The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2)

by Stuart Meczes

  I closed my mouth and kept it shut.

  Lafelei’s expression shifted and became benevolent once more. The light in the area returned, and I heard the gentle rustle of plants as the cautious creatures returned.

  TOO MUCH KNOWLEDGE CAN ALTER THE PATHS OF THE FUTURE. SOME THINGS MUST BE LEFT TO FATE. SUMMONED, YOU WERE BOUGHT HERE TO LEARN WHAT IS ALREADY KNOWN BY THOSE YOU FIGHT. THE EQUALIBIUM MUST BE RE-ESTABLISHED.

  I knew it meant the prophecy. The words that had been spoken into the ether. We had only heard scraps, picked up by Selene once, months ago in Moon’s Edge. The way that Hades had sent his followers after me in full force meant that he likely knew more. Am I going to know?

  COME FORTH, SUMMONED.

  With the power of an earthquake, the ground shifted until a set of mossy steps appeared, leading up right to the Elemental’s mouth. I felt a nervous sweat break out on my back. Taking a deep breath, I stepped forward, climbing up the uneven, soft stairs. Stopping on the last steps, I cast a look back at Faru and found him wearing an encouraging – but slightly apprehensive – smile. I turned back to Lafelei.

  HEAR MY WORDS AND SEE.

  The Elemental released a blast of air from its parted mouth. It smelled of earth untouched by humans – pure and strong. A series of tingles prickled my skin, and I felt my eyes growing heavy as I slipped into a trance. Lafelei spoke then, and each of his slow, rumbling words bought with it flashes of vivid imagery that seared themselves into my brain. It felt similar to a mind merge, but more abstract and far more intense.

  THE TWELTH YEAR OF THE THIRD MILLENIUM MARKS THE AWAKENING OF THE SECOND TWIN…

  In my mind I saw two gleaming balls of pure blue energy tear apart at the middle and become smaller twins, which shot off into different directions and nestled into the chests of two indistinct, faceless figures. One of them was the height and shape of a young girl, with long black hair. She was doubled over in the grand entrance of a building, as a series of ghostly figures, all wearing Alliance uniforms, tried to comfort her. The other was a teenager, lying on his back on an unmade bed in a blurred bedroom with video game posters, a humming PC, and stacks of books, as figures crept through the window and encircled him. That’s me. When I had my Awakening. No question. And the girl was Gabriella. I also knew, without knowing exactly how, that these Awakenings were happening at different times although they seemed to be simultaneous, Gabriella’s years before mine.

  …TWO SOULS, BOTH MARKED BY SORROW. UNITED THEY SHALL BRING ABOUT A NEW ERA OF AWAKENINGS…

  A flash of images like a flick show of photographs showed a trembling, faceless girl shivering in a dark hole as a shimmering terror of iron and blood mercilessly tore through two shadows with streaks of red light. It was followed by a ghost of a large hand that was swallowed by a yawning darkness, which split off and became a black serpent, spiralling its way around flesh.

  The dark tattoo.

  A third flash of staccato images depicted an army of silhouetted Chosen, which marched forward with grim determination on land that was scorched with flames and lined with blackened bones.

  …BLINDED BY LOYALTY, THEY SHALL BE BETRAYED BY THE MOON AND STARS…

  I was shown a series of mental pictures, all which featured a woman with bright gold hair who never faced us, but performed all of the actions Rachel had. Fighting among a team of Chosen. Killing a woman and hiding her body in a dumpster. Unsealing the Veil; pointing a gun. A hand clutched her throat as she died. Finally, a close-up: a pyramid of three stars cupped in a crescent moon. The Moonstella family crest. Rachel’s family crest.

  …BUT STANDING WITH COURGAGE AND FACING THE ABYSS, HE SHALL SEE WHAT IS HIDDEN…

  The mental scene switched rapidly to sea of blackness. In the middle sat a twitching orb, even darker than what lay around it – like the centre of a black hole.

  …THOUGH NOBLE, HIS ACTIONS SHALL TAINT HAND AND HEART…

  I felt my stomach clench as a figure stood on the precipice of a cliff, dark smoke curling behind him. His face was blurred and unrecognisable, but the dark tendrils of the living tattoo that coiled around his eyes certainly were.

