Page 92 (1/2)

‘Visitor for you, Dustfinger,’ he announced derisively as he lit the lantern ‘Silvertongue’s little girl wants to say goodbye Her father brought you into this world and his daughter will ht I wouldn’t have let her coe The child actually seems fond of you It can hardly be your pretty face, can it?’ Basta’s laugh echoed unpleasantly back fro behind which Dustfinger stood She looked at hiazed over his shoulder Capricorn’son a stone coffin The lantern Basta had lit gave only a dinise her face It was the face fro it was darker now, and there was no sign of any s herat her as if nothing else in the world existed

‘Mortola let her coer ‘That’s hard to believe’

‘The girl threatened to bite her own tongue’ Basta was still standing on the stairs, playing with the rabbit’s foot he wore round his neck as a lucky charie was speaking to Dustfinger, but as she spoke she looked at heron the stone coffin

‘What for?’ Dustfinger se s For reading aloud from the book’ If only she could have let the two of theht, now you’ve said your piece!’ barked Basta impatiently ‘Come on, the air down here could ie did not turn She clung to the bars of the grating as firer’ Perhaps she could think of some way to tell the else out of a story,’ she told Dustfinger ‘A tin soldier’

‘Did you, though?’ Dustfinger was sain It was odd, but this time his smile see can go wrong this evening, then, can it?’

He was looking at her thoughtfully, and Meggie tried to tell hi to rescue you It won’t work out the way Capricorn expects, believeto understand He raised his eyebrows enquiringly, and then turned to Basta

‘And how’s that fairy, Basta?’ he asked ‘Still alive, is she, or has your coet up and co on broken glass

‘She’s still alive,’ said Basta sullenly ‘Tinkling all the tiet a wink of sleep If she carries on like that I’ her neck, the way he does the pigeons when they poo on his car’ Meggie saw her mother take a piece of paper from the pocket of her dress and surreptitiously press it into Dustfinger’s hand

‘That would er ‘Take my word for it – I know about fairies Oh, watch out, what’s that in front of you?’

Basta leaped back as if soer’s hand caie the note

‘Daain, you hearround the paper ‘A note, eh? Well, well!’

Meggie tried in vain to keep her hand closed, but it was easy enough for Basta to prise her fingers apart Then he stared at her rowled, holding the note in front of her eyes

Meggie shook her head