Book of Souls (Supernatural War Book 1)

by Steven L Smithen

  “I take it you’re going in like that so you have access to your magic.”

  “You would be correct, Captain Obvious.” She smirked at me.

  I rolled my eyes, “Fucking women in my life.” I muttered under my breath.

  I keyed up the comms, “Alright, we have contact at the temple. Everyone bring it in so Khloe can fill us all in on what we’re going to be facing.” I walked to the edge of camp and called out to Talia quietly as I know she’d be able to hear me. “Talia, you and Joseph are needed. We have visitors at the temple.” I turned, walked back into the camp, and joined the others.

  A few minutes later Talia and Joseph returned, changed, and got dressed and joined the rest of us. I looked over at Khloe. “It’s your show, sweetheart.”

  She cleared an area on the ground and began to draw the area around the temple. “The temple is in the middle of the clearing and there appears to be about fifteen people around the entrance. I don’t think they can enter. Something to do with being related to ones who originally built the temple. I am a direct descendant of one of the Eagle Warriors who hid the book away so long ago. From what I sensed, ten of them are shifters; don’t know what animal form. At least two are witches I’m not sure what or who the other three are but they could be vampires.” She had marked them on the ground around the entrance as she knew that they were probably moving around.

  “You said they were Anglos not from the area?” She nodded to me before I continued, “What about weapons?”

  “The shifters were armed like the those back in Tabatinga. The witches have their own form of firepower. The three unknowns didn’t appear to have anything but could be carrying pistols or have access to magic.” She finished her report.

  “As much as I would like to give the shifters the benefit of the doubt, we can’t afford that. Alan, Steven, and Joseph, I want you three to focus on the shifters. Khloe, you get the witches with Kim sitting overwatch with her sniper rifle. Kim, if you get a clear shot on either witch, take it. Khloe may be powerful but I’m not taking any chances with those two. Talia and I will handle the three unknowns.” Everyone nodded and left to gear up. Talia went over to Joseph for some alone time before the oncoming fight.

  Khloe walk up to me as I was getting my gear ready. “I’m not going to ask you to promise something that you can’t promise. Just try to come back to me.”

  I pulled her to me. “Same here. I don’t know what’s going to happen. If it goes sideways, you get yourself clear because then it’s going to be a blood bath. Yes, I know you can handle yourself, but something tells me this is different. I don’t think these guys are with Kirin and that worries me.”

  Chapter 22

  As we moved into position to kick this off, I took in the temple for the first time. I was about 100’ tall, square, and looked like a mini ziggurat. The years had not been kind to the structure and I think that was the builder’s intention. First off, it was covered in lichen and moss with vines wrapped around it like an anaconda tried to strangle the last of its life. Whoever Khloe’s ancestors were built this place, hid the book, sealed it with powerful magic, and hoped that the earth would swallow the temple whole with the hope that the world would forget about this place and the book.

  Half of the shifters had shifted into their wolves. One of the ones who hadn’t shifted look familiar to me. I wracked my brain and recalled seeing his photo. So, this was Dutch. My first impression of him was that I wasn’t impressed. He looked like any two-bit bully I could remember while growing up or while in the Corps. That must mean that these are the wolves that ran with him back in Boston. Well, that was one problem that was going to solve itself.

  “Dutch, you’re sure that they are on their way?” One of the witches asked with a New England accent.

  “Yeah, they’ll be here. I can’t wait to get my hands on that bitch Talia and make her pussy ass brother watch.” Dutch answered with some vulgar hip thrusts. Oh, he was a dead man and I wasn’t the one that was going to kill him.

  “Just remember that we need the girl with the tattoos alive. Otherwise, this endeavor will be for naught.” One of the three men said with a cultured British accent. This was one of the three unknowns. My nose was telling me they were supernatural but not Vampire or Shifter. Maybe some kind of sorcerer. That would make sense, now that the existence of the book was known.

