Chapter Eight
6:30pm, Sunday, May 11
It was not long afterward, before Morgead's men met in the Commune. Gabriel and Mandy sat and waited patiently, while Val was dragged in from the depravation chamber he had been kept in, these past few days. As soon as he had been thrown to the floor, the two men started in on him. They weren't going to be nice. Val didn't deserve it. Mandy and Gabriel wanted to make that clear.
"What a fool you are!" Mandy spat.
"Traitor!" Gabriel jeered. "Wiccan fool! How did Morgead think he could ever trust you?"
"You're too soft-hearted." Mandy added.
Val turned a few shades of red. He was angry, not embarrassed. How could Gabriel and Mandy accuse him like that? Ok, the anger was a put-on, but still...It's not like that remark didn't have a sting to it.
"How can you say that?!" Val exclaimed indignantly. "I'm smart, tough, hard-hearted, true to the group and a Satanist through and through."
"Oh really?" Gabriel asked. He pushed a button beside his chair.
Val winced at the sound that came out of the Commune's speakers. It was the conversation he'd had with Chakira and M'Lila, the night they went out to dinner. MingNa's had been bugged and Val had forgotten to check for bugs before the girls came. There was no way to wiggle out of the situation now. No excuses, just reality. Harsh reality.
"What do you have to say for yourself now, Valentino?" Mandy questioned.
"It was all a ruse." Val replied, fearfully. "I was setting them up for Dylan. Making sure they would be putty in his hands.
Gabriel looked at Mandy. "I don't believe this little creep. Do you, Mandy?"
Mandy shook his head. "I wouldn't trust Valentino as far as I could see him."
The two men rose from their chairs and began to move toward Val as one. A few steps from reaching Val, the two of them morphed into one man. This man looked a lot like Val and Gabriel, only taller and with black eyes instead of gray ones. He also gave off an air of pure evil. With a jolt of shock, Val realized the man in front of him was Morgead, and Mandy and Val were only two aspects of him. Morgead kept moving toward Val, unheeding of how scared he looked.
"Stop stumbling over your words, asshole! I know you're a traitor, Leonard!" Morgead snarled.
Ooo. Val had not heard his birth name since the county clerk confirmed he wanted to change it back in 1984. In fact, he was surprised that Morgead knew his old name. But then...Morgead was the Prince of Darkness. He could know anything and everything at a moment's notice.
"Think you can pull the wool over ole' Lucifer's eyes any old time don't you, Monatono?"
There it was again. Except it was his given last name. Val had to stammer out an answer.
"N-no s-sir." He said, reaching for the door.
"That's right you traitorous weakling! Go run to your dear little Chakira! Your puny little God and Goddess will not be able to stop me from marrying Sarah-Sinead. And then no one will stand a chance!"
Sarah-Sinead? Why did that sound familiar? Perhaps Chakira knew who she was. Just as Morgead lunged for him, Val opened the door and fled. For all of his efforts, Morgead got a door slammed in his face. And it was all better that way.
6:30pm, Sunday, May 11
It was not long afterward, before Morgead's men met in the Commune. Gabriel and Mandy sat and waited patiently, while Val was dragged in from the depravation chamber he had been kept in, these past few days. As soon as he had been thrown to the floor, the two men started in on him. They weren't going to be nice. Val didn't deserve it. Mandy and Gabriel wanted to make that clear.
"What a fool you are!" Mandy spat.
"Traitor!" Gabriel jeered. "Wiccan fool! How did Morgead think he could ever trust you?"
"You're too soft-hearted." Mandy added.
Val turned a few shades of red. He was angry, not embarrassed. How could Gabriel and Mandy accuse him like that? Ok, the anger was a put-on, but still...It's not like that remark didn't have a sting to it.
"How can you say that?!" Val exclaimed indignantly. "I'm smart, tough, hard-hearted, true to the group and a Satanist through and through."
"Oh really?" Gabriel asked. He pushed a button beside his chair.
Val winced at the sound that came out of the Commune's speakers. It was the conversation he'd had with Chakira and M'Lila, the night they went out to dinner. MingNa's had been bugged and Val had forgotten to check for bugs before the girls came. There was no way to wiggle out of the situation now. No excuses, just reality. Harsh reality.
"What do you have to say for yourself now, Valentino?" Mandy questioned.
"It was all a ruse." Val replied, fearfully. "I was setting them up for Dylan. Making sure they would be putty in his hands.
Gabriel looked at Mandy. "I don't believe this little creep. Do you, Mandy?"
Mandy shook his head. "I wouldn't trust Valentino as far as I could see him."
The two men rose from their chairs and began to move toward Val as one. A few steps from reaching Val, the two of them morphed into one man. This man looked a lot like Val and Gabriel, only taller and with black eyes instead of gray ones. He also gave off an air of pure evil. With a jolt of shock, Val realized the man in front of him was Morgead, and Mandy and Val were only two aspects of him. Morgead kept moving toward Val, unheeding of how scared he looked.
"Stop stumbling over your words, asshole! I know you're a traitor, Leonard!" Morgead snarled.
Ooo. Val had not heard his birth name since the county clerk confirmed he wanted to change it back in 1984. In fact, he was surprised that Morgead knew his old name. But then...Morgead was the Prince of Darkness. He could know anything and everything at a moment's notice.
"Think you can pull the wool over ole' Lucifer's eyes any old time don't you, Monatono?"
There it was again. Except it was his given last name. Val had to stammer out an answer.
"N-no s-sir." He said, reaching for the door.
"That's right you traitorous weakling! Go run to your dear little Chakira! Your puny little God and Goddess will not be able to stop me from marrying Sarah-Sinead. And then no one will stand a chance!"
Sarah-Sinead? Why did that sound familiar? Perhaps Chakira knew who she was. Just as Morgead lunged for him, Val opened the door and fled. For all of his efforts, Morgead got a door slammed in his face. And it was all better that way.