Author's Note:

It's been awhile! But I wrote a longer chapter this time around, so I hope it was worth the wait!

I still am deciding on what will occur in the future, which may entail a switch in worlds. ;D
Depending on which characters appear toward the end, I'll make it that way. And so it's at least 20 chapters long. That's my goal.

As always, I used some quotes or paraphrased them from Inkheart, because they were too amazing not to exclude. So enjoy, and sorry again about the long hiatus! (:

Loligo7687

Chapter 4 – Burning Bridges

Ron was the first to notice that the only light source in the cramped prison room went out sometime during the night. A loud audible groan came next, waking Harry. Both had been sleeping lightly, since the girls had been on their minds all night. Wandless, essentially powerless, Ron and Harry knew that they'd need a miracle.

"Sorry, mate," Ron whispered. "I can't sleep."

"I can't either," Harry replied. "We have a whole day to hatch a plan though."

"Maybe they'll let us out."

"Hopefully."

A shadowy figure passed them in the dark, heading for the other figures near the door. They weren't the only ones filled with worry.

"We might as well get as much sleep as possible," Harry said, sighing.

"Yeah, yeah," Ron replied, lying down. "Good morning."

How sad that truth was!

Within hours, the sun peeked through the cracks of the door. Meggie was relieved most of all. Well, until two of Capricorn's men rudely opened the door and shouted.

"Get up now, you lot," said the one Meggie recognized. Indeed, his nose looked as if someone had pressed it flat against his face -- Flatnose. The shorter man beside him was unfamiliar to her. He twirled his gun around boredly.

"We can't wait for you to mill around," the man snapped, pushing Neville out of the room with the butt of his gun. The light hurt Meggie's eyes at first, but grew accustomed quickly as they walked blindly to whatever destination they were taking them.

It was a nicer day than it had been yesterday. It wasn't as sticky or hot, just warm enough that Meggie could enjoy it in her short-sleeved t-shirt. There was not a cloud in the sky, ironically enough. This story kept getting drearier and drearier by the minute. Rain would have matched the mood quite nicely. Elinor was continuing to swear at the men, however much more discreetly because Mo was shooting her looks to quit it. She hadn't ever heard such swears in her life, and probably would have embarrassed Ron Weasley.

Meggie had a lot more problems to worry about. Escaping was one. She also had to reunite the female Harry Potter characters with the male ones, which would prove difficult without their wands. After that, she had to find a way to send them all back. It was madness! Each time she was trying to help, it just backfired. Sending Harry Potter characters into her world was easy; she already had a list she'd like to meet. But if she could recover the books from Elinor's library, she might be able to enlist the help of other wizards to take down Capricorn.

The men, Flatnose and the limping man, led them down the same path from where they exited Capricorn's house the previous night. By day the houses and buildings looked deserted as well, and Meggie didn't have to stumble around on the unlevel ground. The only noticeable difference was the cats that prowled around the emptiness in the village. Did Basta's dogs eat the cats? Meggie shuddered at the thought.

However, when they reached the square where Capricorn's house was located, the men turned left away from the house and toward the large church doors. Meggie hadn't noticed the church when they first arrived, but its presence was now known as it towered above them. She continued to cling onto Mo as they approached. Maybe the eroding building would collapse and flatten all of Capricorn's men, including the villain himself. Likely not, but the eyes and demons painted on the doors made her lose her confidence.

"Welcome to the devil's house!" said the limping man, grinning.

"Don't do that, Cockerell!" said Flatnose, spitting three times on the ground. "It's bad luck!"

"You're becoming like Basta! We made up those lies, you know," the man countered, opening the doors so they could enter.

"Some date before us though," he returned, but Cockerell grew disinterested.

"Let me speak, and only me. Basta is quick to his knife, believe me," Mo whispered to the group, only to have Cockerell turn on him.

"Basta isn't the only one with a knife, Silvertongue!" he exclaimed, pushing Meggie and Mo into the church.

