The Veil

by Stuart Meczes

  I threw my hand up at my Gargoyle. “Protect the Vengeful!” I shouted.

  Mikey yelled for his to do the same, and the two stone beasts dived into the chaos, as the Vengeful took pot shots over their shoulders with their gunpikes, the energy beams ripping through the sea of Nested and sending several of the mindless Bloodlings tumbling to the ground, where they were swept over by the others. The Gargoyles soared backwards, winching open their mouths and blasting down twin streams of fire – which were the dull grey of stone, their light stolen by the darkness, but their heat just as powerful. They scorched the path directly behind the Vengeful and consumed the front section of the surging Vampires in the devastating blaze. All of the Guardians around me pulled out their weapons and started firing wooden rounds and stakes at the surging mass. Sophia fitted a mask with a protruding wooden blade around a hawk-form Midnight’s head and then released him. He swooped among the Nested, stabbing the blade into their hearts and throats, reducing them to flaming ashes.

  Just as I motioned to pull out my own gun, something hit me hard in the shoulder and I fell from Picera’s back, hitting the ground hard and tumbling under the hooves of the charging Unicorns, who whinnied and vaulted over me. Before I could even see what had hit me, a blue hand clasped around my arm and I was dragged onto skating feet by Aran. I tried to climb back up as her Unicorn, Orshien, thundered down the winding passage, but we were moving far too fast and I kept tripping over my own feet as I was dragged along. Only Aran’s iron-strong hand kept me from hitting the ground again. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see something charging after me – the same thing that had hit me and knocked me off Picera. I didn’t need to see it properly, its hot reeking scent told me everything I needed to know.

  Hivemind.

  “You got me?” I shouted up at Aran. The Urisk was leaning forward, face calm and blank, but her shoulder trembling from the strain, and monochrome hair streaming behind her. She turned to give me a single nod.

  I took a deep breath and focused, waiting for the right moment. In the distance, a jutting section of rock poked from the edge of the pass, giving me the opportunity I needed.

  Now!

  I jumped up and stamped both feet down onto the rock, using the momentum to pounce into the air. I pivoted and came back down, with my feet pressed against Orshien’s side and the arm that clutched Aran’s hand between my own legs. One handed, I pulled a Coffin Nailer gun from my Kapre belt and stuffed it into my mouth, clamping my fangs hard against the cold metal as I grabbed a magazine of wooden stakes. I slammed the rounds in and loaded the gun, cocked it with my teeth and then pulled it out of my mouth, aiming. The Hivemind was gaining on me fast, the first of many who were diving from the cliffs, no doubt sent by their Bloodseeker masters to join the fray, kill the ones they couldn’t consume, and then catch something to feast on. Its jaws were wide and salivating, its black glistening eyes unblinking as it focused on its goal.

  I squeezed the trigger.

  The gun cracked like a whip as it unloaded a stake, punching right into the space between the Hivemind’s eyes. The creature’s legs folded underneath its body and dissolved into burning ash, joined a split second later by its torso and lower back, until the last thing that could be seen were its hind legs appearing to dive into a pool of grey cinders. I kept unleashing rounds, killing as many Hiveminds as I could.

  They kept coming.

  Hiveminds poured from the cave openings in a furious storm of fangs and razor claws, the fortunate ones hitting ground just behind the Vengeful’s horses and giving chase, the unfortunate piling into the tidal wave of Nested Bloodlings that rushed behind us, and joining them as they burned in the scorching flames that poured ceaselessly from the jaws of the Gargoyles. Those that were closing in on us did so with the frenzy of attack dogs, their bloodlust singular and unwavering – they even howled and snapped at each other when a rival nest’s Hivemind gained advantage.

  I could feel Aran’s grip weakening. Her neck muscles were tight and her arm was trembling, but still she kept hunched forward as we thundered through the chaos literally rushing in from all round us. I tried to climb up, but I couldn’t get enough grip and I knew that Aran was too weak to do it. So I shouted as loudly as I could to the skies.

  “Get me!”

