Inked (The Ink Keepers Book 1)

by N. I. Rojas

  Mackenzie thought hard. He recalled saying those words.

  “Ms. Rose?” -He yelled the question. The whole forest shrieked making echo to his voice. Monkeys passed by him, jumping one on top of the others, sticking out their tongues. Multicolored crows swirled around singing songs of death and pain, and the cauldron under his body bubbled up wildly, blazing, requesting to taste his tender baby flesh.

  “You can still call me grandmother!” -The Witch laughed so hard that all the trees trembled wildly as if attacked by a booming storm. Shunning the fear away, he knew his time had come. It was snack time. -“Mmmmm! Before I eat you… Where’s the Graphylux?”

  ******

  Breathing hard, Kyra was desperate for receiving all the oxygen her lungs would allow her to take. After mouthfuls of fresh air, Kyra discovered she was in an underwater cave, protected and alive, her lungs already free of water. Her hands and feet were no longer tied, and she took a second to make a Pilates cobra extension. She wasn’t only wet, but also stained in black. Looking around, she saw how close the water shore was, but for the moment she was safe, out of the water.

  A black figure -humanlike- was sitting in a corner, head bent down. Kyra panicked and her heart rate increased considerably. The humanlike shape motioned with hands-alike limbs, trying to make Kyra understand she was under no danger. She took the Graphylux out of her bag, thinking of some way to escape, or some words to protect herself.

  “What are you doing here, Ink?” -The Graphylux asked as if all this time he had been on pause and suddenly Kyra had pressed the play button. The humanlike shape shrugged at the Graphylux, and it was kind of obvious it couldn’t speak. But the Graphylux did talk, and it was quite impossible to shut him up. - “You traitor! Who are you helping now? Natives? Witches? Nymphs? Giants maybe? You have no honor!”

  “What are you talking about? He… It helped me out of the water. Had it not been for his help, I would have died. I was drowning.” -Kyra defended the humanlike inky person.

  “Are you sure, Creature? This Inkling has a past… one It shouldn’t feel proud of.” -The Graphylux told. Ashamed of something, the Inkling made an attempt to leave, but Kyra stopped it.

  “Don’t leave. You can’t be bad… You saved me!” -Kyra said, trying to inspire confidence, but the truth was she was shaking inside. She could easily be with two traitors at the moment. Which one was the next to hurt her, to betray her, that was a mystery, and she didn’t want to find out. It was better to make them both think she trusted them, one way or another. - “There must be a way to escape. Any of you knows a way out?”

  Kyra examined the cave slowly. It was dark, but some source of light was captive inside. She walked a little farther, closer to the light, expecting it to be a tunnel to the surface, but discovered it was just a firefly nest. The animals fluttered in a hurry, ignorant of how trapped they were. A cave which only access came from underwater was an unusual place for air animals. How this nest had ended up there... In Alter Land everything appeared to be possible.

  Joining fragments from the handmade book, she understood what was happening. It was a miracle she had been saved from drowning. Maybe the Graphylux was right saying the Inkling was a traitor… maybe it had been written to be that way.

  The Enchanted Ink- the bottle containing the only magical Ink from all universes- had never been seen in Alter Land, and the Inklings were the only remnant of that Ink left available. As everything was created of ink, good and bad things equally, the Inklings were like owners of everything. As a writer, with the right to review and alter its own work at judgment, the Inklings were like the heirs who obtain the copyrights and subsequently made changes in order to improve it and take benefit.

  Fear was what Kyra felt the most. Yes, she was hungry, frozen, worried. But she feared. What if she couldn’t escape this underwater cave? What if she didn’t see her father ever again? What if she didn’t manage to save him? What if her heart must stay there, until dying, every heartbeat hurting her, just thinking about never seeing Mackenzie again? What if she manages to escape? Would she be brave enough to tell him… to kiss him… to give love?

