DEEP WATERS

CHAPTER 7 - Target Practice

Melting snow turned the mountain streams into high-speed torrents, and fierce winds brought down trees and branches, and battered even the sheltered buildings of sprite army HQ. General Cherapont cancelled classroom work until the thaw was over, and set the second years to manning the flood defences. The first years he set to repairing the storm damage, in their teams.
One evening in the middle of April, Sergeant Olt walked towards an empty barracks building, sheltering from the drizzling rain under a large scarlet umbrella. He looked pretty warm and dry to the sprites who were coming down, tired, fed-up, and wet.
“Last again,” said Sergeant Olt. “Did you get the roof mended?”
“Oh yes, Sergeant,” said Fran. “Had a bit of trouble getting it just right, that's all. Sorry it took so long."
Sergeant Olt looked at them all thoughtfully. It was pretty obvious what was wrong with this team, but he wasn’t going to interfere. He knew from long experience that it didn’t help. At least he knew what all that fighting had been about, now.
“OK, that’ll do for today,” he said. “Off you go.”
They split up almost straight away, he noticed. It wasn’t a good sign.


Dan went off with Hogweed, to fix a nasty cut he’d got on his head when a plank had fallen on him, and most of the others were thinking about dry clothes. But Ace and Will were too fed-up to care. They headed straight for the mess, and Rose and Clover stuck with them. They knew what Ace was trying to do, and thought it a much cleverer plan than letting yourself get beaten up all the time. Their job, they felt, was to help him and Will stick at it. Clover made the drinks, and brought them over. Ace was slumped in a chair, stony-faced, just staring.
“Coffee,” said Clover. “That’s what you need. Oh, what an awful day.”
“Horrible,” Rose agreed. “The only good bit was when Dan told Fran he was a hundred and fifty times stupider than Hogweed.”
“That was the worst thing he did,” said Will, “calling Hogweed stupid. For a goblin, he isn’t stupid at all.”
A gloomy silence settled on them all.
“Will, sit still, can’t you?” snapped Ace.
Then he looked disgusted with himself, and sighed.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it.”
“Don’t worry,” said Will. “Everyone understands. You’re doing really well. Remember what General Herdalen said – don’t give in.”
He wriggled again.
“I can’t get comfortable. My jacket’s digging into me. It must have shrunk in all this rain.”
“Don’t be daft,” said Clover. “Leather doesn’t shrink.”
She turned to look at him, and a thought struck her.
“It’s not your jacket – it’s you. You’ve grown. Your shoulders are broader, and your arms are thicker.”
“D’you reckon?”
He pulled his jacket off and looked at his arms.

“She’s right,” said Ace. “Now I come to look at you… that’s pretty good. ‘All your practising is paying off, you see’,” he added, in a very good imitation of Sergeant Olt’s Romanian accent.
“Give me your jacket,” laughed Clover. “I’ll make it bigger for you.”
“No way!” Will protested. “I can do it. We’ve been promoted to Textiles Class Three now, you know. And, let me tell you, that isn’t all elves.”
“Promoted!” said Rose. “Only because you were the only ones left in Basic, and they made you work hard so you could go up too."
“That’s a malicious rumour,” said Ace, as Will screwed his face up and concentrated, “spread by elves who are just jealous of how brilliant we are.”
“In Advanced Textiles,” said Rose, swanking, “we’re making a tapestry. It’s a picture from that story we learned in History, Queen Veronica and the knight with the golden hair. You remember, the scene in the garden when she gives him the rose?”
“Er, I think I may have dozed off after the battle,” said Will.
He’d managed it. With a sigh of relief, he put his jacket back on. Perfect. It was nice to be able to move his arms again. He leaned back and stretched luxuriously.
“Rose is doing the knight,” said Clover. “It’s a great honour.”
“He was the handsomest, bravest knight in the world,” said Rose, smiling at Ace. “That’s why I’m making him look like you.”
Oh, well done, Rose, thought Will, then his eyes widened, and he scrambled to his feet.

The others followed him when they saw who was coming to speak to them. A fairy with a green wristband, that meant a major. They’d never seen her before.
“Are you the Moseleys?” she asked.
“Yes, we’re some of them, ma’am,” said Ace.
“I’m glad I’ve found you. Major Cally, EP Squadron. Just got in today. I was coming here from Cornwall when I got caught in that dreadful storm a couple of nights ago. Couldn’t believe my luck when I saw a star on a roof. Your friend David made me so welcome. Hot bath, cup of tea, warm bed.”
“Oh, wonderful!” said Ace. “How is he?”
“Very well, and so is Phil, and young Aesculus. He’s a character, isn’t he? Well, when they heard I was on my way here, they were so excited, and asked if I’d bring a letter for you all. Of course, I said I’d be only too pleased. Here it is,” she smiled. “It’s very thick. I think they stayed up all night, writing it.”
“Oh, thank you!” gasped Ace, taking it from her. “Was the rest of your journey all right?” he asked politely.
“Excellent, thank you. I must be off. Enjoy your letter!”
Ace stood gazing at the letter in wonder.
“Just when you think you can’t take any more, something good happens.”
“Wake up!” said Clover. “Phil’s there! There’ll be news, open it!”
“Not here,” said Ace quietly. “Too many ears flapping. Let’s go and find Dan and Hogweed, then head for the team hut.”


