The Chain (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #3)(60)

Silence and shifty stares followed.

“You’re joking,” he muttered in disbelief. “Well, my goal here is to find another portal, or make one if I have to, and get the hell out of this place. I want to get home—I thought that’s what we all wanted? Did I miss something? Did she offer you something else, that she didn’t offer me? Because otherwise this is ridiculous.”

Ellabell nodded. “Absolutely, we’re leaving. That’s the plan and we’re sticking to it. I know I’d like to see home again,” she agreed.

Aamir and Natalie didn’t seem entirely convinced. Alex caught a look passing between them, though they made noises of agreement toward their waiting friends.

“You shouldn’t even have to think about it, guys! Both of you have friends and family out there who are worried sick at home, thinking you’re dead or worse. I mean, Natalie—your family sent you off to a foreign country and you never came back! Aren’t you upset? Don’t you feel like you should get home to them, so they can stop worrying about the girl who just vanished off the face of the earth?” Alex struggled to keep himself from yelling. He wanted to shake them into seeing sense. “And though I barely know anything about your family, Aamir, I imagine they feel the same. I bet they’re home right now, wishing you would just walk back through the door. Is the power of magic really more important than them?”

The tirade seemed to cow them, forcing them to sheepishly come around to the idea Alex was talking about—as if his words and the memory of their families had removed them momentarily from a slight trance. Their state of mind worried Alex; he did not like to see that they were losing sight of what was important: home.

“Has anyone seen Jari?” asked Alex, realizing their friend was missing.

Aamir shook his head. “Not since the cells.”

“Yeah, not since he got taken away,” agreed Ellabell, pushing her spectacles anxiously back up the bridge of her nose.

“I have not seen him either,” Natalie frowned.

Concern fell over the group as Alex felt a twist of guilt in the pit of his stomach, realizing with some certainty that Jari must have been the only one among them to deny the offer Alypia made. It was the only explanation for his absence.

“Do you think he—” began Alex, only to be interrupted by another knock at the door.

It was Helena, whose face was pale and fearful as she peered around the door, as if she already expected the suspicion they must feel about her. Hurrying in, she closed the door behind her and jumped straight to defending herself.

“I had nothing to do with it!” she yelped. “I didn’t tell anyone, I swear—somebody must have seen me rowing over to deliver supplies and sounded the alarm. I didn’t say a word about you. You have to believe me!” There was honesty in her plea, but Alex and the others still maintained a level of caution.

“I thought that might be the case,” said Alex, trying to calm the girl.

She nodded. “As soon as I knew they had taken you, I tried to get the guards to let me down to the cells, but they wouldn’t, no matter how much I begged. They’ve never said no to me before, but this time they wouldn’t do as I said, and then someone came for me too—I was taken away and punished for hiding you,” she explained woefully.

On her pale, porcelain skin, just below the sleeves of her t-shirt, she bore the livid, deep purple bruises of whatever that punishment had entailed. It looked painful, though she didn’t show it on her face. As soon as he saw the bruises, Alex felt guilty for what she had suffered, musing grimly how guilty he felt about everything these days.

“Do you know where Jari is?” pressed Alex.

She nodded quickly, lowering her voice. “I know where they’re keeping Jari, but I won’t be able to get to him to set him free—not today, anyway. He is under heavy guard. I’ll need a couple of days to come up with something, but in the meantime, I need you to keep your heads down and do as you’re told. It’ll give him a better chance.”

It was a warning as much as a suggestion, and sounded kindly meant. She seemed genuinely sad about Jari, and Alex could see she shared their concern for him.

“For now, you should rest, clean up, and come down to the refectory for something to eat if you’re feeling hungry,” she encouraged brightly. “You won’t be put onto the schedule for a few days, while you get settled in and recover fully, but you might find you have a guard or two show up if you wander too far into the school,” she told them apologetically. “The key places are easy enough to find though—the refectory is down the stairs, through the square, into the building opposite and down the corridor. You can’t miss it. Everything you’ll need is pretty much signposted, and if you get lost, just ask somebody. I’ll meet you at the refectory in a few hours, if you’d like?”

“Thank you, Helena.” Alex smiled kindly.

They watched her leave.

When she was gone, the foursome sat around Alex’s room, saying very little, though their faces spoke volumes. It was clear they were all thinking about Jari, feeling guilty about their decision to take Alypia’s offer.





Chapter 23





After a long bath, unable to relax much thanks to the worry he felt for their still-absent friend, Alex slept for a while, waking as the afternoon was at its peak. It seemed the others had the same idea, as he found them coming toward his room just as he was leaving it to search for them. Though they were all still anxious for Jari, they had little to do with their schedules empty and their bodies rested, and so they decided to explore the school a bit.