There are no heroes anymore. Only legends. Only lies. ➱ Like the Heroes of Old YA Fantasy by Kate Haley Book Tour with Guest Post and giveaway
There are no heroes anymore. Only legends. Only lies.
Like the Heroes of Old
by Kate Haley
Genre: YA Fantasy
There are no heroes anymore.
Only
legends.
Only lies.
In a land of gods and faeries,
teenage Jak just wants to live a normal life in her tiny unremarkable
village and keep her little sisters safe. Unfortunately, that isn’t
an option anymore. Her ordinary life is destroyed by the arrival of a
strange and inappropriate merchant. Although he is quick to play her
hero, Jak discovers the stranger is hiding more than simple goods in
the back of his wagon, and perhaps the business of gods and faeries
has caught up with her after all…
Climb aboard and join
Jak as she takes her first perilous steps into the unknown, falling
deep into myth and legend to protect her family, and discovering that
the world is far bigger, bolder, and more complicated than she could
ever have dreamed.
Chapter One
Rain had fallen in the night. The
forest was still dripping as water ran down the leaves and broke across already
sparkling wet grass. Inside the thatched-roofed hut, Jak was hurriedly stacking
dirty breakfast dishes in the sink. Her black curls cascaded over her shoulder
and she quickly tied them back out of the way with a leather cord.
“You should already be married. You
would be if you put in a little bit of effort to look pretty and didn’t chase
away every single boy who comes near you with a stick. Then, if you were
married, your husband could look after us and I wouldn’t have to go to work.”
Jak counted to three inside her
head and took a silent breath. They were not having this fight again.
“Allie, please,” she tried calmly.
“Put on a work dress and get ready to go. I’m doing everything I can, but I’m
struggling. We need the extra cash – just for a little while.”
“It’s not for a little while, Jak,”
Allie sighed. “We both know that. I’m thinking about my future. You should
too.”
“When Mum gets back—”
“When?” Allie demanded. “It’s been
a year, Sis. When’s Mum getting back?”
Jak didn’t answer. She looked to
the note pinned to the wall. The paper was faded and dusty now, but she kept it
there anyway. Morning my darlings! Just popping out for a
bit. Be back soon. Jak’s in charge until I return. Love you xx.
“I’m in charge ‘til she gets back,”
Jak reaffirmed. “So go change. You’re going to get it dirty.”
“Then I’ll wash it,” Allie rolled
her eyes. “I do half the washing around here anyway – and don’t bother using
your stupid threat on me. It doesn’t work. I’m too old for that now.”
Jak let out the sigh she’d been
holding back all conversation. “Where’s Dora?” she asked after their youngest
sister.
“Probably out in the woods. No one
took the bread and milk she left out on the sill last night, so she will have
taken it out to Äulé in the forest.”
“That stupid gnome…” Jak shook her
head as she marched to the door. “Stupid girl,” she added with a mutter.
“Dora!” she bellowed out the front door. “Get back here!”
The rain dripped from the eaves of
the thatched roof and Jak watched the still forest. It was calming. Nature
always felt calming to her. It was better than being inside. Inside was where
all the chaos was. It was where she was trying to raise her sisters. It was a
reminder that Mum had left and life was hard. The woods were wild and
beautiful, and she didn’t begrudge Dora the desire to play in them. She just
needed her not to do it now.
The back door sounded and Jak
turned. Tiny footsteps pounded across the floor and Dora raced in with wet
grass on her shoes. The bottoms of her leggings were soaked. The little girl
was beaming excitedly out of her freckled face.
“Look! Look! Look!” she yelled.
Nestled in her halo of black curls was a flower crown. It was very cute. “I’m a
fairy princess! A nice man just gave me a magic crown! I’m a fairy princess
now!”
“It’s not magic,” Allie told her.
“It’s flowers.”
“It’s magic!” Dora insisted. “He
said it was magic! He said that I’m a fairy princess now.”
“Who was this?” Jak demanded. “Was
this Äulé?”
Dora shook her head. “Nope. I
didn’t see Äulé this morning, but I left his bread and milk out. No, this was
just a nice man in the forest. I didn’t ask his name.”
“Dora,” Jak began patiently with
the tone of someone who has had their patience tested too many times in one
day. “What have I told you about talking to strangers?”
“Don’t do it…” Dora muttered.
“Yeah,” Jak enforced. “Don’t do
it.”
“But I’m a fairy princess now!”
Dora protested.
“Oh my gods!” Jak cursed. “I don’t
care if you’re the bloody fairy queen! Mum put me in charge! Do as I say and
don’t talk to strangers or Ĝoŕgomghōul will get you! Magic powers won’t save
you from the god of darkness. He preys on naughty children, and he will slip
out of the shadows and steal you away to turn you into soup! So just… behave!
Both of you!”
