The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 3 by Bella Forrest (i can read book club txt) 📕

The semi-spoken goal among the group was that they wanted to reach the real, non-magical world again. They wanted to get back to their families and friends. The only problem was, he could tell the idea weighed heavy on a few of them. He knew it did for him. It was a goal interwoven with guilt for those they had left behind at Spellshadow Manor. Alex could not get them out of his head, and so his plan had evolved slightly over the time they had been running, in an attempt to kill two birds with one stone.

He had wanted to move closer to Stillwater House and get inside the grounds, to try to find something they might use that could help them not only reach the real world, but gain the upper hand against those in charge in order to free the others who remained. What that entailed, he still wasn’t sure, but he knew it would need potent magic. For the moment, it was a pipedream, and one of unknown feasibility. But he had made the first step in the right direction. They were in the grounds, after all.

As for the rest of his plan, he had a suspicion their hopes might lie with the black bottles and the glowing red embers he assumed must be inside.

“The plan is to get home, maybe saving the others if we can,” he said quietly.

“Nice and vague,” muttered Ellabell.

“To get back to the normal world, I think we’re going to need to figure out how to create a portal,” Alex continued. “Now, I’m guessing that is going to require a whole load of magic and a complex spell we don’t yet know. I’m guessing it’ll be in there somewhere.” He pointed toward the school. “If we want to try and help the others, we need to gain an advantage over the Head.”

“And how might we do that?”

“I think it might have something to do with the life essence that’s being collected from students. The people in charge are harvesting it—here and at Spellshadow. So there has to be a use for it. There has to be a reason they need it, and that might be a weakness we can utilize,” he explained.

Glancing around the room, he could see the others were creeped out by the mention of it. Even after seeing the losers being dragged off last night, Alex wasn’t sure it had fully sunk in for his friends, what was actually happening to those who didn’t win. It wasn’t an easy pill to swallow.

“What are they using it for?” asked Ellabell, her former bitterness replaced with anxiety.

Alex shrugged. “That’s something we’re going to have to find out. If we know that, we can use it against them.”

His eyes trailed toward Aamir, who was staring absently into space. If Aamir was listening to the conversation, he was showing no signs of it. Still, it made Alex curious; if anyone knew anything about the reasons life essence was being harvested from students, it was the former teacher.

Chapter 12

Alex knew questioning Aamir wouldn’t go down well with Jari, but they were wasting time not using their biggest asset, who was sitting right there, his brain full of secrets. Without the golden band on his wrist to prevent him from speaking the truth, Alex was certain he would be able to garner some useful information from Aamir, even though he still wasn’t certain which side the older boy was on. If he was friend or foe, only time would tell. It was like Helena had warned—the band and subsequent curse had gripped him for a long time, keeping him under the influence of the Head’s manipulation. It might take more time than they had for his loyalties to change.

But as Alex approached Aamir to question him, he began to have second thoughts. Their friend looked like the husk of his former self, fatigue and despair etched on his weary face as he slowly ate a croissant Jari had placed into his hand. The older boy’s hands shook weakly. Alex hated that he had to interrogate Aamir now, but he felt the pressure of the task ahead upon him.

Deliberately, Alex settled down on the floor in front of Aamir, making his intentions clear. Jari bristled, frowning at Alex, as a look of understanding passed between the two older boys. It looked as if Aamir had been wondering when this moment would come.

Preparing to ask his questions, Alex opened his mouth to speak, but before he could say a word, Aamir raised his voice so the room could hear.

“Please, may you leave the room so I can speak with Alex alone,” he requested, his voice croaky.

Jari shook his head vehemently. “No way.”

Aamir smiled. “Please, Jari—I want to speak to Alex alone.”

Jari glared at Alex, seemingly suspicious about what he intended to do with his Spellbreaker powers. The boy would not budge from his place beside Aamir, the reluctance apparent on his determined face. Surprisingly, it was Natalie who came to the rescue.

“Jari, you must come with us now. These two have things they need to talk out,” she explained. “It is their opportunity to bury the hatchet. You have had yours—now it is Alex’s turn.”

The blond-haired boy flashed a look of displeasure at Alex, but he went nonetheless, ushered by Natalie’s stern hand upstairs to the rooms above, with Ellabell following close behind.

“Why didn’t you want them to hear?” asked Alex curiously, once he was certain they were alone.

Aamir sighed. “I think you know why.”

The memory of the offer Aamir had made to only him surged into his mind, transporting him back to the ballroom of Spellshadow Manor for a moment, and the trepidation he had felt there. Knowing that Aamir had been the Head’s puppet all along, he couldn’t help but doubt the sincerity of that agreement. There were other things too—inklings Alex had had, once given time to think about Aamir’s state. There were many unanswered