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

neck, especially as the king began to whistle a tune, like it was the most normal thing in the world. For some unknown reason—probably nerves—it gave Alex the giggles, and he had to force himself to push the laughter down, snatching his gaze away from the comical scene of Julius on the throne, a leech attached to his neck, Hadrian holding the slimy end of the critter.

At long last, just as Alex thought he might burst, Hadrian removed the leech. There was a knife in the box too, which the anxious royal plucked out. He slid the sharp end into the leech, creating a small hole, from which he squeezed the blood, letting it drip into the vial. Alex counted nine drops before Hadrian stoppered the bottle. Enough for one attempt, but likely not two—just as Julius had no doubt engineered it.

“Hand it to the boy,” Julius instructed.

Hadrian hurried toward him and handed over the vial, a look of excitement on his face. Alex felt that same excitement; they were almost done, and Julius had agreed to the terms. There was one caveat, but Alex had expected some kind of curveball. All in all, the meeting had been a success.

“Now, when can I expect my wife to be returned to me?” asked Julius curtly.

Alex smiled. “I hope you won’t mind, but myself and my friends will keep Venus as collateral until your end of the bargain is upheld. Even if I should fail, my friends will hold her until you do as you’ve promised,” Alex said, his eyes glancing toward the window.

Immediately, he realized the huge mistake he’d made.

Julius’s expression morphed into a mask of abject fury. “Are they out there?” he roared, shooting a glare toward where Alex had glanced. “Are your friends out there, waiting like little snakes, ready to strike at your command? Did you think you could take me down?” he screamed. “How dare you? How dare you come here before me, ask me for all these things, when all the while you were disobeying my one rule! Come alone, I said. Have you brought your little friends along? If you have, they will not live. None of you will!” he shouted, conjuring much larger spears of energy in his hands.

“No, no, I meant nothing by it,” Alex lied. “Your Royal Highness, I am here alone. I was just looking out there because they are waiting for me, but not nearby, not here.”

“Liar!” Julius screamed. “You dare defy me! I will make you pay, you worthless wretch!”

Alex turned to Hadrian for help, but Hadrian was nowhere to be seen, though he had been there mere moments before. He caught sight of something shadowy moving close by, but he couldn’t make out the figure. Whoever it was who had spirited Hadrian away, their face was pale, and Alex was almost certain he could see the telltale black veins of a necromancer. Presumably to keep Hadrian from the king’s wrath, and to keep the hope of a plan alive, Vincent had stepped in. Alex just wished he had stepped in to spirit him away, too.

Alex ran for the flimsy windowpanes that lined the gallery. Building an orb of anti-magic in front of him, he let it surge forward, smashing the glass of several windows in one precise blast. The energy exploded in the sky beyond, giving the signal that would bring aid. He knew he needed to get out of there, and fast, before Julius could get hold of him.

Without another moment’s thought, he vaulted over the sill, his leg catching on a shard that was sticking up. Ignoring the stab of pain, he clambered down the side of the building, using the ancient structure’s wooden formation to his advantage; there were footholds and handholds everywhere, the climb an easy one. Looking up, he saw Helena and Jari scrambling down the side of the building from the sixth floor, like rats running from a flood. As Julius poked his head out, sending a bolt of magic toward Alex, the duo above him dropped magical bombs of their own, the blasts landing squarely on Julius’s head. The king recoiled, ducking back inside. Helena and Jari hurried past the open window.

Julius appeared again, firing a furious artillery down at them. Trying to climb and dodge waves of magic was no simple feat, and once or twice Alex felt a blast knock into him, causing a flurry of snowflakes to drift down to the ground below. A new ache pulsed through his veins. One spear hit Helena square in the shoulder, causing her to lose her grip on the plank of wood she had been clinging to. Alex could do nothing to help, forced to watch as she plummeted to the earth. Just shy of the ground that would have undoubtedly flattened her like a pancake, a cushion of glistening golden light appeared, breaking her fall. The safety net had been forged by the quick-thinking Natalie.

Seeing the net’s success, Jari pushed away from the building, landing on the cushion of energy just in time to break his fall. It was a quick way down the side of the pagoda, but Alex knew that kind of cushion wouldn’t help him.

There was only one other option.

Bracing himself against the wooden slats, he pushed off as hard as he could, and felt the air rushing around him as he fell. Less than a minute later, he splashed into the closest pool in the water gardens below, the icy water enveloping him, before he resurfaced with a sharp intake of breath. Fortunately, it had been deeper than he’d thought, and he hurried to the edge, pulling himself out. His feet squelched as he sprinted for the tree-line, desperately trying to count how many of his friends were running alongside him.

Let there be five, let there be five, let there be five, he prayed.

Chapter 12

Alex was the first to arrive, crashing through the narrow doorway into the sanctuary of the cave. He crouched on