The djinni turned to her, and she asked excitedly, “Djinni, can you throw me as high into the air as you can and catch me?”
“As you command,” it answered. And quite effortlessly, it tossed Katherine so high that the villagers lost sight of her. They peered into the sky worriedly, North using a telescope of his own design.
“There she is!” he said at last, pointing to the small bank of clouds Katherine was gleefully skimming over.
Though the others watched uneasily, Katherine was delighted by her sudden journey into the atmosphere. She’d soared above the tallest trees in Santoff Claussen and passed a flock of startled geese. She soared higher than she had even imagined; below her, Santoff Claussen looked rather small, and the outside world very large and inviting. She trusted the djinni to catch her—after all, North had made it.
[...]
Whereas going up had been a delicious mix of terror and glee for Katherine, falling the rest of the way back down was entirely different. She was so deep in thought about the strange enchanted boy that she was barely aware that she was hurtling toward Earth. Nor did she notice Ombric emerge from Big Root, lean on his staff, and watch. She landed—to North’s great relief—gently and comfortably in the djinni’s outstretched arms. A wisp of wind touched her cheek, and she glanced up toward the small cloud once more.
Nicholas Saint North and the Battle of the Nightmare King Chapter 15
