Author's Note: Hey, everyone! Happy Thanksgiving! Unless you're not in America. Then Ha ha! I get to stuff my face with food and you don't! Nah, I'm just kidding! Have some turkey and mashed potatoes and celebrate with us!

Sorry, I've been gone for forever. IB is no joke and neither are college applications. Man, I hate high school. Anyway, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and hopefully I won't take forever on the next one.

As far as comments go, guest Nastia, I did indeed read your comment, and I'm excited I could inspire you to write more! I hope you'll post your fanfiction on here soon!

Anyway, happy reading! See you soon! :)

9. Camp in the Daytime

Dante woke up the next morning feeling surprisingly well rested. It was a remarkably beautiful day. Dante could tell it was so without climbing out of the tent or even opening his eyes, for the sun's early morning rays were just enough to warm his pale skin, and the sound of the bird's chirping filled his ears, their songs lively and energetic as they began their birdy days.

Slowly, Dante opened his eyes. He was facing Elinor who was not facing him. Her little back was facing the tent walls as she snored away. Like a chainsaw, Dante thought as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. Why didn't she wake me up?

Perhaps it had been because Dante had fallen asleep in another world entirely. One where he was blind and deaf to all things in his own. Yes, the copy of Inkheart still sat by his sleeping bag, lying on its pages next to the lantern which must have gone out in the middle of the night. He had decided to take it out and read it, as preparation for meeting the Adderhead. After all, who were all those boys (lovely as they were, especially Farid) to tell him he couldn't stay up and help with their mission? Well, he did. For as long as he could Dante had read by the light of the lantern, Elinor's snores fading away as they were replaced with the rambunctious cicadas of the Wayless Wood and the bustling marketplaces of Ombra.

Dante couldn't deny it; his research was turning out to be not as dreadful as he thought, for all of Inkheart's characters were quite fascinating. He had gotten to the point in the story now where many of its secrets had revealed themselves to him. He felt as if he knew characters like Dustfinger and Cloud-Dancer as intimately as he knew the Black Prince. He found characters like Capricorn and Firefox to be just as scary as the stories of the Adderhead. The Silver Prince hadn't entered the story himself yet, though the characters certainly spoke a lot about him. And their accounts weren't so different from those of the Black Prince and his army.

Now Dante sat in his tent, gazing down at the little green hardcover before him. He picked up the book, removing the old, yellow pages from the tent floor. It seemed to sigh as it was lifted, as if relieved that it no longer had to prop itself up in such a precarious position. His father had always told him not to set books down on their pages like that. But it hadn't been his fault! Dante had been asleep! Still, he felt bad, and he stroked the deep green cover tenderly, running little light-skinned fingers along the burning heart dripping with ink.

Dante blinked.

What was he doing‽ Stroking a book like it was a puppy or a kitten! Nonsense! Books were dry! Books were boring! Any more of this and he was going to start behaving like his father! He had to stop now!

Mouth drawn into a thin line, Dante slammed the book on the tent floor. Then he got on all fours and crawled out of the tent and into the warm sunshine.

The Black Prince's camp was a different world in the daytime! Gone were the dark shadows of the forest and the deep red light of the fire. Instead, the clearing seemed to be in a transition state between sunrise and full daytime, where the sky was a cold, dull blue and the sun shined dimly over the clearing, creating bright gray sunbeams. There was a slight breeze in the air, as well as a chill and some fog. The ground was wet as Dante walked upon it with his bare feet to the forest green tent on the very edge of the clearing.

Breakfast was just finishing up by the time Dante had reached the main meeting spot for the Black Prince's Army. Farid had not been kidding about starting at first light. Dante looked for him but could not see his dark curls or brown skin, which were already so familiar to him, for he had seen them in the dream he'd had of faeries, fortresses, and fire-eaters the night before.

"Gone up to the Adderhead's village. With the Black Prince," Fish-Bone informed Dante after he'd asked. He downed the last of his coffee. The remains of jelly toast and scrambled eggs could still be seen on his plate.

