Spurred on by his finding, Alex returned the way he had come. As he reached the far wall, curiosity got the better of him. He wondered if he could get through to the piazza, and thus the infirmary, from a different entrance. Mulling over the possibilities, he changed course and crept furtively across to the courtyard they had peered down into the previous night, hoping it would be empty. Lying flat on his stomach, he crawled toward a parapet built in the wall and peered around it, looking down.
To his horror, it was as far from empty as it could possibly be.
The courtyard was full of students, more than the whole of the Spellshadow student body put together, doing drills of some kind. To one side of the yard, big circular targets made of compacted hay, much like the ones used for archery practice back in the ordinary world, were set up against the wall for the students to practice their aim against. He watched in awe as time after time, thin darts of glittering gold shot through the very center of the board, never even a millimeter off the mark. Other students were grouped in threes, practicing shielding on one another. One would take aim and fire at another student, while the third put up a shield to protect their partner. Every time they successfully created a thrumming shield that rebounded the fired magic, they swapped places.
It was mesmerizing, to see them all so in sync, working like cogs in a well-oiled machine. Not to mention that each and every student was as athletic as they were beautiful, and undeniably skillful. There was not a dull pupil among them. Magic seemed to flow effortlessly from their hands, doing their bidding without so much as a creased brow or a drop of sweat.
At the helm of these classes were teachers of equal youth and beauty. There were three in the courtyard, instructing the students and, while they were definitely slightly older than their charges, old age and ugliness did not seem to be permitted within the walls of Stillwater House. Alex listened as these instructors barked orders in crisp, clear voices, the students setting to their given tasks immediately. He was in complete awe. These students were no older than Alex, but they were conjuring complex spells he had never seen before as if they were the most basic of skills, sending them rippling across the courtyard with ease. Before long, the whole place was lit up with a fine mist of glittering gold—the magical fallout of their intricate conjurations.
At the far side of the courtyard, sparring fluidly with a young man twice her height and width, was the supremely stunning young woman from the previous night—the one who had caught Jari’s eye. Not only was she sparring with this huge man, but she was winning too, flooring him with deft movements and expert magic. Alex watched as she ducked and rolled away from her partner’s retaliations, moving as lithely as if she were made of liquid. Soon, it was not her exquisite beauty that kept Alex watching, but her skill. It was like nothing he had ever seen before. Even Natalie’s magic, which was impressive in its own right, wasn’t nearly as powerful as this young woman’s. There was a fierce, fiery crackle to it that bristled with untold strength.
As her sparring partner stepped back to take a breather, the young woman’s gaze snapped toward Alex, who ducked sharply behind his parapet. After a minute, he dared to peer back around, but her gaze was still focused in his direction. Shielding her eyes from the glaring sun, she had clearly seen him. Realizing there was no use in hiding, Alex’s eyes locked with hers in a strange, mutual curiosity. There was surprise, too, and although she was some distance away from him, he was almost certain he could see the curve of a small smile playing upon her lips.
Cursing himself for his mistake, he crawled back across the broad width of the wall and clambered down, dropping the last few meters into the flowerbeds below with a heavy thud. He knew he had just done something that could put them all at risk.
Guiltily, he returned to the small cottage, wishing he had better news. He had intended to go to Stillwater to get something useful for Aamir and had come back essentially empty-handed. True, he now had an inkling where the infirmary might be, but he also had news of potential detection. It wasn’t exactly a worthwhile exchange.
Jari looked up as Alex entered. “Did you get something?” he asked eagerly.
Alex sighed. “I have good news and bad news.”
The others gathered around.
“What’s the good news?” pressed Jari.
“I think I found out where the infirmary is,” Alex replied.
Excitement spread across Jari’s face. “You did? Did you see it?”
Alex shook his head. “There were too many people around.”
“Is that the bad news?” Jari frowned.
“Sadly not.” Alex grimaced.
“So, we go there after nightfall?” Natalie chimed in.
