Princess of the Sands: Trickstars 6 Read online

  Also by Karen Wood

  The Diamond Spirit Series

  Diamond Spirit

  Moonstone Promise

  Opal Dreaming

  Golden Stranger

  Brumby Mountain

  Jumping Fences

  Rain Dance

  Under the Flame Tree

  First published in 2015

  Copyright © Text, Karen Wood 2015

  Copyright © Illustrations, Astred Hicks 2015

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage and retrieval system, without prior permission in writing from the publisher. The Australian Copyright Act 1968 (the Act) allows a maximum of one chapter or ten per cent of this book, whichever is the greater, to be photocopied by any educational institution for its educational purposes provided that the educational institution (or body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency (Australia) under the Act.

  Allen & Unwin

  83 Alexander Street

  Crows Nest NSW 2065

  Australia

  Phone: (61 2) 8425 0100

  Email: [email protected]

  Web: www.allenandunwin.com

  A Cataloguing-in-Publication entry is available from the National Library of Australia

  www.trove.nla.gov.au

  ISBN 978 1 74331 909 3

  eISBN 978 1 74343 729 2

  Cover and text design by Astred Hicks, Design Cherry

  Cover and text illustration by Astred Hicks

  Typeset by Astred Hicks, Design Cherry

  www.diamondspirit.net

  Contents

  1Butterflies

  2Sea Ghosts

  3Meeting Loretta

  4Coalfire’s Test

  5Grampy Steps In

  6Ready to Ride

  7Action!

  8Coalfire’s Courage

  9A Proposal

  10My Fearless Friend

  Lexie laughed and flung her arms wide as she galloped across the flower fields on her black-and-white gypsy cob. She lifted her chin so she could feel the warm spring sun on her face. Featherfoot’s muscles bunched and flexed beneath her with each big happy stride.

  Two more horses followed behind them. Lexie could hear Ruby and Kit giggling with the joy of riding again. All week the horses had been busy working the fields of Windara, planting a new cucumber crop, but today was Sunday. There would be no work for the horses, no school for the triplets, just lots of trick-riding practice. The Trickstars wanted to be polished and perfect for their first professional gig.

  Lexie still couldn’t believe they had won a contract to appear in a television series. Not just any series, but the girls’ favourite show, Horses of the Sands. There would be costumes and directors and famous actors. Their scenes were to be filmed on a beach not far from Kulnara, and the stunts would be ridden bareback.

  All Lexie had to do was control her nerves. Giant butterflies were starting to flutter in her tummy already.

  She pulled Featherfoot to a halt outside their trick-riding headquarters, a tumble-down old cottage with no door and broken windows.

  Tinker jolted to a stop beside her. Ruby squealed as she nearly pitched straight over his brown-and-white shoulders.

  ‘You’d better not do that on the film set,’ laughed Kit, as she reined in Kismet. ‘You won’t be allowed a saddle.’

  Ruby dropped to her feet. ‘Every good stunt rider has to practise falling,’ she chuckled.

  ‘I just hope I don’t do it in front of the entire cast,’ said Lexie. ‘I would die of embarrassment.’ She slipped off Featherfoot’s back and left him to graze. ‘Shall we have a meeting?’

  The identical triplets sat around on hay bales inside the cottage. One of Lexie’s plaits had come loose and she carefully fixed it. The Trickett triplets all had curly black hair – Ruby wore hers cropped short, while Kit liked hers long and wild. But Lexie kept her hair neatly plaited. Not only did she dislike mess, but it also drove her crazy when people got her mixed up with her sisters.

  ‘Only one more sleep,’ said Ruby. ‘It doesn’t seem real.’

  ‘Do you think we’ll get to meet Loretta Lusk?’ said Lexie. All three girls idolised the twelve-year-old actress. ‘I hope she’s nice.’

  ‘She’s so talented,’ said Kit. ‘I get goosebumps when I see her ride.’

  In the last episode of Horses of the Sands, its star had galloped bareback across the beach on a black horse in pursuit of a band of pirates. She had reached down and scooped her sword off the sand without even slowing, and she could make her horse rear and snort fiercely.

