The Veil: Corruption (HASEA CHRONICLES BOOK 2)

by Stuart Meczes

  I heard Gabriella let out a scream of fury and turned to see her rake the edge of her blade across the Pixie’s throat. Blue blood seeped down her chest, and then she joined the Yokai in the swimming pool. Gabriella breathed in deeply and then wiped the blade on her trouser leg before re-sheathing it.

  “Come on, let’s get going.”

  We followed her out of the poolroom and into the plush guest wing of the Warren. In the long hallway, chandeliers and royal blue carpets were complimented by suits of armour and paintings lined by gilded frames. This part of the Warren kept up the appearance of a stately home. The bits that normal humans weren’t meant to see were kept very separate. As we made our way down the corridor, a group of at least six came the other way. The weapons they carried were covered in blood. We didn’t have time to ask who they were before they rushed us.

  Hollie shot out an arrow, but it only winged the closest – a Succubus, whose wings trailed behind her like a cape. She hissed in anger and doubled her speed; the arrow stuck out of her shoulder. The trail of Bloodseekers, Imps, and Skinshifters who trailed her picked up their own pace.

  Delagio fired out a set of marbles, downing one of the Imps. But the rest kept charging. I readied my sword, gritting my teeth as I waited for them to reach us. The Succubus was only a few yards away when a door burst open and something barely visible shot out from inside. The Succubus shrieked as a lightning-fast blade stabbed into her chest multiple times. Her body slumped to the floor as the rest of her followers ground to a halt, confused and fearful.

  The shimmering blur reflected the red light of the hallway as it moved with incredible speed between the SOS, slashing and hacking its way through. Some fought back, wildly slashing at the air. One connected, and I saw a flash of blue flesh and a weeping wound before it vanished from my eyes. In a matter of seconds, all of the SOS were dead.

  “What the…”

  “Aran,” said Gabriella.

  The spot in front of us shimmered and materialised into something resembling a person. I lifted my blade and stepped forward, joined by Danny and Troy. Gabriella put a hand on my arm. “Stop, Alex. She’s one of us .”

  I let the Crimson Twin fall to my side. The woman gave a nod, her slick silver-black hair barely moving as she did so. “Aran is aware that the base is under threat. Efforts to remove the intruders have been taken.”

  “Aran helped out during the attack on Indigo. She’s part of Orion now.”

  I started to respond and then realised there was no point. “Okay then.”

  “This area is now clear. The concentration of threat appears to be in the main area. Many Guardians and Soldiers of Sorrow are engaged in battle in the hallway areas, kitchens, upstairs hallways, and grounds. The enemies have been leading Guardians to those areas. The Alliance appear to be assured victory in this battle. However, on reflection of war tactics, Aran feels that this sacrifice is merely a diversionary tactic so that a real objective can be achieved without detection.”

  Yeah – me, I thought.

  “Regardless, it would be prudent to lend assistance to those in battle.”

  “I’m up for that,” said Troy.

  Gabriella jerked her elbow into a nearby window, smashing the glass. “Everyone, let’s head for the grounds and work our way in.”

  She jumped through the gap before anyone could respond.

  20

  Gabriella

  Six sets of feet hit the patio area beneath the window. The outdoor chairs were upturned, some cut clean in half. Stone ornaments had been knocked over or were missing more features than a Roman statue. Aran reactivated her chameleon ability; her form wavered and then vanished. Ahead I could see droves of Guardians locked in battle with what looked like other Guardians. It was a clever tactic by the SOS. By dressing normally and attacking us on a day where others had come from all over the world to watch the Trials of the Chosen, most would have to ask questions before attacking. It gave them the upper hand.

  “Recruits, stay close to us. You attack only those who attack us. Otherwise you might end up hurting a friendly. Got it?” They made sounds of agreement. I turned to Alex, who was stood right next to me. “You sure you’re okay to do this?”

  He nodded. “Don’t worry about me. I’ve got it under control.”

  “Good, then let’s go get the bastardi.”

  I clutched both Blood Brothers tightly as I sprinted into the grounds. Weaving through the clusters of fighting Guardians, I pointed towards those who were attacking people I knew. On command, the rest of the team smashed into the fray, firing arrows, swinging hammers, and generally causing as much destruction to the SOS as they could manage while we waded through.

