“Gabriella,” said Delagio tentatively.
I turned to face him, surprised that he’d used my actual name. “Yes, Del?”
He draped his own towel across his shoulders and moved towards me.
“Back then. After everything that happened with Rachel, I was a mess. Y’all don’t know this, but I went to see Faru quite a bit.”
I raised my eyebrows. “You did?”
“Yeah. He got me through what was a pretty tough time. Look, and ah’m just sayin’, if you are going through somethin’ at the moment, don’t keep it to yourself. Speak to the big boss. He’s our leader, and he’s here to support us. You never know, he may have some answers for you.”
I went to argue, to tell Delagio that everything was fine and that I didn’t need to speak to anyone, but the words wouldn’t form. Instead I gave a slow nod. “You know what, Del, I may just do that.”
*
The large portrait of Faru blended into itself in a whirlpool of colour, and the large hole appeared at its centre. A set of glass steps slid down from the centre, and I jogged up them into the antechamber to Faru’s quarters. As soon as I was inside, the stairs retracted and the hole sealed itself behind me. I walked down the organic corridor, which was a stunning mixture of Corlias, silver trees with bright gold leaves, and Lunafell, a type of freshwater that shifted between solid and liquid form, depending on the fullness of the Pandemonian moons. Over here it was always solid. Both had appeared as a side-effect of a section of the Veil being so close by. The thinness between the two worlds at this spot meant that influence from Fenodara – the Water City – seeped through.
The doors that lead to Faru’s office swung open by themselves. I passed through and stepped onto the silvery liquid floor, which pooled around my feet. Faru was standing underneath an arching Missima flower, using the glow from its yellow petals to aid his work. He was performing the final touches to a base Golem. It stood silent and motionless, a naked mass of slate grey. Faru ran a thin carving tool down the length of its chin and then smoothed over it with the tip of a thumb.
“I won’t be a moment, dear,” the Sage said without turning around.
“No problem,” I said and walked over to where Faru’s desk hovered a few feet from the floor. I sat down and was immediately caught by the organic flooring, which morphed into a comfortable seat. A small pendulum clock swung lazily from side to side. Its silver hands showed that it was twenty to eight in the evening. I couldn’t believe it had only been a few hours since the horrific event in the training arena.
Faru used the tool to etch a V in the Golem’s forehead. Then he set it down and picked up a scalpel and a small stone tablet from a very ordinary-looking workbench. Through an archway at the back of the room, I could see a silent army of naked clay figures. They were half-formed, smooth faces with no discernable features yet.
I winced involuntarily as Faru slid the blade along the same thumb he’d used to delicately shape his creation. A bloom of royal blue blood appeared on his skin, changing to red as it slowly oxidised. Faru pressed his thumb against the stone tablet and lowered his head. His lips moved as he whispered a Fae incantation. I watched as new wrinkles appeared on his face like spreading cracks.
He gently lowered the Golem’s jaw and nestled the tablet into the hollow below its tongue. The dull balls of clay inside the Golem’s eye sockets became shimmering white eyeballs, and the pupils became tiny red pinpricks. Then its skin became less grey as it filled with life and the V on its forehead filled with shimmering black ink. The Golem raised its head and stared up at its master, waiting.
“Five. You are to protect this base and all Guardians who serve it. With your life, if necessary.” He pointed to a white robe resting on the edge of the workbench. “Please put that on.”
The Golem reacted without question, immediately obliging by picking up the robe and slipping it over its body. A Virga was resting against the iridescent wall near the workbench. Faru picked up the electrical rod and handed it to the Golem. The creation cocked its head and stared at the weapon, and then it seemed to understand. It slammed the base against the ground and the tip bloomed into life in a buzz of blue static. Instinctively, I reached for the Blood Brothers attached to my belt. But it repeated the action and the staff winked out. I settled my hand as Faru raised his and placed it on the Golem’s shoulder.
“Your station will be the access gate in the mansion grounds. Eight will be waiting there. Go and join your brethren. Serve well.”
