by P. Mattern
“Lux!” he said, his grin widening.
Lux grinned back.
“How did you sleep last night Pierre…I hope well.” He reached out and turned Pierre’s face to the side so that he could see the healing, but still visible fang marks on the base of Pierre’s neck.
Pierre sat up, gingerly touching the wounds from his Turning.
“I slept like the DEAD.” He returned with a sardonic smile.”Thanks to a vampire I know. A violent and voracious brute…with a face of an angel. Who knew?” he finished, with more than a tinge of irony in his voice.
Lux lowered his head to kiss Pierre on the forehead.
“Sorry if I was… a bit rough. I hope that you don’t have any regrets. Do you?”
Pierre shook his head slowly from side to side.
“Nary a one. I feel wonderful in fact, as if I’ve been reborn. And I am like you now. And that was really the point. Are you pleased?’
With a catch in his voice from some emotion that had unexpectedly arisen, Lux answered, ”More than you could ever know. We are Dark Brothers now, and Lovers, and connected in ways that were not possible when you were in your human state. You will never have to doubt my motivations again, nor I yours. You will be able to tap into my soul-and I will be able to tap into yours. It is a sacred connection. One that can never be broken.”
“This was my choice.” Pierre responded, placing a firm hand on Lux’s nearest shoulder. His broad hand showed up in sharp contrast against Lux’s very pale skin, and he spontaneously asked, ”Will I become as pale as you are my friend?”
Lux shrugged.
“Only time will tell, it’s a very individual thing, and you have a darker more ruddy complexion. I was always fair skinned, even when human, much lighter than Cass, never tanned well, only burned…but you’re eyes are already changing color. Look !” Lux jumped away from the bed and in a blur retrieved a hand mirror from the bathroom, holding it before Pierre’s face.
Pierre drew in a breath at his reflection. He looked at least 5 years younger than his 35 years, as if time had wound back to when he was a nurse contemplating getting his Physician’s Assistant certification. His brown irises had golden and rubelite flecks in them, and his nose, which he had broken in a scrap with another teenager when he was in high school and which had never set properly, looked as if the fight had never happened.
He looked wonderingly up at Lux.
“It starts this quickly-the changes I mean? It’s only been hours man.”
Lux took the mirror as Pierre handed it back to him.
“It’s only been hours…but I wasn’t holding back. That was a huge dose of venom I imbued into your bloodstream. Do you feel okay?”
Pierre swung his legs over the side of the bed and stood up. Stretching he said,”HELL yeah! I feel as if I could lick tigers! Do 18 hour shifts standing on my head even!”
He walked over to where Lux was standing.
“And YOU, Lux…I’ll never forget the way you looked. Like a Norse god. You were FIERCE man. And a bit frightening.”
Lux pulled Pierre against him in an almost paternal embrace, running his fingers through the man’s tousled auburn hair.
“I made an appointment with Dr. Caligare-he’s the ‘family physician’ for every vampire in Fort Hunt. He’s be able to tell where you are on the continuum by examining you. I have a feeling last night was ‘overkill’ on my part and I’m not really being facetious. You may be further along than ‘once-bitten ‘status…he’ll be able to tell.
What I’m trying to say is I may have changed you permanently. I didn’t mean to do that-it should have involved another decision on your part. I feel weird about it.”
Pierre pulled back from Lux.
“An overachiever, huh? Either way its okay. Are you hearing me?” Pierre said earnestly.”Whatever you are…I want to be . WHERE ever you are…I want to be also.”
There was an inopportune knock at the door just then and ,sighing, Lux opened the door to a surprised looking Fress.
“I thought I heard more than one voice!” she said, grinning at Pierre until her dimples showed.
Lux gave Fress a quick hug and , standing back , pushed Pierre forward a bit.
“Fress, my dear sister, I want you to meet the newest member of our congregation, and your newest brother…Pierre. As of last night.”
Fress’s eyes widened and she moved forward to embrace Pierre.
