CHAPTER 10
We Three Queens
Morgans song:
DANCE OF THE DAMNED
( A love made in hell.)
She lends fire to the night
She is sins dark delight
She gives angels and demons their wings
Her smile is moon light
The last gasp of light
She is nights dark secret dream
She is dusk she is dawn
She is every words song
She is every pure thing in between
Shes the laughter in tears
The Courage in fear
She is the nights deep secret scream
She is Poetrys song
The right in the wrong
She is my dark evil Queen.
Twisting and turning
Burning and learning.
Trying so hard to deceive
Shes the perfect disguise
for the monsters inside
She is evil you cannot conceive
Is this love is it lust
Is it faith is it dust?
I love how she laughs as I bleed
The feel of her teeth,
Her pain is so sweet.
She is my dark evil queen
Her love is treason,
Pure madness in season
She is pure Evil unleashed
She lives to devour.
She Gives night it’s power.
She gives angels and Demons their wings
Still The moon in her eyes.
Cannot disguise
The hell of her agony
As we sit at her table,
An end to the fables.
I am The Source of her feast.
She takes hold of my hand,
I’m hers to command
As she leads in the Dance of the Damned
Her unholy addiction.
Her hearts affliction
We do whatever we please
I’m the edge of her knife
The point and her strife
Yes I am her favorite disease
We are death on the wing.
and hells favorite thing
We laugh and we dance as they scream
We’re the need to devour.
The secret and power
hell feeds our hunger and need
While They twist and they turn
They writhe as they burn
We laugh and we dance and we feast
YES! She is my favorite disease
She’s My sweet affliction.
My sacred addiction
As We dance in the ashes of dreams.
So hand in hand
A curse on the land
We lead in the Dance of the Damned.
We are the Dance of the Damned
************************** **************************
********************************************************
“Life is neither good nor evil, but only a place for good or evil”
Emperor Marcus Aurelius
**************
Morgan pulled in front of an older frame house, parking curbside directly in front of a side walk on the red brick street and walkway that led up to a broad old fashioned wrap around porch.
She got out, opened the trunk, retrieved the wooden box and walked up to the front door. Michael sat and watched her enjoying the view as she climbed the porch stairs.
Her hand on the door knob Morgan half turned around “Are you coming?” Then she flung open the door disappearing inside. Michael, clutching the Aluminum case followed after her.
The old Mahogany wooden floors shone like bright dried blood. Polished and waxed till the beautiful floor appeared to be covered in a thin sheet of glass. Michaels boot heels rang like hammer blows that echoed in the room.
Morgan was pouring drinks at the bar that divided the front room from the dining room. The six feet long bar was the only barrier in the large open room.
Michael was inspecting the red brick fireplace when an strange loud yowling erupted and a very large Gray tabby with an orange belly careened into the dining area sliding underneath the Dinning table as it scrambled to stop.
The cat then launched itself up onto Morgans shoulder. Morgan tilted her head to nuzzle the huge cat croaking in that odd way of hers. The cat yowled, seeming to talk to her while purring so loudly Michael could clearly hear it across the room.
Another red haired wonder appeared out of the kitchen wiping her hands on a dish towel as another , mirror image entered from the hallway the cat had erupted from. Morgan held up two whiskey glasses to them. All three turned to focus on him. Michaels mind blew fuses. Identical triplets .
Had they not been wearing different clothing, he would not have been able to tell them apart. They even smelled the same. Which explained how Michael had not smelled any one other than Morgan. “Slainte!” They exclaimed in unison as they neatly tossed back the whiskey. Looking expectantly at Michael.
They were alike in every detail except for their clothes. Michael tried not to stare at them trying to process the idea of three Morgans. They all tilted their heads side to side in that crow like manner of Morgans.
“Ahhh He Looks Tasty!” The one from the kitchen said licking her lips. “How old is he” the other Morgan asked.
