Weddings Bells Times Four

by Trinity Blacio

  “Go on, Little Witch. What else were you going to say?” Edward lifted up her skirt and ran his hand over her mound. “We’re going to have to shave you again tonight.”

  “Damn it, stop it!” She yanked out of their arms and pointed to the top of the drain. “Someone was not doing their damn job! Even I can see the blood on the cover, plus if you look close enough, the grass and weeds have been disturbed around the cover.”

  He rushed her and placed his body in front of hers. “It’s not possible! How did they make that mistake?” But even as he was saying the words, Edward stared at the cover and knew she was right.

  Placing her hand on his back, Beth sighed. “They didn’t use that escape though. I think they just wanted you to think they did. If you look up at that white oak, you’ll see where they fell. The branches are either gone or broken.” He sucked in his breath and watched as she floated up to one branch, leaning in.

  “You’re right Edward, he has changed.” She yelled down and lifted a little higher.

  “Get down here now! You’re exposing yourself again!” He snarled and moved closer to where she was.

  Next to him, Dred turned to watch his back as Rock and two other men stepped out of the woods and took up guard around them.

  Slowly, Beth came down, glaring at him. “I was doing nothing wrong. I needed to see if I could spot anything from where he had been.” She sighed and landed right in front of him. “With this change in him…” She rubbed her arms. “He’ll be able to do so much more. I don’t know if I’ll be able to fight him. He already caught me off guard once and with Nora at his side…” she tried to turn away from him, to hide the tears that rolled down her face, but he pulled her into his arms.

  “How could she do this? She’s like a sister to me, Edward. I’d give up my life for her, why?” Beth buried her face into his chest. “I want my friend back.” Her body shook with sobs.

  Scooping her up in his arms, Edward stepped into the woods and ran back to her house with Dred and Rock right behind them. He was worried about her. She had never broken down like this before and it scared the hell out of him.

  The front door to the house opened, welcoming them as he made his way into the kitchen and set her down on top of the kitchen island. “You have to stop, Little Witch, you’re going to make yourself sick.” He took the warm cloth from Dred and cleaned her face.

  “With the way Nora was converted, so violently and close to death, we had a feeling something in her had changed.” Dred pulled out a bar stool as did Rock, sitting close to them. “I believe with all the bites on her, from the evil shifters and vampires, it was just too much for her brain and body to take.” Dred stopped and took a deep breath. “Even in death some shifters, if evil to the bone, can’t be buried in the ground. Mother Earth won’t take them. Lately, we’ve had to burn some of the bodies we have found or kill ourselves. It’s as if their blood, skin, everything is corrupted.”

  “You say that the Earth rejects them?” Avril stood behind them, his arms filled with scrolls and two bags of her belongings.

  The look on Avril’s face would have been comical if it wasn’t such a serious situation. “What is it, Arvil? You’ve heard of such a thing?” Edward swung his leg out landing on the other barstool, and sat down in front of Beth. He squeezed her leg resting his hand on it, not wanting to let go of her.

  “If I’m not mistaken,” Avril said, “it’s all part of the same scroll about your joining, the four of you.” He looked through the scrolls until he found one. “Here it is, and don’t worry, this isn’t the original one, that one is tucked safely away in the cellar where it’s cool and in lock down.” Avril cast a glance at Edward, and he smiled.

  “I’m not worried, if anything, I know you would protect those with your life.” Edward nodded for him to continue.

  The man stood up straight. “Of course I would.” He opened the scroll and read a passage out loud.

  “Onde vil kalle onde, mor av alle ting vil avvise dem som ville gjøre skade datteren. Når din tid kommer de at krysser linjen mellom godt og ondt vil bli gitt et valg, og hvis de velger feilaktig de vil bli presentert for helvetes porter. To sønner fra far til Fenrir, en sønn av Balkan vil bli med Mother Earths datter. Sammen vil fire av dem jakte og ødelegge slik onde fra vårt land. Alle som vil omkomme brennes på nettstedet; ingenting vil forurense jord der livet er gitt. Denne kampen vil bli lang med mange lidelser, men fra asken vil komme en ny verden.” Avril read in perfect Norwegian in which most of the scrolls were written.

  “Avril, please in English,” Beth asked cocking her head to the side. “You’re going to have to teach me how to speak and read this. I have a feeling we are going to have more clues in these writings.” She jumped down from the table and curled up on his lap staring up at Avril. “Continue.”

  “Well it more or less says…Evil will call to evil, Mother of all things will reject those who would do harm to her daughter. When thy time comes, those that cross the line between good and evil will be given one choice and if they choose wrongly, they will be presented to the gates of hell.

  Two sons from the father of Fenrir, one son of the Balkan’s heritage, will join with Mother Earth’s daughter. Together the four of them will hunt and destroy such evil from our land. All that will perish will be burned on site; nothing will pollute the soil in which life is given. This fight will be long with many suffering, but from the ashes will come a new world.” He paused. “And I would be happy to teach it to you.”

  “Why does that passage sound like we’re going to be fighting for a long time?” She shook in Edward’s arms and tried to curl up closer to his body. “What about Dred and Rock? Are you two going to convert?” She looked to Dred, and then Rock.