  I looked over to Talia and when our eyes met she nodded and drew her blades. Then I glanced over to Khloe and she pulled out her wand and mouthed ‘I love you’ to me. I placed my hand on my heart and mouthed it back. As I was starting to undress, a three-round burst echoed in the stillness of the air. I rolled over to see who had fired, only to see Dutch’s head explode in a pink mist of blood and brain matter. Looks like Joseph heard Dutch and didn’t like his comment. The wolves scattered into the woods in the direction of Joseph’s shots.

  Shots rang out in the jungle as Joseph and the guys exchanged blows with the wolves. That left the two witches and the three unknown guys. They looked all around when there was a crack of a high-powered rifle and Witch number one’s head was no longer there thanks to Kim.

  Unknown number one reacted with blinding speed and a bolt of lightning shot from his hand and followed the direction of Kim’s bullet. There was an explosion in the jungle. With that, Talia and I moved. She went after Unknown number two like a spinning dancer of death. He pulled out what looked like a Viking hand axe and a small buckler shield and met Talia head on. They began to block, parry, and strike at each other.

  Khloe and Witch number two were going at it like two girls back in high school. No magic, just hand to hand combat. That must have shocked Witch number two, I’ve sparred with Khloe and know she can be relentless.

  Just when it looked like we might get the upper hand in this fight, I noticed that the gun fire had ceased and I saw a couple of Dutch’s wolves now back in human form dragging Joseph, who looked unconscious, back into the clearing, followed by four others and no sign of Alan or Steven. Dammit, three good people down. Talia must have seen it because as she attempted to parry a shield block by Unknown number two, she slipped and his blow caught her right in the face and she fell to the ground.

  I screamed, shifted into my beast form and stalked towards Unknown number three.

  “This has been rather amusing but do you think that we are threatened by one such as you?” Unknown number one said. Both he and Unknown number three raised their hands and bolts of lightning erupted from their hands. One bolt struck me in my right leg and the other in my right shoulder and caused me to go down to one knee. I tried to roll my shoulder to see how bad it was. I could smell ozone and burnt flesh.

  I stood up and threw my arms out with claws extended and roared my challenge.

  “Look, he stands and still fights.” Unknown number three said.

  “Perhaps it will take all three of us to put this mongrel down. It has been a couple hundred years since one such as him has existed.” Unknown number two said while he secured Talia with silver chains.

  I began to run toward them and hoped that Khloe would get away because I had a feeling that I wouldn’t be leaving this jungle alive.

  The three unknown men joined in a circle and they all directed their hands towards me and as I went to dodge, I was hit by something and could no longer move.

  “Thank you, dear. That will make this much easier.” Unknown number one had said as their hands exploded with a bright light that slammed into me and sure as hell felt like it was burning a hole through me. My roar turned into a cry of agony as pain, like I have never know, licked every nerve ending in my body. I was thrown into the jungle away from Khloe, Talia, and Joseph. My last thought was that I had failed them.

  Chapter 23

  Khloe

  I had been fighting with the witch when I heard Dorian roar in challenge. I turned to see him rush the three men who had Talia at their feet. I also noticed that the wolves now surrounded me.

  Dorian ran towards them
and then the witch flicked her wrist and he stopped dead in his tracks, flailing to get at the unknown men. That’s when my heart died as they each called an energy blast and all three hit Dorian in the chest. I heard him scream in pain. I collapsed, tears pouring down my face as I screamed his name.

  I was numb to everything around me. It was like I was in a fog. I remembered as they bound both Talia and Joseph with silver chains that had arcane symbols on them. They then placed a collar around my neck and handcuffs on my wrists. I looked at the witch questioningly.

  “The collar is to prevent you from shifting into your little bird and flying away. Can’t have that, now can we?” She answered my unasked question.

