by Victor Kloss
They were less than fifty feet from the pegasus.
“Guard!” Natalie cried.
Dead ahead a security guard blocked their path. His hand was glowing, forming another missile.
Ben thrust his hand down into the pouch. He barely had time to demand an appropriate spell, and just picked the first pellet his hands fell upon. With a quick throw, he launched it at the guard. They were too close for the guard to mount a proper defence, and it hit him in the stomach. His eyes widened, and all of a sudden the guard started floating away.
For a minute, Ben thought they were going to make it.
He didn't spot the half a dozen missiles until it was too late. These ones were bigger, stronger and the net field was already starting to wobble.
The impact threw Ben from his feet. He saw Charlie and Natalie cartwheel through the air. With a grunt, Ben landed heavily on his arm, the air forced from his lungs. His vision blurred, but with superhuman effort he attempted to get back up. He made it onto one knee, before witnessing a sight far more damaging than the impact from the missiles: both Natalie and Charlie were down, unmoving. Ben stared at them, so horror-struck that he didn't spot the final missile. The protective net was history. Ben heard a crack, a flash of light, and then everything went black.
— Chapter Twenty-Three —
The Power of the Institute
Ben woke to a splitting headache, lying on a firm bed, staring up at a pristine white ceiling. His vision was blurry and just about every part of his body ached. The idea of moving made him wince. His memory was foggy and he couldn't recall exactly where he was or how he got here. Slowly it started coming back.
SpellWorks. Forrecks. Lornor. The failed escape.
Ben's eyes shot open and he sat up – or tried to. He groaned in agony the moment he moved.
“Thank god, you're awake!” Natalie said. She rushed over to sit on the corner of his bed. She seemed anxious to tend to him, but her hands were poised uncertainly, unsure where to start. Natalie had a gash just above her eyebrow, but, other than that, didn't appear too worse for wear.
“I'm fine,” Ben said, forcing himself to sit up.
They were in a small room, empty except for three beds, which were really nothing more than mattresses resting on thin pieces of wood. In the middle of the room was a small table with a pitcher of water. There were no windows and only one door, which Ben knew would be locked.
“This place isn't too bad for a prison,” Ben said.
“We're not in prison,” Charlie said. He had several dark red patches on his shirt and trousers. “This is a temporary holding room while they decide what to do with us.”
“Ah. How long have I been out?”
“Three hours,” Natalie said. “It's almost dinner time.”
Charlie had his legs crossed on the bed with his head resting on the chin, staring despondently at the bed. It took Ben a moment to realise why Charlie was so down.
“The exam,” Ben said, with a sudden urgency that belied his physical state.
“Exactly,” Charlie said, looking up. “We can say goodbye to the Royal Institute of Magic. We'll never get back in time for tomorrow.”
The thought of failing to make the exam gave Ben a shot of energy. He hauled himself to his feet, ignoring his protesting body.
“We have to make it back,” Ben said.
He hobbled over to the door and started pounding on it, shouting for assistance. He kept it up until his voice was hoarse and the skin on his fist was raw.
“We tried that already,” Charlie said. “If anyone is there, they're clearly not interested in us.”
“They will come when they are ready,” Natalie said. “Until we are convicted, they will treat us okay, which means someone will come and give us some dinner to eat.”
“I've got no intention of getting convicted,” Ben said, slamming his hand on the door one more time.
“I'm not sure it's entirely up to us,” Charlie said. “And even if by some miracle we made it back for tomorrow's exam, would they even let us take it after everything we've done?”
Charlie had a point, but Ben didn't care about that right now. If they got out, they could at least plead their case to the Institute. Ben put his hand in his pocket, but his pouch was no longer there.
“Those spells were the first thing they took when they brought us in,” Natalie said. “Where did you get them from?”
Ben sighed and slumped back down on his bed. “I got them from the Guardians’ common room. They are my dad's.”
“Well, that helps explain why you could cast such powerful spells,” Natalie said. “The family connection can make it easier, though I still can't believe how powerful they were.”
“Not powerful enough, though,” Ben said, feeling quite bitter.
A sullen silence fell between the three of them. For Ben, the magnitude of what they had done was starting to sink in. He felt like being swallowed up by the ground.
“I owe you an apology, Ben.”
Ben looked up in surprise and saw Charlie looking at him. “Why?”
“I questioned the logic of coming here. If we hadn't, we would never have found out that your parents went to Lornor and failed to learn anything.”
Ben smiled ruefully. “That's true. On the other hand, if we had followed your logic, we wouldn't be in this mess.”
“I guess that makes us even,” Charlie said, looking a little more like his old self.
“Good, can we move on now?” Natalie asked. Her voice was impatient, but Ben thought she was suppressing a smile. “Let's talk about what we learned from Lornor.”
Charlie stuck a thumb out, and started itemising. “We know Ben's parents were looking for forrecks and any potential weakness they might have, but went away none the wiser.”
Natalie nodded. “Right. We also know that the last remaining forreck was owned by Charlotte Rowe, and may still be living beneath the Institute. That forreck may be protecting Elizabeth's Boots, which were entrusted to Charlotte Rowe.”
