Ascending the Veil by Venessa Kimball Page A

Xander’s hand, and wipe away the newly fallen tears with the sleeve of my shirt. Elisha instinctively pulls back to give me some space. I try and control my trembling voice as I address the entire team. “They aren’t safe. Something over there is attacking them.”
    Xander adds, “They are being manipulated. Nate thought he was suffocating. Ezra said it was an illusion, but what if it wasn’t? Jesca was feeling what Nate was experiencing. If Ezra didn’t reach him when he did, they both might have died. If they aren’t safe, that means Jes is not safe.”
    Sebastian nods, looks at Daniel and says, “The beings know they are there.”
    Daniel nods, “When they ascended, the veil separating our realms, our universes, they created a ripple that could be felt among the beings there. Something had to have provoked the attack though. Michael Sanderson has his hands on this, I can feel it.”
    A bundle of nerves twists within me. Michael is after Ezra and Nate. Where is Sam in all this? I feel blind to everything that could be putting Ezra and Nate’s lives in danger. I growl between clinched teeth. “I have to go now , Sebastian.”
    Balthazar interrupts, “We have someone in route to help us with the coding. We recovered a hand full of additional transmitting devices in Sam’s safe house. They are similar to the one I used when I traversed to Sonde and discovered what was happening with the fellowship. It may be a long shot, but we are hoping they are calibrated with the coordinates for the wormhole that accessed the black hole that night in the forest. We just need to wait a little longer, Jesca.”
    I cut off Balthazar, “We don’t have time! They don’t have time Balthazar! Something is trying to kill them!”
    Sebastian spoke somberly, “If you go now, it is a leap of faith.”
    “Yes, I know!”
    Balthazar hisses, “We can’t let her do that, Sebastian!”
    Sebastian growls, “If this is Michael’s doing, he and Sam are over there stalking them both right now!”
    Balthazar quiets and looks at me. “You are taking a risk that is putting your own life in danger.”
    I fix my gaze on Balthazar. “For my father and for Nate, it is a risk I am willing to take.” I turn my gaze to Sebastian.
    Sebastian studies me for a moment, and then nods. “Tomorrow. You will go tomorrow with or without the coding device, I promise.”
    * * *
    After the experience with Xander, Nate and Ezra, I felt like crawling out of my skin. When I stalked out of the cafeteria, I told the team I needed to be alone to think. The facility was very different from the one I trained in back in Nevada. The hallways were more narrow and the rooms much smaller.
    I kind of zone out for a bit, roaming the halls, when my attention is drawn to a man’s voice behind a cracked doorway. It is choppy, and sounds like a recorded transmission, like the national weather transmissions. I look down both ends of the hall to make sure no one is approaching. I can sense there is no one in there, so I sneak in and shut the door behind me. The room is dark, except for the glow of two computer screens to my right on one long desk and one computer screen to my left on a desk. A small desk lamp illuminates a stack of papers, a newspaper, and an empty coffee mug. The voice from the television is a newscaster speaking English. They must have some kind of feed rigged from an American channel.
    Wait, the news is still running? What about all the chaos that was erupting days ago ? People running in the streets, looting, law enforcement and military taking control of the streets, militant factions beginning to form. After the intersection I thought our world would be a war zone, all lines of communication destroyed by the enemy invaders. I sit down on the chair closest to the screen on the desk as it illuminates with an image of a newscaster.
    “It has been over forty eight hours since citizens all of the world simultaneously witnessed and reported the ominous