Congregation Of Darkness (Full Moon Series Book 2)

by P. Mattern

  A hush fell over the wedding crowd. The sun was just starting to set, and small decorative random sparkle lights twinkled in the trees behind the gazebo.

  Suddenly Yaya ,looking very official in his robes, a silk scarf behind his neck and over both shoulders with Hebrew symbols embroidered on it, held his walking stick in front of him and raised it until it was 6 or 7 feet off the ground. The moonstone began to glow, making a barely discernible humming sound, as though a low musical chord was being sounded. As the chord increased in volume, so did the brightness of the moon stone until it was as bright as a floodlight over the seated guests. The brightness was pure white light, unbearable to gaze upon , and many shielded their eyes for protection.

  The lone patron that continued to stare towards the moonstone without flinching or reacting in any way appeared to be a nondescript balding bespectacled man in a black suit and tie. As the light increased his features began to melt and change, thorny reptilian limbs beginning to protrude through the material of his suit. His neck elongated and finally the mouth of the man widened until ,with the loud cracking sounds of a jawbone racheted backwards beyond its intended scope and then ripped asunder ,it peeled back on itself and a greenish visage emerged from inside the gaping red orifice to rise /emerge above the neck of the suit coat. The face was satyr-like, with melted looking features, in a grotesque imitation of humanity.

  There was a ripping sound as the creature expanded and stood, huge segmented batlike wings appearing behind it. At the same time the moonstone made a painfully highpitched sound and a scarlet ray of light shot directly into the center of the creatures chest, causing the creature to writhe and burning a huge gaping hole into the center of its chest. The creature looked down at its damaged torso incomprehendingly, uttering only one sentence.

  “Damn you to the Seventh Hell ,Yaya!” It said, collapsing in on itself and continuing to dissolve as if it were being consumed by a flameless fire. In as little as 40 seconds it was gone to ashes, and the ashes themselves continued to be consumed until a mere whisp of black smoke descended upward. The seat of the chair the man had been sitting in was blackened with a fine silt-other than that there was no evidence of the unwanted guest.

  There was silence for a moment, then the crowed began to applaud, Mitzi clapping as enthusiastically as anyone, because she had recognized the demon as Feck, the spy Adrastos had sent to kidnap her several months earlier. No doubt he had been on another spying mission for his master.

  “Now”, Yaya said ,quieting the crowd with a motion of his hand, ”The ceremony can begin.”

  Mitzi and Cass both relaxed and turned to face each other while Yaya recited the ceremonial words that authenticated their joining together. Their faces reflected their love and commitment , and the atmosphere was one of peace and quiet joy.

  At the finish of the ceremony Cass tilted Mitzi back in his arms and kissed her passionately and in a prolonged manner, much to the delight of the wedding guests. Mitzi was smiling and blushing so profusely that her cheeks were flaming.

  There was dancing outdoors on the patio beyond the three season room, and everyone enjoyed the wedding repast. Although Cass never took his arm from around Mitzi, and greeted guests warmly and sincerely, he seemed pensive, Charley noted, watching him from across the yard. Twice Yaya ambled over and said something in Cass’s ear, and a few minutes later Charley watched as Lux and Cass seemed to share a silent exchange from across the room.

  From the mike at the gazebo an announcer informed the crowd that the bride and groom were departing. The crowd of beautiful individuals, most of them vampires, surged toward the front of the cottage, where Cass helped Mitzi up into the front seat of a stretch Hummer limousine. The windows were tinted, but the vehicle also contained Buttercup, reclined across a plush couchlike seating row inside the limo and wrapped up like a Russian babushka doll, Lux , Merilee and Charley Rabbit. Waving, Cass cranked on the ignition and the couple waved to their loyal friends that had gathered hastily to honor them on the day of their nuptials.

  Mitzi sighed as she settled back into the soft leather seats, admiring Cass’s profile as he drove. He turned his head to look at her, saying,” You are too beautiful for words, Vivi. Thank you for marrying me. This is the happiest day of my immortal life-and I’m convinced that the best is yet to come.”

