The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 2 by Bella Forrest (top ten ebook reader .TXT) 📗

I have more to tell, you will be the first to know, but I have a feeling it is to do with the other side of the magical spectrum,” she whispered, her eyes gleaming as they leveled with Alex’s, her excitement rippling from her like static electricity. Alex could feel it.

“Life magic?” he asked, his voice growing stern.

“Perhaps,” was all she would say, much to Alex’s chagrin. He watched her wander back to her seat.

So much of what he had learned disturbed him. Natalie’s apparent fixation with spells requiring life magic and the thought that the manor moving might have something to do with that kind of magic—it chilled him to the core.

Reading the passage beneath Natalie’s finger more closely, it did indeed seem physically bizarre that the manor should be able to move at all, and yet it did; there was no denying that it did. Windows looking out on Australia and Europe and deep South American jungle were a dead giveaway. Somehow, it was managing to do the impossible.

“What’s this?” he murmured to himself, picking up a large, intriguing-looking tome from the pile. The dyed pink leather caught his eye, the cover vivid against the plain wood of the table and the dull-toned books beneath. On the front, in purple lettering, was the title The Trouble with Travel, by Benjamin Cornwell.

He opened the book on his lap, the ancient cover creaking at the spine. A few pages in, Alex came to the contents page, not expecting the pleasant surprise that awaited him there. Laid out neatly, in uniform print, were names and descriptions of magical travel techniques and how to use them. Alex was stunned, wondering how on earth this one had slipped through the Head’s net of library censorship.

“Look at this,” he whispered excitedly to Natalie, beckoning her back over.

“What is it?” she asked, peering down.

“A how-to guide to magical travel.” He almost laughed. The book was so perfect, each mode of travel resting neatly on the yellowing paper beside a helpful page number, begging to be read.

“Can this be?” She grinned, and Alex nodded as he flipped to the first of the numbered sections.

It was entitled “Simple Teleportation for Beginners.” A sense of triumph ran through Alex’s veins, a smile spreading across his face as he read the brief introduction. The magic seemed easy enough; what he was reading certainly wasn’t beyond Natalie’s powerful skillset.

“What do you think?” he asked her, lifting the book so she could get a better look.

“It doesn’t look too complex, I don’t think,” she agreed, confirming Alex’s suspicions. “I can certainly give it a go.” Her face broke into a childish grin of excitement.

The clock on the wall of the library chimed a quarter to nine, distracting Alex; curfew was almost upon them. Alex felt a flicker of annoyance. He still wasn’t used to the new restrictions, and each reminder of them grated on his nerves.

“I’ll put this somewhere safe,” whispered Alex, checking the surrounding area before shoving the pink book beneath the main cushion of the green armchair. It made the center rise up in a wonky fashion, but Alex pushed the book farther back until it rested in the gap where the back of the chair met the base, covering any remaining strangeness in the fabric with the smaller cushions.

“Shall we try tomorrow?” asked Natalie.

Alex nodded. “Tomorrow at lunchtime. See if Jari wants to come this time,” he said, sighing as they made their way quickly out of the library.

Jari had proven difficult to pin down after Alex’s revelation in the cellar about the havens. Though Alex had tried to speak with him, feeling he ought to attempt to explain himself better on the matter of keeping the note to himself, he was met with short replies and a suspicious look that Alex couldn’t quite work out. In lessons, though Jari hadn’t gone so far as to move away from Alex, the blond-haired boy barely made conversation, though Alex tried relentlessly. It stung Alex to see his friend become so distant over so small a thing as a forgotten scrap of information.

Even Natalie had attempted to get Jari to come to the library, but he had flat out refused, claiming he had other work to do, passing Alex that curious expression as he went in the opposite direction. Returning to the dormitory, Alex guessed Jari would be pretending to sleep, not realizing the lack of snoring betrayed him every time. He wasn’t sure what he’d done to deserve such cold treatment from his friend, but how could he find out if Jari wasn’t willing to talk about it?

“Tomorrow at lunchtime,” agreed Natalie, and they parted ways.

Sitting out on the crisp grass, his crossed legs flattening the dry blades of faded green, Alex looked grimly up at the high wall, which now surrounded every part of the manor gardens. He was still getting used to the absence of the gate, which to him had been the central feature of the manor’s grounds for so long.

He sat in the shade of the wall so as not to be seen, and because it was an unusually balmy day. The sun shone brightly down on the desolate gray of the gardens, warming his face as he closed his eyes against it.

Alex had the pink book open in his lap, a musty scent rising from the pages as the mildew dried out in the sunlight. He had pinched the book from its hiding spot in the library earlier that day. Natalie was setting up nearby, awaiting Alex’s instruction from the manual. He had decided they should try teleporting from one place to another, keeping it small to begin with. The title said “Simple Teleportation,” but Alex wasn’t sure such a thing existed.

“It says to focus on the place you want to teleport to. Using your magic, you need to create a shield both around yourself and within yourself, and compress that magic,” he explained to Natalie. “Once it’s compressed, you should have