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  She frowned. “What is wrong with him?”

  “There’s a curse upon him. A really bad one. Now, I’m betting you have a pretty good library in that school of yours, and I was wondering if you could get us a spell-book that has instructions on how to break curses. Or, if you know of any way to remove it—perhaps you have something that would help in your medical center—we would be extremely grateful.”

  As much as he had tried to suppress it, Alex couldn’t shift the weight of responsibility he felt for what was happening to Aamir. If he hadn’t cut that band, perhaps Aamir would be okay. Or maybe he’d still be the Head’s zombie. They’d never know. Whatever the case, they needed to fix him.

  “I’ll work on a solution,” she said, flashing him a reassuring grin. “And thank you for trusting me. I know you didn’t have to.”

  The words rang in his ears as he watched her hurry away into the night and scale the villa wall with the ease of a ninja. She was right. He didn’t have to trust her.

  He just hoped he had been right to try.

  Chapter 8

  True to her word, Helena returned the next day with more supplies. She appeared from the dim glow of the sunset, managing once again to creep up on Alex and his friends unawares as she approached with her basket.

  Alex was glad to see she hadn’t forgotten to bring drinks, and he reached instinctively for the bottle after she’d entered the cottage. So far, he hadn’t been able to find a spring or a stream in the narrow strip of forest that ran along the shoreline, and his throat was parched.

  “Thank you for bringing this, Helena,” said Alex, remembering his manners.

  “No problem,” she said, flashing her perfect white teeth.

  “We really are so grateful,” added Jari, apparently trying to one-up the disinterested Alex in the gallantry stakes.

  “You know,” murmured Helena, looking thoughtful, “if you were to move inside the walls of Stillwater House, I’d be able to get to you much easier, bringing you whatever you needed. It would be so much simpler for me to help if you were within the grounds.”

  Alex cast her a look of suspicion.

  “I just think it might be easier, especially with your friend requiring some help,” she added hastily, with a note of earnestness in her voice.

  Alex had told the others why he had run off after Helena the previous evening, and although there had been a momentary grumble of displeasure at the idea, they had come around to it once they realized Alex was right. Helena had clear access to many areas of Stillwater House that they did not, and she knew her way around.

  “We’ll discuss the option,” said Alex. If there truly was somewhere within the walls of Stillwater House where they could be safe and remain unseen, he knew it might be better to be hidden in plain sight than warily out in the open, as they were.

  This news seemed to please Helena. For a while, an easy silence settled over the group as they ate. Jari shuffled over to where Helena was sitting beside Natalie, taking up the space between them as he offered the silvery haired girl a cake. She took it, nibbling daintily as Jari stared adoringly at her. Helena didn’t seem to mind. Alex wondered if this was just a normal occurrence for her, having boys moon over her. He imagined it was, though his gaze rested elsewhere.

  “Oh, we’ve been on the run for a fair few days now.” Jari shrugged casually, responding to something Helena had asked. Alex’s ears pricked up.

  “What is it you plan to do?” she asked.

  “We just want to get back to where we’re from,” explained Jari with a dramatic sigh.

  Helena frowned. “Where you ran away from?”

  Jari shook his head. “No, no—we came from a school, but it’s nothing like this. The school we came from is an awful place.”

  This seemed to shock Helena, and Alex eavesdropped with interest. He wasn’t sure he liked Jari giving away their information, but it was intriguing to see her responses to it.

  “Awful?” she gasped.

  Jari nodded. “It’s big and gray and depressing, and there are barriers on everything. It’s as far from this place as you could get—there is no beauty, only ugliness and cruelty. There are curfews, and the teachers are mostly vindictive, punishing us for the smallest thing. Even the nice ones are there against their will, so it’s pretty sad too.”

  Alex watched as tears began to glitter in Helena’s eyes. Either she was a very good actress or Jari’s story was seriously tugging at her heartstrings. He couldn’t be sure. Jari himself, however, was giving it the full theatrical treatment, sighing heavily in all the right places, making sure he won Helena over with his tales of Spellshadow and how oppressed they had been.

  “How horrible,” she whispered.

  “The Head, too—he’s the worst of them all. He’s this strange, evil creature who hides beneath a hood so nobody can really see his face. He has fingers that are so thin they almost look like a skeleton’s hands, and he rules with an iron fist,” said Jari, his voice low, as if he were telling a scary story… which, Alex supposed, he was. “He’s probably after us right now. We caused a few issues for him, you see, when we escaped. But we couldn’t stay there any longer. We were tormented and miserable, missing our homes and our families. Running away was the only option—if we ever want to see them again.”

  Alex noted a confused expression had crossed Helena’s face as she absorbed what Jari was saying.

  “I don’t understand—why haven’t you seen your families?” Helena asked, concern furrowing her smooth brow.

  “Students where we ran from are stolen from their homes,” said Jari.

  “No!” gasped Helena, glancing for confirmation from the other members of the group.

  Alex sighed. “Yeah… It’s true. There was another Head, not the skeletal one, who came out of the school into the non-magical world and snatched anyone who had magical potential, hypnotizing them and taking them back to the school against their will. Nobody was allowed to leave, once they had been taken inside—it was more of a prison than a school, really,” he explained grimly.

