Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors (14 page)

“ Noooo!" Billy vehemently shook his head.

"Leave him be," Mr. Silk advised his wife. "He'll certainly be safe at the Thunder House."

Tancred and his father were both storm-bringers, and there was always a wild wind and a rumble of thunder around their house, ft was probably the safest place in the city right then, and Charlie was very relieved that Tancred had taken the decision out of his hands.

"My uncle Paton will explain why Billy can't go back," he told the Silks.

The whole family gathered in the doorway to see the three boys off. It was almost as if they were going on vacation rather than running for safety.

When he reached the gate, Billy suddenly turned back and asked, "What happened to the cats?"

"What cats, dear? I haven't seen any cats," said Mrs. Silk.

"Oh, they must have gone home," said Billy sadly.

By the time they began the long uphill walk, Billy was already exhausted from his run earlier that morning. The other two had to keep stopping while he trudged after them, puffing and wheezing. In the end Tancred told Billy to jump on his back, and he carried him over the rough, winding road that led to the woods at the top.

Charlie breathed a sigh of relief when Tancred's gate came into sight. There were two signs nailed to the gate. One said,
THE
THUNDER
HOUSE
and the other
BEWARE
OF
THE
WEATHER
. As they drew closer to the gate, Charlie heard hoofbeats. He tried to ignore the sound, but when he couldn't stand the tension any longer, he looked back. The road was empty, but the hoofbeats were getting louder.

Tancred turned around, and Billy peering over his shoulder, said, "It's the ghost horse again. It's following us."

Charlie gave a yell and raced for the gate. He didn't bother to unlatch it but threw himself over and fell onto the stony lane beyond.

"What's got into you, Charlie?" called Tancred.

"It's Borlath!" Charlie whimpered. "He's after me. Hurry up, you two! Please!"

Billy slid off Tancred's back and began to climb the gate. "I don't think it'll hurt you!" he shouted.

"A
lot you know!" cried Charlie. He began to rush up the lane.

A wild and deafening neigh shattered his eardrums. The horse must have cleared the gate, because Charlie could hear hooves thudding over the path behind him.

"Run into the woods!" called Tancred. "It can't get you there. At least, not so easily"

Charlie stumbled off the lane. "It's a ghost horse," he moaned. "It'll find me anywhere." He staggered into the trees and leaned against a broad trunk, trying to catch his breath.

There was a deathly silence in the woods. The wind had died down, and every twig, leaf, and blade of grass was still. Charlie closed his eyes. Maybe he was safe. He began to hear Tancred and Billy stumbling through the undergrowth toward him. A warm draft swept across his cheek. Breath? Something wet and whiskery touched his ear.

A deep grunt echoed right through Charlie's body and he slumped to the ground.

CHILDREN 0F THE QUEEN

Charlie looked up at the two concerned faces.

"Hey Charlie. I think you fainted," said Tancred.

"Did I?" Charlie dragged himself" upright.

"What happened?" asked Billy frowning with alarm.

"The horse," croaked Charlie. "It was right here, snorting into my face. It was horrible."

"Well, you're none the worse for the encounter," said Tancred with a laugh. "You probably terrified the poor thing, screaming like that."

Charlie didn't remember screaming. The woods rustled all around him and there was a faint rumble of thunder above.

"There's a moth on your head," Billy observed, staring at Charlie's tousled hair. "It has silver on its wings."

"Really?" Charlie put up his hand but the white moth fluttered away into the shadows.

"Come on, let's get going," said Tancred impatiently. "We'll keep to the trees, just in case the de Grey woman comes looking for Billy"

"Or the Bloors," added Billy "Can I stay in your house, Tancred, for a long time?"

"Long as you like," said Tancred breezily. "Mom would love it. Come on, ten minutes and we'll be there."

They began to walk through the woods, following a well-worn path used by the sheep that grazed the hillside. Tancred led the party while Charlie brought up the rear. Charlie began to wonder where Billy could go next. The unspoken question hung in the air until a strange solution presented itself. "There's always the Castle of Mirrors," Charlie said, almost to himself.

"What?" Billy stopped in his tracks.

"It's where you belong. Your own castle, Billy"

"Cook told me the Castle of Mirrors belonged to my family," Billy said slowly "Do you think I could live there until I grow up?"

"Why not? Maybe you could live there in safety forever, " said Charlie.

Tancred shouted, "Get a move on, you two!"

Billy and Charlie ran to catch up with him. As they drew nearer to the Thunder House, the breeze turned into a blast and the thunder intensified.

"Dad's in good form," said Tancred.

Charlie's smile froze. A huge unseen form galloped past him. He could feel it’s great weight and its power as it pounded the earth. The others were aware of it now The boys huddled together while the ghost horse began to circle them, neighing and snorting as it raced around and around the small group.

Leaves came showering off the trees when the creature reared up. They could sense its forelegs thrashing the air, and Charlie thought,
Any minute
now, one of those hooves is going to come down on my head, and there'll be no more Charlie Bone.

