I redid this chapter again, cause as i was reading over it I saw MAJOR mistakes that I had to fix. I started on this story about a year ago, so the chapters for the first few are before I had lessons about writing. So now I'm reading over the chapters and posting the new ones I fixed. EnjoY!
Dustfinger cursed several times as he thundered through the thorny bush
Dustfinger cursed several times as he thundered through the thorny bush. 'Hurry, hurry, hurry' was all that ran through his head. Ann, by now was back in Capricorns pale hands once more, keeping her even more guarded than he did while they were both locked up. His heart still tore as he remembered the girls' tears as she watched him leave. Ever fiber of his being wanted him to run back to the girl, take her in his arms, never let go, and lead her somewhere where they weren't hunted down.
But no, life couldn't be that simple. Not with Basta and the other black jackets hiding everywhere in the shadows.
"I still shouldn't have left her. Not even if Capricorn would have found us again. At least she wouldn't have to suffer alone, like she is now." His heart, now aching worse than ever, only caused him to quicken his step once more.
An hour later, he reached the terrifying gates that he once saw before he was back with Ann. Memories of what happened not a year ago, when Dustfinger came to this unknown world once more. The Inkworld was not able to show him much of what he missed when he was once again read into the terrifying place, only this time, Ann was with him.
Ann wasn't in the real world the last time he was here. The time when he betrayed Silvertounge for the book of his world. She would have been ashamed of him if she were along side him during that time, but all the same he knew that her kindness would see that he only wanted to return to the only family he had. She would have been proud of him when he told her how he then helped the man, his daughter, the annoying fat book woman, and Resa return home and become a family once more.
Resa
The very name made his heart hurt worse than it did. When he first met the woman, he felt something for her, something that he tried to call love. But there wasn't anyway that she could love him. She had a husband and a daughter, while he was nothing but a scarred fire-eater. Once he returned to the Inkworld, and met with Ann and the Prince once more, he then realized that Ann was no longer the little girl that he saw grow up.
No, she was 16 and more beautiful than Resa. Her natural dark brown reddish hair, along with her fire-eaters outfit that she wore, and her eyes. The emeralds that lay in her eyes glimmered with more joy than he thought a person could have.
What he felt for Resa was nothing compared that of what he felt for the girl.
Dustfinger picked the locks on the gate with an experts ease, and passed on down the gravel road. The very road that Meggie, Silvertounge's daughter ran down as Basta and his men stole her father.
He shook his head.
No, what's in the past is in the past. I've redeemed for my mistakes and now all I want is to return with Ann and go home.
He then arrived at a home that could only be called impressive by someone from this world. But Dustfinger had seen the home of the Laughing Prince, along with some of the most brilliant homes of Argenta while on the move with the Molty Folk.
None the less, Dustfinger walked up to the door of the home and quickly knocked upon the white door. Next to it laid the ridiculously labeled sign of the book woman's home.
Not a minute after he knocked, the door opened quickly along with a blonde head poking out, "Hello?" But once the blonde fully looked at the stranger, all Dustfinger could manage was,
"Hello Meggie."
The door quickly shut on the mans' face. Dustfinger chuckled; somehow he knew this was going to happen. Inside of the house he could hear yelling along with quick steps that were returning to the door.
Once again the door opened, but this time it was not Meggie who opened it, but the very man that Dustfinger wanted to see. Silvertounge had grown older it looked. His once dark moleskin hair had signs of little gray, along with a look of tiredness on it. As usual Silvertounge's face was an open book with emotions, and the emotion he showed now was nothing but anger.
"What in the blazes are you doing here Dustfinger?!" Silvertounge almost shouted. "How on Earth did you come back? The last time I saw you, you disappeared inside of Inkheart. I read you back just as you wanted along with the help of Fenoglio."
The fire-eater sighed. How could he explain this one? Dustfinger had no idea how he and Ann were read into this world. For him, it was again. They were both at a performance in Ombra, the next thing they knew they were in front of Capricorn and his men, no reader in sight.
"Listen Silvertounge-." Dustfinger started, but was interrupted.
"NO! I will not listen to you anymore Dustfinger! I told you that after we got Meggie back from Capricorn that we were at quits. That I would send you home with the author's words, and then go back to my life with my wife and daughter."
Dustfinger tried again, "I know, I remember. But-."
Silvertounge yet again interrupted, "Two years, that's how long it's been since you last stood at my homes door, and yet again here you stand at the door. What more could you want, I mean-" Silvertounge kept trailing with words, but Dustfinger wasn't listening to them, his anger was rising.
Resa now was standing at the door besides her husband, holding her hand on his shoulder, looking at Dustfinger with confusion, and shock. Dustfinger ignored her, and then Meggie and Elinor could be seen inside of the hallway of the house, looking upon the yelling.
"-It's not like something could be wrong, we don't have the book and-."
