The Veil Weavers Read Online Free PDF Page A

way he said human), “can do what no human should be able to do. Tss. He can touch our magic. He can use our magic.”
    The crowd hissed.
    “That makes him magic folk.”
    More hisses, and a cry, “But he’s human!”
    “Yes, human and magic. Tss . We have not had one before. We have had humans live in our world in happiness, hnn , like Maddy, but none who were strong in magic. Only this boy.”
    The crowd booed and hissed.
    Greyfur held up a hand for silence and continued. “Veil was created by Ancients Ones. There are no Ancient Ones now. Only veil and tears. Sssst! And this boy. Only this boy has hope of fixing tears.”
    I choked on that.
    “Only this boy, this magic human boy, can repair veil between human and magic worlds.”
    But how? my brain was screaming. No one else seemed to care about that. They listened and thought and then the larger buffalo spoke. “Let the boy do it. The boy will fix the veil.” And they believed it, like the problem was already solved. They yelped and howled and cawed; I just felt incredulous. What did they think I was going to do?
    Keeper raised a huge hand and the magic folk grew silent again. He called out, “Is it the Will of the Gathering to support Josh in his effort to repair the veil?”
    The magic folk shouted their approval, the birds cawing and trilling, gruff hurrahs from the buffalo. I heard some grumbles, but once it was clear that most magic folk approved, the grumbling stopped.
    “Then this is the Decision of the Gathering, and all are bound by it.” Keeper’s voice resonated with power again, with the old magic of the Gathering.
    “What does that mean?” I asked Keeper, as he turned to Maddy and me.
    “It means we all must help you, whatever you need, so use it carefully.”
    I felt burdened by this task, by their trust and support. They would give me anything I asked? That was too much! This was all too much. But when I turned to tell them, everyone was leaving. The Gathering was over.

Chapter Four

    The Ancient Ones

    I stood staring as creatures left – running, flying, or simply vanishing into the forest. Aleena walked to the lakeshore, ready to water travel, to become water and flow as water, but Keeper called out to her. “Aleena, we may need your help.”
    She stood, one foot in the lake, looking like she’d rather be anywhere else. But something in Keeper’s face held her. She closed her eyes for a moment, nodded and stepped back from the water’s edge.
    When the buffalo walked past, the larger one said, “If there’s any way we can help, let us know.”
    “Thank you,” said Keeper.
    As they walked down the shore of the lake, I could hear a low, rumbly song drifting back on the breeze:
    Land of the silver birch,
    home of the beaver...
    “There are buffalo in the magic world?” asked Maddy.
    “Of course,” said Keeper. “There always were. Then, when the buffalo in the human world were being hunted and we realized humans were going to kill them all, we opened doorways and rescued whole herds. Some have absorbed more magic than others.” He nodded at the buffalo walking down the valley. “They came from the human world. As they soaked up magic, they found their voices. They love to talk and sing.”
    Maddy giggled. I thought it was oddly sweet and a little comforting that something human wasn’t despised.
    We joined Greyfur and Eneirda beside the lake. Aleena sat on the opposite side of the group from Keeper. The crows joined us, Corvus strutting on the ground beside me, the others perched or flying nearby. The little girl crow leaned against my knee.
    “Beloved of crows,” Maddy muttered.
    “Shush,” I said. But I gently petted the crow’s soft back.
    When we were all settled, Maddy said, “No one else is going to help?”
    “We called the Gathering,” said Keeper, nodding to Greyfur, Eneirda and Corvus. “Now we know the Will of the Gathering. The others will help if we ask. That is enough.”
    “Now it is up to Josh,”