the main antagonist in the first book. He only cares about himself, and does not want to go back to his own world and time. When he was a child, he was cruelly beaten if he cried or showed any types of pity towards someone, which produced his evil characteristics. Gwin: Dustfinger's horned pet marten who lives in Dustfinger's backpack. He is not trained so he usually bites Dustfinger. Elinor Loredan: Aunt of Mo's wife who disappeared. Elinor is a recluse who is proud of her collection of books. At first, she is somewhat rude to Meggie, fearing that Meggie will ruin her books, but warms up to her when she realizes that Meggie loves books just as much as she does. Basta: Character from the book Inkheart. He has a thin angular face with close set eyes, not tall with narrow shoulders. There is a note of fury about him, and he is extremely superstitious. Unlike other of Capricorn's men who wear all black, Basta wears a white shirt. Basta is very fond of the knife he carries. Flatnose: One of Capricorn's henchmen, who was read out of Inkheart by Darius. He is described as a tall, broad man whose face appears as if a giant had pushed in his face with a thumb. Darius: A nervous, small, thin man no older than Mortimer. Darius is described as having a badly bent back and wearing glasses. Capricorn had discovered that he can also read characters out of books, but does this poorly, with the characters having various deformities, due to his stuttering. Farid: A young boy read out from the book Tales from the Thousand and One Nights. Farid becomes a companion of Dustfinger. Becomes very skilled at "playing with fire". He also develops a soft-spot for Meggie. Fenoglio: The author of Inkheart. He has three grandchildren, Ricco, Paula, and Pippo. Mortola (the Magpie): Read out of Inkheart by Darius. She has a vulture-like face. Her eyes are set close together and her jaw juts forward. Her legs are swelled, and wrapped in bandages. She is very cruel, as Basta claims "Compared to her my heart is as soft as a child's cuddly thing". The Shadow: The creature only appears when Capricorn calls it, leaping from the ground like fire. The Shadow is made from the ashes of all of the creatures that Capricorn burned. The concept of the