Michael stood there stunned and faced them. The Morgan that had brought Michael to this cool old Florida house answered, “New born! He is Mine!” The two new additions eyed Morgan with raised eybrows. One each respectively. All three of them began to chatter amongst them selves. Sounding for all the world like a flock of angry crows. Michael listened closely but could not catch a single clear word.
As one they spoke, their identical voices intertwined as one. ” We are Morrigan. The great queen. Three in one, One in three, Queen of battle, mistress of fate, Lover of kings, maker of heroes” Michael hesitated but a moment before taking three steps and collapsing onto the sofa.. His mind echoed with their words. In his mind he heard a drum beat, with words chanted in that odd triune voice of Morrigan’s:
We Three Queens
" We three queens. We rule the night
We three queens. burning bright
We Three Queens We are the night
We three queens. The Ravens flight.
Guard your heart and soul as well,
You have no hope within our spell
We are all that secrets tell
We are why the shadows fell
We are darkness, we are light
We are death and we are life
We are why the poet sings
Hear our words on ravens wings
Three in one, one in three
We are the night on ravens wings
Blinding flash of striking sword
Blood red foam at rivers ford
We are the rage of battles call
We are why the heroes fall
We are darkness We are light
We are death and we are life
We will fill the empty throne
Feast upon both flesh and bone
Three in one, one in three
We are the song of ravens wing
We three queens we rule the night
All you dream on ravens flight.”
The Trio laughed and curtsied.
Their words echoed in the room, the mid day light faded into a gloom as if storm clouds paused to hide the sun.
Michael shook his head trying to clear his mind. He felt as if he had just woken from a night of heavy lucid dreams. Did that just happen? What just happened? This was going to take a while to process.
The trio of Morgans had begun arguing amongst them selves. Occasionally Michaels name was mentioned. Abruptly the trio separated, one leaving through the kitchen door, the other disappearing down the hallway.
Morgan poured two fingers of whiskey in a glass, studied Michael for a moment, then poured more. The whiskey glass was nearly full when she handed it to him as she sat beside of him. Michael took the glass, and gulped half of it down. ” Hold on tiger, pace yourself” Morgan chuckled as she slapped the sputtering Michael on the back. After his whiskey induced spasm passed, Morgan sat back and studied him over the top of her glass. ” I suppose I should have introduced you to my, ” she paused a moment, then finished ” Sisters.”
Michael looked at her, his confusion showing clearly on his face. “So ask away” Morgan prompted.
“What are y... How did you, or did you...” He said while gesturing towards the window, he extended the gesture and waved his hand towards the kitchen and hallway.
An accusing voice called from the kitchen ,” You have enthralled him deeply ” another came from the hall ,“You know you are going to fry his brain if you don’t release him!” The voice from the kitchen finished with ” If you break him we won’t be able to use him!” Morgan grimaced in response. ” I know, I know, I did nae mean to!”
Both voices exploded in outrage simultaneously ” You Slept with him? ” Echoed through the house. Morgan finished her whiskey and was in the midst of asking Michael if he wanted more as she got to her feet.
Morgans, ahem, ” Sisters” seemed to have appeared out of thin air in front of Morgan.
The one wearing the flour encrusted apron shoved Morgan back down onto the sofa ” Oh no you don’t! You Will Fix Him Now!” They shouted at Morgan. ” I can’t. I dinnae know what happened but I did nae do this !” The apron was thrown at the kitchen door as they sat on the floor in front of Michael.
They focussed the entirety of their attention upon him, He began to sweat heavily and fought the urge to squirm or look away. Their intense scrutiny was palpable. All three cocked their heads as they closely examined him.
The one on his left reached out holding her left hand close to Michaels chest. The one on the right mirrored the action using her right hand. They sat silently for a few minutes staring into each others eyes. ” Was he like this when you found him?” They queried. Morgan shook her head " yes and no. He was very angry, furious at me. He wanted to kill me, it radiated from him like a tidal wave crashing into me when he saw me. Then he flipped, changed, became.. " Morgan waved her arm at Michael, " this. "
Morgan shrugged as she explained. ” Evidently I turned him and left him in Tampa. I bit a lot of people there. I did not even remember him and I have no idea what happened with him until he found me in Ft Lauderdale.”
