Congregation Of Darkness (Full Moon Series Book 2)

by P. Mattern

  Secretly Lux was touched beyond measure at Pierre’s devotion.

  Mitzi was not pleased at being left out of the fray-she understood that she was being excluded only by virtue of her delicate condition, and had to agree that being pregnant would affect her speed, agility and balance-but at the same time she hated the thought of Cass fighting without her. And waiting and waiting without knowing the outcome until afterwards. She felt more stressed about sitting on the sidelines than she would have being on the front lines of the battle.

  Just before they came the air seemed to thicken and become close, as close as the air in a long unused basement cupboard. Or a long unopened crypt. There was a terrible synchronicity in their coming , and they came in three distinct levels like a tidal wave: some of them bound to the ground, others hovering slightly higher and a third tier made up of the few that were able to fly as other vampires did.

  They came all at once, the air filled with their frenetic energy, the energy of hundreds of mindless beings that live in hives underground, share a mass mentality , and swarm over their prey like a mindless and merciless tide. Obviously a veil created by the darkest Magick in the spectrum had been placed over the Cottage to prevent Fress’s suburban neighbors to perceive anything other than a charming, quiet domicile with a few dim lights shining placidly through sheerly curtained windows. And, because of the various spells invoked, even if rivers of blood had cascaded over the sills of the windows, or run through the front door and ran in dark rivulets into the street- all that they would be able to see would be the cottage- silent and undisturbed.

  The V-net vampires had stationed themselves at all ‘points’ or corners of the house, most of them in triads or pairs. Lux and Pierre stood back to back at one end of the kitchen.facing North and South respectively. Cass was in a triad formation with DeMarcus and Charley-Mitzi had made Cass SWEAR that he would stay close to Charley during the battle. Orry, Merilee and Makenna were upstairs forming another triad. All the other V-net volunteers were also positioned strategically, terse and silent.

  Standing in triad formation in the ¾ season room, Kimbra,Carey and Avi stood poised for battle. Each had a sword. Kimbra’s long hair was divided into two braids each wound tightly into buns on either side of her head above her ears, Star Wars Princess Leia style. She was dressed in thigh high boots and jeans, wearing a suede top overlaid with light chainmail and studded leather wristlets. Carey and Avi were in similar garb, wearing black clothing of a heavy material with hoods pulled up over their heads. Their outfits contained many pockets full of additional weaponry of every description.

  Carey, every muscle taut, was focusing on his enhanced auditory senses, which strained to detect any sound of Hybrid approach or infiltration. His dark hair was plastered damply against his forehead under his hood, as he listened to all of their breathing-his own, Kimbra’s and Avi’s, along with the beating of their collective hearts.

  As terse seconds crawled by, Carey reached a hand behind him and slipped his fingers into Kimbra’s non-weapon-wielding hand.

  “I will always love you,”he said, his voice sounding deeper and more resonant than she could recall it ever being.”And if we should die here tonight, together, I will find you-whatever lies beyond this veil and wherever you are. Please know that.”

  To Carey’s consternation she giggled. And he realized that her voice was coming from the opposite side of him. Yet he felt his hand being squeezed back.

  “I love you too Carey,” Avi intoned, lowering his voice to match the timbre of Carey’s” Does this mean that we’re officially a threesome now?”

  On his other side Carey felt Kimbra slip her hand firmly over his.

  “Two hearts that beat as one can never be separated,” she said, a smile in her voice, ”not by space, time or even immortal death. And whatever happens, find me Carey-for in our love I will live again.” By the time she’d finished speaking, her thickly fringed golden eyelashes were rapidly beating back tears like frantic butterflies.

  From outside the Cottage, Carey could hear the thickly wet tearing sound of Hybrids slipping through the protective veil en masse and smell their stone dust and carrion odor. It was the smell of ancient evil, and it carried with it the promise of the carnage to come.

  “To the ready, Love.” Carey said grimly, as he felt the warning tingling sensation from his protective ring increase in response to the danger ”They’re here.”

  ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ

  Mitzi was standing in her bedroom facing the artificial picture window, praying fervently on her knees to a Heavenly Being, one that she was no longer sure that she was entitled to address.

  That’s how desperate she was that all her friends and family be protected as they battled the Hybrids. The stakes were very high. If the Hybrids prevailed, they would escalate their attacks on humans and vampires alike, and do it openly. The V-net would no longer have the power to shield humans from the terrible knowledge that, aside from their own environmental and interspecies problems, there were other species and realms that posed an even more severe threat to their continued existence.

  The pains begin when she was less than 7 minutes into her heartfelt pleadings, radiating upward from the bottom of her womb. She immediately gasped and lowered the hands she’d raised in prayer to hold her abdomen. For a full minute she was unable to move, as her body convulsed and huge dulled pain worked its way up her spine in symphony with sharper, stabbing pains that seemed to crawl upward from her pubis.

  When it suddenly stopped, she crawled over to her bed to get the leverage to stand, just as a huge cascade of clear fluid cascaded to the floor.

