The Corgi Chronicles Read online

  The Corgi Chronicles

  Laura Madsen

  Alternate Universe Books

  Salt Lake City, Utah

  alternateuniversebooks.com

  Copyright © 2013 by Laura Madsen

  All rights reserved.

  Published by Alternate Universe Books

  Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

  alternateuniversebooks.com

  No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including graphic, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written permission of the copyright holder.

  This book is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual people, either living or deceased, is purely coincidental. Locations mentioned are based on real locations but are elaborated by the author’s imagination and are used fictitiously.

  ISBN: 978-1484842225

  Printed in the U.S.A.

  Cover art © by Sandara Tang.

  Cover design © 2013 by Michelle Zumbrunnen.

  This book is dedicated to my parents,

  Ann and Neal McLain,

  for giving me a love of reading and writing, and to my daughters,

  Bridget and Katelyn,

  with the hope that they will love books as much as I do.

  Author’s Note

  My Pembroke Welsh Corgi was the inspiration for this story. Corgis are an ancient herding dog breed from Wales. As Pippin points out, the plural is technically corgwyn, or corgŵn in the Welsh spelling. There are two corgi breeds: the Pembroke Welsh Corgi has a stubby tail, while the Cardigan Welsh Corgi has a long tail.

  As far as I know, corgis are not actually able to speak human languages or write books, but in Welsh mythology they do serve as steeds for fairies. Corgis are clever dogs, although they can be noisy barkers and they might try to herd you and your family members. For more information about corgis, see the Pembroke Welsh Corgi Club of America website at www.pembrokecorgi.org.

  Chapter 1

  I’m called Pippin. You wouldn’t be able to pronounce my real name, a deep Welsh bark, but Pippin is what I’m called by my human family.

  I’m a Corgi. Note the capitalization. Many humans neglect to use the capital C, but you really should.

  We’re an ancient race, distantly related to dogs. On the outside, we look similar to regular dogs, but our ears are bigger, our legs shorter, and our eyes more intelligent. Most humans have no clue that we’re anything special. Even my human mom, Laura, who works as a veterinarian, thinks I’m a dog.

  How we differ from dogs is our spark of magic. We are fairy stock. If you traced back the lineage of a regular dog five thousand years you would find wolves. Not so with us. If you traced back five thousand years you would find Kings of the ancient Corgwyn. (That’s the Welsh plural of our name.)

  Our kin are the fey: elves, fairies and sprites. We are the fairies’ steeds—fairies are much too small to ride on horses, but we’re a perfect size for riding. Many of us have a lighter stripe on our shoulders from our saddles rubbing. Mine is a tan stripe sprinkled through my black fur.

  When I was born, eyes and ears closed like a common puppy’s, I was already aware of my history and my task. Although Corgwyn are assigned to fairy masters or mistresses, many of us live with human families, passing as house dogs. This allows the fey to keep a closer eye on the activities of humans, the most numerous race on this planet.

  My fairy mistress is named Aliiana. She’s an earth fairy, based in the dry, rocky foothills to the south of my human home. She spends most of her time tending the granite base of the mountains, which in turn nurtures the plants and animals.

  I speak with Aliiana nearly every day. Either she contacts me telepathically, or I sneak out when Laura isn’t paying attention. I’m very fast and can easily run to the foothills and back before my human family notices I’m gone.

  One day I received an urgent telepathic message from Aliiana.

  Pippin! Her voice echoed in my mind. You must come quickly!

  What’s wrong, Mistress?

  Just hurry, I’ll explain when you get here.

  I needed to get away from my human home as fast as possible, but my family was in the yard so I couldn’t sneak out. I picked up a picture book in my mouth and carried it to the littlest girl. She smiled, took it from me, and held it up to Laura. “Read, please, Mom?” she asked in her tiny voice.

  “Okay, sweetie,” said Laura. She led the little girls back to the bedroom for story time.