It looked as if half of Cherrytree Close had been up all night, there were pages from everyone. Dan curled up happily with a long screed from Gemma, and Hogweed sat slowly reading a page from Joseph that seemed to consist largely of the latest football results. Tony’s was all about how he was going to look after Aesculus while David was doing his exams, and David’s was full of news about what Aesculus had been up to.
Adam had to think of six distractions, to stop Mum switching it on, it finished, while I got him out of the vacuum cleaner. I was so glad he hadn’t suffocated, I didn’t have the heart to tell him off. Anyway, he’s drawn you a picture. Haven’t a clue what it’s meant to be, but I think you’ll like it. Don’t worry about him. He hasn’t forgotten you.
“Hmm,” said Ace. “I see what he means. Is it a basket?”
“You’ve got it upside down,” said Rose. “It’s his tree, surely?”
Ace turned it round and frowned.
“Not convinced,” he said. “It didn’t use to look like that.”
“It probably does now,” said Will. “Imagine living peacefully for nearly two hundred years, and then you get an elf like Aesculus. It’s probably dying of shock.”

Phil’s letter was the most interesting of all. It was addressed to Ace and Will, but Ace read it out to everybody.
So glad you made it, he read, Madge told me you’d got there. But I knew you would. Only got back here a couple of days ago, so this is a great stroke of luck, to get the chance to fill you in. I’ve been having an exciting time. It was weird when I got to Delamere, no-one recognised me, disguised as a holly. Heather was in disguise, too, but we were careful not to talk when anyone was watching. There are quite a few colonies of sprites in the forest, most of them refugees, and very bitter. The youngest and wildest from each colony had got themselves together in a gang led by an elf called Rix, who took them out wrecking every night.
Heather was very keen I should get in with them, so I did a good deal of spitting and swearing, and it wasn’t long before I was going out with them, breaking windows and ripping bin bags, stuff like that. By the time Madge arrived, I’d really turned into Holly, and was beginning to understand how they felt. One night I got a bit carried away, and slashed the tyres on a car. When I’d come to my senses I felt awful about that, but some good came out of it. I got asked to a secret meeting.
It was very interesting, because the whole gang was there. Not just the young wreckers, but a lot of older sprites too, that you’d have thought were respectable and well-behaved. And there was no doubt who was in charge. My old senior sprite, Dahlia Royden. Heather had said all along it was my lot who were at the bottom of the disappearances – it started so soon after they arrived – and she was right.
They told me I’d proved myself, and I could join them – but there was a test. You had to let yourself be transformed, to prove you were genuine. I had a day to decide. So I pretended to be excited, but really I was petrified. Was it possible to be transformed, and not give anything away, without getting a warped mind? Secretly, I went to see Madge and Heather, to ask them what they thought. And they said no, don’t do it, it’s far too dangerous. But if I didn’t, I’d never find Rob. I sat there in Heather’s house, trying to decide what to do. I was really afraid. If I did let it slip that I was a spy, they’d kill me, I knew that. But then something weird happened. I felt sure I could feel you two thinking about me. I said to Madge,
“What are Ace and Will doing now, do you think?”
And she said,
“Sweeping snow, probably. Why?”
So I told her, and she looked very thoughtful, and said,
“It could be.”
“They’d do it, wouldn’t they?”
“Yes, they probably would.”

Ace stopped reading, and gasped for breath.
“Good grief,” said Will quietly. “I’m not so sure about that. But go on, go on!”
It was enough. The next night I went back. I had to face Dahlia herself, and I’d like to know where she got the power to do it, because it wasn’t the power of any bond of friendship. She went pretty deep, but not too far. I was concentrating on being Holly, and forgetting who I really was, and it worked. I managed to come out with some drivel Holly might have felt, and it was over. She’d made me look almost exactly like another one of the gang. That’s what they do, to fox the police. They think it’s very clever. I won’t tell you what they call it, it would make you sick.
Anyway, I was in. I can hardly bear to write what happened next, knowing all this must have happened to Rob. We kidnapped a fairy called Primrose, who’d been talking to a little girl in the village. We blindfolded her, and took her on a train to Llangollen, and transformed her into a human. And left her there, to starve, or go mad with grief and loneliness, or wander round forever looking for a friend to transform her back. Did you ever hear of anything so wicked? And I had to laugh, and cheer, and pretend to be glad.
When we got back, I went straight to Madge and Heather, and told them exactly how they were doing it. And they warned me, I might not have long to find out where they’d left Rob, before the gang got arrested. It was hard. I had to be patient, I couldn’t start asking too many questions. I waited days and days, I was getting frantic. But then I had a breakthrough. They got drunk, and started boasting. All I had to do was listen, and try to remember all the names. They’ve left Camellia in Wales, too.
But Rix kept asking questions like, '‘What did you transform her for? and “How did you do it, exactly?” She didn’t tell him, but she kept flattering him, telling him she couldn’t do it without him, and what great work his gang was doing.
“I was determined that our new colony should not be contaminated,” she said. “A most fortunate thing happened on the journey here, because we managed to lose the only one with enough brains to have stopped me. His friend insisted on going back to look for him, but I managed to put a stop to that. I had him locked up until I met you, Rix dear, and had enough muscle on my side to get rid of him.”
“Was he the first one I helped with, then?” Rix asked her. “That big oak we dumped at Evesham?”
“That’s the one. Glad to see the back of him. I think people are getting the message, now. There’ll be no more sprites who talk to humans in this forest.”
They started drinking again, and celebrating their victory. It wasn’t hard to look happy, and join in. I was celebrating, too.

