Royal Institute of Magic: The Shadowseeker (Book 2) (28 page)

“Did we do it?” Charlie asked, sitting up suddenly. The dazed look had vanished and he appeared perfectly normal again.

“Just about,” Ben said, hauling himself to his feet. “Now it's Natalie's turn.”

Ben repeated the drill with Natalie. Though she was several inches taller than Charlie, she had a delicate, almost elf-like frame, and Ben was able to haul her through the mist with little difficulty.

“Let's hope there aren't too many more mind spells to contend with,” Ben said, as he dusted himself off while Natalie recovered.

But to Ben's dismay, the mind spell clouds became increasingly frequent. One or two were nearly always in sight, and some of them were unavoidable. To make matters worse, the spells became increasingly powerful. Instead of falling unconscious while walking through the mist, Ben and Natalie were now actively trying to escape Ben's clutches by any means possible. When they reached the other side, they would apologise profusely (especially Natalie), but that didn't stop Ben gradually accumulating cuts, bruises and scratches as he battled with the oblivious Charlie and Natalie.

It was becoming exhausting, and not just for Ben. Despite Charlie and Natalie being completely unaware of their regular battles, they also felt the physical effects afterwards. Struggling for your life every five or ten minutes was tiring.

The other problem was time. Each fog they went through slowed their progress and, before Ben knew it, eleven o'clock had come and gone.

“This one looks nasty,” Charlie said.

They had stopped in front of a steep tunnel that ran under a fallen rock. The black fog within the tunnel was so thick they could barely see its end.

“Looks like a hundred feet, at least,” Ben said. “That's our biggest yet.”

Ben prepared himself for yet another battle. “Okay, which of you extremely annoying people is first?”

Charlie was examining the fog closely. “This one seems different. Do you see the small particles floating in the mist?”

“I see them,” Natalie said immediately.

It took Ben a moment, but he soon saw what Charlie was talking about – small specks of silver floating within the fog.

“What do you think that means?” Ben asked.

“I think it's bad news,” Charlie said. “The mind spell clouds have become harder the deeper we travel. I bet this one is at a whole new level.”

“How much worse can it get? You're already practically ripping my head off trying to escape.”

“I don't know, but I think I should try it out to get a feel for it,” Charlie said.

“Are you sure?” Natalie asked, frowning with worry.

Charlie nodded. “I think so. Ben, can you be close by in case you need to drag me out?”

Ben immediately stood by Charlie's side, close enough to reach him if needed.

Charlie puffed out his cheeks. “Okay, here goes.”

Charlie stepped into the fog. For a moment, Ben thought nothing was going to happen. Charlie didn't turn into a crazed maniac with glazed eyes, intent on retreating back to safety. But just as Ben began to relax, Charlie's face scrunched up and he gave a cry of pain. He took another step forwards, and suddenly the cry of pain became one of agony. His hands went to his head, his eyes squeezed shut. Incredibly, Charlie took another step forwards. Blood started leaking from his ears, and Charlie fell to his knees. Ben grabbed him and hauled him out of the fog. Charlie collapsed on the floor, writhing around in pain, still screaming. Ben and Natalie watched helplessly. It was a full minute before Charlie's screams turned to groans, and the blood stopped flowing. Several more minutes passed before Charlie sat up, panting, his brow caked with sweat.

“Are you okay?” Natalie asked. She was bent down next to Charlie, her eyes full of worry.

“Give me a minute,” Charlie said, in a strained voice. They waited patiently, and finally Charlie gave a sigh of relief and slowly got to his feet.

“What happened?” Ben asked.

“Pain,” Charlie replied, staring at the fog. “Pain like I've not experienced before. Not mental pain – real physical pain. My head felt like it was going to explode. Had you not pulled me out, I think it would have.”

Ben didn't respond. There was nothing to say. He knew from Charlie's demoralised face that his friend would not be able to face that pain again.

The problem was there was no way round.

Ben knew this might happen. The spell clouds were getting increasingly difficult to overcome and time was starting to worry him. There was only one solution, and it wasn't a pleasant one.

“I will go alone,” Ben said.

The announcement caused a predictable uproar. Charlie's protests were half-hearted, but Natalie, who hadn't yet experienced the fog, was adamant.

