The Veil (6 page)

A wave of cheers rang out around Orion, and I couldn’t help but join in. Troy swore loudly and let his hands fall to his sides. A moment later his rock came plummeting back down into the lake with a loud splash, showering up water in a giant plume.

“That was crazy,” said Danny as he lowered himself back down to the ground.

“Ah guess that’s a win then?” said Del in a cheeky tone, and he dropped his own arms. He walked over to Troy and pitched against the big guy, draping one arm over his shoulder and crossing his legs at the ankles, creating a hilariously arrogant pose. He waved his free hand at the air. “Wait for it…”

Silence.

“Wait for it…”

More silence.

“Here she comes.”

He pointed to the water at the exact moment the rock smashed into the lake, sending up a wave so high it lapped onto the boardwalk, soaking the wooden planks around our feet. Sophia squealed and jumped backwards as a large spray of water soaked the bottom of her dress. “Del!”

“Sorry darlin’,” he said, giving a jokey wink. “Tell you what. Ah’ll get you a lovely new robe with Troy’s money.”

Sophia rolled her eyes. “As long as it’s an expensive one.”

Del leaned in and raised his eyebrows at the grimacing Troy. “The
most
expensive.” He winked. “Don’t feel bad kid, it takes practice. And I practice a
lot.”

“I do practice…my rock was heavier, that’s all,” replied Troy, his face looking like he’d spent the weekend sucking on lemon rind.

Del gave a lopsided grin and broke away, opening his arms. “Well in that case, ah’d be happy to swap and go again, if y’all fancy double or nothin’?”

Troy shifted his gaze and cleared his throat.

“Well then, ah guess ah get to keep my title for now.” The rest of Orion clapped and he gave a theatrical bow.

I had to hand it to Grey; the silly and pointless competition had managed to cheer everyone up.
Well, maybe not everyone,
I thought as I looked at Troy. However, a moment later Del patted a hand on his back and said something quiet – but clearly placating – to him. Troy nodded and then a smile appeared on his face.

Mikey clapped his hands together and glanced at Gabriella. “Right. So now we’re all here, are we okay to head into the city?”

All eyes shifted to our leader and she nodded. “Sure, let’s go and see what’s happening at the festival for a while. But I also want to find out where Iralia is being held. Alex and I are going to go and make sure she’s okay a bit later.” She shifted her gaze among the teammates. “None of you have to join us, though.”

Scarlett flicked her head towards the others. “I knew you would say that, so we’ve already talked about it. We’re all coming when you go.”

Gabriella gave a small smile. “Thanks.”

Like a shadow, Aran appeared in the middle of the group without a sound. “There are eighty-nine separate species of fish and five crustaceans in the lake.” There was a pause, as everyone turned around to look at her.

“On that bombshell, let’s get going,” I said.

We reached the courtyard, where Freya was busy polishing a bronzed statue I hadn’t noticed before. It had been carved to resemble Prince Ashan, sat astride a rearing unicorn. A pair of Lightwardens stood nearby, hands wrapped around their gunpikes and staring ahead with blank expressions that wouldn’t have been out of place on a Golem. 

The Asrai noticed us and gave a sweet smile. “Good afternoon, Guardians, I trust you have settled in well?”

“We have, thank you,” replied Gabriella.

“Fantastic. Is there anything else I can help you with?”

“Actually, yes there is. As you know, one of our companions was removed by the Lightwardens. With all the confusion, I forgot to ask where she was being taken. As we were planning to visit her later on this evening, I was hoping you could point us in the right direction.”

The smile faded from the Asrai’s face. “Oh I…um, well I’m afraid I don’t know where she would have been taken.”

I frowned. Freya’s expression was the world’s easiest book to read.

She was lying.

Gabriella had clearly noticed it too. Before we could say anything else, the two wardens approached, standing a little too close to the Asrai.

“Good afternoon, Guardians. We were instructed by Highwarden Caria to assist you. Anything you need to know we can help you with.” The warden who spoke had a large section of his nose missing – clearly an old battle wound.

They were smiling but there was little warmth behind their expressions. Gabriella folded her arms behind her back and provided her own fake smile. “I was just asking Freya here if she knew where my teammate is being held.”

