**Soth is an added character to the series and is not actually from any of the Ink- trilogy.**

Meggie began to sob. She witnessed Dustfinger lose control of the flames and die, and watched Farid try to help him. Farid was also crying as he walked into the house.

Meggie had only seen Dustfinger fall due to angry flames, but she never saw Farid's part of the death making him seem innocent. She kept close to Farid almost wanting to grab his arm and comfort him. This was the Farid she saw a long time ago, one who was caring for others.

She still stayed to the shadows, following Farid and the lifeless Dustfinger. A sudden wave a guilt swept over her. She relised it was all her fault. Dustfinger's death was because she wouldn't hurry up the ladder. She also saw Farids arm had been burnt, probably from running through the flames to save Dustfinger. She continued to follow though. Eventually Farid stopped walking and began talking to someone. Meggie couldn't see who. The man seemed to be part of the shadows.

She tried to move closer but relised if she did the goblins would hear her breathing. She kept her position and tried to listen. She could hear Farids loud voice here and there through his sobbing.

Not my fault…Why?!?… No!!… She doesn't?… Fine j-just…help him… p-please…

That was all Meggie could hear Farid say, she couldn't hear the other man at all though. They moved away into another hallway. Meggie followed them but soon as the turned the corner a goblin grabbed hold of Meggie, holding down her mouth so she couldn't yell. The goblin lifted his hand to grab something behind him. It was a club.

He hit Meggie in the back of her knee and she fell to the ground. He quickly bashed her head with the club, leaving nothing but a little puddle of blood and his club in the puddle. He carried Meggie away.

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Farid brought Dustfingers body into the house. He was still crying knowing that he had killed Dustfinger. He continued his walk of shame toward the shadowy corner. He had a strange feeling that someone was following him but he ignored it. Other thoughts were flowing through his head. What would Meggie think if she found out? What about Roxane? She didn't like me much before now she will probably kill me out of rage! Meggie would never even talk to me after she found it. He continued thinking all of these thoughts until he reached the shadowy corner, and there stood Orpheus.

"Very good Farid, I see I can trust you now not to run away"

"You lied to me! You planned this all out!!"

"Perhaps, but it doesn't matter because you killed him not me"

"N-not my f-fault!!" Farid began to sob again as they talked about the death of Dustfinger.

"Well it doesn't matter because Ill kill you to! That is if you run away!"

"W-why?!? N-no!!!"

"Now, now" Orpheus went to pat Farid on the shoulder but Farid backed away. "No need to cry, Meggie doesn't know yet about your little murder. And she wont find out! Not as long as you stay with me, for if you leave I will make sure she finds out and you will go through what ever she puts you through, then I will finish you!"

"S-She doesn't know?"

"Not yet…"

"But what about him" Farid made a motion to the lifeless Dustfinger. "He's dead because of me! I have to go through life knowing I killed him!"

"I can heal him, as long as you do as your told, no matter what the task is." Orpheus had a grim smile on his face as he said this.

"F-fine… J-just help him. I'll d-do as you say." Farid began to sob again, trying to hold back his tears this time though.

"Then follow me." When Farid wasn't looking Orpheus made a small hand gesture to a goblin near the shadows, when Orpheus turned back to Farid and brought him around the corner the goblin captured a girl around Farids age. She was hiding in the shadows trying to hear what they had been talking about.

The goblin tried to keep her quiet but she let out a small scream.

"W-what was that? It sounded like M-meggie." Farid heard the scream.

"Oh nothing, probably your imagination." Orpheus smiled again, but right away hid his grim smile.

"I guess…"

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Resa continued to walk through the wood heading in the direction of the burnt tree. She crossed a path with strange foot prints on it. They had 3 toes on each foot, and beside these footprints were the footprints of a human. In her head she was saying things like I'm finally going the right way! Moe I'm coming!

An hour later she reached a puddle of blood. There seemed to be a note in it but she couldn't make it out because it had been sitting in the wet blood to long. She ignored it and put out any disturbing thoughts from her head. She kept walking along the path these creatures created when suddenly a green creature appeared from the bushes and grabbed Resa's hand! She quickly broke the grasp and ran as fast as she could trying to follow the path.

