I lost all sense of time, at first only aware of the sound of voices whispering and the crackling of a campfire somewhere nearby.
“You think he’s the one?” a deep voice asked in a hushed tone.
The reply came from a young girl. “He’s here, isn’t he? That means he has a chance.”
“What if he doesn’t make it?”
“That’s out of our hands.”
A nauseating odor swept through the air causing me to stir. Something was burning.
“He’s waking up,” the man said.
My eyes fluttered open to find a girl about my age gazing down in concern. Was this the one who had saved me? Her face was tan, her eyes gentle brown, and she wore a hooded cloak that was pulled up over her head. She was pretty, too pretty, and it made me nervous. As she placed her hand gently on my forehead, my heart quickened. The warmth of her touch sent a shiver down my spine. I was freezing and my stomach had turned suddenly sour.
“You’re very cold. How do you feel?” she asked.
I hesitated—too nervous to say anything. Every time I tried to talk to a new girl I had the same problem. In my mind I wanted to sound cool and confident, but when it came down to actually speaking, I stumbled, the king of bad first impressions. I sat there, unable to respond, my face flushing with each passing second. She looked at me funny. Come on, Hunter, say something...anything. This was taking way too long.
“I feel w-weird,” I finally answered. Genius! After two minutes of awkward silence, that was the best I could come up with? Bad first impression: check! What a dork!
“That’s to be expected; the transition between realms can be disorienting. You’ll feel better soon enough.”
I glanced around, taking in my new surroundings. I was lying outside on a fur pelt of some kind, covered in a pile of woven blankets. The campsite was situated beside a great black lake at the edge of a thick forest of timber giants. The air was fresh and clear with the scent of pine needles floating on a gentle breeze. The sun had already set, lingering just below the horizon, leaving a layer of reddish-orange haze behind.
A massive man with broad shoulders and ruddy skin was hunched over a campfire tending a pot of bubbling stew, the apparent source of the stench that had awakened me. He wore a fur cape draped over silvery battle armor, outlined in places by a soft orange glow that seemed to emanate from within the armor. Centered on his breastplate was the glowing mark of the interlocking Vs; the hilt of a sword hung at his side.
“W-w-where am I?” I mustered enough courage to ask.
The man responded in a booming voice, “You, my soggy friend, are on the Shard of Inire in the glorious realm of Solandria.” As he spoke, he stood proudly and banged his fist against his armor, signaling his loyalty to the country. He appeared even more intimidating now that he was standing and I didn’t know whether to be afraid, or comforted by his company. Of course, I had never heard of the Shard of Inire, or a land called Solandria, but thought it best not to insult him by saying so.
“I’m Hope, by the way,” the girl offered, “and this is Captain Samryee, my protector.”
“But you can just call me Sam!” he interjected. “Least that’s what my friends call me.”
Friends! The mention of the word made me painfully aware that something was wrong. Stretch was missing.
“Where’s Stretch?” I asked.
The two of them looked at me blankly.
“Y-you know, my friend! He came through the book with me.”
“You were alone,” Hope replied slowly.
“But he was with me when we entered the book. He’s gotta be here!” Stretch was a far better swimmer than I was and could have easily made it to shore on his own. If he had made it, chances were he was still nearby, maybe even looking for me. “We have to find him,” I said, sitting up. “We can’t leave him out there alone.”
“Wait, Hunt...” Hope started to say.
I started to stand but was shocked to find my shirt and pants were missing and quickly pulled the blankets up over my chest in embarrassment.
“Whoa! Hey, where are my clothes?”
Hope fought back a smile. My face flushed red again. Awkward moment number two!
“Sorry about that, I should have warned you. Sam took your clothes and laid them out to dry while you were still recovering,” she explained. “They’ll be ready soon.”
I scanned the campsite and spotted my clothes spread out on a stump near the fire, next to the remainder of my belongings—the book and my backpack, which was pretty much empty. That’s when I remembered Stretch had left the camcorder behind in the gravesite. Uncle Jim is going to kill me, I thought, thoroughly worried about what might have happened to it. I wanted to gather my things and head out to find Stretch right away.
Sam spoke up. “Trust me, lad. It’ll do no good heading out t’night. Leaving the Veil is a journey ya have to make alone. Even if your friend did make the exit, he could be anywhere in Solandria. That book has a will of its own, you know.”
Great, I wish Evan would have told us that before we left.
Sam continued, “Besides, these woods is full of Shadow. They’ll be looking for ya. Long as we stay together we’re safe enough.”
It was difficult to accept but I had to trust them. This was their realm, their rules—I was merely a visitor.
“I’m sorry, Hunter,” Hope tried to comfort me, “but Sam’s right, we need to stay together. We can’t risk losing you. We’ll meet up with the others in the morning and send out a search party to look for him. If he is here, we’ll find him. I promise.”
