The Veil

by Stuart Meczes

  Mikey looked set to protest, but Sophia grabbed him by the hand and pulled him out of the carriage. Everyone moved then, and soon I was in the dining cart by myself.

  I took a deep breath and moved over to one of the dining tables, hopping up onto its surface and pulling a handgun from my belt. I loaded it with a clip of adamantine bullets and then pressed the muzzle against the centre of the reinforced window. Turning my head away I pumped the trigger a few times, feeling the harsh recoil radiate up my shoulder. I heard the glass smash and then felt the sudden whip of harsh wind against my face.

  How do I get myself into these situations? I thought as I holstered my gun and then swivelled around, backing slowly towards the broken window, until there was nothing stopping me from falling into the darkness below. I closed my eyes for a second and then reached upwards, my hands searching the side of the train for a handhold. My fingers tucked into the deep groove of one of the shuttle’s air vents and I hoisted myself out, pressing my feet against the window rim. The wind was vicious, tearing at my hair and uniform like a hurricane. I had to hold on with all my strength not to be plucked right off the side. Blinking a few times, I forced my eyes to get used to the darkness all over again. It wasn’t as pitch black outside as it had been before; in the far distance I could see royal blue light stretching over the blackness, like an otherworldly sunrise.

  We’re reaching the end of the Darklands.

  I dragged myself up the side of the grimy Lightshuttle, pressing as flat as possible to brace myself against the fury of the howling wind. Inching upwards, I forced myself not to think about the deadly drop that was one slip away, and instead allowed my vampiric instincts to take over. Sticking to the metal like a spider, I dragged myself over the edge. As soon as I reached the roof, the wind smashed into me and sent me rolling backwards. The world flipped over and over as I tumbled like a broken puppet towards the rear of the shuttle.

  I can’t stop! I can’t stop!

  “Help me!” I shouted up into the darkness as I carried on flipping over, drawing ever closer to the rear of the shuttle. I heard a loud thud and felt the carriage shudder. A moment later I was grabbed into stone hands and righted. Staring up, I saw the hulking torso of my Protector arching over me, it’s thick arms deflecting most of the wind.

  I placed a hand on its elbow. “Forward!”

  We rushed down the grime covered roofs together, me straining against the darkness as I scanned the roofs for some kind of tell-tale marking, and the Gargoyle using its powerful frame to protect me from the gale – its bowed head only inches from the tracks that rushed past above. As we pushed forward, I was acutely aware of how we were drawing ever closer to the moment we crashed; I could still hear the muffled wail as the siren continued to blare from within the shuttle.

  The Lightshuttle’s brakes engaged.

  A shower of sparks sprayed over me and I was thrown forward. The Protector wasn’t quick enough to catch me and I hit the metal roof so hard I felt my jaw dislocate. Groaning against the pain, I pushed my fingers into my mouth and shoved down and backwards, feeling the nauseating crack of joints as my jawbone popped back into place. The tracks continued to spark overhead and the mechanisms attached to all of the shuttles turned a searing red from the intense friction, producing a wince-inducing screech as the old breaks fought against the velocity.

  The Gargoyle reached me a second later, pulling me upright and holding a stony hand out to brace against the wind as we started to rush forward again. As we moved, I heard a series of deafening clanks behind me, followed by the scream of twisting metal. I snapped my head around and watched in stunned silence as the dining carriage snapped from its broken support and tumbled down into the darkness below. A moment later I heard a thundering explosion that rattled along the track.

  “Oh my god,” I whispered and scrambled in my jacket for my Biomote. “Mikey, Iralia, no one was still in that carriage were they?” I shouted over the roar of the wind and screeching breaks.

  “Not from this end,” said Mikey.

  “Or here,” said Iralia.

  “Thank god,” I breathed.

  “Bad news. We can’t find the itinerary. Looks like its up to you,” added Iralia.

  “How long have I got left?”

  “Two minutes.”

  Bloody hell. “Okay.”

