The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,58

found it difficult following his own rule. The left wall was made entirely of glass, allowing unrestricted viewing into a huge open plan room that looked like a combination of a science lab and a library. There were large, chest-high tables, surrounded by stools, which were populated by elves in protective lab coats. Many were studying books, supplied from the huge shelves that were placed in the centre of the room; others were channelling magic into little pellets by touching them. They would then take the magic-infused pellet, holding it delicately in both hands, and walk it over to another section of the room that reminded Ben of the spellshooter target practice rooms at the Institute; the only difference was the grass, shrubbery and even small trees planted at the end of the room. The pellet was handed to an elf dressed in full body armour, who would then launch the spell at the planted nature at the end of the room, to wildly unpredictable results.

“Let's keep going,” Natalie said, giving Ben a little nudge.

They continued to the end of the hallway, up a small staircase, and into another corridor, where exactly the same set-up was repeated, except that instead of testing the spells against nature, there were all sorts of animals, chained by magical means, contained in the huge room. Ben saw everything from squirrels to something that looked like a baby wyvern.

“We should be getting closer, if he still works here,” Ben said.

“I don't want to put a dampener on things,” Charlie said, “but how are we going to recognise Lornor Taren? I never saw a picture of him.”

Natalie smiled. “I thought you would never ask.” She delved into her pockets and pulled out two sheets, handing one to Ben and the other to Charlie. “I found this last night. It's a few years old, but it’s better than nothing.”

On the sheet was an illustration of the oldest elf Ben had ever seen. He had fine silver hair, absurdly long ears and a great big chin. There were faint bags beneath his eyes, and Ben thought he looked a little worse for wear.

“Perfect,” Ben said. “He certainly stands out. Now we just need to stumble into him somehow.”

But the castle was a maze of stairs, hallways and rooms, and they soon found themselves wandering around without having a clue where they were. To make matters worse, they had passed several elves who had given them curious looks, though so far nobody had stopped to question them.

“This is no good,” Ben said, stopping at yet another t-junction. “We could go on doing this forever and not find him.”

“What do you suggest?” Natalie asked.

“We need to ask someone.”

“Is that a good idea?” Charlie asked nervously. “We don't want to attract attention to ourselves. What if Lornor no longer even works here? The question will sound ridiculous.”

“Then we'll know we're wasting our time and leave as quickly as possible,” Ben said.

“I agree that we need to change something,” Natalie said. “But be careful, Ben. Do you want me to ask someone? It might not look so strange, as at least I am part-elf.”

“No, I'll do it,” Ben said. “It's just a matter of finding the right person.”

Ben had no intention of going to one of the glass rooms and asking someone; there were far too many people watching. He needed to catch the right person alone and that opportunity came after a further ten minutes wandering the hallways. A young elf girl, wearing a small satchel, walked hurriedly towards them. She had a sweet, innocent face and fit Ben's criteria perfectly.

“Excuse me,” Ben said, stepping into her path. The elf girl seemed surprised to see them, clearly intent on her destination.

“Oh, hello,” she said, in a soft voice. “I'm sorry to be rude, but I'm in a bit of a rush.”

“No problem,” Ben said, throwing out his most charming smile. “I was just wondering, could you tell me where we might find Mr. Lornor Taren? I have an important message to give him.” Ben indicated the illustration in his hand, which he had folded up.

Though he kept a calm face, Ben's heart was going a mile a minute. There was a good chance his question was ridiculous. What if Lornor Taren no longer worked here? The elf could have passed away for all they knew – he certainly looked old enough. So it was with great relief when the elf girl relaxed and pointed a finger the way she had come.

“Of