Authors: Lady Brenda
Chapter Twenty-One
The Dance Macabre
F
laming torches lit the narrow trail that led to the Morpheus Mine. Along that path came a steady stream of horses, carriages and carts carrying the Vampires and their guests from all walks of life.
Among them were Grandfather Woo and his wife invited by special request of Ligea. When the invitation had arrived at the Herbalist Shop his sons begged him not to go. But Grandfather had appreciated the gesture for he could see the politics in it and the unspoken request for his support. So he, and his wife Ming, had dressed in their finest blood-red silks and headed to the ball in their donkey cart.
Grandfather had given all of his sons’ specific instructions. They were told to stand ready for action, and were extremely suspicious ever since that insect Wing came groveling into the shop. Wing was a dung eater and as such he kept his ear to the ground for the latest and most sordid bits of gossip. He was also wracked with arthritis so painful even the opium did little to relieve him and only Grandmother’s needles and her special tea could help. For that service Grandfather expected him to report anything he had seen, or heard, from his customers. Virginia City was a kettle of tea ready to boil over this night and both he and Grandmother were heavily armed under their robes with knives, swords and assorted other weapons.
They were not the only ones heavily armed. Devlin, Esmeralda and Dahlia carried their own personal arsenals.
When Devlin arrived at the Emerald Salon, driving a rented buggy, Esmeralda watched him pull up from her bedroom window. A pressure headache built within her and she rubbed the spot on her forehead between her eyes. She thought again of running, disappearing into the horizon but like a puppet with no will of its own, she whirled her cloak over her shoulders and went downstairs.
Devlin handed her into the buggy and she took a seat next to a scarlet clad Dahlia.
Walking Ghost, along with Jimmy and Kuong followed on horseback. However as they were not invited to the ball, they were instructed to wait in the hills above the mine for any signs of Big Jim or Lance Peabody and his crew.
When Devlin, Esmeralda and Dahlia arrived at the Morpheus mine they entered through a pair of heavy steel doors. Once inside, they traveled by a rail-cart pulled by mules deep into the earth. From there they took a lift down three hundred feet to a large cavern. The inside of the cavern was fantastic, lined with glittering quartz crystals, chandeliers hung from the ceiling and a fine wood floor of glossy ponderosa pine had been laid over the dirt of the cavern floor. An orchestra played music and couples whirled around the floor. Waiters dressed in white aprons circulated around bearing trays of Absinthe champagne.
On a raised platform at the end of the ballroom Ligea sat in a high backed medieval chair with Virgil at her side. Both of them were dressed in elaborate costumes from centuries past. Grandfather and Grandmother Woo sat to the left of them along with other members of the Hive. When Devlin entered the room Ligea gasped and started to rise. Virgil laid a hand on her sleeve. Her face was thunderous.
“Devlin? What are you doing here? You were not invited.”
“It was I that invited him, Domina,” Virgil said.
Ligea pulled away from him. “You had no right!” she hissed, under her breath.
Devlin led Esmeralda and Dahlia up to the platform. He made a short bow to her just an inclination of his head.
“Ligea, let me present to you Miss Esmeralda Jones, and of course you know Dahlia.”
“I did not expect the pleasure of your company Devlin.” she gestured to her left. “Grandfather and Grandmother Woo.”
Devlin and Grandfather exchanged glances. He made a short bow to them. “I am honored.”
Ligea rose from her chair, her six foot height almost matched Devlin’s. He took her hand and placed a kiss on her palm. She looked down at Esmeralda.
So this was Devlin’s latest fascination?
she thought.
Ignoring Dahlia, Ligea stepped forward and circled her like a cat.
This one is more than a donor. What is his game with her, the very mortal Miss Esmeralda Jones?
“So you are Esmeralda Jones? The Monte Dealer? Devlin’s latest
donor
?” she sneered.
“I have heard a lot about you as well, not from Devlin of course,” Esmeralda countered.
“Devlin has always had the most unusual taste in women. That is a weakness of his and damsels in distress are a particular favorite isn’t that right Devlin?”
