The Veil

by Stuart Meczes

  Peter must have known they were taking me to be tortured. He put himself at serious risk to get the Physicker away from me. Peter’s selfless actions gave me the final bit of resolve I needed and I waited for the right moment – when neither the Physicker or the Pitguard were looking in my direction – to work the tool from my palm to my fingers and then push it into the lock of the adamantine bind.

  “Did it ever occur to you that he might be waiting for the perfect opportunity?” growled the Physicker. “Anyway it doesn’t matter.”

  I continued to fiddle with the lock, feeling the pick work its way through the tumblers. Come on! Come on!

  “Doesn’t matter?” said the Pitguard incredulously. “Three of my fellow guards are dead because of him.”

  “And that is their fault.” Physicker Agorias gave a sigh. “Where is Deathbreaker now?”

  I felt the lock come loose. Yes!

  It took all of my resolve not to transfer the pick to my other hand and try to break the second lock. It’s too risky. I’ll get caught. Instead, I held the unlocked bind closed with my palm, biding my time.

  “We took him back to his cell, so we could come and get your instructions on what to do with him,” said the Pitguard through gritted teeth, clearly trying not to show his anger at the Physicker’s nonchalant attitude.

  The Physicker gave a slow nod. “Leave him where he is for now. Later this afternoon I will have you take him to my workroom and prep him for a session. However, for now, I have some reprimanding to perform here.”

  “As you wish.” The Pitguard turned on his heel and then left the room, slamming the door behind him.

  “I do apologise for the interruption,” said Physicker Agorias with a click of his tongue. “It seems that the arrival of you and your Chosen friends has caused quite the disruption in the smooth running of this colosseum.” He tapped a finger against his chin. “I wonder what makes you so special? No matter, I’m sure it won’t be long before you are telling me everything I wish to know.”

  “Before we continue, I just have one question for you,” I breathed, my chest rising and falling from a mix of adrenaline and pain. “Do you want to die fast or slow?”

  The Physicker stabbed the knife down towards my other leg. I snapped out my hand and caught his wrist, twisting it around and sinking the blade into his own throat. His eyes went wide as yellow blood seeped around the knife and he produced a gurgling sound. I cupped my hand around the side of his neck and pulled him down into my lap, pinning him against my legs and using my fingers to rip his wound open wider. I felt his windpipe split apart in my hand with a burst of air, sweetened by the knowledge that this, he wouldn’t survive. He flailed with his hands, trying to push himself off me, but I kept his head pinned against my lap, my anger and hatred of the monster giving me all the strength I needed.

  “I told you I would kill you,” I hissed.

  Soon the Physicker’s movements dissolved into twitches, and his hands dropped to his sides. I pushed his clammy body off me in disgust and then unlocked the rest of the binds. Afterwards I slid the lock pick back into the hole in my hand. Then, standing up, I limped over towards the door and knocked as loudly as I could. I took a few steps backwards and sank down to my knees, interlocking my fingers behind my head. The door opened and the shocked faces of two Pitguards stared between me and the dead body of Physicker Agorias.

  “I’m ready to go back to my cell now,” I said.

  38

  Alex

  The mercenary stared up at us as we all walked over. He was in his mid-forties, and had the wizened face of a man who had seen a lot in his life. A short, grizzled beard obscured a three-inch scar that ran down the centre of his bottom lip to his chin. I also noticed –with one of those awkwardly disarming moments – that he had no left arm.

  He took out an enraged Imp with one arm. That’s impressive.

  “Hello, Lawbringer Parlow,” sighed the man in a gruff cockney accent as we approached.

  “Morning, Jack.”

  The Chosen pulled the cigarette from his mouth and flicked ash into a nearby shot glass. “I’m guessin’ ya saw what just happened.”

  “I did, and you know I’m going to have to write you up for it. You’re looking at a three coin fine or four days in the Cold Brig for this.”

  Jack gestured down at the unconscious Imp, who was lying face down in a patch of smashed glass. “If ya saw then ya know he attacked me first. I’m guessin’ he didn’t like the fact that I beat him at Seven Stack.”

