by Victor Kloss
Ben pulled out the map of Jimba and gave them a brief rundown of what he had found.
“Did you find out whether Jimba still has a Dragonway?” Charlie asked, as soon as Ben finished.
“No, but I will do, today,” Ben said, feeling a little defensive. “I know that’s important.”
“Yes, it is,” Charlie said, nodding. His eyes narrowed suddenly. “You were the last back, but that research couldn’t have taken you a full hour, especially as I told you exactly where to go.”
Ben was usually so good at keeping a calm head under pressure, but if there was anyone who could cut through his superficial nonchalance, it was Charlie.
“You told me how to get there, but getting back was a nightmare,” Ben said in his most sincere voice.
The moment he uttered the lie, he knew it would fall on deaf ears. Even Natalie was now looking at him, with narrowed green eyes. Ben took a deep breath, and gave the table a small rap in defeat.
“Okay, you’re right. I was doing something else. I had a hunch, and I was following it up.”
Natalie punched the air. “I knew it! The last couple of hours, you’ve looked really distracted, which is really unlike you. What were you really doing?”
Ben grabbed hold of the table with both hands. This was going to be rough, but there was no backing out now.
“I’ve been thinking about the dark elves, and why they attacked the dwarves,” Ben said, choosing his words carefully. “We believe they drew that symbol, right? Maybe they didn’t know what it was either and were trying to get information from the dwarf mage.”
“I agree,” Charlie said.
So far, so good.
“The symbol was written in the language of the arcane dwarves, who we believe may be guarding the next piece of Elizabeth’s Armour. What if the dark elves were also trying to find out about the symbol to get to the armour? And what if they thought the dwarf mage had the answers?”
Natalie nodded. “It makes sense, but we can’t prove it, and Charlie can’t find anything on that symbol to help us.”
“That’s true. But I know someone who will definitely know,” Ben said.
Charlie’s and Natalie’s reactions were vastly different. Natalie was all surprise; whereas Charlie’s eyes narrowed, as if he had already guessed the answer.
Ben took a deep breath. “The dwarf mage.”
“I knew it!” Charlie said, slamming his fist on the table, and causing more than one annoyed reader to look round. Natalie jumped at Charlie’s exclamation, unsure whether to look more surprised at Charlie or Ben.
“The mage?” Natalie said. “The dwarf mage?”
“Yes.”
“The one who’s stuck in the void?”
Ben nodded. “That’s the one.”
“Out of the question,” Charlie said, swiping his hand across the air to emphasise the point. “Unless you want to die a swift, horrible death.”
“Charlie is right. We know how dangerous that place is. You did the research when you discovered your parents were there, remember?”
“I remember,” Ben said. How could he forget? “But they’re still alive. It can be done.”
“Your parents are special,” Charlie said. “We’ve heard that time and again, from people like Wren. We are not your parents.”
Ben had to bite down a retort. He needed to keep calm if he had any chance of making a case. “The dwarf mage is still alive – or was, last time we checked.”
“He could be a dwarf of extreme power,” Natalie said. “After all, just to get into the void isn’t easy.”
“Okay, fine. But listen, you can’t argue that the dwarf mage is the best option we have to answer our questions.”
“He’s not an option,” Charlie repeated stubbornly.
Ben massaged his temples. His temper was starting to flare, but he forced it down ruthlessly. “Aside from the risks, he is the one most likely to be able to answer our questions.”
Charlie was about to give another biting reply, but Natalie put a hand on his arm and cut him short.
“Yes, you’re right,” she said. “Assuming we could reach the dwarf mage, he would be my first choice. The dark elves certainly think he knows something, and they’re not normally wrong.”
“Thank you,” Ben said with a sigh. A concession, if a small one, and only from Natalie, but it was a start. Charlie was still looking at him with daggers in his eyes. Ben was surprised by the intensity in his friend’s face, but he tried not to let it show.
“That’s what you were researching, wasn’t it?” Charlie asked. “More about the void?”
“Yes,” Ben said. “I wanted to see if there was any feasible way to get in and out.”
“There isn’t,” Charlie said immediately. “I’ve done the research myself. And even if we got in, we’d last two minutes in there. It’s literally like hell in there. Literally.”
Ben found himself battling with his patience. Why was Charlie unwilling to even contemplate the idea? What had he read about the void that terrified him so much?
“I know it’s dangerous; I don’t think it’s as bad as the books make out. It can’t hurt to do a bit more research, can it?”
For a moment, Charlie said nothing. His face was flushed, and Ben noticed his fists were balls on the table.
“This is about your parents, isn’t it?” Charlie asked, his voice ominously soft.
“Charlie! That’s not fair,” Natalie said, shocked.
Ben didn’t respond; he couldn’t, not immediately. He was still trying to process Charlie’s accusation. It was out of the blue and completely unfair, but, at the same time, not entirely false. It was impossible not to think of the void without his parents.
“Tell me I’m wrong,” Charlie said, looking Ben in the eye.
“You’re wrong,” Ben said, raising his voice, and relishing the fact that Charlie gave a little jump. “Yes, I did think of my parents, and why shouldn’t I? They’re stuck there. But my intention is to go into the void to find the dwarf.”
