The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

As the days went by in the confines of Spellshadow Manor, Alex came to realize the value of the brief time he and his friends had at their disposal. With the new restrictions in place, and Renmark’s endless prowling, which he had somehow persuaded Esmerelda to join in, their only chance for a taste of freedom was lunchtime. On occasion, the three of them would pick up sandwiches and go for a wander, sitting on the broken fragments of ancient stone benches, or lying back in the dried-up grass, the blades prickling through their clothes as they wolfed down whatever they’d managed to pilfer from the mess hall.

One lunchtime, after forgoing the midday meal, Alex decided they should use the time to go and spar in the cellar instead. It had been a long while since they had sparred, and Alex had almost pleaded with his friends, knowing his skills were getting rusty with disuse. Natalie and Jari had agreed to come along with him, happy for the distraction of a good old-fashioned fight. What was more, during Renmark’s lessons, Alex often felt the cold shiver of his anti-magic beneath his palms, conjured by prickling resentment toward the professor’s teaching methods, until he almost couldn’t control it. He knew he needed a safe place to practice defusing his knee-jerk reactions before they got out of hand.

“With all these weird things going on, I figure it wouldn’t hurt for me to get a bit stronger,” Alex explained as the three of them walked down the steps and out onto the grounds.

Natalie and Jari nodded in agreement. They walked through the desolate gardens, rubble skittering away beneath their feet, the skeletal trees reaching their clawed hands skywards, raking at the livid sky. A headless, limbless statue stood sentinel over a patch of dead weeds. Up above, a storm was picking up, shifting the dirt and rustling the draped gray ivy that hung all across the manor grounds, sprouting from holes in the stone walls, spewing from the innards of blackened trees.

“So, how do we get out now that there’s no gate?” Jari asked, kicking a stone against one of the cracked walls.

“We’ll just have to think of something else. Besides, they weren’t exactly going to let us just walk out, were they?” Alex replied, shoving his hands in his pockets, his fingertips touching the sharp edge of a forgotten square of paper.

“If you get strong enough, do you reckon you can break the manor’s magic?” Jari ventured, staring up at the overcast sky.

Alex shrugged. “It’s pretty strong, so… probably not.”

“Maybe we could summon some ancient creatures to come help us, like a dragon or a griffon or something.” Jari grinned at the idea. “We could control them and use one to bite off the Head’s head!” He laughed, turning to Natalie. “Hey, you dabble in necromancy—you think you could try it with one of those stuffed ones in the hall?” Jari suggested, his tone only half joking.

“I don’t think so. You would end up controlling nothing more than a scary bit of fur stuffed with cotton wool,” Natalie chuckled.

“Maybe I could give the manor a try. What do you think?” Alex asked, turning to Natalie.

She shrugged. “I believe the manor’s magic could indeed be broken, but it would take the most enormous amount of energy. I have read of such things—dark magic that may perform great things, more than you could ever imagine. I do not think I am strong enough to wield such magic yet, but I may be one day.” Her eyes were bright with passion. “There are not many capable of such magic, but it can be done,” she added wistfully as they neared the cellar.

Alex eyed Natalie suspiciously, noting the excitement in her voice as she spoke of this rare magic. Guessing from her dreamy expression, Alex assumed she wished she were one of those few. He hadn’t heard her willingly mention dark magic before, and the thrill it seemed to give her worried him a little. Great power rarely led to good.

“Do you mean life magic?” Alex asked, leveling his gaze at Natalie.

She flushed. “I mean dark magic.”

“But life magic is dark magic,” Alex continued, growing more concerned by his friend’s words.

“It can be controlled if you know how.”

“It’s dangerous, Natalie. You shouldn’t dabble in life magic. No good can come from it. It leaves a scar on your soul. When you use life magic, it takes a piece of you with it. You know that,” Alex said, wanting his friend to understand. “Promise me you won’t do any life magic. Promise me, Natalie.” She looked down, her expression sheepish.

“Of course not, Alex. You worry too much. I would never do such a thing,” she said finally, lifting her gaze. “I would not be so stupid.” She smiled reassuringly, but Alex wasn’t convinced.

They stopped beside the familiar split tree. Alex brushed the gravel and dust away from the trapdoor in the ground, and lifted it. A rush of musty air stung Alex’s eyes as he glanced down into the room below. It was dark, the torches blown out.

They dropped down into the subterranean cavern, quickly lighting the lamps, which cast a warm glow around the room. A few scorch marks remained from the last time they had been in there, with Aamir, and Jari stared at them uncomfortably. Shaking his head, he went off in search of bottles.

“So do you think the Head has actually gone, then?” Jari asked, reappearing with two dusty magnums in his hands.

“What?” Alex turned, puzzled.

“Do you think he has actually gone?” Jari repeated. “Or do you think he’s just playing tricks, tightening his hold on the school?”

“I’m not sure,” Alex admitted. “But he must know Finder is dead by now. When the board said both Heads, I knew that was a message. It would only make sense to those who know Finder is gone.”

Jari nodded. “I thought that too. So you think he has gone and taken Aamir with him?”

Alex shrugged. “Maybe the Head wants more students. And with Finder gone, that means he has to go out and get them himself, or find someone to take Finder’s place. Maybe he wants Aamir to do it, or something. I don’t know. The wall seems a bit like overkill if the Head hasn’t left the manor, don’t you think?”

“The wall is a weird move,” Jari agreed, drawing a star shape in one of the dust-blanketed bottles. “Maybe he just wants to frighten us.”

“Or maybe we have spooked him by killing Finder, no?” Natalie said evenly, her expression thoughtful as she leaned back against the earthen wall of the cellar.

“You think so?” Jari asked.

“I believe it is possible, yes,” Natalie continued. “He perhaps felt as if he had lost some control, and so he has chosen to reclaim his control with these new rules.”

“I don’t think he’d need a wall if he wanted to leave, either,” Alex began. “He’s a majorly powerful wizard. I’m sure he has other ways… secret ways.” He felt the pointed edge of the paper in his pocket, recalling the last time they had been in the cellar, and how he had wanted to tell his friends about the note Elias had given him.