The Veil

by Stuart Meczes

  “This should help her recover enough for the journey back,” he said to no one in particular. Speaking over his shoulder, he added, “Lightwardens, clear those filthy D’enhara from the bridge.”

  The others nodded and then started to roll the dead Harpies from the bridge. We helped, kicking them over until a sea of body parts cascaded into the deep canyon, falling until they could no longer be seen. A few minutes later, all that remained of the murder were a few black feathers and patches of rich, red blood. Sabrien pulled cloths out from the satchel on her Unicorn, who was watching Vendal work, concern filling her intelligent eyes. She walked around, handing them to everyone, pausing when she got to me. “I think you might require something a little more effective. Still…”

  I thanked her and took the cloth, pressing my face against the soft material. When I pulled it away, a bloody imprint stared back at me. I kept wiping until my face felt like it belonged to me again. Balling up the cloth, I tossed it over the edge to join the hordes of Harpies lying somewhere at the bottom of the dark pit.

  I knelt down next to Yidema and placed a hand on her side, stroking the soft hide gently. “Will she be okay?” I asked Vendal.

  “She will heal with time and care. But she will need to rest if she is to make the journey back home.”

  “I will wait with her,” offered Lightwarden Obeden, sinking into a sitting position next to the Unicorn.

  Vendal nodded. “Thank you.” He pressed a hand to his knee, using it as a support to stand up. At some point during the fight one of his arms had dislocated, and it hung at an odd angle by his side. He shifted his attention to it and gave an irritated sigh before seizing it with his hand and wrenching it back into place with a sharp movement that made me wince. “We should continue on now. Is that okay with you, Guardians?”

  Gabriella looked to me. “I’m okay to carry on if Alex is.”

  “I’m fine. Let’s go.”

  Vendal leaned over and clasped a hand on Obeden’s shoulder. Hendhal threw the warden two transparent containers shaped like horns and full of liquid. “In case either of you get thirsty.”

  “Thank you.”

  “We will be back as soon as we can,” said Vendal. “Will you be all right here without support?”

  The warden raised his wrist. “I have coms to reach you if any trouble comes my way. Now go.”

  The warden nodded and then swung himself deftly onto Zada’s back, giving her a comforting pat on the neck. “Good girl.” Sabrien and Hendhal climbed onto their own Unicorns and Gabriella climbed onto Isiodore. I knelt down and bowed my head to see if Isiodore would accept me as a rider. He pushed his muzzle into my hair and I stood up, smiling, before climbing onto his back behind Gabriella.

  She shook the reins and we all carried on, riding over the bridge and towards the looming Reaper Archives.

  14

  Alex

  The Reaper Archives were tall and imposing, casting a shadow that stretched out across the entire base of the cliffs and plummeting the whole area into the negative degrees, despite the searing heat of the suns. At the end of the sweeping bridge were two towering statues carved from black rock.

  They resembled the reapers themselves, their huge arms turned inwards and massive bowls of still-burning fire hanging from thick chains at the point where their sleeves met. In the poor light of the mountain, they looked like forgotten titans, cursed into stone and forced to watch as the world passed them by.

  “Nice, friendly welcome,” said Gabriella sarcastically, pointing up at the cavernous holes that made up the eyes of the mask. Some unknowable creature had built its nest inside one of them, its exposed legs – thin and insect-like – twitching as they tapped the air, searching for prey.

  “If you find anything in the corrupted wilds of Pandemonia that does not wish you ill intent, then you are a very lucky individual,” said Sabrien as we edged the Unicorns up the weaving path of stone steps that had been carved into the mountainside. Each step had been marked with a series of foreign letters drawn in thick black ink. I glanced at a few and after a while their meaning was translated into English, as my mind connected with my soul and searched deeply for the ancient translations.

  “The sanctum of the mind is nourished through knowledge,” I read aloud.

  “To know all is to understand all. What the eye sees the hand must record,” added Gabriella as she read more.

