“Sorry, guys… I am simply too tired to help you this time,” she said reluctantly, though her reasoning needed no explanation. Her exhaustion was clear for anyone to see, etched on her face and in her limp posture. “If you were to go tomorrow or another day, I could almost certainly help. I would very much like to help,” she whispered.
Alex glanced down at Jari, wondering if they could postpone their trip until Natalie felt more up to the task. He didn’t want to go without Natalie, but she was deathly pale, and a grip of worry for his exhausted friend twisted at his insides. He knew she was pushing herself too hard, and he was fearful she might break. Her pursuit of magical triumph seemed to be taking its toll, and Alex wasn’t sure what he could do to help. He had already tried to get her to stop, with little success.
“We could wait,” said Alex, flashing a reassuring smile at Natalie.
Jari shook his head. “No, it has to be tonight. I’m sorry, Natalie, but it is now or never,” he replied firmly. Natalie’s face fell.
“Why does it have to be tonight?” asked Alex, eyeing Jari suspiciously for any hint as to why. Jari was already twitchy, and this apparent delay only seemed to make him more agitated.
“It just does! We can’t wait any longer,” he snapped, giving no further explanation.
Alex knew time was against them. It had been a while since the noticeboards had appeared with the new rules and regulations written on them, and the likelihood of the Head returning, if he had gone away, was increasing with each day they didn’t investigate. Still, Alex knew it would be far more dangerous with just the two of them than it would be with three. Natalie was a strong, powerful Mage, and she had skills neither of them did that could be useful in the sort of high-pressure situation they were about to walk into. But Jari didn’t seem to care. His only concern seemed to be getting into the Head’s quarters that night, come hell or high water. Alex wasn’t even certain Jari was worried about getting out, as long as he got in.
“Well, we’ll need to get somebody else to help, then,” insisted Alex.
“Why? We’re good with just us,” replied Jari, the anxiety clear in his voice.
“It’ll be safer with three,” explained Alex. “We need a third to help watch our backs.”
“Who can we trust?” asked Jari, his brow furrowed in thought.
Alex smiled as an idea came to him. “We could ask Ellabell. She knows some great, powerful shielding spells that could be good for defense if we need it.”
Glancing across at Natalie, Alex saw a flash of hurt pass across her wide eyes. He watched as she tried to muster a smile, but knew she was upset by the notion of someone taking her place. He couldn’t blame her; he had felt the same when they hadn’t wanted to spar with him. It wasn’t nice to feel left out.
“It is fine,” Natalie insisted. “I thought I was tired, but I am all ready to come with you. I can do it.” No matter what she said, her exhaustion was undeniable, Alex thought. Bravery would not cover the weariness sapping her strength.
“No, Natalie. You’re exhausted,” said Alex kindly, patting his friend on the shoulder. “We’ll tell you what we find as soon as we get back, okay?” he promised, though Natalie still looked crestfallen as the suggestion of Ellabell hung in the air.
“You had best come with me, then,” she murmured as she turned and walked with them toward her dorm room.
Ellabell seemed a little confused as to why there were two boys in her room as Natalie ushered them quickly in. It was getting closer to curfew, and Ellabell was holding her pajamas over the crook of her arm, as though she had just been about to get ready for bed. Her brown curls were tied up into a messy bun, though a few sprang loose about her face, and she seemed less than pleased. Alex hadn’t spoken properly with her since he had made his excuses and run from her dorm room, and she cast him a peculiar look as he stood against the wall, waiting for Natalie to explain.
At first, Ellabell didn’t seem to like the idea, shaking the curls on top of her head.
“That sounds pretty dangerous to me,” she said, holding her pajamas to her chest.
“Aren’t you curious?” asked Jari eagerly. Time was slipping away, and the longer it took to make Ellabell come around, the less time there would be to actually get going with the plan. “Don’t you want to know if the Head is really gone?”
“Does it really make a difference?” replied Ellabell, echoing Alex’s earlier sentiments.
“We need to check. It’s for Aamir’s sake,” explained Jari, his voice bordering on pleading.
“Professor Nagi?” said Ellabell, her face surprised.
