Nightstorm and the Grand Slam by Stacy Gregg Read Free Book Online Page B

came up from the crowd.
    â€œIt’s a clear round, and no time faults!” Mike Partridge confirmed.
    Now Issie’s fate rested with the other two riders who were yet to come. Prudence Palmer on The Changeling was in the arena next and then the current number one on the leaderboard, Andrew Pember-Reeves on MythicRealm. A knocked-down rail from both Andrew and Prudence would give Issie the win that she so desperately needed.
    Vaulting down off Victory’s back, Issie joined her teammates on the sidelines and watched with her stomach doing flip-flops as Prudence Palmer entered the ring. Prudence’s mare, The Changeling, was a stunning dapple-grey Thoroughbred that Issie had admired when she first saw the pair compete at the Stars of Pau in France. Today The Changeling looked on perfect form as she swept over one fence after the other without so much as grazing a rail. As she came down through the treble there was a moment of tension as the mare scraped hard against the rail of the second element, but the fence still didn’t fall. With only three fences to go before Prudence completed a clear round, Issie’s heart was in her mouth and Stella was gripping onto her arm so hard that Issie thought she would cut off the circulation!
    Please! Oh please! It was awful, wishing that a rail would fall, but that was exactly what Issie found herself doing.
    But nothing fell at the treble or the oxer. The Changeling was over the upright now and the mare wasstill clear with only one fence left to go. As Prudence lined the grey horse up and rode at the jump Issie watched in dismay as the mare flew the fence and galloped on through the flags.
    Prudence Palmer and The Changeling had just dashed Issie’s chances of the Grand Slam with a clear round!
    As the crowd cheered and went wild for Prudence, Issie clapped too. It had been a good round and even though it meant bitter disappointment for her, she had to give Prudence credit for riding so well.
    The shock came a moment later when Mike Partridge’s voice was surprisingly somber over the loudspeakers.
    â€œA clear round for Prudence Palmer but I’m afraid she has gone over the time limit by three seconds and has earnt herself one and a half penalties. This pushes her back into third place.”
    Issie was numb with shock. There had only been half a penalty between her and Prudence and the time faults were enough to tip the balance! The Changeling had slipped down the leaderboard and Issie and Victory had risen up to second place!
    â€œIt will take more than time faults to knock AndrewPember-Reeves from his top spot,” Mike Partridge clarified as the last rider of the day entered the ring.
    â€œAndrew has a two and a half point lead over Isadora Brown and there is no way that time penalties will get the better of him. It will take a rail down to cost him the Badminton Horse Trials.”
    On the sidelines, Issie’s team had gathered around her. Stella had completely forgotten that she was supposed to be untacking Victory and cooling him down. She was standing beside Issie, transfixed by the action in the main arena. On the other side of Issie, Avery had taken off his cheesecutter cap and was raking a hand anxiously through his curly brown hair until finally Francoise stopped him by grasping his hand in her own for reassurance.
    Andrew’s horse, Mythic Realm, was a handsome dark brown warmblood with a thick white blaze and two hind socks. Issie watched as Andrew set the gelding up for the first jump and then felt her heart palpitate as Mythic Realm knocked the top rail on the first fence and it shook hard in its cups.
    â€œOhmygod!” Stella put her hands over her eyes. “I can’t watch. I can’t watch…”
    Issie wanted it all to be over, but for some reason time seemed to go into slow motion and every single fence seemed to take an eternity.
    At fence after fence, Mythic Realm continued to jump clear. The gelding was