Ben roused himself from his morbid state. “According to Lornor, the forreck's only weakness may be a solar eclipse, which happens to occur next week.” He grabbed the thin sheet on his bed and squeezed it in frustration. “Given that my parents failed to find out anything from Lornor, we are the only ones with any chance of getting those boots.”
“Our chances aren't much better than theirs while we're stuck in here,” Charlie said.
There was little else they could do but wait for dinner and hope someone turned up. Ben spent the time thinking up plans for escape, each one wilder than the next. Charlie tried to rest, his body clearly still hurting, while Natalie sat on her bed, fiddling with her hair, lost in thought.
By the time six o'clock came, Ben's body had recovered a great deal, but his stomach was rumbling with hunger pains.
“They should be here soon,” Natalie said, glancing at her watch. “SpellWorks is known for its punctuality, even when it comes to serving prisoners.”
Sure enough, the moment six o'clock struck, Ben heard the faint sound of voices, followed by footsteps. For a second, Ben had visions of another mad escape, but he cast it from his mind, cursing himself for an idiot; would he ever learn? Probably not.
“I hope they serve good food here,” Charlie said, patting his stomach.
The voices became louder, and it soon became obvious there was an argument going on. One voice was an incoherent rant, while the other was calm and collected.
“That's Lornor,” Charlie said of the angry voice, perking up suddenly.
“So it is,” Ben said. “He's probably angry because they haven't sent any cleaners to tidy up his room.”
“I don't think that's the reason,” Natalie said, with a sudden smile. Her elf ears were sharper than Ben’s and Charlie's. “Listen!”
The voices and footsteps were almost at the door by the time Ben could clearly make out what was being said.
“I demand to know who has such authority!
” Lornor said.
“You may demand all you like,” the calm voice replied.
“A trial! They must sit through a trial; our law demands it. I will stand witness and testify!”
“Not necessary, I'm afraid,” the same voice said, with equal measure.
Ben felt a rush of hope, mirrored in Charlie’s and Natalie's eyes. Before they could say a word, the door opened, and two very contrasting elves stood in the doorway.
Lornor was in a dishevelled state, his thinning hair a mess, his eyes red with fury. The other elf was small and as relaxed as Lornor was fired up. He wore a fine green coat, embellished with emeralds, that flowed down to his ankles.
“Follow me, please,” the elf said, in a voice that was gentle yet firm.
Ignoring his pains and strains, Ben jumped out of bed, quickly followed by Charlie and Natalie. Lornor gave them looks of pure hatred, baring his teeth, before following hard on their heels.
“I will take this to the chairman himself,” Lornor said. “He still has my ear. He will hear reason.”
“Do as you please,” the elf said, without offering any defence.
Ben hadn't a clue what was going on, but the fact that Lornor was in a rage was clearly a good thing. They didn't seem to be going to prison yet – were they heading to another temporary holding room? Hope threatened to swell his chest, but he forced it down, unwilling to draw conclusions until he knew exactly what was going on.
The elf led them through the maze of passageways and series of steps, until they were walking down one of the three main staircases, with the open arched entrance in clear view. Ben glanced back at Natalie and Charlie, who were now both smiling, unable or unwilling to hide their own expectations.
The elf stopped them by the entrance, and handed Ben back his pouch of spells, before giving them each a long stare. “Let me be clear that SpellWorks frowns heavily upon your actions, and you will not be welcome back here until you have made sufficient amends. Our laws state that you should go to trial and face the consequences. However, it appears you have some very powerful friends who have argued your case at the highest level. You are free to go, but please understand that, should you return, you will face the punishment you have managed to avoid.” The elf turned and directed his gaze to a figure just outside the entrance. “They are all yours, Ms. Walker.”
Ben almost fell over in surprise. On the top of the steps stood Wren. Her long silvery hair, piled on her head, was unmistakable, as were her sparkling grey eyes and peculiar agelessness. The five green diamonds floating above her shoulder were getting looks from everyone who passed.
“Thank you, Lindell,” Wren said. “Please convey my thanks once again to your chairman.”
Lindell gave her a little bow, and turned to go. Lornor stood there for a moment, his hands extended, as if he wanted to strangle the lot of them.
“Come now, Lornor,” the elf said. “Let's get back to work.”
For a minute, Lornor looked as if he was going to launch himself at them – not helped by Ben's insolent grin and wave. But, eventually, he disappeared back into the SpellWorks castle, leaving Ben, Charlie and Natalie alone at the entrance with Wren.
“Let's go, before they change their minds, shall we?” Wren said, with the merest hint of a smile.
As soon as they made it to the bottom, Ben felt a beautiful surge of freedom that made him want to dance. Wren, however, did not share his delight.
“I think you owe me an explanation. Needless to say, the Institute is very unhappy. We are, among other things, peace keepers and even law makers; we do not expect our apprentices to fly in the face of the very things we stand for,” Wren said.
