The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

There were great warriors in both armies, sometimes locked in single combat—a fight to the bitter end, with only one destined to walk away. Some of the fiercest warriors on both sides were terrifying women who fought more ferociously, more boldly than many of their male counterparts. These formidable women called themselves the Howling Valkyries on the Spellbreakers’ side and the Gilded Vipers on the Mages’ side, and they roared and screamed as they stormed into battle, their powers piercing the air. It made Alex shiver to think of the sound they must have made, curdling the blood of any warrior who heard it.

The image of one Spellbreaker in particular, Kira the Merciless, stuck in his mind because of how the book described her on the battlefield. A savage woman, more demon than Breaker, her eyes burning red as she gazed down upon the sea of blood she had drained from the bodies of two thousand men, struck down by her hand. She stood atop her mountain of flesh and bone and lifted her godless face to the sky, screaming loud for all to hear as she pounded the armor plate on her chest, the sound inciting fear in all who heard. There was no part of her person that was not drenched in the blood and ash of others. In her hands, she held up great clusters of glowing red fronds, far more frightening than any spilt blood, for they were the souls of the departed, their life magic torn from within them and held aloft by Kira’s dark energy. It is said her eyes burnt bright red for all the souls she had stolen.

She sounded horrific to Alex, and yet he knew the Mages had done worse to his kind, knew they had had more vicious wizards and witches than her among their ranks.

The book was different from the ones he had picked up in the library in that it didn’t take sides; there was no good versus evil, only Mages versus Spellbreakers, and Alex couldn’t get enough. It was addictive, reading the tales of ancient soldiers and their daring feats of life and death. Naturally, he rooted for his side, but he was not without sympathy for the Mages. They had lost big numbers too, in some of the most notorious battles, like the Struggle for Elder’s Edge and the Battle of King’s Rock, but they had never lost as many as the Spellbreakers. Each Spellbreaker victory was met with harrowing deeds beyond the battlefield—the torture and murder of innocents who barely had the strength to put up a fight. Punishing the Spellbreakers for winning with their continued persecution.

Jari had disappeared off to the library, and Alex decided he’d like to get Natalie’s opinion on a few of the battles he had read within the leather-bound tome, thinking she’d appreciate some of the legends around the Howling Valkyries and the Gilded Vipers, if nothing else. He was curious as to whether she might know anything about the ‘great sacrifices’ that were mentioned, whether that meant the use of some sort of darker magic, and how that might have been used in battle. If anyone knew about the intricacies of dark magic, it was Natalie.

He got up and made his way through the hallways toward the girls’ dormitories, moving easily through the apparent barrier that had been put up to keep boys away without a female escort. Arriving at number twenty-eight, the brass numbers dulled, he knocked lightly on the wood and waited, the book tucked beneath his sweater to avoid any unwanted attention.

Alex’s eyes went wide as Ellabell answered; they hadn’t spoken much of late.

“Is Natalie in?” he asked, feeling stupid at his initial surprise. It seemed he had almost forgotten she was Natalie’s roommate.

Ellabell shook her head, her brown curls bouncing. “She’s at one of her extra sessions with Renmark,” she answered stiffly.

Alex wasn’t exactly pleased to hear Natalie was with Renmark yet again, but still, he smiled, seeing the valuable opportunity he had been stupid enough to overlook until that moment. Ellabell was infinitely more knowledgeable about these historical matters than anyone Alex knew. She was the perfect person to ask.

“How did you get here?” she questioned.

“Well,” Alex replied smoothly, “you must know I have my methods by now…” He smiled, trying to act casual, before quickly moving on. “Anyway, forget Natalie—now I’m here for you,” he stated, and a frown passed across her arched eyebrows.

“Me?” asked Ellabell, sounding suspicious.

Alex nodded. “Yes, you’re perfect,” he said, and Ellabell’s cheeks turned an interesting shade of pink.

“Perfect for what?” She spoke hurriedly, lowering her gaze.

Alex realized what he had said and felt his throat dry up a little as he looked at Ellabell’s downturned face, noting her flush. He felt the sudden urge to touch her shoulder, encourage her to lift her chin so that she would look at him again, but didn’t dare reach out to do so, worried how she might react.

“You know all there is to know about magical history, and I need a bit of help with some magical history,” he explained, wanting her to meet his eye, for this awkwardness to be over.

“What kind of magical history?” she asked, peering over the top of her spectacles and leveling her gaze once more in his direction.

“I was hoping you could tell me some stuff about the great battles of the magical world.” He smiled, pleased to see the discomfort gone from her face and replaced with curiosity.

“Which ones?” she asked.

“Well, I stumbled across some books and thought they were pretty cool. I hadn’t really seen anything like them before, so I’m not sure what to make of them. They’re all about the battles between the Spellbreakers and the Mages, but not any I’d read before. I just wanted to learn a little more about the biggest ones. You know, the most important ones in our history.” He shrugged, hoping she wouldn’t see through his white lie. If anyone had read through the entire contents of the library, it was Ellabell, and Alex wasn’t sure he could pull the wool over her eyes.

“You’re really interested in magical history?” Ellabell frowned, giving him that look of suspicion he had come to associate with her. There was uncertainty too beneath the glint of her blue eyes, as if his concerns were valid and she didn’t quite believe his story.

“I really am,” he insisted.

“Fine,” she said curtly.

Alex was a little surprised. “You’ll help me?”

“Yeah, I’ll help you.” She stepped back into her dorm room and gestured for him to come in.

“Oh, we’re staying here?” Alex faltered, his voice catching in the back of his throat.

“Unless you want to go somewhere else?” Ellabell asked, an amused smile pulling at the corner of her full lips.

“Well, I was thinking the library, but I guess this is okay,” he said quickly, trying to recover his nonchalance as he stepped past her into the room.

The room was more or less the same as it had been the last time he’d been there to visit Natalie when she was practically dying from the chokehold of Derhin’s curse, but it looked a little more homey. A few more lights had been strung up on the walls alongside sketches and watercolor paintings of what Alex guessed was home for both Natalie and Ellabell. He didn’t dare ask, but they were pretty to look at. On the far window, cut-out shapes of multi-colored material clung to the glass, casting streams of vibrant light onto the floor and beds that furnished the sparse room.