Inkheart by Cornelia Funke Page B

around.
    Dustfinger made her a bow. Of course his face wore its usual smile. "Well, what a surprise!" he said, leaning over her shoulder and looking at the open book on her lap. "So it's here after all.
    You've got it."
    Meggie was still looking uncomprehendingly at his scarred race. How could he stand there acting as if nothing had happened? "Where've you been?" she snapped. "Didn't they take you, too? And where's Mo? Where have they taken him?" She couldn't get the words out fast enough.
    But Dustfinger took his time answering. He examined the bushes all around as if he had never seen anything like them before. He was wearing his coat, although the day was so hot that perspiration stood out in gleaming little beads on his forehead. "No, they didn't take me, too," he said at last, turning to face Meggie again. "But I saw them drive off with your father. I ran after them, right through the undergrowth, a couple of times I thought I'd break my neck going down that wretched slope, but I got to the gate just in time to see them driving off south. Naturally I recognized them at once. Capricorn had sent his best men. Even Basta was with them."
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    Meggie was staring at his lips as if she could make the words come out of them faster. "Do you know where they've taken Mo?" Her voice shook with impatience.
    "To Capricorn's village, I think. But I wanted to be sure," said Dustfinger, taking off his coat and draping it over the bench, "so I ran after them. I know it sounds silly to run after a car," he added, when Meggie frowned in disbelief, "but I was so furious. It had all been for nothing — my warning you, the three of us coming here . . . Well, I managed to hitch a lift to the next village.
    They'd filled up the fuel tank there, four men in black, not very friendly. And they hadn't been gone long. So I.. er . . borrowed a moped and tried to go on after them. Don't look at me like that
    — you can set your mind at rest — I took the moped back later. It wasn't particularly fast, but luckily the roads are very, very winding here, and I eventually saw them again far down in the valley, while I was still making my way around the bends above them. So then I was sure they were taking your father to Capricorn's headquarters.
    Not to one of his hideouts farther north, but straight to the lion's den."
    "The lion's den," Meggie repeated. "Where is it?"
    "About three hundred kilometers south of here, I'd say." Dustfinger sat down on the bench beside her and blinked as he leered at the sun. "Not far from the coast." Once again, he looked at the book still lying on Meggie's lap. "Capricorn's not going to be pleased when his men bring him the wrong book," he said. "I only hope he doesn't take his disappointment out on your father."
    "But Mo didn't know it was the wrong book! Elinor swapped them in secret." There they came again, those infuriating tears! Meggie wiped her eyes on her sleeve. Dustfinger wrinkled his brow, looking at her as if he wasn't sure whether to believe her.
    "She says she just wanted to look at it! She had it in her bedroom. Mo knew the secret place where she'd hidden it, and because the book they took was wrapped in brown paper he never noticed it was the wrong one! And Capricorn's men didn't check either."
    "Of course not. How could they?" Dustfinger's voice was full of scorn. "They can't read. One book is just like any other to them, just printed paper. Anyway, they're used to being given anything they want."
    Meggie's voice was shrill with fear. "You must take me to that village! Please!" She looked pleadingly at Dustfinger. "I'll explain everything to Capricorn, and give him the book, and then he'll let Mo go. All right?"
    Dustfinger blinked up at the sun again. "Yes, of course," he said, without looking at Meggie.
    "That's probably the only solution. .. "
    But before he could say any more they heard Elinor's voice calling from the house. "Well, well, what have we here?" she cried, leaning out of her open window.