“We're not leaving you,” Natalie said. “Right, Charlie? Not when we're this close.”

“Right,” Charlie said, after a little pause, which caused Natalie to frown with surprise.

“Getting you both through the spell clouds is taking too long,” Ben said, “and they are getting increasingly powerful. Even if I got you both through this one, the next one could be even more difficult.”

Natalie turned to Charlie. “Was it really that bad?”

Charlie looked beaten. “Yes. The pain – I could not face that again.”

“We could double back. I saw another way down about ten minutes ago,” Natalie said.

“We don't have the time, and we would still end up encountering increasingly powerful mind spell clouds like this one.”

Natalie bit her lip. “I don't like it. We're a team.”

“Normally,” Ben said, his voice gentle, “but not in this instance.”

Natalie looked ready to argue, but another look at Charlie and she changed her mind.

“We will wait for you here,” Natalie said.

“I won't be long,” Ben said. “We must be near the bottom by now.”

“Good luck,” Natalie said, coming forwards and giving him a hug. To Ben's surprise, Charlie did the same.

Ben turned and walked into the black fog, alone.

It was strange being alone in this vast cavern. Ben hadn't appreciated the comfort and reassurance of friends until now. Between the three of them someone was nearly always talking, but now the only sound was that of his footsteps and slightly laboured breathing, as he descended as fast as he dared. Progress was far quicker now that he didn't have to drag Charlie and Natalie through each passing fog, and soon he had left his two friends far behind.

He checked his watch every fifteen minutes and resisted the urge to speed up when 11:30am came and went. He had already almost lost his grip several times and couldn't afford to be any more reckless.

Ben heard the noise as he was jumping onto yet another slab of rock. It was a faint echo from somewhere below. He paused. Had he imagined it? No, there it was again. A voice perhaps? It was too soft to tell.

Ben continued his downward climb, so intent on listening that he had several near accidents. Gradually the noise became louder and more distinct. Definitely a voice. Two voices even. Then a crashing noise – the sound of rock crashing against rock.

Curiosity overpowered his anxiety. Who could possibly be down here? Could it be another spell cloud, designed to scare him off? Ben could think of no other explanation.

He squeezed through a small gap in between a couple of stalagmites, and the noise suddenly exploded into full volume. There was a fight going on, Ben was sure of it, and it was happening right below him. Ben instinctively hit the ground. A sudden sickening feeling hit him. What if it was the forreck down there fighting someone? What if Lornor was wrong, or lying, and the forreck was unaffected by the eclipse?

Ben dragged himself forwards using his elbows until he reached the edge of the rock. He peered over and received the shock of his life.

Thirty feet below, at the very base of the cavern, were two combatants. One was the Shadowseeker, sword drawn, hand pulsing with energy, trying to get into a tunnel that cut into one of the walls. But a woman stood in front of the tunnel, spellshooter drawn, blocking his path.

It was Dagmar.

Ben's face paled, his mouth slowly opened, and for a moment he forgot to breathe. Questions threatened to explode out of his mouth, but they evaporated the moment the Shadowseeker fired a purple bolt of energy at Dagmar; she deflected it with a shield that materialised from her spellshooter. The Shadowseeker leapt forwards, sword slicing through the air. Ben made a choking noise that was drowned out by a defiant growl from Dagmar. She shot a spell into her hand and a shining white sword materialised, which she used to block the Shadowseeker's blade. The Shadowseeker launched a series of blistering attacks, which incredibly Dagmar managed to parry, though Ben could tell from the strain on her face that she wouldn't last long.

Ben needed to act. Now. The thought that he might be ineffectual only briefly flitted through his mind. He flew down the cliff, ignoring the scrapes and cuts on the way, and jumped the last ten feet. Dagmar and the Shadowseeker were so engaged in combat they didn't notice his heavy landing. He dipped into his pocket, feeling for the last few remaining spells from his dad's pouch. The choice was limited, but he didn't need anything spectacular. He pulled out a white pellet, closed his eyes, and threw it hard onto the stone floor.

The flash of light was so powerful it made his eyes hurt even when shut. He heard Dagmar and the Shadowseeker cry out. Ben knew he had only seconds. He opened his eyes just a fraction and ran past the Shadowseeker so that he was standing side by side with Dagmar, the two of them now blocking the tunnel. He made it just in time; both Dagmar and the Shadowseeker were already recovering.

