Royal Institute of Magic

by Victor Kloss

  “Tell that to the Warden who's been following us for the last half-hour.”

  Natalie gasped, her hand covering her mouth. “What happened? Are you okay?”

  “Yeah—”

  “Other than my lungs and legs, which won't recover until next week.”

  Ben recounted the last half-hour, omitting only the bit about almost approaching the Commander of the Institute. By the time he had finished, Natalie was also scanning the crowd, fiddling with her hair.

  “I don't think I was followed,” she said. “At least, I didn't notice anyone, but I wasn't paying that much attention.”

  “I think we're okay for now,” Ben said.

  Natalie joined them at the table. “I can't believe the Commander was out and about; he's normally so reclusive. I've only seen him half a dozen times and always inside the Institute.”

  “Have you heard of the book shop 'Irvine Rainwater'?” Charlie asked.

  "I've never been to the shop, but I recognise the name."

  Ben leant forward. “Who is he?”

  “He used to be the Scholar Director at the Institute. When he got too old, they demoted him to a less stressful job teaching apprentices the history of the Institute. He's a history fanatic. He retired from the Institute last year. I didn't know he had set up his own book shop, but it makes sense. He was a super bookworm.”

  Ben tapped his fingers on the table. “I wonder why the Commander went to see Irvine Rainwater. It must have been important to go during the day if he's normally so reclusive.”

  “I really don't know,” Natalie said. She didn't seem that interested either.

  Charlie, however, was nodding and tapping his chin thoughtfully. “I bet it had something to do with the Institute's history.”

  “Not necessarily,” Natalie said with a perfectly straight face. “Irvine Rainwater was also famous for making a superb cup of tea. Maybe the Commander was just craving a good cuppa.”

  Ben and Charlie opened their mouths, but no words came out.

  “That was a joke,” Natalie said. “Clearly not a very good one, though.”

  Charlie cleared his throat. “Actually it wasn't bad.”

  Natalie smiled and held out the jackets. “These are for you.”

  It was obvious Natalie's opinion of the Commander wasn't going to change. Ben was still convinced the Commander was a mystery worth solving, but since he was unlikely to get another chance at meeting him, it hardly mattered right now.

  “Green isn't really my colour,” Charlie said, looking at his jacket doubtfully.

  Ben filed the conundrum away and looked over his own jacket. “Will they be warm enough? You said it was cold in Borgen and these look more like spring jackets.”

  Natalie smiled. “They have an all-weather enchantment.”

  “What does that mean?”

  “Put them on and see.”

  Ben was already a little hot and the thought of wearing a jacket was distinctly unappealing. But the moment he slipped it on his entire upper body cooled down and he let out a sigh of relief.

  “Pretty cool,” Ben said, leaving his jacket on.

  Natalie stood up. “There are a few other things we need to get, but those we have to buy. First, we need to draw out some money. Follow me.”

  Ben gave Charlie an apprehensive look at the mention of money, but Charlie was too busy staring at everything they passed to notice. So concerned was Ben, he didn’t spot the familiar red sign until they were on the building’s doorstep.

  A flame came out of a white oval on a red background. The red signage was fit snugly above the door.

  It was a Santander bank.

  “I know I shouldn’t be saying this after everything we’ve been through – but this cannot be possible,” Charlie declared.

  Ben silently agreed, but Natalie just smiled and pulled a Santander card from her pocket. It looked identical to the ones at home.

  “You have to register the card with the bank to have it work here,” she said, as if that explained everything.

  Natalie approached something resembling a cash machine next to the bank’s door. It had no keypad or buttons of any sort and instead of a display area, there was an empty black hole and an over-sized card slot, which Natalie placed her card into. A small hairy hand reached out from inside the machine and grabbed it.

  “What was that?” Charlie asked in alarm.

  “The cashier – watch.”

  A small figure materialised from the blackness of the display. He was chubby, with a well-kept ginger beard and ruddy cheeks. He sat on a stool wearing a crisp, black suit and red tie.

