Masters of the Veil (34 page)

A long spiny fish appeared in the floating stream. It stuck its flat, whale-ish tail out of the water. Sam watched as the patterns on the broad surface changed, as if someone was using the tail as an easel to splash and mix paint.

“I’ve heard about these!” Daphne shouted over the commotion. “But I’ve never gotten to see them before.”

Sam cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted. “What are they?”

Daphne was sitting on the very edge of her seat, her lean body stretching toward the water. “Fish!”

Sam laughed. “I know that. But why are they like this?”

“They’re from the Veil, but they live in the ocean, outside of the protective borders. They
never
come in.”

Sam scanned the room and saw that all of the patrons seemed just as impressed as Daphne. They laughed, clapped, and reached out toward the fish. Haplon even went so far as to stick his arm inside the water and let a group of star-shaped fish brush against his hand. “So, what you’re saying is that this is actually shaping up to be a pretty good date so far?”

“What?” Daphne asked, putting a hand against her ear. “I can’t hear you.”

He leaned around the table. “This is a pretty good start then, right?”

Daphne smirked. “Sorry. I can’t hear a word you’re saying.”

Sam smiled. “So you’re going to play it that way?”

She winked and then turned her attention back to the fish.

The crowd was clapping and cheering loudly, which seemed to coax the fish to glow brighter and perform even more complicated tricks. A group of eels slithered along the surface of the water in perfectly parallel rows while another group of short, round fish skipped back and forth among the spaces. After the eels, a troop of sunny fish with long straight tails performed a coordinated explosion from the water in all directions. Their tails split into many willowy strands and they all helicoptered back to the water, reminding Sam of dandelion seeds.

The final fish made their way through the twists and turns and eventually exited through the other side, back toward the ocean. The room was again left in utter darkness.

After the last of the cheers died out there was a low bellow—like the horn from a tugboat—from outside.

There was a collective gasp that echoed through the dark room.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” Sam heard the excitement in Kanti’s voice, “it seems that we might get to see something very rare tonight.”

There was another low rumble, closer this time. Kanti began singing, this time in a much lower register than before.

After a few moments of her song, she quieted again.

For a long minute, no one made a sound.

All of a sudden there was a blinding golden light from the beginning of the tunnel of water. Sam held up his hand to shield his eyes. As he instinctively brought his right hand in front of his face, he immediately felt the powerful rush of the Veil across his palm. He closed his eyes and groped the platform on the side of the table for his second-skin. As his fingers stumbled around blindly, he thought he felt his wrist connect with something solid. His fingers finally touched the scaly material and he pulled on his second-skin. The power from the Veil subsided and Sam sighed in relief. His old second-skin helped him control the way he used the Veil, and he too wanted to avoid any accidents.

He placed his disarmed hand in front of his eyes and slowly peeked through his fingers. It took a moment for him to acclimate to the light, but he was eventually able to see what was moving through the water.

The gold light was coming from a giant creature that was some sort of ray. It had an ovular body with elegant fins that looked like wings. The fins protruded at least two feet out either side of the tunnel. The ray traveled at a very slow pace, and through the water, Sam could see a flap on its belly lift as it let out a deep call.

The noise threw Sam against the back of his seat.

Smaller, more intense golden lights shone on the ray’s belly. After a few more loud moans by the ray, the tiny lights leapt off the creature and broke the surface of the water. Once in the air—their light undistorted—Sam realized that they were small versions of the ray. They gracefully flapped their fins and floated through the air, unencumbered by normal gravity. They explored the room in slow motion, seemingly curious about the atmosphere.

One of the babies made its way over to Sam, where it hovered in front of him. The mother ray traveled onward, and let out a higher call. The rest of the little golden pups retreated back to the water and back onto their mother’s stomach, all but the one that hung in front of Sam.

The little ray just remained hovering in front of Sam, slightly moving its wings to stay afloat. Sam looked at the ray with curiosity. It was freckled with black dots on its underbelly, and one of its eyes was a milky white, both of which were qualities Sam hadn’t seen on the other rays.

“Shoo,” Sam said, motioning the ray back with his fingers. “Go back to your mom.”

