Got your chin held high and you feel just fine
Cause you do
What you're told
But inside your heart it is black and it's hollow and it's cold
Just how deep do you believe?
Will you bite the hand that feeds?
The Hand That Feeds-Nine Inch Nails

Basta glares around the church with narrowed eyes until Mo begins to read, his eyes widening and glazing over. Julianne closes her eyes, letting her father's soothing tone wash over her and take away all the worries she has in that moment. She can see everything as he describes it; blue skies take the place of the church roof, a pirate ship in the place of tables, treasure taking the place of food crumbs. Just like magic in fairy tales.

Then it happens, coins start to fall from nowhere—gold, silver, and copper. They pile up on the flagstones in big heaps. Julianne watches in terrified wonder with everyone else as the coins continue to fall like rain. Capricorn shows no awe or wonder, his eyes hard with contempt. His men take hasty steps back to avoid the money, fearing the magic that Mo's invoked. They don't know that the money won't kill them the moment they touch it.

"…. So that my back ached with stooping and my fingers with sorting them out," Mo finishes. When he stops so does the flow of money and fine grains of sand. A pile of nearby coins makes a tinkling sound as an emerald green lizard emerges from them. It's almost funny to see such a normal animal get transported here from a book about pirates.

Basta raises his arm, readying to throw his knife at the creature, but Meggie saves it by crying out. The lizard darts away as Basta's knife hits right where it had been a moment before. Basta picks up his knife, pointing it at Meggie with a dark promise in his eyes that doesn't hold a candle to the glare Julianne is sending his way. She keeps quiet, well aware that she's on Basta's shit list and not wanting Meggie there too.

Capricorn rises from his chair, clapping and looking as though nothing extraordinary had just occurred. "Not bad for the first try, Silvertongue," Capricorn acknowledges. "See that, Darius? That is what real gold looks like, not that rusted, dented tripe you read out for us. I do hope you took notes in case I ever have need of your services again." Darius is a thin, shy man with glasses that makes his eyes look huge. He stares at Mo with a mixture of admiration and fear. "Don't just stand there, pick it up!"

Julianne makes to join her family, but Capricorn latches onto her arm and pulls her back to where she'd been standing. "Please, I just want to see my father."

"Look all you like, but you're not getting near him. He has that old woman and his youngest daughter for comfort, but you will be kept away in case he gets any ideas I do not like." He looks back at his men with his arms folded across his chest. He's impatient and an impatient Capricorn is as bad as an angry Elinor. "Come on, how long does it take? Pick it up and sit down so Silvertongue can read the next book!" Next book? Is Capricorn insane? He of all people should know that this talent comes with a price.

"The next book," Elinor snaps. "Why on earth does he need to read another? You have enough gold to last you two lifetimes! We're going home!" Flatnose grabs her roughly, shaking her to make a point while Basta rests a hand on Meggie's shoulder.

Mo picks up a book and he and Meggie settle down on the flagstones before he begins to read. Whereas earlier the room had felt pleasant, this book makes it hot. Julianne grows uncomfortable as the words knit together in the air, pressure building up as the magic prepares to dump something on them. Instead of gems or gold, they're met by a boy. He can't be too old, maybe fifteen or sixteen, his eyes the color of dark chocolate and a lighter brown complexion. He has a dirty turban wrapped round his head to keep his hair off his neck, his eyes wide in fear as he glances around.

"Stop!" Capricorn has noticed the new arrival and he doesn't look pleased. Julianne blinks, her eyes heavy as she fully begins to come back to reality. She's hoping the boy is her imagination like the pirate ship had been, but the boy doesn't disappear when Mo closes the book. Cockerell makes a startled shout, the boy reacting to the sound and making a run for it. He gets as far as Capricorn's statue before the men stop him. Two men hold the boy still, both looking uneasy.

"Fulvio's gone," one of the men shouts.

"Get rid of the boy, Silvertongue, and bring back Fulvio." Mo has a look of hopeless frustration on his face when he glances up at Capricorn. He's explained this a thousand times to Dustfinger and now he has to explain it to Capricorn.

"I can't," he says. "Just because you don't believe me doesn't make it a lie. Go ask Dustfinger and he'll tell you the same thing!" The men move dangerously close to Mo and the hatred carved into their faces makes Julianne's stomach flip.

"Back to your places!" The men close to Mo look as though they might rebel. "Don't forget that just last week Fulvio nearly got the police called on us when he messed up on a job." Most of the men obey after that but three remain, Basta being one of them and the most hard-headed. He glares at Mo with hatred and fear, superstitious till the end.

"Sure," Basta concurs," we can do without Fulvio, but what about the next time he reads? Who will be the next to disappear?" The men on either side of him nod in agreement, ready for the signal to pounce like a lioness hunting its prey. Julianne's hands clench into fists, feet spaced at shoulder's length in case she needs to fight. She doesn't know what she'll do if Mo is killed. "Personally, I don't want to be sent into some desert story wearing a turban!"

"I won't tell you again." Capricorn's voice is calm, but it holds an undertone of authority and malice. No one is able to deny that voice anything, even if they have a backbone. "Let Silvertongue go back to reading and if any of you are scared you can go help the women with the laundry. That's all you'd be good for."

The two men standing with Basta move to sit with the other men and after a moment Basta stands behind Meggie again. Julianne breathes a sigh of relief, silently thanking Capricorn for keeping her father from being hurt and cursing him at the same time for putting Mo into this situation.

"Lock the boy up, he may be of use to us yet." Flatnose leads him out of the church, the boy stumbling along as if in a daze. Once the church doors close, Capricorn sinks back down in his throne and motions for Mo to continue.

"No," Mo defies tiredly," I've read enough for today, be content with what you have. I want to go home and never see you or any of your men again." Capricorn appraises Mo silently and then turns his pale eyes to the bags of money before shrugging.

"Very well, we'll continue tomorrow."

"No, aren't you satisfied yet," Julianne asks, looking at Capricorn pleadingly. "Do you want to be the next man to fall into a story?" The look Capricorn sends her makes her want the floor to swallow her up. "Please, don't make Mo do it. Just let us go."

"Basta, why don't you escort Julianne to where she'll be staying tonight?" Basta's grin widens and Julianne knows that she'll be lucky to survive.