Masters of the Veil (5 page)

“Of course.” Sam rolled his eyes again, turning away from May in the process. For the next few minutes, the only sound in the vehicle was the groaning from the metal walls. “So what kind of magic will I be doing?” Sam’s low voice just barely broke the silence.

May continued in the same jovial tone as before. “That remains to be seen, but I have a pretty good idea. It—”

Sam interrupted with a sharp exhale. “This is ridiculous.”

All of a sudden, the light above them flickered and then turned blue.

“Ah!” she exclaimed. “We are past the protective borders. I think we have some breathing room. For now, at least.”

She stuck her gloved hand back in the compartment and Sam felt the vehicle decelerate and begin to rise.

Then, with a loud thump and a jolt, they hit the ground.

“Here we are. Take a step outside and get a good look.” She bit her bottom lip and then gazed at the painting on the roof of the vehicle. “I wish I could go back to
my
first look. Just remember, it only happens once. And whether or not you think you’re dreaming, I would advise drinking in every detail.”

Sam started picking the dirt out from under his fingernails. “Whatever you say.”

The lines appeared around the doors again, and Sam grabbed the handle and stepped out into the sunlight. The first thing he noticed, other than the bizarre change from night to day, was how soft the grass was, like a giant green pillow under his feet. The view was incredible—a vast expanse of lush greens and clear blue streams that flowed through a thick valley.

This belongs on a postcard
, he thought.
I have a beautiful imagination.

“You’re right.” Sam gave a satisfied nod. “This is pretty spectacular.”

She chuckled. “Sam, you’re looking the wrong way. That’s just our backyard.”

He slowly turned around, and his jaw dropped. In front of him was a truly unbelievable sight.
Actually
unbelievable, and that was when it hit him.

He wasn’t dreaming.

What lay before him was all the proof he needed, as his imagination was far too weak to produce what his eyes saw.

Magic is real.

Monstrous pillars of sandstone—each hundreds of feet high and half a football field thick—Sam counted twelve in all. They were almost uniform in shape, though different capstones created slight variations between them. One had a giant looping hole through the top—like a colossal sewing needle—another had a three-pronged tip, and one had protruding rungs.

Beneath the towers were more colorful foliage than Sam had ever seen. Continuing all the way to the giant rocks were flowers, trees, and bushes of all different hues. He looked at the treetops and saw all sorts of leaves: some were square in shape, others glowed neon red, even some blue ones that were so large they blanketed the other trees around them. It was another world; it couldn’t have been the same one he had been living in his entire life.

A path in front of them meandered along toward the stones.

“Let’s get moving.” May took off her shoes and massaged her toes into the soft grass. “We have a little bit of a walk ahead of us.”

“Wait.” Sam’s lungs weren’t filling correctly; it was becoming harder to breathe. “This… this is real, isn’t it?”

She put a hand on his shoulder and nodded. “Take your time. I know it must be difficult. But remember, this is a good change.”

He leaned over and put his hands on his knees. A bout of nausea struck him hard as the world began to spin. His breathing became rapid and shallow. “I… this…”

“Here.” Her tone was quiet and soothing. “A gift.”

Sam couldn’t see what she did, but something came over him. It started at the top of his head and made its way down through his body. It was gentle and calming, like a warm bath being poured over him. Once the sensation reached his toes, the anxiety vanished, replaced by a sense of peace, tranquility, and lastly, acceptance. All his cares melted away and he was left with wonder. Just like that, he was ready to see what lay ahead of him, magic and all.

He stood back up and rotated his shoulders. “What did you just do to me?”

“The Veil can be wonderful, can’t She?” May’s face gravitated toward the sun. “How do you feel?”

He took a deep breath of air through his nose and exhaled slowly through his mouth. The air felt fresh and clean. “Amazing. Kind of excited.”

“I’m sorry to say that this is not a cure, only a bandage. Over the years, you build up walls against things you can’t understand. That’s why youth is the easiest time for the surreal to be accepted. Normally, sorcerers have their first hiccup when they are small, making the transition into our society quite enjoyable. Unfortunately, you already have quite the fortress, Sam. Let’s just say I have provided you with a temporary ladder, but it won’t last. You will have to learn to accept this on your own. But in the meantime, you need sleep, and this will help.”

