by Victor Kloss
Ben slammed a hand on the downward button. It wasn't long before the lift opened with a soft ping. To Ben's surprise he had to stand back, as a dozen Institute members, armed and ready, flew out and into the station, barely paying the slightest bit of attention to them. Several other members joined them inside, and within moments they were plummeting down into the depths of London at stomach-churning speeds.
They emerged from the lift into a torch-lit tunnel, and joined the other members who were also in a hurry to get back to the Institute. After several twists and turns, the seven of them emerged into the Victoria Dragonway. Despite the urgency of the situation, Ben couldn't help pausing for just a second to admire the sight. The ceiling was impossibly high and had a faint curve, creating a dome-like effect. Thousands of twinkling lights shone down on a station that was both more modern and yet vastly older and grander than Croydon. There were dozens of platforms, and most of them were busy with dragons coming and going. Institute members, as well as other Unseens, were busy trying to find what limited space they could. The guards and conductors were constantly whistling and barking orders, attempting to keep the dragons moving.
With considerable, and sometimes unfriendly, shuffling and elbowing, including Charlie inadvertently bumping into a two-headed troll who almost threw him onto the track, they managed to squeeze onto a dragon and were soon speeding underground towards Taecia.
If Ben thought it was mad in London, that was nothing compared to the scene that hit them as the dragon pulled up and came to a gentle stop sometime later. He only just about managed to stumble out of the carriage before being barged out the way by a trio of dwarf Wardens who entered the carriage, grim looks on their hairy faces.
“Order!” a deep voice boomed. Another giant of a Warden stood on a make-shift pedestal, four red diamonds floating above his right shoulder. “Keep in line, stay with your team leaders. Make sure you are travelling to the Dragonway you are assigned to. There are a dozen in London alone, remember.”
Ben, followed by the others, scrambled their way through the station, up and over the bridge that crossed the platforms, and out onto the hill that led up to the Institute.
“Oh, my,” Natalie said.
Even Dagmar stopped and stared, though only for a fraction of a second.
The sky was swarming with steeds of every kind, almost completely blocking out the crisp morning sky. There must have been hundreds of smaller animals, pegasi, eagles and griffins, manned by riders heralding from every corner of the Unseen Kingdoms. It was the bigger animals that caught Ben's eye: the huge wyverns, the flaming phoenixes and, of course, the dragons. They were present in every colour and size, often ridden by two or three experienced riders. Many of the beasts circled the sky, clearly under instructions not to mobilise yet, but others shot into the sky, heading for London.
“I need to go,” Dagmar said, breaking the spell that had entranced them all. “The Institute will be expecting me.”
Ben snapped out of his stupor. “What? Now?”
“Yes, now,” Dagmar said, showing just a flicker of impatience behind her ordinarily unflustered face.
Ben met her gaze with his own intensity. “I need you back soon. We have several important decisions to make and we can't wait. We need to have our own meeting.”
For a moment, Ben thought Dagmar was going to override him, but instead she gave him a hard stare, before nodding. Ben was again reminded that he was in charge. It was a daunting thought that made his stomach lurch.
“The Crimson Tower, one hour,” Dagmar said.
“Won't that be busy?” Joshua asked. “Surely the Institute will be using all secure locations for meetings?”
“There are more secure locations than the Crimson Tower,” Dagmar said. “The Institute itself is still the best place to hold meetings. I will make sure the tower is available. You just make sure you are there in an hour’s time.”
They watched Dagmar clomp her way up the hill, until she was out of sight amongst the throngs of Unseens.
“Now what?” Charlie said, patting his stomach idly.
Krobeg clapped Charlie on the shoulder. “An hour, just enough time to have breakfast. I know a couple of places that wouldn't shut unless Suktar himself was battering down the door.”
