At the mansion that was owned by Jonas, the High Priest of the Dark, Carman walked through its halls, with an escort on her heels. They did their best to keep with her strides, but they all knew their place and stayed behind her. The black dress she wore made her look as regal as a queen, and she moved like one as well.
Gliding forward with all the grace and elegance of the monarchs of a past age, Carman eventually came to a set of large black doors. She raised her hand and called upon her magic to push the doors open, ensuring they opened quick enough. As she reached them, they opened just enough to permit her to pass through. Her escort looked on in awe, and the woman scoffed quietly. If a simple cantrip such as a door opening awed them, then the people of this time were woefully under-prepared for beings like her.
"Ah, my Dark Lady, welcome!" Jonas said with a genuine smile as he bowed to her in deference.
"High Priest Jonas," Carman said simply with a small smile, favoring the man for the moment. The hard pounding he had given her over the past day was appreciated, as Carman hadn't been sated like that since... ever!
"If I may introduce the leaders of the local covens. The Dark Mother of the Sisters of Arachne, the Dark Mother of the Daughters of Lillith, the Dark Mother of the Silent Shadow, and the Dark Father of the Sons of Anubis," Jonas said by way of introduction.
"The Sons of Anubis? You are far from the lands of your origin," Carman remarked as she surveyed the room.
"We go wherever there are men who wish to know of and follow our ways. Especially when it comes to port cities," the brown-skinned man replied smoothly, while bowing in deference to the woman.
Carman smiled and nodded as she gazed at the four leaders of the witch and warlock covens that stood there. None of them was close to her in power, or were even a match for her, but they were powerful enough for her plans. They looked to her, waiting for her to seat herself, and Carman smiled at this. All four of them knew who she was and showed her the respect she was due.
She walked over to the head of the table where Jonas waited for her. As Carman neared the chair, he pulled it out for her and she nodded, gracefully taking a seat. The moment she was seated and comfortable, she then looked at the other four leaders and nodded. They then took a seat, with Jonas seating himself next to Carman. It might have seemed a bit presumptuous of him, but for bringing her back from death, he had earned that right. For now.
"Now that we are all here, we can begin with the business I called us here for," Jonas began. He would have continued until he was rudely interrupted by one of the women who stood by the Dark Mother of the Sisters of Arachne.
"Pardon me, High Priest, but are you certain that this truly is Carman reborn?" the woman asked. She was young, no more than twenty years old, and carried herself with the arrogance and brashness of youth.
"You do not believe the word of the High Priest?" Carman asked, her voice like silk on the air.
"It is one thing to take the word of a High Priest, but quite another to see it for yourself," the woman sassed. The Dark Mother who sat there next to her glared at the girl, but she ignored her mistress as she continued.
"How can we be sure that—" the girl got out before she was cut off.
"You really think that I am not Carman? That I am some pretender to the mantle of the Dark Witch?" Carman questioned as she stood.
The moment she was on her feet, Carman stopped suppressing her presence, letting it come to the fore. The Dark Mothers and the Dark Father sensed it immediately, their eyes widening in alarm. The girl must have sensed it as well, as her disdain fell from her face, replaced with pure awe.
"Do you truly believe that the High Priest would lie to such prominent practitioners of the Dark?" Carman wondered.
She let the full weight of the darkness she wielded hammer everyone there. Her power focused on the girl, making her gasp and cry out as she was assaulted by the dark energies. Fear bloomed on all their faces, knowing that Carman possessed enough raw power to end them all without so much as blinking. The apprentice knew right then that she had erred grievously and hoped that she could plea for mercy.
"Dark mistress, please forgive my apprentice!" the Dark Mother pleaded, ready to fall to her knees.
"I will hear it from her," Carman said icily as she walked to the girl, who looked ready to wet herself at the Dark Witch's approach.
"Forgive me, dark mistress!" the girl blubbered, her fear overpowering her. Carman smiled, as she knew that her mere presence had cowed the girl. It was heartening to see that she still had that effect on people, especially acolytes of the dark. If they couldn't be cowed, then they would one day rise up against you, so they had to know their place. If they didn't know, then often reminders such as this were necessary.
