Eye of the Storm

time as a heavy bough broke off a tree and crashed to the ground in front of them.
    ‘You should get home,’ Tor said quickly. ‘The storm is still a little way off, but when it breaks you do not want to be outside.’
    ‘We’ll see you tomorrow,’ said Erin, feeling very worried.
    ‘Xanthe and Allegra will be with us,’ added Chloe.
    In the far distance there was a faint rumble of thunder. ‘Go!’ urged Tor.
    The two girls rose quickly into the air.
    ‘See you tomorrow!’ Erin cried as she and Chloe flew away.
    As they made their way back to the village, Erin thought over what had happened. It was horrible to think that the dark gateway was using up her power. But I can still do some things , she realized. I used a hagstone to see the sky horses earlier this evening . She felt puzzled. Surely if her powers were weak she shouldn’t have been able to do that?

    When she got home, she quickly turned back from being a stardust spirit and then sat down on her bed with one of Tor’s hairs that she always kept wound round her watchstrap. It let her speak to him whenever she wanted to, even if she didn’t have a hagstone with her.
    She held it in her cupped hands. ‘Tor,’ she said softly. ‘Tor, are you there?’
    ‘I am.’ Tor’s warm voice came into her mind.
    ‘Tor, I can see the horses in the sky still. My powers must be OK,’ she pointed out.
    ‘No, Erin, they’re not,’ responded Tor gently. ‘You do not need much power yourself to see the horses in the sky. You just need to free the stone’s magic. It is very different when you are sending visions or creating them, as you do when you send an image of me into the clouds. That requires deep power from you.’
    ‘Oh.’ Erin’s heart sank. ‘At least we can still talk using this hair from your mane.’
    She could almost hear the smile in Tor’s warm voice. ‘Yes. At least we can still do that.’
    Erin squeezed the hair tight. If she shut her eyes, she could almost imagine him next to her.
    ‘I’ll see you tomorrow,’ she told him softly.
    ‘Yes. Sleep well,’ said Tor.
    Erin carefully wound the hair back round her watchstrap. Picking up her diary, she started writing to her mum, telling her everything that had happened that night. She wrote three whole pages.
    It’s so scary to think that my power’s being weakened , she finally finished. I don’t know what we’re going to do. I’m glad I can still talk to Tor though. She hesitated as a thought crossed her mind. It’s going to be weird if he ever does get back to his kingdom , she wrote. We won’t be able to see him and Mistral then. Well, not much anyway. Hopefully they’ll still be able to come through the gateway and visit us sometimes. But it won’t be the same.
    Erin stopped writing. She didn’t want to think about that and, anyway, first they had to get Marianne out of the skies and defeat her. She closed her diary and then, turning off the light, she curled up under the duvet and fell into a fitful sleep.

CHAPTER
Three
    When Erin woke up the next day, the wind was blustering outside and drops of rain were spattering on the window. She went downstairs. Her dad, Jake, Sam and Ben were in the kitchen having breakfast.
    ‘Morning, sweetheart,’ her dad said, as she sat down. ‘Do you want some toast?’
    ‘Yes, please,’ she answered, picking up the cereal packet and starting to read the back of it. Jake swiped it. ‘I was reading that!’ Erin protested.

    ‘Weirdo!’ Jake grinned. ‘You get more loopy every day.’
    ‘You can talk!’ retorted Erin as Jake poured a bowl of cereal and put orange juice on top. ‘I mean, who has orange on –’
    ‘Quiet, everyone! The weather forecast’s coming on!’ Sam interrupted. ‘I want to hear what the weather’s going to be like in Pembrokeshire.’
    The presenter’s voice rang out of the radio. ‘ Storms are approaching the south coast of England and residents are being warned to prepare for flooding. Gale-force winds and heavy rain are expected. Further north the weather should be calmer with overcast skies and mild winds. ’
    ‘I’m glad our sailing course isn’t here,’ said Ben. ‘Hopefully we should be OK in Wales.’
    Erin’s dad looked at Erin in concern. ‘Maybe you shouldn’t go to the stables today. It sounds like the weather is going to get even worse and it’s not as if you’ll be able to ride in this wind anyway.’
    ‘There’s still the mucking out and grooming to do,’ said