by Victor Kloss
“Germany?” The kobold twisted his head. “I travelled many miles to escape Germany. You think I would just return? You are crazy, little boy. Is that your only offer?”
“I can offer you protection in Germany, with our Institute arm over there,” Ben said. He was now talking complete rubbish, but it was worth a go. “You will be safely lodged and given protection for a period of thirty days. After that time, you will be expected to fend for yourself.”
Incredibly, the German kobold seemed to consider his offer. His green eyes narrowed, and his long tongue licked out. Ben kept a neutral face, trying desperately not to show how much he needed this deal. The fact was he was tired from fighting the Ferral dog, and he wasn’t sure he could tackle this kobold so soon after.
There was a moment’s silence.
The kobold raised his spear, and shook his head. “I refuse your offer, little boy. I have decided to live here. The room is comfortable, it is warm, and I am content.”
Ben thought about rationalising, but what was the point? He’d read how stubborn kobolds were.
“Your choice,” Ben said.
The kobold was clearly expecting Ben to be flustered or at least momentarily taken aback. It caused the kobold to hesitate, just for a second. Ben had one opportunity, and he struck. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, than he raised his spellshooter and ripped a fireball right into the kobold’s chest. The kobold flew back with a scream, crashing into the wall. He wasn’t down for long, but Ben hadn’t expected him to be. They were highly resistant to magic, and Ben couldn’t afford to buy expensive spells with the budget he was given.
“That hurt,” the kobold said with some surprise, rubbing his stomach, as he got up.
“That’s the idea,” Ben said.
The kobold flashed its white teeth, and brought forth its small spear. “Now it’s my turn to hurt you, little boy.”
Ben had read about the German kobold’s competence with a spear, and he was ready. He fired a spell into his hand, producing a slender sword. The kobold registered the weapon. Ben had hoped for a reckless charge, but in another indication of the creature’s intelligence, he advanced slowly. Ben was ready, or thought he was. The kobold attacked out of the blue, with blistering pace. Ben was immediately backpedalling, trying to shuffle his feet so that he didn’t fall over the various debris lying on the basement floor. The kobold turned, and spun, the red-tipped spear cutting a stream of light through the air. Ben managed to cut and block several times before he felt the first painful sting, biting into his shoulder. He ducked and threw himself left, just about avoiding an impaling. But the kobold didn’t let up – he turned immediately, chasing his prey, going for the kill.
Ben brought his spellshooter up, and fired. A flare of bright light filled the room, and the kobold screamed in pain. Ben launched forwards, and threw himself into the kobold’s chest. They both went down in a heap, but the kobold recovered with remarkable speed and strength, and Ben was suddenly fighting not to have the creature all over him.
Ben was starting to tire. He tried kneeing the kobold, but couldn’t summon the strength. The kobold’s wiry hands squeezed down on his wrists, and his large jaw-like mouth closed in on his exposed neck. Ben kicked frantically, strength borne of panic, but to no avail.
No! He was not going to get eaten by a kobold. This couldn’t be happening.
“Is everything okay down there?”
The lady’s voice floated down the stairway, and into the room.
The kobold jolted upwards, and glanced towards the open door in surprise.
Ben struck, hard, taking advantage of the kobold’s momentary weakened grip. He threw a fist at the kobold’s exposed jaw. He adjusted his spellshooter, and unloaded a flame spell right into the kobold’s face. While the kobold was screaming in pain, Ben dived away and thrust his hand into his pocket, pulling out the silver collar and the rope. He looped it over the kobold’s head, and pulled the rope, tightening it so it almost choked the kobold.
That did the trick.
The kobold’s anger quickly turned to horror, and it scrabbled at the collar.
“Stop! Stop!”
Ben loosened the grip, but only a fraction. “Stop moving or I’ll tighten it again.”
The kobold obeyed immediately, and Ben realised then what a mistake he had made. Why hadn’t he purchased more silver-based spells? They were so effective. It was too late for that now. Ben pulled the German kobold to his feet, none too gently. He wanted nothing more than to lean against the wall and attempt to recover, but now wasn’t the time.
