The Silver Dwarf (Royal Institute of Magic, Book 4) (31 page)

“Why don’t we get a bite to eat?” Charlie said, eyeing up a passing rack of ribs. “We might as well have lunch while we wait.”

Natalie wasn’t thrilled with the idea, but Charlie seemed oblivious to her sentiments, and as soon as an empty table became available, he darted towards
it. The food, as it turned out, was as good as it looked, and in short order they were rubbing their stomachs contentedly. When the majority of the tables
had cleared out, and the bar started to empty, they turned their attention to the kitchen door, where the waiters had constantly filed in and out.

“Do you think we’ll recognise Krobeg?” Natalie asked.

Ben nodded. “We will if he’s anything like his dad.”

The first person to emerge was a skinny elf, who they immediately dismissed. The second and third were dwarves, but neither looked anything like the dwarf
mage.

The fourth was right on the money.

A large dwarf with a neat, ginger beard emerged from the kitchen. Ben’s eyes immediately went to his stomach – it was absolutely huge, as if someone had
shoved a beach ball down his shirt. Somehow he still managed to fit an apron around it.

“Good takings, Mary?” the dwarf asked, wiping his hands on his apron. He had a friendly manner and sparkling, brown eyes.

“Really good, a record for a Thursday afternoon, in fact.”

Ben watched the dwarf talk to the waitress. Other than the ginger hair, his whole demeanour was a world away from Elander’s. He was jovial, jolly almost,
compared to Elander’s stern, serious character.

“Could that really be him?” Natalie whispered.

Charlie was also scrutinising the dwarf, though not quite as inconspicuously as Ben and Natalie. “It makes sense. Remember what Elander said? Now we know
why he didn’t want to burden his son with the whole Guardian thing. He’s not exactly Guardian material.”

Ben was still pondering the matter when the serving lady pointed them out to Krobeg, and he ambled over to them.

“Good afternoon, lads and lady,” the dwarf said with a friendly smile. He was holding a large mug filled with ale. “Mary says you wanted to speak to me?”
He gave a friendly wink. “I warn you, my recipes are off limits. They are top secret – I’ve worked for years refining them. Did you try the braised lamb by
the way?”

“I did,” Charlie said, connecting a finger with his thumb to make an “O” shape. “It was superb.”

Ben wasn’t often thrown off guard, but this was one of those rare occasions. He had prepared for a multitude of eventualities, but having the Guardian be a
fat, soft-looking chef wasn’t one of them.

“Are you the Krobeg Farseeker everyone talks about?” Ben asked. After all, he wasn’t one hundred percent sure they had the right dwarf.

If the question was an odd one, the dwarf didn’t show it, simply smiling with appreciation. “I am indeed. I hadn’t noticed how far my reputation went.
You’re not from the Unseen Kingdoms, are you.”

“How can you tell?” Charlie asked.

Krobeg shrugged, and took a substantial sip of his ale. “It’s the little things – the way you walk, the way you dress, that foreign air about you.”

Ben glanced casually around the room. There were still a few punters about, though the tavern was far emptier than before.

“We have something we would like to talk to you about,” Ben said, putting on a serious face. “However, it’s of a sensitive nature. Could we go somewhere
private?”

“Of course,” Krobeg said, looking surprised, and just a little wary. “Come with me, we’ll go to the staff meeting room.”

They followed Krobeg through a door marked “private”, and into a small hallway, lined with several doors. Krobeg opened one and bid the three of them
enter, before following in behind. The room was small, with a well-worn table surrounded by several chairs.

“Please, take a seat,” Krobeg said. He had to pull his own chair out a considerable way to sit down himself. “Now, how can I help you? The Institute is not
in trouble, is it? I know it’s under a lot of pressure at the moment.”

“How did you know we were from the Institute?”

Krobeg smiled. “It wasn’t hard. You’re not Unseens, and you’re not adults. Apprentices, I presume? Third or fourth grade would be my guess, as they
wouldn’t let anyone with less experience come out here.”

Ben nodded, quickly reassessing Krobeg. He might be a large, teddy-bear-shaped chef, but he was clearly as sharp as one of his kitchen knives. The fact
that Krobeg knew they were from the Institute might help them – it would certainly lend some authenticity to their plight. But how much should he reveal to
Krobeg? He had been confident he would know once he’d established what sort of character Krobeg was. But the dwarf, he sensed, was a complicated
individual. Outside, he seemed jovial and friendly, but underneath, Ben suspected a different Krobeg, hidden from view. Having just met the dwarf, he knew
it was nothing more than a gut feeling, but it was a strong one.

