Chapter 1
Serana strode through the dense city streets. Illumia was always hot and crowded at this time of the year. The humidity rolling off the ocean did nothing to cool her skin. She wore thin blue fabric wrapped around her curvy frame; the traditional garb of a Priestess of the Light. She had joined the order as a young girl, having been taken from her parents when the Spark had been detected within her. She sometimes wondered what her life would have been like if she had stayed with her family. Maybe she would have become a nice plump housewife, raising a brood of children on a small farm in the country as her mother had. Alas, she didn't devote much time to these thoughts. She was quite content with her station in life. This life could be much more interesting.
The last two nights had seen a blood red moon in the sky. This was an ill omen indeed. Thousands of years ago, there had been a plan by the Prince of Lies, also known as the demon Lucian, to take over the world of the living. All creatures were cared for and loved by the Creator, and He had chosen a select few to lead humanity's defense. General Trimarick had fought a long and hard campaign, but finally he was able to subdue Lucian's forces and send him back to the Netherworld. During the war Lucian had made his own selection of mortal followers. Amongst the Priestesses of the Light – magic-wielding women who had been chosen to defend the weak – Lucian had corrupted and seduced a small contingent of sisters. They were to remain in hiding, always recruiting more but never becoming too powerful, lest they be noticed. One day, the Priestesses of the Dark – as they called themselves – would see three nights of a blood red moon. This would be their sign that Lucius would be making his return.
As the Sun started to set, Serana knew that it would not be long before moonrise. She walked slowly up the steps towards the Palace of the Light. If the moon rose red tonight, there would likely be an emergency debate in the Hall of Faith. She would attend, but after that she would need to meet the other dark Sisters. They may have much work to do tonight.
Serana slipped into her room. At 24 years old she was quite young for a Sister, but she had risen in the ranks quickly. As a result, her room was very spacious, and she didn't need to share it with anyone. Wiggling her shoulders she slipped out of the blue robes she had been wearing and stood naked in front of the tall mirror she had in her room. Serana had long blonde hair that fell in ringlets around her shoulders, the ends draped down over her chest, just above her round breasts. They stood perky and were rather large. It was not uncommon for men in the city to stare at her chest when talking to her. Her eyes wandered up and down her form in the mirror, her gaze lingering on her nipples. She had large pink areolas and her nipples could get incredibly hard when she was aroused. She slimmed down around her waist, giving way to wide hips and right in between her legs was a soft blonde triangle of pubic hair. She smiled. Would he like her? Serana had never been with a man. Like all Priestesses of the Dark she was a virgin, and she would continue to be, at least until Lucian came.
Serana stretched out as she walked over to her large copper bath tub. Sweat beaded and collected between her breasts, remnants from the hot day. She reached out with her Spark and the room suddenly felt somewhat dryer as she drew the water in the air into the tub. She reached in with a toe. Swirling around she waited for it to heat up, her Spark helping her to make the water comfortable. She slid herself the rest of the way in, the water line moving up her body, separating the overheated part of her body with what was submerged in the cool water. Leaning back she closed her eyes. She knew she didn't have much time to clean herself. Soon a maid would come into her room and deliver a message, calling her to the Hall of Faith. While the Palace knew what three red moons meant, few of them knew how advanced the Dark Priestesses' preparations were.
Sasha Nora walked through the large hallway. It was bordered every few feet by a door leading off to another hallway. Her green dress hugged her tightly and swished around her legs as she quickened her pace. All of the Sisters in the Palace had been summoned to the Hall of Faith. Sasha knew that she couldn't communicate with any of her fellow Dark Sisters in public right now. They were putting into place a plan that had been formed thousands of years ago by their predecessors. She noticed Serana, their leader, walking down the hall towards the gigantic cedar doors. They didn't make eyes contact, but they both knew that tonight they wouldn't be so unencumbered. Sasha noticed a few of the other sisters approaching the doors. Finally she reached the doors and they opened for her, reacting to the power of her Spark. Sasha stepped into the Hall of Faith and looked around.
Other Priestesses walked around frantically, all searching for their seats. Sasha sat down in hers, using a fingertip to pull her short red bangs out of her eyes. She was dressed somewhat uncomfortably, but she wanted to be pretty for later. Smoothing her skirt Sasha waited patiently. She had a role to play tonight. It was very important that Mother Melina made certain decisions tonight.
