[Veilbinder] - Chapter 22
In which we start to get some answers.
Thanks for reading!
[First]
The gondolier thumbed the small mother of pearl inlay on the handle of the tiller which deactivated the enchantments on the gondola’s outriggers. Though slight, Xander could feel the drop in acceleration as the gondola swiftly drifted towards the pier guided by the pilots’ experienced hand. At the last moment, he flicked the tiller to one side and pulled the gondola into a lazy arc that saw it gently tap the wooden bumpers of the pier with an outrigger as it stopped alongside. Having done this multiple times, Xander, who had taken a hold of one of the mooring ropes, deftly tossed it onto the pier. The line landed loosely around a wooden cleat and with a quick tug he drew it taut.
”Want me to tie you off?” Xander asked the gondolier.
“Nah, ye’wer my last run for the day.” He replied. “It’ll probably be Tellan be by later to take ya’ back.”
It took Xander a moment to digest his wording before he gave an affirmative grunt. Pulling on the line to stabilize the gondola, he stepped onto the pier before coiling the line up and tossing it back into the boat. With no other passengers at the moment, the gondolier gave him a nod before reactivating the boat’s enchantments and quietly speeding back towards the shore
“Welcome back to the Keeper’s Isle.” a chipper voice quipped from behind him. Turning around, he saw Miri walking up to him with Leander close behind.
He responded with a curt nod, “Mmh, thanks.”
It could have been something about his voice, or maybe a stiffness in his movements, he wasn’t sure. What he was certain of, however, was that both keepers picked up on it immediately and Leander was the first to voice it.
“Are you well?” he asked, his brow furrowed in a mix of curiosity and concern.
Having that question poised to him twice in less than five minutes once again caused a tingle of irritation to rise in Xander’s chest, this one more intense and difficult to ignore outright. He opened his mouth and inhaled sharply to reply, but in that pause between breaths he thought better of it. Instead, he held his breath a moment before closing his eyes and puffing his cheeks out slightly as he deliberately exhaled slowly. He allowed his escaping breath to carry away both his displeasure and his undoubtedly sarcasm-laced comment while also taking the chance to roll his neck, releasing a series of satisfying pops. When he looked up, both keepers were studying him closely, no doubt preparing for another outburst or breakdown.
“I’m fine.” he stated simply, though the looks he was receiving told him they were unconvinced. “Just not used to the peace and quiet without Ras and Syd breathing down my neck for once. Got caught up in my own thoughts.” he explained before changing the subject, “So, what’s the plan for today?”
The two keepers exchanged a glance with Leander eventually giving Miri an affirmative, if slightly unsure, shrug after a moment.
Looking back Miri smoothed her feathers. “We wanted to address what occurred during your arrival. The reaction you had to the gem during the attunement trial was unlike anything we’ve observed before. We wished to perform some tests to further understand your reaction to the Veil.”
Xander hadn’t actually thought too much about what had happened but now he had been reminded both of the events following his arrival to Estyra and of the suspicion that had been thrown their way in Felhaven. While thankful for something to occupy his thoughts, he had to admit that he was more than a little curious and just a little concerned.
“Alright? Is that safe? What if something goes wrong?” he asked.
“It’s safe enough,” Leander said as he and Miri both relaxed, “Remember, the Veil doesn’t cause any direct physical harm that we’ve witnessed. The danger comes from its magic-disrupting properties and its nasty tendency to spread to anything around. We will have wards in place that can contain it and your exposure will be limited. Furthermore, healers will be observing as well.”
“So, wait, not just you two?”
Leander had to actually stop himself from laughing. “By the Mother, no. The potential risk was too high to keep this to just Miri and I. There will be healers present as well as other keepers, Bren included.”
“Joy.” Xander deadpanned, remembering the particularly unsettling avian limnal. “Well, lead the way, I guess.”
With a bow, Leander gestured for Xander to follow as he and Miri turned away and started making their way off the jetty. Xander tagged close behind.
He hadn’t had a chance to take in the island the first time around. It had been both later in the day and he had been exhausted after a day of riding. Now that he was proceeding at his own pace, he was able to see that the Keeper’s Island was arranged like a small campus. Paved footpaths flanked by low stone walls wound their way all across the isle while a small vineyard and garden dominated a clearing just across from the jetty. To the left Xander followed the path until he spied the amphitheater where the attunement trial took place. To the right, he spied several dorms as well as a small square surrounded by what he assumed to be either administrative or academic buildings. He was going to ask if anyone actually lived here full time but another thought crossed his mind, of a comment made by his elven tutor the first time he was here.
