Days later, Ruby sat between Lexie and Kit in the back seat of Grampy’s truck as it puttered along the highway towards the Silver Mountains. Shoddy lay at their feet, panting softly. In the front of the truck, the radio crackled and the windscreen wipers flipped back and forth. In the back, the four horses travelled quietly.

Ruby sat in the back seat trying to come up with a Trickstars routine for the street parade.

She held Grandma Levinia’s diary on her lap and carefully turned over the handwritten notes. There were letters and memoirs, detailed recipes for herbal remedies and loads of instructions for trick riding.

‘The event organisers said there were three other horse entries in the parade,’ said Grampy.

‘We might see them at the registration yard on Saturday,’ said Analita. ‘All the participants have to sign on before they to go in the parade on Sunday. Perhaps they have heard about Destiny.’

‘We could ask around at the market stalls too,’ said Ruby.

‘Poor little guy,’ said Kit.

Silence fell inside the truck and all that could be heard was the broken strains of music coming from the radio. Ruby watched the rain-soaked countryside roll past.

By afternoon, they had reached the foot of the Silver Mountains. The truck began to climb up a steep, windy road. Before long, Kit squealed. ‘Snow!’

There were clumps of it on the side of the road. The silver-barked trees behind them were dusted with white. The higher into the mountains they drove, the thicker the snow became. ‘I hope the horses aren’t getting cold,’ said Kit. ‘Maybe we should stop and put some rugs on them.’

‘We might have to stop and put chains on the tyres,’ said Grampy. ‘The road is getting icy.’

No sooner had the words come out of his mouth than a string of flying dogs raced across the road just ahead. A sled bounced behind them like a small boat on bumpy waves. A person wrapped in a big fur coat clung on for dear life. Grampy cursed out loud and spun the wheel of the truck to avoid them.

The next few moments were a blur. Through the cacophony of crazy barking, Ruby thought she heard a scream. Maybe it was her, maybe one of her sisters. The front end of the truck slipped sideways across the icy road.

‘Whoooaaaa!’ cried Grampy as he fought the steering wheel. Suddenly everything was spinning. Silver trees and mounds of snow barrelled towards them.

There was an almighty crunch, and an explosion of white fluff. Everything jolted violently. Shoddy yelped. The horses crashed about as they scrambled to stay upright.

And then everything went quiet. Snowflakes fluttered weightlessly all around them.

Ruby stared ahead, struggling to breathe. A giant tree stood where the front of the truck should have been. Mounds of white pressed against the windows, looking strangely soft and harmless.

‘Is everyone okay?’ asked Grampy.

Ruby undid her seatbelt and took stock of all her body parts. She ran her eyes over her sisters, who both looked shocked, but unhurt. ‘Yes. Yes, I think so.’

‘I can’t move,’ said Analita, pushing at the dashboard in front of her. ‘I’m stuck.’

Grampy also struggled. ‘I’m stuck too.’

‘Are you hurt?’ Kit asked.

There was a fresh flurry of panic as the girls all leaned into the front of the truck. ‘Can we help?’ said Ruby.

Both Grampy and Analita kept wriggling and pushing. But the dashboard was buckled over the tops of their legs.

‘I’m not hurt,’ said Grampy. ‘But I’m stuck. I can’t move at all.’

Analita shifted and writhed. ‘Me too.’

‘What on earth was that?’ said Ruby.

‘I think it was a dog sled,’ said Grampy.

‘It was wildly out of control,’ said Analita.

‘I’m going to check on the horses,’ said Kit, pushing the door open with her elbow.

‘We’ll have to go and get help,’ said Ruby.

‘We’re miles from anywhere and it’ll be dark soon,’ said Analita. ‘I don’t want you walking off on some lonely road.’

‘But we’ll all freeze if we don’t get help soon.’ Already Ruby’s teeth were beginning to chatter.

‘It’s only a few miles to the next town,’ said Grampy. ‘If you jump on the horses and hurry, you might get to a phone before dark. There is no other way.’

Lexie and Ruby pulled out the horses’ rugs and passed them over the front seats to Grampy and Analita, while Kit bridled the horses. All four, thankfully, were unharmed. They decided to bring Chance along rather than leave her alone and cold in the back.

‘Here are some carrots in case you get hungry,’ said Kit, passing some of the horses’ treats into the cabin. ‘Hopefully we won’t be very long.’ She pointed a finger at Shoddy. ‘Stay!’

‘Be as quick as you can and stay together,’ said Analita. ‘And be careful.’