Charlie seemed to calm down, but only a little. “I can’t believe the search for the dwarf mage wouldn’t turn into one for your parents. I know you, Ben. It would just be too tempting.”
Ben bit his lip, hard. All sorts of replies filled his head, many of them unpleasant. In the recesses of his mind, he was vaguely aware that frustration and anger were clouding his thoughts. He needed to get out of here before things got nasty. He got up, ignoring Natalie’s pleas to stop, and quickly left the library, alone.
— Chapter Eighteen —
A New Plan
Ben left the Institute, ignoring the guards, who gave him a searching look, perhaps noticing the thunderous expression on his face. He let his feet do the walking, without caring too much where he went. He cursed Charlie every which way, sometimes silently, but mostly out loud, to the alarm of several passers-by. The plan to get into the void was their best option – Ben believed that more with every passing moment – and the fight with Charlie only enhanced it. They were never going to find out what that symbol was unless they could find that dwarf mage. Why was Charlie being so stubborn? Was he afraid? Yes, he probably was, but that wouldn’t normally stop Charlie. Was there something else?
“Sorry, excuse me,” a gruff, garbled voice said.
Ben looked up and almost ran into a large half-ogre, carrying a huge crate of fish on his broad shoulders. Without realising it, Ben had entered Taecia Square. Though not as bustling as usual, it still had a vibrant, lively ambience. The shops were busy, as were the restaurants, with much of the outside seating taken. Ben hadn’t realised it, but he was hungry. He went into a small café, ordered a baguette, and sat outside, eating slowly. The food helped his mood, as did the fresh air and simply watching the world go by. He wasn’t sure how long he sat there – he didn’t care – but when he finally got up, he felt a good deal better. Dark thoughts still clouded his mind whe
n he thought of his argument with Charlie, but he forced them aside. He didn’t want to think about that now, and was relieved when neither Charlie nor Natalie was waiting for him back at the entrance of the Institute. Ben grabbed his handbook and for the rest of the afternoon threw himself into the third-grade checklist. He worked in every department, relishing the challenge. Every time he thought about Charlie, the void or Elizabeth’s Armour, he would slap himself on the cheek, and re-double his work rate.
It was Natalie who found him in one of the Trading rooms, right in the middle of attempting to help a fellow apprentice get a better deal for some firecrackers from a cheeky-looking goblin.
“There you are!” Natalie said, tugging on Ben’s arm, and almost physically lifting him off the bench. “I’ve been looking for you all afternoon. Have you been avoiding me?”
“No,” Ben said a little defensively. The truth was he had avoided the areas he thought they might look for him, like the Spellsword Department and even the library, where he had been tempted to continue his research.
“Come on, we have to go,” Natalie said. She really was quite strong when she wanted to be, and Ben felt himself dragged out of the Trading room, into the hallway.
“Where are we going?”
Natalie gave him a look that indicated it should have been obvious. “To sort out your ridiculous argument with Charlie, of course. He’s been moping about all afternoon.”
“Has he?” Ben couldn’t imagine Charlie moping. At the very least, he would have thought he’d simply bury his head in books.
“You can’t just argue and then run off,” Natalie said. Her eyes were flashing, and she kept giving him accusing looks.
“I needed a bit of time by myself. Is that allowed?”
“No,” Natalie said firmly. “Not when you’ve had an argument with your closest friend – and me, I might add.”
Ben stared at her. “Are you upset with me as well?”
“A bit, but mainly because you and Charlie are upset.”
Ben would have much rather gone home, slept on it, and tackled it the next day. But Natalie led him unwaveringly to the apprentice floor, and then into a small exam room, which was now empty, except for the window and curtains at the back.
“You stay here,” Natalie ordered, pointing a stern finger his way. “I’ll be back in a minute.”
Her voice brokered no argument, and Ben waited impatiently. Less than five minutes later, he heard Natalie’s firm voice, along with Charlie’s, which was protesting.
“I don’t care!” Natalie said loudly. “You get in here, now.”
The door opened moments later, and Natalie entered, physically dragging Charlie, as she had done with Ben.
Charlie looked a bit of a mess. His hair was slightly dishevelled, and his shirt, which Charlie normally ironed religiously, was creased and hanging out. He looked at Ben. Ben looked back. Neither of them said anything.
“Oh please,” Natalie said. “One of you start talking. You’re not babies.”
They both started talking. They both stopped.
“Let me go first,” Charlie said. “I may have overreacted slightly. I won’t deny the void scares me after what I’ve read. As for your parents – well, if you can honestly tell me they never figured in your mind, then I’m sorry.”
Ben felt something lift from his shoulders, hearing Charlie’s apology of sorts. He gave an awkward smile and rubbed a hand through his hair.
“I did think about my parents,” he said. The thought brought a strange lump to his throat. “And yes, I did think about trying to find them. I might not be able to rescue them, but it would be nice to see them again, face to face, you know?”
Charlie seemed to relax at this. “I can understand that. So – where does that leave us?”
“All made up, thank goodness,” Natalie said. Her voice was cross, but Ben could see she was struggling to hold back a triumphant smile.