  Mitzi gazed into his eyes admiringly. By the light of the limo dashboard the handsome masculine planes of his face seemed more chiseled and distinguished, his brown curly hair a magnificent and virile mane.

  “Thank YOU for marrying me. I thought it wouldn’t matter if we ever formalized our relationship…since we are vampires and all…but I was wrong. It IS important. And my love for you is amplified. I love you my husband.” Suddenly she let out a whoop that sounded like a rebel yell.

  “You’re actually my HUSBAND Cass. Wow!!!!”

  Cass , caught up in her spontaneous burst of excitement laughed.

  “And you are my WIFE…finally! You made me work for it Mitzi, but I must say you’re worth it!”

  “Oh my gosh!” she said ” I just realized I don’t even know how to spell my new last name! What is it again?”

  “Noble.” He answered, smiling.” N-O-B-L-E. I hope you like it. By the way, my full, given name is Castor Lucien Noble. Pretty grand sounding, N’est-ce pas?”

  “VERY grand sounding!” she agreed.” What is Lux’s full given name?”

  Cass grinned a mischievous grin.

  “Oh Let’s ask him, shall we?” he replied. Rolling down the glass partition between the front seats and the rest of the limo he called back behind him.”Hey Lux-Mitzi wants to know your full given name. She likes our last name, by the way! Good thing ,since the deed is done!”

  A spontaneous groan issued from the seats behind Cass.

  “Do I have to –REALLY?” Lux complained, rolling from a sitting position over to his side and covering his head with his jacket as he sat in the back of the limo. Several of his companions started laughing at his reaction.

  “Sorry buddy,” Cass replied, a naughty gleam in his eye, ”Either you ‘fess up or I will. Mitzi , your new sister-in-law as of today, wants to know.”

  Lux’s handsome face slowly appeared from under his jacket. Without sitting up he shouted,

  “OKAY!IT’S POLLUX BARTHOLOMIEU NOBLE!! Are you happy now?” he said, and promptly pulled his jacket back over his head as Cass chortled and Merilee and Charley laughed.

  “Well, my darling Vivi, are YOU happy now? I think Lux’s middle name is among his deepest darkest secrets, AND…” Cass again addressed his twin in the back of the limo, finishing loudly for Lux’s benefit”…AND I bet Pierre has no idea . Does Pierre know your middle name Lux?”

  Lux sat up, running one hand through his longish blonde hair as he did so.

  “NO.” he said shooting Cass a dirty look.”And he’s not going to for a long, long, time.”

  Mitzi turned around to look at Lux.

  “I don’t see anything wrong with your middle name. It’s unusual for sure, but…it’s French, right? Cass told me your lineage included French Hugenots, so it makes perfect sense really. You shouldn’t be embarrassed!” she said reassuringly.

  “You should be proud of your middle name,” Cass agreed, looking in the rearview as he drove. “Not everyone has a middle name that,if shortened to the first four letters, rhymes with ‘fart’.”

  “True, ‘Douche-ien’” Lux retorted.”Hey! Pretty good!” he congratulated himself.”Cass YOUR middle name finally rhymes with something insulting, even though I had to wait almost two centuries to find a popular slang word that rhymes with Lucien! Hah!”

  Cass smirked, ”Touche .brother! Truce?”

  Lux smiled angelically back at Cass’s eyes reflected in the rearview mirror.

  “Truce-of course. After all, it’s your wedding day. And you’ve given me the best sister ever.” He added sincerely..

  The limo sped through the night until the road became a scant two lanes
and Mitzi recognized it as the country road , as deeply cut into the pastureland as a tunnel, that led to the farm. Navigating the road in the darkness made it seem spookier as tree roots made macabre shadows in the headlights and brush and thickets at the road side scraped against the vehicle due to the narrowness of the unpaved road. At last they turned into the poorly marked entrance to the farmlands. Lux jumped out of the back to open the creaking white gate into the pasture land.

