Crystal Compass Book 1: Part 11: July Camp NaNo 2014

“The King is not seeing anyone.” Clara huffed, sounding exasperated, “Not even the Lords and Ladies who rule over the subcultures of his Kingdom. He has no time, apparently, to deal with ‘such petty concerns,’ despite our best attempts to make him understand the situation.”

“Do you want me to seek the creature out and...”

“No!” Nadia shook her head violently, “Do not, Miss Twilight. This is our affair to deal with and you are mortal, you break far too easily. The Crystal Compass would not be pleased if we let a Havenkeeper get hurt. They like the fae little enough as it is. If you try, I will send even you around in circles!”

Twlight tried not to be insulted, she really did. It was a valid concern. Jack was known for his playful nature, but he was also known as the ‘Harbinger of the Winter Storm’ as he had, on more than one occasion been gifted with the ‘Wrath’ of Winter as he had been the closest Immortal of the Crystal Compass on hand when something non-mortal had been preying on those of mortal persuasion.

However she was honestly getting a little sick and tired of the ‘you’re only mortal’ issue. She fought monsters and magic on a regular basis in order to protect her little Haven. She had been at Jack’s side through several incidents and helped him all the way. She was not as useless as everyone seemed to believe. To hear even Nadia, who had seen and assisted in the take down of some of the recent non-friendly’s come out with it was exasperating.

“Fine.” She shrugged anyway, trying not to show her frustration, “I just came up to ask a favour. People are going to be searching for that missing kid again, can you grant them safe passage through your forest, please?”

“I don’t see why we should.” Clara grumbled, “My home is my home, you would not let people traverse your garden however and whenever they like!”

“I’m a Havenkeeper, remember?” Twilight reminded her with a chuckle. “Non-mortals traverse my lands all the time.”

“You’re a rare, almost extinct breed,” Nadia sighed, “I can tell you now that the child does not take shelter amongst the trees of my forest, Twilight, my people have told me such. At least the ones who can currently reach their trees have. So there is no need for the search to continue within the confines of our lands.”

Twilight grimaced at that. It meant that Mikey had obviously either gone in a completely different direction or was within the dark spot of the forest. However if Nadia kept her word and she would, the librarian knew, there was no way for her to get there to find out.

“I wish I could inform the searchers of that, but they would never believe me.” Twilight tried, “You can keep them away from that dark zone, if you wish, but the sooner they think they’ve traversed the whole area, the sooner they’ll leave you alone.”

“Fine.” Nadia huffed as Clara moved from Twilight’s shoulder to hers, nodding irritably, “But only because you asked and only until they are done with the search. Then the forest will not let them in so easily.”

“Thank you.” The student grinned at the pair of them, “You’re the best.”

“We know.” Twilight could barely hear Clara from just a few feet away, but she caught the tiny fairy Queen’s comment and laughed as she headed back to her bike.

One brief call to Detective Ley later to tell her that the dryads reported that Mikey was not in the forest, she finally got on the road, trying not to feel really weird that she had just reported something a member of the fae had told her to a detective. The trip to Plymouth was relatively quick once she actually left the dirt track. Though it took her an hour to get across to the port city, she welcomed the feel of the wind hitting her and the sounds of the road. The hustle and bustle of the busy university town was a stark and interesting contrast to the quiet and more often than not, peaceful village.

Her friends were waiting for her as she pulled up, demanding answers from her about the missing kid and whether she had seen anything as she tried to chain up her bike and head to the one revision class she had before they were supposed to be settling at the library.

She answered their questions with ease, a bright smile she did not entirely feel on her features as she remembered last night and the fact that right now there would be people combing her home in order to remove the bugs that the police had installed.

Still her friends, who had been the ones to coin the nickname ‘Twilight’ in the first place, were in quite a jovial mood. Once the initial questioning had passed and they had sat through the revision session with the one lecturer Twilight had that was guaranteed to put eighty percent of his students asleep with just a short lecture, they dragged her out to have a little fun. Considering the state of her bank account and the state of the accounts of her friends, who were all shopaholics and had almost completely totalled their student loans for the term, it was almost a relief to get dragged halfway across town for a burger and an hour on the ice skating rink.

Hanging out with her mortal friends was a breath of fresh air. They might have been obsessed with that daft animated pony show that was so popular right now, enough so to have nicknamed her after the book-obsessed librarian pony within it but they were good for her. Though they had no powers and often just humoured her when she said something odd, she did not have to worry about what she said around them or guard her words or actions.

It was okay, they had told her, that she was a little odd and occasionally talked about the fantastical. They had decided years ago that obviously her creative nature took over and ran roughshod over reality. They were used to it and it made life more interesting. She did not have the heart to tell them that it was all real. She was just pleased for their acceptance.

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.

What I was working on yesterday...

Red Ranger

Name: Josephine Taylor (Jo)

Age: 19 (physically) 25 (on paper)

Gender: Female

Hair: Mousey brown, reaches halfway down her back, more often than not in a ponytail

Eyes: Brown

History: Was eighteen when she got caught up in the start of the Elfame Realm invasion of Earth and became the Red Power Ranger, their leader, in order to protect people. She hadn’t felt ready to be the leader of the Rangers but had tried her best until the night of the her nineteen birthday, when during a Team Building exercise/her Birthday party the Rangers got a call out and were tricked by the bad guys into entering Elfame.

