The Silver Dwarf (Royal Institute of Magic, Book 4) (27 page)

“What do you mean?”

The dwarf tugged his thick, ginger beard. “They know you are here. Can’t you feel them? They won’t let you leave.”

If Elander was bluffing in order to convince them to set him free, it was convincing. Ben knew they were being watched; he had felt it before they had even
come across the prison field.

“So, if we free you, what’s the plan? Just run like hell?”

“Yes. Do you know how to use the void to run fast?”

Ben nodded. “Yeah, running and jumping we can do.”

“Good. Don’t look back, and don’t stop. I may fall behind, as I am weak. Do not come for me; I can look after myself. Is that clear?”

“Crystal,” Ben said. He lifted his spellshooter, and turned to Charlie. “You ready?”

“Can’t wait.”

Ben aimed his spellshooter at the small lock on the cage. An unlocking spell was a simple one, but he threw all his willpower and concentration behind it
anyway. He pulled the trigger, and a tiny, peanut-sized pellet shot forth, right into the lock’s keyhole.

There was a click, and the cage door opened with a creak. Elander shoved it the remainder of the way, and jumped down, landing lightly on his feet despite
his bulk.

The roar that came from the castle was thunderous. The ground shook violently, and Ben was thrown from his feet. A stubby hand reached out, and Elander
hauled Ben up.

“Run!” Elander said.

Ben leapt forwards, and saw Charlie and the dwarf do the same, taking giant leaps that would have been impossible at home. He flew across the plain; the
captives in their floating cages became a blur, their voices slurred.

A chorus of roars came from behind. The hellhounds had exited the castle. Against his better judgement, Ben glanced back, and immediately wished he hadn’t.
The hellhounds were at least five feet at the shoulder. They had three heads, and saliva flowed from their huge jaws. There was a manic look in their eyes
– the look of a predator on the hunt. The other prisoners were watching, some urging him on, others shouting at the hellhounds, but most still crying to be
set free.

Set free. Ben’s eyes widened. There was an idea.

He slowed a fraction, drew his spellshooter, and started firing unlocking spells at the remaining cages. He didn’t know how many hit the mark, but the
thuds and exalted yelps indicated some had been freed.

Maybe they would distract the hellhounds.

In a heartbeat, Ben was out of the cage fields, and onto the open plain, hurtling his way towards the distant forest. He willed his legs to go faster, and
felt a surge of excitement as he flew across the plain at speeds he’d only ever experienced in a car. Charlie led the way, but the dwarf was lagging a
little, and it wasn’t long before Ben had caught up with him.

The thundering footsteps came from nowhere. Ben glanced back in shock, and saw a hellhound right on his heels. Its paws left a trail of flames, and Ben
noticed they weren’t even touching the ground. The hellhound snarled, and Ben felt something sharp and wet scratch the back of his legs. He cried out in
pain and almost fell. The left head of the hellhound was nearly upon him, snapping and snarling.

From somewhere deep inside, he summoned everything he had, and increased his pace so that he was practically flying. The hellhound fell behind for a
moment, before responding with its own burst in pace.

A pained shout made Ben throw another look over his shoulder. One of the other hellhounds was chasing Elander, and had caught up to him, launching a series
of lightning quick attacks with each of its heads. Elander had summoned a shield, which deflected some of the blows, but his arm was bloody, and the dwarf
had noticeably slowed.

Ben was torn. They needed the dwarf, and it went against every fibre in his body to leave a comrade in danger, no matter how recently they had met. He
glanced back again, and managed to make brief eye contact with the dwarf.

“Keep going!” Elander said with a furious wave. “Keep running, you fool!”

Ben felt a set of jaws snap right behind him, which was all the motivation he needed. The forest was close now, less than a hundred yards away. The trees
were tall and imposing, standing in defiance of their evil neighbour. Ahead, he saw Charlie reach the tree line, and then turn, urging him on. Fifty feet.
Twenty feet. Ten.

Ben didn’t hear the hellhound jump, but he certainly felt it as the two-hundred-pound beast landed on his shoulders, its mighty claws digging into his
flesh. Ben screamed in pain and fell, rolling and ending up on his back. When he looked up, the three heads were looming over him, saliva dripping all over
his chest. There was an evil, frenzied look in their eyes. Ben used his knee to launch a kick into the hellhound’s underbelly, but it was utterly
ineffective. The hellhound sniffed and, in that instance, Ben knew he had seconds to live, before he was devoured.