  I set the Biomote between my teeth and stormed forward, holding the Protector’s arms for support as the shuttle continued to grind its way down the speedometer. All of the carriages we passed looked exactly the same – silver caked in grime – and desperation started to pour in on me as I hopped over the small gap between each section and saw nothing of any difference. All the while I was counting down in my head, waiting for the inevitable moment that we ran out of track and crashed.

  I saw it.

  Three sections before the driver’s carriage there was a symbol similar to an ampersand painted in shimmering white on the moss-covered roof. I snatched the Biomote from my mouth.

  “Faster!” I shouted to the Protector.

  We sprinted forward against the torrent of wind, the Gargoyle loping in step with me, and hopping over the remaining gaps until we reached the marking. I lowered myself down onto my belly and crawled to the side. Peering over the edge, I saw that the carriage had half a dozen metal plates resembling large petrol caps attached to it. I glanced from side to side and saw that it was the only one.

  This is it!

  I activated the Biomote and joint vocal-linked Mikey and Iralia. “The fourth carriage!” I shouted into the receiver. “Get everyone into it now!”

  “On it!” said the frantic voice of Mikey and then I could hear Sophia shouting orders at the Vengeful. “Iralia,” I added. “How do we activate the detachment mechanism?”

  There was a pause as she said something away from the Biomote, too quiet for me to hear. When she spoke again, there was a strained edge to her voice. “Lightwarden Udan says that it was the Shuttlemaster’s responsibility to detach it. It has to be done from the central controls.” She paused again. “Scarlett, someone has to stay behind.”

  I froze as the reality of the situation hit me.

  One of us has to sacrifice ourselves.

  I swallowed hard, as I felt determination sweep over me. “Get everyone to the right area. I’ll do it.”

  “Scarlett, no!”

  “Just do it. And don’t say anything to Mikey. I don’t want him to try and stop me.”

  I’m sorry.

  I clicked off the vocal-link and shoved the Biomote back in my pocket. It was then that I glanced up and saw the end of the road. In the far distance – where the track curved around to the right – a huge section was missing, creating a gap that would be impossible to bridge.

  We’re almost out of time.

  I moved to the next carriage and then slipped over the side, shimmying along the edge – desperation outweighing caution as I moved faster than I should have, until I reached a solitary window in the side. I pulled out the gun and fired. The bullets cracked the glass, but didn’t break it before I ran out of ammo.

  Shit!

  I jumped upwards and gripped the groove of a vent above the window tight. Pressing my feet hard against the glass I swung backwards, arching my legs and then bringing my heels down as hard as I could. The window smashed and I fell through, tumbling onto a metal storage container and falling to the floor. I jumped to my feet and burst through the door, running down the now-empty carriages until I reached the very front of the Lightshuttle.

  I burst inside the control carriage and was surprised to see Lightwarden Elissa slumped against the control panel, her arms still fixed behind her back with the apotrope cuffs.

  “What’s going on? Why aren’t you with the others in the detachment carriage?” I challenged.

  “There isn’t much time,” she said. “I convinced Guardian Desquien to allow me to stay.” She pushed against he panel until she was standing upright.

  “I haven’t got
time to speak to you! We’re minutes away from crashing!”

  “I know, and that is why you must hear what I have to say. I don’t like you or your Guardians, but I heard what you said through your Biomote, and your bravery highlights my cowardice.” She hung her head. “I overreacted and have bought shame on myself. But you must understand, I have seen everyone I love lost to this war, so when you attacked one of my closest friends it bought out the worst in me.” She looked back up, holding my gaze. “I will never be permitted to pass through the Last Light. So I ask…no beg of you… please allow me to stay here and deploy the detachment carriage. Only then can I hope to redeem myself.”

  The weight of her words hit me, but I didn’t know what to make of them. Around us the blaring siren grew louder and the voice system more frantic. Warning! Derailment im-m-minent! All Lightw-w-wardens must evacuate immediately!

