Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth's Legacy (19 page)

“What? No, I—”

“I’m not insulted,”
she said. “I have to admit, I did play along a little. By
dismissing me as an idiot you seemed less cautious about what you
said.”

Ben stood up and paced the small
hotel room. His head was a whirl with emotions. He couldn’t
work out whether to be angry that she had duped them or ashamed that
he had dismissed her so easily.

“It was Wren who tipped me
off,” Natalie continued. “She said you might take matters
into your own hands. But it was only after that conversation we
overheard with Colin, Draven and Elessar that I realised you would
want to act now.”

Ben spread his arms in a helpless
shrug. “Well, now that you know our plan, what do you think?”

“I think you’re
brave, but completely mad,” she said matter-of-factly with a
sweet smile to soften the blow.

“Those are the hallmarks of
all Ben’s plans,” Charlie said.

Ben wasn’t sure whether to
be encouraged by Natalie’s calm demeanour or put off by her
sentiments. He was still confused by this new Natalie.

“The dark elf will get
permission to cast his own Memory Search spell today,” Ben
said. “Given that it will probably make me go crazy, I cannot
return to the Institute.”

Natalie’s humour subsided.
“Wren will stop it.”

“Wren isn’t here.”

“No, but she is due back
this evening.”

“I can’t risk that. I
know you said she was reliable, but the moment King Suktar agrees to
the Institute’s terms, Draven will come for me. This hotel
isn’t even safe; the Institute knows we are here. Wren might be
able to help me, but unless she is constantly by my side, I can’t
rely on her.”

“What about the other
members of the Council?” Natalie asked. “Victoria or Alex
are both as senior as Colin and Draven.”

“Alex would help me, I
think. But I don’t know where he is and Wren said he carries
little authority outside his own department. I don’t know about
Victoria, I haven’t worked out which side she's on, but I
wouldn’t gamble on her.”

“What about the Commander?”
Charlie asked. “He has more power than any of the Council
members and he of all people might know something about Elizabeth's
Legacy.”

“That's not a good idea.”

Natalie's firm voice caught Ben
and Charlie by surprise.

“Nobody but the Executive
Council is allowed to address the Commander of the Institute.”

Ben gave a dismissive wave. “I
don't care about rules.”

“It's not just that,”
Natalie said. “There's something peculiar about him. Instead of
leading the Institute, he spends his time travelling to the most
obscure places in the Unseen Kingdoms. It was the same with his
father; in fact, the last three commanders have all died while
travelling."

"They must have a reason for
travelling so much."

"Maybe, but no one knows
why. It gets worse as they get older, until they are so obsessed they
barely have time for the Institute."

"That is a little odd,"
Charlie admitted.

Ben wasn't convinced. "Are
you saying he's crazy?"

"Not yet, but I would say
he's irresponsible, uncaring and the last person I would go to for
help. Even Wren thinks he's strange and she knows the Commander as
well as anyone. Trust me, asking him is a bad idea.”

Ben recalled those dark,
gold-flecked eyes. There was no doubt there was something peculiar
about the Commander. He seemed sensible enough at the meeting, but
there was an intensity about him that even Ben found a little
daunting.

“If the Commander is out of
the question, then it has to be the wood elves. I know it’s a
long shot, but we have no other lead. My parents trusted them. They
will know something, I’m sure of it,” Ben said.

Natalie didn’t say anything
for a moment. She appeared to be composing her own line of defence,
playing with her hair as she did so. There was an intelligence in her
eyes Ben hadn’t noticed before.

“I know you are aware of
the dangers of the wood elves,” Natalie said, “but I
don’t think you get how scary they are. The diplomats we sent
knew their culture, customs, habits and even their language. Despite
all that they didn’t return.”

“I know,” Ben said,
seeing Charlie’s growing look of unease. “But my parents
made it, didn’t they?”

“Yes, your parents made it.
But assuming some of them are friendly towards your family, we have
absolutely no idea which colony of elves that is. There are half a
dozen possibilities, most of them I can’t even remember.”