Krobeg was right, and half an hour later they had tucked into a proper meal before Natalie led them towards the Crimson Tower. They weren't in any rush, and Ben was strangely reluctant to get there. Decisions that he knew he would soon have to make rolled around his head, and a few of them might result in fireworks. More than once Ben caught Charlie staring at him, and he knew instinctively that his friend could guess some of those decisions. But it wasn't Charlie who Ben was worried about; it was Natalie.
The sight of the Crimson Tower in the distance momentarily curtailed his thoughts. It was just as majestic as he remembered: slender with an elegant steeple that towered over the other buildings in west Taecia. The flickering shades of red on the exterior took his breath away, and silenced all of them until they reached the tower's base.
“Anyone got a key?” Charlie asked, shuffling his hands into deep pockets. “Preferably one that will open a red magic tower.”
“I have the key.”
They all turned with surprise to see Dagmar striding down the street, her clomping footsteps drowned out for once by the constant noise coming from the skies above.
Dagmar showed no distinguishable reaction from the meeting at the Institute, but that didn't stop Ben's curiosity being piqued. Had she met with the executive council? If so, he wondered what sort of plans they had made. More importantly, did she realise that those plans were meaningless compared to the ones they were about to make?
Ben shook his head. He was getting ahead of himself, and he forced the thought aside as they entered the tower.
Despite knowing how safe and secure the tower was, Ben wasn't the only one who entered a little hesitantly, as they immediately spotted the fire in the centre of the atrium, which burned just as brightly as their first visit, sending flames towering all the way to the steeple.
“I don't know why, but that fire scares me,” Charlie said, his gaze going skywards. “It would be nice if there was an 'off' button.”
“Without the Flame of Defence, the tower would be vulnerable,” Dagmar said.
They took the spiral staircase up round the tower. At every landing, they came upon the familiar stone archway engraved with hieroglyphs and the big coloured eye at its top, providing yet more security. Ben hesitated only a moment before passing through; even Charlie barely flinched.
The solitary room in the tower was located at the very top. Once more Dagmar produced a key and they entered a large room, partitioned into two distinct sections: a formal meeting area, and a more relaxed lounging space with comfortable chairs and trays of finger foods placed on small coffee tables.
“Looks like the pixies have been here again,” Krobeg said, popping a cherry into his mouth.
Ordinarily Ben would have taken a moment to sample the finger food, and perhaps help himself to a cup of tea, but this time he went straight to the meeting table and sat down, closely followed by Dagmar. The rest followed, though Charlie and Krobeg a little reluctantly, managing to stuff in a few more appetisers.
Ben was suddenly aware that he sat at the head of the table, and everyone was looking at him, with very contrasting expressions. Abigail and Krobeg were the easiest to read, their simple, honest expressions clearly ready to listen to whatever Ben had to say. They, at least, would not be difficult in this meeting. Joshua wore a slightly guarded expression, but he too seemed willing to hear Ben speak. Dagmar was her usual self, but she had shown him enough support recently that he wasn't too worried about her, though he would be an idiot not to be wary.
No, it was his two closest friends he was most concerned about: Charlie and Natalie. Charlie's curiosity and intelligence shone through, his eyes wide and his face a little flushed with anticipation. Natalie, on the
other hand, looked far less at ease. She kept flicking her loose brown hair over her ears, her green eyes locked onto Ben.
Ben knew exactly what was going through her head, but he had already decided he wasn't going to start there. He didn't want pandemonium from the beginning.
Ben cleared his throat, and took everyone in again.
It was meeting time.
— Chapter Three —
Hard Decisions
“It's taken a while, but we're finally ready to hunt down Suktar,” Ben said, addressing them all. He felt momentarily like a school teacher. He had rarely, if ever, prepared for a speech, but this was a special occasion. “Obviously it's not going to be easy. For starters, his stronghold is in Erellia, the mountainous dark elf island in the middle of the Atlantic. Thankfully, we have Dagmar, whose job it is to navigate us there with the aid of Elizabeth's Boots.”
Dagmar gave one of her subtle nods. “I know the way, but it's going to be dangerous, especially when we are forced to travel through the Unseen Kingdoms conquered by the dark elves.”
