Soul Reckoning

by Isaac Winter

  I set a course and started walking. I saw a small map in my HUD, but it wasn’t much help because I’d only just arrived. Everything was covered with what they called the “fog of war.” I assumed that once I explored more places the map would open itself to me. But for now, I had to make do.

  I hadn’t been walking for long when I heard something behind me. Footsteps.

  I resolved not to turn around and look, but kept walking. Foolish. In this kind of open terrain, anyone could see me. Anyone could follow me. I was new, unarmed, and totally vulnerable.

  Stupid, stupid, stupid.

  The footsteps came closer and I tried to pick up the pace, but my newly shortened legs were no match for my pursuers. A snarl ripped through the air and before I could get away, they’d surrounded me.

  Three creatures clothed in only rotting rags encircled me. Saliva dripped from their hanging maws and they held crude weapons such as clubs and maces. There were quite a few rusty nails sticking out of one of the weapons, and I shuddered to think how that would feel going through my skull.

  There was one thing Winston never told me about in this world. How did death work?

  I gulped. Looked like I was about to find out.

  I raised my hands above my head, watching them for their next move. “I’m unarmed,” I said, my voice shaking.

  “Look what we got here, boys.” The first goblin spoke, a mixture of snarling, wet sounds. Somehow I could still make out their words. “A noob.”

  My heart beat faster in my chest. Wasn’t this supposed to be some kind of safe starting zone?

  Unless this was part of the glitch, too.

  My mind flashed back to the random earthquake I’d endured just moments ago.

  Veil Energy Unstable…

  But what did that mean?

  Whatever it was, it didn’t sound good. And whatever it was, I had a sinking feeling that things were about to get weird. Pretty soon, these goblins would be the least of my worries.

  “Always wanted to try gnome,” one of the goblins said, stepping closer. The nails on his mace glistened with something that looked scarily like blood. I didn’t doubt that. Who knew how many people they’d killed already?

  “Heard they’re chewy,” the other goblin said.

  “Well I’m going to find out!” said the third one, lunging forward. I ducked, suddenly grateful for my short stature.

  His mace missed, but only barely. It threw him off balance and he staggered.

  I used that as my cue to run. It was a foolish hope, but what else could I do?

  I tripped and one of the goblins threw itself on top of me, his scaly face now inches from mine. I wriggled beneath them, trying to get free.

  “Get off me!” I aimed a kick square at his kneecaps. He screeched but raised his club, ready to do me in.

  I closed my eyes, waiting for the end. With a screech and a thump, the beast fell on top of me.

  Dead.

  A magical bolt protruded from the creatures forehead, only inches from piercing my skull. I pushed him off of me with great effort and rolled over, looking for my unknown savior. The other goblins had been dispatched in the same fashion—magical bolt to the head.

  Whoever was out there was a magic user, and a pretty good one at that.

  The goblins twitched on the ground in their death throes. I spun around, brushing myself off, but didn’t see anyone.

  That’s when the cold steel of a knife pressed itself against my neck.

  “She’ll do,” I heard a voice say, and a rough burlap sack wrapped around my head.

  3

  Winston

  I landed hard on the unforgiving concrete floor of the library, my bones creaking as I went.

  Ouch.

  Clambering to my feet, I whirled around to where the doorway had been.

  It was closed.

  A perfectly innocent door frame stood in its place, leading to the special collections room. The bookshelves were all still there, the glass cases of rare manuscripts untouched. A dim light came from above as I moved about the room, looking for any clues. It had been a good idea to convince the librarians to install motion activated lighting, I decided. Not that I ever though I’d be using it in this way.

  I felt around the edges of the door frame, looking for any burn marks, engravings, or anything else that might give it away.

  Only seconds ago, this had been a swirling vortex to another world. Monsters I now saw only in my darkest nightmares came from that portal. They attacked us. They took Laurie.

  I took a deep breath, shivering. Why was it so damn cold?

