The Secret of Spellshadow Manor 4 by Bella Forrest (life books to read TXT) 📕

“We’ll be long gone before he even knows there’s a problem,” Alex retorted.

“As I say… you’d better hope so.”

Alex frowned, his heart pounding. “You sound like you worship the man. How can I look at you and not think you’re a monster, when you adore a man who is capable of all those things?”

“I value power,” she said simply. “And he has immeasurable power.”

“And what about the way he treats your mother? Surely, you can’t stand for that?” Alex asked, wanting to see how far he could push Alypia.

“My mother is weak,” she whispered. “My father was right to punish her—she didn’t fight back. She is my father’s property, and she allowed herself to be tarnished.”

Alex couldn’t believe the words that were coming out of Alypia’s mouth. From such a strong, formidable woman, they sounded absurd, making him wonder if she had somehow been brainwashed along the way, to believe the vile things her father said and thought to be morally right.

“She’d be dead if it wasn’t for Caius,” Alex said. “You should respect Caius, not your father.”

Alypia was silent for a moment. “Perhaps that would have been kinder… if she had died back then. I’ve often thought so.”

“We’re done here,” said Alex suddenly. He’d heard everything he wanted to know about Julius, and the threat the king posed if he found out what the others were doing at Stillwater and Spellshadow. It made him realize he had to be quicker than ever; he had to go through the portal to Falleaf, retrieve the book, get Virgil to do the counter-spell as fast as he possibly could, and get everyone out of there.

He had just reached the door to the cell, when Alypia’s sickly sweet voice called his attention back.

“You know why my uncle allowed you to stay and speak with me, don’t you?” she said softly.

Alex frowned. “So I could get information from you—you heard me say it.”

“Sometimes, my uncle forgets which side he is actually on. It’s a personality disorder of some kind, making him believe he’s a Spellbreaker when he’s really one of us,” she purred. “He would do absolutely anything to punish his brother. He would do anything to keep you from saving the rest of us. I wouldn’t be surprised if he were already at your little portal, dismantling it as we speak. Don’t get me wrong—it’s the opposite of what I want, but I figured you should know… you know, in case you wanted to stop him.”

Alarm rippled through Alex’s body.

“What?”

She smiled. “Go see for yourself…” she whispered.

Pulse racing, Alex darted out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him in case she decided to make a break for it. His feet pounded hard against the flagstones as he sprinted toward the place where the portal to Falleaf was, hoping against everything that it was still there.

She has to be wrong. She has to be, he told himself as he ran, turning the corner into the hallway where the antechamber was.

Alypia’s voice followed him, echoing down the corridors.

“You should have taken my offer, boy! You’re doomed now!”

He skidded to a halt in front of the door to the small room. Slamming his fists against it, he pushed the door open with alarming force and peered into the darkness beyond, desperate to see the glimmer of the portal staring back.

No, no, no, no, no...

Shaking his head, his heart thudding with a sick dread, he ran toward the wall and clawed frantically at the blocks of stone, but it was no good.

The portal was gone.

Chapter 32

Gulping in great, panicked breaths of air, Alex tried to rationalize the sight before him. His fingertips were raw and bleeding from attacking the stone wall in desperation, but he wasn’t ready to give up yet. He had asked Lintz to keep the gateway open, and though it was gone, Alex knew there had to be a reasonable explanation for its disappearance.

Maybe it closed by accident, he thought to himself over and over, trying to calm his fractious nerves. Alypia can’t be right… Please don’t let her be right.

Just then, he became aware of the shuffle of feet behind him, and turned sharply to see Caius emerge from the darkness, his cane clicking on the stone. He was holding a half-dead Vincent by the neck with the hand not clutching the cane, dragging him along like a ragdoll. The necromancer was limp, his black eyes rolling back into his head, and there were cuts on his pale arms and bruises to his face, as if he had tried to fight the warden off.

It was more than Alex could take.

“She was right,” he gasped.

“I’m sorry, Alex,” Caius said softly, with a kindness in his voice that almost fooled him.

“What is this?” Alex asked, gesturing between the empty wall and the limp necromancer.

“I am so sorry for this, my boy… I thought I could let you go. I honestly believed I could, but then you spoke about the book, and the risk became too great. I realized I couldn’t let you go after all, as much as I wanted to.” The old man sighed heavily, dropping Vincent to the floor with a sickening thud. “I know you won’t believe me, but I didn’t intend it to be this way.”

Alex glared. “And how was it supposed to be?” he spat.

“They have to pay, Alex. Hearing your plans to save them all… I’m sorry, but I can’t allow you to walk free,” said Caius, his expression infuriatingly sad.

“Why should I have to suffer for what they all did?” Alex asked, balling his hands into fists. Anger pulsed inside him, making the edges of his aura bristle with silver light. It was like being a caged animal, with nowhere left to run.

“You should blame them, not me,” Caius urged, to Alex’s increasing annoyance. “Your anger is misplaced.”

“No, I blame you! You’re the only one standing here—standing between me and what little hope I have left,” Alex