And then Billy Raven did something totally unexpected. He stepped off the path and walked toward the ghost horse, grunting gently

"He's crazy." Tancred clutched Charlie's shoulder.

"Yep!" whispered Charlie. Billy might have a way with animals, but how could he talk to a monster like Hamaran with Borlath's heart?

Once again, the thunder stopped and the trees became still. There was a long, gentle whinny and then silence. And in the silence, Billy Raven dropped to his knees and bowed his head.

"What the . . . ?" Tancred's voice cracked with horror.

"Shhh!" Charlie grabbed Tancred's jacket.

The white moth had reappeared, and now it was fluttering just beyond Billy, its shimmering silver-tipped wings moving so fast that they seemed to be drawing a shape in the air. The shape gathered depth and something huge began to appear beneath the hovering silver, until there it was: a tall white horse with a noble head and flowing mane.

Charlie gasped and backed away pulling Tancred with him.

"It doesn't look vicious," Tancred said in Charlie's ear.

"It isn't," said Billy.

"How do you know?" Charlie demanded. "Did it talk to you?"

"Yes." Billy looked over his shoulder and smiled at the boys. "It's OK, really It's . . . She's the queen."

"QUEEN?" said Tancred and Charlie.

"Queen Berenice," Billy told them. "She was the Red King's wife."

"You mean . . ." Charlie's mind was in turmoil. He tried to remember what Manfred had said about the experiment: a gravestone marked with a "B," the bones of a horse buried beneath it, and the heart in a casket.

"Not Borlath," he murmured, "but Berenice." A smile crossed his face and he moved closer to Billy. "That stupid old man got it wrong again."

Tancred, following cautiously, asked, "How did she get here?"

"Old Ezekiel brought her to life. It wasn't Borlath's heart, it was the queen's. Queen Berenice."

They were now standing directly behind Billy who slowly got to his feet.

"She's been following us," said Billy. "She says we're her children and she wants to protect us. Someone brought her here from the otherworld, but her spirit kept fading, taking her back, until your wand kind of steadied her."

"My wand?" Charlie was mystified. "I thought Manfred had destroyed it, unless . . ." He looked at the white moth, its wings just visible as a tiny glint between the horse's ears.

"They say that wands can take a different form," said Tancred, "if they have to."

"Oh." Charlie blinked. Tancred knew more than he had realized.

The white horse began to grunt, softly this time, but with a flowing, almost-human sequence of sounds. Billy listened intently and when the horse was quiet at last, he told the others, "She heard us talk about the Castle of Mirrors and it frightened her. She saw the island where it was built and knew what would happen there."

"So she knows where it is," Charlie said thoughtfully.

"I suppose so." It was obvious that Billy had no idea of the castle's terrible history.

"Charlie, please tell me that you're not going to do what I think you're going to do," pleaded Tancred.

Charlie grinned. "It was just a thought." But the thought was growing.

The three boys stood in silence and watched the stately creature cropping the grass. It was hard to believe that she had been a queen, almost a thousand years ago. Old Ezekiel had made a mistake, but what he had done was miraculous all the same. He was still a powerful magician, and before long he would find Billy and take him back to Bloor's, unless . . .The thought in Charlie's mind grew into a plan. And the plan somehow became the only solution. Charlie knew in his heart that finding his father was foremost in his mind, but Billy's safety was a close second.

"Ask her if she'll take us to that island," Charlie said to Billy.

"Charlie!" Tancred protested. "You can't!"

"I think we have to."

Billy was eager to try He dropped to his knees again and began to grunt softly to the mare. She raised her head, her ears back, and her large eyes rolled fearfully

"She doesn't like the idea," Billy whispered.

"Tell her about my father," urged Charlie. "Tell her you have to find somewhere safe."

Billy began again, and this time he added a plaintive whinny to his language.

Suddenly, the mare reared up. With a squeal of terror, she careened off through the trees. They listened to the thud of hooves receding until they faded altogether, and the only sounds were thunder and windblown trees.

"That's that, then," said Tancred. "Let's get to my place."

"No," said Charlie. "She'll come back."

"You're joking, right? That mare is one scared animal, Charlie. She'll never take you to the Castle of Mirrors. "

“She will." Charlie insisted. "She thinks we're her children. She's got to protect us."

Billy didn't like arguing with boys like Tancred, but as he looked from the storm boy to Charlie, he said timidly "I think Charlie's right."

"Have it your own way" said Tancred, "but I'm off." As he strode away he called back. "I'll bring you some food in a bit, if you're still here, which I suspect you will be."

"Do you think Tancred's right?" Billy asked Charlie.

"No." Charlie sat down and made himself comfortable against a wide tree trunk.

There was a loud crack of thunder followed by a sudden downpour, and Billy squeezed in beside Charlie.

"Tancred's angry," said Billy

"He'll get over it," Charlie told him.

