DEEP WATERS

CHAPTER 2 - Fjaerland

Corporal Saul Lavall was a grey willow from the south of France. He’d only just been appointed to this job, and he was feeling almost as nervous as the sprites on the beach. It was an honour to have been given such specialised work so young, but he was full of doubts about his own abilities. No such doubts troubled the sergeant, Luke Olt, who was striding importantly down the track beside him. A Bosnian pine from Romania, he’d been in the army for thirty-five years, and been a training sergeant for sixteen, and he’d seen all this before.
The sergeant stood on a rock and surveyed the crowd before him.
“Good morning,” he said briskly. “This is 2nd February, and it’s dawn. You’ve made it – well done. Now, the first thing to do is count you. Don’t want to lose anyone on the way up to the camp. Your notebook, corporal?”
Notebook? thought the corporal, wildly. He searched through his pockets and found a piece of paper, but couldn’t find anything to write with.
“Here,” said Ace, and chucked him a bit of pencil.

The corporal smiled his thanks, and stood poised, ready to write down whatever the sergeant said. Will kicked Ace, hard. That wasn’t what he’d call keeping your head down. The sergeant was counting.
“Goblins, seventeen,” he said. “Fairies – are you a fairy or an imp?” he demanded of someone.
“I’m a fairy…sir,” said Dan.
“Very good. You don’t have to call me sir, though. That’s for senior officers. Sergeant will do. Fairies, fifty-eight, imps, four…”
His eyes roamed round, and he stopped at Ace and Will, staring in disbelief at their long hair.
“And what are you! Elves or fairies?”
Everyone laughed, except the Moseleys and the two Langdons.
“Very funny,” said Ace.
Will shut his eyes.
“Elves, forty-three,” snapped the sergeant. “Follow me, everyone. And keep together.”

As soon as they left the beach they started to climb, up a long thin track that had been cleared in the snow. Running between thick banks of spruce and pine, it wound its way up the mountain. It was hard work, and very soon no-one was feeling cold. After they’d been climbing for an hour, the sergeant called a halt, for people to catch their breath. They all turned to look back how far they’d come, and there were gasps of delight at the beauty of the view that had opened out below them. Deep blue waters seemed to be stretching away in every direction, and behind them, snow-covered mountains, and a bright sky. Will’s eyes were watering, the sun on the snow was dazzling, he could hardly look. Clover edged her way over to join him and Ace.
Ace laughed when he saw her.
“Bet you’re too hot now, aren’t you?”
“Never mind me! What on earth d’you think you’re playing at?”
“He had to say something,” said Will. “It was a good answer.”
“Yeah, I could have been a lot cheekier than that,” said Ace, grinning. “But don’t worry, I’ll keep my head down, like Madge said. What did she tell you, Clover?”
“She said, ‘Don’t tease strange elves,’ “ said Clover thoughtfully. “I don’t know why, but that’s what she said. But you don’t count, you’re not strange. Well, you are, but not how she meant it.”
“You’ll cope,” said Ace. “But I’m a bit worried about Dan. I’ve got a feeling she won’t find it very easy, fitting in. And we’re not going to be together all the time, obviously. Will you tell me, Clover, how she gets on? If she gets any hassle she’s likely to deck someone, and most fairies won’t be used to that.”
Clover smiled. That was the thing about Ace, she thought. He drove you mad, and then he came out with something so thoughtful you had to forgive him.
“ ’Course I will.”
When they set off again, Clover soon fell back. Climbing mountains was bad enough without rushing to be at the front.
“How’re you doing, Rose?” she puffed.
“I feel better every minute,” Rose smiled. “It’s cold, but it’s so sunny! Will said all I needed was sunshine, and he was right.”
“He usually is,” Clover admitted.
“Have you noticed something?” said Rose. “Seeing such a crowd of elves makes you realise, Ace and Will are quite small really!”
Clover looked ahead at all the elves. Rose was quite right. And yet…
“Only in size,” she said.


Ace was looking around him with interest, too, as they climbed even higher. He’d never seen so many sprites in one place, he was fascinated. Huge goblins, fairies from eastern Europe whose brightly-coloured clothes stood out against the snow, elves whose trees he couldn’t even guess at. And imps. He’d never seen an imp before, and he could see why Dan had puzzled the sergeant. They were very like fairies, they had wings, but they were smaller, and squarer, and they looked pretty tough.
Finally, the path came to an end, at a wide gate where two of the military police were standing on guard duty. Everyone passed through, and gazed in awe at the scene spread out below them. They were looking down on a wide mountain plateau, surrounded and sheltered by rocks and forest. There were wooden buildings of every shape and size, and sprites everywhere, working, talking, rushing about or strolling around.
Beyond the cleared paths, everything was coated in a thick layer of snow, and trails of smoke drifted from chimneys. Will looked across the camp, to a mighty forest in the east, rising even higher up the mountain, and his heart started beating faster. He glanced at Ace, and saw him give a tiny nod, and a smile.
“Here we are,” said Sergeant Olt. “Sprite army HQ. We’re heading for the Great Hall, the big building right in the centre. I’m taking you to meet the Commander.”
They all had their breath back now, and started to ask questions.
“Why is everyone talking Polish?” asked someone.
“Polish? French!”
“All right, pipe down,” said the sergeant. “I don’t want to hear the name of every European language. Care to try explaining it, Corporal?”
“Communication,” said the corporal. “It’s a very strange thing. Sometimes you learn more from what you don’t hear than from what you do.”
Sergeant Olt’s eyes widened.
“Good answer,” he murmured, approvingly.


Outside the Hall the sergeant counted them again.
“Take the figures to the quarter-master, Corporal,” he said, and led everyone inside. It was a beautiful building, every surface covered in carving, hundreds of years old. On the walls were boards with names painted on in gold, past Commanders, and regiments with their battle honours, and high above them hung flags and banners, some bright and new, others faded almost to cobweb. The sense of history was overwhelming, and everyone fell quiet. As if by instinct, the sprites gathered, not with the friends they’d come with or made on the journey, but in their orders.
Wayne kept close to Will and Ace.
“Look at the size of him!” he whispered, as an elf walked past them, an ash by the look of him, nearly as tall as Hogweed.
“He’s not the only one,” Ace whispered back.
“Oh, what have we let ourselves in for?” moaned Wayne.
“We’ll soon find out.”