The Lightwarden stared at Freya, who seemed to shrink into herself. “Asrai are a simple species. They are never given sensitive information.”

What a dick.

“However, we can assure you that your friend is absolutely fine,” said the other Lightwarden, who was quite bulky for an Elf; their race tended to be on the slim, sinewy side.

“I have no doubt. However, we would still like to visit her.”

“Guardian Desquien is being well looked after in the White Keep. However, I’m afraid that access to the keep is not permitted without the express permission of the Highwarden,” explained Scar-warden. “So that is something you would have to take up with him.”

“Where might we find Aegis Caria?” I asked, feeling my skin bristle and the knot of anger tighten in my stomach. Although they were being polite, there was a hint of hostility to their words. Between them, Freya looked beyond uncomfortable, intently inspecting the dusting cloth in her hands, as if it held the deepest secrets of Pandemonia.

“He is currently attending to other important matters. However, you are due to meet him for dinner later, are you not? I would suggest you discuss the subject with him then.”

I looked at Gabriella, who gave nothing away.

“Fine,” she said eventually, and I released a breath I didn’t realise I’d been holding. “In that case, please could you direct us to the main city area? We would like to explore some of the city and see the festival.”

Bulky-Warden’s smile brightened. “Of course, the festival parade takes place in the Union District. However, it is still being prepared and won’t begin for another hour. While you wait, there are some absolutely beautiful temples and fantastic viewpoints that are well worth looking at. If you want to do some shopping, then all the best wares can be found in the Ziggurat. Also the annual Merfolk Kor’Istis Water Games have almost begun in the Aquadome, which I highly recommend. What would you like to do?”

Gabriella turned to face the team. “What do you think?”

“I want to go and do some shopping,” said Sophia. “See if I can buy some treats for Midnight.” She gestured down at her soaking robes. “And Del owes me a new outfit, so he’s coming with.”

Del let out a chuckle. “Looks like I’m goin’ shoppin’.”

“I’ll come with you as well,” said Scarlett.

Mikey gave a groan and stared at his girlfriend. “Shopping? But…the Water Games sound ace.”

Scarlett rolled her eyes. “I’m not stopping you, idiot. Go check it out, and we’ll meet up later.” He gave her a feigned wounded look and she smiled.

“I want to check out this Kor’Istis,” said Danny. Hollie and Troy made sounds of agreement.

“Can you bet on the games?” Grey asked the scarred Lightwarden.

“Gambling is forbidden in this city.”

Grey sighed. “Fine, guess I’ll go anyway.”

“What do you want to do?” Gabriella asked me.

“The Water Games do sound fun. Then maybe we can all meet up at the festival when it starts?”

“Sure.”

“What about you?”

Gabriella’s gaze landed on Sophia for the briefest second. “I think I want to check out the games too. So that’s all of us, right?”

“Nope,” said Del, and he jerked a thumb towards Aran. The Urisk had been standing slightly apart from the rest of the group, staring out across the lake.

“Oh right, yes. Aran, what do you want to do?”

Aran turned around to face Gabriella and blinked slowly as if coming out of a daydream. “If Huntmaster De Luca permits, Aran would prefer to explore the city in a solitary situation. Communication can be received via the Biomote tether should presence be needed.”

She’s so strange.

“That’s fine.”

Gabriella turned to face the Wardens once more. “So shopping Ziggurat and Aquadome please.”

The bulky Lightwarden nodded. “Brilliant. I shall call ahead to the Aquadome and inform them of your imminent arrival. All of you need to head back out to the waterway and summon two Valoon Passageboats. Those who want to go shopping, ask the Waterwalker to take you to the Union District. From there it is a fairly short walk to the shopping Ziggurat. For the rest of you, just ask the Waterwalker to be taken to the Aquadome. It has its own waterway entrance. If for any reason you become lost, there are several Direct Information Access Stations, or DIAS’ for short located around the city to aid you. You’ll know when you see one. Alternatively simply stop and ask another Lightwarden.” He paused. “We are everywhere.”

There’s that slight hostility again – a subtle warning to behave ourselves.
I made myself brush it off.

