The Chain

  The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 3: The Chain

  Bella Forrest

  Nightlight

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Chapter 22

  Chapter 23

  Chapter 24

  Chapter 25

  Chapter 26

  Chapter 27

  Chapter 28

  Chapter 29

  Chapter 30

  Chapter 31

  Chapter 32

  Chapter 33

  Chapter 34

  Chapter 35

  Chapter 36

  Chapter 37

  Chapter 38

  Chapter 39

  Chapter 40

  Epilogue

  Read more by Bella Forrest

  Copyright © 2017 by Bella Forrest

  Nightlight

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Chapter 1

  In the eerie darkness, they seemed to run for hours. Alex’s muscles strained and burned as he helped Natalie along. She could hold herself up, but at times, he felt her crumple against him with a wince, so he held onto her. The last thing he wanted was for her to fall, after what she had just done for them. Right behind, Jari and Ellabell flagged beneath the weight of carrying Aamir.

  What had seemed like a reasonable distance from the vantage point of the Head’s office in fact stretched away into an apparently endless field with a dense forest running alongside, filled with the peering eyes of unknown perils. The lake still glittered on the ever-present horizon, but it did not seem to get any nearer as they soldiered on across foreign territory. It was far bigger than Alex had expected. The gleam of it seemed to go on forever beneath the twinkle of the night’s stars. Alex kept looking back, certain they were being pursued, but the ground they had already covered remained empty behind them. So far, nobody was following.

  “How much farther is it?” Jari wheezed.

  “Not much,” said Alex, for what seemed like the hundredth time. He had just as little idea where they were headed as the others, yet he seemed to have fallen into the role of ‘guide.’

  “Do you think we’ll get there soon?” Jari pressed.

  Alex tried not to lose his temper. He knew they were afraid; he felt it too. “Hopefully,” he said.

  He could have sworn the lake was much nearer, and he wondered if the crackle and buzz of magical energy all around him had something to do with it, altering the perspective of the view from the Head’s window, like the stickers on car side-mirrors that said, ‘objects in mirror are closer than they appear.’ It was frustrating, to see their destination and still be so far from it. He wanted to stop and take shelter in the forest to the right of them, but there was something unnerving about the deep shadows within it that he didn’t trust. Not that he knew the lake itself was safe. In this peculiar place they had landed, all bets were off; he had no idea what might be hiding over the next rise. For all he knew, the forest might be their safest bet, yet he was drawn to the glitter of the lake like a moth to a flame.

  Finally, as he felt the blood pulsing in his ears and the heave of his chest threatening to give in, the lake came slowly within reach. Listening intently, he thought he could hear the susurration of waves gently lapping against the shore, although the sound of his rushing, overworked blood sounded a lot like that too. He hoped it was the former.

  The sight of it coming closer gave him a sudden surge of energy, and Natalie hopped along wearily beside him. She was relying on his strength to hold her up more and more as the minutes ticked into hours.

  “We’re almost there,” murmured Alex, glancing down at the exhausted face of his friend. She gave him a tired smile as they covered the last few hundred yards.

  The crescent moon shone down with a thin beam of pale light as they arrived at the lakeshore. Alex paused for breath, certain now that the soothing sound was coming from the water lapping against the beach, which was formed from glistening white pebbles that shone strangely in the moonlight. Alex felt a prickle of unease; he couldn’t be sure whether the odd pebbles were made of rock or bone.

  The very presence of the lake itself, so close now, also made Alex uneasy. It was as if he could feel his ancestors watching him from beneath the shimmering surface. Standing beside it, he couldn’t take his eyes off the vast expanse of deep, dark liquid as he remembered what lay under the water. The lake made him think of the macabre beauty of a cemetery. He supposed it was one, in its own way. Somberly, taking in the stretch of water, so much larger than he had ever imagined, he wondered just how many bodies were buried there. Impulse compelled him to mouth a silent prayer as he looked upon their final resting place.

  Setting Natalie on the ground, he glanced behind once again to check for pursuers. There were none, only Jari, Ellabell, and Aamir bringing up the rear.

  Holding his sides as he dragged oxygen into his searing lungs, Alex turned and gazed outwards. A gentle breeze, smelling slightly of ozone, washed over his face, cooling it. Squinting slightly, he tried to make out the other side of the lake, but he couldn’t see it in the faint light of the moon; it was too far away. He shifted his gaze toward the shore they were standing on, which he could see a fair way up, until it disappeared again in a line of twinkling water. In the overhanging shadows of the thick forest that ran alongside, Alex could make out a shape among a thicket of trees. It jutted out slightly, catching the eye.

  “Wait,” announced Alex.

  Jari and Ellabell had been about to put Aamir down, and their groans were irritated at the sound of Alex’s instruction.

  “What is it?” Jari asked, re-shouldering Aamir’s arm. His forehead was slick with sweat, and his sweatshirt was drenched. Ellabell wasn’t faring much better.

  “A building, I think,” replied Alex, pointing to the manmade shape within the thicket of trees.

