Royal Institute of Magic: The Shadowseeker (Book 2) (21 page)

“Wow,” Charlie said. “That's just what I needed to hear moments before our inevitable capture.”

“A little optimism wouldn't go amiss,” Ben said.

He reached the top of the stairs and poked his head through. A pleasant breeze greeted him and he took a deep breath, relishing the open air and potential freedom.

Just like the Royal Institute of Magic, the roof of SpellWorks Inc. consisted of paddocks. These ones were smaller than the Institute's, but at the same time more spacious and infinitely nicer. There was no smell of pooh, and the grass intersecting the paddocks was perfectly cut. There were sprawling trees at regular intervals, creating an almost park-like feel.

Ben stood up and surveyed the scene, while Charlie and Natalie scrambled up through the hole. The paddocks were primarily filled with pegasus. Their white coats and gold wings gave them a majestic, almost regal look.

“Can you fly one of those?” Ben asked Natalie. She was staring at them with a half-open mouth, and had a peculiar starry look in her eyes.

“I've always wanted to fly an Egyptian Pegasus. Yes, I can ride them.” She seemed so eager that she almost started walking without them.

“I know I'm going to sound like a pessimist again, but isn't this a bit easy?” Charlie said. “You really think they're just going to let us walk up to one of those things and fly away?”

Ben didn't answer. He had been wondering the same thing. Other than the animals, the place was completely deserted. His skin started to get tingly; something didn't feel right.

“Come on,” Natalie said, grabbing both Ben’s and Charlie's arms. There was a wondrous look in her eyes that was clearly blinding any danger she might have sensed. “Let's go and saddle up. I want to see if the wings are as soft as I've read.”

They took one step forwards.

The security guards materialised from nowhere. One moment the path to freedom was clear; the next, they found themselves surrounded by five fully armoured elves. The one directly in front of them stepped forwards. He looked identical to the others, except for a long, blue feather protruding from his helmet.

“We have been expecting you,” the guard spoke, in a calm, measured voice. “It will be easier if you come quietly, but, of course, that is up to you.”

“I say we go quietly,” Charlie whispered, trying to limit his mouth movement.

“I bet we could make it back down the hole,” Natalie said.

“No,” Ben said firmly. “There's no way out that way.”

His hand went into his pouch and he started feeling for the spells. There weren't many defensive spells left, and his options were limited.

“When I give the go-ahead, we run to that pegasus on the left,” Ben said.

He had hoped the security guards would come towards them, creating a scene of disorganisation, but these guards were a cool bunch, and stayed their distance. Ben cursed. He was going to have to make the first move.

“Ready?” he said softly. The little pellet in the pouch touched his fingertips and he rubbed it gently.

“Of course not,” Charlie said, with a hint of anger. “Ready for what?”

“To run,” Ben said. He took out the pellet and threw it on the floor in front of them. Immediately a silky, ethereal net surrounded them, hovering inches above the ground.

“Now!” Ben shouted.

Ben started running, Natalie and Charlie right behind him. The net warped to encapsulate all three of them as they ran. From the corner of Ben's eye he saw two small missiles, cutting through the air and leaving a smoky trail. They cannoned into the field and exploded. The net saved them, but the vibrations nearly threw Ben from his feet. He barely had time to recover when two more hit the net, and Ben saw its fibres start to weaken.

They were less than fifty feet from the pegasus.

“Guard!” Natalie cried.

Dead ahead a security guard blocked their path. His hand was glowing, forming another missile.

Ben thrust his hand down into the pouch. He barely had time to demand an appropriate spell, and just picked the first pellet his hands fell upon. With a quick throw, he launched it at the guard. They were too close for the guard to mount a proper defence, and it hit him in the stomach. His eyes widened, and all of a sudden the guard started floating away.

For a minute, Ben thought they were going to make it.

He didn't spot the half a dozen missiles until it was too late. These ones were bigger, stronger and the net field was already starting to wobble.

