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

or were at least being kept prisoner at Starcross. They had been so close to reaching the trees, where they just might have lost the king and his men. It was almost worse than if they hadn’t stood a chance of escape. Alex tried to picture the last time he’d seen them; they had been writhing on the ground in agony, suffering under one of Julius’s brutal spells, but they hadn’t looked close to death. No, not in the way so many others that day had looked. A tremor of nausea ran through him as he remembered the scarlet explosions and haunting screams.

Knowing Julius, Alex had a feeling the king was keeping his friends safely tucked away, in case he needed some extra leverage, a means by which to force Alex to do what he wanted. In that, at least, there was some relief. They were likely still alive, and that meant they still had a chance.

Slowly, his mind touched upon the sad scene of Storm’s death, but he couldn’t even bring himself to think about her. It was too raw and too upsetting, and he knew he’d have to put his grief for her away in a box in his mind, just for now, until he could grieve for her properly, the way she deserved. He hoped they hadn’t left her body out on the battlefield, for creatures to come and devour. He couldn’t bear the thought of that.

Impulsively, Alex got out of bed and strode up to the huge double doors that dominated the left hand side of the room. Looking down, he realized he was only dressed in his underwear, and wondered, with some alarm, who had undressed him and put him to bed. It made him feel oddly vulnerable, to think someone had tucked him in, like a small child after a long journey. Shaking off his concerns, he twisted a golden handle that was molded into the shape of a mermaid and heaved one side open, peering out.

The hallway outside was impressive, with huge, glittering tapestries lining the walls and an elegant statue twirling upward every couple of feet, the middle of the floor covered in a red velvet runner that stretched away on either side. There were, however, also four heavily armored guards clutching weighty golden spears that Alex guessed were more for decoration than anything practical. Two of them flanked the door, while the other two stood opposite, their eyes glowering in the direction of Alex’s peeking face.

“The king will come for you when he is ready,” one of the guards opposite warned.

“You should return to your chamber,” the guard beside him added, the two making quite the menacing double act. The guards on Alex’s side of the door said nothing, barely acknowledging him. Looking up at them, he decided he liked them better than the other two.

Ducking back into the room, he took in his surroundings more thoroughly. All around him, everything gleamed gold and cream, the furnishings plush and luxurious. A fireplace was carved into the wall opposite the bed, beside a small seating area, with armchairs so enormous and grand that Alex felt he’d disappear into them if he dared to sit down on one. In the hearth, a fire blazed, making the room almost unbearably hot. On the mantelpiece above, golden statuettes were frozen mid-dance, and a candelabra forged from pure silver stood in the center, no doubt with a price tag that could have paid for a student’s college tuition. Even the duvet and pillow felt expensive, woven from smooth silk, both comfortable and cool on his skin.

Fluffy rugs carpeted the marble tiles of the bedroom’s floor, though there was a somewhat alarming animal skin stretched out in front of the blazing fire. From where Alex was sitting, it looked somewhat like a white tiger, but the stripes were a paler color, and two large fangs, almost like tusks, pierced down from the roof of its mouth, its glass eyes staring vacantly upward. He shuddered, feeling sorry for the poor creature who had lost its life for such a ghoulish decoration. Not only that, he felt a bit of empathy toward it too, knowing he was probably going to end up in a similar state once Julius came for him.

Reminded of the king, Alex couldn’t help pondering why Julius had chosen to put him up in such beautiful surroundings. Once the lights had gone out after Julius struck him in the head, he would have been certain the shivering cold of awaking in a cell would have greeted him, his body curled up on dank stones. A luxurious bedroom to rival any five-star hotel had definitely not been on the agenda.

Curiously, he padded over to the windows, wanting to take a better look at the scenery beyond, hoping to gauge where on earth he was. Drawing back the curtains, he was surprised to see that the French doors were open, leaving him free to wander out onto the balcony. As he stepped out, he realized why they hadn’t bothered with this security measure. Peering out over the edge of the balcony’s balustrade, he saw tumbling waterfalls beneath, plummeting all the way down into a valley that looked no bigger than a ribbon from this height, snaking away through lush green countryside. Even if he wanted to escape, there was no way out, the slippery marble walls on either side no good for climbing. The next balcony above was a long way up, with no feasible way to reach it.

Alex smiled wryly; it was a cell after all, just painted up to look pretty. Still, he had to admit he was glad it wasn’t somewhere grim and dingy, where the cold penetrated through to his very bones, and the scent of fear and excrement was ripe in the air.

Gazing out at the stunning landscape, the grassy fields rolling away like green velvet to meet the softly swelling hills in the distance, Alex ruminated upon whether this was another haven,