Hey guys. Here's the second chapter, and it's longer than the other one. If you guys were wondering, this story is only set about a year after the Adderhead was conquered, so Maggie is only about fourteen. I don't own any characters or setting from Inkheart, but Griff, Bell, Lazuli and their pets are mine.
"Laaaaaaz!"
"Bell!" the little girl ran up to Lazuli, who picked her up and spun in a circle, the girl giggling lightly as she pretended to fly. Griff smiled as he hung the deer on the hook in the barn. Their small farm provided a lot for the small family, but not clothes or other things like pots or wax. Griff's mother was grief stricken, so didn't do any work. It was all up to Griff and Bell. Lazuli lived with her father down the road. Her and her father had asked more than once if Griff wanted to come live with them, but he had refused. He said it was too much, and that he also wanted to keep the farm for the future. Lazuli ended up coming over every second day, helping with the hunting and cleaning and teaching Bell how to sew, cook and play a small flute, which had a lively a perfect tune when Griff played it. Griff grabbed some knives and started to butcher the deer, while Bell and Lazuli played hand clap games on the barn floor. Griff smiled as he heard Lazuli and Bell play, while he prepared the deer.
It took Griff several hours to finish the deer, but he'd done a pretty good job. He gave some of it to Bell in the butcher cloth.
"Now take that to the store room. You know where." Bell nodded and ran off, her little scruffy dress ruffling between her legs. Griff watched her go with a smile. He then sat down in front of Lazuli, who said,
"So are we going riding now or what?"
"Give me a break, I just cut a deer into pieces. Let me rest for a bit." He said, laying back. He closed his eyes, but was abruptly disturbed by a wet and furry nose pressed to his face. He pushed Bullroar's nose away, looking up to see a middle built stallion with dark chestnut fur and white stockings. Ticky stood nearby, her tail flicking occasionally. Ticky being a cream horse with a star on her forehead. They were both relatively young horses, five or six years old. Bullroar was a warm blood x shire horse, who pulled the heavy stuff like carriages and plough. They rode him in the forests for pleasure too, and Ticky was the emergency horse, if Bell or Griff got injured or sick, and needed immediate attention, they would take Ticky up to Roxane's or Ombra, because she was a lot faster than Bullroar. But just for fun, Griff would usually ride Bullroar, while Bell and Lazuli would take Ticky out, their combined weight still only being about half what Griff weighed. Lazuli laughed as Bullroar pawed at the ground of the barn, knowing he was going running today.
"Too bad Bullroar, I'm having a little rest first." Griff said, closing his eyes again. Bullroar would not give up. He was as stubborn as his master, so this argument would continue for a bit. It continued when Bell came back, who also started laughing with Lazuli as Griff kept going, 'No you damned horse,' and Bull would keep pawing and nickering and whinnying to his owner. It had to be finished when Ticky came over to join the argument. Griff sat up and sighed.
"Ok," he said, "you guys win. Just let me find a way to get as much meat as possible off Me." he stood and went to go wash himself off, before they were going to ride.
"Wahoo!" yelled Bell, as she held on tightly to Lazuli. Ticky sped easily in front of Bullroar, leaping over a fallen log with moss and grass growing out of it. Bullroar leaped over it almost as easily. He was a heavier build, but it gave him just enough strength to get over it. Griff smiled as the cream horse in front of him slowly disappeared after the trees had swallowed them, wrapping them in the safety of their green leaves. The afternoon heat warmed Griff nicely, and he felt drowsy. They'd done a lot of work that day. And they needed to go to Ombra in a couple of days to get some more supplies. Griff let Bullroar down to a walk, rocking with the body of the horse. A few fairies tried to come and snatch his hair, but he shooed them off easily. Lazuli always tied it in a bun tightly, to keep them off, for they would love a good lock of her long, lovely hair. Griff laid down on the horses back, looking up through the tall tree tops, the orange light of afternoon twinkling through the green leaves. Green of so many different shades flowed through the forests, and different scents from each tree mingled in the air. Leaf litter covered the ground, and Bullroar was careful to avoid any rocks that might cause his un-shoed hooves to hurt, and his ears flicked around at sound Griff couldn't detect, even with a practiced ear. Griff just paid attention to the sky. God, he loved the sky, observing the clouds and sometimes their funny or likeness shapes. The stars and moon were just as fascinating, but never on the same night, for the light of the full moon can dull some of the stars light. When Griff was very tiny, he remembered nobody would look at the sky, fearing what they might see. A shadow of darkness and burning coal, roaring above you and raining down fear and pain…
"You look at home." Griff jumped at the voice, and hadn't before noticed how Bullroar had stopped in his tracks. Griff sat up and cursed to himself for not being more alert, letting his thoughts wonder. That'll get you killed one day. Griff looked down from Bullroar's high back, and saw a man with a smile that looked like mockery, hair to his shoulders and only a few shades lighter than Griff's. Three distinguishable scars ran down his cheek. Griff recognized him from the stories that he'd heard, and songs himself had listened to, learned and sung.
"I feel at home anywhere, as long as my family is there." Griff said. Dustfinger smiled in a mysterious way, but it faded when he said,
"You shouldn't be out here. The Wayless Wood is dangerous."
"Anywhere is dangerous, if you're not smart about it." Griff said. Dustfinger laughed, half-real half-not.
"Obviously you are smart about it. Tell me, the two girls on the cream horse that went by, that might be your family."
"The small girl my younger sister, the older, a friend of mine." Griff had dismounted to the ground, feeling weird being higher than a man who was basically a hero. The guy helped kill the Adderhead. Come on, ya had to give him some credit for that. And to top it, the man could give fire a soul. Can't get much more magically heroic than that. The Bluejay also.
"You should take them home again before it gets dark." Dustfinger said, looking to the sky. He meant dark in more ways than one. Death wasn't exactly seen as a lighter topic these days.
"I will." Dustfinger turned his head as the sound of hoof beats came towards them. Ticky came through the brambles, fast and panting, and Bell with tears streaming down her face. Lazuli wasn't there. Ticky stopped dead next to Bullroar, who Griff had to steady. Ticky's eyes were rolling and wild with fright, and her fear was wafting onto Bullroar, making him skit with nerves.
"Bell, what happened? Where's Laz?" Griff asked quickly. Bell was breathing hard, and trying to speak, so Griff reached over and pulled his little sister into his own saddle
"H…H," Bell's voice quivered as she tried to speak.
"Highwaymen?' Dustfinger asked rashly. Bell nodded. Dustfinger pulled himself onto Ticky and said, "Keep her safe." He then turned Ticky around and kicked her into a gallop in the direction of where Bell had rode from. Now…darkness had fallen.
Hahahahaha! I am usually not into writing cliffhangers, but I couldn't resist! Hahaha! Did you like how I brought Dustfinger back? He's my favorite character by far, Farid a close second. They are the lad of lads. Lord of flames. They are gods. so, there you go.