Masters of the Veil (19 page)

Crom mumbled something.

Vigtor’s head snapped up. “I didn’t catch that.”

“Waste of time,” Crom boomed.

Vigtor’s face darkened. “If you have a better plan to get the boy to come out, then by all means, enlighten us.”

Crom’s nostrils flared. “The
boy
is a waste of time.”

“I’m growing impatient with your attitude. You know, in all likelihood, the boy will have enough access to Her that he can replace you as final. Either stop wasting my time with your foolish insecurities, or we will toss you out.”

Crom’s face grew murderous. “You try it without me and I’ll cut off your—”

“No need for threats.” Erimos’ voice carried through the air like smoke. “Let us begin.”

“Clear a space,” Vigtor commanded.

As the rest of his group backed away—Crom moving away with sullen slowness—Vigtor began his drape. Balancing wind in a vacuum was a tricky weave, and even for most natural sorcerers it would have been nearly impossible to do, but for Vigtor, it was like riding a bike—a swirling, black, vacuous bike.

After a few arduous minutes, it was there before them. With a circumference just big enough for a body, it was the perfect size for trapping. Vigtor had created a tunnel which would bring someone under the protective border. It currently sucked air in, and Vigtor added the finishing touch by crushing and tossing in a few kolo buds—which would bring someone faster than a jelly-hive brings a grotlon. He waited a few moments for the kolo to pass through, and then with a few powerful passes of his second-skin, the air changed directions and began to blow out.

Sage peered over the edge, her hair getting flung by the wind. “Why can’t we just go through it?”

“Because the most powerful protections—the ones against us—are still in place. We still can’t get in, but
they
can most definitely get out.”

Sage cackled.

“Stop that,” Crom snapped.

The darkness twisted with the air, making a black vortex in the ground. The daylight did nothing to illuminate the inside of the tunnel. They couldn’t see the opposite end, either, but it was out there somewhere, waiting to catch its prey.

Vigtor handed Jintin the envelope.

“Signal us when it happens. When someone comes through, the vacuum will be on this side, so watch where you step. I trust you can handle this?”

Jintin placed the envelope in the pocket of his robe. “Yes.”

“Good.” Vigtor moved close, his mouth just inches from Jintin’s ear. “You’d better,” he whispered, “because if you don’t, you’re going final next time… and I don’t think you want that.”

Jintin gulped.

CHAPTER 17

A
fter about half an hour of walking in silence, Sam and Glissandro were back in

the heart of Atlas Crown. Since Sam had only seen a small portion of Atlas Crown so far—and that was mostly the forest—Glissandro assured him that he hadn’t really had the chance to understand the extent of the wonders they kept guarded inside the walls. In fact, Glissandro told him, it would be a long time before Sam could really grasp what their town was truly like.

In an attempt to lift Sam’s spirits, Glissandro brought him to a restaurant unlike any food establishment Sam had ever been to. It was essentially a huge water slide down a long hill. Along a smooth, stone channel, water flowed on a continuous loop, just like the river. As the guests slid down the hill, waiters threw refreshments into their oncoming mouths. Sam watched as happy children and adults alike took the ride with relish. It was hot out and the line for the restaurant was long, but moving quickly. After the descent, Sam watched the people magically dry their clothes, although some children left themselves saturated.

“I still don’t understand how this place doesn’t use money,” Sam said as they took their place at the back of the restaurant line. In front of them, a man hummed a simple tune. He had a second-skin on each hand, one white and one black. “Why work at all if everything is given to you?”

“Everything is not given to you,” Glissandro played, shaking his head. “If you don’t contribute to the community, then the community will not give back. Take this place, for example. This group contributes what they love. For this season, they run this food-slide, which they’ve been doing since I was a kid, and for the winter they’ll do something different—I’m hoping for stew-skating. Since the Veil allows us to do what we want, it’s not really working, but it’s still contributing. That’s the sad thing about the outside world, the fact that most people don’t get that luxury.”

“How do you know that?”

Glissandro smiled. “I’ve spent time there.”

“What?” Sam’s voice cracked in surprise. “Where?”

“Alaska,” Glissandro played a simple pip.

“Alaska? Why?”

Glissandro traced the gold inlay on his horn with a finger, and after a moment brought it to his lips. “Because there are places in the outside world with magic, too.”

“I haven’t seen any.”

Glissandro looked off into the distance with a wistful smile. “I went to see the Aurora Borealis.”

Sam repressed a chuckle. “That’s not magic.”

Glissandro played an innocent slur. “Why not?”

“Because… it’s just light hitting the clouds in a funny way, or something like that.”

Glissandro gave him a blank stare for a moment. “Are you sure?”

Sam thought about it, but couldn’t remember if he had actually learned that in class, or if he’d made it up. “I guess not.”

Glissandro played something that sounded like ambient whines. “I was under the impression that solar wind excites the atoms, which emit light when they return to a ground state.”

