Page 4 of Veiled

The lights from no less than five patrol cars crest the hill, painting us in flashing red and blue.

“Lee, it’s over,” he says, taking my hand in his. “Tell them it was me. You can live your life. You deserve to live it. Promise me.” His voice turns pleading when I don’t answer, “Promise me, Lee!”

But I can’t. I won’t let him sacrifice himself for something I did—something I should have done years ago.

So, instead of lying to the only real friend I’ve ever had, I wrap my good arm around him and try to memorize the way his heart beats and the unrelenting strength his hugs have fed into me after so many of my dad's brutal attacks. I remember all the times he’s been my protector, all the times he’s been my cheerleader, and I pray to any of the gods who will listen that I’ll be able to see him again.

“Get down, hands on your heads!”

The men I grew up around, the men who have ignored the bruises, heard the way my dad talked to me when he drank, who saw everything and chose to look the other way rather than stand up to their boss, surround us with their guns pointed and retribution in their eyes.

And maybe I hit my head too hard, but for the first time in my life, the fear inside me doesn’t belong to my dad, and somehow, that feels a bit like freedom.

Chapter two

Annalise

The day stretches long as we ride in silence in the back of the ancient white criminal transport van. The padding which once filled the seats, is so worn down that bits of remaining cushion now clump together like gravel under our butts.

Mile after mile, we travel across the open countryside, the trip only broken up by quick gas stops and stiff-legged bathroom breaks in the vilest of rest stops. Case in point, the one we just stopped at had stalls with no doors, and rusted metal seats promising the need for a tetanus tincture if you dared to sit down. There wasn’t even running water to wash my hands when I was done, so now I’m sitting in the backseat, scrunching my face because I refuse to scratch it after touching anything in that cesspool. Absolutely fucking perfect.

Overlooking the large town of Ravenwood, Scion Military Academy sits ahead of us like a crown atop the cliff it conquered. It’s a massive, jagged black-stone castle with towers so tall they reach into the clouds. Dense pine forests choke the edges of the cliff, standing guard around the Academy like silent sentries keeping the townspeople from ever getting too close.

Over the last eight weeks, Matt and I have been rotting in jail cells: starved, mocked, and paraded in front of my dad’s closest friends and co-workers, including Matt’s own father, for their entertainment. Despite their treatment, my injuries have managed to mostly heal on their own, not that they would’ve wasted a spelled tonic on me if they hadn’t.

The judge in South Hollow sentenced Matt and me to ten years of service in the Thandroanian military…unless we die in service to the kingdom’s war before then, of course. The prosecutor, a good friend of my dad’s, claimed Matt and I had tried to steal money before my dad caught us, and we “viciously attacked him," in our attempt to flee. I wish I could have been surprised when they were able to provide their clearly forged “hand-written plans” as proof, but South Hollow was built on nepotistic bullshit, and my dad is considered one of the good old boys.

Nothing we said, or our sloppy public defender who forgot our names as often as he forgot to zip his fly after bathroom breaks, did, was going to change that.

Several times throughout our trials, the judge even reminded us how “lucky” we were that my father was set to make a full recovery and was too heartbroken to request a harsher punishment. As if the half inch I missed his heart by is a blessing, not the curse of having to live in a world he still breathes in.

Maybe that’s why being forced into the military and facing imminent death hours away from home actually sounded like a pretty decent outcome.

The war against Clowess began nearly two decades ago when families living in towns close to the border separating the two kingdoms started vanishing. At first, it was dismissed as migration—whispers people had simply packed up and left to chase better opportunities. But as the disappearances multiplied and entire bloodlines seemed to disintegrate overnight, optimism gave way to fear.

What began as suspicion and accusations between neighboring kingdoms instantly escalated when one night left no room to doubt.

On the night of the Summer Solstice, when almost everyone had gone to bed, a Thandroanian border town was razed under the veil of night. Streets were reduced to ash, the people to bone. By morning, not a single survivor could be found.

King Lucen’s declaration of war came a few hours later: “Clowess has declared war on our families, our safety, and our future. We will answer with fire.”

That same day, dragons flew, and soldiers marched.

But despite Clowess requiring the oldest child from every family to join their military ranks to ensure they have more soldiers, King Lucen has maintained a strictly volunteer military, insisting loyalty must be chosen, not forced…at least, that was true, until us.

Chapter three

Annalise

Gravel crunches beneath the van's tires as we take the last switchback, and the massive iron gates of Scion Military Academy come into view. As the Corrections Transportation Officer who's been driving us all day rolls down his window, a guard steps out of a small outbuilding. His face is a map of scars and weathered skin, evidence of several battles fought in the unrelenting sun, and a peek into our futures.

“Names and orders?”

“Annalise Corvin and Matt Reyes. Conscripts to Charlie Company, reporting for intake,” our driver answers, passing him the required documents.

The guard's gaze flicks from our paperwork to us in the backseat, a clear look of disgust and a hint of surprise taking over his face for a split second.

With a wave of his hand, another guard steps out, unlatching the iron gates before us. He motions for our driver to follow the road to the left where a small parking lot has been carved into the side of the cliff in front of the castle.