Discover: Raspberry Beret, #1

By TS Arthur

Who knew a hat could change your life? 

 

In a monochrome world which prizes conformity, Amanda Gibbons, a teenage orphan, stumbles on something extraordinary. The raspberry beret shouldn't exist, nor should it hum with forbidden magic. Unable to resist its call, she claims it, awakening the dormant gift inside her the moment she places it on her head. Now, forgotten power is seeping back into her life.  

Driven by her need for total control, Grand Councilwoman Aldester is determined to lay hands on the mysterious hat. With the strength of The Council behind her, she chases Amanda to the forest home of an outlaw band of rebels still loyal to the old ways. When Agatha Linwood, leader of The Naturals, takes over stewardship of Amanda, events which have been prophesied are set in motion. 

In a battle for their way of life, The Naturals are dragged into a war which will seal the fate of the world. Decades old grudges and secrets come to light, but in the end, will the beret be friend or foe? 

 

Discover is the first book in the Raspberry Beret Series, a YA urban fantasy. Set in a world where nature is choking under the grip of The Council, Discover is the start of a seven-book journey following the fight to save elemental magic. The classic themes of good vs evil are the backdrop to family secrets and coming of age, all in short novellas you can devour in one sitting. 

• Language: English
• Publisher: TS Arthur
• Release date: Sep 14, 2025
• ISBN: 9798232510053

Book preview

CHAPTER ONE

THE BERET

The raspberry beret had sat on the shelf for longer than anyone could remember. Its felt was bright and vibrant, the colour of the crushed fruit. In a world where everyone favoured monochrome, it was only lifted when it needed shaking free of the dust gathered, tiny motes resting gently on the fibres. It didn’t even have a price tag.

No one knew where it had come from. No one expected it to be purchased. Yet, still it sat on the shelf, until one day, someone moved it to the window.

No one admitted to moving it, but it hadn’t grown legs. Items didn’t just move without the aid of something that could control its own movement. But this beret was different, everyone agreed upon that. Had it moved itself? Unlikely.

This was the raspberry beret. It was peculiar. It stood out. So, did it place itself in the window just in time for the right person to see it? Who could know?

All they did know, was that the same day, everything changed.

CHAPTER TWO

AMANDA GIBBONS

Atall, lanky girl bored with the black and white plateau the world had become, Amanda Gibbons froze when she spied the raspberry beret in the window of the only second-hand store on the street. Her round face obscured her view in the highly polished surface as her amber eyes flashed curiosity back at her. Shops like this were rare since The Shift , but for them to be brazen enough to display colours in their window—that was unheard of.

Her feet, clad in sensible black patent, shined to a mirror-finish, carried her through the polished glass door. She ignored the tinkle of the bell, another throwback to the way things had once been, and continued past the shelves of curios. Most of the items could have landed a buyer in trouble with The Council, but she expected they were minor enough infractions that even they wouldn’t care for them. She weaved through the clear cases, her attention drawn towards the object calling to her.

From the opposite side of the window, the beret’s colour was even more vibrant. A deliberate placement in a circle of the brightest whites and darkest of blacks, enhancing its vivid beauty, drew her eye to it.

She wasn’t the only one to admire it. Every few minutes, someone else on the other side of the glass faltered in their steps, looking back over their shoulders for another glance. The compulsion to own the object was strong. Stronger than the desire to follow order. Stronger than the need to remain inconspicuous.

Amanda needed that beret. She needed it like she needed her obsidian ring to ground her and her opalite bracelet to calm her mind.

It’s mine.

With a sudden movement, she jerked it from the window and held it close to her chest. The felt was new, unworn. As she stroked it with a gentle touch, she heard it whisper to her. It wanted to be with her as much as she did.

Delaying no further, she scurried to the counter. Her hand slammed the raspberry beret onto the varnished wood with more force than intended, and she winced at the little squeal she felt the object emit.

I’m sorry, she whispered, more to the beret than to the wizened gentleman who scoured the object for a price.

That’s odd. The tag must have fallen off. He went to move from behind the counter, but stopped. Ah, I remember. This one never had one. Or rather, it did, but it would always disappear. I’ll tell you what, dear, why don’t you pay what you can?

But everything has a price. That’s the rules. Everything had been standardised after The Shift. All objects, whether used or not, had a price.

Indeed. But, as you can see, this does not. There was a twinkle in the man’s eyes.

He’d seen things, for sure, and Amanda was certain this man knew more about the beret than he was revealing.

This is most peculiar, she stated, placing a hand on the vivid fabric in case he pulled it from sale.

Perhaps it is, Miss Gibbons, or perhaps it is as it should have always been. Take it, he instructed, pushing it towards her. I think we can expect great things from this pairing.

How… she started, but the man had vanished.

The bell on the front door tinkled again, and she jumped at the intrusion.

What are you doing in here? We aren’t open yet. The individual speaking wore the regulation monochrome and held an authority in their voice which made her suspicious.

Oh, an elderly gentleman let me in. He was going to look for some items for my mother. As she spoke, Amanda pushed the raspberry beret tight under her cloak. Apologies, I didn’t know it was outside of trading hours. I shall return when there is more time to discuss the matter properly.

The individual stepped aside as she made her way back to the sea of black and white, a curious frown on their face. Without a backwards glance, Amanda merged into the tide, her head bowed and her hands clutching at her precious item beneath the black folds of her cloak.

What secrets did the beret hold? And how had the man known her name?

Though the world had once thrived on magic, since The Shift, it had been muted. But not today. Today, Amanda felt the chimes of the ethereal vibrate within her. Today, she felt alive for the first time in over a decade.

CHAPTER THREE

TEMPTATION

The Council said the root of all temptation was difference. The desire to stand out, to be noticed—they were the cause of The Shift . Only by conforming, by sticking to our place in the new way of doing things, could the magic begin to return. They were the ones who had instigated the monochrome which bored Amanda to the point of temptation to own the beret. It was The Council’s fault. Everything was.

It was blasphemous to say it—even to think it—but it was how she felt. Here, alone in the woods at the edge of town, she was safer. Nowhere was safe, not really. The Council had eyes and ears everywhere, whether it was bodies or enchanted objects. Even certain animals had been bewitched to relay what they heard.

This, however, was one of the safest places. Amanda had been using the small clearing, with its beech trees standing sentinel, since before The Shift. As long as she didn’t say her thoughts aloud, there was no risk.

It was here she brought the raspberry beret first. She treated it like the precious gem it was, creating an altar of rocks and fresh green leaves to lay it on. When she was satisfied, she collected some berries as an offering for the fairies in the nearby ash tree. It was old magic, but the strongest kind. Especially now.

Eventually, she settled before the altar and placed the beret atop it, treating it the way one would hold a baby. She stared at it for a long moment before completing her preparations.

Mother of the Old Ways, friends of the fair folk, bless this space and protect those within it. She repeated the familiar phrase in every corner of the clearing, throwing a small handful of sage to the wind.

It sat there, the colourful hat which was brighter than any other thing in the clearing—perhaps even the world. The reddish-pink colour of crushed raspberries popped against the deep evergreen of the leaves, and it seemed to pulsate in the silence