The Veiled

August's brows furrowed at this. "The… Veiled?" she repeated, her eyes fixed on the otherworldly Charlotte.

"Yes, that which is concealed from our eyes and our awareness. It has been called many things—More, Mist, Shades, Darkness—but of course words, as magical as they themselves can be, fall short. And labels fix thoughts and definitions around belief. So the alyko have always just referred to it as… the Veiled," Charlotte explained as her cloudy blue eyes shone in the candlelight.

"Charlotte's mother and sister were alyko," Sylvia said quietly, and August suddenly recalled that there were others in the room.

"Oh my," August whispered, her thoughts stumbling to catch up as she looked back once again at the woman seated next to her. "I'm—I'm so sorry."