by Isaac Winter
I drew my hands inside the wide sleeves of my robe. He’d seen my skin. I couldn’t risk giving anything else away.
“Well if you see a gnome, about yay high, be sure and send her our way. We’ll make it well worth your while.” The man jingled a bag of coins and walked away, muttering to his partner.
“That was close,” Tris breathed as I slipped back into the seats.
“Tell me about it,” I agreed.
I hunched under the table to see Laurie still hiding there, face white as a ghost. The crowd had filled in around the thugs and I could no longer see them. Which meant they probably couldn’t see us, either. “I think the coast is clear.”
“Good, I was getting a cramp.” Laurie emerged from underneath the table, but not before knocking her head on the way out. She was short, but not that short. The mug perched precariously at the edge of the table wobbled and fell with a crash, drawing eyes from the crowd.
Laurie, covered in ale and looking properly mortified, froze.
“Hey, that’s her!” A voice said. “The gnome!”
The cronies muscled through the crowd, pointing. “Get her!”
My heart leapt into my throat as Laurie squeaked and pressed herself against the wall. We were cornered, literally. Nowhere to turn.
I chanced a sideways glance at Tris, whose hand glowed a faint green color. Good plan. I ran through my list of spells in an instant and prepared to fight.
Nothing like a good bar brawl.
11
Cael
At that moment, an even greater sound racked the tavern as the ground shook. I lost my footing and fell heavily onto the seating, bruising my tailbone in the process. The crowd turned to chaos. Plates of food fell from tables, people lost their balance, and mugs clattered from shelves onto the floor, adding to the din.
“Earthquake!” Tris screamed, bracing herself against the table, which was luckily bolted to the floor.
Things got even worse when I heard a horrible ripping sound like someone slicing through fabric and a great rent opened in the sky, fluttering in the breeze. My eyes widened.
Not again.
A piercing pain hit my forehead like a bolt and I doubled over, groaning. I looked around. Tris was doing the same, as were most of the patrons in the bar. What was happening?
The pain shot through my head and down through my limbs. I felt like my whole body was vibrating, every nerve alight. Then I saw a damning message through my blurred vision:
> Caution: Veil Energy Unstable.
0x3e2d1ab4
0x002ab4c7
0x514ffa33
…
!!@#%…
**);
Laurie was right. My throat closed up as I shooed the message away. Breathe, Cael, breathe. The Veil was glitching out. Bad.
People screamed and ran in all directions, and I lost sight of our pursuers. I grit my teeth and gripped the table for support, drawing a dagger.
The crowd pointed and yelled as the slice in the sky grew larger, gaping like a huge mouth. Through the hole I could see only darkness at first, but then the familiar shape of a building came into view.
Overture Academy.
I ducked as the windows shattered and creatures flew into the fray, attracted to the portal. The tavern was in full chaos now, people running and tripping over one another in their haste to get out. I scanned the crowd, trying to find the men hunting Laurie. One bounded toward us, a blood-hungry gleam in his eye.
He stopped short as he collided with a screeching Reaver and it latched onto his arm, ripping the limb away as if he were a paper doll.
His partner ran to his side and tried to staunch the flow of blood with a handkerchief. No good. Then the Reaver turned on him. His eyes widened and he ran like a man possessed. The door clattered as he made his escape.
“What are you waiting for?” Tris’s voice cut through the chaos. She hoisted a crossbow to her shoulder and fired a glowing blue dart at the creatures. “Kill the bastards!”
The dart collided with the Reaver and it screeched, colliding with a wall. The tavern rumbled with the impact but I stood firm. The sound of screams and broken dishes filled the background but for now it was just me and the monsters. I knew what I had to do.
“They’re weak to water!” Tris yelled, loading another bolt. “I’ll hold them off, find something!”
I leapt into action and vaulted myself over the bar, scanning the contents for water. There had to be something here.
Finally, my eyes caught on to an aging barrel with a parchment label that read “water”. Perfect. But how was I going to direct it?
