Moonlight Magic

For Zara, Naomi and Alicia

With thanks to Pat, Claire, Catherine, Lizzie and Rachel for all their support and hard work.

Table of Contents

Cover Page

Title Page

Dedication

Prologue

Chapter One

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

Chapter Eight

Chapter Nine

Chapter Ten

Chapter Eleven

Chapter Twelve

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fifteen

Copyright

About the Publisher

Prologue

Spirit, the dolphin leader with a striking yellow blaze that stretched along his flank, banged his tail in the water for silence. At once, the thirty dolphins milling in the sea stopped chattering and turned to face him. Spirit bowed his magnificent head.

“I’m going away on a very long journey. Star, my wife, will be in charge until I return.”

“Where are you going, Dad?” A small dolphin with a cheeky face asked the question on everyone’s mind.

Spirit smiled indulgently at his son, Bubbles.

“The Silver Dolphins are leaving us. I have to arrange for their talents to be put to good use elsewhere.”

As one, the dolphins clicked their surprise.

“Why do the Silver Dolphins have to leave?” asked Bubbles, his bright eyes suddenly anxious. “Will they come back again?”

“The Silver Dolphins have a very special journey to make, but yes, they will return.”

“But I don’t want them to go away.” Bubbles was upset and indignant.

Spirit gave him a reassuring smile. “We don’t own the Silver Dolphins and they don’t own us. All creatures should be free to do as they wish. Let someone go and one day they will return. Keep them against their will and they will always hold it against you.”

The dolphins were silent as they digested Spirit’s wise words. Then Bubbles squeaked, “The Silver Dolphins must go on their journey. Tell them I said that, Dad, so they’ll come back to me.”

There were loud clicks of laughter. Affectionately, Spirit patted Bubbles’s head with a flipper.

“You can tell them yourself,” he answered. “Before I go I have a small job for the Silver Dolphins. Hush now and let me call them.”

Chapter One

There was no mistaking the tall, athletic-looking man coming towards Antonia and Cai in the airport terminal. He had the same dark, curly hair and laughing brown eyes as Cai.

“Dad!” cried Cai. “Mum!” He threw himself at his parents, hugging them both.

Antonia caught her breath, suddenly feeling shy and a little homesick. She wished her parents were here in Australia too. But that was unfair. It had been almost two months since Cai had seen his mum and dad, who were working in Australia while Cai stayed in England with his Great Aunty Claudia. This was a big moment for him.

Angela Pacific, a slim lady with pretty blonde hair, broke away from the group. “Hello, you must be Antonia. We’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to meet you at last.”

“Thanks,” mumbled Antonia shyly.

“Antonia!” cried Lenny Pacific, encompassing her with his free arm and almost hugging the breath out of her. “You are going to love Australia.”

“Right now I expect she’d love to get to the apartment,” said Mrs Pacific, smiling. “We’ve a car outside. It’s about sixty kilometres to the hotel complex we’ve booked for your stay, but it shouldn’t take long at this time of night.”

Antonia was grateful to relax and let Cai’s parents organise things. It had been a long journey, two whole days since she’d left home to fly around the world for a ten-day holiday with Cai. The airline had put a very motherly lady in charge of them, but it wasn’t the same as travelling with your own family. It was much nicer having Cai’s parents to help with the bags and find the way to the car park.

While Mr Pacific loaded the suitcases into the boot of the hire car, Cai and Antonia climbed into the back. Once they got on to the highway, Mr Pacific switched on the air conditioning and Antonia gratefully sank back in her seat. That felt better. It was as warm as a sunny day in England even though it must be gone midnight. Antonia didn’t bother to look at her watch, knowing it was still on English time.

“The place we’re living in only has one bedroom, so we’ve rented a holiday apartment in the grounds of a brand-new hotel complex.” Mrs Pacific twisted round in her seat so she could talk to Antonia and Cai. “It’s right next to the beach. We know how much you love the water, Cai, and Claudia tells us that Antonia’s the same. She made me promise to book a seaside location to keep you both happy.”