  “And he will get double the fine when he wakes up,” said Lawbringer Parlow. “Doesn’t change the fact that I just witnessed you fighting in public. So what’s it to be, Jack?”

  The Chosen gave an irritated growl and then scooped up a handful of the square coins from among the scattered cards he’d been playing. “This should cover it,” he said, dumping them into the Lawbringer’s outstretched hand. The official slipped the coins into a pouch tied to his belt and then retrieved an electronic unit from his jacket. “Identification tag please.”

  The mercenary used his single hand to undo a button on his grimy shirt and then retrieved what looked like a tiny mirror dangling from a chord around his neck. He leaned forward so that the Lawbringer could scan it.

  “Okay, I’ve added the crime and payment to your record. Thank you for not being difficult about this for once.” The Lawbringer rose back up and shook his head. “Honestly you need to start behaving yourself, Jack. Many more strikes like this and you’re out.”

  “Yeah yeah, I get the message,” said the mercenary and then took another long draw from his cigarette.

  “I like this dude already,” whispered Delagio.

  “You’re all Chosen aren’t ya?” said Jack, addressing us for the first time.

  “Yes,” I said. “So are you.”

  “Correct. So now we’ve all won awards for observation, why are ya stood there starin’ at me?”

  “We need to hire a mercenary.”

  Jack nodded. “Go on.”

  Lawbringer Parlow took hold of my arm and pulled me to the side. “What are you doing?” he hissed. “I already told you that this man is bad news. You saw what he just did to that Imp.”

  “What I saw was someone defending himself from an unprovoked attack.”

  “Trust me, you don’t want to be hiring someone like him.”

  I pulled away from the Lawbringer’s grip, which was uncomfortably tight. “All due respect sir, but that is a decision that we want to make for ourselves. You’ve been really kind showing us around and bringing us to where we needed to be, but I think we’ve got it from here.”

  “You’re making a big mistake,” he warned.

  “Thank you, Lawbringer Parlow.”

  The official made an irritated huffing sound and then raised his hands into a placating gesture. “Fine. It’s your coin and your hire, just don’t expect things to turn out the way you want them to.” He moved away from us towards the door of the pub, shouting for the barman. “Tell that Imp to come to the Lawbringer Barracks when he comes around, he’s got a hefty fine to pay.” He pointed a finger at Jack “You, stay out of trouble.”

  Lawbringer Parlow exited the pub, and the mercenary raised a middle finger in the direction of the closing door. “Screw you too.”

  I waited until the Lawbringer was definitely gone and then gestured at the table. “Do you mind if we sit?”

  “It’s a free city,” said the mercenary. He nodded down at the Imp. “You might want to get him out of the way first, though.”

  I bent down and picked up the unconscious Umbra and set him down on a chair a bit further away from us, resting his head down onto the table. Then we all drew up chairs and sat down, whilst the mercenary surveyed us with narrowed eyes.

  “We need your help, Jack,” I began.

  He raised his hand. “Don’t call me that. Only the Lawbringer scum call me that. Everyone else calls me Zero.”

  “Why do they call you
Zero?” asked Danny.

  The mercenary swept out his long coat, exposing a revolver at his side. “Because that’s the number of times I’ve missed my target.”

  “And why do you call them scum?” asked Hollie. “Lawbringer Parlow seemed nice enough, just doing his job.”

  Zero gave a chuckle as he drew on his cigarette. “Because sweetheart, when you’ve lived in this city as long as I ‘ave, you notice the abundant hypocrisies.”

  “How long have you been in Concavious for?” I asked.

  “About ten years.”

  “And Pandemonia?”

  He narrowed his eyes. “You all sure do ask a lot of bloody questions.”

  “I’m sorry,” I said. “We just want to know who we might be doing business with.”

