The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 4 by Bella Forrest (life books to read TXT) 📕

off the metal to see what lay hidden inside. If it was important, it would undoubtedly be booby trapped.

Perhaps Vincent or Agatha can shed some light on it. He turned back toward the hallways that led off from the inside courtyard, but as he looked at each one, he realized his beetle had gone—leaving him with no idea which one the others had disappeared down. They all looked so similar.

Cursing under his breath, he tried to wrack his brain, hoping it would remember which path his friends had taken. He thought the third hallway seemed the most familiar, so, deciding to chance it, he walked toward it.

As he stepped over the threshold, he saw something twinkling just ahead, tucked into the bottom of either wall. It looked familiar, somehow…

He realized too late that it reminded him of the mechanical triggers that had been used at Stillwater House. A great blast of raw magical energy came rushing out of the darkness toward him. It hit him like a blockade, knocking him off his feet and sending him hurtling backward, away from the third tunnel and through the wide, open window.

“ALEX!” he heard Ellabell’s scream as he went soaring over the ledge, catching a glimpse of her and the others appearing in the doorway of the sixth tunnel as he went over.

Six, not three. He cursed himself as solid ground disappeared.

Before he knew it, he was falling, unable to do anything to stop himself. He was aware of only three things: Ellabell’s terrified blue eyes looking down from above, the increasing speed of his descent, and the thought of the ground rising up to meet him. The latter contemplation caused his whole body to tense up, in preparation for the impact. As he rushed to meet his fate, he kept his gaze firmly on Ellabell, who grew smaller and smaller in the distance. He realized he wouldn’t mind if she was the last thing he saw on this earth, but he was too young to die. There were so many things he hadn’t done, and this was going to hurt so much.

He had almost forgotten about the moat, but the cold, icy impact of the water all around him reminded him of it immediately, as he hit the surface with crushing force. It pushed the air out of his lungs, and it felt more like he had slammed into concrete than liquid. He sank beneath the surface, feeling the water close over his face as he descended into the murk. Everything hurt, but the realization dawned on him that he was not, in fact, dead.

Feeling his muscles twinge, he kicked his legs and dragged his arms through the freezing water, pulling himself back up toward the beacon of light that signaled the moat’s surface. With a gasp and a splash, he emerged, grateful to be alive, with all of his limbs in apparent working order. He heaved in great gulps of air, and though the cold temperature of the water was biting, he had never been more grateful to feel such an intense chill.

With chattering teeth, he swam toward the muddy bank, climbing it awkwardly as his fingers clawed at the slick surface for purchase. He managed to haul himself onto the grassy lip of the bank, a short distance from where the bronze fog began. He didn’t dare to think what might happen if he crossed it, and, though he was curious about whether he could simply pass through it with his anti-magic, he didn’t feel like pushing his luck after what had just happened. Sitting on the edge of the bank, gathering his thoughts, his heart racing, he found himself staring out toward the moat.

It was the first time he had seen the moat close up, and the sight disturbed him. The water was a murky black, as far from natural-looking as it was possible to be, so thick and opaque it almost looked like oil. Not to mention the fact that it absolutely stank; he could smell it on his skin already, reeking of all things rotten and festering. The stench made him gag, but since he was drenched in the stuff, he wasn’t sure how he was going to evade the smell.

Looking back up toward the window he had fallen from, he saw that Agatha and Ellabell were still peering over.

“Are you okay?” Ellabell yelled, the words barely audible to Alex’s ears.

“I think so!” Alex shouted back.

“We’re trying to find a rope long enough—Vincent says we can’t conjure one in case it sets off the fog!” Ellabell replied. “Hold on, we’re ransacking rooms for bedsheets!”

“Quite right—if we set off the barrier, you’ll be stuck down there!” Agatha cackled. “Now, don’t get too close to the water. You don’t want to slip back in!” she added, while Ellabell disappeared from sight.

“Okay… I’m, uh, not exactly going anywhere,” Alex called back. He guessed it made sense that they couldn’t simply conjure a magical rope. If mages could just dangle magic ropes out and climb down them without repercussion, Caius would have needed to reassess his security measures. Plus, Alex doubted he’d be able to keep hold of a magical one anyway, given the way his anti-magic was prone to attacking magic.

Suddenly, something slithered beneath the dark water, rippling the viscous surface. Alex jumped to his feet and stepped back, seeing the flash of something moving beneath the black water. Whatever was living under there, it was big, and he was almost certain there was more than one. A splash a short distance away confirmed his chilling suspicions.

The next thing he knew, something was lunging toward him from the moat. Alex toppled backward, losing his footing on the wet grass. A huge black creature that looked part snake, part lizard surged from the black liquid, darting toward Alex at alarming speed, its amphibian nostrils flaring. It paused, sniffing the air, seeking something out.

Lying flat in the grass, feeling the blades tickling the back of his neck, Alex kept entirely still, hoping