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Dustfinger ran his finger along the edge of the table ‘All I’ to tell you is that he wants this book And that’s why you’d better give it to him I once knew hisjust because Capricorn took a fancy to the ie quietly

‘Of course,’ replied Dustfinger, looking at her thoughtfully ‘Believeoutside the door looking up at their– or their children’sCapricorn usually gets what he wants within a couple of days, !’ said Elinor ‘He wouldn’t have got ain, s like that!’ snapped Elinor And, turning to Meggie, she added, ‘You’d better pack a few things! We set off within the hour It’s about ti to leave the book with this Capri-what’s-his-na hands’

They were going in Elinor’s estate car, although Dustfinger would have preferred to travel in Mo’s ca like that,’ said Elinor, duer’s arms a cardboard box full of provisions for the journey ‘Anyway, Mortier had an answer on the tip of his tongue, but chose to keep it to hiht so the box over to Elinor’s car

‘Heavens above, who said anything about that? I intend to be back here to my books on their own for er rolled his eyes up at the sky, as if ht be expected there than in Elinor’s head, and began cla into the back seat, but Elinor stopped hi hi’

But Dustfinger gave her back the keys ‘I can’t drive,’ he said ‘It’s bad enough sitting in a car, neverwheel, shaking her head ‘Well, you’re an oddity and no er seat beside her ‘And I hope you really do knohere Meggie’s father is, or you’ll find out that this Capricorn of yours isn’t the only person to be frightened of around here!’

Meggie wound down heras Elinor started the engine She looked back at Mo’s van It felt bad leaving it behind here, worse than leaving a house, even this one Strange as a place ht be, the camper van meant that Mo and she always had a bit of ho was fa in the boot of the estate car She had also packed a few things for Mo – and two of her books

‘Interesting choice!’ Elinor had co for the books, an old-fashioned oneover your shoulder ‘These stories about the ill- journey to dark places Have you read theie had nodded ‘Lots of ti the bindings before she put the books in the bag She could remember every detail of the day when Mo had rebound them

‘Oh dear, don’t look so dis at her with concern ‘You just wait – our journey isn’t going to be half as bad as those hairy-footed people’s quest It will be lad to feel as sure of that herself The book that was the reason for their own journey was in the boot, under the spare tyre Elinor had put it in a plastic bag ‘Don’t let Dustfinger see where it is!’ she urged Meggie, before putting it into her hands ‘I still don’t trust hier She wanted to trust him She needed to trust him Who else could lead her to Mo?

13

Capricorn’s Village

‘But to the last question,’ Zelig replied, ‘he probably flew to beyond the Dark Regions, where people don’t go and cattle don’t stray, where the sky is copper, the earth iron, and where the evil forces live under roofs of petrified toadstools and in tunnels abandoned by er,

Naftali the Storyteller

The sun was already high in the cloudless sky when they set off Soon the air was so hot andto her skin with sweat Elinor opened herand passed a bottle of water round She herself earing a knitted jacket buttoned up to her chin, and when Meggie wasn’t thinking of Mo or Capricorn she wondered whether Elinor er sat on the back seat, so silent that you could alotten he was there He had put Gwin on his lap The er’s hands restlessly stroked his fur, passing over it again and again Now and then Meggie turned to look at hi out of theindifferently, as if he were looking straight through theby outside His expression see far away, and once, when Meggie glanced round, there was such sadness on his scarred face that she quickly turned to look out of the windscreen ahead of her

She would have liked to have an ani journey Perhaps it would have driven away the dark thoughts that insisted on coently unfolding her Sometirey and rocky sides But worse than the mountains were the tunnels Pictures seemed to lurk in them that not even Gwin’s war there in the darkness, waiting for Meggie: pictures of Mo in soie knew it h his face was different every ti for a while, but soon noticed that she wasn’t taking in a word of what she read, so she gave it up and stared out of thelike Dustfinger Elinor chose minor roads without ,’ she said It ie She just wanted to arrive She looked impatiently at the mountains, and the houses where other people lived So the other way, she caught a glione, like a book you open then close at once When they were driving through one village she saw a razed knee of a tearful little girl He was stroking her hair co how often Mo had done that for her, how he so when he couldn’t find a plaster in tiht tears to her eyes

‘Heavens above, it’s quieter in here than in a Pharaoh’s burial chaht she said ‘Heavens above’ rather a lot) ‘Couldn’t one of you at least say so now and then? "Oh, what a lovely landscape!", for instance, or, "That’s a very fine castle!" If you keep as deathly quiet as this I’ll be falling asleep at the wheel any le button of her knitted jacket