Chapter 19: Hundred Heads

Charlie

A few hours before the Hundred Head's dinner, I decided to wander the Great Hall. The preparations they went through were astounding. I couldn't believe the beauty that adorned the walls. There were so many weapons such as swords and axes perfectly polished and hung up on plaques. I could see my reflection in the flagstone floors that had been waxed and polished with care. Thousands of lanterns sparkled and glittered from the ceiling. It almost took my breath away. "What are you doing out here, Bone?" Manfred's annoyed voice snapped me out of my trance as I stared upwards. "Especially with that stupid look on your face."

"I was just admiring all of…" I waved my arms in front of me. "…this."

"It's pretty amazing, isn't it?" He stood next to me and looked up at the ceiling with me. "But you are not here to admire the scenery, you are serving a punishment and should return to your dormitory at once. Your sister isn't here to protect you today." He looked over at me, yet I wasn't threatened by his gaze. I decided to leave it be and walk back to my room where Billy was waiting.

We had plans to sneak out immediately and head down to the Hundred Head's dinner. Infinity had told me that my best bet was to hide under the tables that were covered with long table cloths. She had quickly learned that telling me not to do something wasn't helpful, so she decided to give me safer alternatives to do the dangerous thing instead.

Aunt Lucretia came to announce lights out and left. She was dressed like a fool, possibly with the hopes to snag someone rich. I don't know what kind of rich man would be attracted to the old bat. They were interested in younger women to take as wives. At least with her dressed like that, I knew she wouldn't be back but we stuffed pillows under our blankets anyway to pose as bodies. I took one final look at our handiwork and decided that it would have to do, so we set off. I didn't want to miss a thing.

When we neared the Great Hall, I felt a pit forming in my stomach. I couldn't believe the variety of people who now flooded the halls and the lights that were lit everywhere. I noticed that they didn't use electricity at all. I wondered if any of the Hundred Heads were like Uncle Paton. There were torches fastened to the walls and the lanterns were also lit with fire. Everything looked to mystical, even the people. From the pillar I was hiding behind, I could see Salem very clearly. He was chatting with a young woman with flowers in her long brown hair. He wore a very expensive tailored suit and seemed to fit in well with the crowd. He was popular with the women.

I knew my mission was important, but I wanted to observe him for a moment even though Billy was trying to tug me away. He and my sister were a thing, so it was only natural that I make sure that he was faithful to her. One girl in particular was especially touchy with him. I saw him push her hand away and he gave her a stern look. "I'll have to ask you not to do that. I'm very much spoken for." I smiled and slipped into the dining hall with Billy.

The dining hall had been transformed as well. Each table had a beautiful silk cloth that hung down to the floor, perfect for hiding a twelve year old boy and his eight year old companion. Waiters in gold vests and waitresses in black dresses were everywhere, offering champagne and hors d'oeuvres to the surprisingly rude but well dressed people who gobbled them up quickly. I pointed to the middle table and decided that was where Billy and I would hide.

The room filled quickly and the hundred heads wasted no time settling down so that their meals could be served. I couldn't identify any familiar smells and wondered what they were being fed. I peeked under the table cloth and watched as Dr. Bloor stood to his feet, cleared his throat and commanded the attention of everyone in the room. I hoped something interesting would happen but he just read off all 100 names off of a list in an incredibly monotonous voice while the room sat in silence. I had almost fallen asleep until he began to speak more passionately and my father's name was uttered. I could almost feel Salem tense up immediately although I could not see him. Dr. Bloor was about to tell everyone something that I really wasn't supposed to hear. He began to speak of the day my father disappeared, the day that he had tried to stop Emma Tolly from being traded away and the day that my father crippled Ezekiel Bloor for life.

"How was this crime committed?" Someone called out from the middle table.

"He knocked me down." Old and feeble Ezekiel yelled from his wheelchair. "Tried to kill me! Pushed me, head hit stone, Bingo! I couldn't move. The SCOUNDREL."

"Why would Mr. Bone do such a thing?" Someone asked.

Dr. Bloor hadn't been expecting that question. He stammered and tried to avoid it. "Some people run their establishments differently than ours." He chose his words carefully. "Like most of you, we draw the Children of the Red King towards us. We offer them first class scholarships and the best of everything. We take care of them, protect them and nurture them to prepare them for the difficulties they may face as adults. Sometimes it becomes necessary to remove a child from their parents, for their own good of course." I heard Billy snort with disgust.

"So you steal children?" An indignant voice asked from the first table.

