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

for her company now. Her arrival helped draw him back to the present, which, however stressful, was better than being lost in his head, blaming himself for things he couldn’t change.

She drew closer for a hug, and they both stood still beneath the snow, their gazes drifting to the ivy-ridden gates. It was hard to fathom that just a few feet away lay escape, freedom—something Alex had taken for granted his whole life and now, something he would risk losing his life to obtain.

Feeling the press of time acutely, Alex cleared his throat. “We should go,” he said hoarsely, detaching himself from her and turning back toward the manor.

But Natalie remained where she was, her eyes lingering on the gates. “We will see the other side of them again.” She whispered so softly, she spoke more to herself than Alex. Her gaze hardened, anger sparking. “They cannot keep what is not theirs.”

A few more seconds passed, and then she stepped away, letting out a breath—her eyes still not meeting Alex’s as they trudged back.

As dangerous a time as they had ahead of them, Alex felt that blowing off some steam had done him good. His head felt sharper, clearer, now. He even felt his spirits lifting a little as he returned to the conversation he and Natalie had been having before he broke away. That skull…It was very possible that it was Finder’s.

His mood stopped lifting abruptly, however, as he spotted a figure leaning in the manor’s doorway. Jari. He wore a bitter expression as he watched the two of them approaching him, his hands stuffed sullenly into his pockets. He was chewing on his lip, his clothes tattered and streaked with mud, his hair slightly on end.

“Having a nice walk?” he asked as they drew closer.

Alex regarded him cautiously. “What is it?”

Jari grunted.

“How’s Aamir?” Natalie pressed.

Jari shook his head. “Not strong enough,” he said. His eyes narrowed. “But he tells me that you know some interesting techniques. Both of you.”

Alex smiled. “Natalie sure does.”

Jari shoved himself off of the doorframe, coming to stand in front of the two of them.

“He also tells me,” he said, his eyes sliding away to rove over the gates behind them, “that I am being a bad friend to the both of you. That you shouldn’t be blamed for his encounter with the professor.”

Alex remained quiet, watching the short boy.

Jari let out a long breath, running a hand through his golden hair and rocking from foot to foot.

“I’d meant to start practicing with him sooner,” he said. “It’s just…life got in the way. I thought…”

“You thought you had more time,” Alex and Natalie finished for him in unison.

He smiled weakly. “Something like that.”

The three of them stood there, uncomfortably regarding one another as the snow continued to drift down among them.

“Long story short,” Jari said, “I’m sorry. Not only that, but I’d like for the two of you to join me in training Aamir. I’m getting worn out doing this day in and day out.”

Alex stretched, still feeling the aches and sores from when he had last dueled with Aamir. “It takes it out of you, doesn’t it?”

“No kidding,” Jari chuckled. He shot a pleading look between the two of them. “So you’ll come?”

“Of course we’ll come!” Natalie replied, giving him an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder.

Jari sighed and led them through the grounds toward the cellar, and for a moment it almost felt like the early days at the manor. Everything seemed fresh and new somehow, the falling snow casting a cold, white shadow over the familiar scenes. The abandoned gardens. The disused statuary. The gnarled trees, their spidery branches hanging heavy with the winter’s ice.

Jari kicked the trapdoor twice before entering, and Alex felt the familiar warmth of the place rush up to greet him. Aamir’s fire practically turned the place into an oven at all hours.

Aamir himself was sitting against the far wall, looking anxiously down at his hands. His head shot up as he heard them descending the ladder, and a smile broke out over his face when he saw Alex and Natalie.

“You came,” he said.

Natalie grinned. “Still have to teach you to grab, don’t I?”

Aamir was on his feet in an instant.

“Yes,” he said, “you do. Show me the form of it now. I want to get started.”

He all but dragged Natalie away, leaving Alex and Jari standing awkwardly by the ladder.

“Well then,” Jari said.

Alex watched as Natalie began to walk Aamir through the forms, her hands in the claw-like positioning that Alex had seen so many times before. Aamir was nodding, his own hands mimicking the motions.

“He’s going to be fine,” Jari said, staring at their friend.

Alex continued to look on as Aamir’s brow furrowed with concentration, his hands moving in intricate patterns. He didn’t want to tell Jari how powerful Derhin was. How the touch of the man’s magic had felt like having the breath crushed from him.

“I know what you’re thinking,” Jari said. “Derhin’s a teacher, and Aamir, for all his talent, is a student. I know.” He kept watching his friend, and a little smile slipped onto his lips. “I know all of that is true,” he said. “But still. He’s going to be fine.”

Natalie summoned a ball of fire, lifting it into the air between her and Aamir. Aamir thrust out his hand, his fingers grasping, then closing. The fire wavered, slipping an inch or two toward Aamir. Natalie smiled, saying something with an encouraging nod.

“He’s going to be fine,” Jari repeated.

It was as though the words were a mantra, and repeating them would make them true. Alex thought again of Derhin. Of the power the man wielded. He thought of the feeling of having his neck crushed by the man’s magic, then looked at Aamir again.

Alex joined in the prayer. “He’s going to be fine.”

Chapter 37

The days melted by in a snowy wash as they trained. All four of them stopped attending class, a fact that earned them