It was the other warden’s turn to speak. “The festival will be hard to miss, most people will be attending once it starts, so you can just follow the crowds. Once the Great Clock has sounded, just ask to be directed to the Atrius, which is where communal dinner will be served. Please do enjoy yourselves in our beautiful city.”

Before we could thank them, the two Lightwardens had returned to their original positions. Although our exchange was clearly over, they didn’t stop staring at us and continued to watch to the point where it became uncomfortable.

Just before we left, Gabriella leaned in towards Freya. “Hope we didn’t get you in any trouble.”

Freya gave an awkward smile and turned away from us, but as she did, I heard her whisper something that sounded like “find the doors.” I stared at her in confusion, but she was busying herself with intensely polishing a spot on the statue that was already gleaming. 

3

Alex

Something about this city doesn’t feel right.

The thought nagged at the suspicious part of my mind as Gabriella hailed down a Passageboat. The Waterwalker gave a bright smile as he steered the Valoon towards the dock. I couldn’t say what it was that was bothering me exactly, but I had learned from previous experiences to always trust my gut.
What did Freya mean by “find the doors?”
I could tell from looking at Gabriella that she had heard the Asrai’s cryptic message too, but she wasn’t giving much away. That was until we all took our seats in the boat and she leaned over to me.

“I think we should keep our eyes open while we’re here,” she whispered.

I nodded in agreement.

Soon we were floating down the large canal, heading in the opposite direction to the others. Although it was only mid-afternoon, I was surprised to see that the suns already appeared be giving way to the moon, which was climbing steadily into the sky – a pale coin floating on a sea of red. As quickly as the light was diminishing, the citizens were departing from the communal areas of the city, their presence replaced by the bustle of more of the undernourished-looking workers, who scurried around in their black overalls, hanging decorative lights from every building and erecting magnificent, giant flower arrangements that coiled around one another in a serpentine array of foliage and released scented water in a fine mist.  The influence of the festival was absolutely everywhere – as intense as it was impressive – and bordering almost on excessive for a city that was a key cog in an eternal war.

After a while, the Waterwalker broke away from the main canal, steering us down a narrow waterway that was lined with stone pillars, wrapped with shimmering vines and topped with flowers. We joined the back of a long queue of packed Valoons, carrying citizens of all ages. Some had chosen to walk instead, and excited patrons moved in thick streams down the wide streets, the stern hands of parents tugging at their distractible children and pushing stragglers out of the way to gain position. Hundreds of voices blended into a morass of sound that echoed off the walls of the tall buildings that stood either side of the canal. Blocking the way ahead was a set of large silver doors, knitted together like the fingers of closed hands. A small army of guards manned them, silent and still…waiting.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many people heading to one place,” said Hollie, fixing the strap on one of her sandals and looking around.

“Reminds me of Twickenham when the rugby’s on,” mused Troy in agreement. Hollie wrinkled up her nose. “Not a fan?”

“It’s boring.”

“Boring?” Troy gaped incredulously. He turned to Danny for support. “Please tell me you don’t think rugby is boring too?”

Danny started to reply but then was cut off by the deep clang of a large bell from somewhere on the other side of the doors. Suddenly, a series of what could only be described as water fireworks were released into the sky, exploding in a booming mass of coloured displays that changed into fine rain and evaporated before hitting the ground. A deafening cheer rang out among the crowds and on the cue, the guards on either side of the waterway heaved at leavers, forcing the doors to slowly winch open.

“Wow,” Danny said instead.

I found myself once again in awe of the grand city. Ahead, a massive dome-topped building – one that dwarfed the Prolesium in size – straddled the waterway and blocked both streets at their ends in sheer wall. Standing out from the glass and metal buildings around it, the Aquadome was carved from white stone that stood proudly in the fading light. A dizzying number of statues ringed the perimeter of its square walls, depicting mermen in a variety of dynamic positions. From between them, a thousand arched holes spewed water down into a reservoir below. A second later the tops of the statues sequentially burst into flame, becoming enormous torches that bathed the whole area in a brilliant glow.

As impressive as it all was, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Roman coliseums.
A spectacle designed to distract the everyman.
My second thought countered my first.
Then again, is that really such a bad thing? Who the hell here wouldn’t want to be distracted? Better that than spend every waking moment thinking of the war that will probably you kill one day.

