Morgaine and Michael [The Morgaine Chronicles #8]

by Joe Vadalma

  "Me, Mandy Blake, queen of the world. You must be kidding."

  "No. It's really true. You, who have come from poverty and abuse, are to be the richest, most powerful and most envied woman in the world."

  CHAPTER 7. THE WARNING

  "Well, I'm ready to take your little waif shopping,” said Olivia. “Where is she?"

  Legion replied, “Isn't she in her room?"

  "No."

  "She must be upstairs somewhere. The way the stairs creak, I would've heard her if she had come down.” He got up and headed for the staircase. Olivia followed him. Once upstairs he peeked into her room and the bathroom. They walked down the corridor to the end, looking into rooms.

  "Look,” Olivia said, “the doors to the east wing are open."

  "It seems that our charge likes to poke her nose into places she has no business."

  After Legion went to get an oil lamp, he and Olivia passed through the open doors. He pointed to the floor. There was a clear path of sneaker prints in the dust. They followed these to the pagan chapel. The door was ajar.

  They entered. Legion held the lamp up high. “There she is. Standing by the altar. Hey Mandy, Olivia is ready to take you shopping."

  There was no reply. Mandy stood perfectly still. She did not even quiver at the sound of Legion's booming voice. He shouted again, advancing toward her. “Mandy. What's wrong with you?” Still no answer or movement.

  When he and Olivia came abreast of her, he saw that she was in a trance and staring at the crystal. “There must be something about that ball of glass. She seems mesmerized."

  He shook her by the shoulders. Her eyes fluttered, and she slumped in his arms. He picked her up and carried her out the east wing and placed her on the bed in her room. She opened her eyes. “You again,” she said in a low voice.

  "Yes. It's me, Victor Legion. What happened to you?"

  She smiled. “I was looking at that pretty ornament on the altar of that weird chapel in the closed up wing and must've fallen asleep standing up. I had the most marvelous dream."

  Legion glanced at Olivia and raised his eyebrows. “What did you dream?"

  "I dreamt that the king of the world wanted me to his queen.” She sighed. “Wish you hadn't waken me up. It brought back my childhood. I used to play that I was queen of the world all of the time."

  Legion looked troubled, but held his peace. “How do you feel? Are you up to going shopping?"

  "I feel great.” She turned to Olivia. “Would you mind waiting a half hour or so? I never did take that bath. I want to shower before I shop for clothes."

  "Go ahead. I'm in no hurry."

  When she took her clothes and the towels into the bathroom, Legion said to Olivia, “I wonder whether that was just a dream she had or whether she had a vision. There's something about that crystal. When I was here with Michael Ellul, I recall him mentioning a crystal that caused people's auras to travel through space and time."

  * * * *

  It was almost ten in the evening by the time Mandy and Olivia returned from the mall, and Mandy went through her loot. She was amazed that the couple were so willing to spend freely on anything she wanted. She yawned. Although she had slept most of the afternoon after being hypnotized by that crystal, she still felt sleepy. She had the idea that she might dream about the handsome king again. That would be nice.

  Isaac, the robot, was back guarding her door. Although Legion had said he was there to protect her from vampires, she wondered whether he was really there to spy on her for some reason. She had dismissed the idea that Sylvan Macrome was really a vampire. She thought maybe these people simply liked to play weird games. Even the smuggling gig that Legion had supposedly hired her for seemed a little far fetched. Yet, why was he and his girl friend willing to spend so much money on her. It was a puzzle.

  And the robot itself. She wondered who invented it, and what it was doing here. She recalled the dream she had about the ghost of somebody named Elizabeth Wolfgang. Could the things that the spirit had told her in the dream really be true? She decided to question Isaac.

  "Say Isaac, is it really true that you were made by some outfit called the Turc Corporation?"

  "Yes. It is true."

  "And that a woman named Elizabeth and someone else helped you escape when the military wanted to change your programming?"

  "That is also true. Elizabeth was my mother, but she is dead now. And it was that evil Major Bachmann who was going to modify the basic premises that make me who I am."

