by Victor Kloss
“In the meantime, we need to find the helm’s Guardian,” Ben said. “I know it’s a gamble, but we will have to assume it is someone at Edmund’s. Why else would Hunter take a job there?”
“A reasonable assumption,” Charlie said, tugging the hood of his jacket tighter over his head.
“But there are still hundreds of kids there – how do we go about finding the right one?”
“Twelve hundred and forty-seven, to be exact,” Charlie said. “However, if you factor in that the Guardian has to be the youngest sibling, that brings the number down to eight hundred and twelve.”
“Which is still quite a number. How can we narrow that down further?”
“By spying on Hunter,” Ben said simply. “He must have his eye on the Guardian. I bet if we watch him, he’ll give something away.”
“That could take some time,” Natalie said.
Ben smiled. “Well, we’ve got twenty-eight days. Let’s hope that’s enough.”
Much to Natalie’s annoyance, it was decided that, when spying on the school, she was better off not accompanying them, for fear that her looks, and slightly pointed ears, might attract attention. So every morning, after an hour’s scouting in Tiddlehurst, Ben and Charlie would set off to the school, and slip themselves in. For the first week, they erred on the side of caution, never engaging with students, disappearing if anyone got even slightly suspicious, and spying on Hunter Abney from afar. But as the days passed, they started taking more risks, and began to learn a little bit about Hunter. He was a loner, rarely interacting with other teachers, always eating alone, often in his office. He did come outside during break times and often watched some of the students play. Ben and Charlie made meticulous notes about every student Hunter interacted with. They slowly learned that there was a small group of students Hunter could always be found in close proximity to.
With a week gone, and now only twenty-one days to the supposed dark elf attack, Ben became increasingly bold. They started following Hunter Abney home every day from school to see what else they could learn.
If the pressure of Elizabeth’s Armour, the Guardian and the apprenticeship wasn’t enough, there was also the growing distraction of Aaron. Despite the ample gossip and rumour generated by the dark elf attack, Aaron somehow managed to come a close second. Not only did he continue to excel in his apprenticeship, but he also formed groups comprised of stellar apprentices in each Institute department. They were something Ben normally wouldn’t have touched with a ten-foot pole, except Aaron somehow made them exciting. They were constantly talked about, and Ben overheard apprentices scheming about how they might get in. Ben had been invited into both the Spellsword and Warden groups, but he had declined; he simply didn’t have the time right now. To his surprise, he was asked again, and again, each time from a different apprentice. Ben said no with increasing firmness. He hadn’t heard anything for a couple of weeks and assumed that was the end of it; he was wrong.
“Ben Greenwood?”
A small, chubby girl with pigtails and a rosy face approached him with a serious face.
“Hey, Sophie,” Ben said, with a smile. “What’s up?”
“Mr. D’Gayle needs to see you, urgently,” Sophie said.
It took Ben a moment to realise that D’Gayle was Aaron’s last name.
“Urgently, eh? Couldn’t have just come and found me himself?”
“Oh no,” Sophie said, appearing shocked by the suggestion. “He’s much too busy for things like that. I was sent to find you. Come, I’ll take you to him now.”
Ben followed, out of sheer curiosity.
“So, Aaron has messengers now?” Ben asked with a smile.
“Just me,” Sophie said, as she bounced down the stairs. “He auditioned quite a few of us first-graders, but I got the job. He said he liked my ’gumption’, whatever that means.”
Sophie led him into the apprentice floor and along the corridor. Several times she put up a chubby hand and, with a child-like voice that brooked no argument, said, “Excuse me, coming through, people! No time to waste.”
She stopped at a door that had a sign that read “Meeting Room Four” and proceeded to give a series of timed knocks.
“Come in.”
Aaron’s voice seemed to pass through the door without losing any of its depth or volume.
Sophie opened the door into a small, simple room with a long table and chairs in the middle. Aaron stood, leaning against the table, ready a glossy brochure from “W”.
