Charlie Bone And The Red Knight (Children Of The Red King, Book 8) (22 page)

22

THE SEAT OF EVIL

The city had not been entirely deserted. Officer Singh and Officer Wood arrived at the field soon after the battle had ended. More police arrived. Ambulances parked at the edge of the grass, and medical teams ran over to the injured.

Lyell Bone was lifted onto a stretcher and carried to an ambulance. Charlie was allowed to travel with him. Just before the doors were closed, Officer Singh approached Charlie and asked how he felt. "You've got a lot of nasty bruises, lad," he said. He looked intently at Charlie, as though he had a particular interest in him.

"I'm OK," said Charlie. "I'm just worried about my dad. And my mom, she ought to know what's happened."

"She does," said Officer Singh. "I've just given her a call."

Charlie was puzzled. "You know where she is? But how?"

"Ah," said the policeman. "She'll have to tell you that herself."

Charlie's mother was waiting for him at the hospital, and after she hugged him half to death they went to wait in the hallway while Lyell's wounds were dressed.

"I don't understand," Charlie kept repeating. "Where have you been? When I thought of you, I always saw a little boat far out on the sea. And then there were all those postcards with foreign stamps."

"Charlie, I'm so sorry." His mother hugged him again. "We hated doing this to you, but we had to make sure that the Bloors never guessed who the Red Knight was. We couldn't let them find out by hypnotism, clairvoyance, or any of their dreadful tricks."

"What difference would it have made?"

Amy Bone touched her son's bruised face and looked into his eyes. "They would have held you for ransom, Charlie.

They would have kidnapped you, imprisoned you, perhaps even threatened to torture you if Lyell didn't give up his quest. So they had to believe it was someone else wearing the red cloak and riding the white mare."

"I thought it was Bartholomew Bloor," said Charlie, "because he wears a blue winter coat and Gabriel saw his father give the cloak to a man in a dark-colored winter coat."

His mother smiled. "Ah, Mr. Silk knew the truth. He was the only one apart from Bartholomew."

"Why did he have to know?"

"Because he was on that boat, Charlie. There really was a boat called
Greywing,
and it was sailing up the Australian coast. Bartholomew had always wanted to go whale watching. He's a great sailor and was quite confident that he could survive Lord Grimwald's storms. He and his family are on their way back to the city right now."

"Phew!" It still didn't make sense to Charlie.

"Whenever I thought of you and Dad, I saw the boat. But why, if you weren't on it?"

Amy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Charlie. We had to make you believe that we were there in case you were hypnotized and Manfred got at the truth."

"I was hypnotized," said Charlie, frowning. "So someone must have gotten into my head and made me believe you were there on that boat. Hmmm. I wish I knew who it was."

His mother hesitated. She seemed to be in a dilemma, so Charlie kept his eyes on her face, determined to get an answer.

"It was Señor Alvaro," she said at last. "He's very gifted in that way."

"I'll say." Charlie could hardly believe it.

A doctor approached them. His cheerful smile told them that Lyell wasn't in any danger. They were shown into a small room where Lyell was sitting up in bed. His head had been wrapped in a bandage, and one arm was in a sling. Charlie wanted to hug him but he couldn't see how, so instead he kissed his father's cheek and clung to his free hand.

"Forgive me, Charlie!" Lyell's dark eyes glistened. "I don't deserve you."

"Mom told me everything," said Charlie shyly. He felt ashamed that he had doubted his father, who after all was a hero.

Lyell squeezed his hand. "You have every right to be angry with us."

Charlie vigorously shook his head. "The enchanter had to be killed, didn't he? So he'd never, ever try to take the city again."

"I so nearly didn't succeed. You saved my life, Charlie."

"Did I?" It hadn't occurred to Charlie until now.

"There are a few more things to do before the city is completely purged," his father said wryly.

"Bloor's Academy?" Charlie suggested.

Lyell gave a grim smile. "In a few days, I'll be myself, and we'll put everything to rights, you and I, won't we?"

"You bet," said Charlie.

Charlie and his mother stayed with the patient for another hour, and Charlie learned where his mother had been staying while her husband roamed the city as the Red Knight.

"Do you remember the Hundred Heads' dinner?" asked Amy.

How could Charlie forget? "It's when I found out about Mrs. Tilpin and the enchanter," he said.

