The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,72

and his tongue was sticking out, but he didn't care. He was getting closer, he could feel it. The pictures were now coming through crystal clear. He saw the boy walking past a bank, heading up a hill. Ben re-doubled his efforts and felt a small bead of sweat trickle down his forehead.

It came to him in a flash of knowingness. Grignak was one and a half miles northeast. Ben jumped up so quickly the old lady sitting next to him almost spilt her coffee. With a quick apology, he left the train station and headed up a small road that led into the heart of the village. Ben glanced at his watch. It had just passed two o'clock. He quickened his pace, winding his way past the occasional shopper and the more frequent parent pushing their buggy, hogging the pavement. He stopped briefly as the road converged with the main village road that lay on a hill. Ben focused again on the necklace; this time the directions came easily. The goblin was now less than a mile away.

Ben set off up the hill. Every minute he re-focused on the necklace and found that he was slowly gaining on his target. The village centre was little more than a half-mile strip and it soon gave way to a surprisingly large park, complete with woods and a small duck-filled lake. There were paths, winding their way through the park, populated by the occasional walker, jogger, or mum pushing their buggy.

Ben stopped to get his breath back and re-check his proximity to his target. The necklace pulsed suddenly, giving off a warmth that tingled his neck. The pulsing continued, slowly, rhythmically.

He was close. Really close.

Ben squinted, recalling the goblin's disguise.

There! A small ice-cream parlour stood less than a hundred yards away, busy serving mums and kids. Off to the side was a scrawny boy, devouring a large Häagen-Dazs tub of ice-cream none too elegantly. Ben was surprised at how young he looked, no more than fourteen or fifteen.

Now that he was this close, Ben suddenly felt himself hesitate. He needed a plan. Normally he had plans coming out of his ears, but this was different. One false move and he could blow the whole exam. Ben needed to come up with something while Grignak the boy/goblin was pre-occupied eating his ice-cream. At the rate he was eating, he would be done soon, and when he was finished, he would undoubtedly move on, making things more difficult.

Ben thought quickly, trying to ignore the time crunch. In an ideal world, he would simply go up to the goblin, inform him that he had broken the law by leaving London, and order him back to the Institute. He was fairly confident that with his spells, he could deal with any retaliation from the goblin, though things would get more complicated if he made a scene. But if Ben went down that route, he would fail miserably in the Department of Diplomacy. That left only one option: he would have to try to talk the goblin into turning himself in.

Taking a deep, calming breath, Ben walked casually over to the ice-cream stand, careful to avoid eye contact with Grignak. He stopped just yards from the goblin, but forced attention onto the list of ice-creams.

“What can I get you?” the ice-cream man asked in a friendly voice.

“I'll have the Orange Fruitie,” Ben said, going for the cheapest option out of habit.

Ben ordered the lolly in part to create a relaxed, non-threatening atmosphere. Street goblins are suspicious by nature and, unless you handle them carefully, are likely to bolt. Ben had learned that by heart.

Grignak had a long finger in the tub and was scraping up the last vestiges of ice-cream when Ben approached him. Though he looked calm, Ben's heart was thumping. Here we go.

— Chapter Twenty-Five —

Troublesome Street Goblins

“Hello, Grignak,” Ben said, in a casual, almost friendly tone.

Grignak looked up sharply, his finger stopping halfway to his mouth.

“Who are you?” Grignak asked, in an unfriendly voice that was softened by the fact that his disguise was a boy yet to hit puberty.

“My name is Ben Greenwood. I work for the Royal Institute of Magic.”

Ben instantly regretted the words “Royal Institute of Magic”; they made Grignak flinch.

“I ain't done nothing wrong,” Grignak said, glancing around nervously. Surely he wasn't preparing to bolt already? Ben tensed himself, just in case.

“Nothing serious,” Ben agreed. Keep your voice mild. “However, as you are no doubt aware, you were supposed to