Michael sat listening as the trio discussed him. It was very odd the way they started and finished each others sentences. It sounded like single person speaking out loud in an strange way.
They stopped talking and began croaking and cawing at each other sounding as if a flock of crows had flown into the room. Michael idly wondered out loud if they were going to change into birds. Stranger things had happened recently he thought. The trio stopped and turned to Michael ” What do you mean?” The trio asked, ” I was wondering if you were going to change into...what kind of bird were y’all imitating ?” Michael asked them. “ Raven? Crows? JAckdaws? “
They laughed and told him ” That is ridiculous! This is not an episode of Buffy or Angel! Sabrina and her talking cat are not real! ”
" Well I recently learned that Vampires were real so why not magick and shape shifters as well?” He replied.
" We are Not Vampires! Nor are there such things as lychanthropes nor abracadabra type magic. No leprechauns, no mermaids, no bloody pixies either. We were born just as you were. Michael snorted, and smirked at them. He Snorked? Smortirked?
“ Our bodies cannot produce red blood cells after the awakening, thus the thirst. Though we are for all intrinsic purposes damn near immortal. We are much more capable than the humans. But we can’t fly or change into animals either. ” The way the trio lectured. ” Excuse me, duh! We drink blood, are sensitive to light, are essentially immortal exactly how is that not a vampire” exclaimed Michael. The Triune chorused response was ” Because vampires are not real and we are.”
“Ok then, what are you? I mean the three of you. Are you Clones or triplets or what?” Michael demanded.
In that odd chorus they answered ” Yes.”
" What? Are you clones?”
" Not exactly” the trinity got to their feet, lifted their shirts exposing their navels.
" Clones don’t have belly buttons ” they said while pointing at their identical navels.
" What are you then?” Michael asked. ” “We are Morrigan, did you not listen?” They replied.
“That tells me nothing at all” Michael replied. The one wearing a red sweater to michaels right answered ” I am Badb” the other one wearing a white button down shirt chimed in ” I am Macha” they pointed at Morgan, dressed in all black, “that is Nemain. We are Morrigan”
Michael belligerently asked ” Ok, What is a Morrigan then”
“We are!” They chorused.
“Is Morrigan your last name then?”
“We have never had a surname. Everyone knows who we are. The Morrigna.” They said sounding exasperated. “He is not very bright now is he? Is he broken?” Badb and Macha asked Nemain.
“I do nae think so, he certainly was nae last night! Everything was quite functional.”
Badb and Machs rolled their eyes at Nemain.
They began discussing what to do with him amongst themselves.
Michael sat quietly smiling, enjoying the view as they argued. ” This is not good” “You know what happened last time!” “I did not do this!” ” Then who did?“ ”I Do Nae Know!!” Nemain screamed throwing her empty glass into the fireplace. The broken pieces lay among the ashes glittering. Michael taking it all in was bemused, until that is,he was no longer amused:
“What the everloving fuck do you mean by enthralled? What does that even mean? What do you mean use me? What the fuck!” Michaels voice rose in volume with each word, the last word causing the floor to vibrate. The sudden burst of anger was overwhelming and intoxicating.
Michael stood up beginning to pace in circles glaring down at them. All three of them recoiled from him with unreadable looks upon their faces. The room filled with Pheromones as all four reacted to each other.
Boof! Boof! Boof!! Lound boofing barks rolled through the house. There was a sound like horses galloping , the floor trembling. Three huge Irish wolfhounds entered the room from the hallway, sliding like the cat on the polished floor, only, they knocked the table over and scattered the chairs in their scramble.
“Cu Na Deane ! Dol Sios!” Rang out from the mysterious trio. The large hounds promptly dropped to the floor, laying down , watching Michael with an intense focus. ” I would nae raise my voice if I were you” Macha spoke to Michael.
