The Breaker

by Bella Forrest

  The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 2: The Breaker

  Bella Forrest

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Epilogue

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Copyright © 2017 by Bella Forrest

  Nightlight

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  Alex stood on the singed main lawn, scuffing his shoe against the white line that had been painted around the area where Derhin and Aamir had fought. The line was already fading into the dry ground, soaked up alongside the blood—Derhin’s blood, spilled under the impact of Aamir’s desperate fist. The battle had taken place barely two weeks ago, yet it felt like a lifetime.

  He looked up at the wall, at where the creeping gray ivy had been blown away during the duel, the masonry scorched. Alex walked up to the bare patch of wall and examined it, running his hands over the smooth, rusty-red brickwork for what felt like the hundredth time, hoping to have missed something he could use to escape. He felt a familiar cold ache ripple from his fingertips to his stomach as his body prepared to retaliate against the magic of the manor.

  It’s going to take a lot more practice before I can destroy it, he thought. He removed his hands from the wall and stared down at them, disappointed by their ineptitude. He wished—not for the first time—that anti-magic were as seemingly simple to use as the golden light that gleamed easily and swiftly from his friends’ fingertips, doing as it was told.

  Alex sighed, shoving his hands into his pockets, out of sight, as he wandered over to the gates, which were still curtained in ivy. A spark of anger burned in his chest at the memory of the fateful day he had arrived at Spellshadow Manor: slipping in behind the ghostly gray creature and a zombified Natalie, wanting so much to save her that the consequences hadn’t seemed so dire.

  His mind drifted back to the tomb and Finder’s demise, and he found himself wondering silently if they had done the right thing. Finder had seemed to know so much more about everything than everybody else, the Head being the key exception. And Elias, of course, but Elias only seemed to want to tell Alex a censored version of events—just what Elias wanted Alex to know. No more, no less. Alex wondered where the shadowy figure had gone; he hadn’t seen him since before Derhin and Aamir’s showdown.

  With Finder dead, whatever the phantom knew had been taken to his long-overdue grave. All his knowledge about the Spellbreakers and why the school existed as it did, what the Head did behind locked doors, what exactly “graduation” entailed… All gone. All of it. Elias knew some of the answers, Alex had no doubt about that, but he wondered if Elias would prove an even harder nut to crack than Finder might have been. A shiver of uncertainty trailed up his spine as he recalled the ghost’s ghastly gray face and tattered rags. What on earth had made Finder agree to let the Head do that to him? Alex had the feeling it must have been a matter of life or death, and that worried him deeply.

  Still, Alex wasn’t stupid; he knew Finder wouldn’t have simply given up all his information. It would’ve likely taken more magic and anti-magic than Natalie and he had to spare, and they may still have ended up with nothing. At least they had stopped Finder from recruiting more students to the school for a while. That was a decent consolation prize. Regardless, Alex couldn’t shake the peculiar feeling that they had made some sort of mistake in getting rid of Finder so quickly. After so many years in phantom slavery, Finder had been fed up with the Head—they had heard him say as much. Maybe they could have broken him; maybe he would have given them some answers. Now, they’d never know.

  Alex’s rage toward the manor burned a little brighter, and he kicked the wall in frustration, wincing as a twinge of pain shot through his foot.

  “Maybe it’s not so wise to kick magic walls,” Natalie’s familiar voice called out from behind him, with its exotic French undertone.

  Alex turned. The color had come back to Natalie’s face. Shortly after Derhin had been dragged away, kicking and screaming, to wherever they had taken him, Natalie had brightened up, a rosiness returning to her pale cheeks, a liveliness that hadn’t been there for months. Natalie seemed to have come back to life, the curse’s chokehold no longer draining her of energy. In the week or so since, she had become healthier than ever—her vitality restored, her black hair shining, her skin glowing, her eyes glittering.

  Alex was glad to see her looking better, but it was hard not to remember Ellabell’s whispered words from the library: “Just kill whoever cursed her.”

  Derhin must really be dead. Alex shivered at the thought, still hearing the man’s terrified pleas ringing in his ears. “We were going to escape together.” The words could not be shut out as they came back to Alex, spoken so desperately by the doomed professor. Lintz’s face haunted Alex too, the resignation as he had said he’d do it—whatever it was…

  At least it was nice to see Natalie smiling again.

  “Yeah, that wasn’t the smartest idea I’ve ever had.” Alex grinned, his toe still throbbing.

  “You had the same thought as me, huh?” she muttered, nodding toward the bare patch of wall. Strands of silky black hair fell over one eye, and she brushed them back behind her ear in a single sweeping motion.

  “Yeah.”

  “I keep hoping the duel might have caused a weakness in the gate that I just haven’t spotted yet,” she added, with a nod toward the unharmed metal.

  Alex sighed wearily. “Me too.”

  They stood on the grass in silence for a while, their gazes focused on the top of the wall, their arms folded against the light breeze whispering around them. Overhead, the sky was angry looking, bruised clouds gathering in a dark, metallic gray swarm, rippling out to purplish edges. Between the clouds, the sky was a dusky pink, the day coming to a close. It looked sinister, and the scent of rain was in the air. At least it would wash the blood away, once and for all, Alex thought grimly.

