The Adventures of Crimson and the Guardian Read online

  The Adventures Of

  Crimson And The Guardian

  A Kid’s Medieval Story of an Orphan Explorer

  and a Unicorn Legend Overcoming Dragons, Monsters, the Pegasus of Peril and Other Fantasy Creatures on their Journey to Meet their Destiny.

  The Adventures Of

  Crimson And The Guardian

  A Kid’s Medieval Story of an Orphan Explorer

  and a Unicorn Legend Overcoming Dragons, Monsters, the Pegasus of Peril and Other Fantasy Creatures on their Journey to Meet their Destiny.

  Karen Cossey

  Copyright © 2017 Karen M Cossey

  All Rights Reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by information storage and retrieval system without prior permission in writing from the author, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review. Requests for permission should be made in writing to: Tui Valley Books Limited, P O Box 6040, Tauranga 3146,

  New Zealand, or by contact through their author’s website at: www.karencossey.com

  Paperback Edition Published 2017

  Publisher: Stolen Moments

  An Imprint of Tui Valley Books Limited

  ISBN: 978-0-473-38119-6

  Map Illustration by: Renflowergraphx

  Publisher’s Note: This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either a product of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously. All characters are fictional, and any similarity to people living or dead is purely coincidental. Brand and product names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.

  You can find more stories by Karen Cossey at www.karencossey.com.

  Please Like Karen at https://www.facebook.com/KarenCosseyAuthor

  Dedication

  This book is dedicated to my family: Peter, Daniel and Amy, and my ‘international sons’: Thiago and Johannes.

  You are all wonderful people whom I treasure greatly.

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1. The River Monster

  Chapter 2. The Jogotchies

  Chapter 3. The Shadow-Bloods

  Chapter 4. Kolby and the Dwarves

  Chapter 5. Taymin’s Wolves

  Chapter 6. A Spy from Milonderland

  Chapter 7. The Elves

  Chapter 8. Idla’s Mungas

  Chapter 9. Bobahos

  Chapter 10. The Snake’s Eyes

  Chapter 11. The Dragon of Death

  Chapter 12. Race against the Ravens

  Chapter 13. Destiny Confirmed

  Chapter 14. The Pegasus of Peril

  Chapter 15. The Wait

  Chapter 16. Saving Sir Eric

  A Special Offer to Thank You For Reading!

  Acknowledgements

  More from Karen Cossey

  Chapter 1. The River Monster

  “Where are the pixies hiding?” I asked myself as I walked through Pixie Forest. Wouldn’t it be great to see one? ‘Little People,’ they were called, and they were known for their dancing and playful ways. If they liked you it was said they could bring you a blessing. They loved exploring—maybe they could take me with them so I could run away.

  Before my father had died, I often rode the horses he trained, but now I had to work as Master Ashton’s kitchen maid with just my feet to carry me to see my sister, Liliana. She was the Cook’s assistant at Lord Hudson’s castle, and even had a room to herself because she was so helpful and well-liked. I was a troublemaker—that’s what the cook had told me this morning when I’d dropped the oatmeal all over the floor. She’d yelled at me to clear off and not come back until nighttime, so I’d escaped before she changed her mind. I was going to make the most of a day off. Running away with the pixies might not work out, but at least I could see Liliana. Perhaps there would be something nice to eat in her kitchen—that thought made me smile. Maybe I’d look for the pixies another day.

  That’s when I saw something unexpected lying on the path: a skillfully woven grey-green cloak. I picked it up and felt how soft it was, like the fine mist of the early morning fog on my face, waiting to wrap itself around me. I glanced over my shoulder, looking for the owner. No one was about, so I put it on, unable to resist the temptation to be enveloped in something so smooth. As I closed the clasp around my neck, I heard a firm voice behind me.

  “That’s it then. You’re the one.”

  I spun around in time to see a white unicorn step out from behind a tree!

  I stared at her, not believing what my eyes were showing me. Then, to my amazement, her mouth started moving and words came out!

  “It’s about time you turned up. I’ve been waiting for someone to come along and try on the cloak. All I’ve seen go past the last couple of days are thieving pixies who want to make it into blankets.”

  My knees went weak and I sat down hard on the ground, staring at the unicorn. A talking unicorn! I’d heard rumors that there were a few unicorns left in the land, but I’d always believed unicorns were only a legend. Yet here was one right in front of me—and it could talk!

  “Who are you?” I asked with a tremble in my voice.

  “I’m Crimson,” she said. “I watch over Sir Ivor.”

  I recognized the name. Sir Ivor was a national hero. He’d slain dragons, scared all the witches from the kingdom, and defeated the giant trolls single-handedly. Was the cloak his?

  “I’m . . . I’m sorry. Where is he? I wasn’t stealing his cloak. I only meant to try it on for a minute. I’ll put it back here for him,” I babbled as I yanked at the clasp, trying to open it.

  It stayed shut, like the mouth of a young child refusing to eat his vegetables.

  “He’s not coming back,” Crimson said. “He left the cloak for me to give to his successor. That’s you. I hope you didn’t have any other major life plans? It is a full-time job being a heroine.” She smiled at me.

