by Victor Kloss
“Probably not a good idea to sit at the tables,” Ben noted.
“No, we should work our way into the book shelves and just relax there for a while,” Natalie said. “I know a good place; follow me.”
They wound their way deep into the maze; Ben gave up trying to remember the way out after so many left and right turns. They ended up in a small reading room with a circular table and a couple of rickety chairs.
“I think we should stay here,” Natalie said. She glanced at her watch. “It's 5:20pm now. We should make a move at 7:45pm. So that gives us around two and a half hours to kill.”
“At least we won't get bored,” Charlie said, rubbing his hands as he stared at the books that surrounded them.
The time passed easily, as they talked and wandered round, trying to find the most interesting books. Once or twice, they heard voices and quietened down, ready to move, but the voices always faded and they remained uninterrupted. As the time approached 7:45pm, the nerves started to set in. Even Charlie found it impossible to keep reading, and he took to pacing up and down the little open space.
“It's time. Let's get going,” Natalie said.
They left the library and returned to the spiral staircase. Ben led the way, moving quickly, but keeping his footsteps soft on the marble. He could hear voices up the stairs, but few people seemed around on the lower levels. The moment he passed through the double doors leading to the Department of Apprentices, his senses heightened. It wasn't the apprentices he was scared of; it was Dagmar. If she caught them now, they would be in deep trouble.
“All clear,” he said, peeking round the corner before proceeding down the hallway. In the distance on the left was their target: the locker room.
“I'm really not looking forward to this,” Charlie muttered.
Ben opened the locker room door and was pleased to find they were alone. Two lines of lockers with their huge green eyes lined each wall.
Ben and Charlie walked to the end, while Natalie stopped about halfway down. Ben gave his locker a friendly wave, and the locker blinked lazily in response.
“How long do we have to do this for?” Charlie said, staring nervously at his own locker.
“The security person normally checks their floor at 8pm. It doesn't take more than fifteen minutes. I think we should come out at 8:30pm, just to be sure.”
“So we're stuck inside the locker for almost half an hour? Wonderful.”
Charlie's protests were silenced by a sudden noise outside. A voice, perhaps more than one.
“Quick, get in!” Ben said. He was the first to get his locker door open. Ben had to stoop to squeeze inside, and sat awkwardly on his bag with his handbook in his lap. A sudden thought occurred to him.
“How do we get the doors to shut?” Charlie said, voicing the question first.
There was no easy way to pull the doors closed from the inside, and Ben stared agonisingly at the large stone door. The voices outside became louder and Ben thought he heard someone rattle the handle. How would they explain themselves, sitting inside their own lockers when they shouldn't even be in the Institute? Ben scanned the door frantically – there was simply no way of pulling it shut, as there was no handle. There was only one thing to do.
“Phyliss, please close the locker,” Ben said, in a clear voice.
The inside of the locker gave a peculiar vibration and the stones seemed to judder. Thankfully, the door started swinging shut. Ben could just make out Charlie and Natalie frantically ordering theirs shut when his door closed. Blackness and silence. He waited a full minute on edge. Had someone entered the room? Had they been seen? Ben imagined the security guard knocking on his locker, demanding him to get out. But it never happened, and Ben eventually relaxed. He shuffled his position on his bag and lay his head back, in a futile attempt to relax.
Time trickled by and it seemed an age before the little dial on his watch said 8:30pm. Finally, Ben ordered Phyliss to open the door and he stepped out, stretching his back and giving a groan of pleasure. Natalie and Charlie were in the process of doing the same.
“Even though it's late, there are still people about,” Natalie warned. “The threat from the dark elves has sent most of the Institute into a work frenzy. The good news is, they should assume we have clearance to be here now that we're walking around after the security check.”
“What if we run into someone who knows we shouldn't be here?” Charlie asked.
“That we need to avoid,” Natalie said.
“Right.” Ben clapped his hands. “Let's get going.”
— Chapter Seventeen —
The Lockers' Secret
They had five floors to climb. Ben went as fast as possible, bearing in mind they didn't want to look rushed and that Charlie would have trouble running up the stairs anyway. A couple of times they ran into members passing by, but most were lost in their own worlds. Ben gave a relaxed, friendly smile to those who did look their way. It did the job; they got no suspicious looks and nobody attempted to stop them.
Ben stopped at the Spellsword gallery, just to make sure Natalie and Charlie were okay, before pushing open the double doors into the Department of Spellswords. Ben resisted the urge to quicken his pace and listened intently; the only warning of danger they might get would be voices or footsteps from around a corner. As Ben walked, he clocked every door they approached as a potential hiding place. None of them knew where exactly the Spellsword locker room was, and they almost did a complete circle of the floor before they found it.
Ben started thinking about their next problem as they approached: how would they know if anyone was inside? And what would they do if there was? He was still debating the issue when he heard a creak, and the door opened.
Ben stopped and froze. Two Spellswords emerged, both with three diamonds on their shoulders, chatting softly to each other. Thankfully, they headed away from them and disappeared round the corner.
Ben breathed again. He waited a moment to see if anyone else was going to emerge, before half walking, half running to the locker room door. The three of them crowded round it.
