Chapter 9

Osric and Talia followed Valen deeper into the heart of Avendell. The forest grew denser, the ancient trees towering overhead, their branches intertwining to create a canopy that filtered the sunlight into a soft, emerald glow. The air hummed with a subtle energy, a palpable sense of life and magic that seemed to permeate every leaf and blade of grass.

As they walked, Osric noticed the growing presence of otherworldly creatures. Ethereal wisps darted between the trees, leaving trails of shimmering light in their wake. Briarwolves, their fur a mix of earthy browns and vibrant greens, watched from the shadows, their eyes glinting with an uncanny intelligence. Tree-like humanoids, their bark-covered bodies adorned with leaves and vines, moved silently through the undergrowth, blending seamlessly with their surroundings.

As they walked, Cinder eventually rejoined them, walking beside Osric, which was a relief. Even though he hadn’t met the wolf that long ago, he’d come to really like his companion, finding his presence most comforting. After a long time, with the number and variety of creatures surrounding them growing to a point that left Osric almost speechless, Valen led them into a clearing surrounded by evenly spaced, ancient trees. Each tree was unique, its bark bearing intricate carvings and symbols that seemed to pulse with a soft, inner light. In the center of the grove, an old man in flowing robes stood waiting, his silver-white hair cascading down his back, his hands clasped in front of him.

“Welcome to the Concordant Grove,” Valen said to Osric after bowing his head respectfully to the old man. “The heart and soul of Avendell.”

The old man smiled, his weathered features creasing with warmth.

“Thank you, Valen. You have done well in bringing our guests here safely.”

“Happily, Rordan,” Valen said, bowing once more before turning and disappearing into the forest, leaving Osric, Talia, and Cinder alone with the old man.

“I am glad you made it to Avendell unharmed, Osric Yarrow. I am Rordan Maddox, who some call the Sage of Avendell. We have much to discuss, I think.”

“How do you know me?” Osric asked.

“I don’t know you, not exactly. The Concordancy gifted me with knowledge of an artifact from long ago, one that has come through the veil and is important to the very survival of our world. The vision showed me a young man who found the artifact and was being chased by a group of people who wanted to claim it for themselves. Do you have the item with you?”

Osric hesitated for only a moment before reaching into his pocket and pulling out the ring, holding it out in the palm of his hand.

“It’s just a ring now,” Osric said as the sage took the ring out of his hand. “The magic left it once we found the document you sent us for.”

The sage’s eyebrows rose, and he looked at Osric and Talia oddly. “I did not send you for a document.”

“Cinder led us to it,” Osric said, gesturing to the wolf. “Valen indicated that you knew Cinder, and I assumed that he guided us to the keep where we found the document on your orders.”

“Strange. That wasn’t my doing. It seems the Veilguard must have communicated with him directly.”

“He works for someone else? He can understand people? I mean, I knew he could, since he kind of does what we ask him to, but still ... wow.”

“Cinder is a special animal, indeed. He was found as a runt on the very boundary of Avendell, left to be nurtured by its magics. He has always been touched by the Veilguard, possessing abilities far beyond those of normal animals. Perhaps that is why they chose him to aid you in your quest,” the Sage said, before kneeling down, coming eye-to-eye with the wolf. “Have your new friends given you a name? Do you like it?”

Cinder pawed at the ground, his tail wagging as he let out a soft bark of affirmation. Maddox chuckled, running a hand through the wolf’s thick fur.

“Who are the Veilguard, and how can Cinder communicate with them? What is this ring, and how did it travel through time? What is the Veil? What is the Concordancy you mentioned? The document? What is all of this about?” Talia, who had been growing increasingly agitated, finally let out in a near solid stream.

The sage laughed again, much as Valen had done the last time Talia became overwhelmed with questions. She was less amused than Osric was, scrunching her face up in annoyance, which only made Osric smile more. Thankfully, her attention was on the sage and not him. He had experienced enough of her ire at people finding her amusing when she was being herself as children, he didn’t want to taste it now that he knew what kind of power she wielded.

“I was told you were full of questions. I can see they were right. Curiosity is a common trait in those bearing the taint of magic.”

“What ... what does that mean?” Talia said, finally glancing back at Osric, concerned by his choice of words.

“A good question, but not a simple answer. I was told you did not study with the conclave. Is this correct?”

Osric couldn’t help but wonder who had told the sage about that, since they had had that conversation with Valen, who hadn’t relayed any of what they had talked about before leaving to rejoin his people.

“No. I studied with an elder from my village. She studied at the conclave, but left many years ago after a dispute.”