“Oh, thank goodness,” said Will. “Rob didn’t let him down after all.”
“That is so, so good,” said Ace, blinking a bit. “I’m so glad for both of them.”
“Don’t start getting all emotional!” said Clover. “Get on with it!”
“OK, OK. The rest says,
I got away as soon as I could, and told Heather all the names and places before I forgot them. Madge transformed me back into myself, and that really was foul. I lost it totally, I wasn’t fit to travel till the next day. They hid me until dark, and packed me off to David on the next train, with dire warnings that I was on the run now, and just to find Rob, and lie low. Lie low, indeed! As if. I’ll get that poor Primrose back if it’s the last thing I do, or I ought to be in prison myself. Can’t wait to see you again. It won’t be long. Cheers, Phil.”

“He did it,” said Dan, “he really did it. Oh, wasn’t he brave? He was always saying he wished he was brave, but he is.”
“You’re not kidding,” said Will. “He makes light of it, but the things he’s had to do! Unbelievable.”
“We’ve been missing a lot of fun,” sighed Ace.
“Fun!” Clover almost shouted. “Madge is still in that dreadful place! Suppose they’re on to her!”

While Ace and Clover were arguing, Will started looking at a sheet of paper David had sent him. After a while, Ace leaned over his shoulder to see what it was. It looked like a circuit diagram.
“Listen Will, I think we ought to show Phil’s letter to General Herdalen.”
“Hmm? What?”
Ace grinned to himself.
“I said, I’m going to bat General Herdalen over the head with a shovel.”
“Sure, Ace. See you.”


“Got some interesting news from home,” Ace told the general, when he found him.
“Have you, now. We’d better be careful, Ace. You never know who’s watching. Go and see Lieutenant Smerek and stop for a chat, then come to my house with, oh, some firewood or something, in about fifteen minutes. Slowly, looking bored, you know the routine.”


Anyone watching would have been sure Ace was just doing another punishment as he trudged up the path and edged in with an armful of firewood.
“What is it?” said General Herdalen.
“A letter,” said Ace. “From Phil. I thought you might like to see it.”
“A letter! Who brought it?”
“Major Cally. EP Squadron, whatever that is.”
“Environmental Protection. That’s OK, then. Don’t know her, but EP generally are sound. Very realistic about humans. See them at their best and their worst.”
He smiled, and said,
“They’re not all nice, you know, Ace.”
“I know that, sir. My tree’s dead, remember?”
“I remember. So long as you know. Let’s have a look, then.”

Ace watched the general reading. His face was very expressive. Ace could tell when he was impressed, or amused, or worried.
“Extremely interesting. He’s gone into a lot more detail to you than he did to Madge. There’s a lot here we didn’t know. But what worried you, about this letter, that made you think I ought to see it?”
“Two things,” said Ace, deadly serious. “Making themselves look the same – does that explain Olm and Beuk? And if it does, why are they here? And second, this Rix. What’s his game?”
“Very good indeed. You’ve got a suspicious mind, Ace, which is a great asset these days. You’re absolutely right. Those are the things that leap out, aren’t they? I should think they bothered Phil, too; that’s why he mentioned them. He’s done very well. He’ll get a medal for this, definitely. What is a Phil, anyway?”
“Phillyrea latifolia,” grinned Ace. “Don’t worry, no-one’s ever heard of it.”
“And his place-name’s Royden, the same as this revolting Dahlia. I notice you didn’t mention the thing that puzzled Phil – how’s she transforming sprites she doesn’t know?”
“I was watching your face, sir, as you were reading. It didn’t puzzle you. It made you angry.”
“You don’t miss a thing, do you? Well, I can’t explain it to you, Ace. For one thing, it wouldn’t make sense. Not yet. But there’s something you can do to help, something you’ll be able to do better than I can.”
“Keep an eye on Olm and Beuk?”
“I didn’t think you’d need telling.”

Ace lay awake a long time that night, thinking. There was so much to think about, he could hardly get his head round it all. When Will shook him awake, he’d only had a couple of hours’ sleep, and now he had to face another day of watching Fran mess things up.
“Oh well,” he groaned. “No-one said it would be easy.”


Fran wasn’t looking forward to the day any more than Ace was. He knew he wasn’t doing very well. No-one had said anything, but he’d caught a few strange looks and exchanged glances.
It’s my own fault, he thought, as he got dressed. I got what I wanted, and now I’ll just have to make the best of it.
He had to wait on the Concourse with the other team leaders for Sergeant Olt to come and give them their jobs. The others said hello to him – Alnus, Gran, Ross, Sizzle, Crocus and the rest – but they weren’t easy and joking with him as they were with each other.
As they would be with Ace, he thought miserably, realising with a nasty jolt that all of them were already Ace’s friends, and Will’s, too.


Sergeant Olt was in a very good mood.
“The thaw’s nearly over!” he said happily. “We can start target practice tomorrow, and soon, the Race around the Mountain. But today, we must finish the repairs. You’ve done everything on camp, and now I need you to move out into the forests and attend to the paths and bridges. You’ve all got permission to cross the perimeter where necessary.”
He gave out some quickly-sketched maps.
“Here are the locations. Sizzle, you’ve got the high rope-bridge in the southern forest, because you’ve got a lot of fairies, but don’t let that idiot Kiefer fall down the chasm. Zoza, Poland can take the path down to the beach, because you’ve got a lot of goblins. Clear all the debris, then you can go on the beach if you want, but keep an eye open for humans in boats. I’ll come round and see how you’re all getting on.”

