Spellbound & Hellhounds Read online

  Spellbound

  &

  Hellhounds

  By: Nia Rose

  Copyright © Nia Rose 2017

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means without prior permission in writing of the copyright holder.

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  SPELLBOUND & HELLHOUNDS

  Poisoned Apple Publishing, L.L.C.

  Printed in the United States of America

  Coven Chronicles series by

  Nia Rose & Octavia J. Riley

  SPELLBOUND & HELLHOUNDS

  Stand Alone Novels by

  Nia Rose

  SONS OF STARS

  Dedicated to: my mother.

  You were the queen of glitter, my beacon of hope, and my magical inspiration. The world didn’t lose you; you just became more than a person. You became a memory, a feeling, and a spirit that will forever - now and always - inspire me to never give up.

  I love you mommy.

  Chapter 1:

  Swirling snow swept through the air as two figures moved with haste down the sidewalk. One was a giant in size, and his form was gawked at by all those that the couple passed. His shadow alone blocked the sun from the girl's path who trudged with purpose in front of him.

  He had two sharp horns, two rows of jagged teeth nestled into a square jaw with two large bottom teeth jutting up ever so slightly from his lower gums. The creature had several hundred pounds of muscle packed away under deep gray skin that was modestly covered up by a well-pressed navy shaded suit, and it was accompanied by a snappy sapphire-blue tie swirled with gold designs and dangled from around his neck. The being’s height was bordering a monstrous seven feet, and in his gargantuan paw he clasped a tiny – in comparison – book. A small, silvery set of circular framed glasses were resting on the bridge of his nose as he flipped another page and followed diligently behind the young girl as he was lost within the leather-bound tome.

  The girl was an average five feet and six inches and looked like a dwarf next to the creature behind her. Her night dipped locks were tucked snugly under the hood of her mauve colored garment in a tightly woven plait that spilled out from under her hood. On the front of her raven shaded cloak that draped over her shoulders was a dim, bronze emblem of a

  proud phoenix with its wings outspread over its head. It glinted dully in the bright buttery rays of the early morning sun.

  The emblem was a well-known mark of any respected Coven member, no matter their ranking. Wearing it proudly, she prowled the streets with little regard for those they were passing. In one hand, she bore a knotted, rich mahogany staff that she used to aid in her quickened steps, and the other was shoved into the pocket of her tightly wrapped robe. Around her hip was a thick, sash-like belt that an assortment of multicolored bags dangled from by bronze hooks. They swayed from side to side with a soft jingle as she strode along the sidewalk. Her favorite, worn, buckled boots crunched over the little snow that was packed on the walkway as they headed down the crowded streets.

  “I really don't see the point in all of this.” The voice held a bit of a sophisticated lilt to it, and it came awkwardly rolling from the mouth of the giant moseying behind the girl.

  “When there is chaos, you can swipe just about anything, and we might as well get something out of the deal since the Coven sent us out on this job. Besides, explosions and sirens equal fun, Bobo,” the girl responded, her deep russet eyes shifting from side to side as they passed more people that had their jaws slack with amazement at the demon ogre behind her.

  The creature flicked his ocean blue eyes from the pages to the witch before summarily returning his gaze to his engaging read. “Why must you insist on calling me that? It's Botobolbilian,” he corrected his master.

  The girl aggressively threaded a stray strand of jet black hair behind her ear with an annoyed expression before answering with, “Too hard to say in the middle of a battle.”

  “Clearly as well in casual daily conversation,” the beast said, licking the pads of his rather large fingers and flipping another page of his book.

  “It's easier to shorten it, okay?” Vanessa snapped back.

  “Yet, you decline my thoughts on addressing you as Nessy,” Bobo grumbled.

  “It would be an insult to my people to shorten my name,” she said, raising her chin proudly.

  Bobo let the book fall from his face, and he narrowed his gaze at the back of his master’s head. “Your people...? Aren't you an orphan?” His inquiring tone insinuated that she didn't know if she even had a ''people'' to speak of.

  “Shhh,” she snipped. “We are here.”

  “Oh… how convenient,” Bobo replied with a roll of his eyes and marked the place in his book with a thin strip of ribbon before placing it carefully, along with his glasses, in a small satchel at his hip. Oddly enough, a large battle-axe was dangling from the belt as well. Bobo's massive hand went to cup the top of the blade as his eyes searched the rubble piled outside of the building they stood in front of.

  It was the largest academy in Tolvade, Runerite, Academy of Wizardry and Arcane. Naturally, it was one for magic and basic apothecary training. If you passed the classes, you went on to the next level of training and – if you were lucky – you could progress beyond that to be part of the Coven. If not, you were stuck doing basic love spells, curses, and making luck charms for the general public. Not such a bad gig, but most aspire to do more than your run-of-the-mill jobs in these times. Though, that was not to say there weren’t those that attended that didn’t love the jobs offered outside of the Coven. It was just that those jobs weren’t what Vanessa wanted. She dreamed of being in the Coven ever since she knew she had magic coursing through her tiny body.

