Free The Dark Shadow of Spring by G. L. Breedon

“Naturally. You can’t just accept anyone. Particularly if you don’t really know them.”
    “What Rafa means is that we only accept kids who don’t fit in,” Alex said, oddly uncomfortable with the idea that Victoria’s feelings might be hurt.
    “And you have to be at least twelve years old,” Nina said, glaring at Alex. “I’ll be twelve this summer, but until then I’m an honorary member, which means I can’t vote, which is fine because they usually all vote for whatever crazy scheme my brother comes up with.”
    “I’m nearly fourteen, actually,” Victoria offered. “I know it’s hard to tell with centaurs.”
    Alex gave Nina a dirty look before turning to Victoria. “Seeing as how you saved my life, I’d be happy to recommend you for a membership vote.” Alex wasn’t sure if that was what he had intended to say or if it had just popped out when he saw the renewed look of excitement in Victoria’s eyes.
    “That’s awfully kind of you,” Victoria said.
    “We can hold a vote Monday after school,” Alex said, walking down the deer path and hoping that the conversation would bend away from what had happened to him.
    “You saved his life?” Daphne asked, squinting as she started after Alex, the others all beginning to follow as well.
    “Oh yes,” Victoria said. “I pulled him from a sunken cave he had fallen in.”
    “You fell in a cave?” Nina said.
    “Mmmm, did you hurt yourself?” Clark asked.
    “Mad Mages,” Ben said. “What happened to the Mad Mages?”
    “Did they push you in the cave?” Daphne asked. “That gorping Dillon deserves a hex the size of, well, the size of Clark.”
    “I tried to track you, but I lost your scent somehow,” Rafael said. “You must have gone off the deer path.”
    Alex fell silent for a moment. He wasn’t sure how much to tell them. He wanted to tell them everything, but he was afraid they might not be as quick to believe him as Victoria seemed to be. But whatever the voice was, it was dangerous. If something or someone was coming back for revenge, it could be perilous for the whole town. And what if it was coming for him? He was still pondering what to say when Victoria made it unnecessary.
    “It was easy to find him,” Victoria said. “He was screaming so loud, you see. Seems he heard a voice in his head. Which I think is a sign of Spirit Magic. Alex says no one in the Valley has had the ability for Spirit Magic in quite some time, but I think that makes it only more likely that it was Spirit Magic because it would seem the Valley is due for another Spirit Mage.”
    Alex remained quiet as the others erupted into questions on what he had heard and what had happened. He looked at Victoria and couldn’t resist returning her wide smile. He shook his head. He really liked Victoria. She was interesting in a way none of the girls of the valley were. She was a centaur, after all, and she was beautiful as Daphne in a completely different way, but he suspected that she had a tendency to say things before she had really thought them through.
    Alex kept walking, but he slowly explained what had happened. How he had chased the Mad Mages. How he had planned to ambush them and instead fell into the cave and hit his head. Then he told them about hearing the voice. The voice in his head. What it had said. The searing white pain in his mind when it spoke. He was afraid to tell them what he thought it all meant.
    The others were silent. That worried Alex. He had expected more questions to come pouring forth. To be grilled or called a fool or accused of making it all up.
    “There were insane wizards in the woods?” Victoria asked Ben, changing the direction of the conversation completely. Alex caught her eye and thanked her silently.
    “What?” Ben said, before understanding her question. “No. The Mad Mages Club. They’re like us, only evil.”
    “They’re not evil,” Daphne said. “They’re wicked. They know better, but they do bad things