The Waterwalkers started to guide the Passageboats forward into the Aquadome, and at the same time two smaller doors on the building were opened to allow entry to the pedestrians. I could hear the deep crackle of the roaring flames overhead as we passed through a large archway formed from two nude Mermaid statues leaning towards each other and grasping each other’s arms.

The inside of the Aquadome was every bit as impressive as the outside – a magnificent stadium that screamed heritage and luxury. Beyond a filter dock, where the Valoons were unloading passengers in a steady stream and then exiting through the right-hand side of the building, stood an enormous marble pool of turquoise water, trimmed with green vines and surrounded by tiered seats that rose up to neck-craning levels. The spaces were filling fast, with countless more citizens being shown to their seats by the workers in their black robes.

Grey whistled between his teeth. “Got to admit I’m glad I came, betting or no betting.”

“Yeah, screw going shopping,” agreed Mikey.

The Valoon pulled up against the Aquadome dock. We all went to climb off, but the Waterwalker cleared his throat. Gabriella stared at him in confusion for a moment and then something seemed to click. She pulled a currency card from a small pocket in her robe. “We don’t have any actual coins. Will this do?”

“Coins?” repeated the man, with a confused expression.

“Never mind. Here.”

She handed over the glass card and the man accepted it with a gracious nod. He pressed it against a panel at the front of the boat and then returned it to her.

“Th’ull  dehen Cetus ana te edris,” he said in Qi’lern.
May the blessings of Cetus keep you safe.

“Et th’ull iminis dehen Luminis ter’eo,” she replied, and the man gave a wide smile.
And may the light of the Luminar shine on you.

“What she said,” muttered Grey as we all hopped out of the boat.

“Been brushing up on Fenodarian customs have we?” I said, leaning in close.

The corners of Gabriella’s mouth curled upwards. “Maybe.”

A pretty Pixie wearing a gold band in her equally golden hair and a glimmering chain that ran from her nose to her ear approached us. Behind her were two Lightwardens, silent but observing us with keen eyes.

“Currency cards please.” She collected up our cards and slid them one by one down a reader set into the side of an electronic display unit. “Appropriate funds,” she said over her shoulder. Instantly their eyes shifted to the Djinn family in the queue behind us.

“A warm welcome to the Aquadome, Guardians,” said the Pixie. “We were informed of your imminent arrival and have held places in all sections. Do you require onlooker, spectator or enthusiast seats?”

“Which seats are they?” asked Grey, pointing to a separated section near the centre of the pool, where a number of wealthy-looking citizens were lounging across ornate seats and tended to by half a dozen of the skinny people in black uniforms.

“Apologies, Guardian, but those are Patron seats, which are reserved for a select number of Fenodarian citizens.”

Grey rolled his eyes and started to say something sarcastic, but Gabriella quickly cut him off. “Just anything with a pretty good view please,” she said, cutting Grey a glance.

The Pixie smiled. “Of course.” She clapped her hands sharply and an old man with a gaunt face and dark eyes appeared next to us. He was hunched over like a question mark and doing his best to hide pain from his face. The Pixie spoke to the man without once looking at him.

“Drek huch karr, d’lin layu.”

She spoke Dahari – or, as I had seen it called, the ‘bastard tongue.’ From what I had read, the language was an old and dying one, spoken only by those old enough to remember it or uneducated enough to need it. Roughly translated, she was giving him seating instructions for the enthusiast section.

“Shik ei hadru.”

I serve your words.

The old man gave a deep bow that I was worried would snap him in two and then gestured to one side for us to follow him. As he extended his arm I caught a quick glimpse of an electronic band fixed securely to his wrist. There was a long number and a dimly lit yellow symbol on it.

We followed the old man down the galleries that ran between each tier of seating – him waiting patiently with folded arms for others blocking our way to take their seats – until we reached a set of steps, which he climbed agonizingly, until we were about twenty rows higher than the Patron section. From all around us came the strong smell of salt water, mixed with an astringent dampness that reminded me of public swimming pools. The man led us to a run of seven seats between a young Pixie couple and an Imp, who stared at us for several beats too long. Each chair was carved from marble and supported a cluster of cushions. In addition, each chair had a wooden box resting on it.