  Zero was silent for a moment, tapping his cigarette-holding fingers against the tabletop. Eventually he sighed. “Sixteen years in total, if ya must know. I was kidnapped with a load of other Chosen and taken to one of them Umbra colosseums. Broke out not long afterwards with a few others, but they all kicked the bucket in one way or another. So I made my own way around Pandemonia, avoidin’ the war and pickin’ up strays as I went, until there was enough of us to call ourselves men for hire. Concavious was the logical next step.” He took a deep drag of his cigarette and then released a cloud of smoke from between his cracked lips. That good enough for ya?”

  My heart had started to accelerate as I’d listened to Zero speak. “You said you were brought here sixteen years ago and taken to a colosseum?” I leaned forward. “Did you ever meet a man called Peter Eden? Please. It’s important.”

  There was a deep silence for a moment as the man sat back in his chair and thought. After a moment he nodded, which made my breath snag in my throat. “Yeah I did actually. Not long after we was all chucked into a colosseum. Tough son of a bitch he was.”

  “Was?” I said, feeling dread pour through my veins. “Is he dead?”

  “The hell if I know,” he said with a shrug. “Like I said, I got out of there soon afterwards. Never saw him again after that.”

  I could feel my anger rising. “So you didn’t think to try and help anyone when you escaped? You didn’t think to try and rescue others who were in there with you, people who might have had families?”

  “Don’t bloody lecture me, kid. You don’t ‘ave the first idea what it’s like in those places,” he paused when the reason for my sudden change in tone dawned on him. “Wait…that Peter Eden, he’s your old man isn’t he?”

  “Yes.”

  “Shit, kid, I’m sorry to hear that. Although I must say I’ve never heard of hereditary Awakenings.” Zero shook his head. “Still, everything is becoming so crazy these days, I can’t say I’m all that shocked. But to answer your question with the harsh truth, no I didn’t try ‘n save anyone. I got a lucky break with an idiot Pitguard who didn’t notice me swipe his keys. If I’d have hung around there I would have died trying.” He paused, “If you knew the sorts of things they do to people in those places then you would have got the hell out of there too.”

  I didn’t say anything for a while as I tried to calm myself down. Not everyone is the same; I can’t expect them all to act the same way as I would. I don’t even know how I would act…not really. Can I honestly say that without this power I have now, if I had to choose between getting out safely with Gabriella and my friends, or freeing everyone at the risk of endangering those I care about, that I would make the nobler choice? I’m not so sure. Besides, like Zero said, I have no idea how bad it is in those places. The thought of what might be happening to those I cared about behind one of the colosseums’ vast walls made me feel physically sick.

  It was Delagio who picked up the slack from my sudden silence. “So which colosseum is it that Peter Eden was in? And do ya think he might still be there?”

  “Shadowrise,” said Zero. “And no I’m sorry, probably not. If he’s managed to stay alive all this time – and I raise a drink to him if he ‘as – then he would have become a prized fighter. The Umbra would have paraded him around all of them colosseums like some kind of star attraction.” He took a final drag of his cigarette and then stubbed it out in the makeshift ashtray. “But that’s all I’ve got to say to you about that. Tell me what you want from me, or get out of here. I’ve been drinkin’ all night and I’ve got one hell of a hangover brewing.”

  Delagio looked at me and I nodded.

  “We want to hire you to provide us with safe passage to Yornheim.” He looked around at the half-empty room. That is if y’all have enough boats and good men to give us that safe passage.”

  Zero gave a wide smile, exposing a few gold teeth. “We ain’t coin wasters if that’s what you’re thinkin'. My guys are allowed to drink twice and twice only. Once on the night when we all get back alive after a hire and the night one of us dies.”

  “You’re drinking,” observed Danny. “So which one is it?”

  Zero raised his glass. “Mission complete. Alive and well.”

  “So are some of these your people then?” asked Hollie, looking around the pub.

  The mercenary gave a deep laugh and spoke loudly. “These idiots? Shit, this lot couldn’t tell you the difference between an Oni and a Yokai. Ain’t that right Duke?” One of the drunken men at the bar raised his head to say something in response but then gave up, his head hitting the surface with a resounding thud. “My guys are out spendin’ their earnings in the city. Most likely the gambling houses…or more likely the brothels.”

  “Nice,” said Hollie.