The tone in Wren’s voice brought Ben back to earth with a thud. He glanced at Charlie and Natalie; both looked dumbfounded and were clearly unable to come up with a convincing story. Ben thought fast. How much could he say without giving the game away? He still remembered Queen Elizabeth's orders to his great ancestor, Michael Greenwood: the Institute were not to know about the Armour. But they were in so much trouble, he had to say something to justify their actions.
“We were looking for my parents,” Ben said slowly, careful to keep his voice measured and to look Wren right in the eye.
“At SpellWorks?” Wren said, raising her eyebrows.
Ben nodded. Now for the tricky part. The trick to a good lie was to keep it as close to the truth as possible.
“We found some books, and this pouch” – Ben held the pouch up for a moment – “in my grandma's attic. The books were all from an author called Lornor Taren. We knew it was a long shot, but we thought to track him down, in case my parents might have done the same, because they were obviously quite interested in him.”
“And had they?”
Ben paused, just for a moment. Lying could seriously backfire if Wren managed to extract the truth from Lornor, though he very much doubted that mad old elf would tell the Institute anything.
“Yes, they had.”
It was the first time Ben had seen Wren truly surprised. “What did they want with Lornor?”
“I'm not sure,” Ben said, planting his next lie carefully. “It turns out Lornor isn't very fond of the Institute.”
“A slight understatement,” Wren said. She was silent for a moment, staring ahead thoughtfully. Ben dared not glance at Charlie or Natalie, in case they let something slip. He could feel his body shaking slightly, whether from the day's ordeal or from nerves, he couldn't tell, but he clenched his fists hard to try to stop it. The next words Wren uttered could decide their fate. He went over his story in his head, but could see no way he could have improved it without putting them in more trouble.
“At some point, Ben, you are going to have to trust us,” Wren said, giving him a kindly look. “If not the Institute, then at least me.”
Ben nodded, but didn't trust himself to speak.
“Your story has enough truth that I believe I can convince the executive council not to expel you,” Wren said. “I only ask one thing. When the time comes and the odds are stacked against you too heavily, come to me, as a friend and ally, not an Institute Director. You have a remarkable talent for survival, Ben Greenwood, but I fear your luck may run out.”
“I will do that,” Ben said, and he was surprised to find that he meant it.
Wren smiled, her eyes lighting up in the way that always made Ben feel a little better.
“Good! Now, I want all of you to take the Dragonway straight home. You look like you all need some rest. I don't want to put any pressure on you, but, believe me, you will need to be at your best for the exam tomorrow.”
— Chapter Twenty-Four —
First Grade Exam
The morning of the exam was another bright, sunny day, but Ben barely noticed the weather. While waiting for Charlie by his house, Ben started reciting a complicated trade formula when dealing with dwarves that he had learnt just last night. His body had mostly recovered from the physical battering it had taken yesterday, thanks to some powerful healing spells from Wren, but he now felt a little sick, and his stomach did unpleasant somersaults every time he thought of the exam. Ben had taken plenty of tests at school, but he had never felt like this. The difference was that he cared about this one; he really cared. The thought of failing and being dumped out of the Institute was too awful to think about.
But as bad as Ben felt, it was nothing compared to Charlie, who looked absolutely miserable.
“I don't know what you're worried about,” Ben said, as they started walking. “You're an exam master.”
“School exams,” Charlie said, staring forlornly at the pavement. “And only because you know what to expect. You sit down, and answer questions from stuff you've studied in a book. This is completely different. We have absolutely no clue what it entails.”
They spent most of the journey to the Institute discussing what they might encounter and quizzing each other on each department in a final flurry of revision.
Before they k
new it, they were back in Taecia, climbing the hill to the Institute. As they passed the Institute's walls and approached the entrance, Ben felt a flutter of nerves, unconnected with the forthcoming exam.
“Do you think Wren managed to convince the executive council to let us stay?” Charlie asked, voicing the exact question that was on Ben's mind.
“I think so,” Ben said. “I can't imagine the guards letting us through the gates otherwise.”
Nevertheless, Ben passed through the Institute entrance with a feeling of trepidation, which lasted until Natalie met them inside, with a big smile.
“We're off the hook!” she said, raising her hand so they could both give her a high five. “Wren worked her magic, as usual. The only thing we have to do is forty hours of community service.”
“I'll take that,” Ben said, feeling a weight lift from his shoulders. He had been so focused on the exam he hadn't realised how much his uncertainty about his future at the Institute had been affecting him.
“How are you guys doing? Are you feeling confident?”
“We'd be feeling more confident if you told us a bit about the exam,” Ben said, flashing her a cheeky smile.
“You know I can't,” Natalie said, giving Ben a stern frown. “The only thing I can tell you is that it's different for each person. But you'll both be absolutely fine, trust me.”
They headed up the stairs together.
“Were you confident when you took the exam?” Charlie asked.
“No,” Natalie admitted. “I was a bundle of nerves, far worse than both of you. But I think you two are better prepared than I was.”
“Let's hope you're right.”
Muster proceeded as normal, though Ben was thinking so much about the exam Dagmar had to repeat his name three times before he answered. As everyone began filing out, Dagmar instructed them to stay. Natalie caught their eyes and gave them a thumbs up, before disappearing with the rest, leaving Ben and Charlie alone.