Chapter Eighteen: The Veil Stirs

Elora tried hard not to step on the yellow flowers, though it was difficult since they were pretty much everywhere in the Veil. If you stepped on them, they emitted a blue dust that would make her sneeze for the rest of the time she stayed in the in between world. 

If she had to talk to anyone about the Veil, which was few and far between, she would call it what it was formerly called in her world and others. But, in her own mind she called it the Corridor. When she was introduced to the place she had gotten lost in many times before, those from Veeque told her it was a space in between worlds, different dimensions. Wasn’t that what a corridor was? A space in between rooms? Just a wee bit bigger. 

She walked between the flowers, she dug into the purple sand, she played with the glowing water. It was only in this place did her mind calm. The Veil called for her. When she was younger, she felt the calling as if her heart was rising out of her body, like it would flutter away if she didn’t follow it. The first time when she found her way to the Veil, she was in awe. She had seen color before, but not like the Veil. Colors she never saw lived there. Trees grew from the ground and the very veins inside it glowed when they breathed. Fireflies lead the way to new valleys and rivers. 

Even the first time she kept it to herself. She had looked at Elmara and Leonah and wondered which one would actually believe everything she had seen and not tell her it was a dream. A worse thought claimed her mind, which one would demand that she show them, and for some reason even then, it felt forbidden. 

The second time she found her way to the Veil, it was worse. She couldn’t find her way back. She ran for miles, but it just didn’t stop. Eventually she found archways and doors, but none of them opened. She cried herself to sleep and still woke up in the purple sand. She was thirsty and drank the glowing water, and it made her glow. She grew hungry, enough to eat the yellow flowers, which in turn, made her sick. 

And then when the people came, it was terrifying. They were shocked, she was scared, she did not recognize their faces or their clothes or even their language. She ran and they followed, and it became apparent they knew this magical place far more than she did. Once she was caught, it was a girl only a few years older than her who could calm her down, enough to learn a few words in her language. Her name was Kossia, she was from a place named Veeque. She was there to help. 

Eventually they found her home. They brought her back and they spoke with her parents and they were worried. Worried enough that they came back a few weeks later and offered to take her to Veeque, to train her how to enter and exit the Veil safely and surprisingly, her parents said yes. Her parents, who kept their children as close to the castle as possible, let her leave with people they barely knew, into the Veil, across the corridor and into another world. A cold world. Colder than Korvethis was.  

She had never felt so alone, but Kossia visited, and so did her younger brother Kaidan who wanted to see the princess that could enter the Veil. She learned their language and they taught her the rules. They taught her how to enter the Veil on purpose, and how to leave when she wanted. They taught her about the doorways and archways and the dimensions they led to. Kossia told her she could stay in the Veil, but never go into the other worlds. She could look, but never touch, never walk in. Elora agreed with the rules…for the most part. 

She knew how big the Veil was, or rather, that it was bigger than Veeque had mapped out yet, so when some new area appeared, she couldn’t help but venture in. Not too far, she would never touch, only look, but as she walked through the purple sand, through the yellow flowers, to the shadowed area that had appeared, she hesitated for a moment longer than normal. 

Most new areas had mist in and around it, perhaps they were ancient, where no visitor had ventured, no one had broken through the stillness in a very long time, if ever. But the blackness was stifling. Elora took a few shallow breaths with each step, listening, looking. Everything was darker the further she walked in, but eventually she saw the outline. Much older than a doorway, stones stacked up on each other, vines, long dead, grown around it, almost like bindings. 

Elora leaped with a yelp, pain pulsed up from the bottom of her foot. She looked down and realized around the arch were thorns. She looked around, feeling a sense of running, but she clenched her feet and stepped carefully, still feeling the stab of each thorn, but she had an odd need to see, just to look into this world. 

She touched the cold stone, smooth from age and guided her way to the edge. She looked at the darkness inside realizing there was nothing but blackness. She inched closer, but refused to go any further. Suddenly there was something…two somethings. Eyes. She looked back at them confused at what she was seeing. She then bent and the eyes followed her. She stood again and a wave of fear swept over her. Nothing had ever looked back at her before. 

The wave of fear was too much, she knew she needed to leave, even if it meant running through the thorns, but she realized she couldn’t. She looked at her hand, still placed upon the smooth stone, but it was now spread wide, attached. She yanked, and nothing. She looked back at the eyes that kept staring at her. 

