Masters of the Veil (17 page)

“Since none of the tribe wanted to murder the child, they decided to let nature do it for them. Close by, lions hovered around the carcass of a recent kill. The tribe threw Rona’s daughter to them, and she was viciously mauled. She was near death when Rona showed up. His eyes blazed red and he actually flew through the air to come to his daughter’s aid.

“The lions backed off at the sight. As Rona reached his daughter, he pulled her close to his body. The lions circled back toward them, preparing to attack, but Rona looked at his daughter’s broken body and let out a ferocious roar. In an instant, all of the lions and all of the warriors lay dead. Rona was left holding his daughter’s body, watching her die in his arms.”

The words stopped coming.

Sam threw his arms out. “What happened?”

“Sorry.” Glissandro let out another trill. “Didn’t make that one long enough. What happened was that May found him. She healed his daughter, but when she was running her hand over the girl’s face, the girl asked her to leave one scar. Rona started crying. He assumed May was an angel. Rona thought she was there to take them to the other side, but instead, she brought them here.”

Sam felt his chest constrict. “How did she find them?”

“Bariv,” Glissandro played. “He realized something was wrong when Rona stopped using the Veil. He sent May to see what had happened.”

Sam looked over at Rona, sitting peacefully on his rock. “How are they both still so young?”

“What do you mean?”

“Rona and Zawadi. They’re still so young—and where’s Zawadi’s scar?”

Glissandro’s long, slow notes sounded like a lullaby. “The Veil gives certain people prolonged life, like Rona. Zawadi is our age. Rona calls Zawadi his daughter because he leads the Rono clan. He calls all of the Rono girls his daughters.”

“But why does
Rona
have prolonged life?”

“Necessity,” Glissandro played.

Sam turned back to the river, and let his eyes drift over the water for a little while. He looked over at Rona meditating on the rock and wondered if the man sitting there with a calm smile was really the same man who had gone through all of that.

After a few silent minutes, Sam stood up and pounded his fist into his palm.

Rona’s a genuine hero—not just a football hero, a real hero.

If it took Sam all afternoon, he would get that water into the chalices.

He settled into the stance and concentrated on the smallest of the three cups. If Rona could survive all that he had gone through, surely Sam could do this small task. He’d frozen all movement in the football stadium; he could definitely make a little water jump. Bariv had shown Sam that he could use the Veil. Maybe he was just trying too hard. In the cave, the Veil had come naturally, like they were a team.

He thrust his palm over the bank of the river.

Sam thought about what May had told him earlier.

The Veil values courage
.

A small charge jolted underneath his fingers. Sam opened his eyes and watched the water. He thought about Glissandro’s ability to talk through music.

The Veil values cleverness
.

He thought about Fromson of the Bellamy clan’s pastry.

The Veil values creativity
.

His hand began to shake. Sam thought about May draping his cleats and how she told him it was like doing a puzzle with something distracting you.

The Veil values focus.

He thought about the echo flies creating an image more in-depth than a mirror ever could.

The Veil values something… what was it?

The air around him felt warm.

The Veil values something extraordinary!

Sam watched as three drops of water arced from the river and landed in each of the chalices. In his mind, he had envisioned all three filling to the brim at once. He stared mournfully at the inside of the chalices.

He took a deep breath and tried to bury his frustration. Holding out his palm again, he tried to focus on the Veil. Nothing came. He was never going to get home at this rate.

He felt like kicking the smallest chalice into the river.

“It just takes time,” Glissandro played. “You’ll get it.”

“You
don’t
get it.” Sam clenched his fists. “I need to be good at this.”

Glissandro looked at the river. “Why?”

“Because I have to get home! This isn’t what my life is supposed to be!”

Glissandro carved another notch into his shell. “It just takes time.”

“Just because you can do it doesn’t mean I can. I don’t know why I’m wasting my time with this stuff!” Sam rubbed a hand across his face.

Glissandro shook his head, still staring out at the water. “It’s not wasting. The Veil will always be with you now. You have to learn to embrace Her possibilities or cope with Her burden. I hope you choose the first, but either way, it just takes time.”

Sam’s heart sank. “Just leave me alone! You don’t know what it’s like to keep failing.”

“The truth is, you don’t know what it’s like to
really
fail.”

Sam scowled. “Just go away.”

Glissandro shrugged and followed the current away from Sam. As he played a long note, a stone popped out of the water and into the bell of his shell. Glissandro shook it out, examined it, nodded, and tossed it back in.

Sam knew it wasn’t Glissandro’s fault, but he was in no mood to apologize.

Why can’t I do this? It doesn’t make sense. May said I’m supposed to be great.

He looked over at Rona, still and silent on the rock.

What would Coach DeGrella say if he saw Sam failing like this?

Again.