  "What did Elizabeth—your mother—die of?"

  "I don't really know. The police thought she was murdered, but they never found the killer. I am wanted by the police myself."

  "For what?"

  "Bank robbery."

  "Bank robbery, huh.” Mandy wondered whether that is why Legion and Olivia had so much money to throw around. Perhaps they sent the robot out to burglarize places.

  Mandy yawned again. “Well Isaac, I think I'll hit the hay."

  "Hit the hay? Oh, it is an expression meaning that you wish to go to sleep. Goodnight, Mandy. Do you wish for me to turn my back while you undress?"

  Mandy began to feel affection for the animated mannequin. It was so childlike. “Yes, please.” She removed her garments and donned a sheer nightgown with lace trim that she had picked out during the evening shopping spree. She struck a pose. “Okay Isaac, you can look now."

  Isaac turned around. It glanced at her, but said nothing.

  "Well, how do you like my new nightgown?"

  "It is very pretty, but since I can see right through it, why did you have me turn around while you undressed?"

  It was right. It was silly. The thing was a machine. Why should she care whether it saw her in the nude or not. “No reason."

  "It is something that I must get used to. That biological persons sometimes do things without having any rational purpose in mind."

  "Yeah. Goodnight, Isaac.” She slipped under the covers.

  "Goodnight, Mandy."

  * * * *

  A few hours later, Mandy woke up. She had the feeling that someone besides herself and the robot were in the room. Moonlight streamed through the window. A shadow passed through the dim light. Mandy removed her hunting knife from the sheath strapped to her ankle. “Who's there?"

  A man wearing a priest's collar approached her bed. The odor of death wafted into Mandy's nostrils. She wondered whether it was the other vampire. Sylvan had said that he was a priest. “Who are you? What do you want?” Her voice quivered. There was something spectral about the apparition.

  A hollow voice said, “In life my name was Patrick McGillicutty. I must warn you to leave this place."

  "Are you a vampire?"

  "No. I am the soul of a once living man."

  "A ghost then?"

  Instead of replying to the question, the wraith said, “Beware the evil that is coming."

  "What evil? Legion and his girl friend? The vampires?"

  "Although they are evil, you need not fear them. A greater evil on its way. It wants you."

  Mandy shuddered. This did not feel like a dream. “What wants me? When is it coming?"

  "Beware the danger. Leave Moonwood.” The ghostly figure slowly faded to mist and disappeared. Mandy no longer felt that its presence in the room.

  "Cripes Isaac, did you see that?"

  The red lights in the robot's eyes lit up. “Yes, I did. It was the spirit of Father McGillicutty."

  "Who's Father McGillicutty?"

  "He was a Catholic priest who lived here several years ago. He performed an exorcism on another man who lived here, Lance Flebert. But the demon who had possessed Lance went into Father McGillicutty, and the priest committed suicide."

  "How awful. The man I met in Woodstock was right. Some terrible things have happened in this mansion. Do you think he was warning me against the same demon?"

  "I don't know. Other people have been possessed by demons here in Moonwood."

  "Can you p
rotect me against them?"

  "I do not know."

  Not very comforting, she thought. Mandy, the ghost was right. You should get away from this weird house as quickly as possible. Nonetheless, every since she had the dream about being the queen of the world, she had the feeling that something good was coming her way if she stayed. She'd had lucky hunches like this before and was rewarded handsomely, such as finding a nice man with a good job or a twenty dollar bill.

  She was about to turn over and go back to sleep when she noticed a ghostly white face of someone standing in a dark corner. The ghost is back, she thought. Perhaps it will say more about what danger it was talking about.

  "Father McGillicutty?"

  A pale gaunt figure stepped forward. The man wore a priest's collar, but was not McGillicutty. He was a younger man, taller and thinner. “No. I am Father Winters. Perhaps I should say simply David Winters. I don't believe The Church would have me in my present condition."

