Chapter 7

Chapter seven The girls clung to each other tightly as they spun round. Suddenly, they dropped and landed with a bump. The freezing air bit into Aisha's cheeks as she stared at the strange, frozen world around them. "Where are we?" As she spoke, her breath froze in a cloud of ice crystals. She spotted a glint of something pink near her feet. She picked it up. "A pink diamond! I read about them in detention. They can melt anything. They're only found on the Diamond Glacier in the Frozen Wastelands!" The glacier was covered by a thin smattering of snow and underneath, thick ice glistened. They were a little way down from the peak of a huge mountain. A fine mist swirled over the glacier and snow-covered cliffs rose up on either side of them. "But why are we here? And what was that twister? Where did it come from? Ouch!" cried Lily, as a ball of ice fell from the sky and hit her arm. Another fell and then another. Dark clouds were massing overhead. "It's a hailstorm!" whinnied Silver. "Quick, over there!" Zara shouted. She pointed to a dark opening beneath a rocky overhang. They scrambled across the glacier. Once everyone was safely inside the large cave, the girls dismounted. Aisha shivered. The walls were crusted over with ice and pointed white icicles hung from the ceiling like dangerous, jagged teeth. At the back of the cave, a tunnel led further into

女孩们在旋转时紧紧地依偎在一起。 突然，他们掉了下来，砰的一声落在地上。 当艾莎凝视着周围陌生的、冰冷的世界时，冰冷的空气刺痛了她的脸颊。 “我们在哪儿？”当她说话时，她的呼吸被一团冰晶冻结了。 她发现脚边有个粉红色的东西在闪烁。 她把它捡起来。“一颗粉红色的钻石！”我读到过他们被拘留的事。 它们可以融化任何东西。它们只能在冰冻荒原的钻石冰川上找到！”冰川上覆盖着一层薄薄的雪，下面是厚厚的冰，闪闪发光。 他们在离一座大山的山顶不远的地方。 薄雾在冰川上盘旋，冰川两侧的悬崖被雪覆盖。 “但我们为什么在这里？”那个龙卷风是什么？ 它是从哪里来的？哎哟！”莉莉叫道，一个冰球从天上掉下来，砸在她的胳膊上。 一个又一个倒下了。 乌云在头顶聚集。 “下冰雹了！”西尔弗呜咽着说。 “快，到那边去！”Zara喊道。 她指了指岩石下一个黑暗的洞口。 他们爬过冰川。 当所有人都安全进入大洞穴后，女孩们下了马。 艾莎颤抖。墙上结了一层冰，天花板上挂着尖锐的白色冰柱，就像危险的锯齿状牙齿。 在洞穴的后面，有一条隧道通向更远的地方

the mountain. "That storm is lethal!" said Phoebe, as the hail pounded down outside. "It's not the only thing that's lethal," said Zara worriedly. "Sabretoothed polar bears live in the Frozen Wastelands. They attack on sight." She looked round. "I hope one doesn't live in this cave." "Why are we here?" Lily said. "Did you all hear that voice in the twister?" Phoebe nodded and mimicked it. "I've been watching you. I want you. Come!" "Someone obviously used magic to bring us here," said Zara grimly. There was a laugh from behind them and a flash of green light. "Not just magic, but magic and science combined!" They all swung round as a very tall man in a long black cloak stepped out of the tunnel at the back of the cave. He had a pointed moustache and slicked-back dark hair. Silver rings flashed on his long fingers as he rubbed his hands together. "Welcome to my domain!" "Count Thornberry!" gasped Aisha, recognising him from the picture in the book. "Indeed!" the count bowed. "I brought you here using a wind created by one of my weather machines." Zara was outraged. "You kidnapped us? Why?" "Because I need one of you," the count said. "Which one?' demanded Zara. "The unicorn who is the energy thrower. The one with the pink and blue mane who destroyed my tidal wave." The count pointed at Silver, his eyes gleaming. "I have been watching you from afar using a magic telescope. Your power is extraordinary. If I use it to amplify my inventions, I will be able to bring this island to its knees!" Aisha realised the count had made a mistake. He thought Silver was Shimmer because Silver's mane and tail was now coloured pink and blue from the hair crayons. "But that's not—" Silver cut her off. "What do you want me to do?" he asked boldly, stepping forward.