“Hey, Leander.” he called, to which the elf turned his head in acknowledgement but never stopped walking. “What’s a Wylder?”
This caused the elf to slow from a brisk walk down to a relaxed stroll as he thought. He looked at Xander as if he was searching for something before a look of realization crossed his face. He let out an amused breath.
“Ah, I see. Well, the simplest answer is that we are all Wylder.”
“Thanks.” Xander said, allowing the word to lifelessly flop from his mouth after noticing the smirk from the elf. “Can I get a real answer? I thought you were all limnals?”
There was a pause of disbelief, then realization, as Miri laughed while Leander let out what could only be interpreted as a defeated sigh.
“What? What’s so funny?” Xander asked, indignant.
“It’s nothing, it’s nothing.” Miri stated after recomposing herself. She lightly clapped Xander on the shoulder. “As a part of our learning, all keepers spend at least some time as guides or tutors, you see. Good Keeper Leander here spent his time as a city guide, long before our borders were restricted.”
It took him a moment to realize what she was implying.
“Oh, how many-”
“Many times.” Leander sighed. “Somehow I didn’t expect to be explaining this once again, here of all places.”
“I’m happy to exceed your expectations.” Xander chuckled, though he had to stifle it when Leander actually glared at him in the first open display of hostility since he had known the man.
“Well,” Leander relented, pausing while Xander and Miri both quieted down, “if you must know, a limnal is any creature that displays characteristics of both man and beast. A Wylder is, specifically, anyone that carries the blessing of Lythris. That does technically include you as well,” he gestured to Xander, “through your attunement to your aurite.”
This caused Xander to pause mid-stride for a full beat.
“Huh.” was all he could think to say, astonishment flashing across his face as he continued walking, a little slower now and with a thoughtful expression, “But I’m not from here here, so how does that work?”
They had since entered the courtyard on the northern side of the Keeper’s Isle. Flanked on three sides, the structures had been repeatedly renovated and expanded over their lifetimes. Their facades now sported a hodgepodge of styles from around the city, from plaster to stonework to brick to exposed timbers. Xander was reasonably sure that underneath it all he would probably find the original huts buried somewhere in their foundations.
Miri shrugged, “It works due to our current understanding of aurites and their workings, and our current laws. For the time being at least. Once we have a better understanding of your reaction to the Veil, we will be in a better place to investigate the connection between you and your aurite. Now, if you would, right this way.” she said as they guided him towards the stonework building on the north side of the courtyard.
With the shade came a welcome relief from the rapidly warming day as the keepers led Xander through the entrance and down a series of corridors. Unlike their facades, the interior of the building was more uniform in style. Plaster walls were decorated with flowing painted designs which were broken up every few meters by paintings. Some were of individuals that he assumed were important, a woman with stark white hair and pale eyes which stared intently into the distance, a man holding a bright red quill to parchment with a thoughtful smile, a minotaur posed regally in a chair with their arms neatly folded across their lap, while others were of landscapes or scenes of daily life from years long past.
After a couple turns Xander was led down a long spiral set of stairs and into a section of the building that was built into the island. The gentle curve of the hallway which branched off in opposite directions suggested that this area was laid out like a wagon wheel, though rather than turn to either side he was directed towards the large double door opposite the short entryway from the stairs. Through the doors, he was greeted by what could only be described as an arena. It was a large circular room maybe forty meters across. Broad support pillars divided the circle into two distinct sections. The inner section was well used, with cracks and burns marking the large tiles that lined the floor and the inner surface of the pillars. The outer section was lined with all manner of esoteric academic equipment as well as numerous shelves filled with all manner of books and scrolls and vials. Unlike the center the floors here were clad in well worn hardwood and the walls walls with sturdy brick.
A younger looking lupine Wylder clad in keepers robes noticed them enter and called to the room. Soon after, a small crowd of about ten people had gathered around Xander, Leander, and Miri. What followed was a series of introductions as Xander did his best to commit their names to memory. Most of them were dressed in keepers’ robes while the last four were clad in healer’s garments. Of the group, Xander did immediately recognize two faces, Keeper Bren, and the healer, Devna. They wasted no time in explaining to him what was planned.