  …THUS MADE IMPURE, THE TWIN SHALL SUFFER CRUEL JUDGEMENT FOR HIS ACTIONS…

  The same figure’s mouth broke into a dark grin, and the eyes flashed into darkness. The person staring directly at me was my doppelganger. A tide of shadows rose behind him, washing over in a sea of oil that made him vanish from view. The images that followed became far more abstract and difficult to interpret, like something seen from the corner of the eye. I guessed it was because everything that I’d been shown before had already happened or was currently happening. What Lafelei was showing me now were glimpses of the future. Or one possible future.

  …AS ONE SOUL IS FREED, ANOTHER SHALL BE IMPRISONED…

  A circular blur of blue rushing upwards as another was cast down in a torrent of black bars.

  …ONE SHALL EMERGE THE STRONGER…

  A howling mass of shadows slipped away from a figure, who clutched a streak of red.

  …THEN THE GATHERING WILL BE COMPLETE AND THE ETHEREAL LINK SHALL BE CROSSED…

  A circle of individual masses dissolved into a beam of light that moved towards a shimmering wall of silver and disappeared. The image was accompanied by the sound of a beating heart that accelerated until it was pounding like an athlete’s.

  I think…I think that’s me and others crossing the Veil.

  …THE JOURNEY SHALL BRING WITH IT PAIN AND FURY, BUT ALSO HOPE AND DETERMINATION.

  A splash of blue flared up and instinctively I covered my face. A sensation of water swept over me, harsh and suffocating. As soon as it had come, the vision left – replaced by thick darkness once more. A stench of rotting flash and the clank of chains. In the distance was a rumble of yells – the sounds of a baying crowd. Soon afterwards, a feeling of relief as embraces were made. It dissolved into the sound of matching footsteps that turned towards a hulking shape in the distance.

  …AND WHEN THE NIGHT SKY IS ABLAZE WITH WINGS OF FIRE, THE FATEFUL COVENANT WILL BE MADE…

  A flurry of flames that singed my skin bloomed out on a dark horizon. Something in the middle – a hulking castle that towered in the skyline – flared as it was consumed by flames. The image shot forward as though I was flying and in the centre of the flames, a creature made from red with dagger teeth enclosed a scaled hand around a human’s. Followed by a rush of blackness that came in thick strands and a dark, evil laugh. No, surely not. No one would betray us again, would they?

  ...THE FURY UNLEASHED SHALL END THE AGELESS WAR AND BEGIN THE RISING…

  A series of roars so loud and terrible that I had to cover my ears rang out across the jungle. But it had come from within the visions. Masses of unknowable creatures unfurled in the darkness spread out in front of me. Red eyes slicked open. A noise like venting steam hissed, and then everything was consumed in a ball of energy the scale of a nuclear bomb blast, which swept towards me as a mixture of fire, ice, and water. Instinctively I threw my arm across my eyes and turned away, feeling almost stupid when I emerged unharmed.

  …WHEN YOUNG BECOME OLD AND LOST BECOME FOUND, THE TWINS SHALL STAND AGAINST HADES, AND THE TERROR HE COMMANDS…

  A bright, golden figure standing behind a smaller version of the same, hands touching. Then a solitary figure with arms fixed above its head, which hung limply against a scarred chest. Then two souls shelled inside their ghostly bodies, standing side by side against a streak of red that cast wing-like shadows as it walked in a sea of fire. The slick, red eyes blinked in the black vista beyond, and a series of soul shattering screams pierced my ears. I shuddered as if my grave was being walked over.

  …FORGOTTEN SECRETS WILL BE UNCOVERED…

  A flickering hand lifted up a rusting mask from among dirt and decay. A flash of bright, ancient characters on a rock wall.

  …ALL SHALL PLAY THEIR PART…

  Everything I had just seen came rushing back in a kaleidoscope of images, soun
ds and smells. It was too much to handle, and I cried out, thrashing a hand as if to beat them away.

  The visions subsided, and the hulking face of the Elemental bloomed back into view. Feeling nauseous, I sank to my hands and knees, resting my head against the cool rock of a mossy step, panting and struggling to get my breathing back in order. My brain continued to twitch uncomfortably, like the aftershock from a grand mal seizure. I felt a hand on my back and jerked to attention.

  “Easy Alexander, it’s me, Sage Faru. Everything is alright.”

  I had somehow descended the stairs and was back at the foot of the hill that formed the base of the Elemental’s face. I nodded slowly.

  “Good. I think we should give our host our attention again.”

  Coiling and unclenching my hands, I lifted my head to Lafelei. Its expression had become one of neutrality. My reaction to the harrowing and emotional things I had witnessed was apparently of little consequence to the Elemental. It had wanted to show me these things. And so it had. That was all that mattered.

