Note: This is more of a let's-settle-down chapter... Not much, but I suppose it's pretty important. The next chapter, guess what, is going to be entitled 'Parting'. Please review!

Chapter Twenty - One: The Aftermath

Farid felt his legs buckle under the weight of the wooden beam. Dustfinger had hissed to the fire on the other end of the wood, making it shrink away and die. He, Farid and Meggie were attempting to lift the beam from Silvertongue. It was heavy, even for the three of them. Finally they got it off - Silvertongue tried to stand, but fell back again with a grimace. Meggie, pale-faced, helped her father get up with difficulty.

"You did a good job with the Adder, Silvertongue," Dustfinger commented, seeing the dead man at the other side of the room. Farid looked, as well. The Adderhead was just a forlorn pile on the floor. Wrinkling his nose, Farid turned away.

"We have to get out of here!" Farid said.

"We all know that." Dustfinger replied. "Silvertongue, can you walk?"

"I think so." Silvertongue answered. Farid winced at the sight of the blood on his shirt, and the nasty tears down the front.

Dustfinger nodded to Farid. "You and Meggie can help him. I've got to keep the fire in check."

The three began to make their way through the half-destroyed castle. Dustfinger went on hissing at the fire that threatened to burn them. Every once in a while Meggie would whisper something to her father, and he would answer her in a quiet voice. Farid said nothing. There was nothing for him to say.

Dustfinger reined in those wildly leaping flames with perfect concentration. They were nearly out - Farid recognized this area of the castle. But then Dustfinger suddenly fell. Farid cried out and tried to run forward, calling Dustfinger's name.

"Dustfinger! What happened!"

"I tripped." Dustfinger grunted as he eased his left foot out from a gaping crack in the stone floor. Farid saw that the ankle was slightly twisted.

"I think it's a sprain." observed Farid as he, Meggie and Silvertongue struggled back up again. Farid then helped Dustfinger stand. Gingerly Dustfinger put his weight on the leg, and winced.

"Damn it, what a good time to fall!" cursed Dustfinger. He attempted to limp forward, his teeth clenched from the pain. "No use," he called back.

"Come over here," Silvertongue said. "We'll help you."

Dustfinger obeyed, and stood between Silvertongue and Farid. Putting his arms around their shoulders, Dustfinger limped forward, still not stopping the whispering. Now the fire wasn't even trying to devour them. Farid knew they would be able to make it outside. He just knew.

Resa was terrified when she saw the smoke and flames rising from the Castle of Night. What if Meggie was in there? Mo? Dustfinger? She ignored the robbers and slipped out of the Badger's Earth. Elinor followed, calling after her and dragging Darius along behind her.

When Resa got to the castle she was faint with horror. There were people everywhere, rushing to escape from the castle. There was the Black Prince, with his sword drawn and bear at his side. But where was Mo and Meggie?

"Elinor! Can you see them?" Resa whispered.

Elinor shook her head miserably. Resa made her way forward, pushing past fleeing bodies and men with swords. Most of them weren't bothering to fight. It wasn't hard to get inside the castle. The few people who noticed what she was doing gave her looks that said - Die well, crazy one. Let them think whatever they wanted to. Resa didn't care.

Elinor and Darius rushed after her, calling her name. Resa barely heard them. Then, something grabbed her by the ankle and jerked her to the ground. Resa's heart nearly stopped with fear when she saw who it was.

Basta.

He looked terrifying - covered in ash, soot, dirt and blood. His eyes showed that he was beyond any reasoning - they were like the eyes of a mad dog.

"There's our little pigeon, eh?" he drawled, giving a harsh laugh. In his other hand, the one that wasn't gripping Resa's ankle, there was a knife. Slowly, ever so slowly, Basta dragged Resa toward him. Resa kicked out; tried to get free, but it was all in vain. Basta was strong, considering his state. The knife started to come forward. Resa shut her eyes and waited for the end.

Instead, she heard a sickening thump. Resa looked around when she felt the grip on her foot slacken. Elinor was standing over Basta with a long piece of heavy wood in her hands. Judging by the ugly lump that was already forming on his head, Basta had been hit, hard. Elinor's face was blotchy, as always when she was worked up, and Darius was staring at her with obvious admiration in his eyes.

"There! That should do it!" Elinor said, and threw the stick down. She helped Resa to her feet.

"Thank you," Resa managed to say. The air was thick with the smell of smoke, and the flames that were devouring the Castle of Night were terrifyingly huge. Resa could tell that it was Dustfinger's work. The silver vipers on the towers were charred and melted. Resa wondered whether the same thing had happened to the Adderhead.

Resa desperately looked around, trying to spot Meggie... Or Mo... Dustfinger... Then, Darius gave a cry. "There!"

Resa looked through the tears in her eyes. There! Four figures, emerging from the smoking castle. Resa could immediately tell who they were - Meggie, Mo, Dustfinger and Farid. It seemed like Mo was supporting Dustfinger. Meggie and Farid were on either side of the men. Resa ran forward, relief flooding through her like warm water.