  ‘I’ll be so nervous around her,’ said Lexie. ‘I hope I don’t make a fool of myself.’

  ‘It’s all about being prepared,’ said Ruby. ‘We need to practise as much as we can.’

  ‘We’ll be in the army of sea ghosts. How do you think we should practise for that?’ asked Kit.

  All three girls pondered for a moment.

  ‘I wonder how the other riders will practise,’ said Lexie.

  ‘What do sea ghosts do?’ asked Ruby.

  ‘You remember the story, don’t you?’ said Lexie. ‘Many years ago, there was a ship carrying dozens of horses, and it sank off the coast of the Island of Sands. The horses and their riders drowned, and ever since then their ghosts have come up out of the water to haunt the people of the island.’

  ‘If we’re going to be in water,’ said Ruby, ‘we need to get the horses used to it.’

  ‘We can practise in the river,’ said Lexie. ‘There’s a sandy stretch that looks a bit like a beach.’

  ‘Excellent idea,’ said Ruby. ‘Meeting closed!’

  The girls leapt back onto their horses and cantered towards the edge of the flower farm, where there was a well-worn track to the river. On the way, they tumbled and flipped on their horses. Ruby hopped from Tinker’s back onto Featherfoot, behind Lexie.

  ‘Let’s do a double fly-away stand,’ said Lexie. With perfect timing, she and Ruby jumped to their feet together. They linked arms, and each girl stretched a leg out behind her and put one arm to the side as though they were flying. There was no need to count the strides out loud – Ruby and Lexie both knew when to finish the move. After four beats, Lexie dropped to her seat again, and Ruby jumped back over onto Tinker.

  Lexie pulled Featherfoot back to a walk as they approached the end of the field and headed down the track. They rode single file until they reached the river.

  ‘Do you think Loretta will sign my autograph book?’ Lexie asked as they stepped onto the sandy bank. She kicked off her shoes and rolled up the bottoms of her jeans.

  ‘I didn’t know you had an autograph book,’ said Kit, who had already ridden Kismet into the river.

  ‘I don’t,’ said Lexie. ‘But I thought I might buy one. She might write something inspiring in it ... like advice on how to be brave like her. I bet she never gets stage fright.’

  ‘She’s very famous,’ said Kit. ‘And we’re just stunt riders. She probably won’t even notice us.’

  Lexie rode Featherfoot into the water. Once he was in up to his belly, he began smashing at the water with a giant hoof. The waves splashed his sides and Lexie squealed as the water rushed up her legs. ‘That’s cold, Featherfoot,’ she laughed.

  ‘The beach will be even colder,’ said Ruby. ‘So we’d better get used to it.’

  ‘How do we act like ghosts?’ asked Kit.

  Ruby put her hands in the air. ‘Wooooo,’ she sang in a spooky voice. ‘I’m a ghooost and I’ve come to haaaunt you on the Island of Saaands.�
��

  Kit laughed.

  Lexie rolled her eyes. ‘That is so lame.’

  ‘You try, then,’ said Ruby.

  ‘We don’t have a speaking part,’ said Lexie. ‘We just need to ride into the water when the director tells us.’

  ‘I can’t believe Grampy and Analita are going to let us have the whole week off school,’ said Kit.

  ‘We still have to do lessons,’ Lexie reminded her.

  ‘Yes, but we can do them in our own time,’ said Kit. ‘It’s going to be an amazing week. I can’t wait.’

  Later that afternoon, the triplets washed the horses until their feathered legs gleamed white in the sun. They polished the horses’ bridles and packed their riding clothes.

  ‘The wardrobe people will have your costumes ready when we get there,’ said Analita. She seemed as excited as the girls.

  ‘What will they look like?’ asked Lexie. Her mother usually made all their costumes. She sewed on sequins and stitched on feathers. There was nothing she couldn’t make.

  ‘Like you just got dragged out of the ocean,’ said Analita. ‘I’m afraid sea ghosts don’t wear sequins.’

  ‘Can I wear my amulet?’ asked Lexie. The triplets all had a piece of the Boswell Gold, bequeathed to them by their grandmother. Each piece had magical properties. Lexie’s was a belt buckle that signified courage. ‘It helps with my stage fright.’

