Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR, Ruby dorm gathered warm coats, gloves and everything else they needed and added it to the explorer's bag that Lyra always took with her when they went out. She kept all kinds of useful things in it like a compass, a penknife, a notebook, pens, torches and spare clothes. She also added a very large ball of string. "This might be useful when we're in the maze," she said. "If we tie the loose end to the entrance and then carry the ball with us, we'll be able to follow the string when we want to get out." "We should also take some sky berries for the unicorns," said Ivy. "To revive their energy In case they have to do magic. And here are some biscuits for us!" She handed a bag over. "I asked the cook for some earlier." "Great thinking," said Lyra. "Now remember, Dr Briar's unicorn, Solomon, has magic that lets him hear things that are happening elsewhere but only if they're happening outside. So, no mentioning the diamond when we set off just in case he's spying on us." "Absolutely," said Evie, nodding seriously. Ivy zipped her lips. An uncomfortable thought wormed into Sienna's brain. She really hoped Solomon hadn't been listening in when she'd been talking to Sparkle earlier that morning about the maze! Soon they were cantering away from school, the unicorns' hooves

crunching on the frosty grass. They rode out of the grounds and cantered along tracks that led through a wood of pine trees, then trekked across a flat valley before heading up a hill. Looking down from its summit they could see a patchwork of woods and fields laced with sparkling multicoloured rivers and streams. Sienna felt a rush of happiness. Unicorn Island was so beautiful! She couldn't wait to graduate and become a guardian, protecting it and caring for it with Sparkle as her partner. I will be a good guardian, whatever Ms Nettles and Ms Rosemary say, she thought. They rode on until they reached the maze, which was a sprawling

mass of overgrown hedges, all far too high to see over. "We're here!" Sienna said, riding Sparkle up to the entrance. "I guess we go in, find our way to the centre and hopefully that's where we'll find the—" She broke off, remembering Lyra's warning about Solomon's listening magic. "The you-know-what," she corrected herself. Lyra frowned. "I'm pretty sure it won't be that easy. The pieces of the map were very hard to find. But let's get started." She took the ball of string out of her bag, carefully parted the branches of a big bush by the entrance and tied the loose end to its trunk. Then she handed the ball of string to Evie. "Can you ride at the back and carry this? Just let it unravel as we go through the maze." "OK," said Evie eagerly. "Right, everyone, let's go!" Lyra jumped on to Misty's back, but before she could ride into the maze, Sienna clapped her heels to Sparkle's sides, making him leap forward. "I'll take the lead this time," she said. Lyra looked slightly taken aback but nodded. "Sure. If you and Sparkle lead, it might help him find his magic." "That would be brilliant!" said Ivy. Guilt stabbed through Sienna as she thought about the real reason she wanted to be in the lead– to touch the diamond first and make a wish! Only because I want to help Sparkle, she told herself firmly. I'm doing it for him. But are you really? a little voice in her head said. She pushed it away and punched her hand into the air. "Follow me!" They set off with Evie at the back, holding the ball of string and letting it gradually unravel. The maze had clearly not been looked after for years. The evergreen bushes arched overhead, forming a dark green tunnel. Bindweed and ivy trailed across the ground and thorny brambles caught at them as they passed. Birds fluttered in the branches and they saw the occasional flash of an animal moving through the undergrowth. Sparkle halted at a fork in the path. "Which way now?" he asked. The two paths twisted away In opposite directions. Sienna studied them carefully. "Let's go right." She wasn't sure but it seemed as good a guess as any!

The branches grew thicker on the right-hand path, forcing the unicorns to slow down as they waded through them. "Is anyone else feeling spooked?" Ivy called out from behind.

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"Me!" Evie's voice wobbled. "I think we're being followed. I'm sure I heard hooves just now." "Lots of animals have hooves. It might be a three-antlered deer," said Sienna. "This place is like an animal hotel!" As if to prove her point, a storm racoon with a blue-and-grey ringed tail crossed the path, sprinting between Sparkle's hooves, before disappearing into another bush. Everyone burst out laughing and they continued on, with Sienna making the choices at every fork and junction. She was just beginning to think they would never get to the centre when they turned a corner and rode into a large square space with a moss- covered statue of Daybreak in the middle. "We're here!" cried Sienna. She jumped off Sparkle and ran to the crumbling statue. Breathless with excitement, she looked around. I have to find the diamond first, she thought. She hunted round the statue, but to her disappointment there was no