She looked back and noticed there were three more green creatures following her, and then the thought hit her. They were goblins. How did goblins get into Inkheart? She didn't remember reading about them at all in Inkheart. She kept running not looking back when another goblin cut her off. She was cornered

One goblin hit her in the back of the knee forcing her to fall. Another kicked her in the back a few times, making blood come out. Another one kicked her in the face and her nose began to bleed. None of them had kicked her stomach for some strange reason. They carried her out of the forest, and past a strange house with burnt grass in front of it. They didn't enter though, they kept running north. She couldn't talk at all because of all the pain but she continued her thoughts and the one that kept popping in even when she tried to get rid of it was:

Where are they taking me? And why?

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Roxane noticed that the only person who was listening was the Barn Owl. She went to Resa's tent to see if she had gone to bed early but she wasn't there. She went to Doria's to do the same and discovered a note. She read it carefully and began to cry. She had been left a camp alone. She quickly gathered her belongings and got the Barn Owl ready to go. They were going after Doria even if he didn't want them to.

Doria hadn't hid his footprints very well so the trail was easy enough to follow…until nightfall. Roxane began to shiver out of fear. She heard growling and foot prints that seemed to be going in the same direction as her. Then they would dissapear. She tried to ignore these sounds and kept moving. She couldn't stop or else Dorias trail would be gone.

"Barn Owl, keep moving we have to find him quick!"

"Im trying! This back isn't what it used to be." The Barn Owl came up with different exuses every time Roxane had told him to keep him.

After an hour or so she noticed a small fire up ahead, she decided to sneak up on it, to make sure if it was Doria or not. Suddenly something jumped in front of her. She let out a small shriek but then noticed it just passed her. It was heading towards the small fire. She ran up ahead to the bushes near the fire. She saw Doria, but he was in trouble.

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Doria quickly stood up, hand on his bow ready to fire. He heard a strange sound in the bushes. The 5 NightMares jumped out all surrounding him. He managed to scare off one of them by shooting almost all of his arrows at it, but there were 4 more to get rid of and only 12 arrows left. He was going to die.

"Back off! Get away!"

Doria put his remaining arrows and his bow away and pulled out his sword. He swung it in an arc so that the NightMares couldn't get to close to him without getting wounded. Another NightMare jumped from the bushes and swiped the sword right from Doria's hand. He was doomed.

"Stay away! Back off!"

Then a man popped out from the bushes with an amazing dagger with rubies and sapphires on the hilt. The mans voice seemed relaxed, even though he was near the NightMares.

"Beware demons! Get away from this man now before I send you back to where ever you came from!" Soon as he showed the dagger the NightMares ran off, toward the north.

"Are you alright?"

"Yes, thanks for saving me. What's your name?"

" Soth, and yours?"

"Doria. How did you scare them away like that?"

"This dagger seems to have something to do with them…" There was a rustle in the bushes. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, probably another NightMare"

"I will check, stay here."

Soth went up to the bushes where the sound came from. He looked around 21 years old. He was muscular and seemed he had a lot of energy for that age. He looked to be a rogue, or thief. Doria put that out of his mind since this thief had just saved his life.

Soth went to the bush and skilfully jumped over it and grabbed a young women by the back of the neck in one hand, and an old man in the other.

"Wait Soth! These are my friends!" Doria reconised the Barn Owl and Roxane right away.

"Doria! What happened to you and why did you leave" Roxane went over to hug him. Doria told her his story and Roxane told hers. Then Doria spoke again.

"Soth, where are you from and who exactly are you if you don't mind me asking. You've heard all about us from our stories so far."

"Oh I understand. I'm from Ombra. I am known as an asassain there. Getting hired where ever I can for as much money as possible. Apprently I am known as the best. Anyway this dagger was rewarded to me from the Laughing Prince a long time ago for spying on Cosimo for a while, until he was ready to be prince. It seems to have effect on these NightMare. And that's my story. May I join you to save the Blue Jay?"

"Well I think me and Roxane can both say that you can join us. We could use all the help we can get, escpiecially if you can kill well. There seems to be strange creatures in the woods. I have an extra tent packed you can use.

"Thank you Doria, Roxane, and Barn Owl. I will help as much as I can to rescue the Blue Jay and his family."

Doria and Roxane talked privately after about Soth, and decided he could be trusted for now but his asassain background made it seem as if the trust couldn't last long. The decided to trust him for now and later would test his trust again to make sure he wasn't a traitor. With Soth added to the group maybe, just maybe Orpheus could be stopped.