“Now what?” Charlie asked. “If we go in and someone's in there, we've blown it.”
“We go in one by one,” Ben said. “That way, if one person does get into trouble, the other two still have time to get away.”
“That's a good idea,” Natalie said. “You, Ben, will have to go last. If we lose you, the whole plan is ruined anyway.”
Ben hated to admit it, but she was right. Neither Charlie nor Natalie would have any chance of opening his parents’ lockers.
“I'll go,” Charlie said.
Natalie put a hand on his shoulder. “Are you sure? I don't mind doing it myself.”
“No.” Charlie's voice was unusually firm. “I'll raise my voice if I get into trouble, and you guys can get away.”
Charlie gripped the handle, paused only a second, and then disappeared from sight through the door.
Ben listened, waiting for any signal of trouble. Seconds later, the door re-opened and a relieved-looking Charlie popped his head through.
“All clear,” he said.
There was more space in the Spellsword locker room, with enough width to have a bench that ran down the middle of the room. Each locker was at least twice as wide, and the eyes were all varying shades of blue. Males, Ben thought. They looked a bit sterner too, if that was possible. They were all staring directly ahead, like soldiers standing to attention.
“How do we know which ones belong to your parents?” Charlie asked, staring at all the lockers.
“I'll do what we did when we were first assigned ours,” Ben said.
He positioned himself by the door, and then started walking slowly down the middle of the room, paying close attention to each locker's eye. One by one, they ignored him, and as Ben neared the end of the room, he started to fear none would look his way.
“That one!” Natalie shouted, pointing.
Ben had almost missed it. The locke
r to his left, four from the end, flicked his large iris Ben's way. Ben stopped immediately and went straight over to the locker. The moment Ben faced up to it, Ben saw a glimmer of recognition within that large blue eye.
“This is the one,” Ben said, waving them over.
They inspected the locker. Ben noticed there were a few scuffs on the door, and a couple of places where the stone had been chipped.
“Will he respond to you?” Charlie asked. “We don't even know the locker's name.”
“Let's find out,” Ben said. He cleared his throat and said in a clear, firm voice, “Open the door.”
Nothing happened.
“You forgot to say please,” Charlie said, helpfully.
Ben tried again. Still nothing. He tried three more times, without success. It was as if the eye wasn't listening.
“You need to talk more to compensate for not using his name,” Natalie said.
Ben took a deep breath and composed himself. “My name is Ben Greenwood. I am the son of Jane and Greg Greenwood. If they have given family access to their lockers, then please open the door.”
The iris blinked twice. Ben suddenly felt he was being measured by something far older and more intelligent than the lockers downstairs. Ben was careful to maintain a level stare with the locker.
There was a loud click, and the edges of the locker door suddenly glowed yellow. The door swung open soundlessly.
“Oh my,” Natalie said, her hand going to her mouth.
The locker was far larger than their ones in every respect, but it was the contents inside that caused Natalie to gasp. There were clothes, books and bits of food scattered across the floor. Ben stepped inside and knelt down. It was clearly his mum's locker, and it was just as clear that it had been ransacked.
“I thought you said nobody could get in,” Ben said quietly, as he surveyed the damage.
“I didn't say it was impossible,” Natalie replied. She had also stepped into the locker. “I just said it was protected by some very powerful spells. Few people could break it.”
“Check this out, Ben,” Charlie said.
He was pointing to a photograph, stuck on the back wall, that had somehow survived the carnage.
It was Ben and his parents, standing outside his house. Ben was standing in the middle and both his parents had their arms around him. He couldn't have been more than six or seven years old and barely came up to their waists. He hadn't seen that photo before, and it tugged at his heart strings. Ben stared at the photo until he realised his eyes were in danger of watering.
“Shall we tidy up?” Natalie asked, her voice gentle.
“Yeah, let's do that.”
Nobody commented on his slightly croaky voice.
There were hangers for the clothes, and plenty of room to stack the books.
“Woah, look at that,” Charlie said.
Hidden amongst the clothes was a spellshooter. The long twisted barrel looked slimmer than usual, as did the handle. Despite the treatment the locker had received, the spellshooter shone like new. Inside the spellshooter's orb a handful of spell pellets floated.
Ben picked up his mum's spellshooter and placed it reverently on one of the hangers so that it dangled from the handle.
They stepped out of the locker and shut it. An awkward silence had fallen between them. Both Charlie and Natalie gave Ben a little distance.
Ben forced aside memories of his parents that had suddenly resurfaced. “Let's see if we can find my dad's locker.”
“Are you sure?” Natalie asked.
Ben's determination came flooding back. “Absolutely. That's what we're here for.” He returned to the exact spot in the middle of the locker room where he'd spotted his mum's locker watching him and continued forwards. There wasn't much left to walk, so he took it slowly.
It took just one step. This time, it was far more obvious. A locker on his right side, right at the back, was staring at him. Ben, Charlie and Natalie hurried over.
There were even more scuffs on this locker and half a stone was missing near the base. Its eye, Ben noticed, had a red gash running across it.
