by Victor Kloss
He cursed silently. It was time to put the shroud spell to the test. The gangway was narrow, causing congestion, which made avoiding people even harder.
He started walking. It felt like a dance game on the Nintendo Wii, dodging, side stepping and occasionally backtracking, to make sure nobody bumped into him. Ben risked a sidelong glance at the Warden as he approached the first platform stairs. There was no reaction; the Warden’s gaze slid right by him. Ben allowed himself a moment’s relief, before he continued to slip and slide down the gangway, until he reached platform twelve.
There was a dragon there already. Ben felt his heart flutter – it could be leaving any minute. He hurried down the stairs, risking a shoulder glance off a lady, and onto the platform. The dragon was blowing steam out of his nose onto the platform making visibility poor, which gave Ben an excuse to barge past people without his usual caution.
Near the front of the platform, adjacent to the first carriage, were three chairs currently occupied by elderly gentlemen.
The finish line.
Ben resisted the urge to make a final sprint. He walked cautiously to the chairs and stood directly behind the middle one, careful not to disturb the gentlemen seated.
“Guys?” he whispered. Nobody replied. He glanced left and right, but saw no shadowy outlines of Charlie or Natalie.
Ben wasn’t surprised they hadn’t arrived yet, as he’d made good time. He glanced up at the platform board.
Platform 12 Departures
Borgen 15 Minutes On time
Borgen 45 Minutes On time
Fifteen minutes was perfect, even Charlie should have no trouble making that. They had about forty minutes left of the shroud spell, which meant if they had to get the following train, they would do it without cover. With all the Wardens around that would be risky. Such a scenario wasn’t worth thinking about because they would make this train.
Plenty of time.
Ben amused himself by watching the drivers seated in saddles on the dragon’s nape. They were tucking into sandwiches and each had a hot drink balanced on his lap. Ben marvelled at the way they were able to talk and joke, ignoring the slow, rhythmic breathing of the dragon, seemingly unaware they were sitting on a beast that could cook and eat them in a heartbeat.
Ben’s attention drifted back to the platform board.
Twelve minutes.
He started watching the stairs and the gangway, knowing it was a pointless exercise because Charlie and Natalie were shrouded; he wouldn’t see them until they were by his side.
Ten minutes.
Ben whispered their names again just to make sure they weren’t nearby. It had taken him about ten minutes to make the journey; they had now been fifteen minutes. There was nothing to panic about, nevertheless, he started making regular glances up at the platform board.
Eight minutes.
The men in the chairs stood up and boarded the train.
Ben squeezed the back of the chair. Why hadn’t they discussed a contingency plan in case one of them didn’t make it? Ben had assumed everything would be plain sailing.
Seven minutes.
Ben heard the soft sound of footsteps and he turned his head so fast his neck cracked. He sighed with relief when he saw a familiar curvy shadow standing by his side.
“Natalie, thank god. I was starting to get concerned. Did you stop off for coffee or something?”
Without warning, Natalie released the shroud spell and materialised before his eyes.
“What are you doing?” Ben asked in an urgent voice. “There are Wardens all over the place. There are still several minutes before the train leaves and Charlie has not…”
His voice trailed away.
Natalie’s eyes were wet. There was a tear running down her cheek.
“It’s over, Ben,” she said, her voice a whisper. “I’m so sorry.”
Ben felt his mouth go dry. “What are you talking about?”
“They caught us. They had a Warden who could see through our shrouds.”
“I don’t understand. I’m here. You’re here.”
“They let you go. Draven’s orders. They caught Charlie and me. I was sent over here to retrieve you.”
Ben didn’t want to believe it. “Why would Draven let me go?”
Natalie wiped the mascara running down her face. “He thinks you won’t leave without Charlie.”
Ben closed his eyes as the pain of acceptance hit him. Deep down he knew it had been too easy. He bit his lip until it hurt. They should have come up with a different plan. But what? There was no other way to board the train.
