by Victor Kloss
Ben took a sip of his tea, tried forgetting about Natalie’s green eyes and focused on the map.
“So where do you start explaining all this?” Ben asked.
“Simple,” Wren said. “We start at the beginning. What do you know of Queen Elizabeth I?”
Ben immediately thought of the current queen and was glad he kept his mouth shut.
“She was queen during the war against the Spanish Armada, back in the 16th century,” Charlie said.
“Very good. Our history lesson starts with her because she was the first to discover one of the Unseen Kingdoms – Taecia to be precise, which is where you find yourselves.”
“Unseen Kingdoms?” both Charlie and Ben said at the same time.
“Twenty-four special islands shielded by magic innate to the land. Their laws of physics and energy resemble something you would call magic rather than science. These islands are as real as England or France, but the shield means they remain unseen and untouched by the outside world.”
“How?” Charlie asked. His eyes flashed to the map. “Some of those lands are massive. Surely a ship must have passed through them at some point?”
“Most of the lands are not in the path of ships.”
“And those that are?”
Wren smiled. “They detour.”
Charlie puffed his cheeks – Ben could tell he was trying hard to stay calm.
“That’s it?” he said. “They detour? Why would they voluntarily choose to steer round an invisible patch of land? Wouldn’t somebody notice? I mean, they have all sorts of navigational technology now.”
Wren’s laugh sounded strangely melodic. “I can understand your frustration, Charlie. Consider magic as another source of energy, one that is senior to science. You know the laws of science but not the laws of magic and therefore you cannot possibly know what can and can’t be done.”
“That makes some sense, I guess,” Charlie conceded.
Ben, however, had spotted a flaw in the explanation. “If we cannot see these islands, how did Queen Elizabeth discover them in the first place?”
“That is not fully known. It is thought that somebody from the Unseen Kingdoms introduced them to her. However, it was never documented. I have a feeling Queen Elizabeth wanted it that way.”
“Who inhabits these Unseen Kingdoms?” Ben asked. “If these lands are magical, does everyone have a wand and fly broomsticks?”
“Not quite,” Wren said with a smile. “The magic comes from the Unseens.”
Ben frowned. “What are they?”
“The Unseens are magic inhabitants. It is another word for a non-human entity. They are the elves, dragons and innumerable other creatures once considered fantasy. The Unseens have co-existed with humans native to the Kingdoms for hundreds of years.”
“Are these people – these humans – just like us?” Charlie asked.
“Yes, but they have become accustomed to using magic. The Unseens trade it with them in a packaged form that anyone can use. You may have seen the Spellshooters already.”
“Those peculiar guns?”
Wren nodded. “That’s right. They fire spells made by the Unseens.”
Charlie stood up and started pacing the large office, with his hands behind his back, staring hard at the floor. Wren watched him with a small smile, continuing to sip her tea. Ben could almost feel the cogs in Charlie’s head dusting themselves off.
“I’m beginning to understand,” Charlie said, his voice infused with excitement Ben hadn’t heard since this morning’s detective work at his grandma’s house. “But how much does our government know?”
“Nothing,” Wren said. “Elizabeth kept this discovery to herself. She formed the Royal Institute of Magic to explore these new lands. They conquered and colonised many of them, forming an Elizabethan Empire within the Unseen Kingdoms. The two worlds gradually meshed, creating a peculiar mix of old world magic with modern culture. Today the Institute no longer conquers and rules, but our political influence is equal to the native monarchs throughout the kingdoms. We continue to trade and we are always learning. Most importantly, we are the buffer between the Unseen Kingdoms and the rest of the world.”
Charlie's pacing continued unabated. “What about that King Suktar bloke, he must be powerful if you’re concerned by his threat?”
Wren’s expression was momentarily serious. “Suktar is an elf king of immense power. During the years after Queen Elizabeth’s death he took his mighty army and conquered many of the Unseen Kingdoms. It’s only in the last century that we have established an uneasy truce.”
