Malevolent Hall 1666AD

by Rosemary Lynch

  “What use are you to me now, you whore,” he cursed. Matilda stood, her hands held out in front of her, begging him to stop.

  “Richard, no!” she screamed. She gasped, her eyes catching his as he plunged the dagger into her gut. “My baby,” she choked, blood trickling from her mouth. Richard sneered twisting the knife deeper into her gut.

  Eric grabbed him from behind, and garrotting him around his throat, he dragged his brother backwards. Wrestling against each other, they fought. Richard’s hand flew up, and his invisible magic gripped at his throat and lifted him in the air.

  “Fool,” Richard jeered, and his dagger went straight through Eric’s chest and into his heart. Dropping him to the floor, Richard watched as Eric dragged himself to Matilda’s feet.

  “You are pathetic!” Richard growled as his brother crawled his way up Tilly’s legs.

  Tilly grabbed at Eric. “Eric, the enchantment!” she whispered breathlessly.“Eric Tovenaar you are forever my one true love, in this life and all others. No woman may claim you, nor take you from me!” she said, barely able to speak. Eric coughed up blood. “Eric you must say the words,”she begged, her bloodied hands pulling to his face.

  “Tilly, Matilda Rhiamon, you are my one true love, in this life and all others. No man may claim you, nor take you from me…” A beam of light covered them both.

  Richard stared at them, anger sweeping through him. The witch had placed an enchantment on them both ensuring they would be reborn together. Well, he was having none of it, he could not break the enchantment, but he could alter it. His brother would not have her, he was the warlock lord, and he had chosen her as his mate. Eric and Matilda had gone against the coven; she was to be his, in this time, or any other, as was his right.

  “Ernan pertant, soomor eldrotm,” Richard chanted, and he grabbed hold of them both.

  “No, Richard,”Matilda screamed, and her body shook with the force of his power. “Let us go!”

  “Never! You are mine, Matilda, if I cannot have you now, I will take you after the rebirth. You will never be free of me -he will never have you. I will come for you,” he promised.

  When Matilda opened her eyes, she was lying on a bed. She sat up, and her eyes scanned the cavern. Everything inside looked aged, and cobwebs hung everywhere. As well as a bed, there was a bookcase, filled with old leather-bound books. There was a dressing table, and a mouldy old rug that lay upon the floor. On the walls, candles mounted in sconces lit the room. She glanced right, to an old wardrobe, and hung on the front of it was a long, white gown; tattered and weathered with age.

  She jumped off the bed and moved to the back of the room when she heard someone approach. The door to the room opened and in walked Richard, in his human form.

  She stared at him, her heart pounding from her chest.

  “Where am I?” she demanded as he walked towards her.

  “Why, Matilda do you not recognise it?” he asked.

  “No, why should I?” she asked. His blackened eyes bored into her.

  “This was to be our marriage bed,” he said. She swallowed and her eyes wandered to the dress hanging on the wardrobe.

  He scowled at her.

  “Yes, that’s your bridal gown,” he whispered eerily. Her eyes flew back to him.

  “Not very romantic,” she jeered.

  “No, well my intention was to take your magic, hence why we are deep underground, so that I could contain it - and you,” he said, with menace in his voice. As he took another step towards her, Matilda felt her magic stir within her.

  “What are you doing?” Matilda screamed, as the room suddenly erupted into flames.

  Richard laughed.

  “It is not I, it is you,” he said.

  “Me!” she cried, the flames forcing her nearer to him.

  “Yes, it is your power that has been unleashed with your fear. You control these flames not I,” he informed her.

  Matilda glanced over her shoulder as the flames drew ever nearer.

  “How do I stop it?” she begged coughing at the smoke. Now within his grasp, his hand lifted her chin so she was looking directly at him.

  “With your will,” he told her, and his face twisted with a mixture of love, lust, anger, and hatred.

  Matilda closed her eyes, and sought to calm and refocus her power. The flames around her began to dissipate and gradually die out. Matilda glanced up to him and his soulless eyes pierced back at her.