“Wait, so you’re just gonna have me touch shit that’s been contaminated with more and more Veil, just to see what happens?” Xander asked, incredulous, as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
“Basically.” Devna replied. The irritable old Wylder didn’t mince words as she idly scratched her chin. “Why? You got a problem with that?”
“Yeah! I do!” he exclaimed, “You’re supposed to be great magical healers and mages’n shit! Don’t you have some spells or something that’d be less dangerous!?”
“In case you forgot, those spells are what knocked you on your ass the first time!” Devna snapped, her voice like two grindstones rubbing against each other. “We know the Veil doesn’t affect you like it does everyone else, so despite what you think this is the safest option. Besides, we have cushions this time so you won’t crack your head if you pass out again.” she said as she gestured to the middle of the room.
True enough, in the center of the room were several pedestals and where he was to be positioned sat a simple chair around which was placed several layers of leather-bound practice mats. They didn’t look particularly soft, but they would more than protect him from cracking his skull open on the stone tile floor.
“You’re kidding me.” Xander muttered in English as he let his shoulders drop and his head lazed disappointedly to one side. The language barrier did nothing to diminish the sentiment.
“If you have a better idea with fewer things that can go wrong then we’re all ears, pup.” she asked, her voice serious with only a touch of exasperation. Nearby, a few of the keepers turned their attention towards the pair.
As the question hung in the air Xander realized she truly meant what she was asking. With a sigh, he looked down, closed his eyes, and with his arms crossed he took a few seconds to consider any alternatives only to realize that he didn’t know enough about the Veil or how it worked to actually suggest anything.
“Nothing.” he finally admitted after a few seconds, switching back to Vilsirin. “Fine, what do I do?”
Xander was seated in the center of the ring. Placed on the pedestal in front of him was a cobblestone hewn into a rough cube. A little ways away, but close enough to intervene should anything happen, the keepers and healers stood observing him. Most wore a thick set of spectacles similar to the ones that Lyrian used back in the village, only these looked much more robust. Those that didn’t have the anatomy to use spectacles instead held a monocle to an eye. Regardless of the form, each was fitted with a set of thick replaceable lenses that reminded him of the observation windows on the door of the healing ward. Xander studied the stone intensely as he waited for everyone to finish their preparations. He traced a small vein of cloudy quartz as it wound its way around the small lump of stone.
“Xander.” Bren called. “You are able to view aetheric currents. Correct?” he asked, his tone much less abrasive than when they had first met.
Xander nodded. “Barely. It still takes some effort, but yeah.”
“Good. Please describe what you see on the pedestal before you. Both physically and aetherially.”
“Sure. Umm… It’s a cube made of rock, mostly dark grey, granite maybe. It’s about three or four fingerwidths wide on each side. Ummm.” he shrugged, not sure what else to add.
When he didn’t receive any further prompting he decided to try focusing on the ambient magical energy for the third time today. It took a minute as he closed his eyes and cleared his mind, easier now that he had an objective to focus on. From the blackness, wisps of aetheric current started to take form and he was vaguely aware of a few faint blobs of aetheric energy a few feet away off to the side where the keepers and healers were standing, though they were at the extreme limit of his perception. More importantly, he could make out the stone in front of him. Unlike its surroundings it held a faint glow. His brow furrowed in concentration as he focused on it.
“It’s got some kind of energy in it or flowing through it. There’s a pattern but I can’t really make it out.” he reported.
Off to the side, Keeper Bren nodded when it became clear Xander had nothing else to add.
“Do we all concur?” he asked. He received a small chorus of affirmations in response.
“Ah! If I may add something?” Miri chimed in.
“You may.”
“Xander, if you can, try to stay focused on visualizing the flow of magic through the stone when you touch it. What you see may prove insightful.” she instructed, with Leander and a few others murmuring agreement.
Still concentrating, with his eyes shut and brow furrowed, Xander managed to turn his head a little and quirk an eyebrow in the direction of Miri’s voice.
“Sure, I’ll try.” he agreed before returning his attention fully to the stone, even in that brief interaction his aethersight had begun to waver.
