Faris and the Monoceros

By Melanie Cusick-Jones

Nearly a year has passed since Jack helped Faris escape from the horrible Grimbaldi Foundation for the Potentially Lacking. Faris now lives in The Core, the magical haven that Jack and creatures like him have lived in for thousands of years. The Core keeps them away from the prying eyes of the human race on The Surface and even better, from the evil creatures that also survived The Dark War.

Faris loves his new life as a Hoofer: he has friends, goes to school and for the first time ever, he has a real home. As the summer holidays arrive, he’s looking forward to being able to explore more of his new world with his best friend Jack.

But the holidays do not start as Faris expected... Their faerie friend Holly-Hob returns from The Surface with an unknown creature and brings an ancient mystery to life. Faris will get the chance to explore much more than The Core this summer, but does he really have the skills to help his friends on this dangerous mission?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Melanie Cusick-Jones
• Release date: Jan 3, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370468300

Melanie Cusick-Jones

After graduating from The University of Sheffield with an English Literature Masters in 2003, Melanie has been writing fiction - time permitting - ever since. 'Hope's Daughter', released in December 2011, was Melanie's debut novel and the first release from The Ambrosia Sequence, a YA dystopian series. The companion book 'The Rainbow Maker's Tale' was released in late 2013. Most recently, Melanie has been working on a children's series, releasing 'Faris and Jack' and then 'Faris and the Monoceros' in early 2018. Melanie's latest project - due in late 2018 - is 'Cirque de la Nuit' a stand-alone YA paranormal novel, before she returns to completing The Ambrosia Sequence, with three further books. When she's not writing Melanie enjoys the wet weather of the north of England with her dogs or disappearing into a book for a few hours (no surprise there then).

Book preview

Faris and the Monoceros – An Elemental Story

Copyright © 2007 by Melanie Cusick-Jones

First published 2018

The moral right of the author has been asserted.

All characters and events in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

All rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author, nor be otherwise circulated in any form of binding or cover.

www.melcj.com

www.cusick-jones.com

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Cover Art by Moose & Bear Design

Other books in the Faris series

Faris and Jack

Faris and the Monoceros

Coming soon…

Faris and Filip

Faris and the Bloodstone

This story is dedicated to Evie, my little writing pal.

Prologue

Master?

Kobold bowed low on his squat legs at the entrance to his Master’s chamber. His Goblin voice was scratchy and uncertain as he addressed the silent room. He was grovelling, of course, because you always grovelled in front of the Master unless you were very, very, stupid.

Kobold’s head was so near to the ground that his long, hooked nose touched the stone floor. It was cold and made the tip of his nose tickle, like he might sneeze. He stayed like this for a few moments, fighting the urge to sneeze and waiting for his Master to respond. When no answer came he cautiously lifted his gaze from the ground and looked around the room with his swampy-grey eyes.

Master? he asked the empty-looking room again. You…er…rang for me?

Kobold could not understand why his Master would have rung the service bell to call him to his private office and then disappeared – his Master hated being disturbed in here. Looking around the room again Kobold noticed something strange. A large tapestry, depicting a victory of the Dark War, that normally hung along the back wall of the office was pulled aside to reveal a small doorway and stairs beyond leading downwards. Just as Kobold was wondering what was down there he heard a shout from below.

STOP HER!!!

Kobold recognised the screech as his Master’s voice and he spun around on the spot trying to work out where the shout had come from. Where are you Master? He called back, not apparently smart enough to work out that his Master might be somewhere down the secret staircase he had just been considering. Some Goblins are smart, but not all and certainly not Kobold.

DOWN HERE! the voice screamed back at him. Get down here NOW! She - His Master’s voice cut-off mid-yell.

Kobold did not need telling twice. He had experienced the pain his Master inflicted when he was in a rage, enough times to know that his little Goblin body would suffer badly if he did not act quickly on the orders being shouted at him. He bolted towards the dark doorway that had been hidden behind the tapestry and he charged down the spiral stairs. As he ran, his flat, feet flip-flopping over one another, Kobold wondered what his Master would keep hidden in a secret room beneath his private chambers.

