Chapter Eight~ The City of Immigrants

    Hidden from view, the essence of Branna swirled intoxicatingly around The Slave to The Prince of Night but nothing could be done until she revealed herself. Part of what bound the slaves to the Prince of Night was the chains on their power; human manifestation was beyond their grasp until they captured a living soul, trapping it forever in their empty shell of a body. The transformation would last no more than a few days before it would begin to fade and the slave would become just another cloud of power once more, without Branna's soul it was nothing more than a shadow of unfulfilled promises of eternal life. The shadows slithered around Branna once more but she ignored them until finally the slave resigned himself to defeat slamming the cabin door closed in a fit of anger. Branna remained cloaked in the shadows until once again the train rumbled on.

    Branna allowed the darkness to slip away breathing in the fresh air of night. Three more hours loomed before her before she would reach London and Branna suspected the slave who had sought her out would be awaiting her arrival. The Prince knew of her presence, however Hecate's power hid her identity from his view. Protected from his clairvoyance from the time of her birth, the Prince was able to sense her power and energy just as he could all her sisters but they remained safe if they refrained from using large amounts of energy. The slave had to have sensed her power in the woods when she had tried to call Hecate to her. Caution and awareness would have to be of utmost importance, sleeping only during the day, travelling cloaked in shadows by night. Too many forces were at work and she couldn't risk being discovered before she located her sisters and they combined powers, only then would they be strong enough to confront the Prince's followers.

    The sky slowly transformed from an inky black to a pale blue with streaks of fuscia and gold beckoning the sun forth from its slumber. Branna shut her eyes allowing herself to plummet into the world of the Gods.

 

 

    "Darkness chased her through the dingey streets strewn with trash and the occasional homeless person, it hunted not for her soul like all the others but for knowledge, knoweledge she alone possessed. Deep within her being lay the secret of their creation and the key to their demise. The artificial light of the streetlamps glowed faintly against the unnatural darkness, serving as a destroyer to all the shadows in which she could seek protection.  "Give up now Goddess, the night no longer belongs to you. Your knowledge and your soul shall forever be mine." Branna tripped slicing her arm on a jagged sliver of broken glass as the words slid across her mind. The filthy city street fell away revealing a pitch black sky and the tangy smell of salt and damp soil. The waning moon hung low and Branna reached out to it for guidance and protection.

    The darkness flowed toward her once more but this time Branna had the power of the moon to draw upon. Energy sizzled in her veins, aching to be set free and her sisters appeared beside her in the original forms they had been created with quite unlike the forms etched on them over the centuries. Joining hands against the darkness the world froze around them leaving Branna the only one unaffected. Hecate appeared before her daughter, the pale moonlight accentuating her glorious beauty " My child, I fear this may be the last time I can truly visit with you without betraying your identity to the Prince of Night. Listen closely, for although I shall continue to guide you and send you dreams, I shan't be able to speak with you.

    An enemy nearly as powerful and deadly as the Prince of Night seeks you out. You are the key and the foundation of power, all mysteries are held within you. When you have defeated the lesser powers the time for the ultimate battle shall arrive. You shall know when the time has come to prepare but you must remember the battle shall take place in the Ancient Lands where the gods were first born and the stones still stand. The most ancient of structures, not known how they were built shall bring you forth to the land of mysteries. Here you shall fight to the death, heed my words, the balance must not be destroyed and the mysteries of the universe must be guarded for another generation. Go now to the New Land and the City of Immigrants. There is where you shall find your sisters in the biggest park of them all under the light of the full moon. Blessed be my darling daughter."

 

 

    Branna woke to the grinding of brakes upon rusted metal. The city of London loomed just beyond the glass window in all its gloomy glory. Rain clouds drifted high above the smog covered buildings and inwardly Branna cursed the lack of sunshine. London ran amuck with slaves to the Prince because they so easily lingered in the day with so little sun light to destroy the shadows. If she stayed too long in one place there was a risk of someone discovering her identity. Using as little pwoer as she dared Branna transformed her features into that of a plain farm girl visiting the likes of the great city.

 

    Purchasing air fare proved a relatively easy task with a bit of simple manipulation. Unlike her two sisters she embodied all their powers as well as her own, symbolizing the advanced stage of her mother Hecate. Within her lay all the powers of the Universe, those words echoed through her mind, if only she understood their meaning. Branna passed through customs using as little power as possible but she doubted the darker powers failed to sense the energy. They were naturally drawn to power, that was their weakness and one the Prince eagerly fed upon. He would have a slave follow her to New York City but once thier she would lose their trail blending in with the swarming crowds of the big city.

 

 

    Rengan followed the scent of power though the airport into the international junction. The aura of darkness had drawn him, not because he wished to be with others like himself; a slave to the Great Prince, but because it was unlike any power he had ever tasted. The flavor was seductive and alluring, powerful yet somehow sickeningly good. The only answer to this mystery had to be there was a traitor in the Great Prince's midst. If he, Rengan, were to find this traitor and bring him to the Great Prince, he would be rewarded and perhaps gain favor in the much sought after House of Night.

Reviews

[DowntoEarthDreamer]

wow..just wow.. these two chapters are amazing! the plots developing soo well i can't believe it, nor can i wait to read more!!