Ron and Harry were shoved rudely through the doors, and they entered the true heart of darkness. Absolutely everything was covered in red, a red so thick it was the color of blood. It gave Ron the chills, but there was nothing he could do at the moment. The chills could have come from the draftiness of the church, which was chillier than the outside weather.

They passed a rather large statue, which was ugly in every way imaginable. Ron didn't even need to describe it to someone to know it was automatically ugly. Cockerell yelled at Elinor for not bowing to it, which gave them a momentary pass to not bow down to this villain.

There were pews and no altar. Everything had been removed, save for two long wooden tables with benches and a large chair that stood where the altar would be. The chair was the blood red color as well. There were cleaning women among them – including Ginny, Hermione, and Luna – who were busy at work clearing off the junk that resided on the tables. Knives, mugs, plates; those sorts of things. Ron and Harry gave the girls sympathetic looks, and possibly one that said 'we'll figure out a way to save you'. They smiled in acknowledgement and continued their work; for fear that the men would threaten them. The girls had also been selected to see Capricorn's special event apparently.

The five stood off near the two tables, waiting for their purpose of being at the church. Ron noticed that Basta and Dustfinger were in attendance. By the way Meggie was glaring at Dustfinger, Ron knew that the man had done something terrible against her.

Ron was right; Meggie absolutely hated Dustfinger. She wanted nothing more than to run up the steps where he sat and slap him in the face. This betrayal hurt more than anything – Meggie eventually came to recognize by the way he seemed disinterested in the world was because he wasn't from this one. He was from Inkheart, as well as every other man she saw in the room.

Basta hauled up a gas can past the makeshift fire pit in the church, and plopped it down next to Dustfinger. Ron thought everything was very odd… what did this villain have in mind by bringing them to this 'ceremony'? Basta ignored the group, and immediately began to tell the fire tamer what to do with the gas.

"Here, toy with this," Basta said, observing how Dustfinger played with his matches. "Light a fire for us in the pit," he added, and frowned when the fire tamer seemingly ignored him. When Dustfinger lit another match, much closer to Basta, Basta knocked it away in annoyance.

"Still afraid of fire?" Dustfinger said, shrugging.

"No!" the man returned, defensively.

"Of all people Basta, you shouldn't do that," Dustfinger said calmly, watching the flame disappear as it hit the floor. "Fire takes offense quickly. It's bad luck."

Basta looked as if he was about to strike the fire tamer, but instead took out his knife and began to caress it. "You're lucky I just cleaned my knife," he started to say, grinning. "Another trick like that and I'll carve a few more patterns into your face and make a nice fur coat out of your marten."

Gwin seemed to take offense, scurried back toward Dustfinger's shoulder. Basta grinned like a fool – he loved making threats.

"Why do you need a fire?" the fire tamer asked, curiously. "Right now?"

"Yes, right now," Basta replied, impatiently. "Never mind that. Feed it so it grows large, and not like the silly small ones you like to contain."

Dustfinger brought along the gas can to the pit where he began his work. Seconds later, the large church doors opened for the second time, and in came strolling Capricorn. His attire match the color of the walls, but his face was still as pale as the moon. The contrast of color tried to make him look more striking, more bold… but it just made him just as terrible and cruel. Six of his men trailed behind him, dressed entirely in black and holding guns with mean expressions. Capricorn nodded at his statue, and proceeded to stop in front of the group of 'prisoners'. Mo visibly tensed up.

"Wasn't it nice that I reunited you with your little girl, Silvertongue? I thought to myself, why not reward her for bringing the book to me?" he said, his voice just as lovely as it was yesterday. Meggie hated it even more.

"Let Elinor and my daughter go," pleaded Mo. "They don't have any use for you, and I'll read anything you want. Just let them go first."

"No, Mo! I don't want to go without you!" Meggie said, clinging to her father's arm.

Capricorn laughed, his hands tensing around Inkheart. Meggie wondered where the Harry Potter book went. The villain wouldn't have use for it, but why was he holding onto it? He had Inkheart. She wanted her book back.

"Why would I let them go once they're already here? No, no, that won't do. You won't deny us a demonstration of your skill, Silvertongue."

