The Veil

by Stuart Meczes

  BOOM!

  The secondary door took a hit, this blast powerful enough to send flame pouring through and knocking Troy backwards into Grey. His fellow hunter caught him with surprising ease and set him back on his feet.

  BOOM!

  The damaged door right near me wrenched open, revealing a foot-wide gap. Beyond I could see a kneeling regiment of Umbra all dressed in their black metal uniforms, guns raised. A massive tank – far bigger than the broken Furystalkers we’d seen in the decaying forest – cased in black metal and standing on six mighty legs was gearing up for another attack. One of the horde noticed me and shouted to his comrades. A second later, a hailstorm of bullets sprayed towards us. I ducked to the side and grabbed Vendal, pulling him out of harm’s way. We repositioned and waited. Someone else shouted something and the firing stopped as quick as it had begun.

  BOOM!

  The compromised door screamed backwards until it was hanging on by a single hinge. The metal was flecked with soot, and the walls around it had given up their plaster, revealing the shimmering adamantine underneath. This is it…one more blast and they’re in.

  With a shaking hand, I pulled out my Biomote and vocal-linked Alex. I didn’t wait for him to speak…there was no time. “Alex…it’s too late.” My voice was thick with emotion. “I love you, always.”

  “…Ella!”

  BOOM!

  The shell exploded in a bloom of fire and smoke, launching us backwards. I landed hard, feeling every vertebra in my spine crack as the hard floor hit me. I coughed and opened my eyes, my stomach lurching as I saw hundreds of Umbra eyes staring back at me from a now open doorway.

  The horde rushed towards us.

  I jumped to my feet. “Fire!”

  A storm of bullets thundered towards the Umbra. Vendal and I started shooting at the front row, dropping bodies as the rest of the crowd charged towards us. I pumped the trigger on my handgun, aiming for the exposed areas of their faces, clicking the round exchange button as my brain quickly identified each species.

  Bloodseeker.

  Incubus.

  Hivemind.

  Ifrit.

  Succubus.

  Lamiae.

  For each Umbra species I introduced to a lethal bullet, another ten whined past my head, smashing into the wall behind me. I felt a massive force hit my collarbone and I gasped as white-hot pain radiated along my shoulder. I’m hit. I pressed a hand to my clavicle and ducked out the way to let Vendal take over. He was pivoting around in a complex pattern, spinning his pike-gun like a Bo staff and firing shots that sent the Umbra crashing to the ground.

  Seeing that we were close to being overwhelmed our end, Troy and Grey rushed over to help. Grey moved to the side of the door and extended his palms, letting out a stream of searing flames that ignited those struggling to get through the doorway, which was filling fast with dropped bodies. Troy spun around and swept his warhammer out in a horizontal arc, knocking several Vampires and Ifrits right off their feet and scattering them into those behind.

  Taking the brief opportunity, I ripped open my uniform jacket and dug a Blood Brother into the hole in my t-shirt, gritting my teeth as I carved through the flesh and scooped out the bullet. I felt a wave of sickness roll through me as it clattered to the floor at my feet. I turned the blade over and pressed the side of it against my flesh. Acrid-smelling smoke filled my nose as the metal burned my flesh and cauterized the wound. My collarbone was fractured in several places, but there was nothing more I could do about it.

  I knew it would only be the first of many injuries.

  I returned to the fight, shooting and stabbing as fast as I could. The dead were everywhere and the remaining Umbra forces had to climb over their bodies. The bottleneck created by the narrow entrance gave us a terrain advantage, but they had sheer numbers on their side. For every Umbra we killed, two more took their place, rushing through the door and coming at us with fury in their eyes.

  “There’s too many!” I shouted. “Retreat to the next level!”

  We all shrank back, blades slashing, hammers swinging and guns firing as we climbed the stairs. More and more of the forces scrambled over the bodies, until the entire lower floor was filled with black-armoured soldiers. Grey cried out as a spray of bullets took out one of his kneecaps. He collapsed onto the stairs.

  “Hold this for a second!” shouted Troy.

