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

“Alex?” Natalie said quietly.

Alex turned his face toward her.

“Do you think the Head still doesn’t know?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

It was the very question Alex had been wondering himself, and to hear it out loud made his heart beat faster. He saw the fear on Natalie’s face, and hoped she couldn’t see it on his own.

“I’m not sure,” he replied. “I don’t think he knows. I’m pretty sure Finder used to be away for long periods of time anyway, snatching kids for the school.” He paused, thinking back. “I remember seeing him leave from the library window once, and he didn’t come back again for like two, three weeks… I doubt the Head will have noticed yet. We still have time,” he added, trying to reassure Natalie, though he knew very well that Finder could have come back to the manor within that time. It was a hope Alex was clinging to, that his hunch was right.

Neither of them was convinced by the tale, but they both pretended to be for the moment. Natalie didn’t continue her line of questioning.

“Any sign of Jari?” Alex asked, wanting to change the subject.

“I saw him on his way to the boys’ dormitories,” Natalie replied.

“I’ll go see what he’s up to.” Alex tried not to leave Jari alone for too long these days. Since Aamir had returned a few days ago from wherever it was the Head had taken him—he still refused to say—they’d barely seen the older boy, except in two classes.

“Goodnight, Alex.” Natalie gave him a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was fidgety, and Alex could see that she was still nervous about the Head discovering what had happened to Finder. He was too.

“Goodnight. Try not to worry too much,” he said, patting her on the arm.

“Will try,” she mumbled, dropping her gaze as Alex tried not to hear the note of dishonesty in her voice.

“When are you coming in?” he asked, pointing toward the gaping mouth of the manor’s entrance.

“Not just yet. I would like to stay outside a little longer, see if we have missed any exploded holes,” she explained with a wry grin, glancing up at the blasts in the creeping gray ivy. Some of the blows had gouged dents in the brickwork, but nothing even near big enough to escape from.

Alex laughed. “Okay, well… see you soon.”

“Yes, mother hen,” Natalie teased.

Alex grinned, then headed back to the manor, his shoes crunching the wispy grass beneath as he walked.

The hallways were mostly empty as Alex made his way, his footsteps echoing loudly. The great walls of the corridors cast long shadows, clawing at his feet as he passed. The only light came from the flaming torches that burned brightly in the brackets attached to the stonework, making it difficult to see what lay ahead. Outside the windows was a darkened forest with creepers dangling, snake-like, from the boughs of huge trees, creatures fluttering across every now and then in a burst of movement. Bats, perhaps, with their leathery wings flapping. From another window, Alex saw a long, pebbled beach in chilly daylight, the sky overhead a stony gray as the savage sea charged against the shore time and time again, the waves snapping in tooth-like peaks. It didn’t look particularly inviting, and Alex was certain the water would be freezing if one waded in to swim.

He was glad when the dormitories finally came into sight. He crossed over the familiar border to the boys’ section and walked down a few more passageways, knowing the route by heart now, until he came to his own room. He didn’t bother to knock as he entered.

Jari was sitting on his bed, and turned with a wide smile as Alex stepped into the room. His eyes lit up with excitement as he crawled to the edge of his bed and sat up on his knees.

“Where have you been? Having some alone time with Natalie again?” Jari grinned.

“Just out in the grounds, checking on the ivy situation.” Alex couldn’t help but smile in return. Jari’s cheerfulness, even at the worst of times, was infectious.

“Any luck?” Jari asked.

Alex shrugged. “Not really,” he admitted.

“That’s a shame… Can you believe Aamir is a teacher now?” Jari asked, flopping back down onto the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. “How cool is that?”

Alex sat down on his own bed, pulling out his pajamas. “It’s pretty cool.” Jari’s fixation on Aamir’s “promotion” was starting to get on Alex’s nerves; yes, it was a major relief that Aamir had swerved away from graduation, but they had no evidence whatsoever that this promotion was going to turn out to be a good thing for Aamir.

“I mean, the way he took down Derhin like that—I can’t get over it!” Jari whooped, punching the air, imitating Aamir’s last blow to Derhin’s face. “He’s a hero.”

“I guess so.” Alex tried not to picture the blood on the grass, but Derhin’s last-ditch attempt at survival replayed over and over in his mind… That golden monster he had summoned, seemingly from the ground. What was that thing, anyway? The memory still bothered him.

“What do you mean you ‘guess so’? He was amazing! I can’t believe he’s a teacher.” Jari laughed. “I mean, I always knew he was going to go places, but—this is awesome! I bet he’ll give us some perks, too,” Jari proclaimed, peering around the side of his bed to eye Alex.