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

would not take you there. I won’t let them fight.” Hadrian would not budge on the matter; that much was clear.

“Then you are taking away any hope they have left,” Aamir said quietly, though his words were barbed.

Alex glanced at Demeter to see what the auburn-haired man might have to say on the matter, but a wistful, dreamy look had washed over his face. Whatever the ex-teacher was thinking about, Alex knew it wasn’t how they might go about recruiting more troops.

“Demeter?” he said, nudging the man in the arm.

Demeter snapped back to reality. “Sorry… I was miles away. Did you say something about Ceres?” he asked, a hopeful gleam in his eyes.

Alex nodded. “Yeah, we met her a few days ago. She’s hiding out with Hadrian’s secret squadron of broken children,” he said sourly, catching a flicker of glee that sparked across Demeter’s face.

“Ceres? Ceres is here?” Demeter asked excitedly.

Hadrian sighed. “Yes, she is here.”

“I have to go and see her,” Demeter insisted, but Hadrian did not look like he could be swayed.

“I have said it too many times already: I will not take any of you to where those students are. It is for the greater good that nobody knows the whereabouts of the sanctuary. I will not put their safety at risk,” he muttered, his resolve unwavering. “I know what you are doing is for a truly magnificent cause, but there is simply too much at stake. If the odds weren’t so uncertain, I might consider it, but there can be no guarantee of anyone’s survival in this act of yours. The only people I can truly swear to protect are those I already have, and I won’t go back on that.”

“You have to take me to her!” Demeter demanded.

“I am sorry, dear friend, but I can’t… Please understand the position you are putting me in,” Hadrian said softly, leveling his gaze at Demeter.

Demeter looked crestfallen. “You really won’t?”

“I can’t… but I will pass on a message to her that you are alive and well, and eager to be reunited with her. If she wants to see you, she will come to you,” Hadrian replied, evidently trying to give the broken-hearted man a sliver of positivity to cling to.

“Hadrian, we’re running out of time. We need those extra people,” Alex insisted, hoping he didn’t sound too cold toward Demeter’s plight. He didn’t know the full story of what had happened between Ceres and Demeter, but it was obvious that there had been a romance, once upon a time. No man carried that expression in his eyes unless he clung to the bittersweet memories of lost love.

Hadrian shrugged, his features sagging with exhaustion. “You will have to come up with something else. It is too risky to begin a rebellion here, with so many eyes on us. I’m not taking you.”

“It’s in the cave, isn’t it? There’s something in the cave that leads to this secret place?” Alex asked, making a last-ditch effort to get Hadrian to take them there, or at least spill the beans.

Hadrian flashed an angry look in Alex’s direction. “I ask, politely, that you shelve this idea of yours and use what little time you have left to perfect the counter-spell. That will be where it counts. You can have all the numbers in the world, but if you do not know that spell, it will all be moot,” he said, his voice tense. “Ensure there is nothing you have missed.”

“I already know what we’re missing,” Alex muttered.

Hadrian exhaled deeply. “I shall be in the kitchens, ordering a fine meal for you all. When you are done trying to persuade yourselves that I will change my mind, I will be waiting for you with a hot supper. Until you can push those thoughts from your mind, I suggest you remain absent. Shut yourselves in your rooms if you must.” With that, the wearied royal left the room.

“As much as I hate to admit it, I don’t think you should have said those things,” said Demeter quietly. “Hadrian has sacrificed a lot to be where he is, and to have achieved what he has with the essence. He does every extraction himself, you know? He told me, as we were returning. The man has a good heart, and if he says we shouldn’t involve the victims he is trying to keep safe, then we shouldn’t.”

Alex frowned, thinking about what that entailed. It was no wonder the royal looked so tired. He could only imagine what kind of strain that sort of exertion would put a man under—to pull the living pulse of a person out of them, listening to their agonized screams, all the while trying to soothe and fix whatever remained.

“We need the numbers,” Alex insisted, despite the unease he felt at Demeter’s chiding. “No matter what he says, we will struggle with what we have.”

Aamir placed a hand on his friend’s shoulder. “It will have to be enough.”

It wasn’t what Alex wanted to hear, but he knew he was fighting a losing battle. If he wanted to seek out the assistance of the recovering students, he was going to have to get it himself.

“We’ll talk more tomorrow, figure out our next move,” Alex said, though he already had a plan formulating in his mind. He didn’t dare look at Ellabell, but he could feel the heat of a knowing look coming from her direction.

“And you’ll come sit with us now?” she asked pointedly.

He nodded. “Of course. We’ll just have to pray there are enough at Stillwater to take on the task. Two royals and a school full of undoubtedly brainwashed students—how hard can it be?” he said, his voice dripping sarcasm.

Obediently, he followed everyone else toward the low table, where they sat in readiness for the meal Hadrian had promised. When it arrived, they ate in uncomfortable silence. The food was delicious, but everything left a bitter taste in Alex’s mouth. After eating his fill, he retired to his chamber, plucking the Book