The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,68
better prepared than I was.”
“Let's hope you're right.”
Muster proceeded as normal, though Ben was thinking so much about the exam Dagmar had to repeat his name three times before he answered. As everyone began filing out, Dagmar instructed them to stay. Natalie caught their eyes and gave them a thumbs up, before disappearing with the rest, leaving Ben and Charlie alone.
Dagmar looked even wearier than normal, but Ben didn't have time to think about that right now. His attention was on only one thing: the exam.
“Follow me,” Dagmar said.
She led them out of the muster room and along the hallway, stopping at a series of doors Ben hadn't paid much attention to before. They were labelled “Exam Room #1”, “Exam Room #2”, and so on. Dagmar stopped in between rooms four and five. From her pocket she pulled out two small purple envelopes. One had Ben's name written on it; the other Charlie's.
“Do not open these until you are inside the exam room,” she said, handing them the envelopes. “This is not like your ordinary exam you take at school. There are no questions; no right or wrong answers. You will be given a task, and it is up to you how you complete it. The more you can display what you have learnt in each department, the better your marks will be. You have until six o'clock to complete the exam, though the quicker you complete it, the higher you will score. Your final grade will be comprised of individual scores for each department. Failure to complete the exam, or complete it with a score too low, and you will not be invited to continue to the next grade of the apprenticeship. Your performance will be closely monitored by an Institute examiner, though you will not see him, and he will not intervene unless it is a matter of life or death. Any questions?”
Ben knew he'd have some the moment he entered the exam room, but his mind had gone temporarily blank. Charlie looked incapable of speech.
“Very well. You may start the exam.” She gave them the merest flicker of a smile, which was all the encouragement they were going to get from her. “Good luck.”
She walked away, leaving Ben and Charlie alone, staring at their envelopes.
“Good luck, Charlie,” Ben said.
Charlie nodded, returned the sentiment, and walked numbly into room number five. Ben watched him go, and then, preparing himself for anything, pushed open the door to room number four.
The room was bare except for a long table, covered with an expensive-looking tablecloth. On it was a peculiar array of items. There was a file, with several sheets of paper inside. On the cover were the words “Grignak Bronny. Street goblin. ID NO: JK677751”. Next to the file was a plain silver necklace, with a tag that read “JK677751”. Ben recognised the necklace instantly; it was a tracker and could be used to locate a designated Unseen, in this instance, Grignak Bronny. The only other item on the table was money – two hundred pounds, in twenty-pound notes.
Ben made certain there was nothing else on the table, even searching underneath the table cloth. Satisfied there wasn't, he finally took out the envelope that Dagmar had given him, and began reading.
“EXAM: APPRENTICESHIP, FIRST GRADE. BEN GREENWOOD.
Mission Goal:
Find and return Grignak Bronny to the Institute.
Mission Details:
Street goblin Grignak has violated his Institute Travel Card by leaving London and fleeing to the village of Lampton Green. Reason unknown. You are to return Grignak to the Institute in a safe and secure manner. Should the target become hostile, use force as necessary, maintaining discretion at all times.”
Ben read the mission three times, making sure he’d gleaned the significance of every single word. The Institute Travel Card was a legal okay to visit, or even live in, certain parts of the United Kingdom – in Grignak's case, London. It was a way to make sure the population of Unseens remained properly controlled. Violating the terms of your Institute Travel Card was a criminal offence.
Ben folded the message up neatly and tucked it in his pocket, then stared at the file. Inside was a detailed profile of Grignak, the knowledge of which could be crucial when he confronted the goblin. Dagmar's words came floating back to him. “The more you can display what you have learnt in each department, the better your marks will be.” This was clearly an opportunity to demonstrate his Scholar knowledge.
Ben pocketed the money and the necklace, and tucked the file