The Silver Dwarf (Royal Institute of Magic, Book 4) (17 page)

She handed the paper back to Charlie, who stared at it in wonder, as if he could suddenly read the thing.

“Are you sure about that?” Ben asked.

“I am sure it is not our language. I am almost certain it is of dwarf origin.”

“You mentioned a certain type of dwarf?” Natalie said.

“Yes, the arcane dwarves. As far as I know, they were wiped out several hundred years ago. Their language was similar to ours.”

Ben did his best to calm his growing excitement. “Thank you, we really appreciate that.”

“Is that all?” the man asked, clearly sceptical.

“Yes, that’s everything. We are sorry to have disturbed you.” Ben paused. There was something on his mind, and he knew it would bug him if he didn’t ask
it.

“Why did you panic so much when we arrived?”

The man gave them an even colder look, if that was possible. “Your Institute has already taken all our friends. We have been living in fear, expecting you
to find us any day.”

Ben was shocked, but he didn’t show it, though he could see Charlie and Natalie weren’t concealing it quite as well.

“Why don’t you leave, and go back home?”

“We can’t,” the man said, his jaw clenching. “We would get declared traitors and executed upon return.”

“So why did you leave in the first place?”

It was the lady who responded. “Many of us don’t like what King Suktar is doing to our nation and our people. Many have left; few will ever return, unless
Suktar is overturned.”

Ben was struck by the lady’s honesty. They thanked her one final time, and finally left.

None of them spoke as they wound their way out of the private road, back towards the town centre.

“That was an eye-opener,” Charlie said, breaking the ice.

Despite the importance of the dwarf symbol revelation, Ben knew Charlie was referring to the dark elf family.

“I don’t know why, but I had this strange idea that all dark elves were evil,” Natalie said, sounding a little guilty.

Ben had been thinking a similar thing. They had practically started a war, they were ruled by a nut case, and they had his parents. But, he conceded, that
didn’t mean the entire population was evil. Were all humans evil because Hitler had started a war? The more he thought about it, the more he realised it
was often just a small minority of those in power who caused the problems. Could that be the case with the dark elves? Were they innately good? Ben
grappled with the concept, but came to no conclusion he was happy with. It left an unpleasant taste in his mouth.

They met up in the library at ten o’clock the following morning. Natalie had a Diplomacy assignment she couldn’t avoid, and as Ben and Charlie were
unwilling to do anything without her, they spent an hour working on the third-grade checklist. Ben’s initial reluctance to work on the Scholar Department
was soon forgotten as he was tasked to study some of the great historic battles that would have been lost if not for the Institute. The pleasant silence
and the calm, peaceful atmosphere in the library enabled Ben to lose himself in history. Natalie’s voice, when it came, was almost an inconvenience. He
would have to wait to find out how the Institute had foiled Napoleon.

“I’m sorry,” she said, hurrying across to sit next to them.

It was busy this morning, but they had managed to acquire a small square table, and piled it with books, to discourage anyone from joining them.

“Diplomacy was a nightmare,” she continued, fixing her hair, though Ben couldn’t see a strand out of place. “Pretty much the entire royal court of Olag –
the nation that was just defeated by the dark elves – have turned up on our doorstep. I know the Institute would rather just boot them out the door, but we
can’t, so they’ve turned them over to any Diplomat they can spare, which right now are the dregs.”

“You’re not dregs,” Charlie muttered, looking up from his book. He blushed when she smiled at him, something Ben noted he hadn’t done in a while.

“Thanks. I’m one of the few apprentices chosen, and the only third-grader, so I guess I should be flattered. But it’s a real nightmare. They’re not happy,
and half my time is spent trying to assure them that everything will be okay, when I really haven’t a clue what’s going on.”

“Ah, the white lie route – one that I’ve taken many a time,” Ben said, smiling.

“Yeah, I guess so.” Natalie gave a light rap on the table with her hands. “Anyway, let’s move on to more pleasant things. What’s our plan?”

It was obvious what she was referring to, but, perhaps wisely, she didn’t mention it out loud.

“This is Charlie’s arena,” Ben said. “We’re basically just going to do whatever he says.”

