by Victor Kloss
Progress in their studies accelerated. Charlie had breezed through the Diplomacy and Scholar checklists, and had the Warden and Trade departments under control, but he was lagging behind in Spellsword.
“I swear, these pellets are broken,” Charlie said.
He and Ben were in the small practice room by themselves during lunch break. Whereas Ben had passed all five difficulty levels several weeks ago, Charlie was stuck on the last level.
“Here, give me that,” Ben said. He threw the pellet almost nonchalantly at the target board, where it just missed the bull’s-eye and exploded in a puff of flame.
“Oh, stop showing off,” Charlie said, irritably, grabbing another pellet from the shelf.
“Willpower,” Ben said, ignoring Charlie's jab. “Just believe it will explode. The trick is to make the decision with absolutely no doubts or reservations. It's a confidence thing.”
“Not my strong suit,” Charlie said.
“Not true. It's all in your head. You're better up there” – Ben tapped his temple – “than I am. Just raise your expectations.”
Charlie nodded. He spent a good minute eyeing up the target board and juggling the pellet in his hand. Finally he nodded, eyes narrowing. Gritting his teeth, he launched the pellet with a grunt. It hit the edge of the target board and glowed red, before bouncing onto the floor.
“Did you see that!” Charlie said, pumping his fists. “It almost ignited.”
“Progress,” Ben said, grinning. “Let's do it again.”
Ben had his own difficulties, and they happened to be in Charlie's strongest departments. Attention to detail was vital in the Department of Scholars, and Diplomacy required patience – two of Ben's weak areas.
“Okay, we're ready,” Charlie said. “Give it your best shot.”
They were in a small cubicle, along with Marie, one of the Diplomacy instructors, who was armed with a spellshooter.
“Let's hope you do better than last time,” Marie said. “Okay, I'm firing a random diplomatic incident.”
She pointed her spellshooter to the floor, and fired. A tall, gangly troll materialised before them, wearing an ill-fitting suit that looked so out of place Ben had a hard time keeping a straight face.
“Keep your manners in,” Charlie said.
“Right,” Ben said, swallowing his humour. He looked up at the troll and placed his fist across his chest. The troll immediately went red with fury and leapt at Ben with a deep-throated roar. The hologram disappeared just as it was about to crash into Ben.
“You raised the wrong fist in greeting,” Charlie said. “Do that to a hill troll and you are just insulting them.”
“Hill troll? I thought that was a mountain troll?”
“Mountain trolls have darker skin and are stockier,” Charlie said. “Come on, back to the library. I want to show you a proper comparison. A mistake like that will kill you.”
Ben cursed, kicked an imaginary rock and followed Charlie out the room, back to the library. And so it went, day after day, as they inched towards the finishing line.
Though they didn't get to see much of Natalie, she assured them everything was going to plan with her inside contact at SpellWorks Inc. But her research on Charlotte Rowe's family line was slightly less productive.
“I've run into some difficulties,” Natalie said.
She had joined them in the library where they were researching the most efficient way of catching pixies that might have escaped the Unseen Kingdoms. Charlie's head was lost in a book, and Ben was sitting down, leaning against one of the shelves, taking a well-earned break.
“How far have you got?” Ben asked.
“I managed to follow Charlotte Rowe's family line down to the early 20th century, but then all records vanish. I have a feeling the Rowe family may have felt it safer to cut their ties with the Institute.”
“Well, given what's happening to my parents, they're probably right.”
Natalie nodded. “The only thing of interest I found was that Charlotte had a peculiar birthmark on her right shoulder shaped like a bird that seems to have passed down the generations. It could provide evidence of their heritage, if we ever found someone.”
“That could be useful,” Ben said.
Charlie slapped the book shut. “Okay, I've found it. Let's hope for our sake that we never have to track down an escaped pixie.”
Ben's laughter was cut short by a familiar voice.
“What are you all doing here?”