‘Welcome, Pierre.” she said,” Even though I don’t know you well-yet-you must be a truly special energy for Lux to have Turned you, and we are privileged to have you among us.”
Turning back to Lux she said, ”You’re timing is great Lux. Celeste is coming over this afternoon with an instructional piece she wanted to share.
It was Lux’s turn to look surprised.
“Did she say WHY? Did I miss a V-mail alert or something? “ he asked, obviously startled and curious about a meeting being called on such short notice.
Fress stopped smiling and looked at the two vampires soberly. There was a barely perceptible buckle in her brow and concern on her beautiful face.
“Celeste has foreseen a Hybrid attack. Here at the cottage. And she thinks it may be soon. The buzz is that there has been a lot more Hybrid activity than usual, more missing humans in an area near the southern karstlands… and some unexplained swarming incidents-of which Mitzi’s house was one. Several others have been reported, some in counties outside of Fort Hunt. There are patrol parties being organized.”
Lux was astounded.
“What-did those critters suddenly evolve to start growing a brain stem? They’re the cockroaches of the vampire phylum, all they’ve done for centuries is live underground and pick off the occasional random human from time to time. I think they even actually eat EACH OTHER…”
Fress shrugged.
“That was then…this is now, and there are several theories on why they’ve become so much more aggressive. They have a new leader for one thing, the Mavesla they call him, and his origins are unclear-some say he hails from the Mideast, and there are reports that he is a third level Magick practitioner with an unusual hybridization pattern. Something truly different, perhaps the only one of his kind. And as impossible as it sounds...
It’s rumored that he is part demon entity!”
Pierre’s eyes looked like saucers.
“Why are they called ‘Hybrids’?” he asked Fress.
“I know ,” Fress answered with a sympathetic tone in her voice, and a slight sigh. ”It sounds so generic. But they are vastly different from us V-net vamps. Originally they were cave dwelling blood drinkers that supposedly bred with the native American Indian population , so in modern times some are tall and look like native Americans, some look like cavemen, and some look like a weird mixture of the two. They’ve also always had their own ritual for recruiting, or ‘turning’ humans to their kind, sort of a gang V-rape from what I understand, that injects a potent cocktail mixture of venoms into the victim. The changing is painful and unpredictable and causes mutation on a cellular level. Lux does an excellent chapter on Hybrids in the Reverendum.”
“Thanks for the book plug,” Lux replied, “But our knowledge of Hybrids is still far from comprehensive. Is Cass coming? Daniel? Charley? And are the three newbies going to be in attendance? Even the human girl Kimbra?”
Fress nodded slowly.
“They have to be included…not only because they live here, but because…because…Carey and Kimbra are getting married, and they have decided that they both want to be Turned…at the same time…during the ceremony…
…by ME.” She finished, looking at Lux and Pierre’s astonished faces.
Lux found his voice first.
“So you’re performing the ceremony…and also the Blood Initiation?”
Fress nodded happily.”They asked me to last night. They know what they’re getting into, and they are taking none of this lightly. But they want to join us, and put an end to the personal hell Carey
has been through since the hybrids tried to change him. They both want to become Vampires…and they want to help us defend the cottage.
“What about the boy Avi, the shapeshifter?” Pierre asked.
“He hasn’t decided…and he is already a Shapeshifter. It will be fine either way .He is committed to fight with the rest of us, and is sure to be an asset.”
Lux cleared his throat and looked at Pierre.
“I told you that Fress was multitalented…she also has a Master’s degree in Theology and is an Ordained Minister. She can perform the ceremony legally. And the Turning is a special adjunct to the ceremony.”
Clapping her hands together suddenly Fress squealed with glee.
“So much to do! The ceremony is at 7:30. I want you both dressed formally and in attendance! I like two witnesses and you will fit the bill! Lux-please call Cass and Mitzi and anyone else that you can think of! It’s a private ceremony, but they should be with us in spirit.”