He looked up at the gangway, but saw nothing unusual, just the usual hustle and bustle.
“They are on platform six, not up there,” Natalie said.
Ben cursed loud and long. Several people turned around in disgust and confusion when they only saw a tearful Natalie.
Ben ran a hand through his hair and glanced once more at the platform board.
Three minutes.
“What will they do with Charlie if we get on the train?”
“I really don’t know,” Natalie said. She took a deep breath and composed herself. “I know this will sound completely awful, but the sensible thing to do would be for us to jump on the train without him.”
“You’re right,” Ben said, staring across the platforms, searching for Charlie and his captors. “The sensible thing would be to get on the train.”
“But you’re not going to,” Natalie said, the resignation in her voice contrasting with the admiring look she gave him. “Draven was right.”
Ben couldn’t bring himself to get on the train, no matter the cost. He wouldn’t abandon Charlie.
“What are you going to do?” Natalie asked.
“I’m going to rescue him.”
“Are you mad?” Natalie asked, shock washing away her despair. “If you think you have any chance of springing Charlie from the Wardens and making off with him, you’re in fantasy land.”
Ben glanced at her, his face serious. “What about your speech to trust each other? It works both ways, you know.”
“It’s not a matter of trust,” Natalie said through gritted teeth. She looked ready to lay into him, but stopped and took a deep, calming breath. “You’re right. I asked you to trust me, so I should do the same. I just hope Charlie is up to escaping.”
Ben turned to her in surprise. “What do you mean?”
“He was sobbing. He was trying to hide it from me, but I could hear him. I think this is all too much for him.”
Charlie was crying? Ben’s eyes resumed their fruitless searching with greater urgency.
“You won’t see them,” Natalie said. “Platform six is—“
A sudden noise came from the gangway. Voices cried out in surprise and anger.
Ben saw movement. Rapid movement.
There was a flash of light and a loud bang; more voices, these ones louder, edged with fear.
Charlie came belting down the stairs like the devil himself was on his tail.
He was halfway down when four Wardens appeared at the top, Spellshooters in hand. They hadn’t Charlie’s low centre of gravity, but they made up for it with long strides, taking three steps at a time, shouting at Charlie to stop. They took aim, but Charlie seemed to sense it and he blended into the stairs. A white bullet whizzed by the space where his head had been.
Ben heard a thump and assumed it was Charlie leaping the final few stairs onto the platform. A second later Charlie released the shrouding spell and re-appeared, screaming at the top of his voice for people to get out the way.
Natalie’s face was pale, her hand covering her mouth. “I don’t believe it,” she whispered.
Ben glanced again at the platform board.
One minute.
“All aboard!” a voice shouted.
The sound of doors shutting filled the air.
Ben stepped forward, waving encouragement. “Come on, Charlie, run!” he shouted.
Charlie was pumping his
arms like a man possessed. Ben could see the fear and exhilaration in his eyes.
“The train!” Natalie cried.
The dragon roared, blowing smoke and fire, signalling its departure. The Wardens were closing fast, their Spellshooters trained on Charlie’s back. Ben knew with sickening certainty Charlie wasn’t going to make it.
“Hold the door open,” Ben shouted over the cacophony to Natalie.
He stepped forward, his hand going to the pouch in his pocket. Natalie screamed at him, but he ignored her. As soon as his fingers made contact with the pouch he saw the spells in his mind’s eye. They seemed dull compared to the vibrancy of those in Natalie’s Spellshooter, but it made them easier to control. He focused on a white one and it came to his fingers.
Ben threw the small pellet with everything he had at the nearest Warden, hitting him full in the chest. The spell ignited, creating a hammer blast of air that lifted the Warden off his feet. He collided with the Warden behind him and they both went down in a heap.
Ben’s elation was short lived. A terrible creaking noise came from the carriage’s wheels.
The train was departing.