She yanked harder, pulled with all her might. Wondered if it was so stuck that if she pulled hard enough to pull away that her hand would stay. She felt her breath leave her, her mind not thinking correctly and a woozy feeling embrace her before she remembered the only one who could find her here. 

She held onto her arm and knelt, stilled her breath and felt her heartbeat. In increments of three heartbeats she whispered her name. “Kossia.” One…two…three. “Kossia.” One…two…three… “Kossia.” 

“Elora?” 

The voice shocked her out of her mediation. She looked back at the older woman in her beautiful dress built for travel. It matched the purple sand. Her black hair up in a bun, her spectacles askew as she looked at the scene. A wave of relief went over her. “Kossia.” 

Kossia stepped forward before she noticed the thorns. She backed up and bent down and touched one, coming back with a bloody finger. She massaged it in her hand before she set it in the purple sand before the thorns. The sand shook and rose above the thorns. She walked across in a straight line to Elora and looked her over. “What did you do?” 

“I did nothing.” Elora said breathless. 

“Elora…” Kossia cocked her head annoyed. 

“All I did was this!” Elora hissed at her hand. 

Kossia looked at her stuck hand, but did not touch. She eventually took her arm and yanked, nothing happened. “How is this possible?” 

“I have no idea, but hurry.” Elora said, looking back at the eyes that never blinked. 

For the first time Kossia looked and saw what she did. All curiosity Kossia had on her face drained. She ran, and for a moment, Elora feared she would not return, but Kossia ran back to the sand and grabbed two handfuls. She brought it back, coating her hands with it as she dug her fingers underneath Elora’s. She screamed, being ripped away like the stone was apart of her. She screamed as bits of her flesh tore away. She screamed when she realized the eyes crept closer. 

Kossia fell back onto the thorns with Elora on top of her. She yelled as she pushed Elora on the trail of sand “Go!” She shouted and climbed safely behind her. 

Elora half crawled, half jumped towards the smooth sand, clutching her torn hand. Once she fell in the sand she turned to see Kossia crawling with a limp. Her eyes went back to the arch, to the glowing eyes, that were now receding to almost nothingness. Kossia fell beside her, but did not stop. She stood with a yell, in pain and pulled up Elora. She pushed her farther away, pushing with each step as she kept an eye on the arch as well. 

“I…I think it left.” Elora told her, but Kossia didn’t say anything. She grabbed her good hand and yanked her away, down the path to more familiar trails. She found the doors to Korvethis and flexed her hand as the doors opened. 

They stepped through and right into Liorean’s receiving room. Kossia stumbled through, pulling Elora through. Once the door to the Veil closed she loosened her grip and fell to a wall, breathing hard. Elora fell to her knees in front of her very shocked mother and sister, Elmara. 

“Kossia!” Lyris gasped, standing behind the couch across from Lioraen. She shuffled over to the woman slowly siding down the wall. 

Lioraen moved off her couch and grabbed Elora’s shoulders, pulled her close and looked her over. She found her hand, all red, no pale skin visible as it dripped blood. 

“Water! Towels!” Lioraen shouted at her maids and they left the room. 

“What happened” Elmara asked, as she found herself standing looking at the scene. 

Lyris put a hand on Kossia’s back and she yelped. “Don’t.” 

Lyris snatched her hand away. “You’re hurt.” 

“I’m fine…” she held up a hand. “I will be fine.” 

“You are definitely not fine.” Lyris snapped. 

“Neither is she.” Kossia pushed herself away from the wall. Her legs wavered beneath her, but her eyes were already on Elora. “What happened.” 

Elora stared at her with tears streaming down her face. “You were there.” 

“Before you called me.” 

One of the maids hurried back into the room with a basin of water, another close behind her with towels. Lioraen took both without a word and waved them away again. 

“Elora.” Kossia said. 

Lioraen dipped the cloth into the water. Elora flinched with it touched her palm. “There was a new area.” 

Kossia went still. “Another area where?” 

“Past the bend after Veeque.” Elora said gulping back the pain. 

“There is no area there.” Kossia said. 

“There is now.” 

Kossia crossed the room so quickly that Lioraen instinctively moved between her and Elora. “What did it look like?” 

“Kossia….you saw.” Elora begged with a cry. 

“What did you see?” 

“Nothing! That was the problem. I couldn’t see far enough.” Elora had her eyes squeezed shut as Lioraen wiped her hand. Kossia’s face changed. 

Elmara had come closer now. “So you put your hand through nothing?” 

Elora glanced at her sister. “I only touched the arch, I didn’t go through.” 