Devlin smiled. “You have a long memory Ligea, perhaps too long”
Ligea inclined her head. “Virgil should not have invited you. In fact I had forbid it. I also want to make it very clear that we want no part of your war with Big Jim.”
“Sooner than later Ligea, this conflict will come your way, without my involvement. Do you have any idea what Big Jim plans to do? Any idea what he plans to unleash on this town?” Devlin asked.
Ligea and Virgil exchanged glances.
“The demon that resides in the Gilded Bird Mine is one of the Seven,” Devlin said.
“The Seven?”
“Yes, the seven demons of Babylonia.”
“But what of Red Bluff? And Haures? I saw him die. I also saw him burn to ashes?” Esmeralda asked.
Devlin squeezed her fingers, which were placed lightly, on his sleeve. “Haures, called Hennessey in this world, is no more. His space on this earth however has been occupied once again, or is in the process of being, through the possession of another host.”
Virgil had many questions. He met Devlin’s gaze.
“Are you sure of where the demon comes from this time Devlin? The Gilded Bird mine? That a fissure from Hell that has opened up inside of her? What is not to say that he will bring the rest with him?”
Grandfather Woo puffed on his pipe. He raised his hand. “While you argue like old women, the Fire Dragon will steal the soul of Big Jim. He is within twenty feet of the Demon’s lair. If the Demon Fire Dragon is freed and reaches the surface untold death will follow in its wake.”
Devlin nodded. “Yes, I agree, but I also know that they have hit solid rock. They will be shut down for a while, enough time for us to stop them”
“The Mortals of this town are oblivious to what is going on, that swine Big Jim Diamond must die by next sunset,” Ligea said.
“I agree, but first we must also deal with Peabody and his gang,” Devlin replied.
Ligea’s eyes narrowed “I was not at Red Bluff, but I was in Paris in 1809 when you confronted a similar monster Devlin, this curse falls to you again. It is a bitter pill to swallow but we have no choice but to join you. It must end if we are to survive. As for the Zombie Peabody, the Hive and I have our own score to settle there.”
Devlin drained his glass of champagne. “You may rest assured Ligea. I need not remind you that this is personal.”
Ligea glanced at Esmeralda. “Devlin, you are a fool.”
Devlin smiled. “Perhaps.”
The musicians struck up a waltz. Without another word Devlin whirled Esmeralda onto the dance floor.
Ligea tried not to glance their way, or to surrender to the memory of her own waltzes with Devlin, both outside and inside the bedroom. How he managed, after all these years, to make her dance to his tune infuriated her. Although, not as much as this liaison with Esmeralda Jones.
Throughout all the conversation Dahlia had been silent. She stood at the edge of the dance floor and watched enviously as her Lord danced with Miss Esmeralda. Dahlia did not know how to waltz. With a voice that stung her ears Ligea whispered.
“He is not for you peasant, do not let yourself hope.”
Dahlia looked up at Ligea. “I ain’t seen him knocking down your door neither.”
“Do not forget Dahlia that I own you. I paid good coin to your wretch of a father to take you out of that brothel in New Orleans.”
Dahlia’s eyes snapped to hers. “What’s it to ya?”
“Just a reminder my dear, of where your loyalties lie.”
Dahlia did not give the vampire queen’s words another thought. She caught the eye of a prosperous looking gentleman and gave him a wink and with a swish of her silk skirts she made her way over to him.
I’m aim ta have me some fun tonight. There ain’t nobody exceptin’ her Lord that she had to answer to ever again Ligea be damned, she thought.
For several moments Esmeralda allowed Devlin to sweep her effortlessly across the floor.
“What was that cryptic exchange between you and the other vampires? This thing about the Seven?” she asked.
He looked into her eyes.
“There’s no need for you to worry about it.”
“Why must you be the one to hold back this terror?”
Devlin did not answer right away but stared straight ahead. After a moment he spoke. “Because, my dear, I am the one that unleashed it.”
Inside the clapboard shanty on D Street, a place he had set up as a home base, Lance Peabody guzzled from a jug of white lightning. What was left of his crew shifted nervously on their feet. They haphazardly filled empty whiskey bottles with the highly combustible liquor and spilt half of it on the floor.