  I saw Ivy defending herself and a cluster of recruits against two advancing Skinshifters, who were in dog form and bearing down on her with jaws set. I broke into a sprint and leaped at the first just before it could pounce. My blade sunk into its back, and the creature howled, bucking up and down as foul-smelling smoke oozed from a wound between its shoulders. Fighting to stay on, I felt a sharp pain on my leg and saw that the other had clamped its jaws around my ankle.

  As I stabbed at the shifter with my free hand, I desperately tried to shake my leg free, but I could feel the creature tightening its grip as if my foot were a chew toy. I screamed as I felt my bone crack under the pressure. I ignored the pain and stabbed as furiously as I could until the Skinshifter sank down onto its haunches and fell still.

  I concentrated my efforts on freeing my trapped leg, but there was no use. Just as I thought I was going to lose my foot completely, there was a spray of blood, and Alex appeared beside me. He knelt down and wrenched open the jaw of the now-severed skinshifter’s head.

  Without having to ask, he wrapped his arms around me and shut his eyes. I grimaced as the bone wrapped itself back together and set. I placed it down onto the ground and gingerly stepped on it. Fine. I gave a relived nod and he smiled.

  Alex held out a hand and lifted Ivy up. “Alex, look out!” she shrieked. We both turned to see a female Elf with pure white hair sprinting towards him with a dagger raised. She made it to within a few feet, and then shuddered to a halt. The tip of Danny’s bo staff appeared through her chest, and she collapsed forward.

  “Saved me again,” Alex said, almost laughing.

  “Don’t worry, I’m keeping a tally,” he smiled.

  “Gabriella?” shouted Hollie. She was nearby, arrow aimed at a Devil. Its slick, black fur was covered with a set of ragged loincloths, and it was carrying twin blades, which seemed to be carved from bone. “What type of arrow?”

  “Shit, Hollie, run!” I screamed. Hollie went pale and lowered the bow. She turned to run, but the creature was too close. He grabbed her in his clutches and raised the weapon. Danny ran for her, but he was too far away.

  No…!

  The creature lurched violently sideways and dropped Hollie to the grass. She scrambled away towards us. Troy skipped around the Devil like a boxer, lifting the hammer on his opposite shoulder. “You like that, did you pal? That’s what you get when you try and take one of us on.” The creature lurched for Troy, but he backstepped and sent the hammer arcing upwards, cracking the jaw of the beast. The sound it made was sickening, and the Devil’s jaw shunted awkwardly to the side. It screeched in fury.

  I didn’t have to say anything. We ran to Troy’s aid, hacking and slashing until the Devil was well and truly dead.

  “Thanks, Troy,” said Hollie breathlessly. “Far cry from the gym, huh?”

  He smiled. “Yeah, but way more fun!”

  Ivy was bleeding from a gash on her cheek. She wiped the blood away with the back of her hand. “Have any of you seen Sam? I can’t find him.”

  Alex stepped forward. His face was pale with grief. “Ivy, I’m so sorry,” he said, shaking his head. “He didn’t make it.”

  Tears brimmed at the corners of her eyes. “Fucking SOS!” she screamed and spat on the fallen Devil.

  “Ivy, I’m so sorry.
I don’t know what to say to you. There’ll be time for mourning later, but right now, we need to fight them off.”

  Ivy grit her teeth together and yanked the bone swords from the lifeless grip of the Devil. “Just point me in the right direction. I’ll do the rest.” She turned to the new recruits, a mixture of internationals and a few I recognised. She handed one sword to the nearest – the boy with the shaved head I’d seen when Danny had been practicing levitation. “Head back to the Prolesium and hide there.” There were grumbles of disagreement, but they vanished when they saw Ivy’s face. “Now!” They turned and ran back to the arena.

  The battle was drawing back from the grounds. Large patches of the grass were stained red with the blood of fallen fighters. I was relieved to see that the vast majority of them appeared to be SOS. They’d had the benefit of the upper hand, but thanks to Alex setting off the alarm, we’d quickly taken it back. This was a clean-up mission. But I couldn’t shake what Aran had said.

