The Veil (51 page)

“Stop this, now,” I wheezed. “Just put down the weapon and we can sort this out. Fighting isn’t the answer – we’re both on the same side, we’re trying to achieve the same thing!” Each word I spoke felt like it was brimming with fire, and a series of racking coughs escaped my lungs.

“We are not on the same side!” hissed the Lightwarden, her purple eyes flashing with indignation. “You are not Luminar. None of you are, apart from that Urisk cretin…and I’ll be dammed if I’ll accept one of those cowardly species as my equal. You are outsiders from another world. You Guardians don’t represent us any more than I represent humans. You don’t understand our plight, yet still my Highwarden has sent my kin and I to assist you on this fool’s errand, when we should be back in Fenodara, standing with our own and defending against the inevitable Umbra attack. Hades’ forces are powerful beyond imagination, and you think that a handful of Guardians, Lightwardens and Luminar can break into his colosseums and free the slaves, steal an enemy Skyship and then join the others to
kill
Hades? The plan is insanity. It will never work!”

“It can work. Alexander Eden defeated The Sorrow, and that was a supposedly indestructible force. He can defeat Hades as well.”

“But yet he is not here is he? He is on the other side of this planet, moving in a different direction,” she sneered. “We won’t make it anywhere near that colosseum before we all perish. Understand this Bloodling, this journey is a death sentence. It may come sooner, or it may come later, but it
will
come. The way that I see things, Lightwarden Udan and I have both suffered the humiliation of being forced to ride and die with you, and then to cap it all off, you
attack
him when he was doing what is necessary to keep us
alive.
”

“You mean sacrificing children?”

“Yes! And I would do it a thousand times over to keep my own safe.”

“They
are
your own!” Most of them are Pixies or Elves.
Literally
your own species.”

“They are not equal to us!” she hissed and swiped out with her blade. I tried to dodge but wasn’t fast enough. Searing pain swept down the back of my arm. Smoke curled up from the wound and I felt a wave of nausea rush through me as the blade’s deadly material reacted with my skin.

“You really are an arrogant bitch, you know that?” I hissed. “I’m done trying to reason with crazy. You want to fight, then let’s fight.”

A smile spread across Lightwarden Elissa’s lips. She rushed forward and delivered a fierce kick to my stomach. I was sent flying back into the tiles, which cracked with the force of the impact. The Pixie closed the gap and snapped out a fist towards me. I jerked my head to the side and her knuckles reduced a whole tile to shards. I jammed my elbow into her temple and then grabbed one of the metal shower hoses, ripping it from the wall and wrapping it around her throat. I drew it tight, my muscles straining as she bucked and thrashed, trying to get me off her.

“Not so much fun being on the receiving end is it?” I croaked as her fingers clawed at the hose, and her feet skated on the tiles. Her arm flashed upwards and I gasped as pain radiated through my shoulder. The dagger was buried to the hilt above my collarbone and released thick, coiling smoke that stunk of my own burning flesh. Instinctively I bit her, and a high-pitched scream escaped Lightwarden Elissa’s lips as I tore away a section of her cheek. The Lightwarden lurched forward with incredible strength and speed, flipping me right over onto my back. She staggered away, clutching her ruined face with one hand and tugging the hose free from her blue flushed throat with the other.

A ragged breath came from my throat as I slid the dagger out of my shoulder and pressed the switch on the side, flicking through the materials until it released a diamond blade. I holstered my own Pinknives and stood up, crouching into a fighting stance and raising the blade at an angle, tip pointed towards the Lightwarden. At the same time, I could feel the Lightshuttle starting to slow, the squeal of its breaks filling the shower carriage. 

“Enough of this,” the Lightwarden hissed. She swept her bloodstained shoulder cloak away and revealed a Coffin Nailer gun. My stomach lurched when I saw her slide it free from its holster. “I wanted to do this quietly, but it looks like we’re almost there.”  She raised the weapon and pointed it right at me.

Fear rolled through me as I stared down the barrel of the launcher, loaded with six deadly stakes.

“Think about this Lightwarden Elissa,” I appealed.  You don’t want to be the one who put your Highwarden’s agreed plan in jeopardy just because you have a personal issue with me. I’m pretty sure that’s treason. Don’t you have any honour?”

Something close to shame flashed across the Lightwarden’s face, and I knew I’d hit a nerve. “Listen–” I tried to continue.

She shook her head. “No, it’s too late for honour now…I’ve made the decision. This is a doomed plan Huntmaster. At least this way, Lightwarden Udan and I have a chance of making it out alive and returning home. Where we belong.”

“You’ll never make it.”

“Maybe not. But you definitely won’t.”