Allie pulled a face behind Dora’s
back. It was true; that threat didn’t work on her anymore. Ever since she’d
turned twelve she had discovered a new level of attitude that Jak considered a
problem. But Dora was still young. Tears were welling in her eyes. The threat
of a scary shadow monster turning her into soup was very real. Jak sighed and
knelt down to pull her little sister into a hug. If Allie was an old twelve,
Dora was a very young seven.
“I’m sorry, baby,” she muttered. “I
don’t want to scare you. I just want to keep you safe, and that’s a hard thing
to do. I know I’m not Mum, but that’s what makes it harder. Your crown is
lovely, and you make a wonderful fairy princess, but please don’t go talking to
and accepting gifts from strangers in the forest.”
“I won’t do it again…” Dora mumbled
miserably into Jak’s shoulder.
“Thank you. Now, come on. I’ve
packed your bag. You’re going to the bakery with Allie today – I need someone
to keep her out of trouble, and it will take all your new magic powers…”
Dora giggled. Jak gave her a
squeeze and let her go. Dora ran to the corner of the room and picked up her
backpack. Allie gave Jak an angsty teenage eyeroll as Dora wiggled into the
straps of her backpack.
“I’m ready!” the little girl
announced.
“So am I,” Allie challenged Jak.
Jak was prepared to concede that
this was a battle she didn’t need to win. If Allie wanted to wear a pretty
dress and flirt with boys at work, she would soon get a taste of what working
life was like. Or, perhaps, she would find her future husband and then Jak
could sell her off. It didn’t seem like such a bad option this morning.
With her sisters packed for the
day, Jak ushered them out of the house and into town. Their little cottage was
only a ten-minute walk from the centre of the village of Rutsborough where they
lived. The girls were known by the locals, but it wasn’t an overly friendly
relationship. Jak worried that was her fault. She was not a people person.
Allie was. Allie liked people, and people liked her. Jak liked… well, Jak
wasn’t really sure what she liked. She was sure she used to like things, but
the last year… she hadn’t had time to like things.
Few people acknowledged them as
they wandered through the muddy streets. Given that most people’s topic of
choice at the moment was war, Jak was even more okay with the silent treatment
than usual. Their village was in a tiny corner of the kingdom of Kosveir, but
the neighbouring kingdom of Dazigh had broken out into civil war. The rumours
that had reached Rutsborough were that a band of rebels had murdered the king
of Dazigh and now the people were rising up. The locals here considered the
behaviour barbaric. Jak considered the entire affair none of her business.
“That’s him!” Dora exclaimed
suddenly. Jak broke from her train of thought to see Dora pointing down the
road. “That’s him! That’s the man who gave me the crown!”
Jak followed her sister’s finger to
the culprit. It was a travelling merchant. He looked like the most ordinary man
she’d ever seen. Short brown hair, weather-beaten skin, simple clothes. He was
sorting his caravan and folding the back of it out into a store. Dora took off
like an arrow before Jak realised.
“Shit,” she muttered under her
breath as she ran after her little sister. Allie chased after them.
“Hey!” Dora waved as she ran up to
the merchant.
The man turned to look their way.
He caught sight of Dora and beamed. His smile lit up his whole face and dimpled
his cheeks. Jak felt her feet slow. He was the most ordinary man in the world
until he smiled. It was a heart-warming smile that radiated from him. A smile
of genuine pleasure.
“Hey Dora,” he grinned at the
little girl cheekily. His accent was unusual but not unpleasant. “I didn’t
realize you were coming to town.”
“I’m going with my sisters,” Dora
declared proudly. “They’re going to work. This is Allie, and this is Jak.”
Jak reached them as she was
introduced to the stranger. She didn’t have time to stop Dora or halt the
pleasantries. She’d been introduced now. She was going to have to people. The
man’s eyes washed over her and Allie. His warm brown gaze met Jak’s.
“The infamous Jak,” he grinned at
her. “The ‘I have to get home before my big sister comes looking for me’ Jak.”
He turned his most charming smile on them. “It’s a pleasure, ladies.”
At a guess, Jak would have
estimated the merchant was at least twice her age, and she had a horrible
feeling Allie was going to swoon. She wasn’t going to check though. Her eyes
scanned the side of the caravan as they all stood by it.
“The Banging Wagon?” she questioned
dubiously. It was painted in large purple letters across the dark wooden side.
“Absolutely,” he grinned. He raised
an arm and leant against it, managing to loom casually over them. “Only
exploded once though.”
“Twice!” another man’s voice called
from inside the wagon.
“The second time doesn’t count,”
the merchant insisted without batting an eye. “It was a one-time accident and
we learnt from our mistake.” He held out his hand to Jak. “I’m Jim.”
Jak took his hand and shook it,
more to fulfil the necessities of politeness than anything else. He had a
strong, warm, and reassuring grip.
