Dreamleaf Blues (The Book Wielder Saga)

by Sean Davies

  “So they knew about Supernaturals?” Genie asked, enthralled by the true history of the world.

  “Enough to hurt us,” Gaius said gruffly. “We didn’t flaunt what we were, but in those days we didn’t really hide it either. It didn’t help that we had some unknowing turn-coats in their righteous ranks. We call it the Shadow Wars, and it’s what brought our three races together in a unified front.”

  Genevieve frowned. “Why would Supernaturals help to kill other Supernaturals?”

  “They didn’t know they were Supernaturals,” Gaius chuckled. “There were Mages and Book Wielders who thought their powers were holy gifts from the Twin Goddesses. Their overwhelming faith gave them specialist spells that hurt and hindered other Supernaturals, and as the ancient scriptures depicted the Goddesses using similar powers to defeat and banish the world’s great evil, no one thought twice about it. It was that oversight that allowed us to wipe them from the face of the planet.”

  “You turned them on each other?” Genevieve assumed.

  “Correct,” he smiled menacingly. “When we learnt that we were fundamentally no different from the witch hunter’s best and brightest, a crafty Mage and his apprentice came up with a scheme to infiltrate their bases and spread dissention amongst their ranks. The Mage died, but his apprentice, the silver-tongued Silvario, went on to become the Mage representative of the Trinity. The Supernatural inquisitors that weren’t killed by their own side joined our ranks, and we soon won the day. Silvario grabbed the Sanctium recipe and as many vials of the fluid as he could, as their Grand Cathedral in the Capital was burnt and blasted into ashes and dust.”

  “And then you all retreated to the safety of the Catacombs, vowing to never again repeat the mistakes that almost led to your destruction. That is, until recently, during the Great War…” Genevieve filled in the gaps with her own limited knowledge. “How did no one human notice, though? People must have seen magic and Supernaturals in both conflicts, no matter how careful and discrete you all tried to be.”

  “They did. It didn’t matter much during the olden days as the stories just bled into all the other myths, legends, and superstitious bull-crap. After the fall of the Grand Cathedral, most of our kind was underground, so there was nothing concrete to confirm the stories circulating at the time,” Gaius explained. “The Great War is more or less the same – I sat that whole conflict out so I can’t tell you first-hand what went on from our end, but I’ve heard there was some pretty epic action. Werewolves clawing through tanks, Mages blowing battleships out of the water, and I even heard of a Vampire who used to jump from one plane to another…”

  “Sounds like you regret missing it all,” Genevieve said.

  “Nah,” he shook his head slowly. “It sounds cool, but living through it is another thing all together. One big war is enough for one lifetime, this gang-stuff is a cake walk in comparison.”

  “Anyway, how did it all get swept under the rug?” Genie said to steer him back on course.

  Gaius smirked. “They put most of it up to the ramblings of post-traumatic stress disorder, concussions, gas poisoning, some form of unseen energy contamination from the DVO missile, or just plain old madness. With a few well-handled bribes and the odd assassination, people regarded the stories with the same attention they pay to the people who claim to see clockwork monsters in the deep, dark DVO reservoirs, or the real-life Autumn Aardvark handing out big chocolate acorns on the first day of Fall.”

  Genevieve sighed. “I guess most people just see what they want to. I know I wouldn’t have believed any of this Supernatural stuff if it hadn’t been shoved in my face like that door was.”

  He nodded while spinning his blade to keep his hands busy. “I take it Seth told you about the Autocrat’s wife, if he talked to you about the war?”

  “Yeah, Seth said the Trinity had her killed and threatened his son to make sure he kept quiet,” Genevieve said grimly.

  “Well, I can guarantee if junior finds out daddy’s little secret about us Supernaturals then he’ll come gunning for us. From what I hear he’s inherited his father’s fiery fury,” Gaius warned. “If that day ever comes then I’ll- the Golden Fangs,” he corrected himself quickly, “will be ready. You see, I learnt the hard way that the best way to defeat your enemies is to take them by surprise…”

  Gaius suddenly lunged forward and hurled his fist towards Genevieve’s face. The attack took her completely off guard, and she leaned back as fast as she could, but it was too late. His knuckles smashed into Genie’s face and sent her flying backwards.

