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.

Crystal Compass Book 1: Part 2: July 2014 CampNano

She did not get too far out of the double doors, the book in hand, before one of the younger kids latched onto her hand and tugged on it. Twilight knelt down at the boy’s height, not recognising him. “Hiya sweety. Can I help?”

“Lost my mom.” The boy’s accent told her immediately that he was American, probably a tourist from one of the local holiday camps.

“Does she have a mobile on her?” Twilight asked, gesturing to her boss who had followed her out.

Miranda scurried over as the boy gave her a confused look. “A cellphone?” Twi clarified, “Or some way to contact her?” The boy thought for a few minutes, then nodded, pulling out a piece of paper from his pocket and presenting it to the pair of librarians. Miranda took it from him, recognising the number as one belonging to the nearest of the Holiday camps. Golden Shores was the more upmarket of the four and was popular for foreign vacationers because of its various attractions, which included rock climbing, forest trails and scuba diving. “You stay with me hon and my boss will contact your mum, okay?” When the boy nodded, Twilight let out a soft sigh, “What’s your name?”

“Mikey.” The boy responded shyly, “Mikey Michaels.”

Twilight winced. She liked her nickname, but she could not help but wonder what the kid’s parents had been thinking to saddle their poor son with a name like that. Or, indeed, if they had been thinking at all. It was worse than her real name.

“My name’s Twilight.” She told Mikey, leading him towards Storyteller Corner, a tiny corner of the library that the children’s books were tucked away in where the floor was soft, the beanbags plushie and the children always happy to gather to hear someone read so they did not have to. “Stick with me and you’ll be fine. Promise.”

The boy still looked unsure, but he did not get a chance to say anything before Twilight called to the children, grinning as she did so. “Kids, I’ve got a new book for you all.”

Those were the magic words. Children seemed to appear from everywhere, pouring into Storyteller Corner and getting settled even before Twilight could get to her, rather much larger, beanbag. “Guys,” she looked around at the children as she took her seat, Mikey sitting by her side, “This is Mikey, he’s gotten lost, so we’re looking after him, okay?” She asked.

“Yes Miss Twilight.” The kids from the village chorused back at her, a couple of the more outgoing children dragged Mikey into their group.

“Don’t worry.” The older of the two told the frightened boy, “Miss Twilight’s a Sorceress.” Twilight tried to object, but another child started talking over her.

“Yeah, and she knows loads of awesome people, like Jack, and Santa!” The second kid piped up.

“But Santa’s not real.” Mikey looked confused as he glanced around, unable to understand what the other children were talking about. “Mom told me...”

“That’s ‘cause your mum don’t know nothin.” A third child spoke up, “Miss Twilight knows them all, we met Santa last Christmas. For real.”

“Now, kids!” Twilight called, raising her voice to be heard over the eruption of babbling that erupted from that. “Mikey doesn’t have to believe in anything he doesn’t want to and I’m not a Sorceress.” She tried.

“She is.” One of the kids whispered conspiratorially, “But she pretends she isn’t so the adults don’t find out.”

Mikey considered that for a few moments, then nodded and smiled back at the child before turning back to Twilight, waiting for her to begin.

The young woman smiled and shook her head. The children had decided she had to be a sorceress almost six months ago, when she had been spotted following Jack around as he brought winter into the village. She had not actually been doing much, besides catching up with her friend but that was not how the adult who had spotted her chasing the swirling ice and snow around town. The parent in question, Mrs Fairland, had tried to spread the rumour that she was a witch and Twilight still occasionally heard it muttered occasionally through the village.

However the children had decided that their favourite librarian could not be a witch. They were always wicked and evil in the stories, sometimes they even ate children, and Miss Twilight was their friend and the one who chased away the monsters. They had seen her do it.

Obviously, if she could scare away the monsters, she had magic but it had not been until one of the older village children, who had been reading the Belgarian Universe series who had brought up the idea of her being a ‘good’ Sorceress and no matter how much Twilight tried to deny it, they kept on believing it.

Still, as long as it helped them chase the monsters out from under their beds and out of their closets, she was not going to complain. Instead of wasting time, continuing to protest their belief, she started reading. She was halfway through the second chapter when a rather flustered pair of adults scurried into the building.

