The Veil (27 page)

And lying right in front of it was the empty robe of a single Reaper.

I didn’t know what I was looking at. I couldn’t understand. All I knew was the feeling I had. The thing seemed to call out to me, somehow linking to the marking on my arm and drawing me forward. Even though my unease had grown from palpable to all-consuming and bordering on an almost Lovecraftian terror of the unknown, I didn’t turn back. The desire to move closer was so strong that I couldn’t have fought it even if I’d wanted to.

And I didn’t.

I knew in the deepest part of me – perhaps the part of me that was connected to the supernatural tattoo – that it wasn’t the books that held the answers;
this
was what I had been looking for. The strange structure ahead of me held the answers that we had been seeking.

I have to know.

I took one final look at Gabriella, who was staring at me in fearful silence, and then stepped out from underneath the protection of the overhang and was instantly drenched by the rain. It slewed sideways, beating against my uniform and flattening my hair against my forehead, sending thick beads streaming into my eyes. With each step that I took – each one carrying me further from the familiar and towards the unknown – everything began to shrink into fading echoes, until all that I could see was the preternatural casing. The closer I got to it, the brighter my arm shone. My arm rose of its own accord and my fingers stretched towards the unknowable as I moved forward in the conscious but trance-like state. Every sound apart from my own breathing was dialed down to zero.

Then a slow roll of whispers came to me, the guttural words of that language I had heard many times now, but still could not understand. They grew louder the closer I got, until they were almost deafening. I drew up close; the colossal structure appearing so much larger than it had when I’d crossed the blood Veil, dwarfing me with its vast size. The whispers pounded within my brain, calling to me as I moved my hand towards the surface of the thing.  I could feel the energy in my arm vibrating, could feel my fingertips buzzing as if each nerve was an exposed electrical cable.

I placed my hand down on the shell’s surface and it gave up its secrets.   

16

Alex

I understand.

The memories rushed through my mind and then disappeared, like the final flash of a blown light bulb. I woke with a dry mouth and a pounding headache that rivaled the one I’d had after my Awakening. Confused and clueless, I sat up slowly, trying my best to ignore the dizziness that rolled through my head and the dull thuds that knocked at my temples.

Where am I…?

I’m in the archives. The Reaper Archives.

Specifically I was back in the creepy antechamber, lying among the decimated bodies of the Reapers. 

Gabriella wasn’t there.

“Ella?” I croaked, my voice dry and hoarse.

No response.

I climbed to my feet and stumbled forward in dizziness, slumping into the wall. Taking a deep breath, I composed myself and pushed upright, keeping my eyes closed and palms pressed against the rock until the sensations began to subside. Using my tongue to moisten my dry, cracked lips and swallowing as best I could, I called Gabriella’s name again.

No answer.

Turning, I saw that the blood Veil had become a solid red wall, appearing like the world’s largest ruby, partially excavated. I tried to recall what I’d seen on the other side, but all I could catch were the ghostly snippets of something large and twisted, and the bloodied folds of some robe.

What happened…what did I see?

The more I tried to think about it the worse my headache became.
Let it go…it’ll come back. Right now I have to work out where the hell everyone is.

I retrieved my Biomote and activated the torch function. A bright light sprang from the front, dwarfing the glow of the candles around me. Checking my feet were sturdy enough to keep me upright, I started up the dark stairs. My energy came back to me as I climbed, and I broke into a jog, then a sprint, bounding up two steps at a time, calling Gabriella’s name the entire way.

Every time there was no response.

Unease filled me up. Not the odd supernatural unease I’d felt before going through the blood Veil, but one of human instinct.
The feeling you get when you sense something is very wrong.

I reached the crest of the stairs and burst out from beyond the statue.
“Hello?”
I shouted, my voice echoing and repeating as it swept up the levels.

Silence.

The Reaper Archives were empty.

Panic filled me up. I sprinted out the front doors, expecting the bright light of Capis and Soren, but instead was met with the shimmering disc of Oboris, hanging low and full in a black sky. There were no Lightwardens outside and of all the Unicorns, only Isiodore remained. He stood tethered to the centermost pillar, regarding me with turquoise eyes that glinted in the pale moonlight.

My heart thundered in my chest.
What has happened to everyone?

It was then that I saw the fluttering note, pinned to the pillar with a blade. I ran over to it and yanked the knife out, grabbing it and staring at the words.

