The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)

The same was infinitely more true of the Head. Whatever the reasons for the Head’s vile ‘graduation’ ceremony, whatever secrets rippled beneath the earth of the manor, Alex knew none of it was excusable. There was no cause great enough for what the Head had done and would continue to do if they did not stop him.

Strength surged through Alex on a wave of adrenaline as he moved his hands slowly upward, the anti-magic swirling icily around his fingertips. He was focused and he was ready. But before he could even lift his palms to perform the strongest anti-magical move he knew, something heavy and ungainly fell at the Head’s shrouded feet.

The metal ball landed on the ground with a thud, rocking gently on the sweeping black train of the Head’s robe. Confusion crossed the Head’s shadowed eyes as he looked down at the object, just in time to get the full force of Lintz’s magical trap in his face as it exploded around him, sending his skeletal form flailing backward as he tried to kick the trap away. It bought the students time and the element of surprise they so desperately needed.

Alex glanced back over his shoulder to see Lintz grinning wildly, looking like a much younger man, standing tall and proud at the top of the manor steps with a mechanical ball in each hand.

“Now!” cried Alex, his head snapping back to the main event.

The handful of students around him—a fraction of their main number, perhaps a quarter—did not need to be told twice. Turning on the Head, they bombarded him with their most elaborate, intricate spells, firing them off in perfect unison, preventing him from edging any closer to the school. Gold shards filled the air in a hot rain of glittering embers, the thunder of clashing magic ricocheting through the ears of all present. Streams of fierce gilded light shot through the miasma of misty glimmers, striking the Head with a peculiar fizzing sound. The sound of his pain hissed above the din of magic exploding and students roaring their war cries, audible enough to give the warriors the courage to persist.

Alex ducked through the fighters, running up to the top steps of the manor, where he stood side by side with Gaze and Lintz. Gaze seemed to have recovered somewhat, as she launched attack after attack in the Head’s direction, hitting her target every time. Her aim was deadly, and her power was more immense than Alex could ever have guessed from such a small, ancient creature. Every spell was one he had never seen, her hands moving with disturbing speed, her eyes burning with ferocious intensity. Lintz, still grinning, lobbed bomb after bomb at the Head, watching in delight as they exploded close by, startling the robed figure each time.

Natalie appeared in the doorway, her eyes wide with concern as she took in the newly forged battlefield.

“I left Jari to watch over Aamir,” she explained quickly.

Alex nodded. “We need you out there.”

There wasn’t time for much more in the way of conversation as Natalie slid into the ranks and shaped magic beneath her hands, firing spells and hexes in the Head’s direction. For a moment, Alex thought he saw a thin stream of blue-tinged magic leave her fingertips, but wasn’t sure if it was a trick of the light.

A moment later, a spear with a pinkish hue at its center rippled from Natalie’s palms, and she threw it with great force. A bellowing roar rose up from the Head as the point hit him square in the shoulder, and Alex knew Natalie had moved away from the basic, everyday magic everyone else was using. He didn’t like it, but he knew it wasn’t the time to stop her. Whatever she was doing, it was working.

Lintz passed Alex bombs and traps from a bag clipped to the side of his leg, watching with gleeful pride as Alex proved himself to be a superb shot.

Barrage after barrage of magic artillery thundered across the front lawn, making the very ground tremble as the energy battered against the Head’s skeletal form. It kept him at bay, but it was nowhere near enough to defeat him. Alex wasn’t sure if the Head was just biding his time, but he knew the ancient wizard had more in his tank than he was currently revealing; he was luring them into a false sense of security. The Head fought back, of course, glistening streams of energy pouring fluidly from his clawed hands, knocking students back and snatching away their projectiles—but he did not seem interested in attacking them with all the strength he had within him. He seemed more intent on defending himself and letting the gathered students tire. Alex frowned, unsure why the Head was holding back.

The small force held him off successfully for a while, but they were starting to wear out. The explosions grew quieter as the dripping sweat on the forehead of every soldier glistened slickly in the glow of their magical fallout. The barrages were fewer and farther between, wizards staggering their spells to try to cover those who could not conjure any more. Each blast and bang was a whimper of its former self. The students were not as quick with their energy, wrists and fingers moving more slowly as aches began to set in. The only ones who seemed as fresh as ever were Natalie, Gaze, and the Head himself.

“Gaze, take the students and regroup! Use the hallways!” ordered Lintz, shouting to his colleague above the rumble of exploding bombs. He seemed to have an endless stash stored about his person, and as he turned back to the fight, he spun his satchel around to the front of his body and flipped open the leather flap. Inside, to Alex’s awe, the satchel was full to the brim with mechanical, magical bombs and traps. Clockwork animals, too—a tiny mechanical army within the battered leather bag.

Lintz delved into the depths of the satchel and pulled out the owl Alex had seen him working on what seemed like years ago. The professor launched the winged creature into the air. It flapped vigorously as it weaved around flying spells and hurled projectiles, stopping above the Head’s hood, where it circled and dived, dropping tiny explosions of magic onto the target below.

“I shall stay with you,” said Natalie, standing beside Lintz.

“Me too,” agreed Alex.

“Students, with me!” roared Gaze with startling volume. She beckoned for the students to follow her as she sent a rippling barrier of fierce, white-hot energy in the Head’s direction. It seemed to pour from the very core of her body, her arms raised outward to the sky as it surged in a violent blast that seemed to skip the students, destined only for its one victim. With a crackle, it wrapped around the Head, incapacitating him for the briefest of moments as Gaze rallied her students to her.

She nodded at Alex, Natalie, and Lintz, tipping the frayed rim of her hat to them before darting off into the darkness of the manor, the rest of the students running behind. Gaze was a powerful wizard; they were in the best hands they could be, Alex knew.