Charlie Bone and the Time Twister (Children of the Red King, Book 2) Read Online Free PDF Page A

had been in or out of the ruin.
    Charlie frowned. "I saw it," he murmured.
    "Let's go in," said Fidelio.
    Charlie hesitated.
    "It doesn't look so bad in daylight," said Fidelio, peering through the arch. He bounded in and Charlie followed. They tramped across a courtyard and took one of the five passages that led deeper into the ruin.
    After several minutes of shuffling through the dark, they emerged into another courtyard. That's where they saw the blood. Or something like it. A few deep red flecks lay in the snow beside a patch of red-gold leaves.
    "The beast!" cried Charlie. "Let's get out."
    It was only when they were standing safely outside the walls again that Fidelio said, "It might not have been the beast."
    "There was blood," said Charlie. “And it was the beast. It's killed something. Or wounded it."
    "But there were no other marks, Charlie. No sign of a fight, or footprints . . . or . . ."
    Charlie didn't wait to hear the rest of his friend's very reasonable doubts. He raced away from the ruin as if he were reliving the long night when a yellow-eyed beast had chased him through the endless passages and cold, echoing chambers. When he reached the fallen tree he waited for Fidelio to catch up with him.
    "Clear off you!" said a deep voice behind him.
    Already nervous, Charlie jumped and swung around. Mr. Weedon's red face appeared through the mesh of broken branches; he was wearing a shiny black helmet and Charlie caught the glint of a saw held in the big man's black gauntlet.
    "This tree's dangerous," said Mr. Weedon. "I've told you kids not to play here."
    "I wasn't playing," said Charlie. Fidelio had caught up with him and he felt a little more confident.
    "Oh, no. Not you, Charlie Bone. You never play do ya? A very serious boy aren't cha?"
    "You don't know anything about me," Charlie said angrily "You can't . . ."
    There was a loud roar followed by a grinding noise as Mr. Weedon made his way through the tangle of branches toward Charlie. Twigs flew in all directions as the saw bit through wood and foliage.
    "Come on!" Fidelio pulled at Charlie's cape. "Let's get out of here."
    "That man's dangerous," Charlie muttered as they ran away from the tree. "How does he know who I am?"
    "You're famous," said Fidelio breathlessly They were now far enough from Mr. Weedon to take a rest. "Getting lost in that old ruin last term was quite an event. Everyone knows who you are."
    Charlie wished it wasn't so.
    The sound of a hunting horn rang out across the grounds, a signal for the end of break.
    The temperature was still falling. After supper the twelve endowed children went, as usual, to the King's room, to do their homework. It was there that a very nasty argument broke out between two great friends: Tancred Torsson and Lysander.
    Lysander was feeling the cold more than most, but being a good-humored person his complaints were made in a friendly almost jokey way What he actually said to Tancred, was, " Tanc, what have you done to the weather?"
    "Not you, too!" Tancred jumped up and stamped his foot. "I thought that you, of all people, would know better."
    Before Lysander could reply Manfred Bloor spoke up. "Come on, Tancred! Spare a thought for our friend, here. You're freezing him to death."
    "I'm not!" screeched Tancred, tearing at his crackling hair.
    "He's only joking, Tanc," said Lysander with a smile.
    By this time some of the children were beginning to feel uncomfortable. Charlie was particularly concerned. Lysander and Tancred had saved him from the ruin. Together they were a powerful force against the darker powers that lurked in Bloor's Academy He couldn't bear to see them quarreling.
    "Are you on his side now?" Tancred demanded, glaring at his old ally.
    "Everyone's on my side," sniggered Manfred.
    Lysander silently shook his head, but unfortunately Zelda Dobinski chose that moment to show off her particularly nasty gift for moving things. She was staring at a huge reference book on the shelves behind Tancred. The