Suddenly she was off before the two vampires could blink. Pierre looked after Fress with a wistful look in his eyes.
“I love that lady!” he said admiringly.
“So do I”, Lux agreed putting his arm around Pierre’s shoulders.”So do we ALL.”
The meeting Celeste had planned for the early afternoon was short and to the point. The keynote speaker was Yaya Wisceivisc, and as he spoke, the vampires hung on his every word.
“I cannot fight this battle for you.”Yaya counseled them, his ancient and deeply brown eyes kindly and showing clearly the depth of his regret.”The legal grounds to warrant my intervention are insubstantial at best, and I cannot, I WILL not, operate outside of the Covenants of The Great Balance. Technically, the Hybrids deposited enough venom during their attack to turn Carey into one of their own. As long as they stay within the Balance they are PERMITTED to turn a certain quota of individuals a year. The fact that for whatever reason ,Carey’s metamorphosis, while effective in altering his DNA and abilities-has failed to bring his soul, his spirit, and his mind to the Dark is an anomaly. There are no regulations or codes that speak to such a situation. In the minds of the Hybrids he has been marked as one of their own.
Ergo, they are just laying claim to what should have been THEIRS all along.”
Yaya finished by informing them that, other than any V-net vampires within the city that wished to join them in defending Carey and the Cottage, there would be no V-net support forthcoming. They would be on their own in repelling the Hybrids. Case closed.
The vampires were both concerned and disappointed at the outcome, but stood steadfast in their collective determination that Carey should remain one of their own. He was part of their adopted extended family, as valued as any of them, and they would not, under any circumstances, allow the Hybrids to either destroy him or lay claim to him permanently.
Cass , because of the twin connection he had with Lux, had gotten the gist of the Blood Nuptials planned for Carey and his girlfriend Kimbra through discernment, even though Lux did send him a text just to make sure. Mitzi was excited .
“So many weddings in our tribe!” she commented, flushing prettily as she recalled her own only a scant few days before, ”And babies.” She added, her voice slightly hushed as she contemplated the enormous blessings and the joy and love surrounding those events.
Cass looked down at her protruding belly with pride.
“Yes…and everything will be fine, love of my life. We are truly blessed!”
They stood quietly, smiling at each other in the farm kitchen. Then Cass gave a short whoop.
“MITZI!” he said excitedly. I forgot to tell you! We’re planning a huge gaming event to play “World of Azglen” with all our extended friends and family plus the newbies!! It’s going to be an EPIC match! I have thrown down the gauntlet to Lux, and we’re working on terms. It’s a grudge match between the Noble brothers. The loser will suffer greatly!”
“Suffer HOW?” Mitzi sniffed distainfully, not really sharing Cass’s excitement and wanting to go back to the previous moment they’d just shared.”No pizza for you for a month?”
“Hey that would HURT!” Cass said balefully,”It’ll be a severe consequence, though-like the loser has to shave his head , or wear women’s underwear for a month. Something insidious and unbearable. “
Mitzi sniffed again, showing her distain for Cass’s gamer enthusiasm.
“Castor you would probably enjoy wearing women’s underwear…it would probably be mine and you’d be thinking about sex all day long.”
Cass picked her up in his arms,”I do that anyway. As you may have guessed.”
Mitzi kicked her legs until he set her on her feet again.
“Well, isn’t getting so excited about a game a sign of immaturity?” she asked.
Much to her consternation, Cass chuckled.
“No, my darling, on the contrary, it’s a sign of IMMORTALITY! We are ‘stuck’, so to speak , at an age of maximum virility for men-early twenties-a very appropriate age for a gamer, I’m sure that you would agree….” Sitting down on the upholstered bench in the kitchen he patted the seat next to him.
“Come here, my sweet, and let me ‘splain a few things.”
As soon as she was seated he adopted a quasi-professorial tone.
