by Victor Kloss
“We have a band of goblins, my friends,” Zadaya explained, standing a little ahead of everyone else so he could face them. “They’re trying to scale the back wall to come at us from behind.” The Spellsword grinned. “But we’ll soon put a stop to that.” He gestured behind him, where assistants were even now dragging up tall racks filled with tiny pellets in several colours. Spells for the spellshooters. “Get what you need, my young superstars, and let’s go,” Zadaya instructed.
Ben didn’t waste any time. He dimly remembered, when he’d first arrived here, him, Charlie and Natalie going into a spellshop to buy spellshooter ammunition. Ben had been so overwhelmed that he’d initially wound up with over three hundred pounds’ worth of spells. It had taken forever for him to narrow that list down to something even remotely manageable.
Those days were long gone. Now Ben was a model of efficiency as he quickly found the spells he wanted and added each one to the orb of his spellshooter. In two minutes he was outfitted and ready.
They split into smaller groups after that, as Zadaya positioned each cluster either where the goblins had been or where he thought they might go next. Ben had been made a squad leader, in charge of five other apprentices, and his team was placed near the far left corner of the Institute’s outer wall. If Zadaya or any of the other apprentices wondered what Joshua, who had been assigned to the Wardens, was doing with them, no one said anything. Most likely they all felt that any extra help was a good thing. Somehow none of them seemed to notice the shield itself, which Joshua was wearing on his arm in plain sight. It appeared the artefacts were capable of concealing themselves from casual view when they wished it — at least the sword and the shield could.
“Be ready,” Ben warned his team as they settled into position. “We don’t know where they’re going to come over, so we might need to rush to help one of the other squads in a hurry.” He drew his spellshooter, the weight a familiar comfort in his hand, and, after a moment’s hesitation, drew the sword with his other. A few of the others glanced at the weapon in surprise, but that lasted only a moment, and no one asked anything about the gleaming silver blade. Perhaps they thought it was just another spell.
A clatter from above made Ben look up, and he saw a scaly hand appear over the top of the wall, its sharp claws digging into the stones there. A second hand quickly followed.
“They’re coming!” he shouted over his shoulder.
“I don’t see anything,” one of his teammates replied, and Ben realised that he’d only been able to make that out because of the sword. But a second later a gasp from behind told him that at least one of the others had just seen the bulky shape that had pulled itself up over the edge.
Then, with a guttural cry, the figure jumped down, landing just a few feet to the left of them.
It was a goblin, around Ben’s height but much bulkier, with scaly green-grey skin, bat-like ears, beady red eyes, and a wide mouth full of small and crooked but sharp teeth. It grinned when it saw the apprentices, showing those teeth, and raised its claws as it took a slow, deliberate step towards them.
Ben shot it full in the face before its foot could hit the ground again. The powerful stun spell took effect instantly, and the goblin slumped, landing in a heap right by Ben’s feet.
But by that point two more goblins were jumping down to face them. He and his squad quickly had their hands full.
Fortunately, Zadaya had trained them not only in how to fight but how to fight together. The apprentices rapidly positioned themselves so that they were standing in a tight cluster facing outwards. That way they could defend in every direction and not have to worry about stepping on each other or blocking one another. They took the goblins in pairs, going mostly for stun spells but also using bindings and flashes and other techniques to distract and disable. Each apprentice had a sword in hand, either a real one or a spelled one, in order to fend off physical attacks.
But the goblins never got close enough to take a swing at any of them.
Ben was feeling pretty good about the way his team had handled the attack when he heard a gasp. He instinctively looked up, and stepped back just in time to avoid being flattened, as a large figure plummeted to the ground right where he had been standing.
But this was no goblin. It was nearly twice that height, for a start. And its skin was considerably thicker, rougher, and darker, its ears smaller, its eyes a flat black, and its teeth more like tusks. Its arms were so long its oversized hands dragged on the ground.