  A moment later a set of stone claws hooked under my armpits and I felt myself being hoisted high into the air. I continued to shoot at the chasing Hiveminds until the clip of the Coffin Nailer was spent. Stuffing the gun back into my belt, I used my free hand to grab onto the Gargoyle’s wing and swing myself onto its smooth back. From my higher position, I could see that the passage opened back up a few kilometres ahead. In the far distance, there was something long and bright somehow shimmering against the deep darkness, like a knife slash against a black canvass. I could also see that the Darkland Vampires had changed their tactics and were now emerging from the caves up ahead.

  If I don’t do something, then they will have us pinned down.

  “Speed up!” I commanded the Gargoyle, and instantly it broke away from the pack, surging so fast it made my hair whip around my head like living flames. I grabbed hold of both of its horns and slapped one of them with my palm. “Turn your head in the direction I pull!” I shouted as loud as I could above the thundering sound of Unicorn hooves and hissing Vampires. The Gargoyle gave a guttural sound of understanding. As we tore ahead, something appeared at the side of me, and I turned my head to see Mikey flying on his own Gargoyle. Instead of his usual grin, he was wearing a focused expression…true to his promise; he was taking things very seriously.

  “What about the horde on our tail?” I shouted.

  “Thinned out! I think we’ve killed most of them. The Vengeful and Lightwardens can deal with the rest.”

  “We haven’t killed most of them!” I pointed ahead at the waiting mass of Nested and Hiveminds. “They’ve changed tactics!”

  “Shit! So what do we do?” he shouted.

  “We need to clear a path!” I yelled back. “Use the Gargoyle’s horns to control the directions of its flames. You take right and I’ll take left.”

  He nodded and then shouted something I couldn’t quite hear over the echoing chaos that was happening in the valley beneath us. His Gargoyle banked to the right and flew parallel to the caves. I guided my Gargoyle left, gripping the stone horns as tight as I could, feeling the punch of gravity hitting my stomach as we rocketed towards the caves. We reached the point just before the still masses of waiting Hiveminds. I pulled the Gargoyle’s left horn, and it cranked its head in the same direction. I signalled Mikey to mirror my actions.

  I could sense the Vampire hordes’ energy, could feel them wound like coiled springs, ready to release and rain down at the approaching convoy from above.

  “Flames!” I commanded.

  The creature opened its wide jaws and released a searing jet of light-starved fire down at the caves. A series of sickening screeches filled the passage, as the immensurable heat of the flames consumed flesh and bone, reducing our enemies to cinders. Those who weren’t instantly transformed to dust burned with grey flames and fell to the ground, writhing in agony and dissolving as their fire ravaged their bodies. Thick, smouldering clouds rolled up behind the sweeping Gargoyle, carrying with it the eye-watering stench of burning flesh and bone. Opposite, Mikey was clearing his own side of the path, his Gargoyle leaving a trail of smoke in its wake, like the contrails of a rudimentary plane. Out of nowhere a set of Hivemind claws wrapped around the jaw of my Gargoyle, scrambling against stone as it tried to climb onto its back. Glistening eyes stared wide at me as, somewhere in the fading part of its mind that still retained some primordial sense of individuality, it knew that it was going to fall. I pulled out a cocktail gun and loaded a wood shavings round, slipping it into the chamber. I aimed the gun right at its face and it snapped out its jaws, clamping them against the metal and letting out a high-pitched sound of aggression.

  “Sorry.”

 
; I pulled the trigger and the round snapped into its mouth. As the capsule broke apart and released its contents, the Hivemind’s throat started to break apart, dissolving into strands and then away into nothing. The Hivemind’s head fell first, followed shortly by its crumbling body, which was crushed by the hooves of Iralia’s Unicorn.

  Soon there were no more chasing Vampires.

  I took a deep breath and put my gun back into my belt. Glancing over at Mikey, our gaze connected, and for the first time he allowed one of his cheeky grins. I smiled back and then pointed down at his un-mounted Unicorn. He nodded in understanding and a second later his Gargoyle peeled back towards the other Guardians.

  I patted the side of the Gargoyle’s head. “Good job. Return me now.”