“I see. Well, the simplest way to answer is by starting at the beginning. You see, Peridia is surrounded by a powerful force — call it energy, or magic if you will — that not only brought our world into being but also protects it from the rest of reality. This energy keeps us separate and protects us from those other realities: planes of ice and fire, spirit and life, death and all the other infinite realities that surround ours.”

Osric couldn’t help but let out a soft “wow” under his breath.

“I know it’s a big idea, Osric. But it’s important to understand that we are forever separated from those other realities, each protected from the other by this energy we call the veil. Tell me, Talia, where do you believe your magic comes from? The ability to weave the power you do?”

Talia hesitated for a moment before saying, “From the energies around us. Magic is everywhere, surrounding us.”

“Yes, that is what the conclave teaches, but it isn’t quite right. The magic you wield is a part of the veil itself. When you manipulate those energies, you are pulling at the very fabric of the veil, accessing the immense power it contains. And that,” the sage said, his tone growing more serious, “is where the danger lies.”

“What do you mean by danger? How can using magic be dangerous?” Talia asked.

“I know this is hard to accept, but it is because you, and the rest of the conclave, misunderstand the nature of magic itself. When you wield the energies from the veil, it is possible to remove a piece of it. A tiny thread, so small you might not even notice its absence.”

He plucked a single thread dangling from the sleeve of his robe, holding it up for Osric and Talia to see.

“Individually, it matters very little. As you can see, even though I removed this, my clothes are still functional,” he said, releasing the thread, letting it be carried away by a breeze. “But, over thousands of years, done by thousands of mages, those threads begin to add up. Worse is when the energies are used to imbue power into a more permanent object, such as a wand, a potion, or other enchanted items. What most enchanters probably don’t even realize they are doing is taking one of those threads and putting it into the item, cutting it from the veil entirely.”

“Surely the Conclave must know about this,” Talia said. “They ... control magic. Teach everyone to use it. They have to know what it is.”

“Maybe they do, it is hard to say. All I can tell you is that no one I, nor any of my predecessors, ever met from the conclave understands the true nature of magic. But ... I can give you proof that what I’m telling you is true. You see, all of these together have damaged the veil between realities. It is why more ... strange things have been happening in recent years. It is because the veil weakens. It’s where the strange creatures that wander our world, out of sync with it, have come from.”

“Do you mean Valen and the rest?” Osric asked, gesturing towards the forest where the stag-folk and briarwolves had led them into the grove.

“No, the stag-folk, the briarwolves, and others, live in harmony with our world. They were created by the gods, who made the veil when they created our world and are able to access it and use it safely.”

“Does that mean ... should I stop using magic? To keep from damaging the veil?” Talia asked, paling a bit as she absorbed what the sage was telling her.

“No, not directly. There are ways to use magic without harming the veil, and we can teach you those methods.”

“Really? I don’t have to give up magic entirely?” she asked hopefully.

“Of course not. Or at least, not entirely. Some magics, yes, you will have to avoid. Summoning, enchantments, raising the dead ... these require pieces of the veil to inhabit something, to turn the energies into physical form. Such acts always cause harm to the veil and should be avoided. But magics that redirect, move, or shift energies ... those are more like when a thread is pulled but then snaps back into place. You are using it, without breaking it,” he said, and then laughed softly to himself. “The metaphor isn’t perfect, but that’s the general idea.”

“I think I understand. Please, I would love to learn whatever you could teach me. I want to learn how to use my abilities without causing harm.”

“This is all fascinating, but I think we’re getting a bit off track here,” Osric said. “What about the other things? The Veilguard, the ring, the document, and most importantly, why these people are trying to kill us?”

“I can answer many of your questions, Osric, but not all of them. Some bits of knowledge I do not have, and others are not mine to share.”

“But you can tell me something?”

“Yes. The Veilguard are a group of gods who came together thousands of years ago, after an event known as the Reckoning. I should say they do not call themselves the Veilguard. That is what we call them. As I said before, they do not communicate with us directly, so we are often left to our own devices when it comes to defining the things they tell us. The Reckoning was a cataclysmic event when a single great tear in the veil destroyed the plains that have now become the Shadowfell Marshes, unleashing creatures from other realms onto our world. It threw our world into chaos where much of what was known was lost, which is why hardly anyone remembers a time before those dark times, thinking our world started there, instead of much earlier.”

“Who were these other people, who existed before our current kingdoms?” Talia asked.

“There was once a great nation, caretakers of magic and the veil. They are, in fact, my ancestors. The gods that wanted to protect and save Peridia gathered together the remnants of this civilization and brought them here, to what we now call Avendell. Together, they managed to close the tear and repair the damage to the veil. Since then, the Veilguard has worked through us to ensure the veil between realities remains intact, repairing what damage they can.”