  I’d experienced a lot of weird things. Especially since my first trip to the Veil. But this time, I wasn’t sure what was real and what was in my imagination. I’d really come here, right? Laurie had really called me, right?

  The portal...it was real too.

  Right?

  I buried my face in my hands as I tried to figure out what to do.

  Laurie was gone.

  And it was my fault.

  I knew all too well what she must be going through right now.

  Waking up in the Veil wasn’t easy. Being dragged there by a Veil monster? Even less so.

  Laurie could handle herself. I knew that. But I would have been a fool to not be concerned. She didn’t know what she was getting into. Not really. Sure, I’d told her a lot about my travels, but being there was something else entirely.

  I had to go after her.

  I had to get back into the Veil.

  After checking that the coast was clear, I made haste to get out of the library as quickly as possible. I threw the lamp in a trashcan and covered it with old papers, hoping it wouldn’t be noticed. No other signs of a struggle were present.

  I needed to get back to Crane’s book and deal with this. Now.

  In my haste, I nearly plowed right into another body on the way out of the library. The man yelled as we tumbled over each other. Brass-rimmed glasses skittered to the side and I thought I could hear the sound of glass breaking.

  Only one person I knew had glasses like that.

  “Tanner...” I started, pulling myself upright.

  “Winston.” He coughed and sputtered as he stood, looking around for his glasses.

  “What are you doing here, Beckett?” He narrowed his eyes at me. I glared at him right back.

  “I think I should ask you the same question,” I retorted. Normally I wouldn’t push him, but the adrenaline was still flowing through my veins. What can I say, I felt bold.

  He sniffed and scowled at me. Tanner’s lip always curled up in an ugly sneer when he was judging us. I’d seen it way too many times in board meetings and literature reviews.

  “Beckett...” he said again. “I would think that after your little vacation”—he drew the word out deliberately—“That you’d find some other hobbies besides skulking around at night.”

  “You know I work best at night,” I told him. “I got special permissions from the librarian, remember? I’m just trying to get back to work and put the past behind me.”

  I hated lying. I’d never been very good at it. But Tanner needed to believe me. At least until I could get out of here. I had to get back home. Laurie was in danger, and if that portal I saw was any indication, the entire Academy was at stake. Tanner included.

  Tanner rubbed the fine stubble on his chin as he considered me. “Excuse me, then. Wouldn’t want to interrupt such a hard-working scholar.” His lips curled up in a greasy grin.

  “Thing is…I came over here because I heard some noise. I was out on a midnight walk too, you see. I heard noises coming from the library and I came in to see if everything was okay.” He sidestepped me to peer through the doorway to the special collections. “I heard three voices. One male. One female. One...something else entirely.”

  Tanner ran his hand along the smooth wood of the door frame then whirled around to face me. “There’s only you here now. Strange, isn’t it?”

  I gulped. H
e couldn’t be thinking...

  I forced a grin and faced him. “I often hear strange sounds at night when I’m out walking. The wind can play tricks, you know.”

  Tanner growled and advanced on me. I took a few steps back. “I want some answers, Beckett. What were you doing in here? Who was with you? And where did you disappear off to? You know we still haven’t gotten Crane back. Or Mabel. And yet here you stand, trying to act all innocent, but you know what I think? I think you have something to do with all of this.”

  “That’s preposterous!” I sneered at him. “You know they disappeared for unknown reasons. I’ve got nothing to do with it. I told you a million times, I had to go away for a family emergency. I was out of cell range. I’m sorry I wasn’t better in touch, that’s my fault, but these other disappearances just aren’t related. They’re not. If you’ll excuse me, I’ve got to get going. I have an 8 a.m. lecture to teach tomorrow.”

  I turned and made for the door, but Tanner’s hand grabbed my shoulder in an iron grip. I flinched as it startled me and I tried to shake him off, but it was no good. He held fast.

