The Veil Weavers (4 page)

The crows circled above us and began to caw in a raucous announcement of our arrival. Every creature waiting for the Gathering turned to look. I could hear the crows’ pride, but I just felt embarrassed.

“Corvus,” I said quietly, and shook my head.

Corvus cawed once and the crows fell silent. But they still flew overhead in a mass of black.

Otter-people were waiting as we reached the shore. Shaking with exhaustion, Greyfur and Eneirda struggled to stand. The otter-people caught them, helped them from the boat and carried them to a small encampment on the shore of the lake, away from the others.

I borrowed Maddy’s ring to watch. The magic that had surrounded them earlier was almost gone. What was left was thin and pale. Everything else around me glowed with magic, but it seemed to fade above the lake. That’s where I spotted a doorway in the veil, with a ragged gash stretching across it. Golden light poured through into the human world. All around it, the magic world looked faded and grey.

The crowd of magic folk spread out along the lakeshore, staying far from the tear in the veil. They stayed away from me, too. I felt alone in the huge crowd, with only Maddy at my side. Well, Maddy and the crows, but they weren’t exactly a comfort. Corvus landed on my shoulder and cawed. The others settled around us, a coal-black honour guard.

I looked more closely at who was here for the Gathering. Moose and deer grazed in the meadow near porcupines, chipmunks and marmots. Two buffalo stood at the edge of the meadow. Mountain sheep perched on the cliffs above the lake.

Aleena sat on the shore, far from the otter-people. She looked like a shadow, in a black cloak with long grey hair shading to black down her back. She raised a hand in greeting but didn’t join us. Although she was a powerful water spirit, she looked pale and afraid.

Maddy pulled me over to her. “Come with us,” she said.

Aleena stepped back and shook her head. “No!”

“I thought we were friends,” said Maddy. She sounded hurt.

I saw something flicker over Aleena’s face, but she didn’t speak right away. Then she nodded towards the magic folk. “I am here because of you and Josh,” she said, “and the need to repair the veil.
They
are not my friends.”

I remembered how much they disliked her for her part in damaging the veil. “Stay here,” I said, “away from the crowd.”

Aleena nodded, and Maddy waved as we walked away.

When we’d first known Aleena, we’d fought her and Gronvald for the nexus ring. He still hated us for destroying it, but Aleena had helped, when she finally understood what the tears were doing to the magic world.

We’d become sort of friends when I’d rescued her and Maddy, after we were pulled deep into the earth and trapped. The earth magic made Maddy and Aleena really sick, but I’d loved it, so I took the nexus ring deeper still so that Maddy and Aleena would be allowed to leave.

But I understood her uneasiness with the magic folk at the gathering. I wondered who else was uncomfortable with the crowd. As we walked back, I looked into the forest. I thought I spotted bears and wolves and strange creatures I wasn’t sure I wanted to see too closely. Some moved deeper into the shadows when they saw me watching. I could feel their simmering energy – I did not want to be at the centre of it.

As we studied the crowd, a large hand came down on my shoulder.

“Keeper!” Maddy yelped as I turned.

He hugged us both and laughed. “I knew you would come,” he said, his voice deep and rumbly. He looked just the same as the last time we’d seen him: enormously tall, craggy and grey like the rocks around us. Grey hair, grey clothes, grey skin.

It was wonderful to see him again. I knew that whatever was going on, Keeper would help make it right.

“But I am no longer Keeper,” he said. “I have a new name.”

Maddy looked shocked. “Why?”

“I made the nexus ring. When we learned how dangerous it was, I kept it safe, so I was Keeper, although I did not do that very well. Then I destroyed it, so now I am Destroyer.”

Maddy leaned against him for a moment. “Destroyer is such a scary name. Can’t you be something else?” She stared into space for a moment. “How about Ring Crusher?” she asked, her eyes lit up and her face eager.

Keeper laughed, in great bellows that echoed off the mountains. The magic folk all turned to us. He called out, “The children do not like my new name. They think I should be called Ring Crusher.”

The crowd roared with laughter. Keeper laughed so hard tears ran down his face.

“Why is that so funny?” Maddy asked, looking offended.

He patted her shoulder, knocking her over. He caught her and stood her up again. “Ring Crusher is not a name for a grown giant.” He laughed again.

“Why not?” I asked, checking that Maddy wasn’t hurt.

“That is a baby name, for baby giants – a sweet, funny name. ‘Oh, look at little Ring Crusher.’ That is not a name for a fully grown giant. And sometimes giant names change.” He smiled and patted her again, very gently this time.

Like Maddy, I hated the name Destroyer. I wasn’t about to stop calling him Keeper. “Why did you send for us?” I asked.

“The tears in the veil will not heal. We have tried everything we know, and have failed. Now we need you, my magic boy.”

I shook my head. “I have no idea what to do.”

“We will help you figure it out.”

I wanted to argue, but Maddy slipped her hand into Keeper’s huge one, and asked, “Are Gatherings always here?”

“Oh no,” said Keeper. “A Gathering will be wherever it is needed. But always in a place comfortable for all magic folk. We need meadow and forest, sky and cliffs and water. All are safe at a Gathering.”

I wondered about that as I watched the crows tease a pack of wolves. They flew just out of reach, cawing and scolding. The wolves would lie very still, until a crow flew too close. Then a wolf would lunge and the crow would fly off in a squawking, feather-flying scramble. But soon they were at it again.

“Corvus, the crows should leave the wolves alone,” I yelled.

“We can handle them ourselves,” a large grey wolf growled.

That’s what worries me
, I thought. I gestured for the crows to join us, and to be quiet. “Who comes to a Gathering?” I asked.

“Only the locals,” said Keeper.