A group of senior officers walked onto a platform, led by a trim fairy in a very smart suit. She had glossy brown hair, cut in a sleek bob, and pale brown skin with the most extraordinary streaks, purple, shot through with white and gold. She came to the front of the platform, and smiled at the assembled crowd.
“Welcome to Fjaerland,” she said. “My name is Giaggiolo Iris sibirica Biagioni, and I am the Commander of the sprite army. Allow me to introduce to you my colleagues – this is General Herdalen, head of Land Forces.”
He waved a hand in greeting.
“Look at that!” Ace whispered. “He’s wearing leathers!”
“Must be sound,” whispered Will.
“General Stalden, head of Air Forces,” said the Commander, and the elderly Swiss fairy inclined her head with a gentle smile.
“General Széchenyi – who may be known to some of you – head of logistics.”
A round of applause, with a few cheers, greeted this name, and General Széchenyi shook her arms in the air, with her fists clenched.
She’s an imp, thought Ace. And obviously well-known. I wonder why?
“General Saal,” continued the Commander, “head of Police.”
Ace gulped as the biggest goblin he’d ever seen stepped forward and bowed politely.
“And lastly, General Cherapont, chief of staff. He’s in charge of headquarters, and that includes training. Until you’re appointed to your regiments and squadrons, he is your commanding officer.”
She paused to allow the five generals to take seats on the platfrom, then made a short speech.

“Many of you have been waiting days in the cold. Many have only just completed long journeys. That is only the start. I warn you now, it will not be easy. Many trials and difficulties lie ahead of you. But for those who have hope and courage, these will count for nothing compared to what you will gain and achieve. We will test you, and find your skills, and train you to use them better. We will show you skills you didn’t know you had, and teach you things you didn’t know existed. We will help you, and lead you, and guide you. In return, I ask you always to listen. Listen to what you hear, and to what you do not hear. Listen, and also obey. Everything you are told to do has a reason.
When you have completed your training, you will be asked to swear a solemn oath, that binds you to serve the army all your life. That time is not yet. Nevertheless, in one week’s time, at the full moon, if it is still your purpose to become a recruit, you shall have the chance to enter the Eastern Forest. There, beneath the Great Tree, you shall be formally enlisted.”
Her serious face broke into a smile.
“That does not mean, however, that until then you may behave as you wish! Army discipline starts now. All this will be explained to you by the training sergeants, and by General Cherapont. I will leave you now with him; he will explain what’s going to happen today. Good luck to you all, and thank you for listening.”
Everyone clapped, and the Commander left the platform, with four of her generals. General Cherapont came to the front of the platform, and sat down on its edge.
He’s very old, thought Ace. Well over a hundred, I’d say. Nice smile, though. But sad eyes.
The general looked at them all, and shook his head.
“So few,” he said. “So few. There was a time when this hall would be so full, you could hardly breathe. Still, that’s not your fault. Times change, and we must change with them. I’m extremely glad to meet you all. Now, I’m sure the first thing you want to know is when you’re going to get a drink. Well, the answer is, very soon. As soon as you’ve filled these forms in, we’ll go to the canteen where you can rest and have a drink while the sergeant and I read through them. We may need to speak to some of you, and you’ll be called out if we do. After that, there’ll be a tour of the whole camp, and then the quarter-master will be ready for you. When you’ve settled into your quarters you’ll be free until this evening, 2100 hours, when some of the second years will be entertaining us with their music.”
“Forms?” said Ace. “Oh, no. I hate forms.”
Will grinned. “P-S-E-U,” he started.
Ace kicked him.
“Shut it,” he said. “I can spell my own name. I think.”

The corporal was back, and he went round giving the forms out.
“Does anyone need a pen? There are some here if you do. Yes, the forms are in Norwegian. Just read them out loud, and you’ll get it.”
“Is someone helping Hogweed?” said Ace, looking round. “Oh, good, the sergeant’s helping the goblins.”
“Let’s have a look,” said Will. “Hele navnet! Weird! Yes…full name - how on earth does this work? - order, age, date of birth, nationality. Name of your senior sprite, did you have permission to come, how did you get here, have you ever joined before.”
“Will!” called Clover. “What year were we born?”
“1974,” he called back. “Honestly, what’s she like?”
She wasn’t the only one. There was a lot of conferring going on, as people checked things with their friends.
“Oh help,” said Ace. “Have you seen the back page? What instrument do you play, what would you say was your greatest skill, what would you say was your greatest weakness, have you got a criminal record, why do you want to join the army?”
“I hope they’re not in a hurry,” said Will.


“Here he comes,” smiled Clover. “About time, too. Greatest skill, bossing people about. Greatest weakness, filling forms in.”
“Shut up, Clover,” said Ace, smiling gratefully at the second year elf who was passing him a cup of tea. “Greatest skill, winding people up. Greatest weakness, always falling asleep.”
“Actually, that’s what I did put,” said Clover. “And did you answer all the questions honestly?”
“ ’Course we did,” said Will. “We’re not ashamed of playing electric guitars.”
“I think Madge was winding us up,” said Rose. “This tea isn’t horrible.”
“Maybe it’s a special effort,” said Dan. “Hang on, here’s Hogweed. Even the goblins have finished. Hogweed! Over here!”
Hogweed joined them, beaming happily, and so did Wayne and Bella. Then the sergeant called out the names of the first people the general wanted to see. Four sprites left the room, looking rather miserable. They’d guessed why they were wanted. They were all people who’d been before, and given up. They weren’t out for long, however, and they looked a lot happier when they came back in. The sergeant read out three more names – Crocus Ciganlija, Alnus Ferrol, and Ace Moseley.
“Uh-oh,” said Clover. “Off you go.”
Ace got up, trying not to look worried, and followed the sergeant into a small office behind the kitchen. General Cherapont was there, seated at a desk.
“Come in,” he smiled genially, “and don’t worry. Nothing’s wrong. You three are all senior sprites, and I have some special instructions for you.”

