Children of the Red King Book 06 Charlie Bone and The Beast

by Jenny Nimmo

  "My mom's OK, then?" Asa murmured.

  "Yes." Charlie hesitated and said awkwardly, "I'm sorry about your dad."

  Asa's face began to crumple and Billy said quickly, "I bet it's behind that tall boulder, the one your moth's sitting on, Charlie. I bet the tunnel begins there."

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  "Let's have a look." Charlie went over to the boulder and tried to shift it. "It'll take all three of us to move this," he said. "Come on, you two."

  Billy blew out his candle and put it back in his pocket.

  After several minutes of heaving and pushing, puffing and panting, they managed to move the boulder a few inches away from the wall. Billy was right. There was indeed a hidden entrance. With renewed strength the three boys pushed the heavy boulder another few inches. Now there was just enough space for them to squeeze into the entrance of the tunnel.

  They moved in silence. Billy first, then Asa. Charlie walked behind Asa, just in case he began to lose his shape again. But the white moth fluttered close to the beast boy, making sure there was enough light for him to keep his human form.

  The tunnel was, if anything, more dank and smelly than the first one. It was certainly colder. Charlie and Billy pulled up their hoods, and Asa, somewhat reluctantly, put on the beret. Charlie first noticed the water

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  when Asa's feet began to splash, sending cold sprays at Charlie's legs.

  "Do you think the river might be coming into the tunnel?" Billy asked nervously.

  "It can't be," answered Charlie. "The path is a long way above the river and besides, we're walking upward, not down."

  "What if the river floods?" Billy persisted.

  "It hasn't been raining," said Charlie. Even as he spoke he was remembering the high river that had nearly swept them off the bridge. "Dagbert," he murmured.

  A few minutes later, the water was knee-deep. "Let's go back," cried Billy.

  Charlie looked back. Behind him a muddy tide was filling the tunnel. "We can't," he said. "It's even deeper behind us. Go faster, Billy."

  Billy started to walk faster, but soon the water was above his knees. The current was so strong he could hardly move against it. "We're going to drown," he moaned.

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  Asa slumped against the wall. "It's me," he muttered. "Manfred will never let me go, he'd rather see me dead."

  "It's Dagbert Endless," Charlie said bitterly. "We mustn't let him beat us. We've got to keep moving." He walked past Asa and grabbed Billy's hand. "We'll help one another. Come on, Asa. Take Billy's other hand."

  They began to move again, slowly and painfully, while the white moth hovered above them, the sparkle of her lively spirit encouraging them onward. But even she couldn't stop the water rising, and it wasn't long before the swirling torrent was gurgling around their waists. Charlie had no idea how close they were to the riverbank. Perhaps the path was already underwater and as soon as they emerged, they would be swept into a flood.

  When the water reached their shoulders, Charlie began to give up hope.

  Far above the tunnel, Tancred Torsson was making his way across the grounds of Bloor's Academy. He

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  was sensitive to water in all its many forms. He was aware of the tides, knew when rain was on its way, could even tell when water might pour from a heavy cloud. Tancred knew that, deep beneath him, water was filling an ancient tunnel. He could hear it rushing beneath his feet, and he knew that Charlie was in trouble. Tancred even knewthe source of that drowning water. At the edge of the woods that bordered the Red Castle, phosphorescent colors lit the treetops. As Tancred drew closer, he could see Dagbert Endless leaning against a tree. His head was raised, his eyes were closed, and he was smiling.

  Tancred strode up to the boy. "Stop that," he demanded.

  Dagbert opened his eyes. "Oh, it's you."

  "I can hear water," said Tancred. "It's drowning them. Give it up."

  "Why should I?" Dagbert sneered. "I'm having the time of my life."

  "Not anymore." Tancred swung his cape in a wide green arc.

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  "What are you doing?" asked Dagbert suspiciously.

