Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 123779 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 619(@200wpm)___ 495(@250wpm)___ 413(@300wpm)
“We can’t travel by waterfall,” I mention. “I originally planned to go to Fish Creek Falls, but I had a vision just as I shifted and ended up in Jason’s pond.”
“What?” Worry instantly tightens Raighne’s features as he stares at me. “You could’ve been killed.”
Yeah, I didn’t think about that. It would’ve sucked ass if I had a vision of anything that didn’t have a body of water.
“Raighne’s right,” Brenna agrees. “She could’ve died if that vision was any different.”
“I have a pilot's license,” Jason mentions. “We can find an airfield and hire a plane.”
It’s our turn to stare at him.
“What? I’m a man of many talents,” he mutters. “Alchera didn’t just dream me up for no reason, you know.”
A smile forms on my face, then I ask, “Are you a professional pilot?”
He shakes his head. “No, I’m a veterinarian, but sometimes I need to fly out to farms to check on livestock.”
“Makes sense,” I say. “Let’s go to the nearest airfield.”
Jason checks on Google Maps, searching for one that has planes for hire, before he starts the engine and drives away from the motel.
It’s early in the morning, and the roads are practically empty as we drive to our destination.
“We’re going to have a problem if we can’t use a waterfall,” Finian mentions. “Flying all over the world will take time we don’t have.”
“Why are waterfalls important?” Jason asks.
“We travel through them,” Finian replies.
The car swerves before Jason regains control, and he shoots a you-must-be-crazy look at Finian. “You’re shitting me, right?”
“Nope,” I say from the backseat. “It’s all going to take some getting used to, but we travel through waterfalls, and if your mind’s not blown enough, some of the people on Vaalbara have powers.”
“Like superhero stuff?” Jason asks, the expression on his face telling us he doesn’t believe a word we’re saying.
He pulls the station wagon over to the side of the road then glances at us. “Powers? Show me.”
Finian opens his hand, and a second later, a white light starts to glow. He squashes it quickly, then explains, “I have the ability to stun someone with a streak of electricity.”
“My brother, Raighne,” he tips his head to the back seat, “can move objects, and my twin can levitate almost anything.”
“Holy fuck,” Jason mutters, shaking his head in disbelief. “This is all a little too much to process, so I’m just going to pretend you’re all normal.”
He steers the car back onto the road, and silence fills the cab as we continue to drive.
“It’s for your safety,” Brenna says. “We’re all here to get you to Vaalbara in one piece, so you don’t have to be afraid of us.”
“Ah-hah…” Jason mumbles before switching on the radio just in time to catch the tail end of a news broadcast.
‘… uncontrollable fire is destroying parts of the Amazon forest. Everything is being done to stop it from spreading. And in other news just in, more than twenty whales have beached on the shores of Norway, causing chaos as rescue teams try to move them back into the ocean. Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power station is unstable after another earthquake struck off the coast of Iwaki.”
“Jesus,” Jason mutters before turning off the radio. “Usually, I’d care about world news, but right now, I’m a little too stressed.”
I glance at Brenna and whisper, “Has it started?”
She nods, worry tightening her features.
Twenty minutes later when we reach the airfield, we wait near a hangar while Jason makes the arrangements to hire a plane.
I’m glancing around at the area when Jason comes into the hangar, an anxious expression on his face. “Let’s go.”
He leads us to a medium-sized plane, and just looking at it makes my stomach turn with nerves.
“I need someone up front to help me fly this baby. Who’s the fastest learner?” Jason eyes Finian and Raighne.
It’s literally the last thing I want to hear before boarding a plane for the first time in my life.
“I will,” Finian says. “I want to know what’s going on at all times.”
When we board the small eight-seater, everyone’s too damn calm. Am I the only one nervous about flying?
“We’ll be okay,” Raighne tells me mentally as he makes sure my safety belt is strapped on tight.
“Uh-huh,” I mutter.
It takes a few minutes before we taxi down the short runway, and when the plane leaves the ground, I shut my eyes while my stomach rolls with queasy waves.
I open my eyes again, and a wave of confusion washes over me. I’m looking up at enormous buildings. Skyscrapers made of crystal-clear glass shimmer in the sunlight as they rise to great heights.
People are going about their business when the ground starts to shake forcefully beneath my feet. I try to find my balance, but the ground is shuddering so severely that I fall backward, landing on my butt.