The Veil (21 page)

“Come,” whispered Aegis. We all walked to the centre of the platform, where a pattern of spirals and ancient Fae symbols swirled around each other. The Highwarden bowed to one knee, and taking his cue, Alex and I did the same.

All of the Elders stood up in one fluid movement. It was the female Seelian who spoke first, her voice echoing around the tower plate. “Welcome, Gabriella De Luca and Alexander Eden. it is a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” She was wearing a beautiful headdress, which held strands of fine jewels that hung in front of her face like a veil, partially obscuring her features. She slowly raised her hand. “Please stand.”

We all stood up and waited for the Elder to continue speaking.

“I am Elder Rayene,” she said in a voice that was rich and full of elegance. “This is Elder Khall, Elder Daru, Elder Yumen and Elder Odith,” she added, gesturing around at the other members of the council, whilst they bowed their heads in greeting. When the introductions were done, they all took a seat on their chairs and rested their arms in their laps in perfect timing.

“It is a pleasure to meet you, Elders,” I said, feeling a little bit out of my comfort zone being in the presence of such a large group of powerful people. Seelians were the nobility of the Luminar race – and the only ones held in as high esteem as the princes themselves. 

“How fares our errant kin, Elder Faru?” said Elder Rayene, a slight smile spreading below the jeweled veil.

I glanced over at the empty seat. “He is well, thank you, Elder Rayene. The Alliance wouldn’t be what it is without him.”

“I have no doubt. However, please tell him that he always has a place here with us, should he ever wish to return.”

“I will.”

Elder Odith spoke next, casting his shimmering eyes towards Alex. Like Elder Rayene, he wore a headdress. It was an opulent mix of jewels, feathers and glass that burst from his head in clusters. “This is the young Chosen the Elementals spoke of. The one who rid this world of the scourge of the Sorrow.”

Alex gave a nod. “Yes sir.”

The Elder smiled wide, exposing bright teeth. “May we see the infamous marking?”

Alex rolled back the sleeve of his robe and exposed most of the tattoo on his forearm, which shimmered and glowed like a river of liquid gold. The Elders paused for a moment, and I knew they were waiting for it to take shape in their mind’s eye. A second later a series of murmurs spread around the edges of the tower.

“Incredible,” breathed Elder Khall.

“To think that such a powerful and dreadful force could be bested by one so young and inexperienced,” muttered Elder Yumen, shaking his head in disbelief. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Alex shift slightly at the slight insult.

Elder Daru let his fingers roll through the end of a beard that rivaled Sage Faru’s in length. “Answer us a question, Alexander. Is it true you no longer feel the pull of the Sorrow’s influence?”

Alex placed a hand over the shimmering marking. “Not for a while now. It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever had to do, but with Sage Faru’s help, I have managed to contain it.”

“For now,” said Elder Daru, and I felt Alex flinch once more.

“For now,” he agreed.

The Elders fell silent and for a while all that could be heard was the whistle of the wind that rolled around the tower, tugging at the edges of our robes.

“You have come to us for answers,” said Elder Rayene. “And we have spent much time reflecting on things, so we should now dispense with the pleasantries and proceed.” She held out her hands, palms upturned. “Gabriella De Luca and Alexander Eden, take one of my hands each, so that we might connect with you and show you what we have learned.”

Alex and I exchanged a brief glance and then we both walked forward. I expected to be told to kneel like whenever I mind merged with Sage Faru, but the order was never given, plus there was no electric volt when our hands connected. Glancing around, I saw the other Elders reach out and place their palms on the columns next to them.

“Alexander, please press your hand to the pillar next to you,” instructed Elder Rayene.

With a brief pause of hesitation, Alex touched his hand against the pillar. What happened next shocked me – and there wasn’t much left that could do that. Elder Rayene started to glow brighter until she was hard to look at, and her light poured through us, spreading across the floor we stood on, filling the symbols and making them shine like carvings taken from the sun. The light travelled along shallow recesses in the floor I hadn’t noticed before, spreading out and rising up each column and into each Elder than held them. The Gargoyles on top of the pillars suddenly cranked into life, letting out guttural sounds and then standing upright onto their hind legs. They opened their large jaws and smoke poured out their mouths, billowing down and sticking to the space between each pillar, until they had created a series of thick, rolling walls.

What the hell?

When Elder Rayene next spoke, it was not from her mouth, but rather from her mind, which entered straight into mine. Out of the smoky wall nearest to me poured a hand, formed from smoke, which solidified into an impression of Alex’s arm, complete with the shimmering tattoo.

“You both wish to understand the markings that have attached themselves to Alexander. You both wish to know how to free him of that burden.”

I inched forward, desperate to know.

“Yes, we do,”
I replied in my mind.

Are they going to tell us? Will we finally know what the marking is and how to be rid of it?

The smoke became hundreds of quickly shifting scenes made from mist and shadows, showing the Sorrow slaying those in his path and turning those he didn’t kill into the Depraved.

It was Elder Daru’s voice that entered my mind next.
“We have all meditated together on this mystery since the moment Elder Faru asked for our help.
”

Next, Elder Odith spoke.
“We have studied the Sorrow and every action he has taken since he burdened our world…
”

The smoke around us showed an identical scene of us with the Elders, but there were a dozen other shifting shapes standing where we now stood instead.

“We have summoned to us those who might have this knowledge,”
Elder Yumen continued.

‘Those who encountered The Sorrow and avoided its wrath.”
Now Elder Khall.

‘Those who had served Hades and been captured by the Luminar.”
Elder Rayene.