Use the Runes, a small voice said inside my head. That was my trump card, after all.
I narrowed my eyes, took a breath, and let the world light up around me. The Runes appeared in shining orange, as if they had never left. A trail of light reached its way from the barrel up and through the rafters. I didn’t know where it went, but I had an idea.
It would either work, or we’d all be dead. One of the two. Somehow, I wasn’t liking those odds.
“Get ready!” I yelled, and threw my weight at the barrel, shattering the creaky old boards. Water hit me in the face full on and I sputtered, but didn’t let it ruin my concentration. I drew a hard line with my hands along the path of light, reaching out to the Runes for aid as I had in the past.
Rianka.
The incantation came to me in my trance state and I threw my arms into the spray of water. Everything slowed there for a moment, and it felt as if I could actually grab on to the droplets of water. I guided them toward the Runes, toward the light.
“Go,” I whispered, and the water took flight. It mingled with the Runes and took shape, flowing along the pathway of light up and toward the ceiling. I watched and held my breath, waiting for the right moment.
Through the shrieking and the pain and the terror, I let my arms fall, visualizing the giant thunderstorms of my childhood.
Please work.
I opened my eyes, and water flew everywhere.
The warm droplets pattered down, dousing my cloak and leaving my hair a sopping mess. But what’s more, it leeched into the Reavers’ skin and sizzled, leaving behind an awful stench. They screeched and flailed about, beating their leathery wings in an attempt to escape. But one by one, they fell to the ground, twitching as the water ate away at them like acid.
Tris stared, wide-eyed, at the screaming beasts. A flicker of terror flashed in her eyes for just a moment, then she wasted no time shooting them dead.
“There’s more coming!”
I whirled around, looking for the source of the voice. Laurie. She pointed a shaking finger at the shattered windows. Through the haze and the dust, I could see the oncoming black shapes. We were doomed.
“We have to close it!” Tris yelled, pointing at the Tear. “They’ll keep coming till we do!”
I ground my teeth and took in the grisly scene. Hurt and scared patrons cowered in corners or tripped over one another trying to get out. The thug that had been sent to apprehend Laurie lay on the ground unconscious. The other had escaped. More black shapes grew on the horizon, and the Tear was only getting larger. I had to end this.
“How do we close it?” I yelled over the din.
“Use the Runes! We’ll hold them off!” Laurie was up and fighting now, throwing shards of dishes, old rolls, anything she could find. I smiled. She was always one to improvise.
I planted my feet, took a deep breath, and faced the Tear. It seemed to suck all the air out of the room, whooshing toward the portal. Toward the Academy. After what I’d seen on the other side, I couldn’t let that happen. Digging deep, I allowed my vision to soften. The orange flickering runes came into focus, swirling like a maelstrom around the portal. More than I’d ever seen before in one place.
> Runic Vision activated.
I took a step back, suddenly unsure.
But no. There was no time. No one else could do this.
I raised my hand
s up high, drawing a symbol in the air. I slashed out with my fingertips and drew an X shape in front of the Tear. The Runic energy flowed toward me, into me. I gasped, feeling the sting of its power. I gathered more and more, my body straining to hold it all. My very skin vibrated and shivered with the energy. I just had to let it free.
“Hurry!” Tris shrieked as a Reaver advanced on her. She was locked into a hand-to-hand brawl with the beast, scrabbling for purchase as it lashed out at her, clawing toward her face. I nearly stopped the ritual right there to run to her. Closing the portal, or saving my friend? Which was worth more?
Luckily, I didn’t have to.
“Hey, bonehead!” I heard a voice cry. It was enough time for the Reaver to turn its ugly head. He screeched in warning just as a heavy glass bottle crashed down over his head, knocking him out.
Shards of glass clattered to the floor and I glanced away from the portal just long enough to see Tris’s savior.
It was Laurie, panting and brandishing a broken wine bottle.
