The Breaker (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #2)(5)

The class returned to their work, including Jari, who barely looked up. Alex glanced at Jari, mouthing to him, You okay? Jari nodded slowly, his hands balled into tight fists.

“I don’t understand,” Jari whispered.

“I’m sure he doesn’t mean it,” Alex whispered back.

“What is wrong with him?” Jari asked, his eyes watery.

“Jari? Is there any particular reason you are talking when you should be working?” Aamir frowned at Jari, who looked up at him, his cheeks hot with embarrassment.

“I just wanted to ask Alex something,” Jari said.

“Well, don’t. Get back to your work,” Aamir said, his eyes warning Jari as he moved to turn away again.

“Sorry, Aamir,” Jari muttered.

Aamir’s whole body whirled back around, his eyes glittering with annoyance. “You will address me as Professor Nagi! I will not warn you again.”

“I’m sorry,” Jari said, horrified. He hadn’t meant to say ‘Aamir’ that time, Alex could tell; it had simply come out that way.

“I’m sorry… what?” Aamir waited, poised to snap again.

“I’m sorry… Professor Nagi.” Jari struggled to say the unnatural words, choking them out.

“That’s better. Now, if you can be quiet and get on with your work, you might actually make it through this lesson.” Aamir exhaled, tilting his neck from side to side as if he had a crick there that needed stretching.

Eventually, a sense of calm settled over the room as the students all went about their business. Natalie started to get the spell up on its feet, and Jari joined her. It was a spell to create and maintain two three-dimensional objects, simultaneously, on the table in front of them. Natalie had managed to forge a candlestick on one side of her, but was struggling with a small wisp of golden mist on the other side. Nobody was sure what it was meant to be, and Natalie laughed, explaining it was supposed to be a flower. Alex stood beside Natalie, pretending to conjure with his hands, even though nothing appeared. He didn’t dare try too hard, in case he managed to manifest an object made of ice and snow. Aamir ignored him for the most part, understanding why. At least enough friendship remained between them for Aamir to keep Alex’s anti-magic a secret.

Jari, meanwhile, had a small, perfectly formed carousel on the right-hand side of him, on the wooden tabletop. The golden horses whirled around in a circle, rising and falling beneath the elegant domed roof. He grinned, pleased with it, holding it there as he conjured a second object. On his left-hand side, he began to form a creature of some sort, bigger than the carousel. He waved his left hand delicately, in a slim figure eight, and pressed his middle finger into his palm, narrowing his eyes in focus. His other hand moved in an almost identical way, and the creature on the table slowly became more detailed. First, Jari added gleaming panels, which looked almost like scales and formed the beginnings of two beady black eyes, peering out from the wispy swirls of golden energy. These were followed by silvery strands that stood up, horn-like, from the creature’s rounded head, and by six delicate legs sticking out from beneath the metallic body. He puffed out the rest of the creature’s carapace, rounding its back and bringing its head to a point, adding thin lines and swirls of detail onto the magical paneling.

Alex nodded at him, impressed and slightly envious. The beetle was familiar, looking very much like the clockwork one they had almost broken into pieces the year before. Alex smiled sadly at his friend, wondering if he had made the beetle on purpose. Alex wasn’t sure; Jari seemed too cheerful to be reminiscing, with no hint of sadness on his grinning face, but it might have been there in his subconscious. Jari held both objects in place on the rough surface of the table.

“A carousel and a beetle!” Jari said with a laugh, the sound drawing Aamir’s attention. He eyed Jari stiffly from across the classroom, then warily approached to examine the work.

Clearly pleased by the sudden attention from Aamir, Jari became bolder… too bold. “Hey, Aamir, remember the one you made out of—” He didn’t get to finish. Aamir slammed his fist down on the desk. In fright, Jari’s hands jerked upward, the two objects disappearing in a tangled mist of splintered golden magic, the sparks falling to the desk like the last flakes of a snowfall.

“I said I would not warn you again.” Aamir glowered. “You will address me appropriately, or you will leave this lesson!”

“But I just wanted to say, about the—” Jari panicked. Alex wanted to help but knew better than to butt in. He had never seen their friend this way.

“Do you understand?” Aamir nearly shouted. The other students had turned to stare again.

“Aamir, why—”

It was the last straw for Aamir.

“Get out,” he said, his voice a tight growl, his eyes flashing.

“Aamir?” Jari’s voice was unbearably sad, pleading.

“Get out!” Aamir yelled, pointing at the door. His billowing sleeve revealed just a sliver of the golden line clasped around his wrist.

Jari opened his mouth as if he was about to say something else, but closed it again, thinking better of it. Slowly, he picked up his things, his head down and his shoulders slumped, and walked the short distance to the door. He opened it and stepped outside, letting it fall closed with a soft click. The whole class watched his walk of shame, including Natalie and Alex, who turned to Aamir with expressions of confusion and disappointment. Alex wanted to confront Aamir for treating Jari that way, for speaking to him like that. But he understood, as Aamir met his gaze, that if he did he would simply be sent out too.