Harbinger (The Bleeding Worlds) (17 page)

“You said the Veil is also where our…souls live?”

Pridament nodded. “Right. Think of it as a battery. The soul of a living thing is energy. If energy cannot be created or destroyed, it must come from somewhere and then return there when we die, correct?”

Gwynn shrugged.

“Well, the Veil is that place. Its energies give life. It is the power source of every cell in your body. Put out your left hand.”

Gwynn hesitated, but then put out his hand as Pridament asked. In a shift movement, Pridament pulled a knife from behind his back and slashed it across Gwynn’s palm.

“Fuck! What the hell did you do that for?”

“First lesson.” Pridament replied. “Use the Veil to heal yourself.”

The cut stung like hell. “How do I do that?”

“On Halloween, a Taint attacked you and broke several of your ribs which in turn punctured you lungs. Yet you walked out of the hospital without even a scar several days later. Yesterday, Elaios beat you nearly to death, but now you’re standing her without a bruise. How do you suppose that happened?”

“You said,” Gwynn replied, “that it was because of my connection to the Veil.”

“Right. So tear the Veil now and will its energies to close the wound on your hand.”

He’d only torn the Veil in moments of desperation. How did he just leisurely tear into it?

Sensing his hesitation, Pridament said, “Just imagine the Veil as a waterfall right in front of you. Then, plunge your arm in, breaking the flow. The symbols on your arm are your pass. The Veil will respond to it and your intent. Remember, the energies of the Veil are the same energies that live within you. Your desire, your will, is born of that energy as well. Now, heal your hand.”

Gwynn took a deep breath.

Tear the Veil.

He plunged his right arm ahead of him. Was it the image Pridament had placed in his mind, or had it always felt this way? Maybe he had lacked the words to explain. It
was
like plunging his hand through water. At first, some resistance, then as his hand passed through, a chill ran along his arm. But once his hand pushed through, warmth brushed his fingertips. The energy of the Veil rippled up his arm.

Use my will…?

He imagined the energy moving from his right arm, passing through his torso and then down his left arm. The energy pooled there, prompting his flesh to knit back together. The sensation of pins and needles danced across his hand.

“That’s enough.” Pridament said. “Use your mind. Tell it to sever the connection.”

Gwynn focused his thoughts.
Withdraw. Close.

The tingling in his left hand ceased and the warmth against his right ceased.

Pridament grabbed Gwynn’s left hand and raked his thumb over the wound.

“Wait… What?” He inspected his palm. Pridament had wiped the blood away, revealing clean flesh. All evidence of the laceration had vanished.

“Good.” Pridament said. “Now, what about that sword you used last night? Can you show it to me?”

Gwynn tried to remember what he had done. He tore the Veil again, this time willing the sword to appear. A bead of sweat broke from his forehead and traced down his cheek and jaw. No matter what he imagined, begged, or swore, the sword wouldn’t reappear.

“Stop.” Pridament said.

Gwynn willed the tear to close. “I don’t know what’s wrong. I swear. I did it last night.”

“Most likely you were acting on instinct, desperation. It’s not uncommon. You’re just having a bit of performance anxiety today.”

“So what’s the Viagra for an Anunnaki?”

Pridament shook his head with a smirk. “Practice my boy, just practice. You should also know the weapon an Anunnaki draws from the Veil is personal. Most believe it represents the Anunnaki’s inner nature. Even though it appeared to be a sword, don’t be surprised if it has other abilities the more you use it.”

“Do our weapons…have a mind of their own?”

“Sometimes it can seem that way.” Pridament smiled. “It might appear to impart knowledge and skills unique to itself, but in reality it’s just revealing a hidden part of ourselves.”

“Mine made me…scary.”

“Then there is a part of you that is scary. You’ll need to learn to control it. It’ll require practice to control. That said, too much practice is dangerous. We walk a fine line using our powers. Too little, and you’re just a normal person. Too much, and you risk losing yourself. Over time, you must learn balance. You need to learn the point where you feel stronger and the point where you feel like you’re being overwhelmed.”

“Okay. Don’t overdo it. Too much of a good thing is a bad thing. So what next?”