Fran had the sense to ask Will to decipher the map, which he did cheerfully. They weren’t out to be awkward or unhelpful, just to do what Fran asked, no more and no less. So they soon found the right place, where a path left the trees and carried on beyond a steep, rocky stream, wide and fast-flowing. It was no wonder a bridge was needed. But there was no sign of one at all.
“It’s been totally washed away!” said Peter, in awe. “Some repair! We’ll have to start from scratch.”
“Yes, but where?” said Fran. “We don’t know where it was.”
They started searching along the bank for some clue to where it had been, until even Wayne was getting frustrated.
“Oh, it was here!” Fran called. “In line with the path! Of course.”
“Go and bang your head on a tree,” Will whispered to Ace. “It might help.”
“It’s not my head I want to bang,” Ace muttered.

They’d found some stumps, remains of upright posts. Fran was very pleased.
“Great, this won’t take long. Everybody get some bits of wood, and we’ll make some planks.”
When the planks were ready, he asked them to lay them side by side on the bank, and expand them to reach the other bank. Then he proudly produced iron and steel, and made a hammer and nails, so they could nail strips across the planks to hold them together.
It’s shifting already, thought Ace. Someone’s going to fall in if he’s not careful.
He was very alert, watching the danger, but nothing happened, and Fran was getting ready to go when Sergeant Olt arrived.
“We’ve finished, Sergeant!” said Fran cheerfully. “Not last today!”
“Finished? You call that a bridge? That’s not a bridge, it’s a duck-board! Start again, and use your brains this time! Do you know where this path leads? No? Well, it’s the combat training ground. I want a bridge that can take the weight of two people carrying a stretcher,” he said ominously. “And I want it to last at least a year. That wouldn’t last a week! And get a move on!”

He stumped away, and Fran stared after him, hurt and annoyed.
“Well, don’t just stand there,” he snapped. “Let’s get some more wood.”
He tried making the planks wider, and strengthening them by putting a second layer on top. It was still slipping, though, so next Fran tried replacing the broken stumps, so they had something to fasten it to. That helped a bit, though it still didn’t feel too strong. Fran was getting worried, and more and more impatient.
“Why don’t you put some sides on?” Betch suggested. “It might help make it more rigid.”
“All right,” said Fran, shortly. “Try it. Hammer some posts to the sides, then join them together.”
Betch knelt on the bridge, head down, hammering, when suddenly his weight tipped the whole thing up, and he was flung into the water and swept away, with pieces of bridge falling around him. Before Fran had even moved, Ace had a bit of rope out of his pocket, and expanded it.
“Move!” he shouted. “Clover, all of you, take the ends of the rope and get below him! Get it in the water, so you can stop him!”

The fairies flashed off, and Hogweed and the elves charged down the steep banks, after them. Rose and Dan were on the far side, holding tight to the rope. Betch had seen it, and was trying to turn in the water, so he could grab it. He managed to, but he was going too fast, and the rope was jerked from the fairies’ hands. Dan hovered over the water and grabbed the trailing end of the rope, then zoomed past Betch again.
“They need more weight on that bank,” said Will.
“Can you do it?” said Ace.
“I’ll soon find out.”
Will crouched as low as he could before he sprang across the stream, and just cleared it, in time to help Dan and Rose to hang on. This time they managed to stop him. Fran was hanging on with Clover, and the others joined hands and reached Betch, and heaved him out.
“It’s OK, you’ll be all right now,” said Ace. “Sit down a minute and get your breath back.”
He put his jacket round Betch’s shoulders, and stayed near him, and when he was ready, they all toiled back up to the path. Fran was horrified at what he’d done.
“I’m so sorry, Betch,” he said. “I really am. That was all my fault.”
He is honest, thought Ace. He’s never afraid to admit he was wrong. And he’s doing his best. Oh, stuff it.
He glanced at Will, who was grinning his head off.
“Shut it, you,” he whispered, then turned to the others.

“Chill out, Fran, you’ve done enough,” he said. “Have a rest, why don’t you? Hogweed, light a fire, will you, so we can make Betch a hot drink, and Peter, you make him some dry clothes.”
“How?”
“Rip your own in half, of course, then expand the halves. It’ll be easy enough, you’re the same size.”
“That’s a good idea!”
“You got a teabag, Rose? Thought you might have. Thanks. I need all you fairies to fly overhead looking for an oak. When you find one, bring the best bits you can. This pine we’re using’s much too soft.”
Will had been fishing nails out of the broken bridge, and when he’d rescued what he could, he and Wayne shrunk the wreckage so it bobbed away down the stream. Then they made dozens more nails, while Betch put dry clothes on, and Peter fixed a great bruise on his shoulder. Then they all had a cup of tea to keep him company, while they waited for the fairies to get back.

When they landed, they tossed armfuls of oak onto the ground. Ace couldn’t believe how much Dan had carried.
“Is it usual to be able to fly carrying that weight?” he said.
“ ’Course not,” puffed Clover. “Only Dan would even think about it. Crazy. Just a sort of flying elf, really.”
Dan grinned, and stuck her tongue out at Clover.
Good, that’s cheered her up, thought Ace. She was gutted when she let go of the rope, but she hadn’t a hope with only Rose to help her.
“Have a brew yourselves. This is fantastic. We’ll soon be sorted now. Now look,” he said kindly to Fran. “I’m not criticising, you haven’t seen as much human stuff as we have. But watch this, OK? This is how you make a bridge.”
He raised two new posts of solid oak in the holes, and Will leaped the stream again and did the same on the opposite bank. Then they laid two heavy beams across as struts, and bolted them to the uprights, reinforcing them with pieces coming down from the uprights at an angle.
“That’s solid, now,” said Will. “Triangles, you see. Very strong. Now for the bit you walk on, that needs to be strong too, of course, so we need to use short pieces. Short is stronger than long. Lots and lots, nailed across the big struts, we can all do that.”