Again, Alex shook his head. “That’s where the bad news comes in.”
“What is it?” Jari was losing his patience.
“I think the students at Stillwater House might know there are some vagrants on the loose,” explained Alex.
“What do you mean?” asked Natalie, suddenly worried.
“I went to the courtyard to see if there was another way in, to reach the infirmary, and… I think I was seen. The girl you saw last night, Jari—I think she saw me,” sighed Alex, hating that it had happened.
“What?” gasped Jari. “How could you let that happen?”
“It was an accident.”
“Well, what are we supposed to do now?” Natalie said, her voice tight with alarm.
“I say we stay put,” Alex replied.
“What? You’re insane!” yelled Jari. “How can we be safe here?”
“We’re as safe here as we are likely to be anywhere else around here—including the lighthouse. At least here we’re well hidden and have a good view of the lake and the wall, if anyone comes looking for us,” he said evenly.
There was a rationale in what Alex had to say. It was true, they were well positioned. And who knew what the young woman he had seen was going to do? She might not say a word. Even if she did, nobody had followed him, and nobody had seen where he had gone.
His words seemed to calm the group as they weighed their options—not that they had a great many at their disposal. In the end, a decision seemed to have been made to stay put, though nobody spoke the consensus aloud. A tense atmosphere bristled in the confined space of the cottage throughout the rest of the day, with the slightest noise setting everyone on edge. Even the soft whisper of the lake lapping the shore sounded like voices approaching.
So it was a surprise when the sound of actual feet approaching evaded their notice entirely.
The sun had just begun to go down when Alex heard the soft pad of a stealthy approach beyond the boarded window behind his head. Whoever they were, they had made it almost to the front door of the cottage undetected.
“Someone is outside,” he whispered to the others. They looked at him in sudden panic, pausing what they were doing. “We need to make a run for it. Surprise whoever is out there, okay?”
They nodded.
“On my count, we run. Jari, you and I will get Aamir.”
Another nod.
“Ready? Three, two—”
Just then, a voice called out. “Please don’t run.” It was a distinctly female voice, musical and clear. “It’s only me out here, and I don’t mean you any harm.”
A look of panic flashed between the inhabitants of the dimly lit cottage. Alex couldn’t be sure the feminine voice wasn’t at the head of a hundred-strong army, though that seemed unlikely; he would definitely have heard that many people approaching.
“Stay where you are,” warned Alex as he crept toward the door.
“Very well,” replied the woman’s voice. Alex stepped out of the cottage.
He was mildly surprised to see that it was the beautiful, powerful girl from the courtyard. The one who had seen him. Only now, instead of wielding ferocious magic, she was holding a basket in the crook of her arm, and there was a wide smile playing upon her lips.
“You?” whispered Alex.
“Me.” She nodded, grinning.
Close up, she was even more beautiful. Alex could see she had striking pale eyes that were the same shade as that of raw magic, with a dark black ring around the iris. They were peculiar and mesmerizing, as much as Alex tried to look away. Her porcelain-smooth skin was almost unnaturally pale, but somehow it suited her, making her stand out from the other perfect people he had seen within the walls of Stillwater House. Naturally, her bone structure was second to none, with high cheekbones, a delicate jawline, and arched brows of a darker shade than her hair, which was long and silvery blond, held off her exquisite face with a dusky coral-colored rose. She was dressed in the black pants, boots, and white t-shirt all the Stillwater students seemed to wear, but it looked different on her tall, willowy frame.
Alex became aware of Jari standing beside him, staring agog at the stunning young woman as words failed him. The blond-haired boy’s eyes were as big as saucers.
“I came to welcome you to Stillwater House,” the young woman announced. “Please don’t be alarmed. I’m not here to hurt you.”