Kobold froze when he reached the bottom of the stairs and found himself in a large dungeon-like room: there were no doors and no windows, just bleak, grey stone everywhere. It was not the room itself that made Kobold pause, but the spectacle before him. What he saw was so bizarre – so unexpected – that the Goblin almost fainted in shock.

His Master, Nagwort the witch lord, was floating several inches above the grey stone floor. But, this was not the part that Kobold found odd – no – the strange thing was that a tiny, human-looking creature with pale skin and dirty golden hair appeared to be the one that was holding Nagwort in the air.

This minuscule person was controlling his Master? Kobold could not believe it! He could not believe that something so small and, well, cute (he hated cute things) had outdone the most powerful creature in Eclivity. Kobold shook his head and blinked his swampy eyes rapidly. It didn’t help: no amount of blinking or shaking changed what was happening in front of him.

Nagwort looked odd, as though he were asleep but with his eyes open: his flat, black gaze glazed and unfocused. And he was rolling in circles as he floated above the floor, his long black robes flapping around his invisible feet.

Ah…eh…ah… was all Kobold managed to stutter as he tried to think of something – anything – to do that would save his Master from this strange situation and therefore protect his own skin. Unfortunately, whatever brains he did have had been left behind at the top of the stairs and so Kobold could think of nothing.

Oh, said the tiny creature when she noticed Kobold standing there. She sounded disappointed.

Kolbold flapped his mouth open a couple of times, like a gasping fish, but still had no words.

I wondered who would come when he rang that bell. She nodded her head towards the red cord pull that was hanging against the wall. But, it wasn’t an army – just you.

Before Kobold could complain about being judged as inferior by the tiny creature, there was a bright red flash and a ball of light blasted into his chest. His body flipped over and over as he flew backwards through the air and slammed into the wall with a bone-cracking thud. Just as he was about to pass out a horrible thought went through Kobold’s mind: the pain he was feeling now would probably be a lot milder than the pain he would feel when Nagwort punished him for not stopping the tiny creature. Then darkness came and Kobold knew no more.

Well Nagwort, it looks like this is goodbye. The tiny creature spoke calmly and quietly, her voice echoing around the large room. "Thank you for the wonderful accommodation you have provided me with for the past few centuries, I would love to hang around to chat but I must be going now."

As though waking from his trance Nagwort began to struggle against the invisible cords that held him in the air. His ugly, thin face twisted in anger and his lips drew back from his teeth in an evil sneer as he writhed uselessly against his captor’s spell.

I have no idea how you are doing this faerie but do not think I won’t find out! No Figlia has this power! Nagwort’s raspy voice spat his angry words at the tiny creature.

Whatever you say… The faerie answered, sounding half-bored with the whole conversation. I tell you what: I will give you another ten minutes or so hanging around to think about this whilst I get out of here! She grinned patronisingly at him, before turning on her heel and fleeing from the chamber.

Flapping her tiny wings, the faerie rose from the ground and flew up the spiral stone stairs that Kobold had run down only minutes before. Despite the confidence in her voice a moment ago, she was scared and when she looked down at her hands she saw they were trembling. Controlling Nagwort had taken virtually all of her own magic and all the additional magical help she had had too. In her heart she knew that if she did not make it to The Surface quickly she would not be able to get there at all and everything would be lost. Tucking her chin to her chest, she gritted her teeth and beat her wings harder and faster. She was going to make it. She had to.

Chapter 1 – Another Strange Beginning

The moon’s ghostly face peered between the thick black clouds that were drifting through the night sky. It cast a pale glow over the dark forests and steep slopes of the sleeping planet below. These were the eerie Garbergau Mountains that nestled between the eastern edges of Europe and western Asia. Stories of the mountains told of unseen evil dwelling deep within the dark lands, tales of strange creatures that were neither animals nor human, but something completely other. The local people called them Creatura – The Creatures. It was the name that had been given to them by the soldiers of the Roman army who had tried to pass through the forests once, as they marched their empire northwards. The army never conquered the mountains and they never returned.