Ben pulled out the small library
book he had taken and placed it on the table. “We will have to
make an educated guess.”

Natalie stared at the book for a
moment and then looked up at Ben, her eyes serious. “Would you
really take such a risk?”

“I don’t have a
choice,” Ben said. “It’s that or go back home. But
what do I have there? A step-grandma who likes her TV more than me.”

Natalie chewed her lower lip,
doubt playing across her face for the first time.“I’m
supposed to be watching over you, not sending you on crazy missions.”

Ben leant forward, putting every
ounce of conviction into his voice. “That’s why we need
you to come with us. Our chances of success go from impossible to
unlikely with you guiding us.”

Natalie turned to Charlie. “You
are willing to go with Ben?”

Ben was impressed with the way
Charlie held Natalie’s green-eyed stare.

“I don’t think we
have a choice. It might be risky, but it’s less dangerous than
heading back to the Institute into the hands of the dark elves or
waiting for them to kidnap Ben back at his grandma’s.”

“What about your parents,
Charlie? You’ve been gone a day already. Aren’t they
going to get worried? If we leave, we won’t be back for a
while.”

Ben cursed. “I hadn’t
thought of that.”

Charlie, however, was
unconcerned. He pulled out a folded note from his pocket and handed
it to Ben.

“Dear Charlie,

“I
am sure your parents will soon be wondering where you have got to,
especially as you will obviously not be answering your phone.
However, Ben may be stuck here for a while and I am sure he would
benefit from your company. There is a Warden working near your area
and I have taken the liberty of instructing him to cast a very mild
Forgetfulness Spell on your parents, should you not return home.
There is no harm in the spell; it only lasts a short period of time.
The Warden can re-cast it until you are back.

“I
hope we will speak soon.

“Best,

“Wren”

“I would like to return
home soon, but this is more important,” Charlie said.

Natalie sat with her hands on her
lap, staring into space. Ben wished there were something else he
could say to convince her, but he was out of ideas.

“I will go on one
condition,” she said.

“Whatever it is, we’ll
do it.”

“Ignore Charlie,” Ben
said. “What condition?”

“I want you to trust me,”
Natalie said. Ben started to protest, but she raised a hand. “I
know you think I trust the Institute too much, and maybe I do, but
this crazy plan is only going to work if we can rely on each other.
I’m the only one who knows anything about the Unseen Kingdoms.”

Charlie agreed even before
Natalie had finished speaking, but it was Ben she focused on. An hour
ago he would have fobbed her off with false assurances. Now he wasn’t
even sure that would work. Could he trust her? Not if she was asking
for the type of trust he had in Charlie, that was borne of a lifetime
of friendship. But he could certainly stand to open up a little.

“It’s a deal,”
Ben said.

Natalie looked far happier than
he expected, given their crazy mission.

“Let’s see the
library book,” she said, extending her hand.

Ben grinned and handed over the
book; Natalie put it on her lap.

“There are six countries
that have wood elf colonies, but only two of them are realistic
options,” she said, after studying the book for a while. “There
is no way your parents would have travelled to the others. They are
either against the Institute or located on the other side of the
world.”

“What are the two?”

“Borgen and Algete. Algete
is just off the coast of Spain. My family has been there a couple of
times on holiday; it’s really beautiful. Unfortunately, there
aren’t a huge number of wood elves there and the book isn’t
very precise as to their location. The other option is Borgen, which
is located close to Norway. It has the largest population of wood
elves in Europe and the book gives several detailed locations of
them. It’s also a shorter journey and easier to get to.”

“Seems like an obvious
choice,” Ben said.

Natalie cringed. “There is
a small catch: they have recently been conquered by King Suktar.”

“Algete it is then,”
Charlie said. “I prefer the sun anyway.”

“It’s not that
straightforward. Just because the dark elves occupy the country
doesn’t mean visitors are outlawed. The changes are mostly to
do with politics. For most people life goes on pretty much as normal
– except for the patrols that sometimes roam the streets.”

Ben ruffled his hair in thought.
“Which country would my parents have been more likely to go
to?”