  Even though Cass had the halogen headlights on high, it still seemed to Mitzi that they were getting out in the middle of nowhere. Above them, the sky was clear and brilliant with a thousand stars. She could hear the night calls of birds, and see pastel colored moths fluttering in the rays of the headlights. The headlights revealed the picnic table under the two ancient willows that faced each other, and beyond them the sound of the creek, rushing over stone as it coursed through the grasslands.

  Cass reached over her and grabbed a large highpowered flashlight, and Mitzi noticed that Lux also had one and was motioning Charley and Merilee out of the limo so that he could have access to Buttercup. Mitzi heard Lux speaking in low tones, then saw his long legs appear over the edge of the seating in the back.

  “Ready B?” she heard him say.”Hold tight!” and when he emerged he was carrying Buttercup on his back. Buttercup was giggling, her short, plump arms around his neck,her short legs wrapped around his waist.

  “I thought this would work!” he said cheerfully. Really, it’s kind of hilly and uneven here and I think this is better than carrying her on her stretcher. “ Tilting his head back he asked,”Is this your first piggyback ride Buttercup my sweet?”.” Buttercup affirmed his notion.

  “Yes Mr. Lux. You are too kind to carry me.” She sounded very pleased and happy.

  Cass surveyed the Buttercup/Lux human totem with a look of amusement, then said abruptly, linking arms with Mitzi and giving her a quick kiss.”After me now-and look sharp!!It’s the great outdoors and there’s lots to trip over!”

  “Is it very far?” .Mitzi asked. She noticed that they were about 15 feet from the small rise of a hill.

  Cass chuckled . We’re probably on top of it. Entranceway is just on the other side of the rise my love.”

  Cass left the car lights on in order to provide additional illumination as they traipsed up the rise, which ended abruptly, as though the hill had been neatly cleaved in half. Mitzi noticed a 8 foot drop to the ground on the other side, which Cass, letting go of her hand, leaped into with the animal grace of a cougar. Shining the light back up at her as she stood on the precipice, he called, smiling.

  “Jump darling, and I’ll catch you!”

  Mitzi elected instead using her vamp electromagnetic hovering powers to descend in a controlled glide. Her pregnant state caused her to descend on a slight belly-forward tilt she noticed, but her new husband was able to reach up and guide her gently down into his awaiting arms.

  Lux appeared around the side of the knoll, having elected a longer walk due to having Buttercup on his back. Buttercup was obviously enjoying the ride. Charley and Merilee joined hands and jumped down to join the others.

  Mitzi surveyed the pool of light in front of the hill.

  “But where…” she began, just as Cass spun her around to face the flat wall of the embankment.

  Placed flush with the earthen wall behind her was a tall slab of concrete that stretched up the side of the hill. It was at least 12 feet high and had a heavy looking metal door set into it. The door was solid, with some script that Mitzi couldn’t decipher written across the top of it. In the center of the door there was an opening reminiscent of a keyhole, but shaped slightly differently, with three circular holes clustered together and diagonally opposite them an odd ,rounded, half moon shape.

  “Anybody got a key?” Cass quipped as he inserted the tips of the three middle fingers on his right hand into the round openings and placed his thumb in the last one as he pushed against the door.

  The door creaked and swung inward into a small well lit room that caused Mitzi to think of a mudroom. There were benches lining each wall and a series of pegs placed at intervals where clothing could be hung. Mitzi noted a jean jacket, a furlined cap and what looked like an army green rainslicker hanging on pegs on one side of the wall.

  Cass crowed with delight.

  “I thought I LOST that jean jacket! Sweet! I must have left it here last time we came.” He said, retrieving it.

  Mitzi noticed a humming sound that seemed to surround them on all sides. She was about to ask about it but Merilee beat her to the punch.

  “What’s that sound guys?” she asked, looking around her and apparently intrigued with what she saw.

  Before Cass could respond to her question Lux, who had unloaded Buttercup gently onto one of the benches, answered quickly.

  “It’s the underground ventilation system. Necessary to keep the domicile aeriated with good quality air and not musty smelling. We use the same setup as the US Military does in their underground facilities. It’s a stable, pollutant free, temperature controlled environment. We actually got most of the equipment from military auctions. Extremely cost effective and green also-you’d be amazed at the way being a few feet underground helps out with temperature control-regardless of the season.”