  The Gargoyle looped in the air, forcing me to hold onto its horns with tight hands, and doubled back towards the others. I waited until I was almost at Picera and then vaulted from its back, landing in reverse on the Unicorn. Raising a leg, I swivelled around and took the reins again. “Good girl,” I said, patting the side of her neck.

  We emerged from the canyon passage and out into more flatlands that were practically a carbon copy of the initial area of the Darklands. More of the same black dirt, sinister pulsing trees and more of the toxic grass. I glanced over my shoulder and saw nothing but curling clouds of smoke and the distant, charred ashes of our pursuers. There were no more waves of Nested and no more Hiveminds giving chase.

  “Stop!” I called out, and we drew to a halt. “Is everyone okay?” I asked, turning Picera around so that I could see the group as a whole.

  “We are both fine,” said Lightwarden Udan.

  “I’m good,” said Mikey.

  “Never been better,” said Iralia. She gave a contented sigh. “It feels good to be part of the action again. I was sure that after the whole Yeth invasion thing was over, I’d be back on desk duty again.”

  I frowned and then looked at Sophia. She was cradling Midnight against her chest, removing the wooden mask and stroking his feathers gently. “Are you okay Sophia?”

  “I’m fine.”

  “And Midnight?”

  “He’s torn a wing. Nothing too serious, but he’ll need to rest for a while.”

  “Okay, we can rest once we reach Death’s Backbone.” I looked over at Aran who was sitting on the back of her Unicorn, her face as blank as washed slate, as always. “Are you okay?

  “Aran has dislocated the glenohumeral joint.” The Urisk grabbed her own arm and wrenched it to the side, her shoulder producing a nauseating popping sound. “The issue has been rectified.”

  The Vengeful’s horses caught up with us and they fell back into their ranks, their chests rising and falling rapidly, as they struggled to calm their adrenaline. Several of them were covered in dark Vampire blood – it dripped down from the rims of their Helmets and the arched blades of their shields, landing with light pattering sounds on the dark ground. I started to count their numbers.

  “We lost three of them in the fight,” said Lightwarden Elissa, gesturing out with a hand.

  “They died serving the Luminar cause, as is their duty,” added Lightwarden Udan.

  I ran a hand through my hair. “Shit.” I felt frustration at the Lightwarden’s nonchalant attitude towards three lives that had been lost, and guilt that I hadn’t done more to save them. I stared at the remaining seventeen Vengeful, who had settled their breathing and had fallen as still as statues. “Are the rest of you okay?”

  They said nothing in response.

  “They are fine. The Vengeful are very resilient,” said Lightwarden Udan. “They will be despondent that they were not able to see their kin through the Last Light, but they will recover.”

  “I wasn’t speaking to you,” I snapped.

  “You might as well be. The Vengeful are trained to be silent unless there is a desperate need for them to speak. Their silence is all the confirmation you need that they are well,” said Udan.

  I had to resist an overwhelming urge to pull the Lightwarden from his Unicorn and beat him to within an inch of his life. My inner predator gave an unsubtle hiss and then I turned my attention to the dark sprawl of land ahead. “I think I saw the Lightshuttle when I was riding the Gargoyle. No more than five miles-”

  A bloodcurdling scream rang out across the Darklands, reverberating as it echoed off the canyon walls. It was followed by countless more screams, coming from all around us. An icy fear swept through my veins. I had heard that hideous sound before, and it was one that I would never forget.

  “What is that?” said Mikey, turning his head wildly as he struggled to control his distressed Unicorn.

  “Bloodseekers,” I breathed. “Hundreds of them.”

  25

  Gabriella

  I lay curled up in the corner of my prison, my head pressed against a cold wall, and surrounded by the stench of my own vomit and urine. The sinister surgeon had stopped the Banshee poison from spreading, but the residual fever had remained. I had been shivering so hard for so long, that my jaw ached from my teeth chattering together and every single bone felt like it had been beaten with a hammer. A cluster headache had started up behind my eyes at some point, spreading until it felt like someone was slowly reversing a truck over my forehead. I had cried out for water, for medication, for anything to help relieve my pain, but my pleas were met with nothing but silence. When I had needed to go to the toilet, I had felt around in the darkness and found nothing….not even a bucket. I had tried to move to another part of the cell, but the adamantine chains barely allowed me to turn, let alone walk anywhere. So I had been forced to pull down the rags the bastardos had replaced my Alliance uniform with and go, right in the same spot I had to sit in. The vomiting had started soon afterwards.