"He said 'remove'." Ezekiel screeched. "If it seems likely that the parents will resist, we do however remove them by any means. In the case of Emma Tolly, Dr. Tolly was willing to hand his daughter over to us. It was Lyell Bone who tried to prevent it by knocking me to the ground. He was unsuccessful and punished for this endeavor."

"Did the punishment fit the crime?" A deep voice asked.

"It did." Ezekiel smiled proudly. I felt my blood begin to boil. "Thanks to my great grandsons! Manfred, Salem, please stand up!" I heard one chair scrape as who I assumed was Manfred stood up. I needed to see what Salem's reaction was. I took my chances and peeked again. Salem was rooted to his seat. I could almost see a vein throbbing on his forehead. What had Salem done? "Salem is being modest, I guess." Ezekiel chuckled. "Manfred is possibly the greatest hypnotist that ever lived. At nine years old, he erased the man's memory with a single glance. He doesn't even know who he is. And Salem holds great power too, he-"

"Stop." Salem stood up and glared at his grandfather. "I want to tell them what I did." He sighed. "I was tasked with altering the memories of his wife, son and uncle. They remember who he is, but if they were to see him on the street, they wouldn't recognize him. Mrs. Bone and Mr. Yewbeam remember a face, but it isn't exactly his face. And Charlie will never remember his face at all." He faced the crowd. "My endowment is mental awareness. I can read thoughts, alter memories and several other things. Lyell's daughter… she remembered him once. She remembered him several times, actually. She's just so damn smart. She had a clear picture of his face and she knew where he was… I used every ounce of strength I had to make sure she could never remember him again." He almost looked to be in physical pain. "I just wanted her to be safe…" He murmured the last part. I could hear the pain in his cracking voice.

I felt sick to my stomach, but I wasn't surprised that he chose the path that he chose. He had told me that I would find my father one day, but he wanted me to be the one who did it… Salem couldn't bring himself to let Infinity be put in any kind of danger although she had proven time and time again that she was resilient.

"Ah, anyway-" Dr. Bloor continued in a stirring voice. "Manfred put the baby under as well. She was 2 at the time and lasted until she was 10, when Lyell's son woke her up." This caused a burst of surprise chatter, which Dr. Bloor silenced with his loud voice. "No worries, that child is still here. So are both of Lyell's children. His daughter Infinity is our brightest student and she will hopefully be betrothed to my son one day." The last part was said in a mocking tone. "And his son, Charlie is still at the academy as well. They both have very priceless gifts. Infinity is an incredibly powerful witch who specializes in healing magic. And Charlie's gift is a gift that hasn't been seen in a long while. He is a picture traveler. It is priceless and it may be several hundred years before it is ever seen again. They have proven a bit… difficult." He awkwardly cleared his throat. He then motioned back to grandma and the aunts. "And these lovely women are their grandmother and great aunts. They keep both children in line and safe."

"I don't mean to be rude, sir, but didn't you tell us that there was a momentous development when we arrived? I'm curious to hear more about it." Someone from a different table asked.

Dr. Bloor cleared his throat. "Of course. Before I can go into the details, I need to brush you all up on the history of a man I didn't know about until a few weeks ago. His name is Count Harken Badlock."

"Hark." Billy whispered. It was the warning that the flame cats had given us the night they came to our house. He was the dangerous person that we needed to watch out for. "That must be the Shadow…"

"Count Harken was eighteen years old when he arrived in Spain and began to court the daughter of a knight of Toledo. The young count was a sorcerer and very soon, Berenice fell under his spell and they were soon to be wed, but the Red King challenged the Count to a magical duel. Although he was strong, the King was even stronger, so he lost his fair Berenice." He had the room entranced in his story. Not a sound could be heard and Dr. Bloor reveled in the attention. "As you all know, the Queen died giving birth to her youngest child, and as customary for his people, the Red King when into the forest to grieve. His children were put in the care of servants, at least until the Count returned. He came back to raise the children of his beloved and taught them all he knew, guarded them with his life, and married the eldest daughter, Lilith,"

"I pride myself on my knowledge of history and I have never heard this before." Another person from the crowd called out. "How do you know of this?"

"Because I heard it… from the count himself." Dr. Bloor said dramatically. Although there was a shocked gasp from everyone in the room, I knew this was going to happen. I knew they had pulled him into our time and I wanted to know how. If they could pull Count Harken and even the Queen (although she was an accident, and a horse) here, what was stopping them from bringing Borlath or any of the other bad children? "I know it's hard to believe that someone from so far in the past is here with us now, but it is the truth and I'm utterly certain of it."