  As soon I was alone, I rushed out, slipped under the fence, and dashed away to the south. It was late winter, but the snow was compacted so I was able to trot on top of the crusted surface. Soon I arrived at Aliiana’s home, a cozy burrow nestled under a stand of Gambel oaks. Her tunic was colored the grayish blue-green of sagebrush, and her pants were the dark olive green of junipers. She was hastily stuffing items into a pack.

  “Pippin,” she said, “we need to leave immediately. We’ve been summoned by the Prince of the Mountains.”

  “The Prince?” I asked. The Prince of the Mountains was an elf, among the most powerful of the fey. He had never contacted us before.

  She nodded. “He must have an urgent reason to call us.” Aliiana quickly buckled on my saddle and mounted. Her cloth pack was slung across her back, and her tiny longbow was strapped on the saddle. Even with all her equipment, it was still a light load for me to carry.

  Corgwyn have a very accurate sense of direction and an instinctual notion of where to find a particular fey. I knew the Prince lived high in the Uintah Mountains, north and east of the city.

  Getting out of the city was the hard part. Although Aliiana could make herself and her equipment invisible to humans, I was still visible, along with my saddle. I kept to the fields and alleys as much as possible.

  At one point a girl with blonde curls saw me and ran toward us. “Hey, puppy!” she yelled. “Are you lost? Come here, puppy.” I ducked under a fence as I heard her call, “Mom! There’s a puppy running loose!”

  I made for a stand of trees bordering a city park, but before I reached it I saw the unmistakable shape of an Animal Control truck. Uh-oh. The blonde girl’s mother must have seen me running full-bore down the street, and called Animal Control to have me picked up.

  I ducked around behind a house, hoping to evade the officer, but the truck was waiting for me on the other side. The officer got out of the truck and approached me, slowly but menacingly. I looked over my shoulder—no escape route.

  Mistress, I need help, I said telepathically.

  Aliiana whispered in Elvish, quickly casting a spell. She released a white glowing ball from her hands that shot toward the officer’s face. He blinked, then looked around in confusion.

  Hurry, Aliiana said. The confusion spell will only last a few minutes.

  I dashed around the dazed officer and made it to the trees.

  Once we were safe in the foothills, I was able to run in a more direct route, dodging around junipers and oaks. Higher up the mountain, spruces and aspens dominated and we saw more wildlife. I wanted to stop to bark at a moose cow and calf that we spotted drinking from a stream, but I knew Aliiana was depending on me.

  After many hours, we finally stopped to rest. I was tired, so Aliiana removed my saddle and lightly rubbed my sore muscles. She picked up each of my feet, inspecting my paw pads for injuries.

  “I’ve got a surprise for you, Pippin.” Aliiana winked, and pulled a dog treat from her bag. I know, I shouldn’t have gotten so excited about a dog treat, but spending most of my life pretending to be a dog has affected me. The treat was quite yummy, by the way.

  We both napped for a short time, Aliiana curled up
against the soft fur of my neck. I was dreaming about chasing cats when she whispered, “Pippin, wake up. We must be on our way.”

  I ran several more hours, winding ever higher. The aspens were bare of leaves for the winter, and the blue spruces and ponderosa pines were laden with snow clumps. We finally arrived at a dense stand of lodgepole pines. The trees were tall and robust, and grew so close together that no snow reached the forest floor beneath.

  Aliiana dismounted and led me under a low-hanging branch. Under the canopy of the pines, a large space opened up, warm and dry. The space was at least fifty yards across and ten feet high. Dry pine needles made a soft floor for my paws. The space was illuminated by glowing orbs hung from the branches: some yellow, some white, and some light green.

  A number of elves sat in golden chairs scattered around the space. Some painted or read books, while others played harps or flutes. Most of the elves ignored us. A few of the younger ones nodded at Aliiana. Only one spoke to us.

  “Greetings, fairy. Greetings, elranor.” (That’s the Elvish word for us furry fairy steeds.) The speaker was a male elf with braided blond hair and twinkling green eyes.