  One of the unknown guys came over to me, pulled out an ornate dagger, sliced my hand, and collected my blood in a wooden bowl that the witch had produced for him. Then he said, “Alright everyone, let’s get ready to move. I have her blood; I’ll get the book.” He looked over to the other two and continued, “You two keep a look out for Kirin and his priests. Can’t let them know that we are now in the game, so to speak.”

  About thirty minutes later, he emerged from the temple with something bound in cloth. I’m guessing that that was the infamous ‘Book of Souls’. In the time that he retrieved the book, both Talia and Joseph came around. Talia’s head moved back and forth as she looked for Dorian and I just shook my head. She lost it. I think if it wasn’t for the chains binding her she would have joined Dorian. She let Joseph hold her once she calmed down.

  “Let’s go.” The one with the book said.

  Talia, Joseph, and I were surrounded by the remaining wolves Dutch had brought with him as we were lead away from the temple deeper into the jungle.

  Chapter 24

  Amazon Jungle

  How much time passed after they left the temple clearing, no one knew. The sounds of life slowly returned to the jungle. Then a soft white light appeared in the canopy and dropped straight down to float just above the body of a beast only known in nightmares. The light turned a brighter mix of gold and silver encasing the body that was on the ground, now changed back to human, covered in blood and burns.

  The light receded until all that was visible was the body with the chest rising and falling with a steady rhythm. The light settled onto the ground next to it. The light then began to take the shape of a man. He gently shook the body on the ground. As the body began to stir awake, the man leaned back to take in the young man beginning to sit up.

  The young man looked at the man that knelt next to him. “Dad?”

  Chapter 25

  Dorian

  “Dad?” I asked the man kneeling next to me. He sure looked like my dad but different.

  “Yes, Dorian it’s me.” He said as his features slowly returned to what I remembered.

  “But how?”

  “Because this is bigger than some two-thousand-year vampire sorcerer. It seems that some of the Fallen have heard that his grimoire was not destroyed and decided to get involved.” He answered me as he looked around the jungle.

  “That’s why you can use your abilities again, isn’t it?”

  “Yes, it’s what allowed me to come here to heal you. I’m mad that I wasn’t able to save Talia and Khloe.” And he was angry. You could hear it in the timber of his voice. That’s not something that I can remember him ever being. “Come on, let’s find some clothes for you before your mother gets here. I dropped her off when I felt you fall.”

  “You felt what they did to me?”

  “You’re my blood. I’ve always been able to find you and your sister or sense when you’ve been hurt.” I must have had a confused look on my face because he continued, “It’s one of the perks of being an Angel.”

  “I should be dead! I was dead, wasn’t I?” I said frantically while I checked my body over, only to find now sign of what had happened to me. “How?” I pleaded with him.

  My dad looked down at me with all the love and compassion that he had always shown Talia and me when we were growing up. “You might have been clinically dead but your soul had yet to depart. That allowed me the time I needed to heal you. I know this is a lot for you to take in. Now, I need you to get up and get dressed.”

  “Ok, my clothes are back that way,” I said pointing behind me. I got up and made my way over to my stuff. “Dad, could you check to see what happened to Alan, Steven, and Kim? As soon as I’m dressed I’ll help you.” He nodded and headed off in the direction I indicated. Something told me they were all dead but I was still holding out hope.

  I found my stuff, dressed, and put my gear back on. Then headed off in the direction I knew Kim had gone to set up her sniper hide.

  As I approached where her hideout was, I noticed someone kneeling next to a small body. “Mom, is that you?” The woman turned and I was relieved to see that it was her. She had tears streaming down her face. “She didn’t make it, did she?” I already knew the answer to my question.

  “No son, she didn’t. I always liked her. She never took any shit from the boys.” Her voice broke.

  “This is my fault. If I had been better prepared. Maybe brought more with me, Kim would still be alive. Talia, Khloe, and Joseph wouldn’t have been taken.”