But, if anything, the storm got worse. Wind surged through the trees, sending leaves and dead branches clattering into the undergrowth. Uprooted nettles, brambles, and dry grass whistled all around Charlie and Billy as they huddled under the broad oak, shielding themselves with their arms. After what seemed like hours of battering, the weather calmed down and the boys fell asleep, worn out by their extraordinary morning.

Charlie woke up to see Tancred striding toward him with a large tray "I knew you'd still be here," said Tancred, setting the tray down beside the tree. Charlie beheld plates of roast chicken, vegetables and gravy and three bowls of plum pie and custard. Mrs. Silk's breakfast seemed hours ago, and the smell of the feast before him was enough to make a hungry boy yelp with joy Which Charlie did, rousing Billy who fell sideways into the grass.

"That was some storm," Charlie muttered as he bit into a chicken leg.

"Sorry. Dad and I had a fight," said Tancred. "He said you two ought to be eating at a table, not crouching in the woods like fugitives. So I said I wouldn't eat with him if he was going to be like that. He almost exploded, but Mom said boys would be boys, and she remembered Dad and her having a feast in the woods in their long-ago younger days. That calmed him down."

When all the plates and bowls had been scraped clean, Tancred asked if Charlie and Billy were ready to go home with him. "It's quite obvious that mare is not going to come back," he said. "She's probably galloped back into the otherworld by now"

Charlie licked a last, delicious morsel off his fingers and replied, "No. She will come back."

"God, you're stubborn, Charlie Bone," said Tancred, getting to his feet. But this time he seemed more resigned than angry "What am I going to do with you?"

"Call my uncle Paton," Charlie told him. "Try and explain what's happened. Everything. And say I'll probably be staying the night with you, just in case Mom gets worried."

"I'll do my best. But I'll come back at dusk, and if you two are still here, I'll drag you up to the Thunder House, whatever you say You can't stay in the woods all night."

"No," said Billy in a small voice. "Because Asa Pike will be around."

Charlie had forgotten Asa. "We won't be here," he said firmly "The queen will come back."

"OK. We'll see." Balancing the tray on his spiky yellow hair, Tancred pranced off through the trees, and Billy actually managed to laugh for the first time that day.

For the next few hours, the two boys played I Spy, chased leaves, climbed trees, and dozed. But as the shadows lengthened, Charlie's heart began to sink. He realized he had been hoping for too much. What had he expected? That a fragile family bond could hold fast through a thousand years?

We're still the children of the Red King,
Charlie thought desperately
So we're the queen's children, too.

For Billy the disappointment was finally too much. He slumped down the path, sobbing, "She's not coming, is she?"

Charlie could only shrug. “And she's got my wand," he said, trying to make light of the situation. "If that's what the white moth is."

Dusk began to fall very fast now. The woods grew damp and chilly, and Charlie knew he would have to make a decision. When he saw Tancred's pale head approaching in the distance, he called, "OK, Tanc. We're coming."

Billy jumped up, happy to be leaving the dark woods at last. But Tancred suddenly stopped and said in a low voice, "Charlie — behind you!"

Charlie turned very slowly expecting to see the gray wolflike form that Asa took at dusk. But it was not Asa. It was the queen.

"She came back," breathed Billy

The mare's coat was a startling white in the dusk. She stood facing them, her feet planted firmly on the path, her noble head turned slightly to watch them with a large, dark eye. Charlie was glad to see the white moth glinting in her long mane.

"Talk to her again, Billy," Charlie said quietly. "Tell her how much we need her."

Billy walked up to the mare, and dropping on one knee, he told two stories in a humming, neighing, lyrical voice: the story of his dead parents and his lonely life, and the story of Charlie's lost lather. And as the child talked, Charlie watched the horse's face. He was sure that he saw a tear fall from her shining brown eye.

When Billy had made his last, frantic entreaty the mare lowered her head and neighed softly

Billy turned to Charlie. "She'll do it. She says her fears are unreasonable when matched against our happiness."

Charlie was taken aback. "She said that?" And he looked at the mare, wondering how he and Billy were going to climb up on her back and once there how they would stay on.

To his surprise, Tancred had thought ahead. When he finally walked into the clearing, Charlie saw that he was carrying a huge saddle and several long leather straps. "Dad's," said Tancred. "He used to ride hurricanes, don't ask me how"

"You believed she'd come back after all, didn't you?" said Charlie.

"I thought if she did, you couldn't go galloping off without all this stuff" said Tancred, grinning.

The white mare allowed them to saddle her up, helping in every way she could, and when this had been done, Tancred lilted Charlie onto her back and then Billy who squeezed behind Charlie, holding him tight around the waist.

"This is it?" said Charlie, hardly able to believe what was about to happen. '"Bye, Tancred. And thanks."

"Good luck," said Tancred, his gruff tone unable to disguise a slight uneasiness.

The mare began to trot through the trees, but as she gathered speed, Charlie shouted, "Tancred, did you speak to my uncle?"

"He wasn't there. I told your mom you'd be staying the night with me."

"You've got to speak to my uncle. Swear you will, Tancred!"

"I swear!" cried Tancred. He waited until the white mare was out of sight and then he ran home.