  Mitzi was still looking around her as she stood in the mudroom-it could have been any such room adjoined to any picturesque farmhouse in America. The lamps above her head were shared with pierced tin and exposed beams were set into the whitewashed walls. In a corner near the end of the room was a potbellied stove, the really old fashioned cast iron kind that you could cook on if you had to, and it appeared to be vented to the outside and functional. The room had an air of belonging to another century.

  “Is this the oldest part of the house?” she asked, As Cass ,obviously feeling romantic ,began to absentmindedly play with her hair, bending his head down to kiss her cheek or neck at intervals.

  Lux, who was not engaged in nuzzling anyone’s neck, answered with an affirmative nod of his head.

  “Yes ,Mitzi. This used to be part of a little sod house. Houses were practically one or two rooms then. And because it WAS a sod house it kept the occupants cool in summer and snug in winter, even without our fancy air ventilation system!”

  Merilee eyed the far door.

  “And –what’s behind door number two?” she asked, smiling up at Charley.”More house? Or is this it?”

  Her question elicited chuckles from both Cass and Lux.

  Cass grabbed Mitzi’s hand and, motioning to the others, intoned.

  “Ladies and Gents-come join me for the grand tour of the premises!”

  Lux picked up Buttercup again and Charley , Merilee in tow, opened the door to the rest of the house. He had to reach around the doorway on the other side to find a light switch, as the hallway beyond the door was not lit. Soon the hall lighting revealed a short hallway lined with photographs and antique oil paintings, some of them quite large. Mitzi noted that one painting, set into a guilded and carved frame, was a well executed oil painting of a golden bowl filled with pomegranates laying on a bed of pine needles.

  “Gorgeous.” She commented ,peering at it more closely. I wonder how the artist got so much depth into a two dimensional work of art?”

  Cass, close behind her, rubbed her shoulder.

  “You have great taste my love. That’s the only enhanced painting we own-for now. The reason that it looks almost 3D is because it’s what we call “strung.” It’s a somewhat enhanced by a process that pulls a bit of the next dimension into the work, making it appear more realistic. “

  Mitzi’s eyes widened and she looked up at Cass.

  “Well I never!!” she responded, peering into the painting with even more intensity and reverting to an expression from her Southern childhood.”And how does the artist do THAT ,pray tell? Sounds like something involving Magick. Or something scientific. Or both.” She finished, tapping gently on the image with one fingertip to che
ck out its dimensionality.

  Lux had joined the couple.

  “This is the result of a tiny practical application of ‘string theory’ Mitzi-also known as TOE Theory-Theory of Everything. It’s a theory that attempts to explain the behavior of the elementary particles that comprise the universe, and attempts to reconcile quantum mechanics and general relativity a la Einstein. The theory indicates that there are eleven dimensions that coexist in the same space at any given moment.

  “And it shows us just how much we DON’T know about our universe.” He finished, chuckling.

  Mitzi was so amazed she had trouble pulling herself away from the art work. And she had examined it enough to have noticed something else about it.

  “It’s changing!” she said excitedly.”One of the pomegranates has shifted so that you can see part of the top of it now. And some of the pine needles are scattered around the base of the bowl-right here.” She said, tracing the changes with her finger.

  “Cass!” she finished excitedly, turning around,”I could watch this all day!! It’s as if it changes while you’re looking at it but you can’t notice the changes until you turn away for a moment and then look back again!”

  Cass kissed the tip of her uptilted nose.

  “I’ll move it to our bedroom so that you can look at it to your heart’s content my love. But for now we must move on. BUT FIRST,” he said ,ramping up his voice to announcement level,” And before we set one foot into the next chamber, I wanted to give you a wedding present!”

  Mitzi’s heart sank slightly as she realized that she had nothing to give Cass in return. She saw Charley and Merilee’s faces joining the half circle around her as Cass produced a rectangular white velvet box and held it out toward her, his devotion to her shining in his eyes.