The Veil Weavers Read Free Page B

of the wood. As I dipped the paddle into the river, it bit deep and the boat surged forward.
    The river snaked back and forth down a wide valley, the water a sparkling blue. Splashes of gold lit the riverbank as the last aspen leaves clung and spun in the wind.
    “There’s Castle Mountain,” I said, pointing with the blade of my paddle. The rising sun lit Castle in an orange glow, highlighting all the fissures in the mountain, with snow lying in bands like a layer cake.
    When we finally reached Castle I breathed out in relief, but Greyfur steered us to the mouth of a small stream.
    “Where now?” Maddy asked.
    “The Gathering is above the lake behind Castle Mountain,” said Greyfur.
    “You need to rest.”
    Greyfur just shook his head.
    We paddled up the stream, and as it grew smaller, the boat became smaller too. We shrank with it, becoming as small as the stream twisting around a maze of fallen trees. The crows were huge, flying high above us. I felt odd, constricted, as I struggled to paddle into the tangled forest.
    Maddy watched through her ring. “You’re pulsing,” she said. “It’s like your body wants to be bigger but magic is holding it in.” She examined her own hand, Greyfur and Eneirda, and the boat. “Magic is flowing from Eneirda into the boat so it can keep us small. And more magic is flowing from you and Greyfur into the paddles.”
    The stream wound through a forest of lodgepole pine, lichen hanging silvery grey from dead branches. When we reached a waterfall I stopped in shock. How could I paddle up that?
    But almost immediately we were rising up the waterfall, Greyfur digging his paddle in at the front of the boat. I leaned forward and joined him. If we took turns, we could keep it moving straight up, although I noticed it surged forward more for me than it did for Greyfur.
    Finally the stream calmed as the ground levelled out. With a moan, Greyfur slumped forward, exhausted.
    “Rest,” I said. “I can do this.” I could feel my body stretching as we grew and settled back into our normal sizes. Paddling felt no different, but my body felt better, like I could breathe fully again.
    I kept going, up the stream to the lake. All kinds of creatures were gathered at the far shore, waiting for us. With an escort of crows cawing above us, I paddled towards them. I felt deeply afraid.

Chapter Three

    The Gathering

    T he crowd of magic folk waiting for us seemed to grow larger and larger as we crossed the lake, a mass of beings shifting in and out of the shadows. I dug in and paddled faster, driven like the crows. Greyfur and Eneirda were totally still.
    The crows circled above us and began to caw in a raucous announcement of our arrival. Every creature waiting for the Gathering turned to look. I could hear the crows’ pride, but I just felt embarrassed.
    “Corvus,” I said quietly, and shook my head.
    Corvus cawed once and the crows fell silent. But they still flew overhead in a mass of black.
    Otter-people were waiting as we reached the shore. Shaking with exhaustion, Greyfur and Eneirda struggled to stand. The otter-people caught them, helped them from the boat and carried them to a small encampment on the shore of the lake, away from the others.
    I borrowed Maddy’s ring to watch. The magic that had surrounded them earlier was almost gone. What was left was thin and pale. Everything else around me glowed with magic, but it seemed to fade above the lake. That’s where I spotted a doorway in the veil, with a ragged gash stretching across it. Golden light poured through into the human world. All around it, the magic world looked faded and grey.
    The crowd of magic folk spread out along the lakeshore, staying far from the tear in the veil. They stayed away from me, too. I felt alone in the huge crowd, with only Maddy at my side. Well, Maddy and the crows, but they weren’t exactly a comfort. Corvus landed on my shoulder and cawed. The others settled around us, a coal-black honour guard.
    I