  A blast of icy air sent him spinning away from the tree. "Stop it!" he yelled as a great gust of wind swept him off his feet. A stream of golden creatures began to pour from his pocket as he turned upside down, pawing and kicking the air.

  Strolling forward, Tancred caught the tiny creatures in his hands.

  "No!" screamed Dagbert.

  Tancred stood back and let the boy crash to the earth. Dagbert lay still for a moment and then he began to shake. His face took on a sickly green glow, his hands shone, and a luminous glint stole through his clothes. The shaking became uncontrollable.

  "G... g... give... m... m... me... the... s... sea-gold... cr... creatures," stammered Dagbert.

  "These?" Tancred ran them through his fingers from hand to hand. "I don't think so."

  "F... fiend!" screamed Dagbert.

  "Stop the water!"

  "N... n... no!"

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  Tancred raised his clenched fist, and Dagbert was sent flying through the woods. Sharp twigs tore his clothes and scratched his face, thorns caught in his hair, and naked branches pulled off his shoes. When he fell to the earth a second time, his trembling had become so intense he bounced up and down on the ground. "G... g... give me ..." he gasped.

  Tancred walked up to the glowing boy. "I'll give you nothing until you stop the water."

  There was a long silence and then, with a gurgling sigh, Dagbert closed his eyes and dug his hands into the earth.

  Tancred began to feel a change in the ground beneath his feet. He watched Dagbert and waited. Still trembling, Dagbert dug his fingers deeper and deeper into the earth. At last, with a shaking voice, he uttered the word, "D... done!"

  "Hmmm. I won't thank you." Tancred sauntered away.

  "P... please," moaned Dagbert.

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  "Your sea-gold creatures? Come and get them." Tancred scattered the tiny fish and the golden crabs in the long grass that bordered the woods. But he put the sea urchin in his pocket. "For future encounters," he said to himself. Keeping in deep shadow, he made his way back to the school. He had noticed a light at the very top of the building and didn't want to take any chances.

  Old Ezekiel had seen the spectacle from his high attic window. He had no idea that Dagbert was not alone in the woods, and was most impressed by the glowing colors streaming from the trees.

  "Our very own aurora borealis." He chuckled. "Well done, Dagbert Endless."

  In the tunnel deep beneath the woods, Charlie felt the current begin to ebb.

  "It's going down," breathed Asa.

  Soon they could see their muddy legs again. Minutes later, they were walking on damp bricks. The flood had become a tiny trickle.

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  "How did that happen?" said Billy.

  "I think Tancred had something to do with it." Charlie grinned up at the mossy roof.

  They were now walking up a steep incline. Far ahead, Charlie could see the moon, and although they fell several times on the slippery bricks, the sight of the moon gave them fresh hope. Ignoring their wet clothes and aching limbs, they crawled upward until, one by one, they tumbled out into the small grove of trees beside the path. A strong breeze had blown every cloud from the sky, and everything was bathed in brilliant moonlight.

  "We're here!" cried Charlie, rolling down the bank. ^

  The others followed. Asa was even giggling. He looked a very odd sight with his red hair straggling from under the beret, and his long coat covered in mud.

  They were now, all three,
shivering from wet and cold, but Charlie wanted to make sure that Asa reached Bartholomew's van. They ran along the path until the bridge came into view, and there, just visible above the stone wall, was a white van.

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  "Asa" - Charlie pointed at the bridge - "see that white van? Your mom's there, waiting for you."

  As he spoke they felt a tremor in the earth. A distant pounding reached their ears; as it grew louder a white horse leaped down the bank beside the bridge. On its back rode a knight in a silver helmet and a velvet cloak that looked gray in the moonlight, yet Charlie knew it must be scarlet. They caught the flash of steel as the knight brought out his sword and came charging toward them.

  In that moment, Charlie could only think that he'd been right all along. The Red Knight was no friend. He'd been given an invincible sword that he'd always intended to use against them.