“Via the repeatedly played television commercials you’ve doubtless heard of “Low T”, a.k.a , low testosterone, which is a condition that plagues human males. Vampires have the opposite problem-call it “High T”, which can be too much of a good thing,” he continued, looking down at Mitzi’s bosom longingly while absentmindedly patting her bottom as she sat beside him, and continuing “There are few outlets for the aggressive qualities unleashed by our high T level and they fall basically into 3 categories, forming a trifecta of natural male proclivities : making love, making war, and playing sports ,including the subphylum of sporting known as gaming. There are also some provisional outlets-being part of the so called ‘rat race’ and making a living can be a way to use up our excess, which is why many of us work full time regardless of financial status.
“World of Azglen” is more than a game to V-net vamps-it’s a microcosm of our collective consciousness, a mental diorama construct of our experiences in this realm over centuries. It also keeps us prepped for the occasional real time skirmishes and conflicts that invariably come along-because men make war…and because we were human once, so do vampires!”
Mitzi contemplated this information for a moment, biting her lower lip. And then, as usual, asked the question Cass was least expecting.
“And if we have SONS, Castor-will they make war also?”
Cass looked down for only a second before meeting her eyes again.
“I suppose they will…and so it goes forever and anon my love. But we never fight without reason. And if we are threatened, for the sake of those we love and all that we hold dear, we will fight.”
Mitzi seemed to gaze off into the distance, through the ersatz picture window opposite her, and was silent for a moment.
“I’ve been having dreams, Cass. Dreams about the babies. In my dreams they are both male children, one dark one light…kind of like you and Lux, really. But in my dreams only one will nurse, the dark haired boy. The flaxen haired boy will drink only blood.”
She turned her eyes until they shone with bluegreen intensity into his own eyes ,and even beyond, almost as if they were search beacons peering deeply into his soul.
“I think you are able to understand my dream, Castor.” She finished, in a low voice. “And my question is-
How long have you known?”
Fressenda stood on the shores of Indiana Beach. It was too early in the spring for tourists, and it was cool for a spring day, but the sun shone down warmly on herself and her two charges. Fress wore an ecru gown hand smocked with hundreds of tiny embroidered flowers across the neckline, and also at the waist and hemline. Across her shoulders she wore the ornately decorated mantel of a V-net official able to perform binding and recogn
ized ceremonial rituals, including weddings. The mantel included runes in Sanskrit and other ancient and nearly forgotten languages, and was magical. A marriage performed in this manner assured protection and blessing on the couple undergoing the ceremony.
Although witnesses were not required, Lux and Pierre had asked to be included in the nuptials of Carey and Kimbra, both of whom seemed appropriately and excitedly nervous.
A breeze came in off the water. Fress, standing so closely to the couple in front of her that their bodies formed a triad, began to chant in an ancient tongue that sounded Gaelic, as Carey and Kimbra held hands. Lux and Pierre, both in tuxes, stood apart at a respectful distance, stealing smiling glances at each other, wondering if they might be the next couple in the group to tie the proverbial knot.
Fress stopped chanting, and began to sing in a high clear voice, her right hand on Carey’s left shoulder, and her left hand on Kimbra’s right shoulder. Of all in attendance, only Lux, who had recorded the translated English version of the ceremonial words for posterity in his book,The Reverendum knew what words she was singing:
This day of joy
Set apart from all others
Belongs to these two.
We welcome them into the dance of the Light
We welcome the fateful tides of their immortal lives to intertwine
We ask that blessings, fruits of goodness and strength,
Shower upon them all of their days-
But above all these, the Higher Energies we seek
And the radiance of Love.
Fress had coached the couple beforehand. Kimbra was wearing a pure white silk dress, Carey was wearing a white shirt and trousers. Both were wearing long silk scarves loosly wrapped around their necks several times. On a signal from Fressenda, they turned to eachother, Carey smiling as he slowly unwound Kimbra’s scarf , baring her neck, and letting the wind carry it away. Kimbra then did the same, unwinding Carey’s scarf from his throat and letting it be carried off, rippling in the wind.
