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

friends toe the line, they can all stay. I do not accept any bending of the rules. There will be no misbehavior, no midnight jaunts outside the House’s walls, no lateness, no defiance, no disobedience of any sort. Is that clear? I will hold you as responsible for the actions of your friends as if it were you, yourself, who had done the deed.”

Alex swallowed hard. “I understand, Headmistress. May I go?”

“One more thing,” she said sweetly. “I won’t stand for anything like what you all did at Spellshadow Manor, so I suggest you quash any remaining feelings of rebellion you might have. I’m not stupid, like my dear brother—I can sense your desire for revenge. I can see it, bristling all around you, and I am warning you to cease and desist. There is no point. If you try it, I will crush you.” Her eyes blazed with malice.

“I agree to all your terms, Headmistress. Consider my feelings quashed,” he said drily. The agreement, though he didn’t mean it any more than he had the last time, would still buy him more time to forge a plan, and, though there would be restrictions, he sensed it might give him and his friends a fragile cocoon of security to hide behind, while they figured out a way to leave.

Plus, despite everything, he could understand the value of Stillwater, and how much the others could learn from it, in a magical sense. It was a beneficial place, with people to challenge and educate them to the best of their abilities. At Spellshadow, they had been pushed to a point, but here, they might actually learn something they could use later on, when it was needed. He guessed there would be a time when they might need such experience, in the fights that were undoubtedly to come—when the moment came for them to battle their way back home, to the real world.

“I’m very much looking forward to having a Spellbreaker here at our fine school,” she purred, something strange lurking behind her eyes.

“I look forward to learning here,” he replied bitterly, trying to feign enthusiasm, though he knew neither of them was buying it.

“Our history and that of your kind are so closely linked, it makes perfect sense.” She smiled, her delicate wrist gesturing out toward the glittering lake behind her.

Alex forced down the bile that threatened to rise up his throat as he watched the smug expression spread across her face. He didn’t trust himself to speak, but that didn’t mean Alypia wasn’t going to. It was clear she had something she wished to get off her chest. A look of delight flashed in her peculiar eyes as she opened her mouth to speak.

“Let’s not forget,” she whispered menacingly, as she turned to glance out toward the gleaming water, “the very foundation of Stillwater House is built upon the backs of Spellbreakers.”

Chapter 31

It didn’t take long for class schedules to arrive, though Alex suspected Alypia’s hand in the swiftness of their delivery; the sooner she could distract the five friends, the better. The others had all received theirs, but they were different from Alex’s, as he had known they would be.

His sessions, as promised, were to be with the Headmistress and one other teacher, named Master Demeter, one-on-one. Alex wasn’t sure how he felt about that, wondering if it was intentional to make him feel isolated from the others. At no point in the schedule did his educational path cross with those of his friends, not even for subjects such as Clockwork, which he didn’t think he needed to be segregated for. It confirmed Alex’s suspicions that he was being kept away from them as much as possible.

He wasn’t the only one with a differing schedule, however. On closer inspection, it appeared that Aamir’s was different too. Alex supposed it made sense, considering Aamir had been in his final year at Spellshadow. But the older boy’s skillset was not up to the standard of final-year Stillwater students, so it was revealed that he was to have private, one-on-one sessions also, to build him up to the same levels that were expected of a final-year Stillwater student. The two of them shared a curious look as they went over their schedules. Alex could tell Aamir was wondering why he had been segregated too, when he could just as easily have joined a year-group of a similar skill level. Alypia, it seemed, was still playing games with them, although to what end, Alex couldn’t be sure.

Natalie seemed excited about the prospect of learning again, especially from teachers who were so formidable and encouraging of their students. There was only so much that could be self-taught, as Alex knew too well, and all of them knew they were a touch rusty after so long without any real guidance.

“I wonder what we will learn?” Natalie squealed, a renewed vigor in her dark eyes as she looked over the lessons she would be attending. Alex peered over her shoulder at her schedule and spotted some unusual class titles, including Mechanoid Magic and Barrier Combat.

Ellabell seemed excited too, though she was less vocal about it. There was a nervous energy about her as her eyes scanned the schedule she had been given.

“Looks like we have most of our classes together!” she exclaimed to Natalie.

As the two girls went on speculating about what the classes would be like, Alex felt somewhat envious. He wished he could have the comfort of being with his friends throughout the day—and have every class with Ellabell. Still, he was glad she wouldn’t be on her own with a bunch of strangers who had still not made up their minds about the newcomers, thanks to Alex’s behavior in the arena. The Stillwater students showed a general wariness toward the group of them, guilty as they were by association with Alex. But Alex could see that his friends were eager to start classes. It was a routine they had