Sam gave Glissandro a skeptical look. “How in the world do you know that?”

A thin wisp of a smile appeared on Glissandro’s face. “Just because I can’t talk doesn’t mean I don’t listen.”

Sam conceded with a sharp nod. “Fair enough.”

“I took in everything I could learn when I was on the outside.”

The man in front of them turned around. His close-cropped hair was flecked with grey. “I was born in Puerto Rico, you know. There’s magic there as well. There’s a whole bay that lights up like there are blue fireflies under the water.”

“Oh, sorry,” Glissandro played, “this is our head grower, Fernando of the Ojowakeepsawej clan.”

Fernando lifted his second-skins and compressed the air in front of his chest. “Ojo for short.”

Sam stuck out his hand. “Nice to meet you.”

Fernando gave his hand a quick shake, but his eyes lingered on Sam’s second-skin. “Nice to meet you, too…?”

“Sam, Sam Lock.”

Fernando’s eyebrows drew together. “I don’t think I’m familiar with the Lock clan. Which community are you visiting from?”

“He’s from the outside,” Glissandro played.

Fernando’s eyes widened. “Are you the boy that the Tem—” He cut himself off. “The football player?”

Sam pulled the collar of his robe down, revealing the top of his jersey. “That’s right.”

Sweat formed on the man’s head that hadn’t been there a moment ago.

“Welcome, Sam.” His eyes darted around wildly. “I—well—you see…” He shaded his eyes and looked up at the sun. “Oh, I totally forgot, I have somewhere to be. Head grower duties and all. Stop by my tower whenever you like; we’ll make a meal out of it.” He dashed out of line and scurried off.

Sam sniffed his shirt for residual odors.

Glissandro shrugged. “Have you ever seen the Aurora Borealis?”

Sam shook his head.

“The swirling lights, the performances.” He played softer. “Don’t tell anyone this, because we’re not supposed to use the Veil on the outside unless it’s an emergency, but the light played along to my music. I asked it to dance and it did—all night.”

Sam slapped a hand on Glissandro’s shoulder. “That’s cool, but it’s not magic.”

“Of course it is.”

Sam wiggled the fingers under his second-skin. “The
Veil
is magic.”

Glissandro shuffled to the edge of the slide. He looked back at Sam with a simple smile and dropped down into the water. When Sam followed, the server tossed him a tight ball of liquid that broke apart in his mouth as a smoothie that tasted of mangoes and coconuts. After that, Glissandro dried Sam off with a powerful trio of notes and took him to the library.

It wasn’t the stuffy, neglected place Sam was expecting.

The library itself was a tower that spiraled its way skyward, almost as high as the pillars, but it was made entirely out of books. The only part of the tower that wasn’t books was the ramp inside.

“The ramp’s floor has writing on it, too,” Glissandro played. “And the books are all protected with drapes. You can only pull them out with a grip, but you can do so from the ground. This way, the wind doesn’t destroy anything.”

Several citizens approached the base of the library, paused for a moment, and then books would jiggle their way out of the tower and into their hands. They all smiled at Sam as they passed and some even exchanged pleasant greetings, but still, no one seemed all that interested in getting to know him.

“Writing is a highly prized skill in Atlas Crown,” Glissandro explained. “Sometime in their lives, everyone strives to add something to the library. The newer books are placed at the top, and the older books can be found deep within the earth—the viewable portion of the library is just the tip of the iceberg.” Glissandro pointed out the hole from which the underground books emerged. “The library has so many books that the passage down reaches all the way to the center of the earth. The oldest book at the bottom was not even written by human hands, but by the Veil Herself. Down in the dark depths, there are books describing—in detail—how the Veil draped Herself across the whole world as a gift for everyone to use. Also, the books on darker magic are kept far below. If you go down far enough, you might even come across a chinoo reading one. But don’t join in reading with them, or you might become one. Or at least that’s what my clan mother used to tell me.”

Sam tried to pull out a book near the bottom of the tower, but it wouldn’t budge. Glissandro played a birdsong melody, and the book popped out and landed in Sam’s hands. He opened to the first page, but the book was written in a language he didn’t recognize. “What’s a chinoo?”

“A chinoo,” Glissandro played, “is a made-up creature that the elders talk about to keep children from pursuing evil grips. To do wicked grips, you have to reach far into the Veil, much deeper than if you are using Her for good. The story goes that, a while back, some children became fascinated with evil grips. Despite the love their parents bestowed upon them, the children kept reaching deeper and deeper to use the Veil for gradually worse things. Eventually, they reached so far in that their souls fell past Her and they left their bodies behind. They were then doomed to walk the earth soulless, which of course leads to horrible physical deformities.”

“Like what?”

“It’s just a fairy tale.” Glissandro touched each finger to his thumb. “Playing of, you’re in for a treat later tonight.”

“What?”

“You’ll see. It’s worth the surprise.”

