The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

“I don’t know what the test entails or what it’s for, but there’s a reason it’s done, and this is the place where it happens,” Alex said, remembering bitterly the comment in the notebook, telling of the desperation of wizards.

Is that what this is? Alex thought. The Head’s desperation? But to do what, and why?

“Let me see that,” said Natalie cautiously, pointing toward the ledger. Alex handed it to her and watched as she flipped through it. Her face was horrified. A pang of sorrow rippled through Alex as Natalie’s mouth shaped the names written there. Jari moved beside her to read over her shoulder, his features darkening as his eyes scanned the pages.

“Raul Gallico. Odette Narcisse. I knew them,” Jari said, his voice trembling with wrath.

“We need to get him up there,” said Alex reluctantly as Natalie set down the ledger.

Awkwardly, they removed the coiled ropes, expecting Aamir to fight back. Sapped of his energy, he made no effort to retaliate as Alex pulled the heavy bolts out of the cuffs. With some difficulty, Natalie and Jari held their friend up while Alex closed the manacles around the coppery skin of Aamir’s wrists, sliding the bolts quickly back into place. Stepping back, the sight was a horrifying one—to see Aamir’s body dangling limply, an echo of so many students before.

“Please, let me go,” he begged as he hung there, his head lolling to one side.

Alex felt the pull of guilt. He knew they couldn’t help Aamir until they were sure he had returned to his former self, but that didn’t mean he didn’t want to break the cuffs right there and then. His friend dangling there like a prisoner was a gut-wrenching sight, and Alex could not believe the idea had come from his own mind. He felt appalled with himself, yet unable to tear his eyes away.

With his arms above his head, the sleeves of Aamir’s robe had peeled away, revealing the golden band on his wrist. It was glowing brighter and more vividly than before, seeming to thrum and crackle in the air as it burned with renewed ferocity. If he could break the golden line on Aamir’s wrist without alerting the Head, he’d do it in a heartbeat. But it was too risky. Alex didn’t know if the Head was already aware of everything that was happening around Aamir, but destroying the line seemed like a surefire way to attract attention.

“What do we do now?” asked Jari miserably, unable to look at the hanging figure of his friend.

“He’ll be safe here on his own, but we should try to spend as much time watching him as possible. He could do with the company,” replied Alex, staring at the glittering band as it glowed angrily in the darkness of the chamber. “We’ll take it in turns, and when we aren’t here, we train. We get better, we hone our skills, and we prepare for what’s to come.”

“I’ll watch him first,” said Jari.

Alex nodded. “You’ll have to stay until morning, to avoid any curfew issues,” he warned.

“I don’t mind.” Jari shrugged and tried to look up at his friend, who was staring at the trio with mournful eyes.

“You sure you’ll be all right?” Alex frowned at Jari, wondering if he was the best person to leave alone with Aamir. Surely, if anyone was to be persuaded by Aamir’s sad expression and weary pleas, it would be his best friend?

“You can trust me,” whispered Jari, as if reading Alex’s mind. “I won’t let him loose, no matter how much he asks,” he added sadly.

“Okay. We should go,” said Alex, turning to Natalie. She nodded, hurrying toward the door, clearly eager to be away from the stench of blood and the sight of Aamir hanging from the manacles.

Almost without thinking, Alex reached out for the bladeless knife on the tabletop and slipped it discreetly into his belt. A sad, bitter terror followed him as he made his way back through the vacant halls. The true extent of the lies being told within the manor was finally being realized. Suddenly, escape seemed a far more pressing matter. There could be no escape at any other time, only a one-way ticket into that chamber, making this one opportunity all the more important. The Head was away, and the manor had been left without a master. Alex guessed that, for some reason, Aamir had been sent back and was now supposed to be the leader in the Head’s place, but they had managed to overcome him, leaving the manor vulnerable. The Head was still out there fulfilling his vile task of student recruitment, not realizing the manor was under threat, thinking it in the safe hands of his masked avatar. If they didn’t rise up, Alex knew those headstones he had spoken about would have a reason to be there.

“Do you think we will win?” asked Natalie in a whisper as they walked together.

“I think we’ll try,” replied Alex worriedly, putting his arm around her.

It all seemed too real, suffused with a very tangible sense that not everyone would make it out alive. Still, Alex knew his fellow students shared his stoicism and steadfastness; they would not give up, and they would not give in. After all, there couldn’t be a plan B now.





Chapter 28





In the following days, Alex was pleased to see that the others had taken heed of his instruction. Lessons were skipped in favor of training, and the bookshelves in the library had been looted for spell books and manuals. Without a Deputy Head to carry out any severe punishments for late curfews and missed classes, the fear had lifted a little from the manor, everyone able to breathe more easily. Alex wondered if his fears about the golden band listening in had been unfounded. Days had passed, and still the Head did not come. He hoped tentatively that they might have more time than he’d thought.

Walking quickly down the hallway, intent on reaching the wine cellar for a private training session, Alex jumped as a head appeared around the corner of one of the classroom doors. It was Lintz, his brow furrowed and his mouth set in a stern line.

“What’s going on?” he asked sharply. “Where is everyone?”

Alex had known this time would come. The classrooms had been growing progressively emptier, and so had the dormitories, with students scattered throughout the manor, trying to keep as much distance between themselves and the teachers as possible. As yet, it seemed, nobody had asked for Lintz or Gaze’s assistance. Perhaps they were too afraid to judge their trustworthiness wrongly, Alex thought, as he narrowed his eyes at Lintz, weighing whether or not he could trust this particular professor.

“Staging a coup,” said Alex bluntly.