The friends exchanged a secret smile. There was a reason for Cai and Antonia’s shared love of the sea. Unconsciously, Antonia’s hand strayed to the dolphin charm she always wore round her neck.

She and Cai were Silver Dolphins, or guardians of the sea. They had special magical abilities to help them care for the oceans and the creatures living there. Silver Dolphins were rare. Only someone who was in tune with nature and believed in magic could become one. Claudia had been a Silver Dolphin once, although these days she ran a marine conservation charity called Sea Watch.

Antonia closed her eyes, drifting in and out of sleep as the car sped along the empty roads. Then Cai gently shook her arm.

“We’re here,” he said.

The hotel complex looked like a small city with so many lights blazing against the inky black sky. Antonia pressed her nose up to the window for a better look.

“Wow!”

“Isn’t it amazing?” said Mr Pacific. He slowed the car as the buildings drew closer, then turned right and parked outside a neat row of bungalows. “It’s got everything. Three pools, two hot tubs, a gym, tennis courts, a cinema…”

“Darling, you sound like a holiday brochure,” interrupted Mrs Pacific. “Let’s get these poor children to bed and they can explore for themselves tomorrow.”

Sleepily, Antonia and Cai followed Mr and Mrs Pacific into the holiday apartment. It was the nicest place Antonia had ever stayed in and had three bedrooms and two bathrooms. Antonia and Cai’s rooms were next door to each other. The spacious lounge had patio doors and a tiny modern kitchen and dining area at one end.

Antonia stood at the doors, staring into the night. The patio was lit by soft garden lights. Beyond it was a balcony overlooking the sea. A huge moon hung in the sky and the water sparkled like black diamonds.

“I can’t wait to go swimming,” said Cai, yawning.

“Me too,” agreed Antonia, although right now she was too tired to do anything. Mrs Pacific let Antonia telephone her mum and dad to tell them she’d arrived safely. It felt funny knowing they were so far away. Antonia was too tired to talk for long and promised to phone back when she was more awake.

“Bedtime,” said Mrs Pacific, when Antonia came off the phone.

Gratefully, Antonia followed her to the bedroom where Mr Pacific had put her suitcase and bag. She looked around, taking in the single bed, wardrobe, dressing table and wall-mounted television.

“If you need anything in the night, just ask.” Mrs Pacific smiled at Antonia then, blowing her a kiss, closed the door.

Antonia pulled her pyjamas out of the suitcase. It was an effort to undress and she left her clothes in an untidy heap. Without bothering to brush her hair or teeth, she peeled back the duvet and climbed into bed. Bliss! She reached for the bedside light to turn it off then stopped. On the wall opposite the bed hung a picture of three dolphins, their gleaming bodies almost vertical as they leapt out of the sea.

Antonia stared at the picture for a moment. The dolphins were bottlenoses, unlike her own pod of common dolphins. Antonia felt a sharp pang of homesickness. What had she done? She’d left her mum, dad and little sister Jessica, and her wonderful dolphins, Spirit, Star, Dream and Bubbles, to travel to the other side of the world and stay with people she hardly knew.

Antonia had been very worried about leaving the dolphins. What if they needed help while she and Cai were away? But Claudia had promised that she would answer their call.

“I’m not that ancient that I can’t fill in for you both for a couple of weeks!” she’d said indignantly.

Antonia’s fingers curled round her dolphin charm. It felt soft and slippery, just like a real dolphin. Slowly her anxiety slipped away. She hadn’t travelled to Australia alone. She was here with Cai, and if his parents were as nice as he was then she would have a wonderful time. Cai was the brave one. When he’d first come to Sandy Bay, he’d not known anyone apart from his Great Aunty Claudia, whom he’d only visited a few times.

Switching off the light, Antonia snuggled down in bed. The moment her eyes closed she saw dolphins. She slept soundly and dreamt she was playing a game of Sprat with Bubbles, Dream and Cai.