Sam tried to put the book back into the empty slot, but it felt like it was already filled. He looked over at Glissandro, rolling his eyes.

Glissandro played the book back into the tower.

Sam prodded the book, which didn’t budge. “So, what’s next?”

“Are we done with the library?”

“I’m not a big reader.”

Glissandro thought for a moment. “Want to see the bird zoo? No reading involved.”

Sam shrugged. “Why not?”

Glissandro’s mouth curled. “We tend not to write on the animals.”

“No, I meant—” Sam laughed and dismissed it with a wave. “Real funny. The bird zoo sounds good to me.”

Glissandro led the way back through town.

“Does everyone spend time on the outside?” Sam asked as they strolled through the stands.

Glissandro shook his head.

“So why did you go?”

“Sometimes, when people struggle here, they go live on the outside or with another magical community for a while. I’ve done it; Petir’s done it, and a lot of other people our age, too. Most of the time they come back. Except a certain few.”

Sam thought the end of Glissandro’s song sounded a tad weak. “Anyone in particular?”

Glissandro looked nervous. “I’m not the person to tell you that.”

“Why is everyone so secretive with me? Is this about those Tembrath guys?”

Glissandro tore his eyes away and sped up the pace. “We’re almost there.”

Sam grabbed his arm. “Just tell me! I’m gonna find out sooner or later.”

Glissandro looked over Sam’s shoulder. “Listen,” he played very quietly, “if I told you, May would not be happy with me. If you want answers, I’ll take you to the Mystics tonight. They’ll have no problem with explaining what you want to know. Please don’t make me be the one to tell you.”

Sam let go of his arm. “Tonight, then.”

Glissandro gave him a thankful nod.

***

The bird zoo didn’t have any birds in it.

It didn’t have anything in it; the place was just an area with raised platforms of many different colors and little patches of a black, rubber-like material.

Sam pinched his lips in confusion. “I don’t get it.”

“Stand on one,” Glissandro played.

Sam went up to a large golden platform and took a step onto the black rubber.

A bright trill came from underneath his feet.

Sam looked down, and then back at Glissandro. “I still don’t get it.”

“Just wait.”

The same loud trill came from beyond the stone border of Atlas Crown as a giant bird soared over the wall. The size of a small plane, its plumage matched the golden color of the platform. A sparkling gold trail marked its path as it drifted on the wind without flapping its wings. It sailed down and landed right on the gold platform, its shadow covering Sam.

Glissandro nodded toward the bird. “Pet it.”

The bird’s beak made a toucan’s look like a joke. Marble-like eyes glared at Sam while it preened its feathers.

“No way.” Sam started to back away. “It’ll bite me.”

“It might bite you if you don’t pet it.”

Sam put out a hesitant hand and stroked the underbelly of the bird. It gave a soft coo.

Glissandro mimicked the coo. “Pretty neat, right?”

“Yeah. But where are the other birds?”

The bird ruffled its feathers and flew off with a powerful burst of wind that almost knocked Sam over.

Sam’s eyes stayed on the bird. “Was it something I said?”

Glissandro gestured for Sam to step off the platform. “You have to give them your full attention. That’s why they come, you know.”

“For the attention?”

“Absolutely. We don’t force them to be here. Why else would they come?”

Sam moved from patch to patch, seeing which birds would come to what podiums. Some birds didn’t appear, but the ones Sam did get to see were spectacular, especially a pair of brown ones that dove in and out of the earth like it was water.

“So, this treat I’m in for,” Sam rubbed his hands together, “will Daphne be there?”

“I believe so.”

“What’s her deal?”

“What do you mean?”

Sam shrugged. “I don’t get her.”

“That’s exactly the reason why you won’t.”

Sam sighed. “You too, huh?”

“Sorry.” The humor dropped out of his expression. “But you have to understand something about her.”

“What?”

“Just like in gumptius—which you also jumped into unprepared—you can’t go in thinking bravado and muscles will get you what you want.”

Sam puffed out his chest and buffed his fingernails against his robe. “They haven’t hurt me before.”

Glissandro rolled his eyes. “You are no longer on the outside. Daphne isn’t the type of girl who’s going to be impressed with that. She’s very close to the Veil and has worked hard to be so.” Glissandro grinned. “She’s also really popular.”

Sam rocked his index finger pointedly. “But she came from the outside, too.”

“That is true. But it also strengthens my point. She’s seen both sides.”

Sam gave a quick huff. “I guess.”

“And besides, Daphne’s pretty, smart, and very good with the Veil. Plus, she wants to be head grower some day.”

Sam flexed his bicep, giving it a few taps with his finger. “You saying I don’t have a shot?”

“I’m saying you can’t aim for the moon and expect to hit a star.”

Sam stepped away from the green platform.

That bird wasn’t coming.

They left the zoo and made their way toward the outskirts of town. At their destination—a giant stage carved directly into a rock face—they ran into May.

She greeted them with her ever-present smile. “I’ve got some news for you.”