The Chain (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #3)

“Breakfast first?” he suggested.

Another nod, and they all went down to the refectory together, filled with first-day-at-school nerves. Helena appeared at the bottom of the stairs, waving excitedly to them as she led them the rest of the way to the refectory. Having been spoiled the day before with tray service, they had not met with Helena, as they had promised to do, but had gone back to their rooms instead, with stomachs full of cake and chocolates and delicate finger sandwiches. It seemed she didn’t hold a grudge, as she dragged them over to introduce them to a group of her friends, who did not seem nearly as impressed as she was.

They ate a simple, clean breakfast of fruit salad and yogurt, sitting in awkward silence as Helena tried, and failed, to stir up conversation between the two different groups. Once they were finished, they all walked together toward the Queen’s Courtyard, Helena leading the way, still chirruping enthusiastically as the rest of them followed sullenly, not sharing her delight.

Stepping out into the same courtyard where Alex and Jari had first seen Helena, the quartet were a little intimidated as they saw the rest of the students gathered around them. Some of them, particularly the ones clustered toward the far side of the courtyard, looked much younger than Alex and his friends. All eyes were on them as they waited anxiously for instruction. It came sooner than anticipated, and they were split into pairs with the younger group of the gathered Stillwater students, and set to the task of dueling. The older class, including Helena, paired off on the other side of the courtyard, apparently serving to inspire the younger students.

Alex already knew it would be a wreck for him. He stared hopelessly toward the place where his partner had moved off to. It puzzled him, that he should have been asked to come to this lesson with the others, making him wonder if Alypia knew as much about him as much as she had pretended to.

“Do not worry—I will make you look good,” whispered Natalie with a wide smile, as she walked behind him toward her partner.

Alex hoped she could as he stood face to face with his opponent—a tall, waif-like creature a few years younger than him, with long hazelnut hair and striking violet eyes. On her beautiful, perfect face, she wore a grimace of displeasure that made Alex feel about two feet tall.

“Shall we begin?” asked the waif in a clipped, upper-class kind of voice.

“I suppose we should get this over with,” he joked, though he wasn’t sure her unamused face was capable of laughter.

As they set about fighting, Natalie was more than true to her word, making Alex an almost even match for his violet-eyed opponent, much to the girl’s apparent annoyance. Feeling somewhat smug, he watched as golden vines and shimmering streams surged from his palms, whizzing toward his rival with a speed and vehemence that almost took the girl by surprise. For his own part, he managed to avoid taking any shots to the body, ducking and weaving skillfully to avoid the girl’s expert strikes, except for one surprise bolt that hit him straight in the chest. He covered the area quickly with his hand, rushing to stem the flurry of erupting snow. Nobody seemed to see it, though it left a peculiar wet patch that he hoped he could pass off as sweat.

Along the line of paired duelers, Alex noticed that Aamir seemed to be doing well with his young partner, though he was still prone to tiring quickly, and Ellabell was out-and-out excelling against hers. It made Alex smile, to see the determination on the bespectacled girl’s face as she sent wave after wave of twisting, coiling magic toward her opponent, peering behind a strong force-field that was proving a tough object for the young man she was pitted against to get through. Natalie was winning her battle too, even with her attentions diverted by Alex’s need for help. The extra practice they’d had in the lighthouse and whatever tricks Natalie had learned from Helena during their stay there seemed to be paying off, as Alex watched the French girl send her opponent crashing to the floor in an ungainly mess. Even though their adversaries were younger, there was still a sense of pride at winning; these were not ordinary twelve-and thirteen-year-olds, after all.

Pretty soon, the stern, disapproving looks of the other Stillwater students had turned to smiles and whoops of encouragement, as a good-natured vibe settled across the courtyard. In a way, they had proven themselves worthy to be around the Stillwater elite, and it felt nice to be welcomed into the fold, even if Alex knew his own ‘skills’ were thanks to Natalie.

Even the teacher, Master Montego, seemed pleased. He was a six-foot-six god of a man with a friendly voice, and his face seemed to be hewn from rock rather than flesh, with a shock of long blond hair and piercing gray eyes that apparently made Natalie go weak at the knees, much to Alex’s amusement. Whenever Master Montego passed her, he would remark upon her skill and talent, leaving her tongue-tied and glittery-eyed.

Alex wondered what compliments Natalie would get if the teacher knew she was doing the work of two people and still winning.

It was funny to watch her awkwardness around the beautiful young teacher as he distracted her, causing her to fire a bolt directly into a statue’s head, blowing it off entirely. She blushed furiously as Master Montego turned to see what the crashing sound was. Alex nudged her lightly in the arm as the teacher walked off again, leaving Natalie to her embarrassment.

“You’re almost worse than Jari,” he whispered.

Natalie snorted. “At least he never executed an innocent statue.”

“That he did not—you’re still a long way from kittens, though.” He smiled, watching as Natalie returned her focus to the task at hand, a foolish grin on her face.