  The time to fix it all was getting short now. A whole day and a whole night have passed by without any result. Kyra needed to save her father soon. If only all the things existing in Alter Land weren’t getting into her way she would be able to reach Mount Grimm faster. She was alone and lost.

  Small dark shadows had begun to swirl in Alter Land’s precious sky since early hours; stains and blurred smudges would be covering almost every corner, getting closer to Mount Grimm with the intention of ruining Kyra’s rescue mission. But how to go back? Was it possible to write a new exit- one that could grow beyond the fireflies' nest, and following straight to Mount Grimm without any other intrusive wily?

  Tired and confused, Kyra sat on the floor taking the book out of her bag. She searched for the page she had marked early that dawn. To her surprise, the page had changed. She remembered so well reading about alliances between witches and elves, or mermaid with wizards. Right now, the page in display was titled: The Enchanted Graphylux . She read it slowly, trying to conceal the pages from her own Graphylux. The solution to her problems was right there, just in front of her eyes.

  “ As powerful as every dreamer’s dream

  you can write with the Enchanted Pen,

  if you mix in the Enchanted Ink;

  To create new paths you’ll have the spell.”

  But how she could find only a few drops of the Enchanted Ink now, been a prisoner in the underwater cave? She looked at her two companions. Traitors or friends. Could they let her try this little experiment? She didn’t know, but truth was she needed to give it a try. Gingerly, Kyra approached the Inkling, her only option to escape. Her father depended on them, maybe Mackenzie depended on them too. The fireflies covered the cave, their buzzing growing higher and desperate, like aware of her plans. Kyra tried to ignore the noise and sat next to the Inkling.

  “You are bleeding?” -Although she wasn’t telling the truth, her face showed more worry than what was expected. The fireflies covered the Inkling’s head as a bandana. - “You have to let me care this wound!”

  Regardless of her faked concern, the Inkling just continued mimicking some unheard words with the fireflies.

  “I know what you want to do, and I’m not willing to it.” -The Graphylux protested with soft voice.

  “You complain too much to be a mere pen. And this is none of your business. You took me as your Keeper, the Book Whisperer everybody talks, thus obey my wishes. I’ll write down an escape to all of us.” -She said defiantly.

  “I shall stay in here forever rather than let any part of me be in contact with the traitor.” -The Graphylux protested, full of pride.

  “Oh, you speak traitor language now? If I don’t remember wrong, you were the one exaggerating things at own discretion. Have you forgotten the huge monster you sent after Mackenzie and me when I just wrote wolf? I haven’t forgotten and I’ll never forgive you for this. You’re the one I can call traitor right now, double-crossing me with your Incantatrix friend.” -Kyra snapped back.

  The Inkling was just too busy chatting with the fireflies to hear this conversation.

  “Maybe you can think that way, but I’m no traitor. I haven’t made any arrangement with the Wizard against you, but the un-aging boy has. I’m just trying to protect you from his wickedness.”

  “Maybe you should let me decide if I want his badness or not. I’m old enough now. I have trained my whole life for this day. This is my destiny.” -It had cost her to end at the bottom of Merm lagoon, being kidnapped by Indians, chased by a monster, among other things to understand her fate. She was happy realizing it.

  “In that case…” -The Graphylux jumped from her hand, digging its sharp tip in the Inkling’s back. This one jumped in surprise but the Graphylux mocked him. - “Don’t cry again, oven roasted bun!” -Kyra looked at the Graphylux in shock. The action had been too roug
h. - “What?” -The Graphylux asked as if he hadn’t been rude and hurtful with the Inkling.

  “I would have asked nicely for it!” -She protested. The Graphylux made a noise like imitating what she said and asked Kyra for a container where to put the tiny droplets dripping from the Inkling’s humanlike body. She spilled all the contents of her backpack remembering the small vials they always used to collect samples. She put one under the tiny falling drops of ink, being careful not to let them fall on her skin. She had enough freckles already, thank you. - “You’ll receive a good reward!” -Kyra told the Inkling and this one gave her a tiny smile in his humanlike inky black face.

