by Victor Kloss
“Why’d you say no?” Simon asked, as soon as Aaron was out of earshot. “We could take him down next time, I’m sure of it.”
A few of the others voiced similar thoughts, until William raised his hand.
“It’s Ben’s choice, and we have to respect that. Personally I’m sick of dealing with Aaron, so I’m happy with Ben’s decision. Let’s face it, none of us – except Ben – thought we had a chance of winning, so let’s be satisfied with what we achieved, and move on.”
Ben smiled his thanks at William’s support. He felt a huge weight lift from his shoulders, knowing the spellstrike ordeal was finally over, and without losing face against Aaron.
Now it was back to the simple matter of completing the second-grade apprenticeship and continuing their search for Elizabeth’s Armour before the dark elves took over the world.
— Chapter Eight —
Back to the Apprenticeship
The following Monday, Ben arrived at the Institute raring to dive into the apprenticeship. What he wasn’t expecting was the mixed looks he got from fellow apprentices. Many congratulated him on the spellstrike game, but others gave him disappointed, even annoyed stares.
“Ignore them,” Natalie said. “Aaron has been at it again, explaining that the reason we’re not getting the replay is because you didn’t want one. There is even a silly rumour going round that you were too scared for it.”
“Morons,” Charlie muttered.
“I really don’t care,” Ben said with a shrug. “I’m done with Aaron’s games. I just want to get on with the apprenticeship and forget about him.”
They lined up for morning muster and were early for once. Ben watched as the apprentices wandered in, and the room slowly filled up.
Dagmar, Master of Apprentices, walked in, with one minute to spare. Not for the first time, she reminded Ben of a miniature army general, with her impossibly straight back, crisp clothing and baton held behind her back. The effect was ruined slightly by her comically large shoes and her long eyelashes that softened her otherwise rock-hard face.
“Good morning, apprentices,” Dagmar said, after she had rattled off muster. “I have a couple of announcements to make – the first applies to everyone; the second to a select few.”
Like everyone else, Ben’s interest was piqued. Dagmar didn’t often make announcements, but when she did, they were usually interesting.
“The first announcement concerns the dark elves. I have made it known to all the directors that I want as little disruption as possible, but Draven, the Head Warden, is in desperate need of resources in the War Room, so don’t be surprised if you are requisitioned at some point. There are various duties the other directors have requested, but I will attempt to tie them in with your apprenticeship, so you are not wasting time. Is that clear?”
Simon’s hand shot up. “What is this War Room? It sounds awesome.”
“You will find out, should you be called to work there. Any other, less ridiculous questions? No? Good. My next announcement is only for Ben, Charlie, Amy, Georgia, Frederick and Aaron. The rest of you are dismissed.”
The apprentices filed out, many of them giving Ben and those remaining a curious stare. Ben noticed they were all second-graders, by the two stars floating above their right shoulders. He didn’t know Amy, Georgia or Frederick that well, but they had hung out a bit recently and he found he enjoyed their company. When they were alone, Dagmar called them forwards, and they lined up behind her desk.
“You six are here because I have booked you in for the second-grade exam in exactly four weeks from today,” Dagmar said.
Ben saw the colour drain from his fellow apprentices’ faces – except for Aaron, who looked perfectly calm.
“Needless to say, you all have work to do to catch up in various departments. Now that the spellstrike game is over, I expect your full commitment and attention to finishing the handbook checklist and readying yourself for the second-grade exam. I don’t need to remind you that failure constitutes elimination from the apprenticeship. Any questions?”
None were raised – partly, Ben suspected, because nearly everyone was in shock.
“I will attempt to exempt you from dark elf duties for as long as possible, but I suspect, as all of you are competent apprentices, that you will be drawn in sooner rather than later. However, they have assured me it will not occupy more than an hour per day, until you have finished your exam. I have managed to temporarily excuse you from Barrington School, so you can come straight here in the morning. Any further questions? No? Good. Dismissed.”
