The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

Alex shrugged. “Who knows? There are stranger things in this manor than a back door,” he mused with a grim smile.

At that moment, Alex’s attention was distracted by a student bursting in through the doors of the mess hall. The boy ran up to one of the small groups sitting closest to the entrance and whispered something urgently. A murmur spread like wildfire through the room. Alex waited for it to reach their table.

“The gate has reappeared,” muttered Billy Foer as he leaned back to pass on the message.

“What?” asked Alex in disbelief.

“Just now, the gate has come back,” replied Billy with a concerned look on his pallid face.

Alex jumped to his feet, abandoning his fruit salad as he and the other two raced from the mess hall and headed toward the front of the manor, just in time to see the huge iron bars of the gate swing open. The glowing golden line that usually blocked the way out into the gardens so early in the day had disappeared, permitting the students to congregate on the steps as they all rushed to see what was happening.

It was true—the gate had reappeared, settling back into its position between the high brick walls, draped in flowing clusters of the omnipresent gray ivy. With the shrill creak of rusting metal, the vast iron gates swung wide to reveal the very real form of a black-clad figure stepping onto the front lawn. The same one that had chased them through the hallways the night before.

He was tall and broad-shouldered, his posture drawing him up with a certain dignity as the drape of his dark cloak moved elegantly with the movement of his body. Taking his time, he walked across the lawn with a new student in tow. The same misty-eyed hypnotism of every newcomer was evident in the face of the young boy beside him, who did not seem to know what was going on, let alone where he was or what he was in for.

The black-clad figure wore a hood, much like the Head’s, which shrouded his face from view, not that it could be seen beneath the delicate artwork of the mask he wore, painted gold and white in a distinctly Venetian style, his eyes made more menacing by the dark holes cut into it.

Seeing the gathered crowd of students, the masked figure stopped short of the steps with the new boy by his side. The boy swayed slightly under the trance that had been placed upon him, much like the one Natalie had been in when she had been taken to the manor. Tension bristled through the crowd as the glittering eyes assessed the students before him. Silence stretched unbearably as the figure chose his moment to speak, the students fidgeting beneath the discomfort of his intense stare.

“It is excellent to see your enthusiasm for your new classmate,” purred the masked figure, his voice rich and deep and without accent, though distorted ever so slightly by the mask over his mouth. “This young man beside me is Felipe Cortez, and he is to be the newest member of our fair school. I hope you shall welcome him with open arms and teach him the ways of this place. As you may have realized, he is not the only new face amongst your ranks. I must be a stranger to you also. Well, wonder no more—I shall be the new Deputy Head here at Spellshadow Manor while the venerable Head is on important business for the benefit of our beloved school. You shall refer to me as Professor Escher. I am to manage this manor, and, if you comply with the rules, we shall get along just fine. If you do not, you must not expect leniency. Rules are in place for a reason, and I expect them to be followed to the letter.” His voice curled elegantly into the air, sending shivers down the students’ spines. There was an oddly sinister quality to it, despite its sophistication.

“I am not just to be your Deputy Head, however. I shall also be taking over some of the teaching duties in the wake of young Professor Nagi’s ongoing work outside the school, assisting our much-respected Head. You will find me firm but fair, and I expect nothing but your finest work in my lessons. I do not accept lax attitudes regarding education, and I will push you to work your hardest toward the glorious goal of graduation,” he continued, his arms gesturing with the fluidity of a dancer as he delivered his eerie speech. He clapped his hands lightly, making a few of the students beside Alex jump. “Now, back to work, all of you. The day has just begun, and we must get young Felipe oriented before his first day.” There was the hint of a smile in the way Professor Escher spoke the last words, sending a chill through Alex as he watched the new professor walk the poor boy up the steps and usher him into one of the side rooms, closing the door behind them with a firm slam.

The students on the steps disbanded in a buzz of curious chatter, but Alex and his friends remained on the top step, staring out at the huge gate with its sapping ivy and thick iron bars. The gate didn’t look as if it was going anywhere soon, with the arrival of the new professor to take the Head’s place. More students would be snatched from their lives into a trap they could never escape, and the realization made Alex burn with anger.

“Who the hell is he?” seethed Alex, hoping fervently that his icy blockade had caused a bruise or two on their new dictator’s graceful body.

“I don’t know, but you can bet things are going to change around here,” said Jari sullenly, sitting down on the stone step with his head in his hands.

“Do you believe he saw your faces last night?” asked Natalie, fresh anxiety lacing her words.

Alex shrugged. “If he did, we’ll soon know.”





Chapter 23





Though they shared lessons and sat in the same mess hall for their meals, often walking the same hallways, Alex could not get Ellabell to speak to him. She seemed determined to avoid him at every turn, her gaze permanently lowered to the floor, her manner jumpy. The smallest scrape or whisper of a spell sparking would make her head jerk upright in alarm, her eyes scanning the room with an anxious flicker. Alex watched her as closely as he could, worried by her behavior. The more withdrawn and agitated she became, the more he held himself responsible for the change in her demeanor, wishing he had stayed by her side on that night.