Capricorn turned toward the fire pit, as Dustfinger fed the hungry flames to a roaring and healthy fire. But he suddenly turned back toward the group, as if he had forgotten something to tell them. "As for this book," Capricorn started to say, his words like venom. "This long, tedious, and uninteresting book will no longer keep me spellbound by its pages. Did everything have to talk – the whispering trees and pools? The creatures, those annoying little faeries and goblins! I'll be glad to forever be gone of them."

As he spoke, one of his men carried in a large and heavy box, as shown by the man struggling with it. Cockerell was handed Mo's copy of Inkheart, while Capricorn opened the top of the box the man had placed on the ground. In it was filled to the brim with books – not just any books Ron observed – the same book. This Inkheart book was certainly causing Capricorn some pain.

"I had my men searched for every last copy of this awful book. As you can imagine, it was very difficult. Secondhand bookstores, homes, every attic searched you can imagine. We've finally collected each and every copy of the book, in every language imaginable. It's trouble, really. One language is certainly enough for us," said Capricorn, casually. "Right, Dustfinger?"

Dustfinger stood rooted to his spot, the gas can still in his grasp. "What are you doing with those books?" he replied, noticing how Capricorn moved toward the fire with the two copies in his hands. When Capricorn pitched them into the fire pit, Dustfinger reacted by lunging forward.

"Stay where you were," Basta ordered, yanking him back harshly.

Ron didn't know what to make of the situation anymore. This was crazy, certainly crazier than back in his own story. As the flames licked at the books, he wondered if Hermione was taking this well. He heard a gasp from their general vicinity, and he knew it was not so. However it alerted Capricorn to the women, and he immediately waved his hand.

"Take them back," he ordered, and two men surrounded Hermione, Ginny, and Luna. Ron tried to help them, but a rather large gun blocked his path.

"You best be staying put," the man ordered, and Ron sulked back to his standing spot.

Harry nudged Ron's shoulder. "Look," he whispered, nodding toward Basta. Ron shrugged in confusion.

"What?" he asked.

"He has one of our wands in his pocket!"

Basta had one of their wands visibly sticking out of his pocket. The location of their wands must have been divvied up between people and/or houses. That made things more difficult, certainly.

Dustfinger was taking it the hardest. He hardly heard a word that Capricorn was saying about his friend, fire. Ron didn't really care either, but something compelled Dustfinger to grow emotional over the burning of the books.

"You told me that Silvertongue's copy was the last one," Dustfinger said at last, his eyes full of hatred.

"I told you lots of things, Dustfinger," Capricorn said, as his men began to throw the copies into the fire now. "It's fun to lie to you. You're so gullible, it's really almost pathetic."

Dustfinger was unnerved by Basta's knife, so he tried not to lunge for the books his friend was eating up. The books were becoming ash, and his dreams were beginning to blacken as well. "You told me you would! That's why I brought you the book! That's why I brought you Silvertongue's daughter!" he shouted.

Capricorn looked entirely bored. He looked at his nails quickly, and then decided to grab back the book in Cockerell's hand. "I would have fetched down the moon if you had asked, if it would have done me any good," Capricorn said, stepping slowly toward the fire. "I'm happy to keep promises, especially those I can't keep."

The copy of Inkheart was thrown into the fire. Dustfinger couldn't hold back his emotions any longer, and lunged at the fire. Flatnose was upon him instantly, making the fire tamer look like a little child. Dustfinger struggled against the man, to no avail. He was much stronger, and he was forced to look at the burning books hungrily.

Mo took a step forward, but he hadn't seen Basta nearby with his knife in tow. Meggie couldn't help but gasp. The malice of Capricorn horrified her, and she had to admit she felt a little bad for the fire tamer. Even though he had tricked her, he had been subject to trickery as well.

With the momentary distraction, Dustfinger wiggled free from Flatnose and stuck his hands in the fire immediately. The fire did not obey the fire tamer this time, and Flatnose had recovered in time to stop Dustfinger from grabbing a burning copy. His face was pained and his hands were as red as a lobster.