Ben and Charlie headed straight to their lockers, pulled out their handbooks, and went to the common room.
“Over here, guys!” Natalie said, waving. She had saved them a nice table in the corner, surrounded by low, squishy chairs. They plonked themselves down, and opened their textbooks on their laps.
“Exam in four weeks,” Charlie said, meeting Natalie’s enquiring stare.
“Oh my goodness,” Natalie said. “You guys are going to be swamped.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “I guess that means we won’t be able to research that dark elf symbol we found in the dwarf hall. I’m really curious as to what it might be.”
“So am I,” Ben said, his head buried in his checklist. “But as much as I hate to say it, it’s going to have to wait. As usual, I’m behind in Diplomacy and Scholar. I’m just about on target in Trade, and I’m ahead in the Warden and Spellsword departments.”
“Basically the opposite to me, then,” Charlie replied. “I’m well ahead in Scholar and Diplomacy. I’m a little behind in Trade, and well behind in Warden and Spellsword.”
Ben glanced up at Natalie, and made sure nobody was watching them. “I really can’t see Charlie or myself getting even a minute free for the next four weeks. If you get any time, could you do some research into the dark elf symbol?”
“I’m sure I can,” Natalie said. “I’ve already got a few ideas of where to look. How about we meet up at Cherzo’s for dinner at six o’clock each night for a catch up?”
“Sounds good,” Ben said, standing up. He glanced at Charlie, who rose with him. “So, what do we tackle first?”
“I saw how horribly behind you are in the Scholar Department,” Charlie said with a severe frown. “So let’s hit the library. We need to get you up to speed.”
Ben groaned, his enthusiasm suddenly dulled. “I thought you might say that. I really don’t get how you enjoy it so much.”
“I’ll attempt to show you. Come on.”
While the Department of Scholar was never going to be as fun as the Spellsword or Warden departments, Charlie certainly made it more bearable. He knew where all the good books were and managed to limit the monotonous reading. To Ben’s surprise, he found that there were talking books that read to you and responded to your questions. Then there were diagrams, illustrations, and real-life examples of things they were studying – maps; historical documents; real bits of armour from past battles – all located in areas of the library Ben didn’t know existed. With Charlie’s help, it wasn’t long before Ben was starting to catch up in the Scholar Department.
Then the tables turned. With Ben now up to speed, it was his turn to help Charlie, who was horribly behind in the Warden Department.
“I hate real-life exercises,” Charlie muttered.
Ben and Charlie were hurrying down the hill, towards the Dragonway.
“Why? Simulations are okay, but you can’t beat the real thing,” Ben said.
Charlie had been given an assignment from Heidi, the Warden responsible for tracking low-level Unseens. A pixie was rumoured to be attempting to travel to London without a proper visa, and it was Charlie’s job to make sure that didn’t happen. He had with him his spellshooter, armed with a number of basic spells, and a small wooden box to capture the pixie if necessary.
“I just hope the pixie listens to reason, because I really don’t w
ant to try to catch the thing in this,” Charlie said, holding up the box miserably.
“You’ll be fine,” Ben said with a grin. “Remember, the objective is to stop the pixie getting on the Dragonway – it doesn’t really matter how you do it.”
Ben and Charlie headed straight for the Dragonway entrance, and stopped at the archway in front of the stairs that led to the platforms. Ben didn’t have his spellshooter, nor did he plan on helping Charlie with the capture, as that would violate the objective requirements. Charlie was supposed to do this by himself; Ben was just here for moral support.
“Look relaxed,” Ben said. “You look too obvious, like you are clearly here on duty.”
“Well, I have the stars floating over my shoulder, don’t I?” Charlie said irritably. “It’s hard to avoid being seen as an Institute apprentice like this.”
“Doesn’t matter,” Ben said. “If you look relaxed, you’re less likely to be suspected, which will make stopping the pixie easier – trust me.”