He stepped up to the chalices and cracked his knuckles. He thought about the Veil. She was surrounding him, an entity that provided life and power.

Rona’s words reverberated in his mind.
She is not your enemy.

He thought about working with the energy, about Bariv’s snake and the tiny sun, and about how he’d felt while his head was in the dome.

He felt it—a strong rush under his fingers.

Here we go.

The water needed to fill the chalices. His desire took over, and he stared hard at the river, willing the water to jump. The energy pulsed through him.

Again, three drops of water rose and fell into the cups.

That’s it?
Sam felt like screaming,

The energy hadn’t left. It was still there, teasing him. Burdening him with a potential he didn’t want. Insulting him. Mocking him.

His head started to pound, and he focused all of his anger and frustration as he thrust his hand deep into the energy. Desire seethed through his heart, and he ripped out what he wanted. She would not control him. He grabbed more. The energy struggled to get away, but he held firm. He dominated the power; it was
his
.

He willed the water to move, and he felt the energy join with the river.
So much power.
With one huge pull, he tore the energy away.

And with it, the river jolted.

The roaring current halted. Huge whitecaps formed along the surface. The water rumbled. As quick as a breath, the river overflowed the banks, rushing past Sam’s knees, almost knocking him over before he felt the energy dissipate.

The river… was flowing backwards.

The water that had escaped returned to the river, sweeping the chalices away and joining the rest of the current in the opposite direction. Sam stared with wide eyes.

Rona grabbed his wrist. “Not like that.” Rona’s eyes burned with a mixture of fear and disdain. The calm smile was gone. “
Never
like that.”

CHAPTER 16

“S
orry,” Sam said. “I just—”

“
Never
like that.”

Rona let him go, and Sam pulled his arm back.

“Okay,” Sam tried his best to sound apologetic. He was a bit taller than Rona, but his teacher’s gaze made him feel like a small child. “But, what did I do wrong?”

Rona took a deep breath and the intensity melted from his face. “She is not your enemy.” Rona sounded like he was pleading. “You must work together.”

“I will.”

Rona leaned forward, lowering his voice. “You may be strong enough to do what you have done, but it hurts Her. I promise, She will come to you. You don’t need to force Her. It will only lead to limitations. There is a right way and a wrong way. The wrong way might bring quicker results, but it is not real. That is the wrong type of control. Your emotions can affect everything, and you must control yourself, not Her.”

“Rona!” Petir called. “What happened?”

Petir and the others ran toward Rona and Sam.

Rona brought his face close to Sam’s and lowered his voice. “You did not do this—I did. Understand?”

“But—”

Rona grabbed Sam’s shoulders, fear outlining his dark features. “I did this to the river. Not you.”

Sam swallowed hard. “I understand.”

Rona broke away from Sam, turning toward the others. “
Master
Rona, Petir!”

The rest of the group stared at the now-backward river. It flowed gently now, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened. Rona reached out, curled his fingers, and the three chalices rose from the river and set themselves at his feet.

“I was just showing Sam the power that can be found in natural magics.” Rona gestured toward the water. “No need for alarm.”

Glissandro’s eyes went to Sam’s practice skin. Sam looked down; the green skin had several tears across it. He was able to tuck it into the pocket of his robe without anyone else seeing.

Zawadi nodded. “It’s true, Sam. Natural magics can do the most extraordinary things. There is one natural sorcerer in the Gobo Highlands who can stop volcanoes from erupting.”

Petir gave a drawn-out sigh. “I still think that’s a rumor.”

“It’s true. I heard it from a reliable source.”

Petir shook his head. “He could just go to a regular mountain, cause the earth to shake, and claim that he stopped the volcano. Who can prove him wrong?”

Zawadi shrugged. “I believe it.”

“While we’re all here,” Rona said, “how about a meal?”

Petir ripped off his practice skin, stole a quick glance at Sam, and then pulled on his leathery second-skin. “It’s about time.”

Rona picked up the chalices—now filled with water—and led the group to a spot near his meditation rock. Pulling out a basket, he laid out a varied assortment of fruits—including the glowing neon melon—as well as vegetables, bread, and pastries—but no meat.

Sam ate his food in silence. He rolled the different fruits and breads around in his mouth without tasting them at all. All he could think about was the river.

How did I do that?

Rona gave the group some post-project pointers while they ate, but Sam didn’t get most of it. “—feel as free as a grassglider and persevere like the legendary Viking sorcerer, Framholsven the Tenacious.”

Sam shook his head and took another bite of fruit, and then swallowed hard when he realized Rona was talking to him. “This group does not only learn how to use the Veil; it is also responsible for learning what has come from the Veil. We train in the mornings, but each afternoon we search the areas surrounding Atlas Crown for new gifts from the Veil.”

Sam gave a perplexed frown.

