The Guardian's Apprentice (Beyond the Veil) by J. Michael Radcliffe Read Free Book Online Page B

happened, fell to his knees.   What the hell was going on?   One moment he was safe and secure (or so he thought) and the next he was facing some unknown dark wizard who wanted him dead.   Keegan just sat there for a few moments, not quite knowing what to do next;
    W ait a minute!   I can use my ring to create a doorway again, back to my own side of the veil – why didn’t I think of that before!  
    He quickly stood up, pointed his ring at a nearby outcropping of rocks and shouted “V ervoers portaal!”   Nothing.   Again, pointing his signet ring at the rocks, he shouted
    “ VERVOERS PORTAAL!” and again, nothing happened.  
    He knew the incantation was correct, but why was nothing happening?   He focused on his ring, allowing its image fill his mind and intoned the spell a final time.
    “Vervoers Portaal.”
    A slight burning sensation began to spread from his ring finger and up along his arm, increasing in intensity as it went.   The sudden pain broke his concentration and dispersed the spell.   Keegan kicked the ground in frustration and realized he had been with Acamar when he summoned his first portal.   Acamar’s presence then must have somehow helped him pierce the Veil, where he now found his spell blocked.
    He looked up at the sky, now beginning to dim in the late afternoon.  
    “Well if nothing else I’d better find somewhere to spend the night,” he muttered to himself.   He trudged toward the edge of the forest at the base of the mountains.   Unsure of the path he should take, he wandered deeper into the woods as the twilight descended.   He looked around but could see nothing in the darkness save for the giant tree trunks all around him.   He knew he was not alone though, for every so often he would hear the low, guttural growls of something lurking beyond the trees.   The sound continued, followed by a deep rumbling sound.
    What in blazes was that?
    Not wanting to find out, he continued stumbling through the underbrush until he finally came to a small clearing, surrounded by large birch trees on three sides.   He slumped down to rest at the base of one of the trees, unable to go any further for the moment.   He blinked a few times to try to clear his head but his vision seemed to be blurring; he was suddenly so unbelievably tired!       
    I just need a small rest – yes, that’s it – a small rest…
    His vision blurred further and his thoughts became jumbled, as the trees around him seemed to spin about.   Darkness followed quickly and engulfed his thoughts before his head hit the moss-covered ground.
     
    ***
     
    The guttural sounds increased in the distance and a few moments later a snuffling sound came from the underbrush.   Cautiously at first, a round bodied animal the size of a large dog emerged from the shadows.   Covered in coarse brown fur, the creature loped along on two oversized back legs.   Instead of eyes, it had two thin, twitching antennae sprouting from its forehead, and a leathery black nose with three slits and whiskers on each side.   Although it had no eyes, it zeroed in on Keegan’s body by scent and loped forward, its two smaller hook-shaped front limbs poised to strike.   Whiskers twitching with delight at such large prey, the animal moved in for the kill.   As it approached, it began absorbing Keegan’s essence, feeding off the young man’s magical aura.   Suddenly it stopped, sensing the presence of another creature nearby, although it could not sense what that creature was.   Putting its nose to the air, the beast snuffled loudly trying to taste the scent of this new intruder.   It caught just the slightest wisp of a scent and froze in confusion and fear.   Before it could move however, a shining silver bolt shot from the darkness, hitting the creature directly between where the eyes should have been.   The beast collapsed in a furry heap and expired, leaving its prey untouched.
     
    ***
     
    Freed of the mind numbing influence of