She guessed she didn’t need it anymore.
“Well done, child,” the sprite said, once Josie had scrubbed herself clean and clambered out of the pool. “We could not have freed Rainbow Valley without you. And now we know where the Goblin King draws his power, we will be watchful.”
“Can I go home?”
“Of course. As Sugarlump promised, we will return you to the time you left. Perhaps a few moments later. Nothing more.”
Josie laughed wearily. “How am I going to explain to Mum that I want to sleep for a week!”
The sprite laughed too, a sound like water dancing over rocks. She waved a hand and suddenly Josie didn’t feel tired any more. Or hungry.
“Wow! Can you teach me that trick?”
Amber Evergreen smiled and shook her head.
“Ah, never mind. Dylan is never going to believe me.” She sighed. “Which is a shame, because I beat an Overman! I wish I could tell him that.”
“Perhaps this will help him believe, child. After all, you should be rewarded for your efforts.” Amber Evergreen reached forwards and wrapped a strand of pond weed around Josie’s neck. She tried to look grateful but it smelt like frogs and felt slimy against her skin.
But when the sprite released her hands, the weed grew heavy, like a necklace. Josie looked down and gasped. On a fine silver chain around her neck hung a crystal in the shape of a teardrop. She picked it off her t-shirt and gazed at it. Deep inside the stone was a single drop of water, and inside that Josie could see Amber’s face smiling at her. Josie raised her eyes to stare at the sprite, unable to put her thanks into words.
“If you ever need to call me, or need to prove your worth to a teasing brother,” The sprite gave a mischievous grin, “You can look into the stone and I will be there.”
“Here is a gift from me as well, Josie-child.” Lumpy’s voice was gruff as if he was holding back tears. He turned and plucked some hairs from his rainbow tail. “Plait them together,” he instructed. Josie gave him a puzzled look, but held the hairs in her mouth and quickly wrapped them in a braid. When she had finished Lumpy said, “Now coil it on your hand.”
As Josie coiled the plaited hair on her palm, the braid sparkled and grew warm. The hair had fused into a bracelet in shimmering rainbow colours.
“Wear it on your wrist – perhaps with practice it will let you perform little feats of magic, even in your world.” Lumpy tilted his head. “And occasionally remind you of a short, fat, unicorn that will always consider you a friend.”
“Oh, Lumpy!” Josie wailed and threw her arms around the unicorn’s neck. “I’m going to miss you so much!”
“It is time for you to leave,” Amber said gently after a moment. “We must return you to your world, to the time and place from where we plucked you to aid us.”
“It will be tea time!” Josie smiled. For the first time ever she didn’t mind what Mum cooked – she felt ravenous, even after the sprite’s restorative spell. No matter what her body thought, her mind knew she hadn’t eaten in yonks.
“Climb aboard then, Josie-child, and let us fly one last time.”
Josie scrambled onto Lumpy’s back and hugged his neck tightly. “Take your time,” she whispered.
Chapter Sixteen
Josie’s yard looked like all the colour had been drained from it, when Lumpy landed with a puff of dirt and a grunt of exertion. Josie sighed. It was all so drab, after Rainbow Valley. How could she just get on with normal life, after such an adventure?
Lumpy pawed at the earth with a shining hoof. His horn gleamed like the sun, dazzling Josie’s tired eyes. “I’m going to miss you,” he said to the floor. Josie crouched and looked into his eyes.
“I’m going to miss you too, Sugarlump.” She hugged him tight and tears trickled down her face and into his coat. “Come again. Please?”
“If I can, fearsome-warrior, if I can.” And then, as if he was wrenching himself from quick sand, Lumpy pulled himself away and ran into the sky. Josie understood why he had to leave so soon, but he still dragged her heart with him into the clouds. She followed the sparkle of his coat until it became no more than a wink of light that might just have been a plane.
Suddenly Josie needed a hug. She ran in the house. “Mum? Mum!”
“What is it, Josie?” Mum sounded cross and a little anxious. Josie found her in the office, hunched over her laptop.
“I…” Josie stopped in the doorway, unsure what to say. Mum would never believe her adventures, even with the crystal necklace and unicorn hair bracelet. “I got stuck on the climbing frame. Scared me. Can I have a cuddle?”
Mum’s face softened and she reached out her arms. “Oh, my little girl. Come here.”
Josie sank into the familiar scent of Mum and let the warmth of her body bring her back to her own world.
“I love you, Mum,” she whispered.
Mum pulled back. Josie wasn’t one for words. “I love you, too, precious.” She stared into Josie’s eyes and seemed to reach a decision. With a swift swipe she shut her laptop. “Why don’t we bake a cake?”
Josie remembered how long it had been since she’d eaten. “Can it be chocolate?” Mum nodded. “Awesome!”
It was bedtime and Josie waited for Mum to kiss her and Dylan goodnight. As soon as she’d gone, Josie crawled out of bed and went over to Dylan. “Are you awake?”
“I thought you were itching to tell me something. What is it, squirt?”
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“I had the most amazing adventure today!” She sat on his bed and told her brother all about Sugarlump and Amber Evergreen and the Zombies and defeating the Goblin King.
Dylan looked over at Josie when she finished telling her tale. She held her breath, convinced he was about to laugh and tell her to go back to sleep.
“That’s some story,” he said slowly.
“You don’t believe me, do you?”
Dylan didn’t reply, but his face held reservation, as if he wanted to believe but just couldn’t. Josie reached for the pendant and held it out. Moonlight spilled in through the open curtains – neither child liked them shut; they wanted to be up with the sun. As the silvery light caught the pendant, Dylan gasped and leant in to see it better.
“There’s a face in there!” He jumped back. “She waved at me! Who is that?”
Josie looked at the sprite’s smiling face and grinned. “You’ve just met Amber Evergreen. Believe me now?”
Dylan nodded. “You get all the fun!” he moaned. “And you really flew on a unicorn? And made flaming arrows. Tell me again.”
So they talked until the sky grew light. When Mum came up to call them for breakfast, she found them huddled together under the blanket, their hair entwined and their faces still in restful slumber.
“Dylan! Aaron’s here,” Mum called. Josie swallowed a sigh. It had been so nice spending time with Dylan, telling him about Rainbow Valley. Now she was back to hanging out on the climbing frame until he got back.
“Coming, Mum!” Dylan called. Then he looked at Josie and grinned. “Fancy a game of footie?”
Josie stared, her cheeks flushing hot. She blinked, but he was still standing there, grinning. She jumped up.
“You bet. And I’m gonna whup your butt. I am a fearsome warrior after all!” Then she stuck her tongue out at him and ran from the room.
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