The three of them exchanged glances. The fairy, Crocus, looked worn out, Ace thought. He found out later she’d brought six young fairies all the way from Serbia.
“The army relieves you of your responsibilities,” said the general. “You’re not to worry about your teams. That’s our job, now. And I’d like your word that you won’t give any orders. It could cause a conflict for someone. Crocus?”
“I promise,” she said, looking pretty relieved, Ace thought.
“Alnus?”
“Yes, I promise that,” said the young Spanish elf, dubiously.
I know what he means, thought Ace. “I promise too,” he said. “But how can you not worry?”
“Just try,” smiled the general. “You’ll have enough to worry about on your own accounts without worrying about other people. Bring me the people with criminal records next, please, Sergeant.”
“I might as well stay,” said Ace.
The sergeant stared at him, and looked at his list. Sure enough, Ace’s name was on that, too. And so was Will’s. When he came in, he went straight to Ace’s side, and whispered,
“I can guess what this is about.”

The general was just as courteous to the law-breakers as he had been to the exemplary young senior sprites. There were over a dozen in the room that time, and he went round them all, asking what they’d done and what they’d got for it. When Ace told him he was on three official warnings, he blinked a bit, but made no comment, and passed on to the last, a dark-haired elf who was leaning against the wall with his arms folded.
“So you must be Droz Zlatni,” smiled General Cherapont, looking at his list. “From Croatia? And what have you done?”
“I have been in prison,” he answered calmly. “I served a year for starting a riot in the filthy Parliament’s refugee camp. When I was released, I found my friends and we headed here.”
“Yes, well, the army tries to keep out of politics, you know,” said the general thoughtfully. “The point is, it’s your behaviour here I’m interested in. The past is of no concern. Offences here will be dealt with under military discipline, and as such will not affect your civilian record. You start with a clean sheet. Please take care to keep it so.”
“Thanks,” smiled Ace, as he went out.
“Extraordinary,” said the general.


Sergeant Olt split them into two groups to look around. He took the imps and fairies, and the elves and goblins went off with Corporal Lavall. He showed them barracks and messes and officers’ houses, playing fields and training grounds, a library and a hospital, detention cells, the huge Signals unit, swimming pools, saunas, armouries, regimental offices, canteens and store rooms until even Will had lost it and the goblins were totally confused. Everything was sign-posted, but all the signs were in Norwegian.

“Never mind, it’ll soon make sense,” said the corporal. “Just say the words out loud. Is anyone here actually Norwegian?”
“Yes, I am,” said one of the elves.
“What’s your name?”
“Gran Starheim.”
“Really? You didn’t have far to come. Are you the one who arrived on skis?”
“That’s right. Copying my famous namesake!”
“He means General Herdalen,” the corporal told the others. “First sprite to use skis. He’s called Gran, too. Norwegian for spruce. Well, if you get stuck, you know who to ask. Now this,” he added, “is a very important place. The Concourse.”
It was a large, square arena, crammed with long tables and benches, with one side filled by a huge stage.
“This is where we have music, most nights,” he told them. “Captain Dolfawr from Signals organises it. So keep your practice up, you’ll all be called upon.”
On the opposite side to the stage was a row of huge notice boards, and a big clock.
“Can any of you tell the time? Oh, yes, quite a lot, good. Now you must look at the board every night. It tells you what you’ll be doing the next day. It’s your responsibility to find out. And now it’s beginning to get dark already. That’s the Norwegian winter for you. We’ll go and find your quarters.”


The barracks for the new recruits were clustered together on the north side of the camp, between the regimental offices of the 1st Regiment (Queen's Guard) and a sauna. The quartermaster, an old goblin with a bald head, was limping around reading people’s names out, and uttering dire threats about what would happen to anybody who made anything fall down.
“You want a bit of wood, you go into the forest,” he growled. “You nick bits of the roof and you’ll be doing hard labour faster than you can jump.”
Ace, Will and Wayne had their names called out for hut twenty-four, along with six other elves, all much bigger than they were. One was Gran, the Norwegian; there were two who looked amazingly alike, called Olm and Beuk Otterlo, and three with the place-name Knightwood, which Ace thought sounded English. He didn’t get a chance to chat, though; the corporal was talking again.
“Before you do anything else, learn these off by heart,” he said, handing each of them a sheet of paper. “Rules. Learn them, and keep them. See you later.”

“Oh, this is nice,” said Ace, as they went inside. “Wooden hut, just like home.”
“Our house was not a hut,” said Will. “It was a cabin.”
“Same difference. Which bunk d’you want?”
“The underneath one.”
“Good,” said Ace, jumping to the top. “Right, what’ve we got to learn?”
He read through the rules, grinning at some of them, then tossed the list aside.
“Got that,” he said. “You finished?”
“Yeah. What shall we unpack?”
“How about the picture of Aesculus? Put it on the wall.”
“Great idea. Here it is. Hey, somone’s put another picture with it…oh, look at this, Ace, it’s a poster of Maiden!”
Ace jumped down to see.
“That’s David, for sure. Look, he’s written on the back of it – ‘Keep rocking!’ “
Without needing to say a word, they both dived for Ace’s bag to get the phone.
“Get off, it’s my turn,” said Will.
Ace pinned the pictures up while Will tried to get through.
“It’s not working! No signal. D’you want to…”
“Will you long-haired fairies shut up!”
Ace and Will looked round in genuine surprise to see everyone else still frowning and concentrating over the rules. The one who’d spoken was Olm, and he still looked annoyed.
“Let it go,” Will whispered. “I s’pose we were making a bit of a row.”
“Yeah, just this once. But not twice.”
“Sorry,” said Will. “We’ll clear off for a bit. Leave you in peace.”