“Listen up, you turd brains,” Peabody said. “That bastard Devlin and his whore are going to the bloodsucker shindig tonight. Get yer shit together and fill up them bottles. I’m fixin’ ta mess with um when they are down in their hidey hole, light that friggin’ mine up like a chinee firecracker. We got orders ta grab Devlin and the woman first. Big Jim wants em alive, what you do after that I don’t give a rats ass.”
Chapter Twenty-Two
The Seven of Spades
D
evlin was the seventh son of a seventh son in a household of ten children, six of whom had died in battle by the time he was sixteen. He felt doomed to end up the same way. His father had been plagued with sullen moods, terrifying dreams and unholy thoughts. He’d drowned those thoughts with wine and women until his soul, barren and weak, was unable to resist the call of the Beast. When he died atop his latest whore the seed he planted in her womb was the seed of the Demon.
The night before the birth, Devlin’s mother came to him in a dream. She stood before him dressed in pure white, her inky black hair flowing in tendrils around her face.
“Devlin, my son, you are now the eldest, the chosen one. The Demon’s spawn will be born tomorrow night. You must not let it live. Promise me.”
He remembered feeling paralyzed unable to speak. He only knew that he nodded and promised to carry out her wishes. The next day he made his way to the village and to the shack of his father’s whore. He waited in the shadows and peered through the solitary window. He could see that no one attended her and that she had been left alone in her pain. None of the villagers had dared cross her threshold. Devlin watched as the moon rose high and child tore its way out of its mother’s womb. It lay bloody and red with eyes of fire and teeth of steel. It chewed hungrily on its dead mother’s body. From his hiding place Devlin could hear the beating of wings. They became louder and louder, nearer and nearer. The child shrieked but before it could be enfolded in the leathery wings of the Demon, Devlin jumped through the open window. He used an iron lance to impale the infant spawn from stem to stern. He planted it in the ground in front of the mean shack and fled.
The piercing scream of the Demon filled his ears. It followed him. Its long shadow reached out enveloping Devlin as he spurred his stallion back to the castle. That night he left his boyhood behind.
That night the demon planted its own dark seed, in the form of a poisonous curse, in Devlin’s young heart.
When Ligea questioned him about the Seven Demons of Babylonia, he was reluctant to speak about it. He had personally dispatched three of them in the past hundred years but each time they morphed into a more powerful and devious enemy than before.
Tonight, at the ball, he whirled Esmeralda across the dance floor and his dark thoughts briefly lifted. He held her lovely, vital, body close. In his arms she felt like a fragile and delicate flower that he was loath to crush. He looked around the room, at the other dancers, and the vampires, which were at the edge of the dance floor.
“What are you thinking about?” Esmeralda asked
He swept her through another turn before he answered. “I was merely enjoying the feel of you in my arms, the music, this moment in time, nothing more.”
She did not question him but he sensed she felt his tension and was chilled by it. He felt the walls of the cavern closing in on them like a trap. He held her tightly to reassure her. When the music ended he led her out of the cavern and into a small banquet area.
Tables had been set up against the rock wall with crystal glasses that waiters filled with all types of beverages from champagne to absinthe. In the corner of the narrow hall was a small raised stage where a crowd of guests had gathered to watch an exotic looking woman dance with a large green serpent to the haunting sounds of a violin. Her naked body, adorned in silver chains and coins, was covered with small seeping wounds. Every so often the serpent would sink its fangs into her flesh. A gnarled and bent figure, dressed like a court jester, caught the dancer’s blood in tiny glasses. The crowd of vampires applauded and threw gold coins at the dancer’s feet.
Esmeralda was appalled but she did not dare show her revulsion especially under the watchful black eyes of Ligea. When a server brought the silver tray around with the tiny glasses of blood she felt uneasy at the way Devlin downed his with relish. She took one aware the Black Queen Ligea watched her for any sign of mortality. She quickly drank it nearly choking on the peppery hint of venom.
