The roof was still covering the pool at this stage and as Zia was thinking it would have to be removed. It started to open. From the centre, the dome split in four quarters. It slid back to each corner, completely disappearing from view. Once again the Mine Minder, Nip, popped out and with a “Da Dar” he jumped in front of Zia with his arms flung wide.
“Nip, will you please control yourself and not rush in like a tornado and especially without permission when I am present? Now just calm down while we sort things out.” Grace commented. not cross but trying to be stern with her wayward charge.
“Sorry Grace, I really am sorry,” Nip apologised, “But it is so exciting, and you did say I could come and watch. I will stay quiet and stand over here.” He continued, pointing to one side and duly went there, grinning and giving Zia a wink and again tapping the side of his nose with his finger.
Calda approached and said calmly, “Zia, you know you have come a long way with your floating and gliding and this is just the next step…well…. the next BIG step I suppose, to be fair. You will have to do just as you have done before, concentrate and think hard that you are as light as a feather but this time that the feather is on a beautiful bird and you are floating higher and higher.
Now this is the next surprise, Zoe and some of the other Zoedledoodles will accompany you all the way. Is that clear?”
“Clear? How can it be clear? Zoe can float and glide and so, he supposed, could all the other Team members. Nobody had ever told him this. No, to be fair Zoe had once said something about them being able to fly but Zia never realised she meant ‘REAL flying, up- up-and away, type flying!!’ and now they were all going to drift up, up, and maybe away for real!!! Oh yes it was all quite clear….as clear as mud,” Zia thought sarcastically.
“I will fit this harness around you Zia, just in case,” said Zoe.
“Just in case I fall out of the sky? Is that what you mean?” Zia remarked, feeling like this was all going the way he wanted. Nobody asked him. Everyone was telling him to get up there and see what happens!!! Great, super, smashing, TERRIFIC. Hey!! And now a harness just in case!! Wow, this was turning out to be one adventure too far!
The harness attached to a somewhat reluctant star, Zoe took up a position near the waters edge with Zina, Zeth, Zerb and Zudie on either side of her. Zia was placed in front of her and the harness attached by four straps, one to each of the helping Zoedledoodles.
“Zia, when I say we are ready I want you to just think and concentrate as Calda has taught you.
You can do this. Truly. You are ready. If not Calda would not have recommended that we do this today,” Zoe instructed the not too happy apprentice.
“Can I shut my eyes? That’s a long way up and I have never seen any of you so much as half an inch off the ground. Now you say you are taking me out through the roof and goodness knows where else,” Zia asked looking from Zoe to Calda and Grace.
Calda was quick to reply. “No, your eyes must stay open. If you open them once you are up there, the shock, well…. surprise, might stop your concentration and that would not be good. You wouldn’t fall but it would lesson your chance of being able to achieve what we think you are capable of. The first ‘lift’ is very important, it sort of prepares you for all the others to come.”
“Very well said. Couldn’t have put it better myself. Now come on boy, have some trust. We have total faith in your ability. You can do this, no problem,” Grace told him with authority.
Zia thought some not very charitable thoughts like:-
Well you do it first and show me;
You should have explained all this before;
Why should I trust you?
These thoughts flashed through his mind and then there was another:-
How exciting will this be if I can do it? It will be like flying. I will be up with the birds, looking down. I want to do this, if I can. I didn’t think I could do all those other things but I did and I can do this.
“Right, I am ready if you are,” he said, a little shakily but with determination, “Come on Zoe, lets FLY!”
“Ready, Team? Concentrate, Zia and give me a nod when you feel OK,” Zoe said watching him closely, waiting for the nod. When it came a few moments later she raised her nose to the opening in the roof and so did all the helping Team and with a flick of their tails and Zia concentrating as hard as he could they lifted off the ground. Just a few inches at first.
“Concentrate. Think, ‘light as a feather’. Soar like a bird, like an eagle, Zia. Like an eagle,” Zia heard Calda’s silky smooth voice from below.
It seemed like a powerful wish that lifted him higher and higher and then as he cleared the roof opening he went into small size. It was unreal but he knew exactly what he was doing and the straps leading from each of the Team were slack so they could not be holding or pulling him up but he was in the centre and the four Zoedledoodles were all around him with Zoe there on the out side. It seemed all that the Team were doing, to stay up there with him, was the occasional swish of a tail. It was wonderful. He looked at Zoe and smiled. Did he dare try to speak? Could he concentrate enough and talk at the same time?
“Zoe, look at me. I’m doing it. I can fly!” he said beaming at her.
There was a slight wobble as he started to think about other things but he could hear Calder whispering below,
“Concentrate, Zia. Don’t talk now. Just think ‘EAGLE’ and concentrate. You’re doing so well, and if you can hear me, you are using two powers at once. Can you hear me? Give me a quick wave if you can. Concentrate. EAGLE!!!”
Zia gave a great big wave and laughed to himself. He couldn’t imagine that he had been nervous about ‘lifting’. It was the greatest thing ever, but he forgot to concentrate. Feeling the straps pull tight around him stopped his daydream. It didn’t exactly bring him back to earth with a bang but it surly was a lesson in keeping his mind on the job in hand.
Zoe led the way as they all did a circuit above the pond, out in the open sky. Then she led them back to a safe landing beside the pool and in front of a wildly applauding crowd. Harnesses off, everyone was patting Zia on the back and shaking his hand. He didn’t feel as though he had done anything and said so.