Chapter Two

Antonia woke with the sun on her face. It was filtering in from a different direction than she was used to and for a second she couldn’t work out where she was. She opened her eyes and saw three leaping dolphins on the wall opposite. Suddenly everything came back in a rush. She was in Australia with Cai!

At once Antonia jumped out of bed and rummaged through her suitcase for shorts and a T-shirt. Finding her washbag, she pulled out a hairbrush and combed the tangles from her long blonde hair.

On her way to the bathroom she bumped into Cai, still in his pyjamas.

“Hi,” he yawned sleepily. “Mum’s making us brunch.”

Antonia’s stomach grumbled hungrily, making them both laugh.

“I’ll just have a quick wash,” she said.

“No hurry,” said Cai, yawning again. “Suppose I’d better get dressed.”

Cai took ages and eventually Antonia gave up hovering outside his room and went in search of his parents. They were in the kitchen, where Mr Pacific was cutting up a fresh pineapple while Mrs Pacific fried bacon.

“Hi, did you sleep well?”

“Yes, thanks. Can I do anything?” Antonia felt awkward watching Cai’s parents doing all the work.

“You could put the plates on the patio table. We’re eating outside.” Mrs Pacific pointed her spatula in the direction of the plates then expertly flipped the bacon over. It sizzled and spat and Antonia’s stomach growled again.

“Hungry?” Mrs Pacific smiled.

“Very,” said Antonia, suddenly feeling more relaxed.

She carried the plates outside then leant on the balcony, taking in the view. It was magnificent. The hotel gardens dropped steeply down to the beach about three metres beneath her. The golden sand, dotted with scrubby vegetation and palms, was fringed by crystal blue sea.

Dazzled by its brightness, Antonia screwed up her eyes. It was so hot. Guiltily, she remembered her sun hat and suncream were still somewhere in her suitcase. Mum had made her promise to wear both whenever she went outside.

But before she could fetch them, Cai and his parents came out, carrying trays of food and drink. While Mrs Pacific arranged the food on the table, Mr Pacific erected a sun umbrella. Thankfully it gave plenty of shade so Antonia stopped worrying about suncream and sat down to eat. It was one of the best meals she had ever tasted. There was a fresh tropical-fruit salad, club sandwiches bursting with bacon, prawn salad sandwiches and ice-cold mango and orange smoothies.

“We’re planning a few trips out,” said Mrs Pacific, helping herself to a large bowl of fruit salad. “And there’s plenty to do here in the hotel complex. Why don’t you spend today exploring? The pools all have lifeguards so you can swim whenever you like.”

“Great,” said Cai. “I’d love a swim. What about you, Antonia?”

“Yes,” said Antonia decisively. It was so hot she could happily spend all day in the pool.

“Sounds fun,” said Mr Pacific. “I might swim too. You two go for a wander while we clear up. I’ll come and find you later by one of the pools.”

“Are you sure? I don’t mind helping with the washing up,” said Antonia, pushing back her chair. Was it her imagination or did the tail of her dolphin charm twitch just then?

“Thanks, but there’s a dishwasher,” said Mrs Pacific, chuckling. “That was one of my holiday requests! Tonight we’re eating in the hotel restaurant. There’s an outdoor one overlooking the beach. It’s wonderful and has great food.”

Antonia couldn’t wait to explore. Quickly she went to her room to put on suncream and get her hat. As she rubbed the cream into her arms, the dolphin picture caught her eye. It was a stunning photo. The leaping dolphins reminded her of Bubbles when he did the twister: a full circle standing on the sea on his tail.

Suddenly Antonia had a very strong feeling that the dolphins needed her. She raised a hand to touch her charm, but stopped when she remembered her fingers were covered with sticky suncream. The dolphin charm began to vibrate, softly at first, then more rapidly.

Antonia was so surprised she stood rooted to the spot. Spirit knew she wasn’t in Sandy Bay, so who was calling to her? An ear-splitting whistle rang round the room.

Silver Dolphin, we need you.

I hear your call. Antonia automatically answered the unfamiliar voice in her head.

She wiped her hands clean and ran to the door. At the same time Cai shot out of his room. His brown eyes were wide with shock.