  What is their real reason for being here? Why would they risk so much to come here on today of all days? I had a feeling I knew what that reason was. I glanced at Alex, who was scanning the area for straggling SOS. What is going on?

  A thunderous boom swept across the grounds, followed by a blinding white flash. I was thrown from my feet as the wall of a shockwave slammed into me. From the grass, I saw a scorch of red and grey billow up from the end of the grounds. There was a harsh ringing sound in my ears, and I looked groggily around.

  The rest of the team was sprawled around, picking themselves up from the ground. Ivy was screaming like a woman possessed. I turned towards where I’d seen the bright flash, and my mouth dropped open in horror. The protective spell had broken, and I was staring at the crumbling remains of the Prolesium.

  They bombed it.

  It dawned on me that had the alarm not sounded, we would all still be in there. We would all be dead.

  Those closest to the arena were in bad shape. Some were dead, others were missing limbs. We all stood up, and ignoring the swimming feeling in my head, I ran to help. Thick smoke from the demolished building poured down my lungs, making me cough violently. Everyone was shouting at once, and the noise became a blur of incoherent voices.

  I ripped away sections of my dress, using them as tourniquets. Alex joined me, pressing the side of his blade against their wounds – their screams as their flesh sealed shut was nauseating. The others helped as many as they could, and we were joined by more Guardians, but some were beyond saving. Ivy was sitting with her head in her hands, making animalistic wailing sounds. It was then that I realised she had unknowingly sent all of the recruits to their deaths. I wanted to comfort her, but there was no time.

  “Delagio, take her somewhere safe,” I shouted over the roar of noise. He ran to her and picked her up. She collapsed into him, and he had to support her weight as he took her into the base.

  Alex and I carried on, moving among the wounded Guardians and using our joint power to help heal their wounds. To those we didn’t have time to help, we handed out boosters or extra weapons to aid them until the battle was won.

  When we had done all we could, I faced the remaining team. “Let’s get the rest of these despicable bastards.”

  We broke away from the main cluster of Guardians. I kicked open a side door with such force that it sent a Yokai reeling. I raised my daggers and was about to attack when he rolled up a sleeve and I saw the symbol of the Alliance materialise on his wrist. I lowered the blades and pointed behind me. “We’re going to find any hidden SOS in the base. You’ll be of more benefit with the rest.”

  He gave a nod and loped past us; the others had to part to allow for his large frame. He caught up with the rest of the Guardians and vanished around the side of the building. “Keep together,” I said. “I think Aran’s right. They are drawing us to certain areas. I want to go where they’re not expecting us.”

  We entered into the large kitchen area. It was empty, the pots and pans stacked neatly on the sides and shimmering from the sunlight that poured over them. We edged forward, weapons raised, as I scanned the area in search of any hiding SOS. A cupboard clattered, and I sprang to attention. Wrenching it open, I saw a few Asrai crammed into the top shelf quivering with fear.

  “Please don’t hurt us!” one screamed, shielding her face.

  “It’s fine, it’s fine,” I soothed. “It’s Gabriella.”

  The Asrai lowered her hands and then wrapped them around my head. “Oh Miss De Luca, thank the Elementals. We heard an explosion. We were so scared.”

  “Listen, it’s going to be okay, it’s almost over. But you need to stay in here and keep extra quiet, okay?”

  All of the Asrai nodded together. “Okay.”

  “Don’t worry, you’re going to be fine. We’ll come and get you when it’s safe.”

  “Thanks Miss De Luca.”

  I gingerly closed the cupboard door and stepped away.

  Once we’d made sure the kitchens were cleared, I inched open the door that led to the Feasting Hall of Unity. The cavernous room was dark; the large purple and gold curtains were still pulled shut. The long table was empty apart from a tablecloth that had once been white, but it was now stained red from the blood of the dozen or so bodies that lay strewn around the room. Some had been stabbed or shot; others were burnt to a crisp. From outside the large doors at the far end, I could hear the battle raging on in the entrance hall.

  “Jesus, they were slaughtered,” said Danny.

