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First published in Great Britain 2004 by Egmont UK Limited
This edition published 2010
by Egmont UK Limited
239 Kensington High Street
London W8 6SA
Text copyright © 2004 Jenny Nimmo
The moral rights of the author have been asserted
ISBN 978 1 4052 2545 8
eBook ISBN 978 1 7803 1204 0
A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.
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For Gwenhwyfar, who found the boa, with love.
Books by Jenny Nimmo
Midnight for Charlie Bone
Charlie Bone and the Time Twister
Charlie Bone and the Blue Boa
Charlie Bone and the Castle of Mirrors
Charlie Bone and the Hidden King
Charlie Bone and the Wilderness Wolf
Charlie Bone and the Shadow of Badlock
Charlie Bone and the Red Knight
The Snow Spider trilogy
The Secret Kingdom
Secret Creatures
For younger readers
Matty Mouse
Farm Fun!
Delilah
Contents
11. Bull, bells and golden bats
16. The night of wind and spirits
The children of the Red King, called the endowed
| Manfred Bloor | Head boy of Bloor’s Academy. A hypnotiser. He is descended from Borlath, eldest son of the Red King. Borlath was a brutal and sadistic tyrant. |
| Asa Pike | A were-beast. He is descended from a tribe who lived in the Northern forests and kept strange beasts. Asa can change shape at dusk. |
| Billy Raven | Billy can communicate with animals. One of his ancestors conversed with ravens that sat on a gibbet where dead men hung. For this talent he was banished from his village. |
| Zelda Dobinski | Descended from a long line of Polish magicians. Zelda is telekenetic. She can move objects with her mind. |
| Lysander Sage | Descended from an African wise man. He can call up his spirit ancestors. |
| Tancred Torsson | A storm-bringer. His Scandinavian ancestor was named after the thunder god, Thor. Tancred can bring rain, wind, thunder and lightning. |
| Gabriel Silk | Gabriel can feel scenes and emotions through the clothes of others. He comes from a line of psychics. |
| Emma Tolly | Emma can fly. Her surname derives from the Spanish swordsman from Toledo, whose daughter married the Red King. He is therefore an ancestor to all the endowed
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