Children of the Red King Book 02 Charlie Bone and the Time Twister

by Jenny Nimmo

  "Took you long enough to find the right place, didn't it?" Cook turned a handle beside the row of aprons and a door swung inward. Without a word she pushed Henry through the door into a stack of mops and brooms. "You'll have to find your own way now,” she said. "If you're lucky you'll get lunch in half an hour." She swiftly closed the door.

  Henry made his way back to Cook's rooms. He sat beside the stove, feeling rather sorry for himself. Was he to spend the rest of his life like this? Hiding from people who wished him harm? Why was it dangerous "out there"? He recalled something Manfred Bloor had said to the girls. "What's my great-grandfather's dog doing in here?"

  Who was Manfred's great-grandfather? Was it possible . . . ? No, it couldn't be. Could it? Cousin Ezekiel would be over a hundred years old.

  It is possible, thought Henry He shuddered. Cousin Ezekiel is still alive, and he still wants to get rid of me, one way or another.

  Henry wished the Time Twister had taken him somewhere else — Charlie Bone's house, for instance.

  At that moment, Charlie would rather not have been in his house. He and Benjamin were sitting in the kitchen at number nine, wondering what to do. Frantic phone calls had been made between Charlie, Fidelio, and Gabriel. But no parent could be found, or persuaded to give them a lift up to the Heights.

  "We could get a taxi," Benjamin suggested. "I've got some money"

  Charlie didn't think they had enough. His mother was out at work and Maisie was shopping. He didn't think his uncle would have any money and he certainly couldn't ask Grandma Bone.

  "We're stuck." Charlie stared glumly out of the kitchen window

  He had hardly spoken when a luxurious car drove into view It pulled up right in front of number nine, and Lysander jumped out of the passenger seat. He waved at the kitchen window

  Charlie scribbled a note to his mother, checked the door key in his pocket, and ran to the front door. He opened it just as Lysander was about to ring the bell.

  "Hi there, Charlie!" said Lysander. "My dad's going to give us a ride up to Gabriel's place."

  Benjamin and Runner Bean appeared behind Charlie.

  "Can my friend and his dog come?" asked Charlie.

  "Of course. More is merrier," said Lysander. "Come."

  Benjamin, Charlie, and Runner Bean followed Lysander down the steps to the car. Lysander got in the front, while the others climbed in the back. They found Fidelio already tucked into the deep leather seat.

  "How do you do, boys," said the very handsome black man sitting in the driver's seat.

  "My dad," said Lysander quickly "He's a judge, but don't let that scare you."

  "How do you do, Judge," said Benjamin and Charlie, slightly daunted by this imposing man.

  The car purred away from the curb, sailed down Filbert Street , around the park, and then up through the city Up and up and up. None of them noticed the yellow taxi that was following them. The car was now climbing the steep road up to the Heights. They passed several grand houses and then they were beyond the fashionable area and skirting the borders of a wild-looking wood. The judge pulled up outside a rather dilapidated building with a very muddy yard. Hens scratched in the dirt and a goat with large horns was chewing a bush.

  "This is as far as I go, boys," said the judge.

  "Couldn't you take us up to the top, Dad?" asked Lysander.

  "I'm not driving my new car up there," said his lather. "Too much turbulence."

  As they got out, they could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

  "Good luck, young fellows!" The judge backed into the muddy yard, turned his car, and drove down the hill.

  "Will he come and get us?" asked Benjamin, anxiously

  "Might," said Lysander. "Might be Mom, though."

  A little further down the hill, and out of sight of the boys, the yellow taxi had pulled up. An odd-looking creature got out; an old man in a long, dirty raincoat. He had a white mustache but tufts of ginger hair stuck out from under his filthy tweed cap. He paid the driver and then began to run up the hill, not moving like an old man at all, but more like a schoolboy

  Charlie had never been so high above the city The view was magnificent, but there was something unsettling about such a high and windy place. The trees behind them sighed ominously and the thunder became more persistent.