  There was a low groan, and we all jumped to attention. I noticed movement from a body slumped on a chair near the doors. Flicking my head in that direction, we all strode forward, me with daggers raised, ready to end it. Then I realised who the figure was and drew in a sharp breath.

  “Grey!”

  I ran over to him. His top was ripped open, his body covered with innumerable slashes and bruises. His white hair was stained claret. In one hand, he carried a gore-slicked gun and around his feet lay half a dozen cartridges. His left hand was wedged between his thighs, and it was tremoring as if he were suffering from shock. He looked up dizzily when he saw us, one eye swollen shut.

  “There you guys are. What was that noise?”

  I had to swallow to control my emotion. “They bombed the Prolesium.”

  “What? How many dead?”

  “I don’t know. At least fifteen.”

  “Dear god.”

  I knelt down beside him, wanting to offer comfort but afraid to touch him. “What happened to you?”

  “After I lost you, I went and got kitted out. Stared searching through the base for you guys. Ended up here and got cornered by this lot.”

  Troy looked around the room with an expression of awe. “There are at least ten guys in here, including two of those Oni things. That’s incredible!”

  Grey gave a weak smile. “I had to go a bit fight or flight on ‘em. Guess it worked.” He made a strange sighing sound, and a rush of blood slipped from a wound in his stomach. “But they got a few good hits in.”

  Wide eyed, I turned around to Alex.

  “Don’t worry, mate, we’ve got you,” he said, crouching down next to the wounded Guardian. Alex placed one hand on Grey’s shoulder and held the other out to me. I clasped mine around it, and a jolt of lightning burst through my body, sending us both reeling away. I collapsed into the table, sending half of the ruined tablecloth slipping to the floor. Alex slunk down against the chair by the wall.

  “What was that?” asked Hollie.

  As usual after the gift transference, Alex had fallen unconscious for a few seconds. So I answered. “Alex can heal rapidly. I can amplify that gift and help him transfer it to other people. It should fix Grey.”

  Except it didn’t.

  His wounds didn’t heal. The cuts and gashes still seeped blood; the bruises didn’t fade.

  Alex came to and frowned at Grey. “I-it’s not working.”

  I swallowed hard. The last person we’d failed to heal had
been Midnight, and that’s because he had been poisoned by Banshee blood. The hideous poison had poured through his veins right into his heart. And we’d all lost a dear friend.

  Not again.

  I moved back to Grey’s side. “Listen, have you been hit with poison anywhere?”

  He shook his head. “No, Huntmaster.”

  I scanned his body. I couldn’t see any of the tell-tale purple lines. “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. Don’t worry about me, I’m going to be fine. I just need to rest up, that’s all.”

  Alex and I stood up, staring at each other incredulously. Is Alex’s gift failing because of what’s happening to him? That would seem logical except for the fact that he just healed me ten minutes ago. This makes no sense.

  “I…really do need to lay down.”

  “Okay, hun, we’re going to get you to the Recovery Centre. We’ll go there now.”

  “No...” Grey croaked.

  “What?”

  “Before the SOS noticed me in here, they were talking about two things. The Dark Vessel, whatever the hell that is, and the prisoners. They were searching for where they were being kept. They must know something.” He took my arm, leaving a handprint of blood. “You have to make sure they don’t get them out. They must have the answers we need, which is why the SOS attacked before we could interrogate them. Go…I’ll be fine making it on my own.”

  “The hell you will,” I said. “Aran, are you here with us?”

  “Aran is here, Huntmaster,” came a voice from nearby.

  “Good. I need you to take Grey to the Recovery Centre and look after him at all costs.”

  “Aran will ensure this task is completed, Huntmaster.”

  “The rest of you are with me. We support Aran and Grey until they’re safely in the Nexus and help clear the entrance hall. Then we head to the Interrogation Cluster. Everyone clear?”

  There were five sounds of agreement. Aran materialised and hoisted the grimacing Grey out of his seat, wrapping a supporting arm around his shoulders and bearing his weight with what looked like surprising ease. We all slipped over to the door, and I opened it slightly. A torrent of noise burst through the opening, and I scanned the clashing figures.