The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

“Goodnight,” Jari replied faintly.

Alex’s eyes were drawn to the empty bed, bathed in moonlight, as he lay beneath the covers. Everything was crisp and neat and in place, the pillows perfectly plumped and the quilt turned over at the top, as if Aamir had never slept there.

Despite Jari still holding out hope that he might return to share their dorm, Alex knew, deep down, that he never would again.





Chapter 2





The mess hall was abuzz with activity as morning light filtered in through the windows, some stray beams shining through from the slow sunrise. Alex and Natalie were seated at one of the small circular tables in the far corner, discussing Jari and Aamir. In between snippets of conversation, Natalie was wolfing down a plate of toast with a large glass of orange juice. Her appetite had returned with her new lease of life, now that she was curse-free, and Alex felt a pang of envy as he watched her eat. He wished he could. Alex had lost his appetite somewhat, pushing two squares of limp, buttered toast around on his plate, glancing up at the door every time it swung open, hoping to see Jari emerge.

When Alex and Jari had awoken that morning, to their unease, Aamir’s bed had been stripped bare, the bedclothes stacked at the end of the mattress, though neither Jari nor Alex could recall anyone coming in during the night to perform this strange task. An image of a short, peculiar woman jogged Alex’s memory—Siren Mave, with her back alleyways and secret passageways around the manor. Maybe she aids in the removal of students as well as the enrollment of them, Alex thought as he tore a hole in a corner of his soggy toast. Yet, he didn’t remember hearing a soul, not even a tiptoe of feet. Nothing had stirred or woken him the night before. Whatever it had been, it was stealthy.

Jari had simply stared at the deconstructed bed for a good half hour that morning, his face blank. Alex had felt bad leaving Jari alone in the dormitory, but the boy had encouraged him to go on ahead, promising not to be too long. Breakfast was almost at its end, and Jari was still nowhere to be seen.

Finally, just as Alex was about to go look for him, Jari stepped into the mess hall, his face pale, purple bags beneath his eyes. He smiled faintly when he saw his friends in the corner and raised a hand to them before plucking an apple from the silver fruit dish and making his way over.

“Any sign of Aamir?” he asked hopefully, sitting down in one of the empty seats.

Alex shook his head. “Afraid not.”

“You sure?” Jari turned to look around the mess hall, eyes squinting, as if that might make their friend appear. “He didn’t come for breakfast?” Jari added, almost to himself, a flash of disappointment crossing his face.

“Not unless he was here really early,” Natalie chipped in, swallowing the last of her breakfast.

“That must be it—he always likes to eat early.” Jari nodded, as if that made perfect sense. “We’ll see him in first period anyway, won’t we?” He smiled cheerfully at his two friends before turning to the rosy apple in his hand, lifting it to his lips and biting into it with a loud crunch.

Natalie passed a secret look of concern over to Alex, but Alex could only shrug; there was nothing they could do. Jari was determined to remain optimistic, and who were they to stand in his way?

Jari chattered happily as they left the mess hall and headed to their first lesson, previously Professor Derhin’s but now belonging to the rightful victor, Professor Nagi. Outside, they waited with a few of the other students, discussing the texts they had learned the day before, preparing for the session.

After five minutes, Professor Nagi called them in. They bustled into the lesson, ready to see their friend and former classmate. The last time they had seen him, he had been happy to be in their company again, if still stressed out by the line on his wrist and the new information in his head. The three of them had expected to be greeted in much the same way—at least with a smile or a whispered welcome—as they entered the classroom.

However, it did not seem like that was going to be the case. Aamir stood at the front of the class, dressed in his sleek black robes, the sleeves covering the golden line the three of them knew to be there. He addressed them politely, asking them to take their seats, as he turned and began to write on the blackboard. He wrote much quicker than the sluggish Derhin ever had, his lettering curving and curling elegantly, but the words seemed familiar somehow, as if taken from the very same book Derhin had used.

Alex glanced at Natalie, frowning. It didn’t look like the lesson’s format was going to change at all from Derhin’s dry style. Jari, however, could not be swayed from his optimism as he watched his long-time friend with a grin, trying to get his attention at the back of the classroom. He sparked up a small shower of fireworks when Aamir turned back to them with the instruction that his students copy the given information and attempt the spell if they had time. His voice, usually so bright and rich with the flavor of his heritage, was stern and dulled as he ignored the flurry of golden sparks at the back of the classroom.

The other students did not seem surprised by this change in Aamir. There was a quiet murmur of casual gossip, whispered in low voices, before they simply began the work they had been set, their fingers moving quickly across paper, copying out the information. Even Natalie and Alex set to it, but Jari was determined.

“Aamir?” Jari raised his hand.

The room went silent.

Aamir turned in Jari’s direction, a look of frustration passing across his face. “Please, stop what you are doing,” Aamir said, addressing the whole class. Everyone looked up, pausing in their task as they tried hard not to look at Jari.

“This is a note for all of you,” Aamir began calmly. “This class is now taught by me, in replacement of Professor Derhin, and you will all address me as Professor Nagi from now on. I will neither accept nor tolerate any other term of address—I am no longer your classmate. I am your teacher, and you shall speak to me accordingly, with the appropriate level of respect.” His gaze focused for a moment on every single student, hammering the message home. His voice was stern and steady, his intention clear, and completely devoid of the warmth his friends were used to. Instead, there was a silent threat, bubbling just beneath the surface.

“Yes, Professor Nagi,” every voice in the room chorused. All except one.

“Now, continue,” Aamir instructed, turning again to write on the board.

“Aamir?” Jari raised his hand again, his tone bold. The room froze, everybody’s eyes snapping to the blond-haired boy with his hand up and a mischievous smile on his face.