Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth's Legacy by Victor Kloss Read Free Book Online Page B

yourselves.”
    Ben exchanged an alarmed look
with Charlie, whose face went pale, having only just regained colour.
    “Take off?” Charlie
said, a little too loudly for Ben’s liking. “We’re
in a tunnel .”
    Ben’s initial anxiety was
tempered by the calm exuding from the other passengers. They didn’t
even seem to be doing anything to brace themselves. A moment later, a
metallic bar fastened to the back of the seat in front started
sliding forward until it pressed down gently on their laps.
    “Is that it?” Charlie
asked, staring at the bar. “How about some seat belts, air bags
or at least something that has a slim chance of preventing our
untimely deaths?”
    Charlie had a point. The bar
reminded him of a cheap theme park ride, one that he could climb out
of if he desired.
    Ben wanted to reassure Charlie by
pointing out that nobody else was panicking. He didn’t get the
chance.
    The carriage accelerated like a
modern-day roller-coaster. Ben’s head yanked back and he
grabbed hold of the metal bar for dear life. The wind buffeted him,
screaming in his ears, watering his eyes. The carriage gave a little
hop and its wheels left the ground. The roof screeched as they grazed
the top of the tunnel. Ben braced himself for impact, but the
carriages levelled out. There was a bang, like a gun being fired, and
immediately the wind stopped, as did the rocking. The train cruised
along smoothly through the tunnel, making a gentle purring noise.
    Ben stuck a tentative hand
against the side of the carriage, where a window would have been, and
felt an unseen barrier. He poked it, softly, then harder – the
barrier bent his finger painfully.
    “Some sort of invisible
shield,” Ben said.
    Charlie had his hand
half-extended, perhaps wanting to touch it, but not quite daring.
    “The technology doesn’t
exist for that yet,” Charlie said.
    “Maybe it’s not
technology,” Ben said after a moment.
    “What do you mean?”
    “Maybe it’s something
else. Something other than science.”
    “Please, don’t go
there,” Charlie said, massaging his temples.
    “Is the prospect of magic
any more outrageous than a dragon train?”
    Charlie had no reply and Ben
decided not to press the matter. Instead he turned his attention to
the tunnel, which was now just a blur.
    “If we were going 40mph
before, what are we doing now?”
    “It’s hard to be
accurate, but I would say at least 300mph.” Charlie tapped his
fingers together. “Which means, if we maintain this speed, we
will end up somewhere in the Celtic Sea, south-west of England and
west of France.”
    “What’s out there?”
    “Water, Ben – just
water.”
    “No islands or anything?”
    “Nothing that far out. The
Isles of Scilly are the closest, but at this rate we will go way past
them.”
    “Well then, I’m sure
we’ll slow down,” Ben said.
    But for the next forty-five
minutes, the dragon train didn’t slow down. Several times Ben
was tempted to ask one of the other passengers, but the danger of
arousing suspicion always stopped him. Nobody else seemed concerned,
which reassured him, but did nothing to ease his curiosity.
    Ben never thought he would get
bored being pulled by a flying dragon in a carriage at 300mph, but he
was grateful when the conductor’s voice finally echoed
throughout the cabin.
    “Ladies and gentlemen, we
are approaching Taecia. We will be coming out of Dragon Flight
momentarily. For those of you travelling onwards, please note that
all transport to Aven is currently suspended while the Empire
determines whether they are now hostile. Have a pleasant day.”
    “What was that?”
Charlie asked.
    “God knows. File it for
later. We’re about to stop.”
    Ben had barely finished his
sentence when the carriage suddenly broke hard. His stomach squashed
against the metal bar and the train’s wheels screeched as they
touched the ground. There was another bang and the invisible barrier
vanished, letting the rushing air in. Soon the dragon