  Genevieve groaned and spat blood onto the wooden floor as she picked herself up onto her feet. She carefully felt her face; her nose was swollen and pointing in the wrong direction.

  “Bastard!” she yelled, and winced as her broken nose snapped itself back into place.

  Gaius laughed. “So you’re quick, but not so much when you’re caught off guard. Learn from that.”

  “Learn from what? Am I supposed to assume that everyone I talk to is going to smack me in the face?” Genie asked angrily.

  “It’s kept me alive this long,” Gaius said bluntly. “Did Seth tell you the basics about blood?”

  Genie nodded. She was too mad to talk.

  “When it comes to abilities, spells, and regeneration, Werewolves and Mages run on stamina. Like a human, but better. You Vampires are centred more on blood, and the more you do, the more energy you suck right from your bloodstream. You’ll never run out of blood without spilling it, but if you take too much of the freshness out, then you’ll gradually get clumsier and weaker. Leave it too long without topping up and you’ll start going the other way-”

  “You go Feral,” Genie interrupted moodily. “Seth taught me that lesson in a very practical way.”

  “Did he now? Well, he missed that part out,” Gaius said disapprovingly before continuing with his lesson. “Darting around like a lunatic drains blood, clouding yourself in shadows drains blood, healing a broken nose-”

  “Drains blood, yeah, yeah, I got it,” she interrupted again.

  Gaius walked over to a mini fridge and dug out a blood pack from amidst a horde of beer bottles. He tossed it to Genie and waited for her to drain it before carrying on.

  “How would you like a chance to get revenge for your nose?” he asked with a big grin and a sparkle in his yellow eyes.

  Genevieve tossed the empty plastic in a nearby bin and spun her blade confidently. “Gladly,” she said, without dropping her guard for an instant.

  Gaius gestured for Genie to attack, and she pounced towards him. She slashed, kicked, and punched as quickly as she could, but he dodged, ducked, parried, and blocked every assault. When his arms or legs deflected her melee attacks Genevieve felt as though she was hitting a brick wall.

  With an infuriatingly smug grin, Gaius began to fight back in earnest. He lashed out with quick, nimble attacks, and as Genevieve dodged them he would come down on her with his impressive strength. Genie puffed and panted as she deflected his incredibly strong blows, struggling to find any room for a counterattack.

  Genevieve thought back to when Seth had been teasing her with the blood back in her apartment, and to when Scythe had attempted to show her up at the restaurant, and realised that she had taken them both by surprise with her newly-formed natural skills. Gaius was prepared for her speed and he was ready for her attacks, especially as he had taught her most of them, and Genie realised that to win she would have to catch him out with something unconventional.

  Gaius swung his blade towards Genie’s face, and instead of dodging the attack, she used all her strength to block the powerful swing with her own weapon. Gaius grinned evilly as he gradually pressed Genevieve’s blade to the side, but the young Vampire had no intention of stopping his attack. She let go of her weapon and slid to the ground in a flash of movement. Genie slid along the wooden floor between Gaius’ thick legs, caught her falling blade and thrust it upwards, stopping mere millimetres from his groin.
/>   “Yield,” he shouted, “I yield!”

  The Supernaturals around the room looked on in amazement, and some of them clapped and cheered.

  Gaius helped Genevieve to her feet, but she watched him closely the whole time in case he decided to test her awareness.

  “Thanks,” she said after a long pause, content that no surprise attack was coming.

  “No worries,” he smiled. “With the right training you’ll be a thing of deadly beauty. Now, let’s dial it up a notch.”

  Gaius quickly undressed, and Genevieve looked around in confusion. No one else was paying the head of security any heed.

  “What are you doing?” Genevieve groaned, hoping that fighting wasn’t his equivalent of foreplay.

  He laughed. “I don’t want to ruin my clothes.”

