The next morning, Ruby opened her eyes without stirring. She and her sisters had bedded down in Zelda’s barn with the horses and dogs. Kit and Lexie slept nearby with Shoddy. Streams of light poured through a small window, and heat emanated from a pot-bellied wood heater in the middle of the barn. The horses rested in stalls at the other end.

Ruby rose and opened the door of the heater to feed it. The blackened coals beneath the burning logs made the shape of a walrus moustache. In a sudden vision the moustache muttered and murmured and whispered secrets. Ruby leaned in to try and hear the words, but they were snatched away by the sizzle and pop of the fire. Then the coals changed shape and the muttering stopped.

Ruby touched the necklace around her throat and shook her head. Strange. Maybe she hadn’t woken up properly yet.

She thought about her adventures last night. Grampy and Analita had mounted behind Kit and Lexie. Zelda had ridden on the back of Tinker. She had talked about Levinia all the way back to her hut. ‘She knew you were coming and that you would be special,’ she said. ‘She wrote notes to you, letters to you.’

‘We still have them,’ said Ruby.

When they got to the barn, Ruby had pulled out the leather-bound diary. Zelda had cried as she held it, while the room around her glowed with mysterious light. ‘Her heart, all her love is in here,’ she wept. ‘It has been so long, but still I miss my sister.’

She read all three girls’ palms and spoke of their hope, courage and compassion. ‘You’re just like Levinia said you would be,’ she marvelled.

Now, in the swag next to Ruby’s, Lexie rose slowly. ‘We have to go and register today,’ she said. ‘So we can be in the parade tomorrow.’

Zelda appeared with a tray of tea and pikelets. The dogs sprang to life and began leaping about excitedly. After fighting her way through them and placing the tray on some hay bales, she shooed the dogs outside.

While Ruby drank her tea she told Zelda about her vision in the fireplace.

‘Perhaps if you find a man with a walrus moustache, he will lead you to the colt,’ Zelda said as she poured tea for the others. ‘He might be at the registration day today.’

Later that morning, Ruby gave Chance a pat as she said goodbye. ‘We will be back this afternoon,’ she said to the mare. ‘We’ll do our best to find your boy.’

The Tricketts rode into town to join hundreds of parade entrants in a large field on the outskirts of Silverton. There were dancing troupes and marching bands, people carrying drums and holding dogs on leashes. Fire twirlers lined up alongside magicians and clowns. Many of them, Ruby guessed, were going to perform about the town today as well.

The triplets rode onto the registration field bareback. People with bright orange vests ticked off names and gave out numbers. ‘Trickstars, you will go down the back,’ said a lady with a clipboard. ‘Here is your number. Sign these forms, please.’

‘Look, there are the miniature ponies,’ said Lexie, while Grampy took the lady’s clipboard and signed the papers. The tiny ponies were clipped like poodles and dyed bright colours: pink, orange, purple and blue.

‘Look, there are the Hexleys!’ said Ruby, excitedly.

Even from such a distance, Silvanus and Sabina Hexley were unmistakeable. Their hair was as red as newly kindled fire. Seth was dressed as a ringmaster in a blue top hat with golden trim and red coat-tails. He stood with his back to them.

‘So they are the circus act,’ said Lexie. ‘I’m glad we will be at opposite ends of the parade tomorrow.’

‘Maybe they know something!’ said Ruby.

But before anyone could get near them, Silvanus and Sabina wandered off and disappeared into the crowds. The triplets handed their horses to Analita and followed on foot.

Thousands of people swarmed the streets, eating fairy floss and looking through the stalls. Children with painted faces held balloons. Everyone was in a costume of some sort. There were fairies and elves and storybook characters.

Every time Ruby thought she saw a moustache, she quickly lost it again. They stopped and asked stallholders, but no one knew anything about a black colt. After an hour of wandering through the markets, all three girls felt tired and disappointed.

Ruby gave a sigh as she vaulted onto Tinker’s back to leave. From high on his back she had a much better view of the town.

And that’s when she saw it. Across the field, the Hexleys were sitting under a tree eating hot dogs. Seth took off his top hat and wiped his brow. His hair was brilliant orange. Then he reached to his top lip and tore a big fake walrus moustache off his face, wincing as the glue pulled at his skin.