“As May has probably told you,” Rona began, “in areas close to where the Veil is used often, unique plants and animals occasionally sprout up. As this new life is ever-changing, we need young sorcerers from the most advanced groups to document what comes out of Her and what of it we can use.”

Sam shook the thought of the river from his mind. “Shouldn’t it all be usable?”

“She gives us what we need, and often what we want, but don’t be deluded. The world does not revolve around us alone.”

Cassiella jumped in. “We start at the area beyond the tri-pronged pillar and do a reconnaissance around a third of Atlas Crown. It’ll take us about sixty days to completely investigate the locale—and that’s a fast pace.”

Sam wasn’t planning on staying that long.

“This is not the only group that documents these gifts from the Veil. But,” Rona nodded, “since I teach the best students, I expect more thorough results from this group than from the other two. My students always have the most new discoveries at the presentation ceremonies.”

Sam could see that, although Rona didn’t outright say it, he would not be satisfied if this bragging right was taken from him. Sam admired that about him.

They set off, skirting the mountain on the left, bringing Sam toward the spot where they’d stopped the day before.

Glissandro walked next to Sam. “—and that’s a quillflower.” He pointed to something that looked like a sea urchin on a stick. “We don’t find new life every day, but we try to.”

When his friend wasn’t looking, Sam ditched the tattered practice skin behind a bush and pulled his snakeskin on.

They passed through a field of blue grass where Sam could clearly smell the ocean—the salt even stung his eyes. He looked around for water.

“Joker-grass.” Glissandro played in triplets. “Tomorrow the field will probably be brown and look dead. They go from ocean to desert a lot. I’ve even seen some of the grass grow to look like a cactus.”

“If it ever turned normal green, this would be a great place to have a catch.”

Glissandro gave him a curious look. “What are you trying to catch?”

“A
football
catch. Toss it back and forth, you know, work on your arm… but I think it’s probably safe to assume you don’t have football here.”

Glissandro shook his head.

Sam shrugged. It didn’t matter. Once he learned how to control the Veil, he would have all the time in the world to have a catch.

He took another sniff and closed his eyes. He pretended he was on the beach and let the gentle ocean breeze wash over him. He and Doug waved to a group of pretty blonde girls going by in their bikinis and—

“How dare you sit around while your room is such a pig sty?”

Sam was pulled from his fantasy by his mother’s voice. It was quiet, but undeniably hers.

Sam looked over at Glissandro. “Did you hear that?”

Glissandro looked down at his horn and then placed a finger behind his ear.

Sam heard his mother grumbling off in the brush. He followed the sound away from the field and into the woods. The sound originated in a small shrub full of silver fruit.

Sam stared. “What the—”

“SAMUEL PETER LOCK! YOU WASH THOSE DISHES THIS INSTANT!”

There could be no mistake; it was his mother’s voice.

Glissandro appeared beside him, his face overflowing with anguish. “It’s the fruit.”

“A fruit that happens to sound exactly like my mother?”

“It’s the defense mechanism.” He stuck a pinky in his ear. “Each person hears the sound that annoys them the most.”

Sam took one step closer to the fruit.

“DON’T THROW THAT THING AROUND INSIDE THE HOUSE!”

Sam covered his ears. “Let’s get out of here!”

Glissandro nodded—he’d placed his horn in its holster and now had both pinkies in his ears.

They ran back across the field to catch up with the rest of the group.

Once they were a safe distance from the nagging fruit, Sam let his hands drop to his sides. “So, what’d you hear?”

Glissandro stopped short. He took a deep breath, and blew the most horrendous note Sam had ever heard. It was obnoxious, out of tune, and really loud.

Sam scrunched his face in disgust, and Glissandro stopped playing.

Sam felt lightheaded. “That was awful!”

“I know,” Glissandro played, a pensive look on his face. “That was the first note I ever played through this thing. I guess it will haunt me forever.”

“Me, too.”

Glissandro laughed silently.

Sam let out a slow breath. “I’m not sure which is worse, hearing my mom’s nagging or Petir’s whining.”

Glissandro moved his hands up and down like a scale.

“I know.” Sam let his head hang. “Either way, I lose.”

They caught up to the others making their way down a dirt path. Daphne was leading the way.

Sam winked at Glissandro and moved to catch up to Daphne. “So,” Sam put his arms back and stretched out his chest, “wanna hear about the time I caught seven for seven?”

Daphne gave him a blank look and continued walking.

“How ‘bout the time I froze a whole crowd of people without knowing it?”

She huffed and elongated her steps.

“What’s your problem?” Sam quickened his pace.

“I have no problems.” Daphne flicked her hair out of her face. “I am perfectly content with everything the Veil has done for me.”

“Fine. Then what’s
the
problem?”