  It wasn’t too far from where they stood, which seemed to curb Jari’s annoyance. Their current location was too out in the open; they could all feel it. There was an unnerving sense of being watched, or that they would be snuck up on in their sleep, if they stopped where they were, just on the edge of the lake.

  “Fine,” muttered Jari. They set off toward the hidden structure in the tree line.

  As they reached it, Alex could see it was a tumbledown shed of sorts, set back in a secluded clearing. A thin line of trees stood in front of it, giving it some camouflage. Behind it spanned the same dense forest, but it did not seem as menacing here, where the moonlight glanced in and brightened the place. It looked as inviting as any spot they were likely to find.

  The door to the ramshackle hut was locked with a rusted padlock, and, though it would have been nice to sleep indoors, Alex wasn’t sure they should risk the noise of breaking it, just to sleep inside a dirty shed. Besides, it was a clear, warm night—the perfect kind for sleeping beneath the stars.

  Setting Natalie and Aamir down against two sturdy tree trunks, Alex and the others began forming a makeshift camp in the clearing, making sure they picked well-hidden sleeping places. From within the
clearing, they had a good view of the lake and the surrounding area, in case anyone tried to sneak up on them.

  Alex looked around at the tired faces of his friends; every single one of them was at their limit, their eyes flitting about, their nerves set on edge, wondering if a search party was coming after them. He knew, because he was thinking exactly the same thing and could not take his eyes off the path through which they had come. Natalie had successfully moved the portal, allowing them to escape, but Alex suspected it had taken far more out of her than she was willing to let on. She was barely able to sit unaided, her body tipping to one side from sheer exhaustion. Her breathing was shallow too, and her face was pale and waxy, but she pushed Alex away when he tried to help, claiming to be fine though they both knew she was not.

  Aamir, leaning up against the tree beside Natalie, was still in a bad way too, as if cutting the band on his wrist had released something foul within him that had sickened him physically. His temperature was rising, and he was sweaty and feverish, calling out in his unconscious delirium about golden monsters and shadows that clawed at him. His voice was tight and on the edge of a whimper, laced with an undeniable tremor of fear. It spooked Alex, and he could see fear on the others’ faces with each garbled cry, but no scream was as terrifying as the next words that came from Aamir’s mouth.

  “It will come… a plague will sweep the land… no escape… coming for us!” Aamir cried, lashing out in his unconscious state. Jari rushed to him, trying to soothe the sleeping figure as he twisted and turned beneath the hands of imaginary monsters.

  It reminded Alex of dark biblical stories he had heard as a child, sending a snaking sensation of fear through him. The words were ominous ones, and Alex wished Aamir were lucid enough to shed some light on their meaning.

  Eventually, after some calming words, Jari managed to get Aamir to settle and maneuvered him into a fetal position on the grass. After that, the crying out seemed to stop, and a calm slumber took over Aamir’s body, marred only by a few jolting spasms.

  Watching Aamir, Alex hoped that, if their friend got better—with the golden band gone—he would be able to talk more about what he learned when he became a teacher and the secrets bestowed on all the faculty. Glancing around, he could see he wasn’t the only one. Even Jari’s eyes seemed curious, as they flitted toward the now-empty spot on Aamir’s wrist where the crackling band of golden light had been.

  “I’ll take the first watch,” insisted Alex, refusing the protests of Jari and Ellabell, the only two still awake.

  Natalie had shimmied down the tree trunk and was nestled into the ground, curled in a similar position to Aamir. Wandering over to her with an air of concern, Alex checked that she was breathing and sighed with relief as he heard the quiet rhythm of sleep. Jari was frazzled, his blond hair sticking up, and Ellabell looked dead on her feet. It had to be Alex who stayed up. The others were in dire need of sleep, and he knew he at least had something left in the tank, whereas they were running on empty. Carrying Aamir had taken its toll on them, and, though they tried not to show it, Alex knew they were close to collapsing.

  “Get some rest. I’ll be fine.” He managed to smile at them, gesturing to the ground.

  The pair fell asleep almost as soon as their heads hit the grass. Ellabell was curled up in a shady corner, and Alex moved quietly over to where she lay, careful not to disturb her as he knelt on the grass and tucked his sweater loosely around her sleeping figure. It was chillier in the spot she had chosen, and he didn’t want her to get cold as she slept. Feeling the brush of the soft fabric, she mumbled something in her sleep. Alex found there was a smile playing upon his lips as he watched her nuzzle the edge of his sweater and pull it closer around herself.

  Not wanting to risk waking her, Alex stood and walked back across the clearing, taking up a position at the edge of the tree line, facing out toward the lake. He watched, mesmerized by the tiny waves that rippled on the surface, creating the sparkle he had become so familiar with. It was a spot he imagined would be peaceful in other circumstances, but there was too much on his mind for such things. Anxiety raced through his body. There was a lot resting on him, and he couldn’t help but feel responsible for the sleeping figures in the clearing behind him, who were looking to him more insistently for a leadership he hoped he was ready to give. Guilt racked him too, riding alongside the anxiety for good measure. He knew he was the one who had gotten his friends into this mess, and he wanted to make sure they didn’t regret their decision to come with him. Glancing back, he knew he would protect them in any way he could. They had put a lot of faith in him by leaving Spellshadow, and he was determined not to let them down.