  I felt like a cat thrown in a deep river.

  “I’m no heroine. I’m just an ordinary kitchen maid on my way to visit my sister at Lord Hudson’s castle. Please, just take the cloak and give it back to Lord Ivor,” I said as I tugged at the clasp.

  “Lord Ivor’s retired and gone back to his family across the sea. Now, I need you to stop trying to remove the cloak and come with me. There’s a commotion going on at the castle. You need to help sort it out before your sister gets hurt. Climb on my back.”

  She stared at me and I felt strange, as if I had to do what she said. Before I knew what had happened I was in the saddle she was wearing and galloping towards the castle.

  As we approached, I saw a blood-chilling sight: a gigantic river monster in the castle’s moat! It looked fierce, like a colossal red snake with orange and black stripes all over its body. Its eyes were like blazing fire, and its fangs pointed like daggers. Water shook off its body as it waved backwards and forwards, trying to reach the windows near the top of the castle’s tower. It would only be a few more minutes before it got high enough to slither through them. I could hear terrified screaming coming from inside. I was paralyzed with fear myself as I sat, motionless, on Crimson’s back.

  “Off you go then,” Crimson said, nodding her head in the direction of the monstrous creature.

  “Wha . . . wha . . . what?” I stammered.

  “Reach inside the cloak. There is a pocket, and inside the pocket is the dragon dagger. It’s magic—it kills dragons and river monsters instantly. Once you stab him with it, he’ll just . . . poof . . . dissolve away.”

  “Once I do what?” I forced the panic out of my voice.

  “Onc
e you stab him,” she said.

  “I can’t do that. He’ll eat me before I get close.” I wanted to shout, but I was so scared of the river monster I only managed a hiss.

  “Pull the hood of the cloak over your head and you’ll be invisible. But be very quiet—he can still hear you. Do it now. He’s almost in the tower.”

  Some kind of power emanated from Crimson and I stopped trembling as I felt a surge of strength and bravery rise up inside me. I tried to fight it off with the last dregs of common sense I possessed, but the strange feeling overwhelmed my terror.

  My hand betrayed me by reaching up and pulling on the hood, and I vanished! I couldn’t see my hands or feet or any other part of myself, nor could I see the cloak. For a brief moment I forgot the river monster and wondered if I was still alive—does a person still exist if they totally disappear?

  The roar of monster dragged my attention back and that invading sense of courage which had now reached my head yanked me into action.

  I climbed down from Crimson’s back and ran nearer to the moat. The monster was stretching up from the other side, about to go through the tower window. He was even more terrifying up close, with saliva drooling from his mouth and an overpowering stench. His skin was made of knife-edged scales. Would I have the strength to push the dagger through them? He was on the opposite side of the moat—how was I to reach him?

  I kept running closer but my foot caught on the bottom of the cloak and the traitorous clasp chose that precise moment to come undone! The cloak fell completely off me and I could see myself again. Which meant the river monster could too!

  He whirled around and bent his head down toward me, crossing the water. I clutched the dagger with two hands above my head and shut my eyes. His mouth was coming towards me—I knew because I was getting covered in his saliva. Pure fear raced through me. I was about to become his snack. What good could the small blade I held overhead do against the ravenous mouth descending upon me?

  But the knife was was the only hope I had, so I jabbed it upwards and felt it connect with the soft tissue inside the monster’s mouth. A force like a hurricane knocked me off my feet as the river monster gave a loud, piercing scream . . . and dissolved into nothing. Nothing, that is, except some repulsive, sticky, smelly ooze, which engulfed me.

  Crimson was right there beside me.

  She smiled as she spoke. “Well, at least you didn’t get any monster muck on the cloak.”

  I wondered if Crimson would disappear if I stabbed her with the dagger.

  “Pick up the cloak and climb on my back. It’s best to keep you a secret for a while yet. Let’s get out of here before someone recognizes you.”

  I could hear cheers and shouts coming from the castle, so I did as Crimson asked and we galloped back into the forest.

  It took a while for me to calm down and wash in the river near where I had met Crimson. She told me to go and visit my sister Liliana, but not to mention anything about the river monster.

  When I reached Liliana, she was full of news about the river monster’s defeat, saying some people thought they’d seen a child—and even a unicorn!

  “Sounds astonishing!” I said with meaning, almost not believing it had happened. Sitting in the kitchen, eating warm bread, it all seemed like a crazy nightmare. Still, I did as Crimson said and as I left I told Liliana I wouldn’t be able to visit for a few months.

  I tried to avoid Pixie Forest on the way back, but Crimson found me, just as she said she would. She gave me a kind smile, but this made my urge to run away even stronger.

  “Don’t run, child,” she said in a soothing tone. “You were very brave today. I can tell you are ready for adventure. Sorry for throwing you in the deep end like that, but someone had to do something. It was a bit of a calamity don’t you think?”

  I pushed down my impulse to rant and rave at her, only because I wanted to hear if she had anything else to say about my being ready for adventure. I still believed she might just disappear any second like some strange dream, and if she had something to say first, I wanted to hear it.

