Charlie Bone and the Invisible Boy Read online

  For Gwenhwyfar,

  who found the boa,

  with love.

  —J. N.

  Contents

  Title Page

  Dedication

  The Endowed Children

  Family Tree

  The Children of the Red King, Called the Endowed

  Prologue

  Someone Dangerous

  The Invisible Boy

  Runner Bean Is Discovered

  Sparkling Stones

  The Shape-Shifter

  The Starling

  Uncle Paton’s Return

  A Visit to Skarpo

  A Very Old Mouse

  The Wand

  Bull, Bells, and Golden Bats

  A Sorcerer on the Loose

  The Flames and a Journey

  The Garden in Darkly Wynd

  Lysander’s Plan

  The Night of Wind and Spirits

  Ollie and the Boa

  A Belt of Black Jewels

  About the Author

  Children of the Red King Books

  Also Available

  Copyright

  The endowed are all descended from the ten children of the Red King, a magician-king who left Africa in the twelfth century, accompanied by three leopards.

  The Red King had already lived for several centuries, and he made a marvelous glass sphere, putting into it memories of his life and travels through the world. He used the sphere to twist through time, visiting the past and the future.

  In any other hands, the Time Twister is dangerous and unpredictable.

  MANFRED BLOOR

  Head boy of Bloor’s Academy. A hypnotist. He is descended from Borlath, eldest son of the Red King. Borlath was a brutal and sadistic tyrant.

  CHARLIE BONE

  Charlie can hear the voices of people in photographs and paintings. He is descended from the Yewbeams, a family with many magical endowments.

  ZELDA DOBINSKI

  Descended from a long line of Polish magicians. Zelda is telekinetic. She can move objects with her mind.

  DORCAS LOOM

  An endowed girl whose gift is, as yet, undiscovered.

  ASA PIKE

  A were-beast. He is descended from a tribe who lived in the northern forests and kept strange beasts. Asa can change shape at dusk.

  BILLY RAVEN

  Billy can communicate with animals. One of his ancestors conversed with ravens that sat on a gibbet where dead men hung. For this talent he was banished from his village.

  LYSANDER SAGE

  Descended from an African wise man. He can call up his spirit ancestors.

  GABRIEL SILK

  Gabriel can feel scenes and emotions through the clothes of others. He comes from a line of psychics.

  EMMA TOLLY

  Emma can fly. Her surname derives from the Spanish swordsman from Toledo whose daughter married the Red King. He is therefore an ancestor of all the endowed children.

  TANCRED TORSSON

  A storm-bringer. His Scandinavian ancestor was named after the thunder god, Thor. Tancred can bring wind, thunder, and lightning.

  When the Red King left Africa, he took with him a rare snake, a boa, given to him by a traveling wise man. The boa’s skin was black and silver and its eyes like beads of jet. Sometimes, the shining eyes would close, but this was a deception. In the king’s presence the boa was eternally vigilant. No thief or assassin dared to pass it. The king, who could speak its language, regarded the boa as a friend, a guardian, and a wise counselor. He loved the creature dearly.

  One day, while the king was absent on a hunting trip, his eldest son, Borlath, caught the boa in a net. Borlath had the cruelest heart of any man living, and his greatest sport was to torture. Within a week he had turned the wise and gentle boa into a creature that lived only to kill. It would squeeze its victims into oblivion within minutes.

  The king’s daughter, Guanhamara, horrified by the boa’s new and deadly nature, rescued the creature and cast a spell, hoping to cure it. Alas, Guanhamara’s spell came too late and merely weakened the boa’s fatal hug. Its victims did not die, but they became invisible.

  When Guanhamara died, the boa fell into a deep sleep. It shriveled into a thing that was neither alive nor dead. Hoping one day to reawaken the creature, Guanhamara’s seven daughters (every one of them a witch) sealed the boa in a jar of liquid made blue with herbs. They also put in a bird with delicate, shiny wings. But the embalmed creatures were stolen by Borlath and passed down through his descendants, until Ezekiel Bloor, using a method recommended by his grandfather, managed to revive the boa, whose skin had become a silvery blue. He was less successful with the bird.