  The other vampire! Mandy yelled, “Stay away from me. Isaac, help me."

  The robot advanced toward the vampire. “Do not try to harm this woman."

  "I did not intend to. Since I became a creature of the night. I have not sucked the blood of human beings except those who want me to. I have been living mostly on the blood of animals. It would be immoral to take the blood of a person without their permission. I refuse to give in to my lusts."

  "If you don't want my blood, what do you want?” asked Mandy.

  "To warn you. The demon witch Morgaine has plans for you."

  "Hmm. I wonder whether she was the one the ghost was warning me about. Okay, if this Morgaine witch or demon shows up, I won't have any truck with her."

  "You should leave Moonwood."

  Mandy shook her head. “People are always telling me to get out of here. Well, it just so happens, I like it here. I'm comfortable despite the ghost and vampires and other weird creatures."

  CHAPTER 8. NICHOLAS

  While Bridget was in the hospital, she was visited by two priestesses of the cult called The Children of Aquarius. Mildred Hoffstator was sixty years old and grossly overweight. Chung Lee was a petite attractive Asian American in her fifties. They wore the elaborately decorated robes of the Church of Omega and brought expensive gifts for the baby, things of gold with rubies, diamonds and emeralds imbedded in them.

  "We couldn't accept these,” said Tom. “They must've cost a fortune. Why are you giving us this stuff?"

  Lee said, “This is special child. You must keep these thing for him. Some day he'll be a great leader."

  They kept insisting until Tom accepted the gifts to get rid of her. After they left, he said, “I wonder what this Church of Omega is, and why they're so interested in baby Nick,” .

  "Who cares?” replied Bridget. “We could use the money right now. We'll sell or pawn the things they gave him."

  A few hours later, three expensively dressed businessmen visited the child. They knelt down before him and bowed their heads in prayer. They also gave gifts, money, stock certificates and bonds.

  When they left, Tom said, “This is crazy. Why are people showering our child with expensive presents? I recognized two of those guys. I saw their pictures in Fortune magazine. They're CEOs of big corporations."

  "Maybe what those ladies said is true. Our little Nicky is special.” She gazed adoring at her precious baby, a complete one eighty from her attitude of two days previously.

  * * * *

  Baby Nick grew rapidly—too rapidly in fact. By the time he was three months, he took his first steps. At six months he was the size of a two-year-old and could talk in sentences. When Tom and Bridget asked the pediatrician about this, he was as puzzled as they were. In addition, their son had developed uncanny abilities. He could read minds. Once when he wanted something on a table, he simply stared at it, and it moved to where he could reach it without anyone touching it.

  Tom witnessed this and was amazed. When he told Bridget about it, she said, “See. Nicky is special. That's why those people gave him those nice things."

  Tom was not as overjoyed by their son's telepathic abilities. They were things he associated with the occult, which according to the teachings of The Church was evil. Nonetheless, he did not mention his misgivings to Bridget.

  At the age of three, Nicky was the size and mental powers of a five-year-old, plus some that no other human children had. Nonetheless, he was as mischievous as most five year olds, which drove Tom and Bridget to crazy with worry. It was impossible to punish him since he used his hypnotic powers to cause his parents to forgive his transgressions.

  Like a real five-year-old, he started kindergarten. Somehow his birth certificate magically changed to show his apparent age rather than his real age. In school, he was a bully. Nevertheless, other children seemed to like him. Other boys his age regarded him with envy and a sense of awe. He was a natural born leader and had a following who would do anything he told them to. These boys and a few girls fawned over him, worshipped him and gave him their most precious possessions.

  One evening Tom, Bridget and Nick were watching a program on the Discovery Channel about volcanoes. After a while, Nick said, “I'll bet I could make one of those extinct volcanoes erupt if I wanted to."

  Bridget said, “What are you saying, Nicky? How could you do that?"

  "Just by thinking about it."

  Bridget crossed herself. Nick scowled at her as he always did when she did that. Recently he had gone into a tantrum every Sunday when Bridget and Tom took him to church. Finally, he fussed so much that they left him with a baby sitter while they attended Mass.