The impact threw Ben from his feet. He saw Charlie and Natalie cartwheel through the air. With a grunt, Ben landed heavily on his arm, the air forced from his lungs. His vision blurred, but with superhuman effort he attempted to get back up. He made it onto one knee, before witnessing a sight far more damaging than the impact from the missiles: both Natalie and Charlie were down, unmoving. Ben stared at them, so horror-struck that he didn't spot the final missile. The protective net was history. Ben heard a crack, a flash of light, and then everything went black.

Ben woke to a splitting headache, lying on a firm bed, staring up at a pristine white ceiling. His vision was blurry and just about every part of his body ached. The idea of moving made him wince. His memory was foggy and he couldn't recall exactly where he was or how he got here. Slowly it started coming back.

SpellWorks. Forrecks. Lornor. The failed escape.

Ben's eyes shot open and he sat up – or tried to. He groaned in agony the moment he moved.

“Thank god, you're awake!” Natalie said. She rushed over to sit on the corner of his bed. She seemed anxious to tend to him, but her hands were poised uncertainly, unsure where to start. Natalie had a gash just above her eyebrow, but, other than that, didn't appear too worse for wear.

“I'm fine,” Ben said, forcing himself to sit up.

They were in a small room, empty except for three beds, which were really nothing more than mattresses resting on thin pieces of wood. In the middle of the room was a small table with a pitcher of water. There were no windows and only one door, which Ben knew would be locked.

“This place isn't too bad for a prison,” Ben said.

“We're not in prison,” Charlie said. He had several dark red patches on his shirt and trousers. “This is a temporary holding room while they decide what to do with us.”

“Ah. How long have I been out?”

“Three hours,” Natalie said. “It's almost dinner time.”

Charlie had his legs crossed on the bed with his head resting on the chin, staring despondently at the bed. It took Ben a moment to realise why Charlie was so down.

“The exam,” Ben said, with a sudden urgency that belied his physical state.

“Exactly,” Charlie said, looking up. “We can say goodbye to the Royal Institute of Magic. We'll never get back in time for tomorrow.”

The thought of failing to make the exam gave Ben a shot of energy. He hauled himself to his feet, ignoring his protesting body.

“We have to make it back,” Ben said.

He hobbled over to the door and started pounding on it, shouting for assistance. He kept it up until his voice was hoarse and the skin on his fist was raw.

“We tried that already,” Charlie said. “If anyone is there, they're clearly not interested in us.”

“They will come when they are ready,” Natalie said. “Until we are convicted, they will treat us okay, which means someone will come and give us some dinner to eat.”

“I've got no intention of getting convicted,” Ben said, slamming his hand on the door one more time.

“I'm not sure it's entirely up to us,” Charlie said. “And even if by some miracle we made it back for tomorrow's exam, would they even let us take it after everything we've done?”

Charlie had a point, but Ben didn't care about that right now. If they got out, they could at least plead their case to the Institute. Ben put his hand in his pocket, but his pouch was no longer there.

“Those spells were the first thing they took when they brought us in,” Natalie said. “Where did you get them from?”

Ben sighed and slumped back down on his bed. “I got them from the Guardians’ common room. They are my dad's.”

“Well, that helps explain why you could cast such powerful spells,” Natalie said. “The family connection can make it easier, though I still can't believe how powerful they were.”

“Not powerful enough, though,” Ben said, feeling quite bitter.

A sullen silence fell between the three of them. For Ben, the magnitude of what they had done was starting to sink in. He felt like being swallowed up by the ground.

“I owe you an apology, Ben.”

Ben looked up in surprise and saw Charlie looking at him. “Why?”

“I questioned the logic of coming here. If we hadn't, we would never have found out that your parents went to Lornor and failed to learn anything.”

Ben smiled ruefully. “That's true. On the other hand, if we had followed your logic, we wouldn't be in this mess.”

“I guess that makes us even,” Charlie said, looking a little more like his old self.

“Good, can we move on now?” Natalie asked. Her voice was impatient, but Ben thought she was suppressing a smile. “Let's talk about what we learned from Lornor.”

Charlie stuck a thumb out, and started itemising. “We know Ben's parents were looking for forrecks and any potential weakness they might have, but went away none the wiser.”

