Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth's Legacy (13 page)

Before
Ben could work out what they were talking about, his dad pulled a
peculiar toy gun from behind his back.

Ben
gaped.

His
dad pointed it at him and fired.

Blackness.

The world around him faded and
there was a flash of white light.

He was back with the Council. Six
sets of eyes were staring at him intently.

“Well, that was
interesting,” Alex said, a small smile on his lips. The coin
was still running through his fingers.

“I don’t see how,”
Draven said. “We didn’t learn anything that would help us
locate the Greenwoods.”

“No,” Victoria said,
staring at Ben thoughtfully. “But we learnt something else:
Greg and Jane knew Suktar would come for them again.”

“Again? He’s come for
them before?” Ben asked.

Nobody was listening to him. No –
that wasn't true. Robert was watching him closely. His expression was
impassive, but those dark, gold-flecked eyes were thoughtful.

Robert rose suddenly; the others
immediately followed.

“Colin,” he said,
turning to the immaculately suited man. “I want a report of
this meeting, including results from the Spell Search.”

Colin nodded and Robert turned to
the others. “Wren and Draven, I would like to see you in my
office.” Finally, Robert turned to the pencil-thin lady.

“Victoria, you and Ben
Greenwood are the main reason I returned to the Institute. I am
searching for an old colleague of yours and I believe you might know
where he is. Please find me once this meeting is over.”

Victoria nodded and gave an
awkward curtsey.

They waited a good thirty seconds
after Robert left before returning to their seats.

“Well, that Memory Search
doesn’t change anything,” Draven said, breaking the
momentary silence. “In fact, it only reinforces what I
suspected, that Greg and Jane had a long-standing issue with the dark
elves.”

There was a noise that sounded
like something between a sigh and a snort of laughter. Everyone
turned to the hooded man staring at them innocently.

“Sorry, did I say
something?” he asked.

“No, Alex, but I fear you
would like to,” Victoria said evenly.

“Well, the whole thing’s
a load of rubbish really, isn’t it? But I may have expressed my
thoughts already.”

“Yes, you have – so
shut up unless you have something useful to say,” Draven said.

“I’m far from happy
with the logic and there is clearly a lot we don’t know,”
Victoria said. “But until Greg and Jane turn up, we cannot
prove the dark elves are lying to us.”

Ben snapped. “That’s
completely unfair,” he said, with such anger and pent-up
emotion the Council finally turned to him.

He had their attention.

“This Suktar – isn’t
he the bad guy? Yet you’re taking his side over my parents’?”

Draven leant forward onto the
table. “You have no clue what’s going on, so keep your
trap shut.”

“Draven is right. There are
many different elements and factors that you are unaware of,”
Victoria said.

“Personally I’m with
Ben,” Alex said, flicking up his gold coin absently.

Ben had had enough. His hand flew
into his pocket and he produced the peculiar fabric that matched the
dark elf cloak.

“See this?” he said,
thrusting the fabric at them. “I found this at our house the
day my parents disappeared.”

It didn’t produce the
response he had expected. Only Alex showed the slightest bit of
surprise at the fabric.

“The dark elves were trying
to bring your parents to justice,” Victoria said in a perfectly
calm voice.

“You knew that?” Ben
asked, taken aback.

Colin nodded. “Of course.
There is a lot we know that you don’t, Mr. Greenwood,
particularly when it comes to your parents’ past.”

“What about my parents’
past?”

“Such debate serves no
purpose right now,” Wren said, her voice cutting through the
argument. “I will have a proper conversation with Ben after the
meeting. Let’s move on.”

Ben wanted answers now, but he
took a deep breath and nodded. They would come later.

Wren stood up. “I am going
to cast a Search Spell, Ben. You will feel a light tingling, but it
is not unpleasant and won’t last long.”

Despite Wren’s calm
reassurances, Ben ran a weary hand through his messy, blond hair. He
felt reluctant to be the subject of any more spells after the last
one. But his trepidation was offset by curiosity. She had no
Spellshooter. How was she going to cast a spell?