Jari nodded. “Yes, it’s for Aamir. We’re trying to help him out.”
“Is he in danger?” Ellabell frowned, glancing at Alex, who had yet to say a word.
“He might be,” said Jari, his voice pinched with emotion.
“I would go with them, but I do not feel so well,” murmured Natalie, sitting wearily down on her bed. “I would be most grateful if you would help them out for me and make sure they are safe. I wish I could go with them, and I am sorry to ask such a big favor,” she sighed.
The sight of Natalie, so pale and sickly, seemed to affect Ellabell, chipping away at her aversion to such a dangerous scheme. Slowly, she put her pajamas down on the covers of her bed and folded her arms.
“Why do you need me?” she asked simply.
“We need a third to watch our backs,” said Alex, leveling his gaze in Ellabell’s direction. “I know how good you are with shielding spells, and I suggested you might be able to help us out because you’re one of the strongest, most knowledgeable students in this place and you’re more than capable of helping defend us if anything bad happens,” he explained softly, his mouth curving into an encouraging smile.
“You suggested me?” Ellabell frowned, pushing her spectacles back up to the bridge of her nose.
Alex nodded. “Plus, there are stacks of forbidden books you could always have a glance through while we’re there.” He shrugged casually, hoping the temptation of the rare tomes would seal the deal.
It felt as if an eternity had passed as they waited for Ellabell’s answer. Her face was etched with concern and there was a nervous energy about her, but Alex hoped she would say yes. He knew it was a lot to ask of her, but her skills would be invaluable if they got into any trouble behind the golden line.
“I’ll help,” she said hurriedly, as if deliberating any further would change her mind.
Alex grinned as the newly formed trio said their hushed goodbyes to Natalie, and he and Jari ushered Ellabell out the door. There was no more time to waste. It was already past curfew, and they had to get to the golden line without disturbing anyone or setting off any booby traps.
“Can you put a shield around yourself and Jari?” asked Alex in a whisper. “A strong one that can protect you both as well as possible?” he added, his eyes darting to the darkness at the end of the corridor.
Ellabell nodded, her eyes wide with fear as she began to conjure golden streams of light from beneath her hands. “You as well?”
Alex shook his head. “Just you two,” he insisted, hoping he was right about his anti-magic protecting him from any magical traps that might be in place throughout the corridors. The barrier to the girls’ dormitories didn’t work on him, and he was convinced none of the unseen curfew spells would either, should there be anything out there, hidden in the darkness of the hallways. It was a big risk to take, especially since the Head suspected something was amiss about Finder’s disappearance, but it was one Alex was willing to try. If he got caught, he knew it would be a catastrophe. He’d cross that bridge if he came to it.
Slowly, Ellabell’s magic spread out in a glittering lattice across the pair of them, golden threads interlacing with other threads until a gleaming screen covered them entirely, lying lightly over their skin. Pulling her hands tightly inward, her face stern in concentration, she suddenly dimmed the radiance, and Alex couldn’t see them against the sha
dows of the hallway. The shield had worked, hiding Jari and Ellabell mostly from sight. It wasn’t foolproof, but it was better than nothing.
“Follow my lead,” whispered Alex as they moved through the empty manor, his eyes darting cautiously into the shadows ahead of each corner to scan for anyone moving about in the darkness. He didn’t want to come across Renmark by accident, or his new right-hand woman, Esmerelda. There would be no leniency from either of them if they were caught—Alex knew that for sure.
Eventually, they reached the entrance to the Head’s quarters, the golden line glinting menacingly from the floor, where it snaked up the walls and across the ceiling. As Alex paused, Ellabell removed a small square in the lattice of her camouflage, the shield glowing dimly for a moment as her face appeared in the gap. Alex wasn’t sure it was a good spot for a conversation, but he held his tongue.
“How are we supposed to get past?” she asked nervously. Alex could see Jari smirking behind her.
“Close the gap in your shield and turn around. This shouldn’t take long, but it might be dangerous, and I don’t want you to get hurt. I’ll call you when it’s safe,” said Alex.