  “Our families still don’t know where we are. As far as they know, we disappeared one day and never came back.” Alex was surprised as Ellabell spoke up, her voice thick with emotion. To hear his echoed thoughts coming from her lips made his heart twinge. It wasn’t something any of them spoke about much—their families waiting for children who never came home—but they all had them.

  This news seemed to shock Helena to the core, her strange, pale gold eyes wide in horror. “How could they do that to you? It’s terrible! Nothing like that happens here. I can’t believe you have suffered these things—I am so sorry,” she whispered, her voice laced with empathy. It was the most genuine Alex believed they had seen her.

  “So, that’s why we ran. We’re just trying to get home,” Jari concluded.

  “You are lucky, to learn magic here,” Natalie remarked after a pause. “What is it like?”

  “It is a great honor to be sent here to study. Though we are away from our families, we get to see them a few times a year when they visit,” she said shyly, clearly not wanting to rub salt into the wound. “Are you sure you want me to talk about Stillwater, after what you have just told me?”

  “It’d be a nice distraction,” muttered Alex.

  “Well… we are sent here at around nine or ten to begin our studies. There is a junior wing and a senior wing, and this is where we learn the ways of the Mage, beginning with the basics and working our way up to the more complex stuff. There are no barriers on the walls and no restrictions—we are free to walk the grounds and the nearby hills, if we so please. The teachers here are strict but fair, and treat us with a mutual respect, which is nice. They were students like us once, so they know what it is like. Our Headmistress rules over the school, but she is as strict and fair as the rest of the teachers. There are school rules she makes us abide by, like at any school, but they are not unreasonable. They are simply there so we get the most out of our education,
and to keep us safe. There is free time too, to use how we please, and we are never forced to do anything.” She paused thoughtfully. “We are here, for the most part, of our own free will. Stillwater House is a necessary part of our transition into adulthood.”

  Alex heard that curious robotic note in her voice again as she said the last couple of sentences; he could not get out of his mind how rehearsed they sounded.

  “What if you don’t want to stay and study at Stillwater?” asked Alex.

  Helena frowned. “Everybody here wants to stay and study.”

  “You’re telling me nobody has ever tried to run away, or not wanted to stay?” pressed Alex.

  There was a flash of confusion in Helena’s strange eyes. The question seemed to throw her for a moment, as if she had never fully contemplated it before. “I suppose there have been deserters,” she said finally, after a few moments of uncertain silence. Her choice of word concerned Alex. After all, it essentially described the five of them.

  “What happens to the ones who try to run?” Alex ventured.

  “They go somewhere else,” she said simply.

  “Where?” Alex wasn’t dropping the bone; it was as he had suspected, and he was too intrigued to let it go.

  Helena shrugged. “They go somewhere more suited to their needs, where they can get the help they require.”

  It perplexed Alex that people who didn’t toe the line were always being sent ‘somewhere else,’ but nobody ever knew what or where that ‘somewhere else’ was. The memory of Blaine Stalwart rushed into his mind—that young man had been ‘sent’ to Stillwater, or so the Head had claimed. After discovering the manacles, with Blaine’s name written on the clipboard beside them, Alex had thought Blaine’s being sent to Stillwater House was merely a ruse. But now he was wondering if some part of Blaine had been sent here after all. It was a real place, but Alex couldn’t quite put his finger on how it related to Blaine’s disappearance. Alex had strongly suspected Blaine had been dealt with at Spellshadow itself—the slick, metallic-scented substance on the grim floor being a potent clue—but now, he couldn’t help thinking the result of Blaine’s demise might have been sent here for some reason. The thought chilled and confused him.

  “I should be going,” said Helena.

  “Are you sure? Stay as long as you like,” Jari chimed in, flashing a look of blame at Alex. Jari clearly did not want the beautiful girl to leave, especially after Alex had so monopolized her time with his line of questions. Alex had to wonder if he had, in fact, frightened Helena away.

  She shook her head lightly, tossing her silvery blond hair. “Thank you, but I ought to be getting back. It’s getting late.”

  “Will you come again tomorrow?” Jari asked hopefully.

  “Yes, though do think on moving within the walls of Stillwater. It would be much easier,” she said. “I could even introduce you to the Headmistress if you would like. She is a wonderful, fair, intelligent woman. I’m sure if she knew what you just told me, she would welcome you all with open arms,” she added unexpectedly.

  Alex frowned, and looks of concern passed between the four of them. Given their track record with Heads, Alex could see nobody thought that was a particularly good idea.

  “It’s a kind offer, but we are a little bit cautious about Heads,” said Natalie with a friendly smile.

  Helena seemed crestfallen. “I can understand that. She is honestly very nice, but I can see how it might be tricky for you to trust her… I don’t think the Headmistress would mind your arrival at all. In fact, I believe she might already know you are somewhere nearby, just not the exact location.”

  Alex thought about the scouts again. “How might she know?”