  He shrugged. “Oldest profession in both worlds, sugar. Who are we to judge?” He gave a long sigh. “Anyway you want to do this or not?”

  “You’ll do it?” I said.

  “I’m still sat here ain’t I?”

  “How much?”

  Zero smoothed his hand down the wooden table. “Something like this is gonna require all of us. The journey to Yornheim is a bitch on a good day. You’re looking at a thousand coin.”

  “A thousand?” cried Delagio. “Man ah don’t know if we even have that much!”

  “We do,” I said. “You’re hired. Let’s go.”

  Zero raised a hand. “Whoa easy there, kid. We ain’t going anywhere yet. Like I said, I’ve got a massive hangover formin’ and a fierce storm is on the way. If we left before this afternoon, the only place we’d be heading is the bottom of the ocean.”

  I rubbed a hand agitatedly across my face. “Shit!”

  “Sorry that I don’t control the weather, mate. I’d be charging a damn sight more than a thousand coin if I could.”

  Danny patted my shoulder as I closed me eyes and let out a frustrated sigh. “It’s fine, we’re on a very tight deadline, that’s all,” he said to Zero.

  “Well sorry, guys, but that’s the best I can do. Don’t worry though, my ships go like shit off a shovel and no pirates around here have a big enough death wish to mess with my fleet. We’ll make good time to Yornheim once we set off.”

  “So how does this work? Half now and half once you get us there?” I asked.

  The mercenary shook his head. “Nope. One coin now as a show of good faith and the rest once we hit the shore.”

  Delagio frowned. “That seems a bit risky for y’all, why only one coin?”

  Zero gave a wide grin again and opened his jacket once more, tapping his revolver. “Because if you don’t pay, I use Princess on you.” He let his jacket fall back into place. “Everyone pays.”

  He’s an arrogant and selfish asshole, I thought. But for some reason, I also couldn’t shake the feeling that he was the right choice. I slid my hand into my inside pocket and retrieved one of the moneybags, shaking a single square coin out into my palm. Zero held out his hand and I poised the coin over the top of it. “Don’t you even want to know why four Chosen are hiring you and your men to take them to Yornheim?”

  Zero shook his head. “Don’t want to know and don’t care. All I care about is my money.”

  I
let the coin drop into his hand.

  He closed a fist around it and then pointed a finger, first at himself and then us. “From now until we reach the shores of Yornheim, I work for you.” He dropped the coin into his jacket pocket and then grabbed his drink, draining the last of it in a single swig. He wiped his mouth and then stood up. “Right, I’m going to go find my guys. Do you have any rides with you?”

  “Yes, we have Unicorns.”

  “Stabled at Da Ka’hari?”

  “Yeah.”

  He held out his hand. “Give me the consignment agreement. I’ll make sure they get loaded onto my ships safely.”

  I glanced at the others for a second and then searched through my pockets until I found the agreement, and handed it to him. “Listen,” I said as I handed it over. “We don’t know you or what you’re capable of, but you have no idea who any of us are either, or what we can do. I want this agreement to work, but if you screw us over, I will come for you. Trust me…you don’t want that.”

  “Ballsy, I like it.” Zero flicked the consignment for good measure and nodded. “Right, you should use this time to rest up and get prepared.” He shouted across the pub, and the barman glanced up. “Do me a favour, Minoro, and give this lot a room for a couple hours. Good rate.”

  The barman nodded, “They can have the attic room for one coin. I’ll throw in four Blackheart beers too.”

  “That’ll do.” He turned back to me. “It’s not a great room, but it’s somewhere to put your heads for a while until I come and get you.”

  As he finished speaking, a booming voice came from everywhere at once, speaking first in Qi’lern, and then a variety of other languages. Warning residents and visitors of Concavious, the Freeport City. A powerful storm has descended on the area. Any attempt to leave the city until it has passed risks death, and thus you do so of your own volition. Thank you and have a good day.

  Zero pointed at a small speaker, hidden among the copper pipes that lined the ceiling. “As I said, storm. Anyway get some rest, you all look like you’ve been through the wars.”