Zak Turner - A Twist In Time (20 page)

True, but they’ll not be much use to me while I’m lying on the floor like an old rag will they?

Ooops, sorry!  Give me a minute to explain to Steven what happened and what I’m going to do.

The two soul mates hadn’t noticed, but they’d drifted away from using proper telepathy to just listening to each other’s thoughts.  Telepathy was a little bit quicker than talking, but not much.  Simple thought conversations though were much faster.  They were still only just starting to learn about this aspect of the remarkable abilities they shared, but even so, their thought conversation, which verbally would have lasted about two and a half minutes, took only about thirty seconds.

Steven had watched the duel mesmerised by the incantations, the objects, and the spells that were flying between them.  He wasn’t aware of it, but the duelling strip was enchanted so that you could see spells which would normally have been invisible.  Firmus and Percussus were usually more or less invisible, but Steven had watched brilliant streaks of purple and gold light flashing back and forth.

His awe at the finale, which had kaleidoscoped into blazing streaks of light flashing across the room, the merged explosions of the Firmus and Percussus spells hitting the wall, and the sight of Tallion falling apparently lifeless to the floor was absolute!  He remained stunned and speechless for several seconds, before the rough Yorkshire farmer’s son struggled back to the surface.

“Ruddy Nora!” were the only two stuttering words that escaped his lips, in his familiar expression of shock.  His eyes flicked between the two blackened scorch marks on the walls and his two friends on the floor at the end of the duelling strip.  Eventually he realised that Tallion wasn’t moving, and remembered that Zak had run towards him shouting sorry.  He jumped off the table and ran to join them, dropping to his knees at Zak’s side.

“Is he okay Zak?  What did yer do to him?” he asked in a hushed voice, fearing the worst.  Zak and Tallion had just finished their thought conversation, and Zak turned to Steven with a grin.

“Yeah, he’s okay, although he can’t move until I revive him.  I blasted him with a Laxo spell; that was the very last one I cast.  He can hear us talking, and he can talk back into my mind, but he’s totally relaxed and can’t move any of his muscles, that’s what a Laxo does.  I can cast it on you if you like so that you can see what it feels like?”

Zak sniggered at Steven’s rather worried expression.

“Err, no thanks.  Does it hurt?”

“Not at all.  You just go completely limp, like a piece of old lettuce.”

Steven gave Zak a somewhat sceptical stare, and then said, “So how do yer revive him then?”

“Watch.”

Zak stood up, stepped back from Tallion, and practised the wand movement for the reviving spell.  When he was happy, he cast it.

“Resusipisco!”

It only took a second before Tallion’s eyes flicked open, and then after a few more seconds, during which his dazed expression cleared and his eyes focussed, he looked up at Steven and grinned.

“That doesn’t hurt either.  The reviving spell just gives you a tingling sensation.  Some spells do hurt though, like stunning spells.”

* * *

The three boys spent a few more minutes in the duelling room, and then explored the remaining classrooms.  Steven gradually felt more and more out of his depth, especially when they started talking about potions and alchemy!  Then they visited the greenhouse, where the bemused farmer’s son was perturbed to see plants that should have been inanimate moving about and behaving almost like animals!  Tallion pointed out the Trugstork tree and related the incident which had nearly killed him.  Steven looked at it very warily, and gave the plant a wide berth.

After the school rooms, there wasn't much time left, so the boys went to Zak’s suite where Steven looked through their magical school books, fiddled with Zak’s telescope, and once again looked longingly at Zak’s wand.  They were just starting to talk about whether they could get hold of a wand he could try, when there was a knock on the door, and Tallion jumped up to open it.

“These just arrived,” said Bjarne, his voice full of curiosity as he handed over a couple of letters, one for Tallion, and one for Zak.  Tallion said thank you, and looked meaningfully at his younger brother until Bjarne realised that he had no choice except to leave the room.

The envelopes were addressed in different handwriting, even though the words were more or less the same.  Zak’s read:

Mr Zak Turner

c/o Lofthouse Castle

Netherdale

and Tallion’s read:

Mr Tallion Middleham

Lofthouse Castle

Netherdale

Zak flipped his letter over to see if there was a return address on the back, but it was blank.  He smiled anyway and slipped his finger under the flap to rip it open.  He always liked to receive post!

Tallion had a shrewd idea who they were from because there were really only two people who would be writing to them.  When he got in to his letter, it was a single sheet of paper covered on both sides with the same small neat handwriting as on the envelope.  Sure enough, when he checked the name of the sender, it was from Columbetha Proudfoot.  The letter was full of news about the school and things that had happened during the first week of term.  Columbetha had been careful not to include much about herself, just news about the school in general.

“Mine’s from Sartrina!” exclaimed Zak, surprised that she’d chosen to write to him rather than Tallion.  His letter ran to three sheets of paper covered on both sides, and provided interesting accounts of the first year lessons, and a few incidents that had befallen the new students at Mhonarr Castle.  The last half page was an account of the accident in the duelling club that morning. 

Zak was surprised that he suddenly felt rather sad and disappointed, but after a few seconds he realised that they were Tallion’s emotions, not his own.  Before he got chance to do anything other than look up in concern at his friend, Steven spoke. 

“Do you mind if I read it too Zak?” he asked tentatively, “I’d like to know what’s going on there, even though I’ll never go…”

“Yeah, ‘course mate, here you go.” 

Zak handed the letter and envelope across to Steven whilst he concentrated on Tallion.

Hey, Lord Middleham, what’s up?

Nothing really.

Nothing?  Ahem!  You forgot we share each other’s minds.  It’s Sartrina isn’t it, because she wrote the letter to me not to you?

Yeah.  I might as well admit it; I really like her.  Surely you must have noticed!