“I know I was up there and I did it on my own even though I had the safety harness on but I only did it because you said I could. And I could and I did and I am so thrilled. Its magic,” he said addressing Grace, Calda and Zoe.
“Not magic, just you using your powers and talents,” remarked the wise Grace.
They all looked very happy and he knew that they were pleased with what he had achieved but he did wonder, “Why me?”
The next day he was to work on The Lowest Level and was not particularly looking forward to it.
He had learned how things worked down there, where things were and what every body did but it wasn’t exciting any more, not like being a Leader and racing around with the Teams. He was always happy doing that. He was still in awe of the flying lesson, because it was flying. It was so much more than just floating. He flew!! All day he was thinking about this and wondering what was to be his next BIG lesson when he was summoned to Lord Tupol’s office.
“I have heard good things about your progress. You had an advanced gliding lesson I hear and did very well. You have ability and it must be channelled. I have spoken to Grace and next week you will start working two days with us on the Lowest Level and you will work at new subjects with more important and secret projects. You will become a member of the Silent Network. This is for those who we trust and value and who are sworn to secrecy concerning our work here. Do you understand?”
Zia listened intently and thought “Not again. Do I understand….WHAT? I have to keep secret things that I don’t yet know about and do work that I might hate, with The Others whom I have yet to meet in a place I have never been to”
“No I do not understand, Lord Tupol. I don’t understand anything. I thought I was to be apprentice to Zoe as a Leader but now I am to spend two days a week down here, and maybe even lower, learning what, to be what? With whom? And the end result will be? I don’t know and I don’t understand at all.” Zia felt that maybe he had said too much but it just poured out.
He was feeling pretty miserable and after feeling so good about his first “lift” it was a shattering disappointment, which he had made quite obvious!! He looked about him but couldn’t look at Lord Tupol. He was very angry and upset.
“Quite. Quite right. It’s a lot to ask but please believe me when I tell you that everything you are asked to do will eventually help your work with the Zoedledoodles,” Lord Tupol advised him.
After his outburst while with Lord Tupol, things felt a little better and anyway, Zia was now doing things that he was sworn to secrecy over and they were exciting and certainly ‘different’!!
The Lowest Level where he had been working, was really a production and maintenance workshop. Now he was allowed, under supervision, into the development and project area but there was still one door he had not been allowed to go through and that was the one that intrigued him.
It was on a slightly lower level and was called the Sub Level. For two more weeks Zia worked and learned about the production side of things, just an outline of the work that The Others were doing. It was very technical and he could only watch and study, fetch and carry but it was enough to know that here were made such things as automatic doors and roofs, security systems, heating and cooling devices, but who were they for? Everything was in place in the Dark Cave and the mine so where did all these things end up?
On the days when Zia was working with Zoe and the Teams he would ask about the Lowest Level, not mentioning things that he knew were secret but just trying to find out where all the things went and who ordered them.
That was sort of answered by Zoe saying, “It will come as no surprise to you that this is not the only witch and wizard Community here in the mines and caves of Cornwall and even further afield.
There are hundreds of disused mines in Wales and the midlands of England, in fact all over the world, BUT there is only one colony of The Others and this is it. It all ties in together and there are some of the most important things for you to learn still to come when you reach the Sub Level. That is the only place of its kind in the world and the output from it is what keeps the witches and wizards of the world what they are, at least the ones we associate with but that is another story for later in your education.”
Zia was still attending ‘evening tutorials’ with Calda and was still finding new ways and strengths of his powers. It never failed to surprise him just how simple it all was, once he learned how to control his abilities. He still only ever went ‘outside’ when he went home to see his family and the thought had struck him on more than one occasion that his training would take him away from the community one day but no one had ever suggested what for and where that might be.
Zia rarely met the night shift Zoedledoodles while they were working and wondered what they did as it did not appear that they did the same work as the day shift Teams. He met them at some meal times and social events that took place from time to time. He knew most of them by name and they all seemed just as nice as the Teams he worked with but nobody hinted at what they did. Another mystery that Zia would like to get to the bottom of.
While he was sure he was going through the door to the Sub Level one day, it was never mentioned that he might work with the Night Teams. Although looking back, he remembered that when he was introduced to Pog and Zoe, Grace had said that she didn’t want Zia to work the night shifts, YET!!! So that must mean that one day he would be with the night Team Zoedledoodles.
When Zia went to Calda that evening, he did ask about the Night Teams and what work they did but the wizard was not very forthcoming with information. He said they did very hard and important work and that maybe by the time of the ‘change over’ Zia would be ready to work nights but he would say no more. The ‘change over’ was when the day shift changed and did the night shift which happened every six months and that was still quite a long way off. If that were the case he would still be working with the same Teams but at night, so would he ever get to work with the currant night Teams at night? Not that it mattered but he was soon reassured by Calda.
“Depending on how well you manage to master the tasks you are set and how well you get on with all the Teams, you could work with any of them, day or night, so don’t worry about what you may not do. Concentrate on learning all you can so that you will be able to do whatever is needed.”
It sounded like he was going to be working day and night and although he was stronger and had his powers he did hope for some free time to enjoy himself.
It was time for his visit to Faldarek this morning and Zoe was to join him there, at the wizards office. They met as they turned the last bend to his cave,
“Morning Zoe. What’s the questions for today do you think?” Zia asked.