“I would say Borgen,”
Natalie said, with an apologetic smile at Charlie. “It’s
the obvious choice if you’re looking for wood elves. Plus, your
parents would have visited the country before the dark elves invaded,
so that wouldn’t have been an issue.”

“Borgen it is then,”
Ben said, thumping his fist on the couch.

Charlie sighed. “I suppose
one more insurmountable obstacle doesn’t really matter to a
mission that is already verging on impossible.”

“That’s the spirit.”
Ben grinned. “So, what now? Do we take that underground dragon
train to Borgen?”

“The Dragonway, yes,”
Natalie said. “But first, there are a few things we need to get
if we're going to last in Borgen.”

“What things?”

Natalie cringed. “You're
not going to like this.”

“You're kidding.”

Ben had repeated himself half a
dozen times in the last minute. They'd checked out of their rooms and
were standing outside the hotel in the late morning sun.

“Ben is right,”
Charlie said. “It's too risky. If he thinks your plan is
dangerous then it must be suicidal.”

“Would you both stop
worrying? It's you they're after, Ben. As long as I go by myself I'll
be fine.”

“I'm not worried,”
Ben said, sounding a little insulted. “I'm simply telling you
that going back to the Institute is mad.”

“It will take me less than
ten minutes to get in and out. There are a couple of things we need
from the Institute that we can't get anywhere else.”

Ben ruffled his hair. “I
wanted to get straight on the Dragonway. Draven's cronies could be
watching us right now.”

His warning had Charlie glancing
around nervously. Ben had already checked the area as soon as they'd
left the hotel. There were a few people on the streets and the odd
car or horse passed, but nobody paid them much attention.
Occasionally something sped by overhead, clearly not interested in
them. Yet the Institute knew they were staying at this hotel, so Ben
was eager to get going.

“We won't survive in Borgen
without certain equipment,” Natalie said. “Don't worry
about the Institute – we'll be fine as long as we stay in
Taecia. It's leaving that will be a problem. The Dragonway will be
guarded.”

“How will we get past the
guards?” Ben asked.

“I have an idea, but to
make it work there are a few things we need to buy when I get back.”

“Fine,” Ben said,
conceding defeat. “Where shall we meet?”

“The food court at Taecia
Square,” Natalie replied. “I'll be there in half an
hour.”

She gave them directions, which
Ben ignored – Charlie was listening and he had a far better
sense of direction. Then she waved goodbye and headed back to the
Institute, leaving Ben and Charlie alone outside the hotel.

They set off in the opposite
direction to Natalie. After less than five minutes they forked left,
down the steep hill.

“Just the two of us again,”
Charlie said, stretching his arms in an act of freedom.

“Yeah.”

“I wasn't expecting
cartwheels of delight, but I thought you'd be slightly happier.”

Ben peered into a pub they were
passing. “I don't think we're as safe as Natalie thinks.”

“Why? Have you seen
something?”

“No.”

“But?”

“It feels like we're being
watched.”

Charlie groaned. “Any
chance your eerie sixth sense could be off for once?”

“It's possible.”

As they continued on Ben began to
think maybe he was just being paranoid. The more they distanced
themselves from the Institute, the better he felt. They came to the
bottom of the hill and Ben heard the roar from the Dragonway. The
pavement began to get busy as they neared Taecia Square.

And then the Warden materialised
on the corner of the street. Ben almost missed him. There was a split
second of eye contact before he slipped away.

“Oh crap,” Ben said
calmly, not wanting to draw attention to himself.

“I hope that's a good 'oh
crap',” Charlie said. “As in, 'oh crap, I just found
twenty pounds in my pocket’.”

“Not quite. It's 'oh crap,
I just saw a Warden spying on us'.”

Charlie ran a hand over his face.
“Are you sure?”

Ben nodded. “It's the same
guy who was watching us yesterday at Starbucks. Those lanky legs and
pointy chin are hard to miss.”

“What do you think he
wants?”

“I don't know. Just try to
act normal and don't look round.”

Charlie immediately looked round,
staring anxiously at everyone he could see.