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

“A book,” Derhin repeated. He rubbed at his temples, looking about the room. “You’ll need to empty out your dressers. Yes, you too, Petra, come on. I’ve got three more rooms to do, and I don’t want to be up the whole night.”

“Happy New Year to you too,” Jari mumbled as he rose, tossing the drawers from his dresser into a haphazard heap on the floor. Alex and Aamir unloaded theirs in a more orderly fashion while Derhin looked under the beds.

When the brief search was concluded, Derhin sat down heavily on Alex’s bed. Alex carefully controlled his breathing as the pillow he had hidden the book inside slid dangerously toward the professor.

“Look,” Derhin said, “I don’t need to tell you two this, but for Webber’s sake, I’ll spell it out. If I catch you with this book”—and here his eyes narrowed to angry slits—“I will end you. As a wizard. As a student. This is not something that should be tinkered with. Do I make myself patently clear?”

The three boys nodded. The air in the room had gone still as Derhin had spoken, and everybody was holding their breath, waiting to see what would happen. Now, however, the professor relaxed, shooting them his normal dopey grin.

“Right,” he said. “On to the next room.”

Derhin stood briskly, brushing his hands together, then smiled and vanished into the hallway. Darkness flooded back into the room as his lamp was whisked out of sight, and suddenly there was nothing left but the uncertain, worried breathing of three young men.

Chapter 27

The next time Alex awoke, it was to the sound of Jari arguing with someone at the door. He rolled over, trying to cover his ears, his body stiff and heavy from the previous night’s ordeals. He could feel his stolen book wedged up against his head, and shifted his weight so he lay more firmly atop it.

“He’s sleeping,” Jari said.

A sharp response. Jari laughed nervously. “Besides,” he said, “girls really aren’t supposed to—”

“Alex.”

Natalie’s voice sounded every bit as bad as it had the day before. It was hoarse, but it was undeniably her.

Alex groaned, propping himself up on his pillow.

“Natalie? Let her in, Jari.”

Jari bowed Natalie inside with a flourish, and she made her way over to Alex’s bed. Alex smiled at her, raising a hand in greeting.

“I hear you were sick,” he said. “Are you feeling okay?”

Jari looked around nervously as Natalie sat down on the edge of Alex’s bed. Alex noticed with some concern that her skin still had that pallid, sickly look to it. In response to his question, she laughed, shrugging.

“I did not throw up on everyone,” she said with a twinkle in her eye. “Only a select few.”

Alex laughed, but his heart wasn’t in it. By the door, Jari let out an indignant noise.

“Not as funny if you were one of the few,” he said, folding his arms.

“I thought you could handle it,” Natalie said seriously, looking back at him. “I didn’t want to throw up on anyone too sensitive. But I am sorry. I could not help it.”

Alex smiled. It was just like Natalie to try to spare the sensitive, but he hadn’t thought she would actually puke on someone.

“Well, I guess I can’t ask a favor, then?” she asked Jari with a smile.

Jari rolled his eyes. “Let me guess. You want to be alone with Alex?” He shook his head. “You two are not subtle. Let me just grab some things, and I’ll get out of your hair.”

Aamir had already left, presumably studying or practicing magic in the cellar, and Jari was giving the two of them a pointed look as they sat next to each other on Alex’s bed. Alex just grinned, saying nothing. This was probably better than any cover he and Natalie could have thought up on their own.

“We just want to talk,” Natalie said. “Really.”

“All right. Have fun talking, then,” he said, rummaging through his dresser until he found a small, battered book. On the cover, a woman swooned into the arms of a man with flowing, golden locks.

“Classy,” commented Alex.

“Entertaining,” replied Jari. He gave a cheery wave, then strode out of the room.

The door had barely closed when Natalie rounded excitedly on Alex.

“How did it go?” she asked. “It was horrible sitting in that stupid little room wondering if you were okay! I am so glad you are unhurt.” She leaned forward and wrapped her arms around him, pulling him into a brief, tight hug.

“It went okay,” he managed, clearing his throat. “I hit a few spells and got a little banged up, but…”

He pulled his pillow out of its case and drew out the leather-bound copy of Nobilitum Mortem. It looked different here; in the eerie, macabre setting of the Head’s office, it had seemed like a commonplace thing. Here, however, there was something otherworldly about it. Maybe it was the letters of the title, etched into the leather as if by an unsteady hand wielding an oversized knife. Or the way the surface seemed to warp and twitch at the touch.

Natalie didn’t seem to care. She reached out, hefting the book and flipping it open.

“This is really it?” she asked. Her eyes sparkled with excitement as she looked at the page. “Is this Latin?”

Alex cursed under his breath. “I didn’t look inside,” he said, taking the book from her and staring at the rows of indecipherable script. He felt a flash of disappointment that this would not be simple.

“Looks like it,” Natalie said, taking it back. “Oh, this passage is about corpses.” She made a face.

Alex paused. “You can read it?”

Natalie had tilted the book, and was squinting at the fine, handwritten text, glancing from time to time at an illustration of what appeared to be a disemboweled rat.

“I took Latin classes at school,” she said absentmindedly. “I am not great at it, but I think I can make sense of some of this.”

“That’s good,” said Alex, wetting his lower