"SILVERTOUNGE SHUT UP!" Dustfinger finally bellowed.
He had had enough; he needed this man's help desperately. And while Ann lay in the hands of Capricorn nothing was going to help her while Silvertounge lay babbling at his door.
"Capricorns back." Dustfinger muttered after a moment of silence.
Resa suddenly had tears in her eyes, memories of her being a maid flooding back into her mind. Silvertounge's once red face, now was as pale as milk. Dustfinger could see that Elinor, who lay behind the door, instantly ran to the door, pushed the pale man aside and was now standing in his face.
"What in the hell do you think your playing at you bloody matchstick eater?! We saw what happened when Mortimer read that paper that the old man wrote. How that dark creature was the death of the man! Along with his burly men of black jackets! I certainly haven't seen B-Basta at my doorstep so we can only assume that he is dead along with his vile, cretin of a master." The woman's face was flushed. She too had aged over the year, but she was old anyhow, so Dustfinger couldn't see a difference that much. But it seemed that her fear of the knifeman hadn't changed one bit.
"Well you better start believing in me now, because somehow Capricorns back, and he is coming for all of you." He could see that Silvertounge was going to say something but Dustfinger beat him to it. "No I'm not lying this time Silvertounge. Trust me; I've had enough with Basta, Flatnose, Cockerell, and the rest of the black jackets. I just want to get on with my life and home.
Meggie, who had remained silent after all the talking, suddenly spoke up as if her voice left and now returned. It was dry and cold.
"Why should we believe you?" Her voice didn't suit someone so young. It reminded him of when she found out that he had betrayed her to Capricorn, and wished for him to choke on his own smoke.
It was cold and harsh.
He could understand her untrustworthy mood towards him, but that didn't mean that he needed to go through this at this time.
"Because princess, I know what I did in the past was something truly unforgivable, and I can understand what you are feeling right now. But I learned my lesson, and wouldn't come to your peaceful home and stir fear into your hearts for the joy of it. Remember I'm Dustfinger, not one of the black jackets."
Elinor snorted, as if there was something truly funny about the whole matter. Dustfinger looked at her, dead seriousness in his eyes. "If you could clearly remember bookworm, Basta knows where you live, and I can assure you that after the incident with the Shadow, that he is dying to come and find you once again. He probably has a new knife by now."
That immediately made the woman instantly reach for her neck, her face as red as a beet.
"If I remember correctly, Dustfinger, it's thanks to you that they know where she lives. After all, you were the one who showed them the way here." Silvertounge now once again spoke up, the color returning to his face. "That's why I don't think it's necessary to trust you at all. Yes, you did help me get Meggie back, but in all honesty I know that you only helped to get the book. I won't endanger my family anymore. Of course you wouldn't know about family, all you have to worry about is yourself-."
Dustfinger looked at the man with scorn and venom, but it was soon replaced with despair.
Those words struck home. Dustfinger knew that he was never one to show his feelings open like Silvertounge, but as he said those few words, he felt everything come crashing down on him.
The fire-eater sunk down to his knees, tears brimming his scarred face. Never once, in his whole life had he ever broke down like this. Usually he kept all of his emotions bottled up.
"H-he has Ann. She's a girl, one that I deeply care for." Dustfinger breathed, "W-when I came b-back she came with me, and Capricorn took her from me, I needed help. I-I had to come and find you. You are the only one that can help me get A-Ann back." Dustfinger looked up at the shocked and saddened face of Silvertounge. Dustfinger took yet another big gulp of air and pushed back the tears. He knew that tears didn't help anything and it surly wouldn't help Ann at all.
"Silvertounge, I know that you think me heartless, and that I don't have a care for anyone in the world, yours or mine. But you're wrong. Ann means the world to me. She is all I have left of a family here. If I lose her, then…then there is nothing left to live for."
Silence beheld them all, each wore a different expression. Silvertounge with confusion, Resa with sadness, Elinor with shock, and Meggie with nothing. Yet Meggie was the one who broke the silence.
"Mo…," She looked up at her father. "I know that Dustfinger has done wrong things in the past, but," She looked at the fire-eater. "Mo we need to help him get this 'Ann' back. She hasn't done anything to us and you can see that he cares a lot for her. You would do the same for Resa if it were you."
With the mention of his wife, Silvertounge held Resa close to him. Her hands telling him that Meggie was right and that they should help. Elinor had disappeared into the giant house.
Dustfinger, who felt that if he said one more thing, then his whole world, would fall apart. But then Silvertounge said the most unexpected thing ever. He smiled and said, "Why don't you come inside then and tell us about Ann then. After all, it's better to know the person that were going to save don't you think?"
Happiness flowed through the fire-eaters veins as he hadn't felt since he saw Inkheart and everyone again.
YOU KNOW WHAT TO DO! R&R AND YOU WILL GET MORE!