"Let me have a copy, at least!" Mo tried, avoiding the fact that Basta's knife was against his throat. "I swear, I won't read a line that contains your name in it!"

Capricorn turned toward Mo with a crooked smile. "Do you honestly think that I'd let you, of all people, to handle the book? No, that won't do. I might find myself back into that silly story," he replied. He turned back to Dustfinger, becoming amused at the insults Basta threw at the fire tamer.

"I told you, Capricorn, I can't read you into the story! I can only read out! I've tried to tell Dustfinger that before, but he won't listen! You have to believe me!"

"Sorry, Silvertongue, I don't believe anyone. We're all liars when it serves our purpose."

Capricorn seemed to get annoyed with the wriggling Dustfinger. "Dustfinger, have Mortola attend to your hands. You're no good without them, and then what will I have to do with you?" he said, in a powerful voice. He signaled for Flatnose to let him go.

Dustfinger bowed his head, probably to avoid Meggie and Mo's looks. He obeyed of course, bathing the church in light when he left. It grew dark again, and Capricorn sat at his red throne and looked at the burning fire with glee.

He straightened up. "Come now, Silvertongue! You ability is needed!" he said, and Meggie squeezed her father's hand. "As of now, Dustfinger, Basta, and I are the only witnesses to your extraordinary talent. Though you are rather unsure of it, as I don't believe it, I'd like to have another taste of it, in another context let's say. Cockerell!"

The limping man nodded. "Didn't I tell you to bring the reader? Where is he?" Capricorn shouted, making the man flinch uneasily.

"He's still choosing books!" Cockerell stammered. "I'll go get him at once!"

Capricorn looked bored again as the man limped off. "I suppose you're curious, Silvertongue?" he asked.

Ron whispered to Harry. "No."

Capricorn moved on from the rhetorical question. "I found the reader about five years ago. Not as useful as you, I'm afraid. He'd stammer and mispronounce words all over the place when I wanted him to read from Inkheart. The characters came out quite ugly most of time, like the women we used to read out. Flatnose and Cockerell have become victims, with what the injuries and all. But sometimes I'd find my men appearing out of the stories, and even younger boys who liked to play with fire."

Mo tensed up. "What do you want me to read out for you? Monsters, other deformed characters?" he said, bitterly.

Capricorn laughed. "No, I'm sure we'll get to the monsters later. But I have a large appetite for gold – money is what make us live more comfortably – my men try to squeeze the land for resources. But this world of yours is filled with numerous pages, pages I'd like to write my name on."

"Will you have Basta scratch your name with his knife on every page?" Mo retorted.

"Heavens, no, Basta cannot read or write," Capricorn said, casually. "I've forbidden it, actually. One of the maidservants has taught me to read and write however, and there I can make my mark on your world, Silvertongue."

As if on cue, Cockerell and the new reader appeared at the doorway. The reader was hunched over like an old man, but he must have been no older than Mo. His arms and legs moved awkwardly, and he seemed less agile than the limping man. When the reader approached the steps, Cockerell nudged him in the ribs so hard that a couple books fell out of his arms. He bowed, scooped up the books, and bowed again to Capricorn.

"I trust you picked out the books I needed, Darius?" Capricorn said.

"Yes, sir, I have. Is that… him?" Darius replied, motioning to Mo.

Capricorn nodded. "Yes, go show him the books."

Darius quickly approached Mo and bowed. "It was difficult acquiring these books, oh yes, but I found them alright. They should contain a fair amount of gold each," he said, laying the books out. "You should be happy with the choices."

Treasure Island and Tales From the One Thousand and One Nights were among the choices. Mo picked up the latter, and Meggie was somewhat relieved. She had personally only read the former, and she hoped the agenda Capricorn was looking for wasn't contained in the book Mo held.

"I can't guarantee anything," Mo warned, making Capricorn roll his eyes. "I can't control what I read."

"How many times must you tell me this?" Capricorn replied, shaking his head. "I don't believe you and never will, so you better start reading!"

Mo nervously opened the book. "I want Elinor and Meggie out of this room when I start to read. I won't do it if you don't."

