Chapter Eleven
Sarah was late getting into the Commune. The tailor had been quite fussy today and the limo had trouble making it's way through traffic. Nevertheless, Val would not mind. And even if he did, Sarah could deal with him after the wedding. Like she expected, Val was waiting for her, when she got in. So predictable, he was. Unlike the weather in Michigan. Now that was unpredictable.
"Salutations, Val." She said, going straight over to the bar.
"Hi."
While they talked, Sarah made herself a Screwdriver. She did not offer Val anything, because frankly, she no longer cared about him. After mixing the alcohol into the orange juice, Sarah put in some powder. Gabriel had told her that this was a good dairy/calcium replacement for lactose- intolerant people like herself. However, the Prince of Lies had fooled her. What Gabriel did not tell Sarah, was that if she took the powder at least twice a day for seven days, she would be his forever. Unless of course, she received a kiss on the lips from her SoulMate.
"Now, what is so important, that you had to talk to me about?"
As Chakira turned to grab the glass from a side table, Val noticed the back of her dress slipped down to her waistline. There, tattooed on the small of her back, was a blue Eye of Horus. This meant that not only was Chakira now a Satanist, but one who was under specific favor of Gabriel. Val wondered if Chakira knew that she would be marrying Morgead instead of Gabriel.
Before he launched into the legend, Val asked Sarah a question. "Do you know the difference between Gabriel and Morgead?"
Sarah laughed, as if it were a stupid question. "Of course!" she replied. "Gabriel and Mandy are merely aspects of Morgead. When they are put together, they create Morgead as a whole. You didn't think I was naïve enough not to know that I am marrying Gabriel in the guise of Morgead?" she questioned.
"Do you even care that you're going to be the destruction of mankind as we know it?"
"Am I, now?" she replied in an amused tone of voice.
With that sort of response, Val launched into the legend. He outlined everything M'Lila told him, and added a little more from instinct. Sarah just sat there, listening politely the whole time, the bemused smile never leaving her face. This was too funny. Finally, when Valentino was finished, Sarah spoke.
"Think what you will, Valentino, but remember this: I shall wed Morgead O'Connell, whether or not it changes the world. And if you try to interfere, you will pay."
At this, she rose and quit the room. This left Val alone with his thoughts. And the knowledge that it would take a lot to stop Sarah from marrying Morgead. She didn't care. And she probably never would.
Not long after the Dark Mesa Temple discovered the legend, Samhain arrived and the wedding of Sarah to Morgead went on as planned. An abandoned cathedral had been found, and an exiled priest recruited from among Morgead's followers for their ceremony. Everything would be perfect. And if it wasn't? Well, Morgead had the power to make it perfect for this special ceremony.
The ceremony commenced at precisely 11:45pm. The cathedral had been cleaned up as best as it could be, and decorated with satanic symbols and many candles. It was estimated that some 250 followers attended that night. When the time arrived, the utterly creepy Nena song Uner Kannt Durch's Marchenland began to play, and the top Lords and Ladies processed down the aisle. Once Gabriel had reached the front of the cathedral, the song changed to Tempus Vernum by Enya. Everyone turned at the sound of this, lowering their hoods, beginning to half-chant the words to the song, and looking toward the back of the room, to see the approach of the master's bride-to-be.
Beautiful was not an adequate word to describe Sarah. She wore a long, black ballgown with an imperial waist and a sloping back and neckline, all trimmed in silver. Her long, blond hair had been done into a long French Braid, interwoven with black ribbons; a pewter circlet inset with black onyxes on her head; she carried black and burgundy roses for her bouquet. The bride outshone the groom, who wore the black robes he had worn when trying to marry Christine, only this time trimmed in silver.
Gabriel watched from behind Morgead's lustful eyes. All anyone could see of him was the young man Sarah had seen months ago. His beautiful fiancé stepped lightly down the aisle, barely aware that she was being watched. Oh, what a wonder Sarah was. If only Morgead had known of this young woman before his last attempt at a wedding, he would not have wasted his energies on Christine. Gabriel smiled to himself. Not only was he receiving an elegant wife, but the title of Prince of Darkness as well. Because Sarah loved him and only him, she would be granting Gabriel the power to be Morgead alone, and the ability to drop that pitiful Mandy like a deflated ball.
Sarah reached the end of the aisle and looked at Gabriel. Both pairs of soulful gray eyes met, and they exchanged smiles. Such a depth in those eyes had never been seen before. But it didn't matter. At a small nod from Gabriel, the priest told everyone to be seated, and he began the ceremony.