"The Adderhead's village‽" Dante repeated, alarmed. What were Farid and the Black Prince doing in the Adderhead's village‽ Why would they go to rescue his parents so early‽ And without him‽

"They haven't gone to get the book or your parents if you're worried about that," Arnold said as he shoved the last of his eggs in his mouth. "They're just scoping the place out. They wouldn't dream of doing it without telling you."

"Oh good," Dante said through a sigh of relief. Immediately he felt his heart unclench. Thank god, the two weren't going into danger! Thank god they weren't going without him!

"When will they be back?" Dante asked and the boys shrugged their shoulders.

"Definitely before the end of the morning," Fish-Bone said, wedging a toothpick between his cracked and dirty teeth. "Their stakeouts never take too long."

"I'd like to go on a stakeout some time," Buzz mused as he lit his first cigar. His plate had been swept clean. "Sneak around the Adderhead's base, spy on his people. That'd be something. But he only lets his highest-ranking soldiers do stuff like that."

"It's not because you're not high ranking," Arnold said. "It's because you're smoking before we have training to do. You know you're going to be out of breath."

"Gosh, really?" Buzz's voice was laced with sarcasm. "For a moment I thought it was your ugly mug leaving me gasping for air."

"Hey!" Arnold looked hurt. "I'm only looking out for you! You just don't know how to take criticism!"

"Nagging, criticism." Buzz stuck the cigar in his mouth. "It's all the same to you, isn't it?"

From there, the two boys lapsed into an argument which continued as they bussed their places and deposited their dishes on the little table which was overflowing with dirty plates and coffee mugs. "Are they always like that?" Dante asked as he watched them go.

"We're all always like that," Fish-Bone said simply. He removed the toothpick from his mouth. A tiny wad of yellow was stuck to the end. "It's like one big family here, lad. All brought together through our mutual hatred of the Adderhead." Fish-Bone stood and picked up his dishes. "Your food's waitin' for ya on the table, though it might be a lil' cold."

"Thank you," Dante said and Fish-Bone nodded.

"No problem, lad." Then he walked off to deposit his dirty dishes like everyone else.

Dante got his food from another table, and while it was a little cold it still tasted pretty good (or at least better than Elinor's cooking). However, by the time Dante had sat down to eat, the green tent was already deserted. Unwilling to eat alone, Dante took his breakfast outside where he could watch the Black Prince's Army prepare for the day. He was initially nervous about whether or not he would be allowed to eat outside but no one came to confront him as he munched on his scrambled eggs and jelly toast. Either there was no rule about eating outside, or such a rule wasn't strongly enforced.

And why would it be anyway? This place was a boys' paradise. Though the Black Prince and Farid were gone, there seemed to be order in the chaos of this little encampment. All around him the Black Prince's men began their daily routines, talking with each other, training with each other. Dante saw a group of boys fighting with sticks and another group discussing ways to break out of one of the Adderhead's prisons should they be captured, scribbling into a tattered notebook as they argued. One boy took some water from the well and carried the bucket to the forest green tent.

"Out of the way, please!" He said, as he approached. "I'm on dish washing duty!"

"Oh, of course!" Dante said and he moved out of the way. The whole entire camp was bustling with energy.

The fog had gone, and the sun had grown brighter by the time Arnold, Fish-Bone and Buzz decided to take their first break. They sat down on one of the logs surrounding the firepit and Dante, who had finished his breakfast by now, had joined them.

"Man, that was a workout!" Buzz said. He was sitting down on the grass next to the log with a sweaty towel wrapped around his neck. "I don't think I'll ever be able to lift another arm again!" For once, Buzz didn't have a cigar with him. Dante thought it made his mouth look bigger somehow.

"Really?" Fish-Bone asked. "I feel like I'm just getting started!"

"Yeah, I feel like I could do a hundred sets," Arnold agreed.

"Nonsense," Buzz said. "You guys must be superhuman!"

Arnold stretched his arms high up into the air. "We're not superhuman. We just don't wreck our lungs smoking tobacco like you do."

"My lungs aren't wrecked!" Buzz said, standing to his feet.

"Oh yeah?" Arnold's green eyes were sardonic behind his round glasses. "Then how come even I was able to pin you to the ground despite being half your size?"

