The Shadowseeker - Victor Kloss Page 0,9
from the car park to the entrance. Just like last time, there were three elves saddled on the back of the dragon's neck, each holding a harness.
“There – two empty seats,” Ben said, pointing to a carriage near the back. He was forced to cut in front of a couple of elderly men to claim the seats he had spotted. They crammed in, Ben giving the angry men an apologetic wave.
The goblin whistled and, with a gentle jerk, the carriages started to trundle along, into the blackness of the tunnel.
Ben only relaxed once the dragon had accelerated to cruising speed, flying just below the tunnel's ceiling, and the invisible barrier had blocked out the screaming wind. He shared a relieved smile with Charlie, and settled down.
Ben's mind drifted to the Institute and the apprenticeship programme. He had absolutely no idea what it would entail. He had asked Natalie, but she had told him it was confidential. Ben was confident in his own abilities, but it was hard not to be slightly unnerved by the unknown. They had only spent a few days in the Unseen Kingdoms and at the Institute; they knew almost nothing about it. How much of a disadvantage would that be?
Beside him, Charlie wore an anxious frown, no doubt wondering the same thing, but perhaps for different reasons. The study – if there was much to be done – would hold no fear for Charlie, but what about the practical exercises? Ben smiled. Between the two of them they could produce the perfect apprentice.
The conductor's voice brought him out of his revere. “Ladies and gentlemen, we are approaching Taecia. We will be coming out of Dragon Flight momentarily. Have a pleasant day.”
The dragon slowed, and Ben's stomach squashed against the metal seat belt. The carriage wheels screeched as they touched the ground. There was a loud bang and the invisible barrier vanished, letting in the rushing air. Soon the dragon was cantering no faster than a horse. The tunnel started heading upwards and they exited into bright sunlight. The dragon came to a gentle halt at the station of Taecia, steam and tendrils of fire hissing from its nostrils.
They stepped out of the carriage onto the platform. It had only been two weeks since they were last here, but Ben felt dazzled all over again. The station itself didn't look too different from those at home, barring the dragons pulling the carriages and the obvious lack of anything electrical. There were a dozen platforms, with stairs on each of them leading to an overhead walkway and the station's exit. It was the people at the station that made Taecia so different. Ben saw pixies flying just above head height, squat dwarves with beards that swept the ground, and a few seven-feet trolls carved from rock.
Ben and Charlie were so busy looking at everyone that by the time they reached the station's exit, those who had joined them on the Dragonway were long gone.
“I guess nobody's meeting us here,” Charlie said.
Ben inhaled deeply, taking in the incredible sights and sounds. There were rows of timber-framed houses with lead windows, reminding him of the really old streets back home. The road was cobbled and filled with horses and other animals only found in fairy tales and video games.
“You were expecting an escort?” Ben asked, as they set off up the great hill that led to the Institute.
Charlie looked a little disappointed and mumbled something under his breath; Ben was fairly sure he heard the name Natalie but let it slide.
They made their way through a hodgepodge of winding lanes and crooked intersections, always taking the turn that would continue their course up the hill. Occasionally they had to watch out for horses and open-top antique cars, often driven erratically by a dwarf that Ben suspected had a little too much to drink. The buildings got bigger and the roads, such as they were, became wider as they neared the Institute at the crest of the hill. Trees and torch-lit lampposts started lining the cobbled path and they soon had a clear view of the stone wall that surrounded the Institute. The only way in was through a large open gate, guarded by two armed Institute members. Ben thought they might have to produce their ID cards, but the guards nodded at them when they approached and let them through, into an open courtyard consisting of manicured gardens, trimmed hedges and an elaborate water fountain.
Ben's excitement had been steadily building,