“I’ve got no problem with that,” Natalie said.

Charlie closed his book and stood up. “Right, follow me.”

Ben never ceased to be amazed at how well Charlie knew the library. It was a mass of shelves and pathways – narrow; wide; zigzagging – and cross-referenced
a dozen different ways, yet Charlie always seemed to know where to go. Ben was fairly certain Charlie knew the library better with his eyes closed than
most did with their eyes open.

Ben watched the various sections go by – history; spells; Diplomacy; Unseens (categorised by size, danger and anatomy); as well as the more mundane areas,
such as cooking, culture and social etiquette. Just when Ben felt he couldn’t be more lost, they walked into a large, circular room, surrounded by curved
shelving that fit the space perfectly. On top of each shelf was a title:
Battle Dwarves; Grey Dwarves; Street Dwarves; Trade Dwarves
. Each shelf had
a title, and there must have been at least a dozen of them.

“I don’t see arcane dwarves anywhere,” Natalie said.

“They’re not easy to find,” Charlie said, sounding pleased about it, as he delved into one of the shelves. “The dark elf lady said they were extinct,
remember? They were probably always a small group. We just have to look. Let’s start digging.”

Ben couldn’t believe how many different types of dwarves there were – living in mountains, forests, and even on boats in the ocean. Some of them got on
with each other; others were mortal enemies. The sky dwarves sounded extremely cool, living up on giant airships, and he lost twenty minutes reading about
them.

“Here’s something,” Natalie said.

Ben looked up, feeling a little guilty that he wasn’t actively helping. Natalie was holding a battered, leather-bound book, whose pages looked ready to
crumble.

“Listen to this,” she said. "’
The arcane dwarves were forced to retreat into the dense forests of Jimba after being overrun by the horse people. Several expeditions were made by
Institute Scholars in the next decades, but no recorded sightings were ever witnessed.’"

“Is that it?” Ben asked, when Natalie stopped.

Natalie scanned the rest of the page. “Yeah, there’s nothing else.”

Charlie was smiling, a gleam in his eyes. “That’s good! Something to work on. We have a location – Jimba Forest – and also a group who were close to them:
the horse people. More things to research. Keep going.”

It was another hour before anyone found anything and, to Ben’s great surprise, it was he who made the discovery. Buried behind several large books, he
fished out a small, tattered diary by a man with the initials of A.B.R. Many of the pages were missing, but Ben was intrigued by the faint blood stains on
the cover, and he always enjoyed diaries. He flicked through the remaining pages, and his stomach gave an immediate lurch.

“I think I have something,” he said.

Charlie stopped trying to grab a book that was clearly out of reach. Natalie looked at him expectantly.

“There’s no name on the diary except for the initials A.B.R. Looks like he’s on some crazy mission. The first entry I can find is from 3rd November 1614.

"’Arrived at the edge of Jimba Forest – it is both beautiful and at the same time a terrifying jungle. I hope the rumours aren’t true, or else I may
not last long. Fortunately, food and drink should not present a problem as there appears to be plenty of both. M.G., you would love the colours here –
they make our forests at home look positively dull.’"

Ben stopped, though he continued to stare at the page.

“Is that it?” Natalie asked.

Ben nodded. He flicked through the next few pages, until he found one that was legible.

"’14th November 1614. Saw the sun for the first time in some duration. The trees are so dense, they do not permit much daylight. My knee still feels
weak from the fight with the growl. They make tigers look like pussy cats. My spell supply is starting to run low, and I must hope I do not run into
too many more enemies before my search is complete.’"

Ben cursed. “That’s it for that one. Next one is a week later.

"’22nd November 1614. Good news, M.G., I believe I have found my first sign of the arcane dwarves. It is not much, a faint footstep and a scrap of
fabric, but, as we know, there are no other sentient beings here, so I must conclude it is them. I am hopeful that within the next few days I shall see
more. I certainly hope so, as I am starting to get weary eating berries and insects.’"

Ben looked up to see Charlie’s and Natalie’s frustrated faces. “Sorry, page is ripped. Hold on.”

Unfortunately, the next several entries were blurred and illegible, and he had to turn a few pages before he could find something more to read.

