Shadowed Veil

by Emery Blake

  “When I thought you had just skipped training because you were lazy, I was upset. But now I am infuriated.”

  Baev had appeared out of nowhere. Her dark eyes bored holes right through me. But I was so tired, I could barely muster the energy to feel intimidated or scared. I was just exhausted, numbed. Not that the tall, feather-clad taskmaster took any notice.

  “Do you have any idea how stupid you are? I almost expect this kind of nonsense from Kaia, the woman has no concept of responsibility or caution. But you! How could you think it was OK to go off on a mission when you are barely competent in training? When you haven’t received a briefing. Did you even know that you were supposed to get a briefing before a mission?”

  I just stood there, silently absorbing her stinging words as stoically as I could manage.

  Being dead tired helped.

  It went on for several minutes more, Baev laying into me for being reckless and foolish.

  On the one hand, I was angry with Kaia for dragging me off on an unauthorized mission.

  She had said she would clear it with Baev, but she obviously hadn’t.

  But at the same time, we had saved the lives of maybe dozens of people near my hometown. We had uncovered a sinister plot to bring monstrous creatures to Earth. I had fought trolls and almost single-handedly killed a wendigo.

  I was proud of what I had done, even if I shouldn’t have been there in the first place.

  That pride swelled up in my chest and lent me energy. I looked up from my boots and stared right into Baev’s dark, avian eyes.

  “How do you know where I was?”

  She arched a thin eyebrow.

  “Not a challenging deduction. Both you and the Valkyrie had left Inter-realm the same day. You were seen together shortly beforehand. And now you return carrying a clearly injured Kaia. Do you have another explanation?”

  So, she didn’t know where we’d been, just that we had been away. Someone must have reported to her very quickly when we arrived. I looked around as if I might spot the informant.

  When I turned back to look at Baev, she had shifted her weight to one leg and brought her right hand up to her narrow mouth, resting her elbow in her other hand as if she were evaluating me.

  “How is it that you came out relatively unscathed and the Valkyrie was carried off to the hospital?”

  I began to tell her everything that happened. She suppressed an interjection when I said that we had gone to Maine.

  I elided the part about visiting my parents.

  When I described the initial visit to the crime scene, she motioned towards a nearby fountain and we sat on the coping, her penetrating, skeptical gaze growing eager and interested.

  She allowed me to tell the whole story without interruption.

  When I mentioned that Malcolm was an elf, though, I was surprised to hear another voice break in.

  “And he said his name was Malcolm?”

  It was Finian.

  He had apparently approached almost silently, because Baev’s head snapped up.

  She had been unaware of his presence until he spoke, and I was certain it wasn’t because I was such an enthralling story-teller.

  I looked up at the elf’s impassive face, his deep eyes that gave no indication of what he was thinking.

  “Yes, I was surprised because it seemed like an odd name for an elf. Also, the magic he cast was kind of purple. Does that mean anything?”

  Finian nodded, though he did not deign to explain what it meant. Instead he motioned to Baev, who rose and walked a few steps away with him. They spoke in low voices, so I could not hear what was being said. After a few exasperating moments sitting there by myself, the pair of them turned back towards me. Baev wore a grim expression. Finian’s face was, as usual, calm perfection.

  Baev spoke.

  “You exercised poor judgment in following Kaia on an unsanctioned mission. You were too eager, too ready to leap into a situation you didn’t understand. You are lucky to be alive.” Baev snorted. “Luck always seems to follow fools, shielding them from their mistakes. Well, thankfully I can help you learn from your errors.”

  I was certain that Baev’s idea of learning would involve a fair amount of unpleasantness for me.

  “I’ll have to have a chat with Kaia when she recovers,” Baev said quietly to Finian. Quiet, like a knife being pulled from its sheath.

  I didn’t envy the Valkyrie. Of course, I was a little mad at her for getting me into trouble. For the most part, though, I was grateful. We had gotten rid of the wendigo, stopped a dangerous plot, and I had discovered something in myself that I’d never dreamed was there.

  Finian had ignored Baev and was continuing to stare at me. I quickly grew uncomfortable under his penetrating gaze. He seemed to be weighing me, judging me according to criteria I couldn’t fathom.

