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

Thinking back to what Caius had told him, about how to find Hadrian, Alex looked across the canopy of the forest, searching for the glint of something golden in the distance. As hard as it was, Alex knew he had to try to trust in the sliver of goodness Caius had possessed, when he had spoken of Falleaf, though, after what had happened between himself and Caius, he wasn’t exactly sure he’d see anything—perhaps, Caius had been lying about the way to reach Hadrian.

But, as the sunlight glanced down onto the forest, something glitzy caught his eye. It lay in the center of the trees, but Alex couldn’t gauge the distance between the tree-line and the glimmering object, which he hoped was the golden top of the pagoda he sought. Keeping the direction of it in his mind, he knew he would simply have to walk until he found it. With Storm being the size she was, and not being exactly discreet, he knew he couldn’t just fly there. He just hoped the others were already inside.

Storm landed softly on a pile of decaying leaves, folding her wings, and Alex dismounted. Realizing she might be a little out in the open if he left her there, he gestured for her to follow as he made his way into the dimmed light of the trees, pausing beside the shelter of an overgrown willow.

“Stay here,” he said. “And if anything comes for you, come and find me,” he added, still feeling foolish about speaking to a bird. Once again, she defied his expectations as she chirped in understanding, walking behind the curtain of leaves and settling down beside the trunk of the tree. From beyond the willow, it was nearly impossible to make her out beneath the camouflage. Alex smiled in wonderment; she was truly an incredible specimen.

Reassured that Storm would have plenty to eat in the forest, he set off into the trees, heeding Caius’s warning about the traps and soldiers that filled these seemingly innocuous woods. The beetle was flashing like mad, restoring his courage—they were nearby, he could sense it.

The forest itself was more oppressive than it had appeared from the portal, and though the canopy was a myriad of gold and scarlet, and everything around him was beautiful to behold, from the tiny wildflowers that grew along the path, to the babbling brooks that cut through the lush green earth, he couldn’t help but feel on edge, knowing somebody could sneak up on him at any moment, or he might set off a trap with one misplaced step.

Alex knew he had to travel north to where he had seen the glint of the pagoda’s top, but from down on the ground, he could no longer see the beacon of it, telling him where to go. The beetle was still flashing, and he clung to the belief that it would lead him to the others.

Chapter 3

Trekking through the woods with as much stealth as he could muster, Alex came across nobody on his travels. It did nothing to dispel his fears, however, and his nerves remained on edge. The soldiers Caius had spoken about could be anywhere, and he wasn’t about to let them surprise him.

As he walked, he saw something strange in a copse up ahead. It was a toad, resting out in the open, its slick back glistening. It basked in a spot of sunlight filtering through the canopy, but, as Alex neared it, something seemed amiss. He realized it almost a moment too late, as several barbs shot from the toad’s mouth. Alex dove to one side, out of the way of the small darts, which thudded into the tree behind him.

Turning in astonishment, he saw hundreds of tiny holes in the bark, where previous darts had hit home. They had singed the wood, clearly laced in a poison or chemical of some sort, which Alex was certain would have led to a series of very painful injuries, if not death. It was a close call—too close for comfort, and the near miss left Alex even more cautious, as he ventured as near as he dared to the toad. Upon closer inspection, he could see that it was a costumed piece of intricate clockwork, the whirring of the cogs barely audible.

Shaking off his fear, Alex moved onward, scrutinizing his surroundings for anything out of the ordinary. He just had to hope that the flashing beetle meant that Lintz and the others weren’t dead, or caught up in the jaws of some grisly snare.

Ahead, blooming in the glowing light, a line of cherry trees appeared, standing out from the maples around them. Their flowers’ petals were tinged with pink, and though they seemed innocuous enough, Alex had a bad feeling about their presence within the forest. They were out of place, and yet it was evident he had to walk through them in order to move forward. To either side, the line of blossoming trees stretched, offering no alternative route.

He stepped tentatively up to one of the trees, and noticed immediately that it wasn’t shedding its delicate petals, as the ones next to it were, though the illusion was a convincing one. In fact, as he looked up the line, he realized that every alternate tree wasn’t showering petals as it should.

A harsh buzzing sound filled his ears, and impulse made him take a quick step backward, just in time to see a shielding trap snap closed around the periphery of the tree. He gasped, realizing how close he had come to being caught within it. It became clear that only the shedding trees were safe to pass near, but the others would trap an intruder inside, until a soldier could find them. Alex shuddered, glad of the escape, but the sound he had heard gave him an idea. If he listened for it, he might just be able to avoid more traps—these kinds of snares, at any rate.

Skirting around the dark