“Could be anything. He will have reports from The Others, Pog and Calda in front of him which he will have already looked through and I will give him my report while you are there so he could ask anything, or nothing. He might just tell you things. He knows most of what goes on around here even without reports. He is a very remarkable wizard.”
Faldarek was there at the entrance to meet and greet them. Zia now realised that those with powers always knew when someone was coming simply because they could hear their footsteps long before they arrived. Everything about the wizards always amazed Zia. They were so tall and clever and their presence just oozed magic and power.
“Come in, I have lots to tell you, once I have had your report, of course, Zoe. Come in, make yourselves comfortable,” Faldarek said as he walked to his desk and leaned on it with both hands.
Looking at Zoe he continued, “Would you like to start proceedings by informing us of your appraisal of this young man over the last month?”
“Yes of course,” Zoe started. “I have, once again, not been disappointed by Zia. He continues to work very well but I do feel, if you will permit me to say, that he needs something new and stimulating to keep his interest and ability at full stretch. He has been to the Lowest Level for two days a week since we were here a month ago and been home on three occasions so far. What I am trying to say….,” Zoe faltered, “Is that in my opinion, he is ready for the night flights as soon as he has spent some time on Sub Level with The Others.”
“REALLY? Well that is good to hear. I have a report from Lord Tupol which says much the same thing and starting with his next work day on the Lowest Level Zia WILL be introduced to new work on Sub Level!! How does that sound to you Zia. Do you think you are ready for more learning, more responsibility and night shifts. Mmmmm?” Faldarek spoke excitedly, peering at Zia to see his response.
“Well, yes. I think if Zoe feels I am ready then I must be. I don’t know what I am to do, so have no idea if I am ready or not but once I have started the new work maybe I will know if her faith in my ability is correct and .……..” Zia started to gibber on but halted himself before he was asked to stop!!
“Good that’s settled then. I am also pleased to tell you that Grace would like to see you. So before you go to see Calda this evening could you please pop into see her. She has some news for you,”
Faldarek said as he moved toward the door to let them out. “Until a month from now then.”
He shook hand and paw and closed the door behind the two visitors.
“Well, short and sweet as ever. He doesn’t beat about the bush does he? I wonder what Grace wants me for? It didn’t sound as though I am in trouble, did it Zoe?” questioned Zia.
“No you’re not in trouble but you will have to wait to find out what she wants you for. I wont tell you!” Zoe was smiling.
They started back to the Station at a lope with Zia running easily beside her.
As the day wore on and the work load was speeding up toward the end of the day, Zia was trying to guess what this evening was going to bring. It made the last few hours of his shift drag but the last of his jobs for the day was to deliver, with the express Team, a load for The Others. He had done this many times before but not to this department and as they raced along with the important consignment safely strapped to the wagon Zia wondered what ‘The Nursery’ was but he said nothing and thought he would just wait and see.
The load they were carrying was marked:- “Fragile, This way up, With Care, Urgent.” Although they raced at breakneck speed, the teams were always careful; they had to be in the narrow tunnels.
As they rounded the next bend and slowed to a trot, Zia saw a notice saying ‘NO ADMITTANCE’
The team stopped and after a few moments several of The Others came and opened the door to admit them but they only went just inside and were unloaded with great care. All the time The Others were unloading the boxes they were mumbling, quietly, in smooth hushed tones. What ever could be in these packages to warrant this behaviour? Zia didn’t think he was going to find out today and he wasn’t at all sure that the Team knew what they had been transporting. It was not mentioned and he did not ask but something was afoot and he did hope that he was going to be a part of it, whatever it was!!
Zia stood outside the curtain covering the entrance to Grace’s cave. The curtain was drawn back and Grace spoke,
“Come in, Zia, I need to talk to you. Don’t look so worried. Its nothing bad. Its all to do with your powers.” She moved to her chair beside the fire and sat. “Sit down, on the bench. You wont need to climb up the woodwork now will you?”
Zia sat opposite the witch and smiled at the thought of the time he and Nip had such a job to get up to sit on the bench!!
“No, I can manage very well now, thank you!!”
“I have had some very good reports of your work, one or two little slip ups but nothing to worry about. Zoe wants you to start night shifts as soon as possible and that will mean more ‘powers’ will be needed by you so if you think you can handle more learning and a change in work I will arrange for the powers to be enabled. What do you say?” Grace asked.
She raised her eyebrow and looked at Zia from under the brim of her hat.
“Well, as most of you think I will be able to manage it then I say yes. It will be exciting to work with the Night Shift Zoedledoodles. Will the work be very different?” Zia asked excitedly.
“Very different indeed and very secret,” Grace, said wagging her pointy finger at him, “and very important. This is the main reason for us all working so hard here. You will learn much in the next few weeks before you join the Night Teams. Go now. Go to Calder and tell him it is agreed. He will talk you through the next step.”
Zia couldn’t wait to get to Calda’s cave and went at a run. As usual, as he approached the door it opened and the wizard invited him in.
“You have seen Grace? Good. I can tell you have agreed by the look on your face. This is a big step, another big step!!! I think you will enjoy it and especially with your new powers which are to be bestowed on you tomorrow morning when you are in Lord Tupol’s office. You have seen Grace and me, Lord Tupol will add the final element and then, after your acceptance of the new powers we will start perfecting them,” Calda said excitedly, rubbing his hands together.
“Will I have to go through the same ceremony as I did last time I received ‘Powers’?” inquired Zia
“No, no, Once you have been accepted you only have to have the approval of us all for the power to be effective. Some powers only need the approval of one of us but stronger powers that affect bigger issues need all three to agree,” the wizard explained.