Something white fizzed above him and smashed into the hellhound. For a fraction of a second the hellhound was distracted, and looked up, not in pain, but
annoyance.

Ben scrambled from under the hellhound, and launched himself at the tree line. He heard the hellhound roar in anger, and felt something brush his leg. But
his leap was true, and he landed just inside the forest, on the soft mossy floor. Ben lay there panting, staring up at the forest ceiling, pain and
exhaustion coursing through his body.

“Ben!”

Charlie’s cry cut through his agony and, with a groan, he stumbled to his feet, and followed Charlie’s horrified gaze out onto the plain.

The dwarf had been set on by two hellhounds. They ran by his side, launching their huge frames at him. The dwarf had a quarterstaff in his hands, and every
time the hellhounds attacked, he whacked them on one of their many heads. The impact was monstrous, and enough to repel the hellhounds, if only for a
moment. It was working, but the dwarf was slowing, and his defences were gradually become less effective.

Ben raised his spellshooter, and saw Charlie do the same. They sent spells that formed into giant rocks, hurtling at the hellhounds. It was probably little
more than an irritating tickle, but it was enough. The attacks on the dwarf stopped just for a moment, while the hellhounds glanced their way. The burst of
acceleration the dwarf made was astonishing, given his physical state. He flew across the plain, and leapt, as if gravity were a thing for lesser mortals,
sailing over their heads, into the forest.

The hellhounds approached the very edge of the forest, snapping and snarling. But they didn’t enter and, eventually, they turned, and headed back towards
the castle.

Ben collapsed back on the forest floor, in pain and exhaustion. Charlie and Elander followed suit.

Ben wanted to get up. There were questions burning inside his head and they had finally found the one person who could answer them. But his body wouldn’t
respond. His shoulders were agony where the hellhounds had dug their claws in, and his legs were scratched and bruised. His head was thumping, though he
wasn’t sure how that had come about. He lay on the forest floor trying to catch his breath and stem the pain that seemed to come from everywhere.

Something nudged his leg. Ben managed to raise his head, and saw Elander standing over him, his staff touching Ben.

“Brace yourself,” the dwarf said.

An incredible surge of energy flowed through every vein and cell in his body. Ben arched his back and gasped, as his body began a healing process a million
times faster than the norm. It was all over in less than a minute, and left Ben gasping for breath. The pain, though, was gone, and when he glanced at his
shoulders, he saw clean, unblemished skin.

“I’m sorry, that was the only effective way to heal such wounds,” Elander said, stepping back.

Ben got to his feet, and saw Charlie beside him, looking haggard, but unharmed.

“I am in your debt,” Elander said, extending a hand. “It will not be forgotten.”

A tree rustled in the distance, and Elander whipped his quarterstaff out, his eyes darting this way and that. It was only after a full minute that the
dwarf relaxed.

“Is it safe here?” Charlie asked anxiously.

“No,” Elander replied.

It quickly dawned on Ben that there must be a good reason the hellhounds were scared of the forest. Ben glanced up at the trees; before they had seemed
proud and noble, but now that they were beneath them, they felt threatening, suffocating almost. He had a strong desire to leave, even if it meant going
back out onto the plain, at the mercy of the hellhounds.

“We do not have much time,” Elander said. “It is unwise to remain stationary here for more than a few minutes.”

“Shouldn’t we leave now, then?” Charlie asked.

“You will, soon,” Elander said, glancing at Charlie’s brooch with a flicker of envy. “I need to cross the forest.”

For what?
Ben wanted to ask, but the questions were going off on a tangent, especially if they didn’t have much time. He cut straight to the point.

“You said you knew something about Elizabeth’s Armour.”

Elander tugged his beard, and eyed both of them carefully, before replying. “It is a closely guarded secret that ordinarily I would never reveal, but it is
clear you are one of the few who know about it. Her armour is a legacy, entrusted to five Guardians whose task is to unite and use it to defeat Suktar.”

Ben had expected the dwarf to know the truth, but hearing it from his lips still sent a shiver up his spine.

