The Veil

by Stuart Meczes

  I didn’t have time to be impressed. I turned back around and kept pressing on.

  The Victus District appeared in front of us. Several of the buildings had been bombed to cinders, and the central fountain had fallen apart, spraying water everywhere. The bodies of dozens of Fenodarian citizens littered the courtyard. Some had tried to cover their loved ones, others were slumped on their knees, their heads lolling against their chests – victims of cold-blooded execution.

  But the thing that almost stopped me in my tracks was the sight of countless Umbra soldiers converged on the Atrius. A colossal spider tank had blown apart the doors and they were pouring inside. I could hear the thundering sounds and cries of an intense battle taking place inside.

  They are inside there. My friends and Gabriella are inside there.

  Rage started to build inside me, and I let the powerful force take over. I scanned the area and looked for the best possible way to deal with the situation. My eyes settled on the tank, which was crawling its way towards the building, huge gun aimed at an open window at the top. And there, desperately firing out of it were Mikey and Scarlett.

  “What does Alexander Eden require of Aran?”

  “You and I are taking over that tank.”

  She nodded. “That appears to be an effective course of action.”

  “Tell Isiodore to leave this place as soon as we jump and find somewhere safe,” I commanded Aran. She said something loud and the Unicorn made a sound of understanding. I guided us close to the tank – its legs alone were over thirty-feet high.

  “You ready?”

  Aran responded by pressing one hand against Isiodore and coiling down further on his back, ready to jump. I rose into a crouch position.

  “Three…”

  The man on the gun turret was aiming at the unopened door near the broken one, preparing to fire.

  “Two…”

  I clutched Crimson tight in my hand, my focus complete and absolute.

  “One.”

  Several members of Hades’ force saw us and someone shouted, pointing. Guns were aimed.

  “Now!”

  Aran and I jumped from Isiodore. I vaulted high into the air, slamming onto one of the legs. One handed, I clutched onto the searing-hot barrel of a leg-gun and not even registering the pain, and threw myself up onto the machine’s back. I dove forward, colliding with the Incubus gunner. Before he could react, I grabbed his head and rammed it down so hard onto the rim of the hatch that I felt his skull crumble. A moment later Aran appeared beside me and ducked into a sweeping kick, knocking off several Umbra who were trying to climb up to get us. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Isiodore fleeing up the street, passing by Aegis’ armoured truck and away from the battle. At the same time, I saw what looked like a wave of white water running down every conceivable street. Except this water was screaming war chants and ran on legs. As they drew closer I saw that they were there soldiers dressed in white uniforms and carrying bladed shields and gunpikes. The Umbra forces reacted instantly, yelling at each other with what sounded a lot like panic. I heard a single word being repeated over and over.

  “The Vengeful.”

  The children of the Partition. The ones who are ready for war.

  They descended on the area like a tidal wave, ripping through those who had hung back from the Atrius with a ferocity that benefited their name. I forced myself to look away and focus on what was important at that moment. The tank didn’t know about their arrival yet, and it still had its sights well and truly set. I grabbed the dead Incubus and cast his body out of the tank, jumping into the hatch and down into the isolated section of the tank. Compared to the modern style of the Luminar, the interior was an industrial mix of cogs and steaming pipes that crowded around each other, whirring and hissing.

  There was also a Qi’lern clock counter, ticking down from 100. It was currently on 15.

  Oh crap, the gun is set to fire!

  A number of levers and valves filled the dashboard in front of me. I pulled one of them and the tank walked backwards awkwardly. I tried another and the tank scuttled around on its axis. The problem was the gun didn’t move with it.

  I can’t work out how to move it!

  Every second I was wasting was another second that everyone I cared about was moving closer to death...if they hadn’t reached it already.

  I poked my head out of the hole and narrowly missed a spray of bullets. “Aran!” I shouted over the rattle of gunfire. “Reposition the turret to face the open door!”

  I pulled my Biomote out and raised a hand, using the device’s reflective screen as a mirror to see what was happening behind. The Urisk was trying to stop fighting and do what I’d asked, but there were just too many Umbra climbing up onto the tank to deal with. I shoved the Biomote back into my jacket.

  “Screw it.”

  I jumped out of the hatch and crouch down, pressing my back against the base of the turret and using my feet as levers to move it. It weighed a ton, and I had to dig my heels hard into the metal to get purchase.

  “Come on!” I screamed as I forced against several tons of metal. I let out a final grunt of exertion as it gave under the pressure. There was a grinding of cogs and a screech of metal on metal as the cogs were forced into their new position.

  The gun fired.

  The tank shuddered and shockwaves rushed through me as the deadly bomb was unleashed. I jumped up in time to see the hordes of Umbra torn apart as the shell exploded at the threshold of the Atrius. The building made a groaning noise and then its front-most columns gave up and collapsed, crumbling to the ground.