The Golem bowed its head in acknowledgement – a sign of respect it reserved only for its master – and slipped silently from the room. Faru held up his thumb and blew gently on it. The cut shrunk in size until it vanished. He picked up his own staff, which he needed for support when several Golems were active. It was also his form of camouflage. A way to trick those he didn’t know or trust into believing he was just a weak, old man. Which couldn’t be further from the truth.
He shuffled his way over to the desk and gingerly sat down. The flooring formed into a seat, and he settled into it with the long sigh of the battle weary.
“Gabriella, my dear, how may I be of service?”
I cleared my throat, trying to think of the best way to proceed. There wasn’t one. Instead I just blurted out how I felt.
“Sage Faru, I’m worried about Alex.”
I looked for surprise in our leader’s face, some kind of confusion – but all he did was give a completive nod and steeple his fingers together.
“I suspected it was only a matter of time before you came to me.”
“You did?”
“Let me be so bold as to hazard a guess. You are concerned about alterations to Alexander’s personality, are you not?”
I couldn’t pretend to be surprised at Faru’s accuracy. Delagio was right; our leader had a knack for knowing exactly what was wrong nine times out of ten. I just hoped he could provide me with some answers.
“Yes. I think it has something to do with that tattoo. It’s growing all the time now, covering more of his body. And it hurts him. But it’s not just that…” I could feel a lump forming in my throat, and I had to let it subside before I could finish my sentence. “Earlier today, he lost it. He seriously hurt one of the new recruits. Then he sort of…attacked me. He was so powerful – it was terrifying.”
Sage Faru shook his head in dismay. “I am deeply saddened by this news. I had however, feared it would come to this eventually. I have been monitoring Alexander since he first defeated The Sorrow. Gabriella, I am not sure what I say next will be something you wish to hear.”
I dug my nails into my palms. “No, if something is happening to Alex, I need to know what it is.”
Faru nodded. “Very well. First of all let me start by reassuring you as best I can. I do not for one moment believe that it was Alexander who attacked you. Not exactly, anyway.”
I chose not to react to Faru’s statement. I knew it wasn’t him doing these things – not really. I kept my lips pressed together and waited for him to continue. The Seelian stroked his long beard between his thumb and finger.
“As we all know, when Alexander defeated The Sorrow, this substance attached and formed this – shall we say living tattoo on his skin.”
I nodded.
“And many believe – as I do myself – that The Sorrow was the embodiment of evil itself.” He stood up, and the silvery chair dissolved into the floor. Clasping his cane, he began to slowly walk up and down the length of the desk.
“Now this is merely my own hypothesis, but I believe that the tattoo is an essence of that same evil. In its death throes, it attached to the nearest host it could in order to preserve its own life – if you can call it that.
“Alex,” I whispered, feeling my body grow cold.
“Yes. And now that it is attached to Alexander, it is feeding off his doubts, pain, and frustration – essentially all the fears about himself and his lack of self-worth that he had when he first joined us. In a sense, i
t is attempting to use its dark influence to manipulate him.”
I felt my face go slack. “You mean it’s trying to possess Alex?”
Faru stopped pacing and looked at me. His expression was pained. “Perhaps, although I feel it is not quite as simple as a straight possession. I believe it more likely that it is trying to bend Alex to its own will, to shape him through corruption and bring him around to its own twisted way of thinking.” He paused and took a deep breath before continuing. “At that point, I believe it will start to transform him physically.”
My heartbeat tripled in speed, and I struggled to control my voice. “Sage Faru, are you saying that it wants to make Alex the new Sorrow?”
Faru gave a sad smile. “That I simply cannot predict. But I believe it is likely, yes.”
The air in the room was suddenly too thin. I felt sick. I leaned forward, using the desk to steady myself.
Faru moved around the desk and placed a hand on my back. “My dear, are you alright?”
