The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)(14)

Natalie shrugged. “His methods of teaching are not quite the same as many of the other teachers,” she explained, making nothing clearer.

“Come on, give us a clue!” Jari cried. “Will we hate him?”

Another shrug. “I honestly could not say. You’ll both just have to see for yourselves.” She smiled as Alex and Jari rolled their eyes.

“What use is a spy on the inside if you won’t tell us anything?” Jari exclaimed, nudging Natalie playfully as they moved out of the mess hall and into the hallways, headed for the mysterious Professor Renmark’s office.

“Is he more like Derhin or Lintz?” Alex asked, trying a different tactic.

“He is like neither.” Natalie smiled more widely, not falling for the bait.

“Do you like him?” Alex asked.

Natalie paused. “He is an excellent teacher, if you are willing to put in the work. I think he is firm but fair,” she said thoughtfully.

“Then what am I supposed to do?” Alex asked, his tone hushed.

Natalie’s brow furrowed. “I hadn’t exactly thought about that,” she admitted.

“Are the lessons hard?” Alex asked, more worried now.

Natalie nodded. “A little.”

“Am I going to be in trouble?”

“I don’t think so—I will do my very best,” Natalie promised.

“Thanks,” Alex muttered, though a sense of dread fell over him as they neared Professor Renmark’s classroom.

His door was painted black, crisscrossed with a complex pattern of red intersecting lines, giving the impression of a labyrinth within the dark wood. Beside it, screwed into the stonework of the hallway walls, was a bronze plaque bearing Renmark’s name. It had oxidized in places, the bronze turning green—a sure sign of age. Alex wondered how long it had been mounted there, beside the door.

“Come in!” a gruff voice barked from within the room beyond the latticed black and red.

Natalie led the way, nobody else wanting to be the first. She opened the door, and they stepped into a darkened chamber. The room smelled faintly of cloves and lit matches; a cindery scent, masking a sour, almost metallic undertone.

At the head of the class, awaiting his new students, stood Professor Renmark. With his tall, slim stature, he was more of a wisp than a man. His hair was thin and blond, growing white at the sides, and his steely eyes, a peculiar hazel color, almost yellow, glanced over the group in a curious manner. There was a hawkish look to the rest of his thin, drawn features, reminding Alex of a bird of prey—a kestrel he’d seen as a kid at a county fair. One of the students, a small weasel of a boy named Billy Foer, moved to sit at one of the desks, pushing past Natalie, who was still standing, her eyes resting evenly on Professor Renmark.

“You will not sit unless I tell you to sit!” Renmark barked, sending a sharp, thin bolt of golden magic toward the unlucky boy who had taken a seat.

Billy jumped up in shock, the spell hitting him in the arm. Suddenly, his whole body began to convulse. His limbs shook uncontrollably, his mouth frothing as he fell to the ground in a heavy heap, trembling against the stone floor. Ellabell, hidden at the back of the group, rushed forward to help the boy.

“Do not touch him!” Renmark shouted.

Ellabell froze. Helpless, the group watched as Billy shook on the floor, the tremors lessening slowly, until finally they ceased, leaving the boy heaving for breath, his limbs splayed out on the ground.

“Now you may assist him,” Renmark said calmly. Ellabell sank down beside the poor boy, helping him to sit up.

Billy’s eyes were wide with panic, his face an ashy gray, his hands shaking violently as Ellabell lifted him to his feet. He didn’t dare look at Renmark as he scurried behind the others.

“I am Professor Renmark, and you will not find my lessons easy. I will not ask you to write from textbooks, and you will give me your full attention,” Renmark growled, addressing the group. All eyes were fixed firmly on him. “You will leave this room feeling as if you have been at war. If you are not exhausted, you are not working hard enough. I will not treat you as if you were wrapped in cotton-wool. In my class, you will learn, or you will fail. Is that understood?” The students stood in rigid silence. “Are you mutes? Do you understand?” Professor Renmark repeated tersely.

“Yes, Professor,” they chorused.

“Good. I will test you, and I will work you hard. I will make you worthy wizards and worthy adversaries—I will challenge you, and most of you will end up on the floor, making fools of yourselves as our young friend just has.” Renmark grimaced in what Alex thought was supposed to be a smile as he sought out Billy’s sheepish face amongst the group. “Isn’t that right?” Professor Renmark addressed Billy directly.

Billy nodded quickly. “Yes, Professor Renmark. Sorry, Professor Renmark,” he mumbled.

Renmark looked disgusted by Billy’s desperate apology, his thin lips turning upward, his yellow eyes narrowing.

“Despite the obvious lack of talent at Spellshadow, I know there will be a gifted few among you who will offer at least a hint of a challenge for me,” Renmark said, glancing at Natalie. His gaze rested for a moment on Jari, too, assessing the blond-haired boy, one eyebrow raised in silent contemplation. When his eyes crossed over Alex, Renmark’s brow creased momentarily.