Fate Or Luck?
Disclaimer: I don't own Inkheart. It belongs to Cornelia Funke. The woman who first inspired me to write.
Snap!
Dustfinger heard it; he spun round expecting to find Basta or Cockerel standing behind one of the tree's. They'd always had a peculiar sense of humour when it came to Dustfinger.
"Basta? Cockerel? Come out of the damned bushes now!" he waited, but there was no reply.
Snap!
There it was again! Dustfinger moved as silently as the air surrounding him to where the noise was coming from. He was surprised to find neither Basta nor Cockerel, but instead, he found a woman.
She was lying there, breathing heavily; she was dressed in a simple brown dress like those of Capricorn's maids.
"A runaway" thought Dustfinger. She must've been, because no one was insane enough to venture near the village.
He walked slowly over to the pale and frightened woman, wondering what was wrong with her.
"What are you doing out here?" asked Dustfinger, slightly angrily. God only knew what kind of mad stunt this woman was trying to pull.
"Are you hurt?" He asked again. Sighing exasperatedly when he received no reply
Then, with great difficulty the woman sat up, reached into her pocket and pulled out a piece of paper, wrote on it and handed it to Dustfinger. But seeing as he couldn't read he gave it back to her.
"Sorry, I can't read" sighed Dustfinger. The woman looked paler now, pale as the sheet of paper she had handed him. She began to make a snapping gesture with her hands.
"You've been bitten?" asked Dustfinger.
The woman nodded.
"By a snake?"
The woman nodded again, he knew he would have to get the poison out of her as soon as possible. He didn't want a death on his hands; God only knew what Basta would make of it.
The woman pointed to her leg, her eyes becoming dimmer. Dustfinger pulled up her dress, found the bite and sucked the poison out of her. The woman tried to stand, but Dustfinger pushed her back down and said one word:
"Rest."
Days later the woman awoke to discover she was in a ruined hovel, (Not knowing it was the same one her husband, daughter and Aunt would take refuge in years later) then she noticed Dustfinger standing over her.
Resa (for that was the woman's name) was parched of both thirst and hunger, and was therefore grateful when Dustfinger handed her a water bottle and a crisp bread roll. Feeling the warmth spread through her as the contents made their way into her stomach.
"So what were you dong all the way out there?" asked Dustfinger but Resa could not answer, she had lost her voice long ago when the reader Darius had read her out of Inkheart so she gestured to Dustfinger that she had no voice.
"No voice, eh, this could be difficult" Dustfinger said pulling a grim face.
At this Resa laughed. That was the only time you heard her voice. (Dustfinger secretly though it would sound like an angel's.) He smiled back, then without much difficult Resa sat up, she decided was going to teach Dustfinger to read, I mean she had to be able to communicate with her saviour somehow.
It would be a difficult process seeing as Resa couldn't talk, but Dustfinger thought it would be worth it to communicate with such a pretty young woman.
Over the next couple of week's Resa taught Dustfinger to read, she would draw a letter and Dustfinger would have to guess what sound it made. It had been hard, just as they had thought. And on several occasions he had been sorely tempted to break Resa's pencil in half. (Not knowing she had about ten more in her dress pocket.)
They had discussed anything and everything, from Dustfinger being read into this world and Resa being read into his, then out again by Darius, explaining this was how she had lost her voice. Dustfinger now knowing for sure she was Silvertounge's wife. He had vaguely recognising her from somewhere. Silvertounge had showed him a picture of her a few times..
He felt bitter. The one woman he had begun to know (and maybe even love) belonged to another man. The very man who had read him into this hellhole.
Fate had once again dealt Dustfinger a cruel hand, and he was powerless to stop it. He could only hope that he and Resa could share some moments of happiness together.
But it was all to be short lived. Capricorn's men were sent looking for Resa, and little did Dustfinger know they were approaching fast.
"Come out Dustfinger, we know you're hiding the maid somewhere" Basta shouted into the depths of the forest.
Resa looked at Dustfinger in horror. She had hoped never to go back to that place. She, like Dustfinger hoped she could go back to the family she had lost so many years ago.
She and Dustfinger were so alike; their salvation always around the corner, yet never getting any closer.
Resa and Dustfinger tried to hide, but for a man of his size and slow-wittedness Cockerel was surprisingly fast . He soon caught up with them.
"Ah, so this is where you've been hiding our pretty little maid" Basta smiled evilly, knowing he would be allowed to give Dustfinger his –seemingly- deserved punishment.
"Basta for the love of God she was hurt!" yelled Dustfinger "And I was going to bring her back" he continued, hoping that his lies would be believed.
"Yes, well. I don't think that Capricorn will see it the same way, will he?" Basta said, sneering maliciously
"In fact, he thinks' I should be allowed to give you a punishment for taking away our lovely maid here, she was a favourite of his after all."
Grinning, Basta took his knife out of his belt. Resa tried to snatch it away from him but he just dodged away.
"Don't worry Resa we won't kill him. Well, maybe we will!" Basta laughed and signalled to Cockerel to take her back to the village.
The last look she saw on Dustfinger's face was a look of terror, for once he had not bothered to hide his emotions behind a composed mask.
Basta approached Dustfinger and quickly and without warning started to beat him, blow after blow, Dustfinger tried to fight back but Basta was strong, by the time Basta was finished Dustfinger was almost dead.
"I'd wait a little while before coming back to the village" Basta mocked, and then he left Dustfinger for dead.
Resa cried, thinking about the kind and funny man who had saved her from a lonely death, and told her secrets that haunted him every night in his sleep. She too knew the same kind of emptiness and wanting hunger for a family.
The three scars raked across his face. She had heard about him so many times in the Inkworld: Dustfinger, fire dancer extraordinaire. She remembered the first time Mo had read about him, and cried even more.
Over the next couple of year's Resa and Dustfinger met outside the maid's quarters at night, telling each other stories to comfort each other in the peaceful moonlight. Although families were rarely discussed, it was too painful.
But little did Resa know he would soon both betray and save her family.
Thanks to all of those who reviewed, I really enjoyed writing this story, and hope I can write some more like it in the future!