The Test Read online

  “Do you think they’re up on the top floor?” Alex asked, uncertain.

  Lintz nodded. “If you were Hadrian, I’m sure you’d want to be as far away from everything as possible, wouldn’t you?”

  They took the last set of stairs up to the top floor. Reaching the landing, they were met by a single, long corridor with a doorway at the very end of it. They made their way toward the door. Clearing his throat, Alex knocked lightly, using the brass knocker shaped like a fish with a ring in its mouth.

  “Come in,” a voice spoke softly from the other side.

  Needing no further encouragement, Alex turned the handle and stepped inside. The room beyond was an apartment, by the look of it, with plush furnishings and elegant watercolors adorning every wall, some pale imitations of the water garden that could be seen from the window. There were doors branching off from the central space, where large pillows had been placed on the floor, around a low table. Three figures sat around it.

  “Alex!” cried Ellabell, jumping to her feet and racing over to him. Aamir followed at a more leisurely pace, though his face showed how pleased he was to see his friend again.

  “Ellabell,” Alex murmured, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her into a tight embrace.

  “We thought we’d lost you,” she whispered. “We didn’t know what happened. We wanted to wait, but then the soldiers came. I’m so glad you’re okay! I don’t know what I would have done if… Never mind that now. You’re safe, and that’s all that matters.” She squeezed him tightly.

  “It’s so good to see you too.” He smiled, kissing her softly on the cheek, not wanting to embarrass her in front of the others. Reluctantly, she pulled away, her eyes glittering.

  “You had us worried there for a moment,” said Aamir warmly, stepping up to hug Alex.

  Alex grinned. “I had myself worried.”

  “Don’t forget about me!” Lintz bellowed from the doorway. The other two shook the professor’s hand as he recounted the journey through the pagoda.

  “Ah, you must be the famous Alex Webber?” the third figure spoke, rising from his cushion and turning to face Alex.

  Hadrian had the same pale eyes and shock of white hair to be expected from any royal, but he wasn’t wearing his hair in the longer fashion he’d seen from some of the others. Instead, he’d combed it into a bold sort of swoop on top of his head, the front section curling backward onto itself in a quaint fifties style that suited him, making him look like a white-haired Elvis. His voice was similar too, with a deep, musical tone to it that made Alex imagine this new royal to be an accomplished singer. He almost expected to see a guitar hanging from one of the walls.

  “I wouldn’t go that far,” said Alex, taking Hadrian’s proffered hand and shaking it firmly.

  Hadrian smiled, though there was a nervousness to the white-haired man that made him seem perpetually uneasy. “Well, from what I’ve been hearing from your friends, you are quite the man! Adventurer, maverick, troublemaker—you’ve done it all,” he teased. Hadrian seemed to be exactly as Elias had described him—a pleasant, genuinely nice man. However, Alex wasn’t quick to forget how he had been let down by apparently benevolent royals before, and he wouldn’t let himself be duped again.

  “I’ve heard a fair bit about you too,” Alex replied carefully.

  “All good, I hope?” Hadrian grinned, making it harder for Alex to maintain his cool exterior.

  He shrugged. “I don’t really trust the words of others. I’d like to see for myself,” he said, scrutinizing the latest royal. There was something bugging him that he could not let go of. “I’m just wondering why you left my friend out there in the forest, to fend for himself. I’m pretty sure Aamir and Ellabell told you what happened—why didn’t you go and set him free?”

  The two friends in question exchanged an awkward look, matched only by the discomfort that appeared on Hadrian’s face. Lintz turned to the royal, clearly wondering the same thing.

  “I would have come to your f-friend’s aid, I assure you,” Hadrian began, tremulously. “The thing is… with so many soldiers around, and my haven under such close inspection by my uncle, J-Julius, I thought it best to keep up appearances. As much as it pains me to say it, I can’t just w-wander around, doing as I please, though I did have the idea of coming to fetch him after nightfall. I would not have left him there indefinitely,” he promised, a stutter emerging, as he scratched his beardless chin in what Alex presumed to be some sort of nervous tic.