Ben felt worn out listening to the stream of revelations. He stood up and walked past Charlie to the window. Hills and trees lined the horizon, but it was the town Ben noticed most. It was such a bizarre mix of old and new. He spotted several antique cars buzzing along the narrow roads. Were they running on magic? Ben would have loved to peer into one of the engines to find out. Flying over the timber-framed houses were enough mounted creatures to create an aerial traffic jam. Not far off was the bustling dragon train station.
His parents were out there somewhere.
“So what now?” Ben asked, turning back round to face Wren.
“Draven will be working to convene the Executive Council, to which you will be summoned and questioned.”
“Is that where they can figure out if my parents have any spells on me?”
“Among other things, yes,” Wren said.
Ben glanced briefly at Charlie. “Let’s do it.”
Wren put down her cup of tea and stood up. Her tall hairdo sparkled against the sunlight streaming from the window.
“Draven will also push to cast a Memory Search.”
“What’s that?”
“It’s a powerful spell that enables us to see your memories like watching TV. It will replay in your mind as if it’s happening again. We can use it to search for any hidden memories.”
Ben frowned. “What do you mean?”
“Your parents worked hard to keep the Institute a secret. What if you accidentally overheard something? They may have cast a spell to make you forget.”
“My parents would never do that,” Ben said with more conviction than he felt.
“I believe you, but Draven will argue we might be able to learn something.”
“Does it hurt?” Charlie asked, looking at Wren anxiously, as if it were his memory being searched.
“Not physically – but it can be emotionally unpleasant. I can move to block this procedure if you don’t want it, Ben.”
The idea of a bunch of strange adults watching his memories like a TV show was not appealing. But if it had the slightest chance of helping find his parents, he didn’t have much of a choice.
“I’m okay with the Memory Search,” he said after a moment.
Wren gave a small smile. “In that case, I should get going. They will be meeting about you as we speak and will want to know what you said.”
“How long until I'm needed?”
“I would imagine this evening.”
Ben guessed it to be about four in the afternoon though he hadn’t seen a clock. That left at least three hours to occupy themselves.
“I thought you two might like a tour of the place,” Wren suggested, smiling at their lost expressions.
They nodded enthusiastically and Wren called Natalie back in. Ben's stomach tightened as she re-entered, but he met her dazzling smile without showing it. Charlie suddenly became very interested in his feet.
“I must warn you,” Wren said, looking at Ben. “Your surname might attract attention because of your parents. Your arrival was mentioned in an executive meeting.”
“I was announced in a meeting?” Ben asked, feeling slightly light-headed.
“Only because we were looking out for you. We had people in the town searching to make sure you got here okay.”
So someone had been spying on them when they entered Starbucks. All this because of his parents? It was crazy.
— Chapter Ten —
A Tour of the Institute
It wasn’t as awkward as Ben envisioned. Charlie did go bright red whenever he imagined Natalie’s eyes on him, but thankfully she didn’t seem to notice or perhaps pretended not to.
“You must have a thousand questions,” she said in a cheerful voice. As she talked she curled one of her dark brown locks around her finger. “Is it true you only found about the Institute today?”
“That’s right.”
“Wow,” Natalie said. “You’re both taking it really well. Most people would still be flipping out.”
Ben warmed to Natalie’s easy-going manner and he even saw Charlie relax a fraction, which in the presence of a girl as pretty as Natalie bordered on a miracle.
He tried not to stare at her bright eyes or her pointed ears, but his curiosity soon got the better of him. He plucked up the courage to ask a question he would have laughed at yesterday.
“Are you an elf?” Ben asked, trying to keep a straight face.
Natalie grinned. “I was wondering when you would ask that. Technically I’m a half-elf. My grandmother on my mum’s side was an elf.”
“Wouldn’t that make you a quarter-elf?”
