Author's Note: Evening, all. Sorry this took so long. This is another case of a chapter running long and me splitting up what was planned to be only one chapter into several. Hopefully you enjoy. Also feel free to tell me if some characterization is wonky. This is my first Inkheart fic and I don't own copies of the books I can just open at anytime. So if you tell me someone's a little off, I'll totally appreciate it and I promise I won't take offence.

Now onto the long awaited sixth chapter of A Different Kind of Inkheart: What Now?

6. What Now?

"What are you!? Crazy!?" Elinor was running as fast as her little old legs could carry her, which wasn't very fast at all. Fortunately, Dante was stationary now that he had reached the edge of the property.

"Those people could've hurt you! Or taken you away just as he did with your parents!" Elinor said, between gasps for breath. "What would you have done then!?"

"Well, I couldn't have just let them take them!" Dante exploded, tears in his eyes. Now that the shock was staring to wear off his feelings were beginning to settle. And he was angry. What right did Elinor have to hold him back when his parents were in danger. "No one did anything to save them! You just let them go!"

"There's nothing we could have done!" Elinor shouted. Her voice wasn't pleasant. Not like his parents' were. "Look at us! A little boy and an old woman! Those men had knives and probably guns as well! And they could fight! If we had gone out there, we'd probably be in that trunk right along with your parents, being whisked off to who knows where!"

Dante stared at Elinor with large blue eyes as he absorbed this information. Eventually, he burst into tears, and she softened somewhat.

"Come on," she said, taking Dante's shoulder and steering him towards the house. "We'll call the police, and they'll sort this out. With any luck, this Adderhead they speak of is nothing more than an eccentric book collector."

So that's what they did. Elinor phoned the police from her grand entrance hall, although it wasn't very grand anymore. Now, besides the piles of ravaged books, a few drops of blood and even a bit of shattered glass was scattered across the floor. Dante couldn't bear to look at it. He only hoped the police would solve things soon.

Unfortunately, the police were no help whatsoever. While they seemed keen upon seeing the crime scene, they quickly became doubtful as Elinor explained what had happened to them.

"So, you're telling me, that three strange men, including one that had a tin nose, broke in here and destroyed all of this, just to retrieve one book?" Asked one of the policemen.

"Yes!" Urged Elinor. "How many more times do I have to tell you!?"

"And what book was this?" asked his partner.

"It was called Inkheart!"

"Inkheart…" mused the first officer. "Never heard of that one before."

"Must not be very valuable," concluded his partner.

"All books are valuable!" Shouted Elinor.

"Well, of course. I can see why you would think that," said the first officer, gesturing to the bookshelves that lined the walls of the grand entrance. "But I'm afraid we can't just launch a large investigation into one lost book. Books like that are lost all the time."

"But it wasn't just a lost book!" Elinor shouted. "My niece and her husband were kidnapped! Just ask little Dante. Those were his parents!"

But the police were unsympathetic. "I apologize madame Loredan but we don't have time for tall tales tonight. Our department is already spread thin as it is."

"Tall tales!? Tall tales!?" Elinor threw her arms up, gesturing to the wreckage in the room. "Look at the state of this room! Look at the state of that little boy!? You think I'm telling tall tales!?"

"Have a good evening, Ms. Loredan," the police said as they exited through the doorway. The doors were still off their hinges. "Hopefully, we can count on you to not clog up the emergency line in the future."

And that was that. Though Elinor did their best to convince them, the police just didn't believe her and by the time they left Dante was feeling worse than before.

"It will be alright, Dante," Elinor said, wrapping her arms around the boy's sobbing figure. "We'll figure something out."

"But what am I supposed to do without parents!?" Dante shouted through his sobs. Elinor's heart sank at this. Though her parents had never been kidnapped by, well, whoever had kidnapped them, she related to Dante's feelings of isolation and aimlessness. How many times had she asked her father to play with her, teach her and come to her school events only to be shot down because his books were more important? It was why, even though it was so alien to her current self, she could relate to Dante's indifference to books to some extent, because there had been a time when she'd hated them as well.