“Is that Spirit?” he asked.

“No,” said Antonia, who was a more powerful Silver Dolphin than Cai and could communicate with Spirit telepathically. “But we still have to answer the call.”

“I know,” said Cai.

Shouting a hasty goodbye to his parents, Cai opened the apartment door and ran outside. At the end of the road, past the last bungalow apartment, was a flight of steps with an arrow pointing to the beach.

Antonia and Cai sprinted over to the stone steps, which were steep and twisty. Clutching the metal handrail for support, they scrambled down them until they reached the hotel’s private beach. It was packed with holiday-makers enjoying a day in the sun.

Antonia and Cai were used to making themselves invisible in crowded places. They left their shoes under a low, prickly bush at the furthest end of the beach and ran across the golden sand. As they splashed into the water, Antonia caught her breath in surprise. The sea was lovely and warm! She waded out until it was deep enough to swim before diving into the clear blue water. Immediately her legs melded together, kicking the water like a dolphin’s tail.

Hurry, Silver Dolphin.

The charm thrummed urgently against her neck.

I’m coming.

Using her hands like flippers, Antonia sliced through the water. Her arching body leapt in and out of the sea like a real dolphin. She swam for ages, conscious only of the call of the dolphin and Cai racing along beside her. When the hotel beach was a small speck in the distance, Antonia felt vibrations in the water. They grew stronger until at last she saw a magnificent bottlenose dolphin swimming towards her.

The dolphin stopped a tail’s length away, mouth open slightly, showing a neat row of small white teeth. For a split second Antonia thought the dolphin was laughing, but realised that there was no laughter in those dark eyes. She hesitated, wondering if she should greet the dolphin by rubbing noses like she did with Spirit.

Then the dolphin clicked, “Thank you for answering my call, Silver Dolphins. We urgently need your help. Please follow me.”

Chapter Three

“My name is Diamond. I’m the leader of a pod of bottlenose dolphins that live here in Blue Reef Bay,” explained the dolphin as she sped along. “We heard there were Silver Dolphins in the area. You’ve come at a good time. There’s a lot for you to do.”

Antonia was thrilled, but astonished. Did news spread as fast in the dolphin world as it did in hers? Had Spirit arranged for them to work with Diamond or had the bottle-nosed leader sensed their presence? That was the wonderful thing about magic, Antonia decided. It was full of surprises.

“How can we help?” she clicked.

“There’s a turtle caught in a fishing net. We’re nearly there.”

A turtle! In spite of the warm water, Antonia shivered. Discarded fishing nets were a common problem and often proved deadly. She swam faster, anxious to help the endangered creature.

Diamond began to swim towards the shore. The hotel beach lay to the left then the coastline dipped inwards forming a small secluded bay. The beach was beautiful with golden sand and a fringe of palm trees at the furthest end. Soon Diamond slowed.

“It’s too shallow for me to go any closer,” she clicked. “I’ll wait here. Hurry, Silver Dolphins.”

Side by side, Antonia and Cai swam towards the beach. Antonia saw the turtle first and she cried out in horror. “Oh, the poor thing!”

The green turtle was almost a metre long and completely trussed up in a bright blue fishing net. He lay in the shallows, like a huge bundle of rubbish, the sea gently rocking him back and forth. The tip of his front flippers protruded from the netting, but he was too tangled up to move them.

Antonia looked around for something sharp to cut the net with. There was nothing in the water, but the beach was peppered with small stones. She and Cai ran up the beach to look for a largish stone with a sharp edge.

When they got back in the water, Antonia realised the stone she had chosen was next to useless, having little effect on the thick blue netting. Cai was having similar problems with his too. They stood on either side of the turtle, desperately sawing at the rope.

“This is going to take ages,” grunted Cai.

“We need something sharper,” Antonia agreed.

She concentrated on one square of the net at a time, hooking the stone under it, then sawing upwards. She didn’t think she would harm the turtle’s thick brown shell, but she was careful not to scratch it or to nick his leathery limbs. Very slowly the netting began to fall away and as the turtle found he could move, he panicked, thrashing his flippers and long tail. Antonia sawed faster, worried that he might hurt himself.

