The Darkened Veil

by K. D. Wren

  I laid the clothes out on the bed. A pair of dark high waisted pants with laces on the sides, a cream colored long-sleeved shirt with a deep cut neck, and a simple pair of shoes that looked like moccasins. Everything fit perfectly and was more comfortable than I expected. The materials were exquisite. The pants felt like a blend between leather and cotton, soft and supple but strong. And the shoes felt like wearing nothing at all, light and soft.

  Iridessa flew around me, fussing with the fit of the shirt. When she was satisfied, she gave a nod of her tiny head and zipped over to the door, flinging it open with incredible strength, and flew off into the hall.

  I followed Finbahir out of the building and into the square in silence. I had a million questions, but I wasn’t sure what to ask first. He did promise to explain, so I decided to wait and see what he had to say. He strode onto the pathway without looking back at me. His calm assurance surrounded him like an aura. I felt drawn along with him like a leaf in a current, slow but inexorable. I walked a half step behind him, his long strides forcing me to keep a quick pace. We passed various creatures, some very close to human, others completely foreign. All of them, whether ogre or kobold, bowed their heads slightly as the elf walked by.

  Still in silence, we crossed a delicate, arched bridge. Its railings were held up by what looked like strands of white gossamer or spider silk. But when I ran my hand along it, the railing was as sturdy and stable as any I had encountered. At the apex off the bridge, Finbahir stopped and turned. The bridge spanned a narrow, rushing stream that fed into a long lake stretching out as far as I could see. His lithe, graceful form bent at the waist as he rested his elbows on the railing and peered into the sheen of moonlight on the water’s surface. I leaned on the railing with one arm, fixing him with as demanding a stare as I dared offer. He turned his head and met my eyes.

  “There is much to tell you and not enough time. Ordinarily, one such as you would have been identified early so that you could be brought here to learn and to train. Somehow, we missed you. And I am sorry for that. I am sorry for what you will have to endure as a result of our error.”

  His grave tone caught me off guard. I had no response. It was like everyone here was schooled in making long-winded statements that didn’t say anything useful.

  “But, you are here now, and with luck and a lot of hard work, you can catch up and learn what you need to know.”

  “Wait, wait. I think you need to take about a million steps back. First, what is this place?”

  “Of course, my apologies.” His self-deprecating smile looked odd on his haughty, regal face. “You are in Inter-realm. It is, kind of a waystation. A hub that connects all of the realms. We have our main offices here in order to remain neutral and to have easy access to each realm.” The confusion must have been plain on my face, because he continued. “Hmm…how to explain the realms. Forgive me but it is difficult to explain something that is so…fundamental.” I felt the hackles raise on my neck. How was I supposed to know any of this? He continued on, not appearing to notice. “Your world, the earth, moon, sun, are all a part of one realm. You can travel around your planet. Your people have even discovered how to travel beyond it to visit the moon. Extraordinary, really. But your realm is only one of many. We don’t know how many there are in total. Some theorists contend that they are infinite, but what matters is that there are dozens which are all connected to one another. In these realms there are many different peoples living on their own planets. Some are similar to yours, others are quite different. Are you with me so far?”

  I nodded. I had taken an astronomy course as part of my general education classes, but they had never talked about anything like this. “You said this place is like a hub?”

  “Yes. You see, each realm is connected via portals. A kind of gateway that pierces through the barriers that separate the realms from each other. Many of the realms have portals that connect directly to other realms, but this is the only place that is connected to all of them. When T.R.I.P. was formed this was the natural place to set up.”

  “Ok, say I buy all of this. Why am I here? You called me a veilwalker. What is that?”

  Finbahir turned away and looked out over the lake. He took a few moments before answering.

  “As a child, do you remember seeing strange creatures? Speaking to people and animals that other people couldn’t see?”

  I felt a stone drop into the pit of my stomach.

  “I mean, I had imaginary friends. But I made them up. I had an overactive imagination.” The words from my parents and my counselor came out of my mouth unbidden. I don’t know why I said that. Especially after what I had seen today. My internal skepticism was reflected in Finbahir’s face. He wore a reproachful frown. I corrected myself. “Yes, I saw things other people could not see.”

  The tall elf’s face melted into a smile. Kindly, but as if looking down from a great height. Even though he was no taller than a tall man and thin, somehow he made me feel as if I were as small as Iridessa.

  “You saw these things because you are special, Skylar. The portals are points where the barriers separating the realms are thin enough to pass through. We don’t know how they were created, who created them, or why. But for most of the populations of the realms they are the only way of traversing the barriers, that which we call the veils. A veilwalker, however, possesses a very special talent. She can create her own portals, passing through the veil at will.”

  “Wait, you are telling me I have, like, magic powers?”

  “Not magic per se, not that I know of, at least. Some humans can control magic, of course. Doctor Orban, for example. But veilwalking is a different kind of ability. In a way, you can see through the veil, see where connections to realms can be made and pass through them. That is why you were able to see the people and creatures you did as a child. It is why you could see Morea, the dryad, in the bushes yesterday afternoon. When someone passes through a portal, there is a residue of the veil that makes them invisible to people without the gift for about an hour or so. At all regulated portals there are stations to cleanse the residue so that people can go about their business immediately, but on Earth, of course, there hasn’t been a functional portal station for centuries.”

