The Chain (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #3)(36)

“It is still in utter disarray,” the Head sighed. “There were some very powerful teachers at Spellshadow, as you well know, and they were not easy to overcome when they chose to move against me. I am still trying to fix what they have done. One decided to scramble the corridors to hide the students, and each time I am almost at them, she moves them again. I know she’s getting weaker—she has to be. That amount of magic is enough to drain anyone of strength, but she’s proving more difficult to wrangle than I ever imagined she would be. A tough old bird, that one.”

Gaze, Alex thought sadly.

“You sound almost fond of her,” scoffed Alypia.

“It is familiarity, not fondness, sister. Do not get them confused.” There was a warning in the Head’s voice, though Alex could not see his expression to confirm it. They had raised their voices slightly compared to the beginning of the conversation, and Alex turned to look back through, curiosity getting the better of him. From the keyhole, Alex could only make out the side of the Head’s sunken face.

“Did you manage to instill loyalty in any of them?” she taunted.

The Head’s long fingers picked agitatedly at the armrests. “Two. One is dead, and the other has caused me no end of trouble.”

“In what respect?” asked Alypia, frowning.

A low, reluctant sigh rattled from the back of the Head’s throat. “Professor Renmark made the reckless decision to kill a lot of the students, rather than round them up.”

“How many?” Alypia growled. There was a twinge of annoyance in the curve of her delicate lips.

“Almost half, if I am not mistaken.” The Head sagged in his chair.

“So much wasted essence! How could he be so foolish? How could you be so foolish?” she hissed. “Tell me you have at least punished the man?”

The Head shook his head. “Renmark is my only ally, sister.”

“You are weak! You should never have been placed in charge!” she roared. “I told them so, but would they listen? I hope they’re turning in their graves now!”

Goosebumps ran along Alex’s skin as he beheld the fury of Alypia. He could feel it surging palpably from her, her eyes burning with rage. As much as the Head deserved everything he got, Alex did not envy him.

“I have made my mistakes, sister. I understand that, and I know I should have taken more care. But I am coming to you because I know when I need help. I need your assistance to restore the balance of the school so we can move on from this—so I can continue with my work to recruit students and replenish what Renmark destroyed. We need new students now more than ever,” the Head pleaded, any trace of pride gone.

Behind the door, Alex seethed with anger. Those students who died in the library, at Renmark’s hands, were more than an amenity in need of restocking. It wasn’t like running out of salt at the grocery store. Yet that was how Alypia and the Head were discussing the young lives they wanted to snuff out for their own benefit. They were far more than ‘wasted essence’—they were wasted lives, and it enraged Alex that they didn’t care.

Alypia seemed to muse upon the Head’s words for several moments, keeping her brother in suspense. Irritation still flashed in her eyes, but there was concern too.

Concern for their dwindling livestock, Alex thought bitterly.

“Very well. I shall select a team of guards and send them to you within the next few days, to help clean up the royal mess you have made. I trust you’ve managed to return the portal to its rightful place?” she said sourly.

“I wouldn’t be here if I hadn’t,” the Head snapped.

Alypia glowered. “Do not get smart with me, little brother.”

“Yes, the portal is back in place,” he replied through gritted teeth. “Thank you for your kind gesture.”

Alypia grinned smugly. “It’s my pleasure. Hopefully we can get this whole disaster sorted out before anyone hears about it.”

Alex listened in confusion as a stillness blanketed the room beyond. There was tension, as if one were waiting for the other to speak. The Head’s nails scraped and tapped against the armchair’s upholstery—a nervous tic, perhaps. Alex wasn’t even in the room and Alypia was making him nervous.

“What is it? Do spit it out!” Alypia barked.

Alex was convinced he heard the sound of a gulp in the Head’s thin neck.

“You have already done so much, but… there is the matter of my escaped students.”

Alex watched as the Headmistress’s face morphed into an expression of abject contempt. It was the kind of disdainful look that had to be practiced over a number of years, and she certainly seemed adept at it.

“Are you entirely incompetent?” she spat.

“I did mention that they had escaped.”

“Oh, and that means I have to seek out these runaways for you?”

“I thought you might have seen them after the portal disappeared,” the Head said quietly.

Alypia’s expression was beyond contemptuous now. “And I said to you, I sent scouts out after detecting a disturbance near the portal. They came back with nothing. They saw no one. They had nothing to tell me of any intruders. All they said was that the portal was missing. I suspected something had happened to it, but I figured you’d come and find me if it were a problem—and here you are, with simply awful tales of missing teenagers.”