Thank god.
I turned my full attention to the Tear, imagining my Runic magic stitching the hole together as if it were cloth. Slowly, the flickering edges began to draw together once more. I took a final wistful look at the Academy, and then the Tear closed. All was silent once more.
12
Cael
It’s hard to say how long I stood like that, catching my breath and reeling from the events of the evening. Eventually, I heard the sounds of other people around me. Confused voices, people righting the fallen furniture, and the bell over the door way clanging as people finally rushed out.
I wiped my hands on my cloak and turned to Tris. Dirt marked her clothes and a large scratch scored her face, but she looked none the worse for wear. She was still walking. She was still alive. Laurie, too.
Our pursuers had left the scene in the panic, it seemed. Now we were left with only a few straggling patrons and the barkeep, trying in vain to clean up the mess behind the counter. He scrubbed the bar with a wet rag and a far away expression, as if it would set everything back to normal.
There was one Reaver still twitching in its death throes at the corner of the room. Tris rounded on it and drew her crossbow, but I held up a hand to stop her. “Wait,” I said, approaching. “I want to try something.”
I bent down, using my Analyze skill on them.
> You have found: Reaver. HP: 15/350. Status: Poisoned.
“Anything?” Laurie asked, coming over to me. A dagger from a fallen patron glinted on her belt. Smart woman. Suddenly, I had an idea.
“You can talk to them, can’t you?” I asked her. With her Animal Kinship skill, maybe we’d be able to find out what they wanted and where they’d come from.
Laurie shrugged and hung her head. “I’m not high enough level yet,” she said. “I can only do low-level creatures, and even then, it’s not like we have whole conversations. It’s more a transfer of images or ideas.”
“Can you try, anyway?” Tris joined us looking at the shuddering beast. He wasn’t going to harm anyone anytime soon, that was for sure, but I still didn’t like looking at his scaly face. “Else I can just get rid of him.” She aimed her crossbow and I heard a click as it loaded a bolt into the chamber.
“Wait.” Laurie stepped between Tris and the Reaver, crossing her arms. Tris didn’t lower the crossbow, only raised an eyebrow. “I’ll do it. I’ll try, anyway. Now put that thing down before you hurt someone.” She eyed Tris’s weapon and with a scowl, Tris finally put it away.
I rolled my eyes. A near brush with death, and they were still bickering.
“I need my space,” she pointed out, shooing us away. I obliged by raising my hands and slowly backing off.
This was it.
Laurie focused her gaze on the beast, narrowing her eyes and mumbling a few words I couldn’t make out. She stretched out a hand, nearly touching the scaly flesh. I stepped forward to stop her, but Tris held me back, her lips a thin line. I nodded and rooted myself to the spot. If there was even the slightest hint of danger, though, I wouldn’t hesitate to rush in and tear them apart.
The seconds ticked by as I watched them having their staring contest. It seemed like nothing was happening, and I was about to motion for her to leave, but then her body went rigid. She shrieked. Breaths came fast and ragged, her eyes wide as saucers with fear. She scrabbled away like a crab on hands and feet. Anything to put more distance between her and the Reaver.
For a final, earsplitting moment, the creature let out a mournful squeal, flapping his wings in a last attempt to get away. I ducked, covering my ears as the noise pierced the air. It hurt!
> Caution: You have been Deafened. Aural Damage makes you more susceptible to Sneak Attacks and your Perception skills are dulled for the next hour.
As it gave its final screech, the Reaver crumpled to the ground, dead.
Tris looked to me and then to Laurie and back.
It was over. The Reavers were gone.
I rushed to Laurie’s side, crouching and offering her a hand to help her up. She didn’t move. Laurie sat there, frozen in time with her face a mask of terror. I waved a hand in front of her face. No response.
“Laurie?” I called. “Laurie!” My heart thudded in my chest as I grabbed her shoulders. What had happened to her?