“Ah, Sophie, well done, my girl,” Aaron said, lowering the brochure as they entered. “I don’t suppose you might be able to stand watch outside for a moment? Ben and I would really appreciate some privacy.”
Sophie thrust out her chest and gave a little salute. “Don’t worry, Mr. D’Gayle, nobody ’cept the prince himself will get in while I’m outside.”
Aaron smiled again. “Delighted to hear it.”
Ben watched her go, her rosy face inflated with pride.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if she managed to stop Draven at gunpoint,” Ben commented, when they were alone.
“Yes, she is rather good,” Aaron replied. “I’m quite pleased with her.”
Aaron plucked a small cigarette-like object from the table. Ben immediately recognised it as a Toogle – they were made by elves, using various spices from the Unseen Kingdoms.
“Those can be addictive,” Ben said.
Aaron took a puff and blew out a small cloud of coloured smoke. “Not for me,” he said.
Ben watched him carefully as he took another puff. Something about Aaron had changed the moment Sophie had left the door.
“Well, what am I going to do with you?” Aaron said, folding his arms over his chest, the Toogle still in hand.
“I’m sorry?”
“You hardly hang out with me or any of my carefully cultivated cliques. You don’t come to any of my gatherings. It’s becoming a problem.”
Ben gave him a look of genuine puzzlement. “How is that a problem?”
Aaron took another puff of his Toogle. “Because you’re popular. You have friends I can only really gather under my wing if you’re seen to be with me.”
Ben’s confusion slowly turned to disbelief, and he almost laughed. “First of all, I’m not popular—”
“Yes, you are,” Aaron interjected, raising a hand. He started reeling off points, raising fingers as he went. “You’re funny, you’ve got that whole ‘I don’t give a damn’ thing going on, which people love, and you’re a hell of a Spellsword.”
“Okay, even if I am, it’s not intentional. Why do you need to be friends with everyone?”
Aaron started slowly pacing the room, arms folded, regularly puffing at his Toogle.
“I’m going to be honest with you, Ben,” Aaron said. “I’m not doing all this for fun.”
“All what for fun?”
Aaron flexed his fingers in an inverted comma sign. “The whole ‘friendly guy’ thing. Creating groups to help people with their apprenticeships. Hanging out with everyone practically every second of the day. You think I enjoy doing that? God no, I’d much rather be flying, sailing or even getting through my apprenticeship alone and in peace.”
There it was. In thirty seconds, the real Aaron had revealed himself. Arrogance and cynicism blasted away his superficial selflessness and easy-going tranquillity. Ben wasn’t even that surprised. He’d seen it coming. Nevertheless, he watched Aaron with renewed caution.
“So why do it, then?”
Aaron stopped walking for a moment and raised a finger. “The future. My future. The Institute’s future. You and I, Ben, we are going to be leaders. But the Institute is a political animal, and we need to gather support. Let’s face it – many of the apprentices are absolute dross and won’t make it as members. But there are a few that, if nurtured, may prove valuable allies in the future.”
Ben couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Political animals? Aaron suddenly sounded like a corporate busine
ssman, not a sixteen-year-old teenager.
“So let me get this straight,” Ben said. “You’re going through all the apprentices to find the ones who might prove useful in the future.”
“Not all the apprentices,” Aaron said. “Only the first three grades. Even I admit to being too unimportant to gain sufficient interest from grades four and five. That will happen next year.”
“Fascinating,” Ben said, stifling a yawn. “Well, as exciting as all this is, I need to get back to work.”
Aaron wagged his finger, seemingly undeterred by Ben’s indifference. “You haven’t given me your word yet. Let’s be honest with ourselves. You and I are head and shoulders above all the apprentices, grade three and down. I need you as part of my team.”
Ben decided to give Aaron the grace of pretending to think about it.
“I’m sorry, that’s not going to happen. I don’t play those sorts of games.”