Finally, once all of the Priestesses had found their seats, a hush fell across the room. It was customary for all Sisters to fall silent as the Priory of the Light entered the Hall.
Mother Melina, Priory of the Light, Speaker of the Hall of Faith, Defender of the Weak walked slowly into the Hall. She walked along the centre aisle and took a seat on the bench in front of the Throne. No one ever sat in the Throne. The Hall was designed so that sunlight would always beam in onto the Throne and it was said that the Creator sat there to preside over their meetings. Mother Melina was simply his voice.
Melina was a very pretty woman. She had light brown straight hair that fell down her neck in drapes. Her eyes were a light hazel and she was of average height. Her breasts would have been slightly above average, and though her white robes often hid them, her hips were quite wide. Mother Melina looked across at the distraught Sisters and stood up.
"Fellow Priestesses, I have received confirmation that tonight is the third straight night of the blood red moon. I know that many of you are scared, but we have prepared for this for millennia. It is true that this is the harbinger of Lucian. This is the sign that he is trying to make contact, and will soon attempt to walk on our soil again. But as Priestesses of the Light, we must act. It is not too late for us to stop this, but for now, we must deliberate. According to the prophecy we have 6 days before Lucian is set free. So we have two decisions to make. First, we must decide how best to stop him. Secondly, we must decide how to proceed should Lucian bridge the gap between our worlds. I will now hear your thoughts."
She sat back down as Sisters began to stand up. Melina looked over to Serana. She was a young powerful Priestess that had risen in the ranks rather quickly. She was known for being very analytical, and surely she'd have some interesting insights for tonight.
"Mother" she said with a curtsy, "it is of the utmost importance that we send as many Sisters into the Library as possible. We must unlock the Scroll of Shadows so that we can summon the power necessary to fight against Lucian. But in order to do so, many Sisters will need to channel their Spark and it will take at least a few days."
This was a good point. The Scroll of Shadows had been passed down by former Priestesses to be read if Lucian were to return. However it took an immense amount to magic to open it, and surviving the reading would take complicated spells.
Then Sasha stood up. "Mother, we cannot waste precious resources on the Scroll. We do not even know if it will work. As far as I am concerned it is merely a legend. No, what we must do is prepare for battle. We must take the strongest Sisters and place them on our perimeter. We must also call back all Sisters that are not in the Palace. This way we can marshall and focus our forces."
Melina didn't agree with Sasha as far as the Scroll was concerned. She also disagreed when it came to enforcing the perimeter. She knew that the Palace could be called into a defensive state relatively easily. Sasha was a hothead though, and often called for battle. She rarely got along with the calmer and more deliberative Serana. Sasha did have a point with calling back other Priestesses though. They would need as many here as they could muster. She would send messengers as soon as she could.
Melina looked over to Lyra who was waiting her turn to speak. She was a young, pretty wood elf. As tall as a human, she was rather slender, not having quite the same plumpness that some other sisters had. For an elf though, her breasts were quite larger than normal. Melina motioned for Lyra to talk.
"Mother, if it pleases the Hall I think that we should send some of our more powerful Sisters to protect King Norin. He is very popular and he can rally the people against Lucian much more easily than we can. We may need him if it comes to war."
Norin was indeed powerful, and his abilities to muster the human resources that may be needed to beat Lucian would far surpass the Priory of the Light, who while a powerful figure, was seen as far more aloof and academic. This was a good suggestion, something Lyra with her lack of experience rarely made.
The debate went on for the next several hours. Many of the Priestesses got chances to talk, with only a few opting to simply listen. They took several votes that night, but eventually they decided that they would send messengers to call all of the outlying Sisters back. They would also split their most powerful Sisters between protecting Norin and his cabinet and working towards opening the Scroll. The rest would go about their daily works and await orders as preparations were made.
Melina called the meeting to a close and curtsied to the Throne. Then she stood up and walked to her chambers. Unlike most nights, she was followed by an escort of Priestesses who had been trained in battle. Few would dare assault a Priory in the Palace of the Light, but Lucian had had a reputation of boldness. She still had to figure out where he would appear, but it was unlikely that his first contact would be anywhere near the Palace of the Light. She knew that when he first arrived he'd be weak and likely wouldn't want to be in the vicinity of any Sisters.
At one hour to midnight, six black-clad, hooded women met in an old storeroom in the basement of the Palace. The room was large and full of tall shelves. This was where the Palace stored all of its most powerful magical weapons. In theory, this would be the most difficult place for an invader to assault.
