The Guardian's Apprentice (Beyond the Veil)

by J. Michael Radcliffe

  Keegan rose, supporting himself on his staff. He tried to concentrate through the lingering pain still coursing through his body. “I… I thought… I thought you were my ally? My guardian?”

  “I am charged with your protection, so long as you are the apprentice or the Guardian, but you do not have the freedom of exploring my thoughts. Your simple human mind would not cope well with the things you would find there. Before you so readily grieve the ones who came before you, you should know that they were not so ‘innocent’ as you would like to believe. They were foolish servants of others who sought to gain the power of Guardian for themselves. The protection of this realm dictated their deaths.”

  Keegan finally reached the end of the tunnel where he had first entered the mountain. Directly in front of him was a hard rock wall, moist from condensation but with no sign of a gateway or portal. Stupid – did I really think the old man’s portal would wait? Raising his hand towards the blank wall and visualizing the Council chambers, he uttered the phrase that Acamar had first taught him.

  “Vervoers Portaal.”

  A bright light flashed and a sharp crack echoed through the cavern. The air shimmered as the spell rebounded and knocked Keegan backwards, flinging him roughly to the floor. Scrambling to find his staff, he pulled himself up and dusted off his robes. The red orbs high above were dimming now, leaving Keegan in an ever increasing well of darkness.

  “What the hell was that?!”

  Suddenly, Keegan’s ring finger was searing with an intense pain. Looking down, he noticed that Nekk’ar was glowing white and pulsing with energy. Just as quickly, Keegan felt the dragon ring’s presence flow into his mind as it had before.

  ”Hide!” it hissed at him, almost leaving him unconscious from the sheer force of the thought.

  Glancing around, he saw a black granite pillar that protruded from the wall. Drawing his hood over his head, he squeezed down behind the pillar as best he could. The light from the red orbs was almost gone now, though Keegan noticed that the orbs themselves were not dimming, rather they seemed surrounded by some nebulous black mist that thickened as he watched. A sudden tearing sound, as if a thousand pieces of parchment ripping at once, resounded through the cavern. Keegan thought he caught a hint of sudden movement where his portal had been, but when he looked directly at the spot where it was all he could see was inky blackness. A sense of dread entered Keegan like none he had ever experienced; he could sense something purely evil, just beyond his sight. It was as if the blackness itself were alive and filled with malevolent hatred.

  Keegan’s vision began to blur as a searing pain coursed through his temples. As he clutched his head in his hands, images began to swim through his thoughts, seeping in around the blinding pain. In the images, he could see himself as an old man, alone in a hospital bed. As he watched, he could see himself aging, his skin wrinkling and joints enlarging. His hair grayed and fell out and his face developed a sunken appearance. Horrified by the approach of his own death, he was struck by the fact that the old man in his vision was dying alone.

  “Keegan!”

  A voice cut through the images like a knife, snapping him back to reality. He was quaking with fear, scrunching down as small as possible behind the pillar when just as suddenly the red orbs began brightening again. As they gained in strength his fear subsided, enough so that he could peek around the edge of his hiding place to look down the corridor. Keegan froze in horror as he saw the blackness moving! The cloud of pure, oily-black mist was flowing down the corridor without a sound, moving towards the great dragon’s chambers.

  “Flee!” hissed the voice of Nekk’ar in his thoughts. ”Flee now you fool, while you have the chance.”

  “What was that?”

  “Death,” said Nekk’ar simply. “The Dark Ones have been released, summoned to our realm to wreak their vengeance. You must flee to the Council while you still can, where the Guardian can protect you.”

  “But what about Seba’an?”

  The ring tightened further on his hand. “The Alderdrache is powerful; he may yet resist them. His duty is to sacrifice himself to ensure your survival.”

  “But how do I open a portal without them seeing me??” thought Keegan frantically.

  His ring, already so tight that his finger was going numb, constricted further and grew hot to the touch. “Their residual magic should shield you long enough – now GO!”

