Charlie Bone And The Red Knight (Children Of The Red King, Book 8) Read Online Free PDF Page A

among themselves and left the room.
    Six people remained sitting in the front row: Grizelda Bone and her three sisters on one side of the aisle. Norton Cross and the swordsman on the other.
    "Bring us some tea!" Dr. Bloor demanded when Weedon poked his head around the door.
    "And cookies," added Ezekiel. "And cake!"
    "For all of you?" asked Weedon, counting heads.
    "All," said Dr. Bloor. "Eleven, to be precise."
    With a bad-tempered mutter, Weedon withdrew his head and closed the doors.
    "At last, the elite." Ezekiel beamed down at his six remaining guests. "Now we can discuss things more -- comprehensively. Ashkelan Kapaldi, welcome!"
    The swordsman stood and bowed deeply, first to the stage and then to Grandma Bone and her three sisters. He was a very colorful figure with his wide lace collar and emerald green tunic embroidered with gold. His cuffs were made of lace too, and his breeches were green velvet. Wide leather boots reached almost to his thighs, and a scarlet cummerbund encircled his waist. A broad leather belt hung diagonally across his chest from his shoulder to below his waist, and attached to this was a dark green scabbard.
    "In the seventeenth century," Ezekiel announced, "Ashkelan Kapaldi was the greatest swordsman in Europe."
    "Swordsman?" questioned Grandma Bone.
    "Seventeenth... ?" murmured her sister Eustacia.
    "I did it," said Mrs. Tilpin. "That is to say, I did it with the help of the mirror and my son, Joshua, who is endowed with magnetism. Together they" -- she made a small circular motion with her hand -- "they drew Ashkelan from his painting. And here he is... and his sword!"
    At this, Ashkelan pulled his sword from its scabbard and sent it skimming toward the four sisters. They rose as one, with loud shrieks and exclamations, and the sword came to a halt, swaying gently on its point. A deep scratch on the polished floor left no doubt as to the sword's effectiveness.
    "Fear not, ladies," said Ashkelan as the sword swept back to him. "See, it is under my command." He grabbed the sword and limped closer to Ezekiel. "I have been told, good sire, that every endowed child in this part of the world is within these walls on a weekday."
    "That is so," said Dr. Bloor.
    "Not so," stated Ashkelan. "I can sense the endowed and I have seen one, not one hour since, in the very courtyard before your establishment. A boy of medium height, a creeping, prying, nasty boy. And he is protected, sir, by none other than the Red Knight."
    "Red Knight," breathed Ezekiel, leaning toward Ashkelan. "A Red Knight, you say?"
    "Aye. His mount is a white mare," said the swordsman, "his cloak all red, the helmet's plume a fluttering scarlet. And he wounded me, good sirs and ladies. He wounded me and I cannot let that pass."
    "Of course not, sir!" Ezekiel was now bent almost in half, his breath rattling in his chest. "Whoever this knight may be, we shall put an end to him."
    "First the boy," said Manfred coldly. "We can't have an endowed boy wandering the streets without our knowledge."

3
    A FAMILY TREE

    Tancred got to his feet. Had he known it was Charlie's uncle Paton standing there in the dark, he wouldn't have taken fright. Paton Yewbeam spent much time in the dark. His endowment was an unfortunate one -- the ability to make artificial lights brighten. Exploding lights were a terrible mess and quite embarrassing for Paton, so he tended to avoid them whenever possible.
    Tancred brushed the knees of his jeans, feeling rather foolish. "Sorry, sir," he said.
    "On the contrary, Tancred," Paton said in a low voice, "it is I who must apologize. My wretched affliction compels me to walk in the shadows. I'm afraid I've already distressed at least three other people tonight."
    "There's a man with a sword ... a sword that..." Tancred hesitated, unsure how to describe the scene that had so unnerved him.
    "I know. I saw him, too," said Paton, "and the knight."
    "I didn't know where to go, what to --"
    "Come with me." Paton took Tancred's