  “I do the job and the ink takes the reward… How convenient…” -The Graphylux muttered in disbelief.

  “So, how we do this?” -Kyra asked the Graphylux ignoring his previous protests.

  “Now’s when the magic really begins! Think of something so great, beautiful and enchanted that can take us out of here, get us close to Mount Grimm and rescue the un-aging boy in the way, as he’s going to be the Witch’s meal soon.”

  “How you know that?” -Kyra asked surprised. The Inkling turned to face her again. His face showed nothing. No resentment, no madness. He opened his hands and there he had a small urn, Mackenzie’s face engraved on it. Kyra felt surprised when she took it into her hands.

  “Save that for later.” -The Graphylux told Kyra. - “The fireflies are telling the whole story of his captivity. Wait till you find out who the witch is… So, back to the real deal, think of magic!”

  Chapter 17: Lost boys

  Monday lunchtime

  Rattling noises presaged someone approaching in hurry. The animals were running, or flying, or floating, according the case, trying to dodge the source that originated all that clutter in Alter Land. The rabbits tried to hide in their burrows when three of them were seized by little hands with icy fingers. Three different laughers echoed through the Enchanted Forest, the sound reaching Mackenzie's ears. He would have recognized the noise no matter that he was already immersed in the boiling cauldron. The witch, however, was confused, analyzing what that aberration meant.

  Lost Boys!

  That was what Mackenzie preferred the most. If there were lost children he could find, there would be games and fun. Thus he could forget the strong desire to grow, until day falls and night appears. The Lost Boys would go to sleep and Mackenzie would return to think on his wishes of growing. It was part of Alter Land’s tradition that Mack would the one to welcome the Lost Boys, take them home and officially make them part of the club. He had never wondered why the Lost Children turned to be just boys, but after knowing Kyra he understood girls are always more cautious.

  The howling smiles continued and Mackenzie knew it wasn’t any type of children. They were small, eight years old at the most, and it was a great possibility they were family. The Witch stopped the mechanism that moved Mackenzie closer to the fire and went after the noise. His sweat drops kept falling inside the boiling mix, bringing back hot droplets that ended in Mackenzie’s face, burning his cheeks and forehead with stinging pain.

  He let out a loud cackle, the sound of warning, hoping that the Lost Boys could flee away from the upcoming danger. If the Witch trapped them, there would be no escape, and the snack he was about to become would turn into a satisfying buffet.

  The noise in the Enchanted Forest became excruciating. Tiny insects sang throbbing songs of desperation. The trees, whose loyalty revolved around whoever would offer something better, were in complicity with the soft sway of the wind. A delicate caress in the leaves, deep within the carpel and stamen; a kiss in the petals with a breeze so pure and enchanted it was hard to believe they were deep inside a fairy tale. What he could give the Enchanted Forest as bribe? What the Witch has given them to obey her commands?

  He whistled a mellow tune. Jealous and suspicious, the wind stopped, listening to the sound Mackenzie was making with just his pursed lips. The trees now curled at him, in attention to his chanted prayer. He remembered now. The first time he entered the Enchanted Forest he sang to calm his fears. The forest opened a path that protected him from the Witch then. For years now he had lived sheltered by the same forest.

  Mackenzie continued whistling and the trees bent down, bringing him closer to the floor and taking him far from the fire and the cauldron. Far from death.

  It was easier to untie his legs now that he was lying on his back, resting in a soft blanket of flowers and green grass. The sick laugh of the Witch reverberated through the woods and the forest stopped helping Mackenzie. The leaves were shaking again, every branch moving aflutter, even the roots well buried in the ground trembled like a child suddenly waking up after a terrifying nightmare.

  Fortunately, Mackenzie was already on his foot, shaking off the extra dirt on his clothes. He whistled a short thank-you note and started walking to the last place he heard the boys' laughs. Impossible to give another step forward, Mackenzie tried to fly, but soon the earth collided under his feet and he felt backwards. A mix of fear and adrenaline attacking his body. The earth swallowed him as easy as a tornado eats a farm from a single bite. Mackenzie felt hard on his back; rocks digging deep into his ribs and backbone.