"There's nothing we can do right now," Elinor said with a sigh and a long face. "Nothing except go to bed and sort things out in the morning? Perhaps we'll have a plan then?" Dante nodded, wiping the tears from his face.

So that was that. With no further options Elinor shunted Dante to bed. He was still shaking by the time he reached his room. The lights were still on inside. The boy stepped inside but Elinor remained on the threshold, unsure of what to say.

She cleared her throat. "Good Night. And try not to have any nightmares. You know, about your parents. Because they're probably alright."

Smooth, Elinor. Real smooth that.

But Dante seemed too distressed to care for he simply nodded, whispered "Okay."

With that Elinor left the room, intending to go to her own bedroom and sleep all this off. Perhaps this was all a bad dream, and she would wake up in her warm bed in the dark to the sound of the alarm blaring because that boy had stayed out too late with his dark-skinned friend. And Mortimer and Teresa would still be in the library or perhaps in their own rooms, books cradled in each of their hands.

But as she walked across the house to her own room, her footsteps created deep echoes throughout the large house. Things seemed so empty now that all her books had been destroyed. Because that's what was missing. The books and only the books.

"Ouch!" Elinor yelped as she stubbed her old toe on one of the heavy books that has been laid to waste on the great hall. Cursing, she rubbed her wrinkled toe. Pain. Quite immersive, this bad dream was.

Morning came quickly to Elinor's house, at least for Dante who, despite, or perhaps because of the traumatic events of the previous evening, slept like a rock.

And although the bright summer sun bathed Dante's room in a soft golden light and filled it with warmth, there was a heavy feeling in his chest as he sat up in bed. The house was too tranquil, too quiet. His father and mother should've been up by now, loudly talking about their favorite books over the breakfast table as Elinor shouted at them to not be so loud, as she had reading to do too, ya know.

But they weren't. Instead, they were miles away from him in a dangerous and mysterious place and Elinor's house was silent as a funeral home.

Dante climbed out of bed and went to stand at the window, blinking the sun from his eyes. The vast garden that was Elinor's yard stood before him, and beyond it, the great lake that shimmered in the morning light and the long winding road he and his parents had driven on. The same one his parents had vanished on merely hours before.

It was then that Dante made his decision. The police may not have been any help whatsoever, but that didn't mean he was completely helpless. Dante grabbed the backpack he'd brought to Elinor's house and dumped its contents out on the floor. If he was really going to go on this journey, he couldn't afford to bring any extra weight. He'd have to bring only the essentials.

But just what was essential? Dante paced the room as he thought it over. Well, food and water were essential. Any idiot could figure that out. And he supposed he'd need a map too. And possibly a compass?

Perhaps he ought to make a list! Ah, but he'd need some paper for that. And to write Elinor a note as well, he supposed. After all, she could hardly be counted on not to panic when she discovered Dante had gone out on his own. Grown-ups tended to do that.

So, after tearing out a page from his current notebook (where he kept track of cheat codes, strategies and drew crude drawings of videogame characters), Dante made a list which – besides the aforementioned items – also included a flashlight, a change of underwear, a photo of his parents and his Gameboy. He realized one of these things was not like the others, but it was a long journey ahead of him and he wanted to keep his mind alert and awake.

Then, with another page he penned out his letter to Elinor.

Dear Elinor,

I hav gone away in search of my parents. Do not look for me. By the time you see this i will already be long gone. I promis to return when i save mom and dad.

Best Wishes!

Dante

Once finished, Dante admired his handiwork. Yes, this will do, he thought. I'll leave it on my door right before I leave.

Satisfied with the first part of the preparation, Dante got dressed and left his room to make a short trip to the kitchen where he would raid Elinor's pantry.

Only to run into Elinor herself the moment he stepped out the door.