  Alex let the excuse sink in, and though he wasn’t completely satisfied, part of him could see things from the royal’s point of view. Julius was a terrifying man, and with his eyes and ears all over this haven, Alex could understand how the stakes might be higher.

  Alex shrugged. “I suppose I’ll have to take your word for it, though you probably already know I don’t give much standing to the word of a royal.”

  Hadrian twisted his hands together. “I did learn about your previous run-ins with my c-cousins. Your wariness is understandable, but you won’t find me quite as unpalatable as them, I hope,” he said, flashing a nervous smile. “I’m intrigued to learn more about you and your mission, but how about some coffee first?”

  “Coffee?”

  “Yes, would you like s-some?”

  “I thought you were all obsessed with tea?” Alex chuckled, though he realized he was the only one laughing. “Sorry, private joke,” he added quickly.

  “Laughter is the world’s panacea. Come, r-refresh yourself,” Hadrian replied, gesturing toward the low table, which was covered in a veritable feast of goodies that made Alex’s stomach grumble in anticipation. “Perhaps, you w-would like to change first?” the royal suggested, catching sight of Lintz’s ill-fitting scarlet uniform.

  Flashing a glance at one another, Alex and Lintz nodded. They were eager to be out of the formal attire. With a polite bow, Hadrian led them to their separate chambers, showing them the wardrobes of clothes they might choose from, before leaving them to their selections. Alex chose plain black trousers and a pale t-shirt, while Lintz had gone for something a little more daring, emerging in taupe trousers and a mustard-yellow knitted sweater.

  Dressed more comfortably, Alex and Lintz joined the others on the soft cushions dotted around the table. Unable to wait, Alex grabbed a handful of rice balls, shoving them into his mouth as fast as he could pick them up, until his cheeks were puffed out like a hamster’s. The morsels were sweet, with a sour berry filling that made him want to eat a thousand of them. Realizing just how ravenous he was, after prison meals and a day of no food, he scooped up eight more, gulping them down.

  “Sorry… I’m just… so hungry… Sorry,” he said through mouthfuls, knowing he’d forgotten his table manners in his rush to stuff his face.

  Hadrian laughed heartily, his stutter fading as his manner relaxed. “No, no, you eat your fill! We must n-nourish ourselves at any available opportunity, to keep mind and body in total harmony,” he said. “And when you’re satisfied, we shall settle down to the business of your presence here, and what I might do to assist in your future endeavors.”

  Alex did just that, wolfing the food down, while the others stared on with mixed expressions of bemusement and horror. Only when his pace slowed did he get back to business.

  “We’ve come for the book,” explained Alex, wiping his mouth.

  “We have many books here,” Hadrian teased.

  “You know the one I mean,” Alex said, not intending the words to come out as harshly as they did. He was still on edge after his encounter with Caius, and he wasn’t quite sure what to make of Hadrian yet. After all, he had thought Caius was a good guy, and he had turned out to be a psychopath with a hundred years of vengeance built up inside him. In all honesty, Hadrian reminded him an awful lot of Caius in the way he spoke, despite the nervous tics, and Alex had a feeling this had something to do with the hint of mistrust he felt toward Hadrian.

  “Indeed, I d-do,” Hadrian responded curtly, his
stutter returning. “Your f-friends here already told me.”

  Alex sighed, knowing he was in the wrong. “I’m sorry, Hadrian, I didn’t mean to snap like that. I’ve been through a lot, and it’s going to be tough for me to trust another royal after what just happened,” he said, turning to the others as he began to relay the tale of what had taken place between himself and Caius, after they had gone through the portal.

  They all looked at him in shock as he came to the end of the story, describing what had triggered Caius’s madness, Vincent’s selfless act with the specters, and his own escape on a Thunderbird. It was a hard story to recount, considering he still didn’t know the outcome of that otherworldly battle, but it had to be told for everyone to fully understand what had happened, Hadrian more than anyone.

  “So, you’re a Spellbreaker?” Hadrian asked solemnly.

  Alex nodded. “I am, and that’s why I need the book.”

