reached out instinctively and then her hand dropped; he was not a tame horse to be petted. She stared at him in awe. He was wild, majestic, a king of horses.
‘I’m ready to do the spell and break the rope.’ Erin looked at the black rope round Tor’s neck and reached to pull it off.
Tor jerked back. ‘No!’
But he was too late; Erin’s fingers had already closed round it. It burnt her like flames and with a sharp cry she yanked her hands back.
‘What’s the matter?’ Chloe asked in alarm.
Erin stared down. Her fingers were red where she had touched it and she could already see three blisters forming. ‘Look!’
Tor immediately breathed on her hand. Erin felt the sensation of snowflakes settling on her skin, soothing the burning, healing the blisters. ‘I am sorry, Erin. But the rope cannot be removed until it is broken by the spell. I should have warned you sooner.’
Erin looked at the sores on his neck and bit her lip. ‘How do I do the spell?’
‘Unbinding magic is dangerous to perform,’ Tor replied. ‘You must use your powers as a weather weaver to enter a vision that will seem as real to you as real life. You must then do the unbinding in the vision. It will hurt and it will be hard.’
‘Oh,’ Erin said, swallowing.
Tor’s dark eyes met hers. He raised his muzzle to her face, strength in his gaze. ‘You are special, Erin. You will be able to do this.’
She felt his mane brush against her cheek, felt his breath on her hair, and courage flooded through her.
She lifted her chin. ‘I won’t let you down.’
Tor gave a low grateful whicker. ‘Come,’ he said softly. ‘It is time.’
C H A P T E R
Eleven
Tor plunged out of the hut. ‘Clear the hagstones and make a circle with the bindweed as quickly as you can!’
Chloe and Erin did as he said, piling the hagstones up and laying the bindweed rope on the ground, tying the two ends together.
‘What next?’ asked Erin.
Tor stamped a hoof. ‘First, you must pull a loose thread from the binding rope…’
‘But that’ll burn Erin, won’t it?’ interrupted Chloe.
‘It will and I am sorry, Erin,’ Tor said gently. ‘But it is the only way.’
Erin thought of how much Tor must be hurting right now. ‘I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘What do I have to do when I have the thread?’
‘Sit down with it in the bindweed circle and wind it through the hagstone. When it is all wound up, unwind the dark spirit’s three hairs without breaking them. As the final hair comes free, you will enter a vision. In your vision, the bindweed circle will burst into flames. You must ignore it and begin to unwind the thread from the stone, all the time saying the spell: unwind, untwist, free the bound one like this. When you unwind the last of the thread, the vision will end. But remember –’ Tor’s voice took a note of urgency – ‘if any words other than the spell pass your lips while you are in the vision, you will be trapped there. You must only speak the words of the spell.’
Erin could feel panic swelling inside her. How could she remember everything? ‘Unwind, untwist, free the bound one like this,’ she repeated.
Tor nodded. ‘Be careful. It is very important that once you have started the spell you must not stop. If you break off, then the binding rope can never be broken. Do you understand?’
‘Yes,’ Erin answered, her lips dry.
Tor nudged her gently. ‘Then use your magic, weather weaver.’
‘Good luck,’ Chloe said desperately. ‘I know you can do it!’
Erin took a deep breath and took hold of a loose black thread in the rope round Tor’s neck. It burnt her skin anew and she gasped.
Trying to ignore the pain, she pulled and the thread slid out of the rope. Erin ran into the circle with it and sat down.
Magic seemed to tingle through her from the stars and, as it did so, the pain from her fingers seemed to lessen slightly. Erin began to wind the thread through the hagstone, holding one end and taking the
‘I’m ready to do the spell and break the rope.’ Erin looked at the black rope round Tor’s neck and reached to pull it off.
Tor jerked back. ‘No!’
But he was too late; Erin’s fingers had already closed round it. It burnt her like flames and with a sharp cry she yanked her hands back.
‘What’s the matter?’ Chloe asked in alarm.
Erin stared down. Her fingers were red where she had touched it and she could already see three blisters forming. ‘Look!’
Tor immediately breathed on her hand. Erin felt the sensation of snowflakes settling on her skin, soothing the burning, healing the blisters. ‘I am sorry, Erin. But the rope cannot be removed until it is broken by the spell. I should have warned you sooner.’
Erin looked at the sores on his neck and bit her lip. ‘How do I do the spell?’
‘Unbinding magic is dangerous to perform,’ Tor replied. ‘You must use your powers as a weather weaver to enter a vision that will seem as real to you as real life. You must then do the unbinding in the vision. It will hurt and it will be hard.’
‘Oh,’ Erin said, swallowing.
Tor’s dark eyes met hers. He raised his muzzle to her face, strength in his gaze. ‘You are special, Erin. You will be able to do this.’
She felt his mane brush against her cheek, felt his breath on her hair, and courage flooded through her.
She lifted her chin. ‘I won’t let you down.’
Tor gave a low grateful whicker. ‘Come,’ he said softly. ‘It is time.’
C H A P T E R
Eleven
Tor plunged out of the hut. ‘Clear the hagstones and make a circle with the bindweed as quickly as you can!’
Chloe and Erin did as he said, piling the hagstones up and laying the bindweed rope on the ground, tying the two ends together.
‘What next?’ asked Erin.
Tor stamped a hoof. ‘First, you must pull a loose thread from the binding rope…’
‘But that’ll burn Erin, won’t it?’ interrupted Chloe.
‘It will and I am sorry, Erin,’ Tor said gently. ‘But it is the only way.’
Erin thought of how much Tor must be hurting right now. ‘I don’t mind,’ she said. ‘What do I have to do when I have the thread?’
‘Sit down with it in the bindweed circle and wind it through the hagstone. When it is all wound up, unwind the dark spirit’s three hairs without breaking them. As the final hair comes free, you will enter a vision. In your vision, the bindweed circle will burst into flames. You must ignore it and begin to unwind the thread from the stone, all the time saying the spell: unwind, untwist, free the bound one like this. When you unwind the last of the thread, the vision will end. But remember –’ Tor’s voice took a note of urgency – ‘if any words other than the spell pass your lips while you are in the vision, you will be trapped there. You must only speak the words of the spell.’
Erin could feel panic swelling inside her. How could she remember everything? ‘Unwind, untwist, free the bound one like this,’ she repeated.
Tor nodded. ‘Be careful. It is very important that once you have started the spell you must not stop. If you break off, then the binding rope can never be broken. Do you understand?’
‘Yes,’ Erin answered, her lips dry.
Tor nudged her gently. ‘Then use your magic, weather weaver.’
‘Good luck,’ Chloe said desperately. ‘I know you can do it!’
Erin took a deep breath and took hold of a loose black thread in the rope round Tor’s neck. It burnt her skin anew and she gasped.
Trying to ignore the pain, she pulled and the thread slid out of the rope. Erin ran into the circle with it and sat down.
Magic seemed to tingle through her from the stars and, as it did so, the pain from her fingers seemed to lessen slightly. Erin began to wind the thread through the hagstone, holding one end and taking the
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