"We are gathered here, this powerful night, under the ever-watchful eyes of our Lord Morgead; to unite him through his servant Gabriel Kiernan, and his gentle lady, Chakira MoonSong in unholy matrimony. Thus, they shall bring the end of the world! Love is a beautiful thing. It is not jealous..."
The priest was cut off by a glare from Gabriel. It didn't help that he was nervous in the first place. The priest gulped and shuffled his notes, his master tapping his foot the whole time. When the priest had found his place, Gabriel gave him another glare, as if ordering him to continue.
"Do you, Septentriae Gabriel Kiernan, take Sarah Sinead Fairchild to be your lawfully wedded wife? To be the Princess of Darkness for all eternity?"
"I do."
"And do you, Sarah Sinead Fairchild, take Septentriae Gabriel Kiernan to be your lawfully wedded husband? To be the Prince of Darkness for all eternity?"
Without hesitation, Sarah replied, "I do."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Gabriel allowed himself to change fully to the young man, amidst small yips of surprises from his followers, and he kissed Sarah passionately to seal the bond. A power could now be brought forth like never before. All because of one woman. The crowd roared with delight, and the priest yelled:
"I now present to you, for the very first time, His Royal Highness Morgead O'Connell, Prince of Darkness and his wife; Her Serene Highness Sarah-Sinead Fairchild, Princess of Darkness."
Suddenly, the main door slammed open. "STOP!" a voice, yelled.
Everyone looked toward the noise, including Sarah and Gabriel, who had just finished kissing Sarah and changing back to his older self. There, in the center of the aisle, stood Val and the rest of the coven, intent on breaking the bond that had just been formed between the Prince and Princess. This wasn't good. Gabriel had to think fast.
Gabriel grabbed Sarah's hand and tugged her away, changing back to his younger form, so he could move faster. Getting the gist of what was going on, she hitched up her skirts and they high-tailed it out of there, breezing past Val and the rest of the coven. As they neared the outside, their wedding clothes changed to black motorcycle suits. Without a moment's delay, the two newlyweds hopped onto a pair of racing-style motorcycles and sped away.
Intent on chasing after the escapees, the coven raced for the outside of the cathedral. Before they could get much of anywhere, however, some of Morgead's men pushed the women aside and captured Val. Just as Sarah had promised Val would be paying for his menace. As the rest of the coven looked on, Val was hauled away.
With a grim look on her face, Nasira said, "We're doomed."
Sarah was late getting into the Commune. The tailor had been quite fussy today and the limo had trouble making it's way through traffic. Nevertheless, Val would not mind. And even if he did, Sarah could deal with him after the wedding. Like she expected, Val was waiting for her, when she got in. So predictable, he was. Unlike the weather in Michigan. Now that was unpredictable.
"Salutations, Val." She said, going straight over to the bar.
"Hi."
While they talked, Sarah made herself a Screwdriver. She did not offer Val anything, because frankly, she no longer cared about him. After mixing the alcohol into the orange juice, Sarah put in some powder. Gabriel had told her that this was a good dairy/calcium replacement for lactose- intolerant people like herself. However, the Prince of Lies had fooled her. What Gabriel did not tell Sarah, was that if she took the powder at least twice a day for seven days, she would be his forever. Unless of course, she received a kiss on the lips from her SoulMate.
"Now, what is so important, that you had to talk to me about?"
As Chakira turned to grab the glass from a side table, Val noticed the back of her dress slipped down to her waistline. There, tattooed on the small of her back, was a blue Eye of Horus. This meant that not only was Chakira now a Satanist, but one who was under specific favor of Gabriel. Val wondered if Chakira knew that she would be marrying Morgead instead of Gabriel.
Before he launched into the legend, Val asked Sarah a question. "Do you know the difference between Gabriel and Morgead?"
Sarah laughed, as if it were a stupid question. "Of course!" she replied. "Gabriel and Mandy are merely aspects of Morgead. When they are put together, they create Morgead as a whole. You didn't think I was naïve enough not to know that I am marrying Gabriel in the guise of Morgead?" she questioned.
"Do you even care that you're going to be the destruction of mankind as we know it?"
"Am I, now?" she replied in an amused tone of voice.
With that sort of response, Val launched into the legend. He outlined everything M'Lila told him, and added a little more from instinct. Sarah just sat there, listening politely the whole time, the bemused smile never leaving her face. This was too funny. Finally, when Valentino was finished, Sarah spoke.
"Think what you will, Valentino, but remember this: I shall wed Morgead O'Connell, whether or not it changes the world. And if you try to interfere, you will pay."
At this, she rose and quit the room. This left Val alone with his thoughts. And the knowledge that it would take a lot to stop Sarah from marrying Morgead. She didn't care. And she probably never would.