Wren raised a hand and extended
her forefinger; the tip suddenly turned white. A jet of sparks arced
towards Ben and showered him from head to toe. They grew into tiny
stars and floated around him. Some made his skin tingle, but they
didn’t hurt; quite the opposite, it felt strangely relaxing.

The Executive Council were
watching him closely. Ben desperately wanted the spell to find
something. The thought that his parents had an eye on him was so
uplifting it made his heart ache. But when the stars started
disappearing, so did the Council’s interest and Ben’s
shoulders sunk.

And then it happened. One of the
stars hovering above his head exploded and ballooned into a silver
ball the size of a pumpkin, pulsing gently.

“What is it?” Draven
asked.

Wren was a picture of
concentration. She narrowed her luminous eyes, lips parted.

“I cannot tell yet.”

Nobody, not even Draven,
interrupted her as she continued to stare at the silver ball.

Suddenly, the silver ball
disappeared, making Ben jump. Wren lowered her hand, but continued to
stare a few inches above Ben’s head where the ball had been.

“The spell isn’t one
of ours,” she said.

There was a collective murmur.
Draven cursed and thumped his fist on the table.

“If I ever see those
Greenwoods again,” he muttered. “Can you tell us anything
about the spell or are you going to be completely useless?”

Wren tapped a finger on her
pursed lips. “Its power and complexity are considerable. It may
have been cast by the wood elves. We know the Greenwoods are friendly
with them.”

“Can you tell us what the
spell does?” Colin asked.

Wren shook her head. “I
cannot say.”

Ben had been listening intently
and yet, to his immense frustration, understood nothing.

Before he could ask a question,
Draven stood up.“We’re done here.”

“What about Mr. Greenwood?”
Colin asked.

“What about him?”

“It’s not safe for
him to be wandering around. I call a vote to keep him in the
Institute.”

“Within Taecia,” Wren
said. “He’s not a prisoner.”

“Those in favour of keeping
Ben in Taecia?” Draven asked. All hands were raised except
Alex’s.

Ben watched in astonishment as
they voted on his fate as if he weren’t there. He was still
trying to work out what had happened when the Council filed out,
leaving him alone with Wren.

Ben
hoped Wren would explain what had transpired, but she led him out of
the meeting room moments after the others.

Questions buzzed round his head,
but one demanded an answer above all others.

“What about my parents’
past were they talking about?”

Wren put a finger on her lips.
“Not here.”

With some difficulty, Ben saved
the questions for later, but that didn't stop him thinking about
them. What were his parents searching for? Why were they trying to
end the Greenwood relationship with the Institute? It occurred to Ben
that Wren might not know the answers to all his questions.

They went back down the stairs to
Wren’s office. Ben suddenly became aware of how tired he was.
His legs wobbled and he had to grip the banister to prevent a nasty
fall.

“The Memory Search spell is
a real energy-sapper,” Wren said, slowing her pace. “You’re
doing really well. Many have to be carried afterwards.”

Ben found speaking difficult when
so much effort went in to putting one foot in front of the other.

“Why did Draven address
Robert as 'Your Highness'?”

“Good question,” Wren
said. “Robert is a direct descendent of Queen Elizabeth I. His
full title is Prince Robert, Commander of the Institute of Magic.”

Ben rubbed his heavy eyes. “My
history isn't great, but didn't Queen Elizabeth die childless?”

“You're right. The
classrooms teach you that Queen Elizabeth died without an heir. But
that isn't true: she had a son.”

Ben ran a shaky hand through his
hair. “Why didn't he become king when Elizabeth died?”

“By that time Elizabeth was
more interested in the Unseen Kingdoms than the British Empire. So
James VI of Scotland became king of England, and Henry, Elizabeth's
son, became the new Commander of the Royal Institute of Magic. Since
then her descendants have continued to rule the Institute.”

Ben's weary mind needed a moment
to take it all in. “I don't want to sound like Charlie, but how
is that possible? Wouldn't somebody notice if she were pregnant?”

“I'll put that question
down to your mental and physical fatigue,” Wren said with a
smile. “A simple spell could easily disguise her state.”