The Garbergau Mountains were cold, even on the brightest summer days, and were filled with strange caves and patches of darkness that people ventured into occasionally, but from which few ever returned. Accidents the newspapers called them: the unfortunate climbing groups lost in the snow or on the mountainside, never seen again and no trace of them left behind. The locals knew better than that: no one from the surrounding villages ventured close to the dim forests that covered the lowest slopes of the mountains, where shadows lurked between the trees and where mysterious creatures screeched and screamed in the night. They knew that these mountains held evil secrets.

In the darkness, the snow-covered mountains stretched their jagged fingers into the air as though they hated the light so much they were trying to reach up to pull the moon down from the sky. At the centre of this gloomy landscape the tallest mountain towered over everything else. The forests around it stretched in every direction, it’s white peaks floating above a sea of trees, separate and different from the surrounding hills. In the unnatural silence of this shadowy place a faint flapping sound began in the deepest, darkest bowels of that mountain and echoed up to the night sky.

There was a long, thin crack on the northern face of this high mountain that stretched right to the summit. Despite its length, the crevice was barely noticeable among the other cracks and shadows that littered its peak. The flapping noise was coming from within this crack and growing louder every second. Suddenly from the depths of the mountain a tiny creature burst from inside and flew out into the cold night air, gasping for breath. In the moonlight the creature looked human, with pale skin, blue eyes and long blonde hair. But she was no human: small silver wings grew from her back and she was no taller than a pencil. She was a Figlia faerie.

The faerie glanced around the dark world, before lifting her head to peer at the moon and stars above.

Come on, come on – where are you?

Her icy-blue eyes searched the sky, seeking out the stars that could direct her to where she needed to go.

There!

The faerie had found what she had been looking for: a constellation of three stars shaped like an arrowhead and at the point of the arrow shone the brightest of all the stars in the sky.

The Point of Magic, she breathed, the words rising as a frosty cloud from her mouth. There was no time to waste. She stuffed her hands into the pockets of her filthy clothes and fumbled through them. After several seconds of searching she pulled out her hand and a fine silvery powder fell through her fingers, glittering in the darkness. She threw the powder into the air, but instead of falling to the ground as you would expect, the powder hovered there, making lazy circles as it drifted around the small body of the faerie.

Show me the way home, the faerie whispered to the cloud of silver mist. As she spoke these words the sparkling powder began to rise in the air, moving higher and higher flying up towards the stars. It had drifted out of sight before another light appeared at the tip of the Point of Magic, it shone brightly for a few seconds and then shot forwards, moving quickly across the sky lighting the night as it went – it was a shooting star. Seeing the light, the faerie flew swiftly after it, down the south side of the mountain, following the path of the star as it moved. It was leading her towards the magical core of her world.

≈ Ω ≈

The Figlia faerie had been flying for hours, maybe even days. She didn’t have the energy – or magic to spare – to shape-shift and so had no choice but to stay in her faerie form and do her best. But it was hard, she was so small and faerie wings were not made for long distance journeys. Her wings were tired and her head bobbed sleepily as she zigzagged through the air, trying to follow the path of the shooting star that was leading her onwards.

Keep your eyes open! The faerie instructed herself fiercely, even though her eyelids were drooping again.

So tired…just so... She closed her eyes just for one second.

BANG!

The faerie rolled over, every movement slow and painful, her whole body was aching. She had fallen asleep as she was flying and landed (very heavily) on something hard and metal. She didn’t know what it was, but the handrail of a bridge had just stopped her from falling onto the motorway below when she dropped from the sky.

She looked down onto a dim, orangey world. An occasional car zipped beneath the bridge and the bright headlights of these unfamiliar monsters blinded her tired eyes.

What are those things?

She closed her eyes again. She couldn’t remember fireflies being that big before. But, she had been gone from The Surface for a long while. Her tired brain reminded her that anything could have happened in that time.

How long was I trapped inside those caves?

