The House on Blackstone Moor (The Blackstone Vampires) (31 page)

Mr. Wardlaw laughed cruelly. “Bring her forward. Bring her to me!”

I looked up to see him hovering above the crowd. How could he do that?

“Rose, he has picked you for his bride.”

Reverend Hobbs started to undress me. I tried to struggle but that’s when they all fell upon me. They pulled at my clothes, tore them off me until I was nearly naked.

“No!”

All those faces bent over me—touching me—doing the vilest things to my person.

Then they stopped and I looked up to see Mr. Wardlaw change right before for my eyes.

“Eco!”

“Surprised?”

I screamed at the sound of his terrible voice. “I will take you now, Rose. You are mine to ravish at last!”

How savage were his thrusts
, I felt as if my body was being torn apart.

I know I screamed for I heard my own shouts. “No! Please, stop!”

But he didn’t stop. He continued. When I thought I could no longer stand it, he hoisted himself off of me. Then, smiling wickedly, he tossed my torn dress at me. “Cover yourself. You look like a harlot.”

“Demon!” I cried through the dulling pain but that only made him laugh.

With mirth in his eyes he spread his arms in a kingly manner so that Hobbs would dress him in his cloak. “I must ready myself for the summoning.”

Hobbs and the other coven members bowed their heads. But Eco continued, “They would have me married, Rose. That is something I wish as well. And do you know who shall marry us? Father Satan himself shall do the honors!”

I could not imagine such a thing, and wanted to scream and shout until it all went away.

“Oh yes,” Eco continued. “That is what this is about. I have been planning this for a very long time. You shall be my bride and my wedding gift to you will be immortality!”

“I’d rather die and rot!”

He smiled enigmatically this time and looked toward a large curtain I hadn’t noticed before. “There were visitors here, earlier,” he said calmly, and drew the curtain open to reveal Marta and her two brothers, tied up and gagged, their bodies bloodied, beaten. I was sure they had been tortured.

“They came to inquire about you. Marta, it seems, received her gift of second sight at last! Aren’t you going to plead with me for them, for their puny, insignificant lives? Not that it would help.”

I am ashamed to say I tried to reason with the monster, but all he did was laugh.

“You are the vilest thing I have ever seen, vile beyond measure, a creature from the depths of Hell!”

“You don’t anger me. It will be enough for me to watch your face when your friends are slaughtered.”

“No! You demon, release them at once.”

“Or you’ll what? What will you do if I don’t release them? Dear girl, I cannot truly! Even if I wanted to—how could I go back on my word, for they have been promised to the supplicants. This is a wedding feast, remember. Those who will witness our marriage are going to be treated well and shall dine on their flesh and drink their blood.”

Eco moved toward the terrified hostages. He raised his arms and turned toward his coven. “Brethren, you shall have blood to drink. Indeed you shall!”

The rest of the hooded figures slowly began to reveal themselves for aside from Hobbs and the Keans there were the others from the town, those who had been so cruelly corrupted because they had tasted sin and found it to be their sustenance.

“We will all live forever in endless night!”

He had indeed promised them immortality.

And so began a chant but when Eco raised his arms, the supplicants fell silent. There was no sound but for the muffled, terrified cries of Marta and her brothers.

I pleaded, but no one listened except Marta, who turned her frightened eyes in my direction.

I started toward her, whereupon I was grabbed by Mr. Kean and his wife, their eyes wild with murderous intent.

“I am well-pleased,” Eco nodded. “But there is to be more than that. There is to be an offering to his Satanic Majesty!”

He clapped his hands and I watched in horror as a stream of young women began to file in, all dressed in virginal white.

They looked drugged for they moved slowly and obediently, their faces as expressionless as their eyes.

“Aren’t they lovely?” Eco cried. “Yes, the village has done us proud. We have received these gifts from our Headmaster and teacher. They persuaded some of their pupils to come. Of course, the parents were a different matter.”

“Monster!”

I tried to break free from the vile hands that held me but could not. I struggled until I had no strength left.

“These fair maidens shall also be sacrificed and given as gifts to our dark lord, Father Satan.”

Just as he said this the church seemed to explode for there was one shudder and then another as the back wall opened and flames poured through—flames and smoke and something even more incredible, for there, before my frightened eyes, I soon beheld Satan himself, Lord of the underworld, chief demon of all that is evil, a towering being so fearful looking as to be unimaginable.

And though the flames surrounded him, he did not burn. He spoke then, his voice deep and sharp like a thousand knives. “Bring them forth!”

Eco nodded to me. “There, you see? He will taste the flesh and blood of your friends first.”

I pleaded but, of course, it was in vain.

I watched in horror as my friends were seized. I turned my head because I couldn’t bear to watch as they were gutted alive. Their screams of raw agony pierced my mind, the screams I shall never forget.

When at last I did look up I saw Satan’s gore-encrusted chin and bloody teeth, stained with the life of people I had loved, people who had come to warn me, for Marta must have feared for my welfare. This, Eco was right about. She had finally been given the gift of second sight that she had longed for all of her life.

Eco sauntered over to me and extended his hand with a gentlemanly flourish. “Come, bride. Father Satan shall officiate.”

I would not move. I was decided, he could slaughter me where I stood for I would not move one inch.

Yet even as I hesitated, I did see what I took to be great birds come pouring forth from those flames. Then suddenly came a great rush of air and I found myself surrounded by huge winged creatures, strange flying beings I had never seen the like of before.

