Inked

27

I will find the Bluejay and send him after you. That's what Soleil had promised. Soleil would find Mo and he would come to Meggie's aid, just like he always did. So why didn't Meggie feel confident? She had never much liked Soleil, but admitting that the girl seemed untrustworthy was too close to admitting that Meggie was jealous, something she was too proud to do. Besides, Meggie had Doria now. What did it matter if Farid had finally moved on, and with another fire-dancer too?

The sun was low in the sky, practically invisible beneath the canopy of the trees, casting odd shadows everywhere. Meggie was trying her best to ignore all the odd little rustles coming from the undergrowth, focusing on the one task at hand: get Farid out of Devondria's castle and hope Mo showed up to rescue her.

Easier said than done. Argenta Castle was a fortress of solid black stone, shot through with veins of silver, surrounded by masses of black-clad guards, the serpent crest of the Adderhead adorning their chests. If Meggie managed to get inside, it would be a miracle, and if she got to the dungeons, it would be an even bigger miracle. 

Unless she didn't even have to get any closer to the castle. Unless Farid was already out here in the forest, lying motionless on his side in the dirt ten feet ahead of her.

"Farid?" Meggie hardly dared to let her voice rise above an anxious whisper. He showed no signs of having heard her. In fact, he showed no signs of even breathing. "Farid!" She longed to rush to his side, but, reckless though she tended to be, she worried that whatever had hurt Farid was still lurking nearby, waiting for someone else to wander into its domain. 

But what was he doing out here? Soleil had shown him to her in the flames, and Meggie clearly remembered seeing Farid on a stone floor, through the thick bars of what appeared to be a cell. If what Meggie had glimpsed of the security so far were any indication, it made no sense that Farid could have escaped the dungeons, let alone the castle walls. 

However, curiosity and concern won out over suspicion. Meggie crossed the short distance in a most dramatically slow fashion. She had lived in the Inkworld long enough to know that things were almost always more complicated than they seemed.

Yet nothing and no one stopped her as she approached Farid's limp body. With one last cautious look over her shoulder, Meggie knelt down on the rough forest floor, scanning Farid for any sign of life, praying and hoping and wishing that he would wake up, turn around, and flash her that familiar smile. But that smile was the opposite of what she saw when she gently turned Farid on his back. His face no longer even vaguely resembled that of a human being. It was hideously deformed: burned black skin formed a grotesque mask over his once-beautiful skin, and where his gleaming black eyes had been, there was now nothing but dark, hollow sockets. 

Horrified and vaguely nauseous, Meggie laid Farid back on his side, covering her mouth with her hand in an effort to keep the sobs and vomit in. "Oh, Farid," Meggie whispered, wishing she wouldn't have avoided him quite so much when he returned to the camp after his year of traveling. Though she told herself she no longer loved him, a tear of sadness and remorse slipped from her eye, rolled down her cheek, and down towards Farid -- or what used to be Farid. 

But as the teardrop connected with his skin, Farid's entire body went up in a hissing swirl of smoke. Confused, Meggie scrambled backwards -- straight into the arms of a strong armored guard. A cry escaped her lips, ringing loud and clear throughout the forest. She got in a couple more shouts before a hoarse voice growled behind her, "Shut up!" and clamped a gloved hand over her mouth. Kicking and flailing, Meggie tried desperately to free herself from the guard, but he was massive and sturdy, a mountain of muscle and black armor. As she was dragged none too gently towards the castle walls, she thought dryly, Well, I guess I've found a way inside.