The Word Guardians: and the Twisting Tales

by Lawrence Yarham

  A metallic sound rang out behind them, causing them to jump and look. They saw nothing, but Sam noticed that something had changed.

  “That fire escape,” he said, pointing. “It wasn’t that low before, when we went past.”

  “Don’t say that,” Eddie said, alarmed. “This is way too creepy as it is.”

  “You think it slipped down?” asked Yas.

  “I don’t know,” replied Sam. “Let’s just keep moving.”

  They increased their pace to a half run. They could hear sirens moving along streets nearby and wondered if the search had moved away from the marina and into the city.

  “Know where we’re heading yet?” asked Sam as supportively as he could.

  “There’s definitely something here,” replied Yas. “Can you feel it? It’s a build up of energy. I’m getting that buzzing feeling again.”

  “Yes,” agreed Eddie. “Now you mention it, I do too. Maybe that’s why it feels so creepy.”

  There was another noise behind them. This time, Sam happened to glance around at the exact time the sound occurred. He didn’t like what he saw.

  “Run!” he shouted.

  They sprinted along the alleyway.

  “What is it?” asked Yas, glancing over her shoulder.

  “Something that doesn’t look friendly,” Sam tried to explain.

  Yas glanced back over her shoulder. More were dropping down behind them from the fire escape ladders and out of dumpsters.

  “Oh crap!” she shouted.

  Eddie glanced around too, then lost his footing and nearly went face down. Yas grabbed him and just about kept him upright.

  “Go! Just run!” shouted Sam, conjuring a word ball and throwing it behind him.

  They reached the end of the alleyway and made a left turn into a shorter alley, leading to the main street. Behind them, more creatures formed out of the walls and shadows and dropped down. A collection of twenty or so misshapen and grotesque monsters were very quickly catching them up.

  They made the corner onto the main street and Yas pulled Eddie right, Sam following just behind.

  Back in the light, with parked cars and actors moving about, it looked like a normal weekend evening in a city. Glancing behind them, the creatures had slipped into the shadows, but were still following.

  “They seem to be struggling,” observed Eddie. He noticed that the creatures were not following them directly but moving around the well-lit areas. They made use of parked cars and overhangs of buildings.

  “It’s the light,” agreed Yas. “It gives us an advantage.”

  Cars moved along the street towards them. Suddenly, the middle car, flashed a blue and red light, its siren startling them as it came to life.

  “We just don’t get a break, do we?” exclaimed Sam. They sprinted into another alleyway just to their right, then vaulted their way over a fence that marked the outside area of a florist and garden-ware shop.

  The police car pulled up and two officers got out, one calling for backup as they followed.

  The three of them sprinted around a water feature, just as it morphed into another large headed creature. Reaching a gate a little way ahead, Yas rattled it. It was locked.

  The gate was too high to climb over. She turned, looking for options. The creature was closing in on them, others joining it. She wished that the gate was not there.

  To her surprise, it unlatched behind her and she stumbled backwards. Eddie, beside her, tried to catch her, the two of them stumbled and half rolled out into a parking lot. Sam followed them through and sent word magic back to the gate to re-latch and lock it. It bought them some time. The creature hit the gate and growled at them, showing huge teeth.

  The parking lot was well lit and open to the street on two other sides. There wasn’t much cover, and they could hear more sirens approaching.

  “This way!” shouted Yas, looking for another passage that provided them more shelter. It felt right, but as they ran towards it, she found herself questioning and doubting herself. Was she just leading Sam and Eddie in a circle, getting nowhere?

  Sam caught up to her. “Still feel this is the right way?” he asked.

  Yas nodded. She wanted to say something more but anything she thought of just sounded like she wasn’t sure, and she figured that it was the last thing he needed to hear right now.

  They made their way into the passage just as the flashing lights and sirens of another police car came into view on the opposite corner of the parking lot. They ran into a cobbled street, between a restaurant and an antique shop and made their way around an S-shaped bend. Yas stopped suddenly.

  “Dad?” she said, surprised. He was standing at the other end of the alleyway.