"’30th November 1614. They are watching me, I am sure of it. I can feel eyes upon me, though they are extremely good at hiding, better even than the
wood elves of Lithlorn. I fear they do not take well to strangers, but as I am just one old man, and clearly present no threat, I believe they are
still deciding what to do. I have a plan, but it will require some diplomatic work, so I am hopeful that I get a chance to talk and explain myself. I
will know soon.’"

Ben looked up. He didn’t know why, but his whole body felt cold, and his breathing was laboured.

“Can you stop staring into space, and find the next entry?” Charlie asked impatiently.

“Sorry. Let’s see here.

"’10th December 1614. As prisons go, this one isn’t too bad. It may be small, but at least it doesn’t smell, and I cannot see any faeces on the grass.
I hope that means they will let me relieve myself elsewhere. The construction is some kind of wood I’ve never seen before, but it is incredibly strong.
I have pleaded my case to their under-chief. He did listen, but I could not read his face, so I am in the dark. I know I ask a lot, but these arcane
dwarves are, to my mind, the best hope we have. If we can just gain their cooperation, I will rest easy. If not, I fear you may have to come and rescue
me, old friend.’"

“Please tell me that’s not the end of the entry,” Charlie said, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Afraid so,” Ben replied. He skipped ahead, his heart sinking. “And that’s it – there’s nothing else to read.”

“How maddening!” Natalie said with feeling.

Charlie slid down his ladder, and immediately started pacing the small, circular room. His eyes were alight, and his hands were placed behind his back in
his typical thinking position.

“Fascinating. Absolutely fascinating,” Charlie said. He muttered several more words to this end, until Natalie could take no more.

“What is fascinating?” she asked.

“Everything,” Charlie said, thrusting a finger out, before the hand retreated behind his back again. “This fellow, A.B.R., is on a mission to find these
arcane dwarves, in the hope of getting their help with something. Did you note the date?”

Ben flicked open the diary again. “Yeah, early seventeenth century.”

“Right. The formative years of the Institute, not long after Queen Elizabeth would have passed away, leaving the original directors each with the task of
guarding a piece of her armour.”

“Interesting, but how is that relevant?”

“M.G.,” Charlie said, pronouncing each letter with such emphasis his lips looked almost comical.

“You what?”

“In the diary, A.B.R. was talking to a person called M.G. Now, we know the timing fits – what if M.G. stands for Michael Greenwood – your great ancestor,
first Spellsword Director, and Guardian of Elizabeth’s Sword?”

Ben was speechless. Partly because of the revelation and partly because he couldn’t believe he hadn’t thought of that. He felt his lungs expand with sudden
hope.

“That would be incredible,” Natalie said. Ben couldn’t help noticing her own excitement seemed in check, as if she wanted to believe, but wasn’t quite
ready. “But M.G. are common initials. It could be anyone; why do you think it’s Michael Greenwood?”

Ben expected a backlash, but Charlie seemed to enjoy the challenge; his face was now positively glowing with energy.

“Good question. You’re absolutely right: those are common initials, and I could be way off the mark. But as I said, the timing is right. Also, consider
what was going on. A.B.R. was travelling to who knows where, hoping to find these arcane dwarves to help him with something. It sounds like a suicidal
mission, doesn’t it?”

“Yes, it does,” Natalie said, clearly unsure where Charlie was heading.

“We know that the original directors were under orders to hide each piece of armour as best they could. That obscure forest sounds like as good a place as
any – especially if he could get the arcane dwarves to help him guard it.”

To this, Natalie had no response. Ben’s heart was positively drumming now, and he felt like joining Charlie in his pacing. He thought of the helm, and how
it was buried in a deep underground cavern, guarded by the forreck. Suddenly, Charlie’s theory didn’t seem so outrageous.

“I admit, it’s a long shot,” Charlie said, “but it gives us plenty to research. This A.B.R. bloke, for one. I’m sure we can find out if he was an original
director easily enough.”

“Let’s say he is,” Ben mused. “Then what? Do we go off to find these arcane dwarves, assuming they might still be protecting the piece of armour?”