  The cashier studied Natalie’s card for a minute. When he found what he was looking for, he gave a little sigh and a curt nod.

  “Good morning, Ms. Dyer,” he said in a bored voice. “How can I help you?”

  “Good morning. Could you tell me how much I have in my current account?”

  “You have five hundred and twenty-eight pounds, forty-four pence,” the cashier droned.

  Natalie drummed her hand on the cash machine. “I would like to take out five hundred pounds please.”

  Ben could have sworn the cashier winced. His hands went into the blackness and drew out a small wad of cash, which he counted exactly into Natalie’s hands.

  “Anything else I can help you with?” the cashier asked, clearly hoping there wasn’t.

  “No, thank you.”

  “Would you be interested in joining our Super Saver?” Though the cashier spoke with civility, Ben could almost visualise him staring at his nails. “To qualify you need to deposit five hundred pounds a month.”

  Natalie declined and the cashier bid them goodbye, descending slowly back into the blackness.

  “The richer you are, the nicer they act,” Natalie said. “They treat Wren like a goddess when she draws out money. They are supposed to treat everyone equally, but it’s difficult. Dwarves love money.”

  “Why don’t they hire someone else?”

  “Because dwarves are geniuses when it comes to arithmetic.”

  Ben couldn’t help staring at the big wad of cash Natalie had drawn out. Five hundred pounds was way beyond anything he could get his hands on.

  “Are we really going to spend all that money?”

  “Yes, but don’t worry,” Natalie said, seeing Ben’s concern. “I plan on getting it back from the Institute once this is all over.”

  “Does everyone use the English pound here?”

  Natalie nodded. “Elizabeth introduced it in the sixteenth century when her armies first discovered the Unseen Kingdoms. Since then it has become the accepted currency.”

  “So, what are we buying?” Charlie asked, looking around eagerly.

  “You'll see,” Natalie said. “Follow me.”

  Ben didn’t share Charlie’s excitement for shopping because he was usually broke. Natalie led them past several familiar shops meshed in between others that were unique to Taecia.

  “How do all these shops exist here?” Charlie asked. “It looks like half the retail industry knows about the Unseen Kingdoms.”

  “Not quite,” Natalie replied. “The Department of Trade at the Institute is responsible for establishing relationships with high street shops. Only a handful of top executives from the shops will know about the Unseen Kingdoms.”

  Ben attempted to walk with his head turned so he could stare at the passing shop windows, trying to dodge the throngs using peripheral vision. It worked until he came upon a store that made both him and Charlie stop, causing a near pile-up.

  Westminster Armoury was clearly a popular shop, attracting a great deal of attention from passers-by. It reminded Ben of a Ferrari store he once passed in London that cast a hypnotic spell upon every passing male. Ben and Charlie plastered their faces against the window while Natalie continued on her way, oblivious to the fact that she was now alone.

  Nearly everyone was staring at the same thing – a shining silver breastplate, embossed with Queen Eliza
beth’s royal coat of arms. Below it was a sign that said, “Official replica approved by the Royal Institute of Magic: £9,999.”

  Ben stared in astonishment at the price tag, but that was apparently not much of a deterrent.

  “…sold out in three hours I heard,” an excited onlooker said, whose face was also plastered to the window.

  “I’ve got an uncle whose sister’s husband has a contact and apparently he’s top of the waiting list.”

  “Does it make you invincible like the original?”

  “Of course not. Anyway, the original didn’t make Elizabeth invincible, that’s just made up.”

  “Still, look at those enchantments it comes with. I’d feel invincible wearing that.”

  “For that money I’d rather buy a second-hand car or even a griffin.”

  Elizabeth’s replica breastplate wasn’t the only item on display; there were swords, shields, spears, crossbows and other weapons he’d never seen before.

  “Ben, Charlie!”

