Read Online Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock (Children of the Red King, Book 7) by Jenny Nimmo - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Jenny Nimmo
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Tilpin waved her white fingers in the air - "a giant, I believe."
Dagbert whistled again, but everyone ignored him.
"The king made a mirror for Amoret, a mirror that enabled her to travel. She had only to look into this mirror and think of the person she wished to see, and there she would be, beside them."
At this point Joshua took up the story that by now he knew only too well. "But Amoret died and Count Harken inherited the mirror."
"Really? Inherited the mirror, did he?" Dagbert gave a very slight snort of disbelief.
Mrs. Tilpin's gray eyes flashed. "Yes! Inherited!"
"I wish you wouldn't keep interrupting, Dagbert," Idith complained. "It spoils it for the rest of us."
"SO sorry!" Dagbert shrugged and walked away.
"Wait!" commanded Mrs. Tilpin. "I brought Harken back with this." She grabbed the mirror and held it up.
"But Charlie Bone got it, and we had a fight and I broke it," said Joshua. "And then he found a spell to send the enchanter back into Badlock."
"And there he stays until the mirror can be fixed," continued Mrs. Tilpin. "But we can do it, can't we, children? You and I together, so that Harken can walk among us once again."
They gazed up at the sallow-skinned, beetle-browed woman, who had once been so blond and pleasant-looking. Her hair was now lank and colorless, her eyes ringed with black shadows, even her lips had shrunk to a thin purple line. Is this what happened when you gave in to witchery? wondered the girls.
Dagbert Endless moved restlessly toward the makeshift door. "I drown people," he said. "Don't see how I can fix glass."
"Look!" ordered Mrs. Tilpin, desperately waving the mirror. "Be surprised, Dagbert Endless. Be awed, wonder-struck, amazed."
Dagbert obliged her with a cursory glance at the jewel-framed mirror. And then he looked again. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. For there, among the constantly shifting shapes and colors, a figure was forming. First a bright emerald tunic, then an olive-skinned, but oddly featureless, face appeared beneath a cloud of golden brown hair. Gradually, in the oval of the face, two dark green eyes emerged; they seemed to be staring directly at Dagbert, and under their fierce, compelling gaze, he found himself moving toward the mirror.
But Mrs. Tilpin's moment of triumph was stolen by an earsplitting crash. The rotten wood of the door suddenly gave way and a small white-haired boy fell into the room. He lay facedown on the shattered panels, and everyone stared at him in astonished silence, until Mrs. Tilpin found her voice.
"Billy Raven!" she screamed. "Spy!"
"Snoop!" cried Joshua.
"Eavesdropping snitch!" said Dorcas.
"Sneak!" shouted the twins.
"How did you find us, Billy?" asked Dagbert, who had shaken himself free of the dark green gaze.
Billy Raven got to his feet, a little awkwardly, and adjusted his glasses. "I was looking for the dog," he said.
"That scabby old Blessed," snorted Joshua.
Mrs. Tilpin laid her mirror very gently on the table and walked over to Billy. "Why are you not staying with Charlie Bone?" she asked in a cold voice.
"He forgot to ask me," sniffed Billy, picking a splinter out of his palm.
"FORGOT," said Mrs. Tilpin. "That's not very nice. I thought he was your friend."
"He is," Billy mumbled, "but sometimes he's busy."
"Aww!" said Dorcas. "Poor Billy."
Billy chewed his lip and darted a furtive look at the table. A vaporous green cloud was rising from the mirror and curling up toward the damp ceiling. Everyone turned to watch it, mouths open and eyes wide.
"What's that?" Billy whispered.
Mrs. Tilpin clasped her hands with a look of ecstasy. "That, Billy Raven, is a message from my ancestor. It seems that you have disappointed him."
"Me?" The chill that ran down Billy's spine had nothing to do with the temperature in Mrs. Tilpin's room. The sight of the green vapor terrified him so much, he even failed to hear the snap of wood as someone stepped over the broken door.