Ben felt Krobeg watching him and became aware that an awkward silence had fallen. Charlie and Natalie were looking at him expectantly.

Ben made a snap decision. If Krobeg was the Guardian, which they were now certain was the case, then they had no option but to trust him.

“What’s your history like?” Ben asked.

“So so,” Krobeg said, shaking a hand back and forth.

Ben considered his words. He instinctively wanted to leave out the more sensitive bits, so ingrained had he become in keeping Elizabeth’s Legacy secret.
Ben cast that thought aside; as a Guardian, Krobeg had the right to know the whole story. And so he gave a succinct, but accurate retelling of Queen
Elizabeth’s role in the Institute and her battle with Suktar. He introduced the armour and its role in defeating Suktar when he returned. Krobeg listened
without interrupting, his face unreadable. It was only at the end when Ben noticed that Krobeg’s natural joviality was looking slightly strained.

“A fascinating story,” Krobeg said. “Though I am at a loss as to why you came all this way to tell it to me.”

“I’m getting there,” Ben said.

Ben then told the story of Angus, the original director, and his journey to safeguard his piece of Elizabeth’s Armour by venturing into Jimba Forest, his
meeting with the arcane dwarves and how the armour was inherited by the Silver Dwarf.

“Have you heard of the Silver Dwarf?” Ben asked, when he was finished.

“Tales only,” Krobeg said with a shrug. “Myths, legends, and kids stories.” Krobeg glanced at the door, and wrapped his knuckles on the table. “Well, I am
grateful for the history lesson – whether fact or fiction – but time is getting on. You’re welcome to stay here as long as you wish.”

Krobeg started to haul his massive frame off the chair. Ben reached out and put a restraining hand on his shoulder.

“Don’t you want to know why we came here to tell you this story?” Ben asked, his voice quiet, his eyes intense.

“Not really,” Krobeg said, his voice curt. “I can’t see what any of it has to do with me.”

Ben knew Krobeg was lying by the way he kept turning to the door.

“It has everything to do with you,” Ben said. “The Silver Dwarf was a Guardian, charged with protecting a piece of Elizabeth’s Armour. When he passed away,
that role was inherited by his son – your father. The moment you were born, that responsibility was handed to you.”

Ben watched Krobeg closely as he went very still, his eyes becoming distant. He shook his head, even managing a good-natured smile.

“Is this some sort of joke? Did someone put you up to this?” Krobeg pointed a sausage finger at Ben. “It was Limbek, wasn’t it? That scallywag is always
conjuring up new ways to give me a heart attack.”

“It’s no joke,” Ben said.

Krobeg didn’t appear to hear him, and rattled off several other possible suspects responsible for the prank. Ben waited patiently for him to finish, before
calmly repeating himself.

Krobeg frowned, appearing genuinely confused. “It’s not a joke? Then what on earth is it?”

“The truth,” Ben said. “You are a Guardian, just like me.”

Krobeg stood up, his massive stomach hitting the table. He stared at Ben, and then Charlie and Natalie. And then he laughed – a loud, booming thing that
made Charlie cover his ears.

“You really expect me to believe that? Three kids turn up and tell me that the Silver Dwarf is real, I am his grandson, and a Guardian of Elizabeth’s
Armour? Come on, you’ll need to do better than that.”

Krobeg waved an arm at them, chuckling to himself, and started towards the door.

From the corner of Ben’s eye, he could see Natalie’s and Charlie’s panicked looks, but their protestations aimed at Krobeg did nothing to slow him down. He
put his hand on the doorknob, and was about to exit, when Ben played his last card. He hated bringing the dad into the equation, but he was out of options.

“Your father said you weren’t ready,” Ben said, his voice soft, but carrying just that bit of accusation in it.

Krobeg stopped, his hand still on the doorknob. Slowly, he turned, his face stern.

“What are you talking about?” he asked with narrowed eyes. “How do you know my father?”

“We met him in the void,” Ben said, keeping his voice level. “He still lives, though he has been in the void so long now it is difficult for him to
return.”