  “Oh, well, there was a disturbance or something that set off an alarm, so I think she knows something is up. She sent some people to see what it was, but they came back empty-handed. That’s how the gossip spread about intruders, but, obviously, I’m the only one who knows where you are.” Helena grinned, her smile fading as she saw the suspicious faces looking at her. “I won’t tell anyone where you are—I promise,” she insisted.

  Again, there was that honesty about her face that made Alex want to believe her.

  “Why will it really be safer within the walls?” asked Natalie.

  Helena glanced around warily, lowering her voice. “We don’t often get outsiders around here, and there are others within the school who might not be so understanding. If they were to find you out here, there could be trouble.” An expression of genuine alarm passed across her face.

  “Then why are you so intent on helping us?” asked Alex, trying to keep the cold edge from his voice. “What’s in it for you?”

  She blushed, speaking softly. “I mean what I say when I tell you I want to keep you all safe from harm—after hearing your story—and that it’s a tradition of my people to take in those who are in need… But there might also be something you can help me with later. Nothing big, I promise; I would never ask for something major. Just a small favor I may need. A little exchange.”

  Alex was wary of favors, but he could see a fragile, honest sort of hope in her striking pale gold eyes that he didn’t feel he could sputter out. Glancing around the rest of the group, he could see their mistrust had also been muted by the genuine note of faith in the beautiful young woman’s words. It was not a threat or an ultimatum, merely an optimistic request.

  “Okay…” Alex murmured uncertainly.

  “I have a suggestion to make,” she continued, her voice timid. “As a gesture of goodwill, I would like to try to remove the curse that is on your friend. If you decide to move within the walls of Stillwater, I can do that more easily, and it will be much better for your friend if he is somewhere where assistance is close at hand, should he worsen. We can move in under the cover of darkness, and I will put you somewhere safe.”

  Alex exhaled. At this point, he wasn’t sure what other option they had.

  “Will you give us a few minutes to take a vote?” asked Alex.

  Helena nodded, standing quickly and moving down to the shoreline, where she sent a few pebbles skittering across the beach with the toe of her boot.

  “So, what do we think?” he asked, turning back to his friends.

  “I say yes,” declared Jari immediately.

  Natalie nodded too. “If it will help Aamir, I think it is a good idea. It is what we wanted anyway, yes? To explore Stillwater and see if we can find someone or something that will further our mission to get home?”

  “I don’t know if we can trust her, but it seems to be our only valid option right now,” said Ellabell quietly.

  “What do you say, Alex?” Natalie turned to him, a glimmer of concern in her dark brown eyes.

  “I say we go with her too,” he concluded, hoping this was the right decision.

  They called Helena back over, and she returned with an anxious look on her face. “Well?” she asked.

  Jari grinned. “We have decided to say yes to your kind offer!”

  “That is great news! I will keep you safe and do my very best for your friend,” she affirmed, smiling brightly.

  “We look forward to it!” Jari gushed.

  “I will come back for you at the same time tomorrow. Be ready,” she said. “I will not let you down.”

  A nervous energy plagued Alex as he lay awake that night within the confined space of the cottage. All around him, his friends fidgeted in their sleep. Ellabell called out something incoherent, making Alex sit up to make sure she was okay, but she was fast asleep beneath her blanket. It had only been a nightmare. Settling back down, he guessed he wasn’t the only one who was worried about the agreement they had just made and what the next day would bring.

  Chapter 9

  All day the group was on edge, waiting for nightfall. At every moment, Alex expected to see a team of guards marching from the rising wall, ready to arrest them. The only one who seemed relaxed about the whole thing was Jari, who had wandered about the place in a
daydream for most of the day, asking dumb questions every now and again about the beautiful Helena, like “How often do you think she brushes her hair?” and “If Helena were a sea creature, what kind of sea creature do you think she’d be?” It should have been a welcome distraction, but it only served to fray the nerves of everyone else.

  It was only the knowledge of Aamir’s illness that kept the rest of the anxious group from up and leaving. Aamir’s condition was still bad, but it was no worse than it had been. Every hour, somebody changed the cold compress on his forehead and trickled water into his mouth. With the food Helena had brought, they found whatever was soft enough and mashed it up, feeding it him carefully so he didn’t choke, in an attempt to restore some of his strength. If it had, nobody could tell.

  Natalie had even offered to try to break the curse, after a particularly nervous episode during lunchtime when they had been convinced there was a boat on the lake, coming closer. It had turned out to be a floating log, and Alex had persuaded her not to attempt any curse-breaking. She was mostly back to herself and still drinking the lake water regularly, but there was a tremor in her hands whenever she lifted them to try out a spell. She could perform intermediate magic like solid-bowl-forging, but anything greater quickly drained the returned color from her cheeks. Alex could tell she was definitely getting better, but she needed a little more time before she would be back to her usual, formidable self. She was frustrated by her unfamiliar weakness, but he warned her not to push herself, in case it set her back even further.

  As the others busied themselves in anticipation of Helena’s arrival, there was little else for Alex to do except think. Sitting at the edge of the tree line, he gazed out at the glittering lake as it danced beneath the warm, glowing sunlight.