  I climbed out of the hatch and jumped right off the tank, landing on my feet and sprinting forward, hacking and slashing my way through the Umbra. The Vengeful fell in around me, ripping through their fair share of enemies with incredible skill as we forced our way to the Atrius entrance. Aegis and his men joined the chaos, helping to strike down those who hadn’t been blown apart by the tank shell. I blitzed forward, tearing through the soldiers as if they were made from paper. Bullets thudded against me, but I didn’t even feel the pain; I kept moving. I vaulted over the bodies and worked my way through the building. There were several dead Lightwardens and dozens more Umbra slumped against walls and face down on the bloodied carpets.

  I rushed up the stairs to the final level in time to see most of my friends wounded and unconscious on the floor. They were being gathered up and dragged towards the open window by armour wearing Umbra with bald heads and sealed mouths.

  “We’re done here. Retreat now!” shouted a female voice.

  The command came from a tall knight, clad in metal that burned like fire from within. A large, horned helmet covered her face and a dark ponytail ran down her back. The figure had Gabriella hoisted over one shoulder.

  “Ella!” I sprinted towards the knight, my sword raised. She raised her own samurai sword and swiped out towards me. There was a click and then the weapon released a burst of flame that streaked towards me. I dived to the side, rolling away from the blaze. The knight hopped onto the window, followed by two more Umbra soldiers, carrying Troy and Grey. She gave a dark laugh and then jumped from the window.

  “No!”

  I sprinted forward in time to see the female knight and her two companions vault out of the window and grab hold of thick chains hanging from one of the Skyships. It rose into the air and its boosters started to engage. I pounced after them, stretching out for the chain, but the ship jerked out of my grasp and I fell towards the tank, ricocheting off one of its legs and landing hard on the ground. I jumped straight back to my feet – vaguely aware of the throbbing all over my wounded body – and charged after the Skyship. It soared over the buildings as I scaled them, vaulting up their sheer sides like the possessed and drawing on energy so deep and pure that it allowed me to move in ways that I wouldn’t have dreamed possible. I sprinted along bridges and made death-defying leaps, refusing to let the Skyship leave my sight.

  Its wing-mount
ed turrets turned and unleashed a storm of fire towards me, smashing windows and cracking the roofs I sprinted across in a storm of glass and metal. I pushed myself harder and faster, dodging out of the way of every round it threw at me as I screamed Gabriella’s name over and over. The knight hung from the chain, watching everything in silence, my soulmate still slumped over her shoulder hundreds of feet above the city, and me. The Skyship rose higher and moved faster towards the edge of the city. I reached a long, final walkway that led to a huge balcony area that overlooked the thrashing sea far below. The Skyship kept rushing away from the city perimeter and without a second thought, I followed.

  I vaulted onto the railings and jumped from the edge of Fenodara.

  My fingers stretched out towards the knight, and she reached out towards me at the same time. A moment before my hand closed around hers she laughed and snapped it away. Gravity took over and my body plunged through the air as I fell two thousand feet into the sea below. At the moment before impact, I extended my body and stretched my arms out, trying to brace myself. Still, hitting the surface was like being fired by a cannon into concrete and I felt my fingers and arms shatter from the impact. Water smashed into my face as I sank into the depths. The water was dark and cold. Below me were the remains of dozens of Luminar Battleships and Umbra Skyjets. I flailed my broken arms, and they creaked like old hinges as I fought my way up. After what felt like an age, I broke the surface treading water surrounded by oil and flames. Through the shimmering waves of heat caused by the infernos around me, I saw the Skyship lower down and hover close to the water, sending waves rolling out in great shockwaves. I started to swim towards the ship, ignoring the screaming pain from my body.

  There was a rumbling sound from nearby and then the three metal fins I had seen before appeared from below the waterline. They kept rising until a large section of a colossal ship broke the surface like some ancient sea creature. The rear of its domed back started to churn water as its massive engines activated. The knight holding Gabriella jumped down onto its deck, followed by the soldier carrying Grey and the oversized one carrying Troy. I kept swimming, beating against the furious waves that the ship sent towards me. A hatch opened from within and the two guards sank inside. I swam as hard as I could against the water, screaming Gabriella’s name over and over, moving as fast as I could. I had enough time to see the knight point her fireblade down towards me in a provoking gesture. Then she turned and dropped down into the hatch, and it closed behind her.

  A piercing sound emanated from the ship, rising in crescendo until it was almost subsonic. It vibrated as it activated, and then a second later the ship burst into life, tearing through the water at an unimaginable speed and again sending huge waves rolling towards me that sent me careering backwards, forcing me under the water. By the time I had broken the surface again, it was shrinking into the far distance.

  “Gabriella!” I screamed at the top of my lungs.

  A moment later the ship had disappeared from view, swallowed by the night.

  PART II

  DIVIDED

  19

  Alex

  The invasion of Fenodara ended just as quickly as it started.

  Moments after the vessel carrying Gabriella had escaped, the remaining Umbra had been carried away by an influx of Skyships that had landed among the ruined remains of the city. The Needle had taken a few out, but not enough – the weapon had been designed as a long-range defense system that was intended to destroy airborne vessels well before they reached the city. It wasn’t well equipped to stop those that had already arrived.