  ‘I’d like to wear my bracelet too,’ said Kit.

  ‘And my necklace,’ said Ruby.

  ‘As long as you are discreet with them,’ said Analita. ‘You know Grampy doesn’t like you flashing them around.’

  ‘We’ll hide them under our costumes,’ Lexie promised.

  Grampy drove the horse truck around to the barn. ‘Make sure you get to bed early,’ he said. ‘We have to be on location at daybreak.’

  As he started packing bales of hay and water buckets, Lexie felt a nervous shiver rush up her spine. ‘We’re really going to be on television. I can hardly believe it.’

  The Trickstars arrived at the beach just as the day was breaking. The sun inched upwards, slowly spreading its golden warmth across the sea. Around it the sky was clear. Only a single pink cloud floated like a feather across the horizon.

  Lexie wound down the window. The sound of waves crashing and the smell of salt filled the cabin of the truck.

  ‘I can see the other horses!’ said Ruby. She pointed out the window. ‘At the end of the beach. Look!’ They were dark shapes in the early morning light, milling about on a sandy stretch between the edge of the ocean and a giant lagoon.

  ‘I see them too,’ said Kit. ‘There are twenty or more.’

  ‘The sea ghosts!’ said Lexie. She was hit with a flurry of nerves and excitement. Would she be able to ride as well as the other stunt riders? Would they be friendly?

  Grampy slowed the truck and drove into a small car park surrounded by sand dunes. It was filled with more trucks, cars and vans, and there was a row of white tents running along one side. Crew members walked back and forth across the tarmac carrying large silver boxes of equipment.

  A woman with a clipboard approached as their truck rolled to a stop. Grampy wound his window down to speak to her.

  ‘Names?’ she asked.

  ‘Trickett,’ said Grampy.

  ‘Ruby, Lexie and Kit,’ Ruby added, sticking her head out the back window. ‘And our horses are Tinker, Featherfoot and Kismet.’

  The woman consulted her sheet.

  ‘Right, sea ghosts,’ she said, ticking off three names and then pointing to a row of trucks. ‘Park over there. You can take your horses down to the beach and join the others. Wardrobe will meet you down there.’

  ‘Who will be supervising the children?’ asked Grampy.

  ‘They’ll be under the care of the head animal trainer, Mr Barnes. Parents are welcome to stay in the catering tent during the day and watch the filming.’ The woman walked away to greet another arrival.

  Lexie shot her sisters an anxious look. ‘Is that the same Mr Barnes we met at the audition?’

  ‘The same one you disobeyed to get this job in the first place?’ Grampy clarified. ‘Yes, I would say so.’

  There was an uncomfortable silence. This was the man the triplets had auditioned for, and he had been furious when they rebelled against his instructions.

  ‘Didn’t count on seeing him again, did you?’ said Grampy.

  ‘Not really,’ said Kit in a flat voice.

  ‘Great,’ muttered Lexie.

  ‘He’ll be fine,’ said Ruby, ever the optimist. ‘Once he gets to know us, he’ll see how willing and hard-working we are and he’ll forget all about the audition.’

  After unloading the horses, the girls hugged Grampy and Analita goodbye and headed off across the car park. The place was busy. Everyone seemed rushed and stressed. Lexie could sense Featherfoot becoming tense too.

  ‘I know how you feel,’ she whispered to him. Her tummy was queasy.

  Kit seemed to sense her unease. She slipped her hand into Lexie’s and squeezed it. ‘Remember: hope, courage and compassion,’ she said reassuringly. ‘We have our amulets and we have each other.’

  ‘Let’s have some fun!’ said Ruby. She danced a little jig on the spot.

  Lexie took a calming breath and forced a smile. ‘Let’s do it,’ she said.

  They headed down a narrow sandy track that led to the beach, away from all the commotion.

  Then Lexie saw her.

  Dressed as her sand princess character, Loretta Lusk wore a white gown that flapped gently around her in the early morning breeze. Her wavy blonde hair was unmistakeable, flowing from under a crown of seashells. She walked briskly up the path with a cup of something hot and steaming in her hand. ‘I told you, Coalfire will be fine,’ Loretta said to the man walking beside her, whose stern face Lexie recognised. ‘He won’t let you down.’