  Ezekiel was now a hundred years old. He had always longed to become invisible but, as far as he knew, the boa’s hug was permanent, and he didn’t dare to let the creature hug him. The old man still searched for a way to reverse invisibility, while the boa lived in the shadowy attics of Bloor’s Academy, keeping its secret, until someone could bring it the comfort of understanding — and listen to its story.

  An owl swooped over the roof of number nine Filbert Street. It hovered above a running mouse and then perched on a branch beside Charlie Bone’s window. The owl hooted, but Charlie slept on.

  Across the road, at number twelve, Benjamin Brown was already awake. He opened his curtains to look at the owl and saw three figures emerge from the door of number nine. In the pale streetlight their faces were a blur of shadows, but Benjamin would have known them anywhere. They were Charlie Bone’s great-aunts, Lucretia, Eustacia, and Venetia Yewbeam. As the three women tiptoed furtively down the steps, one of them suddenly looked up at Benjamin. He shrank behind the curtain and watched them hurry away up the road. They wore black hooded coats and their heads tilted toward one another like conspirators.

  It was half past four in the morning. Why were the Yewbeam sisters out so early? Had they been in Charlie’s house all night? They’ve been hatching some nasty plot, thought Benjamin.

  If only Charlie hadn’t inherited such a strange talent. And if only his great-aunts hadn’t gotten to know about it, perhaps he’d have been safe. But when your ancestor is a magician and a king, your relations are bound to expect something of you. “Poor Charlie,” Benjamin murmured.

  Benjamin’s big yellow dog, Runner Bean, whined sympathetically from the bed. Benjamin wondered if he’d guessed what was going to happen to him. Probably. Mr. and Mrs. Brown had spent the last two days cleaning the house and packing. Dogs always know something is up when people start packing.

  “Breakfast, Benjamin!” Mrs. Brown called from the kitchen.

  Mr. Brown could be heard singing in the shower.

  Benjamin and Runner Bean went downstairs. Three bowls of oatmeal sat on the kitchen table. Benjamin sat down. His mother was frying sausages and tomatoes and he was glad to see that she hadn’t forgotten his dog. Runner Bean’s bowl was already full of chopped sausage.

  Mr. Brown arrived still singing and still in his bathrobe. Mrs. Brown was already dressed. She wore a neat gray suit and her straight straw-colored hair was cut very short. She wore no jewelry.

  Benjamin’s parents were private detectives and they tried to look as inconspicuous as possible. Sometimes, they wore a false mustache or a wig to disguise themselves. It was usually only Mr. Brown who wore the false mustaches, but on one occasion (an occasion Benjamin would like to forget) Mrs. Brown had also found it necessary to wear one.

  Benjamin’s mother swapped his now empty bowl for a full plate and said, “You’d better take Runner across to Charlie as soon as you’ve brushed your teeth. We’ll be leaving in half an hour.”

  “Yes, Mom.” Benjamin gulped down the rest of his b
reakfast and ran back upstairs. He didn’t tell his mother that Charlie hadn’t actually agreed to look after Runner Bean.

  The Browns’ bathroom overlooked Filbert Street, and while Benjamin was brushing his teeth he saw a tall man in a long black coat walk down the steps of number nine. Benjamin stopped brushing and stared. What on earth was going on in Charlie’s house?

  The tall man was Paton Yewbeam, Charlie’s great-uncle. He was wearing dark glasses and he carried a white stick. Benjamin assumed the dark glasses had something to do with Paton’s unfortunate talent for exploding lights. Paton never appeared in daylight, if he could help it, but this was an extraordinary time to be going out, even for him. He walked up to a midnight-blue car, opened the trunk, and carefully placed the wand (for that’s what it was) right at the back.

  Before Benjamin had even rinsed his toothbrush, Charlie’s uncle had driven off. He went in the opposite direction from his sisters, Benjamin noted. This wasn’t surprising, since Paton and his sisters were sworn enemies.

