The Keep (The Secret of Spellshadow Manor #4)(95)

Caius staggered backward and sank into a nearby chair. His mind seemed to come back to him as his eyes lost the haze of rage that had clouded them.

“I’m sorry… I do not know what came over me.”

Alex breathed a sigh of relief, sidestepping Alypia to sit opposite Caius, although he was careful to remain alert. Seeing the warden in such an unstable state made Alex realize how unpredictable the man could be. It sent a shiver of fear down Alex’s spine, and he was more eager than ever to leave Kingstone.

“I know what it’s like to feel hatred burning you up inside, until you can’t see straight,” Alex said slowly. “But I hope you understand why we need to keep Alypia alive. There are other lives at stake here.”

“Of course, my boy,” Caius said, his face a mask of sorrow. “I was not thinking, in the moment. Anger has a way of consuming the soul.”

Alex hated to ask more of the warden, given his current emotional state, but he wanted to be sure that all the necessary cogs were in place before he left. “Will you promise to keep watch over her? We just need to make sure she doesn’t alert Julius to what’s going on.”

“Certainly. Though I am only playing a small part in your plans, I am more than happy to do so.” Caius smiled weakly, an uneasiness still simmering within his eyes.

“Thank you. That’s good to hear,” Alex said with forced levity. It was difficult to act so congenial after what had just happened. At least Vincent would also be remaining at Kingstone, to keep an eye on things. The necromancer knew how important Alypia was to them, and Alex just hoped he would be around to prevent any future near-executions.

“You must be leaving for Stillwater shortly, I presume?” Caius asked.

“Actually, I’m headed to Falleaf House, in search of the book that contains the counter-spell you told me about,” Alex said, tapping the edge of his armchair. “I’d like a moment to speak with Alypia before I go, though. The portal there is already open—the others are waiting for me.”

Caius looked surprised. “Falleaf House, you say? My son is the leader there.”

“Hadrian is your son?” Alex asked, equally surprised.

Caius nodded. “My beloved boy. Had I known you were going there, I would have come to find you and offered suggestions.”

Alex wondered why Elias hadn’t mentioned that Caius and Hadrian were related, but he knew the shadow-man well enough by now to know that he was careful to omit details that didn’t work in his own favor. There was a reason Elias hadn’t said anything, there always was, but it didn’t seem likely Alex would be seeing the vaporous trickster again to ask him why. Regardless, Alex realized he now had an opportunity before him, to get even better insight into the realm of Falleaf House and the man who ruled there.

“I think Demeter was looking for you earlier, to tell you where we were going,” said Alex, a touch guiltily. He had just been about to leave Kingstone without so much as a “see you later” to the old man, discarding his manners in favor of his need to get the book as quickly as possible.

“He never did find me.” Caius smiled, leaning forward. “But you’re here now, keeping me up to date.”

“Sorry about that,” Alex murmured.

“Nonsense, your head was full of adventure. Who can blame you for not pausing to tell an old man?” Caius reassured. “I have to wonder, though, what has made you decide to go after this book?”

“I’ll need it for what I plan to do,” Alex said, not wanting to reveal the details of his plan in front of Alypia. “There might be other spells in it, too, that could be of use to us.”

“It’s about time there was a bit of action in these havens,” Caius murmured. “You must wish my son good tidings if you meet him at Falleaf House—though with so many soldiers around, you will have to have your wits about you, and ensure you stay on high alert, if you want to reach the sanctuary of his school.”

“Why are there so many soldiers there?” Alex asked, intrigued, and wanting to get the upper hand before he set foot in the mystery realm.

“The school holds a great many secrets, that book included, which the royals would seek to protect—the royals who are unlike myself and my son. It is the most ancient haven, and Julius deems my son the only royal he can spare for the task of ruling at Falleaf, given the unfortunate circumstances of his heritage. If he were anyone else’s son, he’d be the pride of court—smart, just, fair, skillful. Being my son, he has been duly hidden away. Julius likes to keep an eye on him by filling his realm with traps and guards, though I think he does it just to aggravate me.”

“How will I find your son?” Alex pressed.

Caius sighed. “It won’t be easy, but if your group is small, you may succeed. You must seek out a pagoda in the trees—the peak of it brushes the canopy of the forest, and there is a golden bird at the top that catches the sunlight twice a day, flashing at those times like a beacon. Find that beacon and follow it,” he said solemnly. “And move slowly. Many of the magical snares can be sensed before they go off, but you have to be listening intently for them—you have to know what you’re looking for. Be wary of any oddity you come across, be it a black leaf, or a tree trunk that seems oddly bent, or a glade where birds don’t sing.”