Dagmar popped up so suddenly they all jumped. Ben's surprise turned to alarm the moment he looked up at Dagmar's face. She looked haggard, as if she hadn't slept in several days.
Ben found his voice first. “It's lunch break, Ms. Borovich. We were just doing some extra research for our studies.”
Dagmar blinked, and for a moment she looked like a rabbit caught in the headlights. “What? Very well, run along,” she said. Her eyes had already drifted past them and were looking intently into the library. They watched her disappear into the maze.
“What the hell is going on with her?” Charlie asked.
“I don't know, but I'm half tempted to follow her and see if we can find out. Is she spying on us or something?”
Ever since they had discovered the Guardian's common room, they had started seeing more and more of Dagmar, popping up in unexpected places. She never said anything of consequence, and behaved as though the meetings were purely incidental, but more than once Ben caught her giving them prolonged stares from the corner of his eye.
“Who knows?” Charlie said. “But we don't have time to worry about that right now. There are only five more days until the exam and I'm starting to freak out. Can we go over the trading laws for the Unseen Kingdoms again? I'm not one hundred percent confident about them.”
As the day of the exam approached, even Ben started getting butterflies in his stomach. There was so much to learn, and even though they had now finished their checklists, they spent every waking moment revising, spurred on by the knowledge that failure to pass the exam meant expulsion from the Institute. To make matters worse, Joshua and his friends were taking every opportunity to taunt Ben and Charlie about the upcoming exam.
“Oh, god, here they are again,” Charlie said. “Let's go somewhere else.”
He was already half-standing, but Ben pulled him back down again.
“No,” he said firmly. “I'm still drinking my tea and I want to finish my apple pastry.”
They were in the corner of the common room, books spread out on a stool in between their chairs.
Joshua was wearing a typically fashionable open black shirt, skinny jeans and black leather shoes. His blond-highlighted hair was subtly spiked, and his blue eyes resembled a hawk's spotting its first meal of the day.
“Well, well,” Joshua said. “If it isn't our two desperate apprentices. How much time left? Five days? Six?”
“Three,” Ben said, knowing full-well Joshua was aware when the exam was; there was a chart posted in one of the rooms.
“Just three?” Joshua said. “I assume you've gone through all the practical steps again?”
“No,” Charlie said, looking up with an expression of alarm. “Do you think we should have?”
“Oh dear,” Joshua said, a hand going to his tanned face. “Of course, you have to do that. The first time through, the practical steps are easy; it's only on the second and third times where they really test you. You will definitely need that for the exam.”
“We'll make do,” Ben said, giving Joshua an easy smile, even as Charlie re-opened the handbook and started browsing through the various practical steps.
“Your choice, I'm just trying to help,” Joshua said, with a shrug. “Personally, I never thought either of you would make it to the second grade anyway. You're not Institute material.”
“What's that supposed to mean?” Ben asked softly. He could hear his blood start to pump in his ears and squeezed the armrests of his chair.
“Isn't it obviou
s?” Joshua said. There was now a nasty glint in his eye. “You” – he pointed to Charlie – “look so out of place I don't know whether to laugh or cry. And I would have thought you, Ben, would have the good grace to forego the Institute after everything your parents have put us through.”
Ben's fist flew towards Joshua's chin as if it had a mind of its own. It connected with a satisfied crunch and Joshua reeled backwards. Ben, a keen rugby player, showed his sporting prowess by executing a perfect tackle, launching himself at Joshua's waist. Both of them hit the ground, Ben on top of Joshua. Ben had one objective – knock Joshua senseless. He aimed another punch, but his arm was caught by someone and he was hauled off Joshua by two of his crew – tall, ugly-looking boys with manic fury in their eyes. One of them aimed a clumsy punch at Ben's jaw, which he sidestepped, but he could do nothing about the other boy, who was now looming over him. He wasn't much bigger than Ben, but he was well built, with fists like bricks and an eager smile that came from confidence in brawls. Before the boy could land a blow, a scream came from behind. Charlie launched himself onto the boy's back and clung on to his neck like some mad piggy-back ride. The boy let out a low growl, melding in with Charlie's high-pitched cursing, and for a moment it was bedlam.