  “How do I know that you won’t just let us all die?”

  “You don’t. But if nothing else you must trust that I would never betray one of my own. Lightwarden Udan is in that carriage with your Guardians. Please…I am begging you. Remove my binds and allow me to take your place, so that I might have a chance at redemption.”

  I stared right into Lightwarden Elissa’s eyes and could only see sadness and regret. There’s no time. I have to make a decision.

  I grabbed a key from the pouch in my belt and spun the Lightwarden around, unlocking the shackles. They clattered to the floor and she turned to face me. There was a moment of uncertainty and I braced for a fight.

  “Go!” she shouted and then turned her back on me, tapping frantically at the screen console.

  I sprinted away from the room as fast as my legs could carry me, bouncing against walls as the Lightshuttle hit the damaged section of track and the carriages started to rattle on their supports. Smashing through doors, I surged through the next few sections until I piled into a very crowded storage carriage, where everyone – including the Unicorns and horses – was pressed tightly against each other.

  “Scarlett!” gasped Mikey from within the masses. I saw his face between Aran and the shoulder of a horse, and reached for him, but there wasn’t even enough room for our hands to touch.

  Detachment procedure init-t-tiated. Please re-e-main completely still.

  There was a loud grinding sound and then the walls cracked open, releasing sleek metal tendrils that snaked through the carriage and wrapped themselves around us like living vines. They coiled tightly around my chest, wrists and ankles, and for a moment I thought that it was a final, devious trick being played by Lightwarden Elissa. Then small vents opened all the way down the metal appendages, releasing purple foam that filled even inch of space in the carriage. It solidified quickly, becoming soft and porous, like sponge. I kept my gaze on Mikey – whose eyes were wide as he was slowly covered in the odd substance – until my eyes could no longer make him out. The purple foam spilled over my face, and a small gasp escaped my lips as darkness fell over me like a shadow.

  The carriage detached.

  Gravity hit my stomach like a fist. I could feel the carriage somersaulting over and over like a flipped penny, but the tendrils kept me locked firmly in place. I couldn’t move, couldn’t even brace myself. All I could do was wait for it to be over. When we hit the ground, I felt only the smallest echoes of the impact. The sound was deafening, as the metal of the shuttle connected with the unforgiving ground and smashed to pieces. I was held in position, leaning forward with the harnesses tight around my body and the foam covering me from head to toe. Gradually the substance changed its form again, becoming hard and brittle, before breaking apart like chunks of plaster. As it crumbled away from my body, so did the silver tendrils, which fell around me like the tentacles of a dying octopus.

  I looked around and was stunned by what I saw.

  The shuttle carriage was an absolute mess, broken apart into the sort of horrifying wreckage that took the headline pages of newspapers. But every single person, Unicorn, horse and supply was completely untouched, standing among the chaos as though they had been transported there after the fact. The tendrils lay in heaps around us, the plates that they had sprung from smashed and crackling with electricity.

  Unbelievable.

  I looked at Mikey, but he was staring past me, looking aghast. Turning around, I saw that we had crash landed a few hundred yards before a vast, dark lake. The track continued across it, and the Lightshuttle was still thundering along, shuddering and bumping as it reached the huge gap in the turbulent track. My stomach tightened as I watched it surge over the point of no return and arc downwards as its front section came free of the rail. It fell like a metal comet, smashing down into the lake below and exploding, creating a powerful swell that burst the banks and sent water splashing over our feet.

  A few sections of metal bobbed on the surface for a moment. Then the Lightshuttle – and with it Lightwarden Elissa – vanished under the waves without a trace.

  37

  Gabriella

  The joy of discovering the father of the man I loved was marred by the misery of the friend I had lost.