“We’ll do more practice. Try to speed up your process of drawing energy from the Veil. Get you used to finding your breaking point. Then you can try and draw that sword again.”

Gwynn spent the following hours practicing drawing energy from the Veil. After several sessions, he had to rest, allow the energies to subside. Pridament kept a close watch on him, watching for any abnormalities.

“When you’ve strengthened your abilities, you can eventually allow parts of your body to change.” Pridament said. “The more you draw from the Veil, the more you become an image of your other self. Perhaps you’ll have a very powerful hand, or legs that can run faster. Anunnakis have honed these techniques for years. But
you
shouldn’t even try it right now. The problem lies with letting too much in without being able to control it. If you do that, you might never be able to go back. Do you understand?”

“I guess.”

“For now, just know that if any part of you starts to look different as you draw energy from the Veil, you need to stop. That’s getting to the point of danger.”

The hours wore on. Pridament held up his hand. “I promised you’d be home by three, so we should call it a day.”

Gwynn’s muscles ached. The constant pull and give of energies had left him ready to crawl back into his bed. He hoped whatever Fuyuko had planned would require him to sit.

When they arrived at Gwynn’s house, Pridament opened his window before pulling away.

“We’ll need to do some more work tomorrow. You go back to school, right?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ll meet you here
after
school. That thing over our head isn’t going to wait forever.”

Gwynn gave a halfhearted grunt of agreement and waved goodbye. When Pridament had pulled out of sight, Gwynn made his way to the school.

He had no idea that the vortex had already grown tired of waiting.

Fuyuko
stood waiting for Gwynn at the corner of the school grounds. She gave an angry look at her watch.

“You’re late.”

“Sorry.” Gwynn huffed. He’d run all the way.

“He should still be inside. Come on.”

Gwynn scanned the grounds for any teachers or students who might notice him.

“You know I’m not supposed to be on school grounds during my suspension, right?”

Fuyuko shrugged. “This is more important.”

Gwynn followed Fuyuko into the school. Even though classes had ended just thirty minutes earlier, the halls were deserted.

“So who are we meeting?”

Fuyuko sighed. In that single gesture, Gwynn understood. She would not answer all his questions. Instead, she would take him to someone who could stomach the torrent of quandaries Gwynn had.
She’s from Suture.
He felt no doubt.

“We’re meeting someone who’s better equipped to answer your questions.”

There it was.

Gwynn followed her through the school. He found it odd how two days had passed, yet this place seemed like a relic from another lifetime. He’d never been comfortable here, but now he felt removed, above it. Why had he ever worried about the petty politics and social maneuvering? A world existed with things none of them had even begun to understand. But he had started to. He’d become a part of it. Not just that one, large world, but millions of worlds. A multitude of universes, opening wide for him to explore and draw strength from. This place
was
beneath him.

They came to an office door. Fuyuko knocked and waited. Gwynn stole a glance at the nameplate on the door.

“Mr. Baker? We’re here to see my English teacher?”

“He’s much more than that.” She said with a wink.

Fuyuko knocked again. After waiting another minute, she eased her ear toward the door. Her eyes and nose crinkled into an expression of puzzlement and she opened the door.

The office was empty.

Not just empty, deserted.

Fuyuko went behind the desk and started opening drawers. She moved from drawer to drawer, getting more flustered with each failure to find anything.

“I don’t understand.” Her voice filled with anxiety. “I just spoke to him. I was sure that’s why he was here. There…there’s nothing left. He hasn’t even left his teaching notes. Other than the name, it’s like he’s erased himself.” She spoke the last bit in an ever–quieting voice. Terror crossed her face. “No. Oh no.”

Someone cleared their throat behind Gwynn. He turned and found the principal, Mr. Davis, standing behind him.

“Students should not be in a teacher’s office unsupervised.” Mr. Davis said. Then he clamped his hand on Gwynn’s shoulder. “Especially students who are suspended.”

Mr. Davis’ voice started to change. It filled with the sounds of breaking stones and the finish of his sentence ended in a guttural growl. Gwynn stood transfixed. The man he had known changed. The skin in Mr. Davis’ shoulders bubbled and expanded. His face elongated and his teeth became jagged and too large for his mouth. The grip on Gwynn’s shoulder increased in pressure.