“Others?” I asked. “What others?”
“Why, the Resistance of course,” the man’s face beamed. “They’ll want to meet you straight away, seeing as we’ve been expecting you.”
“How did you know I’d be coming?”
Sam and Hope exchanged glances, unsure of how to respond. Hope was the first to offer an explanation.
“Evan told us about you. He said he was going to try and reach you before...well, before it was too late.”
“Too late for what?”
She lowered her voice, “Solandria is not what it once was; it is a world at war. Sceleris and his Shadow warriors rule the majority of the land here, intent on annihilating every last remnant of those who resist his rule. But there are rumors that Aviad has returned and he intends to set things right. Evan received word that Aviad wanted to meet you, which is why he went to Destiny to find you.”
“But why me?”
“We’re not sure but Aviad has never been wrong before.”
With that Hope stood and moved toward the fire, serving up a hefty bowl of the stew. She had pulled back her hood, letting her wavy brown hair fall forward across her face. Beneath the cloak she wore a white blouse trimmed with gold edging that hung loosely over her leather-wrapped leggings. She turned back around and approached me again, carrying the bowl gracefully so as not to spill it. My nervousness had passed, for the moment.
“Here, try some of this. It will help with the nausea,” she offered, kneeling beside me again.
The smoldering concoction made the cafeteria food at school look appetizing, but I was starving and decided to try it in spite of my better judgment. She raised the spoon of soup to my mouth and I took a sip. It tasted even worse than it looked—bitter, oily and stringy.
“What is that stuff?” I coughed. “It’s awful!”
Sam chuckled, “Serpent stew! Me mum’s own recipe. It’ll put hair on your chest, to be sure, but there ain’t nothin’ like it for nourishment and you’ll be needin’ every bit of it for our journey tomorrow. We’ve got a long hike ahead of us if we’re gonna make it back by noon.” He grinned broadly as if a half-day’s hike were something to look forward to.
“Sam’s right,” Hope said. “Eat up, you’ll be glad you did.”
Somehow I managed to force down the remainder of the bowl of soup. Fortunately my mother’s home cooking had trained me well. I had learned to grin and bear it. As I finished, Hope tossed my dry clothes into my lap.
“You better put these on before bed. We may need to break camp in a hurry tonight if the Shadow come snooping around.” Hope turned her back while I quickly slipped my pants and shirt on.
I looked out into the blackened woods and wondered if any were watching us right now. The reality of the situation began to settle in my mind. I was in a strange land with no clue how to get back home. I was being hunted by horrific creatures that until recently, I didn’t know even existed, in search of a man I had never met. To top things off, my best friend was missing somewhere, alone, at the beginning of a quest neither of us had fully understood.
My concern must have shown on my face because Sam quickly added, “Ah, don’t worry none, Hunter. I’ve fought many a Shadow in me time. They’re as afraid of me as you are of them, I’ll wager. They won’t be getting close to ya tonight—I’ll make good and sure of that.” He grinned and tapped the hilt of his sword. It glistened in the firelight and I marveled at the magnificent weapon.
“Hey, Evan had a sword like that,” I said, recognizing the weapon.
“Yes, it’s a Veritas Sword,” he said as he unlatched the hilt from his belt, holding it up in the light for me to see. “The weapon of choice fer a Codebearer, crafted by the Author hisself. This here blade was designed ta pierce the heart and soul of any that dare to cross its edge. Over time the blade develops a bond with its bearer. The stronger the bond, the more powerful the blade becomes.”
“How does it work?” I wondered.
“Its power comes from the Code of Life—the truths the world exists on. The blade at rest remains invisible and is useless.” He passed his hand over the cross-guard to prove the absence of the blade. “But in the heat of battle, the will of the sword burns ta life and the blade becomes sharper than any known ta man.” Without warning he took the weapon in both hands and brought it down with a savage chop onto a large piece of firewood. An arc of light trailed behind as he split the wood cleanly in two. “Ya see, Hunter,” he smiled, “the Veritas Sword is the only weapon a Codebearer can use ta truly defeat the Shadow. It was fashioned by the Author and carries the Code of Life in its blade. If there’s one thing the Shadow can’t survive, it’s the truths of the Code.”
“Codebearer?” I asked.
“Aye! Those of us whose minds have been freed from the Shadow’s lies and the darkness inside,” Sam said, pointing at his chest. “We Codebearers are entrusted ta be keepers of the Code. It’s an honor I’m proud ta bear.”
The book had mentioned something about the Code of Life and I figured that was what Sam was referring to. I made a mental note to read the book again later. He pulled a short log closer to my make-shift bed and sat on it, settling in for what appeared to be a lengthy explanation.