Though it only felt like an hour or two to the Rangers, who were all entertaining thoughts of continuing the party when they escaped, when they emerged from Elfame they found to their horror that they returned not the same night but the day of Jo’s 25^th birthday and that in their absence the Fae folk had overrun the world and the humans are living in zones warded by cold iron and salt.

The Rangers make their reappearance by defending the nearest Zone, which is under attack when they get there, looking for information.

Jo’s one of the lucky ones. Her family made it to one of the Zones, but trying to explain her six year absence wasn’t easy and she ended up having to show her parents and brother what she was in order to have them stop thinking she had run off on them.

Zord: Red Gryphon

Pink Ranger

Name: Stacy Prisby

Age: 21 (mentally/physically), 27 (on paper)

Gender: Female

Hair: Dark brown, almost black hair that’s curly and reaches just past shoulder length.

Eyes: Brown.

History: Was 21 when she was caught up in the invasion from the Elfame Realms and became the Pink Power Ranger in order to help her friends fight against the intruders. She was the one who helped Jo decide where to go for her birthday when they remembered that Brian was a year under the drinking age.

Worked with Phones in the call centre before they were trapped in Elfame, but started working for Jo’s family who own a couple of apartments as a repair man and in exchange lives rent free in one of the apartments and is a welcome guest anytime in the Taylor family home (Yes, they know she’s a Ranger too).

None of Stacy’s family made it into a Zone, but Jo’s family go out of their way to make her feel like part of the family. They did take in Stacy’s cat though, who had been at the vets with Jo’s when the Rangers vanished.

Zord: Pink Pegasus

Blue Ranger

Name: Scott Dee

Age: 19 (mentally/physically), 25 (on paper)

Gender: Male

Hair: Shoulder length, straight dark blonde hair.

Eyes:  Grey.

History: Scott was nineteen when he got caught up in the invasion from the Elfame Realms and became the Blue Power Ranger. Though at the time he was concerned with saving people he had been a long term follower of the Power Rangers teams that had emerged over the centuries and the ‘this is so cool’ factor was often a thing when he was presented with new weapons or Zords.

When he emerged from Elfame, Scott found it difficult to get a job, but he had always been a film buff and had been planning to take a Film Studies course. He managed to get an intern position at the TV station and was often sent out with the news crew, allowing him to get close to the action before morphing without anyone thinking that he was out of place.

Scotty’s brother, his brother’s wife and his nephew all made it to the Zone the Rangers find when they’re looking for signs of people when they leave Elfame, but his parents ended up in a different Zone while looking for Scott.

Zord: Blue Wolf

Green Ranger

Name: Brian Higgs

Age: 17 (mentally/physically), 23 (on paper)

Gender: Male

Hair: Short, always messy, brown hair.

Eyes: Green.

History: Brian had been 17 and on his way home from work when the invasion from the Elfame Realm happened and he became the Green Power Ranger purely because he could and it would be cool to be able to kick the fae folk’s rear end. It was because Brian wouldn’t have been able to join them at a pub or the like that the Rangers decided to go ten-pin bowling for Jo’s nineteenth birthday where they were trapped by the Fae Folk for six years.

Upon emerging from Elfame, Brian went back to doing exactly what he had been doing before, minus the job since it hadn’t stayed open for him, which was playing games and getting pushed around by his little brother who had safely made it to the Zones with their mother.

His good friend, Phones, made it to the Zones too and the two often hang out whenever Stacy isn’t working at the call centre for emergencies where she often gives the Rangers a heads up on trouble before it gets too far, by phoning Brian or Jo, who Brian introduced her to.

Zord: Green Stag

Black Ranger

Name: Louise Post

Age: 20 (physically/mentally), 26 (on paper)

Gender: Female

Hair: Shoulder length unruly dirty blonde hair

Eyes: Grey-blue

History: Louise was twenty and somewhat of a bookworm when she was caught up in the invasion from the Elfame Realms and became the Black Power Ranger, though she chose to do so in order to try and eventually find out if a peaceful solution could be reached. She hadn’t originally been planning to attend Jo’s birthday party but had gone along after it had been arranged for them to go do something interesting instead of all meet up at a pub and get very drunk.

When she re-emerged from Elfame after their six year captivity, despite the absence, Louise was the only Ranger able to find a job easily, as she had been training to be an accountant before she had been captured by the Fae folk. She went into politics when she saw how badly the humans were organised and how much help they needed to regain a more stable society but hid her Ranger identity so no one knew that she was a Ranger. When it finally did come out to the public she said something along the lines of “I didn’t want people voting for me because they were afraid of my power or because I saved their lives or because of the Team’s popularity. I wanted people to vote for me because I’m the best choice.”

Louise’s parents didn’t make it to the Zones, but her siblings did and Martin (now 24) does what he can to look after the twins, Gary (14) and Tamsin (14), while Louise helps, supplementing the income where she can and being there for her siblings.

Zord: Black Bear