"Dante! There you are!" She crowed. "I was just about to come wake you up myself!"

"What for?" Dante asked, his shoulders sagging. It was going to be a lot harder sneaking out of the house when this old coot was breathing down his neck.

"To have breakfast, of course. And to discuss our plants to sort this whole situation out."

"And what plan is that? Are you going to call the police again?"

"Oh, don't hold that against me! How was I supposed to know that law enforcement would be so dense!? We'll go in your room, and I'll explain it to you."

"My room!?" Dante repeated, aghast. He had left his note for Elinor there. If she went in, she would surely find it!

But it was too late. While Elinor didn't move fast he had been caught off guard and she strode into his room before he could do anything about it.

And she did in fact find the note.

"What on Earth is this!?" She shouted, upon having read the short letter. "Were you really going to go look for your parents all on your own!?"

"Well, I-"

"Kids, these days," Elinor said with a huff. "Why, they think they're practically adults! Thinking they can do anything they like! Pshaw!"

"Well, you weren't going to be much help!" Dante shouted. "You kept me away from my parents while they were being kidnapped! And after that you rushed me right to bed! At this rate they'll be dead before we get to them!"

"They're not going to be dead, Dante," Elinor urged. "We're going out to find them."

"We are?" Dante asked, his heart lifting.

"Yes, as soon as I figure out exactly where they are. There's been a bit of a mix-up you see. Oh, do you have to make such a mess of my guest room!?" She had finally noticed the pile of discarded clothes and game cartridges Dante had created when he dumped his backpack out.

"A mix-up?" Dante echoed, completely ignoring Elinor's second comment.

"Well, since you saw it earlier, you probably guessed that the book those thugs were after was the little green volume Mortimer gave me when you first arrived," Elinor said as she began picking up Dante's belongings and stuffing them back in the backpack.

"That's right!"

"Well, I kept a close eye on it, as I was advised… but I didn't keep it in the library."

"You didn't!?" Dante repeated. All at once dozens of questions erupted in his mind.

"No, I…" For the first time, Elinor seemed uncomfortable as she scratched her tight, white bun. "I put a decoy of the book in one of the display cases in the library. And the real one, I've placed on the nightstand in my room."

"What!? But why would you do that!?"

"Because I wanted to read it, that's why!" Elinor shouted. The red shirt she'd been clutching fell from her hands. "That book, Inkheart, it was called, is quite a rare title. Why I hadn't seen it since I was Resa's age. Not even in any second-hand bookshops or auctions filled with classics. It was one of your mother's favorites when she was young, you know."

Dante, who felt a pang in his chest when his mother was mentioned and didn't much want to talk about her asked, "So you couldn't find it anywhere? Books can just disappear like that?"

"Of course!" Elinor said. She had resumed cleaning up after her grandnephew and there was a pair of denim shorts in one of her bony hands. "Why, it happens all the time. Especially with older works. Most likely at least 90% of everything written before the Renaissance is lost. It was hard to keep texts in circulation when you had to copy every text by hand."

Dante pondered over that for a moment. The thought of any creative work going missing, never to be seen again, was a spooky thought. Dante wondered if any video games had ever been lost to time. He thought it very likely.

"So that means that those kidnappers went through all that trouble to take my parents for a book they weren't even looking for!" Dante deduced. "The Adderhead's going to be so mad when he finds out."

"I'm aware of that," Elinor said. She had finished repacking all of Dante's things and was zipping the bag closed. "That's why we're going to visit this Adderhead. We'll give him the book he's actually looking for and exchange it for Mortimer and Teresa. With any luck he's nothing more than a kooky old book collector."

"That… actually makes sense," Dante said. "When do we go!?"

"Well, it's not as simple as just packing everything up and leaving," Elinor said. "We need to figure out where this Adderhead lives. Not to mention we can hardly set out on such a journey with an empty stomach."