“Are you one of the Guardians?” Ben asked.

To Ben’s surprise and dismay, a haunted look crossed Elander’s face, and his eyes became distant. “If only that were true.”

“What do you mean?”

“I was a Guardian, until my wife gave birth to our son, some forty years ago. That responsibility now lies with him.”

Ben felt like collapsing on the floor. He put a hand over his eyes. They had been so certain this dwarf was the Guardian, they had never once considered he
might have had a child. It was such a hammer blow, Ben felt physically sick.

“Does your son know?” Charlie asked.

Elander closed his eyes with a pained expression. “No. He doesn’t know anything. He wasn’t ready – he isn’t ready, for such knowledge or responsibility. We
kept waiting, hoping that in time he would mature.”

“We?”

“My wife and I,” Elander said. His face became dark. “She was killed in the dark elf attack. They tortured her, and I fear she may have talked. If so, it
will not be long before they find my son.” He slapped a fist into an open hand. “I must find him first.”

“We need to find him, too,” Ben said.

To his surprise, Elander gave him a dubious look. “He is not ready to be a Guardian.”

Ben almost laughed. “Do you think I am? A few months ago I didn’t even know the Unseen Kingdoms existed.”

Elander shook his head. “You do not understand. Krobeg isn’t like you. Even in the brief time we have been together, I can tell you have the qualities a
Guardian needs. My son does not.”

“He is a Guardian, whether you like it or not,” Ben said. “Wishing he was braver or whatever imagined standard you have isn’t going to help.”

Ben expected a backlash, but to his surprise Elander only turned away with a regretful look. “I should have raised him differently. I was too interested in
my own studies. I was furious when he showed more interest in food and drink than following my path as a mage. I banished him from our household. It was a
terrible mistake.”

Ben nodded. He understood about parents’ mistakes. “Where can we find your son?”

Elander paused again; Ben could only imagine the internal conflict going through the dwarf’s mind. If he gave them the location of his son, he might end up
fulfilling his role as a Guardian, which meant facing Suktar. But if he didn’t, the dark elves would eventually find him. Ben waited impatiently, but
forced himself to remain quiet. Finally, Elander gave a reluctant nod.

“We have not been in touch for many years, but as far as I’m aware, he still lives in Drinkmorr. That is where I will search upon my return.”

Charlie’s eyes lit up at the name. “I’ve always wanted to go there.” He turned to Ben and glanced at his brooch. “We should get going. If the dark elves
know about Krobeg, he’s not safe, even if he does live in Drinkmorr.”

Ben nodded, and turned back to Elander. “What will you do?”

Elander glanced into the depths of the forest. “There is a clan that might be able to help me get home. They are one of the few clans strong enough to
resist even the strongest demons, and among their members are several goblin shamans, who are extremely skilled when it comes to getting in and out of the
void.”

Ben extended his hand. “I hope it works out for you.”

Charlie, however, was staring strangely at Elander, his mouth half open. “What is the name of that clan?”

“They are called Sparkstorm.”

Ben’s eyes lit up. “That’s what the demon called me!”

“You belong to the Sparkstorm clan?” Elander asked.

“No,” Ben said. “It doesn’t make sense. But the demon seemed to think I did, after giving me a good smell.”

“Demons can identify people, especially humans, just by their odour,” Elander said. “He may have mistaken your smell for someone like you.”

Ben felt his stomach tighten. “My parents. They are here.”

“What are their names?”

“Greg and Jane Greenwood.”

Elander didn’t reply, but his eyes betrayed his surprise.

“Have you heard something of them?” Ben asked, his voice suddenly urgent.

Elander nodded, looking at Ben in a new light. “Your parents are the clan leaders of Sparkstorm.”

Ben was speechless, though from the look on Charlie’s face, it seemed he had already connected the dots. Elander was looking for his parents’ clan.

“Ben, focus,” Charlie said with a sharp warning. He kept talking, but Ben zoned him out.

This dwarf was searching for his parents. Did he know where they were? He glanced at his brooch; the majority of it was now coloured red, and his heart
sank. How much time did they have? Three hours? Less, probably. Still, what was to stop him going with Elander, and leaving just before the
twenty-four-hour mark? That way he would at least have a chance to find his parents, and still have a way out.