War Hammer: A Nate Temple Supernatural Thriller Book 8 (The Temple Chronicles)

by Shayne Silvers

  Just like my Mask. My skin had turned into the same material when I donned the power.

  I wasn’t really sure what to make of that. Was Gunnar tied to me as a Horseman? Was I officially a Horseman now? Or was it simply a result of the family rune he had on his wrist – the rune that had first allowed him to control his werewolf form as a child – the rune that tied him to my family, and the protections that Chateau Falco granted the Temple Clan.

  Had the magic of my Mask simply reacted oddly to his rune?

  “Because my dad was blackmailed into helping them,” I finally said.

  The group grew very quiet. “We should probably get back inside,” Gunnar said, shelving my comment for later. “What do you want to do with the bod—”

  The body burst into flame behind me, because I was already walking away, heading back to the house, my mind a wash of dark thoughts.

  “Everyone get inside. Clean up. Get some rest and some food. I’ve got a few things to take care of. We’ll talk later,” I said over my shoulder.

  Chapter 5

  I let my friends walk back to the house without me as I headed back over to the white tree where we had been playing only minutes ago.

  I stared up at the tree as I approached, considering. The branches waved slowly, undulating. I stepped up to the trunk, and the entire tree slowly hunkered down to meet me, the branches sagging lower as if trying to give me a hug. I placed my hand on the trunk and focused intently, reaching out with my mind.

  “Kai?” I asked tentatively.

  Yes, a familiar voice responded. Thank you for saving Alex. I couldn’t reach him from within the tree.

  I knelt on the grass, wanting to maintain contact with the wood, even though I wasn’t sure it was necessary. “Is that your real name?”

  The entity inside the tree was silent for a time, as if considering how to answer. In a way. It has been a long time since I considered it. I’ve carried many names over the years, but that one felt right when Alex asked what he could call me.

  I nodded. “I like it.” I turned to lean my back against the tree. “What’s up with that?” I asked, staring up above me. A very large treehouse was tucked into the branches, as if part of the tree itself. Or as if it had been there for fifty years, even though it had only appeared a week ago. “I’ve been meaning to ask, but no one else seems to have even noticed it.”

  The voice chuckled. I like Alex. I feel like he’s a long-lost brother. He is kind, even though he has every reason to be otherwise. Out of all the places he could have gone for solitude, he came to me – to my… tree. So, I helped him. I figured every boy should have a friend… and a secret treehouse, he chuckled, the bark shifting against my back.

  I smiled distantly, nodding. “That’s really cool of you, Kai. Thank you.” I felt the tree vibrate slightly, as if shrugging his shoulders. “Why are you still here?” I asked. “It wasn’t my intention to trap you inside the tree. Did I mess something up?” I asked apologetically.

  The bark grew warm beneath my back, and I was fairly certain that the being inside was mirroring my position on the ground from inside the tree itself. I wanted to stick around. Get some rest, stretch a bit. Haven’t really figured out what I want to be when I grow up, I guess. I never really considered what I would do with freedom, because it isn’t typically granted to us.

  I nodded. “Well, if you need anything from me, let me know. You don’t have to stay here if you don’t want to.”

  I know. But I have my reasons. And then there’s Alex… he trailed off. Everyone could use a friend. A family. He sounded wistful as he said it.

  “You don’t have to do that. Alex has friends here. He has a family,” I pressed politely.

  Kai was silent for a time. I wasn’t speaking of Alex. I was speaking of myself.

  I blinked, and then laughed. “Well, you’re family, too. Unless you decide to go all crazy on me. You help out, do what you can to keep my friends safe, and you can stay as long as you want. Just let me know if you’re going to take my tree away. I’m kind of fond of it, now.”

  He grunted, and silence soon enveloped us. I realized that I could no longer hear the sound of hammers from the workers outside. I looked over to see the laborers in a tight huddle, talking animatedly. I sighed, preparing to climb to my feet and figure out exactly what had happened.

  Do you know how long it has been since I was allowed to play? Kai asked me in a soft whisper.