  Peter Eden begged me to tell him everything about Alex, and I relayed all I could think of – right down to the smallest detail. I told him about the social outcast who had grown into someone worthy of leading. Someone who had the power and determination to finally bring the Ageless War to a close. Someone I loved with all of my heart. Peter listened intently, alternating between laughing and crying as I told him all about his son. Even though it had been sixteen years since the two had last seen each other, being so close to the man who had given life to my soulmate brought me some level of comfort, and the bleakness of my situation didn’t feel quite so awful.

  It was hours before I finished talking – glad of the distraction from what I had witnessed in the arena – and my voice was hoarse with effort. Both of us sat in silence for some time, each contemplating what had been said. When Peter finally spoke again, his voice reminded me of Alex’s so much it made my heart ache.

  “You love him?”

  “More than you can ever know.”

  “Then we need to get out of here and get you back to him.”

  There was an absolute determination in his words, as if a dampened fire had been reignited within him.

  “I already tried to escape…but I was tricked. I failed.” I felt my stomach twist as I was reminded of my mistake. If I hadn’t trusted that awful little man, I could be free right now and on my way back to Alex, so that we could come back and liberate this place together. I pressed my tongue to the lock pick in my cheek. This is the only thing I have over them at the moment. I just have to make sure not to ruin my chance again.

  “Don’t be hard on yourself, Gabriella. Do you think you’re the first person that Lilith has tricked in this place? You are one of many. She creates the illusion of potential freedom to test those who have been captured. I cannot tell you how many times in my sixteen years that I thought I was close to escaping, only to have her waiting for me at the exit. It is one of her many torture tactics, one of the many ways she breaks the spirit of her prisoners. When the hope of escape finally disappears, that is when she truly owns a person.”

  I can’t believe he has managed to stay strong for so long. “Sixteen years. How were you able to endure so much for so long and keep going?” I asked.

  “There are no limits to what a man is willing to do so that he might one day get back to his family. My thoughts of Elaine and Alex kept me alive.”

  My admiration for Peter’s determination was followed by a wave of sadness. He has an image of his family in his mind, one where he comes home to a loving family. How can I tell him that his wife has remarried and has another son? The answer was that I couldn’t. Beyond not being my place to say anything, it was outright cruel to broach that subject with a man who only had his thoughts to turn to as he sat in his darkened cell.

  “Where is this place?” I asked instead.

  “We are
in the Abyss. It’s located on the Yornheim continent, and is one of three Umbra colosseums…one for each of Hades’ Highguards. That was until he took them back for himself. This one used to belong to the Scorched Knight, she still sees it as her own.”

  I felt anger churn in my stomach as the memory of her bringing Sunslicer down onto Grey’s neck flashed through my mind. “I am going to kill that bitch.”

  Peter gave a humourless chuckle. “You will have to join the back of a very long queue. During my time here I’ve seen her take so much from so many. Lilith is the product of rejection and all she knows is that pain. Hurting other people is how she projects her own misery.”

  I paused. “How do you know so much about her?”

  Peter sighed. “When someone has been your personal torturer for sixteen years, the transfer of information begins to go both ways.”

  He almost sounds like he cares about her.

  “Does she know who you really are?” I asked.

  “No. That was the one thing she could never get out of me...not for lack of trying. I would never ever allow my family to become potential targets.”

  “Why would they target your family? I mean, obviously now they would…but before?”

  “Because Lilith has never been able to break me, and that is how she would do it.”

  There was a long silence. “Peter, listen. I still have the lock pick they gave me during Lilith’s little game. I think they’ve forgotten about it.”

  “You still have a lock pick? Where?”

  “In my cheek.”

  “Move it somewhere else.”

  That hadn’t been the reaction I was expecting at all. “Wait…what?”

  “Because that is the first place they’ll look if they do remember.”

  “Why don’t we just use it now? We could break free, find Troy and get out!”

  “No, it’s too risky. There are almost a thousand Pitguards in this Abyss, and when there isn’t an event on, all they do is patrol. Even if we were able to find your friend – which would be next to impossible – with only three of us, we’d be caught in minutes. For now just move the lock pick to another part of your body and keep hold of it.”