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

a knife-wielding individual who had been making a beeline for Alex.

Vincent shrugged. “I cannot be sure. She let all of these prisoners out as she went, and we have been dealing with them ever since. She weakened the barrier as well, so that the red fog was not released. It seems she knew exactly where the worst of the prisoners were being held.”

It wasn’t what Alex wanted to hear.

“So she could be anywhere,” he muttered. Everything seemed to be falling apart in front of his eyes, crashing down like dominoes.

Worse than that, if Alypia was on the loose, that meant they were all in very real trouble. Not from the onslaught of marauding criminals, but from the potential of what Alypia could do. If she was out and free, all she had to do was sound the alarm, and Julius would be hurtling down upon them before they could make a move to escape.

He could only hope that the continuation of the assailants, and the ongoing haze of the keep’s barrier, meant that Julius wasn’t imminently on his way. Alex had seen how quickly the king could be summoned, and it appeared that no such message had reached him—not yet, anyway.

With a sudden jolt of realization, Alex understood how he might better pinpoint Alypia’s position. There was only one place the Headmistress would go in order to restore the power that had been taken away from her.

“We have to get to the portal,” Alex said, taking off down the hallway.

“Wait for us!” Ellabell yelled, as Vincent let her loose from the cell, but he had already gone. He didn’t have time to wait for them; he just hoped that the sound of footsteps he could hear on the flagstones behind him were those of his friends.

With a look of abject horror, Alex skidded to a halt at the end of the corridor that connected the courtyard to the rest of the keep. The others jogged up behind him—Ellabell, Aamir, Vincent, and Agatha. The shock registered on their faces, too, as they all looked ahead. Where there should have been a bright portal of glowing light leading to Stillwater House, there was nothing but a solid, impenetrable wall.

Alypia had gone home, and she had closed the route behind her.

Chapter 23

“She’s gone back to Stillwater,” Alex muttered.

“She might be trying to get a message to Julius,” Vincent suggested. The necromancer was being held up by Agatha’s surprisingly strong arms.

Ellabell frowned. “Couldn’t she do that here?”

“Not if she wanted to send something specific. The royals have a means of communicating with one another, but it seems to be personal to each haven curator—I have never witnessed Caius do it, but I am aware that there is a way,” Vincent explained.

Whatever it was Alypia needed in order to summon her father to Stillwater, Alex knew that was precisely what she would be headed for.

“We need to get there as quickly as possible,” Alex stated.

“We could fly?” Ellabell gestured in the direction of the turret, where the Thunderbird roosted.

“Storm can only handle three people at most,” Alex replied. He was determined to drag Alypia back here and see her locked away for good, but that meant the gateway would have to be rebuilt. He unfastened the sack of essence from his shoulders, and opened the drawstrings, taking a look inside.

“Aamir, do you remember how to build a portal, from the way Lintz did it?” he asked.

Aamir nodded. “I should be able to figure it out.”

“Good. I’m going to need you to reopen the portal to Stillwater, while Ellabell and I go on ahead. We’ll meet you there,” Alex said, leaving no room for negotiation.

“With pleasure.” Aamir took the bag of essence from Alex.

“We’ll keep these rapscallions at bay!” Agatha whooped, though Vincent didn’t seem quite as enthusiastic.

“We shall certainly do our best not to let any miscreants sneak through after you,” Vincent said with a dry smile.

The trio looked like a paltry defense squad, but Alex knew there was more power between them than met the eye.

“If you need to use the essence to defend yourselves and the portal, you do it, okay?” Alex insisted.

Aamir smiled. “Always the worrier. You needn’t be—the three of us have got this. Go on, there’s no time to lose.”

Patting his friend hard on the back, Alex took off down the hallway, with Ellabell sprinting close beside him. They ducked and weaved away from the remaining attackers, though their numbers seemed to be dwindling. They passed small piles of sleeping individuals, who had evidently been on the receiving end of Agatha and Vincent’s wrath. Alex’s thought of the shiv-wielding ruffians sparked into his mind—there would be more prisoners to contend with. Hopefully, the necromancer and the wild-eyed hippie would see to them, in due course.

Heading back up to the turret, Alex and Ellabell took the steps three at a time, bursting out onto the open platform, their cheeks red with exertion. Storm chirped and rested on her haunches without seeking their permission first. There was a glimmer of understanding in her eyes, as if she knew there was only one reason they would be sprinting so fast.

“We need to go to Stillwater,” Alex said, pausing in front of her.

Storm chirruped, dipping her head in acknowledgement.

“Thank you,” Alex whispered, stroking the smooth feathers of her face before jumping up onto her back in one smooth, expert movement. He was getting good at this flying business. Ellabell seemed to be too, as she took hold of the protrusions by Storm’s shoulders and pulled her knees up like a jockey.

A moment later, they were diving from the turret, then rising on a hot current of air. The next minute, they were speeding along, Alex recognizing the familiar feeling that came just before they slipped through a barrier between realms. It was like spinning too fast on an amusement park ride, a great pressure rising through the body, pushed outwards by the centrifugal force. Everything felt heavy and light, all at once,