Cut the net, she urged, as if the stone could hear her thoughts. The turtle lashed out, almost knocking it from Antonia’s hand. She stumbled, then recovering her balance, stood with her feet further apart. In her mind she imagined the stone cutting through the rope as easily as if it was butter.

Suddenly, a warm feeling spread down Antonia’s hand and into her fingers. The stone grew almost too hot to hold. Antonia’s grey-green eyes widened. What was happening? She usually had this sensation when she was healing an injured animal. Fingers tingling, she pressed the stone against the net.

Cut, she thought.

Immediately the stone slid through the rope. Antonia tackled a new section of net. Again the stone cut through it with ease. With growing excitement, Antonia worked faster. She was vaguely aware of Cai watching her, his face a mixture of amazement and pride. Soon only the turtle’s hind flippers and tail were caught in the net. He tried to swim away, dragging the net behind him.

“Steady,” soothed Cai. Gently he laid a hand on the turtle’s head. “Don’t panic. You’ll soon be free.”

His calm manner worked like a dream. The turtle stopped struggling and turned his head to watch Cai with one oval-shaped eye. As the last piece of rope fell away, Antonia stood back, pushing the hair out of her eyes with a relieved sigh.

“We did it!” she exclaimed.

The tingly sensation had faded, leaving her hands as limp as washed-up seaweed. She watched the turtle strike out for freedom. He swam gracefully, his scaly neck outstretched as he propelled himself forward.

“Well done!” Cai turned to Antonia, eyes shining. “That was so cool. I never knew you could do that.”

“Me neither,” Antonia confessed. Longingly, she looked at the beach. It was so tempting to go and sit on the soft golden sand. She felt completely drained now the rescue was over.

“You can see the hotel from here,” said Cai. “It really spoils the view. Hey! Look over there…” His voice suddenly rose with excitement as a large lizard-like creature scuttled across the beach and disappeared behind the trees.

“What was that?” Antonia was glad she was safely in the sea.

“I think it was a goanna. They’re a type of lizard common in Australia. They eat baby turtles.” Cai started to go after it.

“I like turtles much better than goannas,” said Antonia with feeling. “They’re incredible and so dignified. Cai, where are you going? Diamond’s waiting for us.”

Cai stopped splashing towards the shore and turned back with a guilty grin. “Whoops! I almost forgot.”

Antonia laughed then suddenly feeling vibrations in the shallow water, she spun round.

“More dolphins! I bet they’re from Diamond’s pod.” She pointed to a small group of dolphins hovering out at sea.

“Wicked!” exclaimed Cai. “Let’s go say hello.”

Antonia counted five dolphins. There was Diamond, swimming a little apart from the rest of the group, two other adults and two younger dolphins. The littlest one was a bit larger than Bubbles and Antonia momentarily felt a flash of homesickness as she remembered her favourite dolphin friend.

The dolphins whistled a greeting as Antonia and Cai swam over. Diamond opened her mouth and clicked a laugh.

“Everyone’s so excited. You’re our first Silver Dolphins.”

“Hello,” clicked Antonia.

Diamond swam forwards and, dipping her elegant head, greeted Antonia and Cai with a friendly nose rub.

“Welcome to Blue Reef Bay,” she whistled. “There wasn’t time to say it before, but it’s an honour to have you here.”

Chapter Four

Diamond had brought her closest family to meet the Silver Dolphins.

“This is my sister, Beauty, and her husband, Blaze,” she clicked.

The two adult dolphins dipped their silver grey heads. “And their children, Jet and Swirl.”

The younger dolphins swam forward and high-fived Antonia and Cai with a fin.

“Can we play with the Silver Dolphins?” Jet asked.

“Please, Aunty Diamond?” squeaked Swirl.

Diamond clicked a laugh. “If the Silver Dolphins want to,” she replied.

“We’d love to,” clicked Antonia.

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