The baby ray just hung there, staring at Sam.

Sam looked at Daphne, who turned her palms up and shrugged.

“Your ride’s leaving you, little guy.” Sam blew a powerful breath of air at the ray.

The mother ray was almost at the final turn of the water and the baby ray had yet to turn back.

Sam lifted his covered hand from behind the table and made another shooing motion. The ray drifted closer to Sam’s hand, and a small ripple of white traveled through its body.

Sam looked at Daphne with wide eyes. “What do I do?”

“Beats me,” she whispered. “This is my first time seeing these.”

The mother ray moved along the last twist and started out of the window. It made another call but the little ray did not move. Finally, the mother ray passed out of the restaurant, leaving the baby behind.

The restaurant was empty of light save the glow of the little ray hanging in front of Sam. The golden light from the creature lit the room just enough for Sam to see every pair of eyes in the restaurant looking at him.

The ray rocked its body toward Sam’s covered hand.

Sam had an idea, and hoping that he wouldn’t cause any harm to the ray, he slowly peeled off the second-skin and held out his hand, revealing the swirl.

Another white ripple passed through the ray’s body as it floated toward Sam’s outstretched hand. Sam felt the power of the Veil rush across his palm. He focused his mind and held his attention firmly on the ray.

The ray gently settled in front of Sam’s palm. It grazed the swirl with its belly and then backed away. A third white ripple passed through its body. Sam’s hand was shaking as he did his best to focus on nothing but the ray, to think in harmony with the Veil.

The little creature let out a soft cooing sound. As it did, the swirl on Sam’s hand started to turn the golden color of the ray. The ray cooed a little louder and the entire black swirl on Sam’s hand turned gold.

Sam kept his mind steady as the rush of the Veil continued against his palm. He felt beads of sweat form on his forehead.

The ray gurgled, and the golden swirl on Sam’s hand pulsed with light. Both the ray and Sam’s hand brightened. Their lights entwined and filled the room from end to end, casting a soft golden glow over everything inside. The ray gave one last coo and then fled to the water, swimming furiously through the tube to catch up with its mother. Sam watched as the golden glow from his hand dissipated and the swirl turned back to black.

There was a snap from somewhere in the darkness, and the red floating lights eased back on, illuminating the room.

Sam pulled his second-skin back over his hand. He looked around and saw that everyone in the restaurant was staring at him. No one was making a sound; they just looked at Sam with faces full of shock.

Then, Sam realized that they weren’t looking at him, but at his feet.

Sam gulped and nervously looked down, realizing what he had done.

During the commotion, he had knocked the wooden box off of the platform and onto the floor. The box had broken in two pieces, and the jade symbol had been severed from the body of the Hair-Loom.

Sam looked around and saw that everyone in the restaurant holding their breath. Other than when he’d been immersed in the pod in the snake’s cavern, Sam had never experienced such an intense silence. It was like people were too shocked to breathe.

Sam was about to say something, when Haplon dashed across the room. He bent down and lovingly picked up the broken Hair-Loom and its box. He looked up at Sam with an appalled expression, as if Sam had dropped a Wapawche baby.

Sam looked over at Daphne, the room still as silent as a grave. “How ‘bout we take this date to go?”

She looked around, nodded, and pulled on her second-skin.

Sam took her hand and led her quickly out of the restaurant, away from the building whispers.

***

Bonus Short Story by Daniel A. Cohen:

The Every-Mother Knows Best

I congratulate myself for inventing murder.

What an interesting concept, to die strictly by the decision of another, and not by the calling of the Every-Mother. I’ll have to go back and scribe a few new parchments, but I don’t mind. I actually enjoy the revisions. It’s like wiping away layers of dirt and mud and crust, but by hand. No magic.

A knock at the door and I know it’s Dyoni.

I’ve known him since metamorphosis, and I can instantly recognize the rat-a-tata knock of his. He could always just manifest inside my hut, but he knows I don’t like that. He’s one of the remaining few who still cares.

I rest the tip of my inking needle against a piece of clay.

