The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,62

said, wiping his sweaty forehead. “What are you planning?”

Ben didn't have time to answer. The bottom bolt snapped to the right and the door burst inwards, almost coming off its hinges.

Through the door came two uniformed, identical-looking elves. They wore suits of silver armour that looked so supple they could almost be leather. Over the armour were elaborate blue and white jackets that came down to their knees. On their heads were tall, shiny helmets, increasing their already impressive height. Both elves were armed with short swords, and their free hands were glowing with a pale white energy.

“Now!” Ben said, turning urgently to Natalie.

Natalie's spellshooter was shaking slightly, but she grimaced, eyes narrowing, and pulled the trigger. A burning, sizzling star-shaped object spun its way towards the two security guards, crackling and hissing as it cut through the air.

Both security guards stared at the fiery object with a flicker of surprise. One of them raised a hand in the most subtle of movements, but Ben didn't wait to see how he snuffed out the spell. For a second at least, they were both distracted by Natalie's attack.

Ben called forth the spell from his dad's pouch and felt it touch his fingers. The power of it made him gasp. Would he be able to cast something this strong? No time to worry about that now. Ben plucked the spell from the pouch and threw it as hard as he could, with every ounce of intention and willpower he could muster, piling everything he had learnt during his spellshooter lessons into one throw. Ben just had time to see the pellet hit the floor between the two security guards before he hit the deck, covering his head.

The explosion was deafening. The blast of air was so intense Ben was almost lifted off the floor. He felt objects flying and heard books knocked off the shelves, followed by several large thumps. It was all over in seconds. Ben lifted his head. There were books everywhere; you could barely see the floor. The security guards were no longer standing by the door, but had been thrown against one of the book shelves, which had collapsed on them.

“What was that?” Charlie asked, after they had all picked themselves up.

“A twister,” Ben said. “Huge blasts of swirling air. I have to admit, I didn't expect such spectacular results. I wish I could have seen it.”

“Where did you get such a powerful spell?” Charlie asked.

“And how were you able to cast it?” Natalie added, looking even more astonished than Charlie.

“I'll explain later. Let's get going before reinforcements arrive.”

They re-emerged into the hallway and Ben checked both ways, searching for trouble. All three of them had removed their security badges and left them on the desk of the stupefied Lornor.

“Where to now?” Charlie asked. “Surely the entrance will be blocked?”

“Yes, the entrance is out of the question,” Ben said. He started walking down the passageway, followed quickly by Charlie and Natalie.

“Where else can we go?” Natalie said.

They quickly came to a fork in the passageway, and Ben scrutinised both options, before choosing the steeper of the two.

“We go up,” Ben said.

To Ben's surprise, neither Charlie nor Natalie questioned his decision. He suspected they might have guessed his plan, but neither had anything better to offer.

Ben searched out every staircase he could find, and slowly they started ascending the castle. Charlie stiffened every time they passed someone, though that became increasingly less frequent and most paid them no heed. In fact, many didn't even make eye contact with them, which Ben started to find troubling, though he didn't mention it to the other two, preferring not to worry them.

“Guards!” Charlie hissed, as a couple of elves, dressed identically to those they had met in Lornor's room, appeared round the corner.

Ben spotted a door just ahead of them and quickly rammed it open. They bundled into a darkened room. Ben's eyes quickly adjusted and he was relieved to find that they were in a small storage facility. The only noise came from their breathing, which was so loud Ben thought it might give them away. But after a slow count to sixty, it was clear the guards hadn't spotted them, and they continued on their way.

Twice more they had to take detours or scramble to find a place to hide, as security guards passed them by. Ben was just starting to wonder if they would ever make it to the top, when he saw a steep spiral staircase that led