“We’re going to the Dragonway,” Ben said. “Any funny moves and I’ll choke you to death. Do I make myself clear?”
The kobold nodded, his sharp hands clawing at the collar, but to no avail.
Ben marched up the stairs, the kobold before him. There, in the hallway, was the lady, waiting for him the moment he appeared. Her eyes almost exploded from her sockets the moment she saw them.
“It’s a bit messy down there,” Ben said with an apologetic smile. “You might want to clear it up a bit when you have a moment.”
The lady nodded silently. With a pale face, she muttered something that sounded like “thank you”, and ushered them both outside onto the street. Ben heard the door lock twice behind him.
Now out in the open, the temptation was to relax, but Ben knew his work was far from over. The kobold was already starting to recover, and Ben saw him eyeing freedom with greedy eyes. It took several violent yanks to remove his obvious intent.
Ben walked, trying not to show how exhausted he was to the kobold, knowing one violent attack and the creature could probably escape. He got several stares as he marched the German kobold to the Dragonway, but the kobold got far more. They were not a common sight, even in Taecia, and the German variety was almost unheard of. Ben was thankful that most gave him plenty of room, for he lacked the energy to even bother telling people to get out of the way. He struggled up the Dragonway stairs, and up onto the bridge that ran over the platforms. Here he stopped. Number three declared an eventual passage to Düsseldorf, which was the only name Ben recognised as German. Düsseldorf it was, then. Ben tugged the kobold and was already heading down the platform when he realised what his next problem would be. Did he board the Dragonway with the kobold to ensure delivery? If so, he would never make it back in time. Or should he just dump the kobold on the Dragonway and hope he made it back safely? Somehow, Ben couldn’t see that happening.
“Mr. Greenwood,” a voice called from ahead.
Ben looked up, and to his great relief saw a man with three red diamonds over his shoulder walking right towards him.
“I’ll take over from here,” the man said, giving Ben an approving nod.
Ben was more than happy to hand over the collar to the Warden.
“You’d better get back – you have less than twenty minutes before the exam ends, and every second counts.”
Ben watched as the Warden marched off with the kobold in tow, until they disappeared into the carriage.
Ben wanted to dash back. He knew he should, and that the outcome of the exam could lie in how quickly he made it back to the Institute. But it was all he could do to drag his body out of the Dragonway and up the hill towards the Institute. He felt lightheaded, and almost fell down on numerous occasions. He was vaguely aware that he was lacking blood. Ben glanced at his watch: 3:45pm. Fifteen minutes, and only five minutes away.
He would be fine. How had he done on each department? Ben couldn’t even think each one through, let alone come up with an assessment of how he had performed.
As he approached the entrance, he was vaguely aware that Dagmar was standing by the door with a stopwatch in hand. Her eyes registered not even the slightest surprise at his condition, but Ben didn’t care.
“3:48pm,” Dagmar said. “You cut it tight, Ben Greenwood.”
Ben couldn’t summon up
a reply. He walked to the marble stairs, and slumped down, unable to move anymore.
“Ah, you made it!”
Ben glanced up to see Aaron grinning down at him, along with the other apprentices. Only Charlie was missing.
“What did I tell you?” Aaron said. “Research and revision are the key to the exams. I got here at least an hour ago, and in far better shape, I might add. You look awful.”
Ben was completely dead, devoid of energy, but somehow Aaron managed to summon something from within him. He stood up, with some difficulty, and gave Aaron a look that he hoped conveyed the revulsion that he felt.
Georgia, standing beside Aaron, certainly felt it, and she looked at him in shock. “What’s that for?”
Ben blinked. Slowly – very slowly, he stepped forwards and launched a right hook at Aaron’s face.
He missed by miles, and fell, unconscious on the marble floor.
