The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)(17)

The other students began to file out of the room, but Alex rushed over to Natalie and Jari.

“Are you okay?” he asked Natalie. Her face was slick with sweat.

She nodded. “Do not mind me. I will be fine… Do you think the Head knows?” she asked, her voice trembling as she spoke, though whether from fear or exhaustion, Alex wasn’t sure.

“I guess we’ll find out soon,” Alex whispered.





Chapter 7





Striding down the hallway, distracted, Alex did not see the figure walking toward him until they almost collided. Ellabell looked up, stunned, stumbling slightly as she tried—too late—to weave out of his way, but Jari and Natalie blocked the space behind him. Alex skidded to a halt, reaching out quickly for her, steadying her by the shoulders as she scrabbled for her books.

“Thank you,” she said breathlessly, gathering the books to her chest.

“Sorry. I wasn’t looking where I was going.” Alex moved his hands away swiftly, realizing he still held her by the shoulders.

“Neither was I,” Ellabell admitted with a flustered smile, checking the floor to make sure she hadn’t dropped anything.

“I’m surprised you could see at all,” Alex joked, noting the giant stack of textbooks.

“Just a little light reading.” She blushed, trying to stop a few strays from escaping the hastily gathered books. “How did you get on, by the way?” she asked, with sudden interest.

“Get on?” Alex asked, confused.

“Yeah, you know…” She faltered. Alex racked his brain for what she meant, feeling the heat of his friends’ eyes behind him.

It rushed back to him, just in time. “Oh, right. The mechanics stuff you wrote down? Yes, of course. Good, yeah. I got on great. Found lots to be getting on with. That’s where we’re headed now, actually—to the mechanics lab,” he rambled, remembering the list of books she had given him, still stuffed at the bottom of his pocket with all the rest of his crumpled notes.

Her face seemed to brighten. “That’s great. I’m glad they were useful.” She smiled.

“They were—thank you.” Alex smiled back, relieved he had remembered in time.

“Well, I won’t keep you,” she said, shifting the books in her arms. “I’ve got all this to get through.” She laughed softly, her blue eyes sparkling with an infectious humor that made Alex’s smile broaden into a grin.

“Happy reading. And sorry for almost knocking you over,” he apologized again, trying to sound sincere as he reached out and touched her arm gently, giving it a light squeeze.

Ellabell’s cheeks flushed a pale shade of pink, and she looked back up to Alex with a frown. Her sweater was soft beneath his fingertips, and he knew he had lingered a moment too long. Alex removed his hand slowly, wondering at the sudden rosy tint to her face. It made her look extremely pretty, her blue eyes piercing.

“Well, I really should be going,” Ellabell mumbled, lowering her gaze as she skirted around the trio.

“Have fun,” Alex called after her, feeling slightly lame as he heard the words leave his lips.

Ellabell glanced over her shoulder, smiling shyly, before heading up the corridor away from them, her brunette ponytail bobbing as she walked.

“We’re going to the mechanics lab?” Natalie asked with a wry grin on her face.

Alex shrugged. “I thought it might take our minds off things,” he lied. “Plus, I need someone with actual magic to try and make the clockwork function.” He held up his own hands with a meaningful look. He was growing increasingly frustrated by how difficult it was to use his own powers, by constantly hitting a brick wall with his level of ability. With nobody around to teach him, it was proving tricky to be a self-taught Spellbreaker. After all, there were no textbooks on the matter to make it simpler. That moment in the cellar, when he had exploded Jari’s conjuration, had been a fluke; Alex had tried to replicate it a few times, to no avail. It had happened in the moment, at the perfect time, but he still wasn’t certain how he’d managed it. It was frustrating to watch his friends grow more powerful each day—Natalie shouldering some of the strain for him, doing the magic of two people—while he sat back, unable to show what he could do, or watch his own anti-magic grow in strength.

“You never mentioned the mechanics lab before,” Jari replied suspiciously.

“It just came to me. I’ve been meaning to get down there for ages. Now seems as good a time as any,” Alex replied brightly, remembering the small clockwork mouse he’d placed at the bottom of his pocket, smothered by countless crumpled-up bits of paper. He had been meaning to get to work on the mouse, and Ellabell had simply reminded him of it. “Why don’t we build some clockwork things instead of moping about, waiting for something bad to happen?”

“I suppose. It’s not as if we have much else to do,” Natalie said. They were supposed to be with Renmark for most of the morning, but since he’d been called away, they had the luxury of some spare time.

“Good.” Alex smiled, raising an eyebrow as he caught a sly look passing between Jari and Natalie. Ignoring it, he turned and led the way to the mechanics lab.

When they arrived, they were surprised to find the familiar figure of Professor Lintz sitting alone at one of the workbenches. He was the room’s sole occupant, his round frame hunched over something shiny on the wooden work surface. On a tight elastic band around his head, he wore a monocle-like magnifying glass, flipped down over one of his small eyes, as he focused intently on a miniature cog held between tweezers.