  “Yas!” he replied. “Quickly,” he motioned for her to join him.

  Sam pulled up next to her. “What’s he doing here?”

  “I don’t know,” she said, hesitating for a moment. “It doesn’t make sense,” she said mostly to herself.

  She looked at Sam, trying to express certainty but failed. She imagined that he could see fear and confusion in her eyes.

  “You okay?” Sam asked.

  “He can help us,” she reasoned. “I think.”

  Sam took a moment and then nodded.

  “Come on,” he gestured to Eddie.

  They walked over to where Yas’s dad was standing. Time seemed to slow. Police cars and monsters seemed to be elsewhere and no longer closing on them. It didn’t make sense, but no-one questioned it.

  “Orfeo’s got Akoni,” Yas said quietly as she drew level with her dad.

  “Hi Sam,” her dad said, clapping his hand gently on Sam’s shoulder, by way of a greeting.

  “This is Eddie,” Yas introduced, pointing at Eddie.

  “Eddie, this is my dad.”

  “Hello Eddie,” replied Yas’s dad. “You’re Detective Wheeler’s son?”

  “Err, yes,” replied Eddie nervously.

  “Good,” encouraged Yas’s dad, strangely. “Then I’m glad you’re here.”

  “You are?” challenged Yas. “What are you doing here, Dad? I thought you didn’t want to be in the realms. You told me to keep my head down, remember?”

  “Yes,” replied her dad. “And did you listen?” he replied, looking at her sternly for a moment.

  For a split-second, she felt like a small child. It also reminded her of the talk that Janine had given her and Sam when the two of them had gone off looking for Sam’s kidnapped dad. She noticed the feeling and rose to counter him instead.

  “Okay! I get it! You were trying to protect me or something?”

  “Something like that,” he replied, turning his back and walking around the corner of the cobbled alley.

  “Where are you going?” Yas asked, frustrated. She followed him around the corner and into a smaller parking lot. Yas’s irritation made her blind to what Sam and Eddie could see. “What are you doing here, Dad?”

  Sam grabbed Yas on the arm and pulled her back. Yas tried to shrug him off, but then looked ahead and stopped, seeing what he had seen.

  Ahead of them, on the other side of the parking lot was a large building with Orfeo and two of his soldiers also outside. The sign above it read ‘Penn Publishing’ and had a logo that was familiar.

  “Orfeo,” Yas said under her breath. She looked up at the building. “The sign,” she added to Sam.

  “It’s the same logo as on the books we received at the dinner?” he replied.

  “They must have come from here, then, yes,” replied Yas. “Or at least from whatever this is in the real world.”

  They stopped, a little way from Orfeo. From the corner of the building came more soldiers escorting Peter, Janine, Dai, Kierra and Penn.

  “What’s going on?” Yas asked her dad.

  “I’ll do the talking,” he replied, urging her to stay back. He walked over behind one of the soldiers who stepped backwards to make a space for him.

  “Ahh, good,” crowed Orfeo, as he saw Yas�
�s dad walk towards them. “Everyone is here.”

  Yas, who had followed her dad inside the circle of soldiers, looked at him, shocked.

  “You know him?”

  “Orfeo,” he said, ignoring Yas. “As your legal counsel, let me handle this.”

  Orfeo made a showy bow, gesturing that he was relinquishing the stage.

  “Why are you here?” Yas’s dad asked Peter.

  Peter gestured to the soldiers around him. “Erm, because your client’s goons escorted us here! That’s why!”

  “And where were you, to need escorting?” continued Yas’s dad, unfazed. “I’m guessing you were searching somewhere, without the necessary paperwork?”

  “Now hold on,” replied Peter, “you can’t tell me that the reach of law extends into realms. There’s no precedent for that, and you can’t use it just to suit your own agenda!”

  “I’m not aware of any precedent that defines certain private locations as being immune to trespass?” Yas’s dad shot back.