“Ben, hurry!” Natalie said. She was holding a door open, walking alongside the train. It was moving down the track, slowly picking up speed.
From the corner of his eye Ben saw a flash of red. He dived to the ground and a ball of flame sailed over his head, singeing his hair. He was still cloaked by the shroud, but throwing his own spells was giving away his position. Ben rose smoothly and launched another pellet with venom. It hit the third Warden on the arm and he clutched it in agony, halting his charge.
Ben released the shrouding spell the moment Charlie reached him collapsing onto the platform in exhaustion.
The final Warden, seeing Ben’s sudden appearance, had stopped running. He was taking careful aim with his Spellshooter.
Ben hauled Charlie to his feet and turned back to the train. He let out a cry of despair. The train was moving too fast and was about to enter the tunnel. There was no way Charlie, already exhausted, could catch it. Natalie had gotten on board, unable to keep pace from the outside. She was leaning out of the open door, her Spellshooter aimed at the Warden behind them. She was screaming something, but Ben couldn’t hear her over the sound of the train.
Natalie fired.
The Warden fired.
Ben knew instantly that Natalie had got her spell horribly wrong. It was heading right at them instead of the Warden. Ben had no chance of dodging both spells, one from either direction.
The Warden’s spell was a glowing red boomerang that came soaring at him in an arc. Natalie’s spell was a thin silvery rope, darting towards him like a snake.
A rope.
Ben grabbed Charlie by the waist and dove into Natalie’s spell, narrowly avoiding the Warden’s boomerang in the process.
The silver rope hit Ben in the chest and looped around him. It yanked him so hard he fell and nearly lost hold of Charlie. Ben flew forwards with such pace the platform around him blurred.
They soared into the open door and landed in a crumpled heap on top of each other inside the train. The door closed behind them with a click and the train disappeared into the tunnel.
— Chapter Twenty-Three —
Ratlings
“Ow, that’s my arm.”
“This is awkward, sorry,” Ben said.
He untangled his limbs from Charlie’s and sat down. They were getting odd looks from the passengers, but thankfully the train was half empty.
Charlie clambered onto a seat just as the conductor’s voice came echoing through the carriage.
“Ladies and gentlemen, please brace yourselves.”
The bar fastened to the back of the seat in front slid forward until it pressed down gently on their laps.
Charlie barely had time to grab the bar before the train took off like a rocket. The wind whistled in their ears and the carriage jumped as its wheels left the track. The popping sound came just as the train grazed the top of the tunnel, blocking out the wind and steadying their ride.
Once the train had settled down, Ben and Natalie turned their attention to Charlie.
“I saw you sobbing,” Natalie said slowly. She was staring at Charlie with a mixture of confusion and disbelief.
“Ah, yes, my sobbing,” Charlie said with a proud smile. “As Ben can testify from school, drama class is one of the few artistic subjects I’m good at.”
“He was excellent in Great Expectations last year,” Ben said, nodding.
“But why put on such an act?”
“Did you see the way the guards stopped watching me?” Charlie said, his expression turning serious. “Who is going to suspect a sobbing, fat little boy of attempting an escape?”
Natalie shook her head; it wasn’t sinking in.
“Brilliant,” Ben said with a grin, giving Charlie a pat on the shoulder. “Utter genius. So how did you escape?”
“It was all about timing. I waited for the right moment when the fewest number of Wardens were facing me. An old lady dropped her purse, distracting a couple of them; that’s when I ran. I must have been twenty yards away before anyone noticed.”
“And then what?”
“They wasted a few seconds thinking I would stop if they ordered me to come back,” Charlie said. “I turned round and threw one of the spells from my pouch; it created a mist, which gave me a few more seconds. Then I ran for my life.”
Natalie was curling a lock around her finger, unable to take her eyes off Charlie. She was looking at him as if she’d never seen him before.
Charlie seemed to relish the attention; his cheeks were a rosy red and there was a smile on his lips that wouldn’t go away. Ben’s good mood faded a little as he stared into the blackness of the tunnel. “I don’t think we’ll be too welcome back in the Institute.”
