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

he’d seemed, and perhaps he might have been, had he not been so twisted up by grief and loss.

Ellabell took Alex’s hand, bringing him back to reality.

“Let’s go,” she said encouragingly. They crept back out into the hallway, careful to avoid the sound of footsteps coming in their direction.

It seemed the prisoners were elsewhere for the time being, though it didn’t prevent Alex from peering around every single corner, convinced something was going to jump out at him. They were almost at the stairs leading to the turret where Storm was waiting when Alex paused beside one of the golden cylinders that controlled the flow of the barrier shrouding Kingstone. The metal casing had been bashed in, to the point where it was dangling from its screws, but whoever had inflicted the damage had been held back by the defensive magic within. Alex wasn’t deterred by such things.

“As soon as I do this, we’re going to have to run, okay?” he warned.

Ellabell nodded. “I’m ready.”

Yanking the rest of the casing off, Alex forged a small blade of anti-magic, and cut the band at the top of the clockwork within, severing the shield. A snapping creature, shaped like a savage hound, pounced from the glittering energy, but Alex and Ellabell were ready for it. While Ellabell distracted it by running around the space, Alex fed his anti-magic toward it in shimmering silver-and-black ribbons, constricting the translucent body. The hound yelped as the energy began to disintegrate its form, until there was nothing left of the shimmering creature.

With the defenses down, Alex turned to the actual clockwork, resting his hands on the mechanisms as he forced a volatile pulse of his energy through the cogs and connectors. There was a loud crack as it broke. Still, Alex knew they were going to need something else to stop the small section of barrier from functioning. Thinking fast, he picked up the dented metal casing and shoved it with all his might into the clockwork, blocking the system. It wasn’t quite as elegant as Lintz’s beautiful crab-shaped jammers, but Alex hoped it would do the job and bring the king down upon the prison to restore peace.

Not wanting to wait around to see if it had worked, Alex and Ellabell left Kingstone Keep to wrack and ruin, hurrying up the steps of the turret and hopping onto Storm’s back. As she flew, Alex made the mistake of looking back, just in time to see a swarm of criminals appear at the lip of one of the other turrets. They were lifting a figure above their heads, and Alex squinted to see who it was.

With a sinking feeling in his stomach, Alex realized Vincent must not have locked the door as well as he’d thought. The limp figure being lifted above the heads of the prisoners was Caius, weakened by the specters and unable to fight back. Alex wished he could turn Storm around, to save the warden from the revenge of the inmates, but it was already too late. With an unceremonious shove, the prisoners threw Caius from the turret.

His limp body plummeted to the ground like a sack of potatoes, hitting the water with an almighty smack that ricocheted toward Alex’s ears, even at such a distance. A split second later, an enormous mouth surged upward, enveloping Caius, dragging him below the surface. The moat monster never resurfaced, and nor did the warden. It didn’t seem like a fitting end for a man who had been, for the most part, a good soul.

You weren’t a bad guy, Alex thought solemnly. You were consumed by grief. Rest in peace now, Caius—may you be reunited with your true love.

For the second time that day, Alex had a feeling he would never return to this place, though he was certain the memories would always haunt him.

Chapter 27

Meeting up with Agatha, Aamir, and Vincent on the way, Alex led the newly rostered quintet through the forest, toward the pagoda. It was second nature now to listen for the buzz and thrum of the traps that would seek to ensnare them, but Agatha was something of a liability in this new, fresh setting. She kept wandering off, bending to pick up a seemingly innocuous flower or mushroom, only to be stopped just in time by Alex.

“You mustn’t go near anything,” he warned. “There are traps all over this place.”

Agatha frowned. “I am sorry, my cherub, you must pardon my enthusiasm. It has been so long since I’ve felt fresh air on my face, and seen the beauty of a tree, or a flower. I shall attempt to restrain myself, using only my eyes to drink it all in,” she promised.

Despite her assurances, Alex and the others had to stop her on several more occasions on their way to the pagoda. She was childlike in her inability to pass something pretty without reaching out to touch it, or squatting down nearby to get a closer look. There was endearing quality to it that prevented Alex from losing his patience. Trying to put himself in her shoes, he wondered how he’d feel if he hadn’t seen nature in decades—he imagined it would be more magical than anything he had encountered so far. Real magic would pale in comparison.

He tried to picture himself returning to Middledale after all of this. What had once seemed ordinary and everyday would undoubtedly feel rare and special, but it worried him too—what if he didn’t fit in anymore? Would he still belong among ordinary humans, or would he be irrevocably altered by the challenges he’d endured?

Alex shook off his fears, knowing he first had to get out of the magical realm before he could even begin to think about his re-entry into normality. They arrived at the edge of the forest, the pagoda rising up regally from the center of the clearing ahead. Agatha’s eyes went wide with amazement, and even Vincent seemed impressed.

“This place is ancient. You can feel the vibrations of