  Vanessa was one of the lucky ones. She graduated top of her class, even though she slept through most of them. Two years into combat spells and verbal enchants classes at the Runerite Academy and she was picked up by Coven scouts and taken to their ritual grounds for an interview. Being an orphan, she was lucky that her orphanage even had the money to put the kids through school that first year. Excelling at her studies only broadened her horizons and made the orphanage more compelled to pay for the next year’s school fees. When she was picked up by the Coven scouts, the orphanage was compensated by the government for aiding in the advancement of the parent-less youth. This was the norm in Vanessa’s world.

  Even though Vanessa had been raised within the walls of the orphanage that resembled a worn-down hovel on its good days, she hadn’t been mistreated like some kids in other orphanages. She was lucky; she always seemed to have the touch of the blessed on her side. Whenever she asked her caretakers what her parents were like when they dropped her off, they seemed nervous when they replied that it was because of her magic capabilities that they gave her up.

  Strange as it sounded, magicless parents giving birth to a magical child was not completely uncommon. Sadly, if it was too frightening or too much responsibility, a child would be given up if they showed signs of magical capabilities. Even though orphanages were plenty, money to run them was not. Vanessa never lost hope, though. She became a touch cynical and had a sharp tongue, but she never abandoned her dreams of becoming more than what she was. If her magic was the reason she was given up, she’d make it her defining quality.

  Often she would daydream about joining the Coven ranks. Tracking down those that abandoned the 'white ways' and took on darker magics. Those that raised th
e dead, summoned feral demons, and practiced the black magics were of the 'dark ways,' and it was up to the authorities to track them down and bind their magic.

  The Coven was the police force and government of this world and anyone associated with the 'dark ways' were the criminals. Witches, warlocks, mages, sorcerers, and priests were all expected to practice safely and respectfully the 'white ways.' Those that did not were branded as outcasts – dark witches or dark way followers – and hunted down immediately before they unleashed evil or harmed innocents.

  Shortly after the interview, Vanessa was informed that she had passed, and the Coven would accept her as a low-ranking officer until she brought in twenty-four dark witches for proper magic binding. As standard procedure, she was given one talisman, one weapon of her choosing, and one summoning stone upon being brought into the Coven.

  A talisman was a charm necklace that held the fragmented piece of a Celestial soul. It would bring good luck to the user during battles. The talisman also came with its own incantation that could be spoken and bring forth a magical shield for a short period of time. The spell usually only lasted a few minutes and took some time to recharge. The weapon of choice was a government issued – and magically marked – item, and far more powerful than anything a standard magic user could get their hands on.

  Finally, the summoning stone. It was an enchanted artifact that would allow the user to open the gates to the underworld and call upon one spirit within the domain to be the Coven member’s pet or hired footman. Depending on that witch or wizard’s magical capabilities, the level of the pet would vary. Vanessa got an ogre, the foot-soldiers and guards of the demons in the underworld.

  Though, Bobo was one of the most sophisticated foot-soldiers she had ever met. They were usually a barbaric, nasty creature with an attitude that matched their hunger for human flesh. That is, of course, unless your ogre gets blasted with two intelligence spells by your superior officers accidentally and at the same time. Bobo was a perfectly timed mistake. If the spells hadn’t been timed just right, he would have exploded on the spot … or worse. In Vanessa's case, the spell worked a little too well on Bobo, and she suffered from his constant nagging and correcting daily.

  Still, having a well-mannered ogre that could punch through a brick wall was a far better companion than a succubus/incubus trying to seduce everything with two feet, or an untrained hellcat that would light your apartment on fire every time it needed to relieve itself. So, Vanessa took the highly intelligent ogre, which had manners that far exceeded her own, with a smile and his insults with grain of salt.

  With how bad some of the missions could get, she was silently thankful that she had a strong companion on her side that could also think for himself when the situation got tough. More often than not, Bobo's presence paid off. Because of him, she was sitting at nineteen successful take-downs of dark witches and counting down until the magical number twenty-four. Today's mission would mark number twenty if successful.

  Little did Vanessa know that it would mark more than that.

  Chapter 2:

  Vanessa sniffed at the air and crinkled her nose. “Do you smell that?” she asked in a hushed tone as she scanned the walls of the building. The whole east side of the academy looked like it had a bomb go off inside it.

  Bobo cupped his nose with his free hand and spoke softly in reply, “Unfortunately, I do.”

  The air that leaked out from the still smoldering holes of the academy’s walls reeked of sulfur and ash. Trademark scents that something from the underworld had recently come through a summoning portal. Every now and again, it could be blamed on the occasional inexperienced student trying out a high-class alchemy spell, but, judging by the amount of widespread damage that surrounded the area, Vanessa and Bobo doubted that being the case.

  They carefully found sound footing between the piles of stone and rubble while keeping their eyes peeled to the silent confines of the school’s open rooms ahead. Once they were inside, Vanessa pointed out a black marking, staining the far wall next to Bobo that appeared as though the area had been hit with a fireball. He narrowed his gaze at the destruction and inched his way closer to inspect the damage.

