The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2)

by Stuart Meczes

  Oh Christ, why is this happening to me? I wanted desperately to dismiss what I’d experienced as nothing more than a nightmare. But how could I, especially after the dreams I’d had about The Sorrow all those months ago? They had been closer to premonitions than nightmares. What if this is real as well? That was what scared me more than anything – the horrifying possibility that the terrifying wasteland I’d seen and all those innocent, dead people could actually happen. And it’s going to be my fault.

  I settled my head onto the pillow and let my breathing return to normal. It wasn’t the first time I’d had the nightmare – I’d had it at least a dozen times in the past few months, but each time it felt as if I were experiencing it for the first time. Apart from a few minor details, it was always the same; I’d wake up in a smoke-filled wasteland, some demonic version of myself blamed everything on me, and then threw me from the cliff to my death. Unlike my nightmares about The Sorrow, I could remember all of it in horrifying detail. But the worst part was that somehow – no matter how much I wanted to – I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone about, as if some part of me wouldn’t allow it.

  I pressed the balls of my fists against my eyes and wiped away the tears that had formed. Then I lay still, trying to let the feelings of dread and fear drift away. When I turned to look at the time, I was surprised to see that it was only quarter to eight.

  I’ve been asleep for less than an hour.

  Sighing, I rolled back onto my bed and stared up at the ceiling, trying to push the thoughts from my mind. It was then that I felt a cool breeze play across my face. I turned to look at the window and noticed that it was wide open, curtains gently flapping in the night breeze.

  I didn’t open that.

  I stood up and went to close it. As I reached for the handle, my hand froze. Sitting on the window ledge was a small wooden object. After closing the window, I picked up the strange item and carried it back to bed with me. I leaned over to retrieve the bedside lamp, switched it on, and studied the item. It was carved from what looked like oak wood: perfectly round and hollow through the middle. At a guess I put its length at about four inches and its diameter at half an inch. What looked like a miniature vine had been tied to one end, and it hung down in twin ribbons. Rotating the object, I noticed tiny symbols etched on one side. My brain told me it was an archaic version of Qiarlen, the language spoken by most Fera. As I stared, my brain deciphered the language, and I was able to understand the words.

  To clear the path.

  I frowned at the little wooden cylinder, turning it over in my fingers. There was nothing else of any significance. To clear the path. What does it mean? The more I looked at the object, the more it resembled some kind of musical instrument.

  Maybe...

  I hesitated for a moment before delicately holding it between my index finger and thumb and raising it to my mouth. I licked my lips and took a deep breath. Then blew out hard.

  Nothing happened.

  I tried the other side, pushing the little ribbons aside with my thumb.

  Nothing.

  I scratched my head, holding the mystery object at arm’s length. It was now almost certain that it was some kind of noise producing instrument – except for the fact that it had no note holes. So it could be something more basic – like a whistle. The main stumbling block was I couldn’t get it to make a sound. After a few more attempts, I gave up. Resting my hands in my lap, I stared down at the strange object and started to go through my options. I was interrupted by a knock at the door.

  I tried to make my voice sound as normal as possible as I slipped the instrument under the covers.

  “Come in.”

  Mikey’s face appeared in the doorway. He gave a smile, and then deeming it safe, stepped into the room. “Hey bro,” he began, “just wanted to let you know that me and Scarlett are heading out in a bit.”

  “Where are you off to?”

  “There’s a new restaurant-bar opened up in town. Indigo, I think it’s called. My mate’s sister is head waitress there. Hooked me up with a reservation for this evening. Thought we’d go and check it out.”

  I frowned. “Mikey, you’re still too young to drink out, and Scarlett’s a Vampire, so she doesn’t go for much beyond blood. In what way does a restaurant-bar make sense as a venue?”

  “I’m going for the food, and Vampires can drink alcohol. You know that.”