— Chapter Twelve —
The Third-Grade
Ben woke to the pleasant feel of clean, crisp sheets and the wonderful absence of pain. His eyes shot open, and he found himself looking at an unfamiliar ceiling, in an unfamiliar room. He was lying in one of a row of empty beds.
“Morning!” Natalie said brightly.
Ben lifted his head, and saw Charlie and Natalie sitting on a couple of chairs that had clearly been pulled into what looked like a very clean hospital ward. There were no medical instruments, but several jugs of various brews and a dish of fresh fruit were placed on top of a table. There were also vases of flowers all about, giving the room a sweet, fresh smell.
“What time is it?” Ben asked.
“Just gone eleven o’clock,” Charlie said with a grin as wide as Natalie’s.
“What? How’s that possible?” Ben sat up, suddenly aware that he wasn’t wearing very much. “What day is it?”
“The day after the exam,” Natalie said. “By the way, those clothes at the end of the bed are yours. Charlie got them from your house this morning.”
A quick change later, and Ben was sitting at the end of the bed, admiring his skin, which now showed only faint scratches and scars.
“Wren herself did the healing,” Natalie said, sounding suitably impressed. “It was a combination of magic and herbs. Some of the cuts were pretty deep.”
Her green eyes were full of curiosity, but it was obvious she was doing her best to resist asking what happened.
Charlie had no such restraints. “Why did you try to hit Aaron in the face? I’m sure he deserved it, but it has certainly got people talking, and not in a good way.”
Ben frowned. “Who’s talking? There were only a few people there at the time.”
“True, but by the time Aaron had done a full stage reproduction, most of the apprentices probably think they were there too.”
Ben clenched the mattress in frustration. “I should have waited until I got my energy back, so I could have done it properly.”
“What did he do?” Charlie asked.
Natalie raised a tentative hand. “You don’t have to tell us if you don’t want to. We’re curious of course, but maybe you’ll feel better once you’ve recovered first.”
“Personally, I’d rather hear it now,” Charlie said matter-of-factly.
Ben felt his anger bubbling just recalling the incident, but he forced himself to tell the short but sorry story. When he was finished, both Natalie and Charlie were looking at him with open-mouthed astonishment.
“That’s absolutely horrible,” Natalie said, her hands going to her face.
Charlie nodded. “I have to admit, that’s a new low, even for Aaron.”
“Yes, it’s pretty sick,” Ben said grimly. Certain unpleasant thoughts materialised involving what he might do to Aaron when they next met, but he dismissed them when something far more important crossed his mind.
“The exam! Have we had the results? I think I’m in real danger of failing after what happened.”
“After lunch,” Charlie said, suddenly looking anxious. “And if anyone has anything to worry about, it’s me. I’m not sure there was a single department, except maybe Scholar, that I feel I did okay in. It was a disaster from the first minute to the last, and I can’t even blame it on Aaron.”
Natalie stood up. “I’m sure you’ll both be fine. Come on, a good lunch will calm your nerves. Personally, I’m excited for both of you.”
Excited wasn’t exactly how Ben felt, but with a good night’s rest, a fully healed body, and then a hearty lunch, he felt slightly more relaxed as he waited for muster with the rest of the apprentices. On Dagmar’s desk he could see six small envelopes. The contents inside would determine whether they remained at the Royal Institute of Magic or not.
Dagmar marched in right at one o’clock, ignoring the envelopes completely, and circling round to the back of her desk, where she stood, as always. Muster was rattled off quickly. Ben wasn’t the only one who almost forgot to answer his name, so fixated was he on the envelopes. With no further announcements, Dagmar dismissed the apprentices, ordering only the six who took the exam to remain.
“Good luck!” Natalie whispered, as she left with the rest.
Dagmar gave them the merest flicker of her wrist, beckoning them forwards. The six envelopes were now laid out neatly on her desk, each labelled with the relevant apprentice’s name. Ben felt his hands twitch, but resisted the urge to grab his one until instructed.
Dagmar inspected each of them, looking even more severe than usual.
“I don’t know the results. As apprentices, it is always your right to see first. However, I will be at my desk for the next seven minutes, if you need to see me.”