  “We’ve been thinking about this a lot lately and have decided to join you two, but it will have to wait a few more years. I want my pack settled in the new area and my current threat taken care of before I even think of another change,” Dred leaned in and kissed her cheek.

  “What threat? Ugh, I feel like I missed so much.” She lowered her eyes and took a deep breath. “Avril what is going on for Thanksgiving? What about our wedding? “

  “We don’t celebrate the holiday, so you’re all clear for that day. As for the wedding, I’ve arranged for your wedding to take place on the beach at midnight. King Edward’s Grandfather will be personally performing the ceremony for the four of you, along with the National Pack Leader. I was waiting to speak with you about decorations and colors,” Avril said the last part softly.

  She scooted out of Edward’s lap and hugged Avril. “Thank you. You’ve done everything just right.” Beth stepped back and, if it was possible, Avril actually looked like he was blushing.

  Edward laughed and stood. “Why don’t you two go ahead and start the plans. I need Dred and Rock to go over the housing for his pack and find out who was on duty two months ago.” He leaned over to kiss her when Beth looked up at him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

  “One hour and then I want to have supper with the three of you here. We can finish that cook out I never had.” She pulled him down and kissed his lips softly. “No meetings tonight, Edward, I want all of us together, please.”

  ***

  Tears wanted to form as Beth watched all three of her men walk out of the kitchen. They were so close now and she was happy about that, but yet she felt so left out. Like she didn’t belong anymore; even Dred and Rock had changed. They seemed closed off to her when they used to be so close.

  More than two months of her life were gone. Beth would kill her brother when she found him, and she would find him.

  “Mistress, are you okay?” Avril, her new personal assistant asked, touching her shoulder.

  “No, but I’ll get there. Thank you for asking. Let’s get down to business. Did you bring my banking information from the office?” She turned and looked up at him.

  Without a word, he turned and dug through the first bag, pulling out some of her personal thin
gs. “I brought yours and Edward’s. My king informed me that we are to use his personal account to pay for the funerals and set up the funds for the grandchildren. Here we go.” He looked around. “Where do you want to sit?”

  She smiled and grabbed the two bags. “Follow me.” Beth led him over to one wall and hit the light switch opening the wall. “Does my Liege know about this?”

  “Nope, didn’t have enough time to show them. I will tonight. There is an added level of protection down here as well. My father’s personal rooms are down here.” Going down three flights of stairs, they stepped into the entranceway to the hidden rooms.

  When you stood in the middle of the room and looked up, it was as if you were looking right outside, but in actuality the house and the grounds were showing pictures of everything going on outside. Two round circular couches, a bar, and a small kitchen were all in this open area.

  “This is amazing. The temperature is just like that in the caverns at the castle.” He looked around in awe. “The magic is even stronger down here.”

  “Yes, come this way. I thought that if you wanted, you could have an office down here too.” She opened the first door and stepped aside. “This could be your room, if you like.”

  He stepped inside and stopped doing a complete circle. “This would be mine? Are you sure this isn’t your room?”

  Laughing, she shook her head and hit the control panel on the wall to her left. “If you’re tired and want to rest, hit this button.” She flipped the button and the left wall opened up further. A super king bed lay hidden behind the wall. “When you are in there, you can also close the room while you sleep there is another control panel. You can also communicate with the rest of the house with the panel in there.”

  “Beth, where are you?” Dred yelled behind them and she laughed peeking out the door. “In here showing Avril his space, if he wants it?” All three men stood on the bottom

  stairs and scanned the area.

  “What in the…” Edward said, heading down the stairs with the other too as they looked up and noticed the view. “Beautiful!”

  “Glad you like. I was going to show you the rooms down here, but we got kind of distracted. So what do you think, Avril? Would you like to make this your office for now?” He nodded.

  “It’s amazing and I’d be honored.” He bowed and she laughed.

  “None of that, now come. I’ll show you were I’m set up and the room I thought the men could use while we’re here.” she turned bumping right into Dred’s chest as the men stepped into the office she’d assigned to Avril.

  “This is better than the offices at the castle,” Edward said, stepping further into the room. “I can’t wait to see what else we have down here.” He turned and grinned at her. “Lead on, my Queen.”

  She laughed and shook her head as Dred stepped out of her way. Beth moved down the hall till she came to her office and opened the door. “This is where I have my things.” All four men stepped in with her.

  Rock whistled as he did a 360. “I’m in love. The colors! And where did you get that?” he pointed to the antique print from the story of Alice and Wonderland.

  “Isn’t it great? I have prints from Alice and Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz. I love them both. I also collect anything associated with them.” She grabbed onto his hand after she flicked the one switch which opened up a smaller room.

  “This is my horror showcase. I love old horror shows. I love Vincent Price.” Dred, Edward and Avril stepped into the room behind her and Rock.

  Laughing, Dred looked all around the room. “You are amazing. Wait till you see our horror collection and if I’m not right, Edward, don’t you have a whole room filled with Vampire movie memorabilia?” Dred asked and picked up an old werewolf bust she had found at an auction.

