Gloom Rising (The Book Wielder Saga 1) (19 page)

His life in real was so luxurious and exciting now that it was strange thinking back to his old mundane life before finding his book. He felt like he could do whatever he wanted when he wanted. Crossing into the Gloom hardly seemed like a danger anymore, but the money and power within the gang he was gaining was increasing nonetheless.

They were currently on the road to Rigorton, the second largest city in Industria, to meet up with Kaine. Lucius’ current plan was to form an alliance with Kaine and help his Dogs of War gain control of Industria, as the Circle had done on Imperia.

The road they were on was called Highway One and linked Industria’s northern most city of Beachhead One to Rigorton in the centre of the Desem continent. It was seldom used, as the coastal cities were connected by the Great Railway and the Mega Highway, so they had only passed a lorry or two and some angry looking bikers on the whole journey south.

Lewis roared down the road in his car, which was the same model as Winston’s but black, and drove next to them on the other side of the road. Xavier was sitting beside him wearing a pair of small sunglasses with his black and red trench coat, shirt, trousers, and red tie. He looked as stern and sullen as ever. Xavier had approved of the Book Wielder’s joy ride on the grounds that he accompanied them. Lucius, his personal guard, and the rest of Winston and Lewis’ guard were long behind them.
      

Alexander and Brooke had stopped a while back in one of the armoured vans to pay their respects at a monument to the fallen. Winston found it hard to believe that the barren landscape they were passing by either side of the road had been the site of some of the most brutal and atrocious fighting in recent history.

At the beginning of the Great War, Imperia had steamrollered into northern Industria, occupying the fishing villages without any trouble. They quickly established the fortified military base, which had grown into a town and then eventually a city, called Beachhead One. By this time Industria had sent its forces north, and the two sides clashed but were unable to defeat one another. They dug in and created a massive system of trenches and defences, and for months both sides tried in vain to annihilate the other but all they achieved was an amazingly high body count. The Imperian forces ruled the skies in their biplanes and dirigible airships, and then the Industrians developed their own. The Industrians wowed the world with their thickly plated tracked landship before the Imperians copied the design to develop a sleeker, ornately armoured version of their own. Soon after, they did away with the fancy curved armour and hybridised both versions into the superior Dominator tank. The deadlock also applied to the ocean; Imperia’s fleet of battleships, destroyers, carriers, and U-boats warred constantly with the combined naval forces of Tropica and Industria. It was at this time when both sides were gridlocked, their technology steadily increasing but never enough to overpower the other, that Kaine disobeyed the Trinity’s laws and changed the course of history for both the world and Supernatural society.

Starting out as mercenary for the highest bidder, Kaine soon became a role model for all Supernaturals in the Catacombs itching for a bit of action and excitement, and then later became a dedicated member of the Imperian Army with a band of others, including Alexander. Rumour had it that he had a deal with Edgar I, a deal that may have threatened the Trinity of Old and caused them to take the drastic course of action that they did. Others argued against that theory with the very good point that the old Autocrat probably just paid a lot more than everyone else. No one really knew what transpired between the Autocrat and Kaine except Kaine himself. Lucius intended to find out from his old friend, as it might assist him with his ultimate goal.

Skyscrapers and more industrial chimneys began rising from the horizon. The heat made them shimmer in the distance, and clouds of grey and white smoke plumed from the city of Rigorton. Around them the oil extractors were increasing in frequency. All the central barren regions of Industria were really good for were polluting, hunting bison, extracting Deep Vein Oil, and farming the few sturdy plants and crops in the world that could handle the dry soil and low quantities of rainfall.

Deep Vein Oil, or DVO for short, was a viscous black substance that sometimes had a multi-coloured hue around its edges. Discovered late into the industrial surge, just a few decades before the Great War, it had several uses that seemed to increase in number as time went on, but primarily it was used as fuel and to make plastics. During the end stages of the Great War a huge missile had been filled with DVO and fired on Tropica’s Calousha City, and now all that was left was a crater miles in diameter. From their shady sources, the Shadow Circle had learnt that even the Inquisition’s new plasma power was made from a superheated mix of some rare chemicals that were distilled from the substance. No one really knew how DVO was formed. The favourite scientific theory was similar to that of coal; that it was formed from old organic materials buried deep underground and effected by the high pressure. The religious theory was that it was the ‘lifeblood’ of the planet. Both sides had trouble coming up with any proof to back up their claims, but as religion had mostly died off, the scientists won by default.