The Shadowseeker looked similar to the one he'd seen at Croydon HQ, but somehow darker, deadlier and bigger. He was bald and his face was filled with gold piercings. His eyes glowed purple.

“Ben Greenwood,” the Shadowseeker said, in a deep, resonant voice that instantly reminded Ben of someone, though he couldn't think who. “I was wondering when you would turn up.”

“Greenwood?” Dagmar, by contrast, clearly hadn't expected to see him. Her eyebrows threatened to jump off her head, and her haggard look was momentarily replaced with complete astonishment.

“Ms. Borovich, what are you doing here?” Ben asked, his eyes trained on the Shadowseeker.

“Never mind that. What are
you
doing here?” Dagmar asked. She seemed unable to compute that Ben was really standing next to her. “You need to leave, now. I will distract him.”

“Oh, nobody is going anywhere,” the Shadowseeker said, in an almost casual tone. There was something really familiar about his arrogance, and calm, confident voice.

“Have we met before?” Ben asked. He wasn't expecting an answer, but it gave him time to think. It must be twelve o'clock now, just minutes from the perfect time to approach the forreck.

“Your powers of observation are marginally better than most humans,” the Shadowseeker said. He seemed in no hurry – was he also waiting to get past the forreck?

“We have met several times, most recently at the Floating Prison, when I was trying to capture your parents. I failed and was summarily punished so severely that my previous body was no longer fit for living. But His Royal Highness, the prince, was kind enough to give me another chance, and here I am, in a functional, if somewhat inferior body to my last one.”

Ben felt the blood drain from his face. “Elessar?”

“Good,” Elessar said. “Now, as you are probably aware, time is pressing. It is almost time to pick up what I came for, which means I need you out the way.”

“Move!” Dagmar ordered, but Ben ignored her.

Elessar raised a hand and fired a bolt of purple fire. Dagmar returned the fire and the two balls of energy met and exploded in mid-air. Elessar immediately fired another, this one a swirling boomerang-like object, and again Dagmar blocked, with a similar spell. This continued faster than Ben could track, with Elessar firing and Dagmar blocking. Each time, Elessar's spell managed to get closer to Dagmar before being repelled, and her face looked increasingly strained. Ben watched helplessly and fumbled in his pocket for a spell. But before he could begin to decide what to use, Elessar unleashed a diamond-like bullet that Dagmar couldn't get to in time. It hit her square in the chest and knocked her back into the stone wall. She slumped to the ground, groaning.

“Your turn, Ben Greenwood,” Elessar said, with an oily smile that looked terrifying with his glowing purple eyes. “Don't worry, I remember how you deflected my spells in the past. We'll go for the more traditional method.”

Elessar raised his sword and advanced, almost casually.

Ben knew without checking his pouch that there was only one spell that could help him. It was a spell he had been saving for just this sort of occasion. He pulled it from his pouch and squeezed the pellet against his hand. A blue-tinted sword materialised in his hand. This was no useless wooden stick like the spell he had cast on his exam. Ben could feel the perfectly balanced weight in his hands, and the edges gleamed with a sharpness that could probably cut the air. The moment his hand squeezed the hilt, Ben felt a powerful, almost pleasurable jolt in his mind and then throughout his body. Memories from his dad suddenly became accessible – memories about swordsmanship – tactics; technique; knowledge; experience. The sword, a foreigner just a moment ago, suddenly felt like an extension of his arm.

“Run, fool boy.”

Ben glanced back. Dagmar had managed to sit up, her back to the wall, but she was in no state to do anything. Her spellshooter hung down in her limp hand, and her shirt was torn at the shoulder, revealing a strange birthmark that looked remarkably like a bird.

Ben frowned. That was significant, but he couldn't remember why. Natalie's voice came to him, almost unbidden.

“The only thing of interest I found was that Charlotte had a peculiar birthmark on her right shoulder shaped like a bird that seems to have passed down the generations. It could provide evidence of their heritage, if we ever found someone.”

The shock of the revelation nearly cost Ben his life. Elessar came forwards and attacked. Ben brought his sword up just in time to deflect the strike. Elessar appeared in no hurry to end the fight; he was content to prod and probe, which was just as well, because Ben was having trouble focusing on the fight.