  “I think we can all agree, now, that you are not what you thought you were.”

  A question came into my head that I hadn’t taken the time to consider. The magical ability had arisen so unexpectedly, and circumstances had so quickly demanded its use that I had ignored the ramifications. I could do magic. Did that mean…?

  “Am I…Am I not human?”

  Baev and Finian shared an unreadable glance. Then both of them burst into laughter. My face fell. I didn’t sense any malice in their mirth, but still, I hated being so ignorant. The problem was, there was so much I didn’t know that I couldn’t even figure out where to start learning. It would take a lifetime for me to stop feeling like a novice. Several, probably.

  “I’m sorry, Skylar. Truly, we mean no offense. No, you are definitely human. But you can draw upon the Veil, which means you are not an ordinary human. What you are, specifically, I can’t say for sure. Unfortunately, there are so few humans left who can use magic beyond veilwalking. Doctor Orban, of course, but from what you describe your power is quite different. I doubt he would be able to help you. No, I’m afraid you will have to figure this out on your own for a while.”

  The elf nodded a dismissal to me, so I turned to leave. I was stopped by Baev’s sharp voice.

  “And Skylar,” she said with a smile that seemed out of place on her angular face. “To help you learn patience you will rake the training yard for the next thirty days. Ensure that no stones or other obstructions mar the sand.”

  Unsatisfied with Finian’s explanation, but relieved at the relatively light punishment, I walked back to my apartment. Nothing had changed since Kaia had come to take me on the mission. I don’t know why I had expected it to, it had only been a couple of days. I suppose that if I had changed so radically, my room had no business being static.

  Magic, in some ancient traditions, is about the relationship between the microcosm and the macrocosm. The movement of planets influence the lives of individuals, but in turn the actions of an individual can influence the world at large. Shouldn’t my transformation have at least altered my dwelling space?

  But no, everything was just as I’d left it. The only thing changed was me, my perception, and my concept of myself. I was just beginning to come to grips with this new world, the realms, the Veil. As long as I remained anchored in who I was, I felt that I could manage. But now the anchor chain had broken, and I was drifting.

  I could use magic. I had used it to kill. I could justify it, obviously. I did what I had to do in the moment. I protected myself and my friend. I saved numerous people from grisly deaths. That didn’t bother me so much. What set me ill at ease was how much I enjoyed it. The danger, the struggle, the magic.

  Looking at the reflection in the mirror above my desk, I recognized the lines and curves of my face, but there was a different girl looking out of those eyes. A stronger one, a tougher one than I could have imagined. But one that frightened me as well.

  I looked away from the girl in the mirror. Something on the desk caught my eye. The room wasn’t entirely as I’d left it. There was an envelope on my desk.

  The paper was thick, creamy. No address or w
riting of any kind on the outside. I pulled out a neatly folded single piece of paper and flattened it out. An elegant hand had scrawled a short message in dark purple ink.

  Skylar,

  Congratulations on your success. You have exceeded our expectations and forced us to reevaluate our approach. That does not happen often, nor will it again.

  We will be watching you.

  Warmest regards,

  Malcolm.

  ***

  Thank you for reading Shadowed Veil!

  I hope you enjoyed the beginning of Skylar’s adventures. Can’t wait to find out what happens next?

  One-click Darkened Veil now!

  When Skylar Dufrense got the opportunity to leave school and her unappetizing job prospects behind for an internship with the Trans-Realm Investigation and Protection agency, she leapt in with both feet.

  Now, she is in over her head. The wonder of stepping through the Veil into new realms, meeting elves and dwarves and kelpies, even her discovery that she can wield magic, have all faded in the endless grind of training.

  Skylar is hopelessly behind her fellow trainees, but that isn’t her biggest problem. There is a malignant force lurking just below the surface, an evil stirring up trouble wherever Skylar goes. But she can’t convince her superiors to take it seriously.

  And then the danger follows her home.

  One-Click Darkened Veil now!

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  About the Author

  Emery Blake is the author of contemporary and epic fantasy novels. He lives in Southern California with his wife, son, and dog. He loves the desert and the ocean and sailing the turquoise waters of the Caribbean. He loves hearing from his readers.

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