by Jenny Nimmo
Tancred's yellow hair began to crackle. "Who's this?" he asked, frowning at Benjamin.
"Benjamin," said Charlie. "He lives on my road and I've known him forever."
"OK." Tancred's hair subsided. "Sorry I'm just a bit edgy"
"Who isn't?" said Gabriel.
"We're not, are we?" Olivia grinned at Emma.
"Not a bit," said Emma, pulling a gerbil from under her collar.
"Hi there, Benjamin," said Lysander with a huge smile. "Don't you take any notice of us. We're Charlie's school friends. I'm Lysander. He's Tancred. You just sit down and have a bite to eat."
"Thanks." Benjamin eyed the plates of food on the table and sat down beside Charlie. They both helped themselves to a large portion of chocolate cake.
"We didn't have to pay for anything today," Gabriel told them. "Mr. Onimous said it was a special occasion and to take as much as we wanted."
"I suppose it will be special — if everything works out," said Charlie, remembering why he was here.
"It will!" Mr. Onimous had suddenly appeared at Charlie's side. "We'd better make a start, Charlie my lad," he said. “Are you coming alone, or do you want to bring a friend?"
Charlie looked around the group of expectant faces. He didn't want to disappoint anyone.
"I don't want it to be me, if you don't mind," Benjamin said helpfully.
"Is he going into the ruin?" asked Gabriel, lowering his voice.
"He is," said Mr. Onimous.
"Then we'll be more use here." Gabriel looked at Lysander and Tancred.
"Fidelio, will you come?" asked Charlie.
Fidelio jumped to his feet. "You bet!"
Olivia gave a huge sigh. "I suppose I've done my bit."
"It's not over yet," Emma reminded her.
With a furtive look around the café, Lysander slid the wand out of his sleeve and handed it to Charlie. "Good luck," he murmured.
"Thanks." Charlie tucked the wand under his jacket.
Fidelio passed his cat to Gabriel and then he and Charlie followed Mr. Onimous to the back of the counter. They walked through a tinkling bead screen and into the kitchen.
Mr. Onimous showed them to a small door at the back of the kitchen, and then they were in a long passage lined with shelves of disgusting-looking pet food.
"Come along," urged Mr. Onimous as the boys gazed around them.
The shelves came to an end and the passage narrowed. They were now walking on a rough stone floor and this very soon became a path of hard earth. As Mr. Onimous scurried along he seemed more and more to take on the appearance of a mole or some other burrowing creature.
Charlie realized that the ceiling was now so low he could rest the flat of his hand on its damp surface. It was getting darker. When the light had almost petered out they stepped into a small round cavern. It was lit by a single lantern hanging from the ceiling, and all around the walls huge tea chests stood shoulder to shoulder with plastic sacks and wooden crates. There seemed to be no way out except the way they had come.
"Now what?" Fidelio whispered to Charlie.
Mr. Onimous had ears as sharp as a rabbit's. ”Aha!" he said, making both boys jump nervously. "You're wondering where it is, aren't you? You think Mr. Onimous has led you into a nasty trap, don't you?"
Charlie gulped. "Of course not."
Fidelio asked, "Where what is?"
Mr. Onimous beamed, and then, with amazing speed, he spun a crate away from the wall. And there it was. A very very small and ancient door. The little man's smile disappeared. His next words were spoken in such a solemn tone Charlie would never forget them. "Before you go in I want you boys to swear never to tell a soul about this door."
"I swear," said Charlie.
"I swear," Fidelio repeated gravely.
Mr. Onimous nodded. "Good." He reached inside his woolly shirt and pulled out a small key on a gold chain. Putting a pawlike hand on the door, he fit the key into the lock and gently turned it. With a light creak the door swung open.
"The cats are there," said Mr. Onimous. "They'll take you. Off you go now I'm going to lock the door behind you. We can't take any chances."
Charlie peered into the gloom behind the door. He could just make out the huge stones that formed the walls of a tunnel. A distant glowing light began to draw nearer and Charlie breathed, "I see them."
