Arrival in America

And another chapter... I felt a bit silly making the words of the spell up...I also dont know what New York looks like, since I've never been there, I hope I'm not wildly inaccurate in any way...

"So you think it's a trap?" Laura asked.

"Of course. Vater is too clever to give us such an opportunity so soon after my…accident." Karl replied.

"What should we do?"

"We'll go ahead with his plan – up to a point. Instead of merely pretending to ask for help from the white magician, you really will, and then, well, perhaps it's best not to talk about it here." Karl looked worried. "It's quite likely that Vater has had the whole castle bugged."

"He's that paranoid?"

"Oh yeah." Karl said with feeling.

"When can we talk then?"

"When we get to America. Franz won't be able to watch us all the time, and I doubt that lion thing can talk. I just wonder… Will this Jarratt help me after what I did at the G8? Certainly, he'll help you, but if I was him, I wouldn't believe that someone like me could change."

"Don't worry. We'll convince him somehow. Now we'd better get ready. We should be going soon."

Karl nodded, and watched as Laura left the room.

"What are you doing Karl?" Tomas murmured to himself as he listened to their conversation on his computer. "Do you really plan to flee? Why? What do you have to fear?" He wondered if he ought to tell Kroenen about this, but immediately decided against it. Kroenen would punish any rebellion against him very harshly, and he didn't want Karl to go through that. Not because of him. No, he would keep this quiet, and leave Kroenen to find out on his own.

Karl lay flat on his back in the middle of a dim circle of light cast by the flickering flames from thirteen guttering candles. Beside him Franz was crouched, holding a chain in his right hand that led to the collar of the beast his father had made. On the other side of him, Laura was sitting on the floor, fear evident in her wide eyes. She didn't understand the ritual, how could she? She had never seen anything like this before.

"Ruoreh tafoh w'tranin evaeh de'woll ah b'yht eman, yht mod g'nik…" From the shadows came Kroenen's harsh voice speaking the words that would summon the power needed to transport them all the way to America.

Karl knew it would take quite a while, so he allowed his mind to wander. He could smell the scent of blood wafting in the air around him, coming from the pentagram and symbols drawn on the cold stone in the crimson fluid, and the odd smell of the candles made from dragon fat. He sighed and closed his eyes. He could feel the magick gathering around his limbs, spread out to touch four of the points of the pentacle, his head resting on the fifth. Somehow the touch of it felt subtly wrong. Another change caused by his split personality.

Suddenly he felt a tug from somewhere around his stomach, and knew that the spell was starting to take effect. Opening his eyes, the world seemed to twist into strange psychedelic shapes and colours, and there was a constant buzzing in his ears. Then everything went black.

When the darkness had cleared, Karl found himself in a basement half filled with wooden crates and a strong smell of preservatives. He stood up and looked around for the others. Laura was sitting on top of one of the boxes, looking faintly amused, whilst Franz was leaning against the wall next to the stairs, still holding the manticore's chain.

"You've been asleep long enough," he said in a tired voice.

"What? But surely it was only a few seconds…"

"Ha! More like half an hour!"

"Oh." He was silent for a moment. "I guess the trip must have disagreed with me…"

"Well anyway, we'd better get going. Our contact wants to meet us near the Twin Towers memorial. If we don't hurry we're going to be late, and then we'll really look clever won't we. So-called 'punctual' Germans."

"What about the manticore? We can't exactly take that out walking the streets of New York."

"Kroenen gave me a concealment charm for it. No-one without magical powers will be able to see it."

"I thought magick wouldn't work on it."

Franz shrugged. "I think this works with its own magick rather than against it… I'm not sure."

"Shall we go then?" Laura asked, pulling her overcoat closer around her to conceal her alterations.

Franz nodded, pulled an amulet from his pocket, slipped it over the creature's head, and began to walk up the stairs.

They met with less people than they might usually have, it being a rainy night with several good programmes on the TV. Still, the streets were hardly deserted; it was New York after all. Apart from legitimate people going about their own legitimate business, there were also those whose pursuits were a great deal shadier and quite possibly illegal. The four of them were left alone for the most part until they were almost at the memorial.

"Oh great," Franz muttered. "I thought something like this might happen."

The man was gaunt, with sunken cheeks and a complexion that made him look like a skeleton that had been freshly dug up after several years in the ground. Karl ought to know, since he had seen several in his time at Schloss Unterholz. He was bearing a placard with the words 'The end is Nigh' printed upon it. There was a wild look in his eyes, and his hair was long and greasy.

"You are comfortable and complacent in your homes, foolish men of this nation!" he called out at the crowds. "Your eyes are blind to the daemons that threaten this land! All around us the forces of Darkness are gathering and none of you do anything to stop them!"

Suddenly he caught sight of Franz, Karl and Laura, standing uncomfortably some way away, the bulk of the manticore half-concealed behind them.

"You!" he cried, "You are the ones I speak of! You are devils come to lay this nation waste! I foretell great trouble for you and those you come across. You have come to kill, but those you do may not be the ones you intended! Beware the black wolf!" He pointed straight at Karl. "I see his shadow upon you!"

"Let's get out of here," Karl said.

"I agree. He's crazy. There's too many of that sort around here." Franz sighed. They began to inch around the man.

"I see the lion of Scorpio you have in your trail!" the tramp yelled. "It is an abomination, and will be destroyed by another such! The lions of Scorpio and Nurgle can not suffer the other to pass!"

How did he know about the Sammael? Karl thought, his hand dropping to the vial in his pocket. Maybe the man was a bit psychic. No. It was just a coincidence.

"Flee you fools!" the tramp howled after them as they hurried off towards the Memorial. "Fleeeeeeeeeee!"

"I take it you are Cobra?" The man said behind them.

Franz turned to look at him. "We are Cobra yes," he replied.

The man motioned for them to follow him. "Come with me. The leader is waiting back at headquarters. I have orders to take you to him."

"And have you any idea where the target is?" Franz asked casually.

"I don't know anything about why you're here. I'm just to pick you up."

"Very well. Let's be off."

Following the man at a short distance, they began to make their way back through the streets of New York.

More soon I hope. Please review. Please.