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

his feet. “It was Caius who closed the portal. It seems the warden’s hatred of mages ran a lot deeper than we thought. He saw me as some kind of savior to their kind. Needless to say, he didn’t want me running off here to get the book, because he doesn’t want anyone doing the spell that could save mage-kind from the Great Evil.” Alex sighed. “He tried to kill me.”

“He what?” Lintz yelped, an expression of fury morphing his features.

“Vincent helped hold Caius off… and I escaped before I could see what happened to him, though I know it wasn’t good,” said Alex, his eyes downcast.

“If I know Vincent, he’ll have found a way to pull through,” Lintz said reassuringly. “Goodness, I’m sorry I wasn’t there to protect you, Alex—I ought to have stayed and kept an eye out. Are you hurt? Is Caius dead?”

Alex shook his head. “I can’t be one hundred percent sure on the Caius front, but I’m in one piece, more or less. What about the others? Where are Ellabell and Aamir?”

“Ah, fear not! The pair of them are safely within the walls of the pagoda,” Lintz explained. “I caused something of a diversion—I have been known to be quite diverting.” He chuckled. “I set off some of these here traps, which have monsters within them, to distract the soldiers while the other two climbed up the side of the pagoda and disappeared through a sixth-floor window. I planned to retreat until things had calmed down, but got myself caught in the process.”

“Do you think we’ve been detected?” Alex asked, worried.

Lintz shook his head. “I’m offended, Alex Webber! I’m a professional at stealth.”

Alex stifled a laugh, knowing the professor was anything but stealthy, with his large, rotund build and booming voice.

Lintz flashed him a look. “The soldiers suspected nothing. As they were walking away, I heard one of them say something about the traps here getting more temperamental, given their age. It would appear nobody can be bothered to repair them. Such a shame. These pieces are exquisitely crafted.”

It reminded Alex of Caius’s sentiments, where the keep was concerned. As long as the inmates were scared enough, it didn’t matter if the tools and resources were faulty. It was the fear that kept everyone in line, and Alex wondered if that was the main method of control here, too, only delivered at the hands of soldiers instead of the haven’s ruler.

“So how are we going to get into the pagoda?” Alex asked.

“I’ve had a good few hours to think about this, sitting on my tree trunk,” Lintz replied, pointing back toward the stub of a tree where he had apparently been whiling away his entrapment. “I think I know another way in that thankfully won’t involve any lofty climbing! These creaky old legs weren’t built for such active pursuits… not anymore.” He smiled wistfully, his moustache turning upward.

“What is it?” asked Alex.

“I’ll show you. Hopefully, if we’re very smart—which I know we are—we’ll evade any sort of detection. Those soldiers won’t even know we’ve been there—we’ll pass right under their noses!” Lintz cried, triumphant.

Alex let the professor’s enthusiasm feed his own as he followed Lintz back through the forest toward the perilously beautiful scenery of Falleaf House, avoiding the buzz and thrum of traps as they walked. There were toadstools and leaves, now instantly recognizable as dangers, and small forest creatures that hid deadly secrets within their clockwork innards.

Before long, they arrived at the edge of the forest, where the trees opened out into the vast clearing that held the pagoda at its center. They paused, Alex’s eyes scanning the area for soldiers. There were no fewer than six groups of six, strolling around the grounds, laughing and joking with one another, barely keeping an eye on what was going on around them. If they had bothered to look, Alex knew they would have been able to make out the shapes of two intruders lurking at the tree-line. As it was, he and Lintz were able to sneak along the outskirts, keeping to the shadows.

Finally, they emerged at a narrow passageway between the pagoda and the woods, and ran across the grass, keeping low to the ground, until they reached the back of the intricately carved building. There were dragon’s heads and pillars shaped like monkeys, with open-winged birds screeching silently atop twisting posts sculpted to look like snakes.

Just ahead, Alex could see a doorway in the back of the building, a hidden entrance of sorts, the way down to it overgrown with winding vines and tumbling weeds. If he hadn’t been looking closely, he knew he would have missed it entirely.

“Is this it?” he whispered, pushing back the fronds and spiny branches that were clawing at his face and arms.

Lintz nodded. “I think it leads to the cellar.”

Reaching the door, Alex could see that there was a lock on it. It was only to be expected, with so many guards around, but it seemed like it hadn’t been used for a long time. The metal had fused together, so even a key would have been useless. However, Alex had something better than a key at his disposal. Confidently, he grasped the lock in his hands and fed his anti-magic through the keyhole, forcing the mechanism within to crack and give way, breaking apart the fused metal, until the whole thing fell off into his hand.

He seized the handle and heaved himself against the door, willing it to open. It groaned in displeasure, having remained shut for such a long time, but with a splinter of wood, it lurched forward, sending Alex stumbling in after it. Hoping the sound wouldn’t bring any unwanted visitors, Alex stepped into the unknown of the cellar beyond and closed the door firmly behind him. It was dark and musty, but Alex could make out a light in the distance, leading up to the brighter floors of the pagoda.

Lintz followed him in, and Alex pushed the door closed behind them.