  “It seems we all have something in common. I can see why you hated to leave this place. Show us the rest. I feel as if I’m a small boy waiting to see what else you’re going to surprise us with.” He laughed as he followed her out of her horror showroom and back into the main office area.

  “Just as Avril has a bedroom attached to his room, so do I.” She leaned over to the control panel and flicked the switch up. The back walls parted and opened to show a 16 by 20 foot room.

  Inside her room, were some of her more personal items, ones that she’d hadn’t shown anyone. Not even Nora. Beth stopped and took a deep breath. Still it hurt to even think of her friend, but there was nothing she could do, and that hurt all the more.

  Pictures of her mother and father hung on the walls, and recordings of holidays and such stuffed away in the box under the bed. “This is my haven. When things get a little overwhelming, I come here. In some ways my parents are still here. Even though you’ve seen my father, it’s not the same. Here is Dad and Mom, not the magical royalty they had come to be.” She picked up a picture of all four of them.

  Even at the age of five, her brother frowned at the camera as her mother held her in her arms and her father stood behind them. “Even at five you could see the anger swirling around his eyes. I don’t know what happened, what made him so jaded and hateful.”

  “No one knows how a child is going to turn out. We can only do our best and hope they will become productive, warm people,” Edward wrapped his arms around her and kissed the side of her neck. “Come, you have to show us our room next.”

  She laughed and put the picture down. “Come on little boys. Let’s go see your room.” She squealed the last part when Dred smacked her butt on the way out of the room after she locked everything up.

  “We’ll show you boys later tonight,” he teased. All three of them seemed to be more relaxed and she knew it was the magic down here. It had a tendency to just engulf you when you stepped into this part of the house.

  Walking down to the end of the hallway, she opened a door on the left. “This is the bathroom. There is a shower and bath here too. As you noted when you came down the stairs, there’s a full kitchen in the main room. This house was set up so that we could live down here if we needed to for over a year in case of attack. Mom was paranoid after seeing what Brian had done.”

  Warm strong fingers rubbed her shoulders. “We’ll find him,” Dred reassured her and she nodded.

  “This door is the storage area where mom kept MRI’s and everything else you can think of.” She flicked the switch to the light and Dred whistled which made it bounce off the concrete walls.

  “Isn’t some of this stuff outdated?” Rock asked as they stepped inside.

  “Nope, every six months I come down here and take out what is about to expire and donate it to the homeless shelters around. Then I replace it with newer stuff. It’s a revolving thing my Mom taught me and it’s all computerized too.” She smiled as they stepped back into the hall.

  In front of her all three men stared at the door behind her. “This was my father’s domain. It’s the largest room in the house and the most powerful. All of you have a little magic inside you. Edward, you have a little more than Dred and Rock, but once you enter here…” She shook her head. “There are no words.” She opened the door and stepped aside letting all three men into the room, the heart of the house.

  Chapter Seven

  Edward trembled like a schoolboy amazed at the amount of power in the room. He had never experienced such awe as when he walked into this part of the house. When his Little Witch said there were no words to describe it, she hadn’t been kidding.

  It was if the magic around him gave his inert power a tenfold boost. He laughed and everyone looked at him. “Sorry I was just thinking I was feeling like the Energizer Bunny when we stepped in here. You were right, Beth, there are no words.”

  She smiled and headed to a door. “This is a smaller space. My father really didn’t use it, but I thought one of you could set an office up in here. There is another one across the way, both have bathrooms attached. The main office is at the very back along with my father’s library, which is now yours, Edward.”

&
nbsp; “What? It should be yours.” He watched as she shook her head.

  “No. I don’t want any part of these books. I have all I need to know, Edward. You and Avril can go through them, but Edward, there are some that shouldn’t leave this place. Father has put spells on them to prevent them from getting into the wrong hands. For example my brother, the power in those enchantments, along with our history, is just too much to allow the public access to it. That’s why you should have them.” She stepped around a chair and reached into a decorative pot, pulling out a gold chain.

  “My father wore this all the time. He has charmed it so that the person who next wears this will personally own it and the house. You will feel when the house is being threatened or is expanding itself and, yes, it can do that.” She nodded to the two doors were the offices were. “There was only one other office here. The house knew you three would each need a room. Just like when we have children, the house will grow.”

  He lowered his head as she held up the thick antique chain. “This has been in my family for centuries. It is yours now.” She stepped around him as he kneeled so Beth could fasten the chain. It was almost a choker, but a little bit less tight. As soon as she fastened it, Edward fell forward, almost falling flat on his face.

  Closing his eyes, Edward waited as all this new information came seeping into his head. The hidden rooms, the spells that protected the house and the actual connection to the house itself which was a real entity saturated his brain. He slowly lifted his head and opened his eyes. Spells and creatures he’d never seen floated around the room. “What?”

  “They’re called Yewlocks.” She sat down on the edge of a table. “You can show them if you want. They don’t hurt anything. They’ve lived here for over a hundred years.”

  “What is she talking about?” Dred asked and he grinned as he opened the door to their link. Both men stumbled and grabbed the wall next to them. “Damn it, Edward, warn us when you are going to do something like that.”