Without further ado, she left them alone with the envelopes.
Ben frowned. That seemed an odd statement for Dagmar to make, given that she knew nothing about the results. Did she suspect someone had failed? Ben glanced around, and saw six sets of nervous faces. Aaron was the first to grab his envelope, snatching it from the desk, and drawing it up to his face. Ben’s eagerness to wallop the idiot was still strong, but there was a time and place for everything.
“Here goes nothing,” Aaron said with a smile that somehow managed to look relaxed, despite the pressure.
Ben watched Aaron’s expression as he tore open the envelope, and took out a small piece of card.
He burst into a grin. “As across the board!”
Amy and Georgia burst into applause, and Frederick gave him an envious smile. Charlie looked disappointed. Ben expected Aaron to stay and watch them open their results, but, to his surprise, he immediately left the room. Ben caught the merest flicker of annoyance on Aaron’s face as he left. What was that about? He turned to Charlie, but he clearly hadn’t noticed.
“No!”
Ben turned, and saw Georgia staring in horror at her results. Hand on mouth, she suddenly burst into tears and fled the room. Amy tried to console her, but Georgia was gone before she had the chance. With growing alarm, Amy and Frederick grabbed their own results. They both sighed with such relief the moment they scanned the results, but their smiles were less than they might have been, with Georgia still fresh in their minds.
“I passed,” Amy said. “I can’t believe Georgia failed. She was getting special guidance from Aaron. Do you guys mind if I go find her?”
Ben was more than happy to usher Frederick and Amy out of the room, leaving him alone with Charlie, and just the two remaining exam results.
“I don’t know what you’re worried about,” Charlie said. He grabbed his envelope from the desk. “Time to put myself out of my misery.”
Holding his breath, Charlie pulled open his results, and stared at the card, inches from his face.
He broke into a broad grin.
“Passed!” he said, flashing the card wildly. “I even managed a B in the Department of Wardens. That’s ridiculous!”
Ben enjoyed Charlie’s elation, but at some point he had
to confront his own results. He suddenly found his hands were sweaty and they stuck to the envelope when he picked it up. With a silent curse, he tore open the score card, and devoured its contents.
Name: Ben Greenwood
Exam: Second Grade
Department Results:
Diplomacy: B
Scholar: B
Spellsword: A
Trade: B
Warden: A
Overall: A (pass)
Ben’s first thought was that someone had made a mistake. His second thought was drowned out by a feeling of sheer elation that ran from his head right down to his toes. He almost collapsed onto the floor with relief.
“I’m not even remotely surprised,” Charlie said with a grin.
“I am,” Ben said earnestly. “I thought I’d blown it with my stupid heroics. Come on, let’s go tell Natalie.”
They found her in the common room. The moment they made eye contact, she squealed and practically leapt on them with delight. It took several minutes before they could disentangle and calm her down.
“That’s a shame about Georgia,” Natalie said, when she finally conceded to sitting back down. The common room was pleasantly empty, with most of the apprentices working on their handbooks.
“Yeah, it is,” Ben said. “I quite liked her. What’s weirder, though, was Aaron’s reaction. I could have sworn he was angry about something, which doesn’t make sense if he got straight As – unless he was lying.”
“Which, knowing Aaron, is entirely possible,” Charlie said, helping himself to a cup of tea.
They talked enthusiastically about the third grade. Ben kept on glancing at the three colourless diamonds now hovering over his shoulder, trying to get used to the increased number.
“They say the apprenticeship really starts in the third grade,” Natalie said. “It’s definitely harder, and there are a lot more practicals to do. Remember, this is the last grade where you have to do all departments. In the fourth grade, you can ditch two and focus on the three that most interest you.”
“I know what I’ll be dumping,” Ben said. He regretted the words as soon as they came out of his mouth and turned to Charlie, who was looking at him silently. The obvious question went unspoken. Were they going to focus on different departments? If so, they would surely see a lot less of each other.