My hands tightened on the hilt of the blade, as Lightwarden Elissa cocked the gun. What happened next, happened all at once, and was over in a split second. I threw the blade at the same time that Lightwarden Elissa fired the stake. The blade toss was aimed perfectly, but it missed, clattering into the tiles behind her. This happened because the Lightwarden was no longer in the same spot. She was collapsing towards the floor, a low moan escaping from her throat as she fell unconscious. The stake shot was also aimed perfectly, but the blow to the back of her head that had knocked her out had also altered the launcher’s trajectory a split second before she pulled the trigger. Instead of hitting the centre of my throat, the wooden spike hit my shoulder and sent me thundering backwards into the tiles, where the combined total of my injuries overcame me, and I slipped down to the floor.

A frantic Mikey appeared over me, diamond apotrope blades activated on his knuckledusters, which he had slotted over his good hand.  

“Shit, Scarlett are you okay?” he gasped, keeling down next to me.

I gave a barely conscious nod, pressing my hand against the side of his face. “You saved me again,” I croaked.

“Don’t talk.”

He gave me an apologetic look and then used his bandaged hand to safely yank the stake free from my shoulder. I gave a loud hiss – venom dripping from my teeth – and had to resist the urge to attack Mikey. He tossed the stake aside and then pressed my hand to the wound, using it to stem the flow of dark blood that was seeping from the smoking hole.

“Did you hear her scream?” I asked, as I struggled to remain conscious.

He frowned down at me and then looked around at the room. “No I didn’t hear anything. I think the rooms are all soundproofed.”

“How…how did you know she was attacking me?”

“I opened the door and saw her pull out a gun on you. Didn’t need to think about it.”

It was my turn to frown. “But then… why did you come here?”

A sheepish expression swept over his face and he gave an awkward smile. “I was going to join you for that shower.”

I didn’t even have the energy to roll my eyes and I didn’t even want to. I was acutely aware of how close my actions had taken me to death.
If Mikey hadn’t walked in just when he did then I would definitely be dead. I need to be more careful. This is a different world with different rules and I need to adapt my attitudes if I’m going to survive.
I glanced up at Mikey and felt a burst of emotion as I looked at his shimmering eyes and grinning lips.
It’s not just me I have to look after now.

“I’m just glad you came when you did,” I croaked, taking hold of his hand.

“Tell me what you need.”

“Blood. And tell the others what happened.”

He nodded and stood up, pausing near Lightwarden Elissa. “What do you want to do about her?”

I looked at the Lightwarden who was lying in a heap on the tiles. A lump was already forming on the back of her head and her wounded cheek released a stream of blue blood that mixed with mine and created a dark purple stain on the floor.

“Tie her up. I haven’t decided what to do with her yet.”

32

Alex

‘You are dangerous.’

Lightwarden Garrat’s accusation echoed through my mind as we continued our journey to Concavious. The more I thought about what he had said, the tighter my stomach knotted.
He’s right. Nearly everything bad that has happened is because of me. The Sorrow coming through the Veil, the attack on the Warren and Midnight’s death. Rachel revealing herself as a traitor. Sophia’s curse. Mikey’s curse. Yeth attacking the Warren, blowing up the Prolesium and now potentially posing as one of us. The fact that we had to come here in the first place and ended up getting scattered around the world as a result. All of these things are a result of either my actions, or just my presence. He’s right…I am dangerous.

I leaned with my shoulders hunched over the side of I’orin, staring down at the Biomote and the dark waves of the ocean beyond, the hiss of static escaping Gabriella’s Vocal-link sounding like a burst gas pipe. I broke the connection and then changed the screen to the countdown timer.   

5d: 23h: 46m: 22s

The knots in my stomach grew tighter until they felt like a bag of snakes writhing around in my gut.

A whole day gone.

I let out a sigh and closed my eyes, trying not to let my feelings overwhelm me. According to Captain Garrat, we were still making good progress to Concavious. The strange battle with the Hydra had been over in less than an hour, and the damage to the ship thankfully hadn’t extended to the engines.
I just feel so hopeless being so far away, and every minute that disappears is one less that they have to live.
Even if we did reach the Abyss or Shadowrise in time and somehow managed to break into each of them, there was no guarantee that Lilith was even keeping them there – it was just as possible that they were being kept in the Glacium, all the way over on the other side of the world. I swore under my breath.
I should never have bought anyone to this place; I knew it was a mistake the moment we arrived. I was so desperate to find my dad that I didn’t weigh up the consequences properly. I knew deep down that coming here was a massive risk, but I didn’t allow myself to think about it enough. I didn’t think that I could lose two of my friends. That I could lose Gabriella…that cost is far too high.

“It isn’t your fault you know. That they got taken.”

