Read The Spellbinder (Tom & Laura Series) for Free Online Page B

continued talking as soon as she finished.
    “I am Sir Ernest Trelawney of Military Magic Department 3 and three things are puzzling me.” Trelawney paused and waited until he had their full attention.
    “Firstly, how anybody could know you are a Class A Spellbinder when even your parents have not been told. Secondly, if nobody knew, why would anyone go to the trouble of trying to assassinate you? And thirdly, I would like to know how you survived an attack, aimed directly at the two of you that has killed at least 50 people in the vicinity and may kill many more by the time the bad air dissipates.”
    “I don’t know what happened,” Tom said as he considered the last question, “I seemed to get a strength from somewhere outside myself when Laura collapsed, it was as though something was holding me together.”
    Tom’s words gave Laura an idea. “It was the bind,” said Laura, as she put it together. “The bind I gave you, Tom. I made it very strong on the finest paper and it kept you alive.”
    “What sort of bind?” Trelawney asked intently.
    “I did a bind of Thomas so that a Spellbinder at his school couldn’t change him into anything else. I made it as strong as I could, and it bound him to his form….and also to his life. I hadn’t thought of that before, but binds are either living or inanimate, they can’t be both”
    Tom grinned. “So you saved my life again, this time literally”
    “I saved my own life, Tom. You carried me clear.”
    Trelawney seized on Laura’s earlier comment.
    “And this Spellbinder? The one that was threatening to change Tom, who is he?”
    Laura turned to Tom to let him answer. “He turned me into a dog yesterday, before Laura rescued me. His name is Ronald Carmichael, he goes to my school.”
    Trelawney consulted his clipboard again, “He’s a Grade 2. He shouldn’t have been able to do this without assistance, still….” Trelawney gestured to a man to join him and they went into a huddle. Laura heard the words ‘detain for questioning’ just before the man set off at a trot ordering several other men to come with him.
    “Well, you two had better come back to MM3 Headquarters. It’s near the Houses of Parliament, so it’s not that far. It’s lucky the Precogs saw this coming with enough clarity for us to work out the method of attack. Our Farseers pinpointed you as soon as it happened. I pray we have kept the number of deaths down by our prompt action.”
    Trelawney became solemn. “We cannot allow enemy attacks in the heart of London . We’ll inform the press it was a gas leak from a weapons factory and that the guilty parties are to be hanged for their crime. But first, let us get you somewhere safe.”
    Trelawney gestured to them to follow and they stood up. Tom required a little help from Laura. They made their way to a hansom cab waiting on the grass. The horse wore a strange sort of nosebag connected to a large brass cylinder on one of the shafts and they could hear the hiss of escaping gas. Tom noticed that even the cabby wore a mouthpiece connected to a small brass cylinder and the doors of the cab had leather seals. It was all most strange.
     
    Dominican Snood was feeling particularly pleased with himself as he walked down a corridor back to his study. The place was abuzz with rumors of an enemy attack in which thousands were dead and it was not difficult for him to work out that Carmichael had used their bind. That bastard Spellbinder, whoever he was, was dead and Thomas Carter along with him. All in all, it was proving to be a good day.
    As he turned a corner he saw a bow street runner talking to the Headmaster. ‘It must be news of Carter’s death’ he thought and hurried over to the Headmaster’s side. “Don’t tell me one of our charges has been affected by this tragedy?” he asked solicitously.
    The Headmaster turned to Snood and gave a heavy sigh.
    “No, no, let us pray not. That was a message from the police to inform us that young