Aaron didn’t appear angry, but he did give Ben a hard look, his eyes narrowing. “You realise there is no sitting on the side lines? Not for someone as significant as you. You are either with me or against me.”
Ben didn’t like Aaron’s ominous tone, but he was never in any doubt where his path lay.
“I’m not prepared to be one of your followers,” Ben said. “I’m not against you, but if you want to make an issue of it, that’s up to you.”
Aaron gave Ben another long look.“If that’s how it is, then so be it.”
Ben knew in that moment, he had made an enemy. He gave Aaron a final nod, and left.
It was past three o’clock by the time he had finished with the odd meeting. Ben had agreed to meet Charlie and Natalie at McDonald’s in Tiddlehurst, and so he hurried off to the Dragonway.
“Took your time,” Charlie said, the moment Ben entered the restaurant, some time later. They hadn’t waited for him, and both were already tucking into Big Macs.
“Sorry, got caught up in something,” Ben said.
He had thought about revealing the meeting with Aaron, but what was the point? They already had enough on their plates. And, at the end of the day, it was insignificant compared to what they were dealing with.
Ben rushed to the counter, grabbed a Big Mac, and sat himself down next to Charlie.
“So, what do we have?” Ben asked.
“Eight names,” Charlie said, staring at a piece of paper. There had been twenty names, but many had been crossed off.
“That’s not bad,” Natalie said. “So those are the students Hunter pays most attention to?”
“Yeah. Of course, we could be completely wrong, but after a week, that’s our best guess.”
“How do we narrow it down further?” Natalie asked.
Charlie started chewing on the tip of his pen. “It’s tricky, because the Guardian almost definitely has no idea what they are, and probably doesn’t even know about the Institute. So that rules out just going up to them and asking.”
“We need to get more information from Hunter to narrow it down,” Ben said.
“Speaking of which, here he comes,” Natalie said, glancing up at the window.
They watched him pass, careful not to attract any attention to themselves.
Ben patted Charlie on the shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Natalie grabbed her coffee, Charlie his milkshake, and they hurried after Ben, stopping at the exit to peer out.
Ben noticed something odd straight away. “What’s he doing?”
Hunter Abney was walking very erratically and constantly looking around, his usual furtiveness exaggerated. They watched him dive into several shops and then come right back out again, always checking over his shoulder.
“He’s trying to lose someone,” Ben said.
Natalie stared down the street. “I don’t see anyone following him.”
“They may not be visible to the naked eye,” Charlie said. “Or Hunter could just be paranoid and imagining things.”
“Let’s find out, shall we?” Ben said. And he started walking. Charlie and Natalie hurried after him.
“How?” Charlie asked.
“The usual way, by asking.”
“I don’t think that’s a very good idea,” Charlie said, staring anxiously at Hunter’s house in the distance.
“Why not? We’ve been spying on Hunter for a week now and not got anywhere. I think it’s time for a change in tactic.”
Ben led them down the front garden path of Hunter’s house, and used the dragon knob to knock on the door. The sound of footsteps was followed by two locks being undone. Ben remembered three.
Hunter opened the door a fraction, and Ben saw that he had kept the chain attached so that only Hunter’s large, black eyes and hawked nose poked through.
“You again?” Hunter said with irritation. “What do you want?”
Ben decided to get straight to the point. “Who is following you?”
Hunter instinctively looked beyond them, anxiety briefly flaring, before pursing his lips in annoyance. “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Now, have you found Elizabeth’s Sword yet?”
“Not quite,” Ben said.
“Then please don’t bother me again,” Hunter said. “And if I see you at the school one more time, I am going to report you.”
Hunter slammed the door, almost taking Ben’s fingers off.
“Let’s come back when he’s in a better mood,” Natalie said.
Ben shook his head. “No. We’ll come back when he’s not in.”
“You want to break in?” Charlie asked.
“I think we’re running out of options and time. Don’t you?”
“It will be magically warded,” Natalie said. “Just like the school was.”
Ben glanced up at the house. “I realise that.”