They made some more hammers, and they were all enjoying themselves, banging nails in, when Sergeant Olt came back. They didn’t notice him. He saw the fire, and Betch’s wet clothes, and took it all in.
“Keep the pieces tight together,” Ace called. “The wood’s wet, so in the summer it’ll shrink, and we don’t want the gaps to be too big.”
“It’s a bit steep to climb onto, Ace, if you’re little,” said Bella. “What about a step at each end?”
“That’s great, Bella, can you and Stella have a go at that? Make the steps wide enough for big feet – narrow steps can trip you up, especially if you’re a goblin carrying a stretcher.”
“I like the sound of combat training,” said Dan. “Oh, I hope it’s not just for elves.”
“Of course it isn’t,” said Sergeant Olt, startling them all. “Don’t worry about that. Now, this is much better!”
He tested the bridge by jumping onto the finished part of the footway.
“Rock solid. Well done. What are you going to do about the sides?”
“Struts at forty-five degrees with a hand-rail on top,” said Will.
“I’ll leave you to it,” smiled the sergeant. “You know what you’re doing, all right.”

They all looked at it proudly when they’d finished; each of them had done something, and it was the first thing that had gone well for them as a team, since they’d built their hut. They started to tidy up all the mess they’d made, and Peter picked up the drill that Will had casually knocked up to make the holes for the bolts.
“This is a fantastic thing,” he said, genuinely impressed. “How did you come to think of it?”
“From watching humans,” said Will seriously, “how else? We can’t cut ourselves off from them. We need to see what they’re doing if we want exciting, useful things.”
“So is that why you get so fired up about all this politics stuff?”
“Partly. But mostly that’s because of the humans we know. They’re our friends – if we weren’t pro-human, we’d be letting them down.”

While Peter and Will were talking, Fran went to speak to Ace.
“Thank you,” he said. “But why couldn’t you have told me how to do it right in the first place?”
“ ’Cos you didn’t ask. You can’t have it both ways. It’s the leader’s job to come up with ideas. And to know who to ask, if he doesn’t know what to do. I’m not bailing you out all the time.”
He looked Fran right in the eyes, unblinking. And for the first time Fran saw the strength and purpose behind the laughter. For a moment, he hesitated, not sure what he wanted to say.
“It’s so frustrating,” he sighed.
“How d’you think I feel?” said Ace.


It really did feel like spring next morning, as the first years excitedly followed the sergeants through the Southern Forest. It was still cold, and it was a bit soggy underfoot, but the only snow left now was on the peaks high above them. Sergeant Olt led them to another plateau, flat and broad, rising at its far side to grassy slopes. It was dotted with stone cairns, each with a numbered flag on top. Close at hand, near the forest edge, were huge green plastic bins, and a flagpole.
“Run up the flag, Corporal,” said Sergeant Olt. “This is a special occasion.”
They all cheered as the army flag broke out, a white star on a green background. Sergeant Olt beamed at the sight for a moment, then turned to face the first years.
“Gather round, and listen carefully. This is the target range, where you will learn to throw. You might think you already know how to throw. If you do, forget it. You may have picked up bad habits. I want perfect technique from everyone, and you won’t learn that in a hurry. Throwing is the foundation of battle, it couldn’t be more important. A lot of you have worked hard this winter, getting fit. You’ll be glad you did, now.”

Quite a few people looked worried at that. People like Clover, who hadn’t really worked that hard at all. But Sergeant Olt knew all about it.
“If you haven’t, it’s not too late to start doing something about it. You can’t throw well without good arm muscles, and that applies to everyone. Now, naturally, Muscari” – he smiled at the tiniest fairy – “isn’t going to be able to throw as far as Agava, our tallest goblin. That doesn’t matter. Accuracy matters. A commanding officer needs his or her fairies in the front line of a battle to be just as accurate as ranks of goblins further back, throwing greater distances. But I want everyone’s best distance out of them by the time you leave here. Just watch this, now. Still the best shot in the army – Sergeant Camilo!”
Sergeant Camilo helped himself to a handful of pebbles from one of the bins.
“Basic ammunition,” he told them. “You can carry a lot of these, and of course you can make them any size you want. Today, you’ll want this size – just fitting snugly into the palm of your hand, round and smooth. Now, there are five different throws to learn. First, the pelt…”
He threw from his shoulder, so the stone flew in a straight line, not rising or falling, and hit the nearest cairn.
“…the flick…”
This time, he added a flick of the wrist. The stone curved in the air and hit another cairn.
“…the toss…”
He pulled his arm back, the stone flew higher this time, and because he’d put some spin on it, curved a little to the left before it hit its target. The elves were sighing with admiration. What a shot!
“Next, the hurl. This is long-distance, but fast… see? And finally, the heave, also long-distance, but this is for heavier weights.”
He made his last stone the largest size he could hold, and leaned back, his right arm almost touching the ground behind him, then sprang forward, his arm coming over in a huge arc. The stone flew out of his hand at the tip of the curve, soared up into the air, and down, finally striking the flag on the cairn that was furthest away.
“Wow,” breathed everyone, and started clapping.
“It’s nothing,” said Sergeant Camilo, modestly. “Just practice.”
Everyone groaned. They heard that phrase every day.

