Charlie Bone and the Wilderness Wolf Page 10

  "Now the hat!" said Olivia, opening a cupboard labeled "1900-2000. Headgear. Male." A wall of hats was revealed inside the cupboard.

  Charlie came to help. But Asa's cap was not among the top hats, bowlers, fedoras, panamas, and various military headgear that hung before them.

  Olivia tried a second cupboard. "Ah, this is more likely," she announced, scanning the rows of stained, moth-eaten hats.

  Charlie pounced on an old tweed cap with several holes in it. "Asa's!" he declared. "I know it is."

  They decided not to search for the boots. After all, one old black boot looked pretty much like another. Charlie lifted the lid of a box marked "Beards, et cetera." but there were too many to choose from. And then he saw the label on one of the cupboards. "Masks." He just had to take a look. Inside the cupboard hung masks of every description: painted, glittering, black, white, animal faces, skulls, clowns, ghosts, vampires, and monsters.

  "Oh wow!" cried Fidelio, taking out a scarlet mask with black sequined eyebrows and a yellow mouth.

  "This is all I need. A masked musical. I really will write one."

  The others helped him to choose ten more masks: three animals; two monsters; a sad, white face; a warty man; two golden faces; and a black mask with gold-rimmed eyes. It reminded Charlie of the dark, hunched figure he'd seen in the hall. "Let's get out of here," he said.

  * The horn sounded just as they were climbing up to the stage, Charlie rolled the coat and hat into a tight bundle and tucked it under his arm. He took a last look at the shadowy steps, and then Olivia shut the trapdoor.

  "Can you lock it?" asked Charlie.

  "No. It's never locked. Someone could be trapped down there." She giggled.

  In the room beneath them, someone limped from behind a pillar. A large, wicker basket creaked as it took the weight of the hunched, black-cloaked figure. Huddled in the gloom, it cursed Charlie Bone, over and over and over again.

  10

  THE PERILOUS BRIDGE

  On Friday afternoon, Billy Raven changed his mind. He told Charlie that he wouldn't be spending the weekend with him after all.

  "I thought you wanted to help us find Asa," said Charlie.

  Billy slowly untied the laces on his sneakers. They were sitting in the blue coatroom. Charlie was pulling off his cleats.

  "It's the wilderness," Billy said at last. "All those animals; not that I don't like animals, I do, but their voices - there are so many in a place like the wilderness, all speaking different languages, boom, boom, chatter, chatter, into my head. I'd rather stay here with Cook."

  Children passed back and forth in front of them, skipping over boots, scrambling under benches, finding shorts, losing shirts. Charlie leaned closer to Billy.

  "You've left Rembrandt at my place, Maisie'll be in a tizzy."

  Billy pulled off his sneakers and sat staring at them. "Perhaps Maisie can bring him here and leave him with Cook."

  Charlie shrugged. "I'll ask her. Well, I'm off to pack my bag now. See you on Monday."

  "Good luck," said Billy.

  Charlie had managed to hide Asa's clothes at the bottom of his bag. When he got home, he pulled out the old coat and hat and stuffed them in his wardrobe. Benjamin was already ringing the doorbell when Charlie went down for tea.

  "What are you two up to?" asked Maisie when the boys walked into the kitchen. "You've got plots and adventures written all over your faces."

  "Have we?" Benjamin anxiously felt his chin.

  "You're telling me, and so's Runner Bean." Maisie began to search the fridge for a meaty bone she'd been saving.

  Charlie wasn't sure how much he should tell Maisie. He didn't want to worry her. "We've got a few things planned for tomorrow," he said casually. "A sort of hide-and-seek with Runner Bean."

  "So that's it." Maisie gave Runner his bone.

  They sat down to their tea. Uncle Paton often didn't appear for meals, so Charlie wasn't too concerned. He would talk to his uncle later, he thought, in private. He wanted his advice on the project they were about to undertake.

  "By the way, your uncle's gone," said Maisie, handing out her freshly baked scones.

  "Gone!" uttered Charlie. "What do you mean, gone?"

  "Don't look so stricken, Charlie. He's off on his usual visit to the sea."

  "To see great-grandpa?" asked Charlie.

  "That's the one," said Maisie. "Not a word to Grandma Bone. We don't want her going down there spoiling everything."

