The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 5 by Bella Forrest (best biographies to read TXT) 📗

the job description, old pal, but I can certainly provide a suitable distraction while you get close enough to extract what you need. Mind you, I think the harder task will be getting wimpy little Hadrian to get her here in the first place!” He cackled. “You don’t feel up to taking on the big dog, then?” He flashed a knowing look at Alex.

Alex shook his head. “I still value my life. I figured Venus would be easier to approach than Julius.”

“You’re not wrong.” Elias nodded. “Have you read over the counter-spell carefully? It may sound obvious, but, knowing you, it may not be—the spell must be performed perfectly. There is no room for any error, however small. There can’t be a single flaw, or missed step, otherwise it won’t work. More than that, there could be disastrous consequences if it gets messed up. I don’t mean a slap on the wrist or a paltry shock or something—I mean disastrous consequences.”

“I’m aware, Elias. I know what’s at stake,” Alex grumbled. As ever, Elias was making him feel like a stupid kid, unable to put two and two together.

Elias raised his palms in surrender. “Hey, no need to shoot the messenger. If something does go awry, I’m just covering my ass, making sure you can’t blame me.”

“I doubt you’d let me blame you anyway—you’re always wriggling free of responsibility,” Alex remarked tersely. Elias was beginning to get on his nerves again. “What are these disastrous consequences, anyway?”

Elias raised a wispy finger to the place where his lips should have been.

Alex let out a sigh of exasperation. “I thought we were over that?”

“Afraid not. Still only allowed to say snippets, without giving away the whole truth,” Elias said. “It’s as annoying for me as it is for you.”

Alex found that hard to believe, knowing how Elias reveled in the misery of others. He was fairly sure the shadow-man wouldn’t lose sleep over not being able to say more, if he even slept at all.

“How come this spell is so complex?” Alex asked.

“Spells are always complex,” Elias retorted.

“I know that, but why is this one so complex?” Alex explained. “I mean, if the counter-spell is this hard, how did Leander bring the Great Evil into the world with such apparent ease? Like, compared to this, the stories I’ve heard of how he did it seem pretty simple.”

“It’s easier to break things than to fix them,” Elias replied.

For once, the shadow-man’s ambiguity made perfect sense. Alex flipped back through the spell book to the twinned spell that had released the Great Evil, and saw that it was, indeed, much shorter and much simpler. It required a few of the same ingredients, but the spell as a whole was not nearly as involved as the one he was expected to perform.

An idea formed in Alex’s mind, and it was definitely not one that had been put there by Elias. It was the makings of a contingency plan, should things get really bad. Reading over the notations at the very bottom of the last page, his eyes were drawn to the mention of somebody with extraordinary power being able to assist with the spell. Although Elias was no longer very human, he was definitely a creature of extraordinary power, who had once been the kind of mage described in the pages of the spell book—a unique individual. He’d heard Derhin mention it too, as well as Elias himself, who was often boastful of his own abilities, now and in the past.

Could a guardian protect a Spellbreaker, if they were strong enough? he pondered, flashing a curious look at Elias, who was busy trying to grasp the tail of an asteroid that was trailing along his arm. Perhaps the shadow-man would prove himself when the time came—it just depended on what Elias was willing to give up, provided his eternal vendetta didn’t get the better of him.

“You should probably go. I need to sleep,” said Alex. There was a lot to think about, and Elias’s presence was clouding his thoughts.

Elias grinned. “I’m taking my guardian duties to heart these days. You won’t be sending me away so easily anymore. I plan to watch you, around the clock, until there is no longer anything to protect you from,” he said, evidently overjoyed at the prospect of causing Alex more irritation.

Flashing Elias a look of pure loathing, Alex got up and stepped into the bathroom that adjoined the chamber Hadrian had set up for him. Looking at the door through the bathroom mirror, he half expected Elias to come in after him, but, fortunately, the shadow-man kept his distance. After washing himself and dressing in the pajamas that had been provided, he opened the bathroom door a crack and peered out at the room beyond.

Elias was nowhere to be seen.

Even so, as Alex slipped beneath the sheets, he could feel the familiar prickle of eyes on him. He tossed and turned, struggling to drift off. Just as he was about to surrender to the oblivion of sleep, he heard a voice whispering, close to his ear.

“Rock-a-bye baby, on the tree tops, when the wind blows, the cradle will rock. When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall, and down will come baby, cradle and all.”

It was the creepiest lullaby Alex had ever heard, and the sound of it being breathed into his ear made his spine tingle in the most unpleasant way. It conjured up every nightmare he’d ever had, of monsters and ghouls hiding beneath his bed, and scary-faced clowns hiding down storm drains.

“Elias!” he yelled.

The shadow-man cackled, clearly delighted. “Just doing my guardian duties, singing you off to a sweet slumber.”

“You’re not funny!” Alex pressed his pillow down over his face, smothering his eyes and ears. It was going to be a sleepless night.

Chapter 16

In the cold light of dawn, the trio regrouped in the pagoda’s communal space. Breakfast had been laid out, but Hadrian wasn’t anywhere to be seen. They ate in companionable silence,