  Finbahir’s penchant for dropping bombs, just as I’d started to recover from the last one, was getting pretty annoying. He must have sensed it because he began to explain again right away.

  “Earth was once connected to the other realms through the portals. Humans traveled to the other realms and the inhabitants of the realms visited Earth. You’ve read the stories. All of your various cultures have recorded interactions with what you call fantastical creatures. But Earth’s portals have been closed for generations.”

  I caught a note of sadness in his voice. A tightness flashed across his face that drew the angular features into sharp relief.

  “What happened? How were the portals closed?”

  “Chaos. Blood. Death.” Finbahir sighed. “There were a series of incidents, someone brought some particularly nasty creatures from their home realm into Earth, something that humans had little defense against. Many people were killed. A group of human sorcerers working with mages and heroes from across the realms rounded up these creatures and returned them to their own realm. The one who transported them to Earth was captured, tried, and executed.”

  “So, then they closed the portals?”

  The elf’s face grew more grim and dark. “No. That came later. Many humans were fearful after the incident. Not unreasonable, many people had died. They were faced with the reality of their fragility, their weakness in comparison to some of the other creatures of the realms. And there were those among them who took advantage of this fear. They offered a path to strength and power. A vision of unchallenged human dominance. The rest of the story should be familiar to you. Bands of humans targeted any out-realmer they could find and slaughtered them. Tens of thousands were living on Earth at the time. Mostly peaceful folk, just trying to get b
y. They focused on the most vulnerable, slaking their fear on the weak and powerless.” Although he kept his voice level, Finbahir’s eyes glowed with rage. “We evacuated as many as we could. It was a human sorcerer who closed the portals behind us, to prevent the humans from following and continuing their work. Later I heard he was killed, along with any other humans that demonstrated magical abilities.”

  I stood there in stunned silence. Finbahir seemed lost in a grief that appeared fresh despite the distance of centuries. How old was he, anyway? I didn’t feel comfortable saying anything, so I waited quietly for him to resume. We spent several minutes without talking, just watching the moonlight ripple on the lake. Finally, I could not stand it anymore.

  “If the portals were sealed, then how am I here? How were the voidnik, and Morea, and Herje able to get to Earth?”

  The elf fixed me with a penetrating gaze. “The seals have begun to falter. The portals are reopening.”

  Chapter 6

  My head was spinning from the cavalcade of revelations from Finbahir. It was fascinating, but terrifying at the same time. In a strange way, however, I felt validated. As if my childhood self was smiling at me, telling me I was right all along.

  Finbahir continued on, coming along to the point at last. “T.R.I.P. was formed after the Earth incident to protect against abuse of the portals and to protect cross-realm trade and travel. We draw veilwalkers from all of the realms, people who can track down and stop those who would use the portals for evil. We maintain agents at the registered portals and keep an eye out for anyone who seeks to use trans-realm travel to evade law enforcement in their own realm or to bring harm to other realms. Our goal is to maintain free and open movement among the realms so that all can benefit. You see, all of the realms have something to offer the others. Even Earth. Cut off for so long, you humans have developed extraordinary talents and knowledge. As you saw, we have adopted much of your medical science. Magical cures can be dangerous, and painful. Doctor Orban has done fantastic work in weaving his skills with medicine and his latent magical abilities.

  “Not everyone, of course, sees things the same way. There are some realms that do not wish for peaceful co-existence. Some just want to be left alone, and we honor that as best we can. Others, well, others have a different vision for the realms. On darker, more dangerous worlds there are beings that revel in chaos and destruction. There is one, a sorcerer of exceptional power, who believes fervently that the realms should be united under his dominion. We have a difference of opinion in that regard. The Realm Guard does our part to help independent worlds to resist his encroachments.

  “But that is a lesson best saved for another time. Now, I would like to formally offer you a position as an apprentice agent. You will need to undergo extensive training, of course. As I said before, we try to identify veilwalkers much younger. You will simply have to work harder.”

  He stood there expectantly. I couldn’t answer. Part of me was excited. I wanted to leap into the running river and get swept along in the current. I wanted to explore and see where this mad path might lead. But another part of me was holding back. What if this current was leading me to a whirlpool? In the past twenty-four hours, my entire world had been upended. I was almost killed by some monster for reasons I didn’t understand. And yeah, these people had rescued me, but they also said they had been watching me for a long time. That was pretty creepy. I wasn’t sure I wanted any part of this. I wanted to go back home. Finbahir nodded, as if he was reading my thoughts.

  “Look, I’m having a really rough time. I am tired. I am confused. I have no idea what to think. This place is amazing and all, but I really just want to go home. I am a student. I don’t want to be some kind of magical police officer or whatever. I am not a fighter.”

  “That’s not what I saw,” said a resonant woman’s voice from behind me. I turned to find Herje, her long braid swaying as she slinked up the bridge. For as tall and muscular as she was, she moved with a feline grace. “Caught off guard by a voidnik, you are a natural.”