  “Still…”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Bro, what’s with you lately? Why are you giving me a hard time about this? Lighten up. It’s Saturday night. Scarlett’s due back from relief Monday. All we’ve done so far is sit round the house and watch TV. I can tell she’s bored out of her mind. I want her to have a good night. His expression faltered. “Besides...” He trailed off.

  “Besides what?”

  He shook his head. “Don’t worry...it doesn’t matter.”

  “Clearly it does. Come on,” I pressed. “What is it?”

  Mikey seemed to weigh up his options. Then he sat down on the edge of his bed and stared down at his hands.

  “It’s just...I dunno. I’m probably being stupid.”

  “Mikey, spill it.”

  His face crumbled. “I think I’m losing her, Alex.”

  “Scarlett?”

  “Yeah,” he said wringing his hands. He clearly didn’t feel comfortable speaking about the subject. I hoisted myself into a sitting position and edged closer to my brother.

  “Why do you think that?”

  He avoided my gaze, favouring a spot on the wall near the light switch. “She’s been a lot colder with me recently, bro.”

  “You both seemed fine at the park the other day,” I said truthfully.

  “Yeah, I mean we are in public and all that. But it’s when we’re on our own. She’s not acting the same. It’s as if she’s trying to distance herself from me. To be fair, who can blame her...”

  His comment took me by surprise. Mikey had come a long way in the time since my Awakening, and we’d grown much closer. But he still tended to spend a good quantity of his time up his own backside. This wasn’t like him.

  “There’s nothing wrong with you at all, Mikey. I mean come on, look at the facts. For starters, you’re talented at pretty much everything. Not to mention you’re one of the most popular people in school.”

  “Yeah, in school.” He shrugged. “And sure, I’m talented for a human. Scarlett’s a Bloodling, bro. The things she can do, the things you can all do. I mean, it makes sense why Gabriella loves you. You’re part of her world.”

  His off-key comment cut me deeper than he had probably intended it to. “Mikey, Gabriella loves me for me, not what I can do,” I retorted.

  “No…shit I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just...” He shook his head despondently. “I was an idiot to think Scarlett could be happy with someone as ordinary as me.”

  His shoulders sagged, and I could see the unhappiness he felt. I didn’t know how to react. I’d never had to console Mikey before. I leaned forward and squeezed his shoulder. “Scarlett is crazy about you, Mikey. Trust me. She’s always talking about you at the base. But we’re all under a huge load of pressure right now. It’s bound to have an effect. So whatever is happening at the moment between you two, I’m sure it’s just a patch. You’ll work through it.”

  He nodded. “Maybe.”

  “You will. And listen, just because you don’t have superhuman powers doesn’t mean that you don’t have something to offer her.”

  Mikey gave a weak smile. “As messed up as our relationship is, I’ve never felt this way about someone before. I’m a little scared. That’s all.”

  “I know. Listen, go ahead and take her out tonight. Have a good time. Talk. I’ll cover with Mum and John. I’ll say you’re staying at Scarlett’s place.”

  “Thanks, Alex.”

  I raised a finger. “There is one condition.”

  “Uh huh?”

  “You promise not to get drunk. If they find out that we
lied, they’ll be sniffing around us for weeks afterwards. That’s a problem for me. You know, saving innocents from deadly creatures and all that.”

  Mikey nodded, and I was relieved to see his trademark grin appear on his face. “Deal.” Then his expression shifted again. “Wait, how come you’re not staying with Gabriella tonight? Did you guys have a fight or something?”

  I felt another stab of guilt at my actions and tried not to let it show. “No, we’re great; I just wanted to have a night to myself, that’s all.”

  Mikey’s face gave nothing away, and I couldn’t tell if he believed me or not. Either way, he didn’t press the point. “Okay, cool. Have a good night bro.”

  “You too.”

  He left the room, closing the door behind him.

  I shook my head, surprised by Mikey’s confession. Everything was so messed up at the moment that it was hard to make sense of things. I put my hand under the covers and retrieved the wooden instrument. Including this.

