The Silver Dwarf (Royal Institute of Magic, Book 4) (12 page)

“I don’t anticipate any problems.”

The lady gave him one final look, and then nodded.

Ben started down the stairs, and then turned back. “You might hear some noises and scrapes. Please, whatever you do, don’t come down after me; it will only
make things more dangerous.”

He turned and continued down into the basement, before she had a chance to change her mind. It got dark and cold remarkably quickly, and all of a sudden
Ben could see his breath in front of his face. Though he walked softly, his breathing alone would have woken any suspects below. At the end of the stairs
was a closed door. Ben drew his spellshooter and approached it cautiously. He took a deep breath.
Focus. Remember everything you have learnt. This is no ordinary kobold
.

Ben felt in his pocket for the reassuring collar and rope. Then, with a small intake of breath, he turned the handle, and pushed open the door.

The room was larger than he had expected, with a small, dingy light hanging from the ceiling. Ben absorbed everything as quickly as possible, looking for
signs of life. The place was a storage area, and not a very good one. Boxes littered the floor, many half open, others packed to the brim with clothes and
other peculiar objects particular to living life in the Unseen Kingdoms. Ben’s curiosity was piqued by the old armour collecting dust in one corner and a
large stack of hay in the other – for pets possibly? Above him the low-hanging ceiling was constructed of wooden beams, with plenty of dark spaces for
hiding.

Dark spaces. The German kobold was drawn to dark spaces. Ben eyed the ceiling closely, but saw no sign of movement. With his spellshooter primed and ready,
he methodically worked his way into a corner, and started poking round for a closer inspection. His nose twitched. The smell of ketchup was so strong here
it was as if someone had started a factory in the basement. With heart-stopping certainty, Ben knew that the kobold was here, somewhere.

The problem was they were rather good at hiding, especially if they didn’t want to be found. And if they did, you were normally the last to know about it.
Ben used his spellshooter to move items aside to try to get a better look at things. He found nothing of interest, and his eyes were starting to sting,
trying to see in the dark. It was time for his first spell. A flash of light ignited from his spellshooter, giving him better visibility instantly.

A scratching noise made Ben trip up on a box of clothes. Ben flung his arms out to try to catch himself, and looked up, heart hammering. There! In the
ceiling, a shadow flickered. It disappeared before he could place it, certainly before he could target it.

Ben scrambled to his feet and tried to stop breathing, but it was no good. Whatever he had seen was no longer there. Or was it? The kobold could go
practically invisible at the drop of a hat. For all he knew, it could be above his head right now, ready to launch itself at him.

Well, the sneak attack obviously wasn’t going to work. That left only one other option.

Ben cleared his voice, and spoke in an authoritative tone. “I know you’re up there. Come down and let’s talk.”

As far as opening salvoes, it wasn’t the greatest, but Ben was rewarded with another scraping noise and a further flicker of movement. Now that he had
spotted the kobold, Ben felt a little more confident, though the nerves soon started flaring again the moment it disappeared. Ben slowed his breathing once
more to create silence, but the kobold was remarkably light on its feet, and it was only when he really strained that he could hear the creature walking
across the wooden beams above. Ben tried to track the movement at ground level. He felt for the spells inside his orb – he had only a dozen, and he needed
to choose wisely.
Shoot now or wait?

“I’m going to give you one further warning,” Ben said, raising his voice a little. “Come down and talk, or I will bring you down.”

There was a soft cackle from above. “You come up, little boy!”

Ben caught the condescending tone in the kobold’s voice, but he wasn’t fazed. He pointed his spellshooter up at the rafters.

“Last chance, kobold,” Ben said. “I’m going to blast the whole place down if I need to. You know I can.”

Ben thought his threat sounded empty, so he was surprised when he heard a light thump hit the ground. Ben stepped backwards instinctively, and then cursed
himself for the sign of weakness.

“Now what, little boy?” the kobold said.

To Ben’s surprise, he found himself looking at a creature that didn’t resemble a goblin at all – there was a confidence in those eyes, and intelligence.
Physically too, they were different. The kobold had a long alligator jaw. He had scaly skin that was hidden by light leather armour, giving him a more
primaeval appearance, compared to the street goblin Ben had faced in the previous exam. But there was nothing primaeval about the way he stood or talked.
In his hand was a small spear, the tip of which glowed a dull red.

