Dreamleaf Blues (The Book Wielder Saga)

by Sean Davies

  “Nah, Chaz is down in Gaelliard having a snoop about, and Archie’s down the Catacombs shopping for Alchemy gear as we need to get more peeps on drug production to make up for Chloe o’Crappy,” Goldfang explained. “And Scythe’s back at the Grill, which leaves me all alone…” he added in an over-exaggerated sad tone.

  “You’ve got Gaius,” Genie replied playfully.

  “I’d rather have your company,” Seth chuckled, “on so many levels!”

  Genevieve laughed while discretely checking that the vials of sleeping potions were still in her handbag.

  Seth’s bedchambers were large and lavish. The walls were adorned with the gang’s banners, expensive looking landscapes, and explicit posters of naked women. He had a giant four-poster bed with chequered gold, black, and red drapes and sheets, his own minibar beside the bed with a large drink-filled fridge beside it, a big CD sound system, and three golden stripper poles in one corner of the room next to two large leather sofas. The rest of the polished wood furnishings looked extremely old and expensive, but were covered in drink stains and other signs of careless negligence.

  He hopped onto the bed as soon as the wooden door was shut. “Let’s talk, then.”

  Genevieve suppressed the urge to cringe and walked around the room, tracing her fingers lightly along the furnishings as she made her way to the bar. “What are you drinking?”

  Seth shrugged impatiently. “Surprise me.”

  Genie turned her back on the leader of the Golden Fangs as she poured two glasses of gin, and topped Seth’s glass up with two of Chloe’s sleeping potions.

  “So,” she began softly, “I was wondering about you. What’s your story, Seth?”

  Seth took his drink and downed it in seconds. “You know, this and that. Let’s get on with it.”

  He leaned in and began fondling and kissing Genie fiercely, and she tried her best not to spill gin all over herself. Genie pushed him away gently, wondering how long the potions would take to kick in.

  “Satisfy my curiosity,” Genevieve said with a sexy look, “and I’ll satisfy you.” She forced herself to reach down and brush his groin.

  “You’re a tease, huh?” Seth smirked. “Fine, what d’ya wanna know?”

  “Well, everyone around here seems to have a story,” Genie purred. “I want to know how the big boss-man came to be a beast of the night.”

  The smile vanished from Goldfang’s face. “How ‘bout you ask me something else?”

  “Come on,” Genie pleaded playfully while rubbing his thigh. “Please…?”

  “Fine,” Seth grumbled, “but it ain’t a nice tale.”

  Genie smiled, glad that she’d bought herself more time, and cursed herself for not tipping in the third vial.

  “It was when smoggy factories were the in-thing, like a hundred and fifty-ish years ago, back when Imperia’s coal reserves made us the number one in industry,” Seth began. “I lived in a tiny village to the north that doesn’t even exist anymore, along with my sister. My parents stayed in Imperia City during the week and brought home the Credits at the weekend, which left me in charge of the house on weekdays at the grand ol’ age of twelve. You were a man a lot younger in those days. Dad died in a machinery accident, and then Mum stopped coming back and just started sending the money instead.” He paused to sigh miserably. “That left me permanently in charge of my bratty sister Elissa, who was ten but acted like she was twenty.” He held his glass out to Genie.

  “Same again?” she asked kindly.

  Seth nodded, and Genevieve got him a refill and tipped just over half of the last potion into the gin.

  The leader of the Golden Fangs once again drained his glass in one hit and continued his story. “There was this long-lived rumour in town, like a ghost story to scare kids, about an old witch who lived in the woods and snatched people who went in too far.”

  “Elissa went looking?” Genie guessed.

  “Yep.” Seth let out a long drawn out sigh. “Elissa and her idiot girlfriends wandered off into the woods, because of some dare they’d made together or some bollocks… when they weren’t back by nightfall, me and the boys went looking. We walked for hours until our dogs sniffed out a creepy little house in the middle of a clearing that looked like it had been dredged out of the Gloom. Our dogs buggered off sharpish, but we carried on inside the murky old building. We could hear the girls screaming for help, but next thing you know were all being thrown about by purple and green magic and we got knocked out cold. We woke up caged in a dingy cellar like animals, and we were face-to-face with the haggard, half-dead witch. It was a Feral Mage.”

