The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Spellshadow Manor #1)

“Heard the scream. Came running.”


Derhin nodded in satisfaction. “Very good. You may leave.”

Alex hesitated, staring at the body, and the terrified girl who seemed to be trying to disappear into the cracks in the stone. The eerie light streaming in through the distant window rippled and swirled over Derhin’s pale features.

“Now, Webber,” he said softly.

Alex turned and hurried away, too late to help, feeling the professor’s eyes following him as he went.

His thoughts went to the golden line he had somehow broken.





Chapter 23





True to Derhin’s word, Blaine Stalwart vanished from classes. The girl who had accompanied him, Claire Goldfield, did come back to class, her eyes low and distant, after missing several days. When her peers asked after Blaine, she said nothing, just grew pale and shook her head fervently.

Alex had been expecting a bigger deal to be made about the whole affair, but the other students had dropped the issue almost immediately. Aamir, for example, seemed more irate than afraid.

“Honestly,” he said one morning over breakfast, lowering his voice and glancing over at where Siren Mave was sitting like an imp behind the breakfast buffet, “he should have known better. Even the newest students know that crossing one of those golden lines is as good as a death sentence.”

Alex frowned at his toast, feeling Natalie’s curious gaze on him. He knew she must also be wondering how Alex hadn’t been caught and punished.

“Another one gone,” Aamir muttered, stabbing at his plate.

Jari entered the room, brushing his hair from his sleepy eyes and looking around to find his friends. When Aamir spotted him, he rose to his feet, excusing himself and slipping away. Jari took the newly vacated seat a moment later, staring after his friend with a tiny frown and hot eyes.



And so, life dragged on.

With Aamir mostly absent, and Jari constantly fretting over his friend, Alex and Natalie were left with a great deal of time to themselves over the coming weeks. Natalie continued to cover for Alex during class, and they sailed through their first practical exam with ease. Natalie showed off her pyromancy, which earned her an approving clap from Lintz and a disappointed sigh from Esmerelda, who had probably been hoping that she would find a more “womanly” way to apply her talents.

Alex, for his part, had decided to “learn” a modest spell from the illusion school of magic. It had been a bit tricky, and had required a lot of reading, but, with his assistance, Natalie had gone along with it happily enough. Alex had gone to the front of the class, made the gestures, and Natalie had wreathed him in shimmering light until he was surrounded by the appearance of rain, streaking the air around him. Derhin had even bestowed mild approval.

“That’s certainly an improvement, Webber,” he had said as Alex lowered his hands. “I’m glad to see you settling in at last.”

Alex had shot a look at Natalie, and she had smiled before making a motion with her hand under her desk. The rain had disappeared.

Aamir’s examination had followed Alex’s, and the older boy had caused a full tree to burst from the classroom floor in a shower of splinters and leaves. Derhin had been knocked to the floor, where he had adjusted his glasses and sighed drearily.

After some thought, Alex and Natalie planned their break-in to the Head’s quarters for New Year’s Eve. Alex had related his previous encounters with Elias and explained that he could very well have lied, but Natalie still insisted on coming along. She had heard from a girl in her dorm that the Head always gave a speech on New Year’s Eve, so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. The students, teachers, and the Head would be distracted. They would still need to contend with Finder, but Alex had the advantage of stealth where the old master of Spellshadow was concerned.

“The main thing is you can cross the golden lines,” Natalie said, even as worry touched her voice.

“Yes,” he said emphatically, then hastily dropped the subject. He was troubled and curious about why he was so mildly affected by the lines, and had wanted to explore forbidden areas of the Head’s domain immediately. But Natalie had pleaded with him not to unless it was absolutely necessary, and he had reluctantly promised her he wouldn’t.

As Christmas approached, Professor Esmerelda hung mistletoe and garlands above the doors, and the students dove into the rituals of the season. The windows showed them more and more snow, falling softly apparently just outside, but just out of reach.

Jari, whether in an attempt to lure Aamir from his studies or just out of pure festive spirit, decorated their little room with a collection of trees and constant, warm snow that tasted faintly of chocolate. Aamir, in response, stopped studying in his bed, telling Alex that he couldn’t concentrate under these conditions.

“He can’t dodge me at Christmas,” said Jari, his brow scrunched up. “That one I’ll get.”

On Christmas Eve, Alex and Natalie found themselves sitting in the library yet again, but for once, neither of them could focus. The two of them stared at the ice crystals that were blossoming from the frame of the huge window, spreading in glittering strands across the view beyond.

Distantly, Alex could see lights again. He stared at them, wondering, as he always did, if that was their home. He pictured the Christmas tree he usually set up, twinkling with colored lights in their darkened living room, and thought with a pang that his mother wouldn’t have it up this year without him.

What was she doing now? How was she managing everything? How was her health? Did she think he was dead?

His gaze became hazy as tears formed in his eyes. He blinked them away just as Natalie sighed, looking down at the book she had propped open in front of her and then shutting it.