Fairy Tales, Folk Tales & Myths
![A.F. Steadman - [object Object] author](https://res.cloudinary.com/readsomnia/image/upload/authors/a_B097CPPV9X.jpg)
Skandar and the Phantom Rider (2)
Skandar's adventure among the warrior unicorns continues in this spectacular sequel to the instant New York Times and international bestseller Skandar and the Unicorn Thief.
Skandar Smith has achieved his dream: to train as a unicorn rider. But as Skandar and his friends enter their second year at the Eyrie, a new threat arises. Immortal wild unicorns are somehow being killed, a prophecy warns of terrible danger, and elemental destruction begins to ravage the Island.
Meanwhile, Skandar's sister, Kenna, longs to join him, and Skandar is determined to help her, no matter what. As the storm gathers, can Skandar find the key to stop the Island tearing itself apart before it's too late for them all?
Skandar Smith has achieved his dream: to train as a unicorn rider. But as Skandar and his friends enter their second year at the Eyrie, a new threat arises. Immortal wild unicorns are somehow being killed, a prophecy warns of terrible danger, and elemental destruction begins to ravage the Island.
Meanwhile, Skandar's sister, Kenna, longs to join him, and Skandar is determined to help her, no matter what. As the storm gathers, can Skandar find the key to stop the Island tearing itself apart before it's too late for them all?
Readers Top Reviews
Elaine HarrisCatheri
An amazing Read. Beautifully written. An absolute joy.Cannot wait for the third book.
Kate Martin
My son adores these books. Adored the first one. Counted the days till the second and now, after just finishing the second, is asking me when the third will be out. Thank you to the author for creating a story that brings so much joy to my son. Seeing him stay up late and wake up early to see what happens next - doesn’t get much better than that.
rajasekhar
This is the best book I have ever read thank you so much for this book It creates an amazing fantasy
Mykala1219Alan Kirby
Been waiting for this book to come out after reading the first book. Cant wait to read this book.
Short Excerpt Teaser
Kenna: The Knock at the Door
KENNA The Knock at the Door
ON THE EVE OF THE summer solstice, Kenna Smith sat on the beach and watched the sun sink into the sea. As the lights of Margate sparkled to life behind her, she took Skandar's letter out of her pocket, stared at the envelope, and then put it away again-unopened. She'd had it for three days. She wanted to read it. She really did. She missed her brother so much that sometimes when she was half-asleep, she'd take a breath to whisper to him in the dark. Something silly. Something scared. Something secret. And then she'd remember that his bed was empty. That it had been empty for almost a year. Instead, he slept in a treehouse on the Island, and in the daytime he learned elemental magic with his very own unicorn.
That was the problem with the letters. They reminded Kenna that she was never going to have a unicorn. Two years ago, she'd failed the Hatchery exam that determined whether she was destined to become a rider. That meant she was never going to bond with a unicorn, and she was never going to live on the Island. And ever since Kenna had visited Skandar a few weeks ago and met his unicorn, Scoundrel's Luck, she was finding it much harder to read her brother's letters.
She couldn't stop thinking about the way Skandar and Scoundrel had mirrored each other's movements like they were carved from the same soul. The way the muscles in the black unicorn's neck had rippled, sparks flying off his wings like flecks of stardust. The fierce love in Skandar's eyes when he'd looked at Scoundrel. A bond that went deeper than brother and sister. A bond that could make magic.
Kenna brushed sand off her feet and put her school shoes back on. Her friends had been here earlier-her new ones who didn't care about unicorns. When she'd returned from watching Skandar's Training Trial, she'd become so fed up with everyone asking about the Island that she'd venomously announced that it was a worse version of the Mainland and that unicorns were just scary horses with ugly wings. Most people hadn't liked hearing that, but the anti-unicorn crowd had treated her like their queen.
At break they'd huddled around Kenna and laughed as she told them how the riders were forced to dress in battered old jackets and live up in trees. And Kenna had felt a glimmer of hope that she might belong here on the Mainland after all. That she could do this. She'd even refused to watch the Chaos Cup this year with her dad. She'd pretended not to see the hurt on his face when she'd left him by the TV to watch the world-famous unicorn race on his own. Kenna had stopped herself from thinking about how disappointed her mum would have been in her, and instead she'd wandered the deserted town center with her new friends.
That day Kenna had missed Nina Kazama becoming Commodore of Chaos-the first Mainlander in history to win the Chaos Cup. She'd acted like she wasn't bothered. But when she'd shut herself away in her bedroom, she'd watched hundreds of clips of Nina and her unicorn, Lightning's Mistake, passing under the finish arch. And she'd realized she didn't really belong with her new friends, that she was only pretending.
Arriving home, Kenna punched in the code for the main door of Sunset Heights and thought about the treehouses she'd glimpsed on the Island. She couldn't help wishing that she lived with Skandar and his friends in the Eyrie and that she had a unicorn like Scoundrel's Luck in the stables below. The truth of it, even after two whole years, was that Kenna still wanted a unicorn more than anything else in the world.
