The Keep (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #4)(50)

He paused for a moment, looking up at the sky overhead. The rain had stopped and the clouds had cleared, revealing the twinkling lights of a billion stars, burning brightly, so far away that many of them would already be dead by the time their light reached his eyes. In the star-scape, he could pick out the familiar shape of Orion. He wondered if his mother was looking up at the same moon and the same stars, thinking about him as he was thinking about her. It warmed him, his eyes taking in the silvery gleam of the moon, praying that its light would be the one that guided him back to her one day, granting him safe passage, like a lighthouse in a treacherous storm.

Focusing his anti-magic in the same way he had on the journey in, he folded his energy inwards, feeling himself falling away as he envisioned the turret, feeding that into his mind as his destination. There was a whoosh of air around him, everything strange and rapid, before his body reappeared with a sharp crack. The return journey was a bumpier one, as he barely managed to land on the very far side of the turret, overshooting the center by a fair way, smacking hard into the wall, and almost going over the edge. Had it not been for Ellabell’s swift reflexes, her hand quickly reaching out to pull him back, he’d almost certainly have met a nasty death. It was higher here, and he knew he might not have been as lucky as last time.

“In one piece?” she said, a relieved expression on her face.

He nodded, checking himself. “I think so, though I might need a fresh pair of boxers,” he joked, flushing as he realized it might not be the kind of joke she’d find funny. The sound of raucous laughter pealing from her throat allayed his fears instantly.

“Any run-ins?” she asked, recovering from her chuckling.

“Nobody home,” he replied.

“Did you find anything?”

He shook his head. “Not much, but I’m going back out there as soon as I can.”

“If you think that’s the right thing to do?” she said, her tone anxious.

“I do… Come here,” he murmured, holding out his hands to her.

Tentatively, she moved toward him, relaxing against him as he enveloped her in his arms. Each time they embraced, it felt easier, more natural, their mutual self-consciousness dissipating with practice. Beneath the dim moonlight that filtered in through the fog, he clutched her tightly, kissing her soft hair as she tucked her head beneath his chin.

“Thank you for being here,” he whispered.

Now that she was in his life, he couldn’t picture it without her, nor could he envision a time before her. Despite the misery of it all, there she was, a beacon of promise in the mire of his strange existence. He felt her hold on him tighten, her arms wrapping around him just that little bit tighter.

“I wouldn’t be anywhere else,” she breathed against his shoulder.





Chapter 16





Alex parted ways with Ellabell after returning to the tower room, his mind set on finding Demeter. The auburn-haired man was not among those who had sought a sleepy refuge in their communal room. Wearily, Alex walked along the hallways toward the outside courtyard where they had first emerged from Stillwater House, hoping to find the ex-teacher there.

To his utmost relief, he saw the familiar figure of Demeter staring up at the blank wall, his hands on his hips, talking quietly to himself.

“Demeter?” Alex said quietly.

Demeter jumped, turning sharply. “Alex! I nearly jumped out of my bones!”

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you.”

“Shouldn’t you be asleep?” Demeter asked, a look of concern furrowing his brow.

Alex shrugged. “I couldn’t sleep… not yet. There’s something I wanted to ask you.”

“I won’t teach you,” the auburn-haired man said, before Alex could say a word.

Alex frowned. “You don’t even know I was going to ask you to.”

“I know you were going to ask me to, Alex. I’m good at reading people,” he replied.

“You have to teach me,” Alex pressed.

Demeter turned back to the wall. “It isn’t something that should be taught. I wouldn’t feel right, teaching you how to do what I can do.”

“If you’re worried about me delving into dark magic, I already have some idea of how to manipulate life magic—I’m guessing it’s a short leap from that to manipulating the mind,” Alex said. “I’m the only one who can get beyond the barrier, and seeing as we don’t have many other options right now, I have to make sure I’m equipped to face Caius and get the information we need—I need to be able to do exactly what you were planning to do to him, if we caught him.”

Demeter raised an eyebrow. “You can get beyond the barrier?”

Alex nodded.

“How do you know you can?”

“Because I just tried it,” Alex replied brazenly.

Demeter frowned. “That seems like a very reckless thing to do. What if you’d met Caius? What if he did something awful to you, and none of us were any the wiser?”

“I had to try it,” said Alex quietly. “I had to keep our hope alive. Next time, with your help, I won’t be in such a vulnerable position,” he added, placing emphasis on the last sentence.

Demeter sighed uncomfortably. “You can’t manipulate me, you know,” he said, half-amused.