Seconds after tasting the tainted blood she felt as if she was filled with a blazing fire. She felt alive, sensitive to the energy and the very air around her. Devlin’s light touch around her waist caused wicked sensations throughout her whole body. She vaguely registered that she had ingested some type of powerful aphrodisiac. In a fuzzy haze she followed Devlin as he took her hand and led her from the room down a candle lit tunnel. Separate, private caverns branched off from the tunnel. Muted voices, laughter and cries could be heard behind velvet curtains. Esmeralda hesitated, a blush rose up from her chest.
“Devlin?”
He did not answer. Instead he crushed her to him kissing her deeply. When she returned his passionate kiss, her whole body vibrated, taut like a piano string. Her gown and corset suffocated her with the need to be skin to skin with him. It was as if he could read her mind because Devlin swiftly drew back the curtains to one of the private caverns and pulled her inside.
Scented candles lit the silken draped room. A large feather bed sat in the middle upon a colorful Turkish rug. Next to the bed there was a small table and a bucket of chilled champagne.
Esmeralda gasped with delight. “Devlin, this is, astounding! Decadent!”
Devlin smiled. He drew her down beside him on the bed. He looked deep into her eyes then caressed her cheek.
“I want to be very wicked with you this night, tear the clothes from your perfect body, drive myself into you, mount you like a mad stallion.”
She flushed with the heat of his words and her senses reeled with desire. Moisture pooled between her thighs and her whole body tingled. Her skin sang with sensation as Devlin slowly, deliberately unbuttoned her gown, unlaced her corset and slid off her pantalets. Her own hands unsteady, she stripped him of his fine coat and shirt and unbuttoned his trousers. They faced each other, naked on the bed. Esmeralda undid the pins in her hair then tossed its fiery mass free. She looked hard at him from under her lashes, gazing slyly at his erect shaft. She reached out and wrapped her hand around its silky length and caressed it. Devlin sighed. In a bold move she bent forward and took its tempting head in her mouth. She sucked lightly swirling her tongue around and around.
“Ah, slow down, Angel,” Devlin gasped.
He threaded his hands through her hair. After a long moment he pulled her up and kissed her. Their tongues entwined.
“Take me Devlin, take me hard, don’t hold back.”
Devlin embraced her, rolled her over and crushed her under him. He spread her legs wide and drove himself into her molten core in one sure thrust. Esmeralda gasped. She bucked wildly meeting him thrust for thrust.
Devlin kept a steady relentless pace even when she cried out. “Oh, Devlin, hurry, hurry.” He ignored her pleas but instead took his time to drive her over the edge with an orgasm that curled her toes and made her scalp tingle. Then and only then did he allow himself to find his own pleasure.
Afterwards they cooled down with a drink of chilled champagne. They clicked their glasses in a salute. Esmeralda reached in to the ice bucket and retrieved a chunk of ice then slid it playfully down Devlin’s torso. Devlin grasped her hand and guided it to where his spent cock lay against his leg. He rubbed the ice up and down his shaft. It sprang back to life and Esmeralda threw her leg over him, rose to her knees and began to guide it inside of her. When she was fully impaled Devlin sat up and pulled her towards him. Devlin opened his mouth to speak when a huge booming explosion rocked the tunnel.
Outside of the Morpheus Mine, a smoking torch held high in his grimy hand, Lance grinned as the cannonball smashed through the iron doors to the mine.
Take that you friggin’ Bloodsuckers!
he thought.
He wasn’t going to pussyfoot around anymore. Shit no! Last night Big Jim gave him the key to a shed off E Street. Inside it was a Union army cannon mounted on steel rimmed wheels. He and his crew hitched two mules to it and made their way to the Morpheus mine. When the guards refused them entry he had touched off the fuse to the cannon and blown them to Hell. In a separate cart he brought along several crates of bottles filled with moonshine and stuffed with rags. When the door went crashing in, he lit a bottle, and threw it into the mine.
“C’mon ya bastards, lets burn us some Bloodsuckers!” he cried.
He plunged into the mineshaft. Before they could all follow him,
SWISH
, a fiery bolt, a flaming arrow pierced the neck of one of his crew. Then another, and another arrow, before they were able to reach the safety of the mineshaft.
“Friggin’ God damn redskin,” he cursed.