“Right, time to have a go yourselves,” said Sergeant Olt. “We’ll be starting with the toss, that’s the easiest. I’ll put you in three groups, so you’re working with people who can tackle roughly the same distance. All the goblins go to Sergeant Camilo, along with all the biggest elves, and the lads who’ve been working out every morning – you know who you are. The rest of the elves go to Corporal Lavall, and so can the imps, and Dan, and the fairies who go to the gym. The rest of the fairies come with me. Sergeant Svir will be taking notes. Don’t watch her, watch what you’re doing.”

Sergeant Olt told his group to help themselves to a handful of pebbles, and led them off across the grass. As he’d expected, they weren’t looking excited at all.
“Go on,” he said kindly. “What’s the trouble?”
It was Clover who plucked up courage to answer him.
“It must sound stupid,” she said. “This is an army, what else do you expect? But a battle? The front rank of a battle doesn’t sound the sort of place I want to be.”
“Thank you, Clover,” said the sergeant. “Very well put. I knew some of you would feel like that. But a full-scale battle is a rare thing. When it happens, it’ll be so important, you may feel differently. But it’ll be too late then to wish you’d learned to throw. You have to learn it now, while you have the chance. And it’s useful in lots of other situations. How would you feel about lining up to bombard a gang of rats that felt like fairy for breakfast?”
They all laughed at that, and relaxed a bit.
“That’s a far more likely thing to happen. Don’t be frightened. No-one goes to battle who doesn’t want to. But you all need to know this. Will you give me your best efforts, and really try?”
“Yes Sergeant,” said Clover, more cheerfully. “Thank you for explaining, and for understanding how we felt. What would you like us to do?”


Dan was in her element. This was wonderful. Corporal Lavall had told her he’d never seen such muscles on a fairy, and she was really getting the feel of this throw. Move your shoulder back, arm flat out behind you, then up, and the flick of the wrist, and the fun of seeing if you’d got a bit closer to the cairn than last time. Yes, she had. Happily, she returned to the back of the line.
The sergeant had to mention me by name, she thought. I don’t quite fit in anywhere. I don’t suppose I ever will. But I don’t care any more. Nobody minds. I can handle being different.

“Yes!” shouted Will.
“What d’you mean, yes? You were miles out!”
“I hit the cairn, didn’t I?”
Ace felt sick as he realised what had happened.
“You hit a cairn,” he said. “But not the one everyone else is aiming at.”
“What?”
“That one,” said Ace. “Further up the slope. The one you can’t see.”
Will glanced round uneasily, wondering if anyone else had noticed.
“Oh, don’t worry,” said Ace grimly. “They’ll just think you’re a lousy shot. But I know you’re not.”
“Cover for me,” said Will. “Please, Ace. Swap places in the line, so I can just copy you.”
“All right,” he said, but he was worried. Will wasn’t going to get away with that for long.
This has got to be sorted, he thought. Why can’t he see that? What on earth is the problem?

Will did a bit better just by copying Ace. He was still way off target, but so were plenty of others who could see. He wasn’t enjoying this at all, it was awful. He was longing for the morning to end. But at noon, Sergeant Olt called everyone back into the forest and sent them to a stream for a drink.
Ace and Will downed a pint or so of cold water, sitting on a tree root, side by side.
“Wow, this tastes good. The brook at home’s going to taste pretty foul after this.”
“It’s gorgeous,” Ace agreed. “D’you want some more?”
“Yeah, go on then.”
Ace jumped back to the stream and filled their cups. As he settled down again, he said,
“Come on, out with it. Just how far can you see? And how long has it been getting worse?”
Will went rigid, and glared at him, and looked as if he was going to storm off, but then he relaxed, and sighed.
“Beyond that larch, just a blur. But it’s not getting worse, honestly. It just went, that’s all.”
“When?”
“Don’t ask.”
“Why not? Come on, Will, what’s the problem? You can tell me.”
“I can’t, you know. Look, you’ve just got to trust me on this one. I’ll do the best I can, and if they think I’m a bad shot, well, I am.”
“But if you told them…they’ve got top surgeons here, they might be able to do something…”
“No! No way. I daresay they could, but I’m not, OK?”
“You might not get much choice,” said Ace. “Sergeant Svir’s coming to talk to you.”

Sergeant Svir had spotted it straight away, of course. She ordered Will off to the hospital, and Ace with him, to help the surgeon, and she wasn’t standing for any argument. Not that Will didn’t try. He argued and argued until Sergeant Svir said calmly,
“I’ve been training sprites since before you were born, and if you think I can’t tell the difference between a bad shot and short-sightedness, you must be even dafter than you look. Now you go to that hospital, or you go into detention. Which is it going to be?”
“How long?” said Will.
“How long what?”
“How long would I have to do in detention?”
“I don’t believe this,” said Sergeant Svir. “Until you come to your senses, and do as you’re told.”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake,” sighed Will. “All right. But it won’t do any good. Why doesn’t anyone trust me?”

Ace was racking his brains as they walked slowly back to camp. At first he’d thought maybe Will was just too proud to admit he needed help, but if it was that, he wouldn’t have made such a fuss when it was out in the open.
Maybe he’s scared…squeamish, he thought. It might be. Or p’raps he’s afraid of going blind if I mess it up. Maybe that’s it.
“Look, you don’t have to have me,” he tried. “You could have Clover, instead. Much more skilful at delicate stuff.”
Will stopped in his tracks.
“It’s not that. Believe me, it’s not that. I’d trust you for anything. Oh, this is awful. We could leave, I suppose.”
“Leave? You serious?”
Will didn’t answer.
I just don’t get this, Ace thought. But if he’s seeing it as a matter of trust…
“OK,” he said. “If you want, we’ll leave. I trust you. Do you really want to?”
Will screwed his face up, thinking.
“No. No, that’s not the answer. But thank you. Just remember, Ace, I tried. I really tried.”