  His thoughts drifted to the school they had left mere hours before, wondering how the other students were doing after the half-successful uprising. Professor Gaze sprang to his mind, so ancient and fearless, and he hoped fiercely that the old mage had managed to keep the other students safe from harm. She had told him of her plans to scramble the hallways, but Alex knew such spells were only temporary where the Head was concerned, just as the displacement of the portal was. The Head would find a way through and come looking for his lost prey—Alex had no doubt about that. It was only a matter of time.

  As recent memories raced through his head and his eyes came to rest on the glittering lake with so many bodies beneath, Alex couldn’t help but be reminded of those who hadn’t made it. The ones he had failed. The vacant eyes and stilled lungs of the dead students haunted him, and he felt a deep pang of sorrow at the tragedy of their passing, knowing the potential they might have had and thinking of the homes they would never go back to. So much needless loss at the hands of a power-hungry Renmark. It made the burn of vengeance glow ever brighter in his heart, though the sensation made him curious—hatred was proving a powerful fuel for the fire within him.

  His gaze was drawn back across the water to the unseen shore on the other side, the shadows making him wonder what lay beyond it. The lake was huge, and there did not seem to be a settlement or building in sight, save for the old hut beside them—though at the center of Alex’s mind blinked the idea of ‘Stillwater House.’ Here was the still water, but where was the house? He knew it was out there somewhere; he could feel it in his bones.

  It was up to them to find it, but even that held a flicker of uncertainty for Alex.

  What are we supposed to do when we do find it? he thought anxiously, staring out into the darkness that hid his goal from him. He thought again of Spellshadow, and wondered if they were simply out of the frying pan and into a much worse fire. At least at Spellshadow there had been glimpses of the real world, but this alien land did not feel like the real world at all. The magic that crackled in the air around him like static electricity reminded him of that fact. Yes, they had escaped Spellshadow, but not into the real, human, non-magical world he longed for.

  Pushing away a looming sense of worry, Alex looked back at his friends in the clearing, who were resting easy because he had promised to watch over them. That promise, he knew, went beyond that night. It was his duty now. His stoic gaze rested on each one with fondness, despite any former misgivings, though it rested a little bit longer on the curled-up figure of Ellabell. There was a dogged determination within him to make good on his promises and his responsibilities.

  Turning back to the distant, shadowed shore, somehow it no longer seemed quite as frightening. Instead of being filled with the unknown, Alex shifted his perspective, trying to see it instead as a land of untapped possibility. Beyond that darkened horizon was a way out. Alex didn’t know what form it would take, but he knew he had to find it, whether it be another portal to another land, leading them home, or a person or thing along the way that might help them, or a bargaining chip that would keep his friends safe and maybe, just maybe, lead them out of this magical realm and back into the real world.

  Chapter 2

  Alex turned sharply at the sound of a twig crunching underfoot, but it was only Jari, coming to relieve him
of his watch. Looking up, Alex could see that it was almost dawn, the starry black of the night’s sky diluted to a hazy mauve.

  “How did you sleep?” asked Alex.

  Jari gave him a groggy thumbs-down. “Not good.”

  “Go back to sleep if you want,” Alex said, but Jari shook his head.

  “No, man, it’s your turn. You look like hell.” He grinned, plucking a stray leaf from Alex’s hair, which had taken on a mind of its own.

  Alex grimaced and stretched out his arms, feeling the stiffness in his spine from staying in one spot for too long.

  Jari sat down companionably beside him and gazed out at the lake.

  “It’s beautiful, huh?”

  Alex nodded stiffly. “It’s definitely something.”

  “Weird that the Head had it there all along, though. He must have really liked the view,” mused Jari as he stretched out his limbs too.

  “I suppose he must have,” replied Alex, trying to keep the bitterness out of his voice.

  “Hey, I meant to thank you last night, for what you did for Aamir,” Jari said. “I was too beat to say it before.” He looked over his shoulder at the sleeping figure of Aamir.

  “How is he?”

  Jari shrugged. “Not good. I don’t know what that band did to him, but he’s in a bad way. He’s strong, though. He’s a fighter… He’ll pull through.”

  Curious, Alex got up and walked over to where Aamir was lying on the ground, with Jari following close behind. Resting his hand against Aamir’s forehead, Alex was shocked by the blazing heat that came from his friend’s skin. He was burning up, and there was a sheen of sweat across his face, though his lips seemed to tremble as if he were cold.

  Alex tore a strip from the bottom edge of his plain t-shirt and jogged to the edge of the lake to dip it in. As soon as his fingers made contact with the water, a ripple of ice-cold energy snaked up his arm, and, as he looked down, he noticed a pulse of silver seemed to glow beneath the skin. When he removed his fingers, the cloth thoroughly drenched, the glow ebbed as the water dried on his hands. Frowning but undeterred, he made his way back over to Aamir and placed the dampened compress on the young man’s forehead, letting the cooling water soothe the heat of the fever. It seemed to help, as the furrow of Aamir’s brow relaxed slightly.