"There was a man in a blue turban."

"Yes. He saw me and Billy hiding under the table, but he didn't give us away."

"His name is Mr. Singh," said Amy. "He's Officer Singh's father and he let me stay in his house in the south. I wanted to stay with you, Charlie, but it would have looked suspicious if Lyell and I parted when we had only just been reunited. Mr. Singh is, of course, a descendant of the Red King."

"Then so is Officer Singh!"

A nurse came in with a tray of pills, and Charlie and his mother said good-bye to Lyell, promising to return the next day. On their way out they caught sight of Miss Ingledew leaving another ward. She looked rather flustered. Charlie ran up to Miss Ingledew, crying, "Where's my uncle? Have you seen him?" And then he remembered their disagreement and said hesitantly, "Or was it someone else you were visiting?"

Miss Ingledew smiled. "It was Paton," she said. "He's not badly injured. He said something about leopards helping, which I didn't really understand. But there's been a bit of trouble with the lights. They've had to move him twice, but of course the same thing happened every time."

Charlie tried to hide a grin behind his hand. "Was anyone hurt?"

"Luckily, no," said Miss Ingledew. "But there was an awful mess. Glass everywhere. He's been put in a little room by himself, just inside the door. He'll be out tomorrow, to everyone's relief, I should imagine."

Charlie didn't wait to hear any more. Pushing through the swinging doors, he found his uncle's room and flung his arms around the long thin man, who was scratching at a bandage that poked out of the top of his pajamas.

"Blasted thing. Itches like mad," Paton complained when Charlie released his grip. "Hello, Charlie. Well done all around, I say. What a day, eh? We learned a few secrets at last. My word, your father's a dark horse."

Charlie kept nodding. When he thought his uncle had finally said all he wanted, he asked, "Have you and Miss Ingledew... ?"

"Made up our silly quarrel? Yes, we have. She was very kind. Blames herself, though it was all my fault, no doubt, rushing about the country, poking into family affairs." He gave a false sort of cough and added, "Being injured does wonders, when it comes to... er, relationships, you know. You look a bit the worse for wear yourself, Charlie." Paton gave another odd cough. "Ah, nurse is coming. Visitors out, Charlie. But before you go" -- he grabbed Charlie's hand -- "I want you to be the first to know..." His cheeks turned a healthy pink.

"Know what?" asked Charlie.

"Miss... er... Julia... uh..." Paton seemed to be having trouble with his throat today, though his wound was in his chest. Charlie waited patiently for the spasm to pass. "Yes. She... er... has agreed to marry me."

"WOW!" yelled Charlie. "That's outstanding!"

A nurse rushed toward him, calling, "Out, young man!"

By the time Charlie and his mother got home, a great deal had happened at number nine. Grandma Bone had left, for one thing.

"She's gone to live with her sisters," Maisie told them. "Though I don't know how long that will last."

Alice Angel was putting her old house to rights. She had decided to sell her shop in Steppingstones and come back to live in her old home.

On Sunday evening, people began to return to the city. They behaved as though they had just left for an ordinary weekend away. The pernicious fog that had covered their homes was considered a mere coincidence. No mention was made of the battle that had happened. It was an event that most people couldn't really take in. Everyone agreed that it was going to be a beautiful Easter. Daffodils and irises were already blooming in gardens, and the avenues were filled with fragrant cherry blossoms. A curious optimism pervaded the streets.

The wild strangers that had invaded Piminy Street seemed to have vanished as mysteriously as they had arrived. Mrs. Kettle was now the only resident. She was sure that more congenial neighbors would arrive in time. Her great sword now hung back in its place on the wall of her blacksmith shop, and the blue boa once more roamed around the kettles -- now you saw him, now you didn't.

Mrs. Kettle had offered Dagbert Endless a home, which he had joyfully accepted. He contemplated a long and happy life making beautiful iron objects. "Not necessarily weapons," he told Mrs. Kettle, "but maybe ceremonial swords and ornamental gates and stuff like that."

"And iron kettles?" asked Mrs. Kettle.

"Naturally," said Dagbert.

Not one student attempted to go back to Bloor's Academy on Monday. Word had spread that it was not a good place to be right now.

