Crystal Compass Book 1: Part 4: Camp NaNo July2014

“Tea?” She asked, poking her head around the corner and looking at the guy who, despite looking like he was in his twenties was probably about three to four hundred years old. When Sam nodded she went back to making a pot. “I know I can Sam, but it’s getting ridiculous. I thought a Haven was supposed to be neutral ground. Safe, for the inhabitants and for the immortal who visit? Faebeasts are not safe.”

“I’ll have a word with Si Ren.” Sam promised, “But her and her Fae don’t hold themselves beholden to the same rules as the rest of us, they never have.”

“Different Compass.” Twilight frowned slightly. The Crystal Compass, the organisation of Immortals that Sam and Jack belonged to was the purview of the nature spirits and those Immortals whose powers related to the way the world worked. Each direction belonged to a Season. The north belonged to Winter, the east to Spring, south to Summer and West to Sam’s Autumn. Each direction had two leaders. The Kings or Queens who kept the seasons running smoothly and the Protectors, who were supposed to be the ones keeping the peace. They were the ones who were supposed to organise the Monster Hunters and keep a watchful eye on the elemental Immortals who refused a place in the compass and went out of their way to cause harm to the mortals that shared their world.

Si Ren and her following belonged to the other Compass, the Dark Compass. The one that was full of Immortals who were born of myths and tales. Some of whom even had been around as a species in the days when mankind had still been evolving as a race. They had Kings and Queens too, those who best exemplified the seven sins ruled the Dark Compass and were supposed to keep their people from going too far off of the rails.

Si Ren was the Queen of Lust. She was also the one who had invaded the home of the Fae King, who had refused to follow any Compass’s rules and hated mortals and immortals alike and forced him to bow to her. Twilight was mostly convinced that the Fae King was causing deliberately sending his beasts into a Haven’s territory purely because he knew it would get her into trouble and he would not be blamed for the actions of ‘mindless beasts.’ It seemed like something he would do.

That did not mean that she had to like it. She was willing to fight to protect her home and the people in it, but she was, as Sam had reminded her, mortal. The crossbow he had given her helped, but to the faebeast the only reason the bolts would have been gnat bites if they had not been cold iron and laced with salt. She and the entire village could have been in real trouble if it had not been for Elena, the Spring Protector.

That was one of the many dangers of having one foot in the human world and one in the realm of the immortals. Getting caught up in the politics was never fun. She normally tried to let it pass her by. It was certainly easier to ignore the politics than it was the monsters that came through town.

Not that faebeasts were her only concern. They were not the only creatures who liked to go bump in the night. It had been a shock to her system to realise that all the tales her grandmother had told her were true and the monsters under the bed were quite real. Still, none of that related to the fact that there had been a faebeast roaming her village.

“I’m fine anyway.” She reassured Sam as she picked up the tray, upon which were two mugs and a teapot, “And hey, it’ll be Ukko and Fawkes’s issue soon. Maybe you should have words with them so they know to keep an eye out...” She let out a huff when she realised Sam had already left without saying a word. “A goodbye would be nice.” She scolded, though she knew the Autumn King could not hear her.

Crystal Compass Book 1 - Part 3 - CampNano Part 3

“Hey.” Twilight tried not to react to the voice behind her too much, but smiled slightly as she continued to unhitch her vehicle, “Miss me?”

Her smile widened as she felt the warm, slightly stormy atmosphere behind her and recognised the dark skinned hand on her shoulder, “You’re out of season, Sam. It’s not even Summer yet.” She warned him, “Haven or not, April will have your hide if she catches you.”

A young man in his late teens or early twenties, all dark brown skin, shaggy brown hair and piercing green eyes, wrapped in tattered coverings of autumn browns and oranges, moved between her and the moped, an amused smirk gracing his features. “It’s Handover. If April notices anything outside of the Palace of the Dawn, I’ll eat my hat.”

“You don’t wear a hat.” Twilight snorted at him, stepping around the immortal King of Autumn and her best friend’s ally in mischief and mayhem.

“Yes, I do, remember?” Sam asked, letting his illusion drop just long enough to startle the young woman. The half skeletal satyr, with his wide brimmed straw hat, dark furred legs and his creepy, wide grin, only resembled his other form in one way. Those piercing green eyes followed a cussing Twilight as she shoved her helmet on.

