The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,48

Survive a Forreck.

“While almost immune to magic, forrecks show some vulnerability to the very strongest fire and air spells. There have also been rumours that their powers of regeneration do not extend to severed limbs, though a documented case has yet to be proven.”

Ben turned his attention to another open book, titled A History of the Forreck. There were just two lines highlighted in different places. “It is of interest to note that, though forrecks tolerate sunlight, they do not enjoy it. The forreck is, by nature, an underground animal.” The other piece simply said, “Never attempt to look a forreck in the eye.”

The more Ben read, the more obvious it became: his parents were searching for ways to overcome a forreck.

“But why?” Natalie asked, when Ben voiced his conclusion.

“Listen to this!” Charlie said. He was now sitting on the table, with two or three different books balanced on his lap.

“In the early days, forrecks were used as protectors for royalty or for artefacts of the most extreme value. Contrary to belief, they can be trained by a highly skilled beastmaster, though there are known to be fewer than a dozen of such men and women capable of such a feat. When successfully trained, a forreck can protect a designated area or even an item for the duration of its life. As forrecks are second only to dragons in longevity, that is often several hundred years.”

Charlie stopped reading and looked up. “What if there was a forreck protecting a piece of Elizabeth's Armour?”

A stunned silence ensued as the three of them absorbed Charlie's revelation.

“Which piece?” Natalie asked.

All eyes went to the item on the table.

“The boots would be my guess,” Charlie said.

Ben and Charlie were grinning from ear to ear at the discovery, but Natalie wore a worried frown.

“I don't want to alarm you, Ben, but if your parents are trying to overcome a forreck, they could be in real danger.”

“What have you heard about them?” Ben asked.

“They are famous for being the only creature to be able to take on a fully grown dragon.”

Charlie whistled. “That's impressive.”

“Impressive but also very scary,” Natalie said. “Especially if your parents, Ben, are trying to find a way past one. I'm not sure it's even possible.”

Ben's elation subsided.

Charlie, however, shook his head. “That may not be entirely true.”

“What do you mean?”

Charlie pointed to a paragraph in a book he was reading. Not only had the section been highlighted, it had also been circled heavily in black.

“Listen to this. It's from a book called Forrecks: The Truth Behind the Myths by a bloke called Lornor Taren. It says, 'Among the many myths and legends about forrecks is that, short of a crystal dragon on your side, they are invulnerable. That, I have discovered, is not entirely true. They may have a weakness, but I am still gathering further evidence before I am willing to publish such an important revelation.'”

Charlie closed the book and looked up. “That's all he says.”

Ben swore. “If this guy is right, that could be exactly what my parents need to get past the forreck and retrieve the boots.”

“Perhaps he revealed his revelation in some later book?” Natalie said.

Charlie nodded. He was already grabbing several others. “I'll keep looking.”

Charlie was such a frenzy of activity on the table that Ben and Natalie realised they would just be getting in his way if they tried to help, so they decided to wander round the room to see what else they could find.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Ben felt in no rush; quite the opposite, in fact. This was where his parents hung out. The thought made his insides warm and tingly, and it felt relaxing just to be in this special place, unwatched and unknown by the Institute and even the Shadowseeker. He almost didn't want Charlie to find something so they could stay in here as long as possible. Ben inspected each book on the shelf with interest, wondering if his parents had read any of them. There was a coat rack, and Ben's heart jumped when he recognised one of his mum's jackets. His eyes drifted to a glass display cabinet, with strange and wonderful items that seemed too precious for even Ben's curious hands to touch.

Until he saw the pouch.

It was a deep red, embossed with the letters G.G. in an elegant gold font. It sat there quite innocently, sitting in between a peculiar leather boot and a glass orb. It was filled with spell pellets. Ben's hands