“You gave Dora the flower crown,
Jim?” she asked.
“I did indeed,” he confirmed. “We
were passing through while she was playing in the forest. Said she was looking
for faeries and wanted to be a faerie princess. Well, she has the right dress
for it, yeah, high-five for purple. Best colour.” Jim held his hand low for
Dora and she slapped it enthusiastically as he grinned at her. Jak noted that
he wore a wide cloth belt in a similar colour to Dora’s purple dress. They were
purple buddies now. “Anyway,” he continued, “I figured; you can’t be a princess
without a crown. So I gave her one, and here we are.”
“Now I’m a fairy princess!” Dora
exclaimed.
“You most certainly are,” Jim
agreed. “Magic crown and everything.” He gave Jak a side glance and murmured to
her. “It makes the kid happy and it costs me nothing, why not?”
Jak was nowhere near close to
trusting the strange man, but she felt herself settle slightly. Taking him at
face value, his heart seemed to be in the right place. He was just a nice guy
who had done something sweet for her sister. Unfortunately, he wasn’t done yet,
and the cheeky smirk on his face was directed at entertaining Dora again.
“You know, Dora…” he mused. “When
you said you had a big sister looking after you and we needed to get you home
before she got mad… you never mentioned how hot she was. I feel like this is
important stuff. This is the kind of thing you should mention to people – that
your scary sister is something of a babe.”
Jak could feel her face flame with
blush and it was a thousand times worse because she could hear Dora and Allie
laughing. She stared daggers at her sisters but they ignored her. Dora was
laughing at Jim with her big eyes turned adoringly up at the entertaining
stranger. Allie was trying to hide her chuckling behind a polite hand, but she
looked almost sorry for the man who had unknowingly made a huge mistake as far
as she was concerned. Jak turned to usher them away. Jim softened as she moved
to go.
“I jest,” he apologised gently to
her. “I have no intention of making you feel uncomfortable, Miss. I’m sure with
a face like yours, in a town like this, you’d already be spoken for, and don’t
worry – I’d flirt with him too.”
Jak cracked a smile. She wished she
hadn’t, and he didn’t make her actually laugh, but it was a close call. He was
a salesman. It was his job to be charming and, in a weird way, he was. In small
doses it was funny. This felt like it was turning into a long dose.
“It was nice meeting you, Jim,” she
told him. “But I have to get to work.”
“A tragedy,” he lamented. “Stop by
again if you’re free later.”
“I’m not,” Jak assured. “Ever.”
Jim laughed delightedly. “Ah, I
like you, Jak. It has been an absolute pleasure. Have a fun day at work.”
“Thank you,” she inclined her head.
“And say thank you for the crown, Dora.”
“Thank you Jim!” Dora exclaimed.
“You are most welcome,” he replied,
but Jak was already walking her sisters away from the dangerously charming
merchant and his Banging Wagon.
Down the road, Allie caught Jak’s
arm tightly. Jak didn’t even have to look to know it was her sister and what it
was about.
“Jak,” Allie spoke insistently.
“Quit your job and go back there right now.”
“Not if Ĝoŕgomghōul rose up out of
the shadows and ordered me to himself,” Jak replied.
“He’s real nice though,” Dora
added, completely oblivious to all of Allie’s intentions. Jak nodded at her
youngest sister. Jim had been nice. He was perfectly nice. He was also so far
from Jak’s type it wasn’t funny. The only reason she didn’t think he was a
creepy old man was because she had a feeling that he hadn’t been joking about
hitting on everyone. He was one of those tactile people who made friends by
flirting. She wasn’t special, and he wasn’t really interested, and that made
him much easier to like from a safe distance.
At the end of the road Jak dropped
her sisters off at the bakery. She had checked with the head baker and Dora was
fine to stay out of the way there with her bag of activities where there were
plenty of people to keep an eye on her. Jak certainly couldn’t bring her to her
own work.
“Right, have a good day you two,”
Jak told them. “I’ll see you at home later. Allie you’ll be done long before I
will, so please get her home safe.”
“Calm down, Jak,” Allie sighed.
“I’ve been looking after her for the last year just fine, haven’t I?”
“You have,” Jak conceded
gratefully. She kissed the top of Allie’s head. “Thank you. Be good,” she told
Dora.
By now she was running late. There
were no two ways about that. She took off from the bakery and sprinted off up
the muddy road to the other side of town. The sound of ringing steel was
already pounding out of the blacksmith’s forge.
“Sorry I’m late, Sam!” Jak yelled
out. She was already tying on her leather apron as she rushed in.
Big Sam didn’t say anything as she
ran in. He just pointed at her workstation with his hammer between blows. Her
boss was a giant with a shaved head and a massive grey beard. He was a man of
few words, and they got on very well. Jak was on horseshoes today. She usually
was. It was their biggest trade in Rutsborough. The roads were rubbish and
horseshoes were important. They were also simple and easy, so Jak was left with
them because she was the new kid.
