Chapter Twenty-Six – The Veil
A new moon was rising. After exhausting and pleasurable hours spent with Vee and Theo, it was night again. But Jack couldn't sleep. It wasn't the kind of insomnia that'd leave anyone feeling drained and hopeless. No, this insomnia of his was… energetic. Or energizing. He didn't know which of the two was true.
Soon, they would be on the other side of the mountains. And then they'd find the veil, whatever it was. Why did he feel like they didn't want to get there just yet? Maybe because he was far from ready for whatever expected them there.
The noose on the wolf's neck. The two-horned demon. The kidnapping. The visit from Mistress Moon herself. Jack caught his head in his hands and blew air out through his nose noisily. The Moon thought he was clever, but he didn't feel clever, if anyone was asking. This was a puzzle, and he sucked at solving puzzles big time.
What if he laid down the cards again? When no one was watching over his shoulder, he felt like he could be himself more. It was a weird thought to have for someone who was otherwise happier to be in the company of people mainly because he was scared of being alone.
But this time – maybe it was because of the Moon's encouragements and her telling him that he wasn't alone anyway – he felt like doing things on his own a little.
The identity of the witch or whatever that creature was – that was something he needed to work out.
Vee and Theo were sleeping soundly. They were big men; of course they needed more sleep than him. There had to be a formula for calculating necessary sleep per pound of muscle or something like that. Sure, that all changed when morning came; in the morning, Jack needed more sleep than anyone else.
But morning was far away. So he could indulge in a bit of card-reading before going to sleep.
The way the cards were changing no longer surprised him. In the real world, aka the world they'd left behind when embarking on this once-in-a-lifetime adventure, he'd have freaked the hell out to see such a thing, cards modifying their designs to fit some new narrative thread that he'd eventually have to figure out.
"No wonder here," he muttered under his breath. The noose had appeared in the picture, the same way the Moon had showed it to him in that dream-slash-revelation-slash-visit. But if he looked closer, why did it look like it had tightened some?
Jack brought the card close to his eyes. What if he could will the image to change? He'd love to have that kind of superpower.
He put the card down with a small huff. The noose hadn't changed its shape, and the wolf, now that Jack had looked at the card more, seemed to be in pain. No, not physical pain, but anguish, pain of the soul, all that.
If that condemned wolf was Theo… of course, he was. No amount of denial would change anything, and Jack knew he couldn't resort to his usual coping mechanisms.
That meant only one thing. He needed to become braver for Theo's sake. As much as he was a strong powerful wolf, he was also vulnerable. Jack wished to get a glimpse into the past and understand what could have made Whiteflame, as a pack, susceptible to the curse that had led to their demise.
He dropped onto his back, the flashlight used for reading his cards abandoned by his side. Although Theo would have something to say against it, he had dragged his butt outside, a new feeling risen inside him telling him that there was a connection, a link, between the Moon and him now. So he was looking straight at the midnight sky, at all the stars, asking for their guidance.
If it were that simple, he'd be clever and wise and brave already. But it was definitely not that simple. What if he closed his eyes? Would he see better? More?
A soft rustling of leaves moved by him, touching him gently. Jack had never been much of an outdoorsy type of person, mainly because who could afford it? Getting out of Glasstone had never been on his list of priorities since it included stuff like food, shelter and other things necessary for immediate survival.
Funny how he didn't have to worry about things like that anymore. There had to be some truth in the phrase "living off the land"; Theo had hunted that mountain goat, and they had all eaten it. It could be as simple as that although generally speaking Jack wouldn't condone irresponsible hunting.
A sigh puffed out his chest, and he let it out slowly. If he began meditating, would he start seeing the truth? It was worth a try, he decided.
He was on his third deep breath when he felt their presence. It was true, after all; with his eyes closed, he might end up seeing more.
"You guys are dead," he whispered. "But I can definitely feel you, and I think Theo feels you, too, but like on another level."
They were silent. Of course they were. They were dead. However, Jack's thoughts pulled him back to the message in the rock, the one Vince had shielded from Cassandra with his own amazing muscular body.
It was strange that he could recall the exact words. But since they were on the path of discovering something amazing, like a lost wolf pack, maybe he shouldn't be so surprised.
His lips moved as he recited the ancient message.
Beyond the silver veil, the moon so often weeps,
She mourns a hidden realm, so clouded as it sleeps.
You'll hear the echoes of the lost and brave,
You'll hear their voices from beyond the grave.
Only the wolf whose heart runs true and free
May walk the path where stands the wisdom tree.
There waits the pack, forgotten yet alive,
In twilight's glow, their unbroken souls revive.
After he finished, he waited for a bit, listening for a sign or a sound from those whose presence he felt so near. But nothing happened.