  I turned to stare at the bark, placing my hand on it again. “I guess I never thought about it,” I admitted. “Did you have fun today?”

  He chuckled. Oh, yes.

  I grinned. “Good, but you’re required to always be on my team.”

  Then Alex will be on your team as well…

  I smiled. “Deal. I need to go run and take care of some things. Let me know if you ever need anything, Kai. Some fertilizer or something, I guess.”

  The branches slowly rose back up into their normal position for a tree, and I nodded to myself. I had a new level of what I constituted as weird, and a talking tree just wasn’t in it. I climbed onto the ATV and turned the ignition. Then I made my way over to the laborers, who were suddenly all watching me.

  I pulled up to the broken wall and hopped off the ATV.

  “Hey,” I said, approaching them, assessing their progress on the wall – which had been broken in my war with the Greeks, led by my ex-fiancée, Indie.

  I received very odd looks in return, and realized that I was still covered in paint. I smirked, holding my hands out at my attire and shrugging.

  “Our brother is missing,” Danny Regazio, the leader of the crew, said. He took off his hat – one of those ones that looked like the Fidel Castro style cap, and the sun struck his steel-gray eyes. He was thin and wiry, but I had seen him wrestle with his brothers on break. He was stronger than he looked. He was never clean-shaven, but it wasn’t quite a beard either, just a thick scruff.

  “Was he black?” I asked.

  Danny frowned at me. “No. What kind of question is that?” he asked, clearly distraught at the situation, not comprehending my random question. I sighed. That was something, at least. It meant that the black wizard had most likely killed or taken his brother to steal the gray coveralls they all wore.

  Fearing the worst, I closed my eyes and tried to reach out with my senses again. Like I had when saving Alex. Almost immediately, I felt something under one of the vans near the back of the row, away from the worksite. It was faint, but it made me smile in relief.

  I ran over to the vehicle, and crawled down onto my knees. “Help!” I called out loudly, but I needn’t have bothered. They had followed me as soon as I began running. I found a body tucked up against the wheel under the van, hastily stashed out of sight. They erupted in shouts of joy as they saw their unconscious brother. They pulled him out, shaking him and patting his cheeks eagerly. He was a broad-chested, hairy one. Built like a blacksmith, and currently wearing only thong-style underwear with an Italian flag on the front. I grimaced at that and dipped my head at Danny as the man woke with a gasp. He stared at me, a very thoughtful look on his face.

  “He was knocked unconscious,” I said. “I found the man who stole his clothes, but I took care of him already. You should get your brother to the hospital just to make sure he’s okay. Take the rest of the day off.”

  Danny took a step closer, speaking under his breath. “I would very much like to speak with this man,” he said in an aggressive tone.

  I nodded in understanding. “That won’t be possible, Danny.” His shoulders tightened in anger, assuming I had handed the man over to the police or something. I placed a hand on his shoulder, meeting his eyes. “I took care of him. He won’t be talking to anyone. Ever again. I don’t tolerate thieves. But you should know that he tried to kidnap a kid,” I said, pointing a thumb over my shoulder. “My kid. I think my anger trumps what was done to your brother. No offense.”

  Danny stepped back, a look of profound disbelief on hi
s face. It slowly transformed into a very dark, satisfied nod. He was impressed. “I think I enjoy working for you, Master Temple. I would consider it an honor to work on any other projects for you in the future.”

  I smiled. “Show me what you can do with this wall and I’ll consider it, Danny,” I said, pointing at the remains of the battered wall surrounding my property. The wall Hercules and his pals had destroyed a few weeks ago. Then I placed a finger over my lips, indicating silence on the matter of the infiltrator.

  He chuckled. “We Italians know how to keep a secret. And how to solve problems. Your actions will be kept secret from others, but my brothers need to know the truth. Or they might decide to investigate.” I nodded in agreement as he turned to walk away. As if an afterthought, he halted, turning back to me. “I forgot to tell you. I know you wanted to be kept updated on who is working on the project here.” I nodded. “I had a man ask for work. My brothers have worked with him before on other projects over the last few years, but I wanted to ask you first before bringing him here to help.”