  With the pain in abeyance, she ran into the hallway, nearly knocking over Nurse Sephla.

  Mitzi could hardly speak.

  “The babies-they’re coming !!” she cried, nearly tripping as the Nurse reached out to take her arm.”Is Dr. Caligare here or at the hospital?”

  Nurse Sephla’s eyes gleamed with more animation than Mitzi had ever seen in the Nurse. And Sephla was smiling a smile of pure delight-Mitzi had never seen the Nurse smile like that before.

  “Come with me,” Sephla said briskly, dropping her spontaneous smile. “Dr.Caligare is in transit I’m sure. I need to prep you so that he can deliver you as soon as he returns.” Mitzi felt as though she were being dragged forward toward the sterile delivery area, and for some reason alarm bells were going off in her head.

  “But what about Buttercup? I want Buttercup with me!” she cried, hanging back as another paroxysm of pain enveloped her. She twisted desperately to look down the hall, hoping to see anyone else-Brick, Mick, Maia or anyone.”Where is everyone?” she cried out, digging her heels in, not wanting to go anywhere until she was sure the household was alerted.

  Sephla stopped tugging her forward. She was a head taller than Mitzi and looked down at her grimly and cooly for a moment before she raised her hand back and slapped Mitzi across the face with a brutal force.

  “AAAAAAAAAAAAH!” Nurse Sephla cried, seeming to take rapturous delight in Mitzi’s horrified expression.”I can’t tell you how good that feels! I’ve been wanting to slap your silly little spoiled hillbilly face since I came here. And don’t you EVEN think of fighting me-we would be evenly matched except for the fact of your pregnancy….and you don’t want to do anything to hurt the babies, do you?” The nurse’s voice lowered to just above a hiss as she tightened her grip on Mitzi’s arm.”Dr. Caligare got back a half hour ago –I put a sleeping draught in his tea. Buttercup, the little wild girl Channing, Brick and Mick…they are all asleep by my hand. I sent Maia home. Your uncouth, rutting redneck husband, your bloodcrazy son and the rest are fighting Hybrids as we speak-fighting for their lives. They’re vastly outnumbered. I’m not at all sure that they’ll return. And I’m not sure I care one way or the other.

  It’s just you and me. And I can deliver you-or kill you and the babies both. It’s up to you, you miserable greedy little hosehound. You’d
better do as I say!”

  At Sephla’s words Mitzi stopped resisting and found herself quickly propelled up the hallway by the larger woman. Once there, Sephla pulled Mitzi’s gown roughly over her head and forced a gown similar to a paper hospital gown, though a bit softer, over her head. Reaching down and showing her amazing vampire strength she tossed Mitzi up on the delivery table so roughly that Mitzi’s breath was knocked out of her.

  And then the labor pains came again, so severely that she almost blacked out from the pain, only the sound of her own howling tethered her in consciousness and kept her from succumbing to the black void. When the pains finally subsided, she found herself strapped to the table, her wrists at the sides of her elevated head, her legs spread apart and each of her knees bound to metal stirrups that elevated her hips so that they were suspended in midair.

  Nurse Sephla had turned all the lights on, and Mitzi found herself looking up into excruciating brightness. Inwardly she screamed for Cass, but knew he couldn’t hear her. She screamed for Fress and Celeste, even knowing as she did so that they were in a fight to save their own lives and the lives of all they loved and in all likelihood couldn’t hear her either.

  Sephla was off to the side, seemingly scrubbing up. The stainless steel counters and sinks and the glaring white light made the delivery room seem even colder. As her labor pains subsided for a moment, Mitzi spoke aloud, her voice shaking with shock.

  “Why, Sephla? Why? I thought you were one of us.”

  When Nurse Sephla, gloved and ready to deliver Mitzi turned around, Mitzi instantly wished she’d never spoken. The vampiress’s eyes above the surgical mask were lifeless and cruel, devoid of emotion.

  “Because this is perfect, Mitzi,” the nurse said, speaking in measured and patient tones as if explaining something important to a rather dull child.”Your embarrassing, Jerry Springer Show- type situation has allowed me an unexpected and fortuitous opportunity for revenge against Adrastos. I am going to strangle his son as soon as he emerges from your womb.

  It’s nothing personal toward you.” she added, positioning herself at the birth end of the table and sticking two fingers up into Mitzi’s birth canal to assess her stage of dilation.”Hmmmm- I think a few more minutes yet.” she said, as if talking to herself.

  “Anyway,” she continued,” Celeste told me that your son by Castor will emerge first-I haven’t decided what to do about him…yet. I have always hated you because Adrastos took you as his Declared Woman-an honor that I always wanted…an honor that YOU threw away to be with your lowborn husband.

  “Tell me Mitzi-how did you find Adrastos? He is cruel, yes, but very handsome and virile. Did you find him rather well endowed for a male energy? Because I certainly did. I haven’t been able to be satisfied since he threw me out of Fauquier Hall.”

  Mitzi began panting as another wave of pain began to wash over her. Her redgold hair was plastered to her head with perspiration.