  They were about to walk into the yard when Gabriel came out of the dilapidated house. He was wearing long, muddy boots and splashed deliberately through the deepest puddles. His jeans were so dirty the mud hardly made a difference.

  "Hi!" Gabriel raised his left hand. "Look! Good as new."

  "Glad to hear it," said Lysander. "Are we all ready then?"

  "Ready for anything," said Fidelio.

  They set off Lysander and Gabriel leading the way After a while the road became rough and narrow; and then it petered out altogether. They found themselves at a gate. A wooden sign, marked THUNDER HOUSE , had been nailed to the top bar. Beneath this a smaller sign read, BEWARE OF THE WEATHER!

  "What does that mean?" said Benjamin.

  "We'll soon find out," said Fidelio.

  Beyond the gate a narrow lane led between rows of dark evergreens. The tops of the trees thrashed violently in the wind that swirled overhead and twigs, stones, and dead grass came bowling down the lane.

  "Here goes," said Lysander, opening the gate. "I've been here before, but it's never been this windy"

  The others followed him through. They were immediately struck by flying debris.

  "This isn't going to be easy" muttered Charlie.

  Leaning into the wind, the two leaders set off up the lane. Behind them Fidelio, Charlie, and Benjamin walked in a huddle, with Runner Bean anxiously winding around their legs.

  With every step they took, the wind grew fiercer, and now sharp little bolts of hail peppered their faces. Charlie took a peek around Lysander and saw an awesome gray stone building. The roof was divided into three very steep triangles, the middle section resembling a tower. The windows were long and narrow, and the porch roof echoed the sharp angle of the center gable. A weather vane in the shape of a hammer whirled madly at the very top of the building. Every now and again the whole building shook violently.

  As they drew near to the house, the porch door opened and out came a man with frizzy blond hair and a beard to match. He must have been nearly seven feet tall because he banged his head on the top of the door frame when he stepped through it.

  "It's no use," the big man roared, as the boys battled their way toward the house. "I've tried to calm him down, but we've got to let this storm blow itself out."

  "We need him, Mr. Torsson !" Lysander shouted through the wind.

  "I know! I know; but Tancred's got this weather thing worse than I have. I can't manage him at all."

  The determined gang had now reached the shelter of the house. Not that it gave them much protection. The wind came at them from every direction, tearing their hair and making their eyes stream with tears.

  Mr. Torsson stood with his arms across his chest, braced against the hail that battered his broad back. "I've tried to reason with him." He coughed and a deep rumble echoed somewhere in his chest. "He's locked himself in his room. Furniture's probably in smithereens by now My wife . . ." He gave another cough, this one coinciding with a bolt of lightning that came sizzling down a nearby tree.

  They all watched the tree crash to the ground, its feathery branches alight with flames. These were soon put out, however, by the deluge that suddenly poured from the sky In a brief moment of quiet before the next clap of thunder, Mr. Torsson said sadly "My poor wi
fe's got a terrible headache."

  "Can we just come in and talk to Tancred?" begged Lysander.

  "Not a chance," said Mr. Torsson , planting himself firmly inside the porch. "It's too dangerous. You'll just have to come back another time. Be careful on the way back. There's something out there."

  " What. . . ?" Gabriel began.

  His next words were drowned by a furious crack of thunder, and they all found themselves ducking. Something hit the ground with a heavy thud right behind them.

  Runner Bean howled hysterically and Benjamin shouted, "W . . . w . . . what was that?"

  "A hammer," said Mr. Torsson . He disappeared into the house and they heard the rattle of locks and bolts behind the door.

  "Well, that's that, I guess," sighed Lysander. "Let's go back through the woods. There'll be more shelter under the trees."

  They raced to the woods but Runner Bean, barking with excitement, began to dig at the ground.

  "What's the matter with him?" said Charlie.

  "He's found the hammer," said Benjamin breathlessly "Runner, here, boy Leave it. Now! It's not a bone!"

  The woods were full of thorny bushes and brambles that scratched their faces and tore their clothes. And there was something else: a feeling of being watched.