  “He hasn’t worked here yet, right?” I asked, thinking back on the wizard who had just tried to infiltrate my home. Danny shook his head. “What’s his name?” I was pretty sure I was being paranoid, because Danny had said his brothers had worked with this guy in the past. For years. Still, paranoia was only crazy when it was wrong.

  “Leo Vasilias,” he said with a shrug. “He’s a hard worker, or I wouldn’t mention it.” He glanced at the wall. “And this is one hell of a job.” His eyes met mine, curious, but not accusing. “We found claws in the rubble. Some blood, too…”

  I waited for a time, considering my response. Danny was a Regular, but he and his brothers did good work. They had also done some work for my father at Temple Industries, and had jumped on this offer for lower than their competitors’ bids, simply wanting to work with me rather than make the most money possible from a billionaire. “Why did you offer less money?” I asked.

  Danny sighed. “Your father paid for his wife’s surgery,” he said in a soft voice, jerking a thumb at one of his brothers. “To be honest, they wanted to charge even less… But I’m a greedy bastard, and didn’t want it to look like we were begging. The work is worth what we offered.”

  I chuckled at his last comment, nodding. Then my face grew serious. “I didn’t know about the surgery.”

  He nodded. “I only mentioned it because you asked, and I’d rather not lie. My brothers liked your father a great deal. And he helped us when we were just starting out.”

  I reached out a hand, grateful for his honesty. “If you trust this Leo, bring him on. Make this the best wall you’ve ever constructed – in record time – and I’ll add on a bonus. As well as a contract to work any future projects. First right of refusal.”

  He shook my hand with a pleased grin, and then dipped his head. “As you wish, Master Temple. We’ll make you proud.”

  He winked, and then turned back to his brother. Someone had pulled out a pair of sweatpants and an extra shirt. Danny gathered them close, pointing a thumb over his shoulder at me, speaking animatedly in a low tone. I saw their eyes widen in surprise, and then respect as one-by-one they turned to acknowledge me with nods of appreciation, wariness, respect, and loyalty.

  I tipped an imaginary hat at them and hopped back onto my ATV.

  I looked up at the sun, and let out a deep breath, realizing the time. I was anxious to speak with some people who were waiting for me at the house. Well, they better be waiting for me at the house. Otherwise I was going to hunt them down myself.

  Chapter 6

  I sauntered through the front door – that was now coated with powdered paint – to find Dean scrubbing the entryway floor where some of the paint had made it inside. My butler scowled up at me. Dean was a little older than my dad would have been, but he didn’t show his age. He was neatly dressed in a very expensive suit from Thomas Pink, because working for my family had made him what some may call a clothing snob.

  I shrugged guiltily. “Need some help?”

  He dropped his sponge and climbed to his feet. “The lizard keeps shedding.”

  I nodded. “I hear they do that,” I said, trying to keep my face serious.

  “But they aren’t the size of a man, and they don’t leave them in areas where guests could find them,” he argued.

  “I’ll talk to Carl,” I sighed. “You know he’s not good at these things.” Because Carl was an Elder – a reptilian monster who lived with me. His kind had been banished from the world a long time ago, considered too dangerous to walk free. And when the entire magical community agrees on a thing, you can pretty much bet that they’re right. So, Carl was an anomaly. He had found his way out of his prison, and after a lot of his brothers had betrayed me, had stuck around, even defending me from them.

  But he had some domestic skills that needed polishing. Like not leaving dead skin around the house. Because reptiles shed their skin.

  Dean was scowling at nothing. “People will think we have a goddamned anaconda wandering loose,” he muttered. I blinked, my gast flabbered at his curse, because it was completely unlike him, which meant he was well and truly past his comfort zone. “Follow me,” he said, blushing furiously at his outburst, turning to head towards the sitting room to our right.

  Frowning at his change of topic, I obeyed. It was always beneficial to humor Dean. Especially if he was this upset. He could very literally make my life miserable in any number of frustrating ways. Because he ran Chateau Falco like a pirate ship. For example, if I drove too fast on the driveway, I was liable to find deflated tires in the morning. Things like that.