  "No," Charlie murmured. He glanced at Benjamin, who was obviously having the same thought. They hadn't expected Uncle Paton to join them in the wilderness, but it would have been comforting to know that he was aware of the venture, and would be ready to help if things went wrong.

  Benjamin was already having misgivings. He wondered if he should have told his parents where he was going. Charlie gave him a reassuring grin. "Fidelio will be with us," he said, "and Olivia."

  "Oh?" Benjamin didn't know whether to be pleased or angry. Olivia was a bit too showy for his liking.

  "Sounds to me like it's more than a game of hide-and-seek," Maisie said suspiciously. "I hope you're not going to do anything silly, boys."

  "Not in the least bit silly, Mrs. Jones," Benjamin answered gravely.

  A second later the phone rang. Even before Maisie answered it, Charlie had a nasty feeling that a second complication was about to arise.

  "It's for you, Charlie," Maisie called.

  Charlie's feet dragged a little as he went into the hall.

  "Cheer up, it's your friend Fidelio." Maisie handed Charlie the receiver.

  "Hi, Charlie, bad news," said Fidelio's cheerful voice.

  Charlie sighed. "What now? Don't tell me you can't come tomorrow."

  "Sorry, Charlie, I totally forgot. Promised Dad I'd go to this audition. It's for a summer tour. Really, really important. It could make a difference to my future career. ..."

  "Sure, sure," Charlie said glumly. "OK, genius, we'll have to go without you."

  "How about next weekend?" Fidelio suggested.

  "Too late," said Charlie. "Asa might be injured. We have to find him tomorrow."

  "Could be dead."

  "NO," said Charlie. "I won't believe that he's dead.

  Good luck with the audition, Fido!" He put down the receiver.

  Maisie gave Charlie a wary look as he returned to the table. "What's all this about death?" she said.

  Charlie decided to tell her a small part of the truth. "We were talking about the Wilderness Wolf. Fidelio thought it might be dead. We heard shots in the night."

  "That was the hunt," said Maisie, "but nothing was killed as far as I know. Though I haven't heard the howling for a couple of nights."

  Charlie and Benjamin exchanged glances.

  On Saturday morning Charlie woke up to hear a light pattering on his windowpane. It was still dark and at first he thought that snow was beating against the window. When he looked out, he saw Benjamin and Runner Bean standing beneath the street light.

  Charlie pulled on his warmest clothes. Before he left the room, he pushed the black kettle farther under his bed. It was hot to the touch, not hot enough to burn him, but certainly hotter than the temperature in the room. If this is a warning, thought Charlie, there's nothing I can do about it now. He scanned the room for a glimpse of the white moth - his transformed wand - the guardian of his room. He saw it, at last, on the curtain rod, its silver-tipped wings upright like a single sail.

  "Wish me luck," said Charlie.

  The moth spread her wings and flew down to his shoulder.

  "You're welcome to join us," said Charlie. "Very welcome."

  By the time he opened the door, Benjamin had been joined by Olivia. She wore a navy coat, thick leather boots, and a striped scarf wound several times around her neck.

  "Ready for anything!" sang Olivia as she bounced into the hall.

  "SHHHH," hissed Charlie and Benjamin.

  Charlie cast an anxious glance at the stairs. He expect
ed both his grandmothers to come rushing out of their rooms, but luckily they must have been fast asleep.

  Olivia held up a red canvas backpack. "Got food for a week in here," she whispered. "Raided the fridge before I left home. Told Mom I was spending the day with Emma. Mom's working anyway. She won't be back till Sunday night."

  Charlie decided to take some food of his own. Olivia often ate exotic and unpronounceable food. Tiptoeing into the kitchen, he returned with a bag of cookies and some cold cooked sausages. He tucked them into his own backpack, on top of Asa's coat and hat. "Let's go," he said.

  When they left the house, a thin line of pale green light was beginning to show above the distant hills, but as they walked down toward the river, the light faded and they were plunged into a dark, grayish gloom.

  There were two bridges over the river, one an ancient narrow iron bridge that the council had declared unsafe for use; the other, built over large stone arches, was wide and strong and completely safe. Charlie had used the iron bridge to visit Naren, but today he chose the stone bridge. Nothing must jeopardize their rescue mission.

