The Last Guardian (Royal Institute of Magic, Book 5)

by Victor Kloss

  Ben shook himself, and rallied his group of six. With some effort, he managed to take his attention off the dark elves for the remainder of the training, until six o'clock hit and they broke for dinner.

  He met up with Charlie and Natalie at the base of the staircase. But instead of heading to the food hall, Charlie gave a nod to the entrance.

  “Want to go see it?” he said. There was a strange look of excitement and curiosity in his eyes.

  “See what?”

  “Port Allarr,” Charlie said. “I've been around Scholars who have been talking about it nonstop all day – logistics; numbers; boats; ships. It only takes half an hour to get there, if we take a taxi.”

  “Shouldn't we be doing final preparations for Vanishing Street?” Natalie said with a disapproving frown. “We're supposed to be going tomorrow, remember?”

  But Ben had caught some of Charlie's curiosity. He too had heard a few things from members passing by throughout the day.

  “We've researched Vanishing Street to death,” Ben said. “I want to see this port.”

  Natalie reluctantly agreed, and a jubilant Charlie led them straight to the taxis. Getting there took a little longer than they thought, as many other apprentices had a similar idea of how to utilise their dinner break, so getting a taxi took a little longer than usual.

  With some difficulty, they squeezed into a two-man chariot and, in short order, they were flying above the bustling town of Taecia.

  “Let me guess – Port Allarr?” the driver said.

  “How'd you know?”

  The driver gave a gruff laugh. “I've been shipping you apprentices back and forth all day. Can't see why you're all so interested myself, but then I'm not really a ship person.”

  The taxi buffered against the breeze, and Ben tucked his jacket a little tighter around his neck to counter the cold, his eyes searching the horizon for the port, and the sea beyond.

  Ben had been to several coastal towns at home, and he had seen some large ships moored. But nothing prepared him for the sheer scope of Port Allarr when it finally came into view.

  At first, the ships looked like nothing more than little dots, bouncing gently on the sea. As they continued to soar towards the coast, they soon looked like toy ships, yet they were still a good way out.

  “Oh my,” Natalie gasped.

  There were hundreds of them, many of them docked, but the majority were anchored a little way out, and were being gently buffeted against the wind and choppy waters. As the taxi descended, Ben got a bird's eye view of the scene. There were many different types of ships, most likely from different Unseen Kingdoms. Some were incredibly sleek, and looked as though they could cut through water like a motor boat. Then there were steam ships, big and small, pumping a strange kind of smoke into the air. There were barges, dotted with hundreds of troops on board.

  Ben's mouth was agape for the entire descent, until a soft bump from the landing shook him from his stupor.

  They left the taxi some hundred yards from the sea. As they walked up and down the port, Ben struggled to come to terms with the magnitude of the navy that was being assembled. It was staggering to think the Royal Institute of Magic could summon such a force from all over the Unseen Kingdoms, and he couldn't help but be lifted by the strength of arms. Surely the dark elves couldn't hope to match such numbers?

  Ben wasn't sure how long they staggered round for, certainly longer than their allocated break, though they weren't the only apprentices gawking at the sight, and most of the Institute members were far too busy to notice their presence.

  “If you break that thing, I'm billing you! That cost me an arm and a leg. And if you can't pay, I'll just hang you instead. Your choice.”

  Alex's hooded cloak whipped around him in the wind. He was standing next to a ramp where cargo and artillery were being loaded up onto a sleek ship that was primarily manned by sea elves. Ben recognised them by their small gills behind their ears, and their slightly webbed hands.

  Alex was so busy issuing orders, his arms gesticulating every which way, that Ben didn't want to disturb him. But Alex caught sight of them in his peripheral vision, and waved them over with a smile.

  “How are my favourite apprentices?” Alex said with one of his suave smiles. “Come to see a bit of the action?”

  “Kind of,” Ben said, returning Alex's smile. “We wanted to see what was happening. I can't believe how many ships there are. Surely the dark elves won't stand a chance?”