“Forget sleep.” Sam’s eyes shot to May’s glove. “Magic is real. This is great!”

May smiled and took Sam’s hand in hers. “I’m glad you think so! Just try to hold onto that feeling as long as you can. Remember, once your mind reaches a destination, it can always go back, even if it has to take a different path.”

Sam’s heart was pounding in his chest. “This is amazing. Show me some more magic.”

She let go and turned toward the pillars. “Why don’t we let the Veil show you?”

She started down the path, delicately holding her shoes, as Sam trotted behind.

“What is this place?”

“We call it Atlas Crown. It is one of many magical communities. This happens to be the one I call home.”

Sam looked at the pillars again and thought that the name fit perfectly.

“Something that you should understand,” May led him from open space to woods, “is that in places where the Veil is tapped, and magic is frequently used—or where large amounts of the Veil are utilized—amazing things happen.”

Sam’s eyes made a quick adjustment to the lesser light squeezing through the dense canopy. After a moment, he could make out a group of trees that had large, round fruit hanging from vines like tetherballs.

May twisted her head back and forth until she found what she was looking for.

“Ah!” She thrust her finger toward a colorful patch of forest sandwiched between two mounds of dirt. “Perfect example.”

They tromped a few feet off the path. May had pointed toward things that looked uncannily like flowers, but could not be. Their tops were about waist high and culminated in what looked like little red faces with petals for hair. Swirling white spots took the place of eyes, and yellowish beaks protruded from where the mouths would have been.

“These are symflowers. They’re not hard to find because of one certain characteristic.”

“What, the fact that they have beaks?”

May chuckled, holding her gloved hand over one of them. Her fingers tilted inward and a small amount of water drizzled from her hands onto one of the petals. Immediately, the flower’s beak opened and let out a low note, melodic and smooth. She moved her hand over another, and the new flower let out a higher note that perfectly harmonized with the first. She moved from flower to flower, until it sounded almost like a barbershop quartet. After kissing the flowers with small droplets, which prompted a few quarter-notes, May took her hand away and the music died down.

“When it rains, the forest comes alive with music. My favorite is a very light drizzle—it almost sounds like jazz.”

Sam’s jaw went slack. He felt giddy, like when he’d scored his first touchdown as a child.

“You see,” May used a gloved finger to stroke the side of the symflower, which let out a warm purr, “this whole place is full of fantastic things. The more magic is used, the more extraordinary things spring out of the Veil. With so many sorcerers living here, there’s always plenty of excitement.”

Sam ran his own finger along the closest petal, but the flower remained silent. “I bet.”

“Let’s keep moving.” She stepped over a few roots and made her way back onto the path. “There will be plenty to see on the way back, and you’ll probably want to be getting some sleep soon.”

“No, I want to see—” He cut himself off. In fact, exhaustion was coming quick. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”

“Tapping into the Veil and using magic can be taxing, especially for the first few months. It’s like running a marathon; you have to train for it. I’m surprised you didn’t pass out immediately after the game.”

Sam nodded. “I sort of did.”

“Don’t worry. I have a room all set up for you.”

They continued their trek for a few silent minutes.

“Why, hello there!” May addressed a group of trees on the side of their path like they were old friends. She turned to Sam, her cheeks pinched with delight. “You’ll like these!”

She pointed at the thin, zebra-striped trees beside them. “They’re called zigzag trees. They don’t like to be touched; go ahead and try.”

“Why? What will they do?”

“Just trust me. Go on.”

He slowly reached out for the tree. Just as his fingers were about to make contact, it bent backwards out of the way.

Sam startled. He tried again to touch the zigzag tree, but this time at a lower spot. The tree curled into a C-shape and again avoided his touch. Sam turned his back nonchalantly, and then suddenly rocketed at the tree as if he were going to tackle it. The zigzag split apart and Sam fell right through.

May laughed as Sam pushed himself off the ground and the tree sucked itself back together.

“They
really
don’t like being touched.” May winked.

Sam snorted. “Apparently not.”