"You fixin' for a rematch or somethin'?" Buzz asked.

"So, what if I am? The outcome wouldn't be any different."

"Oh, really? Then why don't we test that out right now?" And with that, Buzz raised his arm and struck Arnold with his fist, sending him sprawling on the ground.

Arnold rolled over on the grass scowling. "What is wrong with you‽ I'm wearing glasses!"

"Should've thought about that before you provoked me," Buzz said simply.

Oh, that's it!" Arnold said, standing up and dusting himself off. "You asked for this!"

Arnold pounced on Buzz and before long the two of them were punching and kicking and rolling around on the grass. Fish-Bone burst into laughter so intense he was holding his waist. "Those two sure seem to fight a lot," Dante observed.

"Yes, they do, lad," Fish-Bone said through his laughter. "It's how you can tell they're such good friends. Because they can go at each other and still know that the other will always be there when things get serious."

"Really?" said Dante. He turned towards the toy boys fighting in the grass. It didn't look all that different from how he and his friends rough housed in the playground during recess at school. Though the teachers always tried to stop them. And he hadn't played with someone like that in a long, long time. As Dante grew his family's moves between houses became more and more frequent…

"Hey, look! Isn't that your granny?" Fish-Bone was pointing to Elinor, who looked a little bit rough after her night in the tent. She was strolling through the camp and studying her surroundings, her expression a mix of wonder and bewilderment.

"She's actually my great aunt," Dante supplied. He waved her over. "Hey! Elinor!"

Elinor's face seemed to fill with relief when she spotted Dante. With a small smile, she made her way over to him, sidestepping a chattering group of boys in the process.

"Well, I'll give the Black Prince this much. His soldiers are certainly physically capable, even if they are a little on the young side." Her eyes were fixed on a pair of boys practicing hand to hand combat. One of them, skillfully blocked his opponent's punches and performed a flawless roundhouse kick, sending the other sprawling to the ground. Dante clapped.

"Yeah, we're pretty alright," Fish-Bone said humbly. "The Black Prince taught us everything we know."

"You mean he can fight like you guys?" Dante asked. His eyes were shining.

"Not really." Fish-Bone smiled. "I say he fights even better."

Dante gasped. "Even better? Wow…"

"Speaking of that Black Prince, where is he anyway?" Elinor scanned the encampment. "I can't see his dark skin anywhere among these tents!"

Dante answered her excitedly. "He's gone to the Adderhead's base! To scope it out! He's gonna find out exactly where they're keeping Mom and Dad! And then he's gonna send his men in to save him!"

"Oh, really? And this scoping won't take too long, will it?"

"No," Fish-Bone shook his head. "It won't. It never does. It's all too likely they'll be back before the end of this morning."

"Or now! Look!" Arnold, having paused his little scuffle with Buzz was pointing towards the other side of the camp. There, the Black Prince, and Farid were just walking in, smiling broadly. Their sweaty brown skins gleamed in the morning sunlight.

Dante felt his heart flutter.

It was just like last night. All the boys stopped what they were doing to meet with the Black Prince, their voices an excited gaggle of noise. Except only this time, Dante joined them.

"Farid! Black Prince! You're back!" Dante had pushed himself to the front of the crowd with a surprising amount of determination and strength. His apprehension of the older boys seemed to have evaporated.

"Yes, we have," the Black Prince said, smiling broadly. And I believe we may have a way to save your parents, Dante."

Really‽" Dante asked, his eyes gleaming with excitement. All at once his heart felt a million times lighter.

Farid nodded. "Mhm. "It's a simple plan, but one that I believe can go off without a hitch, if everyone's careful."

"Gentlemen!" The Black Prince called over the din of noise. Like a switch all the boys quieted. "Farid and I have left this morning to do some reconnaissance. And with the information we've gathered I believe we've come up with a sound plan to rescue Silvertongue and his wife."

A chorus of cheers erupted from the boys, and their excitement was so contagious and his good mood so strong that Dante felt compelled to cheer too. Even Elinor, who covered her ears from the noise had a gleam of hope in her cold, silver eyes.