"Oh but-"

"I'm going to make breakfast and plan our trip," Elinor said. She was already making her way out of his room. "You just sit tight in the meantime. And don't sneak out!"

"But I can't just sit tight!" Dante argued as he followed her out into the hallway. "My parents are in danger! How can I focus on anything else!?"

"Focus on one of your video games," Elinor said, over her shoulder. "Or better yet, why don't you read Inkheart. I'm sure there's got to be some useful information in there."

Dante had never been so eager to read a book in his life.

This was something that had surprised even Dante himself. It was a well-known fact that Dante despised reading. It was why German was his least favorite subject in school and why his relationship with his dad wasn't as great as it could be.

But books were just so boring! Not a single book cover or plot synopsis had ever caught his eye before today. Not ever had they made him consider the possibilities and wonder just how this particular author would tackle this particular idea.

But this time things were different. This time, the book was drawing him in with a mystery that existed not within the pages, but outside of them. What could have possibly drawn this mysterious Adderhead to this book? Was it the same thing that had repelled his parents?

Dante studied the object carefully. A deep green paperback, the words Inkheart written on its spine in silver letters. The front cover didn't contain the title like all the books he'd seen before, instead only bearing an illustration of a heart set on fire and doused in a dark substance he assumed to be ink.

It looked intense. Dante liked that.

Dante opened the book gingerly, somewhat taken aback by the light crackling sound the cover made. He knew for sure paperbacks didn't do that. He flipped a few pages until he found the title page. The paper was thin and brittle. "Inkheart," he read under his breath. Published in 1976 by Fenoglio. Man, this book was old.

"Dante. There you are," said a smooth familiar voice. "I've been looking all over for you."

All at once Dante's blood ran cold. He chucked his copy of Inkheart at The Black Prince who staggered back in surprise.

"Where! Have! You! Been!?" Shouted Dante. "Do you know what's happened since you've been gone!?"

"I-"

"My parents were kidnapped! They're gone! Off to the Adderhead!"

"Dante-"

"And did you do anything to stop it! No! You just hid like a coward!"

"Dante, listen to me, that's not true," The Black Prince urged. He crouched down so he could look Dante in the eye and grabbed hold of his wrists. Though Dante glared, he didn't fight back and The Black Prince was able to speak to him calmly and succinctly.

"Do you remember what I said about the Adderhead when we first met? Well, I'm afraid the same applies to his men. Don't believe that just because they're his inferiors that they're inferior to him in malice or cruelty. The Adderhead has some of the cruelest soldiers you will ever know. And they travel in packs too. No matter what, you'll never face one of the Adderhead's men alone. There will always be at least one or two at his side.

So, do you see? Even if I wanted to fight the Adderhead's men, it just wasn't possible with me being so outnumbered. And I could hardly call you or your grandmother to fight alongside me. The only thing I could do was stay out of sight, so I'd be able to protect you later on when your parents were sent away."

"Hmmmm…" Dante pursed his lips. Studied the Black Prince intently, his mouth pressed into a thin line. "Elinor said something like that," he finally said.

"Really?"

Dante nodded. "She didn't believe we could fight those men off, either" he said solemnly, and the Black Prince's face fell a little. "But they did destroy the entire house, so I guess she had a point. And we're going to the Adderhead's real soon, anyway."

At this, the Black Prince raised his eyebrows. "You are?"

"Yup!" Dante announced, puffing out his chest proudly. Now that he was back with the Black Prince and on good terms with him again, his mood had improved considerably. "Elinor had been hiding the true copy of Inkheart in her personal storage so she could read it herself. The book that the Adderhead's men stole was a decoy."

"A decoy? He's not going to be happy when he finds that out."

"That's what Elinor said. That's why the two of us are going on a mission!"

"A mission? What sort of mission?"

But before the Black Prince could answer someone shouted "Dante!" from within the forest. It was Elinor who was coming into view as she rounded a thick, old tree. "Come inside!" She barked. "Breakfast is read-, why the hell is he here again!?"