Suddenly, Billy's shoulders were grabbed
Dagbert whistled again, but everyone ignored him.
"The king made a mirror for Amoret, a mirror that enabled her to travel. She had only to look into this mirror and think of the person she wished to see, and there she would be, beside them."
At this point Joshua took up the story that by now he knew only too well. "But Amoret died and Count Harken inherited the mirror."
"Really? Inherited the mirror, did he?" Dagbert gave a very slight snort of disbelief.
Mrs. Tilpin's gray eyes flashed. "Yes! Inherited!"
"I wish you wouldn't keep interrupting, Dagbert," Idith complained. "It spoils it for the rest of us."
"SO sorry!" Dagbert shrugged and walked away.
"Wait!" commanded Mrs. Tilpin. "I brought Harken back with this." She grabbed the mirror and held it up.
"But Charlie Bone got it, and we had a fight and I broke it," said Joshua. "And then he found a spell to send the enchanter back into Badlock."
"And there he stays until the mirror can be fixed," continued Mrs. Tilpin. "But we can do it, can't we, children? You and I together, so that Harken can walk among us once again."
They gazed up at the sallow-skinned, beetle-browed woman, who had once been so blond and pleasant-looking. Her hair was now lank and colorless, her eyes ringed with black shadows, even her lips had shrunk to a thin purple line. Is this what happened when you gave in to witchery? wondered the girls.
Dagbert Endless moved restlessly toward the makeshift door. "I drown people," he said. "Don't see how I can fix glass."
"Look!" ordered Mrs. Tilpin, desperately waving the mirror. "Be surprised, Dagbert Endless. Be awed, wonder-struck, amazed."
Dagbert obliged her with a cursory glance at the jewel-framed mirror. And then he looked again. His eyes widened and his jaw dropped. For there, among the constantly shifting shapes and colors, a figure was forming. First a bright emerald tunic, then an olive-skinned, but oddly featureless, face appeared beneath a cloud of golden brown hair. Gradually, in the oval of the face, two dark green eyes emerged; they seemed to be staring directly at Dagbert, and under their fierce, compelling gaze, he found himself moving toward the mirror.
But Mrs. Tilpin's moment of triumph was stolen by an earsplitting crash. The rotten wood of the door suddenly gave way and a small white-haired boy fell into the room. He lay facedown on the shattered panels, and everyone stared at him in astonished silence, until Mrs. Tilpin found her voice.
"Billy Raven!" she screamed. "Spy!"
"Snoop!" cried Joshua.
"Eavesdropping snitch!" said Dorcas.
"Sneak!" shouted the twins.
"How did you find us, Billy?" asked Dagbert, who had shaken himself free of the dark green gaze.
Billy Raven got to his feet, a little awkwardly, and adjusted his glasses. "I was looking for the dog," he said.
"That scabby old Blessed," snorted Joshua.
Mrs. Tilpin laid her mirror very gently on the table and walked over to Billy. "Why are you not staying with Charlie Bone?" she asked in a cold voice.
"He forgot to ask me," sniffed Billy, picking a splinter out of his palm.
"FORGOT," said Mrs. Tilpin. "That's not very nice. I thought he was your friend."
"He is," Billy mumbled, "but sometimes he's busy."
"Aww!" said Dorcas. "Poor Billy."
Billy chewed his lip and darted a furtive look at the table. A vaporous green cloud was rising from the mirror and curling up toward the damp ceiling. Everyone turned to watch it, mouths open and eyes wide.
"What's that?" Billy whispered.
Mrs. Tilpin clasped her hands with a look of ecstasy. "That, Billy Raven, is a message from my ancestor. It seems that you have disappointed him."
"Me?" The chill that ran down Billy's spine had nothing to do with the temperature in Mrs. Tilpin's room. The sight of the green vapor terrified him so much, he even failed to hear the snap of wood as someone stepped over the broken door.
Suddenly, Billy's shoulders were grabbed
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