Luckily, her small frame didn’t weigh much and I hoisted her over my shoulder, carrying her toward the door.
Tris followed, picking up a few discarded objects strewn across the floor as she went. “What’s wrong?” She asked, catching up to us.
“She’s sick. I don’t know what happened, but…something’s wrong. Really wrong. We need help. We need a healer. Fast.”
Tris tapped a device on her wrist. “I sent a message ahead to Fel and Mabel. They’ll meet us here and get us to safety. Fel has a Teleportation Stone; he can get us back to the Hideout.”
I let out a breath of relief. “A Tele Stone? Since when did he have one of those?” I remembered one of my early journeys with Tris. “Say, didn’t you used to have one?”
Tris shrugged. “It ran out of uses and crumbled. This is a new one. I shot off a PM as soon as I could catch a breath and Fel got back to me.”
“And Mabel’s still there, too?” I had been wondering what had happened to her. We’d had a bit of a falling out before I left the Veil last time, but it was good to know that she was still safe.
“Oh yes,” Tris said. “She’s been making quite a name for herself, that one. Training hard, putting those Herbal skills to good use. Quite the useful Healer, you know. And…” she pursed her lips as if weighing what she’d say next, “she’s managed to make some concoctions to help Fel’s other business, as well.” With that, she smirked with some secret knowledge.
Fel’s other business… I searched my brain for answers. Oh, right. I thought back to the very first time I’d met Fel, and how skeptical I’d been. His establishment was in the Pleasure District, after all. What was a debaucherous brothel on the outside served as a front for the clandestine organization known as the Seekers. I could only imagine what kind of concoctions they might need up there… I shook my head, returning my thoughts to the task at hand. “How long until they arrive?”
“Depends how far they are. Could be seconds, could be minutes.”
I clenched my jaw as I lay Laurie down on the grass, trying to wake her. Whatever consumed her mind, it looked terrifying. Guilt settled over me like a heavy blanket, thickening the air and making it hard to breathe. I shouldn’t have insisted she try her skills. We should have just gotten out of there. If we’d done that, none of this would have happened. And Laurie would still be safe.
I felt responsible for all of this. First, for getting Laurie dragged into the Veil in the first place. And then, for being unable to protect her. I was supposed to be better in this world. Stronger. But I guess even in the Veil, I made plenty of mistakes. Even when people relied on me. Especially when people relied on me, it seemed.
Exhaling, I pinched the bridge of my nose and brushed a lock of hair away from Laurie’s forehead. “Please be okay,” I whispered.
If anything happened to her, I didn’t know that I could forgive myself.
A whoosh of cool air rustled the grass and blew the sweaty hair off my forehead. The air flickered with a strange light, almost like I’d seen when the Tear opened. But instead of ripping open to another world and throwing this one into chaos, it lasted only a moment before the elf and dwarf materialized in front of us.
I closed my gaping mouth. Man, I had to learn how to do that!
My distracted thoughts were cut short as the two old friends rushed toward us. “So it’s true,” Fel said, his bushy mustache bristling as he regarded me. “You’ve returned.”
“We heard rumors, but…” Mabel started.
“It’s lovely to see you too, but Laurie’s hurt. She needs a healer, fast.”
Mabel’s gaze shot over to the gnome laying on the grass beside me. She rushed forward, laying a hand on Laurie’s forehead. A grimace marred her features. That couldn’t be good.
“Get us out of here, Fel. Back to the lab.” Mabel looked around warily, sniffing the air. “And why’s it smell like a troll’s ass out here?”
“Tell you when we get back,” Tris promised, outstretching her hand from her cloak. She rested it on a shimmering blue stone Fel held in both hands. It was about baseball-sized, and maybe I was hearing things, but it seemed like it was humming.
“To me,” Fel called, nodding to the Stone. “And quickly.”
I hoisted Laurie with Mabel’s help and we made our way over. I adjusted the burden in my arms to place a hand on the Stone, and Mabel did the same.
13
Cael