“We will be okay with Wren,” Natalie said, a steely determination in her voice.
“But not without her,” Charlie said.
Natalie didn’t argue.
Ben couldn’t help marvelling again at the change in Natalie since she had guessed his plan to find the wood elves. Just a few hours ago he thought her dedication to the Institute unwavering; yet here she was escaping with them. More importantly, she had trusted him despite his crazy intention to rescue Charlie. Ben wouldn’t forget that.
The journey to Borgen was about two hours, according to Natalie, so they tried to relax. Ben closed his eyes, figuring it would be a good idea to rest while they could.
It seemed like minutes later when he felt a nudge from Natalie. The train was ascending slowly towards sunlight spilling in at the end of the tunnel. He felt a cold breeze on his face, but his enchanted jacket absorbed the chill.
“Remember, be on your guard,” Natalie said. “There are dark elves on patrol. They have no reason to stop us—”
“Unless they have been told to look out for Ben—”
“They won't have,” Natalie said, giving Charlie a look.
“Charlie’s got a point. Will the Institute try and re-capture me before Elessar works out I’ve disappeared? Or will they let the dark elves loose on me?”
“Either way, the next train from Taecia doesn’t arrive for half an hour, which means we have a bit of time before anyone here knows we escaped. So let’s try not to worry about it,” Natalie said.
It took a second for Ben’s eyes to adjust to the sunlight as they exited the tunnel. The air was incredibly fresh and he took several deep breaths, soaking in their new surroundings. Everything was made of timber, from the platforms to the small gangway and even the houses beyond. Everything appeared remarkably vibrant, as if the trees hadn’t died when they had been turned into timber.
In the distance, Ben could make out vast, rolling hills covered with pine trees. The station was smaller than Taecia; Ben counted just four platforms, but the structure was similar.
As they pulled into the station Ben searched for any sign of the purple-uniformed
dark elves. He didn’t see any, but he did notice something just as striking.
“The Borgen natives are half-elves,” Natalie said, seeing Ben and Charlie’s looks.
They all had pointed ears and flowing hair, but it was so subtle he only noticed it because of its prevalence. With a hat on they could walk through London without a second glance.
“Where are we going?” Ben asked as the doors opened and they filed off the train. He couldn’t help noticing how far away the forests were. Suddenly, the food in their backpack seemed meagre.
“Follow me,” Natalie said.
They walked up the gangway and exited the station, spilling out into the town. The pavement was made of wood inlaid with intricate patterns of flowers and leaves. The road was also constructed from a darker wood, with planks so large he could only wonder at the size of the trees they came from. There were no cars but plenty of horse-drawn carriages. Quaint wooden cabins lined the street, reminding Ben of his only ski holiday with his parents.
“It’s not far from here,” Natalie said as they started down the street.
“What isn’t far?”
“Taxis. They are the best way to travel around.”
Ben and Charlie exchanged glances. Given their limited budget it seemed like an expensive way to get to the distant forests.
They hadn’t gone far when Ben noticed an oddity amongst the residents. They seemed pre-occupied, with a distant, troubled look on their faces.
“They’ve recently been conquered. Their country is no longer their own. It must be hard for them,” Natalie said.
Was that why Ben was feeling uneasy? Was he just feeling their pain? No. It was something else. He had felt on edge the moment they stepped off the train.
“Something isn’t right,” Ben said. He spoke calmly, in contrast to the way he was starting to feel.
“You’re being paranoid. Everything is fine,” Natalie said.
Charlie, however, started checking over his shoulder. “What should we do?” he asked.
“Charlie, don’t let Ben spook you.”
Charlie shook his head. “You don’t understand. Ben has a Spiderman sixth sense that borders on scary.”
Natalie wasn’t convinced, but Ben did see her take one or two furtive glances behind as they walked.