The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,22

with all the countries mapped out, including the Unseen Kingdoms. Running along the walls were colourful illustrations detailing a timeline of the Institute’s history. Then there were dozens of exhibition stands showing things like the evolution of spellshooters, various animals and foods found in the Unseen Kingdoms, and charts showing every type of spell with its composition element and strength.

“Over here,” Charlie said, tugging on Ben's sleeve.

He led them to an adjoining room that was filled with benches and tables with small lamps. Ben spotted many apprentices in groups of twos and threes – friends choosing to study together. Not everyone was an apprentice and Ben spotted diamonds of various colours. There was a quiet, calm feel about the place that reminded Ben of the few libraries he'd ventured into.

“Guys! Over here!”

A high-pitched, cheerful voice cut through the quiet concentration and several people looked up angrily, making hushing noises. The perpetrator was Jimmy Stroud, the goofy boy they'd seen at muster. He seemed oblivious to the dark looks, waving enthusiastically at them.

“Should we pretend we can't see him?” Charlie whispered.

“Don't be so harsh,” Ben said, with a smile.

Jimmy was one of the few apprentices studying alone, and his face lit up when Ben and Charlie sat down opposite him.

“Hey, guys!” Jimmy said, with such enthusiasm that a trace of spittle left his mouth and hit Charlie right on the forehead. “Welcome to the newbie table. This is where all the new chaps sit. Zach and Raphy should be here. They've gone to the toilet and are taking an unusually long time to get back.”

“When did they leave?” Charlie asked.

Jimmy glanced at his watch. “Oh, about twenty minutes ago. But I'm saving these seats for when they return.” He patted the bench next to him. “It can be really hard finding space here sometimes.”

The angry glances continued, and a couple of older boys looked as though they were going to come over.

“Could you lower your voice a bit?” Charlie said. “I think people prefer it quiet in a library.”

“Oh right, sorry,” Jimmy said, in quite possibly the loudest whisper outside of Ogre-ville. “You're not the first person to tell me that, actually.”

Ben had met a few geeks in his time, but Jimmy was up there with the best of them. He made Charlie look cool.

“Listen, me and Charlie are going to study for a bit. We're new here, so it would be great if you could let us concentrate for a while. Is that okay?”

“Yeah, okay, sure,” Jimmy said, his thin, straggly hair bobbing up and down as he nodded. “Hey, if you need anything, just ask. I've only been here a month, but I know quite a lot already.”

Jimmy turned back to his book. He seemed to have a runny nose and resorted to sniffing a lot. Charlie looked up once or twice in irritation, but the moment he placed his handbook on the table he forgot Jimmy existed.

Ben opened the hardback cover. On the first page, in large letters, were the words First Grade Checklist. Below that each department was listed with their corresponding colour. On the right edge of the page were tabs guiding you to the departments’ relevant sections.

“How do we know where to start? I guess we have to pick a subject?” Charlie asked. He was already thumbing through the book.

“I know where I'm starting,” Ben replied. He turned straight to the tab marked in green, and went to the first page.

“Department of Spellswords: First Grade.”

There was a list of numbered actions; each one was titled “theory” or “practical”. The theory steps pointed to different sections of books to read. The titles sounded far more interesting than your average science book – “Introduction to Spellswords”, “How a Spellshooter Works” and “The Basics of Combat” to name just a few. The practical steps were even more interesting, but they were always paired with a theory step that had to be completed first.

“I suggest we do three steps of each department, before switching to the next. That way we never fall behind on any one area,” Charlie said.

“Good idea,” Ben said, and got to his feet to find the first book.

“You guys need a hand?” Jimmy asked, rising with them.

“No, we're okay, thanks,” Ben said, putting a hand on Jimmy's shoulder and easing him back down. “Save the seats for us, though, okay? We'll be back in a minute.”

They headed to the book shelves. They were packed tight and went all the way up to the ceiling. Occasionally