Charlie Bone and the Red Knight

by Jenny Nimmo

  Charlie's eyes flew open. Manfred had straightened up, but Eustacia sat in a confused silence, gazing at the table.

  "Snap out of it, Stace!" Grandma Bone clicked her fingers close to Eustacia's nose, and Eustacia frowned up at her. "Well done, we got what we wanted."

  "There's more," mumbled Eustacia.

  "And there's a stupid dog at the door," shouted Venetia. "We'll have to deal with it." She rushed out, followed by Lucretia and Grandma Bone.

  "I think Eric's already dealing with it," Manfred said easily.

  Charlie leaped up and ran blindly toward the front door. He had to blink several times before he could focus properly, but when the hypnotic haze had lifted he saw that Eric was standing in the open doorway with Venetia at his side.

  There was a loud thump and then another. Someone screamed and a dog howled. When Charlie had pushed his way past Venetia, he saw Benjamin, Runner Bean, and Olivia trying to dodge the stone gargoyles that came flying at them from the wall. Eric was enjoying himself. He gave a little jump for joy every time a gargoyle came loose and crashed onto the pavement.

  "That's enough, Eric," said Venetia. "You'll ruin the house."

  "Charlie, get out of there!" cried Olivia.

  Charlie was already bounding down the steps. "Run, Liv! I'm right behind you!" he shouted.

  A stone gargoyle came flying after him and caught his heel. Runner Bean bounced around him, barking furiously.

  "Eric, enough!" Venetia commanded.

  "Let's get out of here!" yelled Benjamin. "Runner! Here, boy! Quick!"

  The four children raced away from the three number thirteens.

  If they had all kept running they would have escaped with a few bruises, but then something happened. And for one of them, nothing would ever be quite the same again.

  Olivia suddenly turned around. She picked up the headless body of a broken gargoyle and was about to throw it back at Eric when, horribly, it stretched out a puny arm and grabbed her wrist. Olivia let out a shriek that brought the boys to a skidding halt. They ran to help her, tugging at the squirming stone body, pulling its legs and trying to pry the rigid fingers away from Olivia's wrist. Eric began to laugh.

  All four sisters had now crowded onto the top step behind Eric. Venetia was laughing. Eustacia and Lucretia joined her and then, in spite of herself, Grandma Bone gave in to a bout of loud, undignified giggling-Olivia glared up at Eric and the four women. She wondered what would frighten them. What would wipe the silly grins off their faces and stop their spiteful giggling. She imagined a tall skeleton in a black hat and cloak, wielding a six-foot saber.

  And there he was! Standing in front of the steps, his saber lifted to strike.

  Laughter turned to screams of horror. Eric and the sisters disappeared, slamming the door behind them.

  "Oh, Liv! Why did you do that?" asked Charlie.

  "I couldn't help it," Olivia replied as the headless gargoyle relaxed its grip and dropped to the ground. "Anyway, it did the trick. Eric obviously loses concentration when he's scared."

  "It was pretty impressive -- that thing!" Benjamin was disappointed to see the skeleton slowly fading. He gave Runner Bean a reassuring pat, as the dog's legs were still trembling. "It was only an illusion, Runner."

  They hurried out of Darkly Wynd, Charlie throwing worried looks in Olivia's direction. She had betrayed herself. The Bloors had no idea that she was endowed, but as soon as the Yewbeam sisters had recovered from their shock, they would know. And they would certainly pass on the news.

  Olivia ignored Charlie for a while. She deliberately refused to meet his eye, but at last she cried, "Stop looking at me like that, Charlie. We rescued you!"

  "But you gave yourself away, Liv!" said Charlie. "My grandma and her sisters will know you conjured up that skeleton and they'll tell everyone. And then what?"

  "Then what?" Olivia mimicked Charlie. "We'll see, won't we?" She rubbed her wrist where the gargoyle had left ugly marks on her skin.

  "Sorry," said Charlie, feeling guilty. "And thank you for rescuing me. How did that happen, anyway?"

  Benjamin explained that he had gone to number nine and found Maisie in a "bit of a state," as he put it. She'd found the note from Grandma Bone, but she didn't like to think of Charlie in one of the Darkly Wynd houses. So Benjamin had offered to come and find Charlie. "With Runner Bean, of course," Benjamin added. "I wouldn't have come without him. And then I met Olivia on her way to the bookstore, and she said she'd come, too. Safety in numbers kind of thing."