She noted Sam was forging another
sword. There were nearly two dozen on his walls now. He didn’t sell many, but
he always said he liked making them. There was a craft to it — an enjoyable
design aspect. Jak accepted this, but she felt like he’d been doing it more
often recently. With all the talk of war in the town, it was starting to make
her uncomfortable. Not that she was going to tell Big Sam that. Although, she
might be able to mention something about swords and war over lunch, if she felt
bold enough.
Jak got to work and the stress and
memories of the morning melted away under the heat and rhythm of the forge. She
was able to focus on her work and hammer her frustrations out into her craft.
Big Sam always told her she was stronger and faster than other apprentices he
had taken on, and that was why he’d kept her. Jak was pretty sure it was just
how hard she worked to prove herself, but she would take the praise.
She wasn’t sure of the time, but
only four horseshoes had passed when she heard screaming and yelling outside
the forge. Jak shared a glance with Big Sam. They were both safe to put down
their work and step outside, so they did. Outside the forge, smoke was thick in
the air. They wouldn’t have noticed it inside. The smoke was black, but the air
was still cool against the sweat running down her spine.
“What’s going on?” Sam demanded.
“We’re getting water from the
river,” one of the villagers answered. “The bakery’s on fire! There’s a witch
set it alight!”
Sam looked straight to Jak, so he
saw the horror dawn on her face. He knew about her family troubles, and he knew
about Allie’s first day. Sam didn’t hold to magic and fairies and witches. He
knew they were out there, and he knew they had no business in his village. Jak
hadn’t even had the nerve to tell him about Dora leaving bread and milk out for
the gnomes in the forest. Sam saw the fear in her eyes. With one meaty hand, he
grabbed a sword from his display stand at the counter. It was simple but sturdy.
He handed it to Jak.
“Go get them,” he told her.
Jak took the sword. She was no
master, but she’d had some practice and wasn’t a complete amateur. She nodded
her thanks at Sam and took off for the bakery. Now that she knew what was going
on, it was easy enough to see. The pillar of black smoke was rising right from
the corner with the bakery. She sprinted as fast as she could towards it. In
her head she prayed to the ten gods of Roïgola’a’lanaū that her sisters would
be okay.
Mud splashed from her boots as she
rounded the corner. The crowd outside the bakery was huge. They had managed to
form a bucket chain. It wasn’t putting the fire out, but it was holding it at
bay. Most of the bakery was alight.
“Allie! Dora!” Jak called. She
stopped at the edge of the crowd and people turned to look at the dirty, sweaty
blacksmith’s apprentice wielding a sword. “I heard there was a witch,” she
offered, holding the sword threateningly in one hand.
“Oh, there is,” Baker Wilma
announced angrily. The tough old lady dragged Dora out of the crowd by her
wrist. Dora was struggling and crying. Allie was hanging around with a scared
look on her face, but she clearly hadn’t been able to dissuade her new boss.
“This little girl is a witch!” the baker screamed at the crowd. “She started
the fire!”
“I didn’t mean to!” Dora wailed.
“She didn’t do it,” Allie insisted.
“She’s not a witch! She’s just a kid.”
“It’s my new fairy powers,” Dora
cried. “I didn’t know.”
“Oh my gods!” Allie cursed angrily.
“You don’t have fairy powers, you idiot! You’re not a fairy princess! Shut up!”
“What is going on?” Jak demanded.
“Your witch of a sister started a
fire!” Wilma screamed. “Look at my bakery!”
“She thinks she’s got magic powers
because of her stupid flower crown and now she’s taking the blame for an
accident!” Allie yelled at Jak.
“Okay,” Jak mediated, even as she
died inside. “Everyone calm down.”
“We’re not listening to you!” a boy
in a baking apron yelled. “You’re probably a witch too!”
“Shut up, Thom,” Allie scoffed.
“You’re all witches!” he yelled at
Allie. “Your mum was a witch and you all are too!”
“Our Mum is a herbalist,” Jak
replied.
“Same thing!”
“Thom, shut up,” Allie repeated
scornfully. “You’re an idiot, and right now you’re just advertising that. Your
face is not pretty enough to excuse this level of stupidity.”
Jak didn’t think he was even
remotely pretty, but she did admire Allie’s ability to crush her crush.
Although, now probably wasn’t the right time.
“Everyone, Dora didn’t do this,”
Jak insisted calmly. “She couldn’t have. I promise. She’s a little kid who
wants to be a fairy princess, but she doesn’t have any magic powers.”
“But my magic crown!” Dora wailed.