Ace sat watching thoughtfully as Major Gourdon cheerfully tested Will’s eyesight. Will wasn’t the first person Sergeant Svir had sent him today, though he was certainly the worst. Privately, he was amazed Will had got away with it this long.
“I’m going to shine a light in your eyes,” he said, “so I can see what’s wrong. Ah. Oh dear me, yes. Compacted tissues, distortion, damage to the optic nerve…this has come from an injury, a badly-healed injury. Have you ever broken your skull?”
“Yes,” Will whispered, miserably, and Ace got it. Realised with a sudden, cold shock exactly what Will had been trying to do.
“No,” he breathed. “Oh, no.”
He heard their voices again, as though from far away.
“A fall? Or a fight?”
“A fight, yeah. Last summer.”
“And could you see well before that?”
“Yes. Yes, I could.”
“Oh, why didn’t you tell me?” Ace burst out. “Oh, I’m not fit to live!”
He ran out of the room, leaving the door swinging. It was very quiet. Will was just looking at the floor, trying very hard not to cry.
“Hmm,” said the surgeon. “Stay here a minute.”

He left the room, and came back with a tiny bottle filled with a golden liquid.
“If you drink some of this,” he told Will, “you can spare Ace from having to tackle this job. I’ll be able to heal you myself.”
“How does it work?”
“It relaxes your mind. You’ll answer anything I ask you, I’ll be able to see into your mind as if I’d known you all your life.”
“Ugh. What a horrible thought. Give it here.”
The surgeon told him to lie down on a bed, and gave him a few drops of the liquid. Will was very tense, very wary.
“It tastes nice,” he admitted.
“It does. Now don’t worry. In the end, you’ll fall asleep, and you won’t remember much at all. But when you wake up, don’t be afraid you’re blind. You won’t be. You’ll have a bandage over your eyes, that’s all.”
He sat down beside Will, and put his hand on Will’s head.
“Is that where he hit you?”
“Yes. It wasn’t his fault, though. He had a nightmare on him, and when he found out I’d done a really mean thing, he just lost it.”
“And he healed it, too?”
“He did. An army surgeon helped him. A captain. Never heard her name.”
“In a tearing rush, probably. Never spotted this damage. Ace did a good job with what he was told. He couldn’t be expected to know there was more to do.”
“I’ll tell him that. It’ll help. But I knew he’d blame himself. I would have done anything to spare him this.”
The surgeon gave Will some more drops to drink. He was still far too alert, far too contained.
“Tell me your first memory,” he said quietly.
Will smiled, a little dozily.
“That’s an easy one. The day I was born. Following this exciting thing that was calling me, knowing that when I got there, I’d find the rest of myself. And he felt just the same, I know. He told me that once, years later.”
“Tell me about your tree,” said the surgeon. “What sort of a willow are you?”
“Salix caprea. Goat willow. It was beautiful, just beautiful.”


It took a long time, but the surgeon had known it would. Will answered everything he asked, quietly, dreamily, but even so, he felt, there was more, beneath. But it was enough, for skills like his. By the time Will fell asleep, the damage was healed. Gently, he bandaged Will’s eyes, so he wouldn’t strain them by trying to see too quickly, and covered him with a blanket while he slept.
He had a look at his other patients, then Sergeant Svir came in, with two elves, one of them holding a cloth to his bleeding head.
“Someone let go too soon, and managed to hit the line behind him instead of the target,” she sighed. “Still, I think this is the last. Not too bad for the first day of target practice. How’s Will Moseley? You wouldn’t believe the fuss he made.”
“I would, now,” he told her. “Pop in there, you two, and bathe all the blood away so we can see the damage. I’ll be right with you.”
He waited till they’d gone, then said,
“He was shielding Ace. Didn’t want him to find out that he’d caused the damage in the first place.”
“Ah, now that makes sense. How did Ace take it when he found out?”
“Just flipped, and ran off. I healed Will with laudanum. But Ace needs finding, he’ll be in a bit of a state.”
“Twins!” tutted Sergeant Svir. “Leave it to me. I know just the person.”


Ace was sitting in a tree, huddled up to the trunk, lost in misery. He was in the Eastern Forest, as close as you could get to the Tree without crossing the perimeter, but he didn’t know that. He didn’t have a clue where he was. He didn’t know what time it was, or where he was supposed to be, and he didn’t care. He heard a voice calling his name, but he ignored it. But the voice kept calling, and it was getting nearer.
“Ace, where are you? Come down!”
“Who’s that?” said Ace, irritably.
“It’s Gran.”
“Go away, Gran. What d’you want?”
“I want you to come down, so I can talk to you,” said General Herdalen.
He was rather surprised to be spoken to like that, but then, he reflected, one Norwegian accent probably sounded very much like another.
“Well I’m not, so push off!”
“Running away won’t solve anything.”
How dare that Gran Starheim poke his nose in, thought Ace. As if it was any of his business. He jumped down and landed to face him, his fist raised, only to find his arm caught and held fast in the iron grip of General Herdalen.

