Alex Hackett - Spirits of Sapience

Text Copyright 2021 Alex Hackett

Illustrations Copyright 2021 Alex Hackett

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form on by an electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review.

ISBN 978-0-578-91849-5 (eBook)

Published by Jumper & Company

Dedicated To My Dad

Dad, I cherish the memories of you reading me bedtime stories. Thank you for introducing me to the joy of reading. I love you.

Chapter 1

There is absolutely nothing strange about Buckfield. It is a completely normal English village with clean streets, pleasant homes and nothing out of the ordinaryso the residents insist.

Today, Buckfield seems especially normal with typical English weather of wind and rain. Streams of rainwater slither along the cobblestone streets and pool against the curbs. A single Buckfield resident walks along the main road between a short strip of shops and pubs.

Genevieve Vinson has no need for an umbrella. The rain rolls easily off her wool coat and pants. She confidently strides straight through puddles, but not a single speck of mud sticks to her shoes. She arrives at a quintessential tavern called The Soused Stag, which intentionally serves the most ordinary English food in the region.

As soon as Genevieve steps inside the pub, her clothes are dry. Theres a handful of diners already insideall familiar faces. The bartender greets her, Hello, Viv. How are you today?

Fine, you?

Not bad. Same as usual?

Yes, please.

Viv walks to her familys usual booth and the bartender brings her a glass of water. Any idea what his speech will be about today? the bartender asks.

Not a clue.

The cook in the kitchen notices Vivs usual order ticket sitting on the counter. He pops his head out the kitchen door and says, Hey, Viv. Whats your dads speech going to be about?

No idea, she replies.

You didnt ask him?

Viv shakes her head, Hes been very busy lately.

We will just have to tune in, eh?

Viv nods. The bartender checks his watch. Speaking of Its about time. The bartender turns on the radio and returns to the bar.

The radio looks normal enough to the human eye. However, beneath the plain exterior is a special mechanism that allows the radio to receive broadcasts that are only accessible to a unique subset of the English population.

The pubs front door opens and an attractive looking pair of out-of-towners approach the bar. The bartender dashes back to the radio. He quickly tosses it into the kitchen shouting, Be right with you!

Tourists often pass through Buckfield on their way to the Lake District. All visitors to Buckfield have the same experiencecourteous residents quickly tending to their needs and then politely sending them on their way. Buckfield residents have found it best not to let humans spend too much time in the village.

Viv watches the out-of-towners enjoy their drinks and read their menus. She studies their slouched posture and clumsy gestures. She has always found it difficult to mimic the awkward movements of humans.

The clock strikes noon and the feel of the room changes subtly. The visitors chat and giggle, completely unaware that everyone else has gone silent in somber anticipation. The residents subtly adjust their hats and untuck their hair from behind their ears. Viv follows suit. Keeping a steady eye on the tourists, Viv gently unties her ponytail letting her long, brunette hair fall over her ears. She takes a deep breath and feels a familiar warmth in her ears, as they return to their original form. Once the change is complete, she hears much better. Viv can hear the out-of-towners drink fizzing, the raindrops dinging the car across the street, and the radio in the kitchen.

Viv touches the top of her ears, checking that their pointed tips are still covered by her hair. She hones in on the sound of the radio and hears the newscaster say, Were ending our regular broadcast early today to make time for a very special guest, Premier Executive of Elden, Victor Vinson.

Viv bites at her nails, sensing the tension throughout the room. She hears her fathers voice on the radio, Thank you, Margaret.

The bartender brings Viv a plate of crispy, golden chicken and buttery green beans. Viv slices open the steaming hot chicken, which releases a savory aroma of pepper and herbs. Years ago, this dish would have also been served with a heap of mashed potatoes. However, ration laws from the Second World War remain in place.

Human affairs often affected the residents of Buckfield. They endured food and petrol rations, conscription, and taxes just like any other British citizen. They never objected to the human lawsin fact, as a rule, they never interfered with any part of human society. Spirits have always been greatly outnumbered by humans, so it is a matter of self-preservation that they abide by human laws as well as Spirit laws.

For centuries, Spirit communities throughout the continent have quietly conducted their own affairs without drawing suspicion from outsiders. Even when war broke out among the Spirits, battlefields were covered up and casualties were hidden so humans never realized they were not the only species at war.

For months, gossip has circulated that the war between Spirit species was finally coming to an end. And now, everyone was tuning into Victor Vinsons radio speech in hope he would confirm the rumors.

Victor starts his speech by getting straight to the point, It is with bittersweet emotions that I announce the official end to the Spirit war.

There is a sigh of relief throughout the pub.

For over ten years, the Gnome and Giant species have conducted a brutal war against each other. To their own detriment, a peace agreement could never be reached. As the number of casualties reached the tens of thousands, both sides grew too weak to continue fighting.

Since the conclusion of the last major battle one year ago, the remaining Spirit governments conducted a joint survey of the war zone to search for survivors. The extensive, year-long search found that fewer than two hundred Gnomes survived the war. However

Victors voice shakes. He pauses to regain his composure and then continues, However, the search found no evidence of any surviving Giants.

The bartender shakes his head in sorrow. Many had assumed the Giant species had been obliterated but having confirmation of their extinction made it a devastating reality.

Victor leads a moment of silence for the Spirits who died during the war and then continues his speech:

There is no winner to a war that decimates both sides. This war has concluded in the worst of wayswith the unprecedented extinction of one Spirit species and the near extinction of another. Thus, the remaining Spirit governments are in unanimous agreementwe must ensure such a war never happens again. After a productive meeting with The Fair Circle, the Ministers of the Mere Isles, and Chiefs of the Were Clans, we have agreed to a two-pillar resolution. First, we will improve governmental relations between species by creating formal ambassadorships, promoting inter-species trade, and unifying our laws so that all Spirits abide by the same rules. Second, we will improve inter-species relations with educational endeavors aimed at reducing isolationism. This will be done by creating an educator exchange program and establishing the first integrated universitya university for students of any species