Royal Institute of Magic: The Shadowseeker (Book 2) by Victor Kloss

Author:Victor Kloss [Victor Kloss]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Middle Grade Fantasy
Published: 2015-06-03T07:00:00+00:00

— Chapter Nineteen —

Training and Trouble

Ben's hopes of visiting SpellWorks Inc. anytime soon were dashed the very next day.

“Two weeks?” Ben asked. “We can't get in any sooner?”

They were talking quietly in the corner of the common room, sipping on tea and hot chocolate to wake themselves up.

“One does not simply walk into SpellWorks,” Natalie said, with a little smile. “I know someone who works there, but that's how long he thinks it will take before he can get us in. It took me all weekend just to convince him to help us.”

“And we can't just wing it ourselves?”

“Not if we value our lives,” Natalie said.

Charlie cleared his throat. “Two weeks it is, then.”

Ben swallowed his disappointment. For the first time, they were hot on the trail of his parents, and possibly Elizabeth's Boots. He stared at his cup of tea disconsolately.

But if he thought the two-week waiting time would pass slowly, he was very wrong, as he found out the following morning at muster.

“A word, please, Mr. Greenwood and Mr. Hornberger,” Dagmar said, as they were filing out with the rest of the apprentices.

Dagmar, Ben noticed, was not looking her usual imperious self. She had small bags under her eyes and they were slightly red. Even her hair, which was normally pulled back in a perfect ponytail, had a few strands out of place.

Even more astonishing than her looks was the nod of approval Dagmar gave them. “Congratulations on managing to stick to your targets. You are now on day thirty of your apprenticeship. As you know, the first grade of the apprenticeship can only last a maximum of fifty days, and the earlier you complete it, the better it reflects on you. Factoring in your current progress, I have scheduled in your first grade exam for day forty-four.”

Ben and Charlie exchanged looks of alarm that Dagmar either didn't see or didn't care for.

“That gives you two weeks to finish your studies and revise, in preparation,” Dagmar said. “Needless to say, failure to pass means expulsion from the apprenticeship program.”

Ben and Charlie hurried over to the kitchens to begin their chores – washing dishes today; both wore worried frowns.

“I wish someone had given us more warning about this exam,” Charlie said, grabbing a brush and scrubbing absently at a plate. “I don't feel like I'm ready. Do you think Dagmar will let us reschedule? Technically we could push it back five days and still be within the fifty-day requirement.”

“No,” Ben said firmly. “You heard what she said, the longer we take, the worse it reflects on us. We'll be ready on day forty-four.”

Thoughts of SpellWorks, Elizabeth's Boots, and even his parents took a back seat for a while as Ben and Charlie spent every waking minute, barring their morning chores, trying to complete the checklists for each department. Their argument was mostly forgotten, though there was a lingering disappointment Ben couldn't quite shake off. He had been so certain he and Charlie thought alike when it came to his parents, but he had been wrong.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.