Charlie attempted to relax, and even tucked into an apple, which helped. Ben spotted several pixies enter the Dragonway, but it wasn’t for another twenty minutes before Charlie’s eyes widened.
“There he is!” he said, pointing.
“Put your finger down. You’re calling attention to yourself.”
Charlie’s brow was starting to perspire and he wiped it with a chubby hand.
“Stay relaxed,” Ben said. “He’s coming this way, and he clearly hasn’t noticed you yet. Just ease yourself into position.”
The pixie was clearly troubled. He flew just above the crowd, occasionally knocking his legs into a lumbering giant or a hulking troll. The pixie’s nerves could help Charlie or they could make things complicated, depending on how Charlie handled it.
“Here he comes,” Charlie said. He looked just as nervous as the pixie, but to his credit, the moment they locked eyes on each other, Charlie put on a passable show of authority.
“Excuse me, Mr. Alendor?” Charlie said, stepping forwards, into the path of the pixie.
The pixie gave a little start, as he finally clocked Charlie, just feet from his face.
“Yes,” the pixie said, in a typically high-pitched voice. “What is it?”
“My name is Charlie Hornberger, and I work for the Institute,” Charlie said, pointing to the stars above his shoulder. He pulled out a letter. “I have been led to believe that you plan a trip to London without holding the necessary paperwork. Is that correct?”
“Yes. No – possibly,” the pixie said. There was a growing alarm in his voice, and he made several furtive gestures with his wings that Ben was fairly sure Charlie hadn’t noticed.
Stay calm, Charlie, Ben wanted to say. The trick was to let the pixie know they were on the same side.
Charlie produced a small bracelet from his pocket. “If you agree to wear this tracking bracelet and calmly return home, I will be happy to forget the matter.”
Too early! Ben thought. You haven’t won him over yet.
The pixie looked at Charlie, and then over his head, at the stairs leading up to the Dragonway platforms.
Ben tensed himself. Charlie, on the other hand, had his arm halfway extended with the bracelet to the pixie, a hopeful smile on his face.
The pixie bolted, flying right over Charlie’s head, zooming up the stairs.
Charlie whipped round in astonishment. “Shit! I thought I had him.”
“Not quite,” Ben said urgently. “Let’s go, you have to get him before he makes it onto the Dragonway.”
To Charlie’s credit, he responded immediately, reaching for the wooden box, and flying up the staircase. Ben followed just behind. Charlie did a decent job of avoiding fellow passengers, mainly by screaming “Sorry, excuse me, coming by, Institute business!” at the top of his voice. Ben could just make out the wings of the pixie as it sped along the bridge that overlooked the platforms. As it approached platform seven, it took a shortcut, and flew over the bridge, directly towards the platform, avoiding the need for stairs.
“Oh no you don’t,” Charlie said. He ran right up to the edge of the bridge, stuck his spellshooter through the rails, and trained it on the pixie. Before Ben had time to ask what he was attempting, Charlie fired a couple of white spell blasts. The first skimmed by the pixie, but the second hit him right in the back. The pixie’s wings immediately stopped flapping, and the pixie fell the remaining few feet onto the platform. He got up straight away and started running towards the dragon.
Charlie darted down the platform stairs, with Ben just behind. To Ben’s amazement, Charlie managed to close the gap on the wounded pixie with some determined running.
“Got you!” Charlie cried, and leapt onto the pixie. They both hit the floor. Ben hung back, ready to help, but there was no need. The pixie squirmed and fought, but it was no match for Charlie’s superior strength. Ignoring the scratches and bruises from the pixie’s sharp nails, Charlie stuffed the squealing pixie into the wooden box, and slammed it shut.
Charlie sat, legs sprawled, on the platform floor, huffing and puffing, but with a large smile plastered across his face.
“That was impressive,” Ben said, hauling Charlie to his feet. “I mean it. The shot under pressure was fantastic, and the way you chased him down was epic. A few weeks ago you’d never have been able to do that.”