They tried the phone in a few places, but it was hopeless.
“Not a squeak of a signal,” sighed Ace. “Never mind. We thought this would happen.”
“Where’s this perimeter, that you’re not allowed to cross?” said Will.
“Much lower than the mountain top, if that’s what you were thinking. It’s a fence, look, you can see it running through the forest on this side.”
“It’s too dark to see properly – oh yeah, I think I see where you mean.”
It’s painted white, thought Ace. It’s not that hard to see. Oh, this is awful. I never knew he couldn’t see far. I suppose it didn’t matter at home, Wildside was so small.
“What’s up?”
“Oh, nothing. Just thinking. Let’s go and find the fairies. I want to make sure one of them understands twenty-four hour clocks.”
“You’re going to have to let go a bit, you know,” Will told him, sympathetically. “You can’t look after everyone all the time, they’ll have to stand on their own feet now.”
“I know,” Ace groaned. “That was what the general wanted, Will. Basically, he said, you’re not senior sprites here, so chill out.”
“I thought it was that. When you went out, we were all wondering why. Clover said it was people they’d already decided they didn’t want.”
Ace laughed. “But you knew?”
“Oh, yes. If it had been anything else, he’d have…”
“He’d have called you too. Does it bother you, Will?”
“No. Honestly, no. You wouldn’t be you if you weren’t a leader, and I wouldn’t be me if I was.”
“I’m not so sure about that. You’d do it differently, but you could do it.”
“Give over,” said Will. “Hey, that hut’s fairies. Listen to the din!”
“Are they all shrieking at once?”

It wasn’t the right hut, but the next one was. Bella was there, as well as their own three, and they found Hogweed too, in a huge hut full of goblins happily making nests. Ace felt a lot happier now he knew where they were, and they knew where he was if they needed him.
Lots of sprites were strolling around, looking for their friends. Yellow lamplight was shining from the windows of the huts onto the snow, and the moon was shining bright and clear in the frosty sky. Ace and Will stopped to look at the Eastern Forest, black against the gentler black of the sky, its tree tops frosted with snow.
“It’s all coming from there,” said Ace.
“Yeah. There’s someone in there. Someone with an imagination that’s bigger than we can even imagine. Pouring it out. That’s who called us, Ace. That’s the voice we heard.”


The second years had drawn lots to see who would have the honour of playing that night, and the winners had been a string quartet from Copenhagen. Ace and Will had been bored stiff, but they clapped politely at the end.
“It’s nice out here, though,” said Ace to Gran, who’d been sitting near them. “Good fairy lights, strung all around like that. And music every night, that’s good too. S’long as not too many people play violins. What d’you play, Gran?”
“I play alone. I will show you my harp. The high notes are like the ice on the forest pines in the winter, and the deep notes are the mountain caverns.”
“Er, right,” said Ace. “Where’s everyone going now?”
“To the mess, to drink and be warm, to make friends.”
“That sounds good,” said Will. “It’s freezing out here.”
With Gran, they had no trouble finding the right place. It said ‘Rekruttsmesse’ on the door.
“Tonight there will be beer,” said Gran. “Our first night is a special occasion. We will not often be allowed this.”
“How d’you know all this?” asked Ace.
“Oh, from talking to army sprites home on leave. Our people can visit home so much more often, living so near.”
“That makes sense,” said Will. “Hey, that reminds me. What are skis?”
“Ah, skiing!” said Gran. “You never heard of it? I shall tell you all about it.”
They helped themselves to mugs of beer from a barrel on a table, and looked round. It was a big, circular room, with a roaring fire in the centre, with a chimney over it. There were chairs and cushions all over the floor, and swings high above, hanging from the ceiling. The noise was already deafening.
“Look, there are our room-mates,” said Gran. “Shall we join them?”

Ace and Will would rather have joined Rose and Clover, but they were obviously having a great time with a crowd of other fairies, and they could see Wayne with the group Gran had spotted, looking absolutely bewildered.
“Better join in,” said Will quietly. “We didn’t make a very good start with this lot.”
They squashed in next to Wayne, and listened enthralled as Gran told them about flying over the frozen snow, bending into the curves of mountains, and leaping from ledges, never knowing if you would land perfectly or crash to your death.
“Joyous,” said Ace. “Definitely want a go of that. Is that an army thing too, Gran? Will we get a chance to try it?”
“When we are taken higher up the mountain, it will be up to our own wits how we travel. Then you can try, if you have the courage. Not all will. But you, I think, would dare.”
“I can’t wait,” said Will. “Taken? Oh, I get it. You can’t just go when you feel like it. Rule Two, no recruit may pass the perimeter without permission.”
“So you really did learn so fast,” said Gran. “I have to tell you, I wondered. So did others. And your picture, this caused great comment. Why should you wish to look at a picture of humans? I do not ask, I merely tell you, this was said.”
“Thanks, Gran,” said Ace thoughtfully.
Gran’s attention was drawn away by someone asking him a question, and Ace and Will got a chance to talk to Wayne.
“Caused a right stir, you two did,” he told them. “Reckon I’ll keep my mouth shut for a bit. And I just don’t get this, how we can all be speaking the same language. Sprites come here from all over Europe!”
“I don’t think we are,” said Will. “I think Gran was speaking Norwegian then. But we could understand him, as if he was speaking English.”
“It’s weird,” said Ace. “But this is a special place, you can feel it. It’s going to be interesting, that’s for sure.”
Wayne nodded.
“There’s so many things I’ve always wanted to know. I heard that this was the place to come, if you wanted to find things out.”


After an hour of loud, excited chatter, the great room emptied a little, as people who’d already had the sense to look what they were doing tomorrow went off to their beds. None of the elves from hut twenty-four were among them, however; they just refilled their mugs and spread out a bit, and stretched their legs. Olm was talking again; bragging, Will would have called it.
“The first time I fought a goblin, I was nervous, I admit,” he was saying. “But after that, it was easy. They’re really not that difficult to fight, once you know how.”
“You’ve fought a goblin?” said Fran. He was one of the Knightwoods, the tall ash whom Wayne had noticed in the hall when they’d arrived.
“Never tried that,” he added. “Did you win?”
“He didn’t exactly win,” smirked Beuk.
He’s a beech, thought Ace. Amazing how alike they look, those two. Yet the other one, Olm; that must be elm, surely.
Olm shot a dirty look at Beuk, and he shut up.
“How about your small friends?” said Olm to Fran.
It was an unpleasant remark. The other two Knightwoods, Betch and Peter, weren’t really small at all, only a little shorter than Olm and Beuk, and a lot bigger than Ace and Will.
That was aimed at us, thought Ace, but he carried on sitting there calmly and quietly, as Will was, looking interested but not saying a word.

