The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)(21)

Natalie looked sleepy too; the warmth of the library had settled like a blanket around them. It was getting late, and they had spent long enough on shields and mechanics. They were just beginning to pack up when Alex became aware of a commotion at the entrance to the library—the sound of feet pounding the floor and the sight of a figure scanning the vast room.

A flustered Jari came sprinting along the reading desks toward them, wearing a look of sheer panic.

“Where have you been? I couldn’t find you,” he said, bending slightly to get his breath back.

“Here. Why? What’s up?” Alex asked, concerned for his friend.

“It’s Aamir,” Jari panted.

“What is it? Is he all right?” Natalie cut in, worry passing over her dark eyes.

“I’m worried—so worried,” he wheezed, patting his chest. He had clearly been running for quite some time, trying to find them.

“What happened?” Alex pressed. Jari sat down slowly on the floor, holding his head in his hands.

“I was with Aamir—speaking to him in his classroom, once he was done for the day. It’s the only time I get these days to just talk with him, you know?” Jari began. The other two nodded. It certainly hadn’t been the same without Aamir around all the time; they had all felt it. Jari continued, speaking rapidly. “Anyway, we were just chatting, about nothing much, really, when some kid bursts in, looking all guilty and shaky. The kid didn’t take the slightest bit of notice of me, but went straight up to Aamir and said that the Head wanted to see him immediately—that he was to go straight to the Head’s office, as he was already waiting.”

“The Head wanted to see him?” Natalie asked, her voice tight with concern.

Jari nodded. “Yeah, right away, and then the kid left and Aamir got all panicky and scared. You should have seen Aamir… He was a mess. He was shaking, and his face went white as a sheet. His eyes looked like horses’ do when they’re spooked, all wild and weird, and he was babbling. I couldn’t make out any of it, but he just kept muttering things under his breath, and I couldn’t get him to calm down. I tried to, but he was in such a state,” Jari explained miserably. “Then he walked out. He said he was sorry and just left.”

“I’m sure he will be fine, Jari,” Alex said, trying to reassure both himself and his friend.

Jari shook his head. “I don’t think so. You didn’t see him. He was a complete mess. Even before the kid came in. He just looks so tired all the time, like that thing on his wrist is sapping the energy from him. He’s in a bad way, Alex. I just know it. He kept trying to tell me things. But then his face would screw up like he’d been stung, and he’d just stop mid-sentence.” Jari’s voice caught in his throat as he spoke.

“What kind of things?” Natalie asked.

“Different things. He was telling me about how things were going, and then he just kept stopping, gritting his teeth in pain—then he’d just switch the subject.” Jari shrugged. “We weren’t even talking about anything we weren’t supposed to be. Nothing to do with the Head or the teachers, nothing! That stupid line is sensitive to everything.”

“Sounds like he was trying to tell you something,” Alex murmured.

“What do you mean?” Jari asked.

“Maybe Aamir was trying to tell you something he wasn’t supposed to, but tried to do it secretly and… well, the band on his wrist knew,” Alex replied.

“You really think so?” he said.

Alex shrugged.

“Do you think he is in trouble?” Natalie spoke, her voice hushed to a whisper as she glanced around, conscious of being watched.

Jari gave a tense nod. “Yes, I do.”

“Then what should we do?” Natalie said.

“We need to check that he’s okay,” Jari replied firmly.

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Alex asked, adopting the same hushed whisper as Natalie.

“We break into the teachers’ quarters and make sure he is,” Jari explained, matter-of-factly, as if the answer were a simple one.

“Seriously?” Alex did not like the plan one bit.

Jari nodded furiously. “Yes, seriously. We break into the teachers’ quarters while everyone else is asleep and make sure he is okay,” he repeated, as if it were obvious. “And, we can ask him what the Head wanted.”

“Jari, I hate to say it, but that’s insane,” Alex said. “You know Aamir won’t be able to tell us anything, even if he wants to. It’s too risky! What about curfew?”

“What about it?” Jari replied, shrugging.

“It’s a huge risk, Jari. I hate to sound like the killjoy here, but being out after curfew is a massive risk to take. What if we get caught?” Alex spoke firmly, a note of authority in his voice.

There had been much talk circulating about what happened if a student got caught after curfew: magical lashings with a golden cat o’ nine tails, spells of long-lasting silence, powerful curses to sap the strength from a student, and torture spells that left the sufferer walking on pins and needles for weeks, unable to soothe away the continual stabbing sensation beneath their feet. The worst, though, was the threat of an audience with the Head and the tales of his mind control, used to punish and torture those who disobeyed the rules. He would bend the world around them, tormenting them with nightmarish visions of family and friends back home. Alex knew what it was like to have the Head force his way into his mind and didn’t feel much like repeating the traumatic experience.