Cloud Magic

know how to be like you – how to fly!’
    Allegra rose into the air, her green eyes twinkling as she looked down at Erin. ‘You need to stand in the starlight and say “I believe in stardust” three times,’ she instructed. ‘The first time you do it the stars have to be in the right place otherwise it won’t work, but they are at the moment.’
    ‘You’ve got to really, really mean the words as you say them,’ warned Chloe.
    That part was easy for Erin. After all the magic that had happened and having seen Allegra and Chloe flying in the sky, Erin had no doubt that stardust was real. She took a deep breath. ‘I believe in stardust. I believe in stardust. I believe in stardust!’
    As Erin said the words for the third time, all the weight seemed to drain out of her body and she suddenly shot up into the air. She cried out, realizing that her jeans and T-shirt had changed into a sparkling pale-blue dress, the colour of a clear winter sky. ‘Oh wow!’ she exclaimed.

    Allegra and Chloe quickly flew up to join her and took her hands.
    ‘How does it feel?’ Chloe grinned at her.
    ‘Amazing!’ breathed Erin, looking around her.
    ‘Oh, this is so exciting!’ Chloe twirled round in the air. ‘I was dreading Allegra and Xanthe going home because Xanthe thought there weren’t any other stardust spirits who lived near here, but now there’s you! We can go flying together and meet up every night – if you want to, of course?’
    ‘Oh yes!’ Erin said eagerly. ‘I’d love to!’ Normally she was shy when she first met people, but she didn’t feel shy with Chloe and Allegra at all.
    ‘We’ll show you how to fly!’ said Allegra. She and Chloe guided Erin around the sky, showing her how to go up and down, turn round, spin in circles and camouflage herself so no one could see her and it appeared as if she had vanished into the sky. Allegra then left her with Chloe on the beach and darted around, showing how it was possible to do steep dives, somersaults and pirouettes.
    ‘You’re so good at flying, Allegra!’ Chloe said enviously.
    ‘You’ll both be this good soon,’ said Allegra, shrugging. ‘It just takes practice.’
    Chloe grinned at Erin. ‘We can practise lots together.’ She frowned suddenly. ‘Allegra! Why has Erin got a blue dress? I thought you told me all stardust spirits had pearly-grey clothes when they first became stardust spirits, like I did, and then their clothes change when they realize what type of spirit they are.’
    ‘Well, I’m not completely sure,’ said Allegra, flying down and looking at Erin’s sparkling dress. ‘But I guess it’s probably something to do with the fact that all weather weavers are winter spirits, so right from the start if you know you’re a weather weaver then you know what type of spirit you are and don’t have to find out like normal spirits do.’
    ‘What are you talking about?’ Erin asked, looking from Allegra to Chloe in confusion.
    ‘Oh, there’s so much for you to learn!’ Allegra smiled. ‘There are four different types of stardust spirit – spring, summer, autumn and winter. They each wear different-coloured clothes and can do different types of magic.’
    ‘Summer spirits like me wear gold and can make things heat up,’ said Chloe proudly.
    ‘I’m an autumn spirit and we wear silver and can make the wind blow,’ said Allegra, smoothing down the skirt of her silver dress. ‘Spring spirits wear green and can make things grow, and winter spirits wear blue, although it’s usually a darker blue than your dress, and they can make it rain, snow or hail.’
    Erin’s head spun. ‘So I’ll be able to do that as well as controlling the weather?’
    ‘Well, you will be able to one day,’ said Allegra. ‘Doing magic properly usually takes quite a lot of practice.’

    A shiver ran down Erin’s spine. ‘But I might not have time to practise. I have to find the stallion and help him get back to the sky so he can stop storms from coming.’
    Allegra bit her lip. ‘I really wish Xanthe was here now. I wonder who has trapped the stallion. It might have been a dark spirit.’ She shuddered.
    ‘What’s a dark spirit?’ Erin asked nervously.
    ‘A male or female stardust spirit who’s turned bad,’ Allegra explained. ‘They want more and more power and magic, and will do anything to have it. If a dark spirit trapped a sky stallion they would be able to have complete control over the weather.’ She saw the alarm on