Ben knew immediately that any sort of diplomacy was going to be difficult, but he had to try.

“I am going to return you back to Germany,” Ben said in a clear voice. “Whether you come peacefully or not is entirely up to you. However, any resistance
to arrest will be met with the full force of the law.”

“Germany?” The kobold twisted his head. “I travelled many miles to escape Germany. You think I would just return? You are crazy, little boy. Is that your
only offer?”

“I can offer you protection in Germany, with our Institute arm over there,” Ben said. He was now talking complete rubbish, but it was worth a go. “You will
be safely lodged and given protection for a period of thirty days. After that time, you will be expected to fend for yourself.”

Incredibly, the German kobold seemed to consider his offer. His green eyes narrowed, and his long tongue licked out. Ben kept a neutral face, trying
desperately not to show how much he needed this deal. The fact was he was tired from fighting the Ferral dog, and he wasn’t sure he could tackle this
kobold so soon after.

There was a moment’s silence.

The kobold raised his spear, and shook his head. “I refuse your offer, little boy. I have decided to live here. The room is comfortable, it is warm, and I
am content.”

Ben thought about rationalising, but what was the point? He’d read how stubborn kobolds were.

“Your choice,” Ben said.

The kobold was clearly expecting Ben to be flustered or at least momentarily taken aback. It caused the kobold to hesitate, just for a second. Ben had one
opportunity, and he struck. No sooner had the words come out of his mouth, than he raised his spellshooter and ripped a fireball right into the kobold’s
chest. The kobold flew back with a scream, crashing into the wall. He wasn’t down for long, but Ben hadn’t expected him to be. They were highly resistant
to magic, and Ben couldn’t afford to buy expensive spells with the budget he was given.

“That hurt,” the kobold said with some surprise, rubbing his stomach, as he got up.

“That’s the idea,” Ben said.

The kobold flashed its white teeth, and brought forth its small spear. “Now it’s my turn to hurt you, little boy.”

Ben had read about the German kobold’s competence with a spear, and he was ready. He fired a spell into his hand, producing a slender sword. The kobold
registered the weapon. Ben had hoped for a reckless charge, but in another indication of the creature’s intelligence, he advanced slowly. Ben was ready, or
thought he was. The kobold attacked out of the blue, with blistering pace. Ben was immediately backpedalling, trying to shuffle his feet so that he didn’t
fall over the various debris lying on the basement floor. The kobold turned, and spun, the red-tipped spear cutting a stream of light through the air. Ben
managed to cut and block several times before he felt the first painful sting, biting into his shoulder. He ducked and threw himself left, just about
avoiding an impaling. But the kobold didn’t let up – he turned immediately, chasing his prey, going for the kill.

Ben brought his spellshooter up, and fired. A flare of bright light filled the room, and the kobold screamed in pain. Ben launched forwards, and threw
himself into the kobold’s chest. They both went down in a heap, but the kobold recovered with remarkable speed and strength, and Ben was suddenly fighting
not to have the creature all over him.

Ben was starting to tire. He tried kneeing the kobold, but couldn’t summon the strength. The kobold’s wiry hands squeezed down on his wrists, and his large
jaw-like mouth closed in on his exposed neck. Ben kicked frantically, strength borne of panic, but to no avail.

No! He was not going to get eaten by a kobold. This couldn’t be happening.

“Is everything okay down there?”

The lady’s voice floated down the stairway, and into the room.

The kobold jolted upwards, and glanced towards the open door in surprise.

Ben struck, hard, taking advantage of the kobold’s momentary weakened grip. He threw a fist at the kobold’s exposed jaw. He adjusted his spellshooter, and
unloaded a flame spell right into the kobold’s face. While the kobold was screaming in pain, Ben dived away and thrust his hand into his pocket, pulling
out the silver collar and the rope. He looped it over the kobold’s head, and pulled the rope, tightening it so it almost choked the kobold.

That did the trick.

The kobold’s anger quickly turned to horror, and it scrabbled at the collar.

