Chapter 15
“Kane was right.” Piper intoned. “ He didn’t tell us where Prue was and now we’ll never know. We won’t find her.”
“You’re so defeatist at times Piper.” Phoebe glared at her. “All our clues and instincts led us to this place and there’re a lot more rooms and spaces we haven’t explored here yet!”
They rushed out of the room and frantically searched the rest of the immense house for signs of life.
“There’s one place we haven’t looked.” Perdita pointed to the creaky floor. “Under the house. There are miles and miles of sewers under London. Victorian sewers. What do you bet we get lucky and find what we’re looking for there.”
Piper wasn’t amused.
“Oh great that’s all I need to do now. Explore sewers. What a grand vacation this has turned out to be. Never again am I going to convince you guys to take me anywhere!”
“This is no time to be selfish.” Phoebe reminded her. Piper snickered.
They pried open the drain cover with a metal rod Piper had found and braced themselves for the long trek down the stairs. Not to mention for the smell, placing their hands over their noses so as not to breathe the putrid stench.
Trudging through miles of sludge and dirty water, neither of them equipped for the hike, they reached a dead end. Turning around to head back, Phoebe noticed one of the bricks was smooth. Shining her torch towards it, she glimpsed a grayish marble stone in the wall. That was a strange place to put a valuable feature. Amongst all the drab bricks. Perhaps it was s secret passage or a sign guarding an entrance.
“Let’s try and move it or push it or something to see if it budges.”
Phoebe placed her entire hand over the middle of the stone and miraculously it gave way with a rumbling, part of the wall slid backwards to reveal a cast iron gate, with a second marble stone next to it much bigger and heavier than the first one. Beyond the gate hidden amongst the clinging stalactites of mildew, were stairs shining from the damp reflection of the dripping water.
They dashed towards the stone and utilizing all their strength the three loosened the rusty lock. It gave way with a clanging sending Piper reeling backwards, hitting her head against the other damp, rocky boulders.
“Ouch,” she yelled in pain and anger and hobbled back towards the side wall helping herself up by pulling on the jutting bricks.
“Are you okay?” Perdita questioned.
“Yeah, I’m fine. The things I do for my sister. She’d better be grateful!” She snapped back as she pulled the polka cotton scarf from around her neck and placed it over the moist cut she could feel on her head. Tapping her forehead gently up and down she moved the scarf away and shone her torch at the stains of blood on the white encircled pattern.
“I hope this doesn’t leave a scar. I’ll probably need a tetanus jab or something!” She said to herself anxiously.
But the other two didn’t hear her. At this moment they were preoccupied with other more pressing matters. Especially Perdita. Upon opening the cast iron door Phoebe had gone on to find Prue in inanimate form nearby. Still and listless.
“ You were right. She is in two places, she’s astrally projected herself to another place.” Phoebe explained. “One of us should stay here, Piper, since you’re hurt you can wait here for Prue to return. We’ll go and check out the rest of this place.”
Piper agreed. Although the cut wasn’t too deeply gauged she thought it may slow them down and besides someone had to stay for Prue and let her in on what was happening.
“OK, and if Prue gets back anytime soon, we can come find you guys and maybe she can give us a helping hand. A better idea of where Sabroh is or even how to rid him of this world. For good.”
Through her thoughts, Perdita sensed another life force ebbing inch by inch through her body and mind. In the entangled embers of the moon, radiating in a palatial spire, forming a wired mesh shadow on the tough ground, she heard a voice in the foggy air surrounding her. She felt the full force of the chanting.
The voice was that of a woman. Soft and deep and slurred, and there was in it the lazy caress of warm wind, warm water, warm sleep.
It was the Sorceress, Minah. Her soul was humming and filling Perdita’s mind with all sorts of thoughts and emotions. It was as if a soothing lullaby was caressing her own soul.
In an instant Perdita knew what she must accomplish to defeat Sabroh. Yet in the end, with a strange fatalism, which guided all her actions, she bent her step in the direction of the graceful sound.
No mortal’s power could kill him or ensnare him but Perdita’s amulet and the bejewelled prism-like object that Minah placed on her head was the key to his defeat.