  “The divine machinations of the world are locked from mere mortals. Knowledge is the key,” added Hendhal. “Like you’ve probably heard, the reapers were quite an odd species.” He chuckled. “And quite filled with their own self importance, by the sounds of things.”

  We kept moving upwards, until the bridge was a distant strip fixed against a black backdrop far below us. Warden Obeden could no longer be seen, and I silently prayed that he wouldn’t find any more trouble. Out of all the Wardens I had met, I liked the group we had found ourselves with the most. They seemed like anyone else, full of hopes, fears and regrets. They were people.

  It reminded me of a quote I had read in an old war book when I’d been researching a school essay on the Holocaust. The person quoted had unequivocally stated that aside from rare sociopathic exceptions, most individuals in any armed force were for the most part, good. It was only when they became a unified force – a mindless fist used by those in charge to seize and crush, to oppress and restrict – that they became something different…something to be feared.

  As we kept climbing I felt the tattoo on my arm start to twitch and my stomach lurched in fear. I pulled back the sleeve and stared at it, fearing the worst. The glow had dimmed somewhat, and it was sending an ache up my arm, but apart from that it looked normal. It’s just been overused lately, that’s all. The more I use it – especially here – the more I need to rest to recover the power. But there was another thought, lying just behind that one, a thought that sent a stab of fear into my heart.

  How long before the Darkness breaks free? Am I really strong enough to keep it in there forever, whilst I take its power?

  No, I argued with myself. That part of me, the evil caused by The Sorrow, has been trapped in the deepest parts of my mind, sealed away like a prisoner. The prisoner it wanted to make me. It can’t ever get out.

  But what…what if somehow it did?

  I shook away the carousel of thoughts until only one remained. No matter how powerful this mark makes me, no matter what can be achieved with it, Gabriella is right…I need to get rid of it.

  It’s just a case of when…and how.

  The stairs curved around and up onto a circular outcrop, ringed by freestanding pillars that were topped with basins of crackling fire. Rough weather or heavy attacks had reduced many of them to rubble, the stumps sticking out of the ground like broken teeth and extinguished bowls shattered to pieces around them.

  The archive itself loomed over us, rising up like a great shadow from the cliff face. Rather than one complete building, up close it appeared to be formed from hundreds of Aztec-style square pillars, packed tightly together. Each intricate turret reached different heights – some towering high into the gloomy sky and connected via thin bridges, others smaller and punctured by hundreds of stained glass windows featuring a number of weird shimmering symbols. That must be the magic protection…it’s everywhere.

  The chimney turrets had once been slate grey, but they were now turning the same dark green as the rocks around them, as some cancerous mould spread across their surfaces. A final set of steps lined by rock balustrades led up to another pair of statues and a central towering pillar that served as an entry point. The statues in this area were bowing down in reverence – their arms wrapped around great flaming urns. Only one of the statues had survived the repeated attempts at entry – the other was missing part of its head, and it held onto nothing more than a pile of rock shards. The light from the surviving flame cast a long shadow across the grand metal doors that barred access to the cavernous archives. Overall there was something a
ncient and eerie about the place, as if existed in its own point in space and time – a relic from some other dimension.

  We all jumped down from our Unicorns and secured their reins to the broken pillars. They seemed nervous, shifting around restlessly and making huffing noises. Are they still shaken up from the Harpy fight…or is it something else? The three Lightwardens stood in a group, staring up at the shadowy archives. Gabriella gave Isiodore’s neck a soothing pat and then turned to Vendal.

  “We all ready?”

  He shook his head. “We shan’t be going any further, I’m afraid. I was one of those who tried to open these doors long ago, and I still have the sharp memory of that pain. I am not keen to try again.”

  “Great pep talk, thanks.” She turned to me. “Mio caro, you ready?”

  I took a deep breath and steeled myself. “Yes. But I’m going on my own.”

  “What?”