Betch, a silver birch, was more than equal to the snide remark.
“I could say I’d fought dozens of goblins and beaten them,” he smiled. “Who’s to say whether it’s true or not? I’d rather be judged by what I do here.”
“You will be,” laughed Beuk. “Everything you do is marked. When the tests are over, we’ll be put in teams, and the contest starts. Whoever wins gets the best appointments – best jobs, best regiments, best everything.”
“I think they will put all you English in one team,” said Gran. “They like the teams to come from the same country, or at least neighbouring ones, because these are the people you will need to work with when your training is over.”
“You two are English?” said Fran. “Oh, great. Three elves and two fairies.”
As one, Ace and Will were in front of him. No-one saw them move.
“This has got to stop,” said Ace. “One more crack like that and rules about fighting can go out of the window.”
“Yeah, knock it off, Fran,” said Peter calmly. “It wasn’t that funny in the first place. You two bring anyone else with you?”
Rightly interpreting this question as a gesture of peace, they sat down again.
“Three fairies,” said Ace. “Rose, Clover and Dan. Over there. And Hogweed, where’s he? Gone to bed, perhaps. He’s a goblin, of course. Wayne we met on the journey, and he had Bella with him.”
“Our fairy’s called Stella,” Peter told him. “So that’s twelve, at least, from England. Should make a good team!”
“I don’t know what you’re getting excited about,” said Olm. “You won’t win. No-one will beat the team we’re in, because we’ve got an advantage. We’re twins, you see.”

Ace and Will kept absolutely silent. So did everyone else, shocked at such flagrant boasting. Then Gran spoke, slowly and deliberately.
“You are not.”
“Oh, yes we are,” said Beuk. “Who are you to say we’re not?”
“I am alone,” said Gran. “Always alone. Imagine to yourselves, three young elves in a village full of elders. And two are twins, and one is not. And he is watching twins his whole life, on the outside, alone. I tell you, I know twins. I know how they think, how they look, how they move. And you are not twins.”
No-one spoke. No-one moved. Gran had accused them of being liars, the most deadly insult he could have made.
“If you’re twins,” said Ace, “prove it.”
“That’s good,” said Gran. “We will blindfold you, and turn you about, and leave you standing.”
It was quickly done. The whole room was quiet now, watching. Olm and Beuk were facing each other, but they walked apart. Olm bumped into a wall, and Beuk had to be caught before he walked into the fire. They pulled the blindfolds off in disgust.
“That’s a stupid test, anyway,” spluttered Olm. “Doesn’t count.”
“The less we hear from you, the happier we shall be,” said Gran.
Then he turned to look at Ace and Will.
“Show them,” he said.
Everyone stared, as it sunk in, what Gran was saying.
Will sighed, heavily. Sussed already. In one way it wasn’t too bad. It would stop people wondering, and whispering. But it was only going to get Ace more noticed.
Betch and Peter blindfolded them both, hard, spun them round and round and led them by a twisting route to opposite sides of the room, both facing the wall. Unhesitatingly, they both turned and walked straight towards each other, and took each other’s blindfolds off without even having to feel where the other one was.
They tried to wave away the torrent of applause, said goodnight and went out.
“I know, I know,” said Ace. “But what else could we do?”
“Don’t worry,” said Will. “Madge must be off her rocker, telling you to keep your head down. As well tell the sun not to rise in the morning.”


Rose felt a tremble of excitement before she even opened her eyes, remembering that they’d made it, and now they really were in the army. She sat up in bed and looked across the room to the bunk Dan was sharing with Bella. Dan wasn’t there.
“Where’s she gone? Everyone else is still asleep.”
Rose fluttered down and threw some more wood on the stove, and poked it back into life. There were jugs and basins for washing, but no water. There was a tap outside, Rose remembered. The whole camp had running water, fed by a mountain stream. She nipped outside to fill a jug, shivering in the cold air.
By the time Rose was washed and dressed, other fairies were beginning to stir. But not Clover. She was still fathoms deep.
“Come on, Clover, wake up!” said Rose, shaking her. “We’re supposed to be at this training ground by daybreak, remember.”
“Ugh, morning already,” groaned Clover. “Yes, I’ll get up. I don’t know what you do on training grounds, but I bet it’s not very nice. And I’m not doing things like that without a cup of tea first.”
Just then, Dan came in, pink with cold and exertion.
“Where’ve you been?” squealed a fairy called Holzia, pulling a gorgeous satin dressing-gown more tightly round her as Dan let an icy blast in through the door. Dan looked at her, determined not to be intimidated by garden flowers. This one and her friend Detia were from the garden of some massive house in Germany, by the sound of it.
“Only for a run,” she answered pleasantly. “Got to keep fit.”
“What shall I wear, Clover, d’you think?” called Bella.
Clover walked across, wriggling her wings through a warm jumper.
“We’ll be flying, I guess,” she said. “Something warm, but not so thick you couldn’t fly in it. Jeans, or leggings, and a warm top.”
Two of Crocus’s little Serbian fairies were listening, too, wide-eyed and shy. They scrambled out of bed and hurried to copy the others.
“What’s the matter, Stella?” said Rose, quietly. “You look a bit worried.”
“I was just wondering if I’m still supposed to take the elves a drink,” she murmured.
“Is that what you did at home? What, every day?”
“No way,” said Clover, firmly, tossing her hairbrush down on her bed. “Everyone has to go to the canteen. And that’s where we’re going. Come on!”


The great crowd of fairies and imps rose into the air, following their training sergeant, an ancient Russian fairy called Arda Svir. They spread out into formation. Far below them, the elves were gathering together for their own tests.
Clover hissed across to Rose.
“Have you noticed anything?”
“No, what?”
“Who’s not there?”
“Oh, no,” said Rose. “What are they like? Late on their first day. Hopeless, without us to look after them.”


