The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

“What kind of secret ways?” Jari asked, sounding intrigued.

Alex took a deep breath. “See, the thing is… a while ago, I found this note in between the pages of a book. An old thing full of pretty dull histories, but this bit of paper came tumbling out of it,” he started, expecting his friends to assume he’d found the book in the library. He wanted to leave out Elias’s role in delivering the message. The moment he even thought about saying the name, he felt a creeping sensation prickle at the back of his neck, the invisible gag keeping him silent on the subject of the shadow-man.

“And?” Natalie encouraged.

“Well, it said something about there being nine havens, and that wizards were to find these havens and lock themselves in there, away from some evil. It didn’t really go into detail, but it said there were four havens left,” Alex said.

“Havens?” Jari frowned.

Alex nodded. “Yeah, they’re schools, like this one. The havens are the schools, and there are four left… or there were when the note was written. Do you remember the Head talking about that Blaine kid being sent to Stillwater House? You know, when he got caught and… and he just never came back?”

The other two nodded.

“Well, Stillwater House is one of the havens. It’s on the paper I found, along with two others: Falleaf House and Kingstone Keep. Altogether, four. I’ve been trying to find information on them, but I keep hitting a brick wall. There are entries in the Index where the books should be, but the books themselves are missing from the shelves,” he continued, feeling the intensity of their eyes on him as he talked. “So there must be other schools. The Head mentioned Stillwater specifically, so I was thinking, maybe, at least that school still exists, and the Head has some sort of dealings with them. So if he wanted to go anywhere, or needed something, surely he’d just go to them for help.”

“Other schools?” whispered Natalie.

“I’m thinking that’s where the Head might’ve gone. Stillwater,” Alex repeated.

“You think there might be a way to travel there?” Natalie bristled with excitement.

Alex shrugged. “I think there’s a chance. It’s like everyone was saying at breakfast—nobody has ever really seen or heard of the Head going out on the grounds, so I think that’s it. I think he travels there using some special kind of magic.”

Alex could feel Jari’s glare from across the room. Alex couldn’t be certain, but he felt a strange energy coming from the blond-haired boy. He was narrowing his eyes as he scrutinized Alex. Shifting uncomfortably, Alex turned back to Natalie, who seemed far more excited, her dark eyes alert with curiosity.

“You really believe there might be a way to travel to these places?” She clasped her hands together.

“I think it’s possible,” said Alex.

“Why would you want to, if it’s like this place?” Jari said, his face still sour.

“There might not be so many barriers on the other places, or there might be a way to reach one that isn’t in use anymore. A stepping stone to getting out,” Alex replied, frowning at his friend.

“Do you think the other schools might help us?” asked Natalie.

“I couldn’t say. You know as much as I know, now.” Alex shrugged apologetically, cracking the knuckles of his right hand beneath his palm as he tried to ignore the displeasure on Jari’s face.

“How long have you known?” Jari asked. It sounded more like an accusation than a question.

“What do you mean?” said Alex, attempting to play dumb.

“How long have you known about these havens? When did you find this note?” replied Jari, waving his hand in the air.

Alex shrugged. “A week or so, I can’t remember.” He ran a hand through his hair as he answered. Cold sweat prickled the back of his neck.

“Why didn’t you say something sooner?” Jari pressed.

“There hasn’t exactly been time,” sighed Alex. Though he knew he could have told them sooner, and had intended to, there was honesty in his words. What with Aamir and Derhin and the Head’s disappearance, other things had taken precedence.

Still, guilt bristled in the pit of Alex’s stomach, and he resented the feeling of being called out. He hadn’t meant to keep the information from them, not really. Had he? The paper had been in his pocket for weeks, and Elias’s name still wouldn’t spring willingly from his tongue. They had no clue the mysterious shadow-man even existed, because Alex had kept him secret. From day one, Alex had kept Elias to himself. However, it didn’t seem fair to Alex that he was the only one being dissected because of a single secret, not when Alex knew there were other secrets being kept by the two friends beside him. There was the matter of Natalie’s shiftiness every time dark magic or Renmark’s private tutoring was brought up, as well as Jari’s solo visits to Aamir after lessons, before their failed rescue attempt.

“You could have found time,” Jari said, raising an eyebrow. Alex grappled with the growing twist of guilt in his gut.

“When?” Alex could feel the flare of his temper. “Look, I found the piece of paper and I meant to tell you, but things kept getting in the way and I forgot. I’m only human,” he explained wearily.

Natalie smiled. “It’s okay. Sometimes it is not so easy to tell things,” she said. “To find the time, I mean,” she added quickly, though the peculiarity in her previous words made Alex curious, and there was an unmistakable conspiratorial note in her voice. She turned away before he could question it. Alex frowned, feeling tension building in the air around him. Natalie wouldn’t look at him, and Jari looked too intently at him.

“Well, I think it’s a waste of time,” Jari stated. “Even if these ‘havens’ are out there, they aren’t going to lift a finger to help us.”

Though Alex hated to admit it, Jari probably had a point. Those books were missing for a reason, and Blaine had never come back from Stillwater House—assuming he really had been sent there. It seemed like either a one-way ticket to another school with another wall and another Head, or a one-way ticket to something far worse.

Whichever outcome contained the truth, Alex knew he had opened a can of worms he could never get closed again.





Chapter 12





The next evening, Alex found himself hauled to the library after the last lesson of the day, pulled along by Natalie’s eager hand. The sun was setting through the far window as they entered. He was tired and groggy, dreaming of the soft pillow on his bed, but she had been insistent that he come with her, not taking no for an answer as she dragged him through the hallways.