The Secret of Spellshadow Manor by Bella Forrest (classic english novels txt) 📗

mist in front of him. Natalie was wearing a thin black T-shirt and jeans, but he didn’t see so much as a bump of cold on her arms. He wondered if she was using magic to heat herself.

“Yes,” she said. “But I don’t think it will work.”

He started. “You don’t?”

“Of course not. I am not stupid. I thought it might when we first got here, but that was before I learned more about magic.” She looked at him skeptically. “You do not think it will work, do you?”

“Well, no,” he admitted. “The gate’s probably guarded by loads of charms. But I guess I didn’t want to disappoint you. You seemed happier, more hopeful, when we were planning this.”

Natalie scoffed and rolled her eyes theatrically. “I am not some precious flower, Alex. You do not need to protect me from disappointment. I thought we were on the same page.” She glared at him, then continued slowly, deliberately. “Anyway, it is important to know what we are up against. And to know that, we must try magic. So I have practiced, and you have helped, and now we test the Spellshadow defenses.”

She strode briskly forward and grabbed one of the metal rungs of the gate.

“I have a family, you stupid gate,” she growled. She pushed, a light sheen of sweat appearing upon her arms as she heaved at the metal bars. Alex watched in awe as golden fire flared up around her, then surged toward her hands, but before it could strike the bars, it diverted, flowing straight into the gray ivy. For a moment, the plant trembled, the leaves growing a sickly green. Then it fell still, limp and colorless once more.

“Did you…?” Alex said.

Natalie only stared, panting, her eyes flashing dangerously.

“The ivy ate my magic,” she said indignantly. “I could feel it. It was like…” She shuddered, unconsciously backing away from the gate.

“I’m guessing your magic isn’t going to work,” Alex said.

Natalie shook her head. “I did not think so.” She looked at the walls. “Could we climb?”

Alex stared at the bricks, perfectly fitted and at least ten times his height. “Not a chance,” he said. “And even if we could, what are the odds there aren’t spells at the top of the wall?”

Natalie sighed. “Low.”

She strode over to the wall, pulling one long strand of gray ivy away from the stones. She closed her eyes. A whip-like line of magic came into existence over her head, and she frowned deeply. All at once, the golden line burst into a great saber of flame, which carved down at the thin strand of plant. Alex yelped, skipping back a step, but once again, nothing happened. The fire struck the ivy, writhed for a moment, then sank into the plant. The ivy glowed red for an instant, then green, then went limp. Natalie dropped the strand of ivy back against the wall.

Alex stared at her.

“I take it you spent some more time practicing yesterday?”

Natalie nodded. “I am starting to get the hang of it,” she said. “Although, the other girls tell me the mark of good magic is keeping your essence from appearing. I am not yet that good.”

“Still,” Alex said, his tone appreciative. “You improved really fast.”

Natalie rubbed her temples. “It is not enough,” she said. “I wonder what it would take to break this.”

“I read something about an old practice called anti-magic,” replied Alex, recalling a book that had mentioned it in passing. “But that was only usable by a scarce bloodline called ‘Spellbreakers’, and they went extinct.”

Natalie tossed her hair and glared at the gate, seeming not to have heard him, then drew her hand back and sank a shining fist into the metal. She drew back with a cry of pain, shaking her hand as the ivy glowed.

“Hey, stop it,” Alex said, stepping forward. “You’re hurting yourself.”

But Natalie wasn’t listening. She drove her hand into the gate again, magic rippling out around her.

“Natalie,” Alex said, putting a hand on her shoulder.

He noticed in shock that the earth around her was starting to twist, the gravel forming a swirling pattern as the dirt beneath ripped, caught up in the power Natalie was wielding. Little tendrils of pinkish light reached out from the heart of her aura, and a terrible cold washed over Alex. He reached out and grabbed her by the wrist, and it felt as though she were made of ice. He grunted, staggering back.

“I want to go home,” Natalie hissed under her breath, the magic around her snapping the air into pieces. “You cannot keep me here!”

Alex knew she was speaking again to the gate. He stepped up beside her once more, keeping his voice level, trying to snap her out of this dangerous mood. She had insisted she didn’t expect this attempt to succeed, but she was clearly devastated that it hadn’t.

“I know. And you will.” He pulled her away from the gate and put his arms around her.

The light went out. The terrible, churning magic vanished, and Natalie slumped against him, dragging a hand over her brow, shaking.

They just stood there like that for a time. Alex could feel Natalie’s frustration like a tangible heat against his skin. He knew he should say something, do something to alleviate the girl’s tension.

“Natalie,” he began, but before he could finish, the gate let out an aching groan. Natalie’s head shot up, and she slipped out of his arms, turning to where the doors had begun to open. Little tongues of magic whirled off her as she stared at a line of light spilling onto the grounds from outside.

Finder was bringing in a new student.

Without thinking, Alex grabbed Natalie by the shoulders and dragged her back. She resisted, struggling against him, her eyes fixed on the opening gate, but Alex threw them both into the thick ivy that hung down along the wall.

Natalie’s magic went out as the heavy plants fell against her skin, and she spun to stare at Alex with angry confusion.

“What are you doing? We