Gwynn grimaced in pain, much more and he expected his shoulder would snap. Still, he couldn’t break his gaze from the horror happening in front of him.

“Gwynn.” Fuyuko yelled.

The sound of her voice snapped his senses back into place. He struggled against Mr. Davis’ grip. The thing that used to be Mr. Davis did the closest thing to a smile that its disfigured mouth would allow.

Fuyuko’s feet smashed into the thing’s face. It released its grip on Gwynn and fell backward. Fuyuko rolled away and got back on her feet next to Gwynn.

“Move.” She yelled and she shoved him out the door.

Behind them, the monster howled. Gwynn thought if its mouth and teeth weren’t so deformed, it might have been screaming obscenities.

Gwynn and Fuyuko made it a few steps when the world exploded in a hail of concrete. The two fell to the floor and covered their heads as rubble fell on them.

Gwynn twisted to see the creature hulking out of Mr. Baker’s office. Its eyes were red and murderous.

Fuyuko scrambled through the dust and debris. Gwynn followed her lead.

They ran at full pace, twisting around hall corners.

“Tell me again why we don’t fight him?” Gwynn asked.

“Too close. We need more space.”

Behind them, the sound of smashing concrete and savage roars signaled the creature’s pursuit.

Gwynn tried to lay out a map of the school in his head. He plotted the exits, the nearby rooms. Space, they needed space… He turned to Fuyuko. She had the same idea.

“Cafeteria.” Gwynn said.

“Yes.”

The cafeteria lay at the end of the hall. To get outside would require a few more halls. Not to mention letting the creature outside could prove a disaster.

The air sizzled. Fuyuko had torn into the Veil and drawn her spear. He tried to do the same, but stumbled and failed to produce any result.

“Problem?” Fuyuko asked.

How did he tell her he had never torn the Veil while moving before?

“Just give me a minute.” Gwynn said.

He slammed into the doors of the cafeteria and burst into the large room that doubled as an auditorium space. A few kids surrounded a table playing cards.

“Get out of here.” Gwynn yelled.

“Fuck off.” One of them said while the others snickered.

Gwynn tore into the Veil. The energy gushed through his system. If he had been fatigued from running, he didn’t feel it any longer. His muscles tightened and rippled. He spun and pounded his fist into the closest table. A shower of wood shards filled the air.

“I said, get out.” He bellowed in a voice that he didn’t recognize.

The kids scattered.

I’ll never be able to come back here again
. He realized that didn’t matter anymore.

From the other side of the cafeteria doors came the sound of oncoming destruction.

“You’ll need your weapon.” Fuyuko said.

Gwynn plunged his arm into the Veil once more. Despite trying to picture the sword he held the night before, the Veil refused to heed his call.

The cafeteria door buckled.

“It’s not coming.” Gwynn tried to keep the rising panic from his voice.

Fuyuko’s eyes probed him. “Call out to it.”

“What?” Why couldn’t she say something straight forward? Did she miss the threat of a huge monster about to pulverize them?

“Try tearing the Veil and call out to Xanthe.”

Gwynn meant to question her, but the doors burst open, revealing the hulking mass of death beyond.

He tore the Veil again.
Xanthe.

Dark mist snaked around and out from his hand. It took shape and gained mass. It took seconds, maybe less, for him to hold the sword again.

The thing that had been Mr. Davis lumbered into the cafeteria. Its shoulders were broad and high, with its head hung low. In shape and posture, it resembled a fur–less gorilla. It bellowed and seized one of the tattered metal doors. The creature tore the door free of the last of its hinges and tossed it at Fuyuko. She didn’t flinch. Instead, she dropped low to the ground, allowing the door to sail above her. The door had just cleared her head and she was back on her feet, charging at the creature. It swung at her and she jumped toward the wall. She propelled from the wall back toward the beast, catching it across the eyes with her heel. Her momentum carried her past the monster. She landed on her feet and swept her spear forward, striking the beast low on the legs and tripping it backward. Gwynn rushed forward, bring his sword down against the monster’s chest.