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

you breathe and focus, and put the pieces back together again. It will not be a quick fix, nor will it be easy, but if you rush it you’ll suffer more. These things take time, and you need to understand that,” she continued. “Even the swiftest recoveries can take months. Like I say, I don’t know how your body will respond, but I am certain of one thing—you’re in no state to go home yet,” she said, her voice laced with sorrow.

They were the words Alex had been dreading. Lintz had hinted at it, but he had chosen to ignore the professor. The thought of having to wait longer to return to the real world was almost unbearable. His mother was still waiting out there, and the longer he stayed, the longer she had to wait.

“I know it’s not what you want to hear,” Ceres said softly. “But we have to begin treatment right away. It starts with tea and sleep, and then the hard work begins. You’ll need to relearn a lot of what you used to take for granted, but if you focus and you apply yourself, you may just get back to a normality you recognize,” she explained. “It will never be the same, but you can get pretty close.”

Alex sighed wearily. “How come Virgil isn’t reacting like this?” he asked, feeling as if some great injustice had been done.

“Virgil is a different case entirely, considering he’s half and half,” Ceres said thoughtfully. “He told me what happened. Not only that, but he told me what the spell did to him.”

Alex frowned. “What did it do?”

“It left him more or less the same, which is the good news,” Ceres explained. “The bad news is, he has no Spellbreaker power left. The mist took it all, leaving him only with his magical side—he’s surprisingly disappointed.”

Alex laughed at the irony. After everything the hybrid had been through in his struggle for acceptance, he was now as normal as any other mage.

Chapter 32

The next day dawned, and with it, good news.

Alex stirred to find Aamir sitting on the floor beside his bed, sipping a mug of green tea and talking quietly with Ceres, who was toasting bread over a small fire. The smoke rose through a gap in the tent’s roof. It smelled tantalizing, and Alex’s mouth watered as he struggled to sit up.

“Breakfast?” Ceres asked brightly.

Alex nodded. “Please,” he croaked. Although the sleep had done him some good, and his mind was clearer, his body still felt broken, the numb ache inside him ever present.

“How did you sleep?” Aamir asked, turning to him.

“Like the dead,” Alex said wryly, shuffling up into a better position, shoving some cushions behind his back to prop himself up.

Aamir gave a worried smile. “How are you feeling?”

“Like the dead,” Alex repeated, trying to muster a chuckle. It was clear the secret of Alex’s true state was out. Ceres’s words had no doubt put the seed of concern into the minds of his friends, and had blossomed into a true account of what had happened to him.

“You don’t look as bad as you did yesterday,” Aamir reassured him, an irreverent twinkle in his eyes.

“Charming,” Alex rasped, rubbing his face. “What brings you here, anyway?”

It wasn’t that he didn’t want to see Aamir, but the conversation he’d witnessed had seemed like a pressing one, Aamir’s face animated with passionate discussion. Ceres had been smiling too, a pleased look on her face, but those happy faces had morphed into expressions of solemnity upon Alex’s awakening. He hated that. It was why he hadn’t wanted anyone to know how much he was suffering, in case they treated him in precisely this way—walking on eggshells, unable to be themselves.

“Well, we have exciting news,” Aamir said eagerly.

Alex perked up. “Really?”

“Indeed. This morning, we are gathering everyone from the real world who wants to leave, and taking them through to Spellshadow,” he explained. “Some have chosen to stay, for a number of reasons, but we are returning those who want to be returned. There’s a mix of Spellshadow students and Falleaf students going, since Hadrian opened the offer up to his students—the ones whose families still live out there. Some might come back, and the door will likely always be open, if they want to return.”

The news warmed Alex’s heart. The Great Evil was gone, and the students were going home. It was everything he had hoped for, and yet he couldn’t bring himself to feel the elation he knew he was owed. He wanted to scream and shout and dance around in triumph, but all he could do was smile and nod. Even that wore him out.

“That’s wonderful news,” he said, knowing it barely covered the scope of emotion he wanted to show.

“It is, Alex—and it’s all possible because of what you did,” Aamir replied, gripping Alex’s hand and giving it a squeeze. “I know you’re suffering right now, and everything feels wrong, but one day you’ll get to celebrate the way you deserve, and we’ll be waiting to celebrate with you.”

“I hope so,” Alex sighed. “Are you going with the rest of the students?” he asked, suddenly realizing what the exodus entailed for his friends.

Aamir nodded reluctantly. “I think so,” he said. “All of us are going through to the manor, leading the rest, but I don’t know what the others are thinking just yet. I know I need to go, even if it’s just for a while, to let my family know I’m okay. I’ve been gone for over five years—I want them to know I’m alive, at this point, you know?” he added, almost apologetically.

“You don’t need to sound so sorry about it, Aamir,” Alex reassured him. “I’m happy you get to go back to them. Plus, there’s no way you’re all going through to Spellshadow without me.” He flashed a mischievous smile, causing Ceres’s expression to darken.

“You’re not strong enough to go with them, Alex,” she insisted.

He shrugged. “I started this with them, and