"I'll need everyone's help to make it a reality, though, which is why I'm calling a strategy meeting." The Black Prince pointed to the forest green tent at the other end of the property. "Meet me at the base in three minutes, every one of you. There's no way we're going to allow the Adderhead to win this battle!"

It was amazing how quickly the boys settled themselves. Though they had been hooting and hollering just moments before, now they sat nicely in the forest green tent, backs upright, shoulder to shoulder. The tables they had been eating on at breakfast time were completely cleared and the piles of dishes had gone.

Dante had taken up a seat at the very front where he sat between Elinor and Fish-Bone. Everyone waited quietly as the Black Prince and Farid brought forth a chalkboard with a large map taped to it. Dante recognized it as a map of the Adderhead's base.

The Black Prince cleared his throat.

"As you know," he began, "the Adderhead's base is a ruthless place. There are guards everywhere." Farid uncapped a red marker. "The sheds where they keep their prisoners." Farid circled an area behind a place marked the church. "In front of the prince's base." He circled a square in the center of the map. "The fields in which they hold their celebrations." The Black Prince made air quotes as Farid circled a large blank space towards the left. "And even the bridge at the entrance." Farid circled a little rectangle right at the bottom of the map.

Arnold raised his hand.

"Is there a guard at the bridge today?" he asked when the Black Prince called on him. The Black Prince frowned.

"I'm afraid there is." A groan erupted from the little army, but the Black Prince eased their concerns with a confident smile.

"Never fear, my young soldiers. The Adderhead's base may be heavily armed today, but as I said, we have a plan for how we're going to get in."

Buzz finished a drag of his cigarette, said, "The only way they'll let us in is if we return that book to the Adderhead. You're not thinking of doing that, are you?"

Dante (and many of the other boys) sat up straighter. Even though he'd only known of him for a few weeks, he had an idea of how dangerous he could be. And the other boys in the Black Prince's army almost certainly did. Handing over the book wasn't the most appealing idea.

But the Black Prince only shook his head and laughed. "No, of course not. I would never dream of doing something so dangerous."

The boys sighed in relief, their shoulders relaxing.

"I'm giving myself to the Adderhead, instead."

"What‽" shouted Buzz. His eyes went wide, just as all the others' did. An outcry rang out. Even Elinor seemed surprised. But the Black Prince only held up his hands.

"Now, now, I know what this sounds like…"

"Sounds like‽" Arnold shouted. He stamped his foot. The shock and anger had driven him to his feet. "I know what this is, and what it is, is extremely dangerous!"

"No, it isn't," Farid came to the Black Prince's rescue. "There's more to the plan, if you'll just listen for a moment."

"I won't stay in the Adderhead's clutches for long." The Black Prince explained. He gently took the marker from Farid and brough the red tip to the bridge. "A group of us will enter the Adderhead's base via the main entrance on the bridge."

"You mean we're going through the guards?" Buzz asked, pulling the cigar out of his mouth.

"It will ease suspicions. If we act as if we have nothing to hide, they won't think we have anything to hide."

"It's a sound strategy," Faird urged. "Especially since The Adderhead's men aren't particularly the brightest."

Light laughter rippled through the room as the Black Prince turned to the board. With the marker he drew a route from the bridge straight to the church. "We'll let the Adderhead's men have the high ground. Or at least let them think they do. Once we tell them I've surrendered they'll lead us straight to the church. The Adderhead is here today, and he's not busy. There's no doubt he'll see us right away. He'll throw me straight into the dungeon for sure."

"But what if he's suspicious?" Arnold asked. "What if he suspects it's all a trap and he doesn't take you?"

"That's where the rest of you come in," The Black Prince said. "Farid here is going to pretend to be your new leader."

"Huh?" asked Dante. A murmur of confusion spread through the crowd.

"We're going to make it look like a coup." He turned to the Black Prince. "That's the word, right?"

The Black Prince nodded. "The story is that you all have decided that I'm not fit to be your leader anymore. So now, Farid is." He gestured to his second in command, who beamed with pride. "He'll lead the way while you all have me tied up. Then, you'll all exchange me, for Silvertongue and his wife."

