Charlie Bone and the Wilderness Wolf (Children of the Red King, Book 6) by Jenny Nimmo Page B
Authors: Jenny Nimmo
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wasn't as easy as Benjamin had hoped. He discovered that Asa's parents had never been seen. No one knew where they lived. They appeared to have no friends and no relations. Any item that Asa might have worn or touched lay inside Bloor's Academy, an impossible place for someone like Benjamin to enter. The Bloors certainly wouldn't be happy to assist in Asa's rescue. He had changed sides. They would consider him a turncoat and a traitor.
By the time Benjamin got home from school the next day, the hunt was already underway. Half the city had turned out to watch. Forty able-bodied men were assembled on the bridge that led to the wilderness. In charge were the chief of police and Officer Wood. They were joined by a motley group of determined-looking men, dressed in an assortment of trenchcoats, suits, jackets, and raincoats. Their heads were covered by woolly hats, hoods, berets, and even a Stetson. A few pairs of rain boots and sneakers were to be seen, but most wore sturdy leather boots. Half the men carried rifles; the others took flashlights and clubs.
A cheer went up as the forty-two men marched across the bridge and turned right, down a path that ran beside the river. A few meters farther on, it disappeared into dense undergrowth - the beginning of the wilderness.
From a path on the city-side of the river, Benjamin's father had watched the whole proceedings. He returned home a worried man.
"It's not right," he told his wife and son, as they ate their scrambled eggs and spinach. "There's going to be a catastrophe, you mark my words. All those guns; someone's going to be killed in the wilderness, and it might not be the beast-boy."
Benjamin suddenly thought of Charlie's friend Naren. She lived with her father and mother in a little house deep in the wilderness. It was a beautiful, secret place, a sanctuary for lost and injured animals. Would it remain secret, when a group of angry men came tramping through the trees with guns and clubs and torches?
I wish I could talk to Charlie, thought Benjamin.
Charlie had fallen asleep. He woke up to find someone shaking his shoulder.
"Charlie, there's something on the wall behind you. A word." It was Dagbert's voice.
Charlie sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Look! Look behind you," Dagbert insisted.
Charlie looked around. On the wall above his bed was the word "good-bye," It was written in a patch of moonlight, in shaky spiderlike letters that seemed as though they were a little uncertain of themselves.
"Naren!" Charlie whispered to the wall.
One by one, the letters began to fade.
"Naren!" said Charlie, forgetting to whisper. "Where are you going?"
There was no answering message. The wall remained blank. The slice of moonlight disappeared and the room returned to its usual inky darkness.
"What's going on?" asked Dagbert.
9
ASA'S DISGUISE
Charlie turned over and pretended to be asleep. He felt a sharp thump on his back. "Don't!" he whispered harshly.
"Tell me about those words on the wall," Dagbert hissed.
"No," said Charlie. "It's a private message."
"I won't tell anyone."
"Huh!" Charlie got up and went to the bathroom. If there was going to be an argument it would be safer to have it where no one could hear them. Just as he expected, Dagbert followed him.
Charlie closed the door. The moon slipped from behind the clouds again, and the light was bright enough for the boys to see each other's faces.
Charlie stood with his back to the bathtub. The cold tap dripped; a loud, insistent rhythmic drip. Dagbert stood by the sink, his face silvery green in the moonlight.
"I'm not a spy," Dagbert said. "You can trust me, you know."
You're joking." Charlie sat on the edge of the bathtub. "You stalk me like a spy and you've turned nearly all my friends against me."
"Not all."
"Most. Why do you do it?"
Dagbert slid to the floor beside the sink and put his hands on his knees. He gazed at his long fingers, lifting them, one by one, and finally linking his hands
By the time Benjamin got home from school the next day, the hunt was already underway. Half the city had turned out to watch. Forty able-bodied men were assembled on the bridge that led to the wilderness. In charge were the chief of police and Officer Wood. They were joined by a motley group of determined-looking men, dressed in an assortment of trenchcoats, suits, jackets, and raincoats. Their heads were covered by woolly hats, hoods, berets, and even a Stetson. A few pairs of rain boots and sneakers were to be seen, but most wore sturdy leather boots. Half the men carried rifles; the others took flashlights and clubs.
A cheer went up as the forty-two men marched across the bridge and turned right, down a path that ran beside the river. A few meters farther on, it disappeared into dense undergrowth - the beginning of the wilderness.
From a path on the city-side of the river, Benjamin's father had watched the whole proceedings. He returned home a worried man.
"It's not right," he told his wife and son, as they ate their scrambled eggs and spinach. "There's going to be a catastrophe, you mark my words. All those guns; someone's going to be killed in the wilderness, and it might not be the beast-boy."
Benjamin suddenly thought of Charlie's friend Naren. She lived with her father and mother in a little house deep in the wilderness. It was a beautiful, secret place, a sanctuary for lost and injured animals. Would it remain secret, when a group of angry men came tramping through the trees with guns and clubs and torches?
I wish I could talk to Charlie, thought Benjamin.
Charlie had fallen asleep. He woke up to find someone shaking his shoulder.
"Charlie, there's something on the wall behind you. A word." It was Dagbert's voice.
Charlie sat up and rubbed his eyes.
"Look! Look behind you," Dagbert insisted.
Charlie looked around. On the wall above his bed was the word "good-bye," It was written in a patch of moonlight, in shaky spiderlike letters that seemed as though they were a little uncertain of themselves.
"Naren!" Charlie whispered to the wall.
One by one, the letters began to fade.
"Naren!" said Charlie, forgetting to whisper. "Where are you going?"
There was no answering message. The wall remained blank. The slice of moonlight disappeared and the room returned to its usual inky darkness.
"What's going on?" asked Dagbert.
9
ASA'S DISGUISE
Charlie turned over and pretended to be asleep. He felt a sharp thump on his back. "Don't!" he whispered harshly.
"Tell me about those words on the wall," Dagbert hissed.
"No," said Charlie. "It's a private message."
"I won't tell anyone."
"Huh!" Charlie got up and went to the bathroom. If there was going to be an argument it would be safer to have it where no one could hear them. Just as he expected, Dagbert followed him.
Charlie closed the door. The moon slipped from behind the clouds again, and the light was bright enough for the boys to see each other's faces.
Charlie stood with his back to the bathtub. The cold tap dripped; a loud, insistent rhythmic drip. Dagbert stood by the sink, his face silvery green in the moonlight.
"I'm not a spy," Dagbert said. "You can trust me, you know."
You're joking." Charlie sat on the edge of the bathtub. "You stalk me like a spy and you've turned nearly all my friends against me."
"Not all."
"Most. Why do you do it?"
Dagbert slid to the floor beside the sink and put his hands on his knees. He gazed at his long fingers, lifting them, one by one, and finally linking his hands
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