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NEW AUTHORS SHOWCASE
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6M p12 |
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Muel -A World Apart By Bernadette Willis |
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Synopsis One elfish horse, whose wings will appear in great need, two voyages of discovery, through the depths of despair. Three races; an elf of old, a Haft of youth unblemished, and a human who’s not quite whole. Working together with the acorns of life, Muel will be healed and Neburulu put to flight. On Muel chaos reigns when a potent metal rot is released by the Hafts. Charlie, an elf, reluctantly organises the group who according to the legend have to fight Neburulu, an evil power and rescue the planet from its imminent demise. They have doubts about why they were chosen and without any knowledge they have to ask the Hafts for help The Hafts agree to support them as they realise they have made a terrible mistake. Then disaster strikes. Charlie is attacked and left for dead. Fortunately they save him and Jenny rediscovers her past, a tormented childhood when she had visions, terrifying images of Neburulu but also a full knowledge of the quest.
Charlie finally reveals his dire secret, and explains the strange hormonal interaction between Hafts and elves. But the quest was set up not only to banish Neburulu but also to unite the three races. They discover that their love for each other and their families will be vital.
Neburulu corners them but unexpected help is received, the alternative route taking them many leagues under the mountains. In the darkness Jenny learns she must vanquish Neburulu using her mind. Jenny practices by taking over Charlie’s mind and together they discover how to confront Neburulu. His power is awesome and the battle is long and torturous but eventually they banish him, open the acorns and heal Muel.
Chapter One
“Pie, stop the car!” Ingrid squealed excitedly “The man in the funny racing car says he’s your granddad.”
Pie glanced at his daughter in the mirror and then back to the elderly deep green Leopardo that roared majestically behind them, headlamps flashing madly. “Don’t be daft, we’ll miss our plane” he answered dismissively but Tania spoke “Pull over, he needs to speak to us. A bomb in the airport or something.”
Shrugging his shoulders Pie started to slow and then curtly asked how they knew. Ingrid laughed “He’s talking in my head, like Mum does” and Tania nodded “I can hear him too. But he’s adamant he’s your relative not mine.” Resignedly Pie pulled over onto the hard shoulder, barely a hundred yards short of the airport turn-off and the Leopardo drew in behind them.
Tania and Ingnd were out and running back to the Leopardo while Pie struggled to locate his walking stick amongst the baggage that littered the floor of the back seat. Having cautiously eased his way out of the car he looked up to see a tall fine featured man with ginger hair approaching hand in hand with Ingrid. She spoke breathlessly “This is Charlie, he’s my great granddad.”
“Calm down!” Pie cut in “Stop being silly. He’s far too young to be my grandfather.” “He’s elf like me” Tania spoke abruptly “I’m sorry. I should have told you, but I didn’t know where to start.”
Chapter 8 - excerpt
They found an extremely old Haft waiting for them, shrunken, his body bent double with arthritis. His hands were rough and chapped and the veins stood out palely blue. “My name is Cuthbert, if I’m not mistaken you’re young Count Westhaven, you don’t appear to have aged at all, why it must be almost a thousand years since we played cards far into the night and you lost everything but your boots. Wouldn’t part with those boots for anything!”
“I think you must be mistaken. I agree we played cards and I lost the lot but it wasn’t that long ago.”
Cuthbert smiled “You can’t fool me, I’ll be 1,004 this coming summer, and I haven’t lost my marbles yet. I hadn’t come of age when I first knew you, and though you titled yourself young, you were a great deal older than me. So how old are you?” Jenny laughed “You don’t expect an honest answer, do you?”
Charlie spoke softly “I’m not proud of the Count Westhaven era of my life. I’d rather forget it all.” He hesitated “If you must know, I’m 1,248 years old, which makes me a liar. No apprentice wizard would last more than 400 years without being kicked out.”
Cuthbert took his hand and held it firmly “You realise this quest has got to work. There really has been some daft logic applied in the last few decades. But there seems to be a wind of change in the air, everywhere I turn old secrets are being revealed. Be strong and admit to your mistakes, you must be the only person left alive who knew the elves. Use that knowledge, somewhere deep within you, you must recall how they thought and acted. If we’re to find this ancient book, you’re going to have to explain to those idiots on the General Council why it’s so important.”
Jenny spoke “Charlie is elf; he just doesn’t like admitting it” Cuthbert nodded “I know. That’s why he got into such a state when poor old Begonia died. She was the last remaining horse, we all have to hope a half elfish horse will do, and that in great need his wings will appear. As for you, young lady, are you unblemished?”
Now Charlie chuckled “What does it mean? She’s kind of heart, thoughtful, almost human at times, but is she unblemished when she’s had a partner for years?” Cuthbert winced “Act your years; you know better than I, elves were never moralistic. They saw unblemished as the opposite of jaded, which with our long years we’ve all become.”
Charlie asked “How many Hafts think as you do? And have so much knowledge of the old ways?”
“Not many, most think I’m set in my ways. But with this metal bug, they’ve been digging into the old archives and finding out things they’d rather not think about.” “Neburulu, for instance?” “Yes, the name had been virtually forgotten, an old tale to frighten kids, but now he’s been unchained what will become of us?”
Jenny sat looking at these two old males, with the weight of fear in their voices, it was as if Neburulu himself was listening. The sky darkened and the first raindrops fell. As they helped Cuthbert under cover the skies opened and they only just made it before the deluge began. Sheets of rain lashed down and as they huddled together in the chicken house with soggy birds all around them Jenny spoke slowly “Charlie, what’s wrong with being an elf?”
Cuthbert answered for Charlie “The Hafts and the elves fell out more than 1,000 years ago, something to do with the elves charming the Haft womenfolk and luring them away. He’s scared he’ll be shot but after so many centuries, if he were Haft he’d be old, like me and the legend would be unfulfillable. Where does one find an elf at short notice? That’s why so many Hafts have ignored the legend. It seemed pointless with neither elf nor elfish horse. Despite Glenrune’s description of Begonia’s plight, I don’t believe she thought of death. She after all knew that Charlie was elf, even if nobody else did. He used to visit regularly and always spent hours with her.”
Charlie nodded sadly “She was the light of my life. We alone could remember the old times. Both of us stranded in a strange world with no companions. The death of an entire race is hard to accept, and the two of us clung to each other. But you forget the Homeland was my home too, long before the Hafts took it over. For many years I blamed the Hafts for the demise of the elfish world. But age does make a difference, gradually I’ve realised that we were a lost cause. The recent decline of the human race helped me to see it more clearly, but I don’t feel that humans should also be exterminated like rats. There has to be a way to save them, and save them all, Muel is dying.” With that they sat in silence, until gradually the sky lightened and they wandered back… |