“Can you tell me what they will be? I mean what new powers I am going to be given?”
“No. When you see Lord Tupol he will tell you, once you have agreed to…. well you will find out tomorrow. Now, down to work. This is getting us know where and there is much to do. Come over to the table. This evening I want to concentrate on distance and night vision, most important for the work you will be doing.”
Nip was waiting for Zia when he left Calda’s cave. Smiling and fidgeting, he had some thing to tell Zia, that was for sure.
“Shall we go and have a drink and a bun in the dining area? I want to ask you some thing, and tell you some thing as well. Come on, I have been waiting all day to see you,” remarked Nip.
The two friends ordered hot elderberry muffins and raspberry tea and sat at a table in the corner.
Nip bent forward to whisper.
“You will never guess what has happened to me. So I will tell you– I am to be president of the Mine Minders. AND next time you visit your family I am to be allowed to come with you for a couple of days!! What do you think of that?”
“Wow, did you want to be president, did you volunteer or were you voted in? It must be quite a responsibility AND you can come home with me. That’s great. How did you manage it?” Zia asked.
“You and your questions!! Well first, I am pleased to have been voted by the rest of the Mine Minders to represent them and its not as complicated as all that. We don’t have many grievances and its usually arranging social and special events. I will be the one to talk to the ‘powers that be’ to sort things out, that’s all. As to how it is that I am visiting with your family, your dad invited me. I saw him again when I was out on patrol and he sad it would be nice if I could stay as well, next time you go home. So I asked Grace and it was agreed. Brilliant. Aye?” Nip was so pleased to tell his friend that he could hardly stand still.
“We will have some fun, and my mum is the best cook. Oh, you will have to tell her what you like to eat. You and your funny diet!!” Zia teased.
“All done. All sorted. No probs. You worry too much. I am very good at organising things, I’m president of the M.M you know!!” Nip joked.
“And what is it you wanted to ask me, you said you wanted to ask some thing, or is it another secret that I have to wait to find out?” Zia said.
“Well, it’s not easy. I don’t quite know how to put it but……do you think it would be possible for you to take me up next time you fly? I can’t manage to glide, let alone fly. I just cant do it. No Mine Minders can. Its not a power we are given. We aren’t given many powers at all, but then we don’t need them like you. We have set work and you do lots of different things, but I would like you to ‘fly’ me, please. It looks such fun and you are so good at it. Do you think we could, maybe fly to your home? ” quizzed Nip.
“Golly, that’s a big ask! I don’t know if I will be able to get off the ground with you hanging on but I will ask Calda when I go to see him again and if he says ‘yes’ we will practice and if it works it would be great to arrive home that way.” Zia was thinking way ahead and could see problems. He would talk to Calda before he said more to Nip.
Zia was a little apprehensive as he went down to the Lowest Level the next day. He went straight to Lord Tupol’s office and after being invited in stood in front of the big desk, with The Other sitting at it. It was always so cold and damp down on the Lowest Level and today he was expecting to go lower, to Sub Level!!! And these new powers, what were they?
“Good morning, Zia. This is a big day for you. Sit down.” Lord Tupol looked kinder today, somehow less menacing but still not exactly friendly. He had never been that, but as he looked at the apprentice sitting in front of him he did seem a little more…..welcoming. As if he was accepting Zia as one of the team.
“First I think we will talk about the new powers. These are stronger, more powerful. There are three of them. The power of special memory. The power of defence and the power of telepathy.
These are all special powers, given to very few but you will need them to help the community. Do you agree to them Zia? Do you agree to use them only in the service of this community? Think before you answer, think what the powers could entail,” warned Lord Tupol.
Once again Zia puzzled over such a demand. How could he think about the new powers when he knew so little about them? Still, as before, he had to trust those who had looked after him so well.
So if they thought the extra powers would help rather than hinder, he would trust their judgement.
“I have to trust you and everyone else. You have all been good to me and as I can’t know what the powers will do until I have them, I will agree to accept them, and thank you Lord Tupol for entrusting me with them. I hope that whenever I use them it will be as you and Calda and Grace would wish.” That was quite a speech thought Zia to himself as he finished talking. He felt silly accepting things with such ceremony. Why couldn’t they just go ahead and give them to him?
“Then they are bestowed and Calda will educate you in their use. Now, to work. Today you will go to the Sub Level and learn about our work there. I have no doubt that it will not be like anything you will have imagined. You will be taught every aspect from start to finish. You will then see it through to conclusion by working Night Shift with the Teams. After that there will be a further program for you to embark on, but that is far in the future. For now, its the Sub Level. Are you ready? Follow me,” and the very tall Lord led the way to the mysterious door.
To enter, Lord Tupol had to use his wand, mumble and tap on the door before it was opened by….nobody. They entered and went down several steps. It was lit by candles that smelled of beeswax. Further along the tunnel they came to a door marked ‘deliveries only’. Entering, again after a mumble and a tap with the wand, they found soft wind music, slight warmth and several of The Others wandering around involved in different activities. There were lots of small side caves, alcoves and benches, the sound of running water and the smell of fresh earth. There was still no clue as to what this place held or did.
“Please be quiet and don’t do anything except follow me,” Lord Tupol ordered Zia. He spoke softly to one of The Others and turning to Zia said, “You will now work with Pekol. He is very knowledgeable about the work here. You couldn’t have a better teacher.”
