Soleil was feeling conflicted. Each day she spent within a few yards of the Bluejay -- for surely he had not shed his feathers so easily -- but she had not found out what she needed to, and the boy with the black eyes didn't seem to know anything about anything other than fire and toying with his former lover's emotions.
Her side throbbed when she walked, when she laughed, when she breathed. But if it hadn't been for that knife lodging itself into her flesh, she wouldn't have gotten exclusive access to the Bluejay's life. There was only one problem: She couldn't very well walk right up to the Jay and ask him where he really came from, how he had gotten here, and by what kind of dark magic he had cheated Death so many times. Some said he was on close personal terms with Death, others said he had bound a White Book for himself long ago, and yet others said he was a sorcerer from the mountains. It was Soleil's duty to figure out which, if any, was true, but her age made it hard to have a conversation with the man.
His daughter, Meggie, was a possible bridge, but apparently there was still something -- no matter how complicated -- between her and Farid; she turned green with jealousy every time Soleil entered her line of vision.
Lighting a small candle with a snap of her fingers, Soleil pulled out a piece of parchment she had snatched from the Inkweaver's bedside and began a letter to her mistress. Your Ruthlessness, she wrote...then crossed it out and cut off the top of the paper with her knife, burning the flawed strip in her palm. Dear Most Esteemed Queen -- that's better -- I have infiltrated the robbers' camp the Bluejay calls home. I have earned their trust, and I am devising a way to get him to divulge his secrets, possibly through his daughter, but it may take some time to earn her trust. I promise to keep you posted. Most sincerely, Flame-Spinner.
Soleil folded the parchment, allowed a large drop of wax to fall onto the edge, and pressed her seal, a spider web made of flames, into the squishy red substance. She would head into town tonight to have it delivered.
YOU ARE READING
Inked
FanfictionFanfiction of Inkheart trilogy by Cornelia Funke. Set a year after the death of the Adderhead, the characters in the Inkworld face a new threat. Violante's stepmother and the Adderhead's widow wants to wage war against Ombra so she can claim the kin...