  "Thanks," said Charlie. "Sorry I barked at you, Liv."

  "I should think so!" She tossed her bleached hair and grinned.

  "Manfred was there," Charlie said quietly. "He hypnotized me."

  Olivia and Benjamin stopped. They stared at Charlie until he felt quite uncomfortable.

  "The trouble is, I don't know if I told them anything I shouldn't have. I tried not to, but I can't remember." He stroked Runner Bean's shaggy head. "Runner Bean woke me up."

  They had reached the top of Filbert Street, and Charlie was relieved to see Uncle Paton's camper van parked outside number nine.

  Olivia, Benjamin, and Runner Bean followed Charlie into the house, where they found Maisie and Uncle Paton enjoying a candlelit meal of salmon pie and chips. There was plenty for all, and while everyone dug in, Charlie recounted his day, reliving his escape from Amos Byrne with such dramatic gestures he twice sent the pepper pot flying off the table.

  "Good grief!" cried Maisie. "Your hair's all singed, Charlie. I thought I could smell burning. You mustn't run off without telling me where you're going. You could have been ... oh, I can't bear to think of it."

  Uncle Paton nodded. Although his expression was very grave, and although he made all the right exclamations of horror and concern, Charlie sensed that something else was troubling his uncle. He did not seem to be wholly engaged with the conversation around the table. His gaze kept drifting away from them.

  "Uncle Paton, where have you been?" asked Charlie.

  His uncle regarded him thoughtfully. It was as though he'd had to drag his mind back from somewhere far away.

  "Where I have been doesn't matter, for now," he said. "But tell me, did my sisters question you about the Red Knight?"

  Charlie's mind had cleared a little. The troubling hypnotic haze was lifting. "Yes, they did ask about the knight, and although I didn't put it into words, I remember thinking that he might be Bartholomew Bloor."

  "Bartholomew?" Uncle Paton looked incredulous.

  "Wow! That's fascinating." Olivia cupped her chin in her hands. She wore an interesting pair of mittens threaded with gold and silver ribbons. "I hope you didn't tell them about Tancred," she said.

  Charlie shook his head. "Don't think so. No. They didn't get around to asking about Tancred."

  "Phew! That's good." Olivia raised her head and clasped her mittened hands together. "He's still safe, then."

  "Yes. But you're not, Liv," said Charlie.

  8

  THE SEA GLOBE

  The huge Sea Globe now stood in the center of the ballroom. The white covering had been removed, but the globe was enclosed in a large glass box. Behind the glass, blue-green water could be seen rippling over the surface of a glowing sphere. It was the world, mapped out in oceans and continents. The land appeared a dull brown color, while the water glowed with countless shades of blue and green, gray and silver.

  The ballroom lights were out, but the chandelier above the globe reflected the sea green radiance of the waves, and beams of brilliant light spilled out into the room. All that could be heard was the faint swish of waves and the low murmur of the world's vast oceans.

  Lord Grimwald stood before his treasure, and his stern features softened as his gaze swept over the oceans -- north to the Arctic, two feet above him, then down through the Atlantic to Antarctica and up again through the Pacific.

  "So much sea," he murmured and the smile that crept into his face made him appear almost amiable. If Lor
d Grimwald had a heart, then it was held in the glowing sphere before him. He loved it above everything else. Alone on his rocky island, with only the globe for company, he was happy. Sometimes the memory of his wife's gentle singing caused him to look down into the waves, where she had drowned in a net, crushed by a ton of fish. And then he would think of the gold charms she had made for their son, so that he should survive the curse that lay upon their family.

  It was regrettable, Lord Grimwald reflected, that if he was to live on, he must destroy his only son, now that Dagbert was twelve years old. He had proved to be a talented drowner and would no doubt become a powerful Lord of the Oceans, if he survived.

  The reason for the Grimwald family curse had been lost through time. But it was as strong as it had ever been.

  When Lord Grimwald was twelve he had caused his own father's death, and for his father it had been the same. But, occasionally, a father had survived a son, and the present Lord of the Oceans didn't intend to die for a long time yet.

  He'll hide those charms, that son of mine, but I will find them. Lord Grimwald laughed out loud. He had a plan that involved Mrs. Tilpin's son, Joshua. The Magnet. He hoped the boy was up to the task.