"Who was once a mere shadow in the Red King's portrait walks among us today!" Ezekiel screeched.

An uproar broke out as people shouted their questions all at once. "Where is he now? Who let him out?!"

Dr. Bloor ignored their questions and went on to marvel at how quickly the Count was able to learn our language and customs and become a productive member in our society within a matter of weeks. "But who let him out?" Asked a persistent voice.

"The Count is not even sure." Dr. Bloor admitted. "But he claims it was done with a mirror, the Mirror of Amoret. We found him in the hall during a snowstorm but the person who had released him had slipped away."

"We had thought it was our Venetia here, she's the cleverest and wickedest of us all." Ezekiel chuckled.

"Well, it wasn't." Aunt Venetia pouted.

"That's because it was me." Said a voice. The voice was someone I knew well… it belonged to the person I least expected it to… I was frozen, almost unable to catch my breath. I felt sick and I could tell by Billy's blank expression that he was just as fearful as I was. I heard the footsteps of a woman in very high heels walk passed me.

"Miss Chrystal, please come have a seat, tell us about how all of this happened." Dr. Bloor was just as shocked as Billy and I were. I couldn't wait to tell Infinity.

"I prefer to stand, thank you." Miss Chrystal climbed the steps to the raised dais and stood before everyone.

"Are you going to tell us your history, my dear? And how you released the Count?" Dr. Bloor asked.

"Of course." Miss Chrystal's voice was still light and melodic, but all of the sweetness had been drained out of it. "Seventeen years ago, I was the happiest girl in the world. I was young and in love with a man who I thought loved me back, but he rejected me and got another woman pregnant. I tried my best to intervene and even persuaded him into putting that child up for adoption and went as far as bribing someone to adopt that child, but it was all in vain. He got rid of the child, but married that woman anyway. I was heartbroken. I thought I was going to die. Eventually, I married another man named Matthew Tilpin, and we had a son who I named Joshua."

Joshua Tilpin… That was her son. That explained her behavior towards him and Salem that day that I had punched him. It took everything I had not to exclaim out loud.

"Not long after my Josh was born, my husband left us." Miss Chrystal went on. "He said he was afraid of our baby. You see, things stuck to Joshua. Fluff, toys, dust, just about anything, and when you touched his tiny hands, they clung. It was difficult to draw away. Matthew said that if he stayed, one day the baby would make him do something terrible. He could already feel Joshua bending his will." She paused for a moment before continuing. "My mother often told me that we were descended from the Red King and I had some success with magic as a child, but I felt that it was useless and I gave it up. At least until last Christmas, when my great uncle died, that is. He left me a chest of documents, some as old as nine hundred years. A lot of it was useless and incomprehensible, but there were some papers that connected us to Lilith and her husband, the Count." There were many gasps and Miss Chrystal smirked. "Among those papers, there was a map. It was in perfect condition and it led me to where the Mirror of Amoret was buried. Once I obtained it, I only had to shine it on the portrait of the Red King, onto the shadow, and he came right out."

I shifted uncomfortably at the thought of yet another medieval sorcerer terrorizing the city. I hadn't been paying attention and accidentally bumped into the legs of the man next to me. I held my breath and hoped that he wouldn't look, but the cloth lifted up and a man with a blue turban was looking right at me. I panicked, not sure what to do. I held a finger to my lips and he nodded, sitting back up.

"I have more to say." Miss Chrystal continued. "My son Joshua is very, very powerful. Like the Bone children, he has the blood of two magicians in his veins. If Charlie is to be controlled, then Joshua can do it. And I can handle the little witch girl." She had more hatred in her voice when mentioning my sister than she did me. I wondered what made her hate Infinity so much. She had never said a word to her and she wasn't involved in the fight I had with Joshua. "As for the matter of their father, The count will make sure Lyell Bone is lost forever."

There was a brief silence until a voice above me spoke. It was the man in the turban. "What was the name of the man that spurned your advances?"

"Why, it was Lyell Bone of course." She laughed bitterly.

"You…" Salem's voice made me jump. I had never heard him sound so angry. "You're the reason she had to live with those awful people…" Go…Charlie… Salem's voice in my head was weak, but it was definitely him. He was going to cause a fuss so we could escape without being noticed. I decided to take the opportunity and crawled onto the first cart that I could, hoping Billy would do the same.