by Emery Blake
“Skylar Dufresne, welcome to Inter-realm.”
Chapter Five
The elf, who confirmed his identity and gave his name as Finian, said he was an officer of T.R.I.P., which, as he explained, stood for Trans-Realm Investigation and Protection.
“It is a bit of a mouthful, I admit, but the full name is only used in official documents. We have been watching you for quite a while and have been impressed. We had hoped to bring you in a little more gradually, but, well, I suppose that doesn’t make much sense now. You should be proud. Not many humans could fight off a voidnik for that long without training. We would like to offer you an opportunity to become a trainee.”
I was stunned. I felt like a fool just standing there silent while the three of them stared at me. I shifted my weight uneasily. I looked at the doctor, the one who said he was a normal human. He smiled kindly and nodded an encouragement. Kaia, the Valkyrie, gave me a wink. Even Finian, whose face remained a mask of serenity, seemed to smile with his eyes.
“Umm, thank you for your offer. But I have no idea what you are talking about. I don’t know where I am or what the hell is going on. I mean, I was attacked by a voidnik or whatever and now I’m…wherever I am with an elf and a Valkyrie and I feel like I am lost inside my own imagination and you are talking about some job like it is normal? This is not normal. I…I…”
My train of thought was derailed by the entry of the little flying nurse I had seen before.
“I mean, come on. She’s a pixie. Am I supposed to just accept that I haven’t gone insane?”
Finian glanced back to the doctor, who shrugged his shoulders and flashed an ‘I told you so’ expression. The elf turned back to me and brought his hands up to his heart.
“I apologize. I had assumed that, as a veilwalker, you were familiar with the various peoples and creatures that you’ve seen.”
My mind was spinning already, but this was too much.
“What do you mean? What is a veilwalker? Will somebody please tell me what is going on?”
The tall elf let out a long exhalation.
“Let’s go for a walk. Iridessa here has put some new clothes in the drawer by your bed. Put them on. I will explain everything and show you around.”
Without waiting for a reply, he turned on his heel and swept out of the room. The doctor and Kaia followed. Kaia gave me a sympathetic smile and closed the door behind her.
The pixie, Iridessa, flitted over to the dresser beside the bed and pulled the drawer open.
“I had to guess your size. Hopefully it fits.”
Her voice was small but resonant. It had a musicality that made even the mundane sound like a song.
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 Finian 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 of the bridge, Finian 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 dozens of realms. We have our main offices here in order to remain neutral and to have easy access to the major realms.”
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, 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 your 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 hundreds 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, most of the realms are connected to others via portals. A kind of gateway that pierces through the Veil, the barrier that separates the realms from each other. Some realms have many portals, some have only a few. There are likely realms that none of us know about that have no portals at all. Inter-realm is small, but it has dozens of portals that connect to many of the most populous realms. 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?”
Finian 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 Finian’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, he made me feel as if I were as small as Iridessa.
“You saw these things because yo
u are special, Skylar. The portals are fixed points where the barriers separating the realms are thin enough to pass through. We don’t know how they were created, if they are naturally occurring or placed by some agency. But for most of the populations of the realms they are the only way of traversing the barrier, that which we call the Veil. A veilwalker, however, possesses a very special talent. She can see through the Veil. 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. What you call magic involves drawing on the energy of the Veil. Some humans can control magic, of course. Doctor Orban, for example. But veilwalking is a different kind of ability. 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 the table at the job fair.
“We had suspected that you had the potential to veilwalk, the fact that you got to the table was just confirmation of your ability. And your curiosity, which is just as important. It isn’t easy to find veilwalkers on Earth. Few from the other realms ever go there. The portals have been closed for centuries.
Chapter Six
Finian’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.” Finian 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 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 by. They focused on the most vulnerable, slaking their fear on the weak and powerless.”
Although he kept his voice level, Finian’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. Finian 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 Kaia able to get to Earth?”
The elf fixed me with a penetrating gaze.
“Morea and Kaia are veilwalkers. As for the voidnik, I can’t say. But Earth has been drawing increased attention lately. And not from entirely benevolent places. Foul creatures have been showing up more frequently of late, seemingly directed by a malign hand.”
My head was spinning from the cavalcade of revelations from Finian. 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.
Finian continued, 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.
“We also provide other kinds of assistance to local authorities in the event there are problems that arise out of the Veil. In addition, we track down and relocate creatures that have mistakenly wandered across the Veil and into other realms. There are many unknown and unregulated portals and it isn’t uncommon for some poor creature to end up very far from home.
“Our goal is to maintain free and open movement among the realms so that all can benefit. You see, all 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. TRIP does its 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. Finian 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 Kaia, 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,” Finian interjected, looking pointedly at Kaia.” 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 her
e, you are free to return to your life. But I strongly recommend you stay and learn.”
Finian’s impassive face betrayed a hint of concern. Frankly, I was concerned as well. But at the same time, I was completely overwhelmed. I needed some time to clear my head. What was I going to do, drop everything and move to some magic realm I didn’t know existed an hour ago? Leave my friends and school and life?
“I want to go home.”
“Very well. I am disappointed, but I respect your decision. Kaia 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?”
Finian 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.”
Kaia 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.
Chapter Seven
I waited until we were out of earshot and asked her, “Something is going on. What is Finian not telling me?”
Kaia 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 Finian 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 Kaia if I could bring them with me, but apparently, they were a perk of joining T.R.I.P.
