Pepper / INK /

CHAPTER ONE

Shum najl Aibna

The child rarely spoke with his own voice. And even more rarely in public, the only exception was the melody of the moon. When the melody of the moon started, he would sing with them, but it was as if he heard the song. Over the past few years he had learned to speak with his hands, and he had discovered an ability that caught the Inkwalker’s attention. A long time ago, his mother had given him a picture, she said it was made from her ink. And one day in a fit of frustration at not being able to communicate, he put his hand down on it, the small raven, the only part of her ink not lost, and it came to life.

It spoke as he thought, and he could hear as long as the bird was active. Not always well, but he could hear. So it wasn’t uncommon for the Raven to alight on his shoulder and start to squawk. And then, it’s its scratchy bird voice it would speak his thoughts. But anyone who knew magic could seen the moon mark on it, a sign of those who use the magic of the moon, and moe so, the magic of lunar ink.

"Ay sizi korumak honored brother." The greeting was standard from one Magic user to another, in this case from one Inkwalker to another.

"And you," said the Raven.

Daniel smiled, there were a lot of people who could control the birds, there were few who could draw them. But the bird, to his eyes, looked drawn. "That is an amazing ability, are you a seven?"

"My mother was an Inkwalker, she called me Najl aibna." The raven said, the young man’s silver-rimmed eyes locked on the Inkwalker, but showed no fear. What I was called before that is lost." The bird said bobbing its head sadly. "I am Shum Najl Aibna" He said as the young man extended his hand to shake.

Daniel blinked at the strange eyes that looked at him, familiar eyes, bright green with silver rims. They were unusual and he only knew of one family that had ink who also had that particular type of eye color. "Was your mother Victoria?" He tried to look at the child instead of the Raven, but it wasn’t always easy. And he noticed, when the Raven spoke, the child signed, mouthing along.

"She was. The night the Airtafae came, I was badly injured and my hearing was taken from me, as was my family and my name."

Shum’s step-foster-father hated it when he used the Raven, he wanted his boy to be normal, forbidding him to sign because he knew he could speak. He heard him sing the song of the night, calling the moonlight, the only thing he couldn’t forbid. But he didn’t like it when the boy sang it. Magic was evil, as the boy himself should know because it had killed his mother. The only reason he hadn’t banded the boy was that the doctors all said it could make him ill, that it could seriously injure him, so he settled for forbidding the use of magic.

"Who are you talking to?" The angry man demanded.

Daniel smiled and shook hands with him. In an instant he seemed larger, more imposing than he had been, and his features were the same but somehow different, harder. "Daniel, I’m here from Magic services to make sure the boy’s rights have not been impinged."

It wasn’t technically a lie. As Inkwalker he was a representative of the law and of magic services. In fact, he knew most of the caseworkers and would have to double-check and see whose case this young man’s was. Maybe one day he would feel up to taking back his real name...If Daniel could find it.

The look on the Inkwalker’s face was grim, almost deadly, and he had the aura of a man who had killed. But Shum wasn’t afraid of him. It was as if he knew that it was all show.

When the foster father left he spoke again. "I promise you, you will be safe."

"A lot of people say that."

"By the moonlight and the Ink, the two things I hold most dear, hdha ’uqsim, I swear this. I will do everything in my power to make sure you are safe."

The child looked a him and smiled. "I believe you Inkwalker. For my mom said that only an Inkwalker could swear by both, and that if they did they couldn’t break it unless they gave up all ink and all magic. So I know this is important to you." The scratchy voice of the Raven still spoke, but the boy’s hands moved in time.

Daniel smiled, and said the same thing again, this time in sign, he made the oath again without words, and then added, "And if I must, I’ll add my voice to that list too."

Shum smiled. "You honor me," he signed.

"You are a Yedi, a Seven, respect and honor are supposed to be yours," Daniel returned. "I must go, I am not well, and I fear that the sun is far too bright for me."

"Be careful, there are reports of shadow plague."

"I will child."

Daniel turned and left. Though he called the boy ’child’ he really wasn’t, he was sixteen, old enough in the magic world to make his own way. It was only the fact that he had been stuck in a mortal household that was preventing him. Daniel promised himself he would look after him. If the Necromancer had done this to the boy, it was only a matter of time before the Necromancer came back to finish the job.

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Next Chapter: Keeping the Ink (Javved)