She made a motion with her second-skin and a few vines moved from their path. “The problem is you.”

“What about me?”

“I don’t think it’s worth my breath. By the time I explain it to you, you’ll probably be back on the football field, far from here. Or worse.”

Sam felt his tone become harsh. “Hey, I’m stuck here. It’s not like I have a choice.”

“You just answered yourself, you know.” Her voice dripped disdain.

“Just come out and say it. I get enough riddles from May.”

She stopped short, and the others gathered round.

“You know what? I
will
tell you.” She turned and looked him in the eye. “Since your brain is probably full of useless things like sports statistics, I get that you don’t have the capacity to see what the problem is.”

Sam shrugged. “So, tell me.”

“For starters, let’s look at your word choice. You’re
stuck
here.”

Sam gave her the most patronizing look he could. “Yeah, May and Bariv told me I can’t leave. So yes, I’m
stuck
.”

She poked him hard in the chest. “You’ve been given a gift most people only ever dream of. I’m sure you—like every other kid—grew up wishing magic was real. Well, guess what? It is! We live in a beautiful community where everyone supports each other with love and companionship, where everyone is family and you don’t have to hide what you are from anyone—not like on the outside.” Daphne’s eyes burned and her cheeks turned red. “Here they would accept you with open arms, and you get to explore the wonders of the Veil and learn how to do amazing things. Yet you’re going to give it all up for a—a game.”

Sam stepped back. “You don’t understand. It’s not
just
a game. Doing magic and stuff isn’t the only thing people wish for, you know. Being a professional football player is something that a lot of people dream of, myself included.”

“And you’ll play for a while, and then what? A game eventually ends. Here, everything is new and exciting. The Veil protects us, nourishes us, entertains us—it is truly a blessing. You stand there with your second-skin and basically mock us all. Your life could
mean
something. Instead you’re just going to end up being a statistic in another naïve boy’s head.”

Cassiella looked like she wanted to jump in and defend Sam, but she stayed silent.

Sam rubbed his hand over his second-skin. “Even if I leave, it doesn’t mean I can’t come back after my career.”

Daphne’s cheeks were now bright red. “So now we’re so unimportant that you can just postpone your gift?” She imitated Sam’s voice. “‘Thanks a lot, I’ll take that later. No, what you have to offer isn’t good enough for me.’”

“Real smooth,” Petir whispered.

Sam clenched his fists. “No one was talking to you.” He turned back to Daphne. “That’s not it.” Something vibrated under Sam’s feet. “It’s just that I
have
to take the football opportunity now, because I’ll never have it again.”

She looked at him with fiery scorn. “Who says we’ll even want you back?”

Sam’s temper rose, along with the vibrations. “Hey, I’m doing everything right here. I’m not hurting anybody. I’m doing everything May asks. I’m playing the game.”

“Game?” Daphne’s blue eyes had turned from a serene lake to hurricane waters. “THIS… IS… NOT… A… GAME!”

“It’s an expression!” The tremors intensified. “Why do you even care?”

“I don’t.” She turned her back and continued walking.

Sam watched her stride away, fists clenched at her sides, and he felt something stir. He wasn’t used to girls calling him out on things. The last time it had happened, the necklace he’d bought his ex had ended up on the school linoleum.

“Good,” Sam huffed. The shaking underneath him subsided and he turned to look at the others. Zawadi’s eyebrows were almost intermingled with her hair. The smug smirk on Petir’s face was more potent than when he’d crushed Sam’s hand at gumptius.

Cassiella looked ready to cry.

“Let’s keep moving,” Sam said, as if nothing had happened. “I want to get started with that documenting.”

Glissandro came over, gave Sam a strong pat on the back, and followed after Daphne. Sam turned to follow him, leaving the others behind, with Petir cackling to himself at the back of the group.

Sam didn’t feel like talking; a lump had settled into his stomach. Even when they passed a sloth-like creature using the paw on the end of its tail to crush walnut shells, Sam decided to keep his mouth shut.
What do I care what she thinks
?
Just because she’s beautiful doesn’t mean that she can act like a
—

“We’re here,” Zawadi declared.

Sam raised his eyes. In front of him hovered thousands of tiny green birds, or…
butterflies
? The tiny wings fluttered as they clouded the canopy, letting only a small amount of daylight reach the ground. Squinting, Sam realized that they were not, in fact, birds or butterflies, but leaves.

While in the air, they moved so fast and erratically that they were tough to make out, but as they landed, Sam could see them more clearly. The leaves were V-shaped and had a waxy sheen. Once on the branch, it looked to Sam as if they actually attached to their landing strip, becoming part of the tree. On a few branches, some of the leaves rapidly turned gold and then yellow, orange, and finally brown. Once they had gone through the spectrum of colors, they gracefully fell to the ground and crumbled.