Alex,

Something bad has happened in Fenodara. The Lightwardens are frantic and won’t tell me what’s going on. Vendal tried to let me wait as long as I could for you to come back out, but other Lightwardens arrived and forced me to go back with them all under orders of the Highwarden. I’m so sorry; all I could do was leave this note, along with Isiodore. Something is very wrong…please come as soon as you can.

Please be okay.

I love you.

Ella x

I dropped the note and the wind carried it away.
Something so bad has happened that they’ve just left the open archives without protection. That’s not a good sign.

I pulled out the Biomote and linked with Gabriella. “Ella? Ella, its Alex. Can you hear me, over?”

All I received back was the harsh crackle of static feedback.
Shit…something is blocking the signal.

With trembling fingers, I undid the knot of reins and swung onto Isiodore’s back. He seemed to understand the urgency because as soon as I cracked the reins, he broke into a thundering gallop that took us down the mountain at breakneck speed. The thumbnail of Lunis rose to meet Oboris in the sky, and the brother moons provided just enough light to navigate the pure Pandemonian darkness. Isiodore didn’t slow once as we made our way back down the mountain – the dead of night made no difference to his keen eyesight.

Soon we were galloping along the sweeping bridge, travelling at well over sixty miles an hour. Yidema had gone, as had Lightwarden Obeden – clearly having fled back to Pandemonia like everyone else.
What is going on!?
I repeated, although all the thought did was make me more anxious – there was no way to know until I got back.  All I knew was that it was
bad.

I cracked the reins and we tore through the terrain so fast, the icy wind whipped at my face and made my cheeks ache. Clutching the Biomote in one hand, the bright glow of the torch revealed the thick vapour of both Isiodore’s breath and mine. In contrast to the blistering heat of the day, the night was deathly cold.

We tore through the valley and back over the hill where we’d first encountered the Harpies. The moonlight – coupled with the Biomote torch – revealed the remains of those I’d slaughtered, somehow already reduced to bloodied bone by other creatures. Isiodore kept thundering through the wreckage of the Free Forest battle. I ducked and leaned as we surged underneath the great legs of Furystalkers and weaved through the narrow gaps created by crashed Greatwheels.

Isiodore ground to a sudden halt, sliding forward several yards and throwing me forward on his back. Pressing my forearm against his neck, I pushed myself back upright and scanned around. I couldn’t see any reason for him to stop – the surroundings seemed identical to how they had been for the previous twenty miles. Bodies of metal and bone decaying in an endless grave of dirt and wood. 

“Come on boy, we’ve got to go,” I insisted, cracking the reins.

Isiodore made a snorting sound in response.

“Come on,” I said, cracking them again. Once again he made a snorting sound and then a low whinny. A moment later I heard a light clatter as something skittered across the metal remains of a tank in the distance.

Oh, shit.

I switched off the Biomote light and hunkered down on Isiodore’s back. “Go boy,” I whispered, tapping his side. The Unicorn walked forward slowly, his hooves making only the slightest sound on the ground.

More scuttling sounds came from around us, followed by the harsh guttural growls of primitive communication, which was a beat too low for me to catch.

We’re surrounded
.

Fighting was a bad idea. I was at a disadvantage – still weakened from whatever had happened on the other side of the blood Veil and barely able to see in a darkness that was deeper than anything Earth had to offer. Plus I needed to get back to Fenodara
quickly
.

Better to do it Isiodore’s way.

So I kept low and quiet. The Unicorn kept picking his way through the remains and the sounds grew louder as we moved into the heart of the unknown creatures’ horde. I could hear them on the tanks above us, skittering over the charred wood of the fallen trees and rattling through the bones of the soldiers, searching for food. Something sharp and furry pressed down on my back, moving between two thick tree branches. Isiodore and I both froze in position and waited, me with my hand poised near Crimson. Two twitching appendages flicked at the hair on the back of my neck before the creature moved on.  So did we.

It was then that I heard a cracking sound and a hideous, high-pitched squeal. One of the scavengers was half-buried, boring underneath the tracks of a Greatwheel, and Isiodore had stepped on one of its brown, multi-pronged legs. Isiodore burst into a gallop and the creature gave immediate chase, signaling to the others with a loud whooping cry.   We tore through the old battlefield once more, and the creatures pursued – revealing glimpses of spiked shells and salivating mandibles in the moonlight.