  I sat on the bed wondering what I could do next. It was clearly supernatural, and by the looks of things, someone had left it here for me to find on purpose. I could call Gabriella and ask, I thought, but dismissed the idea as soon as it entered my mind. Better leave her for the night. I contemplated telling Scarlett, but had a feeling that it wasn’t anything she would have an idea about. Plus she and Mikey had their own problems to deal with right now.

  There was only one person I knew would have an answer about the object.

  Sage Faru.

  I’ll go back into the base. I started to climb out of bed, but then remembered it was completely unnecessary. When I’d first joined the HASEA, Faru had performed a mind merge on me. It meant that there was a permanent telepathic link between us, which would only be severed if I died. He’d used it several times to contact me. Supposedly it was two-way, but I’d never had a reason to use it call on him – until now.

  I sat upright and tried to clear my thoughts. Squeezing my eyes shut, I concentrated as hard as I could on the Sage, trying to imagine him in my mind’s eye. For a while, nothing happened. I was just about to give up when a few streaks of colour jerked across the darkness behind my closed eyes, and our leader’s voice appeared in my head.

  Alexander?

  Yes, Sage Faru. Please may I speak with you?

  Of course, please wait just one moment.

  There was a brief pause, and then I was hit by a sensation similar to touching a live wire. Fierce waves of electricity rolled through my body, and I could feel my body seizing from the connection. A few seconds later it subsided. I opened my eyes to see The Sage standing at the foot of my bed, as solid and real-looking as if he were there in person. He gave a slow nod and his wrinkled parchment face broke into a warm smile.

  “Good evening, Alexander. Is everything alright?”

  Not at all, I thought miserably, but knew it was impossible to tell him what was bothering me, as much as I wanted to.

  I nodded. “I’m okay. It’s just that this was left on my windowsill. I thought you might know what it was.” I shuffled down the bed and held out the wooden instrument in my palm. Faru stared down at it with his pure white eyes. I waited for the object to materialise in his mind’s eye. When it did, his reaction pulled the rug from under my feet.

  The Seelian jerked up straight as if he’d been zapped by a bolt of lightning. “By the Divine Elements!” he gasped. “It cannot be!” His voice became one of urgency and excitement. “When did this arrive?”

  “Err, I – I’m not sure. It was left on my windowsill. I’m guessing a couple of hours ago.”

  Faru clasped his hands together. “My boy, you must prepare yourself for departure immediately. I will be coming to collect you within the next hour.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “You – I – what? I mean where are we going, sir?”

  I had never seen the old Seelian so excited; he looked as if he were about to explode from an adrenaline overload. “We will be travelling to Brazil.”

  “Brazil? For what possible reason?”

  “Because you have been summoned.”

  “By whom?”

  Faru seemed unable to produce words for a moment. When he did, they were grand and flecked with an almost childlike sense of wonder.

  “Lafelei.”

  “Wait – you mean Lafelei, as in the Elemental?”

  He drew in a sharp breath as if preparing his next words.

  “Yes, Alexander. You have been summoned by a god.”

  5

  Gabriella

  Delagio swung the sword in a sharp arc towards my head. I jumped to the right, tucking my legs into my chest and turning the movement into a sideways somersault. The wooden blade struck against the padded wall of the dojo with a dull thud. As I landed, I swung my back leg around, connecting with my opponent’s head – hard.

  Why the hell wasn’t Alex in his apartment?

  The blow caused him to stagger backwards and knocked his Stetson hat from his head. Before it could hit the floor, he jerked out a hand and plucked it from the air, replacing it on his head with a wink.

  I spent ages convincing Danny to keep quiet to protect Alex. Then the bastardo leaves the Warren when I told him not to!

  I sprinted forward, lashing out with the practice sword. Delagio blocked each blow with his own blade – each clash produced a hollow thuck sound. The ferocity of my attacks forced him backwards across the room. I grit my teeth together, analysing every flex of his muscle, every shift of his body – looking for an opening. As he thrust out the blade, I stepped into a tight pivot and the wooden tip glanced harmlessly off my side.

