... says?"
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in the shadow of the great cathedral. Charlie
glanced up the cobblestone alley that led to
the bookstore and "hurried on to Piminy
Street. He wondered if Olivia was in the
bookstore ... her gloved
hand at the door.
Standing on the top step were two of the
most pathetic-looking children Emma had
ever seen.
98
FEROMEL'S KETTLE
Venetia beck...
... tremble, Charlie took
the
30 6
poker and pushed the blazing twigs to one
side of the fire. Feromel had pulled on a pair
of long leather gloves and, picking up the
39 9/506
"Any news of the wolf ... had
lived here? Who, among them, had been true
to the name of the Red King, and who had
used magic against their neighbors?
When they reached the Stone Sho...
... chorus of "Yes, Manfred," Dorcas, the
twins, and Joshua gathered up their books
and made for the door. Dagbert said nothing,
but he followed the others as they stepped
over the splintered ... that."
96
CHAPTER 5
THE PETS' CAFEIS CLOSED
Long after his friends had left, Charlie still
wandered the house. Up and down the stairs,
in and out of his ro...
... violent past. Charlie is often afraid of
the Bloors and their allies, but, so far, he has
resisted all their attempts to crush him, for
he has friends among the descendants of the
Red King, friends ... within
34 /506
"Go on, then." Uncle Paton followed Charlie
up
5
the stairs. When he reached the top, Charlie
stood and stared at the two doors in front...
... and Charlie was so
keen to hear the gruesome details of the
drowning, he quite forgot the rules. "So what
happened then?"
"Silence in the hall, Charlie Bone, " called one
of ... bitterly cold night and they huddled
under the blankets to eat the food they'd
taken from the kitchen. Charlie soon fell
asleep. He dreamed of his
73
parents,...
... said Charlie.
Indeed, it was a very cozy scene, with the
warm
134
stove humming quietly in the background
and the candle flames bathing the room in a
comforting glow. And then Charlie had to go
and ... joined them as they walked back into
school. They were the last to leave the
grounds.
That night Charlie waited for the sound of
distant howling. The grunts and...
... the
clothes from Charlie, laid them on the
ground, and patted them. "Runner, come
on."
Runner Bean approached the bundle cau-
tiously. He sniffed the clothes, first the coat,
then the ... came to a standstill
at last. "Most of the stuff is kept in the base-
ment, under the theater. I'll get the clothes
for you during lunch break. There'll be m...
... that the knight and the
Red King were one and the same."
225
LYSANDER AND LAUREN
The Red King!" Charlie felt an overwhelming
surge of hope. " ;Of course. Who else could
stop the river ... away from Charlie
and leaned against the top bar of the fence.
Charlie ran to the cottage and looked in the
window. The table was there and two ch...
... else and the warmth from the
kettle was rather comforting.
Ahead of them stood the tall block of houses
with their black balconies, their pointed
roofs, and the stone beasts that framed the
long ... each other's throats, but the fire
brought them together, just for a day, and
their combined efforts were enough to ward
off the flames. They've all gone now, of...
... exclaimed,
"There!" and turned the end of the sword hilt
toward the boys.
31 9
They saw a dark space in the center, a nar-
row cavity made to fit something very like
the top of the sword.
" ;Charlie, " ... this."
As they left the art room, a tall, slightly
hunched figure appeared at the far end of the
hall. It began to limp toward them and...