He barreled through the smoke filled tunnel. When a burly guard jumped into his path, he blew him off his feet with his sawed off shotgun and then headed for the lift.
Inside their private cavern Devlin and Esmeralda scrambled up from the bed and quickly pulled on their clothes. Esmeralda discarded her corset and stockings and just pulled on her dress then shoved her bare feet in to her dancing shoes. Devlin put his hands on her shoulders.
“Listen to me, Angel, get to the ballroom as quick as you can. If I know Ligea there is bound to be an escape tunnel.
Esmeralda shook her head. “No, I have a gun. I won’t leave you.”
“You will and that is my final word. I won’t put you in the path of that depraved beast, Peabody.”
Devlin grabbed her hand and they ran down the corridor. When they reached the ballroom total chaos had erupted. The raised platform had been moved to one side and a dark tunnel was revealed beneath it. Ligea, candelabra held high, was herding her guests into it. Virgil handed Esmeralda a silver candelabra.
Her face full of dread, Esmeralda gave Devlin one last glance.
“Don’t die,” she said.
“Never,” he replied.
Without a backwards glance Esmeralda and Dahlia fled down the dark stone steps. Another blast shook the ballroom and a fireball flew through the air, it bounced across the floor and smashed into the long skirts of Ligea. She screamed and Virgil jumped on top of her. He ripped the flaming fabric from her body and tried to push her towards the escape tunnel. Ligea threw him off, drawing a long wavy dagger from her garter.
“Unhand me, Virgil, I will stand and fight.”
Furious, Virgil grasped her arms again. “No, Domina, you must not put yourself in danger, the Hive needs you.”
Ligea looked from him to Devlin, head held high she followed the others down into the tunnel. Devlin, Virgil and several others pushed the platform over the opening to conceal it once again. Seconds later Lance Peabody with his crew at his heels burst into the ballroom.
“Devlin, you Son of a Bitch! I’m here ta take ya down! Fry ya all like a Bloodsucker barbeque!” he shouted.
Gunfire erupted from both sides shattering glass and splintering wood, blood sprayed the air. Devlin kicked aside an overturned chair and charged towards Peabody.
“We’ll see who dies for good this time, Peabody.”
He unloaded his 44. The bullets tore through Lance Peabody’s mangy coat and he staggered and then dove, under a table.
One of Peabody’s crew leapt up, shotgun in hand and aimed for Devlin’s back. Before he could pull the trigger, Virgil neatly decapitated him with his saber. Another flaming bottle of moonshine crashed onto the floor spreading fire to the wall hangings. The fire caught the clothes of two of the vampires. Unearthly screams were added to the fight.
A tall grey faced gunman rushed Devlin with a sawed off shotgun. Before he could pull the trigger Devlin swung his own sword. The gunman’s head flew into the burning vampires then bounced back to Devlin’s feet.
Peabody popped up from behind the table. His eyes bugged out. “Yer gonna burn, Winter!”
He lobbed a flaming bottle at Devlin.
Devlin dodged it then kicked the burning head at his feet, hard. It flew into Lance Peabody’s filthy face.
“You first!” he laughed.
Devlin leapt backwards as a flaming, moonshine soaked head of a missile exploded all over Peabody’s hulking form.
“Let’s go!”
He shouted to Virgil as he grabbed him by the sleeve. Together they made a mad dash towards the lift while Peabody staggered and crashed around the ballroom screaming, burning alive like a weevil inside a roasting cornhusk.
They pounded down the narrow passage and followed the flickering lights of lanterns ahead. Dark ragged forms jumped out at them. Devlin and Virgil fought back to back, hand to hand. More and more of Peabody’s men poured into the tunnel. Blood spray saturated the stale air as Devlin slashed and thrust cutting through their enemies like butter. When the last one fell they climbed over his corpse and continued their run towards the lift. When they were nearly upon it, Virgil reached for the door. At that moment a dark form leapt up. Devlin heard Virgil grunt as a long hickory stake pierced him through the heart.
“Noooo!” Devlin cried out, as Virgil collapsed to the ground.
The murderer scrambled away but not before Devlin blew the top of his head off with his hideout gun.