Masters of the Veil by Daniel A. Cohen Read Free Book Online Page A

this will help.”
    “Forget sleep.” Sam’s eyes shot to May’s glove. “Magic is real. This is great!”
    May smiled and took Sam’s hand in hers. “I’m glad you think so! Just try to hold onto that feeling as long as you can. Remember, once your mind reaches a destination, it can always go back, even if it has to take a different path.”
    Sam’s heart was pounding in his chest. “This is amazing. Show me some more magic.”
    She let go and turned toward the pillars. “Why don’t we let the Veil show you?”
    She started down the path, delicately holding her shoes, as Sam trotted behind.
    “What is this place?”
    “We call it Atlas Crown. It is one of many magical communities. This happens to be the one I call home.”
    Sam looked at the pillars again and thought that the name fit perfectly.
    “Something that you should understand,” May led him from open space to woods, “is that in places where the Veil is tapped, and magic is frequently used—or where large amounts of the Veil are utilized—amazing things happen.”
    Sam’s eyes made a quick adjustment to the lesser light squeezing through the dense canopy. After a moment, he could make out a group of trees that had large, round fruit hanging from vines like tetherballs.
    May twisted her head back and forth until she found what she was looking for.
    “Ah!” She thrust her finger toward a colorful patch of forest sandwiched between two mounds of dirt. “Perfect example.”
    They tromped a few feet off the path. May had pointed toward things that looked uncannily like flowers, but could not be. Their tops were about waist high and culminated in what looked like little red faces with petals for hair. Swirling white spots took the place of eyes, and yellowish beaks protruded from where the mouths would have been.
    “These are symflowers. They’re not hard to find because of one certain characteristic.”
    “What, the fact that they have beaks?”
    May chuckled, holding her gloved hand over one of them. Her fingers tilted inward and a small amount of water drizzled from her hands onto one of the petals. Immediately, the flower’s beak opened and let out a low note, melodic and smooth. She moved her hand over another, and the new flower let out a higher note that perfectly harmonized with the first. She moved from flower to flower, until it sounded almost like a barbershop quartet. After kissing the flowers with small droplets, which prompted a few quarter-notes, May took her hand away and the music died down.
    “When it rains, the forest comes alive with music. My favorite is a very light drizzle—it almost sounds like jazz.”
    Sam’s jaw went slack. He felt giddy, like when he’d scored his first touchdown as a child.
    “You see,” May used a gloved finger to stroke the side of the symflower, which let out a warm purr, “this whole place is full of fantastic things. The more magic is used, the more extraordinary things spring out of the Veil. With so many sorcerers living here, there’s always plenty of excitement.”
    Sam ran his own finger along the closest petal, but the flower remained silent. “I bet.”
    “Let’s keep moving.” She stepped over a few roots and made her way back onto the path. “There will be plenty to see on the way back, and you’ll probably want to be getting some sleep soon.”
    “No, I want to see—” He cut himself off. In fact, exhaustion was coming quick. “Yeah, I guess you’re right.”
    “Tapping into the Veil and using magic can be taxing, especially for the first few months. It’s like running a marathon; you have to train for it. I’m surprised you didn’t pass out immediately after the game.”
    Sam nodded. “I sort of did.”
    “Don’t worry. I have a room all set up for you.”
    They continued their trek for a few silent minutes.
    “Why, hello there!” May addressed a group of trees on the side of their path like they were old friends. She turned to Sam, her cheeks pinched with