Ben didn’t see anything wrong with the question, but Charlie shut his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose.
“It should do, shouldn’t it?” Natalie said, proving Charlie’s embarrassment unfounded. “However, we call any elf with non-elf blood a half-elf.”
“I pictured elves a little differently,” Ben admitted.
“You thought we’d have the whole serene, angelic thing going on?”
“Yeah. I’ve been horribly misled by the Lord of the Rings movies.”
“There are some elves still like that, but they live secluded from the modern world.”
“Can you do magic at least?”
“Very little unfortunately,” Natalie said with a little sigh. “I’m too human to classify as an Unseen.”
“So I guess you live in one of the Unseen Kingdoms?”
“That’s right. I live in Osium, a small country off the coast of Italy.”
Ben thought he detected a slight accent and she definitely looked Italian with her tanned skin and dark hair.
“What’s it like there?”
“It’s a bit like Italy was a couple hundred years ago and a lot of people, even the Unseens, speak both Italian and English.”
The idea of a goblin speaking Italian was almost too weird.
“So if you use magic instead of science, does that mean you’ve never used a mobile phone before?”
Natalie laughed. “Not quite. My parents travel a lot and I have spent half my life in Milan and London.”
They arrived back at the grand staircase and Charlie stared at them like Mt. Everest. “Please tell me we’re not going up again,” he said.
“I’m sorry,” Natalie said. “You’ll hate me now, but once we’re at the top it’s all downhill, which makes the tour easier.”
“Are there no lifts?” Ben asked as they started their ascent.
“Unfortunately not. There are alternatives, but not for apprentices.”
Ben counted three open galleries before they would reach the top. Sunshine poured in from the glass roof, warming his shoulders.
“Wren mentioned an apprenticeship?” Ben said.
“That’s right. Everyone here starts with the apprenticeship.”
“How do you enrol? I can’t imagine you advertise much.”
“Generally it stays in the family, but when there aren’t enough apprentices we look outside. We have a division that specialises in recruiting members who know nothing of the Unseen Kingdoms.”
“Is the apprenticeship long?” Charlie asked.
“Four years. For the first two you work everywhere in the Institute. After that there is a test. If you pass, you are selected to specialise in one of the departments for another two years before taking a final examination to become a full Institute member.”
“Sounds like a lot of work,” Ben said. The exams and tests reminded him of school.
Natalie frowned and Ben caught a flicker of surprise. “Oh, no, it’s not work. There is a lot to do, but it’s so much fun. I couldn’t imagine doing anything else.”
Ben was slightly taken aback by her dedication. “Wren seems like a good person to work for.”
This was apparently the right thing to say, for Natalie gave him a dazzling smile.
“She is the most wonderful person I know,” Natalie said. “She is kind, generous, wise and, of course, extremely gifted.”
She spoke with such reverence Ben half expected her to get down and pray.
“Ah, here we are. That wasn’t too bad, was it?” Natalie said.
They had made it up the stairs and found themselves on the top open gallery. Looking over the railing, Ben could just make out the statue in the lobby far below. The glass roof was actually a huge gable and near its base was a door that led outside.
“Prepare yourself – it smells out here,” she said, as she turned the door handle.
The wind hit them and, with it, the unmistakable smell of hay and manure, making Ben wrinkle his nose. But the smell was instantly forgotten by the sight that greeted them. It looked like a farm with paddocks spanning the vast expanse of the rooftop all around the glass gable. These paddocks were not filled with cows or sheep like an ordinary farm. There were huge eagles, horses with wings, animals that looked like a cross between a bird and a lion and even small dragons, each with its own paddock. Most were content to eat or bathe, but others were more interested in talking, creating a cacophony of roars, squawks and growls. Ben spotted a dozen boys and girls dealing manfully with the mayhem. He watched in fascination as a couple of them tried dragging a pint-sized dragon out of a paddock.
“Steeds,” Natalie said, having to shout to be heard.
