There are those who walk among us that possess a power so great that they have the potential to tear this world apart. Most of us are not aware of this, not even those in possession of this power.

****

‘Silence,’ a female voice commanded. Her voice was authoritative despite the fact that she was speaking in little more than a whisper.

The group looked around, but she was nowhere to be seen. The lanterns lining the walls of the cave flickered. Darkness fell as a gust of wind blew around the cavern, extinguishing the lanterns completely and kicking up the mixture of dust and sand that lay on the floor.

A ball of fire materialised in the hand of the largest member of the group. It hovered a few centimetres above his palm, spinning on itself and providing a minor degree of illumination. He could see little more than a foot in front of him. The light reflected off of his bald head and revealed his large, muscular figure.

‘Now, Mohan, there will be no need for that,’ her voice spoke again. Mohan grunted in annoyance, but obediently aimed the flames at the wall. The ball of fire spun around the room, relighting the lanterns so that everyone could now see what was happening.

A raven circled above them, before flying down and pitching on the floor in the centre of the group. The outline of the bird began to ripple and elongate as it morphed into the figure of a female, draped in a dark blue, silk dress.

Areset was a most striking woman. Her auburn hair and blood red lips were a sharp contrast to her ghostly pale, porcelain skin, giving her the appearance of a China doll. She had the look of a woman in her early thirties, but in reality she had seen hundreds of years go by. Her ability to shape-shift meant that she was able to transform herself into anything or anyone. It had therefore allowed her to maintain her youthful elegance and never grow old.

‘Areset,’ another female voice sounded. From her tone of voice they could tell that she was unimpressed with Areset’s theatrics. ‘What reason do you have for summoning all of us here?’

A blonde woman, dressed in black leather, stood forwards, looking restless. Her hair was slicked back into a high ponytail, giving her a most sinister look. This wasn’t helped by the collection of knives tucked into the laces of her four-inch leather boots. She held a dagger in her right hand, pressing the tip into her left index finger as she twisted the blade around.

‘Patience, Aletah,’ Areset replied with a knowing smile. She looked around for a second, counting seven including herself. ‘Now that we are all here, we shall begin.’

The group had been carefully selected, made up of those known to be most devoted to their cause over the last thousand years. This inner circle was to be in possession of information of a most powerful nature, as a result it was essential that they be the most loyal and influential of their kind. All had proved themselves to be worthy in years gone by. Areset spoke to each of them in turn.

‘Ezekiel, I know how highly our master thought of you. I trust you will not let me down,’ Areset continued. The quietness of her words made her voice most seductive. It was clear that she was a woman you did not disagree with.

‘Never, my queen,’ he replied, sensing resentment from the rest of the room. She had not been called that for some time, not since his demise all those years ago.

‘My faithful boys: Nephros, Eron, Mohan, Lexus, you have all been fine warriors for our cause. As of course, have you Aletah.’

Aletah gave a scowl; she had never gained favour with Areset. She concluded it must have been because Areset viewed her as some sort of threat. A woman in a position of power was not a regular occurrence in their society.

‘Our final attempt at resurrection begins tonight. If we succeed I assure you that your rewards will be great. Locating the Guardians is crucial but I want them alive. I understand that this will be difficult but you must show restraint; it is essential. This is how our master needs it to be.’

Several of the group snarled at this. They had a lust for blood; showing that much restraint when faced with the Guardians would prove a challenge. Areset continued.

‘Go now, but expect to be called to carry out your duties in due course.’

‘It is an honour ma’am,’ Ezekiel answered, kneeling before Areset and placing a kiss on the back of her hand. He was a handsome man, with short, dark hair and a goatee beard. He wore a suit to establish his superior position in their hierarchy; he wanted the rest of the group to remember that he was their master’s right hand man.

Ezekiel had a most enviable ability, one that allowed him to gain favour with those in possession of power much greater than his own. His ability to influence the actions of others meant that he could force enemies to cause their own destruction, a great advantage in the midst of war.

‘You have been a loyal subject. I know you will not let me down,’ Areset replied, pulling her hand away from his grip and gently stroking the side of his face.

They had tried many times over the centuries to resurrect their master but to no avail. His remains had been retrieved from the destruction and used in ritual after ritual in an attempt to bring him back, but not once had they even come close to succeeding.

This day had been coming for a long time. The underworld had been in disarray since his defeat at the beginning of the last millennia. Many had tried to raise an army and become as powerful as he had once been, but all had failed. A great war had raged over hundreds of years between opposing troops, leading to the destruction of the once-great underworld. Today, however, that was all about to change. Today marked the beginning of his return. Today they would see the creation of a new, demonic empire.

‘I assure you mistress, this time, we will not fail.’