_This is a first draft of Chapter 2 of The Unicorn Guide, the fourth book in the 11 Quests series. Books 4, 5 and 6 tell a new story, so you can read The Unicorn Guide even if you haven’t yet read the first three books. Since this is a first draft, if you spot any errors please let me know! I’d be happy to find out in email and fix it. Feel free to send along any other comments you may have. Make sure you read Chapter 1 first! _
Chapter 2
****The Fay
Thinking of the danger of being up in a tree while the plants below were on fire, Tumi slid down the trunk of the tree, nearly as fast as a fireman would slide down the old firehouse poles. The air on the ground was warm, but not as hot as he expected it to be so near a fire. The fire wasn’t spreading from the ferns.
More curious than afraid, Tumi walked right up to a fern and took a good look. His eyes weren’t fooling him when he was in the tree. The leaves of the fern weren’t on fire, they were fire. Each leaf was like the flickering flame of a candle. The overall effect was beautiful and Tumi thanked the gods of his tribe, convinced that this was a good omen for his Usimaro. He felt certain that this would be the most amazing thing he saw, though he was wrong.
He climbed back up the tree and got back into position to sleep. He took another look down at the glowing jungle floor and held the image in his mind so that he may see it in his dreams.
Tumi’s eyes popped open. For a moment, he thought that the flaming ferns had been a dream, but then he saw the moonlight streaming down from above and the golden glow coming up from below. Looking straight ahead, he saw the eyes of an old man staring back at him, and the old man was holding his bow.
Tumi shouted, “Hey! Give that back!” He was sure that this had to be a dream, because how else could the same thing happen two nights in a row?
The old man’s eyebrows shot up in alarm at Tumi’s sudden outburst.
“Okay, okay! No need to yell,” the man said, flying closer to hand Tumi his bow. “I was just looking at it. I haven’t seen a bow quite like it.”
Tumi jumped and nearly fell out of the tree.
This was no monkey! It really was a small, old man. His hair was long, white and thinning. He wore a brown shirt and pants, with a small brown pouch dangling from his brown rope belt. His wings were green, like the leaves of the trees. The wings were fluttering quickly as the man hovered in place.
“Don’t be alarmed,” said the man. “Come to think of it, it’s been many, many years since I’ve alarmed anyone.”
Tumi felt certain that the man must be a jungle spirit of some sort, but he couldn’t think of a single story told of a spirit that looked quite like this.
“Are you a good shot with your bow?” the man asked.
“Yes, I’m one of the best in my tribe,” Tumi said without a hint of bragging in his voice. He felt a little nervous around this strange, flying man, but his curiosity kept him from sliding down the tree and running away. “Who are you? How do you know the language of my people?”
“Me? I’m no one special. Just one of the jungle fay. Some would call us fairies. Among the fay, I am known as Glider.”
“How is it that you speak Pano?”
“Pano? I don’t speak Pano. The magical beings learned how to talk to one another a long time ago. It turns out to be very easy magic, since people already tend to hear what they want to hear. We all do it without even thinking. It makes things a lot more peaceful. Most of the time, at least.”
Tumi considered this for a moment. “There are more magical creatures?”
“Of course! The jungle is full of Elder Folk, as we like to call ourselves. There are all kinds. But, we stick to certain parts of the jungle and make it… inconvenient for others to find their way into our lands, as you have.” Tumi looked at the ferns, still blazing away down below. “And there are magical plants, too?”
“Oh yes, many.”
“Are they dangerous?”
Glider followed Tumi’s gaze to the ferns. “The Fiery Ferns? Not at all. They’re actually quite helpful for getting around at night. Some, like The Trees That Watch, help the Elder Folk but can be dangerous for people who want to cause us harm.” Glider grimaced. “Still others, like the Hiding Cactus are just plain mean.” He rubbed his arm. “Just last week, one snuck up on me and stung my arm! Oh well. I’m sure even they have their place in this world.”
Tumi had spent much of his eleven years learning about the plants and animals of the jungle. He knew what was safe and how to avoid the things that weren’t. He hadn’t been concerned at all about his Usimaro, but now it seemed that he was no longer in his jungle. His Usimaro had taken him someplace else.
“What is this place called?” Tumi asked.
“We call it the Lost Jungle.”
“The Lost Jungle” sounded a little scary to Tumi, who had lived in the “not lost” Amazon jungle all his life. On the other hand, he thought, being “lost” was a great way to avoid being seen by his tribesman. His face brightened further, as the sky lightened with the dawn. His Usimaro would be one for the storytellers.
Continue reading with Chapter 3