The Keep (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #4)(15)

Demeter frowned. “Is it?”

The refreshed news of Caius’s evasiveness came as a blow to Alex’s boosted optimism. He was already on edge from the influence of the barrier, Alypia’s impending arrival, and the events of the past few days, all these things feeding his anxieties and bristling his nerves, but he knew he had to force down the spike of irritation threatening to rise through him. Balling his fists until his nails pressed into the flesh of his palms, he focused on calming his nerves.

It’s just the barrier making me feel this way. I’m the one in control of my emotions, not the barrier. Not even my missing piece of soul.

“Don’t be disheartened, Alex Webber,” Vincent spoke up. “You have myself and Agatha to assist in your endeavors now, and we have keener eyes than most. Rats always emerge from their hidey-holes, and I know a few spots he likes to frequent.”

“Bad news, my friends!” A frazzled Lintz burst through the door of the tower room and threw a bagful of beetles on the table. A dark cloud of anxiety hovered about him, and it only served to reignite Alex’s concerns.

“Are you okay, Professor?” Alex asked.

Lintz wiped sweat from his brow. “I’m afraid our time may have just been cut shorter.”

“Why, what’s the matter?” Jari pressed.

“Well, someone is constantly trying to open a portal to the keep. It’s happened twice in the last hour, and I fear if they continue to increase their efforts it will end up taking much of everyone’s time, layering more magic into the beetles and fixing them up when they break, which they keep doing. If we keep at it, we’ll all end up running around like headless chickens, responding to beacons and making sure the portals have been properly closed. Eventually, someone will make a tiny mistake, and Alypia will get through… I just know it. And my beetles won’t last forever. One missed portal, and we’re done for.”

“We have to find Caius!” Alex said, realizing they needed the Kingstone essence sooner than ever before. He quickly filled in the professor on what they had decided to do where Caius was concerned. Lintz listened intently, but didn’t seem pleased by the prospect.

“If Caius wants to stay hidden then there’s nothing we can do,” he said.

“We’ll find him,” Alex insisted, trying to boost his own morale. “Our only hope is to find Caius. We’ll quadruple our efforts to smoke him out, even if that means staking out every possible corridor where he might be, every minute of every day. Vincent, you said you know some places he likes to go?”

Vincent looked at Alex, a twinkle of admiration in his eyes. “Indeed. I’ll lead you to those spots, if you wish.”

“Yes,” Alex replied, grateful for the necromancer’s presence. “And those who aren’t on a shift seeking Caius should help Lintz with portals and beetles, to try to ease some of the strain,” he added through gritted teeth, hoping the others wouldn’t notice the tension in his body as he spoke. “And in case any of us finds him or herself with a bit of free time in between all this, we brush up on our skills to stay sharp. Okay?”

“Sounds perfectly viable!” Demeter agreed, but not even the teacher’s calming presence could soothe another bolt of annoyance that pulsed through Alex, provoked by the barrier magic all around him.

The others were similarly enthusiastic, and they all agreed to take an hour to regroup before setting off with Vincent to begin staking out Caius’s usual haunts. The necromancer had informed them he had a personal task to attend to, but he would return for them when the hour was up, to show them the royal’s preferred spots. Alex needed the time to gather his thoughts, to try to keep a lid on the strange anger that kept spiking up and overwhelming him.

He stumbled over to the rudimentary kitchen area that had been set up in the corner and made himself a cup of tea. His friends disbanded, flashing concerned looks in his direction, though he chose to ignore them as best as he could and focus on the practical task before him. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Aamir and Jari leave the tower completely, while Ellabell and Natalie went off to one side, moving into the most open space in the tower room and taking up sparring stances. Alex could hear the crackle and whoosh of golden magic moving through the air behind him. He was glad they were spending the time to practice for whatever lay ahead, as he’d suggested—but instead of watching their duel, he focused his mind, returning it to a calmer state, slowly breathing in and breathing out.

He could have stayed that way, silently meditating. It was only when he caught sight of Ellabell out of the corner of his eye, sprawling backward onto the hard stone, that he whirled around to see what was going on. A yelp of pain left her lips as she fell. Golden wisps of magic twisted around her, constricting her throat, making her eyes bulge behind her glasses as her body lifted itself back up again, though it didn’t seem to be Ellabell who was in control of her body. She rose as if possessed.

Glancing toward Natalie, Alex saw her hands turning quickly in neat, deft movements, manipulating Ellabell like a puppet, as if she held the marionette strings between her fingers and was making Ellabell dance to her bidding.

“Natalie,” Ellabell pleaded, her voice raspy as she tried to force words through lips not controlled by her own mind anymore. “Natalie, stop,” she repeated, a little louder.

“I did it!” Grinning with delight, Natalie twisted her hands sharply, stopping the spell in an instant. But the suddenness of the spell’s removal seemed to come as a surprise to Ellabell, as the bespectacled girl collapsed to the floor.