Charlie was beaming from ear to ear. “Let’s get this thing back to Heidi, before it tears a hole in the box. Then I think we both deserve some serious lunch.”
Over the next couple of weeks, Ben and Charlie continued helping each other in their weaker areas, while working to finish up the checklist in their strong fields. It was a harmonious relationship that worked wonderfully, except for the odd occasion when they both got stuck, such as the time they failed to convince a family of dwarves to sell them a set of cooking bowls for their target price. Or when neither of them could work out how to resolve a petty squabble between two neighbouring pubs. Diplomacy and Trade continued to be a pain at times.
“Other than those two hiccups, we’re doing okay though,” Charlie said.
“That’s great,” Natalie said. “You guys will definitely be ready in two weeks’ time.”
The three of them were back in the common room, catching a well-earned break, before another intense session in the combat room for Spellsword training.
“You guys are still on the checklist, then?”
Aaron’s voice floated across the room. He was sitting on a table with the other grade-two exam candidates.
“Yes, we are,” Ben said coolly.
Aaron shrugged. “I see. I thought you’d be done by now, Ben. I’m finished, and now just spending time revising. I highly recommend it if you want to score high grades in the exam.”
“Are the rest of you guys finished?” Ben asked.
They all shook their heads, and Ben felt a little better.
“I’ve still got to finish up the Warden and Trade checklists,” Frederick said. “Trade is a nightmare.”
“We’ve got a little bit to do on each of the departments,” Amy said, referring to herself and Georgia. “But I definitely want to take Aaron’s advice and get some revision in before the exam. I bet it will help.”
She gave Aaron a smile, and was delighted when he returned it.
“It will be interesting to see what scores we all get,” Aaron said. “Personally, my family are expecting me to maintain my record of straight As. I don’t want to disappoint them. How about you, Ben? What are your expectations?”
Ben shrugged. “I just want to pass, and make it to the third grade.”
“Oh, I’m sure you’ll do that,” Aaron said. “However, you’ll need a really good score if you want to—”
Aaron’s sentence was cut short, as his eyes shot past them to someone who had entered the common room.
Ben turned. It was Dagmar, and she was marching right up to them.
Without waiting for a reply, she turned, and immediately left.
Ben and Charlie exchanged confused glances, and then followed Dagmar out of the common room.
— Chapter Nine —
The War Room
“Where are we going?” Ben asked.
Dagmar was marching upstairs, her large feet clacking on the marble staircase.
“The War Room,” Dagmar replied, upon reaching the gallery on the Warden floor. She looked even stonier than normal as she led them through the double doors, and along the corridor. Ben immediately spotted Wardens hurrying along at breakneck pace, many of them lost in conversation, so that Ben had to sidestep to avoid being knocked over. Dagmar didn’t move a jot, and several Wardens almost crashed into her, until they spotted who she was, and promptly moved aside. Dagmar eventually stopped by the aforementioned War Room. Ben could hear lots of voices beyond.
“Stay by me or you’ll get flattened,” Dagmar instructed.
Without further explanation, she opened the door, and they stepped inside.
Sticking with Dagmar was harder than Ben had anticipated. His first reaction was to stop and stare. The room was huge, and absolutely packed. There must have been at least fifty members in the room, almost all of them talking, or shouting, creating a scene of mayhem. Taking up most of the right side of the room was a huge table, on which a giant map of England lay, dotted with tiny, coloured flags, reminding Ben of various war games he’d played. Surrounding the table must have been at least two dozen Wardens, plus several apprentices, busily placing more flags or shuffling existing ones to different positions.
“Ben! Charlie!”
Dagmar’s sharp voice called them from the other side of the room.
“This is Lorena,” Dagmar said, introducing the two of them to a small, shapely Warden with three red diamonds floating above her shoulder. “You will be under her. I have told her specifically that you are not to work more than an hour a day.”