Eye of the Storm

the bottle, passed it over the candle flame in the bowl and then covered the hole in the stone up with earth from the jar. The spell uses the four stardust elements – air, earth, water and fire – and mixes them with hagstone magic. After she’d done everything, she held the seeing stone in the gateway again and said, ‘Be sealed.’ The air inside the gateway seemed to shiver and then that was it…
    Erin reread the entry several times. She wished her mum had written more, but that was all there was. Turning her light off, she tried to go to sleep, but she couldn’t stop thinking about the grey feather and the prophecy. She reached under her pillow, her fingers instinctively curling round the hagstone underneath it. Her hand started to tingle.
    She pulled the hagstone out and looked at it in the darkness. The hole was growing and she could see a picture. A study with a large desk. There were shelves around the room, a dark bureau with hagstones on it in one corner and a table covered with a mixture of objects in another. Goosebumps ran up her arms. She knew this place. It was Marianne’s study in her house on the cliff top. It was the house that had once belonged to Erin’s grandmother. When Marianne had bought the house, called Lookout Point, Erin had had no idea that Marianne was her great-grandmother’s sister.
    She wondered why she was seeing the room. She knew Tor said she had to trust in her visions, it was the stones helping her, but sometimes they could be very confusing!
    And then her eyes fell on something. A grey feather! It was on the tabletop. Suddenly it all came flooding back to Erin. Of course, she’d seen it when she’d been in Marianne’s study one night. On the table there was a silver bowl, a glass bottle, a small pot of earth, a candle and a grey feather! All the things that her mum said were needed for sealing a gateway.
    The vision started to fade. Erin blinked and found herself back in her bedroom again. She gripped the stone hard. She knew where to find the grey feather now. But how was she was going to get it and what was she going to do with it if she did get it? And why did Marianne have all the things to seal a gateway when she had always been trying to create one?
    Erin stared at the ceiling, thinking about it all.
    Erin was still thinking about the grey feather when she got to the stables that day. Jo had given her a lift after school to save her cycling. Rain was drizzling down. ‘I heard on the news that another storm is likely to break this afternoon or evening,’ Jo said. ‘If the weather gets worse, I’ll come and get you – otherwise I’ll collect you at six. Your dad and I thought we would take you out for a Chinese tonight.’
    ‘Cool,’ said Erin in surprise. She loved Chinese food, but they only usually went out as a special treat. ‘Why are we going out?’
    Jo smiled. ‘You’ll find out this evening!’
    As she got out of the car, Chloe arrived. The two of them looked at each other across the car park. Erin hesitated, remembering the argument, but she was desperate to share her vision about the feather. Taking a deep breath, she started walking towards Chloe.
    But just then Fran and Katie came jogging down from the yard.
    ‘Hi, Chloe!’ they called, going over to her. They ignored Erin.
    ‘Oh, hi,’ Chloe said.
    ‘Can we help you with Ziggy again today?’ Katie asked eagerly.
    ‘It was really good fun yesterday,’ said Fran, linking arms with Chloe.
    Her words pierced straight into Erin’s brain. She swung round on her heel and half ran to Kestrel’s stable, wanting just to give him a hug. But Jackie was there.
    ‘Hi, Erin,’ she said.
    ‘How’s Kestrel’s leg?’ Erin asked hopefully.
    ‘Well, I can hardly believe it, but it’s loads better. Look!’
    Erin came into the stable. Jackie had taken the bandage off. For a moment Erin forgot about Chloe and her heart rose. The swelling had completely gone and the sides of the wound had closed together. There was still a mark there, but it looked as if it was healing really well. ‘I’ve never known a wound heal so quickly,’ said Jackie. ‘The vet came over today. He couldn’t believe it either. It’s fantastic though.’ She patted Kestrel. ‘He’s not even lame now.’
    She left the stable. Erin put her arms round Kestrel’s neck. ‘I’m so glad you’re better.’ He nuzzled her. Hearing voices, Erin went to Kestrel’s door and looked out. Chloe was walking down to the field