“Stop! Stop!”

Ben loosened the grip, but only a fraction. “Stop moving or I’ll tighten it again.”

The kobold obeyed immediately, and Ben realised then what a mistake he had made. Why hadn’t he purchased more silver-based spells? They were so effective.
It was too late for that now. Ben pulled the German kobold to his feet, none too gently. He wanted nothing more than to lean against the wall and attempt
to recover, but now wasn’t the time.

“We’re going to the Dragonway,” Ben said. “Any funny moves and I’ll choke you to death. Do I make myself clear?”

The kobold nodded, his sharp hands clawing at the collar, but to no avail.

Ben marched up the stairs, the kobold before him. There, in the hallway, was the lady, waiting for him the moment he appeared. Her eyes almost exploded
from her sockets the moment she saw them.

“It’s a bit messy down there,” Ben said with an apologetic smile. “You might want to clear it up a bit when you have a moment.”

The lady nodded silently. With a pale face, she muttered something that sounded like “thank you”, and ushered them both outside onto the street. Ben heard
the door lock twice behind him.

Now out in the open, the temptation was to relax, but Ben knew his work was far from over. The kobold was already starting to recover, and Ben saw him
eyeing freedom with greedy eyes. It took several violent yanks to remove his obvious intent.

Ben walked, trying not to show how exhausted he was to the kobold, knowing one violent attack and the creature could probably escape. He got several stares
as he marched the German kobold to the Dragonway, but the kobold got far more. They were not a common sight, even in Taecia, and the German variety was
almost unheard of. Ben was thankful that most gave him plenty of room, for he lacked the energy to even bother telling people to get out of the way. He
struggled up the Dragonway stairs, and up onto the bridge that ran over the platforms. Here he stopped. Number three declared an eventual passage to
Düsseldorf, which was the only name Ben recognised as German. Düsseldorf it was, then. Ben tugged the kobold and was already heading down the platform when
he realised what his next problem would be. Did he board the Dragonway with the kobold to ensure delivery? If so, he would never make it back in time. Or
should he just dump the kobold on the Dragonway and hope he made it back safely? Somehow, Ben couldn’t see that happening.

“Mr. Greenwood,” a voice called from ahead.

Ben looked up, and to his great relief saw a man with three red diamonds over his shoulder walking right towards him.

“I’ll take over from here,” the man said, giving Ben an approving nod.

Ben was more than happy to hand over the collar to the Warden.

“You’d better get back – you have less than twenty minutes before the exam ends, and every second counts.”

Ben watched as the Warden marched off with the kobold in tow, until they disappeared into the carriage.

Ben wanted to dash back. He knew he should, and that the outcome of the exam could lie in how quickly he made it back to the Institute. But it was all he
could do to drag his body out of the Dragonway and up the hill towards the Institute. He felt lightheaded, and almost fell down on numerous occasions. He
was vaguely aware that he was lacking blood. Ben glanced at his watch: 3:45pm. Fifteen minutes, and only five minutes away.

He would be fine. How had he done on each department? Ben couldn’t even think each one through, let alone come up with an assessment of how he had
performed.

As he approached the entrance, he was vaguely aware that Dagmar was standing by the door with a stopwatch in hand. Her eyes registered not even the
slightest surprise at his condition, but Ben didn’t care.

“3:48pm,” Dagmar said. “You cut it tight, Ben Greenwood.”

Ben couldn’t summon up a reply. He walked to the marble stairs, and slumped down, unable to move anymore.

“Ah, you made it!”

Ben glanced up to see Aaron grinning down at him, along with the other apprentices. Only Charlie was missing.

“What did I tell you?” Aaron said. “Research and revision are the key to the exams. I got here at least an hour ago, and in far better shape, I might add.
You look awful.”

Ben was completely dead, devoid of energy, but somehow Aaron managed to summon something from within him. He stood up, with some difficulty, and gave Aaron
a look that he hoped conveyed the revulsion that he felt.

Georgia, standing beside Aaron, certainly felt it, and she looked at him in shock. “What’s that for?”

Ben blinked. Slowly – very slowly, he stepped forwards and launched a right hook at Aaron’s face.