“Perdita,” Phoebe called out. “Perdita.” She nudged her but Perdita didn’t respond. She was in a polished, soaring trance induced by the soothing, lithe voice she could hear through the desolate howling.
“Oh great. You’ve zonked out on me now too!” Phoebe sighed. “Are you doing another Prue?”
A vision of loveliness appeared to them in that dingy cavern. Minah. A misty haze embodied her magnificently beautiful, yet wounded face. Her eyes sparkled silver and sapphire-esque in the moonlight.
“Sabroh may have killed me and taken my wondering soul. That was only my earthly vessel. He has not taken my eternal soul. That which lives on in me. That will always remain with me until it is mine to pass onto my ancestors. Those who will inherit my mystical powers and facets between light and dark shadows.” Minah’s voice was kind and earthly. Not other worldly as Phoebe imagined it would be.
Phoebe was amazed at what she heard. Who was this beguiling vision? But with all her questions, Phoebe was impressed by the truth of her words. Piper and Prue didn’t know what they were missing. She attempted to speak to Minah but her words were driven back by her enchanting voice.
“Perdita is one such living soul. She has the wings of angels. Strong emotions. A courageous heart. Through her powers. The jewel, and the amulet around her neck you can defeat Sabroh. Protect her Phoebe for she is a part of you.”
She put her slender hand to Perdita’s forehead and placed a golden, pear-shaped jewel onto her head above her brow. This will protect you and be his downfall.
Minah then disappeared as magically as she had appeared.
Perdita’s amulet. The cobalt blue eye surrounded by a sea of turquoise and cyan, attached to a filigree, rose gold chain, encapsulated many powers. It was a family heirloom handed down to the daughter of each generation.
Perdita had been right all along. It did bring the wearer luck and it did ward off the evil eye as it was supposed to. Not only of humans and mere mortals but also from demons and other malediction of forces.
That was why Kane had no power over her and over her thoughts. It warded off his virulent, lupine senses. Just as it had protected her from le loup garou many years ago in Paris. Had Kane been stalking her even then all those years ago? And with the amulet she always wore around her neck, he must have felt some sort of good force holding her from him. Driving him back as a cross to a vampire.
Perdita awoke with a jaunt and called out with an insatiable glee. Phoebe stood in her tracks.
“Couldn’t you just say Eureka or by Jove or something as you English do. What happened to you? For a minute there I thought you’d abandoned us like Prue.”
“Quickly I know what to do. Let’s find him.” Perdita was certain.
“I don’t know what you’re going to do, but let’s do it already. I may start to lose my cool composure!” Phoebe said in jest, and feeling very nervous at the same time.
Perdita’s enthusiasm and excitement rubbed onto Phoebe and she was anxious to get the whole sorry chapter over and done with.
“We all know you can’t change the past or alter events already taken place. History can’t be changed. But it can be repeated. You know the saying, ‘history always repeats itself’. That’s how we’ll have to defeat Sabroh. At least how I’ll have to win over him.” Explained Perdita.
“I think it’s a bit dangerous. You can’t take him on by yourself.”
“I have to Phoebe, it’s my destiny. Don’t worry I’ll be fine and besides I’ll have you for moral support and remember we have a lot to talk about. Being distantly related.
Minah rid him from the world once and that’s why he was out to exact his revenge on her. She was betrayed by the very people she was trying to help. To save themselves, they promised Sabroh they’d hand her over.”
Perditd was so sure about what she must do, so certain in her actions. But there was a fatalistic flaw in her voice. She knew it wouldn’t be easy and it was perilous but this was her calling, she realized it now.
“I’ve got to do as she did. Exactly the same. The prism, the charm, is the only piece of natural element found in the earth that has enough energy to hold him between its many crystalline facets. The structure is unique. It creates a force field within it; powerful enough to hold any living matter. Even fiery djinns.”
There was something Phoebe could do to help. She would have to be the bait. Something Perdita thought was more life threatening than her part. Anything could go wrong. Anything, and perhaps everything.
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