On Monday afternoon, Lyell Bone and Uncle Paton came home to Filbert Street. Cook took Grandma Bone's room temporarily. There was much to do, for Lyell and Amy wanted to move into their old house, Diamond Corner, as soon as possible. But before this happened, there was one more mystery to clear up. Maybelle's box.

The next evening, Lyell took Charlie and his uncle up to the cathedral, where Lyell was still the official organist. They walked along the wide aisle and around the choir stalls to the great organ, its long pipes reaching right up to the vaulted dome. And Charlie wondered where his father could possibly have hidden the pearl-inlaid box. Lyell gave a mischievous smile and lifted the cushioned top of the organist's seat. In a neat compartment just beneath sat the box.

"Well, I never," Uncle Paton exclaimed. "What a hiding place. Who would have guessed?" He lifted it out. "But without a key, how is it to be opened?"

"We could force the lock," Lyell suggested, "but the pattern would be destroyed in the process."

Charlie took the box from his uncle. He turned it over and studied the intricate patterns: tiny mother-of-pearl stars, birds, leaves, and flowers adorned the lid and the sides. He stared at the stars and found himself traveling very slowly, very gently into a candlelit room where a craftsman was pressing tiny pieces of mother-of-pearl into the back of the box.

The man turned and looked at Charlie, holding up his finger. And Charlie gasped, for it was his old friend Skarpo the sorcerer and on his finger sat a small pearl cat.

"Charlie!" His father was shaking his arm. "What is it? Where are you?"

Charlie blinked. Skarpo had gone. "His finger," Charlie gasped. "His finger."

Uncle Paton and his father stared at Charlie in concern.

"It was a cat!" Charlie looked at the back of the box. He saw leaves and flowers, birds and stars, but no cat. He brought the box up close to his face. And then he saw it. There was a cat. Its ears poked from behind a star, its tail ran beneath a flower. Charlie gently pressed the slim tail. And the lid of the box clicked open.

"Charlie! How extraordinary!" said Uncle Paton.

"How clever!" said Lyell.

Charlie kept his secret traveling to himself.

Inside the box was not one will but many, beginning with Septimus Bloor's.

He had left everything to Maybelle. There was also a will made by Maybelle when she feared her life was in danger. She had left her entire estate to her son, Daniel Raven. And then there was Daniel's will, leaving all he possessed to...

"His daughter, Ita?" said Lyell. "Who on earth was she? I thought Daniel left everything to his son, Hugh, who gave the box to Billy's father to prove that he would inherit the Bloor estate if Septimus's true will could be found."

"Which it has been," Paton agreed. "I want you both to come and look at something." He led them down to the front pew and they sat either side of him while he drew a folded paper from his pocket. "This is what I have discovered during my weeks of research," he said, flattening the paper on his knee.

Charlie and his father bent their heads over the paper. There was nothing to see but a vertical line of names, beginning with Daniel Raven's eldest child, Ita. Who, in 1899, had married a Simon Bone.

"Bone!" said Charlie and his father.

And there, beneath Ita and Simon, was the name of their son, Eamon, who had married a Clara Lyell. And beneath Clara and Eamon was the name of their son, Montague Bone, who had married Grizelda Yewbeam in 1961 and died the following year.

"My father," said Lyell slowly.

"Who left everything he owned to you," said Paton.

They sat a while longer in the quiet cathedral, trying to take in this momentous news.

"So Bloor's Academy belongs to you, Dad," said Charlie at last.

His father frowned. "I suppose it does. But how do we prove it?"

"Quite easily, I hope," said Uncle Paton. "I've made an appointment to see Judge Sage tomorrow morning."

The following day, Lyell Bone and Paton Yewbeam took the box of papers to Lysander's father, Judge Sage.

He was known as one of the wisest and most open-minded members of the judiciary, and it didn't take him long to declare that Lyell Bone was the indisputable heir to Septimus Bloor's fortune. He would have to take the matter to court, of course, but the judge thought Lyell stood an excellent chance of winning his case.

"We'll have to warn the present owners of Bloor's Academy," Uncle Paton wryly remarked.

Charlie wanted to accompany his father and uncle on their visit to the Bloors, but Lyell was reluctant to let him. "All the recent woes of this city have come from that family," Lyell said, laying a hand on his son's shoulder. "It's the seat of evil, Charlie, and there's no knowing what they will do when they discover that Septimus's will has been found."