Cloud Magic

majestic-looking or beautiful horse in her life. Underneath his long mane there was a coal-black rope round his neck.
    The dark spirit was standing near the hagstone circle. ‘You will do as I command, sky stallion!’ her voice rang out.
    In response Tor reared up, his front hooves striking out. ‘Never!’
    ‘You will!’ the dark spirit exclaimed. Erin frowned. The voice sounded familiar. Who was it? But the next second the thought flew out of her head as the dark spirit pointed her hand towards Tor, clenched her fingers into a fist and twisted her wrist sharply.
    Tor gave a loud squeal of pain and rage.
    Raw wounds appeared on his neck under the rope. It seemed to be burning into his skin. ‘I will be in command of the skies!’ the hooded figure hissed. ‘Come into the circle, King of the Clouds.’ She twisted her hand again. Erin felt Chloe move beside her and grabbed her. They couldn’t do anything. Every bit of her wanted to help, but they had so little power. They would only end up being caught or worse, and that wouldn’t help Tor at all.
    Chloe stopped, her fingers gripping Erin’s.
    Tor reared up again and then plunged at the spirit. She jumped back into the circle with a cry. For a moment, Tor’s eyes burned with defiance. ‘I am a sky stallion! I will not be commanded!’
    And, with that, he turned and walked back into the hut.
    The dark spirit watched him go. Then she muttered something under her breath, strode to the door and slammed it shut. She thrust the bolt across and locked it. She was trembling with rage. As she swung round, her hood fell back.
    Erin caught her breath, her insides turning to ice.
    It was Marianne!
    Her long blonde hair fell around her shoulders. She was wearing a pale-blue dress under the cloak. Just like mine , Erin thought.

    Yanking the keys on a big red key ring out of the lock, Marianne strode away through the trees.
    When she was out of sight, Erin let her camouflage fade. Chloe appeared too, her face shocked. ‘I can’t believe it’s Marianne after all!’
    Erin could hardly believe it either. She felt sick as she thought of how Tor had been hurt. ‘Did you see what she was doing to Tor? Oh, Chloe, we have to help set him free as soon as possible.’
    ‘Why didn’t he just gallop away?’ wondered Chloe. ‘Why did he walk back into the hut? Why didn’t he escape?’
    Erin didn’t know. She looked at the hut below them. ‘Come on. Let’s go and talk to him.’
    They flew down.
    ‘Tor,’ Erin whispered through the door.
    ‘Erin,’ the stallion said immediately. ‘I sensed you were watching. It was lucky the dark one did not sense you too.’
    ‘She was so cruel to you,’ said Erin in dismay. ‘Oh, Tor.’
    ‘What was she trying to get you to do?’ Chloe demanded.
    ‘Enter the circle of hagstones so she could use me to control the weather in the sky,’ Tor replied.
    ‘But why did you go back into the hut?’ asked Erin. ‘Why didn’t you just escape?’
    ‘I cannot.’ The stallion’s voice was heavy. ‘The rope round my neck is a binding rope made with dark magic. She came to my cloud kingdom through a gateway that links my world and this. She hid there and then caught me with the rope. While it is round my neck, I cannot escape from her. She can always call me back and I will never return to Snowdance and Mistral, my lead mare and son. Sky horses of royal blood can be used by weather weavers on Earth to control the weather. But I will not obey her.’ Tor’s voice was grim. ‘I will not be part of her wicked scheme to control the skies. For as long as I am earthbound, I will fight her.’
    ‘How can we help?’ asked Erin.
    ‘I need you to use your magic to destroy the binding rope, Erin. But first you must find the hagstone that Marianne used to create it. It will have three hairs from her head twisted round it, through the hole in the centre. Find it and bring it to me with a rope made of bindweed, long enough to make a circle for you to sit in it with me, then I will tell you the spell. It is difficult, dangerous magic that only a weather weaver can perform.’

    Erin swallowed. Difficult and dangerous magic – how could she possibly do that? ‘I’m… I’m not very good at doing magic. I can’t even make it rain very well and I don’t know how to do any weather-weaving magic at all,’ she stammered.
    ‘You know more than you think, child,’ said Tor gently. ‘Your powers are very special. It will not be easy, but I