  Genevieve noticed that even the long body hair on the muscular man seemed arranged and tidy, as though every inch of his being was neat and strict. She wasn’t into guys, but even Genie had to admit that he was incredibly well-built, and his broad chiselled figure was both intimidating and inviting. Gaius had finished folding his clothes in a neat pile, and as Genevieve watched on in bewilderment, she noticed that his black body hair had begun growing rapidly.

  His body began to swell, and his teeth and nails lengthened. Gaius hunched over and his muscles pumped out dramatically, hair grew over his elongating face, and his yellow eyes glimmered with ferocity. In less than a minute, Gaius had transformed into a towering jet-black Werewolf.

  Genevieve looked up at the huge snarling beast and was paralysed by shock. Gaius, in his Brutebeast form, stalked over to the wall and pulled down a long halberd with his vicious looking claws.

  “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me…” Genie cursed, and forced her panicked mind to snap back into focus.

  The Werewolf bared his long white fangs in a savage grin before sweeping the halberd at the young Vampire. Genevieve had no chance of blocking such a powerful attack, and instead she cartwheeled and somersaulted out of the way. The sharp weapon whistled as it sped through the air, narrowly missing her every time. Eventually Genevieve got brave enough to attempt a counterattack, but as she closed in she was greeted by a set of razor-sharp claws that grasped for her face. Genie recoiled as the halberd came for her again, the heavy metal thudding into the wooden floor, and Genie saw her opportunity. Before Gaius could yank the large weapon free, Genie ran up the shaft of the halberd and prepared to slash at the Werewolf’s face. Gaius opened his mouth wide and snapped his jaws at Genevieve like a hungry crocodile, however, Genevieve jumped off the shaft, flipped over the savage black Werewolf, and landed on its back. She grabbed his thick black fur to keep steady and held her blade to Gaius’ furry neck.

  Gaius stilled himself and let out a deep, raspy laugh.

  Genevieve smirked. She still didn’t consider herself to be a fighter, let alone a killer, but she was glad that she could at least defend herself well.

  While Genie was enjoying her apparent victory against the monstrous creature, the Werewolf jumped upwards and smashed Genevieve into the stone ceiling. The collision wasn’t strong enough to damage the fort, but Genevieve was still crushed against the ancient stonework with enough force to knock her senseless. When Gaius landed, she rolled off his back and smacked onto the floor.

  His body shrank, and the vast majority of his hair receded. Gaius settled into his human form and proceeded to get dressed. All the while, Genevieve’s body spasmed and twitched as it quickly repaired itself.

  “You’re good,” Gaius said proudly, “exceptionally good. You need a drink?”

  Genie got up onto her feet, brushing her shirt and skirt off. “No thanks,” she was surprised to say.

  Gaius put the halberd back where it belonged and reached above the mantel, selecting a strange sword in a black and silver scabbard.

  “You almost had me,” he admitted as he walked back, “but out there, almost doesn’t cut it. Do whatever it takes to survive, regardless of if it’s fair or not, or else you won’t be around long enough to regret it. It’s like the old military saying: kill your enemies or be killed. It’s blatant indoctrination but still very true.”

  Genevieve nodded as she eyed the sheathed blade warily. She was tired of being caught out by the sly Werewolf. However, instead of another surprise attack, Gaius handed her the exotic sword.

  Genie hesitantly took the sword from Gaius, and when nothing bad happened she began to study the weapon. The scabbard was curved and made of polished black wood, and it was decorated with swirling silverwork patterns resembling either rolling waves or clouds. She put her hand on the hilt, which was wrapped in a criss-cross of expertly woven material that was both soft to the touch and easy to grip, and pulled the blade free. The strange curved blade was nearly as reflective as a mirror and looked sharp enough to slice through steel. Down the flat edges of the blade were thin crystal glyphs and runes that sparkled when they caught the light. Genevieve gave it a few practise swings and it felt perfectly balanced, and she imagined dreamily that the blade was cutting through the air rather than gliding through it.

  “Why is it curved?” Genevieve asked as she studied the wondrous weapon.