  “I burned down my own home?”

  Richard nodded.

  “When I sliced your mother in half she transferred all her power into you. Your fear triggered the blaze and your immaturity and lack of knowledge allowed it to spread.”

  As he spoke the words, confessing to the murder of her mother her hands clenched into a fist. Instead of allowing the energy to transfer into fire, she turned it into white power and held it within her grasp.

  “You were the demon that killed my entire family?” she asked as she wept.

  “Every last one of them and I have to say your brother makes an interesting little pet,” he jeered.

  Matilda clenched her jaw.

  “Now you will be mine.”

  “I’m not a virgin,” she retorted.

  “That makes no difference now. I am a Demon Lord Matilda, I can absorb your power regardless of your whoring,” he scorned. He grabbed her shoulders, and threw her in the air towards the bed.

  She gasped winded as she landed, but looked up at him defiantly.

  “You will not have me!” she screamed at him.

  “Oh but I will,” he laughed. He grabbed her, pulling her to her feet. “I will have you now and every night until I have drained every last ounce of your magic and you have given me a son.”

  “Never,” she spat back.

  He laughed. His hand ran up her throat, and he squeezed it tightly.

  “You have no choice, now take it off,” he ordered.

  “I don’t fucking think so,” she screamed. Lifting her hands, she pushed them, palm down against his chest.

  “Ildor matador a speldar metcalt spekotor,” she cried.

  Richard snarled as her white magic burned into his chest.

  “You little bitch!” he yelled. A vein pulsated in his temple and he grabbed her head and held it between his hands.

  “Itmoray, domsdar,” he chanted in retaliation.

  Matilda screamed as the pain he inflicted on her hurt so much she could no longer channel her energy into him, and she dropped her hands limp to her side.

  He released her shoving her hard onto the bed.

  Matilda lay sprawled across the bed weeping.

  “You are just like my brother, a stupid fool,” he scorned. “You are not powerful enough to hurt me.” He undid the clasp on his cloak and let it drop to the floor.

  “You lack the knowledge and the training to use your powers to defeat me.” He began to unbutton his shirt, and stopping abruptly as anger rose through him, he shot forward and his hand lifted to her face, squeezing her cheeks until she whimpered with pain.

  “Why did it have to be him, why my brother!” he yelled.

  “I cannot help who I love,” she wept.

  “But we look exactly the same!” he yelled.

  “You do not have your brother’s heart, his love, and his compassion. You are nothing but evil, and that was before you sold your soul to the devil!” she spat. He slapped her, hard, and she fell backwards. Her hand rose to her cheek and her eyes smarted against the pain.

  “Well a lot of good that did him,” Richard retorted. “They are both dead, and I have you,” he crowed. “There is no one left to save you, Matilda Alice Rhiamon,” he gloated, and he unbuckled his trousers.

  She took a deep breath, anger rising through every breath she took. Concentrating hard, she channelled her power to just one of her hands. She glanced up at him.

  “Then I guess I shall just have to save myself,” she whispered and her hand shot forward and grabbed at his crotch. She r
eleased every ounce of power she had and sent a shockwave of white magic straight into him.

  Richard bellowed, looking down at her hand as it grasped at his manhood.

  “Man or demon, it still hurts the fucking same!” she screamed, and she sent one final surge of power that sent him flying backwards and across the room.

  Matilda slid off the bed and made a dash for the door. She yanked it open and immediately came face to face with another demon. Before he had a chance to respond she grabbed his face and sent a surge of power through him. He crashed to the ground disintegrating before her eyes.

  She ran down the passageway until she was back in the cavern. She took a deep breath to control her fury.

  “Oh my god, you idiot!” she yelled, slapping her hand to the side of her head. She had been shown the location of the book days ago, when she and Mike had come to the cave. She ran to the stone throne and sat down. Finally remembering where she had hidden her book of shadows.

  Glancing over her shoulder as she heard Richard roaring, she knew she had no more time.

  “Pordor elartma snomora,” she chanted and she slipped her hand down the side of the throne and into the stone itself. A second later, she withdrew it and in her hand, she held Matilda of the past’s book of shadows.

