Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN, "Hello, girls." Dr Briar smiled brightly as a tall, slim unicorn came out of the tower beside her. "Ms Nettles mentioned you were going out for a Picnic ride today. I hope you weren't planning on exploring this folly?" The Ruby girls gaped at her. Even Lyra seemed lost for words. Dr Briar sighed. "It is a very interesting building but I'm afraid that you can't come inside. My research suggests that a previous headteacher may have hidden a special artefact here. Ms Nettles has given me permission to conduct a search. The tower and these woods are now out of bounds to all students until I have completed my work. I'm sure you understand." She continued to smile but Evie saw a distinct hint of triumph in her eyes. "How did you get here so fast?" said Lyra, finding her voice at last. "You were still at school when we left." "Solomon and I used the magic map," said Dr Briar, patting her unicorn. "It makes travelling between here and the school so much easier, but, of course, students aren't allowed to use it. Now, off you go. I'm sure you can find another place to have your little–" she paused– "picnic." Evie couldn't bear the thought of Dr Briar finding the next clue before them, but there was absolutely nothing they could do about it. She walked heavily over to Sunshine but as she reached her, her foot snagged on a tree root, sending her sprawling. "Are you OK?" Ivy called. "I'm fine." Evie put her hand on the stone bench to pull herself up but as she did so her eyes fell on a small round indentation under one arm of the bench. The circle contained a tiny picture of a crying unicorn. Evie gave a strangled gasp. It looked exactly like the button that opened the staircase to the hidden room where they had found the first part of the map.

A line from the clue jumped into her head: A cold place to rest hides the circular key. Could this be it– the way to find the third piece? After all, the bench was definitely a cold place to rest… "Evie?" said Lyra in concern. "Are you hurt?" "N-no," Evie stammered, getting to her feet. She could feel Dr Briar watching them but didn't want to say anything in front of her. "I'm fine. Let's go." She got back on to Sunshine and the girls left. "I can't believe Dr Briar is searching the folly!" Lyra hissed when they were out of earshot. "It's so not fair!" said Sienna. "Dr Briar's bound to find the next part of the map before us now," groaned Ivy. "Maybe not," said Evie, her eyes shining. They all looked at her. "What do you mean?" asked Lyra. "I'll tell you when we're somewhere properly private," said Evie, glancing around at the trees. There was no knowing who or what was lurking in them. "Come on!" Only when they reached a meadow far away from the copse did Evie ask Sunshine to stop. She slid off and the others joined her as she sat down on the grass. "I saw something," she said. Even though they were absolutely on their own, she kept her voice low as she told them about the button she'd spotted under the bench. "Think of the other two bits of the map," Evie said eagerly. "They were

really well hidden. There's no way Ms Evergreen would have just left the third piece lying around in the tower. She's bound to have put it in a good hiding place. I think the button is important. Remember the riddle. It says: In a new folly that phantoms keep safe There's a space you can enter and leave with no trace. A cold place to rest hides the circular key, Press once and enter the dark cavity." She looked at her friends. "I think the button is the circular key, and the map's hiding place– the dark cavity– will be revealed if we press it!" "I bet you're right!" Lyra cried. "So Dr Briar won't find the map unless she finds that button," said Sienna, smiling. "But because she hasn't seen the second piece, she won't even know to look for it!" "We can still beat her!" exclaimed Ivy. "How are we going to get into the tower without her seeing?" asked Evie. She sighed. "I guess we just have to wait until she abandons her search." Lyra grinned. "Or we go to the tower when she's not there– at night!" "No way!" Ivy squeaked. "I'm with Ivy. Those woods are scary enough in the day," agreed Sienna. "You want to find the map, don't you?" Lyra said. They nodded. "Then stop worrying about ghosts and get ready for a midnight adventure!" she declared.