The Chain (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #3)(59)

Aamir chuckled. “She did. I never expected to be making another deal with the devil, but, honestly, this one seemed almost… reasonable. Five years and a fifty-fifty chance of survival. Is that weird?”

“Not at all. It’s one of the most reasonable offers I’ve heard.” Alex shook his head, glancing at Aamir with curiosity. The older boy was struggling to look Alex in the eye, and Alex thought he knew why. Seizing the opportunity, Alex dove in. “Speaking of offers… did you mean the one you offered me, back in the ballroom at Spellshadow, when you were still Professor Escher?”

It was a question that had been bugging Alex for some time, especially as it kept coming up. Even Alypia had seemed amused by the notion of Aamir’s offer, when she alluded to it in her office. But, more than that, Alex couldn’t get out of his mind how strange it was that the golden band on Aamir’s wrist hadn’t buzzed or crackled or made Aamir wince, when he had made the offer, which it surely would have done if he had been doing something he wasn’t supposed to be doing. Which begged the question: had Aamir been acting on his own impulses, or had he been instructed by the Head to make the offer, never meaning the words he had spoken? It hadn’t occurred to Alex at the time, that the band hadn’t made a peep when Aamir offered freedom, but the longer he had thought about it, the more it bothered him.

Aamir shifted uncomfortably, a plea in his eyes to not be made to answer.

“Tell me the truth, Aamir. You owe me that much,” pressed Alex, trying not to let frustration taint his words.

Aamir shook his head miserably. “The truth is, Alex… I don’t know. I don’t know if it came from me or if it came from the Head and I was merely his pawn—for what awful purpose, I cannot tell you. The lines were blurred back then; my mind was as much his as it was my own. It was like he was in there, moving things around without my say-so. I was a puppet, being forced to say and do things I would never have done, had I been in control of my own mind. But I was not in control, Alex. You have to believe me when I say that.” Aamir looked at Alex with wide-eyed desperation. “When the curse was broken, it jumbled everything—I couldn’t tell you which thoughts belonged to me and which to the Head. And though I know you don’t believe me, there are many memories that are shut off to me now… It’s like the curse being broken locked pieces of my mind away that were not intended for my own eyes. Everything was all mixed in together and so hazy I couldn’t think straight. I am still trying to fix it all back together. Do you understand?”

“So you don’t know anything. Is that what you’re saying?” asked Alex, somewhat dejected.

“The golden line on my wrist had such a strong hold over me—I can’t be sure if my offer was genuine or not, and for that I am eternally sorry,” murmured Aamir wretchedly. “But please believe that I would never have done anything to hurt you. I would like to hope it was the real me coming through, trying to set you free before anyone powerful found out what you are, but I can’t promise it was. The memory of it is like a fuzzy, warped picture in my mind, and though I wish I had a better answer for you—I am afraid I do not.”

Alex wanted to be angry with the older boy, but the note of genuine sorrow in Aamir’s voice forced Alex’s irritation to subside. Warmth and life were returning to Aamir, and Alex could see that it was true: Aamir was becoming more like his old self with each day. Perhaps one day, he would have a more complete answer to give Alex. For now, Alex guessed that was the best he was going to get.

“Thank you for being honest,” Alex said with a resigned nod, although another question rested on his tongue. “Aamir—have you been to Stillwater House before?”

Aamir was about to answer when another knock sounded at the door. Without waiting for a welcome, Natalie and Ellabell burst into the room, their faces cheerful. They seemed to have changed clothes and washed too, much to Alex’s envy.

“You’re here!” Natalie smiled. “We are just down the corridor.”

“So the Headmistress made you an offer too?” asked Ellabell.

“Yeah,” Alex replied, “we both received offers. Five years of study, followed by the usual gambit of the Ascension Ceremony and a fifty-fifty chance of surviving this place. What was yours?”

“I received the same offer, though Alypia said I might join the magical elite if I want to, should I survive my Ascension Ceremony,” said Natalie quietly.

“Would you want to?” asked Alex.

She shrugged. “I have five years to think about it.”

“Mine was the same as you two,” replied Ellabell quickly, seeming slightly flustered as it came to her turn. It made Alex curious, though he didn’t press her. They had all been under a lot of strain lately—perhaps it was simply that.

“This is all just a ruse, though, right?” ventured Alex, knowing he had no intention of staying at Stillwater House a moment longer than he had to. He didn’t trust Alypia’s word, but nor did she trust his. If the agreement was a pretense for something else, as it was with his promise, the real motive behind her offer was yet to appear to him. He could sense it had something to do with his being ‘special,’ like it always seemed to. When nobody appeared to be forthcoming with a response, Alex elaborated. “We’re still getting out of here, right?”