  “It helps it cut better,” Gaius explained. “It’s from the Tropican Archipelago. They call it a Katana, and the scabbard’s known as a Saya. The blade is Spell-forged steel; a combination of Alchemy, magic, and regular old blacksmithing. It was an art form passed down the generations of master blacksmiths, but it was sadly lost in the Shadow Wars, which makes Spell-forged weapons priceless. Those humans didn’t get off any easier than we did, and it’s a shame we didn’t turn any when we had the chance… hindsight’s a bitch, huh?”

  “Sorry, what does it do?” Genevieve asked as she studied the thin crystal markings with mystified awe.

  “Depends from weapon to weapon,” Gaius replied. “This one is indestructible, which is good in the hands of a Supernatural. You don’t have to worry about shattering the blade when you miss your mark and hit a wall or something.”

  “It’s very nice…” Genie said respectfully. “But why am I holding it?”

  “It’s yours,” Gaius said with a charming smile. “For your loyalty, of course.”

  “I already told Seth-” Genevieve began.

  “Saying and doing are two very different things,” he interrupted. “So what do you say, are you really with us?”

  Genie sheathed the Katana and nodded firmly. She still couldn’t imagine following Seth, but she did at least respect Gaius’ wisdom and strength. He was like a strict teacher that she feared but also wanted to impress.

  “Good,” he said in a pleased tone. “I don’t hand out priceless relics to every newly-made Supernatural, you know. I’ll get you a back strap for it.”

  As the head of security walked off, Genevieve gave the sword a few more swings, and wondered in amusement if the enchanted blade would help her find Annabelle like she was the hero in one of her fantasy books. Then a loud purring from behind made Genie jump, and she span on the spot to see a massive black lynx regarding her with curious yellow eyes.

  The beast began changing into human form, and Genevieve was soon faced with a stunning black-skinned woman with wild dark hair and silky-smooth skin.

  “I thought I smelt a true beauty,” the woman said in a sweet Tropican accent. Her feline eyes regarded Genie with the same curiosity as they had in her lynx-form.

  “Werewolf Swiftpaw, right?” Genevieve asked while trying not to stare.

  The woman smiled. “You catch on quick for a newbie. I’m Varsara, and you must be the Genevieve that Seth’s so smitten with. It is a pleasure to meet you.”

  Genevieve went to shake her hand, but Varsara leant in closely and kissed both of her cheeks softly.

  Genie blushed. “Yes, nice to meet you.”

  Gaius approached holding Genie’s equipment. “Varsara, shouldn’t you be working?” he asked coldly.

  “I just got back from working,” she repli
ed icily. “They want this cutie to get Chloe and meet them in the War Room.”

  “Message received,” Gaius said rudely. “Now, back downstairs you go.” He shooed her with his hands.

  Varsara hissed at Gaius and blew Genevieve a kiss. “We’ll catch up later,” she said confidently before slinking back into her lynx-form and leaving the room on all fours.

  Genie shot Gaius a puzzled look regarding his attitude, but he completely ignored it and instead helped her to fit the Katana firmly on her back.

  “Chloe’s our Book Wielder,” Gaius said, breaking the awkward silence. “Head up a stairwell and look out for the library – you can’t miss it – and you’ll find her inside.”

  Genie looked confused. “Why am I getting her?”

  “Your first mission, I guess,” he replied with a smile.

  “This soon?” she gasped.

  Gaius shrugged. “Guard duty isn’t that hard, and you won’t be going alone. You’ll be fine,” he added reassuringly. “You’d better be off, we’ll pick up where we left off sometime soon.”

  “You never answered my question earlier,” Genevieve said as she mentally flicked through all that she’d learnt that evening.

  “What one?” he asked unhelpfully.

  “The one about you not fitting the Golden Fang profile,” she said quietly. “You seem more of a leader type than Seth.”

  He shushed her before quickly drawing her close, and while he pretended to adjust her sheath again he whispered in Genie’s ear. “Power is a funny thing. Sometimes you can achieve more out of sight than you can in the limelight. Take the Autocrat as an example; imagine if no one knew who he was, or where to find him…”

  “He’d still be the same fire-hearted tyrant that brought the world to its knees,” Genevieve said under her breath. “So, Seth and his boys are the front-men, while you guide and influence them in the background?”