Stardust by Linda Chapman Page B

of the lion slip from her mind and the power stopped flowing. She took a deep trembling breath.
    She felt Xanthe’s hand on her shoulder. ‘Thank you,’ Xanthe said softly to her.
    â€˜That’s OK.’ Lucy could hardly get the words out. Her skin was tingling with the remains of the magic.
    â€˜Maybe you should sit down for a moment,’ Xanthe said.
    But Lucy shook her head. She wanted to find out what Allegra and the others were doing. She hurried over to where her friends were crouching around something on the ground. Shock jolted through her. The mother badger had been hit by a branch and was lying on her side, not moving. Lucy’s friends’ faces were serious. Faye had her hand on the badger’s head.
    Lucy crouched down. ‘Is she…is she dead?’
    Allegra shook her head and put her finger to her lips. Lucy saw that Faye’s eyes were closed and there was a look of intense concentration on her face.
    Healing magic
, Lucy realized. Winterspirits like Faye could heal things as well as being able to make it rain.
    The mother badger’s eyes slowly blinked open. She lifted her head.
    â€˜You’re better now,’ Faye murmured gently, opening her eyes too.
    The badger heaved itself to its feet and looked round anxiously. The two black and white cubs were peeping out of the sett entrance. They squeaked with delight when they saw their mother coming towards them.

    â€˜Well done, Faye,’ Xanthe said, coming over. ‘That was quick work.’ Faye blushed with pride.
    â€˜You got rid of the rain, Xanthe,’ Allegra said. She always called her mum by her first name, not ‘mum’. At first Lucy had found it odd, but now she was used to it.
    â€˜With Lucy’s help,’ Xanthe said, throwing a smile in Lucy’s direction.
    â€˜But a lot of damage has been done,’ said Tom, coming over with Emma and Padma.
    Lucy looked around. The clearing was strewn with broken branches and many of the plants and bushes had been flattened.
    â€˜We had better start clearing up,’ Padma sighed.
    The girls began to pick up branches and move them to the side of the clearing.
    Ella, who was a spring spirit and could make things grow, used her magic to regrow some of the damaged plants and trees while the adult autumn spirits dried the ground out with gentle breezes.
    Xanthe beckoned to Lucy. ‘Can I speak to you for a moment, Lucy?’
    Curious as to what Xanthe wanted, Lucy joined her. Xanthe’s eyes were serious. ‘You used your powers really well,’ she said, taking Lucy’s hand. ‘We wouldn’t have been able to stop the rain without you. Your magic is getting stronger all the time.’
    Lucy hadn’t really thought about it, but now she realized Xanthe was right. A year ago she had always had to concentrate hard to do magic, but now, when she was a stardust spirit, she coulddo magic almost without thinking. ‘I suppose it is,’ she said.
    â€˜Do you remember you once asked me what Dan meant when he called you the Last of the Summer Spirits?’ Xanthe said.
    Lucy nodded. Dan was a dark spirit she had met at Easter time. He had tried to use her to draw down stardust from the skies. Lucy had managed to fight him off and the battle between them had left him severely weakened. But as he had flown away he had vowed he would see her again and had called her the Last of the Summer Spirits. ‘I asked you what he meant, but you wouldn’t tell me,’ she said to Xanthe.
    â€˜No,’ Xanthe said. ‘I thought you’d had enough to deal with that night. But now…’ She squeezed Lucy’s hand. ‘I think it’s time that you learned the truth.’

CHAPTER
Two
    Xanthe’s eyes were grave. ‘There have been no new summer spirits since you became one last year, Lucy,’ she said.
    Lucy stared at her. She knew that there hadn’t been any other summer spirits in their