Reluctantly, Ellabell wove the gap back together with glowing threads around her peering eyes, and he heard the sound of shuffling feet on the flagstones, as if the hidden figures were turning around. Alex squinted into the shadows, hoping they weren’t looking, before kneeling in front of the golden line. Concentrating hard, he conjured the body of a silver sword above his hands, feeling the twist and swirl of the energy as it sharpened the edges and gave weight to the blade. Remembering the tip from the notebook, he focused on the central pulse of the sword and flexed his fingers inwards until the weapon glinted solidly in the air. Only then did he dare to reach out and take the hilt in his hands, feeling the delicate balance and heft of the sword.
With a deft swing, he brought the blade down on the golden barrier, watching with surprise as it fractured in one clean break, each end rebounding off the blow of the blade and hitting the sides of the corridor walls, leaving a big gap in the center through which a person could slip through unnoticed.
For a moment, the hallway was still. Then, out of nowhere, an artillery of golden-tipped arrows and icy blades soared upward and turned toward Alex, glinting in the low light as they rushed in his direction. Alex dropped the sword and threw up a frosty shield around himself with one hand, the arrows smashing to pieces as they impacted. With his other hand, he grasped at the icy blades and snatched them from the air, hurling them into the slick stone of the walls, where they shattered harmlessly. His only concern was the noise they made as they hit the stone, the sound chiming in his ears as he held off a second wave.
Alex caught sight of something slithering across the floor from the point of the initial cut he had made with his sword. Tentacles snaked rapidly up Alex’s body, darting through the gap left between his shield and the floor. He could feel the bitter frost of the magical tendrils nipping at his skin as they wrapped about his neck, tightening and constricting as his hands passed helplessly through the golden vapor of them. They took hold of him, squeezing the air from his lungs, making it impossible to draw in another breath as they coiled tighter.
Panicking, Alex forged a small, glittering black knife with his hands, pinching the blade into a sharp point as quickly as he could before lifting it beneath the tendrils that strangled him. Concentrating hard on the central pulse of the weapon’s energy, his eyes bulging, he poured a layer of darker power into the blade, strengthening it as he felt the anti-magic meet the magic with a tense push of resistance. The tendrils’ magic didn’t feel exactly like regular magic; it was cold and defiant, more like his own. But the extra layer of force seemed to do the trick as the blade sliced savagely through the tentacles, breaking them apart until they shriveled away into small wisps of amber energy that floated downward through the air, disappearing as they touched the flagstone floor.
Chest heaving as he drank in the stale air of the manor, Alex made sure none of the attacks had reached the place where he knew the shielded Ellabell and Jari stood. Frowning, he wondered how much they had seen, secretly, from within their camouflage. Alex hoped Jari had kept Ellabell from peeking.
“You can come out now,” he said breathlessly, wiping the sweat from his brow as the shield fell away.
He could sense nothing in the way Ellabell looked at him that would suggest she knew what he had just done, but perhaps she had a good poker face. Alex wasn’t sure, but he was eager to move on, and gestured for them to walk through the first corridor.
Ellabell paused in front of the space where the golden line had been, her eyes darting suspiciously toward the walls as she stepped forward on tiptoe, like she was checking the temperature of a pool. Alex laughed softly as he watched her, his amusement fading as she turned and glowered at him. He held up his hands in mock surrender as he followed her through the gap and up into the unmapped shadows of this area of the manor.
Picking up the pace, they ran as swiftly as they dared through the hallways toward the main body of the Head’s quarters, Ellabell producing her shield every so often at the sound of something scuttling across the floor or a flash in the darkness ahead. The corridors remained eerily empty as they rushed through, pausing at corners, expecting the Head to appear at any moment and swoop down on them like a hawk. Nobody came.
When they reached a fork in the hallways, Jari came to a halt.
“I’m going this way. You guys should go explore the rest,” he announced without warning. He took off toward the right-hand route. Alex frowned, knowing the Head’s office was through the corridor that lay straight ahead.
“We shouldn’t split up!” Alex called after Jari, wincing as he heard his voice rebound off the walls in a loud echo, worried it would bring somebody to investigate.