"Kenna?"
"Hi, Dad," she called as she let herself into Flat 207.
He was already dressed for his night shift at the gas station. She was relieved-some days she had to talk him into going to work, and some days there was no persuading him. But today was an easier day-the kind Kenna reported to Skandar in her letters, not one of the tougher ones she kept to herself.
They stepped round each other in the hallway-a familiar dance. She snagged her jacket on the hook behind his head, as he dropped his keys into the front pocket of his shirt.
"Did you check the mail?" Dad asked.
What he was really asking was whether there'd been a letter from Skandar.
"Yeah, I checked it. Nothing," Kenna lied.
"Ah well. Won't be long, I expect." Dad kissed her on the top of the head. "Night, sweetheart. See you in the morning."
Skandar's letter burned in her pocket as she retreated to her bedroom. Kenna knew she should have shared it with Dad, but she couldn't face it-not tonight. It was the eve of the summer solstice. Thirteen-year-olds across the country had taken their Hatchery exams today, all hoping to hear fiv...
KENNA The Knock at the Door
ON THE EVE OF THE summer solstice, Kenna Smith sat on the beach and watched the sun sink into the sea. As the lights of Margate sparkled to life behind her, she took Skandar's letter out of her pocket, stared at the envelope, and then put it away again-unopened. She'd had it for three days. She wanted to read it. She really did. She missed her brother so much that sometimes when she was half-asleep, she'd take a breath to whisper to him in the dark. Something silly. Something scared. Something secret. And then she'd remember that his bed was empty. That it had been empty for almost a year. Instead, he slept in a treehouse on the Island, and in the daytime he learned elemental magic with his very own unicorn.
That was the problem with the letters. They reminded Kenna that she was never going to have a unicorn. Two years ago, she'd failed the Hatchery exam that determined whether she was destined to become a rider. That meant she was never going to bond with a unicorn, and she was never going to live on the Island. And ever since Kenna had visited Skandar a few weeks ago and met his unicorn, Scoundrel's Luck, she was finding it much harder to read her brother's letters.
She couldn't stop thinking about the way Skandar and Scoundrel had mirrored each other's movements like they were carved from the same soul. The way the muscles in the black unicorn's neck had rippled, sparks flying off his wings like flecks of stardust. The fierce love in Skandar's eyes when he'd looked at Scoundrel. A bond that went deeper than brother and sister. A bond that could make magic.
Kenna brushed sand off her feet and put her school shoes back on. Her friends had been here earlier-her new ones who didn't care about unicorns. When she'd returned from watching Skandar's Training Trial, she'd become so fed up with everyone asking about the Island that she'd venomously announced that it was a worse version of the Mainland and that unicorns were just scary horses with ugly wings. Most people hadn't liked hearing that, but the anti-unicorn crowd had treated her like their queen.
At break they'd huddled around Kenna and laughed as she told them how the riders were forced to dress in battered old jackets and live up in trees. And Kenna had felt a glimmer of hope that she might belong here on the Mainland after all. That she could do this. She'd even refused to watch the Chaos Cup this year with her dad. She'd pretended not to see the hurt on his face when she'd left him by the TV to watch the world-famous unicorn race on his own. Kenna had stopped herself from thinking about how disappointed her mum would have been in her, and instead she'd wandered the deserted town center with her new friends.
That day Kenna had missed Nina Kazama becoming Commodore of Chaos-the first Mainlander in history to win the Chaos Cup. She'd acted like she wasn't bothered. But when she'd shut herself away in her bedroom, she'd watched hundreds of clips of Nina and her unicorn, Lightning's Mistake, passing under the finish arch. And she'd realized she didn't really belong with her new friends, that she was only pretending.
Arriving home, Kenna punched in the code for the main door of Sunset Heights and thought about the treehouses she'd glimpsed on the Island. She couldn't help wishing that she lived with Skandar and his friends in the Eyrie and that she had a unicorn like Scoundrel's Luck in the stables below. The truth of it, even after two whole years, was that Kenna still wanted a unicorn more than anything else in the world.
"Kenna?"
"Hi, Dad," she called as she let herself into Flat 207.
He was already dressed for his night shift at the gas station. She was relieved-some days she had to talk him into going to work, and some days there was no persuading him. But today was an easier day-the kind Kenna reported to Skandar in her letters, not one of the tougher ones she kept to herself.
They stepped round each other in the hallway-a familiar dance. She snagged her jacket on the hook behind his head, as he dropped his keys into the front pocket of his shirt.
"Did you check the mail?" Dad asked.
What he was really asking was whether there'd been a letter from Skandar.
"Yeah, I checked it. Nothing," Kenna lied.
"Ah well. Won't be long, I expect." Dad kissed her on the top of the head. "Night, sweetheart. See you in the morning."
Skandar's letter burned in her pocket as she retreated to her bedroom. Kenna knew she should have shared it with Dad, but she couldn't face it-not tonight. It was the eve of the summer solstice. Thirteen-year-olds across the country had taken their Hatchery exams today, all hoping to hear fiv...
