The Survivor - Veil Walkers Book One

Chapter One

Author's Note:

Hi there! Thanks for clicking on my book. This is the first of three novels in the Veil Walkers series, and they're all one long story, so I don't suggest reading them out of order. You'll get a little lost. The second book, Over Yonder, picks up right where this one leaves off.

Dedicated to my grandmothers. Sorry I didn't get it finished in time.

Chapter One

Denmark, 1387 CE - Galen

THE smoldering wood to Galen's right shifted, grabbing his attention. The stench of burning flesh filled the air, and a stone wall clattered as it collapsed on the opposite side of the village square. It mattered little to the five warriors gathered near the village well, who focused instead on their fallen sister.

Nathalie lay curled on herself as her blood pooled on the charred ground. Galen knelt beside her, holding her hand. Through the filth that caked her body, Galen saw that the color had drained from her face and her gaze was distant. Her black hair had matted with mud when their enemy had thrown her across the square and blood dripped from her mouth.

Galen, oblivious to the wound in his upper arm, whispered a prayer as she squeezed his hand, and hoped it wouldn't be the last time he felt her touch.

As another member of their party, the lithe Asian woman named Sumiko, gathered Nathalie in her arms, Galen pulled off his outer tunic. He wrapped it around Nathalie's horrid shoulder wound and secured the knot to staunch the blood flow. With the help of a third soot-covered member of their team, they bore the suffering warrior into Sumiko's arms.

Galen turned toward the area with the least rubble and brought a ball of ocean blue energy to his fingertips. He manipulated it without thought, twisting it until it became a seven-foot disc standing perpendicular to the ground.

As the center flashed into existence, Galen turned to Nathalie. "Hey," he whispered as he took Nathalie's hand again. "Hang in there. Astrid will have you patched up in no time."

Nathalie coughed, splattering his sweat-stained inner tunic with blood. She forced a smile and failed to focus her gaze on him. "You still... owe me that—"

"Box of candy bars, I know. Coffee crisps, frozen, just how you like them." He raised his eyes to the others, who watched in varying degrees of exhaustion and shock.

Sumiko shifted Nathalie and met Galen's eyes. Unless they got her to medical help, she had no chance. He reluctantly stepped away, clearing the path for Sumiko.

The Asian stepped into the magic and vanished, along with the trans-temporal portal.

They couldn't go with them through this portal. The two needed time to clear the landing zone and get Nathalie to the infirmary. They didn't need four others rushing in to make chaos of the scene.

He swallowed hard and crossed to the only remaining woman in the group. He swept a hickory ringlet from her eyes and drew her into a hug, holding her until another shift in the rubble caught his attention.

Galen released the woman when it happened and pushed her behind him protectively. He drew on exhausted energy reserves to summon an ocean blue colored ax, hoping this wasn't another attack. The past three hours of off-and-on battle had worn the team to near exhaustion. They had been too slow, too worn out, to get to Nathalie in time when the final attack came.

The others forced themselves from their prayers and tears, focusing on the glow of Galen's weapon against the darkness. It showcased his damp under tunic and the sweat streaks along his pale, dirty flesh.