Pekol stepped forward and told Zia to, “Follow Me. We will start with a lesson in collection department. Thank you Lord Tupol. I will send Zia back to you at the end of the shift.”
With that he turned and walked quickly and without a sound toward what looked like a wagon but he had no Team to pull it.
“Climb in, hold tight and study everything you see,” Pekol told him.
There wasn’t much to see but there were things to note, like- there was nothing pulling the wagon which moved silently, like the warmth- where did it come from? Like the smell of wood and the carefully stacked boxes. Boxes like the ones he had helped deliver with the Night Team.
Zia didn’t dare ask questions of Pekol but made mental notes to find out things as soon as he could. The wagon stopped beside a desk at which sat a very green and studious looking The Other.
“We wish to enter the collection and distribution department, Sogarl. Open the doors please.”
Pekol moved the wagon forward through the now open doors and into a huge cavernous area with lots of activity. Things were being moved, unloaded, unwrapped, checked and dispatched. It didn’t look like there was much to keep secret, mostly just wood and boxes of twigs and poles!!!
“We will start at the far end, at the delivery bay. This is where all items that are delivered are brought to. Nobody but The Others and yourself and maybe Grace and Grand Wizard Soltagin ever come down here so you can see how you have been honoured, trusted and chosen to do this work. It is almost unprecedented for an outsider to be allowed anywhere near the Lowest Level, let alone the Sub Level..” He climbed down from the wagon and beckoned Zia to do the same.
“Here we have most imported items unwrapped and sorted. They come from around the globe, worldwide and the finished products are shipped just as far. To and from every country you can name. Once unpacked it is then ‘checked and graded’, here, and then sent to ‘Selection’ over there.
That’s where it is decided what will become what, what is good enough for one thing or right for another. Very exacting work and mistakes can’t be allowed to happen. The Others who do all these jobs have done them for years”.
It still all looked very ordinary to Zia but with such security and precision he guessed it must be very special…but what is ‘it’? He nodded and watched, looked and remembered but was never asked to comment so he kept quiet.
“The next department, though here, is preparation. Open the door for us, Sogarl. All the items are prepared for whatever they are going to be. Some big, some small, some smooth, some knobbly, some bushy, all different. But then they all do different jobs for different witches and wizards”.
Zia was ushered around the department, not really understanding what he was looking at but keeping mental notes of it all the best he could. They climbed back on the wagon and once settled, Sogarl continued.
“Some things go straight to other areas to be unpacked, special things. Some go to the nursery.
That’s the most important place and we’ll go there now. Can’t take this vehicle in there, its the young ones, don’t want to upset them.”
They sped toward a door and stopped just outside. The door opened to reveal lots of tubs. All with what appeared to be twigs in them, lots and lots of twigs. The soothing wind music was here as well and so was the water. It was very peaceful and not cold, in fact it was almost warm!
“Through here, come….. Now this is the starter unit. All these are very young, not more that a year or so old. This is where they all come to begin with. This is very special soil, magical in fact, and the water is from deep underground. A spring that only rises here, also very magical. These are infant brooms!!! They start of as tiny twigs and their eventual strength and power depends on which witch’s broom the original twigs came from. The more powerful the witch, the better and more powerful a flier the finished broom will be. Its the same with wands but that is another department that you will see later. Then there are cloaks and hats, all magical and all made here.
That’s what is so special and so secret about our work. We have the most powerful witches and wizards to be found anywhere and consequently we make the most powerful magical items.”
In several of the tubs were poles. Different lengths, different colours, different woods.
“These are the broom handles and the strength of the broom. The twigs are the brains, so to speak but a good broom needs the best of both and we only use the best here so all the things we make are ordered and tailor made for the witch or wizard who placed the order. Brooms have temperaments, you see, and the wrong mix of twig and handle can be disastrous. Just imagine if your legs didn’t get on with your arms, or your arms were always arguing with your head!! Disaster, disaster, and it cant be allowed to happen. It has happened when, say a broom handle gets broken and we are asked to fit a new one. If the pedigree has been lost and we don’t know where the original handle came from we some times have to abandon the twigs. Sad, so sad. But that is very rare. Hasn’t happened in sshhhooo, forty six years that I have been here”, Pekol said with much sincerity.
Zia was just able to stifle the laugh he felt welling up inside him. The thought of arms and legs fighting each other was just too much. He could see that the work down here, was indeed, much more complicated than he could have imagined and Lord Tupol was right .…. nothing could have prepared him for what he had just seen.
“How long does it take to make a broom?”. Zia ventured to ask.
“Made to order, up to four years. It depends what we have to work with at the start. If its a very small twig then it has to be allowed to grow and mature. Most of the best brooms are like that. Do you remember when you came here and Grace had to make ‘agreements’ to get you the best deal?
Well, that is why she was so upset. Lord Tupol demanded a handful of twigs from her broom as payment. He wouldn’t accept anything else and as Grace has the most powerful magic and is the most powerful witch, it stands to reason that her broom is the best pedigree there is and the most sought after. The only way a broom as powerful could be made is by using the twigs from that one.
It was a very big sacrifice on her part and very fortunate for you that she thought you were worth it!!”.
Zia felt very humble and a little taken aback. Why did Grace think him so worthy? What was it that he was to do to repay her for getting him ‘the best deal’? Would Calda have any answers to these and many other questions he needed to ask? He wanted to ask Pekol but didn’t have time before they climbed back in and were whisked away to another department in the noiseless carriage.