“Looks like someone tried getting in this one too,” Charlie commented. “Did they succeed?”
“Let's find out,” Ben said.
He repeated the same command as before. There was a loud click, the edges of the locker door glowed, and the door swung slowly open. Three pairs of eyes looked eagerly into the locker as it revealed itself.
It was completely empty.
Ben stepped inside. The locker was the size of a small room. There were no clothes, no books, and no photograph.
Despite finding nothing, Ben smiled grimly. “I bet my dad got his stuff away before they could trash it.”
“Good for him,” Natalie said.
“Doesn't help us much, though, does it?” Charlie said.
Charlie was right. There was nothing here that could help them. Ben had to swallow his disappointment. He had known it was a long shot, but was still secretly hopeful of some sort of lead or clue. He trailed a hand along the back stone wall, feeling the coarseness beneath his fingers. Not long ago, his dad would have come here almost every day.
“We should get out of here,” Charlie said. “We must have been in here twenty minutes already. Someone could come in any moment.”
Ben nodded. He felt reluctant to leave. Even though the locker was completely empty, it somehow felt like his dad was close by. Maybe it was the smell. Ben gave the stones one last pat.
Click.
The stone beneath his hand suddenly retreated. A small door concealed in the far corner of the locker swung open, revealing a torch-lit passageway that descended ever downwards.
— Chapter Eighteen —
Important Discoveries
A rattling came from the entrance door to the locker room, followed by a couple of hushed voices.
“Get in, quick!”
Ben shut the locker door and they stumbled in the darkness to the secret entrance. Ben led them through and into a gently downward-sloping passageway. The torch lights on the stone walls flickered, casting dancing shadows as they walked.
“I know I shouldn't be saying this,” Charlie said, “but technically this passageway isn't possible. We should be walking into the floor below right about now.”
“Tut tut, Charlie,” Ben said. “I would have thought by now you'd know logic doesn't apply when magic is involved.”
“A magic passageway right in the middle of the Institute,” Natalie said, her voice filled with wonder. “At least we know what Charlie found out about Guardians is true – you do have unparalleled access to the heart of the Institute, Ben.”
“We'll soon find out if it means anything. Look ahead,” Ben said, pointing.
The passageway came to an end, and they found themselves facing the faint outline of a door with a small handle protruding from the stone. Ben grabbed the handle and turned. The door opened easily, and they stepped through.
“Oh wow,” Natalie breathed.
They had entered a large circular room that resembled something out of a gentleman's club. It was lit by a decorative chandelier that hung from the high ceiling, creating a warm glow through magical means. Squishy leather chairs were placed in twos and threes on a thick, gleaming golden carpet. Painted on the walls were incredible murals of what Ben assumed were famous Institute members. At one end was a long cabinet, which held all sorts of bottled drinks, but it was the centre of the room that caught their attention. There was a magnificent long table, surrounded by high-backed chairs. Behind the table was a small replica version of the statue of Queen Elizabeth wearing a full suit of armour, holding her sword aloft. Strangely, Ben noticed she was missing her boots. Next to her was a large globe, much like the one in the library, which floated in the air and spun gently on its axis.
“Ben, look!” Charlie said. He was pointing to a grand fireplace at the end of the room. Charlie hurried over, bent down, and started touching the kindling. �
�I knew it. Come here, quick!”
Ben exchanged puzzled looks with Natalie. He hurried over and saw Charlie digging his hands into the ash.
“Feel this,” Charlie said.
Ben knelt down and touched the ash gently.
It was warm.
“Not more than two or three hours old, I'd say,” Charlie said.
Ben felt his whole body tense. “My parents,” he whispered, staring into the fireplace, and then at a stunned Natalie and a grinning Charlie.
“Are you absolutely sure, Charlie?” Natalie said. “How did you know the fireplace was warm from across the room?”
Charlie tapped his nose. “I've got a strong sense of smell.”
“On par with a bloodhound,” Ben said.
Ben got up and surveyed the room, hands on hips. It was clear this was some sort of common room for the Guardians, or anyone else able to get in.
“I wonder what they were doing here,” Natalie said.
“Hiding, probably,” Charlie said.
Ben nodded. It made sense. “Let's take a look around.”
They found nothing further of interest until they approached the table. The boots that were missing from the statue were placed on the table, on top of a whole pile of books and documents.
Charlie scrambled up onto one of the chairs to get a better look. He started picking up documents and books, and scanning them with computer-like speed. “This is fascinating. These are all about the same thing.”
To Ben's frustration, Charlie was so immersed in reading a long yellow parchment that he failed to elaborate. Ben turned his attention to the books; the moment he read a few of the titles, he knew what Charlie meant. A History of the Forreck. Forrecks and Where to Find Them. Forrecks: Should They Be Terminated? Crystal Dragon vs. Forreck: The Ultimate Battle. Ben saw a section highlighted in yellow by someone in the book How to Survive a Forreck.
“While almost immune to magic, forrecks show some vulnerability to the very strongest fire and air spells. There have also been rumours that their powers of regeneration do not extend to severed limbs, though a documented case has yet to be proven.”
