The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,18
His mind was buzzing with questions. Where was Wren taking him?
— Chapter Eight —
An Ignored Warning
Ben wasn't surprised when Wren led him up to the executive floor at the very top of the Institute. They passed through the double doors and entered a lavish hallway, impeccably decorated with gold leafing and ornate panels. The torch lights seemed to shine lighter here, and the ceiling was a fraction taller, creating a feeling of space. Ben refrained from asking questions. If Wren wasn't talking, there was nothing she wanted him to know. Any questions would just result in tactful deflections.
“Here we are,” Wren said.
They had stopped by a door that said “Meeting Room Two”.
Wren turned to Ben and gave him a reassuring smile, which was almost magical in its ability to help relax.
“It goes without saying that you're not in any sort of trouble. We just wanted to have an informal chat with you, as certain things need to be said. We shouldn't be long. Are you ready?”
“Sure,” Ben said, wondering who “we” constituted.
The room inside was typically lavish, and contained an expansive wooden table, surrounded by intricately carved wooden chairs. Standing in front of the table were two men Ben recognised immediately. Draven he had seen earlier that day, and looked much the same, though perhaps his beard was slightly less scruffy. Ben wondered, not for the first time, if Draven had dwarf blood in him. His heavy eyebrows exaggerated a grumpy-looking scowl. Colin, by contrast, looked like a bank manager. His hair glinted in the light, hinting at liberal amounts of grease to achieve the perfect parting. His posture was so straight it looked as though he had a broom thrust up the back of his suit. His clothes were ironed to within an inch of their lives and his black shoes gleamed. Both men had five diamonds above their shoulders – Draven's were the Wardens’ red; Colin's the Diplomacy's blue.
“Mr. Greenwood,” Colin said. Every syllable was attenuated perfectly, reminding Ben of royalty.
“Ben,” Draven said, with a curt nod.
It was clear nobody was going to sit down, which gave Ben hope that the meeting might indeed be short. He stood facing Colin and Draven and was pleased when Wren chose to stand by his side.
“Right, let's not draw this out,” Draven said, his voice gruff. “We're all busy at the moment, especially me.”
“Eloquently put,” Colin said. “First of all, Mr. Greenwood, myself and Draven would like to clear the air. We were, quite frankly, catastrophically wrong to entertain any notion of allying with the dark elf Elessar. We were trying to avoid conflict with the dark elves until we could work out where your parents were and why their king wanted them so badly.”
“You thought they had murdered his son, didn't you?”
“That was the line we were fed,” Colin said, unflustered by Ben's open resentment. “We went with it because your parents were not present to disprove the king's accusation, and it gave us time to find your parents and establish the real reason Suktar wanted them. However, nothing worked as planned and we put your life in danger, for which there can be no excuse. Draven and I apologise unreservedly. It will not happen again.”
Ben was beginning to see why Colin was the Director of Diplomacy. He never thought he would forgive Draven and Colin so easily for plotting to hand him over to the dark elves, but Colin's sincere apology and frank explanation eased a good deal of Ben's ill will. He glanced over at Draven, who shifted a little uncomfortably. Colin gave him a little nudge.
“There's more to it than that,” Draven said, “but there were a few things we did, because we were desperate, that weren't right. Of course, all of this could have been avoided if your parents had showed up.”
“Draven,” Colin said politely, turning to his peer. “I think you're deviating from the point I'm trying to make.”
Draven looked as though he was sucking a lemon. He scowled at Colin, and then turned to Ben. “I'm sorry for how things turned out,” he said, sounding like he was being strangled.
Ben grinned, enjoying the moment. “Apology accepted.”
“Good, now let's move on,” Wren said. “We are here to give Ben an update on what is going on with the dark elves and how it might involve him, in order to warn and protect him from any potential danger while on his apprenticeship.”
“An excellent idea,” Colin chimed in.
Draven looked ready to retaliate to Ben's impudent grin, but