I had to press flat to Isiodore as he tore under low hanging sheets of metal, holding the reins white-knuckled as he vaulted over colossal tree trunks without breaking stride. Whatever was following was no match for the Unicorn’s incredible speed, and soon they gave up the chase, withdrawing back into the Free Forest once more and releasing piercing howls of frustration.

Even though we were relativity safe, Isiodore didn’t slow, keeping at the furious speed. He was even more intelligent than I had given him credit for – he knew instinctively that something was wrong and was trying to get us back as soon as possible. We reached the beach in half the time it had taken us to travel to the archives. I switched the Biomote torch back on, sweeping the ground for anything that could hurt Isiodore.

There were dozens of creatures.

The night had bought with it new terrors that slipped and scampered along the beach. Thankfully, they were creatures that chose to hunt at night for a reason. There were clicks and chitters and shrill screeches as I swept the beaming light onto them and saw slimy backs, arched legs and finger-like claws jerk away as they slipped into the safety of the darkness. We reached the sea, and I was relieved to see that one of the high-octane Valoons had been left for me by the second wave of Lightwardens. I jumped down from Isiodore’s back and climbed onto the boat to locate a plank he could climb up, but he had already leapt over the side and was waiting patiently for me to secure him in. I fumbled with the securing barrier, fixing it around him in the way Vendal had shown me. Then I ran to the back of the boat and sat down, pulling the control panel onto my lap, using the light of the Biomote to see what I was doing. Everything was written in Qi’lern symbols, but quickly it shifted to English in my brain.

“Okay, let’s work this out.”

I pressed down on a button called “lights” and two mounted lamps switched on, casting their glare far out into the dark water ahead of us.

Okay, that’s step one.

I chose an option called “motor” next and the Valoon juddered into life. I pressed my palm against the surface of the screen and pushed upwards the way I’d seen Sabrien do it. The boat shot forward, snapping my head backwards so hard it cracked my neck. Isiodore gave a whinny of fright. I snatched my hand away and the boat drifted to a stop, the water sloshing and knocking against the sides. “Okay, so a bit lighter on the throttle.”

I inched my hand forward and the rotor blades started to churn at the water. I pushed my hand further and the boat started to speed forward at a good speed. I slipped my hand to the left and right and the boat snaked through the water in response.
It’s just like a video game.
It was at that moment I was finally thankful I’d spent such a large portion of my life as a gamer.

Soon we were carving through the water, navigating past the wrecked ships and using the headlights to avoid collision. Beyond the horizon, the moons shone down on the rolling sea, their glow like twin wedges of light carved from their surfaces.

Okay, so where are we going?

A relatively straight ride back from the archives on a highly intelligent unicorn had been easy enough – even in the dark – but a flat bed of open ocean was a bit more difficult.

Which way is the city?

It was a question that I wished I hadn’t asked, because the answer came as a deep blade of orange, stabbing the night sky in the distance.  I squinted in the direction, focusing my senses. It was then I heard the unmistakable sounds of high-powered weapons being unleashed. Fear gripped my heart with an iron fist. The reason that the Reaper Archives had been abandoned, and why Gabriella had been forced to leave me behind became painfully obvious.

Fenodara was under attack.

*

The city was in chaos.

As I drew closer, I could see billowing smoke rising high into the air and great fires raging from a countless number of skyscrapers. Some had collapsed against each other, bombed into submission. Sleek jet planes shaped like black arrowheads tore overhead, releasing drop-missiles that carpeted across the city in a deafening storm of destruction. I thought back to what Aegis had called them when we’d first arrived in the city.

Skyjets.

The huge battleships I had seen in the harbour district were spread out around the city waters, firing at the ships from hundreds of manned turrets. Those that connected covered the dark metal in blooms of fire, puncturing the fuselages over and over until the Skyjets burst into fireballs and came crashing down into the sea, sending up huge waves as they landed. The overwhelming cacophony of the battle was eardrum shattering. Isiodore neighed and bucked against his restraints as he took in the absolute fury of the battle.

I carved the boat through the churning waves, doing my best to avoid the numerous smaller ships that were speeding around me. Frantic Lightwardens were yelling commands and those on the mounted guns swiveled around and fired in response. One battleship surged past us – far faster than its size suggested it was capable of – and a colossal gun shuddered backwards as it fired off a huge round that ignited the whole night sky in a flash of green, crackling lightning. A moment later there was a burst of secondary flame as the central blast consumed the back section of a large airship – which was semi-circle shaped, with tall fins at its rear – that hovered at the edge of the city.