  He threw the warhammer down to Grey. Troy curled an arm around his waist and dragged him up the stairs, pulling a gun from his belt and firing into the advancing horde as Grey used his one free hand to unleash another jet of flames that he waved from side to side. The soldiers raised their arms in front of their faces and held back, unable to continue up the stairs without getting scorched. We kept retreating up the stairs as bullets thundered past us.

  Danny and Hollie pulled away one of the upturned tables they had pushed against the top of the staircase and helped us get past before forcing it back into place. Hollie crouched down behind it. She stood up every few seconds and fired an arrow from her quiver, and I watched as they whined down the smouldering staircase and nestled into eyes and throats. Bloodseekers turned to ash as wooden tipped arrows pierced their flesh, and Imps flew backwards, rolling down the stairs and into the others as iron arrows snatched their lives.

  “Make sure those bastardos don’t get up here!”

  In response everyone leaned over the staircases and unleashed every single round they had, dropping Umbra after Umbra until our collective guns clicked empty.

  Still they kept coming.

  The hordes burst through the table, smashing it to splinters. I darted into the fray, spinning around and driving the Blood Brother into the side of a Succubi’s neck. I wrenched it back out and spun around, stabbing it into the eye of a Lamiae. He hissed in pain and drove a hoof into my stomach with enough force to send me stumbling backwards. I hit a Lightwarden, who kept me upright. Before I could say or do anything, his helmet was sent flying off his head by a bullet, and the next one sent his neck snapping backwards, and he folded to the floor. I snatched up his helmet and threw it at the shooting Bloodseeker, knocking his aiming hand off target. Before he could recover, I followed up by sliding a wooden stake from my Kapre belt and releasing it with a jerk throw, which sent the sharp tip plunging into his heart. He became ash in seconds.

  Grey was strewn over the next set of stairs, unleashing a steady stream of flames at the Umbra whenever they broke through. Troy was protecting him, swinging his hammer for all he was worth, breaking bones and scattering anyone who advanced towards him. His hand jerked backwards and the hammer crashed to the floor as a blade sank into the flesh of his hand. He grabbed the back of the blade-wielding Incubus’ neck and slammed the palm of his other hand into the Umbra’s face, the tip of the blade sinking deep into the enemy’s eye. He snatched the blade and pulled it out with a roar before turning and using it to unseam the throat of an advancing Succubus. Dropping the knife, he picked up his hammer once again – coating the handle in a stream of blood – and resumed swinging.

  Danny was back-to-back with Hollie, spinning around low and using Penance – his bladed Bo Staff – to knock the Umbra forces off their feet. When they hit the floor, he released the apotrope blades and stamped down the Bo staff into their throats, ending their lives. Hollie swung her arm over her shoulder, nocking an arrow and squinting one eye shut. She waited until the three Umbra sprinting towards her in single file were almost on her and then released, pinning their heads together with a single arrow, and sending the cluster of bodies tumbling over the stair banisters.

  A blade streaked through the air and pain streaked down my face as it sliced open my cheek. I spun around to see a Succubus right next to me. She slashed out again, and I raised my Blood Brother, stopping the attack with a hiss of smoke. I shoved her backwards and spun around, kicking her in the chest. She stumbled away and recovered, coming at me with renewed force. She slashed out again and again and I blocked, dipped and ducked. But
she was well trained, and a few of her slashes landed, tearing through my uniform and sending blood pouring over the rips. As the physical pain grew, so did the emotional, until I was fighting not only Umbra, but also the desperation of what I knew to be true.

  We can’t win this.

  I telegraphed an overhead attack and the Succubus raised her blade to block. I snatched my other Blood Brother from my belt and thrust forward. The blade pierced her guts and I twisted the blade before jerking it upwards. Her eyes went wide with shock and her own blade fell from her hand. I caught it and sent it flying through the air and into the skull of an Imp advancing on Danny.

  There were dozens upon dozens of dead Umbra scattered around us, but still more came.

  “Everyone retreat upstairs!” I commanded. Nowhere to go after that.

  We all sprinted to the stairs, throwing what disposable weapons we had left at the advancing forces.

  Something hit me in the chest, slamming me into a nearby wall. Instinctively I tried to raise my blades, but suddenly they were made from the heaviest lead. I looked down and saw dark blood, flecked with purple spilling from my wound.