He stepped into the tunnel. Fidelio was right behind him. They walked in single file, treading softly on a smooth cobbled floor. Charlie had expected a rough, earthy burrow but the tunnel had been carefully built. The large red stones fitted neatly together, even in the low ceiling.
"It's very old." Fidelio's hushed voice echoed down the tunnel. "I wonder who used it."
"Soldiers perhaps," said Charlie. "It would have been a secret way out, if the castle was under siege."
“And children," said Fidelio. "Now it's Henry's way out."
They could see the cats clearly now but before the boys could reach them the three animals turned and began to hurry along the tunnel ahead of them.
Charlie and Fidelio began to run. The tunnel was far from straight and they had to make several turns before they could see a welcome speck of daylight in the distance. Instead of making for the light, however, the cats swerved away from the main passage and disappeared into a long fissure. The boys hesitated and then squeezed themselves into a tunnel that was so narrow they had to walk sideways. At the end of a very nasty journey they inched themselves past a pillar and stepped into an astonishing room.
The ground was paved with tiny squares of color. On a white background, lines of red, orange, and yellow radiated from a huge red circle. The walls were covered in frescoes; golden domes blazed beneath blue skies and tall robed figures paced through leafy arbors. The vaulted roof echoed the pattern on the floor, only here the central circle was open to the sky.
"It's the sun," murmured Charlie. "See, the pattern is like the rays of the sun."
"There's so much light." Fidelio gazed up at the tiny circle in the roof. "It must be a trick — or magic."
"It was on his shield," said Charlie. "The Red King's shield was like a burning sun. It's his room. His own special place. I don't think anyone's been here since he left."
"Not ever?" asked Fidelio.
Charlie shook his head. "I don't think so."
At that moment neither boy could have explained his feelings. The place affected them in very different ways. While Fidelio was uneasy and eager to move on, Charlie felt at home and deeply comforted.
"The cats have gone," Fidelio observed. "Now what?"
Charlie noticed a red-gold leaf beside his foot. How did it get there? Through the roof? He studied the ten pillars surrounding the courtyard. They were made of the same deep red rock as the rest of the castle, and there was only the space the width of a finger between the pillars and the wall. Except for two standing opposite to each other. They had entered the courtyard by a narrow opening behind one of the pillars. Charlie walked over to investigate the other.
Screened by the pillar, a small round window gave onto a dark wood. Squinting through the window Charlie could see a green glade beyond the trees. In the center of the glade there was a black rock. The three cats were sitting on top of it.
"It's here," cried Charlie. "Fidelio, it's here."
Fidelio ran over to Charlie. "What is?"
"The dungeon. There's a rock, just like Olivia said. See? Where the cats are sitting."
Fidelio gave a low whistle. "You first, Charlie. I'll be right behind you."
They scrambled through the round hole and dropped to the ground. When they looked back all they could see was a wall of ivy No one would have guessed what lay behind it.
Charlie led the way The cats yowled encouragement as he knelt in the grass and called, "Henry? Henry are you there? It's me, Charlie!"
"Charlie?" From a narrow gap beside the rock there came a sound of shuffling footsteps. And then Charlie was looking into a pair of large gray eyes. "Good to see you
, Charlie," said Henry.
"Great to see you, Henry. Sorry it's taken so long. But we're going to get you out of there, right now"
"How?" The gray eyes looked anxious.
"Well, I've got something powerful here." Charlie drew the wand out of his jacket and held it above the eyes. "Can you see it?"
"But it's just a stick." Henry sounded disappointed. "That won't do it, Charlie."
Fidelio peered over Charlie's shoulder. “Actually Henry it's a wand," he said, "and wands can do anything."
"Oh! Who's this?" Henry asked.
"My friend Fidelio," said Charlie. "He's great in a crisis. Never panics. I think you'd better get away from there now Henry Just in case the rock moves the wrong way."
"I won't be able to breathe if it does that," Henry said in a scared voice.
"Don't worry It'll work," Fidelio said confidently.
"If you say so."
The eyes disappeared and they heard Henry shuffle down into his dungeon.
Charlie stepped away from the rock. He held out the wand. "Suppose it doesn't work," he muttered.