I took a deep breath. “No, I’m the furthest from alright I’ve ever been.” I lifted my head and stared at our leader. “How could you let Alex continue being an active Guardian when you suspected this? He hurt Daniel and me. I had to knock him unconscious! Merda, what if he had flipped out on a mission and killed someone?”
“I understand your frustration, my dear, but you must understand this was just a theory. Up until now, there has been no indication that his personality was being truly affected.”
“Trust me, there has! Nightmares where he wakes up screaming. Dark looks. Talking to himself. Suddenly dropping into a trance and wandering about. And now the Daniel thing. You may not have seen it, but I have. And it’s awful!”
Faru lowered his gaze. “You are right. I admit that with these new Awakenings, my attention has been somewhat distracted. I simply did not realise things had become quite this bad, and I am so very sorry for that.”
“It’s okay,” I said, blowing out a sigh. “This isn’t exactly easy for anyone.”
“I can assure you – now that I know exactly the seriousness of his state, I will do everything in my power to help.”
I took a deep breath. “So, what can we do? Can we…” The thought made me feel even sicker. “Could we remove his arm?”
Faru looked taken aback at my macabre question, but only for split second. He understood my desperation. “Alas, I fear that amputation would be ineffectual. I believe the tattoo itself is merely an outward reflection of what is happening inside Alex’s mind and body.”
I could feel tears stabbing at my eyes. “There must be something we can do.”
“Oh of course, my dear. I have not simply let this matter proceed without any reflection. I am confident that there will be a way to permanently remove the darkness from Alexander, but I feel that it cannot happen on this side of the Veil.” He paused. “As much as it pains me to say, I feel now that finding Alex’s father can no longer be the primary reason for your imminent journey to Pandemonia.”
I stood up. “Then why aren’t we there now? Why all this wasting time gathering Guardians? I could get Alex and go tonight.”
Faru spread out his hands, motioning for me to settle down. “I’m afraid I cannot allow you to do that. You must understand that at first, the evil that formed The Sorrow would have been weak from its defeat. As it increases in strength, so too will the speed in which it consumes Alexander’s body and mind. As it does, I believe that Alexander’s strength will grow further, but also its influence over him.
“I care about every single one of my Guardians, Gabriella, but as much as I should not admit this, I am not without bias. The reason I requested for there to be at least nine of you, was not simply for better protection against the threat of Pandemonia…it was also to help protect you against the threat of Alexander. Not to mention that he needs to be protected from himself. I already lost a dear friend when his father Peter was taken. I couldn’t bear it if either you or Alexander were hurt, or worse.”
Faru stopped speaking and stared into the distance. “The Alliance is being pulled in all directions, but I am aware that we are running short on time. The moment for decisions is now. Therefore, you must also increase your efforts to secure a team, but as before, the others must join you without duress or guilt. I cannot allow someone to go on this dangerous mission unless they are doing so completely of their own free will. That said, I have already spoken with Iralia, who has been asking to be re-assigned to active duty, and she was very keen to go with you.”
“Really?”
“Yes, but she is travelling as a guide only. She has not been in active combat for some time, so you will still need as many as before. I dare say one of those will need to be a Luminar to act as consul, as Iralia will not be welcome in any Fae cities due to her Umbra heritage.”
I nodded. “Fair enough.”
Faru placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “I am sorry that I have not been able to provide you with all the answers you seek. This is truly unknown territory for all of us; however—”
The Seelian stopped speaking and cocked his head to the side like an animal. He withdrew his hand and stepped backwards. Placing his fingers to his temples, he closed his eyes and bowed his head. After a few seconds he looked up.
“Gabriella, please bear with me. Alexander is trying to establish a mind link.”
For a moment I was bitter that Alex hadn’t come to me first, but then I realised I was doing exactly the same thing. I nodded. “Of course, go ahead,”
Faru’s form flickered, taking on a transparency, as if he were on one television station ghosting onto another. He spoke, but no words came out. I watched as he suddenly became very animated, clasping his hands together and moving with agility and excitement that defied his appearance. After a few more moments, he touched his temples and his form solidified. He had a look of incredulous shock on his face – an expression that wasn’t exactly common for the Sage. There wasn’t much he didn’t know.