“Shut up, Dora!” Jak snapped. “I’m
sorry, baby, but it’s not magic. Allie’s right — it’s just flowers. Now is not
the time.”
Dora began to cry again. Jak tried
to count to three, but the crowd wouldn’t give her the space. The villagers
were advancing.
“We have ways of testing for
witches,” Wilma glowered. “How about we dunk the witch and see if she floats?”
“You’ll kill her!” Jak roared. “Get
off my sister!”
Jak tried to snatch Dora back.
Wilma grabbed the little girl and twisted her arm away. Dora screamed as her
arm was twisted. Jak reacted instinctively. She hadn’t even realised she’d been
raising the sword until the crowd drew back in alarm. She caught herself before
she struck, but the blade was raised and she knew she looked as angry as she
felt.
“Enough!” a voice bellowed.
Everyone turned to see a stranger approaching. Jak felt her arm drop. It was
Jim. The merchant had a severe look about him that didn’t go with anything Jak
felt she had met earlier. He was not a particularly tall or physically imposing
man, but when he spoke the whole crowd froze.
“What in the name of
Roïgola’a’lanaū is going on here?” he asked.
“This witch burnt down my bakery!”
Wilma screamed, brandishing Dora.
“Hey Dora,” Jim smiled reassuringly
at her.
“Jim! Help!” Dora wailed. Jim eyed
up the crowd. His eyes were still the same warm brown. He wasn’t involved in
this fight. His eyes were soothing as they washed over his audience. He took in
their distrust at the fact that he knew the little girl, and none of them knew
him.
“I met Dora this morning,” he
offered the information. “I gave her the crown, and you all think it’s magic?”
He grinned as he said it. The tone of his voice made it sound preposterous. Jak
felt a wave of relief hit her as the man stared down the village.
“She’s a witch!” Thom yelled again.
Jim chuckled at him and his winning
smile hit the crowd like a tidal wave. “That girl ain’t a witch. I’ve been
around. I’ve seen witches. She is not a witch.” He turned his attention to
Wilma. “I’m sorry about your bakery, Ma’am, but accidents happen. Persecuting
these young ladies won’t change that. It will just make ugly, superstitious
folk out of the rest of you. Let the girl go.”
Wilma did as he bid, and Dora tore
herself free and clutched at Allie. Allie grabbed her and made for Jak. Jak
quickly sheathed the sword in her belt and grabbed her sisters. She looked up
at Jim. He was already watching her. She felt a strange shift in her first
opinion of him. He hadn’t needed to get involved, but she was extremely
grateful that he had.
“Thank you,” she murmured.
“Get them home,” he replied.
She nodded and led her sisters away
with her hands around their shoulders. He didn’t need to tell her twice. The
way he’d told her once said enough — he didn’t think this was going to stay
polite. The village was ready to get nasty, and the presence of a stranger may
have momentarily confused the mob, but he had no guarantee they would stay
confused. As soon as they were out of sight, Jak took her sisters’ hands and
broke into a run. She hoped the merchant would be able to get himself away, and
couldn’t believe he’d thrown himself in the path of the mob to rescue them.
The girls raced home and, as soon
as they were inside, Jak locked the door behind them.
“I’m sorry, Jak,” Allie apologised.
“It’s okay,” Jak took a deep
breath. “Just tell me what happened.”
“I pointed at the oven and it went
BOOM!” Dora cried. Jak looked to Allie who shrugged and didn’t disagree.
“I was mixing dough,” Allie said.
“So I wasn’t really looking. Dora was in the kitchen with us, just staying out
of the way in the corner. She was pretending to do fairy magic, but it was
harmless. A few people were giving her dirty looks. I…” Allie trailed off. She
wasn’t a good liar. Jak knew what she was trying not to say. It was going to be
something to do with Thom. Allie was flirting and not paying attention. Jak
didn’t care. She nodded at Allie to continue, so her sister did. “Dora pointed
at the oven and said ‘magic baking fire’—”
“I didn’t know!” Dora wailed. “I
didn’t know it would do it!”
“Hush,” Jak stroked her hair. She
was still looking at Allie. She didn’t know if Allie was aware how traumatised
she looked. Everyone had been focused on Dora, but Jak’s other little sister
was having quite the morning too.
“The oven just exploded,” Allie
shrugged, bringing her arms up to hug herself. “Huge bang and fire everywhere.
That old brick oven. It’s a miracle no one was hurt.” She shook her head. “My
ears are still ringing. But that’s it. Just went bang. Bits of flaming brick
went everywhere. The wall started to catch. We all started screaming and ran
outside. Wilma ordered a bucket chain, but the fire grew so fast. When she saw
how bad it was, she just turned on Dora and said it was her and she was a
witch. It was total rubbish, Jak. It was an accident, and now people are trying
to blame us.”