  Alex's good humour was replaced by rare sincerity. “Actually, they will still outnumber us nearly two to one.”

  “What?” Ben couldn't believe it. He couldn't even begin to imagine a navy twice as big. “How is that possible?”

  “They've been preparing for war for a long time,” Alex said. “Suktar has been preparing for hundreds of years, even when he didn't physically have a body. We have superior ships, and the sea elves are the finest seamen in the Unseen Kingdoms, so the battle will be close. We will meet them off the southern coast of England and try to stop them landing.”

  Ben felt like the air had been sucked out of him. “What happens if we lose?”

  “Then things get messy,” Alex said. “We haven't been able to convince the government of the dark elf threat. Much of the sea battle will take place without them seeing or believing what's happening. It's only when the dark elves land that the government will realise what they are up against. By then, it may be too late.”

  The optimism that had been swelling inside Ben eked away, and he shared a daunted look with Charlie and Natalie. The stark truth hit home with considerable force. In a day or two, England could be under siege. The death, horror and destruction were almost too much to think about.

  “Chin up,” Alex said, giving them a smile. “We haven't lost yet. The Institute has a few tricks up its sleeve, and this war isn't a forgone conclusion.”

  But for once Ben had a feeling that Alex's light-hearted talk was masking his own fears and beliefs, though Ben wasn't in the mood to challenge them.

  They returned to the Institute, a great deal more sombre than when they left, and Ben had trouble staying focused during the final session of training.

  Tomorrow was Vanishing Street day. Ben didn't think it possible, but somehow its importance had reached an even higher pitch. So much depended on them gathering Elizabeth's Armour that Ben felt almost overwhelmed.

  “See you tomorrow?” Charlie said, as they arrived in Croydon.

  Ben nodded. Tomorrow was going to be a hell of a day.

  — Chapter Thirty-One —

  An Unusual Taxi Ride

  Ben didn't get much sleep that night, but he still woke up wide awake right at eight o'clock. His heart gave a little flutter just thinking about Vanishing Street, and he hadn't even got out of bed yet.

  Ben took extra care packing his bag, having made a list the previous night, before stepping out into a cold but beautiful, blue-skied winter's day. His backpack hung over his shoulder, his scabbard on one side and the spellshooter on the other. Ben took a deep breath, enjoying the feel of the cold air in his lungs, before setting off to the train station. It felt slightly strange, taking an ordinary train, rather than the Dragonway, and he couldn't help thinking the train moved awfully slowly, constantly stopping at regular stations, before it finally pulled into London Victoria station.

  Ben walked through the busy station and out to the ranks of taxis, where people had lined up.

  “Ben!”

  He turned, and saw Natalie waving at him, a little distance from the taxis and the underground station, where the commuters swamped.

  “Last, as usual,” Charlie said. He wore a bright red parka jacket, and yet somehow still managed to strap on his backpack over both shoulders.

  “Good morning!” Krobeg said brightly. “This place is wild, isn't it? Makes even the busiest Unseen Kingdoms look like sleepy hollows.”

  It was strange seeing Krobeg and even
stranger seeing Dagmar here, just outside Victoria station. But thankfully they seemed to fit in, or, more likely, the London crowd was so used to slightly unusual people that they simply didn't care. To be fair to Krobeg, he was a big dwarf, at almost five feet, and could pass as a short human without too much difficulty. Ben saw no sign of his breastplate, and so assumed he was wearing it.

  Dagmar was wearing her boots, though to the ordinary eye they looked like nothing more than expensive shoes. Only Abigail, with a backpack strapped over her shoulder, chose not to wear her armour.

  “I think I'd look a bit silly wearing it, and a bit uncomfortable,” she said.

  “Are we all ready, then?” Joshua said, after giving Ben a brief, but not unfriendly nod of welcome. “I make it 10:07am and our Vanishing Street appointment is at 10:45am, so we don't have a lot of time.”

  “Do you know where to go?” Ben asked.

