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

“Superb! I am so glad I ran into you all. Well, I must be off—undoubtedly our paths shall cross once more. Vincent sends his love! I’ll tell him you send your love back, or else he’ll sulk.” Giving a theatrical wave, she grinned at the six friends, and then she was gone, the whirlwind passing out of the cave as if it had never even been there.

Alex looked at the glass bottle in his hand, holding it up to the sliver of light that glanced in from outside. The viscous liquid slid thickly from side to side, and Alex knew he’d hit the jackpot. Although he’d made a mistake, they still had the blood, and nobody had died. Not yet, anyway. He was glad to hear Hadrian hadn’t suffered any undue consequences as a result of what had happened; he just hoped the nervous royal’s double agenting wouldn’t become too much for him to handle.

The only problem was, that tiny error had cost them a fairly good deal. In his hand, Alex still clutched the vial of blood, though what it now stood for, he didn’t know. After what had just gone down, it was likely that Julius’s deal was off the table, with no room for further negotiation. If Alex wanted peace, he was going to have to prove it by getting the spell right.

In the words of Sun Tzu, he hadn’t known his enemy. Now, if he failed, he wouldn’t be getting any more blood. This was his only shot.

Chapter 13

A somber air settled across the group as they moved through the cave, Alex and Jari taking it in turns to carry Ellabell, while Aamir and Natalie helped one another along. Agatha’s treatment had done wonders, but it wasn’t an instant fix by any means. The group was broken, and though they had the vial, it was clear nobody felt particularly positive. Alex had yet to explain just why Julius had lost his temper, but it didn’t matter—they all knew that any deal they might have had, had been obliterated.

After retrieving his satchel from behind one of the bottle shelves, the book thankfully still inside, Alex pressed the lotus gem in the small chamber at the end of the cave. Solemnly, the group headed through to the rolling fields of Starcross, though Alex was surprised to find the near distance devoid of Kelpie-riding aggressors. He had been pretty sure that Ceres would be awaiting their return, given the way they had left things, but there was no sign of the one-eyed royal. Still, he knew that meeting would come soon enough; the leader of Starcross would be eager to know how things had gone, even if she hadn’t agreed with them going. Alex sighed, knowing just how badly that was going to go down.

Regardless, Alex knew he had to carry out the second spell attempt as soon as possible, in case Julius came searching for them. If he could complete it, successfully, he hoped he would find himself back in the king’s favor. There might be hope for a peaceful conclusion after all.

Re-entering the camp, they noticed that a few suspicious eyes followed their movements toward the tents they were staying in. Alex couldn’t blame them. Undoubtedly, they’d seen the riders go out that morning, and had managed to put two and two together. Glancing around, he felt a wave of guilt wash over him. It was true, what Ceres had said: he had put these people in unimaginable danger, and, after what they’d all been through, he didn’t have strong enough words to tell them how sorry he was.

I’ll make it up to you all, he promised, silently.

Turning the corner that led up to their tents, Alex saw that Ceres was waiting beside the fire, perched on one of the benches, one eyebrow raised as they approached. He tried hard not to sigh, knowing this had been inevitable—he had just hoped he might have a bit more time to collect himself.

“It didn’t go well, I take it?” she asked pointedly, eyeing the limp figure of Ellabell and the bruised faces of Aamir and Natalie.

Alex shook his head. “Afraid not… Please don’t say ‘I told you so’.”

She smiled tightly, as if those words were already on her lips. “What happened?” she asked, gesturing toward the benches around her. Jari took Ellabell into her tent, while the rest of the group sat down.

“It was going well,” Alex began, “but then he turned. Julius guessed I’d brought people with me, when he had specifically told me to come alone.”

Ceres frowned. “Then why on earth didn’t you go alone?” she barked. It was a question Alex had been trying not to ask himself, not wanting to lay blame on anyone else for what had happened. They had thought they were doing the right thing in coming with him, and he knew he’d never have escaped without them. Whether or not things would have gone smoothly without them there at all, he’d never know.

“We decided it wasn’t safe,” Alex said, finally.

“I suppose he’d have found some excuse to fly off the handle, even if you had gone alone,” mused Ceres with a shrug. “You realize you should never have gone at all, don’t you?” she added curtly. It was strange—Alex had expected her to be far angrier than she was. He suspected he had Demeter to thank for this slightly peeved version of the one-eyed royal, instead of the howling banshee she had every right to be.

“I thought you’d be screaming at us from the rooftops,” chirped Jari, who had returned from the tent.

Ceres flashed him a warning look. “Don’t get me wrong, I am beyond furious with everything the lot of you have done since coming here,” she said simply, her tone cold. After a long pause, in which she appeared to be taking slow, deep breaths, she continued. “But Demeter took the time to explain your reasoning, once I’d forgiven him for