The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,7
tough they are?”
Alex gave a gentle roll of his eyes. “Let's not get cocky. The deema is but a distant relative of the forreck.”
“Anything related to the forreck is deadly,” Draven grunted. They had made it to the deema and Draven gave it a kick in the head and chest. The animal didn't move.
“What spell grade did you use?”
“Five,” Draven said, still looking at the beast. “You?”
“Five as well, just to be sure. That spell cost me a week's wages.”
They moved to the dark elf. This time Alex bent down to inspect, lifting the elf's head with rather more delicacy than Draven had done to the deema. When he got back up, Ben saw a flash of rare concern cross his face.
“Looks like a Shadowseeker,” Alex said, in a soft voice that Ben could only just hear. “I haven't seen one of them in a while.”
Draven's face was grim. “We'll have to summon the council.”
Alex stood up and Draven turned to face everyone; most were still staring at them.
“Alright, listen up!” Draven said. Ben had forgotten how deep and powerful his voice was. “I want all expert Spellswords and Wardens and any master Traders, Scholars or Diplomats with me. We're going to clean up this mess. The rest of you, get out – you'll just get in the way. We'll call you when the lift is back in service. I have half a dozen medics on their way for those who need help.”
Immediately diamonds started appearing over people's shoulders and members either gathered around Draven or left – some hobbling – through the revolving doors. Ben and Charlie made to go, but Alex caught their eyes.
“Morning, guys,” he said, looking at them both in turn. “Are you both okay?”
“Yeah.”
“Other than nearly being ripped to shreds by demon pixie,” Charlie said. “Is this normal for a morning commute to the Institute?”
Alex smiled. “It's not normally this exciting, but we've been having a bit of trouble with the dark elves lately.” His eyes lingered on Ben, but he added nothing further.
“What is a Shadowseeker?” Ben asked.
The same flash of concern Ben had seen moments earlier resurfaced. “Now isn't the time for a lesson in the dark elf special forces units. I'll explain when you get into the Institute, I promise.” He gave them both a friendly slap on the shoulder. “It's going to be an uncommonly interesting Monday morning, so I’d better be going. I'll see you both later.”
They watched him leave, and then Charlie turned to Ben.
“What shall we do while we wait?”
“Starbucks,” Ben said.
“I was hoping you'd say that.”
— Chapter Four —
Journey to the Institute
An hour passed before it was safe to travel. They left Starbucks and found a crowd of Institute members waiting for the lift. The dark elf attack was the topic on everyone's lips and both Ben and Charlie listened intently as they waited in line. Most seemed to agree that the dark elf was here to create havoc as part of their plan to distract the Institute while they continued their planned invasion on Fiorgan. Ben's ears perked up whenever he heard the word “Shadowseeker”, but short of being some sort of special dark elf, nobody seemed to know much about them.
Charlie groaned when they reached the front of the line and the lift opened before them. Ben felt a tinge of excitement as they stepped into the large cubicle. Facing them were rows of black leather seats, complete with arm- and headrests. Each seat had a padded bar that you could pull down over your chest and, once more, Ben was reminded of a roller-coaster ride.
“I hope this thing doesn't go as fast as last time,” Charlie said, as they picked two chairs in the centre and buckled up. The majority of the people kept talking as though the lift's speed was insignificant, though Ben did notice a few pale faces.
The lift closed and they started a slow descent. Ben gripped the armrests, waiting with growing anticipation for the sudden drop.
“It's a slow count to ten,” a gentleman to Ben's left said. “Once you know when it's going to happen, it's not so bad.”
“What are we on now?” Ben asked.
“Eight. Nine.”
“Oh god!” Charlie said, in a soft squeal.
“Ten.”
The lift plummeted and Ben gasped, his momentary alarm quickly turning into exhilaration. He just about resisted the urge to fling his arms into the air and whoop with delight – that might have looked slightly childish.
Unlike most roller-coasters, which last just seconds, the lift kept on dropping.