Jak had been looking out the window
as Allie spoke. She could see the faintest flicker of fire down the path
through the trees. She knew that sight well. It was the sight of a torch coming
up the road. This was the first time it had ever scared her. It was accompanied
by another one. Jak looked to her sisters.
“Go pack,” she ordered. Neither of
them moved. “Come on. We’re going to go camping for a little bit until this all
blows over. Get your stuff. Get it fast.”
Dora and Allie both looked like
they wanted to say something, maybe protest, but the look Jak was giving them
kept them silent. They rushed off to pack bags. They knew how serious this was.
Jak wasn’t sure if they knew what she knew though. The torches were getting
closer, and there were significantly more of them now. They had five minutes.
Jak shoved some spare clothes and food into a pack as fast as she could. In the
kitchen she grabbed some of her mother’s special pottery and the note by the
door. She wrapped it in a spare shirt and packed it. They were treasured
possessions and she couldn’t leave them. She didn’t know what was about to
happen, but it couldn’t be good.
“Girls!” she called. “We’re
leaving. If you haven’t packed it by now, you don’t need it!”
“But Binky!” Dora cried.
“I’ve got him,” Allie soothed her.
Allie ushered Dora into the main room where Jak was waiting. Just looking at
them, Jak could see that Allie had helped Dora pack. She knew. Jak met her
sister’s eyes. Allie knew what was happening. She had sorted Dora and herself,
and she had their youngest sister’s stuffed toy bunny in one hand. Allie really
was an old twelve. She had always been quick, and right now her scared face
betrayed her understanding of their situation. Jak nodded her thanks to her.
They didn’t want to spook Dora more than was necessary.
“Okay everyone,” Jak encouraged.
“Out the back door. Let’s be as quiet as we can.”
Jak ushered them out. Allie took
the lead and Jak brought up the rear behind Dora. They snuck out the back door
and into the forest. By now, Jak could hear the angry mob approaching. They
were loud and they were furious. That was a lot of torches through the trees.
It looked like an ocean of fire.
“Come on, guys,” Jak muttered.
“Faster.”
“What’s going on?!” Dora cried.
“Shhhh,” Jak hushed her. “Come on.”
Jak picked up Dora in her arms, and she and Allie raced off into the forest.
They could hear yelling and breaking glass behind them. Jak could feel her
heart pounding like it was going to rupture out of her chest. She wanted to
cry. Crying would have to wait. They weren’t out of the woods yet — literally.
She didn’t know if the village would pursue them once they realised they were
gone, or if the destruction alone would sate them.
If the mob realised they had gone
into the forest, then perhaps they were safe. Everyone knew this was a faerie
forest. There were mushroom circles and rings of stones scattered and hidden in
the long grasses. Children were warned never to play in the woods because they
would be snatched. It had happened before. The gods could use people’s lives
and bodies to make magic. Faeries would snatch the lost and use them for
spells. However, the girls’ parents had taught them to be safe in the forest.
As much as anyone could be. Be kind to the faeries, watch your footing, and
they’ll be kind to you.
Most of the villagers didn’t hold
to that. Rutsborough wasn’t a faerie friendly village, but they knew better
than to mess with the forest. They ignored it and it ignored them, to a point.
Vandalism wasn’t worth it. Messing with the faeries cost lives. The Queen of
the Fae had an army of shadow assassins that Ĝoŕgomghōul had made her. The Head
Hunters. Dark faeries that would come for those who had wronged the fae. They
would come in the night and behead their victims to steal their power. Nearly a
decade ago, a villager had decided to clear some of the woods with fire. The
gnomes had doused it, but the flames had claimed a small clearing. The next day
all that was left of the arsonist was blood-soaked bed sheets.
The forest was good to the girls,
but it was also a dangerous place, and Jak didn’t know if they would be safe
here. If the mob started to burn the trees to come after the girls, would they
be blamed for it? Would the Head Hunters come after them? The thought made her
want to puke.
“We have to get out of here,” she
stated.
“Äulé,” Dora offered. “Äulé will
help us.” She wriggled out of Jak’s arms and rushed off through the long grass
between the trees. Jak and Allie chased after her. They made it to the little
clearing Dora always came to. In the middle sat the lumpy boulder with the Fora
rune carved into it. There was a small crust of bread and a jug of milk placed
by it.
“Äulé!” Dora called. She knelt in
the wet grass by the stone. “Äulé, please help us!”
Jak remembered when her father used
to bring her out here when she was young. He was long out of the picture now.
He’d died when Dora was born. The youngest sister had never known their old
man. Jak missed him. She always did, but with everything else that was
happening right now it was like a knife in her chest. He had been a big
believer in faeries and small folk. Always had time for them. Dora was so like
him, and she didn’t even know it.
Above them in the trees a little
red squirrel chittered. Its beady black eyes watched them with its head cocked.