  I entered the sitting room to find a fire already going, casting the room in a toasty haze. I wanted nothing more than to just sit down and relax, but knew that Dean would very literally kill me if I got paint on the furniture.

  Dean plucked up two packages off a side table and handed them over to me.

  I recognized one as something I had ordered for Carl a few weeks ago. But the other package was a dark, wooden chest. Real wood, not a cardboard package. I saw an emblem carved into it – two ornate letter D’s. I accepted it, grunting curiously. The box looked like an antique of some kind, probably worth its weight in gold. I looked up at Dean, frowning. “What is this?”

  He shrugged. “It was on your doorstep.”

  I stared at him, suddenly uneasy. “How the hell did it make it to the doorstep? The Guardians would have eviscerated any mailman.” Because griffin sentinels guarded my home, living constructs of stone that didn’t play well with trespassers.

  Dean met my eyes. “There was no mailman. It was simply there. The Guardians saw nothing.” Knowing me, he shook his head. “There is nothing dangerous about it. Falco checked.”

  I nodded slowly, feeling my shoulders relax slightly. My house had checked it for booby traps, which was cool. Like Kai and the tree outside, my house actually contained a Beast as well – one of those sentient beings that typically partnered up with Makers to give them godlike powers. Someone had freed it very long ago, and used my house as a giant spell to trap it. But it didn’t seem bothered by this. We were kind of pals. Maybe after a life of being bonded to someone, the Beasts needed some sort of symbiotic relationship with another entity, and were incapable of living on their own.

  Regardless, you could say my house was alive, and you would be kind of right.

  Punctuating this, my house purred, the beams above our heads seeming to vibrate in a soothing rumble.

  “Thanks, Falco,” I said, staring down at the box. After Alex’s near abduction, I had instantly feared the worst. That this box might contain some sort of trap or bomb of some kind. A gift from Castor Queen. I studied the box more intently, impressed at the quality. “Darling and Dear…” I read out loud. “From Kansas City.” I looked up at Dean questioningly.

  “Never heard of them,” he said, staring at the box. “I tried researching them, but found nothing alarming. Nothing at all, in fact.
Like they don’t exist.”

  I grunted thoughtfully. Odd. It sure looked like it came from an established company of some kind. They had a custom wooden shipping box. A new thought hit me. It was almost my birthday. Had Callie Penrose sent me a gift? I wasn’t sure if she knew when my birthday was, but Kansas City was her stomping grounds. She hunted monsters for the Vatican there. I tucked both packages under one arm, wanting to open the one for me in private, having no idea what it was, but kind of hoping that it was from the beautiful white-haired wizard.

  Because like a schoolboy, I was pretty sure I was crushing on her. Even though neither of us had any time for that sort of thing. “Are they here yet?” I asked Dean. He peeled his curious eyes from the box and nodded. “In the Solarium. I told them you would be along shortly. After you cleaned up. Because you’re about to go shower. Like the other vagrants who you let live here.”

  It wasn’t a question.

  I chuckled, nodding. “Don’t worry. I wouldn’t dare risk getting paint on anything.”

  He grunted, and then pointedly glanced down at my feet and then behind me on the floor. I looked down to find a trail of painted footsteps ending where I stood. I sighed.

  “Damn it. I’m sorry, Dean,” I said, using my toes to kick off the heels of each boot. Then I picked them up with my free hand and walked back to the door, setting them outside. I would pay for that. I just knew it.

  I turned to find Dean only a foot away, peering over my shoulder to verify the boots were outside. He didn’t look pleased at my solution, but somewhat mollified that the offending boots were at least outside his safe space. I knew they would be gone, washed, and placed somewhere he preferred before I even made it upstairs.

  “Can you make sure they have refreshments while I get cleaned up?” I asked him.

  He grunted dismissively. “Already done, of course.”

  I grinned. “Thanks, Dean. Up high,” I said, holding out my free hand.