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‘So where does he live, this--?’ Dustfinger did not finish his sentence

‘About an hour’s drive frohts of another plane were blinking up in the sky ‘So to wash early in theabout above the water, not er than the butterflies you have here, and blue as violet petals They liked to fly into my hair Sometimes they spat in loorht one and put it in a jar If I let it out at night before going to sleep I had wonderful dreaiants too,’ said Meggie quietly

Dustfinger gave her a thoughtful look ‘Yes, there were,’ he said ‘But Capricorn wasn’t particularly fond of them He’d have liked to do aith the that could run’

‘It ine it all: the giants, the trolls, and the fairies Mo had once given her a book about fairies

Dustfinger shrugged ‘Yes, it’s dangerous, so what? This world’s dangerous too, isn’t it?’ Abruptly, he turned his back on Meggie, picked up his rucksack, threw it over his shoulder, then waved to the boy Farid picked up the bag with the balls and torches, and followed hier went over to Mo once more

‘Don’t you dare tell that man about me!’ he said ‘I don’t want to see him I’ll wait in the car I only want to know if he still has a copy of the book, understand?’

Mo shrugged his shoulders ‘As you like’

Dustfinger inspected his reddened fingers and felt the taut skin ‘He ie looked at hier sie still didn’t particularly like his s else ‘What’s so unusual about that, princess?’ he asked quietly ‘Do you kno your story ends?’

Meggie had no answer to that

Dustfinger winked at her and turned ‘I’ll be at the hotel to back Farid followed hi who has found around and orange in the sky Before they went to bed, Mo pulled back the curtains so that they could see it – a brightly coloured Chinese lantern a all the white stars

Neither of theht a couple of orn paperbacks that looked as if they had already passed through the hands of several people Meggie was reading the book full of unpleasant characters that Elinor had given her She liked it, but at last her eyes closed eariness and she fell asleep Beside her, Mo read on and on while the orange n sky outside

When a confused dreaht, Mo was still sitting up in bed, an open book in his hand Thebut darkness to be seen through the

‘Can’t you sleep?’ asked Meggie, sitting up

‘It wasbit – and you know I sleep best onaround in ie turned to the bedside table and picked up the book of poe, passed her hand over the curved spine, and traced the letters on the jacket with her forefinger ‘You know so, Mo?’ she said hesitantly ‘I think I’d like to be able to do it too’

‘Do what?’

Meggie stroked the binding of the book again She thought she could hear the pages whispering, very quietly ‘Read like that,’ she said ‘Read aloud the way you do, andcome to life’

Mo looked at her ‘You’re out of your mind!’ he said ‘That’s what has caused all the trouble we’re in’

‘I know’

Mo closed his book, leaving his finger between the pages