It was a troll. And it laid about it with those arms the second it landed, sending two of Ben’s squad flying from its fearsome blows.
“To me!” Ben shouted, raising his sword high, the silver edge catching the light. “Everybody focus on it: stun and fire spells.”
He got off a stun spell of his own and the troll reared back but stayed upright. The creatures were not only ferociously strong, they also had a partial immunity to magic.
This was not going to be easy.
The troll grinned down at them and raised one of its arms high. Then it swiped down, those claws extended, straight for Ben’s head. Ben raised his sword to block, knowing as he did that he didn’t have the strength to beat back a blow like that.
Instead of tearing through his arm and his face, those claws rebounded, as a shiny silver disc interposed itself.
Joshua had leaped in front of Ben, Elizabeth’s Shield lifted to take the blow. Despite the troll’s great strength, Joshua didn’t falter. His arm was steady as a rock, the shield held high.
“Thanks,” Ben managed to gasp.
“Don’t mention it,” the other Guardian replied. “Now take this thing out!”
Ben grinned. “You got it.” He sprang forwards, sword upraised, and swung with all his might straight at the troll’s left leg. The blade spun in a glittering arc, and sliced cleanly through flesh and bone, severing the limb just below the hip. The troll bellowed in pain, and toppled to the side, unable to support its weight on the remaining leg.
The other apprentices took advantage of the moment and swarmed in, loosing spells at it from point-blank range. In a moment, the troll had collapsed, unconscious. The wound was already beginning to close, Ben noticed. That was another thing about trolls, but it only meant the troll wouldn’t die from blood loss. The leg was gone for good, and the troll was no longer a threat.
Joshua was still standing beside Ben. “Nice one with the sword,” he commented.
Ben grinned at him. “Same to you with the shield. You really saved my neck there. Thanks.”
His companion nodded. “It was different from sparring in the ring,” he admitted quietly. “More real, more dangerous, but also—”
“More alive?” Ben finished. “Yeah. I felt that, too.” It had been exhilarating even as it had been terrifying. Was this what Krobeg felt like every time he fought? If so, he could understand why the dwarf enjoyed combat so much.
Another band of goblins had leaped down from the wall, and the other apprentices were already rallying to combat these latest invaders, but Ben stayed back.
“We need to go,” he told Joshua softly. He hated the idea of leaving while there was still fighting going on, but they had a schedule to keep and the others would be waiting. With the troll done in, the rest of the apprentices should be able to handle things from here. Besides, it would be far easier to slip away while everyone was still dashing about everywhere. If they were lucky, no one would notice he was gone until they headed back inside.
Joshua nodded, and together they turned away from the combat, towards the Institute’s one and only gate. But they had taken only a few steps into the gardens between them and their destination when a voice called out.
“Going somewhere?”
Ben froze. He glanced back, but he already knew whom he would see.
It was Aaron. The other apprentice was standing by the fountain, hands on his hips and a look of righteous indignation plastered across his dark, handsome face.
“Ben Gre
enwood,” he called loudly, making others stop and turn. “Where are you going? You can’t be thinking of leaving, can you? We’re at war and you’re on duty, in the middle of defending the Institute from attack. Why, if you walked away now, that’d be dereliction of duty, wouldn’t it?”
That last was directed at Zadaya, who had stopped and was now watching this interaction, a frown on his usually cheerful face.
“It would be,” Zadaya agreed, striding forwards to confront Ben. “But I am sure Mr. Greenwood has a good explanation for his actions, yes?”
Behind him the rest of the squad had finished off the last of the goblins, and the area by the wall was quiet again. Everyone had turned and was watching this little confrontation play out.
Ben started to open his mouth, but then stopped. What could he say without giving away their secret? “I just need to run an errand,” he finally managed. He didn’t need to see Aaron’s smirk or Zadaya’s frown to know how lame that sounded.