  The Lord of the Oceans put a scaly hand against the glass, and a white plume of water rose beneath his fingers. When it fell back, bright circles rippled away from it across the ocean, like the ripples in a pond. Only these foamy circles would appear on the real ocean as a mountain of water. Lord Grimwald was so entranced by his work, he didn't hear Manfred come into the ballroom.

  "So this is the Sea Globe!" said Manfred in an awestruck voice. "It is" -- he stretched out his hand -- "so vast!"

  Lord Grimwald turned, almost guiltily, as though caught in the act of admiring himself in a mirror. "The Sea Globe, yes. I'm pleased that it has traveled so well, despite its size. Not a wave, not an ocean out of place."

  Manfred leaned close to the glass. "It defies gravity," he said with a frown. "Why does the water not tumble to the ground? How can it possibly rise like that? The waves" -- he leaned even closer -- "some of them are rolling upward."

  Lord Grimwald smiled with satisfaction. "It is what it is. And has always been so. I know nothing of its history. My father told me once that an ancestor in the distant past was endowed with magnetism. He attracted water, if you like. He gathered it into his arms, out of the Northern Sea, and lo and behold, a sphere of water grew out of his gatherings, dotted about with parcels of land."

  "And it's with this globe that your family has been able to control the oceans?" Manfred's tone was tinged with doubt.

  "For eight hundred years," Lord Grimwald replied. "It was encased in glass in the nineteenth century, to protect it from pollution, you understand."

  Manfred nodded. "Naturally."

  "Did you get anything out of the boy?" Lord Grimwald asked.

  "Oh, a great deal," Manfred replied with a smile. "The boat was on his mind, and it has a name, Greywing. Eustacia saw it all, the sea, the night sky, and constellations upside down."

  "Upside down?" The Lord of the Oceans rubbed his chin. "So they are in the southern hemisphere." He put his finger against the glass, and the waves beneath it sparkled with silver foam. "There are whales aplenty on the coasts of Australia. I'll wager our quarry is in this vicinity." He slid his finger up the eastern coast of Australia, and a line of white foam followed the course he took

  Manfred watched the long, fishlike finger with a slight frown of distaste. "You've caused a few shipwrecks there, I imagine," he said.

  "Mustn't let it run away with me." Lord Grimwald turned to Manfred. "Well, what else did this clairvoyant have to tell you?"

  "The Red Knight's identity. We believe he must be my grandfather, Bartholomew Bloor, black sheep of the family."

  "Why do you believe this?" Lord Grimwald asked curtly.

  "Because he turned his back on us, went abroad. Became an explorer, wouldn't have anything to do with the family."

  Lord Grimwald sighed impatiently. "No. Why do you believe the Red Knight is this Bartholomew person?"

  "Oh, he was in Charlie's mind."

  "Proves nothing. The boy doesn't know. He's guessing."

  "Well, it's a start," said Manfred indignantly. "Eustacia's in top form lately. I bet she could tell me what was in your mind."

  "I doubt it," muttered Lord Grimwald.

  "What about this unknown endowed child that's on the loose?"

  Manfred grimaced. "Charlie got away before we could ask. His friend's dog came barking through the mailbox. It broke our concentration."

  "Teh!" Lord Grimwald thrust his hands into his pockets. "Not that I'm bothered, but Kapaldi wants to know. He's always in such a state, it's unsettling."

  "We did find out about one of the other kids," Manfred said, a touch smugly. "One of the girls, Olivia Vertigo. Turns out she's an illusionist, quite a good one. We had no idea. So it's a bit of a coup."

  "Indeed," agreed Lord Grimwald. "Get her under control and she could be useful."

  One of the great ballroom doors was suddenly pushed open and Mrs. Tilpin shuffled in, dragging Joshua behind her.

  "Weedon said you wanted us," she grumbled. "I was taking a nap. Can't get a wink of sleep at night. Place is haunted."

  "What's that?" cried Joshua, pointing at the Sea Globe.

  Lord Grimwald stared at the puny boy disdainfully. Joshua's thin hair was covered in bits of paper, crumbs and pencil shavings clung to his sweater, and his shoes were coated with dead leaves and mud.

  "I can see that you're magnetic," Lord Grimwald observed.