Jari didn’t reappear from the darkness of the tunnel, his footfalls fading away to nothing as Alex stood at the fork, wondering whether to go ahead or turn left, to investigate some more. Who knew when he would next get the opportunity to roam around these parts so freely? But the purpose had been to seek out the Head. If he went left, he was going against that purpose. While he couldn’t understand Jari’s detour, Alex knew he had to at least keep to their target. It also helped slightly that what he was after lay within the Head’s office itself.
“Are you okay?” he asked Ellabell, who trembled beside him. It didn’t matter that she was a fierce young mage; he could understand anyone being scared of the Head.
She nodded. “I’m fine,” she whispered, her voice shaking.
“Straight ahead or left?” He gestured toward the two tunnels, leaving it up to Ellabell to decide.
“Straight ahead,” she replied firmly, glancing up at him with concern.
“Good choice.” He smiled warmly as he stepped toward the hallway ahead, with her following close behind.
It looked much the same as any of the corridors in the manor, although it lacked the grim portraits that could be found elsewhere. The only decorations were torches hanging in elegant golden brackets on the walls, the metal twisting up into the elaborate heads of serpents, which seemed to hiss at passersby with darting silver tongues. Alex speculated about who lit those torches when nobody was around, and his thoughts cast back to the plump, toad-like figure of Siren Mave, with her excessive blush and drawn-on red lips. He wondered if it was her—above everyone, she had seemed to have free rein of the place. Concern from this forgotten threat crept slowly through him, refusing to be brushed off, heightening his wariness as they moved stealthily through the halls. He very much hoped he didn’t end up bumping into her in the shadows.
In the low light from the flickering torches, doors began to appear in the walls. They were marked with brass lettering that had gone crusty with age, and, as they passed a door marked Library, Ellabell paused.
“Are you going on ahead?” she asked.
Alex nodded. “Yeah, the Head’s office is up there.” He pointed up int
o the abyss beyond the comfort of the torchlight.
“Then, would it be okay if you left me here?” She rested her palm against the stone wall.
“Are you sure?” he replied, his voice laced with worry. He didn’t like the idea of leaving her alone in this place.
“I know my way back from here—just in case anything happens. Plus, I don’t like the idea of going where you’re going,” she admitted shyly.
“I don’t blame you.” A hollow chuckle caught in the back of his throat as he gazed up toward the rest of the vacant hallway, though he still felt a twist of reluctance at leaving her by herself. “Are you sure, though? I don’t feel right leaving you alone,” he explained, hoping she didn’t think he was being too overbearing.
“I’ll be fine, but thank you. Now go on, we haven’t got time to chat.” She grinned at him, the expression lighting up her face. Not for the first time, Alex noted how pretty she was, with her bright blue eyes sparkling behind her spectacles and her curly brown hair bobbing as she spoke. Across the bridge of her nose, soft freckles dusted her skin, just above the deep cupid’s bow of her rosy lips. Her sharp intelligence and ready smile were captivating, and Alex felt his voice catch in his throat as he spoke again.
“Well, you know where I am if you run into trouble. Just yell or something and I’ll come running,” he told her, hoping he sounded confident.
“I’ll be sure to yell. Knock for me on your way back,” she replied, moving her hand to the handle of the library door.
“I will. Be careful, and keep a close eye on the door,” he warned, reaching out to take her hand and give it a light squeeze of reassurance.
“I will be. Take care.” Her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink at the touch of his hand on hers. She gave him a strange look, the expression turning into an anxious smile as she hurriedly opened the door and stepped inside, leaving Alex alone in the hallway.
As he walked on alone, he remembered the last time he had come this way, with the chambers of rotting four-poster beds with moth-eaten drapes that smelled damply of age and mildew. The rooms of people who had long since departed. He almost didn’t stop as he came to the door of the small chamber he had seen before—the stone chamber with the manacles dangling from the ceiling above a slickly covered grate. The pull of the strange room was magnetic to him. Alex pushed open the door. The metallic tang of blood and fear still rose pungently from within, filling his nostrils with the nauseating scent as he stepped inside. He couldn’t help but revisit this place, curiosity getting the better of him.
The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 2 Page 17