Reckless 1 : The Petrified Flesh

2
Twelve Years Later
The sun already stood low over the walls of the burned ruin,
but Will was still asleep, exhausted from the pain and the fear
of what would was growing in his flesh. One mistake. After
twelve years of caution.
Jacob covered his brother with his cloak and looked up
at the sky. The two moons were already visible and the setting
sun blackened the surrounding hills. He had made this
world his home. Twelve years were a long time. By fourteen
he already couldn t count the months he had spent behind the
mirror, despite his mother s tears, despite her helpless fear for
him Where have you been, Jacob? Please! Tell me! How?
How could he have told her without loosing the precious freedom
the mirror granted him, all the life he had found behind
it, the feeling to be so much more himself behind its glass.
Where have you been, Jacob? She had never found out.
He had told Will of this world, convinced his brother
would believe it all to be nothing but a fairy tale. He should
have known him better. Why didn t he realize that his stories
would fill Will with the same yearning that drove him
through the mirror? Be honest, Jacob, you didn t want to think
about it. No. He had longed to share what he had found with
someone, and as his father s study had kept the mirror s
secret for so many years, it had been far too easy to convince
himself that it would be safe there forever.
Maybe it would have been if he hadn t been so eager to
go back. He had forgotten only once to lock the door, and
his hand was already pressed against the dark glass when
Will walked in. It is so tempting to escape one s bad conscience
by changing worlds. Everything in the apartment
had reminded Jacob that he had been looking for a glass shoe
while his mother was dying. You have deserted her, Jacob,
her empty room had whispered. Exactly like your father.
In fairy tales the heroes are punished when they run
away from a task. The

Cornelia Funke is the highly acclaimed, award-winning and bestselling author of the Inkheart trilogy, Dragon Rider, The Thief Lord and numerous other children's novels and picture books. Born in 1958 in the German town of Dorsten, she worked as a social worker for a few years before turning first to illustration and then to writing. Her books have now sold more than 20 million copies worldwide, and have been translated into 37 languages.

"A haunting story of loyalty, betrayal, magic and danger" Sunday Times
"Magical and full of surprises - find a child to read it to as an excuse, or just indulge" The Lady
"A superb series of books. They are certainly intriguing and mesmerising in the telling" The School Librarian