The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,11

suitable.”

Ben noticed Charlie's face getting redder by the second, and not just from the exertion of climbing the stairs.

“What sort of test is it?” Ben asked, with forced nonchalance.

“Confidential,” Dagmar said.

Charlie gave Ben an anxious, almost panicky look. His eyes were wide and his mouth open, as if he'd seen a ghost.

“Dagmar, we—”

“Please call me Ms. Borovich.”

“Sorry. Ms. Borovich, we did not grow up knowing the Institute and the Unseen Kingdoms,” Charlie said. “Won't that put us at a considerable disadvantage?”

“The test is confidential,” Dagmar repeated evenly. “I cannot tell you anything about it. Please ask no more questions.”

Charlie mouthed something frantically to Ben. It was hard to make out, but he was pretty sure it was a string of curses someone like Dagmar would probably not appreciate.

They left the staircase upon reaching the first gallery and turned towards a set of double doors that read “Department of Apprentices”, engraved with a symbol of a tree. Dagmar pushed open both doors, despite their size and obvious weight, like a cowboy, minus the style and flair. They entered a corridor that, if Ben remembered correctly, ran all the way round the building, with doors popping up left and right along the way. The hallway was too narrow to walk comfortably three abreast, so Ben and Charlie lagged slightly behind. Dagmar stopped by a door, her leading foot giving a little stomp to emphasise the halt. The sign on the door said “Cloakroom”. Dagmar turned the handle and opened the door.

Ben stepped in cautiously. He had learnt from his last trip that you never knew what was behind each door no matter how innocent the sign.

This door was no exception.

The room was entirely constructed of stone, and Ben almost felt like he was back underground. Giant lanterns hung from the ceiling, illuminating an area not much wider than the tunnels they travelled in. Running left and right were lockers, constructed from single huge slabs of stone, with no visible handles. On each locker was a single green eye, as big as a watermelon, staring straight ahead without blinking.

“That's just creepy,” Charlie said softly.

“Mr. Greenwood, you go first,” Dagmar said. “Walk slowly down the room. When one of the eyes winks at you, stop and stand next to that locker.”

Ben took a deep breath and started walking. Immediately the green eyes came to life and focused on him. Having scores of giant eyes watching you was unnerving, despite the fact that they clearly weren't going anywhere. Ben was almost at the end of the room when one of the eyes winked at him. Ben stopped and turned. The eye was looking right at him; the others reverted back to their blank stares. Ben walked towards the eye cautiously. What was going on inside that huge green iris? Ben couldn't shake the thought that he was being inspected.

“Your turn, Mr. Hornberger,” Dagmar said, her voice echoing down the room.

Charlie toddled forwards even slower than Ben had. He stared at each eye with a mixture of anxiety and wonder, his mouth half open. Ben watched the eyes, waiting for the wink. There! Charlie had ended up at the adjacent locker to Ben.

“These eyes clearly have good taste,” Ben said.

“Or bad judgement. What do we do now?”

Charlie's question was answered by Dagmar, who marched down the room, her large shoes stomping the ground, making Ben's ears ring. She stopped right in front of Ben's locker and motioned him to join her. Then she spoke directly to the green eye.

“Phyliss, this is Mr. Ben Greenwood.” Dagmar switched her gaze to Ben. “Mr. Greenwood, this is Phyliss.”

The green eye gave another wink. Ben was clearly unable to shake hands. Should he reciprocate the blink? But Dagmar was already talking again.

“Phyliss is one of the lazier lockers, and naps three times a day, at 10am, 1pm and 3:30pm, normally for about an hour. So make sure you don't need anything then. If you do, I suggest trying to bribe her with candy, especially anything strawberry-flavoured. On the plus side, she is the strongest locker here; most lower-grade spells won't affect her, and certainly none that any apprentice could perform. So your bag is certainly safe with her. Any questions?”

Ben had plenty. “How do you know she is a girl?”

“Men have a blue eye. Now, I want you to ask Phyliss to open her door. Speak with authority, but make sure you are not too aggressive. Phyliss is one of the harder lockers to open.”

“Is there no password or phrase