  Although the Umbra had retreated, it couldn’t be called a defeat. The simply truth was that even with the re-activation of the Needle and release of the deadly Vengeful, the Umbra had been well and truly on the winning side. For some strange reason they had made no attempt to claim Fenodara, and they hadn’t done enough damage to the city to wipe it from the face of Pandemonia. By the principle of Occam’s razor - that the simplest conclusion is usually the correct one – that meant that the Umbra had retreated purely because they had achieved whatever it was they had come to achieve.

  With the fighting done, the cold light of the morning had bought with it the dreadful aftermath of war. The Convalescence Centre was filled to breaking point with the injured. They were everywhere – on the beds, on benches and lying shoulder to shoulder on sheets that had been spread out over the floors of the numerous wards. The cries of the sick and helpless poured from every direction, filling my ears. Fenodarian Clerics and nurses were joined by priests – known as Faiths – from the temples, and they all ran between the howling patients, offering medicine to those who would survive and spiritual comfort to those who wouldn’t.

  I had been fished from the sea by an early morning patrol boat, unconscious and floating on my back among the wreckage – drained of power and succumbing to my wounds. The crewmembers had mistaken me for one of the many dead, so had apparently been shocked when I’d called out Gabriella’s name in my stupor.

  I’d woken to a haze of pain and the sticky discomfort of the various drugs that they were pumping through my body. In my delirious state, I’d tried to shout that I didn’t need help…that I would heal myself in time, and that they needed to stop screwing around and let me go and find Gabriella, but my mouth translated my words into slurring mumbles. So I had stayed lying on the hard bench I’d come around on, tethered to drips containing bright shimmering liquids and being checked over periodically by nurses and Clerics, as I yo-yoed through varying states of awareness.

  At one point I came around enough to see the blurred faces of people I cared about, but was still far too out of it to know if they were anything more than figments of my exhausted mind. Delagio, Danny, Scarlett, Hollie and Aran had all been there. At another point I had watched a group of male nurses place Mikey down on a sheet next to me, a blood drip feeding into his arm. I’d tried desperately to reach out and touch him, but he had been too far away and my hand had dropped to the floor as I drifted back into oblivion.

  As I drifted in and out of consciousness, I dreamed of Gabriella’s face. From time to time the image of my soulmate was replaced by beating wings and the decimated remains of the Reapers, which dissolved into flickering visions of The Sorrow, standing tall and breathing steadily as it watched me with its hollow eyes. And at the end of it all, two words that tore through my mind like razor blades.

  I understand.

  *

  When my eyes opened properly for the first time, the first thing I noticed was my hand clasped in Sophia’s. The young Witch was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the large ward with her Familiar perched on her shoulder in gecko form. She had signs of battle all over her – a ripped uniform, bloodied lips and a network of bruises that latticed her face. She had also aged several years – the stress of the battle clearly reacting with the miscast spell that had become her curse – appearing closer to her mid-twenties than the teenager she’d been when I’d last seen her. I made a croaking noise and she glanced up, a small smile appearing on her wounded face.

  “I thought you were never going to wake up,” she admitted.

  “What happened?” I breathed. My thoughts had become hourglass sand.

  Her smile faded and she explained.

  She told me of the invasion and how the mysterious female knight and her followers had kidnapped Gabriella, Grey and Troy. How all of the Lightwardens and innocents in the Atrius had been killed. How Delagio and Mikey had both been injured in the battle – the latter much more – but were both making good recoveries. How if it hadn’t been for the arrival of Aran and me, then all of the Guardians would have been kidnapped or killed, including Sophia herself. As she explained, the memories of it all came flooding back and tears brimmed in the corners of my eyes.

  “It’s my fault,” I lamented. “I didn’t get to you all in time. I stopped to help other people. I…I shouldn’t have, but I couldn’t just leave them…But I should have been faster, I-�
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  “Don’t blame yourself,” said Sophia. “There was nothing more you could have done. You even jumped from the side of this city suspended a kilometer in the air trying to rescue them, and almost killed yourself in the process.”

  “Was…was she still alive?” I asked her, my lip trembling.

  Sophia glanced away. “I…I don’t know. She was shot several times…with Banshee Bullets.”

  The tears took over and I couldn’t stop myself from crying. Sophia leaned over the bench, wrapping her arms tight around me in an expression of genuine compassion that I hadn’t seen her display for months. As she pressed her cheek against mine, Midnight crawled onto my chest and rubbed his scaled head against my chin in his own display of comfort. “Listen to me. If they are alive then we are going to get them back, no matter what it takes.”

  “Okay.”

  Sophia pulled away and scooped Midnight up, returning him to her shoulder. I wiped the back of my hand across my eyes, staring past her and seeing Mikey, who really was lying on a sheet next to me, his head cradled in Scarlett’s lap. It was then that I noticed the remaining members of Orion. Danny, Hollie and Delagio were all sitting on stools around me. Even the errant Aran was in attendance, albeit staring out of the glass wall that overlooked the smouldering city below, rolling an orange flower between her cerulean fingers.

  Delagio looked up first, his Stetson brim rising to reveal a face that was an absolute mess of bruises and cuts. He had a thick bandage wrapped around his midsection and another one over his right hand. But he still managed to crack a trademark smile and gingerly touched his fingers to his hat in greeting. “Hey bud, how you feelin’?”