neck arched, the stallion nipped and squealed at his mares as he cantered. The grumpy buckskin mare nipped defiantly back at him, but even she obeyed eventually, and within a few minutes the stallion had gathered the whole herd together and was standing between Issie and his mares.
With the herd corralled safely behind him, the stallion seemed uncertain what to do next. He cantered back and forth and then stopped, pawing the ground restlessly as if he was considering his next move. Then he raised his head and let out a war cry that was filled with fury, like the bellow of a wild boar.
Issie’s face went pale with fear. Beneath her she felt Blaze stiffen in terror.
I’m so stupid, Issie thought, furious with herself. He’s a stallion and we’re a threat to his herd and now he’s going to attack. We should have run the moment I saw him. Why didn’t we run?
The black stallion was close now – too close for Issie and Blaze to turn and run. His eyes were black with anger. His teeth were bared, ready to fight.
Issie tried to steady Blaze, but the chesnut mare trembled with fear and rage. What would Blaze do if the black horse attacked? She was no match for a stallion! No. They had to make a run for it. What else could they do? After all, there was no one here to save them.
And then Issie realised. Mystic! The little grey gelding always seemed to know when they needed help. Well, she was certainly in trouble right now. Surely Mystic would appear? Issie’s eyes scanned the crest of the hill. Nothing. Maybe she should call for him?
“Mystic!” Issie yelled. Her voice came out reedy and shrill, strangled by her fear.
Mystic had died trying to save Issie. Since then he had saved Issie and Blaze so many times. He was always there when she really needed him. So where was her grey pony now?
The shrill whinny of a horse shook Issie back to reality. Not Mystic’s whinny, but the piercing call of the stallion. In that split second Issie made up her mind. She couldn’t do nothing and rely on Mystic to come and fight her battles; there wasn’t time for that. She would have to find her own way out of this.
OK, so they needed to run – but where? Issie looked around for a way to escape. To her left were the grassy slopes of the hill. Should she try to outrun the black horse? Could they make it up the hill? She looked now to the right of her at the still, deep waters of the lake. No way out, Issie thought. What now?
As the black horse began to gallop towards them Issie felt her pulse race and she realised she knew what to do. They weren’t going to run away from this horse. They were going to run straight for him.
“C’mon, girl!” Issie said to her pony. And with an almighty kick she drove Blaze on straight at the stallion in a hard gallop. Blaze was only too willing. The mare’s eyes were fixed on the black stallion. She was ready to fight.
Issie held her path as the two horses bore down on each other. Keep your head, she told herself, keep going. Just a bit closer…
Suddenly, just as the horses were moments away from colliding, Issie hauled desperately on Blaze’s right rein. “Go, Blaze!” Issie yelled at her horse. Shocked, the mare leapt forward at Issie’s command, up into the air and down again into the murky waters of the lake.
There was an awful moment when Blaze hit the water, lost her footing and stumbled forward. Issie managed to pull the mare’s nose up and ride her on, keeping her at a canter as she regained her feet. Then they ploughed on through the mud and the reeds, the water splashing up Issie’s jodhpurs, seeping into the leather of her boots. Blaze snorted in fear as she cantered in deeper; the water was up to her chest now. Issie looked back over her shoulder. The stallion was behind them. He had followed them into the lake, but he was hesitating. Instead of cantering after them he was weaving backwards and forwards, as if uncertain whether to go any deeper into the water.
“Come on, girl!” Issie gave Blaze a sharp kick in the ribs. “Come on, girl! Let’s go!” The kick made Blaze leap forward again. Issie looked around her and realised that they were already in the middle of the lake. Then they were past the middle and heading back out the other side – and the water hadn’t so much as gone over Issie’s boots!
So much for Lake Deepwater, she thought with relief. More like Lake Shallowmud.
Issie looked back again over her shoulder. The stallion had given up on them and turned around now, trotting out of the lake and back towards his herd.
“We’ve lost him, Blaze! Not much further to go, girl!” Issie gave her mare a slappy pat on her neck. Once they reached the other side, Issie was pretty sure that just over the ridge they’d find the Coast Road that would lead them home to Blackthorn Manor.
“Good girl, Blaze!” Issie gave the mare another big pat on her neck as Blaze leapt up the muddy slopes of the bank and on to the green grass that bordered the lake.
She had been worried that Blaze might have been exhausted from the chase that morning, but the mare still seemed to have plenty of speed left in her. As they rode up the grassy slope and hit the dirt track that led them along the Coast Road back to the farm, Blaze stretched out at full gallop.
The black horse hadn’t followed them. They were safe. All the same, Issie stayed low over Blaze’s neck and let her run. She didn’t stop galloping until they were another two miles down the road. And she didn’t stop checking over her shoulder until they were safely home at Blackthorn Manor.
Aunt Hester sat on the front veranda of Blackthorn Manor with a mug of piping hot tea and a copy of the Times. As Issie and Blaze trotted down the long, leafy avenue of the limestone driveway towards her she looked up and gave them a cheery wave. Then suddenly she stopped waving. Her face turned dark with concern and she propped herself up with her walking stick and hobbled down the steps that led from the veranda and across the cherry-tree lawn to meet the horse and rider.
“What on earth happened to you two?” Hester said as she took Blaze’s reins. Issie dismounted and promptly flopped down, lying spread-eagled on the cool, green lawn next to her horse. She was completely exhausted. Blaze, who was caked with dried sweat and mud from her marathon galloping efforts, looked even more wretched than her rider.
“We got into a bit of trouble – well, two bits of trouble actually,” Issie said.
“I can see that!” Aunt Hester said. “Isadora, how did you end up in this state? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Aunty Hess. Honest. I just need a minute to get back up…” Issie took a deep breath and forced herself to stand up again, reaching out to take Blaze’s reins. Aunt Hester reluctantly handed them to her.
“Her stable is all ready for her. Aidan mucked it out this morning. I’ll come with you and help you untack. And on the way you’re going to tell me what in the blazes you two have been getting up to out there!”
As they walked slowly down the driveway to the stables Issie told her aunt about the animal in the woods that had stalked them along the ridge track.
“So you didn’t see this creature at all?” Hester asked. “Not even a glimpse?”
“It was too dark in the trees and we were moving so fast that I couldn’t see,” Issie said. “All I know is that it was big. Really big. It could keep up with Blaze even when she was galloping.”
“Could it have been one of the dogs? Did they follow you out?” Aunt Hester asked.
“It was far too big to be Taxi or Strudel,” Issie said, “but I suppose it could have been Nanook.” The enormous black Newfoundland was large enough to have made the crashing noises she had heard.
“Oh, I doubt it. Nanook never goes for a walk without me. She’s bone idle and