  Tom said, “Don't tell such outrageous lies, Nick."

  Nick pouted. “It's not a lie. I can really do it. That program talked about an extinct volcano in California called Crater Lake. I'll make it explode."

  Bridget cried, “Please don't, Nicky. If that happened it would be a disaster. People could be killed."

  Tom looked disgusted. He whispered into Bridget's ear, “Don't indulge his fantasies. Sometimes I think we should have him examined for mental illness."

  Nicky said, “Too late, mom. I made that Crater Lake blow up."

  The next day there were huge headlines in the newspaper that Crater Lake, which had been extinct for thousands of years, suddenly without warning, erupted. Several people were killed and injured. Tom noticed that the time of the eruption coincided with the time Nick had said he could make the volcano blow up. He shuddered. It can't be true, he told himself. Nonetheless, he wondered what sort of child Bridget and he were bringing up.

  * * * *

  Over the next several months Nicholas grew even more rapidly and advanced in school in keeping with his apparent age. The school authorities did not seem to notice that he was only in a grade for a few weeks before moving up to a higher grade. At seven, he entered high school. There he took up smoking and pot, but stayed away from harder drugs. He was very popular. Everyone who gave a party sent him an invitation. Girls threw themselves at him. By this time, Bridget and Tom had long since given up trying to rein in his bad impulses. Although a party animal, he was also a brilliant student and came home with report cards that showed straight A's.

  At the real age of ten, although his appearance and demeanor were that of a nineteen-year-old, he received several scholarships from prestigious schools. Finally, he decided on Harvard where he majored in law and minored in economics and political science. He was athletic and starred in Harvard's basketball, baseball and football teams. His extracurricular activities included the chess club, participation in a heavy-metal band and fraternity high jinx. He chummed with the sons of the rich and powerful and dated the most beautiful girls on campus. He graduated cum laude.

  After graduation and passing the bar, he used his university contacts to raise money and sponsorship to run for elected office. First he began a district representative in the state legislature, where he distinguished himself on several committees, one of which he chaired. Two yea
rs later, he ran a successful campaign for a seat in the U.S. House of Representative. Not long after he became a U.S. Senator from New York.

  Soon he was ready for his big move. The next a presidential election year, he met with his powerful supporters and friends and got their support as a candidate for the highest office in the land. His platform was a simple one, something for everybody. Honesty in government for those who believed the government was corrupt. Lower taxes for those who thought taxes were too high. Prosperity for rich and poor alike. He was pro-labor and pro-business. He promised to eliminate poverty and provide free health care for all. He would have a foreign policy that would ensure peace, protect American interests abroad and defeat terrorism, dictatorships and all forms of tyranny. He would be hard on crime and protect American citizens from acts of terrorism. He would fight to save the environment, halt the increase in global warming, advance scientific discovery and make America independent of foreign oil. He would bring peace to the Middle East and spread democracy. He was pro family values, pro civil rights for all citizens regardless of race, creed, national origin or sexual orientation, and pro religion.

  When he was asked how he expected to accomplish these seemingly impossible and sometimes conflicting goals, he flashed his winning smile and gave out what at first blush seemed to be a rational plan or proposal, but when analyzed was full of holes, based on possibly wrong assumptions, and consisted mostly of slogans. Nonetheless, his speeches were full of fire, amusing anecdotes and homespun platitudes. The crowds loved him. They cheered mightily wherever he appeared.

  The most hard working of his supporters were the people who belonged to the Children of Aquarius cult, also known as the Church of Omega, which had become extremely popular. Its had millions of adherents supported Nicholas’ presidential bid in many ways, by contributing money, by preaching and by using their influence.

  * * * *

  One evening as Nicholas relaxed alone in his New York City apartment meditating in the lotus position on the living room rug, he heard movement as though someone was walking softly on the carpet, a sound that would've been unheard by any ordinary human. He leaped to his feet and turned quickly to face the intruder.