  “I think you’re ready to give up working in the kitchens and come along with me,” she said. “I’ll teach you everything you need to know about the cloak. If you come along you’ll have the adventures you’ve always dreamed about.”

  “I’m not brave enough for adventures,” I said. “I was terrified today. It was you and your magic that made me do it.”

  “True courage comes from acting even when you are scared. You are brave. You just don’t believe it. That courage you felt came from within you. I can’t put courage inside someone, I can only uncover it.”

  She looked at me and I knew it was my chance to say no. But I knew I wanted to stay with her and see what the adventures would be. I’d survived the river monster—surely they couldn’t be that bad. And anything had to be better than working in Master Ashton’s kitchen.

  “I’d need to tell Master Ashton I’m leaving,” I said.

  “We’ll do that now. Don’t worry. I know your master, and he’ll be happy to leave you in my care once I talk with him.”

  This surprised me and I stared at the ground for a long time, thinking it through. Finally, I lifted my eyes and met hers.

  “All right, I’ll come along.”

  Chapter 2. The Jogotchies

  The blackness of the night surrendered to the dawn colors as daylight approached. It had been only a few days since we’d said goodbye to a very surprised Master Ashton. He had been concerned that it wasn’t safe for young girls to travel alone around the countryside. At his suggestion, I happily agreed to dress as a boy—I preferred trousers to skirts any day.

  Crimson gave me the name Malin, which I think was her attempt at a joke. It means Little Warrior, and while I may have been little, I didn’t feel much like a warrior. I preferred my own name, Kinsey, which means Royal Victory. I knew it was an oversized name for a kitchen maid, but it always made me smile to think of my parents giving it to me. They must have been dreamers, like me.

  Master Ashton also made Crimson promise to bring me back for a visit in a few months, which I looked forward to now I was waking up on the cold hard ground every morning. No more would I complain about my bed of hay at Master Ashton’s!

  I had no idea where we were, or where we were headed. I sat up and looked for Crimson. Where was she?

  I needn’t have worried—she was never far away.

  “Good morning, Strong Knight of the Kingdom,” she said as she stepped into the clearing.

  “Don’t you mean Peasant from Nowhere?” I groaned. “And I’m a hungry one at that!”

  “Look in my saddlebag,” she said.

  I’d been astonished to find her wearing a saddle. She said it helped her riders, especially Sir Ivor, but she refused to wear a bit and bridle—she was under no one’s control. She’d told me to ride like the pixie rogues, with my hands tangled in her mane. I was glad for the saddle, even though my father had taught me to ride bareback. A saddle was easier for long distances at a canter, as we’d been doing the last two days.

  I was especially glad for the saddlebag when I reached inside and found an apple pie, still warm. I yanked it out and started gobbling it down.

  “Where did you get this?” I asked between mouthfuls.

  “From the Castle of Llodorney. It’s three miles up the road. The cook’s been up all night getting ready for today’s banquet.”

  “Llodorney Castle!” I was surprised. “That’s a long way from home. I knew you were moving quickly, but I didn’t realise we’d covered so much ground. Do you always travel so fast?”

  “Only if there’s an urgent need that justifies it.”

  I stopped eating to digest this information.

  “What’s the urgent need?” Butterflies started to fight with the pie in my stomach.

  “Oh, nothing to worry about. Just a band of jogotchies looking to disrupt Lord Alexander’s birthday celebrations. They’re a couple of hours away, on t
he other side of the castle.”

  “A band of jogotchies!”

  I had only ever seen one jogotchy. It had it attacked Master Ashton’s horses, dragging one away and devouring it. It had taken Father and Master Ashton three days to track the jogotchy down and kill it. Jogotchies were large creatures, with bodies like apes, four-eyed heads shaped like a wild pig, and mouths filled with three rows of teeth. Mind-hammeringly hideous. They hated water and couldn’t run fast, but they were strong and knew how to hide.

  “How many is that. . .two, three? Maybe four?” I trembled as the pie in my stomach fought back against the butterflies. I wished I’d taken smaller mouthfuls.

  “Oh, just a few, really.” She paused and squirmed. “Ten, to be precise. Now don’t look so scared. I’d be more worried about the cook if he finds out you ate one of his pies.”

  The rest of the pie fell to the ground.

  “Right, if you’re all finished, we’d better be going. Climb up.”

  A few hours later I was up a tree on a hillside, watching a terror-house of trouble in the form of ten jogotchies passing on the road below. They were speaking to each other in a strange language, and seemed to be plotting something. I had always thought they roamed around by themselves, so looking at ten together sent a chill down my spine.

  “What’s your plan?” I whispered to Crimson, as I climbed down from the tree.

  “Not too sure. Do you have an idea?” she asked. She must have noticed the look on my face because she added, “Calm down, we’ll think of something.”

  Was she crazy? My plan was to find a cave and hide in it. As I looked around for one, I noticed a tiny pink flower growing in a bush.

  “Sweet sleeping star,” I whispered.

  “What did you say?” Crimson asked.

  “That’s a sweet sleeping star bush,” I told her. “If you crush the petals and mix them with water into a paste, they can put you to sleep. All you have to do is smear some on your skin, and in five minutes you fall asleep for a whole day.”