The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 6 by Bella Forrest (books for men to read .TXT) 📕

expecting? I thought you’d be bigger,” he said mockingly. “Well, I suppose you’d better come with me.” With that, he marched toward the front entrance of the pagoda—a beautiful, carved archway with two iron double doors, painted a deep, sea green. Alex smiled despite himself, realizing he’d never actually come through the front door of this place before.

He could smell rice and onions cooking in the kitchens as he followed the guard through the doorway and into a grand reception hall with countless golden statues arranged around the room, shaped like foxes, raccoons, and the turtle-like kappa—creatures of folklore. They stared at him with eyes of precious jewels as he was directed toward the stairs.

“Fifth floor. The king is awaiting you,” the soldier sneered.

Alex paused. He had presumed he’d be meeting with Julius on the top floor. Still, if anything went wrong, his friends would be close enough to come to his aid. He hoped so, anyway.

He had just climbed the stairs to the fifth floor when he saw a familiar figure turning the corner, heading straight for him. His head was low, and he was wringing his hands. It wasn’t until he was almost upon Alex that Hadrian looked up. Once he did, and saw Alex standing there, a look of pure, unadulterated horror flashed across his face.

“What are you d-doing here?” he asked. “Oh no, no, n-no, this is b-bad—this is very b-bad.”

“Julius asked me to come,” Alex said, frowning. All his previous good feelings had fallen away at the sight of Hadrian’s expression. Perhaps all this had been a colossal error in judgment.

“No, no, n-no, why would you c-come here!” Hadrian hissed. “This wasn’t part of the p-plan.”

Alex furrowed his brow with worry. “What do you mean? This was the plan.”

“No, no, n-no, dear me, I didn’t think y-you were r-reckless enough to actually c-come! Have you l-lost your m-mind?” Hadrian hissed. “Did anyone s-see you?”

“A soldier sent me up,” Alex replied.

Hadrian let out a long, exasperated sigh. “Well then, I g-guess there’s n-nothing for it. You’re g-going to have to s-see him now. He’s b-been placing b-bets all morning on whether y-you’d actually show up. I c-can’t believe y-you have.” He shook his head and led Alex to a door at the far end of the hallway.

“The letter told me to come here,” said Alex, incredulous about what he was hearing. He replayed the letter over in his head, wondering if he’d missed some subtle warning, telling him not to come after all.

“I know it did, b-but I didn’t expect y-you to actually d-do what it asked,” Hadrian muttered. “Well, no, that’s not t-true. I knew you’d c-come if he c-called, I just h-hoped you wouldn’t.”

“Sorry, Hadrian,” Alex said. “I had no choice. I have to try.”

Hadrian sighed, cracking half a smile. “I k-know. He’s w-waiting for y-you.” He opened the door and gestured for Alex to enter.

It was a room Alex was fairly sure he’d seen before, with tapestries on the walls that appeared to move as a person walked past them, shifting to another image, showing another panel in the tale it was trying to tell. A clock sat on the mantelpiece above the fireplace at the nearest end of the room. It read eleven fifty-five. He had just made it.

At the end of the room sat a throne, which looked as if it had been dragged in here purely for the purpose of this meeting, so Julius could really put on a show. It was gigantic and garish, with twisting golden vines making up the frame, each one embellished at the top with a jewel the size of Alex’s fist. Plush, red velvet cushions lay at the bottom of the vines, and atop those cushions sat Julius, a smug expression on his face.

“The stranger, I presume?” purred Julius. “Just in time, I see.”

Alex nodded. “Yes, Your Royal Highness,” he replied, remembering his manners. “Though my name is Alex Webber.”

“We’ve met before, haven’t we?” the king said quietly, a suspicious look in his eyes.

“Yes, Your Royal Highness. We have met twice before.”

“Twice?” Julius snapped.

Alex inhaled deeply, calming his nerves. “Yes, Your Royal Highness. Once at Kingstone Keep, and once here, when I served you and your lady wife, the queen.”

Julius got up and prowled toward Alex, coming nose to nose with him, the way he had done at Kingstone. “Ah yes, now I remember you,” whispered the king.

Chapter 11

A second later, Julius moved sharply away and began to pace, walking up and down the lengths of tapestry. Alex didn’t dare speak until spoken to, and so he stood there silently, awaiting the king’s next words.

“You know, I loathe it when things are stolen from me,” Julius said quietly, pausing to look at a tapestry depicting a great battle, Thunderbirds flapping in the sky, the glint of magic and anti-magic clashing. “I do not tolerate thieves, and you are a thief, are you not?”

Alex took a deep breath. “Not in the way you would think, Your Royal Highness. I have not stolen anything of yours with the intention of keeping it. I firmly intend to give it back. I suppose I am more of a… racketeer than a thief.”

Julius smiled. “A good word. I like it. And what makes you a racketeer? I already know of your blackmailing exploits where that nervous wreck Hadrian is concerned, but if you think you can blackmail me, in the same way you have done him, you are sorely mistaken.”

Alex tried not to let his bemusement show on his face. Blackmail? Alex guessed it must have been a ruse Hadrian was using, in order to keep up the pretense of being allied with Julius. If Alex was the bad guy, Hadrian could continue to be neutral in Julius’s eyes, giving him the opportunity to see and hear things he otherwise wouldn’t be able to. Once again, Alex marveled at the resourcefulness of the anxious royal, who somehow always seemed to be one step ahead.

“I would never think