  Genevieve couldn’t believe that Seth was still awake, and although she wanted to hear the end of the story, she definitely didn’t want him to finish telling it in a hurry. “What happened next?”

  “The zombified Mage had just enough left in her noggin to ration us,” Seth spoke bitterly. “She’d take someone out every other day and suck the life energy right out of ‘em. We had to watch as the Feral drained most of our group dry, slowly and cruelly leeching their essence, until they were nothing but ash and bone.”

  “Shit…” Genevieve gasped. “That’s awful.” She imagined that the childhood trauma must have royally messed Seth up, and wondered if it was the root cause of his personality problems.

  “We were down to Chaz, Archie, Bobby, and myself when the Trinity showed up. The village had been up in arms about the mass disappearances and word had travelled down the Catacombs. A slick-as-shit Vampire and a hot-as-hell Mage came along and kicked the shit out of the old hag. We’d never seen anything like it. They let us out and gave us a choice. We could go with them into the Catacombs and become Supernaturals if we wanted, or return home rich but under the watchful eye of the Trinity for the rest of our lives. Bobby took the gold, moved to the city, and drank and whored himself to death before he was thirty. Me, Chaz, and Archie had nothing left, and wanted to help clear the world out of any other Ferals. We became Supernaturals, and received years of training-”

  “Wait,” Genie interrupted. “How come you don’t look like a teenager?”

  “The transformation ups your age, to the peak fighting age, as we were told. That’s why you don’t see any kid Supernaturals,” he explained. “It’s said to hurt way more, but the Trinity Alchemists gave us something for the pain.”

  “So you fought Ferals, then?” Genevieve said to get the tale back on track.

  “For a while,” Seth replied. “As the world got more civilised, the less trouble the Trinity got from Ferals and nutters. Surface duty got rarer and rarer, so me and the boys ended up working in…” He trailed off.

  “Where?” Genevieve pressed, suppressing a smirk; Gaius had already told her that Seth and his friends ended up as kitchen hands.

  “Somewhere we’d rather not work,” he answered vaguely. He put his glass on the bedside table and lay down with his hands behind his head. “Right, enough of that depressing shit. Time to have some fun!”

  Genie forced a smile and downed her gin. She slowly crawled along the bed, praying that the potions kicked in, but Seth just watched her eagerly. Genevieve climbed on top of him and held his arms down when he tried to take off his jeans.

  “I want to take it nice and slow,” she said in a sexy voice.

  Seth groaned and grinded against her. “Quit being a little tease, I want my cock inside you, now.”

  “In time…” Genie replied, rubbing herself against his privates. She expected some resistance, but Seth laid idle. “Seth?”

  Thankfully for Genevieve, Seth had gone limp all over and began snoring harshly. Genie breathed a sigh of relief and climbed off the sleeping golden-haired Vampire. She quickly and quietly searched the room and came across a large golden key engraved with two fangs, in his bedside table drawer. Genie put the key in her handbag, took note of the time, and left the room.

  She reached the dungeon in good time but was immediately caught by Kaylie.

  The busty, lingerie
clad Mage stood in front of her and gave her a chesty hug, “Hey, sweetie, how are you feeling?”

  “I’m good thanks, Kaylie,” Genie said quickly, and wriggled free. She felt bad for her urgency but knew she was against the clock.

  Kaylie gave her a knowing look. “What are you up to?”

  Genevieve took her to one side and whispered, “I’m checking out the interrogation cells. I seduced Seth and knocked him out with some sleeping potions. I haven’t got long.”

  “You what?!” the Mage gasped.

  “I just need to see something for myself,” Genie replied.

  “And what happens when Seth wakes up and you’re not there?” Kaylie said, tilting her head to the side.

  “Oh, fuck…” Genevieve muttered; she’d completely overlooked that fact. Her plan had simply ended with her returning the key and leaving before he awakened.

  “I’ll do it,” Kaylie sighed, “or him, rather. Just be more careful next time you start scheming.”

  “Oh, thank you!” Genie said, hugging the Mage. “I will make all this up to you, I promise.”

  Kaylie chuckled. “How long have you got?”

