Chapter 2 – The Camp

As soon Meggie walked back into the camp she was hit by the cheerless atmosphere. Fenoglio was sprawled across his mattress playing finger games with the oak-imps; Orpheus lay on his back with his eyes wide open, he seemed to be muttering quietly to himself; a habit he had started just after it had all happened; after Dustfinger had been taken; and Resa kept saying she missed Elinor; and Fenoglio had begun hitting his head every so often, to make sure he wasn't imaging this whole thing; and Farid had….Farid! Meggie had almost forgotten. She looked over at Mo, who was slumped over a log, Resa draped over his shoulder asleep, Mo was staring into the flames, with a vacant expression on his face, probably thinking about Dustfinger, Meggie thought, and for a moment she wished harder than she had ever wished before that he was here now; playing with the fire; fooling around with Gwin and teaching Farid new tricks, but she thought, blinking back tears, if Dustfinger was here then Farid wouldn't be alive. She quickly wiped the thought out of her mind; tiptoed past Orpheus, who was still mumbling to himself, and went to join mo on the log.

Mo drew his eyes away from the fire and onto Meggie as she sat down beside him. For a few moments they sat in silence, apart from Resa's heavy breathing on Mo's shoulder, and then finally Mo spoke;

"Are you going to tell me what you've been doing all afternoon?" Mo said, wearily, turning to face Meggie. She looked up into his eyes, they looked tired, like he hadn't slept in weeks, she dropped her gaze and looked down at her barefeet. After a pause Mo turned his head back to the flames;

"I thought not," He muttered. Meggie blushed and bit her lip, she didn't know why she didn't tell him, she hadn't been doing anything wrong, just thinking, but she could see his face if she tried to tell him; he wouldn't understand.

"I was just wondering," she mumbled, "what time's Farid due back tonight," Mo's expression didn't change although Meggie he slightly raised his eyebrows,

"I don't know Meggie," he replied finally, "he didn't say, just said he'd be back before morning, and that he was going on another walk," Meggie nodded, a perl shaped tear slid down her cheek; she left the log and made her way back to her tent.

"Meggie," Mo called softly after her, Meggie turned her head and saw that Mo was looking at her, "You know I love you don't you," More silent tears sild down Meggie's face and she ran back to Mo and gave him a such a mammoth hug that she woke Resa, who looked from Meggie's tearstained face, to Mo's tired one and sighed

"What am I going to do with you two?" She smiled and joined in the hug.

And so they sat there, hugging, on a log in the middle of Inkworld; Meggie, Mo and Resa, unaware of what would come in the morning.