“How will we get there?” Joshua asked.
“The Dragonway will take us a good way, but eventually that will end, and we will have to be more resourceful. Erellia is hundreds of miles from the nearest allied Unseen Kingdom, so we will either be travelling by sea or air; I've yet to decide. Either way is fraught with peril, especially if we get seen.”
“Good, I love peril,” Charlie muttered.
“How long will it take you to work out a route?” Ben asked.
Dagmar, not known for her hesitancy, gave it only a moment's thought.
“I can have one mapped in forty-eight hours.”
“Good.” Ben paused, and ran a hand through his hair. This responsibility thing wasn't easy. “To be honest, I doubt I'll be ready by then.”
“Why not?” Natalie asked.
Ben tapped a hand on the scabbard. “Elizabeth's Sword. Right now I can barely carry the thing, unless it’s sheathed. I need to learn to control and harness its magic.”
“How do you learn about the sword?” Abigail asked, her eyes a mixture of innocence and bewilderment. “I only had the helm, which is far less powerful, and I had Dagmar to help me.”
Ben gave a small shrug. “I'm fairly confident I can master it, but it's going to take a little time, a lot of discipline and considerable willpower. I think it will be like trying to master a grade-ten spell.”
“Oh, I didn't know they existed.”
Ben smiled. “They don't.” He turned to Joshua, who was eyeing up his shield, which was placed on his lap. “I will need your help.”
Joshua looked up in surprise. “Mine?”
“Yes,” Ben said, a little more forcefully than he intended. “You and I are going to be responsible for taking down Suktar, remember? We need to be able to work in perfect harmony. I've seen you with that shield. You're not much better than I am with the sword.”
Ben half-expected Joshua to complain, but instead he gave a begrudging nod.
“How do you propose we practise? Surely we will need the facilities of the Institute?”
“Yes,” Ben said, considering the matter. He hadn't thought this far ahead, because he thought Joshua would be more argumentative about the matter, but Joshua could be perfectly reasonable when the situation made sense.
“I can help,” Charlie piped up, suddenly, a chubby arm thrust into the air.
“How?” Joshua asked.
“I'll set up a regimen for you,” Charlie said. “I'm quite good now at casting phantom opponents for you to practise against, and I've studied the sequence I believe will best help you combat powerful dark elf warriors, shamans and, ultimately, dark elf royalty.”
Joshua looked dubious, but Ben leapt at the suggestion, especially as he knew it might alleviate the tension between him and Joshua.
“We will still need to work out how to get into the Institute without being seen,” Joshua said. “We have duties, remember, that we're basically abandoning.”
“Leave that to me,” Dagmar said.
Ben nodded, and turned his attention elsewhere. With some effort, he forced himself to face the dilemma that had played on the back of his mind ever since they recovered the final pieces of armour. He suddenly felt a little sick, but shook the feeling off, clenching his fists. This had to be done, and there was no point delaying it any further.
“That just leaves one final issue, perhaps the most important,” Ben said, looking at everyone round the table. “Who is coming?”
“I was wondering when you'd get to that,” Joshua said, leaning forwards a little on his chair. “It is clear to me that the final journey is for Guardians, and Guardians only.”
“What? No!” Natalie cried out.
Somehow she managed to look both surprised and outraged, even though Ben was almost certain she had been thinking of little else. Indeed, she had been unusually quiet during the meeting, most likely waiting and planning for this very moment.
“This job was always for the Guardians,” Joshua said, voice softening just a fraction, as he turned to Natalie. “The simple truth is that we each have very specific roles. Bringing anyone else along could jeopardise those roles and, consequently, the entire mission.”
“Nonsense,” Natalie said, shaking her head so vigorously some of her soft brown hair flicked into the face of a startled Krobeg. “You are forgetting about the most important factors in this whole mission: friendship, loyalty and trust. Without these things, what sort of group are we?”
Natalie looked around imploringly, her arms spread, palms up. It was clear then that she had done her homework and researched this very speech, most likely numerous times.