The forest animals didn’t touch food left for the gnomes. They knew. Well, most
of the time. Legend had it that squirrels and gnomes had gone to war over a
loaf of bread. With a sharp pop, the gnome appeared. He was a little man with a
tanned face and giant ginger beard. His pointed red cap flopped over on his
head and his mischievous eyes twinkled. He sat perched on the rock with a tiny
baby gnome in his arms.
“Äulé!” Dora exclaimed delightedly.
“Mah little Dora,” Äulé grinned at
her. “Ah, I see yer brought treats again. ‘Tis kind of yer, mah sweet girl.”
“Äulé we need your help,” Dora
begged. “Please help us.”
“Whatever’s the matter?”
“The village thinks Dora’s a
witch,” Allie told him. “They’re chasing us out, and we need somewhere safe.”
“And yer pray to the rune of
protection,” Äulé nodded approvingly, well aware of what he was sitting on.
“Damn humans. Can never trust ‘em. Well, yer girls have always been good to me
and mine.” He rocked the baby gnome in his arms. “I can trade yer some magic
for the treats yer left.” He raised his arm and pointed through the trees. “Go
that’a way. Keep heading straight and yer will find shelter and protection
worthy of Fora. Fae’s oath.”
“Thank you, Äulé,” Jak nodded to
him. “We won’t forget this.”
“Debt’s already paid, girl,” he
smiled. “Can’t do no magic without payment. Go get, little girls. Yer be safe
on that path.”
The girls thanked the gnome and
headed off exactly the way he pointed. Their parents had not been witches, but
they had been knowledgeable and respectful of faerie folk, and had raised the
girls carefully around such magic. Äulé’s spell only kept them safe as long as
they stayed on his path. If they diverged at all, the spell would break or they
would lose its protection.
Above them came the chittering. The
squirrel was still there. It scrambled and hopped between branches, keeping
just ahead of them. It dodged and wove between trees. It was leading them. For
a fleeting second Jak panicked that the squirrel might try and trick them into
betraying Äulé’s magic. After a breath she calmed. Not all gnomes and squirrels
were enemies. Especially in this forest. They were all the children of Thænäri,
after all. The goddess of the earth and forest protected her own.
Jak had no idea how long they
followed the squirrel, but it kept a straight line through the trees.
Eventually, Jak had to put Dora down and get her to walk again. Every now and
again the squirrel would stop and look back at them. Whenever they fell too far
behind it would chitter. Twice as they travelled she glimpsed a flash of red in
the grass, and caught the warning sight of a ring of toadstools, but Äulé’s
path kept them safely out of mushroom circles. Birds sang in the canopy, and
the hut and the villagers seemed far away. Jak couldn’t hear them at all
anymore. Light shone ahead through the trees and Jak started to feel another
rising panic. It wasn’t the light of fire though. It was something else.
Daylight was breaking through the
trees. She looked up for the squirrel. It was gone. She had no idea where it
had scampered to. Where the day shone through was a muddy dirt road. Jak felt
her feet slow. She had spent her whole life playing in that forest. There
wasn’t a road this way for ages. Yet, somehow, here it was already. Time and
distance had become jumbled. Faerie magic. Äulé had protected them from
followers. It wasn’t all he’d done.
As the girls stepped from the
shelter of the trees onto the road, the clomping of hooves and rumbling of
wheels could be heard. Jak recognised the wagon instantly. It was hard not to
with the big purple letters all over the side. The man driving it gave them one
of his characteristic grins.
“Well, well, well…” he smiled at
them. “Fancy seeing you three all the way out here. That’s a long way you got.”
“Äulé helped us,” Dora told him
before anyone could stop her.
“Äulé?” Jim mused. “That’s a faerie
name… ain’t he a gnome?”
“You know him?” Jak blurted. Jim
just smiled at her. He leaned back against the wagon with the reins draped
loosely in one hand.
“You girls need a lift?”
Jak hesitated. She was not sure
about this at all. She had warned her sisters about strangers. While she was
extremely grateful he had helped them get away from the villagers, she wasn’t
sure how far her trust extended. Something about him was still weird. Besides,
they couldn’t go far… they had to wait for Mum to come home…
“Yes please,” Allie answered for
her.
“Allie, we don’t know where we’re
going,” Jak protested.
“Away from Rutsborough,” Allie
answered vehemently. She stalked out of the grass and approached the caravan.
“Good answer,” Jim grinned at her.
“Sorry about your town, Jak, but… well, it certainly seems like a bit of a rut.
We decided not to stay.”
“Who’s we?” Jak asked. That was the
first thing she wanted to know before she fell in with a group of vagabonds.
Jim grinned at her and nodded his head towards the caravan behind him.