Damn. Why hadn't he realized it? It was all in that poem. Beyond the veil, they'd be able to hear their voices. Until then, they were silent. Or maybe they were trying to speak, but Jack was at fault because his ears couldn't hear any sound coming from the lost pack. Not only him, but neither did Theo or Vee.
Now, what did the poem also say? That Theo would walk the path that would lead them to the wisdom tree, whatever that meant. That was their destination; they had to march on, find the veil, go through it, and after that, straight to the wisdom tree, where, most likely, Theo would learn about the fate of his pack.
He opened his eyes, and the invisible dead disappeared. Now that he had discovered a bit more about their quest, Jack knew he'd be able to go to sleep.
***
"I get that you want to carry me all the time, but I ought to walk for a bit or I might become atrophied or something."
Theodore listened to Jack's reasoning and put him down. But before the field mouse had the chance to scurry away, he caught his hand.
"Don't be so worried, Theo," Jack said with a giggle. "I'm not going to disappear. I have allies now."
"And what do you mean by that?" he asked right away. He enjoyed having Jack's hand in his. Vince's presence, several yards behind them, made him feel like he didn't have to watch over his shoulder all the time.
"The Moon told me I'm not alone. So I feel better now. And do you know what I'm thinking? That kidnapping was a ruse. That bastard has no power here," Jack said, hurrying to match his steps to Theodore's longer stride.
"It felt real to me. Whatever it was, it tried to kill you."
"True, true, but think it through again. You caught me, and you saved Vince, too. If there was absolutely nothing happening between us, it would've destroyed the three of us just like that." Jack snapped his fingers to illustrate what he meant.
"You may be right," Theodore admitted. "But that doesn't make the dangers lurking ahead any less--"
"Dangerous?" Jack asked.
"Do you always interrupt people when they are trying to explain something?" he scolded his companion, linking their fingers together and enjoying, more than he cared to admit, how relaxed the clairvoyant's hand lay in his.
"Only when I'm nervous," Jack replied promptly.
"Why are you nervous? If anything happens, I'm here to protect you." He worried, of course he worried, that whatever had taken Jack before might have no trouble doing the same again. The physical touch, holding hands, that was more for his peace of mind than for Jack's if he were being completely honest.
"You're holding my hand, and we're walking together." Jack brushed against Theodore's arm, getting closer. "Like we're boyfriends. I mean, can you picture the two of us doing this on the streets of Glasstone? People would stare. They'd think it was so weird."
"Why is that?" Theodore had given up trying to understand Jack's logic unless the field mouse explained it.
"Because you're you. You know, rich, handsome, obviously awesome in bed--"
It was Theodore's turn to interrupt and tease Jack. "I've barely had a chance to demonstrate my skills to you."
"Well, you and Vee both think that I'm not ready for the butt thing and while I am really, but really, trying to be brave, there is some truth to that. So, you know, we'd make quite an odd pair if anyone saw us. Other than Vee, of course. They'd see the heartbreaker and the virgin, the rich and the poor, the beauty and the beast, when looking at us."
"Wait," Theodore said, sensing a frown coming, and with it a headache, "are you the beauty or the beast?"
"Right. Wrong word choice. You're obviously both, while I'm… what the hell am I?"
"The capable seer who can tell us: is that the veil you see in your cards, Jack?"
They stopped abruptly. Theodore had felt it growing closer, the same feeling, ancient in its substance but new in shape; his pack was near, even as dead as everyone was.
And now, they had arrived.
The mountains they'd just crossed lay behind them like the edge of a world they could no longer call theirs. The exertions of their continuous climb, followed by the brief relief of the descent on the other side, were gone from their bones.
Vince came from the rear to join them. They were all staring at the same thing.
"Is that… the veil?" the human guardian asked.
Before them stretched a long narrow valley, nothing of it natural with regard to its shape and colors. It was dark, half-sunken in inky shadows, guarded on both sides by smooth, tall walls of granite.
The only way through it was guarded by the Veil itself. Theodore knew what it was the way he knew he was a wolf; this wasn't knowledge garnered from others. It had been with him forever and was now resurfacing like a treasure sunken in a pond ages ago.
Lavender hues shimmered, turning into a pale blue flame that stretched across the valley. The air was so thick Theodore felt if he touched it he'd feel it like a physical presence, not mist.
A curtain of light rose in the middle, too thick to be a ray from the celestial body hanging in the sky at noon. It stopped short at the height of the cliffs, but nothing indicated that it could be traversed from above.
It moved, like the ripples far out at sea, and a whirlwind seized its fabric, twisting it right in the middle. And beyond it, Theodore could make out shadows and faints silhouettes, all of them gathered together to remind him, as did the brief, painful squeeze in his chest, that he was staring backwards into the past.
