The Chain (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #3)

Away from the gleaming white walls of Stillwater House, the atmosphere was much calmer. Although it frustrated Alex that they were isolated, with no immediate way to move forward with their mission, he comforted himself that this was just a temporary measure, and they’d figure something else out soon enough, once things had died down a bit on the mainland. In the meantime, they could work on honing their magic and anti-magic—never a wasted endeavor.

They were freer in the lighthouse, without as much worry of being spotted by a passing student or guard. Natalie had learned from Helena how to shield the windows from outside eyes, and slowly, they grew in boldness. It was like stretching after sitting for a long period of time, and it felt good.

Ellabell was still a little wary of Alex’s abilities; they weren’t natural, as far as she had been taught, and it had taken some getting used to, seeing the glimmer of black and silver instead of gold and white, but Alex could tell she was coming around to the idea.

A few times, he had seen her watching as he and Natalie sparred, in their strange peripheral way, with Alex aiming for marks dotted on the floor instead of his actual opponent. It was almost as if the bespectacled girl was studying his style and movement, making him feel scrutinized as he fired thin bolts of twisting black toward the wall behind Natalie, though she attempted to snatch them from the air. It was strange; the anti-magic seemed almost slippery to the touch of a magical being, running through their fingers if they tried to grasp it, as well as burning them if they made contact with it. Still, once or twice, Natalie almost managed to pull the anti-magic from the air between them, wincing as the icy-cold energy bit the edge of her skin, forcing her to let go.

By the end of their sessions, both of them were grinning, sweat glistening in a sheen on their foreheads. Ellabell grinned too, a peculiar expression of interest on her face. She would put in her two cents as they debriefed the fight, giving pointers on where she thought they needed to improve, as seen from her ringside seat. It was nice to have an outside opinion, refereeing their strengths and weaknesses. Alex knew it certainly helped him to hear where she thought he needed to focus. On occasion, some of his rapid streams of anti-magic lacked solidity and impact, his conjurations less robust if he had to make them quickly. He knew it was simply a matter of practice, and he needed to make sure his spells were consistently strong, whether he had ten minutes to prepare or a fraction of a second.

Natalie had improved in leaps and bounds too, ever since her steady recovery from the dark magic she had used to relocate the portal. Her hands no longer shook, and it took a fair amount of time before she started to tire. It was a good sign, and one Alex was glad to see. Since his visit with Elias, he had been reluctant to ask her again what had happened that day, but with the shadow-man’s insight, he knew he had to keep an eye on his friend’s advancements. Yes, she was almost entirely healthy again, but he couldn’t help worrying that it might lead to her further pursuit of ‘strong’ magic. He couldn’t forget the gleam he’d seen in her eyes as she had watched the Stillwater students compete. In addition, she had been spending an awful lot of time huddled in corners with Helena, chatting in low voices away from the rest of the group.

The silvery-haired young woman kept her promise to visit every other day, bringing bigger boxes of supplies to tide them over, and each visit led to these secret, hushed talks—Natalie monopolizing the girl’s time, much to Jari’s annoyance. He had grand plans of flirtation and courtship, and had been unable to carry any of them out during Helena’s brief stopovers.

Each time Alex and Natalie sparred, he would see a spell he didn’t recognize, twisting toward him from her palms. Sometimes they were surprisingly potent ones which sent him sprawling backward in a dense mist of snow and ice, leaving him wondering what the spell would have done if he had been an ordinary wizard. It was almost as if he had become Natalie’s guinea pig, a means for her to semi-harmlessly try out her new tricks. It was clear Helena was teaching her these things, innocently enough, and he just hoped they were within the natural sphere of magic, and nothing from the dark, unnatural realms beyond.

“Why don’t we pair up today?” Ellabell suggested one morning.

Alex frowned. “It won’t be the same as sparring with the others, you know.”

“I know. I’ve been watching, remember?”

“You think you’re ready to take me on?” he grinned, flirting a little.

“I know I am,” she purred.

Bristling with excitement, they moved to either side of the main room and faced each other. Ellabell drew crosses on the floor with the edge of her magic, burning the symbols temporarily into the stonework.

“Ready?” Alex smiled.

Ellabell nodded. “When you are.”

Alex sent out the first attack, ducking to his knees as he pressed his palms against the stonework, sending a ripple of anti-magic through the floor of the room. It was a trick he had tailored from the one he’d seen in the arena, and it worked like a charm. Spirals of anti-magic shot up through the masonry all around Ellabell’s feet, surprising her, though he had made sure they wouldn’t touch her.

“Nice trick!” she gasped, slightly startled.

“Thanks,” he replied brightly, as he waited for her move.

Holding her palms up, she built a golden ball in the air before her, twisting her hand sharply until the ball began to spin, faster and faster, sparks careening off it as it hurtled around. Lifting it up, she pulled her left hand inward, causing smaller globes of glittering gold energy to be flung from the center of the larger orb, where they tore through the room toward Alex’s head, missing him by a hair. The globes were relentless, however, as they proceeded to surge from the larger orb, whizzing past him at all angles as he tried his best to duck and weave away from them. A few hit him in the shoulder and hip with a hefty punch, but they turned swiftly into flurries of cold snow, leaving him with little more than a light bruising.

“I think you got me!” he said as the balls continued to spin through the air. He lifted his hands in surrender.

With a turn of her wrist, the larger, spinning ball disappeared in a glimmer of gold dust. “Did I hit you?” she asked, a look of worry on her face.

He smiled. “A few times—I’m okay, though.”

“Are you sure?”

He nodded. “Of course. I can take more than that.”

“Well, if you insist.” She conjured several bolts in both palms and sent them speeding toward Alex.