Yes, they were all in one piece. Meggie was a little pale; the boy was covered in soot. Dustfinger's face was drawn from pain. Resa saw that something was wrong with his foot. And Mo... All the blood on him scared her, yet she knew he was going to be all right. His eyes lit up when he spotted Resa.

"Resa!" he called out to her, but she was already there, sobbing and laughing at the same time. Elinor and Darius came, too, and helped them come out of the destroyed castle's gates. Resa took Meggie's hand and ran her fingers over Mo's face. Only then she noticed the welt that ran across his cheek - anxiously, she felt the wound with her forefinger.

"I'm fine, Resa," he said in a low voice, "but let's get somewhere safer before we tell each other everything, shall we?"

For a moment everyone stopped to look back at the castle. It was burned down to nothing - just like its master.

The camp had been turned into an infirmary. All the wounded men of the Prince lay all over the place - some lucky ones on blankets, others leaning against trees or inside tents. Dustfinger chose to stay outside. So had Silvertongue. Meggie, Resa and Farid were helping the physician on his work - mending cuts, treating burns and broken bones... There were just so many injured people.

Nettle the moss-woman had come, as well. She was muttering about how everyone had to romp about and get themselves killed, but even she was more than willing to look after the wounded. Dustfinger and Silvertongue were leaning against a huge, gnarled tree when she came to them. Dustfinger motioned for Nettle to look at Silvertongue first. The Black Prince had bandaged him up as best as he could, and he had also put a cold canteen of water on Dustfinger's swollen ankle.

Nettle had opened up Silvertongue's shirt and unravelled the bandages. Dustfinger winced when he saw the nasty bruise and gashes on his front. Nettle's face wrinkled into a frown.

"Broken rib, definately," she said, feeling the wounds, and ignoring how Silvertongue's face twisted in pain. "And these... they will mend, but it will take time." Nettle added, looking at the gashes. She took out some bandages and a small green bottle. Then she began to spread the contents of the bottle on the wounds and looked at Dustfinger. "Now, what's wrong with you?"

"A sprain," Dustfinger replied, showing her his foot. "Not serious."

Nettle compressed her lips, and nodded. "I'll look at that in a few minutes." She turned back to Silvertongue and proceeded to wrap his torso in bandages. Dustfinger couldn't help but notice how muscled and lean he had become. It wasn't Silvertongue he was looking at - it was the Bluejay, a fully-fledged highwayman.

Embarassed, Dustfinger quickly lowered his gaze and let a tiny flame dance on his palm. Only when he felt his ankle burn again he looked up. Nettle had taken off his shoe, and was examining the injury.

"Dustfinger?" Farid had poked his head out from behind a tent.

"What is it, Farid?" Dustfinger called.

"When do you think you'll be able to have supper?" Farid was holding up a bowl full of... something.

"Later, Farid..." Dustfinger winced. "Or, perhaps you can just bring it over here..."

"I think I'd like some, as well..." came Silvertongue's voice.

Farid brought them each a bowl of cold gruel. With him, Meggie had come, too. She looked worriedly at the both of them. Nettle took no notice of any of this.

"We're fine... Aren't we?" Dustfinger said.

"Yes." Silvertongue replied as Meggie sat down beside him. She had barely touched her own bowl of gruel, but her father devoured his in less than a minute. Obviously he now knew the meaning of hunger.

"Well," said Nettle abruptly, standing, "it's done now. Try not to put too much weight on the foot," she said, looking at Dustfinger, "and try not to move around. I don't want to end up patching those up again." that was to Silvertongue.

"Thank you," Silvertongue said to Nettle. Dustfinger couldn't have said whether she had smiled or not. Even Nettle couldn't hide the fact that the Adder's death made her happy.

Meggie decided she would spend some time with Mo for once.

Farid was chattering away to Dustfinger, and Resa was still helping Nettle and the physician. Meggie, meanwhile, had nothing else to do, so she went out of her tent to find Mo.

He was standing by a tree, looking into the night sky with an unreadable expression on his face. But when Meggie went to him his face lit up.

"Meggie! Come here." Meggie came and stood beside him. He put his arm around her. They were both silent for quite some time.

"Mo... Are we going to go back?" Meggie didn't need to say where.

Mo didn't answer her for a while. "You understand, don't you, that we don't belong here at all? That we're going to be strangers in this world, no matter how much time we spend here?"

Meggie looked at Mo. "I know... but..."

"And you wrote Dustfinger back?" Mo asked without returning her glance.

Meggie just nodded.

"I don't know... We'll think about it, all right? Let's just enjoy ourselves for now... The Adder's dead..."

I am enjoying myself, Mo, thought Meggie, but why aren't you? Why?

She didn't want to leave the Inkworld - but did Mo?

There's going to be more... About two or three more chapters, approximately. Please review!

Haladflire65