  “When will these things come to pass?” I asked in a breathless voice.

  SOON. MANY WILL SUFFER.

  I felt my stomach twist into knots. “Is there something I can do to save people? To stop what is going to happen?”

  ALL ROADS LEAD TO THE SAME DESTINATION. THE CHOICE YOU MUST MAKE AT THE END OF YOUR DANGEROUS JOURNEY. THIS WILL SHAPE THE FUTURE OF HUMANITY. A SACRIFICE OR THE RISING. FORSAKE ONE FOR ALL, OR ALL FOR ONE. THE CHOICE WILL BE YOURS ALONE.

  I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. That the choices I made were going to change humanity. I couldn’t help but think about what the shadowy doppelganger had said in my awful, recurring nightmares. Your choices will destroy everything and everyone you love. And when your world has been reduced to ashes, all that will remain is us. I could feel bile rising to my throat. If I make the wrong choice, then people are going to die. But how will I know? How will I know when the time comes?

  “P-Please Lafelei. Please tell me what to do. The right choice to make.”

  The steps began to dissolve into the hill once again. Boulders and trees drew themselves back up to the mound as the cliff face started to break up.

  He’s leaving! I thought in panic. “Please, Lafelei,” I begged.

  TOO MUCH HAS BEEN SPOKEN. THOSE SUCH AS US ARE NOT TO MEDDLE IN THE DEALINGS OF OTHERS. ONCE BEFORE WE INTERFERED, AND THE NATURAL COURSE WAS DISRUPTED. ALL THINGS ARE NOW THE RESULT. NO MORE. THIS IS A BATTLE THAT MUST BE WON BY THOSE INVOLVED, NOT THOSE SPECTATING. THE EQUALIBRIUM HAS BEEN RE-ESTABLISHED. KNOWLEDGE IS EQUAL. EACH MUST NOW DECIDE THEIR OWN FATE.

  The face in the rocks continued to fall apart, sinking down into the hill of moss below. The rocks and trees found their original positions and re-assembled in a crash of sounds. To the side, the trees and bushes all drew into themselves as if they had taken a large breath. What was left was a large, straight path through the jungle, like the land equivalent of the Red Sea. Before Lafelei disappeared completely, its final words echoed around the jungle.

  THE WAY BACK WILL BE FAR LESS TAXING. GO NOW, AND REJOIN YOUR ALLIES. THEY WAIT ANXIOUSLY FOR YOU ON THE EDGE. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO RETURN TO THIS PLACE, FOR YOU SHALL FIND NO REWARD FOR YOUR EFFORTS.

  The Elemental paused as if strongly considering its final words.

  SUMMONED. HEED THE WORDS YOU WERE GIVEN. YOU WILL REQUIRE THEM IN TIME. MAKE CHOICES WISELY. ALTHOUGH THOSE SUCH AS I CANNOT INTERVENE, WE FAVOUR YOUR CAUSE. MAY FATE FAVOUR IT ALSO.

  The hill sank back into the jungle bed, and the last of the area snapped itself back into place. Soon there was no way to tell that anything had been there at all. It looked exactly like any normal, dense Brazilian jungle. Except for the unnatural pathway that had been carved through the foliage as though a giant laser beam had been switched on.

  Sage Faru placed a hand on the small of my back and ushered me towards the path. “Come, Alexander. We can discuss what you learned on our journey home. There is nothing left for us here.”

  As we moved through the path, it knitted itself together behind us like a supernatural zip. When we reached the clearing at the end and saw Sage Lucas anxiously pacing beside a Jeep full of Guardians, the jungle behind seemed to let out a long sigh and fall still. Something felt different about the place. Empty. At that moment, the words Lafelei had spoken rang through my head.

  Do not attempt to return to this place, for you shall find no rewards for your efforts.

  There would be no more deaths in the area. No more burials and lies to frantic families. No more Fera guarding their god. The Earth Elemental had moved on, and its followers had moved with it.

  And I knew it would never return.

  *

  The darkness inside me was growing again. I could feel it spreading itself across my thoughts like a malevolent shadow, trying to whisper to me. Willing me to listen.