  “Please!” she said, through gritted teeth, in spite of not wanting to,”Something for the pain!”

  At the end of the table, Mitzi could almost see Sephla smiling with supreme satisfaction beneath the mask.

  “I COULD, Mitzi…but I’m afraid I’d rather not. I rather enjoy seeing you this way, racked with the pains of childbirth-something denied to me-and completely at my mercy, you uppity little snot. And greedy, too. While other women go childless their entire lives you manage to conceive from two different men in the space of a few hours.

  You greedy little meretricious cunt!” She finished, as her dark eyes narrowing above her mask.

  For the next few minutes, Nurse Sephla’s eyes brightened and occasionally misted over in pleasure as Mitzi cried out in pain. Finally she sighed.

  “Well it appears as though the first of your bastards is crowning. Lots of dark curly hair Mitzi. Should I strangle him in front of you or just rip his little head off as soon as he emerges? I’ll let it be your call.”

  Mitzi frantically tried to think of an alternative as a final and crushing wave of pain convulsed her body.

  “Sephla.” she croaked, her voice urgent.”Keep the baby. You always wanted a baby. Keep mine.” Mitzi saw Sephla’s eyes change then, and thought the Vampire nurse might have reconsidered-Mitzi heart leapt up in hope for a moment, then as she continued watching the face of her torturer, Sephla’s eyes went suddenly glassy and lifeless, and she slumped abruptly to the foot of the delivery table, and then to the floor of the birthing chamber.

  And standing at the bottom of the delivery table, looking down at her, was Pierre.

  “Pierre!” Mitzi screamed, tears flooding her eyes,”Pierre!”

  Pierre’s eyes when they first met hers were tortured and apologetic, but soon he moved into his efficient Physician’s Assistant mode. Moving over to one of the cabinets he quickly grabbed a syringe which he administered to Mitzi with vampire quickness, stroking her cheek.

  “This will take the edge off.” He said soothingly,”And Mitzi…Cass survived. You should know that my sweet lady!”

  Moving again to the end of the table, as Mitzi felt a warmth move throughout her body, dulling her birth pangs, Pierre reached forward with both hands and gave a shout of exultation as a brawny, completely beautiful baby boy emerged. Tears streamed from Mitzi’s eyes as Pierre laid the baby, its naked body curled and facing her, on her chest . Ripping her wrists free of the restraints she cradled her son in her arms, weeping in relief.

  But Pierre was still busy at the end of the table. Telling Mitzi to give just one big push, Pierre then received a slightly smaller infant with abundant light hair, also a male; and after checking him over and suctioning the mucus out of his nose until he began to squall, placed the infant in Mitzi’s arms also.

  Pierre worked like a vampire possessed, delivering the last placenta, checking Mitzi and cleaning her up, putting equipment in the sterilizer. Mitzi gazed with wonder at her sons, a pang in her heart at Cass’s absence but knowing that he would soon arrive. Dispassionately she watched Pierre slide Nurse Sephla’s inert form into a zippered body bag. Pierre saw her looking at him and said,”I stopped her with a poisoned dagger Fress gave me to fight with today-one that is lethal even to tribites. I heard what she said to you, Mitzi-I had to kill her. There wasn’t any other way.”

  Mitzi smiled at Pierre in gratitude.

  “You saved all of us. And I’m glad you killed her. I don’t know how or why you came but you saved us, Pierre. Cass and I will always be grateful!”

  As the infants in her arms both simultaneously cooed and rooted for a nipple, Mitzi asked.

  “You said Cass was safe. But I sense that the battle is still ongoing…and I know that there have been casualties. Please tell me everything. Everything!” She pleaded, looking into Pierres kind brown eyes

  zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

  END OF BOOK 2, CONGREGATION OF DARKNESS

  EPILOGUE

  At Faquier Hall Maung scurried quietly through the cavernous hallways to Adrastos’ chambers so quickly that by the time he arrived at the door,flanked by two threatening looking guards that eyed him dismissively, as if he were as unremarkable as housedust, he was practically breathless.

  Standing at the entrance, he paused to get his breathing under control and compose himself before entering the chambers of his Master.

  Adrastos was seated at a massive desk carved with images of demons and other hellhost, studying what appeared to be a detailed cartographers map. As Maung entered and gave a low bow, Adrastos looked up disinterestedly with an expression of boredom on his face and a gleam in his eye that clearly said, ”I know I am the cleverest person in the room at all times and with the slightest provocation I will have you for lunch.”

  Inwardly, Maung smiled delightedly, high-fiving himself, knowing that the pronouncement that he was about to make would not only wipe the bored and superior look off Adrastos’ face but change the lives of everyone at Faquier Hall.

  “Yes Maung?�
�� Adrastos asked with a bland expression, stifling a yawn as he spoke.

  Maung took a deep breath, bowing twice before he spoke again.

  “Lord Earl Adrastos, your Declared Woman Parmitsvia Elaine Rabbit has given birth.

  Your son is BORN.”

  The saga continues in Book 3 of the FULL MOON series:

  “Full Moon Falling Faster”

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