“Now this is where the mature brooms are trained and where you come in. You will help to teach them to fly!! They have to manoeuvre and dodge at great speed. They have a marvellous sense of direction which they inherit and which improves as they get older but they have to be taught to fly!!
Odd isn’t it? They will learn to float, glide and then fly! Just like you did and that is why you are so important to us. Grace somehow knew that you would have the ability to do these things well, that is why she was prepared to sacrifice her precious twigs. It can’t be a witch or wizard that teaches the broomlets to fly as the young ones could get attached to the wrong witch and make it very difficult to form a new attachment when it goes to its Forever Witch. You will first learn to fly WITH the brooms and then ON the brooms so you have a lot to learn before you can teach our young and very valuable brooms. They are called Broomlets until they pass their flying test then each is named in a ceremony, by its Witch,” Pecol informed Zia very earnestly.
“I, I don’t know what to say. I can hardly believe all this. Its fantastic. When will I be ready to start teaching the Broomlets? When will I start my Teacher-Training, if you know what I mean.
Who has been teaching them up to now? My head is full of questions,” Zia said, holding his head between his hands and giggling. He felt as though this was not really happening. Witches and wizards were hard enough to come to terms with but teaching brooms to fly…… cool!
Pecol studied Zia for a moment before replying.
“I hope, if all goes well, that you will be ready to start our next batch of broomlets in two weeks time but there is a lot to study, to know about them and how things work. Our present trainer is leaving after a hundred and two years to settle in North America. He has ancestors there and has been planning to go there as soon as we found a replacement….its taken a while longer than we thought! He is First Nation representative, a native Canadian, a medicine man in his own right but came to us just to help out. Now he wants to go back!!”
“Will I meet him? Will he be able to help me learn to teach the Broomlets? What’s his name? He must know so much.” Zia said, hoping to be able to work with this native of Canada. “How did he become involved with working for the community?”
He thought he would never be able to get all the questions, racing around his head, answered.
“Well, one question at a time over lunch. Come on and this afternoon you will be studying with me. Bookwork. Lots and lots of answers in books!” replied Pekol.
They made their way to the dining area along tunnels that Zia had never been in before but which he would, no doubt, get to know very well in the future!
The Teams were there eating and each one looked and smiled as he walked in with Pekol. Zia was very pleased to see them and wanted to talk to them and Zoe in particular but knew he would sit with Pekol and hoped to get some of his questions answered. And he did!
“Its understandable that you are so inquisitive,” The Other said to him, “But the answers I give will hopefully, help you understand a few things but do remember that you can not repeat or talk about anything you have seen or discussed while you are on the Sub Level. That is secret even from the Teams. Grace and the other witches and Calda and the other wizards along with The Others are the only exception. You have a great deal of responsibility on your shoulders and it is going to be hard. However your powers will be a tremendous help to you and once you have mastered them you should have no problem remembering to keep the secrets safe.”
Zia was eating heartily and tucking into the Woodland Stew. Pekol was eating some sort of blue soup which seemed to bubble and squeak!!! Nevertheless the wizard seemed to enjoy it. Once he had finished his meal he leaned back in his chair and asked Zia,
“The first question, what was it, Oh yes, you will meet and work with Great Bear. He will teach you as much as you are able to learn. He became one of a ‘community’ in Alberta in Canada. He was rescued from a forest fire by four Mine Minders that were fleeing to their gold mine for safety.
They managed to get him to follow them. He thought he was hallucinating when he saw these little people but he was saved, healed and helped and became a valuable member of their community but only part-time as he was the medicine man in his village and his people needed him. When he was very old, he left to die but was given Life Power by the Gold Mine Community that had saved him and stayed with them for many years until he heard we were in need of help and he was found to be like you, very compatible with the floating power so he came to us until now. When he goes back he will not be able to return to the tribe but will stay with the Community there and live as much as he can in the forests. With the Gold Mine as a safe haven, if and when he needs it. Does that answer all your questions?”
“Wow! Yes thank you it does. What a story, I cant wait to meet Great Bear!” Zia was truly overwhelmed and couldn’t imagine that there could be any more surprises for him today. How wrong he was!
That afternoon Zia sat in a room full of books, with Pekol bringing selected ones to him, finding pages that he wanted his pupil to read, then going off to find another. There was a great pile of books on the table after a while. Instead of being daunted by what he had to do Zia thoroughly enjoyed reading and studying the great volumes of knowledge. He hoped that this new special power of memory was working and that he would be able to recall all that he had read. As promised at the end of his shift he was shown back to Lord Tupol’s office. He sat and waited for him to come.
Soon The Other arrived and sat opposite Zia.
“Well how has it been? Have you enjoyed your first day with Pekol? Learned a lot have you?
Seen more that you bargained for as well I would imagine!!” quipped The Other.
‘Lord Tupol is almost as full of questions as I am’, thought Zia, but he didn’t say so.
“A brilliant and exciting day, Sir. Can’t wait for tomorrow. Pekol says I am to meet and work with Great Bear,” Zia replied excitedly. “That should be the best! I need to know so much and he sounds as if he will be a brilliant teacher. The quicker I learn the sooner I will be able to join the night Teams.”
“That’s all very well but you must stay calm. While you are on Sub level you must always stay calm. We don’t want unruly or frightened Broomlets. They can be very strong willed as it is. Don’t want to encourage any difficult behaviour, do we? They are highly bred, not like sweeping brooms or everyday witches brooms. These are the race horses of the broom world. Remember that.” He looked at Zia and raised his eyebrows then showed him to the door, leaving him to find his own way back to his cave.