  The men and women of the gathered came out of the shadows and stormed towards her. She jumped to her feet and lifted her hand.

  “Itmor standar estomara,” she chanted with force, and with a sweep of her hand, she sent out a wave of white magic covering the gathered and holding them all in stasis.

  “Wow,” she muttered, impressed by her own abilities.

  “Tilly!” he cried. Matilda’s heart nearly stopped dead at the sound of his voice. She spun around.

  “Mike!” she screamed in disbelief. “Oh my God, Mike is that really you?”

  “Tilly!” he cried back. She shot down the steps and ran to him. She flew into his arms, and he held her close, kissing her face all over.

  “Oh my God, you’re alive,” she wept, as she cupped her hands to his cheeks and held him. He nodded and as she looked into his eyes, she saw both Mike and Eric gazing back at her.

  “You are Mike,” she whispered. He nodded and smiled.

  “I’m both, Tilly,” he said. “It took a while for the magic to work. Blood cannot kill blood, Tilly, and Richard is both my ancestor and my brother. I can remember everything, my life here and now, my parents, Parker. I also remember my past life as Eric. Oh God, I love you so much,” he wept. She sobbed as he pulled her back into his arms.

  “I have the book, Mike, but we must hurry,” she told him.

  At the sound of Richard’s animalistic cry, they both spun around.

  Richard stood in demon form, his cloak billowing, fire burning from his hands and his eyes glaring in fury at them both.

  “Oh, my brother looks pissed,” Mike said.

  “So would you if I’d just fried your nuts,” she replied. He glanced to her.

  “Is that what you did?” She nodded.

  “Shit,” he muttered. Matilda opened the book. She flicked through the pages searching for the enchantment.

  “Matilda, hurry, he’s coming!” Mike warned.

  “You must hold him off,” she urged. “I’ve found it.”

  As Richard thundered towards them, Mike raised his hands.

  “How is it that you live?” Richard boomed in fury.

  “You cannot stop true love, Brother. I told you, she is and always will be mine, you will not separate us, blood cannot kill blood,” Mike retorted. A beam of white light shot from his hands and hit Richard square on. Richard roared, and lifting his hands, he projected his flames using them to push back the white magic.

  “Itdor, melmar nersarno espodara,” Matilda chanted reading from the book.

  “Hurry, Tilly, I can’t hold him back much longer,” Mike yelled. Matilda glanced at him.

  “Itdor, melmar nersarno espodara,” she continued. As she finished the last word, she grabbed Mike and pulled him to her in an embrace.

  “Here we go,” she whispered and she buried her face into his chest and within seconds, caught within a spiralling vortex they spun into oblivion.

  An almighty bang shook the cavern and Richard howled in fury as they disappeared.

  Chapter Seventeen

  When they re-emerged, Matilda lifted her head from Mike’s chest.

  “Where are we?” he asked.

  “The quarry, 31st October 1666AD,” she replied.

  “They day of the enchantment,” he said.

  “Yes. We must find Richard and kill him before he kills Eric and Matilda of this time. It’s the only way to stop him.” Hearing a noise behind her, she spun around.

  “It’s Eric!” she cried. Eric lay on the ground, his throat bleeding, and his face cut and burned, he was struggling to rise to his feet.

  “Hurry, we don’t have much time,” she said, grabbing Mike’s arm.

  They ran past Eric, and he glanced up at them.

  “Help me!” he yelled, but knowing he would not die they ignored him, and continued towards the cave.

  “Oh no, we’re too late,” Mike, said grabbing at Matilda’s arm.

  Richard stood ahead of them, and Tilly of the past sat on the stone throne.

  “No I’m not,” she whispered. “Ilcarnordar,” she chanted and in an instant, she switched places with Tilly of the past.

  Richard cursed at her and plunged the dagger deep into Matilda’s stomach. She cried aloud, her eyes locking on to his.

