The Secret of Spellshadow Manor (Spellshadow Manor #1)

Lintz’s eyes flicked back to him. “Then what’s that you’re hiding?”


Alex’s jaw locked. His legs tensed, although whether to run or to fight, he did not know.

“Your pockets,” Lintz said, gesturing. “Turn them out.”

Alex frowned, then turned out his pockets. A few coins, some crumpled notes, and one illicit screwdriver.

Lintz looked at the tool, then reached out and plucked it from Alex’s hand.

“You know these aren’t supposed to be out of the lab,” he said, his tone disapproving.

Alex stared at his feet, praying that the man wouldn’t demand to search the rest of him. “It makes me feel safe,” he mumbled, hoping this would ring true.

Lintz huffed, then looked back down to the screwdriver.

“Safe, huh?” he said.

With a brusque motion, he handed the tool back. Alex took it with a blink of surprise, looking up at the professor.

Lintz wouldn’t meet his eyes. He was looking away again, down the hallway.

“I need to keep patrolling,” he muttered. “Get to your room, and stay there.”

Alex nodded and darted off into the night. The screwdriver had turned out to be useful in quite a different way than he had ever expected, but he was more grateful than ever to Aamir.

His room was quiet when he entered. Jari and Aamir had already turned in. Aamir lay on his side, while a showered Jari was sprawled over his bed with one bare foot drooping off the edge, his oversized, striped pajamas hanging heavily off his thin limbs. Alex smiled, then went to his desk and retrieved a pair of scissors.

Pulling his pillow from its case, he made a quick incision into the side and stuffed the book inside, carefully fluffing the stuffing back out around it. Reversing the pillow so the damaged end was on the interior, Alex slotted the pillow back into its case, then lay down. It was stiff, but not horribly so. It would have to do.



Alex awoke to the sound of someone hammering on the door. He sat up, rubbing at his eyes as Aamir slid from bed and made his way over to answer it. The door swung open, and Alex had a clear view of a tired, disheveled, and distinctly upset Professor Derhin, holding a shining lamp.

Before Aamir could say a word, Derhin had shouldered his way inside, looking around with hawkish eyes. Jari’s eyes fluttered open just in time to see the professor bent over him. He yelped, scrambling against the wall.

“What the hell?” he cried.

Derhin took one more look around the room, his lamp splashing light across the walls.

“An artifact has gone missing from the Head’s office,” he said shortly. “A book of some value.”

Alex kept his eyes locked on Derhin, resisting the urge to check on the pillow in which he had hidden the stolen book.

“A book, sir?” Aamir said, pushing impatiently at his dark curls.

“A book,” Derhin repeated. He rubbed at his temples, looking about the room. “You’ll need to empty out your dressers. Yes, you too, Petra, come on. I’ve got three more rooms to do, and I don’t want to be up the whole night.”

“Happy New Year to you too,” Jari mumbled as he rose, tossing the drawers from his dresser into a haphazard heap on the floor. Alex and Aamir unloaded theirs in a more orderly fashion while Derhin looked under the beds.

When the brief search was concluded, Derhin sat down heavily on Alex’s bed. Alex carefully controlled his breathing as the pillow he had hidden the book inside slid dangerously toward the professor.

“Look,” Derhin said, “I don’t need to tell you two this, but for Webber’s sake, I’ll spell it out. If I catch you with this book”—and here his eyes narrowed to angry slits—“I will end you. As a wizard. As a student. This is not something that should be tinkered with. Do I make myself patently clear?”

The three boys nodded. The air in the room had gone still as Derhin had spoken, and everybody was holding their breath, waiting to see what would happen. Now, however, the professor relaxed, shooting them his normal dopey grin.

“Right,” he said. “On to the next room.”

Derhin stood briskly, brushing his hands together, then smiled and vanished into the hallway. Darkness flooded back into the room as his lamp was whisked out of sight, and suddenly there was nothing left but the uncertain, worried breathing of three young men.





Chapter 27





The next time Alex awoke, it was to the sound of Jari arguing with someone at the door. He rolled over, trying to cover his ears, his body stiff and heavy from the previous night’s ordeals. He could feel his stolen book wedged up against his head, and shifted his weight so he lay more firmly atop it.

“He’s sleeping,” Jari said.

A sharp response. Jari laughed nervously. “Besides,” he said, “girls really aren’t supposed to—”

“Alex.”

Natalie’s voice sounded every bit as bad as it had the day before. It was hoarse, but it was undeniably her.

Alex groaned, propping himself up on his pillow.

“Natalie? Let her in, Jari.”

Jari bowed Natalie inside with a flourish, and she made her way over to Alex’s bed. Alex smiled at her, raising a hand in greeting.

“I hear you were sick,” he said. “Are you feeling okay?”

Jari looked around nervously as Natalie sat down on the edge of Alex’s bed. Alex noticed with some concern that her skin still had that pallid, sickly look to it. In response to his question, she laughed, shrugging.

“I did not throw up on everyone,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “Only a select few.”

Alex laughed, but his heart wasn’t in it. By the door, Jari let out an indignant noise.

“Not as funny if you were one of the few,” he said, folding his arms.

“I thought you could handle it,” Natalie said seriously, looking back at him. “I didn’t want to throw up on anyone too sensitive. But I am sorry. I could not help it.”

Alex smiled. It was just like Natalie to try to spare the sensitive, but he hadn’t thought she would actually puke on someone.