“What do you mean?” Maddy asked.

He smiled down at her. “Well, there are no mermaids, no ocean spirits.”

“But other spirits?” I asked.

“Yes. There are tree spirits and water spirits and mountain spirits.” He pointed to Castle Mountain, looming above us.

I could see something moving on the mountain, like mist shifting and reforming, sometimes dark, sometimes shining.

“That is the spirit of Storm Mountain,” he said.

“Shouldn’t a mountain spirit be big and solid, like you?” Maddy asked.

“Oh, no,” said Keeper. He thought for a moment, struggling to explain. “Do you feel like this,” and he gestured to himself, “when you look at a mountain? Big and slow? Of course not. Your spirit soars, like an eagle. That is why eagles like mountains – they dance with the mountain spirits.”

I became quiet, letting magic fill me, and I began to feel the spirits all around – in the trees, in the air, on the mountainside. They were intriguing but eerie, and I decided I was glad they weren’t usually so noticeable.

“The glaciers did not come,” said Keeper, his voice sombre.

“What?” I asked.

“Glacier spirits feel too threatened, more than any of us. They do not like to travel far.” He sighed. “They used to be great travellers.” Keeper looked sad for a moment, and then shook his head as the crows began teasing the wolves again.

When I started to call them off, Keeper said, “They will be fine. Once a Gathering is called, none can harm any magic folk arriving, at the Gathering, or departing.” I could hear a resonance in his words as if the magic world agreed, as if his words literally rang true. It felt like old magic.

“Not even Gronvald?” Maddy asked, glancing around and looking nervous.

“No, not even Gronvald. Although he never comes. He would be welcome if he did. A Gathering is for all magic folk.”

Keeper guided us to the side of the Gathering, near the buffalo. Then he walked towards a large rock, a centre point for the crowd. As the magic folk noticed, they turned towards him and slowly became quiet.

Maddy poked me. “Josh, the buffalo are singing!”

I turned with a laugh, to tell her not to be silly, when I heard the song:

Buffalo gals, won’t you come out tonight,

come out tonight, come out tonight?

Buffalo gals, won’t you come out tonight,

and dance by the light of the moon.

The smaller buffalo sang softly, her voice low and rumbly.

The other buffalo stepped closer and said, “Dear one, the Gathering is about to begin.”

The singing buffalo stopped, and they stood still, huge heads together, facing the centre of the Gathering.

Maddy and I stared at each other. We’d seen a lot of strange things in the magic world, but this...this was just weird. We started to laugh, and then struggled to be quiet. We leaned against each other, shoulders shaking.

Keeper cleared his throat in an
eh-hem
that shook the ground, and everyone became silent.

He cleared his throat again, a little more softly. “We, the magic folk of this place, have come together for a Gathering. We are only of this place, but we must act for the entire magic world. This weight is upon us.”

As he spoke, it was as if this was another magical invocation. I felt the importance of the decision to be made descend on us all.

Keeper continued. “The nexus ring has torn the veil. This has happened before, but now the tears are not healing. The nexus ring has been destroyed, but we have not found a way to repair the veil.” He pointed at the doorway. “Magic is leaking into the human world.”

All the magic folk stared at the tear, as if together they should have enough magic to repair it.

The larger buffalo snorted. “I cannot see a thing,” he said. “I never did get the hang of seeing magic.”

Maddy walked to his side and held out her ring. “Look through this,” she said.

He peered through the tiny ring and gasped. “Ah. This is a wondrous ring, indeed! Look, my dear!”

The other buffalo leaned in and squinted through the ring. “Oh, my. This is terrible!” She shook her head and woofed softly.

The first buffalo said, in a firm voice, “Something needs to be done!” But he didn’t offer any ideas.

Keeper had continued talking. I tuned in to hear him say, “Not only the otter-people are suffering. All magic folk are suffering, and we will suffer more as more magic leaks out. It must be stopped.”

Keeper looked around, spotted me, and gestured for me to join him. I closed my eyes and groaned. I had to stand in the centre of them all?

Maddy slipped in beside me and held my hand.

“Maddy, you’re not in this,” I said.

“Of course I am.”

I would never have guessed how much strength I could draw from holding her small hand.

As Maddy and I joined him, Keeper continued. “This human boy, Josh, has magical strengths that grow beyond anything we have seen. We ask the Gathering to support him in trying to repair the veil.”

The magic folk were silent. I wondered if they were simply shocked at the absurdity of what Keeper proposed.

Then a bear stood on its hind legs and growled out a long phrase. Keeper translated. “A human boy cannot do this. He is too weak.”

A porcupine added, “He cannot feed himself. He must warm himself with
fire
. He could not survive one night without help.”

“I could understand the porcupine,” whispered Maddy, “but not the bear.”

Softly, Keeper said, “Some animals can manage human languages better than others.”

A moose called out, a strained, creaky sound. Keeper translated. “Our weak ones drown.”

“Or we eat them,” said a wolf, her teeth gleaming.

“A human boy could not possibly have the magic we need,” roared a voice from deep in the crowd. It sounded like another giant.

Maddy growled and held up her ring. “If you can’t see his magic, you are welcome to look through my elven ring.”

No one took up her offer. They all stared at me. I could feel magic radiating from me and I knew they could see it too.

Then Aleena stood. Her black cloak swirled behind her as she walked, swaying like she was moving under water. Staying away from Keeper, she gently moved Maddy back so she could stand at my side.

“He is just a boy, you say, and yet he kept the nexus ring from me, and he kept it from Gronvald. He can cross the veil without tiring. He can use firestone. He can water travel. He has travelled deep into the earth. There are some here who can do some of these things, but not one of us can do all of them. Not one of us has the power this boy has, and he is just beginning.”