“You will need to find your way around as quickly as possible. See you tomorrow. Goodbye.”
Zoe and Nip were waiting for him on his return to his cave. Zoe was sitting quietly but stood up as Zia approached. Nip was not so controlled!
“Hello, we’ve come to visit! Don’t see enough of you any more and we miss all the excitement.
What have you been up to today?” asked a very happy Nip.
“I am so pleased to see you both. Its seems such a long day on my own. Well, not on my own exactly but not with friends. I can’t really call The Others friends. I haven’t known them long and its just a case of doing my work. Come on in and we can chat and have some supper before I go to see Calda. My Mine Minder will fetch us some thing. It is so good to see you!”.
Zia thought it was the best surprise he could have wished for but what could he talk to them about? He was sworn to secrecy on everything he did down on the Sub Level and that was the only place he had been. Zoe came to his rescue and started to tell all about her day and the Teams. They munched and talked, planned and laughed.
Nip must have realised that it was not possible for him to be told about the Sub level as even a Mine Minder didn’t work down there. They went as far as the Lowest Level but no further.
When it was time for Zia to make his way to Calda’s cave his friends walked with him but said goodbye outside and were just going when the door opened to admit Zia, he just had time to shout “Cheerio” before he was being welcomed in by his wizard tutor.
“Tell me about your day Zia. It must have been quite an experience for you! You didn’t say anything to your friends about what you have seen or done did you?” Calda asked “No, Sir. They never asked and I didn’t volunteer. Zoe kept the conversation steered well away from that subject. Neither of them would want me to fall into that trap!!”.replied Zia smiling, thinking how Nip had greeted him. “I have tried very hard to remember everything I have seen or done but I don’t know if my memory will have been enhanced to that level yet!! It was all so er….
‘different’ that I am surprised I’ve remembered anything!! Good job you gave me that notebook. I’m writing everything down in there and it just ‘grows’ more pages as I need them!! It remembers where everything is. I just ask and it turns to the page. Remarkable! What are we going to do first?”
“I think we must go through your new powers. There is so much for you to learn. Right! Books, stool, table, wand .…that should be all we need for now. Take a seat and we will make a start.”
Calda glided across the floor and started to collect the things he wanted. He came back to the table with an arm full of books and his wand. “Don’t use this one very much,” he said dusting off the wand, “Don’t have cause to. Its all very orderly and peaceful in the community so there isn’t any need for much Wand Magic. I mostly do research and tutoring but…….. this is a special day and you must see and understand this very special magic. Did Pekol mention anything about wands?”.
“Only to say that they were made on Sub Level and that they are the very best and most powerful, as is everything that is made there. He is very proud of the reputation The Others have earned for their work.” replied Zia
“Indeed he is and we all share in the work in one way or another. Now lets get started. Powers.
Yes, right, first I will go through them and explain exactly what you will be able to do. Then we will do some practice. I think you will enjoy this,” Calda said, quite sure HE was going to enjoy it as well!
When he returned to his cave Zia was ready for some rest. It had been a long day and so much to learn. Even with the help of the extra Special Memory power it took a lot of concentration. Maybe as he got more used to using it he would find learning easier. He hoped so! He had asked Calda about ‘flying’ Nip with him when he went home in a few days and was very surprised to learn that it was very possible and providing they use the special harness to safeguard Nip from falling and that they practised before they went and that Zoe was satisfied with Zia’s ability there should be no problem, HOWEVER……He must land away from his home and take care not to be seen, as flying was not something that was known outside the Community and it might be best done in the evening or once the sun had set. Zia must talk to Grace and get her permission. The next few days brought many surprises within the Sub Level. Zia learned about wands and Knobbly Sticks, which were much more than walking sticks, which is what he thought they were.
He went into the Hat and Gown department and saw the most wonderful array of material and trimmings. The order room, the fitting room and the ‘trying and testing’ room. Where things were .…tried and tested. The Broom Cupboard, which was very grand, befitting the superb and valuable brooms. So MUCH!! Whenever was he going to find time to practice flying with Nip?
Best not to think about it, thought Zia. It will work out, it always does.
Grace was a little surprised at the request to fly with Nip. She decided that it was too soon to try that, maybe in a few weeks. Zia wasn’t sorry. he didn’t feel ready and was secretly quite pleased with the decision. Nip, on the other hand was very disappointed.
“There will be other times for you to try that, I think that under supervision for the first few times would be advisable,” Grace said firmly. She was not going to be swayed from her decision.
It was one of the few times that Zia had seen Nip without a smile on his face.
“Thank you Grace,” he said, “I will get in as much practice as I can, if Zoe or one of the Team can find time to help us I’m sure we will soon be ready for our first ‘duel’ flight. Come on Nip cheer up, its not like you to be down in the mouth. SMILE!!”
Nip just couldn’t stay miserable for long. He was soon making plans for their practice sessions.
“It will be great wont it? Just think….zooming around in the sky. You and me on adventures
…..WOW! It WILL be so exciting!!”
The next few days were filled with all the new things for Zia to learn but he had also to prepare for his visit home to his family. He was, as usual, very keen to go but now he was so busy that it was hard to imagine days with nothing to do but just enjoy the company of his family and friends and of course Nip would be going with him this time. That should be .…different.
