Inkescape
Chapter 5
Mo and Resa were sitting together by the fire. Resa had put Matty to bed after he had yawned so hard he almost fell off his fathers lap. Meggie was still off with Farid. When they had gotten back, he was sitting there with a fire already going. Mo had immediately gone ridged. He had caused Meggie so much pain, what was he doing back? Resa had noticed and begged him with her eyes to calm down. He had climbed off his horse and gone over to the young man. "What do you want here?" he had asked "I'm here to see Meggie." The young man had answered boldly.
"And what makes you think she would want to see you?" Mo asked
"She will." Farid answered boldly
Resa came over and stood next to Mo.
"This is her decision Mo," she said softly "If she doesn't want to see him, then you can make him leave, not before."
Mo had stared at Farid hardly, then turned around and sat on the other side of the fire. Resa follow him and sat down, putting a comforting arm around her husband. Farid sat down, ready to wait for Meggie."
"And she went with him!" Mo thought angrily. Every time he came back, he left her and broke her heart. That wasn't the only thing bothering him though.
They had gone to visit Violente and the Black Prince because they had some sort of news for them. Mo and Resa had thought it was about the visiting royalty, but it had turned out to be much worse. Orpheus had sent a letter to Violente. "Orpheus!" Mo swore, " I thought he was gone for good." Unfortunately bad guys are never that easy.
"It's fitting," Mo thought wryly "what good is a story with no villain?" Orpheus had sent them a threat. He described all sorts of horrible things, things he said would happen to them all. When Mo and Resa got to the palace Violente and The Black Prince were waiting for them. They had been grave and Her Kindliness was holding a letter. "Where are the princess and her court?" Mo had asked them. Violente had replied "This is not about them, it's about something much worse. Mo had given The Prince a questioning look. "Give them the letter, Violente" He had said to her putting a comforting hand on her shoulder. She handed it wordlessly to Mo. Mo had read it first and gone all white. Resa had looked at him concerned. "What does it say?" she asked him urgently He had handed the piece of parchment to her. "Oh my…" She paled and would have fallen if the Black Prince hadn't reached out and caught her. Violente snapped her fingers and a servant brought a chair. Resa murmured a thank you and sat down. "Strange things have happened ever since you all came to my kingdom." Violente said in a slow practiced voice. "I don't understand how Orpheus would be able to make all these things happen to you. The Prince here has told me some things about it, but none of it makes sense. I want to know what you can do and where you came from over 5 years ago." After she said this she turned and sat down in her throne a few feet away. "You will explain everything before you leave." She stated. Mo raised an eyebrow. "Please?" she added. "Very well Your Kindliness," Mo replied "but it's a long story and even us men will want to sit." She nodded to a servant and he hurried off. He came back soon with two chairs. Mo sat beside Resa, but the Black Prince refused a chair and stood by Violente's side. "This will be very hard for you to believe, in fact you probably won't at first, but I swear to you it is the truth." Mo started. Looking straight at her. She nodded once again, indicating for him to continue. "It all started when I was just a boy…."
He started with the first time he ever read something out of a book. He quickly progressed to when he read out Dustfinger, Capricorn, and Basta, and read in Resa. He explained that when he read something out of a story, something had to go in to replace it. He told her how 10 years later Dustfinger comes back to warn them that Capricorn is after them. And how even though they tried to hide, Capricorn had captured them. Fenoglio made a plan and the Shadow killed Capricorn and all of his servants, except for Basta and Mortola, his mother. He told how they went to live with Elinor as a family and Dustfinger and Farid took off, with the only remaining copy of Inkheart. A year passed, and Farid showed up at Elinors house. He and Dustfinger had convinced another man, Orpheus (Mo said his name with disgust and The Black Prince looked enraged.) to read them back into the book. Orpheus had tricked them however and only Dustfinger was read in. Mo continued to explain how each one of them made their way into the Inkworld. "…..I know it is very hard to believe," Mo said "but I promise you, it is all true.
"I believe you." Violente practically whispered. "I'm trying to at least." The Black Prince put his arm on her shoulder. "This is the first I've heard the entire story as well." He said. "It's a lot to take in."
"So when Orpheus says he is going to do these things…" Violente started
"He can do it." Resa said clearly. "He can make anything he wants to, happen. It has torn apart my family before, and I will not let it happen again." She stood up, her voice growing stronger. "There is a way out there to stop him" She looked at Mo for support.
"She's right.
They all turned to Violente
"I may not know much about what is happening," She stated. "but there is always a way around it. Are we not the same people who cheated Death or several occasions? Did we not kill the Adderhead when none thought it possible? If anything can save you, we will do it."
"Thank you," Mo said quietly. "That means a lot."
The Black Prince who had been quiet until now spoke up "What about Fenoglio? He holds power in this world, does he not?
Mo had not told them that this was only a book, completely controlled and made up by Fenoglio himself. Only that Fenoglio had great influence over many things.
"He could write something Mo!" Resa said quickly "It could save us!"
Violente snapped her fingers a servant came to her side. "Go and get Fenoglio the court poet, he lives in Minerva's the seamstress' house."
The servant nodded and scurried off.
"If I understand this correctly," Violente started slowly "Fenoglio will write something, anything, and if you, your daughter, or someone else with this 'talent' reads it, out loud, it will come true?"
"That's right." Mo said. "We have the power to make anything happen or create anything imaginable. The only problem is that the enemy has the same power."