“What is it, sir?” I asked.
“Gabriella, Alexander and I must depart immediately for Brazil.”
“Brazil?”
“I am afraid I do not have time to explain. While we are gone, I wish you to continue your duties here as normal. You are free to do as you please this evening. Tomorrow morning, I would like you to continue Daniel’s training in Alex’s stead, assuming he has recovered. All being well, we shall return in the afternoon. Good,” the Seelian added before I could answer. He rushed up the silvery steps at the back of the room, which climbed all the way into a hazy mist.
“Sage Faru, What’s happening?”
Our leader stopped and turned to face me. His eyes were shimmering with excitement. “I believe we are about to get some answers.”
*
I spent most of the evening in the Sanctuary trying to calm my racing mind. What sort of answers could possibly be waiting in Brazil? Granted, Torre was housed there, but it was a small base, its Veil section linked to the now-inhospitable marshlands of the Weeping Isle province. Apart from a few stray Banshees and fire salamanders, the base rarely saw any action. As far as I was aware, Alex was as likely to find the solution to his problem in the boot of his car. But the way Faru had acted – it was completely unlike his calm character. Whatever is there must be important.
After spending some time half-heartedly playing with the various Fera creatures in the barn, I made my way over to the Unicorn paddock. The Sanctuary had been extended over the last few months, mainly out of the need to provide adequate space for all the Manticore, which had now grown from cubs into majestic beasts with wingspans the length of a bus. A towering rock formation had been erected in the far corner of the Sanctuary beyond the lake. The pride was dotted all over it, perched on ledges or rolling about in the purple grass at the base. The alpha – Dinami – lay stretched across the cliff top grooming his deadly tail, framed by the orange glow of the setting suns.
I lifted the twin latches on the gate
and let myself into the Unicorn paddock. If someone who hadn’t gained acceptance had done the same, the move would have been a death sentence. Luckily, I’d established a tight bond with the Unicorns. Isiodore – the stud of the herd – was standing beside a group of mares, one of which was gently nickering his side. Isiodore would be the Unicorn that Alex and I would ride through Pandemonia when the time finally came. He saw me and gave a whinny, breaking away from the group. Trotting over, he gazed at me expectantly with his haunting turquoise eyes.
“Look what I’ve got for you today, boy.” I dipped my hand into my jogging bottoms and pulled out a wrap of tissue paper. Gingerly unfolding it, I exposed a Quinberry flower. Its centre was a deep purple, ringed by teardrop petals that were a delicate shade of pink.
Quinberry flowers were rare and full of flavour, and they had a potent stimulant effect, which made them a highly sought after ingredient in Pandemonia. Unlike fruits in our world, the flowers grew separately and were impossibly rare. I’d heard that for every five thousand shrubs that grew, only one produced flowers. Their growth was random and impossible to cultivate.
The Warren had a couple stored and occasionally used a few petals during big events. I’d stolen one from the kitchen. I knew I could get in trouble for it, but honestly I had bigger things to worry about. Like my boyfriend potentially becoming the next Sorrow. I shook the sickening idea out of my head, trying to focus on the present.
I placed the flower in my flattened palm and held it out to Isiodore. The unicorn sniffed the mystery offering, and I almost burst out laughing as his eyes went wide. He almost took off a few layers of skin as he greedily vacuumed the flower from my hand. A few seconds later, he let out a deafening neigh and darted away from me, bucking and leaping. Then he broke into a furious gallop that lasted through ten laps of the paddock. I watched him run, allowing myself to break into a much-needed fit of laughter. After Isiodore had settled down, he trotted back over to me and almost apologetically lowered his head, allowing me to stroke him. Still laughing, I scratched his ears and muzzle and smoothed his coat around the base of his horn. Then I retrieved a brush from near the stable entrance and groomed his shining coat. Isiodore gave little whinnies of contentment with each stroke of the brush.
The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2) Page 8