The Chain (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #3)(88)

“We’re planning to try and use a portal to get back out into the non-magical world,” replied Alex quietly.

She nodded vigorously. “Tricky, but excellent! Yes, good, superb, definitely worthwhile if you can get one going.”

For a moment, she fell silent, her head tilted in wonderment at the figure still hovering in the hallway, not wanting to come into the cell. Alex watched Gaze as her eyes flitted from the floor to Helena and back, mumbling incoherently to herself.

“What’s wrong?” he pressed, kneeling beside her on the stones.

She stared at Helena. “What on earth are you doing fraternizing with a girl like that?” she whispered.

Alex frowned. “What do you mean?”

“Her—that silver-haired creature. She’s one of them,” explained Gaze, though their expressions remained blank. “She is royalty!”

“All the mages are nobles here,” Alex said, somewhat confused.

“No, no, you don’t understand,” Gaze sighed. “That, if I’m not mistaken—and I don’t think my eyes have managed to get that bad—is Princess Helena.”

The group turned in alarm toward Helena, but she simply smiled and waved, not sure why they were all looking at her with such strange expressions on their faces, having been out of earshot of the conversation while standing guard.

“She’s Alypia’s daughter, and bound to be bad news if she’s anything like her mother. I’ve never known anyone as vicious as that white-haired harpy,” Gaze muttered.

Suddenly, things began to make sense to Alex. It explained Helena’s ability to move in places she wasn’t supposed to and her mysterious ‘sources.’ Alex had to wonder if one of those ‘sources’ was Alypia herself. The thought made him shudder with dread, not knowing how much Helena had told her mother, either on purpose or by accident. Alypia wasn’t a stupid woman—maybe Helena had slipped up somewhere and given her mother information she needed.

Trying to stay hopeful, he clung to the knowledge that Helena kept them hidden and safe when she could simply have outed them to her mother. Then again, he wasn’t sure if her kindness had only been a ruse to gain their trust. Like the beauty of Stillwater, perhaps Helena’s beauty had blinded him to a darkness that lay beneath.

Gaze mumbled softly. Alex could tell she was fading fast, though she was struggling to hold on a while longer.

“Are you quite well?” she asked Natalie suddenly.

Natalie flushed. “I’m fine.”

Gaze narrowed her eyes. “No, no, no—there’s something… you are not entirely yourself. Typical, losing my skills just when they’d come in handy.” She gestured toward the blushing girl. “I wish I had my tea chest. I’d have just the thing!” She stared at Natalie intently. “Aha! I feel it now—dear, foolish girl. Oh goodness, you risked a great deal, chicken, a very great deal. You must promise an old woman on her deathbed that you won’t do such a thing again,” she chastised quietly. “I have seen too many go to a dark place, unable to return. I would hate for you to venture there.”

Natalie nodded, her eyes filling with tears. “I promise I will not. I would enjoy one of your teas right now,” she chuckled, brushing away a droplet as it fell.

Alex looked at Natalie, piecing together Gaze’s meaning. He thought back to the portal and how weak she was afterward, and felt horror as his suspicions were entirely confirmed. It was as Elias had implied, that night in the Stillwater library. Natalie had delved into life magic, in order to save them, and had lost a piece of her soul on the way. Gaze’s senses had picked up that she was no longer entirely herself, but Alex realized that the ancient woman meant it literally. Natalie had paid for the portal with a piece of her soul—a piece she would never get back.

Natalie had a thoughtful look as she held Gaze’s hand tightly. Watching her, it made Alex think about how deeply his friend was actually suffering. She had seemed fine on the outside, but it made him wonder if she was struggling on the inside. How many pieces of soul did it take to change a person entirely? Perhaps she had not used enough of it to cause any visible alteration in her manner or character. He vowed never to let her use any more precious pieces, and to try to pay closer attention in the future.

It made him think about the strange, crackling magic that seemed to suck away any negativity, and he wondered whether that had something to do with her happier state of mind—whether it could even manipulate the happiness in someone who was missing part of themselves.

“And you, our special one? How are you coping? Are you still cold? I knew I should have smuggled in some tea,” Gaze murmured, turning her attention toward Alex. Her breath was becoming more labored, and Alex’s concern for her grew.

“I’ve been surrounded by magic for so long, my body doesn’t seem to notice it as much anymore,” he replied.

“And your powers?” she asked. “Any progress? I always knew you were capable of great things.”

He sighed. “It’s been getting me into more trouble than good, lately,” he admitted.

“Oh goodness, what on earth do you mean?”

“I had a bit of a mishap a short while ago,” he said vaguely.

“Mishap?” She frowned. “Big or small?”

“Big.” He grimaced.