The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,86

instantly became a dead weight and fell to the floor, breathing softly, but clearly unconscious. With a curse about Charlie's weight, Ben grabbed him under the arms and pulled him through the fog. The distance seemed far greater when it involved dragging a body, especially one as rounded as Charlie’s. Ben was breathing heavily by the time he exited the fog, and collapsed on the floor next to Charlie.

“Did we do it?” Charlie asked, sitting up suddenly. The dazed look had vanished and he appeared perfectly normal again.

“Just about,” Ben said, hauling himself to his feet. “Now it's Natalie's turn.”

Ben repeated the drill with Natalie. Though she was several inches taller than Charlie, she had a delicate, almost elf-like frame, and Ben was able to haul her through the mist with little difficulty.

“Let's hope there aren't too many more mind spells to contend with,” Ben said, as he dusted himself off while Natalie recovered.

But to Ben's dismay, the mind spell clouds became increasingly frequent. One or two were nearly always in sight, and some of them were unavoidable. To make matters worse, the spells became increasingly powerful. Instead of falling unconscious while walking through the mist, Ben and Natalie were now actively trying to escape Ben's clutches by any means possible. When they reached the other side, they would apologise profusely (especially Natalie), but that didn't stop Ben gradually accumulating cuts, bruises and scratches as he battled with the oblivious Charlie and Natalie.

It was becoming exhausting, and not just for Ben. Despite Charlie and Natalie being completely unaware of their regular battles, they also felt the physical effects afterwards. Struggling for your life every five or ten minutes was tiring.

The other problem was time. Each fog they went through slowed their progress and, before Ben knew it, eleven o'clock had come and gone.

“This one looks nasty,” Charlie said.

They had stopped in front of a steep tunnel that ran under a fallen rock. The black fog within the tunnel was so thick they could barely see its end.

“Looks like a hundred feet, at least,” Ben said. “That's our biggest yet.”

Ben prepared himself for yet another battle. “Okay, which of you extremely annoying people is first?”

Charlie was examining the fog closely. “This one seems different. Do you see the small particles floating in the mist?”

“I see them,” Natalie said immediately.

It took Ben a moment, but he soon saw what Charlie was talking about – small specks of silver floating within the fog.

“What do you think that means?” Ben asked.

“I think it's bad news,” Charlie said. “The mind spell clouds have become harder the deeper we travel. I bet this one is at a whole new level.”

“How much worse can it get? You're already practically ripping my head off trying to escape.”

“I don't know, but I think I should try it out to get a feel for it,” Charlie said.

“Are you sure?” Natalie asked, frowning with worry.

Charlie nodded. “I think so. Ben, can you be close by in case you need to drag me out?”

Ben immediately stood by Charlie's side, close enough to reach him if needed.

Charlie puffed out his cheeks. “Okay, here goes.”

Charlie stepped into the fog. For a moment, Ben thought nothing was going to happen. Charlie didn't turn into a crazed maniac with glazed eyes, intent on retreating back to safety. But just as Ben began to relax, Charlie's face scrunched up and he gave a cry of pain. He took another step forwards, and suddenly the cry of pain became one of agony. His hands went to his head, his eyes squeezed shut. Incredibly, Charlie took another step forwards. Blood started leaking from his ears, and Charlie fell to his knees. Ben grabbed him and hauled him out of the fog. Charlie collapsed on the floor, writhing around in pain, still screaming. Ben and Natalie watched helplessly. It was a full minute before Charlie's screams turned to groans, and the blood stopped flowing. Several more minutes passed before Charlie sat up, panting, his brow caked with sweat.

“Are you okay?” Natalie asked. She was bent down next to Charlie, her eyes full of worry.

“Give me a minute,” Charlie said, in a strained voice. They waited patiently, and finally Charlie gave a sigh of relief and slowly got to his feet.

“What happened?” Ben asked.

“Pain,” Charlie replied, staring at the fog. “Pain like I've not experienced before. Not mental pain – real physical pain. My head felt like it was going to explode. Had you not pulled me out, I think it