"Of course it'll work," said Fidelio. "Think where it came from, Charlie. Believe in yourself"
Encouraged, Charlie flourished the wand in the air, and then, pointing it at the rock, he chanted,
Sumidar gareg umma!
The three cats leaped off the rock, but nothing else happened.
"Things like this never work the first time," said Fidelio. "Like our car. It always needs two goes."
Charlie repeated the Welsh words, pronouncing them exactly as his uncle had told him. The rock didn't move. A cold, panicky feeling clutched his stomach. Perhaps Skarpo had tricked him. He shouldn't have chosen the wand. It was useless.
"Useless, useless," Charlie muttered. "What are we going to do, Fido?"
"Try again," said Fidelio. "Only this time use a different kind of voice. You sound like someone pretending to be a wizard. A bit false. And too bossy I bet a real wizard treats his wand like a friend. Try and sound more friendly and more polite."
"OK." Charlie cleared his throat. Once again he pointed the wand at the black rock, and when he spoke the words, he tried to imagine that he was speaking to his uncle Paton; polite but friendly.
Sumidar gareg umma!
This time, as soon as Charlie had spoken, the wand became warm in his hand. It felt as if it were turning through his fingers. A red glow spread through the wood and its silver tip sparkled like a firework. With a sudden explosion of light the wand flew out of Charlie's hand and landed on the rock.
All around the glade, birds fluttered into the sky calling anxiously Fidelio and the cats rushed to Charlie's side as the rock gave a thunderous groan. There was a deep underground boom, a crushing rumble, and the rock slowly rolled backward.
The boys were so amazed they stood rooted to the spot, and then Henry's head emerged from a dark hole beside the rock.
"Hurrah!" he said. "I'm out. Well done, Charlie!"
They were shocked by his appearance. Never had they seen a boy so drained of life. His face was white and pinched and the circles around his eyes made him look like an exhausted owl.
Fidelio and Charlie took an arm each and helped Henry to climb the rest of the way out of the pit. He was a bit unsteady but so happy to be alive and free, he couldn't stop himself from doing a skip and a jump as soon as he was out.
Charlie looked down into the pit. It was hard to imagine how it must have felt to be trapped in that awful place for two whole weeks.
The wand had lost its strange glow and was once again a pale stick with a silver tip. Henry gazed at it in awe, as Charlie slipped it under his jacket.
"I'll tell you how I got it," Charlie said, "but not here. Let's go before someone comes snooping around."
They hurried across the glade and through the woods, but when they reached the ivy-clad wall, the round window seemed to have disappeared. Fidelio eventually found it by clambering up the thick vines and pulling aside a long curtain of leaves.
One by one, they wriggled through the window; and then dropped into the domed room. Henry gazed at the painted walls in amazement, "It's like the world in the Time Twister," he murmured, "the world of the Red King." He would have liked to stay longer but the others hurried him across the room. They squeezed past the pillar and entered the tunnel. The cats had followed them every step of the way and now lit the darkness with their bright coats.
As they made their way along the tunnel, Charlie told Henry about Skarpo, the sorcerer, and the stolen Welsh wand. Henry found all this rather hard to take in, so soon after his escape. It was easier for him to understand Fidelio's description of the Pets' Café and, after two weeks on little more than bread and water, he began to look forward to the delicious cakes that he would find there.
They had almost reached the end of the tunnel, when the small door into the café was flung open and a tall figure appeared. The boys stopped. It was difficult to see the stranger's face. And then Mrs. Onimous ran toward them, frantically waving her hands.
"Oh, boys," she cried. "It's no use. A dreadful thing has occurred. It's an ambush!"
"What?" said Charlie. What's happened?"
"Dr. Bloor and one of your aunts are in the café. They're watching every move we make."
This was very bad news.
"Maybe we could sneak Henry out while they're eating," Charlie suggested.
"Not a chance, dear." She peered down at Henry "So you're the young traveler. What a thrill to meet you, dear. I'm Mrs. Onimous."
"How do you do?" Henry shook her hand. "I've been looking forward to one of your cakes," he said.
Mrs. Onimous beamed. "Then you shall have one very soon, dear. But you'll have to stay here for a bit, nice and quiet, while your friends come back with me."