  "But what is THAT?" Joshua demanded, his eyes never leaving the Sea Globe.

  Lord Grimwald wrinkled his nose. "I suppose you'll do," he murmured.

  "If you want him to do something for you, you'd better be a bit nicer," said Mrs. Tilpin, hobbling toward the globe. "Tell him what it is."

  "That is a Sea Globe." Lord Grimwald tossed the words out as though the Tilpins hardly deserved an answer.

  "WOW!" Joshua ran to the globe, his arms outstretched.

  "DON'T TOUCH!" shouted the globe's owner.

  Joshua halted within inches of the glass. "It's all wrong," he declared, staring up at the gigantic sphere. "It's impossible. The waves are going up. How does the water do that? And how can the earth stand on water?" He pointed at the base of the globe. "Why doesn't it all fall down?"

  "Because it doesn't," Lord Grimwald said crisply.

  Joshua fell silent. He gazed up at the water tumbling far above him in the Arctic Ocean. His pale face was bathed in the shifting blue-green light of the great sphere, and his paper-covered hair was dappled with rainbow colors from the crystals in the chandelier. He looked at his mother and decided she was almost beautiful in sea light, and it certainly improved Manfred's appearance.

  At last Joshua turned his head and stared up at Lord Grimwald. "Who are you?" he asked.

  The man beside him looked down as from a great height, and Joshua noted the crinkled, almost green hair, the chilly arctic eyes, and the grayish glimmering skin. "You look like a fish," he said.

  His mother dug him in the ribs. "Behave yourself, Josh," she said. "This man controls the sea. He's like Dagbert, only more clever." She glanced at the Lord of the Oceans. "He wants you to do something for him."

  "What?" Joshua stared at the stern features.

  Lord Grimwald dug his hands into his pockets. "You are acquainted with Dagbert Endless?"

  "He's a year above me, but I know him," said Joshua. "He's almost my best friend."

  "Ah. Is he? Well, Joshua, Dagbert is my son, and you may not believe this, but he has stolen something from me."

  "I believe you. Dagbert and me often steal things." Joshua gave the man a crooked smile. "What's he stolen from you?"

  "Seven golden charms, Joshua: a fish, five crabs, and a sea urchin."

  Joshua wrinkled his brow. "But they're his charms, Mr. Grimwald --"

  "Lord Grimwald," Manfred hastily corre
cted him.

  "Lord Grimwald," said Joshua. "Dagbert said his mother made the charms for him, so he'd be protected."

  "From me," said the Lord of the Oceans. "I know his story. All lies, Joshua."

  Joshua kicked the floor with the toe of his boot, and Manfred scowled at the dried mud falling onto the polished floorboards.

  Lord Grimwald sighed heavily and paced around the globe, saying, "I suppose you want a reward for your services, Joshua?"

  Joshua looked at his mother, who said, "Of course he does."

  "Very well." Lord Grimwald, having circled the globe, stopped beside Mrs. Tilpin and sighed again. "Your accommodation here is not much, I imagine." Manfred's scowl deepened. "Damp probably," Lord Grimwald continued. "I can see you've got a touch of arthritis. I can offer you a small castle in the north. A servant. Heated rooms and ..."

  Mrs. Tilpin began to sway with pleasure. She had to steady herself on Manfred's arm, which he didn't much like. "And?" she prompted.

  Lord Grimwald turned to Joshua. "What is your favorite food, Joshua?"

  The boy gave a broad grin and, without hesitation, said, "Chocolate, sausages, Battenberg cake, lemon sherbet, strawberry jelly, chips, and beans."

  "Fish?" asked the Lord of the Oceans.

  "I hate fish," said Joshua.

  Lord Grimwald's cheeks turned a greenish pink, and for a second, a look of hatred passed across his face, but pulling himself together, he waved a hand and said, "You'll get all those things, but --"

  "Yippee!" Joshua gave a little jump for joy.

  "But only when you've done what I ask."

  "Spit it out," said Mrs. Tilpin, momentarily forgetting to be grateful. "I'm tired." She shuffled over to one of the gold-painted ballroom chairs and sank down on it.

  Lord Grimwald became very businesslike. "I know that Dagbert will hide the charms. You will find them, Joshua. Wherever they are. You are magnetic. The charms will be drawn to you; they will cling to you, even if you are twelve feet away from them."