She was pointing an accusatory finger at the Black Prince who smiled warmly at her. "Elinor. I don't think we've crossed paths very often. How are you this morning?"

"Not very well," practically spat. "Teresa and Mortimer have been kidnapped; in case you didn't know."

There was ice in Elinor's voice, even more so than was normal for her, Dante noticed. But the Black Prince either wasn't privy to this or was exceptionally skilled at having bad attitudes roll of his back. Dante was beginning to suspect it was the latter.

Either way, he answered Elinor's cold stare with an apologetic but affable expression.

"I'm aware of that," the Black Prince said with a soothing voice. "And I'm very sorry I was unable to stop it. You saw for yourself how dangerous the Adderhead's men are. I couldn't have stopped them on my own. Not if I wanted to live or avoid revealing you and Dante."

The Black Prince's words did nothing to assure Elinor. If anything, it seemed to make her more suspicious if the narrowed eyes, crossed arms, and pursed lips were anything to go by. "You know…" she said cautiously, her voice rougher and grittier than usual. "You sure seem to know a lot about this Adderhead. I don't suppose you two knew each other in a past life, did you?"

Dante gasped, catching on instantly.

"No Auntie Elinor you mustn't think he's a traitor!" Dante urged, alarmed that his great aunt could even conceive of such a thing. "I know he absolutely hates the Adderhead just as we do! He's called him nothing but a villain and a tyrant. And on the day before we left, I heard him in a conversation with my parents. They were talking about how to defeat him!"

But Elinor only scoffed at this. "Enlisting Teresa and Mortimer to defeat a tyrant!? They're nothing more than a bookbinder and a housewife! You might as well have led them into a lion pit! At least I wouldn't have had to get involved in all this mess!"

In response, the Black Prince sighed an exasperated sigh. When he spoke again his voice seemed to have lost its luster. "Elinor, please. I had nothing to do with Mortimer and Teresa's abduction. It was completely out of my control. I mean you all no harm. Honest."

"Please listen to him Elinor," Dante pleaded, giving his Aunt the biggest, saddest eyes he could muster. (He didn't know if his trick would work on Elinor to be honest, but it had worked on his teacher once or twice and she was infamously a tough person to crack.) "I've read the book. In Inkheart he's the hero of the story. Besides, don't you think someone who knows a lot about the enemy would be helpful in achieving our mission?"

For a moment Dante thought his scheme had worked, for Elinor's stony expression had softened somewhat, the lips more relaxed and the eyes wider, though her old arms were still crossed. But that did not matter. This was nothing the Black Prince's charms couldn't fix! For now, that Dante had gotten Elinor to consider the possibility, he was sure the Black Prince could take the next step and convince her.

The only problem was that the Black Prince's attention wasn't on Elinor. Instead, he spoke to Dante, asking, "What is this mission all about?"

His voice was filled with a stern authority that slightly cowed Dante. The Black Prince could be quite serious when he wanted to be. But Elinor was not only unfazed but galvanized by the Black Prince's show of strength. That stony countenance resumed on her face as she answered the Black Prince defiantly, "We're going to the Adderhead's and rescuing Mortimer and Teresa. What else?"

The Black Prince solemnly shook his head, unimpressed. "How many times have I told you all? The Adderhead and his men are a serious threat. And now you two are going straight into the lion's den with seemingly no understanding of how dangerous he is."

"That's not true!" Elinor said.

"It clearly is, if you believe you'll be able to just return the real copy of the book in exchange for Teresa and Mortimer. That's your plan, isn't it?"

Elinor's mouth formed a perfect "O". For a moment she was left speechless. "How could you… I never said…" She blinked. And then it clicked for her. "Dante!" She fixed stern eyes at him.

Dante sighed guiltily. It seemed every step he took just made things worse for everybody.

"I cannot, in good faith, let you two go anywhere near the Adderhead's base," The Black Prince said, concluding his argument. It's far too dangerous! Especially for an old lady and a little boy!"