  “You’d better go over to Charlie’s,” Mrs. Brown called from the kitchen. Benjamin packed his pajamas and toothbrush and went downstairs.

  Runner Bean’s tail hung dejectedly. His ears were down and his eyes rolled piteously. Benjamin felt guilty. “Come on, Runner.” He spoke with an exaggerated cheerfulness that didn’t fool his dog for one minute.

  The boy and the dog left the house together. They were best friends and Runner Bean wouldn’t have dreamed of disobeying Benjamin, but today he dragged his paws very reluctantly up the steps of number nine.

  Benjamin rang the bell and Runner Bean howled. It was the howl that woke Charlie. Everyone else in the house woke briefly, thought they’d had a nightmare, and went back to sleep.

  Charlie, recognizing the howl, staggered downstairs to open the door. “What’s happened?” he asked, blinking at the streetlights. “It’s still night, isn’t it?”

  “Sort of,” said Benjamin. “I’ve got some amazing news. I’m going to Hong Kong.”

  Charlie rubbed his eyes. “What, now?”

  “Yes.”

  Charlie stared at his friend in bewilderment and then invited him in for a piece of toast. While the toast was browning, Charlie asked Benjamin if Runner Bean would be traveling to Hong Kong with him.

  “Er — no,” said Benjamin. “He’d have to be quarantined and he’d hate that.”

  “So where’s he going?” Charlie glanced at Runner Bean and the big dog gave him a forlorn sort of smile.

  “That’s just it,” Benjamin said, with a slight cough. “There’s no one else but you, Charlie.”

  “Me? I can’t keep a dog here,” said Charlie. “Grandma Bone would kill it.”

  “Don’t say that.” Benjamin looked anxiously at Runner Bean who was crawling under the table. “Now look what you’ve done. He was upset already.”

  As Charlie began to splutter his protests, Benjamin quickly explained that the Hong Kong visit had been a complete surprise. A Chinese billionaire had asked his parents to trace a priceless necklace that had been stolen from his Hong Kong apartment. The Browns couldn’t resist such a well-paid and challenging case, but, since it might take several months, they did not want to leave Benjamin behind. Unfortunately, this didn’t apply to Runner Bean.

  Charlie slumped at the kitchen table and scratched his head. His bushy hair was even more tangled than usual. “Oh,” was all he could say.

  “Thanks, Charlie.” Benjamin shoved a large piece of toast into his mouth. “I’ll let myself out.” At the kitchen door he looked back guiltily. “I’m sorry. I hope you’ll be all right, Charlie.” And then he was gone.

  Benjamin was so excited that he had forgotten to tell Charlie about his uncle and the wand or the visit of his three aunts.

  From the kitchen window, Charlie watched his friend dash across the street and jump into the Browns’ large green car. Charlie lifted his hand to wave, but the car drove off before Benjamin had seen him.

  “Now what?” mumbled Charlie.

  As if in answer, Runner Bean growled from beneath the table. Benjamin hadn’t thought to leave any dog food for him, and Mr. and Mrs. Brown were obviously far too busy to think of such mundane items.

  “Detectives!” he muttered.

  For five minutes Charlie struggled to think how he was going to keep Runner Bean a secret from Grandma Bone. But thinking was exhausting so early in the day. Charlie laid his head on the table and fell asleep.

  As luck would have it, Grandma Bone was the first person downstairs that morning. “What’s this?” Her shrill voice woke Charlie with a start. “Sleeping in the kitchen? You’re lucky it’s Saturday. You’d have missed the school bus.”

  “Um.” Charlie blinked up at the tall, stringy woman in her gray bathrobe. A snowy braid hung down her back and it swung from side to side as she began to march around the kitchen, banging on the kettle, slamming the fridge door, and plunking hard butter on the counter. Suddenly, she swiveled around and stared at Charlie. “I smell dog,” she said accusingly.

  Charlie remembered Runner Bean. “D-dog?” he stammered. Luckily, the heavy tablecloth hung almost to the ground and his grandmother couldn’t see Runner Bean.

  “Has that friend of yours been here? He always smells of dog.”