"Wow," Jack whispered, pulling him out of his thoughts, "I gotta say. Ten out of ten for special effects. So this is the landmark we were supposed to get to. Pretty cool. Too bad I can't take pictures."
"It is a boundary," Theodore said out loud. Now that he was here, he knew of it. He was beginning to remember, a mix of bittersweet memories that he needed time to dwell on, time he didn't have. "Between life and the absence of life."
"Are we going to go through it?" Jack asked. "Not gonna lie, it looks like that tumbling thing in a washing machine. Do you know I used to have nightmares about kittens getting trapped inside and ending up, you know, drowned?"
Theodore clasped Jack's hand tightly. "We will be fine," he assured the field mouse.
They had come so far. Did it take courage to pass through? Without a doubt. But if Jack was already walking, it meant that they had what it took to march forward.
***
"Vee, what are you doing?"
"Guardian, what do you think you're doing?"
Theodore and Jack spoke at the same time, but Vince knew and understood his role. Examining the veil from behind his companions wasn't the way things were supposed to go.
"I am the guardian," he said out loud. "I will go first." He only looked over his shoulder once, making eye contact with Theodore. The alpha of Whiteflame understood.
"What's going on?" Jack asked in an anxious voice. "Theo, I know you might want to stay behind so I don't crap my pants, but Vee. Will he be all right?"
"I will, Jack," Vince assured him. "A protector, a guardian," he said, now addressing the Veil, "is a keeper of balance, one born to cross the threshold between worlds."
His words had the meaning and effect of an incantation. The wind stirred above the cliffs, making him glance up once. They didn't have to walk toward the Veil, because it was coming for them, ready to engulf them and exert its power over them.
"Get behind me," he shouted as the wind swirled now, descending, rushing closer, picking up speed and force.
There was no resistance from either of his companions. He felt Theodore's breath close, and then Jack's whimpers of fear reached his ears.
Cold came first; it struck him in a gust of frigid air, turning his breath into frosty mist. His right hand twitched toward his waist, as if expecting to find the pommel of a sword there. No one had told him that he shouldn't come here armed. Yet now it made sense that would be the case.
Just as his lungs were about to solidify into blocks of ice, the temperature changed. It was hot now, so hot that he gasped. He marched onward, knowing that the only way out of this was if he continued steadily along the same path.
Whispers rose all around him, some alluring and seductive, others mere gasps of pain and dying breaths.
He ignored them all. His eyes were drawn to a single point of light, guiding him to the road ahead.
"There," Jack exclaimed.
Vince could feel rather than see the way the clairvoyant had shot his arm forward. From it, threads of light pushed forward through the mist, the whispers, and the dread, connecting to the exit point.
Jack was leading them. Vince understood.
As he understood what Theodore felt, a deep ancient bond stretching between them.
"Don't listen to them," he said.
"To what?" Jack asked. "The way I see it, we only have to walk toward the light. Though that might be the exact thing we shouldn't do, you know? I mean, under any other circumstances."
"Not you, Theodore."
"Oh, I see. Theo, don't listen to whatever Vee says you shouldn't listen to."
"Don't you think I can hear Vince's words myself?" the alpha expressed his astonishment at Jack's words.
"Maybe, maybe not," Jack replied, completely unfazed by how easily he managed to get on Theodore's nerves.
Their banter was helping, Vince realized. While he focused on following the thread of light Jack sustained with his stretched arm, their destination drew near.
As Theodore and Jack continued to bicker, drowning out the whispers of the departed, trying to pull them, or at least the alpha of Whiteflame to their side.
Vince sensed the transformation taking place inside him. Briefly, he was no longer flesh and bone; no, he was much more, part of the light, part of the bridge between worlds, or maybe… the bridge itself?
The strange sensation was short-lived. The ground became solid beneath his feet again. For a short time, he'd been flying, although he hadn't sensed it while it was happening.
The air cleared. They were on the other side. Vince looked behind himself, taking in Theodore's stern face, and Jack, who was hiding behind the alpha, only his hair and eyes peeking out next to his shoulder.
"Are we there?" Jack asked. "Where can I file a complaint for overall satisfaction? This kind of travelling should be banned. Maybe a negative review will be enough. What do you guys say?" He stepped out from behind Theodore, most likely encouraged that he could now feel the ground beneath his feet.
"I say," Vince spoke, "that it looks like we have arrived."
"Okay, but where? There's like nothing here," Jack said.
The landscape stretching before them was barren. There was nothing in sight, as far as their eyes could see.
"We must find the wisdom tree," Theodore said. "It was written in stone, remember?"
He walked past Vince, with Jack following closely.
Yes, the verses written in the stone. Vince recalled them well, but there was no wisdom tree in sight, or any tree at all for that matter.
Still, the alpha of Whiteflame knew this barren land. Vince followed without another word.
TBC