The Tinkerberry tales - The Rescue of the Elvling Queen: The Tinkerberry Tales, #1

By Anthony Kirkpatrick

The final installment to the Tinkerberry Tales. After they explore the dark mountains, they must come together to rescue the Elvling Queen. Follow the Tinkerberry family on their adventure across the island with even more excitement. Will they rescue the queen? Or is it too late?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Anthony Kirkpatrick
• Release date: Mar 25, 2022
• ISBN: 9798201508227

Book preview

Tale One

The Willowwood Gathering

A

round the short trunk in the clearing just outside the small village of Willowwood, deep in the heart of the Hugglescote Forest, there was a gathering involving every type of creature in The Overlands. Enzo, the Oracle Owl, and Ansel represented The Great Owls that had come from The Great Oak, Princess Adora, Prince Edric, and Lord Luca came from Fairy Fields so that The Fairies, The Pixies, and The Imps were ready to give their full support. One of the black bears had traveled from the Bear Caves on the other side of the Bear Lake and he was ready to take back the information so that the bears could help. Evelina had made her way up from Battram Burrows, from deep in the south of Hugglescote Forest, showing that the Water-Sprites were ready to face whatever came along. Prince Kine from the Elvlings was there and desperate to get people on board in order to rescue his mother, Queen Kaco. The Gopsall Witch had come from Snarestone Castle to represent the witches following her agreement with Tobias to set them free if they helped with no troubles. The Tinkerberrys were the last to arrive, and of course, were there to represent the Dragon-Sprites. The Great Twinkle led the way holding his usual staff in one hand and guiding Nixa, his wife, along with the other. They were followed closely by Winston, Ivan, Charlie, and Tobias. Who were all ready for their next adventure. Most importantly Harriet followed, she had been key to restoring balance in the forest and restoring peace with the elder dragons in the Dark Mountains, but she still had an air of guilt around her because of making The Thornback Dragon angry enough to take The Elvling Queen. She walked into the clearing holding her Staff of Balance and stood by the side of Tobias and next to Ethelina. Even though she was with the Dragon-Sprites, being the only Water-Dragon-Sprite on the whole of Gopsall Island would prove to be vital.

The Great Twinkle walked up to the trunk and tapped his staff on the trunk three times, as he did this, he instantly gained the attention of everyone around the trunk as they waited to find out what was happening and how they would play their parts in the rescue of The Elvling Queen.

‘Now is a time we all need to come together,’ he said as the opening line of his speech to everyone. Ivan’s notes from the last adventures were all on display around the clearing ready to give everyone as much insight as possible. Drawings of the land and some of the creatures and dragons that they met. Mainly so that they weren’t surprised if they met on their individual journeys to The Underlands. The most important was the sketch of The Thornback Dragon so that they all knew what they were looking for, the icy white tips on his back with the long outstretched neck and the thick muscular tail. The Great Twinkle carried on going through every detail, ‘We know The Icy Thornback Dragon has most likely taken Queen Kaco to The Underlands.’ The Underlands were the third region of Gopsall Island which were open icy plains filled with snow and were the victim of snowy blizzards that the wind was known to blow in from the east. It was known for not having much life around which would suit The Thornback Dragon perfectly. There were very few ways to get to the Underlands, but the main ways would be, going directly through the Dark Mountains, taking to the North Sea, and traveling north around the top of the island, or they could take the South Sea and travel south around the island. ‘The five Tinkerberry children have had the closest encounters of what the land and The Thornback Dragon will be like, so we will split into five groups’ explained The Great Twinkle with authority.

They had come up with a detailed plan to approach The Underlands in as many different ways as possible, whilst giving every group one of the Tinkerberrys to help navigate their way.

Ivan would go with the black bear back to the Bear Caves and then on towards The Dark Mountains to gather the brown bears on their travels. The bears also had further cousins in the Northern Caves of The Underlands and they would group with them there. Charlie, Princess Adora, Prince Edric, and Lord Luca would take The Fairies, The Pixies, and The Imps south around the bottom of the island over the South Sea. Tobias was put forward to go with The Gopsall Witch and the other witches over the North Sea and come at The Underlands from the east. Winston was told to travel with The Great Twinkle, Ethelina, Prince Kine, and The Great Owls to gather the Sprites and the Dark Suna Dragons to help, before approaching The Underlands from the North, and Harriet would gather the Elder Dragons from regions of The Dark Mountains. That would take some convincing, but everyone knew she would be up for the task.

‘Each journey will face their challenges, but as long as we work together, we WILL bring back Queen Kaco of the Elvlings and restore peace for the whole of the island’ said The Great Twinkle with his final words at the clearing.

As they all began to split off into their groups to plan their journeys, The Great Twinkle stood with Nixa,

‘What can I do to help?’ asked Nixa, confused as to why she hadn’t been put into any of the groups.

The Great Twinkle explained that he didn’t want any harm to come to Nixa, so he wanted her to stay in the forest and protect the forest whilst they were gone. He handed her a green, emerald amulet and explained that if there was ever any serious danger, the emerald would glow, and that would be the time for her to take further action. As he clipped it around her neck, she feared the worst was coming but tried her hardest not to show it.

‘It will be ok, we will be ok, I will be ok.’ said The Great Twinkle to reassure her as he fastened the clasp on the amulet.

As the groups slowly left the clearing Nixa stayed behind and gathered up Ivan’s drawings so that they would be safe for everyone’s return.

Tobias and The Gopsall Witch left first, they headed north