  ‘He’d better not,’ said Mr Barnes. He wore jeans and riding boots and walked with his hands shoved into the pockets of his jacket. ‘We’re behind schedule already,’ he continued with the same impatience he had shown at the audition.

  ‘He still seems grumpy,’ whispered Ruby.

  ‘I wonder if he’s ever happy?’ Lexie replied.

  ‘I told you, it was just a hitch,’ Loretta snapped back at Mr Barnes. ‘I’ve done some more training with him. There’s no problem.’

  Lexie jumped out of the way as the star nearly walked straight into her. Loretta charged by while all three sisters stared, open-mouthed. When their astonishment wore off, they couldn’t suppress a giggle.

  The girls mounted their horses and cantered along the edge of the water. On the beach ahead of them, people had cameras set up on tripods. They held big white umbrellas to catch the light.

  The other sea-ghost riders stood about on the sand, talking. The triplets found a spot among them and waited for the wardrobe people to come with their costumes.

  ‘I wonder how long we’ll have to stand in the water today,’ said a girl on a brown horse nearby.

  ‘My poor horse’s legs went wrinkly while we were filming the lagoon scene yesterday,’ said the boy next to her. ‘Hopefully Loretta’s horse will behave better during the ocean scene today. We’ll have even more riders waiting around.’

  ‘So much for being the Princess of the Sands,’ said another rider.

  There were a few chuckles and Lexie felt her hackles rise. Were they laughing at Loretta Lusk?

  ‘She should listen to Mr Barnes, instead of arguing with him all the time,’ said a woman on a grey horse.

  The more Lexie listened, the more her mood dropped. She felt the same disappointment flow through her sisters. ‘Let’s stand over there,’ she said. The girls found a spot by themselves and did their best to ignore the other riders’ comments.

  Before long the wardrobe people came and started to distribute the sea ghost costumes. A woman handed out grey leotards and showed the extras how to mess up their hair and put sand and seashells
through it. Lexie shook out her plaits and followed the instructions carefully.

  Another woman draped seaweed over the horses’ backs and shoulders and hung fake fish bones off them. A make-up artist smeared green and brown face paint over Lexie’s cheeks and made dark circles under her eyes.

  ‘How do I look?’ she asked when her makeup was complete. She held out her arms and stared down at herself.

  ‘Like a dead person who just crawled out of the sea,’ said Ruby, laughing. ‘Totally cool.’

  ‘A sea zombie!’ Lexie laughed back.

  Ruby’s face was painted like a skeleton. They had put a grey bathing cap over her head to make her look bald. She was almost unrecognisable.

  ‘I thought working in show business was supposed to be glamorous,’ said Kit, looking unimpressed. Her normally wild black curls had been oiled down into limp, greasy locks. She had garbage and fake dead fish hanging out of it. Kismet also had rubbish hanging off her bridle.

  Lexie stifled another laugh.

  ‘It’s not funny,’ said Kit. ‘I told all the kids at school to look out for me on the show. I don’t want them seeing me like this!’

  Suddenly the mood among the extras changed. ‘She’s coming,’ someone hissed.

  Loretta Lusk rode her black horse across the beach towards the cameras. Her white robes flared around her in the breeze and her golden curls lifted off her shoulders. There was a sword at her hip and she sat with her back straight and chin high. Her feet were bare and dusted with white sand.

  ‘The horse’s real name is Coalfire,’ Lexie whispered to Ruby and Kit. In the show, his name was Titan. ‘I heard her call him that back on the path.’

  For some reason, knowing the horse’s name made him more real to Lexie. He was made of flesh and blood and had feelings, just like Featherfoot. When she saw horses on television they always seemed so perfect.

  ‘All sea ghosts ride out into the breakers,’ the director called over a megaphone. The stunt riders turned their horses and began wading out into the surf. The waves became bigger and Lexie could feel Featherfoot’s powerful muscles pushing through the surges. She clung with her legs as the water washed up over his belly.