“Sam Hain, I swear I will kick you in the nuts the next time you do that without warning.” Twilight huffed as she flicked her eyeguard up so she could glower at him.

“You can’t hurt me.” Sam chuckled, his illusion going back up, his goal achieved.

“If I can see you, I can hit you.” She reminded him, “It’s the one advantage to having to deal with you lunatics. And the only way I can keep the monsters out of town.”

“You’re having trouble again?” Sam’s joking tone vanished, a scowl gracing his normally jovial features.

“Meet me at the house, I’ll tell you about it.” Twilight promised, before walking her bike into the road. She had a moment of envy as Sam vanished in a swirl of warm winds and fallen leaves, knowing that he would be waiting for her when she got home.

It took her two attempts to get her bike started but once it was going it ran like a dream. She had been lucky with the purchase. It had been a second hand bike when she had picked it up cheap from a lady whose husband had no longer been around. It had come with all the paperwork and taxed and MOT’d for almost a year, the lady just had not wanted it in the garage anymore. Twilight was not going to complain.

She rode around the village square, noting the fact that the American family were still in town and were looking at a map of some kind, as she shot past them. She didn’t get a good look at the family as she carefully turned onto the main road that led out of the village.

Her cottage was not very far from the library, only a ten minute drive and one turning off the main road at most, but her closest neighbours lived a five minute walk away so it did not matter what she got up to there. The guests who frequented the property could get up to almost whatever they wanted without disturbing anyone.

She smiled as she turned the corner to her home and Seaview Cottage came into view. She had inherited the old, rustic bungalow from her grandparents when they had passed away. It stood on the top of a cliff overlooking a small spit of beach.

The building itself was rather typical of the way the village itself was built. With its whitewashed walls and thatched roof it looked almost as old as the rest of the buildings in the local area. The only thing that was new about it was the plastic and glass conservatory attached to the living room, which had been an addition made not long before she had inherited it.

Its windows looked out onto the garden, which as per usual, looked less than its best. Spring was never a good time for Seaview’s garden, partly because Twi had no green thumb and partly because she and the Queen of Spring, an immortal that looked like a young girl but was older than most of the other spirits combined, were not on speaking terms.

She had been right. Sam, in his human guise, was waiting for her. The King of the Autumn Spirits was leaning against her front wall, watching and waiting for her as she turned off the engine, dismounted and led the bike into the garden, so she could chain it up by the, mostly unused, well.

“So?” He asked as Twilight pulled off her helmet. “Details?”

“Faebeast.” She informed him as she padlocked her bike into place and entered the house, chucking her keys on the table next to the door and holding the door open for her friend’s friend. Sam followed her in, ducking into the living room to give her a little privacy while she removed her bike wear. “About six foot tall, extra large, ridiculously shaggy fur and stupidly long claws. Best part? It’s bite? Paralysing.” The young woman huffed, “If it hadn’t been for Elena I would have been a Twilight sandwich.”

“Elena? Actually bothered to show up to something?” Sam looked shocked, trying to ignore the implication that his mortal friend had nearly died.

“It’s about bloody time.” Twlight scowled as she thought about the woman in question. Elena was a beautiful, well built woman with long brown hair and soulful brown eyes and the biggest set of rabbit ears and twitchest tail Twilight had ever seen on an immortal of her species, “That faebeast? Not the first one in the village in the last fortnight. I swear they’re getting more active. I thought part of her job was to deal with stuff like this.”

“It is, but Handover’s coming up and you know what the Spring rulers get like this time of year.” Sam grumbled, “She probably didn’t notice until now.”

“Yeah well it’s not supposed to be my job.” Twilight continues as she stepped into the living room and headed for the kitchen and her supply of tea. “I keep doing it, but I’m a Havenkeeper. I keep the Haven.” She gestured around, “Fighting monsters is a side job. Oh, by the way I need some more cold iron bolts for the crossbow you gave me.”

“I’ll make sure you get some.” Sam promised, “But you’ve got to be more careful. You’re mortal, you can be killed. I’d really rather you didn’t.”

Twilight sighed and shoved a meal she had previously cooked, split into portions and shoved into the freezer, into the microwave for ten minutes before flipping the kettle on.