“Those are all very important attributes,” Krobeg said. His face had softened and Ben could see sympathy lining his craggy face. “But I think in this instance, Joshua might be right — the final journey is for the Guardians, that was clear. I would hate to lose you or Charlie because we didn't realise that.”
“You won't lose us,” Natalie said, slapping her hands down on the table, making them all jump; even Dagmar gave a little flinch. “Whatever happens to us is our responsibility.” She turned with some exasperation to Charlie. “Can you help me, instead of sitting there like a lemon?”
Charlie's face, already a pale shade of red, turned into something resembling a ripe tomato. He attempted to speak, but it took a moment before anything coherent came out, and when it did, Ben could only just about hear it.
“We deserve to come with,” Charlie said, in a remarkably strained voice. Ben could see his hands were almost white, clenching his chair.
“A remarkably convincing argument,” Joshua said, with a flicker of a smile. “Especially for one normally so logical. Is that all you can say?”
Charlie looked ready to protest, but then, like a balloon, he suddenly deflated, and bowed his head for a full minute. When he raised it, there was resignation plastered all over his face.
“I can't do this anymore,” Charlie said. He looked at Natalie, his eyes full of sorrow. “I agree with them. As much as I would like to go — and believe me, I would; we've got this far together — it just doesn't make sense according to everything I've read. The Guardians alone must make this journey. I know we both think we can help, but if anything goes wrong, we're talking about the dark elves winning and potentially taking over both the Seen and Unseen Kingdoms. I don't think anything is worth such a risk.”
There was a sudden silence in the room, broken only by Charlie's breathing as he worked to gather his breath back after his speech. Ben's head was spinning. Half of him was so relieved Charlie had finally revealed his true feelings that he felt like dancing a jig, but any such elation was immediately ruined by the look on Natalie's face. She looked shell-shocked, her green eyes wide, but somehow unseeing. Ben could only imagine what was going through her head. He half-expected her to explode into Charlie and almost cringed in anticipation of such a move.
Instead, she stood
up, looking slightly wobbly. In typical fashion, despite the crushing disappointment clearly going through her head, she managed to walk gracefully to the door, and out of the room.
Nobody moved a muscle until they could hear her footsteps disappearing down the stairs of the Crimson Tower.
Charlie was the first to break the silence. His face was pained, and Ben could see beads of sweat running down his ample cheeks.
“Oh no, I really messed that up. Should I go after her?”
He half got up, until Ben shook his head vigorously. “No. She needs to work this out by herself. It’s been coming for a while anyway.”
Ben's thoughts immediately went to the incident in Lord Samuel's mansion, where, as non-Guardians, they were unceremoniously thrown out of the house. He nodded to himself. Yes, it was the right call, despite the grief it was always going to cause.
“That wasn't pleasant, but it had to be done,” Joshua said. “She'll come round eventually.”
Ben nodded absently, slightly annoyed at Joshua's supposed indication that he knew Natalie like they did; if he thought she would shake the whole thing off in a matter of minutes, or even hours, he didn't know her at all.
Suddenly, Ben was done — he didn't feel like sitting down one more minute, and had a sudden urge to get out of the tower. He clearly wasn't the only one. After hastily organising the next meeting for twenty-four hours’ time, they quickly filed out, each lost in their own world. Within minutes, only Charlie and Ben remained.
Ben stood up, glad to be on his feet, and suddenly found he was hungry. He dipped into a couple of sausage rolls.
“You did the right thing,” he said.
Charlie glanced up, still looking exhausted. “Did I? Natalie's basically going to hate me forever now.”
“No, she won't; you're being ridiculous,” Ben said. It felt good to eat. He hadn't realised how hungry he was, despite breakfast not long ago, and it calmed his nerves. “She's smart. After a while, she'll realise you made the right choice, or at least the sensible one.”
“Yeah, sensible,” Charlie repeated. “Head, not heart, that's me.”