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‘And what about Dustfinger?’ Elinor’s voice sounded hoarse too

‘He was still where he’d fallen on the rug, sitting there as if paralysed, not er If you open a basket and see two snakes and a lizard crawl out, you’re going to deal with the snakes first, right?’

‘What about ie could only whisper She wasn’t used to saying that word

Mo looked at her ‘I couldn’t see her anywhere You were still kneeling a there with their heavy boots and their weapons I was terrified for you, but to h talk," Capricorn said finally, as I becaled in my oords "Never mind hoe arrived in this ician, or Basta here will cut the talkative tongue out of your , and I’d read enough about those two in the first chapters of the book to know that Capricornso desperately how to end the nightmare that I felt quite dizzy I picked up the book Perhaps if I read the saht … I tried I stulared athappened The two of the back into their story And suddenly I knew for certain that they meant to kill us I put down the fatal book and picked up the sword I’d dropped on the rug Basta tried to get to it beforewith both hands; I still remember how cold the hilt felt Don’t ask ed to drive Basta and Capricorn out into the passage There were several breakages because I was brandishing the sword so cluan to cry, and I wanted to turn round and tell you it was all just a bad drea Basta’s knife away fro, you’re in the middle of a story exactly as you’ve alanted, and it’s horrible Fear tastes quite different when you’re not just reading about it, Meggie, and playing hero wasn’t half as much fun as I’d expected The two of them would certainly have killed me if they hadn’t still been rather weak at the knees Capricorn cursedout of his head with fury Basta swore and threatened, giving me a nasty cut on my upper arm, but then, suddenly, the front door was thrown open and they both disappeared into the night, still reeling like drunks My hands were tree to bolt the door I leaned against it and listened for sounds outside, but all I heard wasrooered back, still holding the sword, and there stood Dustfinger in theon his shoulders He flinched, face white as a sheet, when I caht with the blood running down er I couldn’t have said "Please," he kept whispering, "don’t kill ler, just a harmless fire-eater I can show you" And I said, "Yes, yes, all right, I knoho you are, you’re Dustfinger – I even know your name, you see" At which he cowered in awe before ht, who seemed to know all about him and who had plucked hi an apple off a tree Thehis arm, jumped down on the carpet and ran towards you You stopped crying and put out your hand "Careful, he bites," said Dustfinger, shooing him away from you I took no notice I suddenly realised how quiet the room was, that was all How quiet and how e open on the carpet where I had dropped it, and I saw the cushion where yourAnd she wasn’t there Where was she? I called her naone’

Elinor was sitting bolt upright, staring at hi?’ she cried ‘You told me she went away on some stupid adventure holiday and never caainst the wall ‘I had to think up so, Elinor,’ he said ‘I ie stroked his ar, pale scar ‘You always told h a broken ’

‘Yes, I know The truth would have sounded too crazy, don’t you think?’

Meggie nodded He was right; she would just have thought it was another of his stories ‘So she never cah she knew the answer already

‘No,’ replied Mo softly ‘Basta, Capricorn and Dustfinger ca with our two cats ere curled up on her lap as usual while I read aloud I expect soed places with Gwin too,round the house Oh, I don’t know …’ Mo fell silent

Soie thought it was true, he would suddenly sie!’ Like the time on her seventh birthday when he told her he’d seen fairies aarden But the smile didn’t come this tin of her,’ he went on, ‘and when I caer had vanished and so had his friend with the horns But the sas still there, and it felt so real that I decided not to doubt my sanity I put you to bed – I think I told you your an reading Inkheart out loud again I read the whole da came out of it except a bat and a silken cloak, which I used later to line your book-box I tried again and again during the days and nights that followed, untiland the letters danced drunkenly on the page I didn’t eat, I didn’t sleep, I keptup different stories for you to explain where your ood care you were never in the roo aloud, in case you disappeared too I wasn’t worried aboutthe book ran no risk of slipping into its pages I still don’t knohether I was right’ Mo flicked a e off his hand ‘I read until I couldn’t hear my own voice any ie Instead, a strange little lass appeared inroom on the fifth day, and the post the mail into our letterbox I found his bike out in the yard After that I knew that neither walls nor locked doors would keep you safe – you or anybody else So I decided never to read aloud froain Not from Inkheart or frolass hed ‘He broke into pieces only a few days later when a heavy truck drove past the house Obviously, very few creatures move easily froet right into a book and live there for a while, but falling out of a story and suddenly finding yourself in this world doesn’t seeer’s heart’