  Runner Bean seemed to know that something was expected of him. He ran ahead in total silence, not a bark to be had from him. Only his furiously wagging tail betrayed his excitement.

  When they had crossed the bridge, the three children walked down the path where, only a few days ago, the hunters had marched into the wilderness. Olivia pulled a large flashlight from her backpack. Its strong beam helped them to navigate the dense undergrowth that bordered the forest. Once they were through and into the trees, the brambles and coarse grass receded. They even found a narrow path.

  It was time to put Runner Bean to work. Charlie took the bundled coat and hat from his backpack and held them out to the dog. Runner Bean sniffed them. He growled and backed away. Animals had always been afraid of Asa; a creature that was human by day and a beast at dusk worried and confused them. Instinct told them to avoid such things.

  "Come on, Runner," coaxed Benjamin. "Please. We need you to do this." He took the clothes from Charlie, laid them on the ground, and patted them. "Runner, come on."

  Runner Bean approached the bundle cautiously. He sniffed the clothes, first the coat, then the hat. He growled again, and then, suddenly, he was away, running along the narrow path, leaping off it now and then to sniff the grass, and running on again.

  "He's got the scent!" cried Benjamin, chasing after his dog.

  "He's got something, that's for sure," Olivia agreed, following Benjamin.

  Charlie picked up the clothes and ran after them. He was surprised how fast Olivia could move, and Benjamin too, for that matter. The beam from

  Olivia's flashlight was shooting all over the place, anywhere but on the ground, and Charlie found himself straying off the path, bumping into trees, and stumbling over creepers.

  There was a cry up ahead, and then another. Too late, Charlie flew into Olivia, who had bumped into Benjamin.

  "I've lost him," said Benjamin.

  A series of distant barks sent them running forward again. Now at last, a pale light was beginning to filter through the trees. The barking changed direction. They all stopped and listened. Now here, now there, Runner Bean was everywhere at once. They left the path and ran into the trees, only to be drawn back again by another bark.

  "He's teasing us," Olivia complained. "He can't smell anything. He's just playing a game."

  "Maybe he is," said Benjamin.

  Several minutes went by. The barking stopped. They waited and waited. Nothing. Benjamin called to his dog, but there was no answering bark.

  "Time for a snack," said Olivia, passing a chocolate bar to Charlie.

  "I can't eat," said Benjamin. "Runner's in trouble or he'd have come back. He always comes when I call."

  As winter light began to fill the wilderness, an icy breeze picked up, and the whistling and rattling of the bare branches all but drowned a very distant howl.

  Charlie's scalp prickled. "Was that the - thing, or Runner Bean?"

  "Not sure," said Benjamin.

  "Whatever it is, we'd better find it," said Olivia. "That's what we're here for, isn't it?" Taking the lead, she galloped along the path, while the boys raced after her.

  Charlie wasn't sure when, or where, the path ended, but he gradually became aware that it was gone and they were now following Olivia on a course that was all her own.

  "I suppose she knows where she's going?" Charlie called to Benjamin.

  "Yes, I do," cried Olivia. "My hearing is a hundred percent, and I know the howl came from this direction."

  They were now in an extremely dense part of the wilderness. The trees grew so close together that the low sun could only throw tiny splashes of light on the soft, mossy ground.

  Olivia stopped and the boys ran up to her. "I'm waiting for another howl," she said.

  Another howl came. A long, low, melancholy howl that drew closer and closer until Runner Bean burst through a thicket and came bounding up to them. His hair was matted with grass seed, his ears were back, and his eyes were wide and fearful.

  "What is it, Runner?" Benjamin clasped his dog around the neck. "What have you found?"

  Runner Bean growled. It was a grumbling, angry sound. He definitely didn't want to go back the way he'd come.

  "He saw something, didn't he?" said Olivia.

  "Found something, I bet," said Charlie.

  "Show us, Runner, come on." Benjamin attempted to push his way through the thicket before him.

  Runner Bean lowered his head and growled again.

  He began to leap around the children, almost as though he were trying to stop them from seeing what he had found.

  "OK, OK, Runner, we've got to find it!" Charlie pushed the big dog's head away and waded through the low tangle of branches, until he and the others were standing in a small sunlit glade. A mound of dead leaves lay in the center, a mound shaped like a grave. A bunch of snowdrops had been placed at one end.

