The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)(65)

“Fine,” muttered Alex as he wandered toward one of the crumbling gray walls of the garden and slipped through a passageway he had never seen before. It led out into what must once have been a walled garden, with plateaued steps of fringed cobbles leading down to a water feature, long dried up. Bleak-faced cherubs stared out at the grim garden in various states of decay, some missing their pudgy stone faces or a few chubby limbs, while most of their bows had been smashed away. A thick layer of spongy white lichen and dark brown mulch carpeted the bottom of the water feature’s bowl, which might have been made from fine marble. It was barely recognizable now. Alex walked toward it, leaning up against the crimped lip of the basin, curved to look like an oyster shell.

“Alex, you mustn’t be upset,” said Natalie as she leaned beside him on the oyster basin.

“Who said I was upset?” he muttered, kicking a pebble away with the toe of his shoe.

“I understand how it must have looked,” she explained. “I know we have not been around so much, and I know what you must think, but we are doing it for the good of the others.” She let out a low, regretful sigh.

“Then why?” he asked.

“Why haven’t we asked you to join us? Or why have we not been around so much?” she replied, fidgeting anxiously.

Alex shrugged. “Both.”

“The first is more simple, though I see now that, perhaps, it was not the best plan. We did not invite you along for your own benefit—to keep your powers a secret, I suppose. It did not seem wise to let everyone know what you are, because you cannot be sure who you can trust in this place,” she began, her words a touch mysterious as she gazed off into the middle distance.

“You could have told me, though,” said Alex steadily.

“I see that now. We were silly not to have told you,” she agreed, flashing Alex an apologetic smile.

“How long has it been going on?” he asked, out of curiosity, trying to smother any residual hurt. A note of deception still lingered in the air between them, and he could not brush it off. Given the chance again, he sensed they still would’ve lied to him. He wondered silently if an invitation would be extended once they left the garden—he wasn’t convinced it would be.

“We have not been doing this for as long as you might suspect. A few lunchtimes while the rules were in place, and more often now that many have been lifted,” she said.

“And the new spells?”

“Well, actually, that is part of the second question, in a way. Some of the spells Professor Renmark has been teaching me, I have taught to the other students. We must get them prepared for what may come, and the magic I have learned is very powerful and will be very useful if we must fight,” she explained grimly.

“A fight?” murmured Alex.

She nodded. “If the time comes when we must rise up against the Head, everyone must be prepared. If we all fight, we may have a chance to win. If it is only a few, we will surely lose,” she said firmly.

“What has he been teaching you?” asked Alex.

“Professor Renmark?”

Alex nodded.

“Many things, from many books that other students do not see. He has promised to teach me from a book of dark arts, but we have not yet begun,” she whispered, her eyes glittering with excitement.

“You promised me you wouldn’t delve into the darker arts, Natalie. You said you’d never be so stupid as to take those risks,” said Alex with alarm, trying to keep the chastisement from his voice.

“You should not worry so much, Alex. I am getting stronger every single day.” She smiled reassuringly, but Alex wasn’t convinced; he had read of life magic and death magic, and neither ended well. The price of a piece of the soul could never be worth the prize. “How are your skills coming along, by the way? Jari tells me you are improving,” she said, her voice bright with genuine enthusiasm.

Alex frowned, wondering how Jari knew his skills were improving. Perhaps his blond-haired friend had been paying more attention than Alex thought.

“I’m getting much better,” admitted Alex. He wondered whether to tell Natalie about the notebook, but a warning shiver prickled up the back of his neck, keeping the words from slipping out of his mouth. “I’m teaching myself a lot,” he half lied.

“That is wonderful to hear!” She gave him a cheerful grin. “I knew you would figure your powers out eventually.”

“Yeah, I’m getting there,” he replied dryly.

“Well, I must be getting back,” said Natalie.

“Yeah, me too,” said Alex.

They set off up the steps and slipped out of the walled garden. As they parted ways, Alex couldn’t help but watch as Natalie walked in the direction of the cellar, his invitation still nonexistent. They neither wanted him nor needed him, despite what he could do.

As he wandered back toward the manor, he pondered why he hadn’t told Natalie about the notebook. He knew it wasn’t just the invisible gag of Elias’s stern retribution; there was something else, running alongside it. An uneasy feeling in the pit of his stomach.

It seemed everyone really did have their secrets.





Chapter 25





The following day, for the first time in a long while, Alex was surprised to see Jari and Natalie waiting for him in the mess hall at dinner. In their usual spot by the window, they sat down to eat together, though the tension from the previous lunchtime’s discovery still lingered in the air between them.