  “Tilly - no!” Mike screamed from behind him. Richard spun around, surprise covering his face when he saw Tilly of the past standing next to him. He turned back to her.

  “Who are you?” he growled, at the woman who looked like Tilly, yet was not.

  Her face grimaced as blood poured from the dagger lodged in her stomach and seeped through the white gown. Matilda drew a painful breath and bravely wiped the blood from her mouth.

  “You know who I am, Richard,” she cursed, “you killed everyone I have ever loved.” She shot him a venomous glance, and in one swift movement, pulled the dagger from her stomach and plunged it upwards into Richard’s heart. She held it fast, twisting and turning it deeper into him.

  “You will kill no more, go back to hell you son of a bitch,” she cursed.

  Richard stumbled backwards; his hand pulling to the dagger in his chest he collapsed to the floor.

  Tilly of the past stared stunned at what was going on. She glanced at Mike, and then to Eric who had staggered into the cavern joining.

  Mike ran to Tilly.

  “Tilly, oh my god, Tilly, what have you done?” he cried his shaking hand touching her blood soaked gown.

  “Is he dead, Mike make sure,” she begged. He spun around and hurried to Richard. Anger surged through his veins and he reached down and pulled out the dagger of his chest. With a quick swipe of the blade, he slit Richard’s throat almost decapitating him.

  “That’s for Matilda,” he hissed, before discarding the dagger and hurrying back to her.

  He drew Matilda into his arms.

  “Yes my love, he’s dead,” Mike confirmed.

  “We did it, Mike,” she mumbled.

  “We did my love, we did,” he replied, blinking his tears.

  “Mike you’re fading,” Matilda mumbled. “Am I dying?”

  “You’ve change our past, Tilly,” he said. “We didn’t die in our past therefore none of this has ever happened. We never existed.”

  “You mean, after all this, I’m going to lose you,” she wept, her hand lifting and touching the side of his face. Mike’s soothing hand stroked her cheek in response.

  “Tilly, now Richard’s dead what happened when you were eleven no longer has. Your family were not murdered, and your parents are most probably still alive in some bizarre alternative time.”

  “Mike, I love you, I don’t want you to go,” she sobbed.

  “I love you, my brave, brave,
Tilly,” he wept.

  “Mike, you’re fading!” she screamed as his image began to disappear.

  “So are you, Tilly.” He glanced across to their other selves and they held each other tightly as they watched.

  “Look, we are together,” he said.

  “Not in our future,” she cried. He turned back to her, weaved his fingers through hers, and clasped them to his heart.

  “We were made for each other you and I. Tilly, I promise I will find you, no matter where you are nothing will stop me from finding you,” he said, and he smiled tearfully. “I won’t ever forget you.”

  She vanished before him, and he before her.

  Tilly and Eric of the past watched as the ghosts that had saved them disappeared.

  “They looked like us,” Tilly said as he pulled her into his arms.

  “I think they were us,” Eric replied, “and I am grateful to them, as now with Richard gone we can be together,” he said.

  “We must burn his body,” Tilly urged, “to stop the darkness from taking him.”

  “We shall,” he confirmed. He released her and knelt before her.

  “But first, Matilda Alice Rhiamon, would you do the honour of becoming my wife?” Eric proposed.

  “Yes, Eric,” Matilda said joyfully. He jumped to his feet, swept her into his arms, and kissed her.

  Present day

  Matilda laughed.

  “Teddy, seriously you are impossible!” she said. “Hang on a minute I can hear a car.” She put the phone down on the hall table and walked to the window. Peering through the mullion window she watched the white van pull up outside. She smiled, walked back, and picked up the phone.

  “Teddy, he’s here. Yes, I will let you know but I still reckon it will be around three million. Oh, shut up, I’ll pay for it out of my share you tight fisted bastard,” she laughed. “Yeah, I love you too. Have a good week at school. I’ll see you next weekend and don’t forget it’s Aunt May and Uncle Tom’s anniversary so wear something half decent. They’re coming for dinner.” As she hung up, the doorbell rang. “He’s here mum, I’ll get it,” she called walking towards the front door.