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

These islands are as real as England or France, but the
shield means they remain unseen and untouched by the outside world.”
    “How?” Charlie asked.
His eyes flashed to the map. “Some of those lands are massive.
Surely a ship must have passed through them at some point?”
    “Most of the lands are not
in the path of ships.”
    “And those that are?”
    Wren smiled. “They detour.”
    Charlie puffed his cheeks –
Ben could tell he was trying hard to stay calm.
    “That’s it?” he
said. “They detour? Why would they voluntarily choose to steer
round an invisible patch of land? Wouldn’t somebody notice? I
mean, they have all sorts of navigational technology now.”
    Wren’s laugh sounded
strangely melodic. “I can understand your frustration, Charlie.
Consider magic as another source of energy, one that is senior to
science. You know the laws of science but not the laws of magic and
therefore you cannot possibly know what can and can’t be done.”
    “That makes some sense, I
guess,” Charlie conceded.
    Ben, however, had spotted a flaw
in the explanation. “If we cannot see these islands, how did
Queen Elizabeth discover them in the first place?”
    “That is not fully known.
It is thought that somebody from the Unseen Kingdoms introduced them
to her. However, it was never documented. I have a feeling Queen
Elizabeth wanted it that way.”
    “Who inhabits these Unseen
Kingdoms?” Ben asked. “If these lands are magical, does
everyone have a wand and fly broomsticks?”
    “Not quite,” Wren
said with a smile. “The magic comes from the Unseens.”
    Ben frowned. “What are
they?”
    “The Unseens are magic
inhabitants. It is another word for a non-human entity. They are the
elves, dragons and innumerable other creatures once considered
fantasy. The Unseens have co-existed with humans native to the
Kingdoms for hundreds of years.”
    “Are these people –
these humans – just like us?” Charlie asked.
    “Yes, but they have become
accustomed to using magic. The Unseens trade it with them in a
packaged form that anyone can use. You may have seen the
Spellshooters already.”
    “Those peculiar guns?”
    Wren nodded. “That’s
right. They fire spells made by the Unseens.”
    Charlie stood up and started
pacing the large office, with his hands behind his back, staring hard
at the floor. Wren watched him with a small smile, continuing to sip
her tea. Ben could almost feel the cogs in Charlie’s head
dusting themselves off.
    “I’m beginning to
understand,” Charlie said, his voice infused with excitement
Ben hadn’t heard since this morning’s detective work at
his grandma’s house. “But how much does our government
know?”
    “Nothing,” Wren said.
“Elizabeth kept this discovery to herself. She formed the Royal
Institute of Magic to explore these new lands. They conquered and
colonised many of them, forming an Elizabethan Empire within the
Unseen Kingdoms. The two worlds gradually meshed, creating a peculiar
mix of old world magic with modern culture. Today the Institute no
longer conquers and rules, but our political influence is equal to
the native monarchs throughout the kingdoms. We continue to trade and
we are always learning. Most importantly, we are the buffer between
the Unseen Kingdoms and the rest of the world.”
    Charlie's pacing continued
unabated. “What about that King Suktar bloke, he must be
powerful if you’re concerned by his threat?”
    Wren’s expression was
momentarily serious. “Suktar is an elf king of immense power.
During the years after Queen Elizabeth’s death he took his
mighty army and conquered many of the Unseen Kingdoms. It’s
only in the last century that we have established an uneasy truce.”
    Ben felt worn out listening to
the stream of revelations. He stood up and walked past Charlie to the
window. Hills and trees lined the horizon, but it was the town Ben
noticed most. It was such a bizarre mix of old and new. He spotted
several antique cars