“I have an idea,” Charlie said. “Give me three days to try to research this symbol a bit more. I have an idea where I might find something.”
“Where?” Natalie asked.
“Old Bagdor Bones.”
Ben frowned. “Who is he?”
“A dwarf librarian,” Natalie said, “and one of the oldest dwarves still living – though I have to admit, I thought he had passed away.”
Charlie scratched his nose. “Yes, the jury is out on that. He has been proclaimed dead several times, and then turned up in the library weeks later. They call him the invisible librarian. If anyone will know about this symbol, he will. I just need to find him.”
“And hope he’s not dead,” Ben added.
“I’m fairly sure he’s not. Several times I thought I saw him, but he’s really good at going unnoticed. He knows the library better than anyone, and all its secrets.”
“Three days,” Ben said. “That sounds like a plan. And in the meantime, I’m going to research the void more, and see if we have any chance of getting in, and more importantly getting out.”
Charlie’s sullen look returned, but he didn’t protest.
It was going to be a busy three days.
— Chapter Nineteen —
A Meeting with Bagdor
Now that his plan was known, Ben wasted no time diving head-first into the subject of the void. Charlie preferred to do his research alone, so he teamed up with Natalie. It was a strangely new experience, hanging around with Natalie by himself, one that Ben enjoyed more than he expected.
“The first thing we should do is work out if we can even get in, right?” Natalie asked.
They were back in the older section of the library, containing the darker, less talked about subjects of magic.
“Good idea,” Ben said. “Unless we can get in, the whole void thing is a bust.”
The thought that they might not be able to get in played on Ben’s mind, but he cast it aside. There was clearly a way in; they just needed to find out how it was done. It was both helpful and also frustrating, searching for such a specific topic. Knowing they were tight for time, Ben had to resist reading the wider subject of the void, and focus only on how to gain entry.
The first day produced nothing, despite hours of searching, and Ben and Natalie left the Institute that evening feeling both tired and slightly deflated. Charlie, too, had no joy in locating Bagdor Bones. He did find out that the old dwarf had not been classified as dead, though that didn’t rule out the fact that he had simply passed away somewhere in the library and nobody had noticed.
The morning of the second day was little better. Charlie became convinced that Bagdor was purposefully hiding from him.
“I know it sounds ridiculous, but I can almost feel his presence sometimes. It’s as if he’s spying on me,” Charlie said.
“Well, that’s something,” Natalie said. “Now if we could just convince Bagdor to stop playing hide and seek, we might get somewhere.”
Far from being frustrated by his lack of progress, Charlie relished the search, and reported back regularly, somehow locating Ben and Natalie regardless of where they were in the library.
“I can smell him sometimes,” Charlie said, clenching a fist. “He is in dire need of a bath. A couple of times I turned and thought I saw a shadow, but then he was gone.”
“Do you want me to help?” Ben asked. “Maybe there’s a spell I could use.”
Charlie shook his head. “No, that would just scare him away. He’s curious now; I can feel it. I don’t think anyone has shown this much interest in him before.”
That afternoon, Charlie made his breakthrough. Ben and Natalie were busy poring over a book so small they had to read it with a magnifying glass, when they heard hurried footsteps. Ben looked up and knew immediately Charlie had found something. His face was flushed, his eyes alight.
“I think I have him!” he said, waving at them to follow. “Come on, we’ll need to be quick.”
With
out waiting for a reply, he turned and headed back the way he had come. Ben and Natalie exchanged glances, and quickly followed.
“I saw him!” Charlie was saying with suppressed excitement. “He let me see him, of course. He was watching me, with obvious curiosity. For a moment, we locked eyes; then I blinked, and he was gone.”
Ben frowned. “Then we’ve missed him?”
“I’m certain he’ll reappear,” Charlie said, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. “Curiosity has the better of him now. But I’m hoping you two don’t scare him off. I was half-tempted to talk to him by myself, but I didn’t want you to miss this – he’s quite a character.”
This section of the library was a complete maze. Passages kept sprouting left and right, others doubled back, and still others went nowhere. But Charlie walked unerringly, always seeming to know where to go, until he thrust a hand out suddenly and stopped.
“Here!” he said, turning to them and putting a finger on his lips. “I don’t often say this, but can you let me do the talking?”
Ben and Natalie nodded vigorously.
Charlie started tiptoeing forwards, constantly looking at the shelves, as if the dwarf could somehow hide in them. Ben exchanged baffled looks with Natalie. How could the dwarf be hiding here? Charlie clearly thought he might be, the way he kept looking along shelves, even bending down to feel the floorboards.
“You’re a persistent one, aren’t you, boy?”
The voice came from behind. It was a gruff, old voice that left Ben in no doubt who had spoken.
Natalie jumped, but Charlie, who was normally so easily startled, spun with a knowing smile on his face.
Facing them was the oldest dwarf Ben had ever seen. His beard stroked the library floor, tied loosely with a band at the end. His face was so wrinkled there seemed to be too much skin. He had a walking stick in one hand and a long pipe in the other. He was stooped with age, but there was no sign of senility in those deep brown eyes.
