The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)(24)

He would have stopped longer to look at the portrait, but the snake of light had disappeared around the corner, along with Natalie and Jari. Alex hurried after it, entering a broader corridor that stretched far into the distance, with doors on either side. The doors themselves were plain, boasting none of the elaborate etchings of the doors elsewhere in the manor, although some had small ceramic tiles hanging from the stonework beside them. On the tiles were different names and words, etched onto the smooth white enamel with black paint, perfectly curled into cursive lettering by a deft hand. They passed tiles which said Common Room, Library, Kitchen, Storage Cupboard—all the usual dull necessities—spread out at the bottom end of the corridor.

Alex wanted to pause the group for a moment and duck quickly into the library, to see if they might get their hands on any contraband books, but he guessed what Jari’s response might be. Their goal was Aamir; he could check out the library on the way back, when their objective wasn’t quite so pressing. Still, Alex felt a pang of regret as they slipped swiftly past it.

As they moved farther along, careful to listen for voices coming from any of the communal areas, the tiles grew more personal. Natalie paused beside one tile with an anxious look on her face, barely visible in the hazy glow of the light-snake. On it were written the words Professor A. Nagi.

“Do you think this might be it?” Alex joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Do you think we should knock?” Natalie asked, lifting her hand.

“No way,” said Jari. He pushed forward, turned the handle, and stepped boldly into the room beyond.

Aamir stood near the door, his shoulders hunched as he examined an array of belongings laid out neatly on the bed in front of him—pants, shirts, socks, underwear. A black leather bag sat to one side, open.

When Aamir turned, his face morphed into a mask of horror as he saw them standing there, smiling at him with innocent joy on their faces. Alex closed the door behind them, and Aamir observed the trio with a flustered look of fear.

“What are you doing here?” he gasped, his voice tight with anxiety. “You shouldn’t be here—you need to leave, right now.” Aamir took Jari by the shoulders and ushered him toward the open door.

“We came to see if you were all right,” Jari explained sullenly, resisting Aamir as he pushed him toward the door.

“You can’t be here! You need to leave. You need to go. Now!” Aamir pleaded, diving for the door handle and opening it wide. He shoved them roughly through, back into the corridor, pressing a finger to his lips as they stood out in the darkness. He paused, listening intently to the silence. “You shouldn’t have come—you really shouldn’t have come,” he whispered, his voice dripping with terror.

“We wanted to make sure you were okay… Jari told us what happened,” Natalie tried to explain, but Aamir was restless, his eyes scanning the shadows, his neck jerking backward in sharp motions as he glanced anxiously over his shoulder.

“You need to leave,” Aamir murmured again. “Come with me—you need to go. You really shouldn’t have come here.” He took hold of Jari’s arm and set off down the corridor with the rest in tow. Beneath his palm, he held the dim glow of a ball of magic, casting a faint light as they walked.

“We came for you,” Jari repeated, his face crumpling at his friend’s disinterest.

“I know… but you shouldn’t have.” Aamir shook his head, picking up the pace as he strode onwards, obviously hell-bent on getting them out of the teachers’ quarters as quickly as possible.

“If it’s the curfew, then we’re ready for that,” Jari told him as he struggled against the pull of the older boy’s strength.

“It’s not the curfew. You just—” Aamir began, but Jari cut him off sharply.

“We shouldn’t have come. I think we’re starting to get the picture,” he snapped.

As they passed the door with Library written beside it, Alex muttered his annoyance under his breath, wishing he had just made them stop for a second to have a look. It might not have been a wasted trip, then, he figured—they might have found something useful. Silently, he wondered if that was where the missing books were kept. Perhaps the censored gaps in the library’s index were hoarded within the teachers’ private library, giving them information students weren’t permitted.

Looking at his friend-turned-professor, a sour thought popped into Alex’s head. Aamir probably knew, now, about the inner workings of the manor, everything inside and outside of it. How much knowledge did their friend have, held back by that glimmering band around his wrist? Alex couldn’t help but feel a touch resentful toward the new professor and the secrets at his disposal. For a brief moment, even knowing it was unlikely and unfriendly, Alex couldn’t help but think that, perhaps, Aamir hadn’t wanted Alex to try to remove the band because he didn’t want to share his secrets. Alex pushed the thought away, knowing it was bitter and unfair, as he followed Aamir through the hallways, past the stern gallery of former and current teachers.

A figure stepped out into the light, blocking their path.

“And just what do you think you’re up to, after curfew, in the teachers’ quarters?” roared Renmark in his unmistakable growl, his eyes sinister in the pale glow of Aamir’s feeble light.

“I had some personal matters to discuss with these students, Professor Renmark,” Aamir said swiftly. “I asked them to my chambers, as they required some extra tutoring. We went on later than I anticipated, and I am just returning them now, to ensure they don’t get into any trouble. It was entirely my fault.”