  “A couple of hours, I think,” Genevieve replied.

  “Okay, come and get me on the way back,” Kaylie said in a serious tone. “If you used anything Chloe made I’d cut that estimated time in half. She’s a lovely girl and all, but she’s no true Alchemist yet.”

  Genevieve took the advice under consideration and looked at her watch again. “Right, I’ll be quick.”

  “Good luck, Genie,” Kaylie said, giving her a quick peck on the cheek.

  Genevieve jogged to the end of the dungeon and put the key in the enchanted lock. She took a long breath, turned the key, and opened the door.

  The hallway before her was pitch black, but her vampiric sight soon compensated for the lack of light. Large alcoves contained boxed supplies but held nothing of any real interest. Genie could see other connecting passageways that ended in more enchanted doors, but from keeping the basic layout of Fort Dominia in her mind she knew they only led to areas she’d already visited. Genevieve ventured forward into the unknown and soon came across a secure door made of reinforced metal. Even though the sturdy door was more modern than the others she’d seen, it too had the same enchanted lock as all the others. Genevieve turned her key and thanked the Golden Fangs for their lack of imagination.

  Genevieve had arrived at the interrogation cells, and it was of a similar design and layout as the dungeon in the brothel. The place was lit with ever burning blue torches of what she believed to be magefire, and as such the ancient grey stonework was painted by the glow and became an eerie shade of cerulean. A long red carpet, that looked dark purple at first glance in the strange blue light, covered most of the hallway between the cells, and the faint scent of incense lingered in the musty air, but Genie couldn’t tell where it was originating from.

  Her heart was pumping a mile a minute as she imagined what she’d find, and how it would shape her future. Genevieve stifled her anxious thoughts and got down to work; her time was limited, and she had to take advantage of every second.

  Genie searched cell to cell, combing every inch of stonework for something that could be traced back to Annabelle. She looked for hair, scraps of clothing, and even checked the walls for any messages that could’ve been engraved by a captive. But Genie came up empty handed every time.

  The cells themselves were a bleak affair, but far from what she’d been expecting. Most contained several instruments for restraining a strong foe, such as a bolted-down chair fitted with iron restraints, or cuffs and chains that hung from the walls or ceiling that glimmered with the tell-tale sign of enchantment, but nothing gruesome. There was little in the way of torture devices, no remains, no blood stains, and the worst that Genie found was a dented iron bat that weighed a ton. Some of the dungeon cells even contained neatly arranged boxes of alcohol, soft drinks, replacement glasses and cutlery for the bars, and long-life food supplies, just like she had spotted in the adjoining hallway’s alcoves.

  She attributed the cleanliness to Gaius’ fastidious nature and sighed dejectedly. Genie looked around the dingy room and wondered what she was doing, and why she’d bothered to go to the effort of looking in the first place. Suddenly, she felt quite stupid. Annabelle had been a human dealer, someone who only registered on the Supernatural radar as a minor inconvenience to business, one that had just been unlucky enough to be in the wrong place at the wrong time one evening and ended up dead. Genevieve concluded that she was simply clutching at straws and that she may never know for sure the true story of what had transpired, or find those responsible. She acknowledged the fact that her theory implicating the Golden Fangs was simply wishful thinking, as her adversaries would be right under her nose and easier for her to fight, a target within reach for her to focus all her misplaced anger. She still wanted justice or revenge against those responsible, and asserted herself to fight alongside the Golden Fangs against their rivals who were the likely suspects in the whole mess, whether they knew it or not. Genevieve had little else in her life to give her purpose, other than deflecting attention away from hers and Annabelle’s parents, something Gaius had hinted wasn’t even an issue any longer.

  “They might not know who you were, Annabelle,” Genevieve spoke out loud, “but I promise you they will by the time I’m finished with them. Goodbye, my love.”

  She left the interrogation room and headed back to the brothel. Genie felt slightly better, but in an uncharacteristically numb way, and even though the hallway was devoid of light it seemed even darker than it had done before.

  Genie locked the door behind her and rushed to find Kaylie, but found that her iron bar door was closed, along with her room’s curtain. She could hear pleasurable moans and groans from within and felt a surprising pang of jealousy behind her mind’s violent squall of emotions.