  “That’s ridiculous,” replied Peter, frustrated, completely missing the point that Yas’s dad seemed to know where they had been. “It’s a realm. Part of the public’s collective imagination and you know it!”

  Yas was getting impatient. “What have you done with Akoni? And Prana?” she interrupted, angrily.

  “They are quite safe, my dear,” Orfeo replied, as if he was talking to a naïve child.

  “Show me them now!” she commanded.

  “All in good time.”

  “Dad!” Yas appealed. “He’s taken Akoni and others prisoner. You can’t be representing him.”

  Orfeo laughed, as if making his point.

  Yas’s Dad glanced at Yas and motioned for her to be quiet for a moment. Yas complied but she was seething. She looked at Janine and Sam who both indicated that now was not the time to do anything rash.

  “What’s he doing here?” Yas asked, turning, pointing at Penn.

  “Oh, the feeling’s mutual, young lady,” replied Penn, greasily. He winked and said conspiratorially, “I’m on your side this time.”

  “What?” retorted Yas. She looked at Janine for confirmation, who nodded. It made little sense. Friends and foes all gathered here convivially. She was waiting for the fight to start.

  “Whether a realm is public or private property has not yet been tested in a court of law,” Yas’s dad replied matter-of-factly, looking at Orfeo. “And as such, I would contest that he had every right to escort you off the premises.”

  “Why are you defending him?” asked Peter, pointing his finger at Orfeo.

  Yas’s dad opened his mouth to start to answer, but Peter interjected.

  “Come to think of it, why are you even here?”

  “I’ll answer that one,” replied Orfeo, stepping in. “I think you’d all better come inside.”

  “Why should we?” Peter replied.

  “I think you’ll find it answers a lot of your questions,” Orfeo replied smiling. He moved towards the door and opened it.

  Peter stared at Orfeo for a moment. Janine stepped ahead, already having decided that she wanted to see whatever was on offer. Peter followed, the others behind him. All but two of the soldiers went inside also, their demeanour very much that of escorting prisoners.

  Yas looked at Sam and Eddie.

  “We’re still in a realm though, right?” she asked.

  “Yes,” replied Sam. He held out his hand and watched as words formed from a nearby puddle and flowed up him into his hand. “Still in a realm.”

  “Then something bad is about to happen,” she said nervously.

  Sam nodded. “I agree.”

  “Hurry along,” urged Orfeo playfully.

  “Bring Akoni here,” commanded Yas. “I want to see he’s okay.”

  “And miss all the fun?” replied Orfeo, greasily. “Oh no. I think you’ll be much more comfortable inside.” The two stared at each other for a moment in a stand-off.

  The two remaining soldiers moved around behind Yas, Sam and Eddie. Eddie glanced at them nervously.

  “Besides,” continued Orfeo. “Everyone else is already inside.”

  “Move,” instructed the soldiers, prodding them with their spear tips.

  Reluctantly, Yas stepped forwards. Sam and Eddie followed.

  Chapter 8

  Apocalypse revealed

  Raelinn and James stepped through the portal from the boat into a scene more in keeping with a magical castle. They arrived on a stone floor, in what appeared to be part library, part factory. To their left were floor to ceiling bookcases, with ladders sliding along them of their own accord. The wall was not fully formed, and in some places they could see through to an impossible scene beyond. Other partly formed rooms floated and bobbed gently around. There were castle walls, parts of small brick buildings and little snippets from other places. A street lamp shone its light to the edge of a road, a forest glade bobbed next to it and others floated around them. The actors in each were seemingly unaware of this mix and match landscape and stayed within the confines of what was present.

  “What is this place?” asked James, looking around.

  “It’s the publishing offices of Penn Media,” replied Raelinn.

  “Are you sure?” asked James, surprised.

  “Yes,” she confirmed. “It was a normal printing press before,” Raelinn explained. “Less…” she waved at what they could see in front of them, “…this.”