“Mom!” Mikey interrupted Twilight midword by yelling out and darting away from the group. His mother, a rather stressed looking blonde lady snatched him up in a tight hug, mumbling something as Miranda made her way over.

Twilight continued reading as her boss sorted the trio out, wincing along with the other children when Mikey’s father laid into the boy about wandering off and reminded him that he was lucky that the ‘nice librarian had time to look after him.’ They could still hear his father scolding him as the double doors swung shut behind them and they headed for a taxi that was parked up outside.

She was just finishing up her second chapter when the parents started arriving to collect the little monsters. Twilight tried not to be offended when several of them thanked Miranda for letting them leave their kids with her, but ignored her completely, despite the fact that they knew full well which librarian had babysat their children.  

She tidied up Storyteller Corner once the last of the children had been picked up before logging the book on the system and tucking it under the counter to continue tomorrow. “Are you alright if I go?” Twilight asked her boss, “I know I normally work till three on a Sunday but...”

“Go, shoo.” Miranda chuckled, having been warned about the necessity of her employee leaving early to go catch up with some friends for the revision session she was supposed to be doing, “I suppose, considering you brought a new Compass book in, I can let you off the last couple of hours.”

“Thank you.” The younger librarian grinned at her, darting out back and swiftly changing back into her bike wear before shooting out of the door. She slipped her earpiece into her ear as she started to unchain the bike, trying to ignore the fact Miranda was keeping an eye on her through the window as she asked, “Hello?”

Crystal Compass book 1 - July 2014 Camp NaNo - 1

Aldhaven Village was a small, sleepy seaside town. Home to about three hundred people at most, it was not exactly a thriving tourist spot. That was fine in the eyes of the locals. They were happy with their small beach, their row of local shops, their park, their library and their three pubs.

They did not need the big fancy supermarkets that wanted to move into town, though none of them objected when ASDA set up a shop twenty minutes down the road. It was far enough away, they said, not to disturb them, but still close enough that they could go if they wanted.

Not that there were not occasionally tourists in town. A simple stroll down the beach from any of the four local holiday parks would take you onto the small strip of beach behind Aldhaven’s sea wall and from there it was as simple as ascending a set of stairs and descending the other side and anyone could enter.

It was only those odd few who really noticed when the peace and quiet of the village’s square was disturbed by the sound of a motor. A moped, with its helmet wearing passenger flew past the park and headed up the hill, to the most modern looking building in the whole village.

The library had been rebuilt within the last fifty years after a fire had decimated both it and the books within. Though the builders had tried to make sure it fitted in with the local aesthetic, it still stood out like a sore thumb. There had been grumbling at first about the glass walled building, despite the fact it was tucked away, mostly hidden by trees and bushes. Now however everyone used it, just like they had before the fire. In fact for the young children of the town, it was one of their favourite places to go.

The youngest librarian had something to do about that. ‘Miss Twilight’ as she was known to the youngsters, was a regular feature of the library and would more often than not put aside what she was doing to read to the children or play with them. Even when she was working on sorting the library inventory or had brought her university work in with her, she did not hesitate to shove it aside for them.

There were, of course, the parents that pushed it. Who would drop their children off at the start of the day and leave them in the library all day, when they were aware that Twilight would be in, using her as an unpaid babysitter but she, mostly did not mind. Someone had to look after the kids, after all, and she was there and free to do it.

The moped pulling up outside the library belonged to her. She had saved up for the deep blue Honda out of her wages and used it to not only get to work, but to travel to and from her university, where she was taking a Bachelor of Art in Creative Writing. It was not the fastest method of travel, in fact her course mates had often asked why, if she had to make an hour long commute to the university, she did not just get a car, but it suited her. She did not need anything faster or more powerful, not when she travelled as little as she did and enjoyed her simple life.

Once the moped was chained to the railings, she headed inside, pulling off her helmet only to get swarmed by an army of mini-monsters, all of them clamouring for her attention. “Easy, easy!” She chuckled, a bright smile on her face as her bright, chocolate brown eyes scanned the crowd.

“Come on,” Her boss laughed, trying to herd the children away, “Miss Twilight needs to go clock in and sort herself out. She’ll be back in five minutes.”