  “Not so fast, Winston. You’re going to tell me what’s going on here. You’re going to tell me about those screams I heard. And you’re going to tell me about that flickering blue light I saw pouring out from the windows outside. Yeah, yeah. I saw it. Don’t think you can hide your magic tricks from me anymore. We’re getting to the bottom of this, now. And you’re not going anywhere until you own up.”

  This close to Tanner’s face, I could smell the faint scent of alcohol on his breath. Oh no. He’d been drinking. Tanner’s eyes were glassy and shone with a wild, aggressive light that told me he was out for blood.

  “I hope you know that your position here at Overture can very well be terminated if we have sufficient cause. Don’t tempt me.”

  That was enough. Before, I may have cowered under his grip. But after dealing with much scarier in the Veil, I was done with his threats.

  I whirled around and twisted out of his grasp, throwing a leg under his ankle to throw him off balance.

  I knew I had no time to lose. I turned tail and ran as Tanner collapsed to the round behind me.

  Screw the Academy. I was getting out of here.

  4

  Winston

  My heart and mind raced as I hurried my way home. Luckily, I didn’t live far from the Academy, but unluckily, I was going to have to leave. I’d assaulted the head of the department, and after that display he’d have even more reason to suspect me.

  But what else was I supposed to do? It was a lose-lose situation. If I told him the truth, he’d blame me for the disappearances and I’d lose my job. If I lied, I’d also lose my job.

  I couldn’t help but smile a bit ruefully as I sped down the road toward home. Not so long ago, my job was my everything. It gave my days meaning. It gave me something to do, to strive for. And then I’d fallen into the Veil, and everything changed. I knew I was destined for greater now, and as much as I loved Overture and my work, I had a bigger job to do.

  Why did I think things would ever go back to normal?

  I threw open the door to my apartment and rushed through the house, gathering my most important books and papers. I shoved them in a bag along with a couple changes of clothes and my laptop, then rushed back out the door again. Of course, not before gazing at the star charts on my ceiling one last time. They stared back at me, the constellations glowing in the still-dim light. Goodbye friends, I thought, and closed the door behind me.

  The road spread out before me as I drove. It was still very early morning and there weren’t many cars on the road. I should have been tired this time of night, but I was too pumped up with adrenaline to even think about sleeping. Only one thought repeated itself in my mind: escape. escape. escape.

  I glanced into the backseat to make sure my bags were still there. They were. It was silly, but checking in on them like that reassured me that I still had my research. No one was going to hijack the car and take a bunch of dusty old notes. After a few hours, the sun began to peek above the horizon. I was nearing a small town wed’ driven through on road trips when I was a kid. Elmby, it was called.

  “Welcome to Elmby, now leaving Elmby” a sign proclaimed on the town’s one gas station. It was something of a local joke. The town was so small you were leaving the city limits just as soon as you arrived. But small and out of the way was just what I was looking for right now. And the only thing I needed at the moment was a quiet place to rest and research. Elmby would do just fine.

  The gravel road clattered against my car as I drove up the long road toward the town’s single motel. Hotel Quinn, an old relic from my childhood. I gathered up my bags and went inside, noting the flicking “vacancy” sign in the window.

  “One room please,” I said, putting my bag down on the counter.

  The man at the counter was unfamiliar, but I hadn’t been this way in a long time. Probably for the best. Less people to recognize me.

  He nodded and tapped a few things into his computer, then handed me a key and pointed down a long brick-lined hallway.

  “Thank you,” I said, taking my leave.

  The motel was cooler than I expected, even this early in the morning they ran the AC full blast. Well, it was better than being in a stuffy old room, I supposed. The motel was so old they still used regular keys for the doors instead of the newfangled keycards newer hotels had. I jiggled it through the lock and opened the door to find my room. 13B.

  It was nothing special, just a bare room with a bed and a small desk, but it was enough. I set my bag down on the bed and took a moment to stretch. The adrenaline from my flight was finally wearing off and I was exhausted. My eyelids drooped and my brain moved as if through mud. Okay, maybe a short nap first.

