If that happens, I will slap the table lightly and we must stop talking at once.”
Ben and Charlie took turns bringing Natalie up to speed. When Ben recalled the incident in the library, her eyes widened.
“How certain are you of what you saw?”
“Not certain at all. I have no idea if I really saw a flash of steel, and even if I did, there could be a dozen possible explanations for it.”
“I'm not so sure,” Charlie said.
“Whatever. I'm not going to freak out about it,” Ben said. “And I'm certainly not going to tell the directors what I may or may not have seen. That would kill any chance we have of looking for my parents.”
“That's true,” Natalie said. She looked worried, but Ben was pleasantly surprised that she showed more understanding than Charlie had. “I wonder what Dagmar was doing,” she continued. “It was lucky she happened to be there, in case anything did happen. I know she's only a Scholar, and she might be rather small, but she is really good with a spellshooter. Wren wanted her to join the Department of Spellswords. I bet she could handle a Shadowseeker.”
“Speaking of Shadowseekers,” Ben said, turning to Charlie. “Can you let us know what you found out about them?”
“You managed to find something in the library?” she asked, sitting up a little straighter.
Charlie revelled in her disbelief, and his cheeks went a little rosy. “It wasn't that hard. You would have found it just as easily as me.”
“Moving on from the ego-massaging… what did you find?” Ben asked.
“I couldn't find much on Shadowseekers beyond the fact that they are a special forces unit that serve Suktar directly.”
“Draven said they were assassins,” Natalie said.
“Not always. I read an article where one was sent in to rescue a prominent dark elf captain from a heavily barricaded dwarf stronghold. That was basically all I could find. There were references to other books, but I have a feeling we don't have access to them.”
“Fair enough,” Ben said. “What about Guardians?”
Charlie smiled. “I made better progress with that. I found a book, by an author called Frederick Von Lipzig.”
“A nice, traditional English name.”
“Quite,” Charlie said. “I wanted to look him up, but I didn't have the time. Anyway, the book is called Truths, Myths and Legends of the Royal Institute of Magic. He discusses many different historical topics, and debates whether there is any truth in them or whether they are myth or legend.”
“So what did he say about Guardians?”
Charlie paused to heighten the tension. Ben almost felt like slapping him.
“A Guardian is a living ancestor of an original director,” Charlie said. “Which makes sense, as we know you're descended from Michael James Greenwood, the original Spellsword Director.”
“It makes sense, but we already knew that.”
“I'm not done yet,” Charlie said, looking affronted. “Frederick Von Lipzig writes that the Guardians have unparalleled access to the very heart of the Institute.”
“What does that mean?” Natalie asked.
“He doesn't say exactly. But he does say that the original directors were involved in the design and architecture of the building. ‘Only a Guardian truly knows the secrets of the fabled Royal Institute of Magic building.’ Lipzig's words, not mine.”
Nobody spoke for a minute.
“That is interesting,” Ben said, eventually breaking the silence. “The question is – did Lipzig say whether it was a truth, a myth or a legend?”
“He says it's most likely a bit of all three,” Charlie said. “Which isn't that helpful, I know.”
“Well, it's a lot more than we knew before,” Natalie said. “I think we should research this Frederick Von Lipzig fellow, and also see if we can find some early drawings of the Institute to see if it holds any secrets.”
“Good idea,” Charlie said, nodding a little too vigorously.
Ben didn't respond. Natalie had triggered an idea that made his heart leap. He slapped the table, making Charlie and Natalie jump, and leaned forwards, nearly spilling his tea.
“What if Lipzig is right? What if Guardians can access the building's secrets? What if there are areas that only they can get to?”
“That's a big 'if', but go on,” Charlie said.
“My parents,” Ben said. “Nobody can find them, right? What if all this time they have been hiding in the Institute?”
— Chapter Eleven —
Unusual Chores
Nobody spoke for a full minute. Charlie broke the silence, dabbing his cheeks with his napkin. “It's a long shot, but if true, then – wow. How would we find these hidden architectural nooks and crannies?”
“With Ben,” Natalie said, a smile playing across her