Eye of the Storm

muttered.
    Chloe smiled at her sympathetically. ‘If you’re worried about the healing, don’t be. I know you’ll be able to do it.’ She reached out to squeeze Erin’s hand. Erin flinched and moved quickly away, hurrying the last few metres to Kestrel’s stable. He was standing listlessly, his head hanging low.
    ‘Hey, boy,’ Erin said, grateful to have him to concentrate on. Chloe was being so nice it was hard to believe what she had written. Kestrel lifted his head and pricked his ears, but didn’t move. She went in and checked his leg. The area around the bandage was warm and looked very swollen.
    ‘How is it?’ asked Chloe.
    Just then, Jackie looked over the door. ‘Hi, girls. Kestrel’s not looking too great today. The vet’s coming back later. Could you two start by mucking out the barn? Fran and Katie are here too and they’ve just started on it.’
    Jackie hurried away.
    ‘Oh, great,’ Erin groaned. Mucking out with Fran and Katie was not her idea of fun.
    Fran and Katie were both in the barn. Erin tried to ignore them. It was fairly easy. They seemed far more interested in talking to Chloe than her. They hadn’t been at the stables for a few days so they had only just found out she’d got Ziggy for her birthday.
    ‘He’s really gorgeous,’ said Fran. ‘Can I have a ride on him later?’
    ‘Yeah, I guess,’ Chloe said reluctantly.
    ‘You’re so lucky,’ said Katie enviously. ‘I’d love my own pony.’
    ‘When are you going to ride him?’ Fran asked.
    ‘Probably once we’ve finished mucking out. I’ll ask Jackie if it’s OK.’
    ‘Cool!’ said Fran. ‘We’ll help you groom him, Chloe.’
    Erin stabbed her fork into the straw bed. Fran and Katie were never usually friendly with Chloe. It was so obvious they were only being like that because they wanted to ride Ziggy.
    When the stalls in the barn were all mucked out and clean straw had been put down, Chloe turned to Erin. ‘Shall we go and catch Ziggy?’
    ‘I’ll come with you,’ called Fran eagerly.
    ‘And me,’ said Katie.
    Chloe looked at Erin.
    ‘It won’t take four of us,’ said Fran pointedly.
    ‘I think I’ll go and check on Kestrel,’ Erin said, tight-lipped.
    Chloe groomed with Fran and Katie and then rode Ziggy and let them each have a go on him. Erin stayed away. After grooming Kestrel, she held him while the vet came and redressed his leg and gave him another injection, and then she started grooming the other ponies. She didn’t see Chloe again until just before lunch when Jackie asked them both to sweep the yard.
    ‘You should have come and had a ride on Ziggy,’ Chloe said to her. ‘Why didn’t you?’
    Erin shrugged and didn’t say anything.
    Chloe looked at her. ‘Look, if you’re mad about Fran and Katie hanging around, I’m sorry,’ she said in a low voice. ‘There wasn’t much I could do. You know I’d rather have been riding and grooming with you, Erin.’
    Erin felt a rush of relief and her bad mood started to fade. She smiled. ‘That’s OK. It was good to spend some time with Kestrel anyway.’
    ‘Should we go and eat lunch round the back of the barn where they can’t find us?’ said Chloe.
    Erin grinned at her. ‘Yeah, let’s!’
    When Erin got home she went into her bedroom and shut the door. Her brothers had all just got back and the house was filled with noise again as they inspected the damage the tree had done to Jake’s room. Erin went to the window and pulled out the hair from her watchstrap.
    ‘Tor?’ She wasn’t sure why she was calling him. She just wanted to hear his voice. She knew deep down she was still shaken up at finding out that Chloe didn’t believe she would be able to heal Kestrel or that they would defeat Marianne.
    ‘I am here.’
    Erin felt the rush of happiness she always felt when Tor spoke to her. ‘How are you?’ she asked.

    ‘Worried. I can feel my herd’s distress. I wish I could go through the hidden gateway and chase the dark one out of the skies. If only the gateway was not so hard to use…’
    Erin heard the frustration in the stallion’s voice.
    ‘I can feel another storm coming,’ he went on. ‘And with your powers being so weak, we will be unable to stop it, Erin.’
    ‘If only there was some way to increase my power,’ said Erin. ‘I wonder if Chloe has heard from Xanthe yet? I’ll ask her tonight. I’ll be with you as soon as I can.’
    ‘I will see you then,’ said Tor.
    Erin looked down at the stone