“People fly these things?” Charlie asked, his bashfulness in front of Natalie momentarily forgotten.
“Sure, if you’re a qualified rider and you can afford it,” Natalie said. She led them between the paddocks pointing at each of the strange animals. “The cheapest option is the Great Eagle. Most people start off with one of them. Above that is a winged horse, called a pegasus. Then there is the middle-class steed – the griffin. They have the wings and head of an eagle with the body of a lion.”
“What about those bad boys?” Ben said. He was pointing at the little dragon with a long, skinny neck that two girls were currently scrubbing.
“Wyverns. They are very expensive and high maintenance.”
Ben admired the power that oozed from every part of its body – from its jaws to its mighty wings.
“Please tell me you’re not dreaming about riding that thing,” Charlie said, noticing Ben’s smile.
Ben slapped Charlie on the shoulder. “It’s on my to-do list.”
“What a coincidence – it’s on my never-to-do list, underlined with one of those black permanent markers.”
Ben felt a tap on his back. Natalie was behind him, pointing to another section of the roof. It was empty except for a man who stood there alone.
“That’s the take-off zone,” Natalie said. “He’s waiting for his animal – watch.”
Sure enough, a young girl soon walked over with one of the winged horses – a pegasus – in tow. She handed the man the reins and he mounted it. The girl stepped back and the pegasus started a gallop towards the end of the building. It unfolded its huge, white wings and leapt off the edge. Ben saw it plummet to the earth and then it vanished from view. A moment later it re-appeared, soaring upwards towards the blue sky.
“Who looks after all these animals?” Charlie asked, watching the departing pegasus.
“We do, the apprentices,” Natalie said. “It’s hard work, but really fun, except when you’re shovelling poop or trying to avoid being eaten, pecked or crushed.”
“That doesn’t sound fun at all,” Charlie said.
“I’m not selling it very well, am I?” Natalie said. “But it’s a unique experience and really good exercise.”
“You’re still not selling it.”
Natalie smiled at Charlie and he blushed, as if he suddenly realised whom he was talking to.
“I guess not. I’ll stop before I make it any less inviting. Would you both like to head down? There’s a lot to see.”
They went back through the glass door and down the stairs. The noise receded and Ben inhaled the clean air trying to ignore the horrible smell that clung to his clothes. Instead of stopping by the double doors at the first landing they kept descending.
“That floor holds all the executive offices,” Natalie said. “We aren’t allowed in there. There isn’t much to see anyway, just meeting rooms and offices.”
Ben’s stomach gave an unpleasant lurch and his eyes lingered on the doors. Was this where the Executive Council was meeting? If so, he would be back shortly.
The next floor was the Department of Spellswords and they were soon walking through the familiar hallway again.
“Spellswords are the Institute’s elite combat unit. They must be expert Spellshooters with the ability to cast the most powerful spells. They must also be fit to fight.”
“That sounds pretty cool,” Ben said.
“A typical guy response,” Natalie said, rolling her green eyes. “It’s actually a lot of work.”
She stopped by a door that said “Spell Training”.
“You’ll like this room,” she said as they entered.
Ben and Charlie exchanged curious looks and followed her in.
The first thing Ben noticed were the high ceilings, which made the large room feel even bigger. It was busy and there was a buzz of activity. In the middle of the room was a large table, chest high. Surrounding it were stools, most of them occupied by people talking with great animation to one another. But it was to Ben’s right where the real interest lay. It looked like a bowling alley except for the glass windows partitioning each lane. Instead of bowling pins at the end, there was a circular target like a big dartboard. Most of the lanes were occupied by one or two people. They had their Spellshooters out and were using them.
It was like a great fireworks display, except these “fireworks” shot towards the dartboard with varying degrees of accuracy. Some were fireballs and engulfed the dartboard completely; others were beams of light, with every colour on display; some zigzagged, others made the whole lane flash with light or go pitch black.