The Fire Eater: An Inkheart Fanfiction

🔥 No Witnesses 🔥

The servant they saw earlier was awake and stood in their way, a torch held in one hand and a kitchen knife in the other. "You killed my master," the servant said, his voice thick with emotion. "I won't let you get away with this."

Capricorn raised his crossbow, his composure relaxed and his finger ready at the trigger. The servant met his gaze with ferocity, his chest heaving with labored breath. Dustfinger watched the man's eyes. Nausea churned in his stomach. Capricorn's finger tightened. The trigger clicked. Before the weight of his decision hit him, Dustfinger grabbed at the crossbow, struggling to pull it from Capricorn's hands. The bolt released with a swish and hit the servant's outstretched hand. The knife flew from his grasp and fell to the ground.

He dropped the torch and it hit the floor, scattering sparks and smoke. The man screamed and clutched at his hand. His face twisted in pain. The torch extinguished, leaving them in darkness. The servant stood and ran off down the corridor. Capricorn ran after him.

Basta turned, fury igniting his face. "You let him get away." He grabbed Dustfinger's neck. "Now he'll tell the whole city."

"It was just one servant," Dustfinger gasped.

He released him. "Just one servant?" he hissed. "One servant could ruin everything."

Capricorn returned and stormed up to Dustfinger. "What were you thinking?"

Dustfinger swallowed hard, unable to meet his eyes. He backed away, his hands curled into fists at his sides. "He was innocent."

Capricorn narrowed his eyes. "Open the gate."

Dustfinger nodded and got to work, his head low. Once the lock was open, Capricorn pushed open the doors and led them out into the yard. They hurried from the scene, running through the property, hidden by the cover of trees. They climbed fences, and crawled across rooftops and down alleys. Dustfinger followed behind, his feet moving on cold ground, the eternal shadow of the castle hiding them in its cloak of darkness. He kept Capricorn in his line of sight, his heart thundering.

Dustfinger sighed with relief as they came into the slums, seeing the old church tower. It had been abandoned long ago when an earthquake collapsed the roof. They entered the rubble and wandered through the dust and dark, pieces of rotting curtains hanging from broken walls of stone. Dustfinger paused before the entrance and let the rope fall from his arm behind a chunk of rubble. Dustfinger ducked under decaying tapestry after the others and down to the underground, flights of stairs leading them farther and farther into the deep. This was the den, the latest hideaway for Capricorn and his fire-raisers.

The dim light reached them, candles hanging from chains on the ceiling, wax dripping down from above. Dustfinger brushed his fingers against the side walls, the rough rock scraping his skin, then lines of hardened wax smoothing it over again. He wore the tips of his fingers raw doing this, until his skin tingled and throbbed.

They entered the den and the rest of the fire-raisers greeted them, Cockerell, Flatnose, Fulvio, and Slasher among them. Most were near Dustfinger's age, and almost all of them were fellow orphans Capricorn had rallied to his side. Dustfinger set the crossbow on a table, relieved to remove the weight off his back.

Silvernose came up to them, his eyes cold behind his metal prosthetic nose. Allegedly, he'd lost the nose in a duel. "Was it successful?" he asked.

"Mostly," Capricorn said, throwing back the hood of his cloak and removing the mask. "We didn't get the gold."

Curses spread across the den. Basta stepped forward and crossed his arms. The den fell silent, the thieves' eyes glinting as they watched their leaders.

"Quiet," Capricorn shouted, throwing down his weapons. His voice pierced the hall, the ferocity in his eyes daring anyone to speak against him. "We restocked on weapons, that's what's important. There will be other times for gold, understood?"

The fire-raisers nodded and Maalik eyed Dustfinger.

Capricorn turned to Basta, his gaze speaking the words he did not utter. Basta turned and slammed Dustfinger against the wall. He gasped as his back hit, the air rushing from his lungs. Dustfinger grit his teeth. He squirmed under Basta's grip. The other fire-raisers were watching him with curious and gloating expressions.

Basta emptied Dustfinger's pockets and searched his sleeves, emptying his weapons onto the floor. He shoved Dustfinger hard, and he stumbled, his freckled arms scraping the ground. Basta kicked him in the back twice then pulled him to his feet and hit him across the jaw. Dustfinger grunted, tasting blood. Slowly, he pushed himself to his feet then whispered a flame into his hand, letting it dance in his fingertips.

Basta darted back, fear shining in his black eyes. "K-keep that thing away from me!"

Dustfinger winced and wiped the blood from his lip with his free hand, keeping Basta back with the flame.

"Enough of your tricks, Dustfinger," Capricorn warned.

The flame flickered from Dustfingers, fingertips, leaving a hint of smoke.

Basta picked up Dustfinger's personal knife and tossed it to Capricorn, who caught it in one hand. Capricorn walked forward, twisting the knife in his grip. He crouched down and grabbed Dustfinger by the collar, his gaze cold. He pressed Dustfinger's own knife against his throat. Dustfinger sucked in a breath and tried not to swallow, the blade's sharp edge tickling his skin.

Capricorn spoke in a low voice. "Your actions today are not to be repeated, do you understand?"

Dustfinger nodded.

He released him and sheathed the knife. "Take him to the crypt."

Dustfinger stiffened as Basta grabbed his shoulder. He fought the urge to lash out. If he resisted he increased the chance of getting his throat slit in the morning. Basta dragged him down a narrow hallway. They left the main den's light behind them and his panic rose with the darkness. Basta's hand shifted on his shoulder. Their footsteps echoed off the walls, creating an ominous clatter in the cramped space. A thick knot formed in Dustfinger's throat, making it difficult to swallow.

Basta threw open the gate and shoved Dustfinger inside. He stumbled down into the dark and hit his shoulder on cold stone. He leapt back, his heart jumping into his throat. He could just make out the grey shapes of stone, row upon row of stone coffins filling the seemingly endless expanse before him. Rubble and dust covered the ground. Strings of cobwebs hung from the low ceiling in pale, sticky threads. He shivered as Basta closed the gate. The doors shut with a heavy clang. All light abandoned him.

He felt his way to the wall, away from the coffins. He sat slowly. His bruises ached but fear stifled his groans. The air was prickly and had a strange musty smell resembling decaying leaves. He pulled his legs in tight and wrapped his arms around his knees. Dustfinger took long, deep breaths through his nose, trying to calm his fluttering heart. The rough wall behind him pressed uncomfortably into his back. This was going to be a long night. He closed his eyes, trying to shut out his fear. He was alone with the dead in the blackness.