A eerie, almost luminescent fog hung over the streets and houses, dotted in places with yellow robs of dim light coming from the few lampposts on the sides. A lone coach thundered by, the stamp of hooves crunching against the ground.
Inside, Joan sat quietly, her face grim. Thomas Colton sat in front of her, looking calm and composed and more than a little pleased with himself. He tried to draw Joan into conversation, but she was not too keen on talking about anything other than the people she was meeting. But Thomas had made it clear that he could not divulge any more information than he already had.
After a few minutes of journeying, Thomas had the coach stop near a bridge. He helped Joan out before sending the coachman off.
"Why have we stopped here?" Joan questioned.
"We have to be careful." Thomas said, pulling up the collar of his coat and looking suddenly wary. "We must not be seen by anyone. These people operate under strict secrecy."
That means they have much to hide. Joan mused as the two of them set off across the bridge and into a dark lane. They were near the Whitechapel district and Joan wondered briefly if that was why the Coltons had opened a theater in that area.
A shadow flitted across the wall next to Joan, who did not react. She knew it was only Avander. She had ordered him to keep a low profile during the meeting, fearing he may be detected by these people. She could not risk that happening. There was always a chance she may need to destroy these Amaki too. Avander would be her trump card if it came to that.
Looking around, she found that the streets and buildings were being left behind, replaced by trees and vegetation. She was now walking along a wide, winding lane in a less populated area, which was probably private land.
Thomas glanced at her in reassurance. "Almost there." He said. He seemed much less sure of himself now, completely on edge. Joan reminded herself that these people were depending on him to get her to this meeting. There was no doubt that, should he fail to do so, there would be severe consequences. He certainly had taken great care to make sure things lead up to this point.
In every one of their meetings, he had slowly started introducing her to dark magic, posing questions and theories in hopes to spark her interest. Joan had played along with all of this, making sure she appeared interested enough. Thomas had then taken her to watch a play called Doctor Faustus, in which the main character had sold his soul to the devil in exchange for power and the services of the demon Mephistopheles. She had known then it wouldn't be long until this meeting would come about. After that came the final test, when he had been shown her a glimpse of hell. Now, at last she would meet with these Amaki. She was as interested in them as they were in her.
"We are here." Joan heard Thomas breath and looked up to see a church standing before them surrounded by a circle of trees. She stopped, surprise and confusion appearing cross her face before she stifled a laugh. She was meeting black magic practitioners in a church of all places.
Thomas pushed open the heavy oak doors and signaled Joan to follow him. Stepping onto the threshold, she looked across the hall past the rows of pews, her eyes travelling towards the figure seated at the very front, ignoring the stained glass painting of the Virgin Mary. The man rose and turned, showing him dressed in priest robes. He nodded in acknowledgment in Thomas's direction, his gaze briefly settling on Joan apprehensively before he gestured them to follow.
"This way my dear." Thomas said as the two walked after the priest. They walked to the back of the hall, making their way down a quiet and dark corridor, passing many closed doors. Joan wondered briefly what lay behind them. This building may be a church, but there was nothing holy about it. It was a Devil's Church after all.
The priest stopped in front of a large door at the end of the corridor and looked over at Joan."The Elders will see you now." He said, moving aside. Joan stepped forward and Thomas made a move to follow, but was held back by the priest.
"They want to see her only Colton." He said gruffly. "You've done your job."
Apparently, Thomas knew better than to argue, for he let Joan step into the room beyond alone.
Stepping in, the door swung shut behind her and she found herself in a dark room. Candles and torches flickered with a draft. The windows were draped with heavy curtains and a horse shoe shaped table took up most of the space at the centre of the room, behind which five people sat in high back chairs .
"Joanne Skylsworth Hale." The figure in the middle spoke, rising from his seat. "Welcome. We have been waiting for you."
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Note: I do not own the play 'Dr. Faustus'. That is the rightful property of Christopher Marlowe.