Read Online [Half/Time 01] Half Upon a Time by James Riley - Free Book Online Page B

which tipped the broom.Jack tapped her on the shoulder more and more urgently until she leaned back. “I’ve been on roller coasters higher than this.”
    “Good to hear,” Jack said, fixing his eyes on the horizon, not really caring about her rolling coasts or whatever.
    The moon lit up the cloudless night despite its only being half-full, and the whole land unfolded before them. If the moon didn’t eat soon, it’d risk fading away completely, but from what Jack had seen, it never learned, disappearing from view at least once a month.
    Now that he could see where they were, Jack glanced around for any landmarks he might recognize. The forest extended in all directions, and there was no sign of a road or path. Giving up on landmarks, Jack started looking for the nearest farm or town, anything with people who could give them directions. He couldn’t find one of those, but he did see the turrets of a castle peeking out above the trees up ahead. A castle meant royalty, but at least the royals wouldn’t try to eat them.
    A low standard, yes, but an important one.
    “See?” May said, pointing down as she twisted back to look at him. “
Now
we’re getting high.”
    Jack looked to where she pointed and almost toppled off the broom. They hadn’t stopped rising, and now they were so highJack could barely make out individual trees below them. “Broom!” Jack yelled, his voice cracking. “Stop going up! Go forward!”
    The broom ignored him.
    “Broom!” May shouted. “Stop rising, and fly straight ahead!”
    Instantly, the broom stopped rising and began to inch forward.
    May turned around and smiled. “It likes me better,” she said, and the broom purred beneath them.
    Jack sighed, happy not to be flying any higher. “It’s probably used to listening to the witch. Maybe you remind it of her.”
    She glared at him. “You want me to tell it to drop you?”
    “I take it all back,” he said quickly, not willing to test if May was joking or not. “You’re wonderful and beautiful and amazing.”
    “That’s what I thought,” May said and turned back around.
    “Point it toward that castle over there,” Jack said, and she pulled on the handle until they were pointed at the large stone fortress.
    And just like that, they were off … if by off, one meant moving along at about a slug’s pace. And not the pace of one of those magic slugs that were larger than a horse, with super-slick oil that they skated on top of, either. Granted, their oil was valuable, since it kept metal hinges from sticking, but still.
    “I’m going to give it some gas!” May yelled, interrupting Jack’sslug-oil musings. Before he could wonder what she meant by gas, the princess leaned back to brace herself, an act that almost made Jack lose his balance again.
    “Stay still!” he hissed at her, his heart in his throat. “I almost fell off!”
    “Oh, calm down,” she said, reaching an arm behind her to hold on to him. “Ready now? Broom! Fly forward as
fast
as you can. Ready?
Go
!”
    Jack doubled his grip on May, locking his hands around her stomach and his knees around the bottom of the broom.
    It wasn’t enough.
    The broom bolted forward like lightning, faster than a galloping horse … faster than a winged horse, even. At that speed, they were going fast enough to pass the castle that’d been several days’ walk away in less than a second.
    At that speed, they were also going fast enough to send Jack tumbling right off the back of the broom.

Chapter 12
    “J
ack!”
May shouted as he flew off the broom. She threw herself backward, both arms desperately reaching for him, hanging from the broom with just her knees.
    While her left hand missed completely, her right hand grazed his shirt, a fraction of an inch from grabbing it.
    Jack’s flailing arms fortunately made up the difference. He grabbed on to May’s right arm with both hands, almost yanking her off the broom as well.
    Jack locked his fingers around May’s arm with a