The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

Jari opened his mouth as if he was about to say something else, but closed it again, thinking better of it. Slowly, he picked up his things, his head down and his shoulders slumped, and walked the short distance to the door. He opened it and stepped outside, letting it fall closed with a soft click. The whole class watched his walk of shame, including Natalie and Alex, who turned to Aamir with expressions of confusion and disappointment. Alex wanted to confront Aamir for treating Jari that way, for speaking to him like that. But he understood, as Aamir met his gaze, that if he did he would simply be sent out too.

When the lesson was over, the class hurried from the room, passing a now defiant-looking Jari leaning against the hallway wall with his arms crossed. Natalie and Alex hung back until Jari slipped back into the near-empty classroom. Aamir turned to the trio as he sat down in his chair, visibly relaxing, as if a weight had slid from his shoulders. He sighed and lowered his head into his hands. Jari stood beside Natalie and Alex—an accusatory jury, waiting for an explanation.

“I’m sorry, Jari,” Aamir said quietly, too ashamed to lift his gaze.

“Why did you do that?” Jari asked, the hurt still clinging to his voice.

Aamir shook his head. “Jari, I’m so sorry. It’s this thing,” he explained, exposing his wrist. The golden line sputtered and sparked across his copper skin. “I can’t be seen showing favoritism. I’ve been… warned,” he said, gritting his teeth. The golden line seemed to thrum and glow brighter, the band apparently stinging him for revealing even that much.

“Did you have to be quite so harsh?” Alex asked.

“I know… I’m sorry,” Aamir repeated, his face tired. “I don’t know what came over me,” he added, a look of panic glimmering for a moment in the depths of his warm brown eyes.

“I forgive you,” Jari said softly.

“You do?”

“I do. You’re my best friend—of course I do.” Jari smiled.

Aamir winced, perhaps at the golden line’s bite. “Thank you.”

“We’re going to go spar tonight in the cellar. Will you come?” Jari asked.

“I’m not sure, Jari.” Aamir sighed. “I’ll try, but I can’t promise.”

“We can break out a new wine bottle. I might even let you land a punch.” Jari waggled his eyebrows.

Aamir let out a low chuckle. “I promise I’ll try.”

It was enough for Jari. Aamir stood, and the four of them made their way out into the hallway. Aamir gave them a shy wave as he set off in the opposite direction, walking toward the forbidden corridors hidden behind the sapphire-blue line of the teachers’ quarters.

Jari’s eyes followed his long-time companion as he walked away from them. Natalie and Alex exchanged a look of concern. There was a lost expression on Jari’s face, as if he couldn’t quite process what had just happened.

“Aamir is still our friend. He just has to act a bit differently now,” Natalie said, putting her hand on Jari’s back in an attempt to steer him away from the sight of Aamir’s disappearing figure.

“Yeah, he’s still our friend,” Alex jumped in. “It’s that golden line forcing him to talk like that—it’s not him. He said so himself.” Alex recalled the wince on Aamir’s face when the golden band had sparked against his skin and given him a warning nip.

“I know,” Jari muttered, tearing his eyes away from the now-empty corridor.

“It’ll all be fine. He will be fine,” Alex reassured.

“Sorry, guys, I have somewhere I need to be,” Jari said suddenly, shaking his head as if trying to shake off his worries. “I’ll see you tonight?”

“Seven o’clock.”

“See you at seven,” Jari said as he disappeared down the corridor and was swallowed up by the darkness.





Chapter 3





Alex sat in the library, tucked away in one corner, with a stack of unread books on the table in front of him. He had asked Natalie to come with him, hoping for some company to distract him and quiet his mind from the confusion of the morning, but she was busy. Professor Renmark, one of the teachers they had so far avoided, had asked her to come along to a private session, wanting to meet her before the start of the academic year.

Renmark taught second year onwards and had a fearsome reputation. Natalie had seemed baffled by the request to meet him, but was excited, too—she was always eager to learn as much as she could, to strengthen her growing powers. They had heard from the hallway gossip of other students that Renmark was a particularly strong wizard. Natalie had told Alex, thrill in her voice, that she was sure Renmark was going to teach her some new, fascinating things from books they had never even seen before—maybe even some dark stuff. Alex had tried to talk her out of venturing too far into the study of darker magic, particularly anything in the realm of life magic, but doubted he was going to change Natalie’s mind when new magical knowledge was at stake.

So, he found himself alone in the library, flicking through textbooks in an attempt to look busy. Outside, the sky was unusually bright and cloudless, a clear blue, the sunlight gleaming in through the big window that ran along the far edge. With a groan, he got up and headed toward the great columns that held the stacked shelves of books. Other students flew up effortlessly around him, their feet landing delicately on the level they aimed for. Alex grumbled as he began the long climb. After getting off at the right floor, he shook his hands out, his palms sore from the trek up, and gazed down at the ground, so far below. It was a good thing, really, that he didn’t suffer from vertigo. Even so, he quickly stepped away from the railing, not wanting to tempt fate.

The stacks themselves smelled of ancient paper and well-thumbed leather, and he inhaled the musty scent as he wandered through, his fingers brushing along the spines, searching for the book he needed. He stopped midway through a shelf, startled by a figure on the floor, resting her back against the books. Her knees were drawn up almost to her chin, her curly brown hair tied up in a neat bun at the back of her head. Ellabell hadn’t noticed him, and he felt torn as to whether to cough or something, to make his presence known, or whether to just leave her to her peace and quiet.

He was about to tiptoe backward, away from her, when he remembered the note in his pocket—the torn piece of paper that had been sandwiched between the pages of the book Elias had given him, the Historica Magica. By now, he almost knew the words by heart: Of our havens, nine remained. Of those nine, we now have four. If you are magical, seek these places. Kingstone Keep. Falleaf House. Stillwater House. Spellshadow Manor.

Glancing down at Ellabell, Alex wondered whether to ask her about the note and its cryptic wording. She was good at that sort of thing, he recalled. He had just put his hand in his pocket, fingers curling around the little folded square, when she looked up.

“Alex?” she said, a little surprised.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to disturb you,” he replied.

“Not at all—just catching up on some light reading.” She smiled, lifting the hefty cover of her book to show the title A Comprehensive Guide to Botanical Properties and Natural Remedies.

“Any good?” Alex asked.