  Keegan raised his arm, pointing his clenched fist at the wall and thought fiercely ‘Vervoers Portaal,’ praying that the portal would flare to life. He felt the magic course through his veins and flow outward, blossoming into a flaming green spiral that he knew would connect to the Council chambers and safety. As he opened his eyes and gazed upon his work, he suddenly felt a bone chilling cold and heard what sounded like the distant rumble of thunder.

  “Blast! They’ve sensed you boy! Your portal was stronger than I thought – they’ve sensed your power and are returning.”

  That was all Keegan needed; without a moment’s hesitation he dove head-first through his portal, only vaguely aware of the snapping sound behind him as it flared out. He landed hard, sliding roughly on his stomach across the floor into the middle of the Council chambers, much to the surprise of the assembled witches and wizards. Keegan managed one brief look at their puzzled faces before passing out in an exhausted heap in the floor.

  ###

  Chapter 22 - Escape

  Keegan slowly opened his eyes, blinking away the fog that clouded his mind. It was then that he noticed a large black cat sitting on his chest, peering intently at him. Beyond the cat stood what appeared to be a ring of a dozen or more people in funny robes.

  “He’s coming to – I think he’s going to be fine,” said the cat.

  “Ugh,” said Keegan, letting his head fall back to the cold, hard floor.

  “Nice to see you too, my young friend,” purred the cat as it hopped down from his chest. “Your abrupt arrival interrupted my dinner, you know.”

  Keegan closed his eyes again as Acamar hurried off to his interrupted supper. His peaceful interlude was abruptly ended as two sets of arms grabbed him about the shoulders and hauled him into a chair.

  “Are you all right, Keegan?” asked Phineas, bending close so he could better examine the boy.

  “Yes, I’m fine. I’m getting used to near death experiences,” he sighed.

  Phineas looked puzzled. “Do you mean your audience with the Alderdrache? But surely it must have been acceptable; otherwise you would never have returned.”

  “Oh, that part went fine,” said Keegan. “It was the other bit that was a little dodgy.” He straightened himself up in the chair to get a better view of everyone’s faces. “Everything went fine until I started to return and found my portal blocked.”

  “What do you mean blocked?” asked Alexander Ducat, who had edged his way to the front of the group to stand next to Phineas.

  “Just that – it was blocked. I couldn’t summon a portal. When I tried, I was blown backwards by an explosion of some sort. The next thing I know I was hiding behind a column as this dark cloud of something came through the caverns and headed for Seba’an’s lair.”

  “What do you mean a dark cloud of something?” asked Alexander, pressing closer to Keegan and being elbowed by Phineas in the process. If Keegan did not know better, he could have sworn that the grey wizard had turned noticeably paler and had broken out into a cold sweat.

  “That’s just it – I don’t know what it was. The whole cavern began growing darker and something came through where my portal should have been. It looked like an oily-black, swirling mist. The temperature must have dropped at least twenty degrees when it passed through.”

  Keegan straightened himself up in the chair, having regained some of his strength. He was about to explain to the Council about Nekk’ar’s warning when suddenly the ring constricted so tightly it made him jump.

  “No!” came the voice in his mind, as loud to him as if the dragon ha
d shouted it in his face. Heeding the warning more out of fear than loyalty (he really did not want to lose a finger to that stupid ring) Keegan changed his story slightly.

  “The mist had moved towards the chamber of Seba’an when I called my portal; I guess that’s what brought them – or it – back towards me. I dove through the portal and didn’t look back.”

  “Someone’s obviously conjured a shade to follow the boy. Nothing to worry about,” Alexander pronounced.

  “It hardly sounds like a shade Alex,” said Phineas derisively. “The size doesn’t sound right for one thing, not to mention that a conjuring of that level normally doesn’t alter ambient air temperature.”

  “Hogwash, Phineas. I’m certain it was a low level conjuring and nothing more.” Ducat abruptly turned to face Keegan again. “This matter is closed young Master Whitestone. It is not to be discussed outside these chambers, as the apprenticeship process is not open to the public.”