  WHACK!!! My head about spun around from the slap my mom had just given me. “The Fallen are responsible for Kim, Alan, and Steven’s death. Now pull yourself together. We have some Fallen to hunt.” I hadn’t seen my mother this animated in a long time. I wondered then if this was what attracted my dad to her.

  Dad found us a few minutes later. “I found what was left of them. It looked like they were shot and then torn apart. I took care of their bodies.” He said as he looked down at Kim then back up to mom. “Do you want me to do the same with Kim?” Mom nodded to him and she led me away from them.

  He held his hands over Kim’s body and started speaking in a language that I had never heard before. My mom spoke softly. “He’s giving her last rights in the language of the Angels. Then he will burn her body with Angelfire.” After she finished, his hands began to glow intensely. Then, within the time it takes to blink, Kim’s body erupted into a blinding white flame. When the after image cleared from my vision, Kim’s body was nothing but ash.

  My mom turned to me. “Take me to where my girls were taken. I need to get the scent of the kidnappers.”

  I turned, leading them back over to the temple. “Mom, they didn’t have any scent.”

  “Oh, don’t worry. They had a scent. You just wouldn’t have recognized it. I have been on this hunt before. They will wish that one of the Host had come after them when I’m done with them for hurting my children.” The venom in her voice made me cringe a little. She was beyond pissed. I could not blame her, but then again, they had swatted me aside and left me for dead like I was a toddler.

  We approached the area around the temple the witches and the Fallen had occupied. My mother signaled me to stop as she approached with her eyes closed. My father came up next to me. “Can I have my sword? I’m going to need it to determine who these three are.”

  I nodded to him and let my M4 hang from the combat sling. I unclipped his scabbard from my belt. “How will that help?” I asked as I handed it to him.

  “When I gave up my ‘powers’, my sword was my only link to the Divine Host. I could only become ‘mortal’ with one condition…” He trailed off as though he was remembering a conversation from long ago.

  “That if you came across any of the Fallen, you would stop them.” I finished for him. “But how is mom able to scent them? I can only scent everyone else.”

  “No one knows. Not even the Host. It’s what made us a great team when we hunted the Fallen before.”

  I walked over to where Dutch’s body had fallen. I looked down at him and thought. This all started with you. I’d bet everything I own on it. You couldn’t wrest control of Boston from my mother, so someone came to you with an offer that you couldn’t turn down. Look at you now. They have my mate and sister because of your bitch
ass. I only wish I could’ve ended you instead of Joseph.

  “I got their scent!” My mom exclaimed. Dad walked over to her and drew his sword. Instead of the actinic light that it usually gave off, the blade was now so black that it absorbed the surrounding light.

  “What the f…” I said as I looked at them.

  My dad looked down at the blade and then met my eyes. “Oh this, yeah how do I explain this. Once the sword has the scent of the Fallen its nature changes and it becomes the ‘Sword of Judgment and Retribution’ it is like Azrael’s blade, in that it can harm the Fallen.” Holy crap on a cracker. My dad was the Angelic Host’s version of Wyatt Earp. Did that mean my mom was his Doc Holiday?

  My dad interrupted my thoughts. “Once it has their scent it will tell me where they are. They are no longer in South America. From what Tak is telling me they have returned to the North East. He’s not good with modern geography.”

  “Your sword talks to you and has a name?” I asked him skeptically.

  “Not talk like you and I are doing. It’s more like he shows me images of the surrounding area from the trail that the Fallen have left behind.” He answered.

  “I’m going to go out on a limb and say that they didn’t travel by plane. Please tell me that you have a faster way to get home? I’m guessing you do since both of you are here.” I said, exhaustion beginning to set in. I just wanted Khloe and Talia back.

  My dad nodded. “Come, let us go home. Then we will get the rest of our family back.” He held out his hand to me. I walked over and took it. I noticed that mom had stayed quiet the whole time during our conversation. The three of us linked hands as my dad started talking in his angelic language. I looked around and observed that we were encased in a golden light that seemed to block out everything around us.