"Hmmm. You have stayed my hand from any violence. To earn forgiveness, you will serve me for the day, in whatever capacity I require, until midnight. Then, if you have served me amply, then you may return to your life. If not, then you will serve me each day after, until you have earned it," Carman told the girl.
The girl's eyes widened, but she nodded vigorously, not wishing to anger the Dark Witch further. She stayed there on her knees, waiting for her first command, hoping that Carman would not be a cruel mistress.
"Go and kneel next to my seat in supplication. Your head is to be bowed and you are not to speak unless spoken to, or unless I give you leave to. Am I understood?" Carman asked, and the girl nodded, as she got to her feet and padded over to where Carman had sat. She did as ordered, not uttering a single peep as she kneeled by the Dark Witch's seat.
"Dark mistress... is such servitude... necessary? I only ask because that girl is... my niece," the Dark Mother queried, being careful with her selection of words.
"You worry for your niece's safety? Put your mind at ease, Dark Mother, as I have no intent to harm her, nor will I allow her to come to harm while she is under my service," Carman told the woman. Hearing these words erased the Dark Mother's fears, and she visibly relaxed. She then nodded, knowing that if her apprentice was to be at her side again, then she would have to complete her penance.
"Now, if there are no other things that anyone feels the need to say, we can finally get down to the reason why you have all been gathered here," Carman stated.
"Indeed! I would like to know what grand design you have in mind, exalted one!" the Dark Father told her respectfully.
"As would I! Many others would know what plans you have to bring us back to prominence," another Dark Mother stated.
"I do have a plan, but the first step is critical for it to work. That first step being, that every practitioner of the Dark is to be brought under a single banner. My banner," Carman told them all.
"You... want them all to... unify... under you?" Jonas questioned, the very idea foreign to him.
"Yes. Is that a problem?" Carman asked with a tilt of her head.
"Ideally, no, as it is something that many have been trying to attain for years. Realistically, it will be... more than a little difficult. Each group or coven in question has their own agenda, sets their own rules, and they love their independence. Few would willingly join with us even on the greatest of ideals," Jonas told her seriously.
"Well, before, you didn't have me here. Send for them to come here, to meet with me. They will all submit, or they will die. If we are to overcome our enemies and rise to take our rightful place as the rulers of this world, then we must be united. In the past, our enemies have used this as a means of weakening us, exploiting our disdain for one another to gain the upper hand. This ends now," she told them firmly, making her place known.
"Who would we be fighting against?" one Dark Mother queried, wondering if there was anyone to fight.
"We have been informed that there is now a force of Gaians that have taken up residence within the city. Servants from what we've heard, maybe even a Shaman or two. Rumor suggests that there may even be a Druid among them," Jonas replied, filling the woman in on what they knew.
"Gaians?? Here?!? I thought they were all wiped out!" the Dark Father rumbled, not happy with the news he was hearing.
"That might have been the case before, but they are seeing a resurgence in their ranks. How do you expect the Sons of Ceasar fell as they have? It wasn't Dark magic that ended them. I would know, as I was at their... former base of operations, which is little more than a ruin now. The residual magics that were there were of the corrupted form the Sons use and the other form was Gaian," Jonas told them all.
"You are certain that it was Gaian magic you sensed?" one of the Dark Mothers questioned, her anxiety rising.
"Yes. You couldn't mistake that incessant itch that Gaian magic leaves to those like us. It almost made my skin crawl," Jonas shuddered in revulsion.
"So, we have a common enemy now. How long have you known about this?" the Dark Father queried.
"This intelligence was only brought to my attention recently. I was there at the Sons' old base just yesterday to see it for myself. We may not be at odds with them now and they may yet not be aware of us, but I wouldn't put it past them to come looking," Jonas informed the man.
"Especially since Gaia may yet be waking with their arrival. If she is waking, then they will know of us before long. She knows all that happens upon this world, so don't expect them to stay ignorant of us for much longer," Carman told them.
"Which is why unity is so important!" one of the Dark Mothers stated. "I will return to my coven and have them gather everyone they know of. We will pledge ourselves to your cause, Dark Witch."
"As will I and my warlocks. If Gaians have indeed returned, then we must be united if we are to stand a chance against them," the Dark Father intoned with a nod. The others who were gathered there also voice similar sentiments, agreeing to the plan.