  Banshee Bullet.

  Something else thudded into my arm and once again the purple liquid spilled out of the wound. Time started to slow until it became dreamlike and distant. It felt as if I were watching the events unfold from nearby, watching someone who wasn’t me getting shot. New, different Umbra had pushed through the forces. They were dressed in grander, cloaked armour and were disfigured, their mouths sealed over with patches of burned skin. I watched them move towards us like a dark stream, powerless to fight against them.

  People were shouting at me but I couldn’t hear their words. I felt Danny curl his arm around my waist and drag me up the stairs with him. I tried to say something, but as soon as I opened my mouth, blood spilled from my lips.

  I can’t breathe…I can’t breathe.

  The blood was filling up my lungs, choking me.

  At the top of the stairs I was passed into the arms of Delagio, who dragged me over to the corner of the room. I watched through bleary eyes as he started to rip open my uniform and hold his hand over me. His eyes went wide and his back arched as something hit him. He rolled off me and lay writhing in agony on the floor.

  Ahead, Vendal raised his staff and let out a distorted roar of fury as he unleashed several slow-motion shots. A moment later he jerked backwards as his body was riddled with bullets. He fell to his knees and raised his staff once more. His head snapped backwards as a bullet hit his forehead. With a sigh he fell to the floor, his blank eyes staring at me.

  No…

  My eyesight continued to waver as I saw someone tall and far more metal-clad than even the freak Umbra walk up the stairs and through the parting soldiers. Troy went for the new arrival, and I saw a slash of colour followed by a burst of flame. He screamed as his arm was coated in fire and he sank backwards, trying to put it out. The muted soldiers rushed through, knocking everyone to the floor and pinning them down.

  It’s over.

  The tall figure drew close. I could see the wisps of a charred cloak and smelled sulfur. I tried to look up, but I no longer had any strength. My head was pressed against the carpet, the fibres tickling my forehead as the Banshee poison claimed me, filling my lungs with blood and disease. My dissolving thoughts were of Alex, of the man I loved, who would reach this place too late to find everyone he cared about dead.

  I’m so sorry. I love you, always, I thought as the light faded.

  From somewhere far away I heard the sounds of a female voice, crackling and unnatural in its frequency, as if damaged somehow.

  “Kill the wardens and citizens but spare the Guardians. He wants them alive.”

  I felt footsteps as the woman in charge moved right next to me, could see the ornate details of her dark armour, which was filled with bright, flickering orange lines that made it seem as if the insides of her armour were on fire. A shuddering blast filled the Atrius, sending more of the ceiling sculpture falling to the floor and everyone except the metal figure was momentarily distracted. I could feel her staring down at me, regarding me as if I was some wounded animal. “It seems it might be too late for this one.” As my eyes closed, her final words drifted into my mind.

  “Someone fetch me a knife.”

  18

  Alex

  “Ella!” I shouted into the Biomote, but got no response. Panic blazed through me as Gabriella’s last words resonated through my mind. Please still be alive. Please.

  I cracked the reins and Isiodore tore down the battle-crowded streets. In the near distance the Skyjets continued to sweep overhead, unleashing reams of bombs that engulfed buildings in raging infernos blowing them to pieces. Along the walls of the structures still standing, the Lightwardens fired from their great turrets, punching great holes in the flying machines. The sound of war on this scale was unlike anything I had ever seen or heard before. The invasion was overwhelming – for every Umbra soldier that lay dead in a pool of blood, or scattered to pieces by heavy-duty rounds, there were dozens more downed Luminar citizens – their celebratory Ar’Quistis robes ripped and bloodied. I saw with a clenched stomach that not all of the fallen were adults.

  A looming Skyship like the one that had been blown into the water descended over the area, bathing the district in its shadow. A panel on its underside opened and I saw a bomb as large as a car start to lower down, locking into a firing mechanism. A split-second later I saw five creatures fly in from the right, coming from the tower of Ascension. It took me a moment to understand that they were the Elder Council’s Gargoyles. They hit the Skyship hard, sending it banking away from the area. I saw their jaws winch open and then five furious streams of fire burst from their unhinged jaws. The metal on the Skyship peeled away like old skin, exposing a metal skeleton underneath and clusters of sparking electronics. They moved further down the failing vessel, beating hard with their stone wings as they forced the ship away from the city and my field of vision. Only then did I hear the warning sound of engines failing, followed shortly by the tremendous splash as the Skyship met its end.

