The Fire Eater: An Inkheart Fanfiction

🔥 The Black Prince 🔥

It didn't take long to get back up to the old church. Dustfinger walked past the rotten pews and retrieved his rope from its hiding place in the pulpit. Coming into the back room, he stood on the steps to the bell tower. An old, rotting rope hung from the tower, knotted up in the pulley. The bell had fallen long ago and was now sitting in a hole under the broken floorboards. He stared up at the tower's expanse. A flutter of excitement filled his chest.

He climbed up on pieces of broken rubble, twisting the rope in his hands. Grabbing hold of the brick walls, he pulled himself upward and used the uneven bricks as footholds. Dustfinger climbed up to the lowest window, standing with his feet on the sill. He looked down at the houses below. No one walked the streets this time of night, so he didn't need to worry about being seen. He threw the rope over a rafter and caught the end, so it was now looped over the beam.

Dustfinger climbed up the wall, using the rope for support until he made it to the beam. Then he picked up the rope and threw it over the second beam and climbed again. Soon, he was almost to the top. He looked down at the broken floor below and saw the old bell underneath, sitting in the dust, its surface tarnished from rain and weather. It looked small from where he sat on the beam, his legs dangling over the edge.

A breeze rustled through his hair and he looked up. The sky stretched above him, the stars an endless sea. He took in the fresh air, letting it fill his lungs and chase away his anxieties. Dustfinger gazed out over the heart of the kingdom of Argenta. The slum rooftops stretched before him, then faded into the alleys between them and the city's wealth. His heart sunk in his chest. He couldn't see beyond the dark forests. He sighed.

"Dustfinger!" Maalik called out to him from the base of the bell tower. "Are you there?"

He made his way to the ground, sliding down on the rope to save time. As Maalik came nearer in view, he called down to him. "What is it?"

"Come down," The black prince demanded.

Dustfinger sighed and jumped off the last beam onto the rubble, careful to bend his knees when he made impact. He slid down to the floor and edged away from the hole in the floorboards.

Maalik smiled. His black eyes were bright and curious, and his dreadlocks decorated his strong shoulders. "What were you doing up there?"

"I like to come here to be alone. It's quite the view."

Maalik peered up at the dilapidated bell tower. "Well, be careful. It doesn't look very safe."

"Since when do you care about safety?"

He raised an eyebrow. "Just promise you won't break your neck."

"I'll try not to die if that makes you feel better." Dustfinger wiped the sweat on his forehead and shrugged. "Sorry, I guess I just don't like being cooped up in the dark all the time."

"It's okay." Maalik pulled a warm bread roll from his pocket, "I swiped you a bite to eat."

This brought a slight smile to Dustfinger's lips. He and Maalik had bonded over stealing pastries as young orphans. They'd been caught a couple of times, and once ended up pilliared together as a punishment. They sat together now, watching the stars and the silver castle in the distance.

"What do you think Capricorn is planning?" Maalik asked. "He's been reckless lately. I don't like it."

Dustfinger swallowed a bite of bread and handed the rest to his friend. "I don't know," he said. "I get the feeling something big is happening."

"Do you think he'll take us back to the Castle of Night? The Adderhead is ruthless. Now that Snaketongue is dead, he'll be the reigning prince."

Dustfinger nodded. "Capricorn had me keep tabs on the guards. Whatever his next move is, we'll have to go back there."

While they talked, Dustfinger lit a small flame in his hand and let it dance between his fingers.

Maalik sighed, ripping a bite of the roll with his teeth. "You know, I always dreamed of doing more. I wanted to get out of Argenta, maybe even join the strolling players."

"You already do so much for them," Dustfinger said. His friend had stolen money to give to the motley folk on more than one occasion. They respected and revered him, sometimes more than the Adderhead himself.

"Maybe it's not enough," Maalik said. "Maybe I want to do more. There are children starving, families struggling to make it to their next meal. The fire-raisers helped us survive, but they do nothing to help the people." He shook his head. "Sometimes I think we don't need them anymore."

"Let's leave together then," Dustfinger said. "Let's leave Argenta for good. We'll go where Capricorn will never find us, somewhere far from his reach."

Maalik smiled his way. "I'd like that, fire-eater. I'd like that very much."

"Then shake on it." Dustfinger spit into his palm and held out his hand.

The black prince spit into his own palm and shook Dustfinger's hand in a binding promise. "You have yourself a deal, Dusty. Survive tomorrow, and we'll go together."

Dustfinger grinned. "Deal."