  They turned to run but there was nowhere to go. For on their other side, a huge horse came thundering at them. The ground shuddered as its great hooves pounded the path. Stiff gray feathers stood up from its head, and the knight on its back wielded a long pale lance.

  "They look like stone!" Billy whimpered.

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  "They are stone!" cried Charlie.

  Caught between the Red Knight and the gray stone Knight, the river seemed the only place to go. Charlie stood, shivering on the moonlit path, unable to move, while Billy and Asa fell to their knees, clutching Charlie's cape and yelling something incomprehensible. And then, when both horses were almost upon them, the Red Knight shouted, "DOWN!"

  Charlie fell to the ground as horse and rider sailed above him. A rush of air from the billowing cloak warmed his bones and stopped the shivering.

  The stone knight's lance was pointed straight at the Red Knight's chest, but at the last moment, the white horse swerved and, faster than lightning, the Red Knight brought down his sword. A bright flash shivered along the lance. The stone horse turned awkwardly on the path. The lance was pulled away and then came sweeping at the Red Knight's back.

  Charlie heard a thud as the lance hit its mark. But the Red Knight didn't topple from his horse. The lance

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  rebounded from his red cloak, the white horse pranced sideways, and the Red Knight smote the lance with his bright sword, again and again and again.

  There was a mighty crack and the lance broke in two, one end thudding onto the path. The stone knight brought his mount crashing into the side of the white horse; a cry of pain filled the air as she backed away, but, as she moved, the blade of the Red Knight's sword fell on the stone knight's helmet. His head split but still he moved, wildly swinging his blunted lance. The sword flashed again, slicing the stone knight in half, cracking his arms and slashing the remains of the lance. The stone pieces dropped to the earth; the stone horse staggered and then rolled into the river.

  The three boys got to their feet a little shakily, though their clothes were dry again and they couldn't feel the cold. They gazed at the Red Knight and his horse, standing so still in the moonlight. If it hadn't been for the steam coming from the white horse, they could have been taken for statues.

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  "I can make it on my own, now." Asa had an odd little smile on his face. "You'd better get back to school."

  "Are you sure?" asked Charlie.

  "Quite sure," said Asa, as the white horse came toward them.

  The boys stood aside to let horse and rider pass. Charlie heard the creak of leather, the rustle of chain mail, and the heavy breathing of the horse. The Red Knight sat erect, his sheathed sword hanging from his belt, and the red cloak lying soft against his back. He paused for a moment and looked down at them. The visor hid his face, and only the glint of his eyes could be seen.

  When the horse moved on, Asa walked beside it. Charlie and Billy watched the lanky figure in its long coat and Charlie murmured, "He'll be safe now."

  "Probably the safest person in the world," added Billy.

  As they climbed back up the bank, they failed to see a small boy and a tall woman standing in the trees.

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  The journey back to school was easier and faster now that the tunnel was empty of water.

  "It's always quicker when you know what to expect," said Charlie, as he hauled himself up the iron ladder and out of the dreadful pit. But they weren't expecting to see what they did when they finally emerged into the room below the theater.

  Charlie hadn't seen Manfred anywhere near the stage, simply because Manfred had been hiding behind the first row of seats in the auditorium. He heard the trapdoor being lowered and waited, smiling to himself, as he imagined Charlie and Billy making their way down to the pit where he'd been keeping the beast-boy. He particularly enjoyed the pictures he'd conjured up for himself, when he thought of Dagbert's drowning water pouring into the tunnel.

  "Asa will drown," Manfred said to himself, "and I'll lose my useful beast, but it can't be helped. And with Billy out of the way, who cares if Lyell Bone finds Maybelle Raven's will? As for Charlie Bone, the sooner he's out of the way, the better."

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  But Charlie had a way of escaping trouble, and Manfred wanted to make sure that, this time, he wouldn't survive. Leaving his hiding place, he climbed onto the stage. In his pocket he had an old key that fitted the padlock on the trapdoor. He was about to fit the key into the padlock, when curiosity got the better of him.