  “Greetings, sir elf. I’m Aliiana, and my Corgi is called Pippin. We have been summoned by the Prince.”

  “We’ve been expecting you,” he said. “My name is Nelathen. Come; I’ll take you to the Prince.”

  We followed Nelathen deeper into the pine dwelling. In the center of the pines, the Prince sat on a gilded chair set on a raised platform. When he saw us, he put aside the blue leather-bound book he had been reading and stood. He was very tall and thin, with glittering blue eyes and golden hair. Like all fey, his ears were pointed.

  “Aliiana, thank you for coming so quickly.” He looked at me and winked. “Your steed must be very fleet of foot.” Turning back to Aliiana, he added, “A great danger has come to the fey, and we need your help. Let’s discuss matters over supper.”

  We followed the Prince to a small grouping of chairs nearby. Aliiana is only two feet tall, while the Prince stood as tall as a human. He gently lifted her onto a velvet chair and then sat on a carpet on the ground so that they could speak face-to-face. The other elves brought water and elven bread for Aliiana and the Prince, and meat for me.

  After a few minutes, the Prince set down his goblet and folded his elegant hands. “The Ruseol Gem has been stolen.”

  Aliiana gasped. I just cocked my head to the side—I had never heard of the Ruseol Gem.

  The Prince saw my confusion and explained. “The Ruseol Gem is as old as the universe and is the source of all good magic on this planet. The elves, dwarves, fairies and sprites all channel its magic in different ways, but ultimately their magic comes from the Gem. The elves and dwarves have protected it from time immemorial.” He took another sip of water, and leaned forward. “I have just received word from the Queen, who in turn received word from King Latrak of the dwarves. Someone, or something, stole the Gem from its hiding place. It was buried deep within a solid piece of granite thirty feet across. I’ve asked for your help, Aliiana, because of your specialty with granite.”

  “What does the Gem look like, sir?” I asked.

  “An excellent question, elranor. I have never set eyes upon it, but the tales say it is a reddish-purple, more beautiful than the finest diamond, and larger even than you.”

  “And what is known of its theft?” Aliiana asked.

  He sighed. “We’re very concerned. No one knew its location except the royalty of the elves and dwarves. I fear the being who is powerful enough to have removed it from the granite.” His eyes were distant as he sat back. “If the Gem were to be destroyed, it would mean the end of good magic—and the end of the magical races, from dwarves and elves to goblins and dryads.”

  “But, sir, how are we to find it, just a fairy and a Corgi?” I asked.

  The Prince smiled and patted the top of my head. “You won’t be alone on this quest, my young Corgi friend. Nelathen will accompany you, as well as two others.”

  “Where should we start our search?” Aliiana asked.

  “I suggest starting at the place where it was kept for millennia. The Gem was hidden deep within the mountains north of here, in the place called Montana by the humans. There is a group of dwarves who guard the site. They may be able to give you more details about the theft.” He smiled gently. “In the meantime, I suggest you rest. My folk will pack supplies for your trip.”

  “Sir,” I said hesitantly. “How long might we expect to be away on this quest?”

  “Weeks, at least, I should expect. Possibly months.”

  My big ears drooped. I was afraid that my human family would worry that I had run away or been harmed. Although I can speak the human language, I couldn’t contact them without blowing my cover.

  Aliiana understood the cause of my sadness. “It will be all right, Pippin.” She hugged me around my neck. “I’m sure your human family will be fine. They’ll be happy to see you when we return.”

  Nelathen showed us to a quiet corner of the pine dwelling where we could rest. I circled around several times before settling on a green silk cushion. Aliiana snuggled against my fur to keep warm, and we both slept. When we woke, I could tell from the quality of light filtering through the pine boughs that it had snowed again.

  Aliiana stretched and patted my head. “Are you ready to start our adventure, Pippin?”

  “I’m a bit nervous,” I said. “I’m not sure how we’ll find the Gem.”

  She tickled my big ears. “We will have help, and we will be strong. You and I make a good team.”