“When are you going to learn to control your temper?” said the general fiercely. “That’s what you did to Will, isn’t it? Just lost your temper and lashed out. Haven’t you learned anything?”
Ace just stared at him, dumbstruck. What on earth had he said? The shock cleared away all his anger.
“Yes, that’s what I did,” he said quietly. “It’s unbelievable, isn’t it? Smashed him in the head so hard I nearly killed him. And now I find I nearly blinded him too. And he never said a word. He’d have carried on forever if he could, just to save me from knowing. He did everything he could to keep it from me.”
“So why are you upset?”
“It’s too much! He should have said something, he didn’t need to do that!”
“What you’ve got to understand is, it probably doesn’t seem such a big deal to Will as it does to you. It’s easier for him to put up with things than it is to tackle them. For you, it’s the other way round.”
“You mean he wasn’t that bothered?”
“Up to a point. He certainly never meant it to overwhelm you. But there’s a bit more to it than that, I think. What had he done, that made you hit him in the first place?”

Ace didn’t want to answer that, but the general just stood there patiently, and eventually Ace had to say something.
“It was nothing, really. It was just something he could have told me, and he didn’t. He made me look stupid, and he let me put Dan in danger.”
“That’s hardly nothing. What he’s put up with since then, he wanted to.”
Ace saw what he was getting at.
“You mean he was punishing himself, don’t you?”
“That’s what it looks like to me. But you mustn’t mention that. He probably doesn’t even realise it himself.”
“Have you spoken to him?”
“Only to ask him where you were, no more. He’s very drowsy. The surgeon’s healed him, Ace. You haven’t got to face that.”
“I wasn’t looking forward to it. But I’d have done it, as soon as I’d got my head round all this.”
“He knows that. You see, when you’re so close, it’s easy to forget that you’re looking at life from opposite directions. You can hurt each other so easily if you forget that. The halves match because they’re not the same.”
Ace stared at him.
“How do you know that?”
General Herdalen returned his look, and for the first time, Ace saw beneath the granite self-control.
“Tell me how you know that! Only twins know that!”
“That’s no way to speak to a senior officer.”
“It’s your own fault. You laid your rank aside when you came to talk to me. That’s why you came, isn’t it? You heard what had happened, and you understood.”
“Yes, I understood, damn you. Now come on.”

Even Ace didn’t dare ask any more. They walked off through the forest, side by side. After a while, the general spoke again, calm once more.
“The surgeon was worried about you, and told Sergeant Svir. And she came straight to me. No-one else knows, they’ll all think you’re both still in the hospital.”
“That’s more than I deserve,” said Ace gratefully. “But why did Sergeant Svir bother you with it?”
“Ach, she knows me pretty well. When I first came here, foul-mouthed, foul-tempered, and blazing mad with everything and everyone, Arda Svir took me under her wing. I suppose she’d have been about the same age, then, as Madge is now,” he mused. “She knew I’d be able to help you, it’s as simple as that.”
“You have. You really have.”
Ace wasn’t sure what else to say, whether to speak of the tremendous suspicion that was growing in his mind. He kept it light.
“I’ve learned a lot today. But there’s one thing I’ll really latch onto.”
“What’s that?”
“Always make sure you know who you’re talking to.”
“Very good, Ace,” laughed the general, as they came out from the forest. “Normal protocol resumed, please,” he added.
“Of course, sir,” said Ace. “Understood.”
“Off you go. Stay with Will till he’s better.”
Ace gave him a look of sheer loyalty, so open and trusting it took the general’s breath away.
“Thank you, sir,” he said. “Goodnight.”


Will turned his head and smiled as Ace came into the room.
“Take your time,” he said.
Ace sat on the edge of the bed, and squeezed his hand.
“What are you like?” he sighed. “You didn't have to do that, you crazy fool. How does it feel?”
“Got a headache. But I'm looking forward to wiping the floor with you at throwing.”
“Dream on. So how come the surgeon could heal you without me?”
“They give you this stuff to drink. It's really nice. Makes you go all floaty, so you talk a lot and they know what you're like really quickly.”
“Good grief. And it worked? On you?”
“They had to give me a whole bottle," said Will proudly. "Usually only takes a few drops, he said.”
“That figures. When can you take the bandage off?”
“In the morning. You going to stay, Ace? I want you to be here. ’Cos that’ll be the end of it, then. For both of us.”
“ ’Course I’ll stay. I should never have run off in the first place. But it’s horrible when things you thought were over come back to haunt you.”
“Isn’t it, just. Did the general come and find you?”
“He did. It was very strange. He was...different, somehow.”
“Yeah...he came in here, and just said, ‘Where is he?’ and I said, ‘Over there,’ just pointing, you know, ’cos I was still really dopey. And he said, ‘Come on, you can do better than that. Try to concentrate.’ So I did, and told him where you were, but when he’d gone, I started to wonder. People don’t usually understand that well.”
“They don’t. Even Rose and Clover wouldn’t put it quite like that.”

He told Will what had happened, and Will started laughing.
“You told him to push off! And shouted at him!”
“I didn’t know it was him! But it was all so weird. It was as if he’d stopped being a general for a while. He’d come to help us, and the only way he could was just by being himself.”
“So he let us see what he’s really like. And said enough to make us wonder... is he a twin, too? He realised pretty fast, Ace, when we first met him.”
“True, so he did, but so did the other Gran. It may be no more than that, just knowledge and experience. And yet, I don’t know... there was something. Something in his eyes. It cost him, doing that. Something hurt.”
“People are hard to understand,” said Will forlornly, then tried to stifle a yawn.
“You tired? Or still drowsy from this drug?”
“Drowsy, yeah. Stll floating.”
“Good. Then you won’t get embarrassed.”
“What?”
“Willow,” said Ace, “sometimes words just aren’t enough.”
He kissed him lightly on his forehead, then curled up on the floor and went to sleep.