“Hajik churah.”
For you.

He bowed and motioned to leave.

“Wait.” I pulled my currency card from my robe and was about to offer it for a tip, but Danny beat me to it.

The man glanced at the card and then waved his hands in front of his chest.  “Ver.”
No.

He scurried away and Danny shrugged, pocketing his card and then removing the box before taking his seat along with the rest of us. I wondered whether it was in some way impolite to offer a tip in Fenodara. Grey gave a chuckle and I glanced over. His box lid was open and he was holding a bottle of cola and a bag of pork scratchings in his hand. “Human food. Can you believe it?”

Hollie wavered her hand. “Barely human food.”

“Oh the irony of a Vegetarian hunter,” quipped Danny. Hollie dug an elbow into his side as Grey pulled open the packet, wincing as his teeth broke apart the hard crackling inside.

“Can you imagine the import tax?” joked Troy as he opened his box.

A murmur of laughter bounced between us as I opened mine. Inside was a bottle of lemonade and a large bag of salt and vinegar crisps. I took them both out and set the box down behind my feet. Not long after I had popped the seal on my drink and taken an eye-watering swig, a second bell chimed – much louder than before now that we were closer – and the all of the doors to the Aquadome were cranked shut. 

In an instance, the atmosphere shifted from the sizzle of anticipation to pure electricity. The lights in the Aquadome winked out, and at the same moment spotlights within the pool bloomed into life, drawing everyone’s focus. The crowd started to clap in a slow rhythmic pattern, which grew steadily in speed and intensity. There was a series of cranking sounds as two statues shaped like Cetus – vine-coated mouths wide open and facing centre – rose from the depths and broke the surface like salvaged artifacts.  The statues were oddly translucent in colour, like the skin of a jellyfish, and I could see the water dripping and draining inside them.

The clapping grew louder and faster.

Not knowing what else to do, I joined in. It was hard not to get caught up in the atmosphere, and my heart started beating faster as I waited to see what would happen next.
I imagine this is what the Trials of the Chosen were like. Wish I’d managed to watch at least some of them before everything kicked off.

A man’s voice burst out over a series of hidden speakers – deep and with the confidence of someone who had been doing the job for a long time. He spoke in Qi’lern, his voice riding over the sound of the booming claps.

“Divine Blessings, good citizens of Fenodara. It is my, Gamesmaster Henrick Deghal’s, distinct pleasure to welcome you all to the one hundred and twenty second cycle of the Kor’Istis Games!”

The clapping exploded into a feverous series of cheering and shouts, the sound echoing around the arena like a vocal pinball, battering my eardrums with its sheer volume.

“This year will see a new selection of daring Merfolk, who have braved great dangers travelling from some of the darkest corners of Pandemonia to compete for the coveted prize of Honoured Champions. As you know, the troupe who claims first place in this knockout tournament will not only be given a trophy and a premium currency card each, but they will also be naturalized as Pandemonian citizens along with their families, meaning they will live safe and provided for, for the rest of their lives! Now, it is time to introduce the first troupe competing for the top prize!”

Henrick’s words really hit home just how dire the situation in Pandemonia must have been, if its inhabitants were prepared to travel across the entire world and risk likely death only for the slim chance to secure a safe future for themselves and their families. The worrying second thought I had was that it wasn’t all that dissimilar to refugees in our world, who braced raging oceans and harsh landscapes to escape their war torn countries and find a place they could call home.
Are the worlds really all that different, or is Pandemonia just a glimpse of the world Earth could become?

The cheers carried on, echoing around the Aquadome as the commentator fell silent for a moment. The spotlights shining into the pool turned on their axis, aiming towards the centre, and revealed a large circular opening – that was currently sealed shut. After a moment it started to yawn open, releasing a stream of bubbles into the pool. In an instant, a group of five Mermen had burst through, swirling around each other in a whirlpool of fins and limbs. Their green tinged skin made them look like sleek frogs, darting through the water, their black eyes with white pupils scanning the crowd as they parted their wide mouths into showmanship smiles.