"I'm not that little!" Dante shouted but he was ignored. Instead, it would be Elinor's argument that would change the Black Prince's mind. Or at least force him to begrudgingly come along.

"Well, what's your plan then!?" Elinor fired back, shaking her fist in the air. "Who knows how long Mortimer and Teresa will last in that man's clutches. And I am far too old and cranky to take care of Dante on my own. I'm not going to let that boy become an orphan, your highness! So, I don't mind if you disapprove of us taking matters into our own hands! But if nobody's going to help us, well then, you can't stop us from helping ourselves."

Without warning, Elinor spun on her heels and started towards the house, snatching Dante's hand on the way. "Come with me, Dante. We don't want our breakfast to get cold."

Dante followed her, feeling his heart sink the whole way. He didn't have a good feeling about leaving the Black Prince behind, and even less so about this feud he was having with Elinor. While he hadn't known either person for very long, he couldn't help but feel caught in the middle of the conflict.

Fortunately for Dante, the first of his worries would be solved very quickly.

"Wait. Elinor!"

Both she and Dante turned to the Black Prince.

"I still think it's extraordinarily dangerous to allow you two into the Adderhead's domain," he began. "But I can see that both of you are determined. And I do care about Mortimer and Teresa."

Elinor scoffed at that last bit, but the Black Prince continued, unfazed.

"It's a terrible idea to venture into the Adderhead's territory. But it's even worse to go alone. I have experience with him. I know his patterns and strengths and weaknesses. I know where he eats, where he sleeps, where he conducts his most important business. If you insist on going, then I can't stop you, but at least let me protect you throughout the journey."

Dante couldn't help but smile. All at once he realized how excited he was to go on a mission with the Black Prince. "Alright! Glad you're coming with us!"

Elinor was less enthused about the Black Prince tagging along but even she must have realized he'd be a good ally to have for she said, "Just don't do anything that'll make me regret bringing you along. Now come join us inside. I've prepared eggs."

It was evident though that, although the Black Prince and Elinor were on the same team, the ice hadn't thawed between them. The kitchen was dead silent as Elinor thumbed through an old atlas, its pages yellowed from decades of travelling and use. While older maps told stories of fallen empires and great wars, newer, more up-to-date atlases were for little more than school research assignments and therefore, unexciting. This was why almost all of Elinor's atlases were from right before the collapse of the Soviet Union at the latest. Why, she had struggled to find one with a map that listed the Czech Republic and Slovakia as separate countries.

For a woman who prided herself on owning a lot of books, she sure lacked a lot of practical volumes.

Meanwhile, Dante ate his breakfast which was not much of an improvement against Elinor's other meals. Things were so quiet he could hear how he chewed the eggs. And they were scrambled.

"Here." Elinor tossed the old book on the table. The page she had turned to displayed a vertical, double paged spread of Italy. "Tell us where this Adderhead's lair is," she said.

The Black Prince bent over the book, tracing his finger along the paper as he estimated exactly where in the nation his enemy resided. He pursed his dark lips in deep thought.

Finally, his dark finger fell to the SouthWest of the nation, just a little way past Naples. "Here," said the Black Prince, tapping the spot a few times for emphasis, "is about the place where I believe the Adderhead's base of operations to be."

"About?" Elinor echoed.

"About. He moves about somewhat," The Black Prince clarified. "A little bit more South, a smidge to the West. When he believes that the local authorities are catching on. But he never goes far, and he should be in that area."

"Man, that's far," Dante whispered in awe. Elinor nodded briefly, slammed the book shut so quickly and abruptly, the Black Prince almost got his finger smashed between the pages.

"Well, that's that, then. Just South of Naples, Italy.

"Better start packing, everyone. We've got a long road ahead of us."

Author's Note: Sorry if things feel rushed at the end. I got a tad bit sleepy there.

Let me know what you thought and I hope you're looking forward to the next chapter!