She had no idea. Just that it had been a very, long time.

The faerie lay on the bridge handrail, jumbled thoughts swirling through her head and mingling with the aches and pains that filled every part of her body. She just needed a few minutes to rest and then she would continue. Just a few minutes…

What will happen if I fail her?

The thought slid through the faerie’s mind for the hundredth time since she’d escaped from the mountain. She shook her head slowly from side to side. She couldn’t fail Nori!

But she was tired, so tired.

Without meaning to, but unable to stop it happening, the faerie slipped into unconsciousness and thought no more.

≈ Ω ≈

A creature sat nearby in a tree, invisible in the darkness that lay beyond the motorway bridge. They sat and watched from the shadows as the Figlia faerie dropped from the sky and landed on the bridge.

The creature wondered where the faerie had come from. It knew that she was a Figlia faerie, which was a strange enough sight in itself as Figlia were a very rare breed of faerie folk. But, what the watching creature found even stranger, was that the faerie was flying in her natural faerie form and not in a disguise to protect herself from unwanted eyes. Figlia faeries are very good at disguising themselves so that they can’t be seen – they have powers to turn themselves into various animals so that they can blend in with any environment – you certainly would not expect to find Figlia faeries dropping out of the sky.

The feathered creature shook itself from its watchful post and unfurling dark wings stepped off its perch and flapped silently towards the fallen faerie. Picking up the small body in its large brown claws it carried the faerie away into the night. A red car zipped along the motorway below the bridge, its occupants completely unaware of the important discovery that had just been made above them by a very unusual owl.

Chapter 2 – The Core

The first shades of pink were seeping through the night sky as the owl reached the edge of an endless seeming forest. Its wide wings carried it onwards until there was nothing below except dark treetops. The trees spread in every direction like a green ocean, as far as the owl’s sharp eyes could see.

Swivelling its head from left to right the owl found what it was looking for and dropped out of the sky, swooping into a clearing in the trees below. Landing precisely on a flat stone, set in the centre of a pool of water, the owl stared around before letting the small bundle it had been carrying drop from its claws. The stone was as large as a tabletop and the owl looked rather small now, standing in the middle of it with the little package at its feet.

Anyone watching the owl might have been curious to see that the creature it dropped onto the stone wasn’t a mole or rat about to become an early breakfast. But, there was no one watching from the depths of the forest and so no one saw or wondered about the unconscious pale-skinned faerie, dressed in dirty rags. Nor did they wonder about the owl that had brought it to this isolated place.

With a soft hissing sound and a bright flash of light the brown owl disappeared. In its place, next to the faerie, now stood another tiny human-looking figure – it was another Figlia faerie. This faerie also had long golden hair, but her skin was darker and she had golden brown wings instead of silver ones. This faerie was Holly-Hob, the most powerful Figlia faerie on The Surface and protector of the King of Horses.

Holly-Hob busied herself with gathering together odd items from the clearing. She flew to the nearby shore and took a handful of soil, fluttering back to drop it onto the stone next to the unconscious faerie. Then she dipped her hands into the pool, scooping up a handful of cool, clear water, which she poured over the mound of soil. Standing back she looked at the muddy pile and clapped her hands together. In the palm of her right hand a tiny flame of golden fire appeared which she lowered gently onto the mud. The fire burned brightly as Holly knelt down between the other faerie and strange mound.

Holly-Hob sat for a moment looking at the grubby faerie lying beside her. She hoped that this was the right thing to do. In her heart, it felt right – that was all Holly had to go on right now. She was sure that she would sense something if it was a trick or a disguise of some kind… And what were the chances of Holly being the one to find her if it was a trick?

Holly shook her head, answering her own question. It could only be the Figlia protective charm that bound Figlia faeries when they were on The Surface that had drawn her to this unknown faerie, she was sure of it. Last night Holly had felt a clear pull towards the place she found the other faerie and she was sure there was no dark magic that could replicate that.

Taking hold of the smaller faerie’s hand in her own Holly leaned forward and blew lightly on the flame that was burning on the pile of dirt and water. Under her breath she whispered the magical command: Earth, air, fire, water – elements combine to enter.