When Will woke up, his heart sank when he saw all the empty beds.
“Oh, great,” he groaned, as he looked at the watch. “Ace, wake up, we’re late!”
“It’s been daylight for ages, by the look of it,” said Ace, as they rushed to get dressed.
“Leave your hair, for once! Come on, let’s move!”
They could see the fairies in the sky above the training ground, being tested on their flying skills. They kept bumping into each other, there was a lot of laughing going on up there. The other elves were on a huge field, with daunting equipment dotted all over it. Ace and Will slowed down and sidled across to join them, hoping to blend in unnoticed. But Sergeant Olt spotted them, and glared.
“You’re late! Over an hour late! Pathetic. Well, you’ve missed the first two tests and scored zero. And you can take two hours hard labour. Report to the officer on night duty at 2200 hours. Now come and try this. I want accuracy, here.”
It was a pole, thirty feet long, set ten feet from the ground. And it was greased, all but a few inches at each end. Below the far end was a muddy ditch. Quite a few people had fallen in already, by the look of them.
“Jump from the ground to this end, then from there to the far end,” said the sergeant.
Will went first, hating this. He didn’t care about falling, but he wasn’t too keen on getting laughed at. But he did well. He’d only been awake ten minutes, he hadn’t had a wash or a drink, yet his concentration was so good, he landed perfectly.
“Not bad,” said the sergeant, making a note.

Ace wasn’t concentrating quite as well; he was too concerned with wondering why Wayne had gone without them. He landed on the grease, and started to skid, he was in danger of shooting off the end into the mud. But given a bad situation, Ace could always think what to do. He used the skid to get up speed for a somersault, turned in the air, and landed bang on the target zone. Quite a lot of people clapped at that, but Will heard someone muttering, “Show-off”. He didn’t bother turning round to look who it was. He thought he knew.
When they’d all had a go at that, the sergeant told everyone who’d fallen to get out here and practise in their spare time.
“This equipment’s here to be used,” he said. “I want everyone perfect at this within a fortnight. You can’t learn to move in unison until you can get it right on your own. Now, where’s that dozy alder with a dodgy ankle? Oh, there you are. And you’re the clot who was supposed to have fixed it? Take him to the hospital, right now. They’ll soon fix you up,” he added kindly to the injured elf. “How you got here like that, I don’t know.”

As he limped off with his friend, the sergeant shook his head, and led the rest off into the trees, where there was a bewildering network of ropes.
“This is the test for climbing and balance,” he told them. “Up these ropes, walk across the ones tied between the trees, then climb down the ones over there. Don’t worry, there’s plenty of soft snow to fall into.”
They quickly realised how difficult it was. Jumping they were used to, but no-one had done much ropework. None of the first to try even got to the top. Will didn’t, either; he got halfway, then slipped. Ace got to the top all right, but fell straight off when he tried to step onto the tightrope. He was laughing as much as everyone else was, though. Wayne was one of the few who managed it, which impressed Ace and Will very much.
“I often walk along telephone wires,” he told them. “People might spot you on the ground, but they don’t often look above their heads.”
“Good point,” said Ace. “I’ll remember that one.”

“One or two good attempts there,” said Sergeant Olt, making notes. “Practise. Keep practising until you can do it. Now, we’ll finish off with a run. Alongside the forest as far as the stream, jump the stream, round the back of the eastern gatehouse, past where the goblins are working, then back here. Go!”
They streamed off, glad to be on the move again, their breath coming in clouds in the icy air. At first they were together in a pack, but then they began to string out, as the fittest and tallest began to outpace the others. Wayne didn’t shine at running; he was walking by the end, and he wasn’t the only one. Ace and Will were well down the field, but they weren’t disheartened. They’d run all the way, and they didn’t think they’d been beaten by anyone their own size.
“Only by flipping long-legged things the size of goblins, like Fran,” said Ace, panting for breath.
“Could you have gone faster? Were you waiting for me?” asked Will.
“Ach, that doesn’t matter. But, since you ask, maybe a bit.”
“I’ll work on it,” Will promised him. “Like Dan said, I wish I’d started sooner. Dan would have enjoyed this.”
“She would,” Ace agreed. “Hey, Sergeant!” he called. (I don’t know how he dares, thought Will.) “Can fairies have a go at this?”
“It’s not usual,” said the sergeant. “Why? You know one that would like it?”
“Not half,” said Ace. “She’s really tough, loves stuff like this.”
“What’s her name?”
“Dan Moseley. The one you weren’t sure about, whether she was a fairy or an imp.”
“Oh yes, I remember. Well, you can tell her she’s welcome to use the equipment. And I’ll drop a hint to Sergeant Svir. Like the Commander told you, we want all of you to use all of your skills.”
He turned to face the last stragglers.
“I said run, not walk, you lazy lumps! I think every year’s less fit than the one before it. Too much loafing about these days, I reckon. So what’ve you got to do?”
“Practise,” they groaned.
“Good,” said the sergeant. “Good listening. Right, off with you all for a drink. Meet near the workshops in an hour. And don’t anyone be late this time!”

Some different second years were on duty in the canteen today, and the tea was awful.
“Never mind, it’s hot and wet,” said Ace, as the Moseleys and the Langdons squashed round a table together. “And it’s still not as bad as elf tea. How are you getting on?” he asked the fairies. “Do you like it?”
“It was good this morning,” said Rose. “I was so grateful to Madge for teaching us so much, we did quite well really.”
“You did,” said Clover. “I was just following you. All that right, left, up, down, was doing my head in. But what about you? Did you get in trouble for being late?”
“She doesn’t miss much, does she?” said Will. “Yeah, we got in trouble all right. We have to do two hours hard labour, which doesn’t sound a lot of fun.”
“I’m so sorry about that,” said Wayne. “That idiot, Beuk, said everyone had gone. Last time I’ll believe him.”
“He’s a terrible liar, isn’t he?” said Ace. “Did you see what happened last night?”
“Yes, we saw,” said Clover slowly. “It was very strange. I felt as if I was seeing you for the first time. I never realised how special you are. You were the only elves we ever knew, so we never thought…that some of the things you do aren’t elf-things at all, but, well, twin-things.”
“We never thought of it as special,” said Will.
“No,” said Ace. “Don’t forget, we don’t know any different. We don’t know what it’s like not to be a twin.”
“Anyway, it was our own fault we were late,” said Will, anxious to change the subject. “Forget it, Wayne. It’s not your job to wake us up. He’s a rope-walking star, this one,” he told the fairies.
“Oh,” laughed Bella, “I know how you learned that!”
While Wayne and Bella were talking about surviving in the busy streets round Langdon Park, Ace managed a quiet word with Clover.
“How’s she doing?”
“OK. Bit abrupt with people who gush and ask a lot of questions. But she seems happy enough.”
“Thanks,” he whispered, then called down the table.
“Hey, Dan, the sergeant said you could have a go on that equipment we were using. Any time you want.”
“How did he know I wanted to?” said Dan, astounded.
“Oh, I asked him.”
“Crumbs. Thanks, Ace! That’s wonderful.”
“What were you doing this morning, Hogweed?” asked Will.
“Being tested, same as you, on the things they’d expect you to be good at. We were weight-lifting. I did all right, but I weren’t the best, not by a long chalk. Makes you lazy, not having any competition.”
“Doesn’t it just,” said Ace. “We’re all going to have to sharpen up a bit. It’ll be good fun, to have some decent exercise.”
Clover thought about trying to explain to Ace that the words ‘fun’ and ‘exercise’ didn’t belong in the same sentence, but it was too much effort. She laid her head gently on the table and closed her eyes.


