you go in on your own!’
The window was open just enough for Erin to get her hand through to unhook the catch and push it fully open. ‘Where shall we start?’ Chloe said as they squeezed inside.
‘I don’t know,’ Erin whispered. Even though she knew Marianne was out, she felt the urge to stay as quiet as possible. She had the uncomfortable feeling that the house itself was somehow watching them.
They looked around the room. There were shelves and tables with things piled on, strange things – old books, a silver bowl, a glass bottle, a grey feather and some black cord.
‘Look!’ said Chloe, going to an old-fashioned bureau in one corner. On top of it were ten hagstones of different shapes and sizes. Erin hurried over with her. Maybe one of them would be the hagstone they needed!
But none of them had any hair wrapped round it.
Chloe gingerly opened the bureau. Inside there were lots of small drawers and shelves.
Erin’s eyes fell on a box on the bottom shelf. It reminded her of her mum’s box. It looked as if it was made from exactly the same type of dark wood. It was much smaller though. She took it out and opened the lid.
‘Chloe!’ she breathed. ‘Look!’
There, nestling on a green baize lining, was a grey hagstone with a single hole. Through the centre of it three long strands of blonde hair were wound round and round.
‘You’ve found it!’ whispered Chloe.
Erin took it out, her fingers trembling slightly. ‘It’s just like Tor told me.’
‘Let’s take it and go,’ Chloe said quickly
‘We can’t just leave the box empty,’ Erin pointed out. ‘If Marianne checks inside, she’ll realize that someone has taken it and she’ll know they would only have taken it if they were trying to destroy the rope.’
‘But what can we do?’ Chloe asked.
Erin studied the stone. It looked very like the stone she had found on the beach the first day she had seen the cloud horses. She had that stone in her pocket, but she didn’t need it. She could use any hagstone with a single hole in to look at the cloud horses. She pulled it out of her pocket. It really did look very similar to the stone Marianne had used – apart from one thing…
Erin quickly pulled three hairs from her head and wound them round the stone in her hand.
‘Brilliant!’ said Chloe. ‘Your hair’s exactly the same colour as Marianne’s!’
‘Now she might not realize it’s gone,’ Erin said. She slipped the stone into the box and tucked Marianne’s stone into her pocket. They had got what they needed. ‘Come on,’ she said quickly. ‘Let’s get out of here right now!’
They flew out of the window and raced to Tor’s building.
Erin touched the door. ‘Tor! It’s us! We’ve got the hagstone!’ she whispered.
The sky stallion whinnied in delight. ‘Where did you find it?’
‘It was in the house,’ Erin told him. ‘Does this mean we can do the spell?’
‘When we have a rope of bindweed,’ Tor said. ‘And the keys.’
‘Well, we think the keys might be in the feed room,’ said Chloe. ‘And there’s loads of bindweed in my garden. I heard my dad going on about it.’
‘Make a rope of it and bring it tomorrow night,’ Tor instructed. ‘If you can find the keys to let me out, I will tell Erin how to perform the unbinding spell.’ He looked at her. ‘It will be difficult, but I am sure you will be able to do it.’
‘Tomorrow?’ Erin said nervously.
‘Yes,’ Tor replied. ‘You have done so well.’ He snorted. ‘Maybe tomorrow I will be able to return to the skies.’
‘And then Marianne won’t be able to hurt you any more,’ Chloe said.
Tomorrow , the word echoed through Erin’s head.
She only barely registered Tor whinnying. ‘You should leave now. The dark one has not been here tonight yet. She may come to see me at any time. Go!’
‘OK. Bye, Tor!’ Chloe exclaimed, flying upwards.
Erin didn’t move.
‘Come on, Erin!’ Chloe said, flying back and pulling at her.
The window was open just enough for Erin to get her hand through to unhook the catch and push it fully open. ‘Where shall we start?’ Chloe said as they squeezed inside.
‘I don’t know,’ Erin whispered. Even though she knew Marianne was out, she felt the urge to stay as quiet as possible. She had the uncomfortable feeling that the house itself was somehow watching them.
They looked around the room. There were shelves and tables with things piled on, strange things – old books, a silver bowl, a glass bottle, a grey feather and some black cord.
‘Look!’ said Chloe, going to an old-fashioned bureau in one corner. On top of it were ten hagstones of different shapes and sizes. Erin hurried over with her. Maybe one of them would be the hagstone they needed!
But none of them had any hair wrapped round it.
Chloe gingerly opened the bureau. Inside there were lots of small drawers and shelves.
Erin’s eyes fell on a box on the bottom shelf. It reminded her of her mum’s box. It looked as if it was made from exactly the same type of dark wood. It was much smaller though. She took it out and opened the lid.
‘Chloe!’ she breathed. ‘Look!’
There, nestling on a green baize lining, was a grey hagstone with a single hole. Through the centre of it three long strands of blonde hair were wound round and round.
‘You’ve found it!’ whispered Chloe.
Erin took it out, her fingers trembling slightly. ‘It’s just like Tor told me.’
‘Let’s take it and go,’ Chloe said quickly
‘We can’t just leave the box empty,’ Erin pointed out. ‘If Marianne checks inside, she’ll realize that someone has taken it and she’ll know they would only have taken it if they were trying to destroy the rope.’
‘But what can we do?’ Chloe asked.
Erin studied the stone. It looked very like the stone she had found on the beach the first day she had seen the cloud horses. She had that stone in her pocket, but she didn’t need it. She could use any hagstone with a single hole in to look at the cloud horses. She pulled it out of her pocket. It really did look very similar to the stone Marianne had used – apart from one thing…
Erin quickly pulled three hairs from her head and wound them round the stone in her hand.
‘Brilliant!’ said Chloe. ‘Your hair’s exactly the same colour as Marianne’s!’
‘Now she might not realize it’s gone,’ Erin said. She slipped the stone into the box and tucked Marianne’s stone into her pocket. They had got what they needed. ‘Come on,’ she said quickly. ‘Let’s get out of here right now!’
They flew out of the window and raced to Tor’s building.
Erin touched the door. ‘Tor! It’s us! We’ve got the hagstone!’ she whispered.
The sky stallion whinnied in delight. ‘Where did you find it?’
‘It was in the house,’ Erin told him. ‘Does this mean we can do the spell?’
‘When we have a rope of bindweed,’ Tor said. ‘And the keys.’
‘Well, we think the keys might be in the feed room,’ said Chloe. ‘And there’s loads of bindweed in my garden. I heard my dad going on about it.’
‘Make a rope of it and bring it tomorrow night,’ Tor instructed. ‘If you can find the keys to let me out, I will tell Erin how to perform the unbinding spell.’ He looked at her. ‘It will be difficult, but I am sure you will be able to do it.’
‘Tomorrow?’ Erin said nervously.
‘Yes,’ Tor replied. ‘You have done so well.’ He snorted. ‘Maybe tomorrow I will be able to return to the skies.’
‘And then Marianne won’t be able to hurt you any more,’ Chloe said.
Tomorrow , the word echoed through Erin’s head.
She only barely registered Tor whinnying. ‘You should leave now. The dark one has not been here tonight yet. She may come to see me at any time. Go!’
‘OK. Bye, Tor!’ Chloe exclaimed, flying upwards.
Erin didn’t move.
‘Come on, Erin!’ Chloe said, flying back and pulling at her.
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