The Chain (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #3)(64)

“Tell me about it,” she pleaded, suddenly melancholic.

“What do you want to know?”

“Tell me of somewhere beautiful.” Her expression was almost wistful.

“Okay… If you walk to the edge of my town, there’s a patch of woodland that you can walk through, and sometimes you’ll see a deer or a squirrel or a raccoon. The cars honk at you as you cross the road to get to it because there’s no sidewalk running next to it, but once you get into the forest, it’s silent—you can’t hear the cars on the road or the people.” He paused, seeing that Helena had closed her eyes. He wasn’t sure if she even knew what cars were, but he continued, “Then, you walk through the woods and come out the other side, where there are train tracks running from one side of a ravine to the other. The river isn’t much to look at, but it’s down there. Sometimes, in the spring, it fills with rushing water from the ice melting in the mountains miles and miles away. When I was younger, I used to walk to the edge of the ravine and climb under the railway sleepers—my mom would have gone mad if she knew, but it’s what all the kids did. I’d climb along the frame underneath the railway line until I reached a place where two wooden beams connected in a cross, a short way below the actual tracks. I’d lie there for hours, staring up at the sun beaming down between the slats, just waiting for a train to clatter across the top. It only did it a handful of times when I was there, but the noise was something else—the rattle of it in your ears, leaving them ringing for days afterward. It was scary and terrifying and wonderful, but somehow beautiful, with the river and the ravine walls and the trees and the silence.”

Stopping, he saw a tear running down Helena’s perfect cheek. It surprised him—these Stillwater folk looked too faultless to show such raw emotion, but, nevertheless, she was crying. She even did that beautifully.

“Are you okay?” he asked quietly, reluctant to disturb her reverie.

She nodded. “It has been so long that I can’t remember what the non-magical world looks like. I was a small child the last time I saw it, before I came here. What a beautiful place it must be. Thank you for telling me that story. I shall treasure it,” she said shyly, brushing the tears away from her face.

“You’ve been out there?”

“Once upon a time.” She smiled wanly.

“Do you think you can help us get back out there?” he pressed, pleased to see her taking an interest in it.

Glancing around furtively, she leaned closer to Alex. “I believe I can,” she whispered. “I may even wish to come with you, if you would allow me.”

This revelation surprised Alex, and he glanced curiously in her direction. He had presumed she was happy here at Stillwater, but he could now see that a seam of anxiety had run in the background of every thought and action she had made, up to that point. Where others happily obeyed every rule, she had dared to go against them. Where others smiled, she had cried. Where others would have handed them in, she had defied the Headmistress to keep them hidden. Where others would have seen him on the wall and raised the alarm, she had smiled and let her curiosity lead her to them. It was as if she were not quite as affected by the magic in the air as he had thought; she was not as hypnotized as the rest of them, and he wondered silently if this anxious, rebellious streak of hers had something to do with it.

However, before he could give an answer to her request to come with them, she stopped him by placing her fingers gently on his mouth, shocking him into sudden silence. It was as if she already knew he wanted to say “I’m not sure about that” to what she asked.

“Don’t answer now—I implore you to think on it. Please, Alex—I am begging you to just think about it,” she said, before turning and disappearing down the hallway, leaving Alex to his shock.

His mouth tingled strangely where she had rested her fingers, and he felt the burn of her magic on his lips for a long while afterward as he returned to his room in a confused daze.

Opening the door, he was in for his second surprise of the day, as he noticed the suit that had been lain out on the bedcover. Reaching out to touch it, he could feel that it was made of some exquisite, silken fabric. He held it up to get a better view, and saw that it was a suit cut in a more Indian style of dress—a long coat-style jacket with a high collar and intricate embroidery, to be fastened up the front with shining buttons. There were brushed silk trousers of the same dark gray color that he hoped would suit him. With the magic of Stillwater, he was almost certain it would—they didn’t allow anything short of perfection, after all.

It was beautiful to behold, though Alex had never owned a suit in his life, and there was an envelope on the bed beside it. He picked it up and slid out the card; it was a formal invitation to the evening’s proceedings, the text written in an elegant hand on the cream vellum of the card.

Dear Mr. Alex Webber,

You are cordially invited to celebrations in your honor at Stillwater House. Please meet at the dining area beside the lake at seven p.m. sharp. You are expected to dress formally for the occasion, and shall sit at the high table with the rest of our honored guests.

We look forward to your presence.

Warmest Regards,

The Crown Princess Alypia.





Chapter 25





As afternoon turned into evening, Alex took a bath and put on the suit, hoping it was the right size. Buttoning up the last fastening, he needn’t have worried—it fit him like a dream, making him look more handsome than he had ever looked. He didn’t know if it was some trickery or glamor within the suit that made him look that way, but he couldn’t deny it made him feel good. Standing in front of the small square mirror that hung on the wall in the bathroom, he brushed his hair neatly, as his mother would have reminded him to do, and looked at himself properly for the first time in ages.