The words were so aligned with my thoughts that for a moment, I thought that they had come from me. But the southern American drawl gave the voice away as Delagio’s. I shifted as he pitched up next to me in the pool of light provided by a set of bright lamps fixed to the head of the ship’s bridge.

“How did you know I was thinking that?” I asked, turning my head slightly towards him.

“Because if your face was any longer, your jaw would be dippin’ into the Dark Sea.” He had a marble in his palm, which he yo-yoed up and down, as if it were connected to his finger. “And you like to blame yourself for things that go wrong. Wasn’t hard to put two and two together.”

I gave a humourless chuckle and he patted me on the back. “C’mon bud, tell Uncle Del your woes.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

I took a deep breath. “I was thinking that I should never have bought us through here. It was selfish of me.”

“Well that’s a dumb set of thoughts.”

“Why?”

He shrugged. “Well, how exactly is it selfish? Sure ya wanted to find ya dad, and in my book that’s totally understandable.” He tapped my arm. “But I think you’re also forgettin’ that big ol’ mark. The way I see it, the moment you defeated The Sorrow and that Darkness thing possessed you through that tattoo, our journey through the Veil was written in stone. Hell even the Elementals talked about it.”

“That’s my other worry,” I said, being very careful to choose my next words. “Lafelei said that the Elementals weren’t getting involved – that they would remain observers favourable to our cause. But then
Cetus
turns up.” I thought about the images the god had shown me of my death. “I must be doing something wrong, taking us towards some kind of bad path. Like Lightwarden Garrat said, I’m dangerous.”

Delagio flicked the ball up into his hand and caught it, holding it still for a few moments. “Lightwarden Garrat don’t know shit. He’s a coward who’s decided to bolt at the first hurdle. He could have grown a set and agreed to help us, but he decided to take the Highwarden’s get out of jail free card instead.” He made a clicking sound with his teeth. “But that whole Cetus thing we all talked about did make me come up with another theory.”

“Yeah?”

He turned to face me, gesticulating with his hands as he spoke. “Okay so think about it, what was the one thing that changed as a result of Cetus arriving last night?”

“I didn’t kill the Hydra Queen.”

“And what was the knock on effect of that?”

“Lightwarden Garrat refused to join us in Concavious and take us to Yornheim.”

“Bingo.”

I tried not to let my shock show. What he was saying was directly in line with what Cetus had shown me in my second vision.
The ship we were attacked on and kidnapped from was I’orin.

“What do you mean?” I asked, like I didn’t know.

“I don’t know really, like I said, it’s just a theory. Well more like chaos theory actually. What if the whole purpose of it arrivin’ wasn’t to save the Hydra – I mean after all, that bitch attacked us first – but rather to stop the Lightwardens from joinin’ us? I mean if anythin’ could cause you to change your mind, it’s a visit from your local deity.”

“Maybe.”

Can that be a coincidence? Am I being paranoid or does he know too much?

“I guess we might never know, but that’s the whole thing ain’t it? Us mortals without the benefit of all that heavenly foresight, we have to fumble around in the dark.” He slapped me on the back. “You’ll drive yourself crazy wonderin’ if each step you take is the right one, so you just need to take those steps. And stop beatin’ yourself up, okay dude?”

I sighed and before I knew it the need to confide in my friend outweighed my suspicions. “I know, and you’re right,” I said. “But it’s more than beating myself up, Del. For the last couple of weeks I haven’t been able to stop thinking about what the Darkness said to me, back when it was still possessing me.”

“What was that?”

“That my choices would destroy everything and everyone I love.” I sighed and stared out at the waves that lapped against the sleek hull of the warship. “Even the Elemental Lafelei said that many would suffer due to my actions, and that the choices I make would shape the future.” I turned to face my friend – or who I
hoped
was my friend – my emotions making my words thick. “Look at what’s happened since we arrived here. A city was almost razed to the ground, countless died, and three of our friends were taken by one of Hades’ Highguards. That attack can’t be a coincidence Del. It just can’t.”

“But that ain’t your fault.”  

“Isn’t it? You say that we didn’t have a choice to come here, but we did. I could have sacrificed myself back when I was possessed and let the Sorrow die with me. I knew how dangerous I could become and what I was potentially capable of. But instead of doing what was right for the greater good, I selfishly wanted to keep going, to cling onto the life I’d built with Gabriella and all of you guys. Regardless of what you say, I
made
us come through here – I wanted my dad back, and I wanted to be the one – the one who could defeat Hades just like I killed The Sorrow, and end this Ageless War.” I swallowed the lump that was forming in my throat. “I wanted the glory.”