“Of course,” Ben
said. “I forgot about that. So does Robert really rule the
Institute? He doesn't look like the sort of person who would sit in
meetings all day.” Ben recalled the wet cloak and muddy
clothes. “He came in last, left first and didn't take part in
any of the Council's decisions.”

“Well observed.” She
became momentarily distant and Ben thought he saw concern in her
face. “The last few commanders have spent much of their time
away from the Institute.”

Now her concern was plain to see.

“Doing what?”

"Travelling. To where and
for what purpose, I can't be sure,” Wren said, unconvincingly.
“But whatever the reason, the Commander has left governing the
Institute almost exclusively to the Executive Council.”

There was definitely a story
behind why Robert and his forefathers spent their time travelling
rather than ruling, but Ben's sluggish mind was in no shape to work
it out; he needed Charlie. So he changed the subject.

“How did you fire a spell
without a Spellshooter?”

“I do not need one.”

“Are you an Unseen?”

Wren nodded. With her pointed
ears and abundance of grace, Ben was hardly surprised. She was far
more elf-like than Natalie. He wondered how many other Unseens worked
at the Institute.

“Why did you vote to keep
me in Taecia? Alex didn’t.”

“Voting is done on
majority,” Wren said. “I knew Colin, Draven and Victoria
would vote to keep you here, so there was nothing to be gained by
voting against them. By voting with them I keep their trust and
confidence.”

“So why did Alex vote
against them?”

“Alex speaks and votes his
mind because he doesn’t give a hoot what the Executive Council
thinks about him. In return, his voice carries little weight outside
his department. In truth, he’s probably the least-suited
director in history.”

“I quite liked him.”

Wren smiled. “That doesn’t
surprise me. He is very close friends with your parents, especially
your dad. After they disappeared it took Draven several weeks before
he was satisfied that Alex wasn’t secretly in touch with them.”

Ben found his affection for Alex
growing. Had he more energy he would have asked Wren where he could
see him again, but they were already approaching Wren’s office
and the thought of collapsing on her couch was overpowering.

Two contrasting faces greeted
them as they entered Wren’s office. Natalie was standing by the
door, her green eyes wide with concern, hands playing with her hair.
Charlie, by contrast, looked surprisingly calm. Despite Ben’s
weariness, he could have sworn he saw a flash of disappointment on
Charlie’s face before it yielded to curiosity. Of course, it
wasn’t often Charlie got the exclusive attention of a pretty
girl. Ben almost felt bad interrupting them.

He made a beeline for the couch
and collapsed on it with a groan of bliss. He wanted to shut his
eyes, but knew if he did they wouldn’t open again.

“Drink this.”

Natalie was holding out a glass
filled with green liquid.

“Is this one of those magic
drinks that tastes great and rejuvenates me instantly?” Ben
asked, sitting up.

“No, it’s vegetable
juice made from spinach and cucumber.”

Ben took the glass reluctantly.
“Don’t those magic potions exist then?”

“They do,” Charlie
said, “but apparently they aren’t as genuinely healthy as
the vegetable option.”

Natalie nodded in confirmation.

Ben took a sip and almost gagged.
“Did you tell Natalie that I don’t care which one is
genuinely healthier? Especially if one tastes nice and the other
tastes like grass.”

“He did actually, but I
chose the healthy option anyway, so drink up. The nutrients start to
lose their effectiveness after twenty minutes.”

“I’m afraid I have to
go,” Wren said. “It’s late and the Commander is
expecting me."

Ben looked at her in surprise.
“Already? I have questions."

“I know you do, Ben,”
Wren said. “And tomorrow I will answer them. You will find my
answers far more useful with a clear head and a good night’s
rest.”

Her calm reassurance coupled with
Ben's exhaustion staved off his protests. She turned her attention to
Charlie. “Are you planning on staying the night or returning
home?”

“I’m staying,”
Charlie said to Ben’s relief.

“Good. Natalie, could you
book them a twin bed at the Hotel Jigona please? The Institute will
cover the costs.”

Natalie left immediately to make
the arrangements, leaving just the three of them alone in the office.