  “Even if that were true, that’s not the point. I don’t want to fight.”

  “That’s good. You shouldn’t want to fight, Skylar. But you need to be prepared too, because sometimes you don’t have a choice.”

  “We will not keep you here, you are free to return to your life. But I strongly recommend you stay and learn.” Finbahir’s impassive face betrayed a hint of concern. But I was unmoved. I had had enough.

  “I want to go home.”

  “Very well. I am disappointed, but I respect your decision. Herje will take you home.” He turned away and rested his elbows on the railing. “Do you have any questions before you leave?”

  I had about a million questions, but the one that came to my mind at that moment was, “Why was I attacked?”

  Finbahir gave me a weighing glance. Despite his calm, stoic features I could tell that he was conflicted about what he was going to say. After a moment, he said, “I am not certain.”

  Herje made a move like she was going to say something, but a flash from the elf’s emerald eyes silenced her. She touched my shoulder and motioned me to follow her back down the bridge. I waited until we were out of earshot and asked her, “Something is going on. What is Finbahir not telling me?”

  Herje looked uncomfortable. It was odd seeing such a powerful, assured woman shifting on her feet like a child who got caught stealing candy. “It’s not for me to say. But Finbahir was telling the truth, there is no certainty.”

  I tried prodding her further, but she wouldn’t budge. We walked back to the hospital building and I changed back into my old clothes. I thanked Doctor Orban and Iridessa and said goodbye. I was going to miss those new clothes. They fit so well and the material was so comfortable. I asked Herje if I could bring them with me, but apparently they were a perk of joining T.R.I.P.

  “Are you ready?”

  I had barely nodded my assent when I felt a rush of cold air and the world around me spun. In an instant, I was standing in an empty classroom. I breathed in the familiar scents. The setting sun was visible out the window. Herje was standing there, looking me over. She answered my unasked question.

  “You’ve been gone less than a day. You seem ok. Normally it takes half an hour or so for the effects of traversing the veil to wear off. You will feel a little disoriented. But I will remove the residue so that you are visible.”

  A violet glow enveloped her hands as she traced the outline of my body just inches from my skin. I felt a tingling run down my body, but it was gone in a moment.

  “All done. Well, good luck Skylar. If you change your mind, go to this bar and ask for a gooseberry spritz.” She pressed a piece of paper into my hand and gave me a crushing hug. “Also, Finbahir would be pissed if he knew I gave you this, but here.” She handed me a small leather-bound book, sized to fit easily into a pocket. The cover was dark brown and the pages were thick creamy stock. There weren’t any words on the page.

  “What is this, a journal?”

  Herje laughed. “No. If you decide to join us, you will need to learn the Common language of the realms. Every realm has their own languages, many have hundreds, like Earth. But most everyone speaks Common. This book will help. It is enchanted, you see. If you open it and speak, it will translate whatever you say into Common. If someone speaks to you in Common or in another language, it will translate it to English for you.” She flashed a wide grin and clapped me on the shoulder. “Give it a shot. I hope you change your mind.”

  Then she turned on her heel, took one step forward, and was gone.

  Chapter 7

  “Skylar! Oh my god, where have you been?” I had barely walked through the door when Diane ran across the room and swept me up in a tight embrace. “I was so worried, you just disappeared last night. What happened?”

  I hadn’t even given a thought to how to explain my absence. The first thing that popped into my head was, “I met a guy, I stayed the night with him.”

  Diane
’s jaw hit the floor. “You what? Damn, Skylar. I’ve never seen you just hook up like that. Was he cute?”

  I thought about Finbahir. He wasn’t cute, he was beautiful. But in a cold, unapproachable way, like a marble sculpture. Not that I wanted to go into that with Diane. “Yeah, he was really hot. I don’t know what got into me.”

  “Oh, I have an idea what got into you,” Diane said with a playful wink. “But next time, just text me or something to let me know where you are going. There are a lot of creeps out there.”

  If she only knew.

  Diane left a few minutes later to go meet some friends, but I decided to stay home and go to bed early. I was exhausted. I lay down in bed, without even taking my clothes off, and fell asleep before my head hit the pillow.

  When I woke, the room was pitch black. I searched around for my phone and checked the time. One-thirty in the morning. Diane’s bed was empty, she must be having another late night. I set my phone back down and lay back on the pillow. I should have gotten up and changed out of my jeans, but I couldn’t summon the energy. I heard the doorknob turn and felt the light from the hallway hit my closed eyelids. Diane was finally home. I wanted to go back to sleep, not talk for half an hour with a drunk Diane. I took a deep breath, as if I were still asleep. Something was wrong. There was a sharp smell, acrid like the remnants of a grease fire. I sat up sharply and opened my eyes. The figure standing in the doorway was not my roommate.

  Outlined by the light behind him was the shape of a tall man. I swung my legs out of bed and stood up, my heart racing. He stepped into the room and closed the door behind him, flipping the deadbolt. In the dark room, I couldn’t see any of his face clearly, except his eyes. His eyes were glowing orange, flickering with what looked like tendrils of flame. My breath caught in my throat.