Doubt flashed across Krobeg’s face, before he shook himself.

“Impossible. I don’t believe you.”

This time, Ben was prepared. “Your father’s name is Elander Farseeker. He is a dwarf mage of great renown. Do you want me to describe him for you?”

Krobeg’s eyes widened for just a second, before he clenched his fists. “You need to leave, now.”

Ben shook his head. “Not without you. We need your help.”

Krobeg took a meaningful step forwards. Ben suddenly became aware that the soft, chubby chef didn’t look very soft anymore. There was a hardness in his
thin lips that reminded Ben of Elander, and his fists were balled like boxing gloves.

“I don’t know what nonsense my father told you, and I don’t care. I learnt never to trust my father.” Krobeg lifted a fisted hand. “Now get out, before I
throw you out.”

Ben stood up, his hand going to his spellshooter. But Natalie put a restraining hand on his arm.

“Not now, Ben,” she said.

“But we need him.”

“Natalie is right. Let’s go,” Charlie said.

Ben wanted to protest, but one look at the iron-faced Krobeg and he knew it would be pointless. Instead, he looked Krobeg deep in the eye as he passed him
by, and said, “Like it not, you’re a Guardian. Without you, Suktar will not be stopped, and the Unseen Kingdoms will fall.”

Krobeg didn’t even blink, let alone acknowledge Ben’s statement, and they left the tavern without the Guardian.

“We shouldn’t have left,” Ben said, shooting a backward glance at the tavern.

“We had to,” Natalie said. “You and Krobeg were about to start fighting. That dwarf is like a sumo wrestler; he could have crushed you.”

Ben clenched his fists. “We need him. The whole quest to find Elizabeth’s Armour is pointless if he doesn’t join us.”

“We weren’t going to convince him,” Charlie said. “You could see that in his face. And you know what, I don’t blame him – it’s not like we have a mountain
of evidence.”

“I disagree,” Ben argued. “He knew we were telling the truth, at least part of it. He was hiding something from us. I think he’s in denial.”

“Maybe. But the way he was acting, I don’t think he would have joined us even if we reincarnated Queen Elizabeth and brought her along to try to convince
him,” Charlie said.

“So what do we do now?” Natalie said. “Obviously we’re not giving up, but we need another plan.”

None of them had a solution. The only idea Ben could come up with was so outrageous and desperate that he didn’t even bother voicing it. Krobeg might hate
his father, but he might still listen to him. If they could just get them to meet up. Of course, that would mean getting Elander out of the void or
convincing Krobeg to go into it. Both options bordered on madness, but as they left Drinkmorr and headed back to the Institute, Ben couldn’t help thinking
it might be their only hope.

*

The last thing Ben felt like doing was campaigning for the Chief Three position. His mind was still on Krobeg, and his normally cool, composed persona that
he would need to corral votes was missing. He alternated between frustration, despair, and apathy. They were so close to the next Guardian, yet it seemed
just out of reach.

“You need to stop sulking and start talking to the third-graders, if you don’t want to get hammered by Aaron,” Natalie said.

It was lunchtime, and the three of them were sitting outside in the Institute gardens. It was brisk, and the cool air went some way to knocking Ben out of
his apathetic slumber.

“I know,” Ben said. He had his elbows resting on his knees and was staring at the grass. “I just don’t care. I’m regretting getting involved in the stupid
thing in the first place.”

“You’ll care once Aaron is Chief Three,” Charlie said. “You’ve got to snap out of it and start campaigning, else you might as well just concede right now.”

Ben sat up, feeling slightly irritated. “Don’t either of you care? Unless we can get Krobeg on our side, we’re screwed.”

“Of course we care,” Natalie said. “I spend so much time thinking about it that I can hardly sleep. But I know we will work out a solution. We have to.”

“I’ve got one or two ideas,” Charlie said. “But I need a bit more time to research them.”

Ben perked up a little. Why was he taking the setback with Krobeg so much harder than Charlie and Natalie? He was normally the relaxed one. Was it because
he was more closely attached to the quest? Charlie and Natalie were helping every step of the way, but, at the end of the day, they were not Guardians, and
they could not possibly feel the same weight of responsibility. It wasn’t they who would eventually be facing the dark elf king. Yes, he might be
overreacting a little, but he had good reason. The thought had the peculiar effect of making him feel considerably better.