The Keep (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #4)(2)

Feeling the urge to distract himself from the dark labyrinth that surrounded them, Alex moved up to walk beside Lintz.

“How do you know Master Demeter?” he asked.

“Ah, a fine man indeed. It was something of a serendipitous meeting,” began Lintz with a sigh. “He’s been feeding information back to me from Stillwater since I escaped here from Spellshadow, so I could make sure you were all okay. He’s a talented fellow, to say the least, with a useful skillset. He’s been most helpful in keeping an eye on all of you. My inside man, if you like—or he was, until he got himself sent back here.”

Demeter shrugged. “Once a rebel, always a rebel. My teaching always seems to end with a dismissal,” he murmured, though there was a hint of amusement in his voice. “I’m like a monkey, mind you—I always land on my feet.”

Although Alex was curious about what had caused the auburn-haired man to be sent back, a hundred other questions whirled inside his head.

“What’s with the uniforms?” he asked, pointing at the identical gray clothes the two men wore.

“Guards,” said Lintz simply, gesturing toward himself.

“You’re guards here?”

Lintz nodded. “In a manner of speaking. There haven’t been any others wandering these halls for a while, so we thought we’d step up and pretend to be freshly employed sentries—rather successfully, I might add. The other guards pretty much keep themselves permanently occupied in their private quarters, after Demeter…encouraged them to do so. They were crueler than Demeter liked, and we decided it might be easier with just the two of us. Less to worry about.” A hint of a wink passed between the two apparent friends. “Demeter was already a guard when I arrived, and he found a way to get me promoted. I was in charge while he had his brief sojourn in Stillwater House though, I’ll have you know.” He grinned.

“I just gave him a uniform and he ran with it,” Demeter chuckled. “It’s been the two of us ever since, aside from my short vacation.” A half-amused, half-serious look darkened the ex-teacher’s face.

“So, this place is a prison?” Alex asked, wanting to confirm his suspicions.

“Precisely. This place is teeming with fearsome mages. The ones who disobey, the ones who are too powerful, the ones who don’t abide by the status quo, the ones who run away—they’re all here,” replied Lintz, gesturing to the walls around them. “All this is ruled by a warden called Caius. Another royal, though this one is a real nasty piece of work—you haven’t seen anything until you’ve witnessed what Caius can do.”

“Who is he exactly?” Alex asked.

“He’s the uncle of Alypia and the Head of Spellshadow. He rarely bothers to show his face around here due to a limp in his leg, but one shouldn't underestimate him. A very dangerous man I sincerely hope you never have to meet. I’ll endeavor to keep you all hidden from him, until I can get you out.” A quiver of fear hovered in Lintz’s voice.

If even Lintz is afraid of this man, how much of a monster must this Caius be?

Looking around, his brow furrowed, Alex questioned why there was so little in the way of security, if this place was full of magical prisoners. Lintz had spoken of a small number of other guards tucked away in their private quarters—they must really have been keeping themselves to themselves, because Alex and his friends hadn’t passed any, and they had been walking for a while. Though there was no mistaking the eyes of the countless individuals peering at them from the locked cells of countless corridors, giving Alex the sense of a large number of inmates… definitely more than would be expected with such minimal security. It didn’t make sense to him, unless this Caius figure truly was a force to be reckoned with, so powerful and fearsome that even hardened criminals were afraid of him. The thought unnerved Alex.

“Why are there—”

Lintz raised his finger to his lips, sharply cutting Alex off.

“This isn’t the time for questions. I’ll explain everything once we’re away from listening ears,” Lintz hissed.

Alex’s heart pounded as the group walked through a broader hallway, with a few doors off to either side. The whisper of threatening voices susurrated around them.

“Why don’t you come over here and let me get a closer look?” a deep voice cackled.

“Fresh meat!” another growled, followed closely by the sound of lips smacking.

“Open the door… I’m innocent… Please open the door… I’m so scared here in the dark,” begged a third—somehow more alarming than the other two. This voice was soft and sad, almost feminine, as enticing as the mythological sirens calling sailors to their deaths.

Alex tried to ignore the sounds, hoping the doors were strong enough to hold back whoever—or whatever—lived inside. Turning to his friends, he saw the same fear on their faces as they tried to keep as far away from the doors as possible, their eyes staring dead ahead at the dark depths of Kingstone Keep, hoping their journey would soon end.

Lintz led them for what felt like forever. No matter how quiet they were, it appeared as if the inmates could smell them, the group’s presence drawing the prisoners to the grates. There was real evil within these walls—Alex could sense it.

He guessed this must be the place Helena said people were “sent to” if they didn’t follow the rules. It saddened him to think there were young people in here too, locked up in the darkness, their freedom snatched away, forced to live alongside truly vile individuals who deserved the chains they wore.