“Very well. Is there aught else?” Keeper Bren asked, continuing when no one else spoke up. “Healers at the ready?”
“Always.” Devna answered.
“Then, Mister Xander, please trigger the artifact.”
Had he not been concentrating on keeping his mind’s eye open to the stone’s magical energies, he might have had a sarcastic quip about how calling the stone an artifact was stretching the definition of the word. As it was, it was taking a fair amount of effort not to let the apprehension distract him. Logically, he knew that his chance of actually coming to harm was low to almost none as fleeting thoughts both about Leander’s reminder earlier and the knowledge that he and the rest of the ship’s crew had been thoroughly enveloped in the Veil when they had arrived passed through his mind. With a breath, he banished those thoughts and reached towards the stone. In his mind’s eye he could see the ghostly aetheric silhouette of his arm as he opened his hand, grabbed the stone, and triggered the curse.
Three events took place in a fraction of a second and it would have been too quick to notice had he not been focusing so intently on the stone. The moment his hand touched the stone and the aether within his body interacted with the magical energies stored within it the shifting and uncertain flows he had seen snapped into sharp relief as the magical energy nearly instantly coalesced into a defined ringlike pattern, invoking the curse. As soon as this happened the stone became suffused with a small amount of the Veil starting from the center of the ring, the act of which completely destroyed the enchantment and left the stone looking almost like a void to his mind’s eye. It was like someone had cut the stone out of a still picture and just left a featureless hole. Finally, in the moment after the curse had been invoked, the Veil looked like it was being drawn into his body. He recoiled but it was too late. In a wave that took less than a second the energies of the Veil, like flowing shadow, crept up his arm and towards his torso while at the same time he could see the aether within himself being purged, pouring off of and out of him like vapor. The moment it reached his chest and head his eyes shot open as he was overcome with a wave of extreme vertigo which threatened to shift to nausea. Were he not grappling with these sensations he would have been grateful for the seat. He gripped the arm of the chair so tightly with his right hand that he could feel his knuckles pop. At the same time he held his grimacing face in his left hand and slammed his eyes shut once more to keep the room from spinning.
Around him, the onlookers stared in shock at what they just witnessed save for one. The old cervine healer, Devna, strode forward before taking a knee next to the man who looked about ready to retch all over the floor. She let him focus on his breathing while reaching into her belt and producing a small box as well as a small glass flask filled with a colorless distilled spirit. She opened the box to reveal a dozen vials, each filled with one of a variety of extracts, as she expertly picked three and placed a drop of each into the flask before capping it and shaking vigorously. The extracts tinted the mild alcohol a light and cloudy muddy green.
“Here,” she said, starting to hand the flask over before several voices cried out.
“Wait! Don’t-” came the desperate voice of one of the healers, but she wouldn’t let him get any further than that.
“Shut it!” she snarled back with a withering glare, shocking the criers into silence and breaking those that were still stunned out of their stupor. Turning back to Xander, she loosened the cap on the flask before once again presenting it to him.
“Drink this, you’ll feel better.” She said, her tone the opposite of what it had been just a moment ago. “A tincture meant to calm the stomach and steady the mind. Fair warning, the taste can be unpleasant.”
Cracking an eye open, Xander spied the flask before gingerly taking it from the healer with a mumbled thanks. Using his thumb to pop the flask, he brought it to his lips and downed the shot in one motion before having to stop himself from gagging. True to her word, it tasted like cheap vodka that had been infused with dirt and lawn clippings.
“It’s not a proper potion, so give it a few minutes to work. You’ll be fine.” She said after observing him for a few more seconds.
Still focusing on his breathing and with his head cradled in his hand, the vertigo only allowed him to give her a subtle nod and a grunted affirmation in response. It was enough, however, and she gently patted him on the shoulder before standing. As the dizziness slowly abated, he could hear her off to the side, explaining how she had been the one to care for him after he passed out during the attunement trial which was why she was confident the Veil wouldn’t spread to her on contact, something which she had apparently explained to them before as she irritably reminded them. While most of the conversation quickly became background noise, a disbelieving question by one of the younger healers caught his attention.
“-but I don’t understand. The aether within his body, it’s all gone! Why isn’t he dead?”
[First]
Posted May 27, 2026, 11:01 AM UTC