Natalie nodded. “Right. We also know that the last remaining forreck was owned by Charlotte Rowe, and may still be living beneath the Institute. That forreck may be protecting Elizabeth's Boots, which were entrusted to Charlotte Rowe.”

Ben roused himself from his morbid state. “According to Lornor, the forreck's only weakness may be a solar eclipse, which happens to occur next week.” He grabbed the thin sheet on his bed and squeezed it in frustration. “Given that my parents failed to find out anything from Lornor, we are the only ones with any chance of getting those boots.”

“Our chances aren't much better than theirs while we're stuck in here,” Charlie said.

There was little else they could do but wait for dinner and hope someone turned up. Ben spent the time thinking up plans for escape, each one wilder than the next. Charlie tried to rest, his body clearly still hurting, while Natalie sat on her bed, fiddling with her hair, lost in thought.

By the time six o'clock came, Ben's body had recovered a great deal, but his stomach was rumbling with hunger pains.

“They should be here soon,” Natalie said, glancing at her watch. “SpellWorks is known for its punctuality, even when it comes to serving prisoners.”

Sure enough, the moment six o'clock struck, Ben heard the faint sound of voices, followed by footsteps. For a second, Ben had visions of another mad escape, but he cast it from his mind, cursing himself for an idiot; would he ever learn? Probably not.

“I hope they serve good food here,” Charlie said, patting his stomach.

The voices became louder, and it soon became obvious there was an argument going on. One voice was an incoherent rant, while the other was calm and collected.

“That's Lornor,” Charlie said of the angry voice, perking up suddenly.

“So it is,” Ben said. “He's probably angry because they haven't sent any cleaners to tidy up his room.”

“I don't think that's the reason,” Natalie said, with a sudden smile. Her elf ears were sharper than Ben’s and Charlie's. “Listen!”

The voices and footsteps were almost at the door by the time Ben could clearly make out what was being said.

“I demand to know who has such authority!” Lornor said.

“You may demand all you like,” the calm voice replied.

“A trial! They must sit through a trial; our law demands it. I will stand witness and testify!”

“Not necessary, I'm afraid,” the same voice said, with equal measure.

Ben felt a rush of hope, mirrored in Charlie’s and Natalie's eyes. Before they could say a word, the door opened, and two very contrasting elves stood in the doorway.

Lornor was in a dishevelled state, his thinning hair a mess, his eyes red with fury. The other elf was small and as relaxed as Lornor was fired up. He wore a fine green coat, embellished with emeralds, that flowed down to his ankles.

“Follow me, please,” the elf said, in a voice that was gentle yet firm.

Ignoring his pains and strains, Ben jumped out of bed, quickly followed by Charlie and Natalie. Lornor gave them looks of pure hatred, baring his teeth, before following hard on their heels.

“I will take this to the chairman himself,” Lornor said. “He still has my ear. He will hear reason.”

“Do as you please,” the elf said, without offering any defence.

Ben hadn't a clue what was going on, but the fact that Lornor was in a rage was clearly a good thing. They didn't seem to be going to prison yet – were they heading to another temporary holding room? Hope threatened to swell his chest, but he forced it down, unwilling to draw conclusions until he knew exactly what was going on.

The elf led them through the maze of passageways and series of steps, until they were walking down one of the three main staircases, with the open arched entrance in clear view. Ben glanced back at Natalie and Charlie, who were now both smiling, unable or unwilling to hide their own expectations.

The elf stopped them by the entrance, and handed Ben back his pouch of spells, before giving them each a long stare. “Let me be clear that SpellWorks frowns heavily upon your actions, and you will not be welcome back here until you have made sufficient amends. Our laws state that you should go to trial and face the consequences. However, it appears you have some very powerful friends who have argued your case at the highest level. You are free to go, but please understand that, should you return, you will face the punishment you have managed to avoid.” The elf turned and directed his gaze to a figure just outside the entrance. “They are all yours, Ms. Walker.”

Ben almost fell over in surprise. On the top of the steps stood Wren. Her long silvery hair, piled on her head, was unmistakable, as were her sparkling grey eyes and peculiar agelessness. The five green diamonds floating above her shoulder were getting looks from everyone who passed.