“Tell me, Hunter, how much do ya know about the one called the Author?”
“Not much really. I mean, I read a little about him in the book, but I didn’t really get that far. From what I read, he created a pretty amazing story.”
“Not just a story,” Sam replied, “The story!”
I was confused. “What do you mean?”
“Let me put it this way,” he said pointing out toward the forest behind me, “those trees over there, where did they come from?”
I glanced over my shoulder. A breeze was blowing and the trees swayed to the rhythm of the wind. They were tall and majestic, much like the great redwoods of my own world. Assuming life worked in a similar way here as it did back home, the answer to Sam’s question was fairly obvious.
“A seed.”
“And where did the seed get its life ta create such a tree?”
“From the soil?” I guessed, not thinking too much of it.
Sam continued, “So then, where’d the soil come from?”
My head was spinning, “Huh?”
“What I mean, Hunter, is that everything owes its beginnin’ ta something else. If ya go fer ’nough back you’ll have ta decide what created the very first thing. Either it was created by nothin’, which is impossible, or there must have been somethin’ that had no beginnin’. Somethin’ outside of nature—a supernatural bein’ who was always there.”
He stopped to make sure I was following and then continued with his explanation.
“This is the first truth of the Code: Nothing comes from nothing. So, everything we see, think, feel and experience owes its existence to this One Thing—the Author of all things.”
“I never really thought about it before,” I replied.
“Ah, ya see, the Shadow have done a good job of closin’ the minds of men ta the truths of the Code. That’s where the Resistance comes in. Our job as Codebearers is ta make sure knowledge of the Code doesn’t fade away. We are a small group, ta be sure, but without us truth would disappear and life inside the Veil would be a whole lot worse than it is even now.”
“So the Author in the book is the Author of Solandria?”
“Not just Solandria, but every realm. He created them fer a purpose, Hunter. Think about it, where once there was nothin’, now every livin’ thing works t’gether ta survive. Why, every detail, down ta the very cells inside yer body, is a result of the Author’s handiwork.”
“Sam, you’re confusing the boy. He’s had enough for one day, don’t you think?” Hope chimed in.
“I s’pose you’re right,” he said with a wink as he picked up his seat and moved back toward the fire.
“He can lecture for days, if you let him,” she said with a smile. “Sam used to be a teacher in the Veil lands, where you came from.”
“Has he ever gone back?” I said looking over at the man, trying to imagine what it must have been like to be in one of his classes.
“Sure, from what I’m told being in Solandria is like being in a parallel world. You can travel between the two whenever the Author calls you. Sam has a life in the Veil lands just like you do, Hunter. Except, not necessarily in the same time period as you.”
“You mean Sam could have lived in the Veil during an entirely different time than me?”
She simply nodded in return and offered no further explanation. I boosted my courage and decided to learn more about who she was.
“So what about you, Hope? What did you used to be?” I asked, sounding less nervous than before.
“Me? Oh, I’ve always lived here,” she answered.
“You mean you’ve never been to the Veil lands?” I asked, feeling somewhat awkward referring to my home by the new name.
“No, not yet.”
“Will you go someday?”
“That’s not for me to decide.”
I didn’t know what to say, so I kept quiet.
“You better get some sleep,” she insisted. “Daybreak will come soon enough and there will be plenty of time for talking tomorrow.”
The conversation stopped there. Hope rolled out a fur bed for herself and crawled under the covers. Sam threw another log on the fire and pulled his cloak tightly around his face.
I lay down on the makeshift bed, gazing up at the cloudless night. The stars were fantastic, making me feel so small and insignificant in the midst of a universe so much bigger than I.
I closed my eyes and Sam’s words echoed in my thoughts. Nothing comes from nothing. Everything we see, think, feel and experience owes its existence to this One Thing—the Author of all things. If what he said was true, something was out there beyond the stars intending for life to exist. The wonder of it all was amazing. If someone wanted me to exist that meant there was a purpose for my life. For the first time in a long time, I felt wanted.
Opening my eyes again, I wondered how many stars there were. Stretch would have had a calculated guess for the occasion if he were here.
Poor Stretch, I thought, I wonder what he’s doing right now. Here he was, lost and alone in a strange world, and it was my fault. I had brought him into this mess; I should have been left alone. What if the Shadow had found him first? Or worse, what if he had drowned in the lake? Even if he had managed to swim to shore, he wouldn’t know how to build a fire and would most likely catch pneumonia. The possibilities were endless and the guilt of the what ifs weighed heavily on my heart and kept me from sleeping.
I thought of home, of my mom, of Stretch and then at last, my mind became too tired to worry anymore and gave in to a deep satisfying sleep that seemed to last for days.