May tilted her head to the side, the tip of her nose giving the smallest of twitches. “Are you hungry?”

“Starved.” He laid a hand on his stomach. “Do you have any food on you?”

“No.” She spun Sam around. “But they do.”

A pack of animals came into view. They were small and looked like black sheep. They travelled in a tight pack, reminding Sam of a small thundercloud. Each animal had three horns and a snakelike tail that twirled as they marched.

“Drecklers.” May ambled over to the flock so as not to startle them, and pulled out a few tuffs of the wool-like material from the stragglers of the group. The black substance came out very easily and they didn’t seem to mind.

She came back and held out her hand. “Here, eat.”

Sam accepted the handful of black material and took a test bite. It was surprisingly chewy, with a consistency like licorice, but it was sweet, like chocolate. After the first delicious swallow he took a much heartier portion and the pains in his stomach quickly subsided.

“This is fantastic.” His words came out sloppily in between chews.

“Dreckler cotton. It is a great sweet. Very common after-meal top-off.”

Sam shoved another large chunk of cotton into his mouth. “And the drecklers don’t mind you taking it?”

“They actually prefer it. Too much cotton and they get itchy.”

Sam dashed toward the pack of drecklers—earning him a couple of nasty bleats—and took a few more handfuls of their cotton, which he stored in the thigh pad pockets on his pants. The cotton came out easily, without any effort at all.

After re-joining May, he gave a shrug.

She smiled. “Don’t worry. You’ll find plenty of it in town.”

Continuing along the trail, May pointed out bushes that changed color depending on the mood of whoever passed, and gnarled vines covered in green flames, each twisting their way up various tree trunks—which May explained didn’t actually hurt the tree, because the flame only gave off light, not heat.

“What are those?” Sam pointed over May’s shoulder.

She turned around and then stepped back in line with Sam.

Not far off, the air was cloudy with a swarm of insects. Sam thought they might be bees, but they looked smaller, more the size of fireflies. Hundreds of them flew in their direction.

“Don’t move,” May whispered through still lips, having already taken her own advice.

Sam froze as the buzzing grew louder.

“Why not?” he asked softly out of the corner of his mouth.

“Echo flies. Just stay calm, do as I say, and watch.”

The swarm moved closer, traveling together in tight-knit swirls. They stopped just inches shy of his face. Sam tried his best to stand completely still. Individual echo flies were uniform in color—either black, white, or grey—including their eyes. The echo flies twirled around his face, re-grouped about a yard in front of him, and started pulsating inward. Each pulse caused the group to get into a smaller and tighter formation. Certain flies came together to create distinct shapes and shadows. He first saw a nose and then eyes and then hair. After a few more throbs, Sam was looking at himself, or at least a black and white portrait hanging in the air.

The mirror image of his face was not only the right size and shape, he could feel that it was more than an image. The flies had captured the depth of his eyes and his inner emotion. It was incredible, a truer reflection than just looking at a shiny surface.

May’s voice was just above a whisper. “Now try them out.”

“Try them out how?” Sam tried his best to speak through a closed mouth, but he couldn’t keep his lips from moving. The black and white doppelganger mouthed the same thing he did.

He couldn’t help but smile.

As his lips curled, so did the echo flies’.

Then, as quickly as they had come, they broke form and vanished off into the brush, flying in single file.

“That was incredible!”

“That was befitting, too.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” May rubbed her hands together, “that’s another aspect of the Veil that I need to explain. Actually, the echo flies couldn’t have picked a better time to show up. You see, not everything that comes out of the Veil is… nice.”

Sam looked off in the direction the flies had gone. “So the echo flies are bad?”

“No, no, I wouldn’t go as far as saying they’re
bad
, it’s just that with some of Her gifts, you have to be careful. It is rare, almost unheard of, for something truly malevolent to spring from the Veil here. You see, Atlas Crown, along with every other sorcerer community, is an all-inclusive deal, and most of what the Veil gives us is meant to help. We need nothing from the outside world because of what the Veil provides. Food, shelter, clothing, and even entertainment are found within. They are gifts. The drecklers and symflowers are just the tip of the iceberg. You see—”