  “I did not dare to b-believe you could exist,” Hadrian murmured. “You are an impossible c-creature.”

  Aamir chimed in. “Improbable, but definitely not impossible.”

  “I can’t believe my father would be capable of such terrible things.” Hadrian sighed, looking anxiously at the ground. “No… I tell a lie. I c-can imagine it of him, though it is not an easy thing for a s-son to admit. I have not seen my father in a long time, and though he would have liked to p-pretend our relationship was a good one, I can assure you it was not. There were d-demons eating away at him every day, and I could do nothing to stop their c-consumption of him—I used to try, but there was an argument, and he told me never to r-return. I have feared for a long time that the keep finally got to him, d-devouring what remained of his soul.” There was a sorrow in the pale eyes of the royal that spurred Alex’s pity.

  “An argument?” Ellabell asked.

  Hadrian nodded, wringing his hands. “The last time we m-met, I knew his obsession was getting the better of him. He wouldn’t stop talking about his lost love—that Spellbreaker woman—and when I suggested he try to move on, my father g-grew angry and told me to leave. I did… and I haven’t seen him since. I should have t-tried again, but it felt as if there was too much water under the bridge. Do you believe he is still alive?” The sadness in Hadrian’s voice tugged at Alex’s heartstrings. No matter what Caius had done, he was still Hadrian’s father.

  “I think he might be, but I can’t promise anything,” Alex said quietly, not wanting to encourage any false hope.

  “No, I suppose not,” Hadrian murmured.

  “Caius didn’t want to help the rest of mage-kind, but we do. And to do that, we really need that book. Would you be able to give it to us?” Alex ventured, knowing it wasn’t the most polite time to ask, but unable to hold the request back.

  Hadrian smiled sadly. “Unfortunately, it is not that s-simple.”

  Chapter 6

  It became clear what Hadrian meant as he led Alex and the others to the back of the room, through an archway decorated with vibrant paintings of pastoral life that were etched onto the walls. They seemed to shift as Alex and his friends walked past, the inhabitants of the drawings moving subtly. In the center of the archway stood a statue of a silver fox. With a clockwise turn of the statue’s head, a door slid away, revealing a hidden staircase.

  The group trekked down the steps, following Hadrian’s lead. Torchlight flickered against the wooden structure of the spiral staircase as they descended into the darkness, walking farther and farther, until Alex was certain they had to be below ground. Alex’s stomach twisted at the memory of Caius leading him down a similar set of stairs to meet the Great Evil.

  Stepping down the last of the steps, they entered the eerie silence of a subterranean vault. At the end of it, there stood a solitary door, exquisitely carved with oriental patterns that coiled along the surface, inlaid with gold leaf and twinkling jewels, with engravings of lotus flowers and billowing clouds flowing around the outside edges. At the very bottom of the door was another depiction of the turtle-like creature Alex had seen in one of the statues lining the halls of the pagoda. Just above the head of the creature, in the very center of the doorway, lay a bright gold disc. It reminded Alex of the sun, with golden threads of metal glancing off the sides.

  “What is this place?” Ellabell asked, her voice filled with awe.

  Hadrian stepped toward the ornate door and turned to face the others, an expression of barely suppressed fear on his face. “This is why it is not so simple,” he explained. “You see, I cannot simply give you the b-book—it has to be earned.”

  “Earned?” Alex repeated, curious as to what lay behind the door.

  “Yes, earned. There are twelve tasks to complete, when you step through this door,” Hadrian replied, his tone jittery. It was clear he had no love for this place. “There are t-twelve, in homage to the great mage philosopher Orpheus, to c-commemorate the twelve labors of Hercules, and also to symbolize the twelve years it takes for Jupiter to orbit the sun.”

  “That is a lot of twelves,” Aamir remarked drily.

  Hadrian winked. “It is something of a lucky number.”

  “And where does Jupiter come into this?” Lintz chimed in, his brow furrowed.

  “The book you are seeking is called the Book of J-Jupiter, but as for the whys, hows, and whats, I cannot elaborate, I’m afraid. I can’t shed any m-more light on the tasks ahead of you; they are for you to d-discover, and you alone, should you choose to continue on your search,” Hadrian said.

