Cloud Quest

By Allie Little

Elizabella wants nothing more than to save her idyllic village from ruthless witch Gorgonia. But when she is chosen by the enigmatic Oracle to embark on a quest to do just that, everything she believes will be tested.

Join Elizabella and her brother Cato on a fantastic journey to thwart the witch who haunts them. In a moment of vengeance, Gorgonia casts a spell upon the clouds. Can Elizabella save her village from the witch's cruel spell and prove herself worthy of being chosen to do so?

A village under threat...

A dangerous quest...

And one young girl who must save them all!

Cloud Quest is a fantasy quest adventure story for 8-12 year olds.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Allie Little
• Release date: Aug 15, 2013
• ISBN: 9781301791910

Allie Little

Allie is a Sydney-based writer who believes in the boundless possibilities of imagination and in telling stories that resonate with the heart. Allie writes about love, relationships, and the obstacles that life seems to throw in our way. Allie is the author of FALLING AWAY, a young adult coastal romance published in 2014, and CLOUD QUEST, a fantasy quest adventure story for middle-grade readers. Born and raised in Sydney, Allie graduated from the University of Sydney in 1993 with a Bachelor of Arts. After working in publishing for a few years, Allie returned to university and in 1998 graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work (Hons). Juggling motherhood, part-time work, and mostly nocturnal writing habits, Allie has a penchant for drinking way too many Chai lattes, and loves to eat chocolate-covered almonds as if they're the last food available on the planet. And when Allie's not writing or wrangling children, she's reading - another stubborn addiction that simply refuses to go away!

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Cloud Quest

Copyright ©Allie Little 2013

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved. Without limiting the rights under copyright above, no part of this publication shall be reproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise) without the prior permission of the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are products of the author’s imagination, or the author has used them fictitiously.

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be resold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each person that you share it with. Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Cover design and book formatting by Stephannie Beman http://stephanniebeman.com/portfolio

Cover image ©Ateliersommerland ®Dreamstime.com

For Chloe and Sophie

Table of Contents

Chapter 1 – The Spell

Chapter 2 – The Journey Begins

Chapter 3 – The Oracle

Chapter 4 – The Lessons

Chapter 5 – To the Desert

Chapter 6 - Into the Sand

Chapter 7 – The Lights of Harena

Chapter 8 – The Keeper of the City

Chapter 9 – The Golden Princess

Chapter 10 – The Stone

Chapter 11 – Leaving Harena

Chapter 12 – To the Sea

Chapter 13 – The Beach

Chapter 14 – The Wish

Epilogue

Chapter 1 - The Spell

If I’d ever thought about leaving Aequor, I never could have imagined the places I’d see. I sat beside the River Marl, watching water in the riverbed rush to the sea. The day was cloudless and an indigo sky broke the patchwork of leaves. Pale sunlight slanted through the trunks, my faded clothes blending with the thickly twisted trees.

A twig cracked sharply and I turned. Through the green haze of the forest I saw Junius, graceful and white, with a smile in his eyes and flowers in his mane.

Junius! I called. He whinnied lightly, tossing his head in the breeze.

I put my hand on the pony’s shoulder and vaulted onto his back.

Go! I said softly, and he bunched his haunches and sprang forward with a will. We galloped downhill, fast through the forest, toward the flat plains of Aequor sitting low under the sky. The plains were fringed with white sandy beaches and foaming waves that crashed through the night.

I rode to where the river joined the sea. Swirling currents fought against the tide, and sunlight shimmered like diamonds out to the horizon. Beyond the waves were Aequor’s headlands, mythical in the mist rising silently to the sky.

Aequor was beautiful. No-one could deny that.

An onshore wind blew hard over the sand. Waves arced south along the beach, with seagrels diving headlong into the blue. I laughed to see them rise with their catch.

The birds, Junius! Did you see them? A fine spray rose from the sea as each bird hit the water, and Junius snorted.

A voice drifted faintly and I turned to see my father, Finnius, beckoning me in the distance. I rode to the dunes to greet him.

He gave me a tight smile as I approached. "Elizabella, I have called a meeting. Can you be there?’ he said. There was urgency to his tone.

Of course, Father. Why do we meet?

Trouble with Gorgonia. The witch has cast a spell preventing rain from reaching us, he replied. Without water for the Marl, there are fears for Aequor.

But why would she do this? I asked.

Aequor had suffered fierce storms at the bony hand of the witch, heavy with lashing rain and crashing thunder, and days where searing heat was unbearable on the plains. But a lack of water for Aequor? A flutter of nerves feathered below my ribs.

Come child, we will speak more of this at the meeting.

I was both surprised and a little afraid, wondering at the reason for the spell. It was certainly out of character for the witch in the sky.

Finnius continued. We know Gorgonia has been building from a mild annoyance to a burdening curse of late. I am hopeful we will be able to stop her spells. They are becoming darker.

I nodded. There must be a way. My mind raced with repercussions. I knew without water Aequor could not survive, and the thought frightened me.

This is what we will discuss, replied Finnius. Understandably our people are afraid, so we must act.

I swung off Junius, landing with both feet in the sand. I walked the track from the beach to the plains. Dune grasses shivered and the sand felt hot beneath my feet. When we drew nearer to the village I saw plumes of smoke rising into the air, the scent of cooking wafting over us. The villagers were gathering amongst the hamlet of cork-huts, milling about the dancing fires. They huddled and chatted, but there was no sweet laughter. The round cork-huts were empty, their peaked thatches trailing smoke from their tips in the breeze.

My father, the mayor of the village, stood in front of the people. I sat with my brother Cato and waited for news. A hush fell like a blanket of silence.

People of Aequor, we have news of Gorgonia, he announced loudly. It is unwelcome news I am afraid, and news we cannot ignore. My statuesque father seemed grim, his brow furrowed with concern.

Before he could continue the ground shook fiercely and the face of Gorgonia appeared suddenly as if summoned, rising from the twisting mists. A single eye in the centre of her forehead glared green, pulsing with anger, and grey hair fell like thick ropes about her face. She laughed mercilessly and screeched into the sky, her voice resonating across the plains.

Aequor! she called us jauntily to attention.

My body jolted. That voice I would never get used to.

"A spell is upon your clouds - they are cursed in