  “Alex?” Natalie said quietly.

  Alex turned his face toward her.

  “Do you think the Head still doesn’t know?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper.

  It was the very question Alex had been wondering himself, and to hear it out loud made his heart beat faster. He saw the fear on Natalie’s face, and hoped she couldn’t see it on his own.

  “I’m not sure,” he replied. “I don’t think he knows. I’m pretty sure Finder used to be away for long periods of time anyway, snatching kids for the school.” He paused, thinking back. “I remember seeing him leave from the library window once, and he didn’t come back again for like two, three weeks… I doubt the Head will have noticed yet. We still have time,” he added, trying to reassure Natalie, though he knew very well that Finder could have come back to the manor within that time. It was a hope
Alex was clinging to, that his hunch was right.

  Neither of them was convinced by the tale, but they both pretended to be for the moment. Natalie didn’t continue her line of questioning.

  “Any sign of Jari?” Alex asked, wanting to change the subject.

  “I saw him on his way to the boys’ dormitories,” Natalie replied.

  “I’ll go see what he’s up to.” Alex tried not to leave Jari alone for too long these days. Since Aamir had returned a few days ago from wherever it was the Head had taken him—he still refused to say—they’d barely seen the older boy, except in two classes.

  “Goodnight, Alex.” Natalie gave him a smile, though it didn’t quite reach her eyes. She was fidgety, and Alex could see that she was still nervous about the Head discovering what had happened to Finder. He was too.

  “Goodnight. Try not to worry too much,” he said, patting her on the arm.

  “Will try,” she mumbled, dropping her gaze as Alex tried not to hear the note of dishonesty in her voice.

  “When are you coming in?” he asked, pointing toward the gaping mouth of the manor’s entrance.

  “Not just yet. I would like to stay outside a little longer, see if we have missed any exploded holes,” she explained with a wry grin, glancing up at the blasts in the creeping gray ivy. Some of the blows had gouged dents in the brickwork, but nothing even near big enough to escape from.

  Alex laughed. “Okay, well… see you soon.”

  “Yes, mother hen,” Natalie teased.

  Alex grinned, then headed back to the manor, his shoes crunching the wispy grass beneath as he walked.

  The hallways were mostly empty as Alex made his way, his footsteps echoing loudly. The great walls of the corridors cast long shadows, clawing at his feet as he passed. The only light came from the flaming torches that burned brightly in the brackets attached to the stonework, making it difficult to see what lay ahead. Outside the windows was a darkened forest with creepers dangling, snake-like, from the boughs of huge trees, creatures fluttering across every now and then in a burst of movement. Bats, perhaps, with their leathery wings flapping. From another window, Alex saw a long, pebbled beach in chilly daylight, the sky overhead a stony gray as the savage sea charged against the shore time and time again, the waves snapping in tooth-like peaks. It didn’t look particularly inviting, and Alex was certain the water would be freezing if one waded in to swim.

  He was glad when the dormitories finally came into sight. He crossed over the familiar border to the boys’ section and walked down a few more passageways, knowing the route by heart now, until he came to his own room. He didn’t bother to knock as he entered.

  Jari was sitting on his bed, and turned with a wide smile as Alex stepped into the room. His eyes lit up with excitement as he crawled to the edge of his bed and sat up on his knees.

  “Where have you been? Having some alone time with Natalie again?” Jari grinned.

  “Just out in the grounds, checking on the ivy situation.” Alex couldn’t help but smile in return. Jari’s cheerfulness, even at the worst of times, was infectious.

  “Any luck?” Jari asked.

  Alex shrugged. “Not really,” he admitted.

  “That’s a shame… Can you believe Aamir is a teacher now?” Jari asked, flopping back down onto the mattress and staring up at the ceiling. “How cool is that?”

  Alex sat down on his own bed, pulling out his pajamas. “It’s pretty cool.” Jari’s fixation on Aamir’s “promotion” was starting to get on Alex’s nerves; yes, it was a major relief that Aamir had swerved away from graduation, but they had no evidence whatsoever that this promotion was going to turn out to be a good thing for Aamir.

  “I mean, the way he took down Derhin like that—I can’t get over it!” Jari whooped, punching the air, imitating Aamir’s last blow to Derhin’s face. “He’s a hero.”

  “I guess so.” Alex tried not to picture the blood on the grass, but Derhin’s last-ditch attempt at survival replayed over and over in his mind… That golden monster he had summoned, seemingly from the ground. What was that thing, anyway? The memory still bothered him.

  “What do you mean you ‘guess so’? He was amazing! I can’t believe he’s a teacher.” Jari laughed. “I mean, I always knew he was going to go places, but—this is awesome! I bet he’ll give us some perks, too,” Jari proclaimed, peering around the side of his bed to eye Alex.

  “Like what?” Alex asked.

  “I don’t know… Like, teach us really cool stuff. Some dark magic. Proper, complicated stuff that he might have picked up… I bet he will.” Jari lay back again.