  I saw my chance as he pulled back for the next attack. I ducked down and rotated the blade with one swift movement. With a half scream, I jabbed the hilt into his solar plexus. Delagio let out a wheezing sound as the air rushed from his lungs. He coughed and put a hand out as a signal to end the duel.

  But I wasn’t ready to stop.

  I seized his wrist and pushed him away from me with my free hand so he rolled out to arm’s length. I stepped back and let out a flurry of kicks, moving up his body. One to the shin, thigh, ribs, collarbone, neck, and finally, his temple. The impact of the final blow jerked his hand from my grip, and he collapsed onto his side. This time his Stetson whipped through the air and landed on the tatami matt at the far side of the dojo. Delagio flipped onto his feet.

  I had to find out from Scarlett that he was at home! Why the hell would he disobey me after what he did?!

  “Boss, what—”

  Before Delagio could finish, I ran forward and unleashed an uppercut to his nose. His head snapped backwards and a stream of blood sprayed onto the white walls.

  Phone off. Biomote unlinked. How could he put me through that?

  I motioned to bring an elbow down on his crown, but he slipped away and spun behind me, stamping a foot into my lower back. I careered forward, landing on my knees and sliding along the matting. I slammed a fist onto the floor and whirled my head around to see a shocked-looking Delagio looking wildly around.

  “What the hell?”

  Having to find out from Scarlett that he was absolutely fine. At home. Alex forced me to lie to my friend so I could have her keep an eye on him. Why would he put me in that position?

  I knew the answer.

  He’s not himself.

  It didn’t make me feel any better.

  I jumped to my feet and marched towards the Kinesist. He stared at my face and frowned. Raising an arm, he motioned towards a nearby rack of weapons. It shuddered and an array of axes, swords, and maces lifted into the air. They whipped between us in a cloud of spikes and blades. The bizarreness of it made me stop and blink. Delagio rolled his hand over and the weapons became a circular aura, surrounding the Chosen, every tip pointing towards me. Somewhere inside, an alarm bell rang, and the blind rage I’d felt left me.

  I raised my hands in apology. “Del, I’m sorry.”

  My teammate frowned at me. Realising I was
back to my senses, he relaxed. He dropped his hand, and all the weapons fell out of the air as if invisible strings had been severed.

  “What’s the deal? This was supposed ta be a bit of light sparrin’. Ah thought you was gonna take my head off!”

  I shook my head. “I’m really sorry, Del. I’m guess I’m a bit worked up at the moment.”

  Delagio walked over to his hat and plucked it from the floor. He dusted it off. Then, with an expert movement, he rolled it down his arm and flicked it back onto his head. “Don’t worry about it, boss.”

  I shook my head. “No, my behaviour was completely unacceptable.”

  He wiped the trail of blood from his nose with the back of his hand. His training vest was ruined – little specks of red were dotted all over it. He gave a smile. “Ella, it’s all good. It’s been a stressful time for all of us.” He pulled a booster out of his trouser pocket and injected himself in the wrist. He wiggled his fingers and then smiled up at me. “There, good as new.”

  I moved over to the elevator, where I’d left a towel and a bottle of water. I took a long swig and wiped the towel across my forehead, removing a light sheen of sweat. “You’re right, it has been stressful. I think we should call it a day.”

  Delagio nodded. He lifted up his hand, and all of the weapons levitated into the air. He worked his fingers in an intricate series of waves and taps, and one by one, they settled themselves back into their correct places on the rack. “Sure thing, boss. Anyway, I should probably go and check on Danny, make sure he’s feeling better. Friendly face and all that. It’s strange though, he shouldn’t still be having residual effects from his Awakening.” He shrugged. “Then again, nothing ever goes to plan around here.”

  I felt guilty for not telling Delagio the truth about Danny, but it just wasn’t the right time. Then again, I didn’t know if there would ever be a right time. How do you explain to your teammates that your boyfriend turned psychotic and almost killed a new recruit with his bare hands? I gave a plastic smile and pressed the button for the elevator.