The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 5 by Bella Forrest (book series for 10 year olds .TXT) 📕

not dare to b-believe you could exist,” Hadrian murmured. “You are an impossible c-creature.”

Aamir chimed in. “Improbable, but definitely not impossible.”

“I can’t believe my father would be capable of such terrible things.” Hadrian sighed, looking anxiously at the ground. “No… I tell a lie. I c-can imagine it of him, though it is not an easy thing for a s-son to admit. I have not seen my father in a long time, and though he would have liked to p-pretend our relationship was a good one, I can assure you it was not. There were d-demons eating away at him every day, and I could do nothing to stop their c-consumption of him—I used to try, but there was an argument, and he told me never to r-return. I have feared for a long time that the keep finally got to him, d-devouring what remained of his soul.” There was a sorrow in the pale eyes of the royal that spurred Alex’s pity.

“An argument?” Ellabell asked.

Hadrian nodded, wringing his hands. “The last time we m-met, I knew his obsession was getting the better of him. He wouldn’t stop talking about his lost love—that Spellbreaker woman—and when I suggested he try to move on, my father g-grew angry and told me to leave. I did… and I haven’t seen him since. I should have t-tried again, but it felt as if there was too much water under the bridge. Do you believe he is still alive?” The sadness in Hadrian’s voice tugged at Alex’s heartstrings. No matter what Caius had done, he was still Hadrian’s father.

“I think he might be, but I can’t promise anything,” Alex said quietly, not wanting to encourage any false hope.

“No, I suppose not,” Hadrian murmured.

“Caius didn’t want to help the rest of mage-kind, but we do. And to do that, we really need that book. Would you be able to give it to us?” Alex ventured, knowing it wasn’t the most polite time to ask, but unable to hold the request back.

Hadrian smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, it is not that s-simple.”

Chapter 6

It became clear what Hadrian meant as he led Alex and the others to the back of the room, through an archway decorated with vibrant paintings of pastoral life that were etched onto the walls. They seemed to shift as Alex and his friends walked past, the inhabitants of the drawings moving subtly. In the center of the archway stood a statue of a silver fox. With a clockwise turn of the statue’s head, a door slid away, revealing a hidden staircase.

The group trekked down the steps, following Hadrian’s lead. Torchlight flickered against the wooden structure of the spiral staircase as they descended into the darkness, walking farther and farther, until Alex was certain they had to be below ground. Alex’s stomach twisted at the memory of Caius leading him down a similar set of stairs to meet the Great Evil.

Stepping down the last of the steps, they entered the eerie silence of a subterranean vault. At the end of it, there stood a solitary door, exquisitely carved with oriental patterns that coiled along the surface, inlaid with gold leaf and twinkling jewels, with engravings of lotus flowers and billowing clouds flowing around the outside edges. At the very bottom of the door was another depiction of the turtle-like creature Alex had seen in one of the statues lining the halls of the pagoda. Just above the head of the creature, in the very center of the doorway, lay a bright gold disc. It reminded Alex of the sun, with golden threads of metal glancing off the sides.

“What is this place?” Ellabell asked, her voice filled with awe.

Hadrian stepped toward the ornate door and turned to face the others, an expression of barely suppressed fear on his face. “This is why it is not so simple,” he explained. “You see, I cannot simply give you the b-book—it has to be earned.”

“Earned?” Alex repeated, curious as to what lay behind the door.

“Yes, earned. There are twelve tasks to complete, when you step through this door,” Hadrian replied, his tone jittery. It was clear he had no love for this place. “There are t-twelve, in homage to the great mage philosopher Orpheus, to c-commemorate the twelve labors of Hercules, and also to symbolize the twelve years it takes for Jupiter to orbit the sun.”

“That is a lot of twelves,” Aamir remarked drily.

Hadrian winked. “It is something of a lucky number.”

“And where does Jupiter come into this?” Lintz chimed in, his brow furrowed.

“The book you are seeking is called the Book of J-Jupiter, but as for the whys, hows, and whats, I cannot elaborate, I’m afraid. I can’t shed any m-more light on the tasks ahead of you; they are for you to d-discover, and you alone, should you choose to continue on your search,” Hadrian said.

Alex glanced at the door again. “You can’t tell us anything?”

Hadrian shook his head. “I c-cannot. While I am the guardian of this place, and the artifacts within the pagoda, I did not put the book here, and I am s-sad to say that I have never been beyond this door. What lies ahead of you is a secret journey, one which you must walk without aid from outside influence,” he said, his voice heavy with remorse. “All I can tell you is that it will not be easy. There will be very real d-dangers, and you must complete all twelve tasks to achieve your mission.”

Alex leveled his gaze at Hadrian, wondering what the royal knew about the tasks but wasn’t saying, or wasn’t able to say. The man looked terrified, his eyes darting around at the shadows of the cavern, as if something might spring out at a moment’s notice. But there was more to it than just a general fear of the vault—of that Alex was certain. Whatever Hadrian was holding back, the white-haired man had at least confirmed Alex’s suspicions that certain areas of Falleaf House were used