  Alex glanced at the door again. “You can’t tell us anything?”

  Hadrian shook his head. “I c-cannot. While I am the guardian of this place, and the artifacts within the pagoda, I did not put the book here, and I am s-sad to say that I have never been beyond this door. What lies ahead of you is a secret journey, one which you must walk without aid from outside influence,” he said, his voice heavy with remorse. “All I can tell you is that it will not be easy. There will be very real d-dangers, and you must complete all twelve tasks to achieve your mission.”

  Alex leveled his gaze at Hadrian, wondering what the royal knew about the tasks but wasn’t saying, or wasn’t able to say. The man looked terrified, his eyes darting around at the shadows of the cavern, as if something might spring out at a moment’s notice. But there was more to it than just a general fear of the vault—of that Alex was certain. Whatever Hadrian was holding back, the white-haired man had at least confirmed Alex’s suspicions that certain areas of Falleaf House were used to protect valuable artifacts. However, he questioned where all these precious objects had come from, and who they had belonged to before. The pagoda itself didn’t seem to belong to the usual style of the royals; it wouldn’t surprise him if they were prone to taking from others and using these sites and belongings for their own purposes. Alex was particularly curious about the book itself—had it belonged to the Spellbreakers, considering what lay within its pages? If it had, then he knew it was a stolen artifact, procured by the royals and buried somewhere beyond the ornately carved door. The idea didn’t sit well with him. What else had the royals taken that wasn’t theirs?

  “What if we change our minds and want to come back?” Lintz asked.

  “Impossible, I’m afraid. Once through this door, you can only move forward. You cannot come back out this way,” Hadrian explained.

  “Do I have to go through alone?” Alex asked, his mind racing.

  “No, which I suppose is the one b-blessing in all of this,” said Hadrian. “The tasks are designed to ensure that only the worthiest of h-heroes can attain the book, but in doing so, teamwork and loyalty must be t-tested too. If you are still intent on retrieving the book, you must go through with others, to assist in the tasks.”

  “How come the book is here?” Ellabell asked, voicing Alex’s own question.

  Hadrian crossed his arms. “The book was taken from the home of Leander Wyvern, and has b-been here ever since. There are many valuable creations locked away in this vault, but only one
g-group has run the gauntlet of what lies ahead, in pursuit of the book you seek.”

  “Was the Head one of that group?” said Aamir thoughtfully.

  “If you mean my cousin Virgil, then yes. He was the last to undertake these t-tasks, with two others m-making up the n-numbers, though that was many decades ago now.”

  “But Virgil didn’t manage to do the spell—why is the book still here?” Alex asked.

  “The book will return itself to the v-vault after three failed attempts, by all accounts. That is how it was b-before,” Hadrian stated. “And the book must be physically present in order for one to perform any spell, so it cannot be a case of writing it down and l-leaving it here. I know that much.”

  Alex realized that Alypia must have been planning for him to complete these tasks, in order to retrieve the book. No doubt she would have forced him using one of his friends as collateral, or something equally cold and calculated. In hearing Hadrian’s explanation, Alex was also surer than ever that Virgil had intentionally flubbed the spell. Even if the Head had been coerced into memorizing it, that didn’t mean he had followed the instructions to the letter. It was likely, Alex knew, that Virgil had tried to weasel his way out using any loophole at his disposal. This time, Alex would ensure that the intricate workings of the incantation, or whatever it was, were obeyed down to the last detail.

  “So the others have to come with me?” Alex asked.

  Hadrian nodded. “There must be a g-group of at least three, yes. As a quartet, you may f-find it easier, or you may not… I couldn’t say.”

  Alex thought the white-haired man could say, but was bound by something that prevented him. It wouldn’t be the first time. Glancing around at the others, he saw their anxious expressions, and felt a wave of guilt ripple through him, at having brought them here.

  “I don’t expect you all to come with me,” he said quietly.

  “We have come this far, Alex Webber. We are not giving up now!” Lintz boomed.