(This Chapter might not be what you expected and you might not like it but please let me know anyway, so I can try and improve them.)
When she and the other deities of her world, before being almost driven to extinction, had lived in their dimension the Gods had inhabited a place called Nealm. It was; Charisma supposed this dimensions equivalent of heaven. However Nealm was all things, when humans think of hell they look down towards their feet and the ground, when of God and good things towards the sky, but Nealm was everywhere in her world. It existed just beyond the veil of ignorance and scepticism that masked the human eye and mind, hidden by magic and power it was the haven of the Gods, there was a part of Nealm where the sinners went, and there was a part where the good went and then beyond all that was a place where the Gods lived in harmony. Demons were not tolerated, they were cast powerless in to the human world where they would die a human death, without soul and then cease to exist.
On coming to this dimension and with no thought to encroach on the turf of other Pantheons they used their powers, diminished as they were to create, Ildiar, that meant 'the place between'
Charisma nearly pouted when remembering her old home, she flashed herself to the identical replica of it, and stepped forward to meet the lasting members of her pantheon. She let her eyes trail across the gods, who were her blood brothers and sisters, and then towards their council and sighed, she had never liked the pretentiousness of godhood. Charisma had lived the first half of her life with her powers bound, thus being a mortal, it wasn't until she went through a painless but rather frightening conversion and was she given her godhood and brought into Nealm.
It was night in Ildiar and as always the council or what was left of it was convening in their new home. Like in Nealm they were standing on a huge, round, black onyx floor situated high upon a mountain summit, surrounded by a thick magical, impenetrable fog. Billows lingered in the openings of the twelve sparsely spaced pillars of wrought silver that circled the inner curve of the floor, holding up a domed marble ceiling carved to represent interlocking fingers of two hands.
The only difference between this council chamber and the one she had known was that the circle of hundreds of thrones had now dwindled down to fifty or so, and were now occupied not only by gods as they had once been, but by council members who had traditionally always stood in the circle of Gods and Goddesses.
Charisma moved forward, and took her seat in between her sisters Blaze, Goddess of healing and protection, and Nitia Goddess of wisdom and intellect. All the Gods and Goddesses were required to wear different variations of white robes, over the years it had been altered so many of the males wore simple white linen trousers and shirts with capes. The women a modest shift or dress, as long as it was the sacred colour of white when convening with the council.
Charisma nodded to Blaze and waited for Rage, her brother God of Storms and Oceans, to begin the meeting. Only instead it was Kiera who spoke.
"Why have we been summoned, Rage?" She spoke with such purpose that Charisma was shocked, Kiera and her twin Kiara were still very young and knew little of responsibility, they were often reprimanded for being too wayward. "As I understood it we were allowed to find whatever peace this world might hold for us. There were to be no more meetings." Kiera looked around at her sisters and brothers as if for their support, "there is no more Nealm, no more us."
"She is right, Rage," Pride said in a deep rumbling voice, "we were told never to gather again. The power we produce will bring out the Atribos. Our numbers are too weak to fight them now and it will centre the attention of the powers of this universe on us."
Charisma shivered. The Atribos were the ancient foe of the Veritinician's, evil and dark and very powerful they had insidiously destroyed the life source of the Gods. They had enslaved and killed the mortals, then they had let the world die. Charisma remembered with a lump in her throat as the height of summer had suddenly turned bitterly cold and at midday the moon rose in a poisonous looking purple that steadily turned black. It had been the beginning of the end, years of war and they had had to flee. While hurricane Katrina had ripped through the southern areas of the united states, she and her family or what was left took the opportunity to climb through a vortex they had opened, covered by the sheer ferocity of the storm. Charisma watched Blaze turn her face away with her eyes closing, wincing at the memories that assaulted them all.
"Its too late for that," Rage whispered, his dark eyes haunted, he looked as if he were having trouble talking, he swallowed thickly and gestured behind him for someone to move forward.
Into the light came a woman. Back in Nealm her appearance in the court would have provoked outrage and chaos, at this court, with the numbers so depleted and the people so weary there was merely an outbreak of whispers that sounded like small fires hissing. She was averagely tall and her skin very lightly tanned, her face was darkly attractive and on first glance there is nothing about this woman that would expose the power she held, the reputation she had and the pains she had suffered, some even Charisma herself did not know. One thing that made you turn you head however, was her ankle length hair. A dead straight sheet of thick, silky coffee coloured brown, it barely stirred in the breeze. She was slender yet at the same time voluptuous, her body changed if you stared at it too long, subtly as did the tone of skin, she was as terrifying to behold to Charisma as she was beautiful to her.