那座山。“这场风暴是致命的！”菲比说，外面下起了冰雹。 “这不是唯一致命的东西，”扎拉担心地说。 剑齿北极熊生活在冰冻荒原上。 他们一看到就攻击。”她环顾四周。 “我希望没有人住在这个洞里。” “我们为什么在这里？”莉莉说。 “你们都听到龙卷风里的声音了吗？”菲比点了点头，模仿着。 “我一直在观察你。我需要你。 来!”“显然有人用魔法把我们带到这里来了。” 他们身后传来一阵笑声，一道绿光闪过。 “不只是魔法，而是魔法和科学的结合！”他们都转过身来，一个穿着黑色长斗篷的高个子男人从山洞后面的隧道里走了出来。 他留着尖尖的小胡子，黑色的头发向后梳着。 他搓着手，长长的手指上闪现着银戒指。 “欢迎来到我的领地！”“索恩伯里伯爵！”艾莎喘着气说，她从书上的照片认出了他。 “真的！”伯爵鞠了一躬。 “我把你带到这里来，是利用我的一台气象机器产生的风。” Zara被激怒了。“你绑架了我们？” 为什么?”“因为我需要你们中的一个。”伯爵说。 “哪一个?Zara问。 “独角兽是能量投掷者。 那个长着粉红和蓝色鬃毛的家伙摧毁了我的浪潮。” 伯爵指着西尔弗，他的眼睛闪闪发光。 “我一直在用一架神奇的望远镜从远处观察你。 你的力量是非凡的。 如果我用它来扩大我的发明，我就可以使这个岛屈服了！”艾莎意识到伯爵犯了一个错误。 他以为西尔弗就是微光，因为西尔弗的鬃毛和尾巴已经被蜡笔染成了粉红色和蓝色。 “可那不是——”西尔弗打断了她的话。 “你想让我做什么？”他大胆地问，走上前。

Aisha stared at him. Why was her unicorn pretending to be Shimmer? Silver's eyes met hers briefly and he winked. She hoped that he had a plan, and felt sick at the thought of him putting himself in danger. The count addressed Silver. "With your energy magic and my weather machines, we can create the biggest ice storm ever. The purple tornadoes, the tidal wave, the heat wave, they were merely practice for the main event. This winter storm will cover Unicorn Island in a solid sheet of ice. Neither science nor magic could achieve such a feat on their own. When

艾莎盯着他。为什么她的独角兽要假扮闪光？ 西尔弗的眼睛和她短暂地碰了一下，他眨了眨眼睛。 她希望他有个计划，一想到他要把自己置于危险之中，她就感到恶心。 伯爵对西尔弗说。 “有了你的能量魔法和我的气象机器，我们可以制造有史以来最大的冰暴。 紫色龙卷风，海啸，热浪，这些都是为大事件做准备。 这场冬季风暴将使独角兽岛被厚厚的冰层覆盖。 科学和魔法都无法单凭一己之力实现这样的壮举。 当

we succeed, I, Count Lysander Thornberry the Eighth, will be taken seriously at last!" The girls' shocked silence was broken by a ferocious roar. A huge sabre-toothed polar bear was in the entrance to the cave. Its small eyes gleamed and long tusk-like teeth curved out of its mouth. Phoebe and Lily screamed and the unicorns whinnied in alarm. The bear's tiny eyes blazed with fury and it reared up, slashing at the air with claws as long as swords. It opened its cavernous mouth and roared again. Quicker than lightning, the count pulled a small instrument from his pocket. Holding it steady, he pressed a blue button. A jet of water arced across the cave and covered the angry bear. As the droplets of water hit the bear's fur, the water froze and the bear slowed and stiffened in place, becoming an ice statue. The count smiled but the smile did not reach his eyes. "That is just a small example of what I can do. Come with me, energy unicorn," he

如果我们成功了，我，拉山德·索恩伯里八世伯爵，终于会被认真对待了！”女孩们震惊的沉默被一声凶猛的吼声打破了。 一只巨大的剑齿北极熊正站在洞口。 它的小眼睛闪闪发光，长长的獠牙从嘴里弯了出来。 菲比和莉莉尖叫起来，独角兽们惊恐地呜呜叫着。 熊的小眼睛里闪烁着愤怒的光芒，它直立起来，用剑一样长的爪子向空中猛砍。 它张开巨穴般的嘴巴，再次咆哮起来。 伯爵飞快地从口袋里掏出一个小仪器。 他拿稳了手机，按下了一个蓝色的按钮。 一股水柱在洞穴中形成弧形，盖住了愤怒的熊。 当水滴击中熊的皮毛时，水冻结了，熊放慢了速度，在原地僵住了，变成了一座冰雕。 伯爵微微一笑，但他的眼睛看不到笑容。 “这只是我能做的一个小例子。 跟我来，能量独角兽，”他说

ordered, pointing at the tunnel behind him. "No," said Silver bravely. "You can't make me help you." The count glanced at the frozen sabre-toothed polar bear, then, holding up the portable weather machine, he aimed it at Silver. "I think I can." Silver stood his ground. "I won't be able to help you if you freeze me." Count Thornberry moved the machine so that it pointed at the others. "That's true, but I don't need your friends. I shall imprison them and, if you don't help me, you can watch them turn to ice." A twisted smile spread across his face. "One by one!"

命令道，指着身后的隧道。 “不，”西尔弗勇敢地说。 “你不能让我帮你。” 伯爵看了一眼冻僵的剑齿北极熊，然后举起便携式气象仪，对准西尔弗。 “我想我可以。”西尔弗坚持自己的立场。 “如果你把我冻住，我就帮不了你了。” 索恩伯里伯爵移动了机器，使它对着其他人。 “没错，但我不需要你的朋友。 我要把他们关起来，如果你不帮我，你可以看着他们变成冰。” 他脸上掠过一丝扭曲的笑容。 “一个接一个！”