  "I don't like this," muttered Lysander. "Let's try and get back to the lane."

  The lane couldn't be found. They fanned out, calling to one another as they searched. "Not this way!" Can't see it." "Help, we're lost!" "Must be this way.” "Not here."

  All at once, Charlie found himself alone. It had become very dark. Thunder still grumbled in the distance, but the trees were eerily still. And then he saw the terrible eyes: twin pools of light, moving closer through the undergrowth. With a yell of terror, Charlie turned and threw himself at a tangle of bushes.

  "Help!" he shouted. "Help! Where are you all?"

  He could hear barking, but it was difficult to tell where it came from. "Runner!" he shouted. "Runner Bean, here, boy!"

  There was a deep snarl behind him and Charlie hurled himself away from it. He tore through the woods, banging into trees, tripping, falling, scrambling on his knees, until he saw a pale strip of road. He crawled onto it and looked up to see four boys staring at him in horror.

  "Charlie! You look a real mess," Fidelio exclaimed.

  "You don't look so good yourself" said Charlie. “How did you find the road?"

  "We'd still be in the woods if it wasn't for Runner," said Gabriel. "What happened to you, Charlie? We called and called."

  "Didn't hear," said Charlie. He got to his feet and shook the twigs out of his hair. "There was something in there. An animal."

  "I know we heard it," said Lysander grimly "Whatever it was, it didn't want us in those woods. Let's get away from here."

  They staggered back to Gabriel's house and found the inside of the ramshackle building surprisingly warm and comfortable. When the boys had cleaned themselves at the kitchen sink, they fell into their chairs and gazed at mounds of roast beef mashed potatoes, and vegetables, not knowing where to start.

  "Charlie, your mom was on the telephone," said Mrs. Silk. "1 told her you'd gone for a walk with your friends, and would be coming back here for your tea.”

  "Thanks, Mrs. Silk!" Charlie wondered if his mother had gotten his note. He wouldn't put it past Grandma Bone to have hidden it.

  Gabriel had three sisters who squeezed themselves in between the boys and kept up an endless stream of chatter. The boys were too exhausted to join in. Lysander hardly said a word throughout the meal.

  "Not a very promising start to the new term, is it?” said Mrs. Silk. "What with Gabriel's glove and all." She was a neat, pretty woman with round blue eyes and brown curly hair; not a bit like Gabriel.

  It wasn't easy having an endowed child in the family but Mrs. Silk did her best. She had no idea where Gabriel's strange talent (if you could call it that) came from. She and her husband were always arguing about which side of the family was responsible for it. She had a strong suspicion that it came from the Silks, some of whom were peculiar to say the least, Gabriel could never wear secondhand clothes, and as they were not a rich family Mrs. Silk often had to buy secondhand things for the girls. They found this very unfair.

  After tea Gabriel took his friends to see his famous gerbils, and then as it began to get late, Mrs. Silk drove everyone to their own front doors in a battered Land Rover. "Hope your mom wasn't worried," she called as Charlie climbed the steps of number nine.

  Maisie met him in the hall.

  "The Yewbeams are here," she muttered. "I'm off to watch my TV Good luck, Charlie!"

  SKARPO THE SORCEROR

  Grandma Bone's three sisters were usually entertained in the tidy room across the hall, but today here they were, sitting around the table and swamping the normally cozy room with their dreadful dark clothes and sour faces.

  They had draped their black coats across the chairs and dumped their large black bags on the dresser. There was a half-eaten cake, oozing cream, on the table and the room smelled of stale pastries and old lavender.

  Charlie tried to make the best of things. "Hello, aunties," he said cheerfully "What a surprise!"

  "I'm surprised your mother lets you stay out so late," said Aunt Lucretia . "Where've you been?"

  "Where's Mom?" said Charlie, looking around.

  "Where's Mom? Where's my mommy?" said Aunt Eustacia in a silly voice.

  Charlie looked at the cake. No one offered him a slice.

