Inkheart

Dustfinger hides in Basta’s house. He eats in Basta’s kitchen and frees Tinkerbell, who Basta has been keeping in a glass jug. He laments that they don’t speak the same language, and muses that if Meggie and Mo’s world had more fantastical creatures, he might’ve been able to settle into it. He debates running away, but not seriously, as he is still determined to stay near Inkheart. He tells Tinkerbell to stay in Basta’s house, and she stays by the window, “as if she [can’t] decide between the hot room and the strange freedom to be found outside” (474).

Fenoglio writes frantically, trying to come up with an ending he is happy with that will ensure their safety from the Shadow. Outside, Meggie hears the guards excitedly discussing the execution that will take place that evening. Finally, Fenoglio comes up with an ending that he is happy with. He gives it to Meggie to read silently. Mortola comes to collect Meggie and orders her to wear a white dress. Meggie is scared and miserable, longing for her father. Fenoglio suggests he write a story about Meggie in the future, “and how [she saves them] all with [her] voice” (479). They plan for Meggie to hide Fenoglio’s papers in her sleeve, and Fenoglio cheers her up until Mortola comes back to fetch her. Mortola comments that Meggie reminds her of someone, but she isn’t sure who.

Farid and Mo quietly make their way into the village. They see the raised platform Meggie will read from, and many benches set up for spectators. They wait until Meggie is taken from Capricorn’s house, with Farid urging Mo not to run to Meggie. Mo strikes down a guard with the butt of his own rifle. They overhear that Dustfinger managed to escape, and Farid is delighted. As they look through Dustfinger’s backpack for materials to start a fire, Mo finds the photo of Resa; Farid mentions that Dustfinger is probably in love with her. Mo shakes off his shock, and he and Farid light a torch and throw it into Capricorn’s house, starting a fire.

Elinor and Resa quietly communicate about Meggie and Mo. Elinor whispers in her ear and Resa writes on paper, as they don’t want Basta, in the cell next door, to know of their connection. Basta, who has been sentenced to die, is morose and withdrawn, which annoys Elinor.

Elinor, Resa, and Basta are taken to a cage in the arena that has been set up. Mortola brings Meggie out, and Elinor pretends that she isn’t a prisoner. Capricorn addresses the crowd, explaining that the prisoners will die for their crimes of “treachery, loose talk, and stupidity” (497). Capricorn tells the crowd that Dustfinger and Mo are dead; Elinor tries to reassure Resa and Meggie that he is lying.

Capricorn orders Meggie to begin reading. Darius produces the box containing the snakes and the copy of Inkheart. Mortola tells Meggie that if she stumbles while she is reading, she will have Fenoglio’s throat cut. Flatnose hurries to Capricorn’s side and whispers to him; Capricorn orders some men to go put out the fire. The crowd begins to murmur, and someone says “Dustfinger,” but Capricorn angrily reminds them that he is dead. Meggie boldly declares that he lives on in Inkheart. Meggie hears a “tick-tick” sound and recognizes it as Mo imitating the crocodile from Peter Pan. Before she can react, Mortola slaps her and orders her to read.

Meggie opens the book. She instructs no one to interrupt her, hoping that Mo will hear her and refrain from interfering with Fenoglio’s plan. Fenoglio, providing a distraction for her to pull the paper from her sleeve, embarks on a loud declaration about his unhappiness that the story is being used to initiate murder. He pretends to run away, which gives Meggie time to slip the new paper into the book.

He is silenced, and Meggie begins to read. At the allotted line, she starts to read Fenoglio’s words. Mortola realizes that there is another paper and tries to snatch it away.

The Shadow is summoned and watches Meggie, waiting for her to finish reading. Meggie cannot bring herself to read the line that kills Capricorn, but just as she despairs at her own weakness, Mo and Farid join her on the stage. Mo finishes, instructing the Shadow to kill Capricorn: “And Capricorn fell down on his face, and his black heart stopped beating, and all those who had gone burning and murdering with him disappeared—blown away like ashes in the wind” (510).

Capricorn dies to the Shadow, and several of his cronies vanish. The people remaining in Capricorn’s village run away. Mortola the Magpie is still there, as are Darius, Elinor, and Resa. The group realizes that Fenoglio is gone; he has been sucked into the world of Inkheart in exchange for the Shadow. Meggie reads the rest of Fenoglio’s words, which direct the Shadow to disintegrate and vanish, and to be replaced by all of the individuals killed by him. Suddenly, the Shadow is gone, and the arena is filled with fairies, goblins, trolls, glass men, and people from the Inkheart world.

Farid opens the cage, freeing Elinor and Resa. Surprisingly, Basta is still there; he grabs Resa threateningly, but Elinor refuses to let him run and calls his bluff of violence. Basta pushes Resa into Elinor and Mo and uses the distraction to escape. Mortola also vanishes, and when Meggie’s group tries to leave, they realize that all the cars are gone. They decide to stay the night in the village, and Meggie snuggles with her parents and watches Elinor happily interacting with all the creatures that replaced the Shadow.

Dustfinger watched all of the events transpire from a nearby rooftop. He sees Resa with Mo and thinks about how he is merely an observer, with no connections: “What were they to him, Silvertongue and his daughter, the boy, the bookworm, and the woman who was another man’s wife once more? […] [H]e had thrust her out of his heart as he always did with anyone who tried to stay there too long” (521). He sees Mo take the copy of Inkheart and put it in his jacket. He thinks bitterly about how Fenoglio got sucked into the story and regrets being too much of “a coward” to go to the execution. Tinkerbell has followed him, but he sends her off toward the other fairies that emerged from the book.

When everyone—apart from Farid, who is on watch—is asleep, Dustfinger comes and retrieves the copy of Inkheart from within Mo’s jacket, asserting that the book is rightfully his. Farid insists on following him, although Dustfinger tries to dissuade him. Dustfinger points out that he knows Farid has a crush on Meggie, but Farid insists he does not belong with the Folcharts. Dustfinger retrieves Gwin from the burnt house in the woods where Farid left him, then leaves, Farid following.

Elinor, Resa, Mo, and Meggie piece together that Dustfinger and Farid must have left with the copy of Inkheart. Resa reassures Meggie that the Inkheart world is full of terror but also beauty, and that Fenoglio will be happy there. They find a phone in the village and call a taxi.

Some of the people and a few glass men and fairies from Inkheart decide to stay in Capricorn’s abandoned village, but many others—including 43 blue-skinned fairies, 4 trolls, and 13 glass men and women—go with Elinor to her home, as she has decided to establish a refuge for them. Darius the reader decides to go to Elinor’s home as well; they are going to rebuild her library.

Mo, Elinor, and Meggie end up remaining with Elinor and Darius in the big house as well. Meggie decides that she wants to write stories like Fenoglio.