“Eris, you HAVE to see something!” Dyoni bursts through the door once I slide back the wooden bolt.

Oh well, still better than manifesting.

I take a quick peek outside, and then barricade us from the rest of the realm. “What is it?”

Dyoni grabs a narla-fruit from my basket and takes a big bite without seeing if it’s ripe or not. Eating one too early could bring on a sluggish feeling for weeks, but Dyoni digs right in.

“Okay.” The sap from the fruit drips down Dyoni’s chin and onto my floor. “Have you heard about the new element that the Order is creating?”

I watch the sap puddle at Dyoni’s feet, trying my best not to cringe.

Dyoni follows my eyes. He gives me an incredulous look, snaps his fingers and the sap disappears.

Instant relief. “No, I haven’t.”

Dyoni shakes his head. “I swear, Eris, if you spend one more day cooped up in here, you’re going to turn into a golem.”

I give him a wry smile. “Oh, so I’ll finally have something in common with your mother.”

Dyoni smirks and then sucks the sap away from his teeth. “You’re lucky that I’m afraid of you.”

I chuckle and Dyoni joins in.

“Anyway,” Dyoni bites off another large chunk. “The Order has been—”

“The Order can go manifest themselves to the Volcanic Tar Lands. Permanently.”

Dyoni swallows hard. “Better not let them hear you say that.”

“I’m not worried.” I shrug. “Their ears would have to be open for that to happen.”

Dyoni turns away from me and I realize his robes are tattered and his long hair is unkempt. It’s odd for him to look so haggard, considering his bloodline and all.

I pick up a narla and toss it up and down in one hand. “So how are you and Vixia?”

I technically can’t see it, but I know that Dyoni is rolling his eyes. “She kicked me out last night. Says we’re still too young.” He gives a quick scoff. “Maybe
she
is.”

“Maybe you both are.”

Dyoni places the half-eaten narla back with the others and starts making his way across my hut. “Maybe if you get out of here every once in a while, you might meet a girl to call to the Ancestors with. Then you can tell me about being too young.”

“Don’t go messing with those forces. Not until the third life-stage. You know that.”

“You know,” Dyoni says in a mocking tone, “keep talking like that and you’re sure to be recruited by the Order.”

I toss my narla at the back of his head.

Dyoni snaps and the narla disappears.

I snap louder and the fruit reappears, continuing its course and smacking the back of Dyoni’s head with a wet thwap.

Dyoni turns and raises his eyebrows. “I thought the
great
Eris gave it up?”

I pull my gaze to the side. “Just because I can do it, doesn’t mean I have to.”

“Have it your way.” Dyoni shrugs and snaps the sap away from his hair. “It’s a shame that the Every-Mother blessed you with such talent.”

“You’re good with silk.” I bite my bottom lip and meet Dyoni’s eyes. “Does that mean you’re destined to become a seamstress?”

Dyoni gives me a warning look. “You know I only do that with my grandmother. We have nothing else in common.”

I give an exaggerated sigh as I clean the fruit off the floor. “Still.”

Dyoni picks up my inking needle and thrusts it in my direction. “I guess you have a
point
.”

I nod toward my cup of needles. “More than just one.”

Dyoni bends down and scans my piles of parchment. He clucks his tongue and flips through a few sheets. “It seems that you’ve been using them.”

I go to my desk and hunch over next to him. “It seems so.”

He scratches the back of his head, his eyes flashing to my doorway. “Am I the first person to see this?”

I give a slow nod.

Dyoni claps a hand on my shoulder. “I guess I should say that I’m honored.”

“You’re assuming I actually want you to see them.” I start to straighten the parchment, but Dyoni brushes my hand aside.

“Let me at least see a little of what the
great
Eris is up to these days.” Dyoni fans the parchment out. “It’s about time you set the record straight. People want to know why you stopped coming to classes.”

I shake my head and continue to straighten the parchment. “You won’t get it.”

Dyoni flings a hand to his heart in salute. “Thank you, sir. Please tell me what else I won’t get. My dull wit is in your hands.”

I shove him playfully. “Fine. But only because it’s you. And you have to swear that you won’t tell your mother.”