  “That’d be interesting,” Alex humored his friend, though dark magic wouldn’t be good for him. The more complex the magic, the harder it was for Alex to cope with.

  “We should ask him tonight—ask him what goes on behind that blue line.” Jari winked, sitting up again, restlessly shifting around on his mattress with sheer excitement. “Do you reckon he knows where Esmerelda sleeps? I bet he does… Oh, Esmerelda, my darling!” Jari pursed his lips and squeezed his eyes shut, pretending to kiss the air as he wrapped his arms around himself.

  Alex snorted. “That’s gross, Jari. Aamir does not have a thing for Esmerelda…And anyway, I don’t think Aamir is ever going to tell us anything like that.”

  “What do you mean?” Jari replied, the humor fading from his voice.

  Alex sighed. “Aamir’s golden band.”

  “So?” Jari snapped.

  “So, I’m just saying Aamir won’t be able to tell us much. Don’t expect too much from him,” Alex replied, holding his hands up in surrender to Jari’s sudden mood swing.

  “Aamir is stronger than some stupid golden line,” Jari mumbled after a pause. He turned away from Alex to pick at the threads in his sheets.

  Alex didn’t want to burst Jari’s bubble more than he already had. Changing quickly into his pajamas and sitting back on the bed, he wondered if he might be able to break the golden line on Aamir’s wrist. Alex presumed it was made from the same magic as the lines in the forbidden hallways and tombs of the manor, and they had proven pretty easy to break so far—a few stray spears of magic to duck and run from, but nothing major. Then again, those lines weren’t attached to a living, breathing person. The idea sat uneasily with Alex. He didn’t know what might happen if he broke the line and it hurt Aamir in some way; he wasn’t sure he could forgive himself for something like that.

  He was about to ask Jari for his opinion on the matter when he caught sight of the other boy staring over at the empty bed in the room, still made from the day before the Head had taken Aamir away, when he had last slept there. The absence of Aamir in their dorm still felt wrong, like some important piece was missing.

  “Well, I’m going to hit the hay,” Alex muttered, trying to distract Jari from the empty bed.

  Jari nodded. “I’m just going to… stay up a little longer,” he said quietly.

  “Okay… goodnight, Jari.” Alex sighed as he nestled down beneath the sheets, turning off the light.

  “Goodnight,” Jari replied faintly.

  Alex’s eyes were drawn to the empty bed, bathed in moonlight, as he lay beneath the covers. Everything was crisp and neat and in place, the pillows perfectly plumped and the quilt turned over at the top, as if Aamir had never slept there.

  Despite Jari still holding out hope that he might return to share their dorm, Alex knew, deep down, that he never would again.

  Chapter 2

  The mess hall was abuzz with activity as morning light filtered in through the windows, some stray beams shining through from the slow sunrise. Alex and Natalie were seated at one of the small circular tables in the far corner, discussing Jari and Aamir. In between snippets of conversation, Natalie was wolfing down a plate of toast with a large glass of orange juice. Her appetite had returned with her new lease of life, now that she was curse-free, and Alex felt a pang of envy as he watched her eat. He wished he could. Alex had lost his appetite som
ewhat, pushing two squares of limp, buttered toast around on his plate, glancing up at the door every time it swung open, hoping to see Jari emerge.

  When Alex and Jari had awoken that morning, to their unease, Aamir’s bed had been stripped bare, the bedclothes stacked at the end of the mattress, though neither Jari nor Alex could recall anyone coming in during the night to perform this strange task. An image of a short, peculiar woman jogged Alex’s memory—Siren Mave, with her back alleyways and secret passageways around the manor. Maybe she aids in the removal of students as well as the enrollment of them, Alex thought as he tore a hole in a corner of his soggy toast. Yet, he didn’t remember hearing a soul, not even a tiptoe of feet. Nothing had stirred or woken him the night before. Whatever it had been, it was stealthy.

  Jari had simply stared at the deconstructed bed for a good half hour that morning, his face blank. Alex had felt bad leaving Jari alone in the dormitory, but the boy had encouraged him to go on ahead, promising not to be too long. Breakfast was almost at its end, and Jari was still nowhere to be seen.

  Finally, just as Alex was about to go look for him, Jari stepped into the mess hall, his face pale, purple bags beneath his eyes. He smiled faintly when he saw his friends in the corner and raised a hand to them before plucking an apple from the silver fruit dish and making his way over.

  “Any sign of Aamir?” he asked hopefully, sitting down in one of the empty seats.

  Alex shook his head. “Afraid not.”

  “You sure?” Jari turned to look around the mess hall, eyes squinting, as if that might make their friend appear. “He didn’t come for breakfast?” Jari added, almost to himself, a flash of disappointment crossing his face.

  “Not unless he was here really early,” Natalie chipped in, swallowing the last of her breakfast.

  “That must be it—he always likes to eat early.” Jari nodded, as if that made perfect sense. “We’ll see him in first period anyway, won’t we?” He smiled cheerfully at his two friends before turning to the rosy apple in his hand, lifting it to his lips and biting into it with a loud crunch.