  “The Elders said it was me that might be able to open the doors, not you. I don’t want you getting hurt.”

  “No way. We’re in this together.”

  I held up a hand. “If you try and go, I don’t.”

  “Alex…”

  “Please, Ella, just wait here with the others.”

  She folded her arms. “Fine.”

  I could feel the weight of four sets of expectant eyes as I slowly climbed the final set of steps, curling my hands into fists as I approached the giant entrance. They were the biggest doors I had ever seen in my life – the ring handles alone were bigger than manhole covers. My heart was thudding in my chest, my palms sweating.

  As soon as I got within ten feet of the doors a high-pitched whine started up from beyond them – so piercing it scratched my brain and made me squint. A shimmering wall of blue liquid appeared on the doors, sweeping outwards and clinging to every inch of the metal like a second skin. I could feel the sheer power pouring out from them, enough to make the hairs on my arms and the back of my neck stand up. Taking a deep breath, I focused and drew on the power from within me, imaging it drawing it into the marked arm, until it crackled beneath the surface of my fingertips. Raising my arm, I slowly walked forward until I was right in front of the doors. Gingerly I touched my fingers against the seal.

  I shot back like a cannonball.

  My mind was blank as I felt my feet leave the ground. I saw the steps rush past underneath me. I had no thoughts as my back smashed into one of the pillars, which crumbled around me, startling the Unicorns and making them rear up onto hind legs. My brain was empty as what felt like a million invisible jellyfish wrapped their tentacles around my arm and neck, sending their electric charges deep into my flesh. My thoughts returned, along with a deep and absolute pain that made me scream at the top of my lungs. I was vaguely aware of Gabriella’s presence as she slapped her palms against the sides of my face and bought me around.

  “Alex! Alex, talk to—”

  I switched before she could finish her sentence. Anger replaced the pain and I charged forward once again, before anyone could stop me. I was furious that these cowards had shied away from battle – watching and making notes as others died around them, that these things might hold the secrets of this world, but rather than reveal them they had decided to arrogantly seal them away in an impenetrable fortress. I grit my teeth together and flashed forward, traveling at an immense speed, head down and body hunched inwards, ready to barge.

  BOOM!

  My shoulder hit the seal so hard the resounding noise echoed around the mountain, reverberating into the distance. Once again the shockwave swatted me off my feet and sent me flying back down the staircase. My spine hit the lowest step and my body was wracked with a pure pain that even my new power could not mitigate. The others poured around me as I coughed up blood from something that had ruptured within.

  “Alex, why did you—”

  I was back on my feet again and running up the stairs again, drawing Crimson and gripping it in both hands.

  “Alex stop!”

  I raised the sword high above my head, a sound of utter fury escaping my throat. All the lives lost, all the pain and suffering, just to be stopped by a door. I won’t allow it…I won’t!

  I struck down with the sword.

  A blinding light pierced my eyes, followed by a screaming sound that came from the seam between the doors. The light enveloped me, racing up the blade itself and igniting strange, ancient symbols on the surface. A force so powerful I couldn’t comprehend it escaped from the magic seal, and both my hands shook as if I were holding a pneumatic drill. I grit my teeth and leaned forward, pressing all of my weight into the door. A small split appeared in the seal and from within, a rush of low whispers in an unrecognizable language poured out in a gust of strong air that blew at my hair and uniform. Yelling, I kept pressing against the seal, watching as little by little I carved a hole in it.

  It’s working! Crimson is working!

  Sweat streamed down my face and into my eyes from pure exertion, but I kept struggling, my hands trembling as the sheer light and whispers rushed around me.

  The rip started to grow.

  A set of blades appeared, driving down into the door just above my sword. Gabriella took her place next to me, her lips pulled back into a snarl of effort as she dug the Blood Brothers in, turning sideways and pulling to the left, dragging her blades horizontally across the seal and ripping it open.

  Something shifted.