"And then what?" One boy asked. "We'll have Silvertongue but you'll still be in the Adderhead's clutches.

"Do you want us to save you?"

"I can save myself," The Black Prince said, not unkindly, and he pulled out a small ring of keys. He pointed to each of them. "One is for the crypts – all of them – and the other is for the Piper's car. With these, all I'll have to do is wait for the right time and I'll be free. Then I'll come back to join you."

"And when would that be?" asked Arnold.

"Depends," the Black Prince said. "But I shall definitely be back before midnight."

"And if yet not here by midnight," Fish-Bone asked.

"I will be." The Black Prince clapped his hands. "So, what do we think? Are we willing to try it?"

Silence at first. The boys looked to each other uneasy. "Well, it seems like a well thought out plan…" Arnold offered at last. "But…"

"But…?" Farid urged.

"But… I don't feel good about risking the Black Prince… if we don't have him than Italy would have almost no defense against the Adderhead."

"That's not true! You're all capable soldiers!" The Black Prince seemed quite lighthearted.

"I still don't like it…"

"I assure you all this shall be no trouble at all. It'll be far more convincing, not to mention more enticing for the Adderhead, if it's me being offered up."

Another pause. "There is logic in that," Arnold agreed. Still, indecision and uncertainty plagued the group. Looking from one face to another, Dante saw worried expressions on all of them. He looked at Elinor, who looked at him, and all at once he knew that this couldn't continue.

"Oh, come on you guys!" Dante called out, breaking the silence. "You're supposed to be the Black Prince's army, right! The Black Prince is full of courage and willing to do anything for those he cares about! My parents are in danger, and if they're not saved, I'll be left an orphan! You guys are heroes! And heroes can't possibly allow that, right?"

"No." Surprised by the sudden and immediate answer, Dante whipped his head around. Fish-Bone was gazing at him, a determined expression on his face. "No, we can't. We won't let anything happen to yer parents, mate." Fish-Bone slapped him on the shoulder. "I promise," and then to the Black Prince he said, "it's not the craziest idea I've had. I'm in!"

"I suppose I'll do it too," Arnold said, and he smiled at Dante. "There are scarier things than a mission like this."

"Not many things," Buzz said, "but I don't mind that. If I did, I wouldn't be here." He turned to the Black Prince. "I'm glad to go along with your plan, General!" He gave the Black Prince a mock salute.

One by one, more of the boys voiced their agreement. Farid and the Black Prince beamed. And Dante did as well. Soon his parents would be free from the Adderhead's clutches. Already he was fantasizing about telling them of his adventure. Would they be proud that he'd been able to galvanize a whole group of older boys with just his words? Maybe his father would…

"Then, it's settled! All of you!" The Black Prince pointed to a group of boys including Fish-Bone, Buzz and Arnold. "You all will go ahead with me to the Adderhead's base. I don't think we'll need any weapons, but bring your knives and slingshots, just in case!"

The boys whooped with joy, standing up and rushing off to prepare for their next mission. Dante moved to join him, but was stopped by Farid, whose bronze hand was incredibly smooth and warm.

"No, not you!" Farid urged, and when he saw Dante's look of disappointment, he added, "It's not that we don't want you there, but you're not trained, not to mention far too little. We can't risk you getting hurt."

"What‽" Dante's shoulders slumped. "But I read the book! I know what the Adderhead is like."

He did not mention to Farid that he still hadn't gotten to a part where the Adderhead played a prominent role, instead of simply being discussed. But it was no matter. Farid didn't look as if he'd budge, and soon the Black Prince came to his aid.

"Farid's right, I'm afraid. Imagine how it'd be for your parents to be set free only to learn that something happened to you? It's not enough to know about the Adderhead on paper. He is an extremely dangerous tyrant and his base is no walk in the park. I can't send you there, if you haven't been trained."

And with that, all of Dante's new friends had exited the tent, off to prepare to save Mortimer and Teresa. The rest of the boys were filing out too, talking excitedly about sticking it to the Adderhead once again.

"Well, that's a crazy plan! But what do you expect from a group of men!" Elinor turned to Dante. "Come on, let's get out in the sun. These hard benches are killing me!"