  A magical production line lay to their right, with empty pages laying on a moving conveyor. As they watched, words streamed through a large stone arch doorway and landed on the pages, helped by actors wearing overcoats suitable for more traditional printing works. The wall that led right was also not fully formed and James and Raelinn could see through to the other room where there were actors sat at desks, continually typing out words on old fashioned typewriters. There was a constant clattering of the keys and words spewed out in streams. They flowed up, over their heads and through the doorway, towards the conveyors.

  In the centre of the floor, near where they were standing, was a large engraving. There were intertwined ellipses, with a scuffed, faded middle.

  “What’s this?” asked James.

  “The logo,” replied Raelinn. “That’s still here at least. Penn Publishing. I don’t remember it looking like that though.”

  James looked up. Above him he could see large floating stones everywhere, providing stepping-stones. They led up to larger stone plinths, on which some of the other snippets of scenes were sitting. From ground level, he could just make out the sides of other scenes a few floors above him. The place was huge.

  “Health and safety nightmare,” he snubbed, looking at the vast range of stepping-stones joining and splitting to provide paths to each of the rooms. Nothing was still. Everything bobbed gently. “I take it this was a huge building, before?”

  “Not this large actually,” commented Raelinn. “I think magic has been funneled here. It’s evolved, mutated, or something.”

  “So…” said James, gathering his thoughts. “Orfeo did this? Or Penn?”

  “Before the Battle for the Peacekeepers, Orfeo was obsessed with this idea that there’s something at the heart of all books,” she explained. “Some creature, a lifeforce, that he could summon and bring back to life.”

  “A Frankenstein’s monster type of thing?” James asked. “Index?” he added, realising the link.

  “Yes,” Raelinn replied. “Orfeo told me that Index would bring a new order to the chaos in the realms. He said that he would need you, James.”

  “Me?” questioned James, shocked. “Because of my ‘abilities?’”

  “Yes. So he told me,” replied Raelinn. “Although, I don’t know how much I believe it now.”

  “So, I’m the bait here, then?” asked James, eyeing Raelinn suspiciously.

  “Think of it more like forcing him to show his hand.”

  “Lovely,” said James, sarcastically.

  “I
won’t betray you, James,” Raelinn added. “I promise you can trust me.”

  “I hope so,” James muttered to himself. He moved to the worn-out centre of the symbol on the floor.

  “So, Orfeo and Penn were working together, then?” asked James, rubbing at the symbol with his foot. He leaned down to examine it more closely.

  “The impression I had was that each was using the other for their own gain,” said Raelinn. She looked around. “I can’t imagine Penn allowing all this to happen, unless he was in on it or out of the way somehow.”

  “Hmm,” said James, touching the surface of the symbol and sniffing it. “It’s scorched! But white!”

  High above them, the click of a door disturbed their thoughts. They heard voices. They froze and looked up.

  Stepping inside the Publishing offices was disorientating. Yas wasn’t sure what she had expected, but it challenged her wildest imagination.

  “Woah!” exclaimed Sam as he took in the scene around them.

  “Woah!” agreed Eddie.

  They emerged from a physical doorway onto a large rock. The doorway sat behind them, in mid-air. Ahead of them, stepping-stones made their way onto multiple paths, leading up and down. The paths led to small scenes, excerpts taken from other places. Each was partially constructed. There were antique shops and other buildings where the floor and walls were partially constructed but the front was open. Each little scene roughly tessellated to form what might be expected to be walls of a physical building. Some scenes jutted inwards or outwards more, and each bobbed gently around of their own accord. Down below, at ground level, was another magical scene along with two people that Yas recognised.

  “James?” called out Peter, surprised to see him. He had started along a path of stepping-stones that led him down to the ground level.

  “Peter?” asked James, standing up. “What are you doing here?”

  “I’d ask the same of you,” he called back.

  “Dad!” called out Eddie, ecstatic, from behind them.

  “Eddie!” replied James. “Oh my god!” Then, concern rising for his son. “Why are you here?”

  “I came here with Yas and Sam,” he shouted back happily. He tried to find a way to get past the others so he could quickly make his way down to where his dad was. There wasn’t enough space on the narrow stepping-stones though, so he had to settle for staying in formation.