A sea of lights glimmered in the distance, drawing me from my bleak thoughts.
“The Celestial Kingdom,” Ping’er whispered.
As a sudden gust sprang up, she glanced over her shoulder, the color draining from her face. I whirled, my gaze probing the night. A large cloud soared toward us, the shadowy forms of six immortals upon it. Their armor gleamed white and gold, although their features were obscured by the dark.
“Soldiers!” Ping’er gasped.
My heart hammered. “Are they searching for us?”
She pulled me behind her. “They wear Celestial armor. They must be here at the empress’s command. Stay down! Hide! I’ll try to outrun them.”
I pressed myself down as flat as I could, burying myself in the cool tendrils of the cloud. Part of me was glad to not see the soldiers, and yet my skin crawled with dread of the unknown. Ping’er’s eyes were closed as a thin stream of light shot from her palm. Until tonight, I had never seen her use magic—perhaps, there had been no need for it before. Our cloud dashed onward, but all too soon slowed again.
Sweat beaded her skin. “I can’t make it go faster; I’m not strong enough. If they catch us . . . they’ll discover who we are.”
“Are they near?” I twisted to peer behind, wishing I had not.
Steel glinted from the soldiers’ hands, drawing ever closer. Soon, they would overtake us. Someone might recognize Ping’er, questions would be asked. I was a clumsy liar, without the practice which welled from need—one stern look from my mother was enough to spill the truth from my tongue. Monstrous visions crowded my mind: of soldiers storming through my home, dragging my mother away in chains. A crackling whip of lightning lashed across her back, splitting her skin as blood spattered the white silk of her robe. I gagged, hot bile rising in my throat.
My nails dug into the flesh of my palm. I could not let them catch us. I could not let my mother and Ping’er be hurt. But weak as I was, there was only one thing I could think of, which might very well be the last thing I ever did.
Gritting my teeth until they ached, I forced the words out. “Ping’er, set me down here.”
She stared at me as though I had lost my mind. “No, this is the Celestial Kingdom! We must reach the Southern Sea. We must—”
My calm shattered. I tugged her arm with a frantic strength, pulling her down. “We can’t outrun them. Once they capture us, they’ll punish us all. I . . . I think we should split up. You must stay on the cloud; I can’t control it. Ping’er, at least this way we have a chance!” What choice did we have? None which might give us both a hope of escaping. Yet, try as I might, I could not stop myself from trembling.
She shook her head, but I pressed on. “I’ll be safe in the Celestial Kingdom, as long as they don’t realize who I am. I promised Mother I wouldn’t tell anyone, and I won’t. I’ll find someplace to hide. Maybe you can outrun the soldiers without me?” My words fell out in a rush. In a moment it would be too late, the decision wrenched from us.
Fire blazed through the night, streaking toward us. It struck, our cloud shuddering as it swerved sharply. Heat flashed over my skin as Ping’er raised her hand, gleaming with light which extinguished the flames. With a cry, she fell beside me.
“They’re attacking,” she said in disbelief, even as she pressed her glowing palms into the cloud, speeding it along.
Terror gripped me but I could not succumb. Not now, when every second mattered. “Ping’er, it’s the only way. We can’t let them catch us.” I spoke firmly, urgently—no longer a child pleading to be heard. “This is my choice, too.”
Something hardened over her face then, a grim determination. She pointed to a thick cloudbank in the distance. “Over there—I’ll drop down as low as I can. I’ll shield you from the fall.”
Despite her reassuring words, something unsettled me. Her breathing came harsh and labored. Her skin was damp to my touch. Was she sick? Impossible. Immortals did not suffer such ailments. “Ping’er, are you hurt? Did the fire—”
“Just a little tired. Nothing to worry yourself over.”
I rolled on my side, peering over the edge as the cloud hurtled on. My mind leapt to the perils ahead—beyond the emptiness beneath, to those glittering lights weaving across the darkness. Beautiful. Terrifying. Scrambling up, I threw my arms around Ping’er, hugging her tight. Wishing I did not have to let go. Wishing for so many things, none of which would ever come to pass.
She clutched me with a raw desperation as we dove into the cloudbank. Droplets of icy water brushed my skin, the moisture clinging to my clothes. As we plunged lower, the chill bit deep, right into my bones. My legs quivered as I uncoiled them to stand. Ping’er’s skin was like ash gone cold as she wrapped an arm across my shoulder. The air shimmered as a feathery tingle glided over me.
“The shield will cushion your fall. But you might still feel pain and you must be careful at all times.” Her hands shook as she slung my small bag over my arm.
“Will you try to return? Once the danger passes?” I clung to this frail hope, trying to gather the scraps of my courage. Trying not to fall apart.
Tears pooled in her eyes. “Of course. But if I don’t—”
“I’ll find my way back. One day, when it’s safe to,” I said quickly, to assure us both.
“You will. You must, for your mother.” She drew a sharp breath. “Are you ready?”
I was wound so tight I thought I might snap. No, I would never be ready . . . to leap into this unknown, to sever this final cord to my home. But if I didn’t leave now, if I yielded to my clawing panic, if I let myself sink into the shadow of doubt—what little resolve remained would vanish. Facing her, I forced my stiff legs to take a step back to the edge. I would rather see her a hundred times over than the gaping hollow below.
“Now!” She cried out in a sudden burst of strength, her eyes blazing.
My legs staggered back—just as Ping’er’s head rolled to the side and she collapsed into a crumpled heap upon the cloud. But I was falling, too, through the black void of the sky. The wind struck all thought from me, swallowing the cry that erupted from my throat, whipping my face and limbs until they were raw. My clothes sucked forward in a cloud of silk. I could not breathe through the air slamming against me, my lungs afire. A roaring in my ears blocked out everything except my pounding heart.
Yet ahead of me, shrinking to a speck was Ping’er’s cloud, gone still. Her body was huddled where she had fallen. Had she fainted? Move! I screamed in a soundless cry, as the soldiers raced toward her. Terror shriveled my insides as I stretched out my hands—a futile gesture—grasping wildly at . . . at something within me. My skin tingled, hot then cold, as a glittering surge of air hurtled across the emptiness toward Ping’er’s cloud. It shimmered brightly, before bolting away, vanishing into the distant horizon.
I crashed into the ground, pain erupting across my body. The air knocked from my chest, I could only lie there as tears flowed from my eyes, mingling with the sweat that slicked my skin. A weariness gripped me. As my fingers grasped soft grass beneath me, I drew a trembling breath, the scent of flowers filling my nostrils. Sweet, yet I was numb to it. Pressing my palms to the ground, I pushed myself up—sore and aching—but otherwise unharmed. Ping’er’s enchantment had shielded me from the worst of the fall.