  "Your mother is out," said Grandma Bone.

  "Where?"

  " Dearie me, we are in a state about our mommy aren’t we?" cooed Venetia , the youngest and most deadly of the sisters.

  "I'm not in a state," said Charlie indignantly "It's just :hat I'm surprised she's not here."

  "She's gone to the theater," said Grandma Bone. "She had two free tickets to see Divine Drums. Naturally she wanted to take you, but you weren't here, were you?"

  "She didn't say anything about tickets to me," said Charlie. "Where did they come from?"

  "We don't know everything about your mom, do we?" said Aunt Eustacia . "She probably got them from her boyfriend."

  "She hasn't got a boyfriend," said Charlie.

  "How do you know?" said Aunt Venetia, patting her hair, which was coiled above her head like a black serpent. "She's still a young woman."

  "She doesn't need a boyfriend," said Charlie, "because my dad's still alive."

  Icy silence descended on the kitchen. The four sisters stiffened. Their mouths tightened into grim dark lines.

  Grandma Bone said, "Why do you persist in this nonsense, boy? Your father died. We had a funeral."

  "But there was no body" said Charlie. He turned to leave but all four sisters shouted, "STOP!"

  Taken by surprise, Charlie did stop.

  "You haven't told us about Henry" said Grandma Bone.

  "There's nothing to tell," said Charlie.

  "You're a very stupid boy," said Matron Lucretia . " Do you think we don't know about the Time Twister? Do you think we haven't heard how Ezekiel Bloor sent his little cousin Henry spinning away through, time. And now he has ended up at the academy a few years too late for his own good."

  "Ha! Ha! Ha!" cackled Aunt Eustacia nastily

  "It's not a joke," said Charlie angrily "How would you like it?"

  "Got you!" snapped Grandma Bone. “Admit you've seen him!"

  Charlie stamped his foot. "I won't admit nothing ."
/>   "Anything," screamed Aunt Lucretia . "Grammar, boy! You won't admit anything!"

  "Oh, yes, he will!" Grandma Bone leaped to her feet. "Where is he?" she screeched. "We'll find him eventually, you know. But if he doesn't come out soon, old Ezekiel's going to be in such a mood he'll send him back to the Ice Age."

  "He can't," said Charlie. "Not without the Time Twister."

  "You have no idea what Ezekiel can do," said Aunt Venetia in her dangerous, silky tone. "Some of it's too horrible for words. Why won't you tell us where this wretched Henry is hiding? He doesn't deserve your loyalty. He's just a nuisance. Why can't you be a good boy for a change? I would hate for Ezekiel to hurt you, my pet."

  Charlie had no idea what to say to this. Aunt Venetia always managed to catch him off-guard by being nice. Luckily the door opened and Uncle Paton looked in.

  "What was all that noise?" said Paton. "I can't hear myself think."

  "Thoughts are supposed to be silent," said Eustacia with a giggle.

  "Don't be silly" said Paton. "Be so good as to turn down the volume. My work has reached a very critical stage. I can't have my concentration ruined by a gaggle of screeching geese."

  "Screeching?" screeched Aunt Lucretia .

  In a more reasonable tone, Grandma Bone said, "We're interrogating Charlie about something of vital importance."

  "Well, I need him for something more important," said Paton. "Come along, Charlie!"

  Charlie sprang gratefully toward his uncle, but Grandma Bone hadn't finished.

  "The boy stays here," she said, "until we've got the truth out of him."

  Uncle Paton sighed. He directed his gaze toward the lamp hanging over the table.

  "Paton!" said Grandma Bone sharply. “You wouldn't dare."

  "I would," said Paton.

  The next moment there was a small explosion, the four sisters leaped away from the table as a shower of broken glass fell from the lamp and settled on the cake.

  "Come on, Charlie," said Paton.

  Charlie quickly followed his uncle out of the kitchen, while Grandma Bone and the aunts, twittering like birds, jumped about, looking for dishcloths, picking glass off the cake, and dusting down their clothes.