Dana Ilic and the Shadow Door (Lightwielder Chronicles #1) | ✔️

7| We Piggyback Cloud Ponies

"I forgot to mention to Gamayun that I hate flyinnnnnnnng!" The final syllable of Max' scream got lost in the speed at which we were whooshing forward.

"I don't think she would care either way!" I yelled at him through rush of the wind. My hair was darting around my face in wild, disobedient streaks.

We both had our legs wrapped around the cloudlets that had acted as our chairs in the throne room. Now, they were our cloud ponies we got to ride to our destination.

I was super grateful for the protective bubbles shielding us from the air currents. The fluffy things flew faster than any airplane I'd ever been on!

Gamayun had told us the cloudlets would carry us anywhere. And she had added we'd have to go straight to Washington DC, Zhara's Tootie Frootie shop.

First, they had ferried us out of the throne room. As soon as we had abandoned the Chardak, translucent bubbles formed around our bodies. Max's was elegant, pale blue, and mine a faint yellow, banana-coloured thingie.

"What are these for, what do you think?" His voice was muffled.

"Dunno." I shrugged. "They look like some kind of... shield? Or a barrier? Maybe they're there to help us breathe in the air?"

He tentatively touched the membrane of his bubble, and it disappeared.

"Oh no! What happened?" Max shrieked. "Comebackcomebackcomeback!"

His bubble returned.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa?! How did you do that?" I mimicked his move, tapping my bubble.

It vanished.

I focused, imagining it back around me.

It returned.

"We can actually control them? Aww, it's so warm to the touch." I pressed both my palms to the barrier, this time focusing on it staying there.

It didn't peter out.

"Mine is cool," Max said. "As in both cool and cold." He stuck his tongue out at me. "Maybe it's one of our powers, what do you think?"

"For sure. Well I'm glad mine emits some warmth! I had been freezing in that Throne Chamber. You'd think gods being who they are can spend some cash on the heating."

"I'm almost never cold," Max said. "Guess we know why now."

"Ooh, what do you think Zhara's like?" I wondered out loud. "Gamayun said she was her sister?"

"Sheesh, I hope she's not as uptight as Gamayun." Max snorted. "You shall go here, and you shall perform this ritual!"

His imitation of Gamayun's voice was so perfect that a coughing fit shook me.

"She was super nice to us, though." I patted the mini mop in my pocket to make sure it was still there.

No one but my mama had ever given me a present before.

"What do you figure, how much further till DC?" Max peered down the grey curtain of clouds. "Err, I don't feel so good. We're so high up." He gulped.

"Maybe there's a way in which we can speed things up?"

A brilliant idea passed through my head.

'Hey, what if I...?" Instead of using the cloud as a bench, I stood up, flailing my hands left and right until I achieved the perfect balance.

"D, what are you doing? I'm getting queasy just from watching you. Don't you think it'd be better if you sat d..."

His voice faded into background, and I pulled my hoodie off my head, closing my eyes. I stretched out my arms and took in a deep breath, letting my hair flow in the wind.