“Elora.” Kossia’s voice cracked through the room. 

“I know.” 

“You know?” Kossia’s voice grew louder. 

“I didn’t cross!” Elora yelled. 

“You put part of your body on an unmapped threshold!” 

Elora took a big breath. “I was trying to see.” 

“And something grabbed you!” Kossia shouted. 

There was silence in the room. Lioraen stopped cleaning the blood drenched from her daughter’s hand. 

“Something?” Elmara asked. Elora looked down to the floor. 

Kossia’s anger disappeared almost as quickly as it had come. “Tell me exactly what happened.” 

Elora swallowed. “I made my way through the thorns and I placed my hand on the arch to keep myself stable. There was nothing there. I couldn’t see anything, so I thought maybe if I got closer I could feel…” 

“Feel what?” Kossia asked. 

Elora shrugged. “Air, rain, heat…anything.” She looked at Kossia. “And then I saw something staring at me.” 

“You saw it?” Kossia asked. 

Elora gulped and nodded. 

“A face?” 

“Eyes, that’s all.” Elora said. 

“They looked at you?” 

“I think so.” 

“Did it speak?” Kossia asked. 

“No.” 

“Did you hear anything?”

“Kossia, I don’t know!” Elora shouted. 

Lioraen pulled her daughter closer. “Enough.” she demanded. 

Kossia stopped looking at Elora anymore, she was staring at the bloodied towel in Lioraen’s hand. “It knew you were there.” It wasn’t a question. Elora nodded. Kossia sank slowly onto the edge of the couch. 

Lyris watched her. “What is it?” Kossia didn’t say anything. She only looked at the bloodied towel and slowly shook her head. “Kossia.” 

“I don’t know.” Kossia finally replied. That quieted the room more effectively than shouting ever could. 

Elora’s tears spilled from her eyes as she looked at her mentor, her teacher of all things in the Veil. In all the years she had known Kossia, through every lesson, every mistake, every impossible question Elora had thrown at her, Kossia had always known. At the very least, she had known where to look. “You don’t know?” Elora whispered. A new fear started to fold over her. The Veil had always been a peaceful place for her. When the pull got too strong, the voices grew too loud, her skin crawled too much, the Veil gave peace. 

Kossia stood. “You are not to enter the Veil again.” 

Elora stared at her, not quite sure she understood the absolute ridiculous Kossia had just given her. “What?” 

“Until I understand what happened, you stay out of it.” Kossia stood tall, even if it made her flinch. 

“Kossia, you know I can’t do that.” Elora tried to reason. 

“Then learn.” 

The demand was too high, Elora found herself shaking her head. “I-it doesn’t work like that.” 

“Make it work like that.” Kossia snapped. 

Elora pulled her injured hand away from Lioraen and held it to her chest. She tried to stand and wavered. “You were the one who taught me that fighting it makes it worse.” 

“I KNOW WHAT I TAUGHT YOU!” The shout stunned the room. Kossia seemed stunned by it too. She took deep breaths and held her stomach. Elora watched two drips of blood leave her back where she had fallen on the thorns. 

Liorean spoke, “You cannot leave after telling my daughter she cannot enter the Veil again without more answers.” 

Kossia looked at the queen, annoyed and defeated. “Then ask me questions I actually have answers to.” 

Lyris took a small step towards her. “Kossia…” 

“No.” Kossia shook her head and backed away from the servant she sent with the Korvethis princess a year ago to keep her safe. “No. She stays out.” Lyris looked to the ground, but couldn’t get herself to agree. 

“For how long?” Elora asked as she gulped back a sob. Kossia didn’t answer. “For how long!” Elora shouted. She felt Elmara behind her, putting a hand on her shoulder. 

Kossia took her time answering, as if she was also reluctant to say the only answer she could give. “Until I know what that was.” 

Elora couldn’t find her breath. “And if you never find out?” Kossia looked at her. That was answer enough. Elora’s chest hurt, she shook her head. “It calls me.” 

“Then don’t answer.” Kossia said defeated. She began to turn to the space where she had opened the way before. 

“Sometimes I don’t have a choice!” Elora begged. 

Kossia’s jaw tightened. “You do now.” 

“Kossia…” Elora tried again, but she was already opening the way. 

Then, Lioraen stood, like the queen she remembered she was. “You are not leaving this room without explaining what just happened to my daughter.” 

Kossia stopped at the threshold. For a moment, Elora thought she might turn around, but she didn’t. “I can’t explain it.” and then she stepped through.