“Hunter is no fool, Ben,” Charlie said. “He will have some powerful wards protecting the house. My bank account is already running low; I’m not sure how many more spells I can afford or if you are even strong enough to cast the spells required to break in.”
“Valid points,” Ben said, nodding. Then he smiled. “But don’t worry, I have a plan. A real one this time.”
— Chapter Eighteen —
Spellstrike
With only three weeks until the supposed dark elf attack, Ben started to feel the crunch. To compound the pressure, Ben couldn’t stop thinking about his parents. He had read the book on the void three times now, searching for scraps that might give him some comfort. He found none.
Yet, despite the urgency, his plan to gain entry to Hunter’s house was not one that could be executed with a click of the fingers. They had spent several hours researching the exact spell they might need. It was not one he was able to cast. Yet. So every afternoon, Ben would head up to the Spellsword Department with his Institute handbook and get to work. He spent a couple of hours each day in the Spell Casting room, firing an array of spells of increasing complexity. He caught the eye of several apprentices and even a couple of members who came to watch.
“Very good,” James McFadden said, with a nod. He had his huge arms crossed and had been watching Ben for the last five minutes with a critical eye. He wandered over to the spellshooter shelf and extracted another spellshooter.
“This is the B2,” he said. The spellshooter was beautifully crafted, with an extra-large orb and silver trimmings running down the barrel. “I think you might just be ready for it.”
Ben had been waiting to hear those words for the last five days. He took the spellshooter almost reverentially. It felt slightly heavier than his last one, but he could almost feel its power. Ben picked up a couple of spells, and tried firing them. For the first ten minutes, they barely spluttered out of the spellshooter. After another hour, he was firing them smoothly, though it took great effort.
“Very good,” James said. “The B2 is the first spellshooter capable of firing some of the weaker grade-four spells. Tomorrow, we will try some.”
Ben concealed his delight. It was a grade-four spel
l he planned on using to gain entry to Hunter’s house. He expected grade-four spells to be difficult, and he wasn’t disappointed. It was another couple of days before he could fire them with any consistency. On Monday, seven days after he had started on his plan, Ben was able to rattle off a series of flame dancer spells and watch as they hit the target with a satisfying thud.
“Excellent,” James said. “I think you’re ready. Just remember, firing grade-four spells in real life is a great deal harder than here in the test lab.”
A week it had taken him, but Ben was certain he could not have done it any quicker. He was tired from the constant practice of firing powerful spells. Nevertheless, there was now less than two weeks until the dark elf attack, and Ben hurried down to the apprentice common room in search of Charlie and Natalie.
“There he is!”
Ben heard the voice just as he entered the gallery, about to descend the stairs. A group of six apprentices was coming up, heading his way. Among them was Aaron and a couple of familiar-faced third-grade apprentices, as well as Simon, the mad, ginger-haired boy, and Amy.
“I knew we’d find him here,” said Damien, one of the third-grade apprentices by Aaron’s side.
Ben’s mind was caught elsewhere, and he stopped in surprise. This was the first time he and Aaron had met since their peculiar meeting, and Aaron was back to his easy-going, good-natured self.
“Ben, Aaron’s got some really cool news,” Amy said. She was in the front of the group, and spoke like she was about to explode with enthusiasm. “Aaron’s managed to convince his parents to let us use his spellstrike battleground. It’s one of the best in the whole of Europe. So now we’re making teams. Aaron’s captain, and he insists that you be the opposing captain, to make things fair.”
Amy spoke very quickly, and Ben barely understood any of it.
“I’m sorry, I lost you,” he said, rubbing his ears for show. “Spellstrike battleground? Teams? What are you talking about?”
“A game,” Damien said, “that you’re clearly not familiar with, which is a shame. I don’t know who else we’ll be able to find who can match Aaron’s spellshooter.”
Ben knew he should have just shrugged and headed off to find Charlie and Natalie. But the words “spellstrike battleground” had a rather pleasant ring to them, and he was curious.