  “Thank God you are still alive!” -The girl said, making a bow with her arms around Mackenzie’s neck. She had dismounted the black unicorn. The Inkling just steps behind, looking at them worried and ashamed.

  “The Fairy Girl found her way back… You’re stalking me? Na! You were looking for me!” -Mackenzie said with confidence. Another noise prevented Kyra from answering his interrogatory. The Witch appeared, dragging two small boys from the neck of their t-shirts.

  “That Witch looks just like someone I know… But I cannot get who.” -Mackenzie looked at Kyra with his this-will-be-fun face. - “Don’t tell me it’s my stepmother.”

  The Witch flinched when discovered Mackenzie had escaped but didn’t give too much importance. She was sure they would meet again soon. Meanwhile she had her hands busy tying the two boys. One was obviously sedated, but the other was fighting to be free from the Witch’s grip. Terror covering his face.

  “I’m going to rescue them.” -Mackenzie volunteered.

  “But how?” -Kyra stopped him. Mackenzie considered it for a few seconds. He peered from their hiding place. The Witch was pacing up and down, almost wrestling with what seemed to be the oldest of the three boys, and she was having difficulties to keep him under control. A sleeping dart was tightly held in her ugly hand, ready to be used with this boy too.

  “Write something and kill her.” -Mackenzie commanded, standing firmly in front of Kyra. She froze. Words didn’t find a way to flow from her hurting brain.

  “What?” -She managed to protest at last.

  “Kill the Witch! She just keeps doing damage here and there. Eating children is a sport for her, and who knows how many kids from the real world she had sent off to the grave.” -He refuted. Kyra just denied with the head, thinking that this was already written for her to make that mistake. - “Kill her now that there’s a change. Maggots will grow in her grave. Make it pretty and emotional and girly if you wish but kill her anyway.”

  Kyra watched suspiciously while the Graphylux confessed Mackenzie had some reason in what he said.

  “Oh, rotten droppings!” -Mackenzie managed to say before falling to the ground, his mouth full of pebbles and tiny roots, a sleeping dart kissing the back of his neck.

  “Look what we have here! The bully boy and more company.” -Said the Witch, showing Kyra one of her many fake faces. Before Kyra could even react, she was falling asleep on top of Mackenzie.

  ******

  “Kyra… Wake up…” -A soft voice called her name, but Kyra was too deep into dreams to wish to wake up. She was peacefully dreaming about her father. He was acting normal, watching her closely, especially to see if she was taking care of her shiny white teeth as he had always urged her to do.

  She also dreamt about her mother; a beauti
ful cascade of auburn waves framed her freckled face. She was like an angel, her aura strong and serene, with the ability to control any mind, but with the power to make it unnoticed as a blown kiss. She was calling her name and the smile was soon replaced by a worried expression, and her name was now pronounced with desperation.

  A stinky scent was splashed on her sleepy face and Kyra almost vomited even before opening her eyes. She sat rapidly, trying to protect herself from the Witch, but the stagnant odor sent her to her knees gasping for fresh air.

  “There you go. Take this… clean water.”

  Opening her eyes, she couldn’t believe the scene she had in front. Incantatrix was there, cleaning her with real-cotton white balls, offering fresh water after almost choking her seconds before. That face, she had dreamed with it just seconds before. But it cannot be possible.

  “Smart girl, keeping the Rafflesia water in one of the containers I gave you. Who would have known it wasn’t clean water?” -Incantatrix said as a joke. Kyra knew that Incantatrix could have identified easily the pungent nasty smell with just shaking the sealed bottle. Opening her eyes fully, Kyra saw Mackenzie sleeping in the floor, her unicorn asleep too. The Witch was far away, a soft line of smoke coming out of her mouth. Kyra asked silently if she had done this, but Incantatrix just shook her head no.