direction. I was camouflaged – as you should have been.’
‘I forgot!’ Erin admitted. ‘But I’m very glad I did now. So you were the person following me.’
Chloe nodded. ‘Yes. It was me. I wanted to see where you were going and what you were doing. I should just have said hello and let you see me.’
‘It’s lucky you didn’t,’ said Erin. ‘Because then you would probably have been in there with me. Thank you so much for saving me.’
‘I’m glad I could. Oh, Erin, I’m sorry we argued!’ The words burst out of Chloe. ‘I know I upset you a bit by spending time with Fran and Katie this afternoon. It’s just that you’ve been in such a weird mood the last few days and haven’t seemed to want me around and, well, I guess I have been feeling a bit left out because you’ve been doing so much magic and I haven’t really been able to do anything. But I shouldn’t have got mad yesterday. I’ve been wanting to say sorry all day. I should have done.’
‘It’s OK,’ Erin said. ‘It was a stupid argument. I should never have said that the prophecy doesn’t mean you – no one knows what it means, so maybe it does. I should have realized you were feeling left out. It’s just I’ve been so worried about Kestrel and… well, I have been in a bit of a bad mood with you,’ she admitted. She saw Chloe’s frown and hesitated. But she knew what she had to do. It was going to be horrible, but she had to tell Chloe the truth about what she’d seen and sort it out.
‘It was because I saw you writing in your diary. I didn’t mean to,’ she said hastily. ‘The hagstone just showed me pictures of you. I shouldn’t have read what you were writing, but I did. I saw what you said about not thinking I could heal Kestrel and about how much…’ She swallowed, her throat feeling tight as she looked at the floor. ‘How much fun you had with Fran and Katie yesterday and –’
‘Hang on! What diary? I haven’t got a diary!’ interrupted Chloe.
Erin looked up. ‘You have. I saw you writing in it.’
‘No,’ said Chloe, shaking her head violently. ‘You can’t have. I really don’t have a diary, Erin.’
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Erin stared. A horrible thought dawned on her. ‘Oh, Chloe,’ she whispered. ‘You don’t think it was Marianne, do you? Using her magic to make me see visions?’
Chloe caught her breath. ‘I bet it was. We know she can cast visions, make people see things. That’s part of weather weaving, like when you cast an image of Tor into the skies. And Marianne’s done it before. Remember, she sent a vision of Tor being ill-treated to Mistral, which is one of the reasons why he came through the gateway.’
Erin put her hands to her mouth. She couldn’t believe she had been so dumb. ‘I just didn’t think about that. I wonder if they all came from her? Maybe she sent the one about the feather too, to get me in the house? But what about the vision about the hair?’
‘That must have been the stones,’ said Chloe. ‘She’d hardly have sent you a vision to show you where your great-grandmother’s hair was when she knows how powerful that could make you.’ She stared at Erin. ‘I can’t believe she was making you see me writing stuff about you in a diary.’
Erin shook her head. ‘I should have known you wouldn’t think those things.’
‘Of course I wouldn’t,’ said Chloe. ‘As if I’d ever think Fran and Katie were loads of fun to hang around with. They drive me mad! I just didn’t want to be mean by saying they couldn’t ride Ziggy. But, you know, it was really cool when you got cross at Fran. I wanted to clap and cheer!’
They grinned at each other.
Chloe’s voice became more serious. ‘Marianne’s been trying to make us argue, to split us up, you know.’
‘Well, we’re not going to let her do that,’ Erin declared. ‘We’re in this together!’
‘Yeah.’ Chloe nodded fiercely. ‘Together! Come on, let’s go and tell Tor
‘I forgot!’ Erin admitted. ‘But I’m very glad I did now. So you were the person following me.’
Chloe nodded. ‘Yes. It was me. I wanted to see where you were going and what you were doing. I should just have said hello and let you see me.’
‘It’s lucky you didn’t,’ said Erin. ‘Because then you would probably have been in there with me. Thank you so much for saving me.’
‘I’m glad I could. Oh, Erin, I’m sorry we argued!’ The words burst out of Chloe. ‘I know I upset you a bit by spending time with Fran and Katie this afternoon. It’s just that you’ve been in such a weird mood the last few days and haven’t seemed to want me around and, well, I guess I have been feeling a bit left out because you’ve been doing so much magic and I haven’t really been able to do anything. But I shouldn’t have got mad yesterday. I’ve been wanting to say sorry all day. I should have done.’
‘It’s OK,’ Erin said. ‘It was a stupid argument. I should never have said that the prophecy doesn’t mean you – no one knows what it means, so maybe it does. I should have realized you were feeling left out. It’s just I’ve been so worried about Kestrel and… well, I have been in a bit of a bad mood with you,’ she admitted. She saw Chloe’s frown and hesitated. But she knew what she had to do. It was going to be horrible, but she had to tell Chloe the truth about what she’d seen and sort it out.
‘It was because I saw you writing in your diary. I didn’t mean to,’ she said hastily. ‘The hagstone just showed me pictures of you. I shouldn’t have read what you were writing, but I did. I saw what you said about not thinking I could heal Kestrel and about how much…’ She swallowed, her throat feeling tight as she looked at the floor. ‘How much fun you had with Fran and Katie yesterday and –’
‘Hang on! What diary? I haven’t got a diary!’ interrupted Chloe.
Erin looked up. ‘You have. I saw you writing in it.’
‘No,’ said Chloe, shaking her head violently. ‘You can’t have. I really don’t have a diary, Erin.’
Seeing the confusion in her eyes, Erin stared. A horrible thought dawned on her. ‘Oh, Chloe,’ she whispered. ‘You don’t think it was Marianne, do you? Using her magic to make me see visions?’
Chloe caught her breath. ‘I bet it was. We know she can cast visions, make people see things. That’s part of weather weaving, like when you cast an image of Tor into the skies. And Marianne’s done it before. Remember, she sent a vision of Tor being ill-treated to Mistral, which is one of the reasons why he came through the gateway.’
Erin put her hands to her mouth. She couldn’t believe she had been so dumb. ‘I just didn’t think about that. I wonder if they all came from her? Maybe she sent the one about the feather too, to get me in the house? But what about the vision about the hair?’
‘That must have been the stones,’ said Chloe. ‘She’d hardly have sent you a vision to show you where your great-grandmother’s hair was when she knows how powerful that could make you.’ She stared at Erin. ‘I can’t believe she was making you see me writing stuff about you in a diary.’
Erin shook her head. ‘I should have known you wouldn’t think those things.’
‘Of course I wouldn’t,’ said Chloe. ‘As if I’d ever think Fran and Katie were loads of fun to hang around with. They drive me mad! I just didn’t want to be mean by saying they couldn’t ride Ziggy. But, you know, it was really cool when you got cross at Fran. I wanted to clap and cheer!’
They grinned at each other.
Chloe’s voice became more serious. ‘Marianne’s been trying to make us argue, to split us up, you know.’
‘Well, we’re not going to let her do that,’ Erin declared. ‘We’re in this together!’
‘Yeah.’ Chloe nodded fiercely. ‘Together! Come on, let’s go and tell Tor
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