It had been a good hour before Farid had entered the house again. He had a triumphant grin on his face and a basket full of breads and cheeses in his arms. He saw Meggie sleeping on the pile of blankets and he bent down beside her.
"Meggie, look what I got!" Farid whispered as he shook her gently.
"Hm?" Meggie muttered as her eyes fluttered open. She saw the basket in his arms and her eyes went wide.
"Here, have some." He said and held out a loaf of bread.
"How did you get all of this?" She gasped as she took the loaf.
"I stole it, of course." He boasted. "It wasn't that hard, actually."
"You didn't come across any trouble did you?" She questioned.
"No, why would you think that?" He scoffed and hid his left hand behind his back.
"Why did you hide your hand?" She asked.
"No reason in particular…" He muttered. She reached behind his back and grabbed his hand gently. She almost let out a cry when she saw the cut on the palm of his hand.
"Someone cut you." She mumbled, fear clearly visible in her eyes.
"It was Dariad." He sighed. "He saw me stealing the food and he cornered me. He asked me where you were and when I didn't tell him, he cut me."
"This is all my fault." She murmured.
"Don't blame yourself. It was just bad timing on my part," He said softly.
"Then he must know we're hiding in town if he was in the marketplace. What if he finds us?" She asked worriedly.
"I promise I won't let him hurt you if that's what you're worried about." He reassured her. "Now eat before the rats come and take away the food."
"If I wasn't so hungry, I'd interrogate you a little bit more." She muttered and took a bite out of the bread. Farid pulled the block of cheese out and he split it into two pieces, giving her the slightly bigger piece. He could last a while on a small portion of food, but he knew that Meggie needed all she could get.
"So how did you get here? Into this world, I mean." He asked after a few moments of silence. "Your world sounds too perfect to be anywhere close to here."
"You'd think I was crazy if I told you." She sighed.
"I promise I won't." He said.
"Well it's a very long story," She added.
"We've got all the time in the world," He chuckled. After taking a deep breath, she began to tell him of Mo, Inkheart, and so on.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
"So is this where he lives?" Dustfinger asked as the trio stumbled up the steps of a small cottage.
"Yes it is, so please use any manners that you've been taught, although you might not have any." Elinor muttered.
"I know how to say please and thank you if that's what you're implying." Dustfinger snapped.
"Stop it, both of you. Fenoglio will surely kick us out if you continue to bicker like this." Mo scolded.
The two fell silent, but neither stopped glaring at each other. Mo knocked on the door three times and he heard the laughter of a child on the other side.
"Who is it?" A childlike voice asked.
"Mo Folchart; I'm here to talk to Fenoglio about one of his books." Mo replied.
"Grandpa, someone's here to see you!" The voice called.
After a moment of waiting, a man opened the door with a small boy and girl hiding behind him with curious looks on their faces.
"How may I help you?" Fenoglio asked.
"We'd like to speak to you about a book of yours." Elinor replied.
"Which book?" Fenoglio questioned.
"Inkheart, but they've probably been stolen by Capricorn by now." Dustfinger scoffed.
"What is your name?" Fenoglio asked Dustfinger.
"Dustfinger, the fire-dancer." Mo replied for him.
"More like the scar-face. " Elinor muttered.
"It's such an honor to meet one of my characters!" Fenoglio said and shook Dustfinger's hand, but instantly pulled away. Dustfinger had been playing with fire a little while ago, but it appeared that his hands still seemed to be on fire.
"The honor is all mine." Dustfinger said flatly.
"Please, do come in." Fenoglio insisted and the three entered the house, Dustfinger more reluctantly than Mo and Elinor. "So, what would you like to know?"
"We need to know how to defeat Capricorn." Mo replied.
"Oh...well I had him live in my book, so I have to give that a little thought." Fenoglio muttered and sat down on a chair. The children that had currently hid behind him were now running around the house.
"Mo has read his daughter into a book and he believes that we need to get rid of Capricorn before we try and read her out." Elinor added.
"How did he do that?" Fenoglio gasped.
"I have a special talent that allows me to read out of books, but I have read my daughter into a book." Mo sighed.
"Just like he did with his wife." Dustfinger snorted.
"I miss the little girl as much as he does, so what will it take for you to help us make it safe for her to return to our world?" Elinor asked.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Once Meggie had finished her story, Farid just stared at her with curiosity visible in his eyes.
"So you're dad read you into a book, just like he did with your mom." He clarified. "And this world is actually in a book."
"Pretty much." She sighed. "Since we're on the subject, I want to ask you something that's been on my mind for a little while."
"Ask away." He said.
"What happened to your parents?" She asked.
"When I was little, my dad would take me with him wherever he went. He was a trader, so I got used to it." He began. "Since my mom had died giving birth to me, I never knew her so it was only me and my dad. Anyways, we were crossing the dessert when Dariad and the thieves attacked us. My dad was killed and they were about to finish me off, but Dariad offered me to join their group. Since I had nowhere else to go, I agreed."
"That must have been traumatizing for you." She murmured.
"It was, but I eventually got used to the lies and the stealing." He shrugged.
"Now that we've discussed our lives, what do we do now?" She asked.
"There's a festival on the other side of town if you want to go." He suggested. "It should be safe from Dariad and the rest of the thieves. They wouldn't dare go there."
"Why not?" She questioned.
"That's where all of the officials patrol, and the thieves are the most wanted people in the kingdom." He replied.
"Doesn't that make you wanted along with them?" She pointed out.
"Since they usually leave me behind during their big robberies, I'm only known for robbing for such little things like food." He explained. "That's not much of a crime around here."
"I take it people steal a lot around these parts." She guessed.
"You got it." He smirked.
"Well in that case, let's go to the festival." She said.
"You'll fit right in, Meggie, trust me." He reassured her as they slipped out of the house.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Unknown to the two, Dariad had been watching the house from across the street in an alley way. He had followed Farid and seen when the boy had entered. Before the door closed, Dariad could see Meggie sleeping peacefully on a pile of blankets.
So that's were the little brats are hiding. Dariad thought bitterly.
He had their capture all planned out. His wingman Felix and the other thieves would corner the two whenever they went out and that would give Dariad enough time to catch them. They'd return back to the camp and their punishment would be dealt with there.
"Boss, are you ready?" Felix asked.
"Just get into your positions." Dariad hissed.
"You heard him; get to your spots!" Felix snapped at the other thieves.
After the thieves had gone off to their positions, Felix eventually followed after them to make sure they were in the right place. Dariad simply stood hiding the alley, waiting for the two to leave the house. He knew he couldn't catch the the two by himself so he had Felix positioned not too far away, the other thieves scattered around in the marketplace, where the festival was taking place.
The door to the house opened up and Farid was the first to step out. He looked around cautiously and Dariad slipped deeper into the alley, but not enough to block his view. Farid didn't spot Dariad and he ushered Meggie out. He protectively put his arm around her shoulder and they walked down the street, the girl laughing at a joke Farid made.
That look on his eyes...it's more than just caring. It might just be love. Dariad thought, the taste in his mouth turning sour. He absolutely detested love, or anything having to do with it for that matter.
Let's see how far he'll go to protect his precious Meggie. He thought to himself and followed after them from a safe distance.