  “But Master Ducat, that thing – whatever it was – was trying to kill me,” said Keegan in exasperation.

  Ducat leaned towards Keegan, glowering at him in the process. “Young one, you do not yet know the first thing about our world. I daresay you could not tell a shade from a spectre. As I am the Vice-Chairman of the Council until the new Chancellor is installed, it is my decision that stands – period.”

  Ducat made this last statement with such finality Keegan knew it was pointless to argue. He started to speak anyway but looked at Phineas, who gave him a very subtle warning glance. Moments later the doors to the Council Chamber closed with a resounding ‘thud’ as Master Ducat returned to his chambers. One by one, the other Council members returned to their own chambers as well, leaving only Phineas and Keegan to contemplate what had just occurred.

  “I don’t know what I saw but I do know it was trying to find me, to kill me if it could.”

  “I believe you, Keegan. I do not yet know why, but Master Ducat refuses to consider the possibilities.”

  “What possibilities?”

  Phineas sat down in the chair next to Keegan, letting out a deep sigh in the process. He leaned back, gazing at the distant ceiling of the chamber. The mists swirling around the columns high above had turned a golden hue, matching the sunset outside.

  “There are things in our world that have not been seen since long before the veil,” said Phineas. “Eons ago, before the Council had been formed and before there was some order to our lives, there existed a darkness in this world. There is only one thing that came to mind when you described what happened in the cavern. Only one thing fits the description and could account for what you saw.”

  Forgetting his bruises for the moment, Keegan leaned forward in earnest. “What was it? What was trying to kill me? What did they or it want?”

  Phineas met Keegan’s gaze, looking at him over the rim of the spectacles perched on his nose. “I believe, Keegan, that what you saw was the Shadow.”

  “Shadows?”

  “No, Keegan. The Shadow. They are the embodiment of pure evil. They were among the first ones on this world, although I do not believe they are actually from our world.”

  “What, you mean they’re like aliens or something?”

  Phineas shook his head and rose from the chair. Striding over to one of the arched windows, he crossed his arms as he looked out across the courtyard below.

  “They have always existed, Keegan. Before this world was even formed, they existed. They inhabit the planes between the universes – the dark places where the light never shines.”

  “Wait a minute – you keep saying ‘they’ but you call it ‘The Shadow.’ Is it a ‘they’ or is it an ‘it’?”

  “Oh there is certainly more than one, Keegan. In fact, there are a great many, unfortunately. However, despite being separate beings, they move, act and think as one for they share a consciousness. They are connected at all times.”

  “So why are they after me?”

  “The more important question is how they came after you,” said Phineas, turning to look directly at Keegan. Clasping his hands behind his back, he paced over towards his grandson.

  “Their portal to our world had been sealed eons ago, when the last of the ancients departed and the druids disappeared. So the question I want to answer first is, how did they return? How did they break the seal on the portal? Or perhaps more importantly, who let them in?”

  “You can’t be serious – why would someone open a portal to let something like that loose?”

  Unfamiliar though he was with this side of the world, Keegan was smart enough to know that one would not willingly let a being that malevolent pass through with an open invitation.

  “It could be any number of reasons, Keegan. Some fool seeking power would be my first guess, though they would have to be an incredibly powerful wizard to open the seals that have kept the portal safe.”

  “So, what happens to me now? More trials? More opportunities for me to get killed?” asked Keegan bitterly. He couldn’t stand it any longer as a drowning sensation washed over him. He jumped up and headed for the door, not exactly certain of where he would go – he just knew he had to get out. He expected Phineas to stop him, to chastise him and implore him to be patient, but this did not happen. The old man merely leaned on his staff and watched Keegan go.

  ***

  “Why didn’t you stop him?”

  Phineas smiled sadly, as he looked down at the large black cat that had suddenly appeared sitting next to his feet. “He will return when he is ready, Acamar. He’s a Whitestone, and the magic is in his blood; even if he doesn’t want it to be.”

  “I hope you’re right – for your sake as much as his.”