Eco was smiling at me. “Do you not think Father Satan is cross with Louis when those bound for him are snatched away? Yes! All will be corrected today! Gaze upon these, the fallen angels you heard tell about. These are however the loyal angels, Lucifer’s loyal troops who never abandoned their master as did some others!” He was referring to those fallen angels like Louis’s father. “These are Satan’s own for they dwell with their Master.”

“In Hell?” I asked.

No one bothered to answer me. There was too much going on. Satan had called his angels to his side to tell them of the wedding and banquet they would partake in. “There will be much joy for I am pleased in my son.” So spoke Satan himself.

Eco,
his
son? I soon found out the answer when a fallen angel separated himself from the others and embraced Eco.
This
was Eco’s father, a coarse, ugly winged being that now moved in my direction. I turned away but found I had no control over my actions as some force pushed me ever closer
toward
him.

He got so close I felt his rancid breath upon my face—breath mixed with the strong odor of sulphur.

And so I gazed into the face of Eco’s father, a frighteningly horrid being. His face was deeply ridged, set with lizard-like eyes, and a large, downturned mouth that bespoke a cruel nature. A broad nose and flared nostrils gave him the countenance of a gargoyle.

He reached out to touch me but Eco stopped him. “Later you shall do whatever you like to her, but this is our wedding day, Father.”

The coven’s chanting started, a soft hum offered to Satan, who now stood, surrounded by his fallen angels, angels who went to him like medieval lieges, fluttered around him like obedient birds.

From this distance they seemed to have transformed into great black evil-looking condors that squawked and waited anxiously for the carrion upon which they would feed.

Some of the maidens came out of their trance and tried to escape but they were soon caught and restrained.

Eco crushed me to him, his hands like a vise. “Father Satan shall marry us, but first he will lie with you. It is his right.”

“No!” I shouted but a force was already lifting me up, pushing me toward Satan.

At last I was put down before him and if I thought Eco’s father was ugly, this Lord of the Dark was utterly repulsive. Surely he had never been called the Morning Star—this corrupt beast!

And then, as if he could read my mind, he changed into a handsome being with finely chiseled features. “Come, my child.”

I tried to hang back but with one gesture he was able to bring me forth so that I lay at his feet.

He smiled and reached toward me, but once again he changed into that monster I had seen before.

Not only that, I saw on those hideous features a look of sexual excitement. As his clawed hand reached for my body, I cried out. “Help me!”

It was no use. He was upon me in a second. The one thought I had was to die so I could go beyond this and all suffering.

But just as I was at my most desperate, a sound like thunder shook the place. And within that sound came yet more winged creatures—a veritable swarm of other fallen angels.

Only this band was led by a familiar face. A beloved face.

Louis!

Louis was at the forefront of his own fallen angels
. Yes, fallen though they were, they were still light-filled and sweet smelling with love and good purpose.

Just at Louis’ side was an angel so like him in appearance, I took him to be his father.

“You see, Eco, we come to save the innocent and punish the guilty.”

Eco, more furious than I have ever seen him, spat out, “Mine is here as well.”

Eco’s father joined in, “We will send you all to Hell before the day is out!”

Satan roared then, a loud, near-deafening growl. I thought he’d shout at Louis but his angry gaze was directed at Louis’ father. “You betrayed me! You traitor. There was a war and when it was over, you and your henchmen turned against me, and for what? For your love of God? God has damned us all, you fool! You will never know Heaven, despite your stupid protestations.”

It was Louis who answered him. “Hell is where
you
belong, Satan! Why don’t you go back there?”

Eco’s father emitted a foul curse. It was obvious where Eco had received all of his hatred from, and his jealousy of Louis. If Eco hated Louis, their fathers hated each other, too.

Eco’s father was so vociferous in his defense of Satan that Satan looked pleased. I watched as the two embraced.

A great cry had gone up from below. It was the coven members led by Hobbs who shouted their love for Satan.

Louis ordered his angels to attack them.

When Satan’s devotees saw the angels coming at them, they tried to flee but the angels were faster. Mercilessly, the coven members were torn apart. 

It was Hobbs who shrieked the loudest, pleading for mercy—mercy for him, for a man of God who worshipped the devil. No, there was no mercy. He was pulled asunder.

At first I wondered why Satan had not protected them, and then I realized  that  Satan didn’t care. When it came right down to it,  he cared nothing for those who were willing to perish in his service.

At last when the coven were no more, Louis and the punishing angels flew up to engage in further battle, for it was far from over.

Surprisingly, though these were all immortal beings and could not destroy one another, they could still feel pain.

The most awful shrieks sounded within—cries of agony and rage, too.

And still it went on.

The maids had regained their senses now and seemed more alert. Some cried for their mothers and fathers.  I tried to comfort them as best I could. “There,” I said. “Our salvation has come. we will be alright!”

Though I still feared the worst, I wished them to be hopeful.

And we had a moment of peace but suddenly, I heard a shout. I turned to see Eco’s father swooping down to grab me.  I tried to get away, but I fell only to have him pick me up. “I have her now!” he cried.

His hands were hurtful, but I did not cry out for I did not wish to give him the satisfaction. “Brave, are you? Think that will save you?”

His breath was like fire upon my face, and the stench from his wings made me gag.

He was all threat and outrage, his grip so hurtful that I did cry out then.

We were headed right for the burning breach in the wall, and I struggled harder to free myself. Already I could feel the terrible heat of those crackling flames.