"We can't leave Henry here!" said Charlie.
"You'll have to, dear. They saw you both come into the café. Your aunt has been asking where you were. I told her you were helping in the kitchen, but who knows if she believed me. She'll be behind the counter and nosing in the kitchen before we know where we are."
Mrs. Onimous took Charlie and Fidelio by the arm and drew them up the tunnel and into the store room. The last thing Charlie saw before she closed the door was Henry's pale, stricken face.
"I'm sorry Henry" Charlie whispered. "You won't have to stay there for long. There'll be a storm, but you mustn't worry. It's to protect you. Wait for Mr. Onimous. He'll tell you when it's safe to come out."
"Good-bye, Charlie," said Henry.
Charlie shivered when Mrs. Onimous locked the door. Henry's words had sounded so sad and final.
"I didn't think I'd have to leave him in the dark again," he muttered, as Mrs. Onimous led the way back to the kitchen.
"It won't be for long," said Fidelio.
Charlie wasn't sure. How long would his aunts be watching the café? Who knew what could happen in the next few hours. When darkness fell, the beast would be about.
When the two boys walked back into the café they found Lucretia Yewbeam staring at them from a table in the center of the room. Dr. Bloor sat opposite her. Lucretia gave a nod and the headmaster turned his head in their direction. As the boys made their way over to their friends, they could feel two pairs of eyes watching them.
"We were getting worried," said Olivia. "Did . . ..
"Yes," said Charlie.
"Shhh!" said Gabriel. "Let's get out of here. I've got a feeling there are spies everywhere."
The eight children filed past Dr. Bloor's table. Dr. Bloor gave them a curt nod and Lysander said, "Afternoon, Dr. Bloor!"
Lucretia Yewbeam glared at Charlie and said, "Earning pocket money Charlie? 1 hope you'll be putting it toward your school fees."
"What?" Charlie's jaw dropped. He couldn't think what his aunt was talking about.
Fidelio came to the rescue. "They pay us very well, Matron," he said. "We do the washing up and sometimes they let us make the sandwiches."
&n
bsp; "Do they now?" said the Matron. "Pity you don't do more of that at home, Charlie. It seems that children won't do anything these days unless they're paid for it."
Dr. Bloor was about to agree when there was a loud yelp from the floor. Charlie had stepped on a hairless tail beside Dr. Bloor's foot.
"Look where you're going, boy!" barked the headmaster.
"Sorry Sir!" Charlie realized that Blessed must have been dragged along to the café as Dr. Bloor's pet companion.
Aunt Lucretia had brought something in a cage, though it was impossible to guess what it was. The cage was made of thick wire mesh and all that could be seen was a large blue blob.
"Snake!" whispered Fidelio.
Charlie hurried on.
As they stepped out onto Frog Street, someone in red boots leaped out of sight around the corner.
Aunt Venetia again," Charlie muttered grimly.
Lysander and Tancred sprinted up to High Street, but the red boots had vanished in a crowd of busy shoppers. However, when Charlie caught up with his friends he saw someone else. There, sitting on a bench, was Grandma Bone.
Charlie marched up to his grandmother. "What are you doing here, Grandma?" he asked.
"Why does one usually sit beside a bus stop?" she said coolly "One is waiting for a bus, of course. You're very popular today Charlie. Lots of friends, I see."
"Yes," said Charlie. He walked on.
When they were some distance from Grandma Bone, Olivia's curiosity couldn't be contained any longer. "How did you get Henry out?" she begged. "Did the wand work?"
Charlie told them everything that happened in the castle.
"So he's stuck in the tunnel," groaned Olivia. "Now what?"
"The rest is up to my Uncle Paton," said Charlie.
They had reached the traffic lights and Gabriel spotted his mother, waiting in her Land Rover on the other side of the road. She had promised to give Lysander and Tancred a lift back to the Heights.
Before he crossed the road, Tancred turned to Charlie and said, "I think we're due for a storm. It'll get a few of these busybodies off the streets."
Charlie had just caught sight of Aunt Eustacia, watching them from the doorway of the pharmacy “A storm would be great," he said.