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

with it. As a result, the mist was drawn away from the peripheral havens, to be contained only within the circle forged by the four havens that are, more or less, still standing,” she explained, giving Alex a knowing look. “It created a ring-like barrier around the Great Evil, keeping it in only within that circle. As such, Starcross and the other fallen havens are protected from the mist… Well, as long as that circle holds.”

Alex felt a wave of panic flow through him as his mind wandered toward the mess he’d made of Spellshadow, and then thought of Stillwater. It had been a long time since the latter had had essence poured into its pit. After all, Helena had never made it back with her sack of half-essence, given Julius’s abrupt arrival there. Yes, it had definitely been a while since the Great Evil had been fed from there. With Caius gone, too, at Kingstone, Alex realized it was unlikely that the keep’s pit had been fed either, unless Julius had taken it into his own hands.

Alex sighed. “So the reason you’re telling us this is because… if the other havens fall, then the mist will spread to places outside the circle?”

“Correct.” Siren Mave smiled cheerily.

“Great,” Alex replied drily.

“We’re wasting time here,” Ceres cut in. “We have to find a new location, and fast. I don’t want Julius sniffing you out, Alex.”

“We’ll figure something out,” Alex said with more confidence than he felt.

“Just remember, when the moment comes, ensure the spell is properly witnessed by all who are involved,” Siren Mave warned, giving Alex the kind of vague comment he had come to expect from his shadowy advisors.

He wanted to scream at her, demand to know what she meant, but knew there was no point. Before he could even think about the spell, and everything it entailed, they needed a place to perform it. Without that, all of this was pointless.

Turning on his heel without another word, he raced from the derelict pit, with Venus’s words running through his mind: “The sands of time are running swiftly, and you’re down to a handful of grains.”

He could feel each one slipping through his fingers.

Chapter 15

After bringing the Kelpie back up from the murky depths of the moat, Ceres and Alex raced back through the beautiful landscape, the golden sun shining down and warming their faces as they rode. Alex, however, barely even noticed the scenery, his mind was so preoccupied.

As they charged along, he couldn’t help but think of the words Siren Mave had spoken as they left. As usual, her cryptic message had left him exasperated. Why couldn’t they just tell him what he needed to know in plain terms? He knew why, since she and Elias had explained the curse that bound their lips, but it didn’t make figuring out the puzzle any easier.

“Who was that woman?” Ceres asked, as they rode.

Alex smiled grimly. “I’m not sure even I know the answer to that.”

“How did she get to the castle?” Ceres pressed.

“She moves between realms as she pleases,” Alex explained. “I don’t know how she does it, so there’s no point asking me that either. She’s… not exactly human, if you catch my drift?”

Ceres nodded, falling into silence. Alex could almost hear the cogs whirring in her head, as she tried to figure out the toady woman, and how she fit into all of this. The story was a long one, and it wasn’t a tale Alex was in the mood to tell.

Upon returning to the camp, they headed straight for the windmill. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Demeter, watching them from the farm, but the auburn-haired man made no move to follow.

Alex burst through the door of the windmill, striding straight toward Virgil’s cell. “Did you know it was unusable?” he asked angrily.

Virgil sat up, startled. “Know what was unusable?”

“Don’t play dumb. Starcross Castle, did you know it was unusable? Were you sending us on a wild goose chase?” he demanded.

Virgil shook his head, a confused look in his eyes. “No, why would I?”

“The pit has caved in. Did you do one of your spells at Starcross Castle?” Alex pressed.

Just then, Ceres walked up and rested her hand on Alex’s shoulder. “It could’ve just been the mist, Alex, as your strange friend said,” she commented softly, evidently trying to calm him.

“Maybe so—or maybe you sabotaged us, sending us there to buy time,” Alex countered, his gaze still firmly set on the squirming figure of Virgil.

“Step away from my son,” a voice called sweetly from the other side of the room, though there was a hint of a warning in her words. Venus was standing up against the bars, her beautiful eyes piercing Alex’s soul as he turned to look at her. “Your anger is misplaced. Come over here. Speak with me a while.”

As much as Alex wanted to keep raging at Virgil, he found he couldn’t deny the queen’s request. Seemingly on autopilot, he began to walk toward her, but Ceres’s hand held him back.

“Don’t go up to her cell,” Ceres warned, but Alex was helpless, and found himself doing as Venus had asked. He shook off Ceres’s hand and took a seat on one of the low guard stools that sat beside the queen’s cell.

“He did it on purpose,” said Alex quietly, feeling foolish.

Venus smiled a glowing smile. “No, Alex, he didn’t. When my husband took Virgil to do that awful spell, Starcross Castle wasn’t one of the places he took him to. If the cave has fallen in, it has nothing to do with my son,” she said firmly, her voice utterly compelling. Whatever she said, Alex instantly believed—it was impossible to resist.

“Maybe I was wrong,” Alex replied shyly.

“I can see you’re under a lot of stress, Alex. I know how difficult that must be for you,” Venus said soothingly. “Perhaps you simply wanted to vent, and my son was the easiest target? I don’t blame you. Stress can