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

With the stretch and strain of the landscape, Storm emerged into a world that set Alex’s nerves on edge. It seemed like forever ago that they had made their escape from this place, from the cruel beauty of Stillwater House. Below, the vast lake sparkled, shrouding the sight of the skulls beneath the water. It didn’t make them any less visible to Alex’s mind as they swooped low, passing across it, the steady beat of Storm’s wings rippling the surface.

The bright walls of Stillwater rushed ever closer, the white stone adorned with vibrant flowers. Their perfume clung to Alex’s senses, reviving his memories of the school. It hadn’t changed at all—it was still one of the most stunning buildings he had ever seen, resting close to the shore of the sparkling lake. It was only the inside that was ugly.

Storm curved upward, landing on the outer battlements of the villa, her talons crumbling the stone edge. She had landed just above the training courtyard, where Alex and Jari had caught sight of Helena for the first time, and it was a bittersweet return. For a short while, they had found safety for the first time since setting foot through the gate of Spellshadow Manor, but Alex knew it could never have lasted. Careful not to put a foot wrong, he got down from Storm’s back, reaching out to steady Ellabell as she teetered on the ledge.

“We should get to Helena—she’ll know where her mother might go,” he whispered, glancing at the courtyard below. There didn’t seem to be any movement in the cloisters that framed the square, nor did any voices float up from the hallways beyond. It made Alex nervous, not knowing what state the school was in; he couldn’t gauge a thing from the walls.

“Hopefully, we got here ahead of her,” Ellabell said.

Alex sighed. “I really hope so.”

They scrambled down the side of the wall and hurried through the semi-familiar hallways of Stillwater House, in search of Helena. They came across nobody they could ask as they ran through the labyrinth, heading for the refectory. In any school, be it ordinary or magical, Alex assumed it was almost a guarantee that there would be people in the cafeteria. On the surface, nothing seemed amiss. There was no clash of energies, or shouts of warring students—just a disconcerting peace that drifted throughout the place.

Alex and Ellabell burst through the doors of the refectory. A series of surprised faces turned in their direction. If Alypia was here, it didn’t appear the Headmistress had created too much chaos. Nobody seemed to be jumping into action, which gave Alex hope that they were not too late. The most surprised faces were those of Natalie and Jari, their expressions quickly turning to ones of delight as they saw their dear friends. Helena was there too, though she was in deep conversation with a red-haired girl who looked extremely familiar. It was only when Natalie nudged her in the arm that Helena turned her attention to the new arrivals.

“Alex? Ellabell? How did you get here?” the silver-haired girl asked, charging over to them. “Not that I’m not pleased to see you, it’s just that we didn’t receive a message of your arrival.”

Alex grimaced. “No, you wouldn’t have. We got here another way—I’ll explain later. Right now, we need to search this place from top to bottom. Your mother is here. She escaped from Kingstone and closed the portal behind her. Aamir is building another one, but we need to get to Alypia before she summons her father,” he explained in rapid fire.

Helena’s face fell. “She’s here?”

“That’s our guess. There’s nowhere else she could have gone,” said Ellabell. “Do you know where she might go, to call her father?”

Helena nodded. “Follow me. There’s only one place she could go to contact Julius.”

As Helena strode toward the doors of the refectory, Alex glanced back at the room, and marveled at the numbers within. It seemed that most of the student body was gathered in one place, and all appeared to be rallying to the cause. And, although they were still striking in their appearance, Alex felt as if they’d lost some of the otherworldly sheen that had been placed upon them, shrouding the real beauty beneath. All except Helena herself, who was just as beautiful as she had been when they had parted ways, though he knew better than to vocalize that particular thought.

“You managed to rally them all?” Alex asked as they sped along.

Helena nodded. “Those who wouldn’t comply are in the school dungeons.” The comment took Alex aback for a moment; this wasn’t the same sweet-natured girl they had left behind, and Alex wondered what newfound darkness lay beneath her pretty surface.

“You locked them up?” said Ellabell, dumbfounded.

The silver-haired girl looked bashful for a second. “Only if they were being truly disruptive,” she replied, her voice softening. “Most came around to the idea pretty easily, once my mother’s magic began to wear off, but there were a few who flat-out refused to join the cause. Rather than have them running off, telling someone who might try to stop us, I felt it best to put them away. They are safe, and are being well taken care of, I assure you. I have not turned into my mother.” She smiled, and Alex could see that it was the truth. Nothing in her was twisted up, the way it was on her mother’s face.

“You had me worried for a moment there,” Alex said.

“I’m still me,” Helena assured him.

Jari bounded in front of Alex, evidently trying to distract him from his lady love. “How are things at Falleaf, anyway? Don’t keep us in suspense, dude!”

Alex smiled tightly. “It’s been… weird. Hadrian has been helping us out, but things have gotten tense. We found the book, but the spell requires the blood of a royal. I tried to get Venus to come down to