“So this is Stillwater House? My friend Alex here thought it was, but he wasn’t sure,” said Jari, finding his voice again as he chattered happily. Emboldened, he ushered the young woman toward the secluded patch around the back of the cottage. The others followed reluctantly, a flash of amusement passing between them; they all knew of Jari’s ineptitude when it came to women, and this one was an exceptional beauty.
“I didn’t mean to startle you, only I saw your friend today and thought I would come and introduce myself. I figured you might be hiding somewhere around here. I have also brought food and drink for you, as is the custom here, and I thought you might be in need of refreshment,” she explained, handing the basket to Natalie.
Inside were all kinds of delicious-looking treats and large bottles of colorful liquid that Alex secretly longed to taste, despite the suspicious place it came from. He was so thirsty.
“Who are you?” asked Natalie.
“How rude of me.” The young woman smiled bashfully. “I am Helena.”
It was a befitting name that made Alex think of the ancient Greeks they had learned about at school, though it wasn’t quite the same name as the woman he was thinking of. Helen of Troy—the face that launched a thousand ships. He could certainly see men going to war over a woman like this one.
“How did you know we would be in need of refreshment?” Ellabell wondered, frowning.
Helena looked embarrassed for a moment, her gaze lowering. “The truth is, there was some gossip going around the school that there were outsiders in the area. We don’t get outsiders around here very often, and I was curious. We’ve been making bets on whether or not it was a hoax.” She smiled shyly, causing Jari to look at her with utter adoration. Alex wasn’t sure it was possible for the boy to get more smitten, but it looked like he was wrong.
For a moment, Helena had lulled Alex into a false sense of welcome, but suddenly, he felt his hackles rise again. He thought instantly of the scouts, searching for them in the woods; somebody had sent them to look for him and his friends. This girl had seen him on the battlements. Had she told anyone? If she had, their hopes were ruined. It was hard to gauge whether her intentions toward himself and the group were honorable ones or not.
“What do you intend to do with the information you have on us?” asked Alex coldly.
Helena looked surprised. “What do you mean?”
“Have you told anyone about us?” he pressed. Instantly, the atmosphere changed as all eyes focused with suspicion on Helena—even Jari’s eyes seemed to narrow slightly.
She shook her head, her sleek hair glinting. “No, I haven’t told a soul about you. I swear,” she said earnestly. “It is not our custom. You are guests here. If you desire it, I will continue to bring food and drink to you in secret each day, until you decide what to do next—whether you wish to stay here or move on. But I will not tell anyone of your presence here unless you wish it.”
Alex could not deny she seemed genuine. There was an honesty in her strange eyes that he could not ignore, and yet she had come from within the villa walls, from the unknown.
“We don’t want anyone else to know,” Alex said.
She dipped her head in a kooky curtsey. “Very well. Do you still wish me to bring food and water?”
Alex thought about the lake water and the burn in his throat. “If that isn’t too much trouble.”
She smiled. “Absolutely not. It is my pleasure. It is so very exciting to meet new people. You must tell me all about where you are from and what has brought you to our fair shores.”
A wary look passed between the others at this request.
“Perhaps you could tell us something of your fair shores first. An exchange of sorts,” suggested Alex.
“Yeah—why don’t you sit and share some food with us? Tell us all about yourself,” Jari encouraged as he sat down on the grass against the cottage.
Guardedly, they sat in a circle and shared out the food Helena had brought. Alex had his eye on the drinks, desperate to quench his thirst, but there were all kinds of foodstuffs in the basket. There were honeyed cakes that oozed with syrup and delicate pastries filled with a strange jam that was both sweet and sour at the same time. There were doughy white buns, soft and heavenly, with a melted cheese filling that was delicious, topped with crisp salad leaves and a shredded radish-type vegetable. Savory pastries too, with hearty, warming centers, delicately spiced with almost Moroccan flavoring that tickled the tongue for just a moment, before giving way to a comforting heat. They ate hungrily, satisfied sounds making their way across the group.