The children groaned and complained but headed back to what they had been doing before she had gotten there, allowing her to head through the stacks to the back of the library and the staff area. Her boss followed, looking amused. “Safe trip, Aella?” She asked as they stepped beyond the double doors.

“As always.” Aella Rodgers, for that was the young woman’s real name, responded. “Sorry I’m a little late, had a late call come in and, well...” She grinned sheepishly.

Her boss just waved it off. “Don’t worry, I probably wouldn’t believe the explanation anyway. I swear they’re just ideas from those books you bring in.”

Aella blushed but did not respond to that. She had another such book in her bag, the ninth one of the series. All written by a T. Light about Jack Frost, his human friend and their adventures. It was a well guarded secret between her and the children about where the books came from, but she was not about to share.

“Where do you get them from anyway?” Her boss asked as Twilight put her helmet on the shelf and brushed out her hair, grimacing as the brush tugged on the rat’s nest it always became when she rode anywhere. “My neice wanted copies to take home with her.”

“Trade secret.” Twilight’s reply made her boss huff, “Sorry, Madison, but I only have two copies of them and I’m not giving up my personal copies.”

“But...”

“If I can get some money together, I’ll get some more copies.” Twilight promised as she shrugged out of her bike leathers, “But they’re not cheap.”

“I’m not surprised.” Madison sighed as her employee straightened out her tidy clothes and adjusted the silver snowflake necklace that never seemed to be too far from its owner. “I searched everywhere online, it’s like the Compass series doesn’t exist.”

The younger librarian could not help the small, amused smile that appeared at that. Technically the Compass series did not exist, not as officially published books. The books she read and had on her shelves were ones she had put together especially for her and the library and had cost her a pretty penny to make. The only other finished copies of the Compass series books were in her safe or on her laptop, as digital copies. Twilight would have loved to publish them properly but as much as the children liked the tales, she did not have the confidence to present them to a publisher who could take them further.

That and they were not really just her stories to tell. She took them and turned them into stories for children, fictionalising certain parts and changing names, places and dates, but everything that happened within her series had happened at some point or another. She did not feel right putting the tales out as fictional children’s tales without the permission of the other hero of the series and she really, really did not know how to bring it up to him.

Not that anyone would believe her if she tried to tell them that. Not when the Compass series was full of myth and legend, magic and monsters. They would think she was crazy. It was only the children who did not, who were still innocent enough to believe the truth when Twilight told it.

It was not really the fault of the adults. Twilight was an aberration, a young woman who had passed the ‘Age of Disbelief’ when most children lost their ability to believe in the fantastical, without it failing her.

It was good for her and her writing, but it occasionally left her feeling estranged from the rest of the adult population of the village. Still, even if the adults thought she was a little strange, the children loved her and she had her friends at university so she did not really mind. In her mind, it could have been a lot worse.

“You are still okay for the overtime next week, right?” Miranda asked, following her back out again, “I know you’ve got exams starting soon and...”

“It’s fine.” Twilight promised. “I can always bring my revision notes into the library and it’s only the weekends where we’re this busy. During school time, it’s pretty much dead in here.” She grinned at her boss, “Besides, if I’m not here, who’ll run the place when Jessica’s away on her honeymoon?”

That was true but Twilight did not get a chance to acknowledge the fact as her boss saw her pull the new volume of the Compass series out of her backpack and let out a delighted squeal, recognising the logo on the spine. “You didn’t tell me you’d managed to get a new one!”

The student blushed, always pleased when her books were received well but she did not correct Miranda in her belief that she had purchased it. “I thought I’d read it to the kids, before I put it on the system, if you don’t mind?” She asked the Head Librarian, letting her examine ‘The Icebound Heart’ which told the tale of her and Jack’s trip to Japan last year and the Yuki Ona they had met there.

“Sure.” Miranda nodded, “We’ll never get it on the system if the kids realise you’ve got a new one and aren’t sharing.”

Twilight couldn’t deny that. The kids had never seen the cover before, it was an image she had had a friend of hers at university draw as a commission, but the logo on the spine was clear enough. They would recognise it on sight.

Author Note: Ummm Oops

I'm sorry, I meant to update before now but hey, it's Camp Nano, so you will have a daily update now for the rest of the month. Enjoy