  Holy shit.

  I kept thundering down the street. Turning right where the Lightwarden had told me, I saw Aegis Caria and a number of Lightwardens fending off a large group of Umbra soldiers.

  And fighting alongside them was Aran.

  The Urisk was armed with only a knife and fending off a mix of Vampires and Incubi who were closing in around her. She cartwheeled around, dodging their gunfire and slamming the knife into them. Moving with the grace of a deadly ballerina, she pivoted and struck, ending their lives with quick slices and stabs. But for every Umbra she dropped more took their place. They closed in around her, like a tightening noose that drew her closer towards death. Aegis and his men were too busy dealing with their own problems to notice hers.

  “Aran!” I shouted and bowled Isiodore towards the crowd.

  She glanced up as we reached and without a word backflipped high into the air, landing on the Unicorn. Isiodore charged forward, smashing into the group and scattering them like bowling pins. Before they could recover, I jumped down and finished them off in a flurry of blade swipes. I streaked forward and wrapped my arms around a Bloodseeker advancing on Aegis, jerking harshly upwards and snapping his neck.

  “You need to get to the Atrius, now!” I shouted as Aran bought Isiodore back around to me. “Orion are trapped in there with a load of your wardens and citizens. They are under siege! You need to get your men there now!”

  “I can’t!” he shouted back. “They’ve jammed our signals. I can’t communicate with any of my forces or use any defenses!”

  “Try again! I pointed to my Biomote. “I was able to get through so maybe you can now!”

  He bought his coms bracelet up to his mouth and barked orders. He was shocked when he got an immediate, desperate response from one of his men. He cut me a glance and then raised the bracelet to his mouth again. “The j
amming has stopped. Activate the Needle!”

  Through the smoke, I saw a red glow appear at the end of a tall spire, like the tip of a hot poker.

  Aegis swept an arm towards an idling armoured vehicle. “Everyone, let’s go!” he pointed to a few of his men. “You three contact the Partition. Release the Vengeful on my orders!”

  “How many of them, Highwarden?”

  “All of them!”

  He grabbed onto the side of the vehicle and was joined by a dozen of his wardens who hopped up onto the roof or clung to the side as it tore off down the street. Aran slid back on Isiodore, and I jumped on, re-taking the reins.

  “Alexander Eden has impeccable timing,” she said as we galloped down the streets. “It is unlikely that Aran would have survived that particular battle.”

  “Why aren’t you with the others?” I yelled over my shoulder.

  “Aran had been exploring the city and was not with Gabreilla De Luca and the other Guardians of Orion when the attack occurred. The Guardians are positioned in the Atrius, which from a tactical point of view is an unwise choice. Aran was on the way to lend aid, but got distracted trying to prevent her own demise.”

  “They’re in danger,” I said in a choking voice. “I’m not sure they’re going to make it.”

  “Then speed appears to be paramount at this juncture.” She leaned around me, and spoke softly into Isiodore’s ear.

  “Sh’o Arada.”

  Isiodore let out a high-pitched whinny, and then moved faster than I could ever have imagined possible. I had to clutch the reins tight to keep upright. Aran in contrast, rose into a crouch position, her blade raised and ready to pounce. We overtook the armoured vehicle and raced down a sloping road as a fleet of Skyjets screamed overhead. A harsh clanging suddenly poured out from everywhere all at once and I looked up to see the thin spire of the needle in the distance grow red at the tip, as if it had been held over a naked flame. A high-pitched whine built up and then a series of light beams that were blinding to look at shot out in a dozen different directions. There was an earth-shaking explosion as the centre Skyjet behind us was turned into a fireball, igniting the innermost wings of those flying next to it, and sending them all crashing down into the city in a scream of blazing metal. One hit the centre of a building, but instead of reducing it to rubble, dissolved into ash, that left no more than a large stain on its surface. The others, once they were done with the initial burn were all reduced to dust.