Saturday morning had arrived and Nip was at Zia’s cave very early.
“Are you ready? Come on we’re wasting time. Its nearly daylight outside and time for us to be on our way. It will take us a good hour to reach your home and don’t forget you promised me a superspecial breakfast!! Hurry up. I wish we were flying today! Next time…Wooossshhhh!!!!”.
Nip was dressed and carrying a knapsack with the things he would need for the week end. He had extra boots and a large floppy hat and overalls and a jacket instead of his uniform. Looking at him Zia couldn’t be cross at being woken so early and Nip looked so comical that it was hard not to laugh out loud.
Zia slowly got out of bed and dressed in his ‘home clothes’, also not intending to wear his uniform. He didn’t have to take anything with him as everything he needed would be waiting for him at home, as usual. He munched on some nuts as he and Nip walked to the cave entrance and started the journey home with Nip humming one of his not very tuneful tunes. They both returned to their smaller size just before they left the cave tunnel. Zia was getting quite used to the odd feeling of ‘shrinking’ and soon they would be among Little Folk, just like him and, well, almost like Nip….. but not quite.
As they made their exit from the cave it was a beautiful morning and the birds were singing and the trees were full of rustling leaves and the breeze blew gently, it was still very early. Nearing the clearing along the last part of the path, just before Zia’s home, Nip stopped, looked around and squeezed into a bush at the side of the track, pulling Zia with him.
“Shhhhhh!. Listen,” Nip demanded.
Zia hadn’t been paying attention, just thinking of breakfast and kicking at twigs and pebbles as he walked along. Now he turned his hearing onto listen mode and could hear what Nip was hearing and it made his blood run cold.
“It’s fox going home and we are right in his path. Quick this way.” Nip dived through the undergrowth and down a tunnel head first, wriggling as he pushed with his feet and praying that Badger was no longer living here. Badgers were not quite as ready to ‘take’ little people as the fox but they could if they were hungry and were remarkably fast on their feet but right now Nip and Zia were more interested in removing themselves from the path and the menu of the fox.
The tunnel went on and on. Branching this way and that until finally they saw daylight ahead.
“There are always several ways in and out of badger sets. Lets get out as quick as we can and hope we don’t bump into the owners of this little labyrinth!! Up here, we should be clear soon.”
Nip was not too sure, so he spoke with his fingers crossed!
“Where will we come out, near my home or have we detoured away from that direction?” Zia asked.
Nip pulled himself up the last section of tunnel and popped his head out into a clearing in the wood. Zia struggled after him. Being that much bigger it was more of a tight squeeze for him but eventually they both stood clear of the ‘set’ and Zia looked around trying to see where they were.
“The old oak tree. Gosh! We have gone off track a bit but at least we’re safe and I know where we are. Follow me. This way.” Zia led the way through the woods back to his home.
Not venturing onto the tracks and making sure to keep eyes and ears open this time. He could only blame his not paying attention before, on the fact that the ‘Equalizer Spell’ that made him bigger; also made him smaller once he left the Dark Cave and Mine, which made it easy to forget when you were back to being small and vulnerable in the outside world. He really had no excuse, with his enhanced memory, sight and hearing. Still it was a lesson learned and he knew he had to concentrate more in future. The family were already up and father was bringing in wood for the fire so that breakfast could be cooked. Mother was, as always, overjoyed and made a ridiculous fuss of them both. Zia’s brother and sister wanted to show Nip everything. They had never met a Mine Minder before and were all very keen to make him welcome.
Breakfast was brilliant, it had all the things that Zia had missed so much. Mum had made special food for Nip as well. There was a great deal of chatting, questions, answers. Sometimes not the whole answer as Zia and Nip had to be very guarded in their replies! Never-the- less it was a long time before they had all finished eating and they were being shown around bedrooms then secret places outside. They were not made to help with the clearing away of the breakfast dishes, instead father took them to his workshop to show things that he had made and gathered. He was a brilliant woodsman and the family rarely wanted for anything.
That evening at the ‘gathering’ they both listened in awe to the stories that were told about what had been done and things that had been found, news from distant relatives, who had moved in and out of the area and so on. Nip and Zia told the story of the fox on the path and the escape through the badgers set. It was good that they had a story to tell but it made them realise just what danger they had been in when some one else told a similar story where the outcome had not been so good!
An Aunt of Zia’s had been injured in an attack by a fox but because there had been several Little Folk in the foraging group they were able to gang up on the fox and rescue the Little Woman.
Although she was badly injured she was expected to recover.
There was help for most things and a Healer that could administer herbal medicine and treat any sickness or injury. They were very highly regarded. Life could be very hard in the woods, mines and moors. They needed all the help they could get to live. They were a very close group, taking care of one an other. Sharing and caring was the only way they could survive. They stayed well clear of any mines that were inhabited by anyone or anything other than Little Folk, preferring to find smaller tunnels and workings that would not suit larger inhabitants.
The next day was just as much fun and they both enjoyed meeting more friends and relatives, seeing them in their homes and making plans for the next time Zia, and maybe Nip could come back and see them. After tea the two friends said their good byes and with a large party of friends to walk most of the way with them they made their way back to the Dark Cave.
Next time the friends visited it should be safer, if they were able to fly home. Of course they couldn’t say anything to any one. That was not allowed, but how would arriving after dark or before sunrise be explained to his family, Zia wondered. He had a feeling his father knew more than he said, so maybe he would be able to help there!