You’ve keep it well hidden my friend!  I notice something in your emotions whenever we meet her, but I always thought it was because of the problems with her mother, not because you fancied her!

Tallion was quiet for a few seconds, well, quiet wasn't the right word really.  He just wasn’t thinking his thoughts as part of a conversation with Zak, but he was still thinking though!  Zak kept quiet, knowing his friend was trying to work out how to say what he wanted to say.

We sort of grew up together,
the heir to the vast Lofthouse estate thought quietly to his friend
.  When her father was alive, she came to the castle quite often, and we went to her house for father to talk with her father, Enoch.  He was really nice actually, I never did find out how he died.  It was just sort of accepted that Sartrina and I were friends, and, well…  It’s left a permanent mark in my mind.

…but the politics got in the way?

Yeah…

That’s silly Tallion!  I understand why, but it’s still silly that you had to stop being friends just because of the hierarchy in the village!

To you it seems silly, but that’s how our world works Zak, and to me it’s not silly.  Annoying yes, but not silly.  It’s the reason why our world still works.  The way you’re thinking is actually one of the main reasons why our world doesn’t like first generation wizards, and treats them badly.  They see them as undermining the established rhythm of our society and wanting to change things that have worked well for centuries!

Well, maybe it
will
change.  Maybe you’ll be able to become friends with her again, properly!

Maybe,
thought his friend in response, but even in his thoughts he sounded like he knew it would never happen.  Zak took his soul mate’s hand and provided him with the support he was looking for, both physically and emotionally, their bond once again allowing them to share each other’s problems, and carry each other’s burdens.

Steven was oblivious to it all of course, and missed the tenderness that Zak had shown to Tallion as he took his hand.  He was totally absorbed by Sartrina’s letter to Zak, and felt as though it was a letter to him.  He could hear his girlfriend’s voice reading out every word, as though she were standing right next to him.

Although he
had
missed her, he’d resigned himself to not seeing her for ages.  He was now kicking himself for not sorting out how to write to her before she left, and also for forgetting to bring his own letter to the castle!  He’d been so keen to visit that his letter to Sartrina had gone clean out of his mind! 

When he got to the end of the letter he glanced at the envelope and saw Sartrina’s rather straggly handwriting.  He smiled and picked it up, surprised at the emotions running through his mind.  He noticed that the envelope didn’t feel empty, so he popped it open and saw another small envelope tucked inside.  He glanced at Zak and Tallion, saw them looking intently at each other, and realised they were talking telepathically, so he slid out the second envelope and glanced at the address.

His heart missed a beat!  It was addressed to him!  He glanced furtively at Zak and Tallion again, and saw that they were still in their own world.  He decided not to open it, but slipped it into his pocket very stealthily; he’d open it and read it when he got home!  He glanced at his watch, and saw that it was already going up for nine.

“Hey Tal, I’ve got ter get going.  I’m supposed ter be ‘ome by nine!  It’s been brilliant coming ‘ere mate, really fantastic, can I come again sometime?”

Tallion immediately snapped out of his conversation with Zak, and felt a bit uncomfortable.  They’d both forgotten about Steven, and he was sure that was partly the reason their friend had thought about going home.

“’Course you can mate!  Any time you like.  You can stay over if you want?”

“I’d love ter, but not tonight.  I need ter, err, do stuff on t’ farm tomorrow morning, so I’d best be off.  Will yer come back ter t’ post office wi’ me?”

“Aye, course!” answered Zak quickly, also feeling a bit guilty.  Then he remembered Sir Philip’s telling off about flying their broomsticks down to the post office.

“Umm, Tallion, we’ll need to ask Father if it’s okay I suppose, maybe we’ll have to stop by the oak trees?”

“I’ll ask him as we go out.  Your bike’s by the front doors isn’t it Steven?”

* * *

Sir Philip allowed Zak and Tallion to fly all the way to the post office in the end because it was nearly dark and no-one would likely see them even if they
did
accidently stray off the driveway. 

About twenty minutes later, Steven was heading for his bedroom, his letter from Sartrina the only thought in his mind.  He’d thrown his bike hastily into the barn at the farm, and spent only about five minutes telling his surprised mum what he’d done.  She didn’t realise that apart from a few bits of his dinner, there was next to nothing he
could
tell her without talking about the magical nature of the Middleham’s existence! 

He
did
tell her that the house was a huge mansion, was very grand, and that it was hidden behind a wood inside its own walled park.  He also said there was a big grassy courtyard out the back where they’d played.

He then announced that he was ‘really tired’ and just wanted to go to bed, so his mum let him go saying that she’d bring his supper up in a few minutes.

As the door closed behind her ten minutes later, Steven
finally
pulled out the unopened letter from under his pillow, and smiled widely to himself.  His girlfriend hadn’t forgotten him, and had managed to get a letter to him without Zak and Tallion finding out!

Dearest Steven,

I miss you very much.  Life here at school is very exciting, but quite frightening at times.  Did Zak tell you about what happened on the way to school?  How we were ambushed and attacked by dark wizards who tried to kill us?  If it hadn’t been for Zak and Tallion I’m sure we’d all be dead - they were amazing!

Then I ended up in Leo house.  That was a shock and I’m still coming to terms with it.  I thought I was mostly academic, but never courageous and brave.  I wonder what fate has lined up for me that means I need lots of courage …

On orientation day I saw Zak and Tallion at the Balayage pitch where the sixth years were having a game.  You need to ask Tallion to explain how Balayage works, or maybe Bjarne because apparently he’s nuts about it.  It was very exciting though, and I shouted myself hoarse cheering on Leo house   I wanted to go and talk with them, but I felt like I should stay with the Leos rather than go and talk with the Monceros.