  Natalie picked her way through the crowd and dragged them both away. “I should have known you’d get hypnotised by that shop.”

  Ben was so busy trying to get a last look at the armoury he didn’t see Natalie stop and bumped into her.

  “Here we are,” Natalie said after Ben had apologised.

  Ben hadn’t expected anything to top the armoury shop, but he was wrong – very wrong.

  The shop signage extending from the wall was a wizard’s hat, cast in silver with the letter “W” imprinted on it. There was no shop name Ben could see, but that wasn’t affecting custom; there was a queue to get in.

  “They pride themselves on service so they don’t like it crowded inside,” Natalie said. “Do you still have the Institute ID cards you used to get to Taecia?”

  When they nodded she led them to the head of the queue to a man whom Ben strongly suspected was a half-giant guarding the entrance door. Natalie presented her Institute ID card, which the giant man peered at, then nodded and beckoned her enter. Ben and Charlie did likewise and they entered the shop, ignoring the envious stares of the waiting crowd.

  “Perks of the job,” Natalie said with a smile.

  Ben didn’t know where to look first. There were three rows of varnished oak tables that ran the length of the store. On top of the tables, mounted on small stands, were Spellshooters of every conceivable design. There were other items too – orbs, staffs, shimmering cloaks and many more objects Ben couldn’t even identify.

  “Who makes all this stuff?” Charlie asked, staring at the tables.

  “They are manufactured by the Unseens, especially the elves. They package their magic and sell it to humans.”

  Ben noticed the majority of customers were men and women. “Sounds like good business for the Unseens.”

  Natalie nodded. “Even before Queen Elizabeth and her Institute arrived, the Unseens made good money dealing with humans within the Kingdoms. When Elizabeth arrived, business exploded.”

  “If you can buy magic, aren’t the richest people the most powerful?” Charlie asked.

  “Not necessarily. The best spells can only be cast by those with extraordinary willpower and concentration.”

  Ben was so glued to the items that it took him a moment to realise someone had walked up to them.

  “Can I help you today?” a friendly voice asked.

  The enquirer had pointed ears and shoulder-length, brown hair. He wore a tunic and breeches, with leather boots and a cloak. Everything was coloured in earthy greens and browns except for the small silver badge on his tunic, which read “Wizard”.

  There were dozens of such elves scattered around the store, assisting people, instructing them on an item or just standing there looking helpful.

  “We’re looking for spells,” Natalie said.

  “Second floor,” the elf wizard said. “My colleagues upstairs will be happy to help you with any questions you have.”

  Natalie had to use physical force to pry Ben and Charlie away from the tables and up a spiral staircase located in the centre of the room.

  The second floor consisted of rows of shelves so tall they touched the ceiling. Ladders were placed everywhere to help customers reach the upper levels. Each shelf was filled with glass containers and in them were spell pellets of every size and colour, creating a rainbow glow that permeated the room. Hanging from the ceiling above each shelf were signs like “Fire” and “Water/Earth”, which Ben assumed indicated the elements of the spell.

  “First, we need pouches,” Natalie said.

  “Pouches?” Ben said, exchanging a confused look with Charlie.

  Natalie led them to a shelf filled with hundreds of different pouches of varying colours. She picked out a red one and started inspecting the stitch.

  “What are these for?” Ben asked.

  “To carry the spells,” she said. “We are going to buy you and Charlie a few basic spells so you can protect yourselves.”

  Ben stared at the pouch. They looked a bit feminine for his taste. “We can cast spells with this?”

  “Very basic ones. The spells are no way near as powerful as those fired from a Spellshooter, to say nothing of the range, since you are throwing instead of shooting. But they are still useful and it’s very easy to learn.”

  Natalie picked up another pouch, this one green. “The trouble is there are so many pouches to choose from. Each one has different properties; some make spell casting easy but sacrifice the spell’s power; others retain the full force of the spell but are difficult to use.”