  In answer, Joshua pulled out his spellshooter. Ben had become quite used to being able to brandish his weapon without ordinary people observing it, but it felt slightly odd seeing Joshua doing so in the middle of London.

  Joshua fired a spell above his head. A glowing white ball shot out from the barrel and hovered a few feet above their heads.

  “Taxi-hailing spell,” Joshua said. “We need a black cab that's driven by an Unseen. Only they can get us to Vanishing Street.”

  All the black cabs looked the same to Ben, including the one that pulled over five minutes later.

  There were seven of them, and Ben was slightly concerned the taxi wouldn't be large enough, but they stepped inside one by one, without any fuss. When Ben finally followed them in, he found out why. The interior was far bigger than your ordinary taxi, with enough room for a dozen. Ben knew he shouldn't have been surprised – it was an Unseen taxi, after all – but being in London, he had subconsciously slipped back into the scientific way of thinking, rather than magical.

  “Where to?” the taxi driver said from the front.

  “Vanishing Street, 10:45am,” Joshua replied.

  The taxi driver turned round in surprise, and Joshua showed him the invitation, which the driver looked at closely, his long nose almost touching the ink.

  “Not been there in a while,” the taxi driver said with a shrug. “10:45am, eh? Cutting it a bit tight.”

  The taxi accelerated and then promptly slowed down again, as it joined the morning traffic in the heart of London. They meandered along at less than thirty miles an hour, much to Ben's frustration.

  “Any chance you can go any faster?” Joshua asked, leaning forwards.

  “I'm a taxi driver, not a miracle worker,” the driver said.

  “What about, you know, magic?” Ben asked.

  The driver laughed. “You think all Unseen taxis are fitted with wings and magical rocket boosters? If I could afford one of them, I wouldn't be driving a taxi.”

  “How far do we have to go?” Joshua asked.

  The taxi driver shrugged. “Twenty minutes, give or take, depending on traffic.”

  Ben looked anxiously at his watch. That would leave them with less than five minutes to spare. He clenched his teeth. Why hadn't he caught an earlier train? He glanced over at Dagmar, who appeared completely unruffled by their time crunch, and he almost wished she would take over. She would somehow make the taxi driver go faster.

  Once the traffic finally cleared, they started to make good progress, and Ben soon saw the River Thames to his left, which they appeared to be running parallel to. He resisted the urge to ask how much longer, until, to a collective groan, they hit more traffic.

  “We're in trouble,” Charlie said, putting his head against the window to get a better view. There were temporary lights a good distance ahead, and it was gridlock.

  Ben couldn't believe it. He felt speechless. Weeks of planning, and they missed the appointment because he got the wrong train?

  Joshua, though, had the bit between his teeth. He delved into his pocket, and produced a wad of cash.

  “One hundred and fifty quid to get us out of this mess,” Joshua said.

  Ben frowned. The taxi driver had already made a joke about wings and rocket boosters – what was Joshua playing at?

  But to Ben's surprise, further laughter from the taxi man was not forthcoming. Instead, Ben caught a cunning look in the mirror.

  "£175.”

  “Fine. Just get us out of here,” Joshua said irritably. He leant forwards and handed over the money. The taxi driver licked his lips as he took it.

  “Right you are,” the taxi driver said. “Hold on to something.”

  His hand went to the dashboard and he pressed one of the many buttons.

  Ben was thrown back in his seat with great force. The taxi accelerated like a Ferrari. Ben cried out, though only he and Abigail did so in exhilaration, as the taxi sped up to the car in front. Instead of crashing, it went through the rear of the car ahead. Within moments, the taxi had sped through dozens more cars and passed the traffic lights responsible for the congestion. The taxi driver reached out and pressed the button again. This time Ben was prepared and he grabbed hold of the armrest, just in time, as the car slowed with violent force. They resumed normal speed, with the traffic safely behind them.

  There were a few groans, as they adjusted their necks and rubbed their backs, except for Dagmar, who sat perfectly still and upright, her hands on her lap.

