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the radio was on, the table was set out with cereal boxes, bowls and plates.
    Her dad frowned as she appeared in the doorway. ‘Are you OK, sweetheart? You look very pale.’
    â€˜I had a nightmare,’ Lucy said, going over to him.
    Her dad hugged her. ‘A bad one?’ Lucy nodded.
    â€˜What was it about?’ her mum asked.

    â€˜It was about being chased and things,’ Lucy said vaguely.
    â€˜Don’t worry about it,’ her dad said. ‘It was just a dream.’ He pulled her close.
    Lucy leaned her head against her dad’s shoulder. He felt warm and strong. She wished she could tell him about the dark spirits – about how scared she was, and how worried. She shut her eyes, but the strange figures still lurked in the back of her mind.

CHAPTER
Six
    It was half term that week so although it was a Sunday night, Lucy was allowed to stay at Allegra’s again. As they ate supper – French bread with cheese and salad – Xanthe told them her news. ‘I was speaking to some of the other adults today and we’ve decided that with all these storms and strange stuff going on, we could do with having some fun so we’re going to celebrate the rising of Leo in the skies,’ she explained to Lucy.
    â€˜We will have a feast in six days’ time.’
    Lucy and Allegra exchanged excited looks.
A feast!
    â€˜How does that sound?’ Xanthe said.
    â€˜Brilliant!’ they chorused.
    â€˜Can we tell the others?’ Allegra asked.
    Xanthe nodded. ‘Of course.’
    When they got to the clearing that night, Emma asked Lucy and Allegra if they would go and check on a pair of kingfishers who were nesting in the riverbank downstream from the otters. They headed off together.
    The kingfishers were nesting in a sandy burrow in the riverbank. They both seemed healthy and the rain had not damaged their burrow. On the way back to the main clearing, Lucy and Allegra stopped to check on the ottersand the badgers too. The badger cubs were gambolling in the moonlight and the mother badger was watching them. The otters were diving in and out of the river.
    â€˜Everything looks just fine,’ Allegra said happily. ‘And there’s no clouds around so hopefully it’s not going to rain any more.’
    They flew back. When they reached the clearing, they saw Robyn had arrived. She was laughing with Martha and Katie, two teenage stardust spirits.
    â€˜Where have you been?’ Robyn called.
    â€˜The river.’ Allegra explained what they’d been doing.
    â€˜I love kingfishers. I wish I could’ve come, but Mum wanted me to have a lesson so we were a bit late,’ Robyn said.
    â€˜Your magic’s amazing, Robyn,’ Marthasaid. She glanced at Allegra and Lucy. ‘Robyn made a fire in the shape of a ball just now.’
    â€˜It was cool,’ Katie said.

    Just then some of Martha and Katie’s friends arrived in the clearing. ‘See you later, Robyn,’ Martha said.
    â€˜Later!’ Robyn smiled.
    As the older girls flew off, Ella chased Faye into the clearing. ‘Tick!’ she gasped as she ticked Faye’s leg.
    Faye giggled. ‘OK. You got me.’
    â€˜Let’s play magic tick,’ Lucy suggested. She turned to Robyn. ‘Magic tick is where you can use your magic to get away from the people who are it. When you get caught, you have to help the person who’s it until everyone’s been caught.’
    Joanna came flying over and caught the last of Lucy’s words. ‘Sounds like a fun game.’
    â€˜It is,’ Lucy told her. ‘You can play too if you want, Joanna.’
    Joanna smiled. ‘Thanks for the offer, but I think I’ll sit this one out!’
    â€˜I’ll be it,’ Allegra announced. She started to count. ‘One, two, three…’ The others scattered. Allegra finished counting very quickly and raced after them. Ella was the closest to her. Shetried