  The glow of the seal dimmed and it became easier to sink the blades in. I spun the sword around and sliced upwards, joining my rip with Gabriella’s until they had become a lopsided smile, which widened into a yawning grin. A sudden burst of the deep, untranslatable words burst out of the seal with the strength of a hurricane. They shoved Gabriella back, and I switched to a one handed grip that threatened to rip my shoulder from its socket and grabbed her waist, pulling her back. She dropped one Blood Brother and it went flying down the stairs and caught in the cracks between the stone. She dug her other blade back in and used her free hand to join mine on Crimson, and screamed with effort as we fought together against the powerful magic. Large strips of the seal started to break away, falling to the ground and vanishing.

  “Keep going!” I said through gritted teeth.

  We both used all of our energy to keep carving against the seal, squinting our eyes against the blinding light and the piercing ringing sound that swam through our ears.

  “Alex!”

  I turned to see that Gabriella was lowering down in my grip, leaning her shoulder towards me. I knew what she wanted me to do without her saying a word. Keeping my blade inside the seal, I let her go at the same time I vaulted onto her shoulder and jumped as high as I could, dragging the blade upwards with me. A groaning shudder burst from the seal, sending a storm of dust and stones – and Gabriella – flying backwards. The shockwave hit my side and sent me flying backwards as well. I hit the ground hard and rolled a dozen times, colliding with a dazed Gabriella.

  There was a deep tearing sound and then a final burst of whispers. Then I turned my head in time to watch the entire seal break away from the door like a roll of material, flopping down towards us. Instinctively I threw myself on top of Gabriella. All I felt as the seal spilled over us was the sensation of a thousand feathers brushing against my skin. A sound like the receding drag of waves filled the area.

  Then it was over.

  “Are you okay?” I whispered.

  “Yeah, I think so,” she replied.

  I rolled over and we helped each other climb to our feet. We both stared at the door in disbelief.

  All traces of the seal were gone.

  “We…we did it,” she said in utter amazement.

  “Our weapons did it.”

  I stared down at the blade still clutched in my hand. “I couldn’t do it with just one…it needed both.” I looked up at Gabriella, my eyebrows raised. “Ella, I think that the Crimson Twins were always meant to be the key to these doors.”

  “Dear Elementals!”<
br />
  We turned to see Vendal and the other Lightwardens rushing up the stairs after us. Vandal’s cheeks were flushed, his mouth open in a mixture of disbelief and excitement. “I…I have never seen anything like that. You’ve done it! I can’t believe you’ve actually done it!” In a completely unexpected moment, he grabbed us both into a hug. He realised what he was doing a moment later and composed himself. “My apologies, Guardians, it’s just that this is something I never expected could ever happen.”

  “Its fine,” chuckled Gabriella.

  “We have to be sure its open,” I said.

  I rotated the blade and sheathed it at my back before walking up to the door. The pain of touching the seal had shifted to a dull ache that had buried itself deep into my muscles, and I wasn’t keen to add to it. Wiggling my fingers, I pressed my palm against the cool metal. The shriek of old hinges came from within and with barely any pressure the doors swung open, followed by a blast of dank, ancient air. “Guess that answers that question.”

  Vendal lifted his coms bracelet and spoke excitedly into it. “Highwarden Caria, come in, can you hear me?” There was a beat of silence. “Sir, it’s done. We are in! I repeat, we are in!” He paused for another moment then nodded. “Yes sir, will do.” He turned to us. “The Highwarden has asked us to secure the archives. He is sending immediate reinforcements.”

  I turned to stare with the others up at the huge opening, the oppressive black maw of the unknown inviting us to cross its threshold.

  “Time to see if this place was worth the effort.”

  15

  Alex

  The interior was as dark as a moonless night, but as soon as we stepped over the threshold of the archives, there was an echoing rush followed by a sudden burst of light as thousands of candles ignited themselves, revealing a cavernous entrance hall that was every bit as odd and intriguing as I’d imagined it to be.