Not long after the Dark Mesa Temple discovered the legend, Samhain arrived and the wedding of Sarah to Morgead went on as planned. An abandoned cathedral had been found, and an exiled priest recruited from among Morgead's followers for their ceremony. Everything would be perfect. And if it wasn't? Well, Morgead had the power to make it perfect for this special ceremony.
The ceremony commenced at precisely 11:45pm. The cathedral had been cleaned up as best as it could be, and decorated with satanic symbols and many candles. It was estimated that some 250 followers attended that night. When the time arrived, the utterly creepy Nena song Uner Kannt Durch's Marchenland began to play, and the top Lords and Ladies processed down the aisle. Once Gabriel had reached the front of the cathedral, the song changed to Tempus Vernum by Enya. Everyone turned at the sound of this, lowering their hoods, beginning to half-chant the words to the song, and looking toward the back of the room, to see the approach of the master's bride-to-be.
Beautiful was not an adequate word to describe Sarah. She wore a long, black ballgown with an imperial waist and a sloping back and neckline, all trimmed in silver. Her long, blond hair had been done into a long French Braid, interwoven with black ribbons; a pewter circlet inset with black onyxes on her head; she carried black and burgundy roses for her bouquet. The bride outshone the groom, who wore the black robes he had worn when trying to marry Christine, only this time trimmed in silver.
Gabriel watched from behind Morgead's lustful eyes. All anyone could see of him was the young man Sarah had seen months ago. His beautiful fiancé stepped lightly down the aisle, barely aware that she was being watched. Oh, what a wonder Sarah was. If only Morgead had known of this young woman before his last attempt at a wedding, he would not have wasted his energies on Christine. Gabriel smiled to himself. Not only was he receiving an elegant wife, but the title of Prince of Darkness as well. Because Sarah loved him and only him, she would be granting Gabriel the power to be Morgead alone, and the ability to drop that pitiful Mandy like a deflated ball.
Sarah reached the end of the aisle and looked at Gabriel. Both pairs of soulful gray eyes met, and they exchanged smiles. Such a depth in those eyes had never been seen before. But it didn't matter. At a small nod from Gabriel, the priest told everyone to be seated, and he began the ceremony.
"We are gathered here, this powerful night, under the ever-watchful eyes of our Lord Morgead; to unite him through his servant Gabriel Kiernan, and his gentle lady, Chakira MoonSong in unholy matrimony. Thus, they shall bring the end of the world! Love is a beautiful thing. It is not jealous..."
The priest was cut off by a glare from Gabriel. It didn't help that he was nervous in the first place. The priest gulped and shuffled his notes, his master tapping his foot the whole time. When the priest had found his place, Gabriel gave him another glare, as if ordering him to continue.
"Do you, Septentriae Gabriel Kiernan, take Sarah Sinead Fairchild to be your lawfully wedded wife? To be the Princess of Darkness for all eternity?"
"I do."
"And do you, Sarah Sinead Fairchild, take Septentriae Gabriel Kiernan to be your lawfully wedded husband? To be the Prince of Darkness for all eternity?"
Without hesitation, Sarah replied, "I do."
"I now pronounce you husband and wife. You may kiss the bride."
Gabriel allowed himself to change fully to the young man, amidst small yips of surprises from his followers, and he kissed Sarah passionately to seal the bond. A power could now be brought forth like never before. All because of one woman. The crowd roared with delight, and the priest yelled:
"I now present to you, for the very first time, His Royal Highness Morgead O'Connell, Prince of Darkness and his wife; Her Serene Highness Sarah-Sinead Fairchild, Princess of Darkness."
Suddenly, the main door slammed open. "STOP!" a voice, yelled.
Everyone looked toward the noise, including Sarah and Gabriel, who had just finished kissing Sarah and changing back to his older self. There, in the center of the aisle, stood Val and the rest of the coven, intent on breaking the bond that had just been formed between the Prince and Princess. This wasn't good. Gabriel had to think fast.
Gabriel grabbed Sarah's hand and tugged her away, changing back to his younger form, so he could move faster. Getting the gist of what was going on, she hitched up her skirts and they high-tailed it out of there, breezing past Val and the rest of the coven. As they neared the outside, their wedding clothes changed to black motorcycle suits. Without a moment's delay, the two newlyweds hopped onto a pair of racing-style motorcycles and sped away.
Intent on chasing after the escapees, the coven raced for the outside of the cathedral. Before they could get much of anywhere, however, some of Morgead's men pushed the women aside and captured Val. Just as Sarah had promised Val would be paying for his menace. As the rest of the coven looked on, Val was hauled away.
With a grim look on her face, Nasira said, "We're doomed."