  On the other side of the glade, a figure huddled between the great, gnarled roots of a tree. Briefly, it turned its face to them. There was no mistaking the wide nose and low hairy brow. It was one of the creatures who had bitten Uncle Paton.

  The children were at a loss. They had expected to find Asa, or, at least, the beast that he could become.

  "Who... who are you?" Charlie took a step closer to the creature.

  It snarled at him and then began to whimper.

  Olivia grabbed Charlie's arm. "Don't go near it."

  "It's OK, Liv." Charlie brushed her hand away. "Look, it's, I mean, she's" - he knew instinctively that it was a woman - "she's not going to hurt us. She's sad. Maybe she's just buried someone."

  "Asa?" Benjamin whispered.

  Charlie walked over to the woman and crouched in front of her. "Do you know Asa Pike?" he asked gently.

  Slowly, she turned her head toward him. Close up, she didn't look so bad. There was kindness in her yellow eyes, and a dimple in her sallow cheek.

  "I am Asa's mother." Her voice was faint and husky.

  "Is that... ?" Charlie looked back at the grave.

  "Asa's father." The woman's yellow eyes brimmed with tears.

  "Did they kill him?" Charlie asked.

  The woman looked up fearfully as Benjamin and Olivia crept closer. Rather than stand over her, they knelt on the ground behind Charlie.

  "You're Charlie Bone." The woman gave a dismal little sigh. "Because of you..." She glanced at the grave, and her eyes brimmed again.

  "I'm sorry if something I've done has caused you trouble," said Charlie.

  She sighed again. "Yes, yes. But you couldn't help it, could you, poor boy?"

  Olivia crawled a little closer. "Asa's not dead, is he?"

  The woman shook her head. "I do not know. They've taken him, hidden him. He was in a cave, imprisoned there, couldn't change his shape from beast to boy, because of the darkness, you see. We brought him food and I told him not to howl, but he couldn't stop h
imself."

  "And then the hunters came," said Benjamin.

  "Yes, and then the hunters came." Her voice was so faint they could barely hear it.

  Charlie hesitated before saying, "So it was the hunters who killed your husband?"

  The woman began to shake. She twittered like a bird, whimpered, covered her face with long-fingered, hairy hands. "They killed him. They killed him. He was trying to lead them away from our boy. There was a shot and he fell. I dragged him into the shadows, covered him with branches and leaves so they wouldn't see him. But the man who shot him saw him fall, saw the ground all bloody where my poor husband dropped. He thought he'd crawled away to die. So they left."

  "And they didn't find Asa," said Olivia.

  "Not the hunters, no. But when I went to tell our boy his father was... dead" - she closed her eyes and screwed up her face - "Asa was gone. His cave was empty, the barred gate unlocked. They've moved him deeper underground, I know it, so his howling can't be heard."

  "Who's 'they, Mrs. Pike?" asked Olivia. "It is Mrs. Pike, isn't it?"

  The woman looked up. "Yes, that is my name."

  "The Bloors took Asa, didn't they?" said Charlie.

  "Them. Yes," she said sullenly.

  The children looked at one another. They had come to rescue Asa but found instead his mother, who seemed to need their help as much as Asa.

  "I think we should take you somewhere, Mrs. Pike," said Charlie, "somewhere safe, in case the hunters come back. Where's your home?"

  "Far, far." Mrs. Pike began to sway back and forth. "Can't go back, not with my boy here, somewhere."

  Olivia stood up. "Mrs. Pike, you can't stay in the wilderness. You'll freeze to death. And, like Charlie said, the hunters might come back." Now that the woman had a name, Olivia spoke just as she might to a friend.

  Mrs. Pike responded with a rueful smile. "I can't walk. I fell when I was moving my husband. My ankle was badly twisted."

  "Worse and worse," muttered Benjamin.

  Runner Bean whined in sympathy. He had remained on the other side of the glade, not sure what to make of things.

  Charlie had been thinking. There was only one place where they could take Mrs. Pike - the Pets' Cafe. "I know someone who will take care of you," he said. "His name is Mr. Onimous. I'm going to pull you up now. Olivia, go around the other side of Mrs. Pike and help."