  With a yawn and a stretch, Acamar jumped up onto the window ledge and curled into a black, furry ball. Before Phineas could say a word, the cat was fast asleep.

  ###

  Chapter 23 – Thoughts and Reflections

  Keegan wasn’t sure how much time had passed since he stormed out of the Council chambers, nor was he certain how he had arrived in the courtyard. He sat down on a secluded granite bench next to an ornamental pond. The last rays of the setting sun had turned the surface of the water the color of fire, broken only by the occasional fin from one of the goldfish swimming just beneath the surface.

  Keegan closed his eyes, leaning his forehead on the staff in front of him. Although the wood was cool to the touch, he could feel something akin to a faint pulse somewhere beneath the surface. Concentrating, he let his mind drift outward, feeling for the pulsing energy with his mind. He felt himself drawn inward to the heart of the staff until suddenly he was surrounded by a soft, glowing warmth. He seemed to be floating somewhere within the heart of the staff, surrounded by a soft, golden glow.

  “You see, Keegan, this is your destiny – it is in your blood.”

  Keegan turned (or at least thought he did) toward the direction of the voice. Slightly above and to his left someone (or something) had coalesced out of the glow. The shape was blurry at first, until finally solidifying before his eyes into a large golden dragon.

  Looking down at his hand, Keegan realized that his ring was gone, yet in its place was a glowing band of what looked like liquid fire. From this band a tiny thread of light, no thicker than a human hair, snaked out across the distance towards the dragon.

  “Yes, we are still connected – even here,” replied Nekk’ar as if anticipating the question.

  “But where is here?”

  “We are….in between. Yes, that is the simplest way to put it. We are everywhere, yet nowhere. We are between the two worlds.”

  “I don’t understand. I was…”

  “In the courtyard. Yes, I know,” said the dragon, stretching its wings outward and flexing them, as if stretching after a long nap. “You seem to forget that most of my time is spent coiled around your ring finger.”

  Keegan had forgotten that little detail. “Tell me, Nekk’ar. Back in the Council chambers, why did you stop me from tellin
g them about your warning?”

  The dragon folded his wings back into place and lay down in front of Keegan, resting his giant head upon his crossed legs. His huge head towered above the young man. “You need to understand, young one, that not all of the Council members know I even exist. Oh, they know about the ring, of course. All of the first families have them. Yet yours is the only ring that is anything more than mere metal. The others have been imbued over the years with various powers, certainly, but yours is the only one that is more than what it seems.”

  “But my grandfather knows about you, yes?”

  “Oh yes, he knows quite a lot about me. You see I began as his ring but was handed down to his son, when he traveled beyond the veil. The Elder Whitestone felt it best if his line had my protection if they were to stay in the mortal world. He knew that one day you would have to return if he was to have an apprentice.”

  The dragon suddenly cocked his head to one side, as if listening to something. Keegan listened but couldn’t hear anything beyond the low hum of power that surrounded them.

  “It seems you have a visitor, young one. You had best return before they arrive. Your body is vulnerable while here in this place.”

  Keegan turned to look at the dragon but was startled to see that he was gone. Looking down he saw that the ring had returned to his finger, though it glowed with an odd light that made the tiny scales of the dragon’s hide look as if they were moving on their own. Not certain at first how to return, he strained his senses to see if he could find a way back until he felt an odd pulling sensation. Quite suddenly, the world around him snapped back into focus, though now the sun had set and the bright red magical lanterns scattered throughout the courtyard had come to life. He heard soft footsteps along the pathway and looked up. Walking towards him was the woman he had seen with the scrying sphere! If he had thought she was beautiful as seen through the sphere, she was absolutely breathtaking in person. Dressed in elegant black lace robes, she was only slightly shorter than he was. Although the lanterns cast a reddish glow on everything in the garden, he could still make out the soft olive tones of her skin beneath waves of long, ebony black hair. But the most powerful thing about her where her eyes – those lovely almond shaped eyes were so dark that they must be as black as the night itself.