An explosion of red light brightened the clearing for a split second, before both the faeries and the small fire disappeared from the stone. The clearing was left as empty and still as it had been before they arrived.

≈ Ω ≈

Even though the faeries had disappeared from sight they had not disappeared completely: they had simply moved from The Surface – the non-magic world of humans – to a protected place beneath the ground. Now, deep below The Surface of the earth where they had stood only seconds before, Holly-Hob and the other faerie were speeding through a magical network of pipes. The pipes connected together the portal points from different magical areas of a place called The Core, which was where Holly-Hob lived. It was hidden below the ground to keep the magical creatures of the old world safe.

Holly-Hob breathed deeply and tried to relax as she rushed through the tunnel with the other faerie grasped tightly in her arms. Normally, coming back to the safety of The Core from the outside world was a welcome break for her. The protections and magic that the Seers had put into building the haven were visible all around her, and the fact that very few people knew about The Core and even fewer knew how to get to it – or inside – made Holly feel safer still. But, she did not feel that way today.

Holly shivered. Thinking about why she felt safe now only reminded her of why they didn’t live on The Surface anymore. The Dark War of the magical creatures had nearly destroyed them all and the humans that lived amongst them – no wonder those of them that survived still hid. Holly remembered the years after the end of the War, when people had tried to return to their old lives: the humans hadn’t wanted them any more and she couldn’t entirely blame them.

For a long time after coming to The Core, Holly-Hob and the others just stayed there: they might have moved between the different plains, but they didn’t venture to The Surface. There had been no point. Over time, the earth – The Surface – became too dangerous for anyone different, anything magical: the humans that remained didn’t trust the powers that had once protected them. The power wielded by a few had devastated the magical and non-magical alike – everyone had suffered the consequences.

Holly-Hob sighed. Secrecy and separation was the best thing for everyone.

Today, the only way in and out of The Core was through the portal in the stone that Holly-Hob had come through. There were many different spells and incantations that could be used to open the magical door and travel to places inside The Core. Blending fire with an incantation alone would take you to the desert plains, while water and dirt would take you to the forest villages of the upper plains. But, Holly was heading for somewhere different this morning – she needed help and that could only come from one very special place.

The two faeries were flying at top speed through a long stretch of The Core’s tunnel system, racing deeper and deeper towards the centre of the earth. As they blasted past the outer plains, Holly only saw flashes of blue, green or expanses of yellow, which gave her a clue as to what part of The Core they were passing: aquatic worlds, great forests or scorching sand dunes.

She always marvelled at the power the Seers had, to be able to create such a place and keep it hidden. There were dozens of plains that made up the different levels of The Core and the different plains – like floors inside a building – kept the different environments separate from one another. And, they were home to the hundreds of thousands of creatures and people that dwelled deep beneath the ground.

One of Holly’s favourite things was that even though The Core was under the ground it had sunlight and normal days, just like on The Surface above. It was an ancient and powerful magic that enabled all of this to happen – an elemental magic, which was hidden from the people on The Surface, but still ran through every living thing in their world. Occasionally, some were a little more aware of it than others.

Ouch!

Holly-Hob bumped against the side of the pipe again, hitting her head. The pipes were wide – big enough to fit an elephant through – but that didn’t help her, being weighed down as she was with the other faerie. Without full control to fly and keep herself balanced as Holly usually would have done, the tiny faeries bounced around inside the tubes, making the journey much more uncomfortable than normal.

Holly did the best she could and held on tightly to the smaller faerie, who surprisingly remained unconscious through the whole noisy, bumpy journey. At last they began to slow down and as they did Holly-Hob saw the plains outside more clearly: a bright flash of white snow as they flew past an ice plain or the golden glare of the sun rising over a desert plain.

Not far now.

With a final jolt and a burst of stars the two faeries were flung from the pipe and landed on a large stone marker, set inside a circle of soft grass. Holly-Hob stood and looked around before she jumped down from the