  Manfred lifted the trapdoor and descended into the costume department. It appeared to be deserted. Swinging the key and whistling to himself, Manfred popped his head around one of the pillars and squinted into the darkness. Nothing. And then, in the distance, he heard Billy's frantic wail as he slipped in the tunnel.

  Manfred smiled with satisfaction. He turned back and, to his utter astonishment, came face to face with Lysander Sage.

  "What are you doing here?" stormed Manfred.

  "Give me the key," Lysander demanded.

  "I'll give you nothing," scoffed Manfred. "Get out of here before I call Weedon."

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  "I'm pretty sure that Weedon is driving around the city counting white vans and wondering which one he should watch. Now give me that key."

  "Come and get it!"

  "OK." Raising his arms, Lysander spun around the room, threading his way between leather trunks and wicker baskets. The walls resounded with mysterious chanting, and while Manfred slowly backed toward the steps, drumbeats began to accompany Lysander's voice. Pale shades began to fill the black spaces between the pillars; slowly each ghostly shape took the form of a tall dark man. Their brown arms were encircled with gold, their bodies draped in white robes, and each man carried a tall spear.

  "Illusions," muttered Manfred.

  "You know they are not," said Lysander. "They are my ancestors and as tangible as any being in this city."

  One of these warriors moved behind Manfred, barring his way to the steps.

  "Give me the key." Lysander held out his hand.

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  Manfred dumbly shook his head. Clutching the key, he moved away from the steps and down the aisle between cupboards and trunks.

  "Then take the consequences." Lysander uttered a long singing sound and the dark warriors moved forward. As they closed in on Manfred he gave a strangled cry. Throwing the key at Lysander, he lifted the lid of one of the baskets and leaped inside, pulling the lid over his head.

  Lysander bounded over to the basket and fastened the buckle. Then, picking up the key, he sat on the basket and waited.

  Surprised by the bright light filtering toward them, Charlie and Billy hesitated before they walked through the pillars. And then they saw Lysander, surrounded by his tall spirit ancestors.

  "What... ?" uttered
Charlie.

  "Shhh!" Lysander pointed at the basket beneath him. Unfastening the buckle, he stood up and led the others up the steps.

  Before closing the trapdoor, he called softly to

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  his spirit ancestors and then his face broke into a wide grin.

  "What's going on?" asked Charlie.

  "Manfred was going to trap you," said Lysander. "But I trapped him instead. My ancestors will keep him prisoner until dawn."

  Billy stared anxiously at Lysander's calm face. "But he's going to be furious. He'll... He'll..."

  "He'll do nothing," Lysander told him. "Do you think he'd want anyone to know that he hid in a basket and failed to stop you from getting back? Believe me, he's too proud for that. Now, tell me, were you successful?"

  Very successful," said Charlie.

  As they tiptoed back to their dormitories, Billy whispered sleepily, "We saw the Red Knight, Lysander, and a white horse. And I think the horse was the queen that Ezekiel accidently brought to life."

  "Then, perhaps, the Red Knight is the king," said Lysander.

  "Has to be," said Charlie.

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  On the other side of the city, Mr. Brown, driving back from a very important assignment, counted no less than seventeen battered white vans parked in various places around the city. He wrote down each location in his notebook. "Something's going on," he said to himself. "Unless... of course. Illusions." He tore the page out of his notebook.

  By then, the only white van that he had failed to see was already speeding away from the city.

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  CHARLIE GETS A POSTCARD

  On Tuesday morning, there was a very curious mood in Bloor's Academy. Even the children who had not been involved in Asa's escape were aware of a change in the atmosphere.

  Dagbert Endless lay in bed, his face covered in scratches. Occasionally, he moaned about the wind. He kept his clenched fist close to his cheek and wouldn't show anyone what he held, although sometimes between his fingers the glint of gold could be seen.

  "Leave him be," said the matron. "He's the sort of boy who has nightmares."