The drinks were strange and wonderful too. Alex popped open the top of a red-colored one and drank deeply. It slaked his thirst almost immediately, tasting of watermelon and strawberries mixed together, cool and refreshing on his tongue. It beat any soda he had ever tasted.
“So, tell us about this place,” Alex said, after polishing off half of the red drink.
“Well, where to begin? It is a school for magical students.” She paused thoughtfully. “Are you magical?” she asked.
“We are.” Natalie nodded, biting into one of the pastries.
“Are you from a school?” she ventured.
“We are,” confirmed Jari.
Alex frowned, not sure if they should have given that much away.
“You are from a school? Oh, how wonderful! We hardly ever get students from elsewhere around here. I thought I should check in case you weren’t and I had just bamboozled you! Can you imagine if you were non-magical and I had just told you I was magical—you’d think I was mad!” She giggled. “Now, where was I?”
“Stillwater House,” encouraged Alex.
“Ah, yes. So, this is a very ancient, very well-respected magical school for magically gifted students. It is much like any other magical school, only this one is for the children of noble mages,” she explained matter-of-factly. There didn’t seem to be anything arrogant in the way she said it, and Alex didn’t think Helena had the slightest notion how different this school was from the school they had come from.
“Noble mages?” asked Ellabell, quirking a brow.
Helena nodded. “Oh, yes—you know, magical lords, ladies, dukes, duchesses, barons, baronets, those sorts of people?”
Ellabell gave a slight shrug of understanding. “I suppose.”
“Well, they send their children here at a young age, to be trained up as the finest mages possible. It is very beautiful here, I know, but the work is hard and we put in so many hours. It is tireless, but it has to be this way in order to bring pride to our families. That is why we are sent here.”
That explained the beautiful architecture, the lush landscape, the advanced lessons, the happiness and laughter he had overheard—every difference between this place and Spellshadow. These people, these nobles, were born to be mages. It was instilled in them, no doubt, from an early age that they were special. They we
re born understanding their powers, wanting to be mages, instead of being dragged unwillingly from their homes and families and forced into it. Knowing that, he felt a twinge of bitterness. It was so much easier for them. He wondered if they even knew there were others out there, less fortunate, less willing.
“What about security? Doesn’t anyone ever try to leave?” he asked, wondering if there had ever been outcasts within the villa walls who did not want to abide by the status quo.
A look of curiosity passed across her striking eyes. “There are guards but not much else. Nobody wants to leave, and hardly anybody ever just turns up, so they don’t bother with much in the way of security. Plus, most of us are very strong. If somebody got in who wasn’t welcome or invited, they would undoubtedly be dealt with,” she replied, not realizing how chilling her answer sounded to the group of trespassers.
“Has anyone ever tried to leave?” pressed Alex, his interest piqued.
Helena shrugged. “It is a great honor to be here. We are blessed to be here. Why would we leave?” she said, but somehow, she didn’t sound entirely convinced. There was a monotone to her words that reminded Alex of his first days at Spellshadow, when Jari and Aamir had repeated phrases to him that sounded oddly rehearsed. A robotic, drilled characteristic.
“It’s very beautiful,” Alex acquiesced, though he was left with more questions than he had started with.
“I must be getting back now. I will bring you more sustenance tomorrow,” she announced, rising. “And please, sleep well knowing I will keep your secret.” She smiled her pleasant smile as she bade her farewell.
Seeing her leave, Alex was hit with a wave of inspiration. Getting up quickly, he ran after her, much to the confusion of the others. Helena was already some way down the shoreline when Alex caught up with her. There was something he hoped she could help him with, though he knew it was something of a bold move, in terms of trust.
“Is everything okay?” she asked, looking at him in surprise.
“Not really,” he replied, catching his breath. “The thing is, we have a friend with us who is very sick. You didn’t see him because he’s inside the cottage, but he’s getting worse every day and nothing we do seems to help. We’re all worried about him. I saw you out there on the training ground—you’re strong, and I was wondering if you might be able to help.”