In a different canteen, the training officers were comparing notes.
“Far too much giggling,” said Sergeant Svir, sternly, “and a bit of showing off – that was the imps – but some nice flying. And no-one totally useless, which makes life easier.”
“It’s all right for you,” complained Sergeant Olt. “Fairies generally have a bit of sense. Less than a dozen of mine had enough concentration to do the greased log. I had one turn up with a broken ankle, and two that were over an hour late!”
“You didn’t give them a punishment on their first day, did you?”
“I certainly did. You have to sit on elves, hard.”
“Even General Herdalen didn’t get in trouble on his first day,” Sergeant Svir pointed out.
That made the other sergeant there laugh, remembering. A goblin from Portugal, Azevinho Camilo had been in this job, like Arda Svir, for longer than he could remember.
“It didn’t take him long,” he smiled. “First week, definitely.”
“Well, let’s go and see if they’re any use at practical work,” said Sergeant Olt. “Have you got everything set up, Corporal?”
“I think so,” said Corporal Lavall. “Plenty of materials, and someone in each workshop to do the testing.”
“Excellent,” said Sergeant Svir. “Which one am I in, Corporal?”
“Number Five, please, Sergeant. Textiles.”
“That should be good for a laugh.”


The workshops were simple wooden huts, like the barracks, and were on the south side of the camp, between the fairies’ swimming-pool and a large, empty field. The first years found they were expected to queue up in groups outside, go in one by one to do the test, then move on to the next. The corporal started the groups in different places, but as he forgot to mention which direction to go when it was time to move on, the first move was chaotic. Ace quietly helped him sort it out, though, before the sergeants noticed what had happened, and after that it settled down into an easy rhythm.
The elves from hut twenty-four had done transforming in wood, metals and textiles, and were throwing snowballs at each other while they waited for Betch to come out.
“What’s this one?” the others asked him, as he appeared.
“Technology!” he said, disgustedly. “Asked me how I’d make a clock! I had to say I hadn’t got a clue.”
“We might be OK here,” said Ace quietly to Will. “Better than that scarey fairy and her revolting patterned tablecloths.”
“Don’t,” said Will. “That was awful. Why are right angles so easy with wood and so difficult with fabric?”
“It’s a mystery. And I’ll tell you another one,” said Ace, looking at Betch. “Why would anyone with hair that colour want to cut it short? It’s pure white!”
“I thought you’d notice that,” grinned Will. “Anyway, now you know what a silver birch looks like, at last.”
“Yeah…tell me the truth, Will, d’you think he’s better-looking than I am?”
“How do I know! The only reason I know you’re good-looking is because you’ve been telling me you are all my life. Ask Clover, she’ll tell you.”
“I daren’t. I might not like the answer.”
“Your turn, Ace,” called Peter.
Ace was inside for nearly ten minutes, so everyone knew he was able to tackle his test. He came out grinning.
“Gears. Nice one. Your turn, Will.”
Will was out again in ten seconds, looking stunned. Everyone was starting to laugh, thinking he couldn’t do it, but Ace knew whatever it was, it wouldn’t be that.
“What did he say?”
“Asked me how I’d make a radio. So I said, ‘analog or digital?’ and he just said, ‘Passed, send in the next one, please.’ “
“Wonderful,” laughed Ace.
Everyone else was looking a bit thoughtful, Ace noticed, and that was wonderful, too.


It was very late when they finished. The sergeants thankfully gathered up the score-sheets, and everyone went off to sit and chat, and listen to the music for a while, before heading for warmth and hot drinks in the mess.
Rose did her loudest, most ear-piercing whistle when Ace and Will walked in, and when they’d got a drink they joined her. Clover was lying on the floor with her head on a cushion. Dan and Bella were helping Hogweed to mend his gloves, and Wayne was talking to another fairy. She was wearing a dress, and her long brown hair was tied back in a ribbon.
“This is Stella,” said Rose. “She’s from England, too.”
“Hello,” said Ace. “One of your elves mentioned your name last night. I’m sorry, I don’t know your flower. What is it?”
“Stellaria holostea – Greater Stitchwort,” she said shyly, but she looked pleased to be asked.
“This is Ace,” Rose told her. “He looks after us all, and…”
“…bosses us around,” added Clover, with her eyes shut.
“I do not boss you around!” protested Ace. “I just organise things, with great flair and uncanny…er...”
“…prescience,” said Will.
“Yeah, that,” said Ace. “Good word. What’s it mean?”
“Sort of knowing what’s going to happen before it does, and doing something about it before anyone else knew we needed to.”
“Yeah, that’s it. And this is Will, who’s probably the cleverest elf you’ll ever meet.”
“Tablecloths,” said Clover.
“Shut up,” laughed Will. “How did you get on with Technology?”
All the fairies started laughing. Even Stella was biting her lip.
“He should have explained what he meant better!” said Clover. “He asked me, ‘How does a tap work?’ So I thought, surely everyone knows how a tap works? But I explained it, very carefully. I said, ‘You turn the little thing at the top, and water comes out of the pipe'."
Ace and Will were laughing so much they could hardly breathe.
“It’s not that funny,” said Clover. “How was I to know there’s all valves and things inside them?”
But that only made them laugh even more.
“What’s the joke?” said Fran, sitting down with them, Peter and Betch close behind him.
“Oh, nothing really,” said Ace, wiping his eyes. “Just laughing at all the daft things we did this afternoon. My tablecloth, you should’ve seen it. So stiff it would have stood up on its own. And as for the shape, well, you’d have had to make a table to fit it, it was so weird.”