“I'm going to enjoy this.”
Joshua had gotten to his feet and pulled out his spellshooter, which was now pointing at Ben's head.
Ben stepped back instinctively, but there was nowhere to go. From the twisted grin on Joshua's face, Ben could tell whatever spell he was about to cast wasn't going to be pleasant. He placed a hand in his pocket and felt his dad's pouch, full of spells. He never went anywhere without it, and was now grateful.
“What's your problem?” Ben asked, biding for time. How could he get the pouch out and cast the spell before Joshua pulled the trigger? “My parents were proven innocent. They never killed the elf prince. That was all a sham.”
“This isn't about that,” Joshua said. His finger started to depress the trigger. Ben grabbed the pouch.
“Joshua Wistletop!”
For once, the familiar voice came as a relief.
Joshua had such a crazed look in his eye that for a moment Ben thought he was going to pull the trigger anyway. But after a moment, he lowered his spellshooter.
“What on earth are you playing at?” Dagmar said, as she marched over, putting herself between Ben and Joshua. The signs of exhaustion on her face were momentarily replaced by a subtle anger, which on Dagmar spoke volumes.
“He punched me in the face,” Joshua said, fingering his jaw. “I was giving him some advice on the upcoming exam and he lashed out.”
“I don't care if he tried to wipe out the entire elven species,” Dagmar said, her voice calm and controlled. “You do not pull a spellshooter on another apprentice. Do I make myself clear?”
Joshua looked as though he had just swallowed a lemon. “Yes, Ms. Borovich.”
“Good. Now march yourself into my office.”
Joshua gave one last look at Ben, before reluctantly turning and heading out of the common room.
“The rest of you, disperse,” Dagmar said. “And you” – she pointed a stubby finger at Ben – “I will be speaking to you later.”
The common room emptied in double quick time. Ben and Charlie headed down the stairs, and promptly ran into Natalie on her way up.
“I've been looking for you guys. I've got good news,” she said brightly. Then, seeing Ben’s and Charlie's looks, she frowned. “What's the matter?”
“Not here,” Ben said. “Let's go to the café.”
One short trip, three hot chocolates and a spell bubble later, and they were all sitting comfortably by their favourite spot in the café, next to the window. Ben quickly recapped what had happened in the common room. Only then did he notice that Charlie had a little bruise under his eye.
“It's nothing,” Charlie said, waving away Natalie's hands with some embarrassment. “That scary guy I jumped on caught me with a flailing arm while I was hanging on to him.”
“You saved me with that crazy move,” Ben said.
Charlie seemed uncomfortable with the praise. “Did you recall what Joshua said about your parents?”
“Yes,” Ben replied, stirring his hot chocolate. “He's clearly not happy with them, though I have no idea why.”
“Well, it must be serious, as he really doesn't like you,” Charlie said.
“I'll ask him one day,” Ben said, with a shrug. Then, eager to change subjects, he turned to Natalie. “So, what's this good news?”
“I've got us a way in to SpellWorks,” Natalie said, brightening. “The only catch is that it has to be done on Sunday. My inside contact insisted on that.”
“Sunday?” Charlie said, sitting up and almost dropping his hot chocolate. “That's the day before our exam. That's our last chance to revise.”
“The timing isn't great,” Ben admitted. “How long do you think the SpellWorks trip will take?”
“Probably most of the day. It's a bit of a journey. I can re-arrange the date, but my contact said it was Sunday or next month.”
“No, I don't want to wait that long,” Ben said. “Sunday it is.”
— Chapter Twenty —
SpellWorks Inc.