As they got closer to the city the amount of smaller housing and shops steadily increased. Lewis and Winston slowed down and drove sensibly as Highway One became more populated by traffic coming from the many turn offs leading to the surrounding populace, and soon the rest of the Shadow Circle convoy had joined up with them. Kavarne and Lynette followed closely on the motorbike and looked like they were in their element. Kavarne was only wearing a grey t-shirt and jeans, and Lynette was in a minuscule pair of denim hot pants with a cut off t-shirt without a bra underneath that ended just below her pert breasts.

The heart of the city was filled with the smell of smog and exhaust fumes. Big trucks, lorries, tankers, and other industrial vehicles were as common as cars and motorbikes, and there were lots of people rushing about with their day-to-day lives. Unlike the cities in Imperia, there was no clear distinction between residential and industrial areas. Rigorton was loud, hectic, smoggy and massive, but it paled in comparison to Industria City itself that sat beside the coast to the east.

They pulled into the Dogs of War’s HQ which was an old factory complex they’d brought and turned into a clubhouse. Two Supernaturals in casual clothing allowed them entrance and they manually opened up a set of big iron bar gates for the convoy to enter. It was an ugly block of a building with a thick brick wall around its perimeter, and four tall chimneys that jutted out of its back end, but no smoke spilled from them which made them stand apart from all the other chimneys shooting into the horizon. An old pre-war metal sign took up a large section of the buildings face. It was of a cartoon man in a suit holding a can; he had a big grin on his face and had ‘Connor’s Canning Corporation’ written above him in bubble writing. No corporations had survived Edgar the First’s invasion.

The car park was large but there was only a few spaces, which was a sign that Kaine had invited guests of his own to the meeting, Winston was unsure if that was a good or bad thing, but Lucius looked cool and confident as ever as he strolled inside wearing his expensive black pinstriped suit.

The Shadow Circle entered the old factory, which was filled with security but didn’t appear so from the outside. The place looked like a cross between a biker bar and a war museum. Trophies, weapons, bits of tanks and other vehicles, plundered works of art from around the world, and old signs and banners (even the illegal ones) were placed around the ground floor at random. A bar had been built into where the reception desk had once been and many of the walls had been knocked through to create one big recreational area filled with pool tables, sofas, tables and chairs, an impressive sound system and speakers, and a vintage jukebox. A gym heavily equipped for Supernaturals, training area, boxing ring, target dummies and shooting range had replaced the area that once housed the factory’s canning machinery. Even the Supernaturals watching out the windows looked happy and relaxed, with soft drinks or beers on hand, and dressed in casual clothes.

“Lucius, Xavier, and Alex the Art himself – it’s been a while!” a Vampire in a black t-shirt, suit jacket, and denim jeans said merrily. He had a bottle of beer in one hand and a bottle of blood in the other. He was handsome, as most Supernaturals were, with scruffy brown hair that had been deliberately made to look that way with some sort of product. He put his drinks on a table and hugged the three of them in turn playfully, which made Xavier look most uncomfortable. “Introduce me to your crew then!”

Lucius cleared his throat. “This is Blake, one of Kaine’s captains.” He introduced everyone in turn, and Blake seemed very pleased to meet Brooke, Veronica, and Lynette.

Alexander put his arm around Brooke’s waist, Kaine snarled a little, and Winston mimed a pair of clippers by making a buzzing sound that made Veronica giggle.

“All taken, got it,” Blake shrugged, and put his arm around Alexander’s shoulders. “Alex, you old dog, I’m jealous!” he said eying up Brooke. She was wearing tight fitting camouflage style leggings with a white vest top, and her pierced nipples were on display as usual. “Tell me Brooke, has Alex given you a taste of his Artillery yet?”

Alexander struggled to get free from Blake’s grip. “I’m going to give you a taste of fireball to the dick in a minute, Baby-face Blake.”