  “Kaylie,” she whispered loudly, unsure of what she should do.

  “What, why- where are you going?!” a male voice shouted from behind the curtain.

  The curvaceous Mage pulled back the drapes just enough to peak around while keeping her client’s privacy intact, and gave Genie a flustered and apologetic look. “I’m sorry, sweetie. This human has booked me up for the whole night. I’ve been trying to tire him out, but he just keeps coming back for more.”

  “What do I do?!” Genevieve asked in a panic.

  “Excuse me, witch-lady,” the man shouted. “I didn’t blow my savings just to lie on your bed!”

  “Sorry, one moment,” Kaylie said in an extremely polite tone before turning back to Genevieve. “Tanesha’s in soon, she’ll help you out – sorry, but I really have to go!”

  The Mage closed the curtain and Genevieve looked at her watch nervously.

  Genie paced around anxiously in the hallway, watching the minutes tick away, whilst listening to Kaylie’s ecstatic cries and screams with a black cloud over her head. She took comfort in the fact the orgasms sounded fake in comparison to what she’d heard the night before, and the carnal drunken memories took her mind off her current predicament, until each illicit thought connected with a similar memory of her and Annabelle and she was overwhelmed with sorrow. Genevieve sighed angrily, abandoned all notions of a rebound, and continued pacing.

  When Tanesha finally arrived, Genevieve grabbed her by the sleeve of her overcoat and marched her in the opposite direction.

  “Good to see you too, sex-on-legs,” Tanesha said as she was guided through Fort Dominia. “I knew you’d be back for more, no one can hit the sweet spot like I can…”

  “Sorry, Tanesha, we’ve got to go quick,” Genie said firmly, “and I need a big, big favour.”

  “I bet you do,” the slim Vampire said, slapping Genevieve on the ass and grabbing it tightly.

  “Another time,” Genie said frantically. “I need you to sleep with Seth,” she added when no one was around.

  “I like kink and all, but that’s a bit
of a weird request,” Tanesha said, trying to hide her disapproval.

  “No, it’s not like that,” Genie stuttered, and rapidly filled in the blanks when they reached the stairwell.

  “Okay,” Tanesha agreed as the hurried to Seth’s chambers, “but you owe me.”

  “Sure, how much do you want?” Genie replied.

  “I don’t want your money,” Tanesha smirked. “I want you to throw us another sick party sometime, or hang out with us outside of this dump. I don’t want you going weird on us all after last night. Kaylie told us what happened to your friend, so it’s understandable for you to be distant from us, but you’re going to need your girls more than ever. After the way you stood up for us, we’ve all got your back. We go straight into sex-mode – it’s sort of in our nature – but we’re decent company, too.”

  “Deal,” Genevieve said thankfully. “It would be nice to spend some time at the actual party next time. Just don’t get me soaking wet again...”

  “Are you talking about the dress or your pussy?” Tanesha said slyly. “’Cos I’m not promising either way.”

  Genevieve sniggered. “You are filth.”

  “Damn straight,” Tanesha said proudly.

  They arrived at Seth’s chambers and looked inside. Luckily the leader of the Golden Fangs was still snoring away, but he was stirring regularly.

  “I’ve got it from here,” Tanesha said, stepping inside and undressing in a blur of motion. She blew Genie a kiss and gave her a cheeky wink before walking to Seth’s massive bed, using her trademark hip wiggle every step of the way.

  Genevieve watched as she moved up the bed on all fours and on top of Seth’s body with feline grace. She pulled down his trousers and boxer shorts, and began rubbing her groin against his.

  Seth’s hands reached upwards and began pulling at Tanesha’s long, light brown nipples roughly. His eyes suddenly opened, and Genie moved further away from the door.

  “Tan, what you doing here?” Seth asked in confusion, although he didn’t stop assaulting the prostitute’s small breasts.

  “Don’t you remember?” Tanesha whispered softly as she reached down and moved his erection inside of her. “You tired Genie-girl out. You fucked her brains out so she sent me up to make sure you were satisfied all through the night. She’s a good girl, isn’t she?” she moaned seductively as she moved her slim figure back and forth in rhythmic waves while running her fingers through her long silky hair.