so, he seemed to change. The solid lines of his body blurred and faded, and in front of their eyes he grew bigger, filling the air of the clearing. He was no longer a stallion of flesh and blood, but a stallion made of swirling mist, his muscles rippling like scudding clouds, his mane and tail glittering like snow crystals caught in sunlight.
‘What’s happening to you?’ Erin cried.
‘My true cloud form!’
Tor reached them, and returned to his usual size. But his outline stayed cloud-like. ‘Now the binding rope has gone, I can choose which form I take – real horse or sky horse. Oh, weather weaver…’ He bent his head and touched his muzzle to her forehead. ‘I knew you were special. Thank you.’
‘Thank you for showing me how to use my powers,’ Erin breathed, feeling a tingling coldness where his skin touched hers. She reached out to stroke his neck. It was like an icy mist, there but not there, soothing the last of the pain from her fingers.
‘I must return to my kingdom,’ Tor said. ‘I need you to open the gateway for me – the gateway between this world and the cloud world. It is at World’s End.’
‘Is it the rock that looks like a hagstone?’ Erin asked.
‘The rock that is a hagstone,’ Tor said. But just then a figure in a silver dress came flying through the trees. She was holding her head and looked pale.
‘Xanthe!’ Erin exclaimed. ‘Are you OK?’
‘I’ll be fine, don’t worry,’ Xanthe said, flying down.
‘This is Xanthe, my godmother,’ Chloe said quickly to Tor. ‘She’s here to help us.’
Xanthe landed lightly. ‘Greetings, sky stallion.’
‘Stardust spirit,’ Tor said, bowing his head slightly.
Xanthe looked around. ‘Is Marianne here?’
‘No. We thought she was with you.’ Chloe frowned.
‘She was,’ Xanthe said. ‘But then she left. I tried to stop her, but her magic was too strong.’
‘I’ve broken the binding rope…’ Erin began.’
‘Oh, well done!’ Xanthe said.
But Erin knew there was no time for congratulations. ‘Now I’m going to open a gateway so Tor can go back to the clouds.’ She had no idea how she would do it, but she trusted Tor completely. He would tell her what to do. She shook her wet hair back.
‘Let’s not hang around here waiting for Marianne,’ Chloe said. ‘Come on!’
They flew out of the woods with Tor galloping below them, his outline constantly shifting and changing. No hedge or wall stopped him; he soared over them all, his mane and tail streaming out behind him like silver banners of mist.
Above them, the stars shone down out of a velvet-black sky. The moon was round and full.
As they flew, Xanthe explained what had happened at the house. ‘At first I talked to Marianne, as I said I would, but she got impatient, said she had somewhere to be. She told me to leave and when I wouldn’t she tried to use a stardust binding spell on me. I was ready and we fought. I managed to bind her , but she broke free when I wasn’t expecting it and knocked me into the wall with a blast of wind. I banged my head and almost passed out. I can only imagine she must have been in a hurry to get to wherever she wanted to be, because, rather than trying to injure me further or take my stardust, she set off.’
‘I wonder where she is,’ said Erin, glancing around, half expecting to see Marianne swooping towards them, but the sky was empty and silent. Very silent, Erin realized with a shiver. Almost as though the world was holding its breath.
They reached the cliff top. Tor swept down the path to the beach. Erin, Chloe and Xanthe flew down after him. The three rocks on the spit of land were silhouetted against the black sky, the round hagstone with moonlight gleaming through it and the two tall stones pointing upwards like fingers.
World’s End , thought Erin, realizing what a good name it was for it – the place that was the end of one world and the beginning of another. Had the people who had named it known
‘What’s happening to you?’ Erin cried.
‘My true cloud form!’
Tor reached them, and returned to his usual size. But his outline stayed cloud-like. ‘Now the binding rope has gone, I can choose which form I take – real horse or sky horse. Oh, weather weaver…’ He bent his head and touched his muzzle to her forehead. ‘I knew you were special. Thank you.’
‘Thank you for showing me how to use my powers,’ Erin breathed, feeling a tingling coldness where his skin touched hers. She reached out to stroke his neck. It was like an icy mist, there but not there, soothing the last of the pain from her fingers.
‘I must return to my kingdom,’ Tor said. ‘I need you to open the gateway for me – the gateway between this world and the cloud world. It is at World’s End.’
‘Is it the rock that looks like a hagstone?’ Erin asked.
‘The rock that is a hagstone,’ Tor said. But just then a figure in a silver dress came flying through the trees. She was holding her head and looked pale.
‘Xanthe!’ Erin exclaimed. ‘Are you OK?’
‘I’ll be fine, don’t worry,’ Xanthe said, flying down.
‘This is Xanthe, my godmother,’ Chloe said quickly to Tor. ‘She’s here to help us.’
Xanthe landed lightly. ‘Greetings, sky stallion.’
‘Stardust spirit,’ Tor said, bowing his head slightly.
Xanthe looked around. ‘Is Marianne here?’
‘No. We thought she was with you.’ Chloe frowned.
‘She was,’ Xanthe said. ‘But then she left. I tried to stop her, but her magic was too strong.’
‘I’ve broken the binding rope…’ Erin began.’
‘Oh, well done!’ Xanthe said.
But Erin knew there was no time for congratulations. ‘Now I’m going to open a gateway so Tor can go back to the clouds.’ She had no idea how she would do it, but she trusted Tor completely. He would tell her what to do. She shook her wet hair back.
‘Let’s not hang around here waiting for Marianne,’ Chloe said. ‘Come on!’
They flew out of the woods with Tor galloping below them, his outline constantly shifting and changing. No hedge or wall stopped him; he soared over them all, his mane and tail streaming out behind him like silver banners of mist.
Above them, the stars shone down out of a velvet-black sky. The moon was round and full.
As they flew, Xanthe explained what had happened at the house. ‘At first I talked to Marianne, as I said I would, but she got impatient, said she had somewhere to be. She told me to leave and when I wouldn’t she tried to use a stardust binding spell on me. I was ready and we fought. I managed to bind her , but she broke free when I wasn’t expecting it and knocked me into the wall with a blast of wind. I banged my head and almost passed out. I can only imagine she must have been in a hurry to get to wherever she wanted to be, because, rather than trying to injure me further or take my stardust, she set off.’
‘I wonder where she is,’ said Erin, glancing around, half expecting to see Marianne swooping towards them, but the sky was empty and silent. Very silent, Erin realized with a shiver. Almost as though the world was holding its breath.
They reached the cliff top. Tor swept down the path to the beach. Erin, Chloe and Xanthe flew down after him. The three rocks on the spit of land were silhouetted against the black sky, the round hagstone with moonlight gleaming through it and the two tall stones pointing upwards like fingers.
World’s End , thought Erin, realizing what a good name it was for it – the place that was the end of one world and the beginning of another. Had the people who had named it known
Similar Books