Stella had got up as soon as Fran and the others had joined them, and came back now with drinks for all three. Clover raised her eyebrows a bit at that, but she made no comment, not even when only Betch even bothered to say thank you. There wasn’t room now for Stella to sit down. Ace gave her his place, and sat on the floor, next to Clover.
“Thanks for not showing me up in front of them,” Clover whispered.
“No problem,” he grinned back.
Clover sat up, and Ace pinched the cushion, lying back with his arms behind his head.
“Oh, this is nice,” he sighed. “Reminds me of home.”
“Where’s your home, Fran?” asked Clover pleasantly.
“The New Forest,” said Fran, and left it at that.
“What’s it like?” asked Rose. “Is it very new?”
Fran just rolled his eyes.
“Actually, it’s not new at all,” Betch explained. “It’s one of the oldest forests in England. It’s a huge place. One of the biggest sprite colonies left. Goes back hundreds of years.”
“It must have been hard to leave a place like that,” said Clover.
“You know you’ll have to go when you’re thirty,” said Betch. “That’s just the way it is. You’re expected to join the army, so you do. This year, it was our turn to go.”
“That’s in the south, isn’t it?” said Ace. “Your part of the world, Wayne.”
“I wouldn’t call London and Hampshire the same part of the world,” sniffed Wayne. “Out in the sticks, Hampshire.”
“I don’t think there’s anything very impressive about coming from London,” said Fran. “Or Manchester, either, if it comes to that. The New Forest is a place with traditions, with history.”
“That’s very interesting,” said Ace. “So what difference does it make, do you think, if you come from a place like that?”
“You know how to behave, for a start,” said Fran. “I couldn’t believe my eyes when you two strolled up an hour late this morning. It’s pretty obvious what sort of a place you come from.”
“Yeah,” said Will. “England, same as you.”
“Fascinating,” said Ace. “I thought you only got snobs in gardens.”
“That’s no way to talk to Fran,” said Peter. “Watch your lip.”
“There’s always a first time,” said Ace. “But I wouldn’t count on it.”
“Push off and do your punishment,” sneered Fran.
“Yeah, we’re going,” said Ace. “We know how to behave. You take the consequences – it’s not a problem.”
“How on earth your senior sprite ever let you come, I can’t imagine,” said Fran.
“My senior sprite? Oh, he thinks I’m wonderful. You ready, Will?”
“Pull me up. I’m too stiff to move. See you, everyone.”

“Arrogant sod,” grumbled Ace, as they went outside. “Ugh, out in the cold again, just when I was getting warm.”
“Horrible timing, ten o’clock,” said Will. “I expect it’s part of the punishment. All the same, cracking answers, Ace. You beat him every time.”
“Did you like it? Good. I’m going to have trouble with him.”
“You are. You got a plan yet?”
“Not yet…”
“But you’re working on it.”


They huddled into their jackets as they walked along. It had started to snow, and their hair was soon flaked with white. It took them a while to find the night duty room. It said, ‘Nattpliktrom’ on the door. They tried saying it out loud, and after a few goes they understood what they were saying, and stepped warily inside. There was a young lieutenant on duty, and he looked surprised to see them.
“I didn’t expect anyone would have got in trouble already,” he said. “Thought I’d have to rustle up a couple of second years to sweep the paths clear. Very good. Help yourselves to brooms from the shed at the back.”
“Sweep the paths? While it’s snowing?”
“Of course while it’s snowing. It’s much harder if you let it settle thick. You’ll see. Concentrate on the main routes, and the paths from the generals’ houses.”
Despite the hard work, they were both soon shivering with cold. They settled into the monotonous rhythm, and finished the paths between the messes and the barracks before everyone started coming out. They had a vague idea where the generals’ houses were, so they headed in that direction, blowing on their cold hands.
“Oh, this is horrible,” shivered Ace. “I wish I had some gloves.”
“Fat chance,” said Will. “We can’t even do tablecloths.”
“We could have a go. You got anything?”
Will felt in his pockets. It was difficult, his fingers would hardly move.
“Yeah. Bit of leather. I’ll try and cut it.”
Painfully, he opened his penknife and sliced the scrap into four. They tried to imagine gloves; what they got were mis-shapen mittens. But by now they were past caring. They pulled them on, and the relief was tremendous. Heartened, they found General Széchenyi’s house and cleared its path, then moved along to General Herdalen’s. They’d nearly finished when the general himself came out of his door.

“Thanks, lads,” he remarked, then stopped when they looked up and he saw their faces.
“You’re first years, aren’t you? In trouble already? What for?”
“We got up late,” said Ace ruefully.
The general looked as if he was trying not to smile.
“Not a very good start. Why are you hiding your hands behind your backs?”
Another one who doesn’t miss much, thought Will.
“Oh, no reason, really, sir,” Ace tried.
“Show me.”
Embarrassed, they showed him their hands.
“Come here,” said the general kindly, and changed their feeble attempts into perfect gloves, very stylish, that didn’t look at all bad with their leathers. He waved away their thanks.
“Keep up the good work!” he called, as he went off.
“Brilliant,” said Ace. “He’s OK, isn’t he?”
“I’ll say,” said Will. “But he’s dressed exactly like we are. So why isn’t he cold?”
“Perhaps it’s because he’s Norwegian. He’s probably used to it.”


When they knocked off at midnight, they were colder than they’d ever been in their lives. They took the brooms back, and the lieutenant told them to go and get a hot drink. There was a group of very senior-looking fairies in the canteen, obviously just arrived after a long journey, so Ace and Will sat quietly in a corner, thawing out. Ace leaned over and brushed a bit of snow off Will’s hair.
“What would David say if he could see us now?”
Will smiled. “He’d say, ‘You daft pair!’ “
“Yeah,” laughed Ace. “Still, we won’t make that mistake again. Up early tomorrow. Is it more tests?”
“Mmm. Theory. Lasts all day. You want to go out first, and run, or something?”
“I want another go on those ropes. If Wayne can do it…”
“Exactly,” said Will.