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

After that, Master Calhoun will get answers to all his questions, I promise!»

      William thought that if he hadn’t yet gone mad after all that had happened to him today, then a few more seconds wouldn’t change much.

      «Well, alright!» he agreed and headed to the wardrobe where he kept his old things in a tattered suitcase.

      He took a wooden box from the bottom of the suitcase.

      «Is it in there?» the waiter asked impatiently, eagerly following William’s every move.

      «Yes, I’ve always kept it in here. I used to take it out and stare at it for hours, then stopped. A useless thing!»

      With that, he opened the box. To his amazement, the tiny feather that used to fit the box without any problems, was now large and fluffy, bent in half. It was really fluffy!

      «But,» William could barely believe what he’d just witnessed. «It was smaller…»

      The waiter stood silently, looking at the feather as if enchanted. William decided to take the feather out of the box, but the moment he touched it, the feather started moving as if it was alive. Taken by surprise, he threw the box up into the air, but at that moment, the waiter’s wide nimble hands caught it without letting it fall. Holding his breath, he returned the box to William. The feather was still moving and slowly, lazily, stretching out its hairs, just like a person who wakes up in the morning full of energy, yawning and stretching before getting up.

      «No, I’m definitely dreaming!» William had no more doubts. «Such things can’t be happening in real life.»

      The waiter came closer, bent over the feather and read the name inscribed on it very quietly:

      «Calhoun…» Then he added in a normal voice: «There could have been no mistake, I knew it from the moment I heard your voice…»

      He made a few steps back and said, giving William a serious look:

      «Young William should not be surprised with such things. It is quite…»

      «What?!» Everything that had been building up in William over the day suddenly burst out. «A rude person tells me to go to the bathroom where he says I belong; in the bathroom I meet a strange man in a uniform who sits me down on the toilet and flushes me; then I find myself in a very strange place with oddly dressed people; then a waitress nearly knocks me off my feet, and she can collect soup from the floor and glue broken dishes back with the wave of an ordinary feather; and in the end I meet you, and in a few seconds you move me to my own room, where I take out the feather and it is bigger than it was seven years ago and, what’s more, it moves! And you say that I shouldn’t be surprised?!»

      Despite William’s heated speech, the waiter remained calm.

      «My name is Nymus,» he said. «I am the mailmage of the Calhouns! YOUR mailmage, Master Clahoun!»

      «My who?!» William asked.

      «Mailmage! Each wizard kin must have one,» and after a pause, he added: «As far as I can see, Master Calhoun still does not know that he is a wizard?»

      William needed half a minute for the question to sink in. As he took a grip on himself and ran today’s events in his head again, he asked:

      «So, I’m not mad and all that happened to the waitress and the tray was for real?»

      «Yes. I saw that, Master Calhoun. I admit, I even laughed at your clumsiness. How stupid of me! Laugh at my own master!»

      «I’m not your master, what are you talking about? And why do you keep calling me Calhoun?»

      «Young William has so much to learn! You should better sit down.»

      After giving it a bit of thought, William realized that the mailmage was right. He sat down and then Nymus continued:

      «What do you know about your family?»

      This question made William shiver, as if someone had just thrown a shovel of snow right into his face. Suddenly, he looked at the mailmage as if this Nymus was the most important person in his life.

      «You know about my REAL family?»

      «I do! Tell me, how long have you been living here, young William?»

      «Since I was seven. Before that, I lived with my grandma. She found me in the street when I was a baby.»

      «And how old are you now?» asked Nymus in the same busy-like voice.

      «Not long ago I turned fourteen. On July 1.»

      «Green Monogram! Then it is really you. I understood that as soon as I heard your voice! Listen, Master Calhoun,» Nymus’s voice became even more serious and busy-like, «All your family and relatives tragically died fourteen years ago. It happened a day after you were born.»

      William was speechless. For a while, he couldn’t say a word, no matter how hard he tried. Then he took a grip on himself and asked:

      «How did it happen?»

      «Nobody knows!» Nymus replied. «The only known thing is that seventeen wizards died over one night. All of them Calhouns. After that night, the Calhoun kin perished. And I…» he trailed off holding back his tears, «was left without work.»

      William thought that the last words were too selfish. They were talking about a completely different thing. And he snapped:

      «How is your work connected with my family?»

      «It is connected by ancient, really ancient magic, Master Calhoun! Each wizard kin has their own mailmage kin that serves them faithfully. From kin to kin, kin for the good of kin… Our kin was always proud of their masters. Because the Calhouns is a rather famous kin among wizards.»

      «And I…» William found it hard to process all the information Nymus was giving him. «So, I’m a Calhoun, too?»

      «The last,» the mailmage corrected him, «the last Calhoun. Until today you were also considered dead, young William.»

      There was a brief silence, after which William said:

      «You’re saying that I’m a wizard! I’m sorry to disappoint you, but… I can’t do things like you do or like that waitress in the tavern.»

      «It is easy to refute!»

      William gave him a puzzled look and the waiter – the mailmage now – continued serenely:

      «Take the magic feather.»

      William took the box obediently. As he opened it again, he didn’t even have time to touch the feather. It shot out of the box on its own and, pausing in the air for a moment, started drawing eights at high speed.

      «Do not be alarmed, Master Calhoun,» Nymus calmed him down, «The feather is not going to hurt you. You just need to call it! It will not lie in your hand otherwise.»

      And indeed, William’s attempt to grab the feather, then another one and another, ended with the feather slipping away from him the moment he was going to grab it. The feather seemed to be teasing him, hanging right before his nose after each unsuccessful attempt.

      «You need to say «Obnoxus’,» Nymus advised, «and it will lie in your hand.»

      William gave him a look full of disbelief, but decided to make one last attempt:

      «Ob… Obnoxus!» he repeated after Nymus.

      The moment William said the word, the feather swayed from side to side and lay onto his hand. The next moment, bright blue light escaped from the tip of the feather, frightening William. The pale yellow inscription «Calhoun’ on the feather shone bright and became golden.

      This lasted for a few seconds, after which the glow died. The inscription became pale yellow again and the feather in his hand was moving its hairs lazily and calmly, like a cat moving its tail when scratched behind the ears.

      «The