  Natalie picked up another pouch; this one had a chequered pattern. As far as Ben could see, each of the pouches she had chosen cost about twenty pounds.

  “These are the three contenders,” Natalie said. She juggled the three in her hands and with a completely serious face said, “All of them come with the standard vanishing spell, so they disappear if anyone searches you. The problem is, I can’t decide which fabric to go with. The red one has a nice feel, but I don’t like the style, whereas this chequered one, while ugly, has a much nicer stitch. What do you think?”

  Ben was about to tell her he couldn’t care less, but thankfully Charlie stepped in.

  “I think you should go with the chequered one,” Charlie said, examining them carefully. “This red one looks like it will fall apart in a week.”

  Natalie nodded and smiled at Charlie. “We should go shopping more often,” she said, putting the other pouches back and taking two chequered ones.

  Ben was relieved when Natalie directed them away from the pouches back to the shelves full of coloured spell pellets. They headed towards an overhead sign that said “Fire/Air”.

  “These two elements are the best combination for spells that stun and paralyse. They also have some good basic attacking spells.”

  Each box on the shelf had a label of the spell, its strength, numbered from One to Five, and its elements. Ben cast his eyes over the spells and felt like dancing with childish delight. There were fireballs, air blasts, stun (both fire- and air-based), levitate, and dozens of others. The weakest spells (grade One) ranged from as little as five pounds up to twenty pounds. The grade Four spells were hundreds of pounds each and the grade Five ones were padlocked; they simply said “Price on application”.

  “We have about two hundred and fifty pounds left. We still need to get a few other things so let’s try to spend less than a hundred pounds. Pick what you want, but don’t take anything stronger than a Two as the chances of successfully casting it are too slim.”

  Ben rubbed his hands – he hadn’t felt this excited since his tenth birthday when his parents took him to Toys R Us. First, he picked out everything that looked interesting, but before he knew it he had a dozen spells in his hands totalling more than three hundred pounds. He examined each one thoroughly and after much deliberation ended up with six of the finest spells he could afford.

  “Are we ready?”

  Natalie and Charlie were watching him impatiently.
Charlie had his spells in his pouch.

  “How did you go so quickly?”

  “He didn’t. You were just incredibly slow,” Natalie said.

  By the time they had paid, Ben’s stomach was growling and he was pleased when their next stop took them to a bakery where they stocked up on sandwiches and bottles of water. Back on the street, they found a free table in the open seating area and sat down. Ben tore into his baguette and for a few minutes they were too busy chewing to do any talking.

  “This seems like some trip,” Charlie said eventually, having downed his food the fastest. “Will we be gone long?”

  “I hope not, but I don’t want to take any chances,” Natalie replied.

  “Aren’t there any hotels or places to stay?”

  “There are, but we can’t afford them. Anyway, this food is for the forest. We might be in there for a while searching for the elves and there are certainly no hotels there.”

  Ben had never considered the ramifications of their journey and he was now doubly glad they had Natalie.

  “So what's your plan for getting past the guards and onto the Dragonway?” Ben said.

  “We will need to be invisible so we can get on unnoticed.”

  “Great idea,” Ben said. “Will you use your Spellshooter to hide us?”

  To his surprise, Natalie shook her head. “The only invisibility spell I have isn’t strong enough to deceive the Wardens. Even if I had the right spell, I’m not competent enough to cast it.”

  “So what do we do?” Charlie asked.

  “There are people who will cast the spell we need, for a fee. It’s called 'Spell Service’ and it’s a big industry.”

  Ben didn’t like the way her voice went soft as she spoke, as if she were scared of being overheard.

  “Is there a catch?”

  Natalie checked over her shoulder to make sure nobody was listening and leant across the table. “It’s not the most respected business in the world. You don’t always get what you pay for.”

  Ben had a vision of someone asking for super human strength and being turned into a baboon.

  “Is there another option?” Charlie asked, massaging his forehead with concern.