Delagio considered my words for a moment and then nodded. “Two answers for you bud. Firstly, you’re actin’ like there’s somethin’ wrong with wantin’ glory. Shit man, you ask any Guardian what they really want and after a bit of diggin’ they’ll tell you it’s glory. We put our asses on the line every single day for the Alliance and do we get any thanks for it? The hell we do. A quick pat on the back and then its off to the next mission. I mean damn, up until a couple weeks ago the general public didn’t even know we existed, and now they do it’s with begrudging acceptance rather than celebration.”

He’s right, we’re like machine parts, always required to keep working, and replaced when we fail. Except now, I’ve become the part they want to use over and over again to get the job done.

Delagio gestured towards me. “Most Guardians would kill to be in your boots. To have people call them the Sorrowslayer, to be the one who stands out from the Guardians, the Huntmasters and even the Sages – to be one of those who made a real difference. Why wouldn’t you want to become the one who ended the Ageless War too? If I had the means to do it, then I’d roll that dice man, even if the risk was high and there was little chance of mah numbers comin’ up.” He shrugged. “Beyond the glory, it’s the only real answer isn’t it? It’s the only way any of this ever really stops.” He spun his marble around his index finger. “Otherwise we all just keep going around and around until the whole damn ride falls apart.”  

I’d never heard Delagio be so candid and serious before. His style had always been one of jokes and playfulness. But now here he was, piercing right through all the crap with his on point observations. I was lost for words.

Del snatched up the marble with a flick of the wrist and gestured the closed hand at me.  “Secondly, don’t you dare beat yourself up for wantin’ to live. It’s the only reason that this whole war wasn’t over centuries ago. Regardless of what we think about some of the Luminar’s attitudes and behaviours, y’all got to admire their determination. They refuse to give up and roll over for the Umbra. We’re no different. Just because death comes with our paycheck, doesn’t mean any of us actually want to die. Before you joined us last year, you had a tough life man – struggled to fit in and make friends.” He placed a hand on my shoulder. “Now you have a two families, and a gal who would live and die for you.”

His eyes glistened with emotion as he spoke, and for the first time I saw a different Delagio, one that hid behind all the banter and fun. I saw pain. “The woman I loved betrayed me, and for a while afterwards I wished that I was dead,” he continued. “Our relationship had a lot of ups and downs, on and offs. I put that down to clashin’ of our bold personalities and cultural differences, but ah guess I was wrong. To know that the whole time I loved Rachel, she was working with the SOS and thinkin’ of ways that she could destroy us was utterly hearbreakin’.”

He shook his head with sadness. “It was Sage Faru who helped me through that dark period. He reminded me that we were part of a family and that her betrayal had affected everyone. That although she wasn’t who she said she was, she had probably loved me in her own way. But most of all he reminded me that this family she had betrayed still cared about me and wanted me around them. He made me realise I still had all you guys. No one who is loved lives an empty life, man.” He took a deep breath and placed a hand on my shoulder. “Sorry, I’m going off on a personal tangent here. My point is that wanting to live to stay with those you care about is not a crime.”

“Even if doing so puts them in danger?” I asked.

He nodded. “Absolutely. From our point of view anyway. We don’t live normal lives, so the normal rules don’t apply. You ask Gabriella what she would want – to be safe or have you around, and I know straight up what she’d say.”

I was surprised when I felt a small smile appear on my face. Delagio’s words were the most refreshing I’d heard in a long time, and he’d actually managed to remove some of the guilt that I felt about what had happened, replacing it with renewed determination.
I keep allowing myself to fall back into the old habits of loathing myself and viewing myself as the bad guy. I’m not perfect, but I am not a bad person. Sure I’ve made mistakes, but everyone makes mistakes, I’m not a natural leader who was given the tools to bring about a revolution, I’m just a guy trying to do the best with the hand I was dealt. I didn’t choose to become a target of Hades and his twisted forces. But now I actually have the power now to make a real difference in this war, and I’ll be damned if I’m going to sit by and let it go to waste while my friends suffer at the hands of my enemies. I’m going to find them, I’m going to find my father and then I’m going to kill Hades.

“Thank you Del…really,” I said.

Delagio copied my smile with one of his own. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
“Look at me gettin’ all upset. The whole point of this was to cheer you up.”

“You have.”

“Well I’m not done yet.” He dipped a hand inside his jacket and pulled out a slightly squashed box, before handing it over.

“What is it?” I asked.

He rolled his eyes and chuckled. “Why do people always ask that? Just open the damn thing.”

I flipped open the lid and was surprised to see a small cake sitting inside, with an upended matchstick stuck inside it.

“I figured that with everythin’ going on you might forget that it’s your birthday today…but I didn’t. I had the on-board cook whip this up.”

I stared up at him, utterly confused. “It’s…it’s my birthday today?”

“Yep. We might be in another world, but as far as humans are concerned, it’s August seventh. Happy eighteenth buddy!” He clapped me on the shoulder.