The woman gave a wry smile, dark amusement glittered in her smoke grey eyes, she stepped forward into the centre of the circle and Charisma could have cried for joy.
"Sabine," she whispered to herself, out of the corner of her eye she saw Bane step forward his face a mask of fury.
"What is she doing here?!" he demanded and stepped so close that he and Sabine were nose to nose, Sabine held up a hand and without touching him he began to step back. The court held their breath.
"Bane, sit down!" Rage said, rubbing a hand over his face. "She is the only reason we are alive," he gave Sabine a look Charisma had never seen before and wasn't sure what it meant, it was almost respectful. "We owe her our lives."
Pride and Bane snorted along with Nitia who had always hated Sabine, Sabine merely shrugged and let her eyes scan until it found Blaze. It was only then that her beautiful but cold face softened.
"I owe her nothing!" Nitia snarled.
"Actually sister dear," Sabine purred in her smoky voice, "You owe me everything, but I'm not a debt collector, so we'll just forget about it." Her icy smile vanished and her voice was now powerful and commanding. "Whatever you may think you know about the war is wrong, the Atribos suffered just as close to annihilation as we did. Their numbers have fallen just as low as ours maybe even lower on account of Bane's rather cunning little trick he left for them."
She inclined her head to Bane mockingly and he bared his teeth, this did not intimidate her at all and she carried on. Bane God of Plagues (among other things), had let loose ravaging diseases into the world before they had left, not only were some of the demons effected by them but the diseases infected the dead bodies of humans, spoiling the last species that could used for food and therefore leaving the Atribos with the only resort of turning to cannibalism.
"But they are trying to regroup as best they can and are scrying the world for traces of your family. They are on the hunt, they know that some of us got away and are now on the look out, as far as I know they are not aware of your escape into this universe. Yet. Guard yourselves well, they are being commanded by Cartha and he is out for blood."
Charisma heard a collective gasp go round the hall, Cartha was a demon of unrivalled strength and invincibility. Charisma stepped forward wanting to show her sister if she could how much she missed her. She allowed it to show in her eyes what she could not say openly in front of their brothers.
"You created this haven for us, you held open the escape route. You led me to a world where I have found happiness that I never dreamed was possible. I once again pledge you my eternal allegiance."
Charisma bowed to Sabine, she had never known anyone who struggled as much as her sister and still held so much honour.
Bane, Pride, Rage and Nitia who were nigh on the oldest of their family barely concealed their sneers but too bowed as a sign of loyalty; so did a few of the others. Charisma winced when Sabine held up a lazy yet graceful arm to show her inner wrist and forearm at eye level. It was a mark of rejection, a sign of disgracing another person, the four of them flashed themselves out of the court and so then did the council and Charisma moved to join Sabine.
Sabine held open motherly arms and she walked into them, breathing deeply in her sister's smell.
"I have missed you so," she murmured and pulled back to stare at her Sabine with damp eyes. Sabine's power surpassed them all and there to did her responsibility. Sabine raised a hand and brushed back a fair curl, Sabine's slender hands cupping Charisma's face, Charisma held a hand out behind her for Blaze, who was hand in hand with Kiera who was hugging Kiara who was being held by Odette; she linked them all. Their brother Fear stood back and watched with solemn, mysterious eyes.
"I must go," Sabine said, extracting herself from their arms she paused at Charisma. "Go to your wolf, sister. He is a bruised heart, but not dead one. Match his fury not with hurt and pride but with your own boundless love."
Charisma shivered at her words but knew better then to ask about them or question, she was forever enigmatic and a mystery. What could Sabine possibly know about Fury? She knew how their lives would be, what obstacles they would face; Charisma suddenly felt cold.
"Is it worth it?" she heard herself mutter and Sabine looked at her quizzically. "Is falling in love worth whatever I have to face, whether it be Fury or …" She trailed off when Sabine threw back her head and let out a low musical laugh.
"If you have to ask then you don't deserve it."
Then she vanished and Charisma turned to see the rest of her sisters staring wistfully after her, Charisma let out a determined breath and flashed herself back to earth.