  “Benjamin? Er — yes,” said Charlie. “He came to say good-bye. He’s going to Hong Kong.”

  “Good riddance,” she grunted.

  When Grandma Bone went into the pantry, Charlie grabbed Runner Bean’s collar and dragged him upstairs.

  “I don’t know what I’m going to do with you,” sighed Charlie. “I’ve got to go to school on Monday, and I won’t be back till Friday. I have to sleep there, you know.”

  Runner Bean jumped onto Charlie’s bed, wagging his tail. He’d spent many happy hours in Charlie’s bedroom.

  Charlie decided to ask his uncle Paton for help. Slipping out of his room, he crept along the landing until he came to his uncle’s door. A DO NOT DISTURB sign hung just above Charlie’s eye level. He knocked.

  There was no reply.

  Charlie cautiously opened the door and looked in. Paton wasn’t there. It was unlike him to leave the house in the morning. Charlie went over to a big desk covered with books and scraps of paper. On the tallest pile of books there was an envelope with Charlie’s name on it.

  Charlie withdrew a sheet of paper from the envelope and read his uncle’s large scrawly handwriting.

  Charlie, dear boy,

  My sisters are up to no good. Heard them plotting in the early hours. Have decided to go and put a stop to things. If I don’t, someone very dangerous will arrive. No time to explain. Will be back in a few days — I hope!

  Yours affectionately,

  Uncle P.

  P.S. Have taken wand.

  “Oh, no,” Charlie groaned. “When are things going to stop going wrong today?”

  Unfortunately, they had only just begun.

  With a long sigh, Charlie left his uncle’s room and walked straight into a pile of towels.

  His other grandmother, Maisie Jones, who was carrying the towels, staggered backward and then sat down with a bang.

  “Watch out, Charlie!” she shouted.

  Charlie pulled his rather overweight grandmother to her feet and, while he helped gather up the towels, he told Maisie about Paton’s note and the problem of Runner Bean.

  “Don’t worry, Charlie,” said Maisie. Her voice sank to a whisper as Grandma Bone came up the stairs. “I’ll look after the poor pooch. As for Uncle P — I’m sure it’ll all turn out for the best.”

  Charlie went back to his room, dressed quickly, and told Runner Bean that food would be coming, if not directly, then as soon as Grandma Bone went out.

  This could be any time of day, or not at all, but Runner Bean wasn’t bothered. He curled up on the bed and closed his eyes. Charlie went downstairs.

  Maisie was filling the washing machine and Amy Bone, Charlie’s mother, was gulping down her seco
nd cup of coffee. She told Charlie to have a good day, pecked him on the cheek, and rushed off to the market where she worked. Charlie thought she looked too chic for a day of weighing vegetables. Her golden-brown hair was tied back with a velvet ribbon, and she was wearing a brand-new corn-colored coat. Charlie wondered if she’d gotten a boyfriend. He hoped not, for his vanished father’s sake.

  Five minutes after his mother had left, Grandma Bone came downstairs in a black coat, her white hair now bundled up under a black hat. She told Charlie to brush his hair and then walked out with an odd smile on her pinched face.

  As soon as she’d gone, Charlie ran to the fridge and pulled out a bowl of leftovers: last night’s lamb stew. Maisie grinned and shook her head, but she let Charlie take some of it to Runner Bean in a saucer. “That dog should be exercised before Grandma Bone comes back,” she called.

  Charlie took her advice. When Runner Bean had wolfed down the stew, Charlie took him out into the back garden, where they had a great game of hunt the slipper: a slipper that Charlie despised because it had his name embroidered in blue across the front.

  Runner Bean was just chewing up the last bit of slipper when Maisie flung open an upstairs window and called, “Look out, Charlie. The Yewbeams are coming!”

  “Stay here, Runner,” Charlie commanded. “And be quiet, if you can.”

  He leaped up the steps to the back door and ran to the kitchen where he sat at the table and picked up a magazine. The aunts’ voices could be heard as they climbed the front steps. A key turned in the lock and then they were in the hall: Grandma Bone and her three sisters, all talking at once.