  The Prince appeared suddenly, moving on silent feet. “Aliiana, Pippin. Are you ready to meet the others?”

  The Prince led us toward the entrance of the pine dwelling. Nelathen was bent over, stuffing equipment into a large leather pack. A sprite flitted around his head. Sprites are the smallest of the fey, as small as a robin or blue jay. They also have wings, unlike the elves and fairies.

  “You’ve already met Nelathen, of course, and this is Birgitte.” The Prince gestured to the sprite, who stopped fluttering and landed gracefully on the pack. She was tiny, with pale green skin, hair and wings, and darker green clothing.

  “It’s very nice to meet you, Birgitte,” said Aliiana.

  “Thank you,” Birgitte replied in a voice so high-pitched that only a fey or Corgi could hear.

  “Birgitte has extraordinary magical abilities for her kind,” the Prince explained. “Her magic, combined with her ability to remain undetected from many eyes, will make her an asset to you on your quest.”

  “And you mentioned another member of this party?” Aliiana asked.

  Nelathen straightened, smiled, and whistled. An enormous cat approached from the shadows of the pine trunks.

  I will admit I was frightened.

  My hackles rose, my ears pinned back and I growled. The cat glared at me with piercing amber eyes. Aliiana placed a hand on my back and whispered into my ear, “Manners, Pippin.”

  I stopped growling (mostly) but kept my hackles up. One of my favorite hobbies at my human home is to wrestle with my cat housemate. I outweigh him by double, and use my size to my advantage, tackling him down to slobber on his neck. But this cat outweighed me by at least triple, and didn’t look friendly.

  I recognized him as a mountain lion, or cougar, from a television show that my human family had watched on Animal Planet. I knew that cougars lived throughout our state, and could be ruthless hunters. What was this monster doing in our company?

  “Aliiana, Pippin, this is Barrol,” said Nelathen. “He is my familiar—my magical animal companion.”

  Aliiana took a step toward the beast, extending her hand for him to sniff. I growled again. The cat seemed to smirk at me.

  “Don’t worry, little brother,” he rumbled. “I won’t eat your fairy.” He sat down on his haunches and added, seemingly as an afterthought, “I probably won’t eat you, either.”

  Uh-oh, I thought. I’d bet
ter watch my furry little bottom.

  Chapter 2

  Nelathen finished packing the large leather bag and strapped it onto his back with a quiver of arrows. “I’ve made some packs for you and Barrol as well,” he said to me, “to help carry more food.”

  He produced two sets of saddle bags, and fitted the larger around Barrol’s chest and the smaller around mine. Aliiana’s saddle fit comfortably on my back between the bags. I turned my head, catching the appealing scent of meat jerky from my bags. Nelathen saw my movement and laughed. “That’s for later, elranor. We need to watch our rations.”

  Nelathen finally strapped a sword belt around his waist and took up his longbow, which was unstrung to use as a walking staff. Aliiana strapped on her own little pack and bow and hopped lightly into my saddle. The sprite seemed to have no equipment except for a tiny bag tied to her waist. It was so small it would barely hold a single dog treat.

  We all walked together to the entrance of the pine dwelling. The Prince stood just outside, lightly balancing on the top of the new-fallen snow. A shaft of sunlight pierced the forest to sparkle on his golden hair. Many of the other elves from the community stood around him with hopeful expressions.

  Nelathen and Aliiana bowed to the Prince. It’s hard to bow when you walk on four legs, but the monstrous cat and I both dipped our heads in respect.

  “My friends,” the Prince began, “I have asked the five of you to set out on this quest because I feel you are our best hope. Aliiana, you have empathy for granite and can discover how the Ruseol was stolen. Nelathen, you have knowledge of the world and can guide Aliiana. Birgitte, you have powerful magic abilities and can help Aliiana recover the Gem. And Pippin and Barrol, you are both loyal and can protect her. I give you all my blessings for a rapid, safe and successful conclusion to your quest. I also give you each a gift to speed you on your way.”