Royal Institute of Magic: Elizabeth's Legacy Read Online Free Page B

where to start. Charlie, however, had no such problem. He
was already moving back and forth on the carpet like a mad scientist
brainstorming.
    “Your parents must have
known they were in danger. Apparently you were also in danger.”
    “I’ve never felt in
danger,” Ben said, his head going side to side to track
Charlie’s pacing.
    Charlie nodded. “And since
it’s been two years, I think we can assume you’re safe.”
    “What sort of danger could
my parents have been in?” Ben asked. “They worked at
Greenpeace, not MI5.”
    “The logo on the letter has
nothing to do with Greenpeace.”
    “What else could it be?”
    “I have no idea, but I know
how we can find out.”
    Ben looked down at the letter.
“By finding this Wren Walker lady?”
    “Exactly. Who is she? More
importantly, what is this R.I.M. logo? I bet it belongs to the
institute she refers to. If we can identify the logo, we might be
able to track her down.”
    Charlie’s face was red and
he was breathing a little quickly from talking so fast.
    Ben stared at the logo on the
parchment again. There was definitely something familiar about it.
The coat of arms was shaped like a shield and cut into four quarters.
Each quarter alternated between a red background with golden lions
and a blue background with peculiar flowers, also golden. Where had
he seen it before? Ben shut his eyes trying to visualise the moment
he’d seen it. In a museum perhaps? No. On TV? No. On a building
somewhere? Yes! In town…
    Ben’s eyes shot open.
    “I don’t believe it,”
he said.
    Charlie looked confused.
    “I used to pass this logo
every weekend.” It was Ben’s turn to stand up and pace
the room.
    “There is a Sainsbury’s
near the town centre. I used to walk there every Saturday morning. On
the other side of the main street was an old, narrow building. I
remember because there was always a security guard standing outside a
revolving door. Above it, where shop signage normally sits, was this .”
    Ben pointed to the R.I.M. logo.
    Charlie, normally so vocal, was
struck dumb. He kept opening and closing his mouth, but no words came
out.
    Ben felt like dancing, but
settled for an ear-splitting grin. He headed for the door, giving
Charlie a pat on the shoulder as he passed.
    “No time to lose, Charlie –
let’s go.”
    “Where?”
    “To get some answers.”
    “If they have a security
guard stationed there, I don’t think we’ll be able to
just walk in, do you?”
    “Of course not,” Ben
said. He stopped and turned to face Charlie who was biting his lip.
    “We’re not going to
do anything against the law again, are we? I always feel
uncomfortable with that.”
    “Charlie, please – I
have two, possibly three, solid plans brewing before we even have to think about breaking the law.”
    “How wonderfully
reassuring.”

— Chapter Four —
The Impossible Lift
    Ben walked quickly, weaving his way through the morning shoppers. He
wanted to jog, but Charlie was already huffing and puffing to keep
up.
    “So what’s your
plan?” Charlie asked. He had produced a white handkerchief from
his pocket and was using it to dab his forehead.
    Ben side-stepped an oncoming
pram. “I need to see the building again.”
    Charlie groaned. “You don’t
have a plan, do you? You’re just going to make something up
when we get there.”
    “Nonsense,” Ben said,
flashing Charlie a look of mock outrage.
    He did have a plan, of sorts, but
he was hoping he’d have a better one when he got there.
    “What about the textile
expert?” Charlie asked.
    “We’re still going,
but the appointment isn’t until 3pm. We’ve got plenty of
time.”
    It had been a while since Ben had
been down this road, but it hadn’t changed much. There were
several department stores, as well as the usual array of mobile phone
and coffee shops. Ben didn’t slow his pace until he saw the
orange signage of Sainsbury’s in the distance. He scanned the
row of shops carefully, his stomach