The scenes shifted between different prisoners cowering in front of the council with gunpikes aimed at their heads, and the voices of the Elders started to blend together as the images changed, until they all spoke together in one single voice that had a range of echoes behind it.

‘The conclusion we have drawn…”

“Is that no one alive holds the answer.”

My hopes crashed like an unmanned plane. I glanced over to Alex and could see the disappointment sweeping across his face, could see his shoulders sag.

“Do not despair, Guardians.”

“Why shouldn’t we despair?”
I blurted out mentally before I could stop myself.
 

“Because the answer does not lie with the living…but it might well lie with the dead.”

A shadowy figure stepped out of the smoke – standing tall and silent as thick tendrils rolled around it. The shape solidified until we were staring at a thin humanoid, dressed in a long, hooded robe and wearing a metal mask covered in indecipherable symbols. Its hands were hidden within the folds of its sleeves, which faced each other in a pious position that reminded me of monks.

“There was once an ancient race known as the Reapers of Knowledge,”
said the universal voice of the Elders.

“I’ve heard of them.”

Alex’s voice poured into my mind. “
Me too…I think.”

Around us the smoke rolled and altered, playing out scenes from vicious battles. Sounds of war cries and screams of death filled the space, and I felt my muscles tense up as they unconsciously prepared for a fight. The sounds died out as the smoky image started to surge and pivot through the battlefields, rapidly passing individuals locked in combat – as if we were watching through the eyes of witnesses right there in the midst of the battle, until the view came to rest on the sidelines. There in the centre of the scene – standing high up on rocks, or behind vast trees – were Reapers. They made no attempt to hide or to intervene, but instead stared out at the destruction around them, writing with quills in large books that they balanced on the forearm of one hand.

‘The Reapers of Knowledge were a mysterious species. No one knows what they really looked like. They rarely interacted with others, but they were always present at any major event, recording the information in ledgers, which they stored in a vast citadel known as the Reaper Archives.”

The images shifted to show a sweeping tower of dark stone set into a looming rocky backdrop.

“Many suspect
–
including ourselves
–
that they were an ancient species, and that the information held within the walls of their archive could well predate even the Ageless War.”

Smoke billowed out of the closest wall, colliding with the ethereal Reaper and causing it to burst into a puff of grey fog. “
However, the Reapers suddenly vanished over two hundred cycles ago. As quick as the blink of an eye, they were gone.”

“How?”
asked Alex.

“We do not know. Perhaps they simply reached the end of their collective lifecycles, or maybe something more sinister. Or it could be that they simply retreated to within the depths of their archives, waiting for some unspecified time in which to return. Although this is unlikely…if they were alive somewhere, we believe we would have felt it, for the energy they carried was powerful.”

The smokescreens around us showed a close view of a solid iron door.
“Although the Reapers vanished before the Sorrow appeared, we unquestionably believe that they would have known something – some precursory information at least – of what was to come, for it is said that their knowledge was vast and encompassed all. We believe that if there is information to be found on what the Sorrow was, or how you came to receive that marking, then it is to be found within their archives.”

“May I ask a question?”
said Alex.

“You may.”

“If the information these Reapers held is of such vital importance and they no longer exist, then why hasn’t it been recovered yet? Surely that is something that you would want to have, rather than allow it to fall into the hands of the Umbra.”

Around us, all of the Elder’s faces broke into an identical, wan smile.
“Unfortunately, that is where the greatest issue lies. The Luminar have tried to gain access many times, as have Hades’ forces. We even attempted so ourselves, long ago. However, the magic with which the Reaper Archives are sealed is of such power that neither the Luminar nor the Umbra have ever been able to gain access.”
The smoke rolled and coiled around itself, shifting to include great hordes of people charging at the vast doors and being swatted back like ants.

A surge of irritation flooded through me.
“I’m sorry if I sound rude, Elders, but what is the point of you even telling us this? If we can’t get into the archives, then you might as well be telling us that the cure for Alex is sitting on one of your suns.”

“A very salient point, Miss De Luca. We have all reflected on this issue and drawn a simple conclusion. The only creature that could have ever be considered powerful enough to break through the magical barriers of the archives would be the Sorrow.”
All of the Elders cast their shimmering eyes towards Alex in unison.
“Power which you now possess, do you not?”

I fell into a stunned silence. “
Of course…he could tear down the walls if he needed to.”

Alex stared down at the hand clasped with Elder Rayene’s, as if imagining it held the keys that would give him access.
“I…I don’t know. This power has been incredible for my strength and speed, but I’ve never tried to use it to break through Umbra, Fae, or any other kind of magic before.”

“It cannot be mere coincidence that you received this marking, Alexander,”
said the universal voice
. ‘The Elementals spoke of you, and the end of their words have not yet been reached. There is a path forward for you both, one that will continue to move towards their words, and bring about the Rising.”
The voice paused.

Whatever the Rising is,
I thought to myself.

“This is what you must do.”

Alex nodded.
“I’ll try.”

A sense of unspoken agreement poured through me as the Elders reacted to his words. “
The Reaper Archives are not too difficult to reach, they lie but two human hours’ ride once you have reached the eastern lands that surround Fenodara.
” Elder Rayene turned her head to Aegis, who had been standing still, arms folded behind his back and staring out across the skyline for the entire time we had been speaking silently to the Elders. When she spoke, it was with her voice rather than her mind. “Highwarden Caria, I want you to send four of your finest and most trusted Lightwardens to accompany these two Guardians for added protection on their visit to the Reaper Archives.”