The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)(49)

Elias’s words came creeping back—“a desperate Mage will do anything to win a battle”—though relevant, it seemed, for Mage and Spellbreaker alike. It had certainly sounded like desperation in Wyvern’s description of the Volstag women. A last-ditch effort to buy time for the others by using their essence. By bartering their souls as payment. Alex shuddered.

His eyes prickled as he read Leander Wyvern’s final words, feeling them resonate powerfully within the depths of his own heart.

I am the last.





Chapter 19





“Are you ready to go?” asked Alex as he sat down opposite Jari and Natalie in the mess hall, taking a small bite out of a rosy apple.

“What?” Natalie replied sleepily, looking up from her plate of congealed lunch. Her eyes, so dark brown in color they were almost black, were bloodshot, and the bruised-looking bags had reappeared beneath them.

“Are you ready to go to the cellar? We’ve only got about forty-five minutes,” clarified Alex, checking the clock on the wall.

Natalie shook her head. “I am sorry, Alex, but I cannot go today. I have a session arranged at half past with Professor Renmark.” She stifled a yawn as she pushed the remains of a mushroom through the gelatinous mass of cream sauce with the prongs of her fork.

“But we said we’d meet today,” said Alex, crestfallen.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” repeated Natalie, her brow furrowed in apology.

“Can’t you just brush Renmark off for once?” Alex tried a different tactic, trying to keep the annoyance from creeping into his voice. “You’ve been spending too much time on these extracurricular things, Natalie. You’re exhausted. Come on, just take some time off and come with us to the cellar. You don’t have to spar or anything, just sit with us for a while.” His gaze fixed on Natalie’s so she might see the concern that lay there.

“I’m sorry, but I cannot go today. I really cannot.” She sighed wearily. Alex knew she had seen the look of worry in his eyes and heard the troubled note in his words, because she would not look him directly in the eye. Her shifty gaze only added to his concern. It was as if another curse had settled over her, except Alex could not feel the physical presence of a coiled snake gripping her insides as he had the last time; it was a far subtler affliction than that. It was hunger. Not the gnawing hunger of an empty stomach, but something far more sinister—he could see it in her vacant stare and agitated manner.

“Yeah, I can’t either. Sorry, man,” added Jari guiltily.

“What do you mean?” replied Alex with as much serenity as he could muster, despite the frustration running through his veins.

“I forgot,” Jari admitted quietly.

“Well, what else have you got going on?” Alex asked, exasperation slipping through his mask of calm.

“I’ve got a few things I need to look over while I have the chance. The library is usually pretty empty at lunchtime, so I’m afraid I have a lunch date with some dusty old pages.” Jari flashed a hopeful grin, but Alex was in no mood for humor anymore. He had been looking forward to spending some time with his friends, if only to find out more about how they were and to see if he could be of any use to them.

With them keeping very much to themselves and their personal projects, Alex couldn’t help but feel out of the loop with them both. Jari had his scheming, but never seemed inclined to ask Alex to join him. Natalie had her extra work, but never wanted to talk to Alex about it, shunning the issue if he brought it up. He saw them mostly in lessons, and, though they didn’t say anything to confirm it, Alex felt like they had begun to view him as a hindrance, needing them to cover for him. Slowly but surely, Alex felt himself being pushed away, constantly held at arm’s length.

“Can’t you just leave it for one lunchtime?” asked Alex tersely, trying to keep the hurt from his eyes, not wanting to let on how wounded he felt by their apparent ambivalence toward him.

Jari shrugged. “It’s too important, man. Sorry.” He at least had the decency to look ashamed as Alex scraped back the legs of his chair and stood sharply.

“If you need me, you know where I am,” said Alex, discarding his apple. He turned and walked from the mess hall. The temptation to look back at the small circular table was compelling, but he managed to resist as he strode out into the hallway without so much as a glance over his shoulder.

It was a lonely walk toward the entrance of the manor. The corridors were empty of students, all of them still eating in the mess hall or catching a moment to themselves in the library or study hall. Alex did not pass another living creature as he walked along the familiar route, his footfalls echoing between the cold, damp stone of the walls.

Each day, the duty rested on a member of staff to remove and replace the golden line around the steps into the manor, to give students the opportunity to go out into the gardens. Hardly anyone took the offer up, but Alex liked that. The gardens were still a place of peaceful retreat from the restraints of the manor, and though they weren’t exactly classically beautiful in their gray desolation, Alex loved to roam the ruins of what must once have been an exquisite feat of horticulture.

With a wry smile, Alex recalled the stern, displeased expression on Aamir’s face as he had shown Alex the gardens for the first time, before accusing Alex of not taking magic seriously. Alex couldn’t help wondering if Aamir had been right; perhaps he still wasn’t taking it seriously enough. Elias’s sour words of reprimand crept in, leaving Alex with a sudden surge of motivation as he walked across the scorched earth, the skeletal trees bowing against the strong breeze whipping up around the gardens. He refused to be left behind.