William Calhoun and the Black Feather. Book I. Aik Iskandaryan

instantly, William rushed to his side and started slapping his cheeks, trying to bring him back to his senses.

      «What’s the matter with you?» he asked quickly.

      «My…» he pointed at his backpack, «…inhaler…»

      Realizing at once what he was supposed to do, William rummaged in the boy’s backpack, took out a small breathing device and held it to the boy’s mouth. He grabbed it with his lips and started breathing greedily. After a few moments, the boy was already able to hold the inhaler himself. William was looking at him with pity and fear at the same time. Soon his companion started recovering. He put away the inhaler, made a few deep breaths and started talking, finally.

      «Tha…. Thank you!» he said, his breathing still ragged.

      «No problem!» William replied, calming down.

      «Wayne Ferguson!» he introduced himself.

      «Will Calhoun!» William replied automatically. «Does this often happen to you?»

      «Not really. Only where there is little air,» Wayne Ferguson replied, still breathing heavily. «My lungs contract and I don’t get enough oxygen.»

      «I see. Well, then, keep that thing closer to yourself from now on!» William took his seat again and gave Wayne another worried look: «Feeling better?»

      «Yes, thanks! Where are you from?»

      «London. And you?»

      «Preston! It’s in Lancashire. There’s definitely much more air out there than here!»

      «Yeah, that’s true!» William grinned. «I’ve never discussed the air of Preston being on the ocean floor before! Are you in the Preparatory Course as well?»

      «Yes,» Wayne replied, «that’s why I’m going to this damn Ball!»

      «You don’t really like it, do you?»

      «Well, the Ball is okay, but the journey…» he nodded at the inhaler on the seat, «is quite uncomfortable.»

      «So, you do know how the Ball is organized?»

      «Who doesn’t,» Wayne snorted, «Everyone knows about it from early childhood. It’s a tradition to hold the Ball before the Preparatory Course starts.»

      «I’d be happy if you share the information with me! I know nothing about it!»

      «No problem. I owe you!» Wayne took a deep breath and started talking. «The ball itself has four stages. The first one is the opening of the Ball! Well, the choir sings its well-wish song, after which we’ll be given feathermaps…»

      «What are these feathermaps, by the way? The letter from the Department mentioned that they’d be handing them out, but I didn’t understand what they were for.»

      «Well, feathermaps are the things that will help us to peregrine to classes to the houses of the teachers. They can be located in completely different places and it would be quite difficult to get to them without feathermaps.»

      «I see! What happens next?»

      «The second stage – when delegations from all four MUnis arrive ceremoniously to the Ball. It’s always an incredible sight. They appear and start talking one by one of what awaits their students within their MUnis. This way the enrolees who haven’t decided which MUni to enter after the Preparatory Course get a more vivid impression about each of them, which makes their choice easier later. They learn about the history of each MUni, as well as about the teaching method, special subjects and so on. And after that, when professors end their speeches, the third stage comes – dancing. During the dancing part, enrolees get to know each other, find new friends, but mostly they just step on each other’s toes!»

      «I can imagine that!» William said with irony. «What about the fourth stage?»

      «The closing ceremony! After which we get into this death machine again and go back. That’s how this ball goes.»

      «Awesome! And how do you know so much?»

      «My older brother Ralph told me! He took part in the Annual Enrolee Ball twice! First when he was an enrolee like us, and the second time as a graduate curator of enrolees. We’ll be assigned one when we get there.»

      «You’re lucky to have such a brother! Which MUni are you going to enter?»

      «Garville, of course! My whole family studied there! I’m the youngest, so it’s my turn now!»

      «Well, I hope that’s where you’ll go by the end of this year! I want to go to Templedoor!»

      «Well, Templedoor is considered the best MUni by many people, that’s why the grades to enter it are higher than for other MUnis. But, personally, I don’t think that this makes Garville worse than Templedoor. Each MUni is unique, but Templedoor always takes special talented wizard kids. So, if you can’t get there, I recommend going to Garville without any further thinking!»

      «Well, if Templedoor doesn’t work out, that’s what I’ll do!»

      William looked out of the window. They were still moving along the ocean floor. Trying to keep it out of his mind, he decided to distract himself with Wayne’s stories.

      «Tell me what is the Six O’Clocker famous for? My mailmage says that there are many legends and that…»

      «You’ve got a mailmage?!» Wayne interrupted roughly.

      «Well, yes,» William was puzzled by this question. «Why does this surprise you? I thought every wizard had one.»

      «Every adult wizard – yes! Mailmages don’t serve children. They serve the head of the family.»

      «Oh, I see! Well, I am the head of the family. I mean, the last representative of my kin.»

      «I’m sorry, I didn’t know!»

      «It’s alright! So what is the Six O’Clocker famous for?»

      «Well, like my grandfather told me, and like his great-grandfather told him…» Wayne interrupted the story with another intake through the inhaler, «long time ago, when there were difficult times in the Wizarding Community and many families were forced to leave the country, it was the Six O’Clocker that took them away.»

      «Why couldn’t they peregrine? Why use the Six O’Clocker when peregrining takes much less time and energy?»

      «At that time peregrining was monitored by the enemies, and quite often, when wizards peregrined, they came not to their destination, but right into the hands of their enemies. Even before that, during battles, the Six O’Clocker delivered provision and backup troops to those who were forced to defend themselves in a castle or a fortress of some sort.»

      «How long have the Six O’Clocker existed?» William was surprised by the historic scales the Six O’Clocker routes encompassed.

      «Nobody knows. It is considered to have simply existed and that’s it. Even during the times of Goodwin of Essex, the Blue-eyed carried their legendary carriage to the most remote parts of the world, each time with an important mission.»

      «And why is it pulled by elks, not horses, like usual?» The thought just came to William’s head.

      «Usual where?» Wayne asked with a grin.

      «Well,» William drawled, «among demits.»

      «That’s right!» Wayne nodded. «Only they use horses because they are unable to tame other faster creatures.»

      «Er… aren’t horses faster than elks?» William asked stupidly.

      «Don’t make me laugh!» Wayne laughed as if he had just been told a very good anecdote. «Only White Elks are faster than elks. Well, except for all the flying creatures.»

      «Are you serious?»

      «Of course! It’s a well-known fact that elks can run at the speed of more