  We were back on Obsidian, nearing the end of the flight. I had told Faru what I had seen in the visions Lafelei had shown me, able to recall every part with surprising clarity. We had discussed everything in minute detail but had come to no conclusions about any of it beyond what we already knew. The Sage had decided to meditate on it. I had passed out from exhaustion, only to wake forty minutes later on the floor of the bathroom cubicle with my Biomote in my hand. Confused, I’d taken myself back to my seat. Sage Faru had been deep in meditation, so I’d spent the next two hours forcing myself to stay awake, and picked over every inch of what Lafelei had said to me.

  You belong to us. We are you.

  The sudden thought ripped through my skull, actually causing me physical pain. I felt my tattoo shift. I scrambled into my jacket pocket and pulled out the ampule, gritting my teeth in agony. Twisting the top off, I frantically squeezed a few drops of the concoction onto my tongue, grimacing as the bitter taste flooded my mouth. In an instant, I felt my mind calm. The tattoo slowed and stopped. Leaning my head back into the seat, I let out a long sigh. I felt the sensation of being watched and looked up to see the stewardess staring at me from her seat nearby, a look of confused intrigue on her face. I gave a weak smile, and she returned it before politely staring out of the window instead.

  There was a brief crackle of static and then the pilot’s voice filled the cabin.

  “Sage Faru, Mister Eden, we will be landing in approximately ten minutes. Please prepare yourselves for descent.”

  I put on my seatbelt and glanced at Faru. The Sage was still far away inside his mind and didn’t appear to be joining the real world any time soon.

  The Concorde dropped a few thousand feet, making my stomach flip. Instinctively I gripped onto the armrests. Flying had never been a comfortable activity for me; the whole thing was just so unnatural. The thought made me laugh unexpectedly. As if anything I do these days is natural.

  I took a few deep breaths and then leaned over to stare out of the window. Through the white mist of the clouds, I made out the outline of England far below. Too high up to make out cars or even buildings, I could just barely see the larger roads, which crisscrossed across the landscape like the world’s most complicated maze. The sun was starting to rise in the distance, casting a rich blanket over the horizon.

  Something flashed past the window. I blinked, not sure what I’d just seen. Pressing my face against the high-impact glass, I stared out into the dim morning.

  Nothing there.

  For a minute I thought it was the darkness inside playing tricks on my mind. No it can’t be; I’ve taken the elixir.

  I sensed something fly past the opposite window and whirled my head around.

  Sage Faru’s eyes snapped open.

  At the same time, I took in a sight that no one should ever have to witness: a demonic creature landing on the wing of the Concorde.

  It stamped down hard, causing the jet to bank wildly to the right. My eyes went wide. It was tall and sinewy and had skin as white as milk. Lank black hair fell to its shoulders, and its eyes burned as red as the sunrise. Its colossal win
gs were stretched out, as wide as the creature was tall, blanched leather rippling like a parachute in the fierce wind. It lurched forward; long arms hanging down in front of it like a gorilla.

  Sage Faru was up before I could react.

  “We are under attack. Prepare yourself!”

  I scrambled out of my seat and jerked open the overhead storage compartment. I grabbed my bag and unzipped it, pulling out the Crimson Twin. At the same time, Obsidian shuddered, and there were the sounds of more creatures landing on the jet.

  The stewardess acted in a manner that was pure rehearsal. In a series of fluid movements, she leaned underneath her seat and slid out a box. She removed a key from a chain on her belt and unlocked it. It snapped open, and she removed a gun and several rounds. She loaded it in a series of swift pulls and clicks and then slid the box back under the seat with her heel. She unlatched her seatbelt and stood up, moving over to the cockpit door. Facing outwards, gun aiming at the emergency exit, she lifted her free arm and knocked on the door in a deliberate pattern.

  The co-pilot unlocked it and stared out. “Real-time threat?” he asked.

  “Real-time threat,” she answered glancing over her shoulder.

  He nodded and moved away from the door. I saw him slide a section of the flight panel down to reveal a LCD display and a series of buttons. I was shocked at how prepared they all were. How calm.

  The co-pilot pressed a button, and I watched as two panels on either side of Obsidian slipped open, revealing a recess that housed the back section of two huge guns built into the jet itself.

  “Whoa.”

  Sage Faru reached inside his black robe and retrieved what looked like a lethal Frisbee. I’d never seen anything like it before. It had a multitude of edges, all different shades of metal, like the rings of a planet. A handle ran through the middle, which Faru clutched with his pale hands. “Which one is it again?” he muttered to himself. “Ah yes, lead for Wendigos.” He stripped off a few layers and cast them aside until the outer rim was a dark grey.