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

«Why is it dangerous?»

«Over several dozen mailmages go missing from the Magic Post Office in a year, because they are hunted down by enemy intelligence.»

«Wizards have an intelligence service, too?»

«Of course! Like everywhere else.»

«Why do they want to steal other wizards’ letters?»

«To read them! Wizarding world is just like the demit one in this, Master Calhoun! Each wizard kin has mailmages. The higher is the status of a wizard in the community, the more dangerous it is for his mailmage to move around. There will always be those who will want to know more about his master’s business and plans. Especially if he has enemies. That is why many high-ranking wizards unregister their mailmages to keep their correspondence safe and mailmages work undercover.»

«Does Fafner have a mailmage?» William asked suddenly.

«Of course he does! But everyone has been trying to find out who he is for centuries. Only Fafner and the Postmaster know that!»

«You haven’t told me why you keep letters in your palms. Is it safer?»

«That is right! When someone or something puts the life of a mailmage in danger, the inner pocket on the palm instinctively shuts tight and then not even the most ancient and powerful magic can help the evildoer get the letter. It is very old mailmagic! Even though we are not a warlike people, no wizard can make us open the correspondence we are delivering with their magic!»

«So mailmages aren’t wizards?»

«Wizards?! We are a separate species that has existed for as long as wizards and demits themselves! We do not submit to the general laws, but the Post Office Code. Beyond the Magic Post Office, we obey nobody but our masters. We are created to help the wizard kin which we give the oath to serve loyally with each new generation.»

«I’m sorry if I’ve hurt your feelings, Nymus. I had no idea!»

«Master Calhoun should not apologize to his mailmage! We have the only type of magic – mailmagic. It serves the only goal – to deliver letters to their addressees. We have no need in other abilities. Mailmages have existed since the appearance of writing. Back then, if you believe Mailmage History, messages were passed orally and mailmages wrote letters themselves, leaving them on the walls of addresses.»

«Do mailmages have their own history?»

«But of course! Mailmages have all kinds of their own things – Post Office hospitals, Post Office rights, a special pass to all corners of the world. We even have a special article in the Wizard Constitution, which says that any wizard, except for his Master, who dares to threaten personal immunity of a mailmage will be stripped of the feather from two to five years. Depending on which mailmage rights violation the wizards commits. You see, mailmages are a kind of ambassadors. Not only from one country to another, but also from one wizard to another. And all ambassadors, as it is well known, have personal immunity.»

«Can mailmages themselves betray their wizards?»

«They can. But it is a severe violation of the Post Office Code, as well as the Celestine Oath, which we give during the Mailmage Initiation Ceremony. If a mailmage breaks the oath, he will be separated from the Central Magic Post Office once and till the last line! After which he will be stripped of his right to take part in exchanging any kind of correspondence in any way and his further Mail Activity will be persecuted and punished by Law.»

«Why is it so important to have a mailmage? Can’t we just use mobile phones or the internet? There are so many ways of exchanging information instantly and, more importantly, safely.»

«Master Calhoun has yet so much to learn about the wizarding word. He still does not know that wizards and other representatives of the International Federation of Wizards do not use digital and electronic devices.»

«What? Why not?!»

«Magic Feathers have ancient magic in them that has bad influence on digital and electronic devices when it is near them, they stop working because of the interferences the feather causes.»

«No way! Here’s one advantage demits have compared to wizards,» William noted. «Wizards can use the latest digital achievements.»

«On the contrary!» Nymus objected. «Wizards do have similar achievements! Only in more convenient ways. But Master Calhoun will have time to learn about all that.»

The amount of new information made William fall silent for a while, then he looked around and asked:

«Why are we standing, not moving ahead?»

«Because we havenot been summoned yet and we are waiting for a messenger from the Postmaster to see us there.»

The moment Nymus finished his sentence, someone very heavy nearly knocked William off his feet.

The boy looked down and saw a grey-haired old man, short and with a crooked nose.

«Young Wizard, could you move away for a bit and allow me to keep searching for letters?» the old man said grumpily.

«I’m sorry, sir! I haven’t noti…»

«Vulpik!» Nymus cried out. «I can’t believe my letters!» He knelt down and hugged the grey-haired old man he’d just called Vulpik. «Why you, Tattered Parcel, still growling at everyone in the morning, as I can see!»

«Nymus!» the old man with the crooked nose recognized him. «Celestine’s Monogram! May I Lose My Letters! Which winds have brought your envelopes here? Are you with us again?»

«Yes! With a wizard again!» Nymus told him.

Then the eyes of mailmage Vulpik stared at William’s shoes meaningfully and then slowly went up until they reached his face.

«A Calhoun?» he said with distrust, turning back to Nymus.

«Yes!» Nymus nodded with a satisfied smile. «To be exact, the last of the Calhouns.»

Vulpik got up suddenly, almost pressing himself to William, and started examining him. He seemed to have forgotten all about the letters he’d been looking for.

After giving William an intent look from head to toe, he said slowly:

«So here you are…»

«This’ll be enough! Go back to your letters, you Tattered Parcel!» Nymus shooed him off. «I’ll pay you a visit after lunch if I’m free. So get ready, set a table. Let’s Seal some Envelopes!»

«I’m so glad to see you again, Nymus! Celestine’s Monogram! Years away haven’t changed you a bit!»

And Vulpik disappeared as suddenly as he had appeared.

«Nymus,» William dared to break the silence, «who’s Celestine?»

«Marcus Celestine is the founder of the Magic Post Office and the whole system of mailmages that has been working all over the world for many centuries. When we take the oath to our master, we do it by placing our hand on the Post Office Code signed by Marcus Celestine.»

«Wow…» William drawled, «you have your own world in here, as I can see!»

In a few minutes, a young black-haired curly mailmage in glasses approached them and addressed Nymus:

«Nymus House Representative?»

«Yes! I came to get my Mailmage license back!»

«The Postmaster is absent today. His deputy is ready to see you! Follow me!»

And the young secretary headed towards one of the numerous doors. It lead to a narrow corridor with a marble floor. The corridor was rather dark and gloomy and was a great contrast to the bright hall they’d just left. There were numerous offices along the corridor, on both sides. Each door had a sign shaped like an upturned open envelope with the name of the department on it and the second sign sticking out, shaped like a piece of paper. That one stated issues and tasks each Magic Post Office Department handled. William noticed that one of the envelope signs on the door said «Magic Post Office Archive’, and the piece of paper added «Authorized personnel only’.

Finally, the young secretary stopped by the door, the envelope sign on which said: «Postmaster Deputy, Thomas Hill’. The bottom part of the sign, instead of the customary piece of paper, was decorated with a large Post Office emblem – a yellow envelope with a green MPO monogram and a white magic feather inside, which symbolized how inseparable the kins of wizards and mailmages were. Below there was the motto of the Magic Post Office, already familiar to William from Nymus, in large red letters: «From Kin to Kin, Kin for the good of Kin’.