“An errand?” Aaron pondered aloud. “Was it ordered by a ranking Institute member? Because otherwise I’m sure it’s still a violation.” His dark gaze latched onto Joshua. “And Joshua Wistletop! You were attached to the Wardens, weren’t you? What are you even doing out here? And sneaking off with Ben?” It was clear he was enjoying this immensely.
Ben turned to Zadaya, trying to come up with an explanation, but the senior Spellsword held up a hand and cut him off.
“I am disappointed, Mr. Greenwood,” the elf stated sadly. “We will discuss this later. Right now, I have no choice. I must place you in jail.” He looked at Joshua. “Both of you.”
Joshua stepped closer to Ben. “We could knock them out and make a run for it,” he whispered, but Ben shook his head. These were fellow students and Institute members, their classmates and friends. Hurting them wouldn’t be right. And even if they managed to stun both Aaron and Zadaya, the guards at the front gate were now watching the confrontation. They’d never make it past them.
Although no one had noticed the sword and the shield, their spellshooters were confiscated. As they were led away, Ben worried that he might have just thrown away their only chance to escape.
— Chapter Eight —
The Institute Dungeons
Zadaya shook his head. “What were you thinking, Ben Greenwood?” he asked as his apprentices marched Ben and Joshua back around the Institute to what looked like a small shack against the back of the building.
Instead of a door, however, beneath that slanted roof was a set of stairs leading down below the Institute to the dungeons. Ben had been there before, with Charlie and Natalie, on the quest to find Elizabeth’s Boots. It looked like he was going to visit them again, this time as a prisoner.
“I would never have taken you for a coward,” the elf continued as he led the way down the stairs. The door had been closed before, but now it was wide open, and they filed down a narrow corridor. “Exactly the opposite. And you just fought off a troll! Why would you want to run now?”
Ben desperately wished he could explain. He liked Zadaya. The Spellsword was funny and cheerful even when he was drilling them to death, and he was very capable as well as kind. Surely if Ben told him everything, the elf would understand why they had to go. However, he and the other Guardians were all sworn to secrecy. The only reason Charlie and Natalie knew what was going on was because they’d been with Ben every step of the way, including when he had first learned of Elizabeth’s Armour. He wasn’t allowed to trust the secret to anyone else, especially anyone in the Institute. Prince Robert was already obsessed with finding and possessing the artefacts, so Ben kept quiet, even though he knew it made him look guilty.
“Probably thought you shouldn’t be throwing your life away on some stupid battle,” Aaron suggested. “You’ve always thought you were better than everyone else.” He’d made a point of being the one to escort Ben, and his grip on Ben’s arm was painfully tight. He kept deliberately yanking Ben forward, making him stumble, but Ben didn’t reply or put up a fight. That would only make matters a hundred times worse.
Not that they could get much worse than they were right now. At least he and Joshua still had the artefacts; clearly the enchanted sword and shield must have once again hidden themselves from view. But Ben refused to use such deadly weapons on his fellow apprentices and Institute members, and Zadaya had both their spellshooters. They were effectively helpless.
The tunnel widened out into a large, vaulted stone room with small barred chambers on either side, and the group of Wardens lounging there stood at attention as Zadaya entered. He marched the prisoners over to the Warden in charge, a tall blonde woman who had two red diamonds hovering over her shoulder.
“These two lads tried sneaking away,” Zadaya explained, shaking his head again. “I want them held until they can be properly tried.”
The woman nodded. “We’ll take it from here,” she promised. Her mouth was set in a grim line as she examined the group. “We don’t take too kindly to deserters.”
Zadaya relinquished control, summoning his apprentices back to him with a wave. They retreated back up the tunnel, all except Aaron.
“I’ll just stay and make sure the chains are good and tight,” he said with a smirk. “I’d hate to think you were going anywhere.”
Ben seethed but still refused to give the other apprentice a response.