Blake let go and laughed. “I’ll stop, but first there is one thing I am curious about. Brooke, when you go Werewolf what happens to those wonderful bits of ‘chest jewellery’?”

“That’s it, you asked for it!” Alexander ignited his hands and chased Blake around in circles for a bit, half-joking and half serious.

Brooke chuckled and stopped the chase by standing in between them. “If you must know, Blake, I go down the shape changing route so I can make them change with me. Same with clothing.”

Blake laughed. “I know how it works, Brooke, and I’ve seen plenty of Werewolves with all sorts of piercings transforming without a hitch. Pretty cool that you’re a Shaman though. I’m a Nightclaw, and a damn good pilot too I might add.”

Alexander slapped him roughly on the back. “That’s how we met. I was in the trenches and Blake was above in fighters and bombers at night, when he wasn’t jumping out of them.”

“My trade mark move was launching myself onto other planes and taking out their crew. Other’s followed my example, but I still stick by my guns and claim that I was the first,” Blake bragged.

“Ex Imperian sniper here,” Brooke said. “Over in Tropica towards the end.”

Blake made a shooting gesture with his fingers. “Bang bang, very cool! You must have some good stories to tell!”

“I hate to break up the reunion but we really should be on our way to see Kaine,” Lucius said politely, but with an undertone of impatience. “It looks busy in here; did the old dog invite others?”

“Follow me and we’ll head upstairs,” Blake said formally. “Yeah, we’ve got a couple of guests we thought you’d want to meet. I’ll let Kaine explain but I’m sure you’ll be pleased.”

They headed up a set of sturdy stone steps through the warehouse. Blake explained that the second floor and third floor were living areas, the fourth was their armoury, and the fifth was dedicated as their stash, alchemy work, and Kaine’s office and bedroom.

Blake walked them to the old Connor’s Canning Corporation CEO’s office, now the nerve stem of the Dogs of War gang and Kaine’s luxury study, where the old white haired Werewolf sat behind a battered wooden desk. In addition to Kaine’s guards there were two other prominent figures in the room with their retinue. Winston recognised one from the Trinity meet as Albert Tiberius, head of the Concealed Council. He was dressed in a war-era vintage brown suit, and his people were dressed in a similar fashion. The other was an angry looking tall Mage woman. Appearance wise she appeared to be in her early twenties with long auburn hair tied back in a ponytail, small slanted eyes, slightly brown skin, and an attractively curved figure. She was gorgeous but her expression bled pure hatred. She was dressed in unflattering dark grey and black clothes, with a two red A’s connected at the feet making a diamond shape stitched into her shoulders. Her people also had the same uniform on. Clothing wise, the two smartly dressed gangs clashed quite considerably with the laid back relaxed apparel of the Dogs of War.

Kaine took a swig from a bottle of beer. “Lucius and friends, welcome! Come join us.”

They filtered into the large office and stood in their group, just like they had at the Trinity meeting.

“I see you brought friends,” Lucius began. “I hope you’re going to introduce us.”

“Of course I will, my old friend! You already know of Albert Tiberius, head of the Concealed Council, and this little hell raiser is Kitaria Catawowski...”

“Call me Kitty Cat, or just Kat,” the woman said with some serious attitude.

“Okay...” Kaine carried on, “and this little hell raiser is
Kitty Cat
,
newly appointed leader of the Anarchy’s Ascendants gang. The unaligned have ironically aligned under her.”

“Rumours are spreading about you Shadow Circle lot and we want in,” Kat said fiercely.

“Patience, my girl. These youngsters have no patience with sort of stuff, do they Lucius?”

“They don’t, Kaine, but I have to admit that my own is beginning to wear thin.”

“Alright, alright.” Kaine swigged some more beer. “I invited these two as well because we’re all beginning to share the same perspective. They won’t go running their gums to the Trinity because they know what will happen to them if they do!”

“Very well. If Kaine trusts you then I shall give you both the benefit of the doubt,” Lucius began. “I came here to propose a plan to my old friend, a very serious plan that will either enhance our standing in the world or cost us our positions and probably our lives too if it doesn’t play out the way I need it to. So if you have any doubts, now is the time to leave. Just being privy to this conversation will make you accessories to treason, both in the human’s world and in our hidden one.”