The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

Renmark’s hands twisted and turned with violent speed as his mouth moved silently. His eyes seemed to glow with an unearthly radiance as Alex observed his unorthodox conjuring, wondering what he was doing. A sliver of a shimmering, navy substance rippled between the mist of the golden magic, snaking toward Lintz. Alex tried to call out, to warn Lintz, but the professor could not hear him above the din of the fight. The substance creeped down into Lintz’s skin.

Lintz froze, his hands grasping at his chest as if trying to remove something, his body doubling over in pain.

“Don’t you dare!” a voice called from behind the gathered students.

Gaze pushed through the small crowd and stepped into place beside Lintz, her hands moving quickly to remove the bluish-tinged magic Renmark had slipped beneath Lintz’s skin. She flung it away like it was a poisonous creature, compressing it until it exploded into harmless vapor.

“You coward, Renmark! Who uses dark magic in a battle?” she crowed.

Gaze sent small, delicately made balls of fire toward Renmark and Esmerelda. The miniscule projectiles seemed feeble but held a dangerous secret—as they neared their target, they exploded in a wide, savage burst. They went off in a series, flashing in the air with a blinding white light and sending out a pulse of violent energy that surprised the others as they staggered back.

Gaze didn’t give her opponents a moment to catch their breaths. She sent a stream of gold toward Esmerelda, creating a barrier around her that seemed to drag her back into the corridor. The younger professor flailed against the strength of Gaze’s magic. Professor Gaze smirked and shot another barrier toward Renmark, but he managed to fend it off. It kept him busy, though, as Lintz regained his strength from whatever had been sent creeping into his body.

“All of you, run! Go to the front lawn!” yelled Gaze, turning momentarily with a fierce expression on her face. She wasn’t even looking at Renmark, but managed to flick his magic away easily. The students didn’t need telling twice—they sprinted off down the halls.

Alex lingered around the corner, knowing he could help.

The two pairs were evenly matched as they faced off in the corridor, magic billowing and spiraling and sparking. Gaze had created a latticed barrier around herself and Lintz, keeping away the dark magic Renmark was using while allowing them to release magic of their own. A two-way shield.

Alex was mesmerized as he watched Gaze work. Her magic was flawless. Twisting her hands gracefully, she managed to weave a loop of magic around Esmerelda and Renmark, reducing the impact of their attacks. But Renmark’s dark magic was strong. Alex could see that each rebuff and blow from the viscous streams of navy liquid drained Gaze. It took a lot to protect the hallway, but it had given the students time to get away safely. The corridor behind Alex was empty; everyone had made it out.

Lintz reached into the leather satchel around his body and pulled out two mechanical bombs. He threw them wildly at the opposing pair, just as Gaze forced a moving blockade of strong, fierce magic in their direction. The dual hit sent their opponents flying backward onto the flagstones as Lintz and Gaze turned and ran, following the direction the students had taken.

Gaze reached out a claw-like hand and grasped Alex’s arm.

“Run, boy!” she shrieked, dragging him along with her as they headed toward the front lawn. At least, Alex mused, glancing at Gaze and Lintz, they now had two powerful allies to help with the stand they were about to make.





Chapter 29





Alex’s lungs burned as he sprinted out of the manor, other students spilling out behind him after hearing the ruckus inside. It wasn’t safe in there, with Renmark and Esmerelda on the loose. Gaze and Lintz followed wearily, Gaze stooping for breath as she leaned against the manor’s vast doorframe. Lintz patted her gently on the back, though a sheen of sweat glistened across his own forehead and his chest heaved with the exertion of the battle and their swift escape.

Gathering himself, Alex walked through the gathered group who stood out on the front lawn, making sure everyone was okay. A few of them had burns lacerating their backs and shoulders, but nothing a bit of salve couldn’t fix. Renmark had clearly been saving his more vicious spells for more formidable enemies.

“What happened in there?” asked Jun Asano, his jet-black eyes peering over Alex’s shoulder with barely suppressed anxiety.

“A fight,” said Alex simply. “The first of many, I would imagine,” he added grimly.

Jun nodded. “We are ready.”

The small, lanky boy standing in Jun’s shadow suddenly went pale, his eyes wide, his mouth opening and closing like that of a beached fish. His terrified gaze was looking at something over Alex’s shoulder.

The hairs on Alex’s arms prickled. He didn’t need to turn around to see who it was the boy was staring so fearfully at—he could feel the creeping cold of the Head’s skeletal form, the otherworldly eyes burning into the back of his head, willing him to turn and show the same fear found on the other boy’s face. Alex would not give the Head that satisfaction.

With agonizing slowness, he turned to the Head.

Finally, he had returned.

Thoughts raced through Alex’s mind as he faced the Head, who was standing by the gate, still with some distance between them, but close enough to instill fear. Alex wondered where he had been and what had finally brought him back to stand against the rallied students. Had someone told him? He knew Aamir was still strung up in the manacle chamber, so it couldn’t have been him. Had the band finally sent out a beacon of help to him? Was he taunting them, letting them believe they had the higher ground only to crush them? Alex wouldn’t put it past him. The Head was an impossibly strong magical entity, and they were an army of half-formed wizards. Perhaps he thought he had nothing to fear from them.

Already, Alex had streams of black and silver shards running between his fingers, ready to use in the battle ahead. His eyes locked with the hooded demon, narrowing in determination as he gathered his strength. On every side of him, he felt the other students move into defensive stances, ready to go on Alex’s command.

Nobody fled and nobody stood down in terror, not even the young man beside Jun, who stepped forward, moving into a position beside Alex. The boy’s face was determined, even though his small hands shook. A sad smile pulled at the edges of Alex’s mouth as he watched the boy, hoping he wouldn’t have to shoulder the responsibility of this young man coming to harm. Alex had understood the risks; he understood that not everyone was going to make it out. But he hoped, despite himself, that the boy would.

Seeing the younger student so stoic spurred Alex on as he stood firmly before the hooded figure. A smirk played on the Head’s pale, unnatural mouth, the rest of him shadowed beneath his robe. Alex remembered his feelings about the mask of Professor Escher, before they knew he was Aamir—a man who hid himself could never be trusted.