The Warden commander motioned and two of her people escorted Ben and Joshua farther along the hallway. Many of the cells here already held people, both apprentices and full Institute members by the look of them, most slumped despondently on the rough stone slabs that served as both benches and beds. Evidently these prisoners really had tried to desert, and had been caught. By the time the guards stopped at an empty cell the dungeon entrance was no longer in sight, and Ben tried to control a faint shudder as he wondered if that was so that no one would hear them scream.
Aaron was clearly loving this. “Oh, is it too dark for you?” he asked in fake baby talk, pouting at Ben.
Normally Aaron was careful to maintain the role of perfect apprentice around anyone else, especially full Institute members, but he was so thrilled to have finally caught Ben that he let that mask slip, showing his true nature. Then he suddenly straightened, a strange look on his face.
The two Spellswords didn’t notice. One of them was busy unlocking the cell door, and the other was facing back the way they’d come, watching for any sign of trouble. The second one stiffened like he’d just seen something alarming, but he didn’t say anything or make any other move. He seemed still as a statue.
“Right, in you go,” the first Spellsword declared, tugging the cell door open. Suddenly he stumbled forwards like he’d just been kicked. He staggered into the cell, and as he turned and opened his mouth to shout, he froze.
Just like Aaron and the other Spellsword.
Ben couldn’t believe his eyes or his ears, as a moment later a voice declared, “Well, don’t just stand there; get them in the cell!” It was a voice he knew very well.
Natalie!
“What’re you doing here?” Joshua asked as he helped Ben haul the second Spellsword into the cell.
Natalie snorted, and Ben knew her eyes were gleaming even though he couldn’t see her. “Will told me you’d been caught trying to sneak away,” she admitted. “I guessed what was going on, and came running. Like always.” Her voice still held a trace of bitterness, but not too much, Ben was glad to hear. Had she forgiven him?
“Well, I’m really glad you did,” he assured her. He grabbed Aaron by the arm and started to tug him towards the cell — and the other apprentice shuddered, blinked, and stared at what he was seeing.
“What?” Aaron blurted out. Clearly whatever spell Natalie had used to stun him had just worn off. “Hey! G—” He opened his mouth wide to shout for help, so Ben did the only thing he could.
He slammed his fist into the obnoxious bully’s stomach as hard as he could.
Aaron doubled over, all the air
driven from him by the force of the blow, his arms instinctively wrapping protectively around his middle. He straightened up again slowly, eyes wide, and stared down at Ben.
“You’re dead,” he managed to gasp, the words coming out as barely a wheeze.
“I don’t think so,” Ben replied. “I think you’re the one in trouble here, not me.” He raised his fist as he stepped in close again.
Aaron tried to back up, but he was already up against the cell bars. “Back off!” he demanded, but his words lacked power and his eyes were filled with fear. He lashed out and Ben stepped nimbly back, easily avoiding the clumsy blow. Aaron had never been big on doing his own dirty work, whereas Ben had never had a problem with diving right in.
“When I tell them what you’ve done,” Aaron blustered, “you’ll be finished here. You’ll be declared an outlaw and a traitor, just like your parents.”
That had been the wrong thing to say. Even though the treason charges had been dropped, the accusation still stung, and Ben straightened, his blood boiling.
“My parents would die to protect this school and the rest of the kingdoms,” he blurted out, spitting the words at Aaron with such force the bully recoiled as if physically struck. “What would you die for?”
There must have been something in his eyes then, because his tormentor turned pale. “Don’t hurt me,” he begged, cowering and raising both hands to shield his face.
“You’ve had this coming since I met you,” Ben declared, and with a quick but powerful move, punched the arrogant bully full in the jaw.
Aaron’s head whipped back from the force of the blow, and his whole body sagged as he collapsed, unconscious. Ben and Joshua managed to catch him before he hit the floor, and Joshua shot Ben a look of surprise but also respect.
“I never liked him,” he admitted as he helped Ben carry the limp apprentice into the cell. Ben nodded his thanks, both for the help and for the support.