The Secret of Spellshadow Manor by Bella Forrest (best way to read ebooks TXT) 📕

He smiled. “Only one way to find out.”

With all the anticipation, stress, and worry churning his gut, Alex had a horrible time getting to sleep that night. He stared up at the ceiling, where Jari’s New Year’s fireworks had never quite faded. He found himself making constellations of the swirling sparks as they fell into place, his hands moving from one anti-magical position to the next, until he finally drifted off.

By some quirk of fate, all three of them woke at the same time. Jari rubbed at his eyes, and Aamir just stared at the ceiling with a distant expression. Alex sat up, propping his back against the wall. He felt stiff, but wide awake.

They dressed in silence and made their way to the mess hall. Everywhere Aamir walked, the conversations died as students stared at him. Whispers followed him like the wake of a plague boat coming in to harbor. When they reached the buffet, Aamir took only few pieces of toast with a single sad dollop of jam. Jari, on the other hand, mounded a plate so high with food that Alex had to wonder what the small boy was planning to do with all of it, because it certainly wouldn’t fit in his stomach.

They ate in silence until Natalie walked up, practically dropping a half-full plate onto the table. She had deep shadows under her eyes, and she fell into her chair in a way that suggested she had died and resurrected herself, mostly. He knew how she felt, and gave her a weak smile.

Their meal continued uninterrupted for a little while until a boy that Alex recognized as a second year named Ryan Cross scurried up to them. He had a thin face and gangly arms, and he seemed to vibrate as he stood before them, his hands smashing together in a nervous series of movements as his eyes carefully locked on everybody except Aamir.

“Excuse me,” he said in a cracking voice.

Aamir’s head swiveled toward the boy, who swallowed audibly.

“I, uh,” said Ryan, his mouth working furiously, his teeth pulling his upper lip into his mouth. “I’m supposed to tell you that you’ll be needed on the main green in thirty minutes for your d-duel.”

His voice tripped over that last word with a mixture of fear and excitement. Aamir, still staring at him, only nodded.

The boy nodded back, the motion swift and sharp, then hesitated.

“Uh,” he said.

“Go on,” Natalie encouraged him, her voice kind but firm. “It’s okay.”

Ryan looked gratefully at her, then finally locked eyes with Aamir. He gave a short but respectful bow. “Good luck,” he said. Then he turned and skittered off out of the dining hall door.

The whole room had gone quiet as the conversation took place, and now the other students in the room were openly watching Aamir.

“All right,” said Aamir under his breath, and turned back to his toast. He had only finished one slice, but he made to shove the plate away from himself. Jari caught it, holding it in front of his friend.

“Finish it,” he ordered.

“I’m not—”

“Finish. It.”

Jari’s voice brooked no argument. Natalie swallowed a mouthful of cereal, then looked at Alex.

“Should we go get ready?”

Alex nodded, and the two of them rose.

“We’ll walk out to the grounds with you,” Alex promised as they went.

Aamir gave him a stiff nod.

Their preparations were short. Alex retrieved his screwdriver and slotted it into a pocket while Natalie shoved Nobilitum Mortem into her coat. They both donned dark cloaks, and Natalie even slipped on a pair of black gloves.

“If you’re going to commit a crime,” she said, “you might as well look the part.”

She put on a dark silk scarf, drawing it up over her nose, then giving a little twirl.

“How do I look?”

A little laugh forced its way from Alex’s mouth.

“Beautiful,” he said, then returned the spin. “And me?”

Natalie gave an approving nod. “Very dashing. The image of a criminal.”

They met Jari and Aamir outside Alex’s room. Aamir was dressed as normal, and Jari stood at his side with a nervous expression on his face. As Alex and Natalie approached, he gave a little wave.

“Come inside for a moment,” Aamir said.

Puzzled, Alex and Natalie followed him into the room. Alex let out a strangled yelp when he nearly ran face first into a mirror image of himself standing in the doorway. Natalie gasped in surprise as she encountered her own doppelganger.

“What—” Alex began.

Aamir smiled at him.

“You’ll waste time walking with me,” he said. “And people will notice if you disappear. You need to be present at the duel. Jari agreed to make these two to come with us. You’ll go straight to the crypt.”

Alex frowned. “No, Aamir, we’ll—”

Aamir made a firm gesture that cut Alex off mid-sentence. “No,” he said, his lips twisting in a sad smile. “No. I appreciate the offer, but this is how it needs to be.”

The two young men stared at each other for a long time. Alex could see the fear in Aamir’s eyes, the tremble in his hands. He stepped forward, putting his arm around Aamir’s shoulders, and pulled his friend in for a hug.

Aamir tensed for a moment, then relaxed, his own arms encircling Alex to pat him on the back. Alex could feel Aamir’s heart fluttering against him like that of a bird, his lean body tight.

“I want to hear all about your victory afterwards,” Alex said with assurance as he stepped back, a hand still on Aamir’s shoulder.

Aamir smiled. “I’m sure Jari will do it better justice than me.”

Then Natalie slipped her arms around them both.

“We want to hear it from you,” she said.

Aamir, his eyes glittering, nodded.

They parted ways, Jari and Aamir walking in one direction with the clones, and Alex and Natalie taking off in the other. Natalie drew her scarf up over her face again, and they set off at a brisk pace, toward the hallway that would exit the manor near the cemetery.

A silence fell over them as they