"Nonsense, of course they'll stay!" Capricorn said, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "And you'll read, Silvertongue, whether or not your conditions are met. I control the fate of your precious daughter."

Meggie didn't like the gleam from Basta's eyes or his knife.

Mo sighed heavily, and began flipping open the book before Capricorn stopped him. "Oh, start with that book, Silvertongue," Capricorn added, pointing to the book Mo pushed aside.

Treasure Island.

However, the company on the other side of the village was blissfully unaware of the events taking place in the church. Well, Dustfinger could probably guess. But Resa, one of the maidservants, was attending to his burns. Mortola was sleeping and usually too grumpy to care.

"I saw her with one of those… wands you were talking about," he told Hermione, and the girl smiled for once. "They're scattered all over the village, and Capricorn made it that way."

Resa had given Ginny a notepad to write her words down, just as she did. They both couldn't speak, but it was Dustfinger that understood Resa quite well. He was illiterate as well, but she was teaching him letters and the like. It was difficult.

A loud noise, like a pop, scared the two adults. Hermione, Ginny, and Luna hadn't even flinched, but they were surprised when the house elf, Dobby, stood in the middle of the group.

"Harry Potter sent me with this, Miss Granger," Dobby said, holding out a wand on his palms. It looked liked Ron's wand, being Pettigrew's wand anyway. Hermione didn't care. They had their tool to escape.

Dustfinger spoke for Resa. "You're going to escape?" he suggested.

"Yes, we are," Hermione replied excitedly, taking the wand. "Can you Apparate Luna back to the house we were at before this, Dobby?"

The house elf nodded. "Of course, Miss Granger," he replied, nodding quickly.

The door suddenly burst open before Hermione had a chance to react. It was Basta looking for Dustfinger. "Dustfinger, where is your sorry self?" he called out, entering the room. He looked instantly at the wand in Hermione's hand, to Dobby, and completely ignoring the original purpose of his task.

"Where'd you get that?" he asked angrily, approaching her. "And where'd that thing come from?"

"Quick, Dobby, now!" Hermione said, her voice almost squeaking. She grabbed Ginny by the arm and Apparated, while Dobby did the same to Luna. Basta, in his hesitation, did what his mind told him to do in the situation of quick thinking: throw the knife. It flew toward the house elf and disappeared with a pop.

"Damn, I'll need a new knife," Basta muttered, looking now at Dustfinger and Resa. "Capricorn won't be too happy about this."

Hermione, Ginny, Luna, and Dobby had arrived back at Elinor's house, but it had not entailed safety. Luna emitted a cry of surprise, causing the three to turn and look at her, when she saw the handle of Basta's knife sticking out of her side. She collapsed to the ground, luckily avoiding the side the knife was embedded in.

Hermione uttered her own cry of surprise, and instantly tended to her side. She looked to Dobby when she couldn't come up with a plan. "What are we going to do?" she asked, tears gradually coming.

"Please don't cry, Miss Granger," Dobby said, nodding again. "I'll go find Harry Potter."

With that, he was gone. Ginny had gone to the other side of Luna in the meantime, and scribbled frantically across the page in her notebook. She handed it to Hermione.

"No, we can't," Hermione said, shaking her head quickly.

We have to pull it out.

Ginny took her notebook out again and wrote.

The wound can't heal with a knife in it… we have to bandage it quickly or something.

Hermione shuddered, but they'd have to heal her somehow… and quickly. A repeat at Shell Cottage was not going to occur again.

Ginny held the handle firmly. "I'll hurt a little, okay Luna?" Hermione said, as bravely as she could. Luna nodded as best she could, and when Hermione reached the number three, Ginny starting pulling on the knife. Luna cried out in pain. The echo was eerie, as the house was completely deserted. The rest were still in that horrible village.

The inevitable was going to happen: these men would have to help Luna eventually, and they'd have to go back to the village. Perhaps they'd be able to wiggle out of maidservants duties, but they'd have to give the wand up. Else, the men wouldn't trust them. Killing Capricorn wouldn't do anyone any good right now, as much as Hermione hated it.