  After another set of traffic lights, the driver turned left, and they found themselves on a suspension bridge, crossing the River Thames. Ben's mind shifted subconsciously back to the dark elves – could this famous river be swarming with dark elf ships in the next few days?

  Ben shook such thoughts from his mind, and glanced at his watch again with a frown. It was 10:38am; they were supposed to be there in seven minutes, which seemed impossible. He was about to voice his concern, but the taxi driver beat him to it.

  “About to turn off onto the E23,” the taxi driver said, his hand going to another button on the dashboard.

  Ben tensed himself, but his reaction proved unfounded. The taxi's lights switched on, with a strange blue tint. Directly ahead of them a ramp materialised, which led them up to another road that ran parallel to the bridge. It was transparent, made of some sort of plastic or glass. The cars ahead went through the ramp, as if it wasn't there, and continued along the bridge. But the taxi went up the ramp, and onto this new road. Ben grabbed the car handle, and felt Abigail grab his arm, as the road veered to the right. Suddenly, they were driving right over the river. Ben looked down, and could see the choppy Thames below.

  He was just starting to relax, and enjoy the feeling of this unprecedented view of the famous river, when he glanced once more at his watch.

  The time was 10:40am.

  They had just five minutes to get to Vanishing Street. He was about to bring this to the driver's attention, when he saw the road come to an end at a turning circle, just a little way ahead. There was an elf soldier, fully armed, with a long spear, guarding the end of the road, as if someone would be mad enough to jump off it. But it was the stone archway with the all-seeing eye that caught his attention. Unlike the others he had become used to, this one had a black sheen, making it impossible to see through. The taxi came to a stop at the turning circle, just in front of the archway and the elf.

  “Entrance to Vanishing Street,” he said. “That'll be twenty-four pounds please.”

  Joshua paid the driver, and they bundled out. Without giving a moment's thought to the return journey, they quickly approached the stern-faced elf blocking the archway.

  “Invitation please,” the elf said.

  Joshua stepped forwards and handed him the invite. To Ben's surprise, and concern, he spent several minutes inspecting it, examining the writing up close, and tracing it with a finger. They watched silently, and Ben thought briefly of what they would do if the elf rejected them. Could they get through the archway without his permission or would they be
stuck? He remembered what Krobeg said about the archways swallowing up people who violated security.

  Thankfully, such thoughts proved unfounded. The elf gave a nod, and seemed to relax a little. “You have two minutes until you can enter.”

  Ben wasn't the only one who gave a sigh of relief. He counted the seconds, trying to stare through the blackness of the archway.

  “Any idea what we're going to find?” Ben said.

  “Yes,” Charlie said. But before he could elaborate, the elf waved them through.

  Joshua stepped up first. He straightened his shoulders and, with only a moment's hesitation, walked right on through. One by one the others followed, until only Ben remained. This is it, he thought to himself. The magnitude and importance of what awaited made him hesitate. He felt the weight of pressure on his shoulders, almost making him physically sag.

  This was no good – he couldn't go in feeling like this. He shook himself down, and gave a little smile, throwing the weight of expectation from him, before following the rest through.

  — Chapter Thirty-Two —

  Vanishing Street

  The words luxury and extravagance didn't really do Vanishing Street justice. Ben almost bumped into a static Charlie; he, as well as the rest, was staring at the street with undisguised awe. Even Dagmar looked a little bemused by it all.

  The street itself was wider than your average road, and cobbled with such attention to detail it looked like each stone had been carefully placed. But it was the houses that caught Ben's eye. They were absolutely huge, each one set back a way behind a gated drive. Ben was surprised to see numerous luxury cars parked in the driveways, giving the street an almost contemporary feel. That was offset against the three giant eagles and several griffins he saw flying about, stretching their wings. Many of the houses had chimneys, with coloured smoke that came out in thick, almost velvety swirls.

  Predictably, it was Dagmar who recovered first.

  “Which house is the baron's, Joshua?” she asked.