  I was beyond exhausted, but no matter what I did, my body wouldn’t let me sleep. I couldn’t tell if it was the fever or my fear, or a mixture of both. So I stayed awake, shivering and listening in the darkness. Every now and again I heard the distant sound of a door being opened somewhere above and the sound of footsteps on stone. Each time, I craned my neck against the strangling hold of the adamantine chain, waiting and silently counting each step until I saw the brief sweep of a dark cloak blot out the torchlight. The guards of whatever place I’d found myself in were efficient and regimented, and without fail, their route up to my cell always totalled exactly eighty-seven steps, which took forty-four seconds. If I escape, I could run that in under fifteen.

  But escape was the problem.

  Not long after being dumped semi-conscious and shivering in the pitch-black cell, I’d tried to escape. I had pulled against the chains until my wrists had threatened to snap, and strained with my neck until I had felt my right eye twitch and realised that I’d haemorrhaged it. Adamantine metal was the strongest in the two worlds, and unless I had Alex by my side, I had as much chance of breaking out as a newborn child. So I had no choice but to reluctantly accept my awful situation…until I had the opportunity to do something about it. I waited and I listened and I had feverish daydreams of Alex. In my dreams, I imagined him somewhere out there in Pandemonia, searching until he found me, his hand appearing in the darkness like a beacon of hope, reaching out to rescue me from the hell that had become my prison.

  A creaking sound filled the area as the door above opened and the footsteps started – a pair this time. I shuffled around and opened my sore eyes, staring at the small wedge of light from the torch beyond my cell and counted.

  Eighty-four, eighty-five, eighty-six.

  The footsteps stopped, and I felt fear push its way through my fever. There was a dull clank followed by the harsh squeal of rusting hinges. A flare of fire appeared in the cell and I shrank back into the wall, shielding my eyes from the harsh glare. I gasped as hands emerged from the darkness. They weren’t the hands of redemption. They didn’t belong to Alex. They were hard gauntlets covered in metal spikes. One of them shoved my head into the wall, whilst another unlocked the chain from around my
throat. A second pair of hands stripped the chains away from my raw wrists.

  “Dear Gods, it reeks in here. The filthy whore has been sick.”

  “She’s got Banshee Venom poisoning. What do you expect?”

  “Don’t give a shit. I ain’t carrying her.”

  “Then how we getting her out?”

  A dark chuckle. “I’ve got an idea.”

  There was shuffling around in the darkness and I heard the dull clank of metal chains. A second later I felt hands seize me again and something hard click around my wrist. I tried to cry out, but I’d already screamed my throat dry, and nothing but a hoarse croak escaped my throat. A second later there was a click and then immense pain in my shoulder and wrist as one of the guards started to drag me along the ground.

  I was hauled right out of the cell, my ragged shirt riding up and rough stone scraping at my back, until I could feel it tearing into my already-wounded skin. The light stabbed at my eyes, producing spots that made nausea rise again to my lips. I kept squeezing them shut and opening them again, forcing my eyesight to adjust, and eventually I was able to make out arching stone walls and flaming torches, mounted onto iron holders, creating deep shadows that spread across the passage. I could see hundreds of cells just like mine – hundreds of dark holes, all locked and occupied by shifting shapes that writhed around about inside like forgotten creatures. I tilted my head back and saw two of the Lamiae I had seen before, wearing their blood red armour and dark ragged cloaks. I raised my other hand above my head and took hold of the chain, trying to relieve some of the pressure from my wrist, which had started to seep blood down my forearm.

  I have to get out of here. Think Gabriella. Think.

  My brain fought against the fever and formulated a plan. Pull the chain hard and knock the one dragging me off balance. Use the chain to beat them both to death, then take their keys and open as many cells as you can. Free some people and get them to help you find a way out.