“Come meet my friends.” He climbed
down from the front of the wagon and led them around to the back. He banged
politely on the back and it was opened from the inside. Jak felt her jaw drop
as two men climbed from the back of the caravan. At first she thought they were
identical. They were tall and pale and extremely beautiful, with soft blonde
hair and large pointy ears. One had a serious expression and golden eyes, and
the other had soft lavender eyes and a huge friendly smile. The one with golden
eyes had shorter hair, but they both wore their pale locks loose with random,
interspersed braids.
“They’re…” Jak started numbly.
“Fae,” Jim finished with a grin.
“This is Krill,” he indicated the serious one. “And this is Kode.” The happy
one waved joyfully at them. Jim never stopped grinning at the girls. “We’re the
Banging Wagon,” he introduced. “Want to join us?”
“Allie come on!” she called to her
younger sister. “We can’t be late today!”
“Calm down,” Allie called back from
the next room. “I’m just getting ready.” The younger girl swept into the main
room in a green dress and twirled. “What do you think?”
Jak raised an eyebrow as she
watched. The two of them were three years and a million worlds apart. Same dark
skin. Same black curls. Except not the same. Jak’s hair was wild and she tied
it back like overgrown vines to keep it out of her eyes. Allie’s curls were
brushed sleek and plaited down her back like a princess. She wore simple
dresses, but she wore them to try and accentuate her newfound puberty and
appear older. Allie was maturing way too fast. Jak dressed like a boy. In
shades of brown. She wore trousers and boots, and a leather vest over her cream
shirt, and she hoped no one would notice she was a girl.
“What are you doing in your good
dress?” she asked. “You’re going to work.”
“It’s my first day!” Allie
exclaimed excitedly. “And Thom works at the bakery too… I want to look nice.”
“Thom?” Jak criticised. “Who in the
gods’ names is Thom?”
“The cute boy at the bakery,” Allie
told her like she was stupid.
Jak stared her down. With Allie it
was a new boy every week. There weren’t that many of them in the village; Jak
still struggled to keep up.
“How old is this one?”
“About your age,” Allie shrugged.
“So fifteen?” Jak checked. She gave
her sister another sharp look. “Allie, you’re twelve.”
“I’m of a marriageable age,” Allie
told her primly.
“No you’re bloody not! I’m not of a
marriageable age! You’re definitely not!”
Who is your hero and why?
Terry Pratchett. He’s my favorite author and I truly believe
he was a genius. I don’t write like him, I’m not trying to, but I do very much
hope that one day I will write something as good as any of his peak work.
That’s the dream.
His satire and his keen ability to critique the human
condition in such an accessible way is something I have admired for a great
deal of my life. He was a great humanitarian and, somehow, through it all, an
optimist whose work never gave up on us, even when we absolutely deserved it. I
might not be as smart as him, but that is an energy I strive for. Fantasy has
always been a core language in the study of society – right back to the ancient
myths and legends of gods and heroes. Pratchett knew that, he utilised it, and
while I am loathe to compare my work to his in any way whatsoever, it would be
remiss of me not to acknowledge that a book called Like the Heroes of Old
is certainly one that has something to say about our world, if through the veil
of another.
Also, possibly if I live long enough to produce as many books
as him, that would be quite neat too.
As a writer, what would you choose as your
mascot/avatar/spirit animal?
A raccoon. Part of me wishes I could say cat, but I possess
not the grace and so rarely the distain. Alas, perhaps, I am a raccoon, feral
as the night. Small and round and chubby. I lie on the floor and eat garbage. I
hiss at strangers. I steal snacks. I bite. I hoard. Oh boy, do I hoard.
Especially treats. Treat hoarder. I am fluffy and soft, but not well-kempt.
Also, once, many years ago, I was getting a massage for my
neck, shoulders, and arms (because my tendonitis was quite bad) and the lovely
Canadian masseuse told me my hands were like raccoon paws. So that stuck.
If you had to do it all over again, would you change
anything in your latest book?
Not a thing. This book has taught me a very important lesson.
When parents say they don’t have a favorite child, they are lying.
Because I don’t have a favorite child.
But…
(feral goblin noises as I pat my precious and most beloved
book-child)
Shhh… it’s my favorite child…
Kate Haley is a speculative fiction author who works predominantly in fantasy and horror.
While currently content to fill her days with writing and table-top RPGs, her grander plans involve world domination. Something akin to the tyranny of the greatest city atop the Disc would be an acceptable standard. She believes a super-villainous overlord would be an upgrade, given that our current villains lack style and imagination.
After all, super-villainy requires Presentation.
If you like her references, consider reading her books. Peruse the website for short fictions and merchandise, and join the mailing list for early access and exclusive cool stuff.
Website * Facebook * X * Instagram * Bookbub * Amazon * Goodreads
Follow the tour HERE for special content and a giveaway!
$10 Amazon
The cover looks great. Sounds like an interesting story.
ReplyDelete