Ben and Charlie spent Saturday, from morning till night, revising like maniacs. They spent a lot of time in the library, going through their handbooks, and also re-doing any practical tests they had difficulty with. Charlie was eventually able to ignite the level five pellet, and finished his Spellsword checklist. Ben finally managed to learn the proper etiquette for the ten different types of troll.
That night Ben was so exhausted he fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow, despite the excitement of tomorrow's SpellWorks visit looming.
The next morning, Ben and Charlie met Natalie outside Taecia's Dragonway. Being the weekend, they were all more casually dressed, and Ben was again reminded of how pretty Natalie was. She wore a flowery green dress, matching her almond-like eyes, and her hair flowed over her shoulders. On her hip her spellshooter was holstered.
“So, where to?” Ben asked.
“Back onto the Dragonway.”
They headed back over the station's bridge and down the stairs to platform seven. As they passed a train map, Charlie stopped and inspected their route. He looked up at Natalie with surprise.
“SpellWorks have their own station?”
“They have their own island, actually,” Natalie said, smiling at Charlie's astonishment. “It's just off the coast of Italy.”
The dragon arrived on time and they found themselves alone in a carriage. The journey passed quickly, despite Natalie's refusal to describe what SpellWorks looked like, claiming she couldn't do it justice. The juddering deceleration less than two hours later announced their arrival at SpellWorks station. Ben's stomach hit the seat bar and the train went into a steep incline as it headed towards the surface. They emerged into the light and the dragon coasted gently down the platform. Ben, who wasn't prone to gaping, felt his jaw open. Everything seemed to be constructed of glass or crystal, from the shiny platform floor to the gleaming columns that held up the high glass ceiling. The place was pristine and there was a pleasant fragrance in the air. Ben wasn't sure if they had entered a train station or a palace.
“Come on, guys, get out,” Natalie said, nudging Ben and Charlie, who were both so busy staring they had completely forgotten to exit the carriage. Ben soon noticed another oddity: there was no bridge connecting the platforms, and no obvious way to cross them.
“Wow – look at that!”
Charlie was pointing at a small family. They were flying serenely over the platforms, and landed safely on the other side. Ben saw another couple do the same, then several more.
“Over here,” Natalie said.
She directed them to a sign, cast in glass, that said “Hand here”. On the sign was a cut-out shape of a hand.
“Just think where you want to go,” Natalie said, smiling
at their expressions. “Watch.”
Natalie pressed her slender hand onto the sign. Immediately she rose into the air and glided across the platforms.
“Seems simple enough.” Ben grinned. “Do you want to go next?”
“I think I'll watch you, actually,” Charlie said.
Ben spread his hand and pressed it against the sign, matching the hand imprint. He felt his stomach leave him for a second as his body started a gentle ascent. Ben gave a little whoop and kicked his legs. Upwards he went, until he envisioned the exit in his mind, at which point he started going forwards. He sailed over several platforms, easily clearing the dragons and their carriages, before landing gently at the other side of the station, next to Natalie. Ben immediately turned and saw a slightly flustered Charlie sailing through the air, his arms and legs wobbling.
“Excuse me!” he said, as he landed heavily in between Ben and Natalie. “Ow, sorry about that.”
Natalie led them through a grand, intricately decorated crystal archway, and out of the station. Ben felt like he'd entered another universe. He stopped and stared, not caring that he was blocking the station's entrance, forgetting everything except the view that greeted him.
Four magnificent castles, with turrets and huge spiral towers, lined the grassy landscape in the distance. Each was tinted in a different colour – red, white, blue and green. Hovering above each one was a huge animated hologram bearing that castle's element – a burning log fire for the red castle; a cascading waterfall for the blue; a spinning tornado for the white; and a swaying tree for the green. A road led from each castle and then converged, forming one large causeway, which cut through the grassy plains and led to a fifty-foot-high crystal fence that surrounded the castles. Running around the perimeter of the fence was another road, which was just as busy as the one running to the castles.