  The time got away from me as I drifted into an uneasy sleep, one that I hoped would carry me away from the pressing life-or-death problems before me.

  That was an ill-fated hope.

  Colorful lights and sounds swum through my dreams and I saw hands grasping out at me from nowhere. I’m sorry, I tried to say, but no words came out. It was like trying to talk underwater. My mouth flooded with water and I gagged. I saw Tris there, leaping through the air as she threw one of her signature bombs at an enemy. I saw Fel with his great warhammer, ready to charge. And I saw Laurie last, looking up at me with sad, pleading eyes.

  I did this to her.

  I woke with a gasp, my hand over my chest as I wiped a cold sweat from my forehead.

  Damn nightmares.

  I rubbed my eyes and threw myself out of bed, discarding the blankets. I grabbed my bag and sat down at the desk, fishing within for the book that started everything.

  Yup, it was still there.

  The old leather-bound volume was large and took up most of the desk space, but I gently held it like an old friend as I flipped through the pages.

  Wait a second. These were blank. I flipped through the remaining pages, my throat growing dry. What happened?

  I definitely remembered filling these pages with words and symbols and notes. I’d been using this book to take note of all my research on the strange runic language, the Veil, Crane, everything. Where had it all gone?

  The book fell out of my hands and I leaned back in the chair, defeated. I stared up at the ceiling and took a few breaths, wishing I had brought along my star charts. The ceiling here was old and mottled with age. It looked like someone had been smoking in here even though all the signs clearly said not to.

  I was hundreds of miles from home, Overture probably wouldn’t let me back in even if I tried, and now my notes had disappeared. Can’t say it was one of my better days.

  I stood up to scrounge around in my bag when I heard something.

  Slow at first, like a radio being tuned to the right station, it was a low hum that echoed off the walls. I listened closer. It was coming from outside the room.

  And then I heard her voice. Tris’s voice. Again.

&n
bsp; This time, I wasn’t dreaming.

  I threw open the door and looked down the hallway. What I found at the end of the corridor was a flickering, shining portal like the one I’d just seen in the library. It was smaller, and looked weaker, like a crack in the universe. My heart leapt into my throat a I watched it and the buzzing grew louder.

  Does trouble follow me everywhere?

  I stepped toward the light, shielding my eyes with my free hand. I still held the book in one hand, and as I stepped closer to the light, I heard the sounds of battle. I twas like the portal was calling to me. Reaching out to me in some way. But that was silly.

  Then again, the whole idea that the Veil existed and was taking people was kinda silly.

  This could be my one chance to save Laurie. Picking up speed, I ran toward the portal.

  I didn’t know what it would do to me, where it would take me, or if I’d even still be alive at the end of it, but one thing was for certain.

  I had to get back.

  The light flickered out a few times and faltered, but I threw myself at the wall with full force, knowing that if it fizzled out I’d be hitting a brick wall head on.

  Maybe I was crazy.

  But then again, a little crazy was what started this whole mess.

  The light surrounded me and I was falling again, off through the fabric of space. I was going back to the Veil.

  > Now entering the Veil. System loading, please wait....

  > Character configuration exists. Now loading character sheet....

  > Welcome back to the Veil, traveler Cael.

  5

  Laurie

  “Wake up.”

  I squinted my eyes against the bright light as they pulled the bag off my head. A rush of cool air found its way in and I took a couple deep gulps, grateful to be free again. My hands were still tied, but at least I could see. At least I could breathe.

  I had no idea where my captors had taken me, but it appeared to be some kind of fortress. At least I could see them now. Two men peered down at me. One was tall and slender, draped in an indigo cloak. The other was about as different from the first as could be. He was naked to the waist and extremely built. He went shirtless to show off his physical power, no doubt. He had a mean glare and a long jagged scar running across his face.