  Meanwhile, Vanessa circled the room and made way to the classroom entrance that would open into the empty halls. She slowly opened the door, wiggling her head through the small crack she had made, to see out into the dark and silent space beyond. Without warning, the door creaked and then fell from its half-melted hinges, landing on the floor with a loud thwack!

  Vanessa jumped at the sound, after she had watched the dense chunk of wood plummet, unable to stop it from falling to the floor. Dust clouds billowed around the edges of the thick, wooden door. Slowly, Vanessa looked from the door on the ground over to Bobo, who was staring at her with an extremely exasperated expression tugging at every line and crease on his ogre face.

  “Sorry,” Vanessa mouthed with a light shrug of her shoulders.

  “Oh, no. I’m the one that is sorry. I didn’t realize we were going to invite the enemy to a tea party. How foolish of me, I didn’t bring the kettle. But you brought the biscuits, didn’t you? Please tell me you brought the biscuits,” Bobo teased in a quiet, incensed tone.

  Vanessa found no humor in his jab at her honest mistake, and she glowered with a hard frown at her pet. “I wish the Coven supplied us with muzzles,” she hissed under her breath.

  Bobo let his large paw reach up and gently touch the black soot on the wall. “And I wish we could have a trial period with our masters,” he stated with a touch of sass in his voice.

  Vanessa rolled her eyes and peered out into the hall again, holding her wooden staff close to her chest with both her hands as she did so. “Nothing,” she whispered.

  “Surely, you are not to thank for that,” Bobo taunted again.

  “What did you find?” she growled back.

  Bobo grunted in response and quickly got back to work. Leaning forward, the ogre sniffed at the wall, his eyes screwed shut and face contorted as he concentrated on the deep-rooted scents left behind. After opening his eyes, Bobo replied, “Scorch marks. It appears to be hellfire in nature.” He then raced a thick, clawed finger over the area. Rubbing his index and middle finger together with his thumb in front of his eyes, the ogre inspected the soot on his digits the way an alchemist would a new magic dust with a questioning mind. “Looks like we are dealing with a tier two classified demon,” he snorted and shook his head. “Maybe even a guard,” he added with a sigh of displeasure.

  “What?” Vanessa almost forgot to keep her voice down and had to regain her composure before speaking again. “How in the hex did that high of a level demon get through?”

  “I can’t really say. I think we should check out the surroundings a bit more. See if we can find any signs that will give us some hints as to what happened here,” Bobo advised, and then looked over his shoulder to the open streets beyond.

  Most of the pedestrians steered clear of the crumbled academy walls. They knew that this much damage to such a high classed school meant that there was danger afoot, which was a good thing. The last thing that Vanessa and Bobo needed was to try and keep rubbernecking civilians safe while bagging a possible dark witch, or worse, a high-level demon.

  Vanessa didn’t like the idea that they might be dealing with a tier two demon or third tier demon with hellfire abilities. Demons ranked at that level, and having that kind of power, usually required a group in order to take them down. The hellfire abilities were reserved for special kinds of demons. Hellcats, demon princes, and – you guessed it – hellhounds.

  Of the three, Vanessa would prefer to not deal with the hellhounds. Unlike hellcats and demon princes, they had the worst attitude, and they usually traveled in small groupings. However, just because the packs were small, did not mean that the damage that they could inflict was not off the charts. In fact, the only hellhound encounter documented was from two hundred years ago and took an entire city’s section Coven to take them do
wn. Most professors told the story of the de-summoning as an inspirational story to teach new Coven members about the importance of team work. But no one had since then dealt with feral demons.

  Knowing that the marks were caused by hellfire was unnerving. Hellfire was one of the most damage inflicting powers that the underworld beings had to offer aside from fear ingesting and soul collecting creatures like devils and reapers, which were tier three demons and the most powerful. Needless to say, hellfire wasn’t caused by a group of inexperienced students making a training whoopsie. This was the product of a large and calculated summoning spell.

  Now, back to the scorch marks…

  Bobo let out a long drawn out sigh and shook his head at the wall. “I think this is at least a Class A or even an S, Vanessa. You won’t like what I’m going to say, but we are going to need to report it to the Coven.”

  “What? The Coven? No, this is my case. We’ve got this, Bobo, I know it. There is no way I’m pulling my hand out of the cookie jar when I’m this far in—”

  As she ranted, Bobo sighed again and rolled his eyes. “See, I knew you weren’t going to like what I had to say.”

  “—We are seeing this case through,” Vanessa huffed.

  “Ah, and my fearless master makes yet another well-thought out and intelligent decision. Aren’t I a lucky ogre?” Bobo grumbled glumly.

  Vanessa groaned and poked her unwilling servant with her staff. “Come on. Stop pouting. You know yoouu waaant tooo,” she changed up her attitude and spoke in a sing-song tone.

  “No. I really don’t,” Bobo mumbled.

  “Oh… come on now, Bobo. I know you do. Look, if things look even a teensy bit bad,” she paused to show the measurement with her thumb and pointer finger and then continued, “…we’ll pack it up and go tell the Coven.”