Read Online Eye of the Storm by Linda Chapman - Free Book Online

what’s been happening.’
    ‘And see if he knows how I can use Great-grandmother Margaret’s hair to make my power stronger,’ Erin added.
    As they flew to the woods, Erin told Chloe about Kestrel. Chloe was delighted. ‘That’s brilliant!’ she said, turning a somersault. ‘Oh, Erin! We’ll be able to ride whenever we want, go out on hacks, go to shows. Everything!’
    ‘But we’ll still help Jackie with the other ponies,’ Erin said.
    ‘Of course,’ grinned Chloe. ‘The more ponies, the better!’

    Erin smiled happily; it was the best feeling ever having Chloe back as her best friend. They swooped down through the trees. Tor and Mistral were waiting for them.
    ‘Loads has been happening!’ Erin gasped.
    She and Chloe told Tor and Mistral what had been going on. ‘You were very lucky to escape,’ said Tor in alarm. ‘And I’m sure you are right, that some of the visions did come from the stones themselves. Marianne would not have known about Margaret’s hair or she would have used it herself.’
    ‘What does Erin have to do with the hair, Father?’ asked Mistral.
    ‘It is simple.’ Tor looked at Erin. ‘All you have to do is to wind one of your great-grandmother’s hairs on to a hagstone and then whenever you use that hagstone to do magic, your great-grandmother’s powers will be added to yours.’
    ‘You’ll be like ultra-powerful when you use that stone!’ exclaimed Chloe.
    Erin took a deep breath. She wasn’t sure she wanted to be ultra-powerful. But if it meant she could cast visions again and maybe clear the skies so Tor could go through the gateway then she would do it. It didn’t look as if Marianne was going to come back of her own accord.
    She took one of her great-grandmother’s grey hairs out of the envelope and felt in her pocket for a hagstone. She had a seeing stone with her, a healing stone and a warding stone that could be used to protect her against harm. It hadn’t done much good in Marianne’s study, but she wasn’t very good at warding magic yet. She wound the hair through the seeing stone several times and tied the ends.
    ‘There,’ she said, holding it up.
    ‘This might seem simple,’ Tor told her. ‘The rest will not. We must now bring Marianne back from the sky, get the hagstone from her and destroy her dark gateway.’
    ‘How are we going to bring Marianne back, Father?’ Mistral asked, pawing eagerly at the soft ground.
    ‘We will go to the entrance of the hidden gateway down by the sea. When we are there, Erin and I will try to clear the clouds for long enough for the gateway to appear in the moonlight. You and I will go through the gateway and together we will chase Marianne down from the sky. It is our land, our kingdom. She has no right to be there.’ Tor’s eyes flashed with pride and he reared up on his hind legs. Erin suddenly realized he was relishing the thought of fighting the dark spirit who had been controlling and damaging his herd. He plunged forward, swirling into his cloud form. ‘Come! There is no time to waste!’
    With a wild, delighted whinny, Mistral galloped beside him.
    Erin and Chloe flew through the trees as the horses galloped beneath them, their cloud bodies moving like the wind. Erin’s heart was beating fast. Everything was suddenly happening! She gripped the hagstone in her hand. Might they really stop Marianne that very night?
    When they reached the edge of the woods, Tor and Mistral soared into the sky and, together with the girls, they swooped over the cliff top and down to the beach. Usually the jagged rocks were covered with deep water, but now at low tide there were just glittering rock pools. The entrance to the hidden gateway was almost completely blocked by a rockfall.
    ‘We will do the magic to clear the clouds here,’ Tor said to Erin. ‘You must be ready to use your great-grandmother’s powers to face Marianne when she returns and get the hagstone from her.’ He touched her shoulder. ‘Do not worry. I