Chapter 9

CHAPTER 9 As everyone cleared a space around Feather, Aisha let out a squeal. "Lily, your hair! You've bonded with Feather." Lily lifted the violet-yellow-and-blue strand in her black hair and stared at it in wonder. Feather nuzzled her face against Lily's. "Three cheers for Lily and Feather! The first partners at Unicorn Academy to find their magic and bond! Hip, hip, hooray!" Phoebe cried. As the cheering died away, the sky suddenly darkened and a breeze sprang up from nowhere. Empty buckets clattered across the yard. "It's the tornado!" said Zara. "It's coming! Into the stables, everyone!" Lily took a deep breath as the others started hurrying inside. "This is it, Feather." Feather lifted her head. "I'm going to save the academy, Lily!"

Lily placed a hand on her neck. "And I'm going to be right here with you." The wind grew stronger, tossing Lily's hair and Feather's mane around. There was a roaring noise that quickly grew louder. In the distance, Lily saw a blur of purple coming across the grounds toward the school buildings. The trees began to bend, their branches whipping back and forth. Twigs snapped off and flew in the air. Lily, standing shoulder to shoulder with Feather, ducked as bits of trees and bushes whirled past her and the wind screamed in her ears. The tornado continued to grow, towering in the air as it headed toward the academy. It glittered dully as it spun closer, leaving purple dust on the grounds and Sparkle Lake. The stench of bad magic hung in the air. It tickled the back of Lily's throat, making her cough and her eyes water. Feather, her gaze fixed on the tornado, muttered, "I can do this."

"You can!" Lily said hoarsely. "I know you can!" She wiped her eyes. The tornado was so close —any minute now it would hit them…. Lily blinked. The tornado looked like it was hesitating. Was it turning away from the school? No, it was definitely moving, slowly changing course, heading toward the mountains and out to the ocean. "It's working!" she cried, stroking Feather's neck.

"Don't give up, Feather." "Stay beside me, Lily," Feather panted. "Keep talking to me. It helps." "I'm not going anywhere." Lily continued to stroke Feather's neck as she focused her magic to move the tornado. "I know you're strong enough to do this." The tornado moved even farther away. "It's almost gone!" she exclaimed. "Keep going, Feather." The towering purple tornado rose over the highest mountain peak, wobbling as it moved away. Then, suddenly, a man's voice boomed from the sky. His words were strong at first, but faded away as the tornado spun out to sea. "You think you can stop me, but you can't. I will…" His voice disappeared into the howling wind. Feather's body trembled and her legs sagged. "You did it, Feather!" Lily cried. Zara, Phoebe, and Aisha ran out of the stables. "Did you hear that man's voice?" asked Zara, pulling out her notebook. "What did it say? 'You think you can stop me, but you can't….' What else did he say?" Everyone shook their heads. No one had heard the rest of the words.

"I have no idea what this means," said Zara, her mouth set in a determined line, "but at least we know now that the person behind these tornadoes is a man. I'm going to find out more!" "We'll all help, won't we?" said Aisha. "If we don't find out who did this, they could do it again! Raise your hand if you're in." Lily, Zara, Phoebe, and Aisha all raised their hands. "Amethyst dorm will find the culprit!" chanted Phoebe. "Amethyst dorm is the best!" Everyone else started to spill out of the stables. At the same moment, Lily heard the sound of beating hooves. "It's the teachers!" she said, spinning around to look. Ms. Nettles, closely followed by the rest of the staff, galloped up. "Is everyone all right?" Ms. Nettles demanded. "What happened? We saw the tornado heading toward the school, and we came back as fast as we could. Where did it go?" All eyes turned to Lily and Feather, and Lily felt her face flood with color. Feather nodded as if to say, "You can do this." Lily took a deep breath,

but as she started to speak, Skye stepped forward. "We were all indoors when—" "Be quiet, Skye," said Zara. "Let Lily and Feather speak if they want to! It's their story," Aisha said. Lily smiled gratefully at her new friends. She paused for another moment, then told the story. Ms. Nettles listened carefully as Lily retold their adventures, from tracking the storm on the magic map to Feather stopping it. "Thank you for saving the academy, Feather, and to you, Lily, for encouraging her and standing with her. If you hadn't been there for her, her magic wouldn't have been strong enough. It's the bond between a unicorn and their partner that gives the unicorn's magic added power and strength," said Ms. Nettles. "I'm delighted you have bonded and discovered Feather's magic. I told you the other day that guardians all have different strengths. But the one quality all guardians share is bravery, and you have certainly shown that today." "I— I'm not brave," stammered Lily. Ms. Nettles's eyes seemed to see right inside her. "You are, my dear. Bravery is not about who shouts the loudest. It's about doing what you know