The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 2 by Bella Forrest (top ten ebook reader .TXT) 📗

keep the students believing nothing had changed. To mention ‘both Heads’ kept the secret of Finder’s disappearance from the curiosity of the other students, reminding them of the potency of their leaders, but Alex couldn’t shake the feeling of what it meant to him.

The Head knew. That was the crux of it. He knew, but he didn’t want the truth to spread, though Alex guessed the Head must have known the perpetrators would see the statement and know it to be a lie. There was only one Head now, and they would have to wait and see if any vengeance would follow.

A ripple of quiet surprise spread across the rest of the students at this revelation. Nobody could remember a time when the Head had left the premises before. It was well known that the mysterious, invisible ‘Finder’—the second Head—was the only one to venture outside the manor walls, in pursuit of new students. Though none of them had ever seen him, save for Alex and his anti-magical capabilities, everyone had seen the gate open and close, and the misty-eyed, hypnotized students he had brought through. The students of Spellshadow were proof enough of Finder’s existence, but his sudden departure with the Head spurred both alarm and curiosity in the other students. It had never been done before, as far as any of them knew.

The students wondered what the reasoning might have been. Suggestions traveled around the mess hall in a haphazard game of ‘telephone’, all of them asking the same question: What was important enough to call both Heads away, with a teacher in tow?

Another note on the board explained that Professor Nagi’s classes were to be covered equally by Professor Renmark and Professor Gaze, which caused a quiet groan amongst the gathered pupils—nobody wanted extra classes with Renmark.

The announcements grew worse as the list progressed. In the Heads’ absence, a new curfew of nine p.m. sharp was to be introduced. The message stated that if anyone was caught out of their rooms after such a time, they would be subjected to severe punishments. It didn’t elaborate, but the students could guess well enough.

Any former buzz of excitement had turned into an anxious ball of tension as the list went on and on, adding more and more rules to an already extensive list.

There would be an extra lesson put in place, after the evening meal, to prevent any lax behavior before bed, a time that ought to be used solely for study. Evenings were to be spent asleep, in the library, or in study hall—there were to be no alternative options. It also stated that students were strictly forbidden from spending their leisure time—what remained of it, anyway—on the manor grounds, as fresh air was to be taken within the lunch hour only, or not at all.

Beneath that was a warning that failure to attend lessons would lead to the same ‘severe punishments’, and tardiness would not be tolerated, under any circumstances. All of it seemed cruel and relentless, snatching away the final snippets of freedom they had clung to.

Surprise, concern, and worry spread through the gathered groups of students, the trio of friends included, as they read over the new announcements again, absorbing them with intense displeasure. The sullen murmur of discussion continued over uneaten plates of toast and soggy bowls of cereal, all appetites lost as the students watched tentatively over their shoulders, nervous that someone might be listening—the very someone who had put that board up.

Alex sat with his hands balled into fists, his knuckles whitening as he felt the manor closing in around him. Jari gazed listlessly down into a milky bowl of cornflakes, and Natalie stared blankly into a mug of tea, watching the teabag float idly. They felt the absence of their fourth companion keenly as they glanced back at the noticeboard, wondering where on earth he had gone.

The day passed slowly and uneventfully, nobody coming to get them mid-lesson or surprising them in the hallway as they moved from period to period, keeping their heads down. An atmosphere of uncertainty had infected the whole manor. Even the hallway windows weren’t sure what to think, one looking out on a beautiful tropical beach with golden sand and turquoise waves, while the next showed a violent storm whipping around the jagged peaks of stony mountains, grim and desolate, lashed by lightning and rain and hailstones.

“Come on,” Alex said to Jari and Natalie. They were at the end of their brand-new evening session, their minds exhausted from lack of sleep and a long day. It was eight p.m., and they had an hour to kill before curfew. Frustrated by the feeling of being hemmed in, Alex wasn’t interested in spending his last hour in the library or study hall. He wanted to feel the kiss of fresh air on his face, draw it deep into his lungs, and shake off the antsy, irritated feeling crawling beneath his skin.

“Where are we going?” Natalie asked, a little anxiously, as Alex led the way, striding through the hallways toward the entrance of the manor.

“To try something out,” replied Alex cryptically. His friends followed him.

In the hallways, they passed a few other students, who were rushing to their dormitories so as not to be caught by any marauding staff members. Renmark in particular had taken a perverse delight in repeating the new rules to the students during their first class of the day. It had fed his need for power, Alex was sure. They thought he had been strict in their first session, but Renmark had shown he was capable of much, much worse. Their two sessions with him that day had consisted of brutal duels and exhausting new spells that had sapped the energy of them all, except Alex, who had had to watch as Natalie plowed on, doing double the work, the strain evident on her weary face. He wanted her to feel the cool air on her face too—she had earned it.

Around every corner,