Michael stood stock still eyeing the huge dogs with serious apprehension. He had only ever seen such beasts the night he had been, turned. Moving slowly he retreated back to the sofa and sat down. turned
The hounds dropped their heads onto the floor still eying Michael. Badb moved her right hand in a variety of positions without speaking a word. The white one with red ears nosed his way into the kitchen. The black hound padded to Badb and lay down next to her. The red hound remained on station watching Michael.
The Morgans... Morrigan, uhh yeah what do you call three identical goddesses? MOrrigna? Went back to talking among themselves. Michael could not discern who asked what, who answered whom, who said which. They spoke as if it were one single confused symphony each taking turns Interupting, round about finishing sentences ,words, questions, answers. Macha would begin and then Badb would finish the sentence, then Nemain would begin and Macha would finish and round and round they went with a lilting accented rhythm. Michael could not make heads or tails out of the confusing cacophony. Questions and confusion reverberated in his mind.
“Who had enthralled him?” Being the central question closely followed by, exclamations from Michael, “ just wtf does enthralled mean?” From the few bits and pieces, fragmented words, Michael began to form a picture.
There was not supposed to be any more of their people in the entire state of Florida. The trio had Tennessee, Florida, Georgia and Alabama as their territory. Their farming lands, the people their crops. Who has been traipsing through their lands uninvited and hidden?
Eventually they decided to drive back to Boca Raton following Nemains route in reverse. Maybe they would find some clue along the way. That was the consensus at least, until Michael chimed in with his two cents worth, telling them about hiding out in the campground down in the Thousand Islands. The trio locked eyes on each other in silence. Holding their three way staring contest for a full minute.
Nemain broke the silence. Her light Irish accent now gone replaced with a flat midwestern one. ” That settled that! We retrace Michaels journey. ” Badb interupted ” I will back track to the Beach house” ” I will accompany Nemain and Michael.” Macha stated. The trio stood, as one heading into the hallway, ” be right back.” They chorused. Michael sat back waiting , idly rubbing the Cats ears as it lay purring beside him.
Badb ,Macha, and Nemain emerged from the hall talking amongst themselves. Michael thought he recognized the language as Gaelic.
Badb continued on her way out through the kitchen, the sound of a screen door slamming anounced her exit. Nemain with Macha in the lead headed out through the front door.
Nemain paused on the threshold, ” Coming? ”
Macha was impatiently waiting on the side walk, arms crossed on her chest. She opened the door gesturing for Michael to get in the back seat as Nemain got in on the drivers side. With a purring big block rumble they pulled away from the house. Looking back, Michael could see the black clad Badb pulling out of the alley way beside the house, turning and going in the opposite direction in her classic red Jeep, top off.
Michael felt worn out, he made himself comfortable on the big back seat. That is the great thing about these old Dodge muscle cars, plenty of room!
Relaxing to the sound of the big 440, and The low voices of Macha and Nemain, Michael pulled out his phone to surf the internet. He googled Morrigan, followed by their names. Nemain, a battle goddess, frenzy, spread terror on the battle field, Badb Badb Catha, also a battle goddess, the battle crow, spread confusion and fear on the battlefield.
Macha: Battle Goddess, Goddess of Sovereignty fertility, Horses and war...
Michael was beginning to sense a common theme.
Googling Morrigan confirmed it. Sighing Michael put away his phone. Nemain called back to him, ” Find anything interesting? ”
Macha turned to face him, her bright emerald eyes studying him. Michael looked away from her gaze. ” I have no clue. I looked up the Morrigan and... Terror, fear, confusion, fertility, crows, horses, kingship, fate, it seems impressive, I still don’t know what to make of it all. ” Macha nodded once and turned back around. They rumbled down I-75 south bound.
Michael drifted off to sleep. He quickly wished he had not. Within a scant moment of closing his eyes, nightmarish images flashed through his mind. He tried, but he could not wake back up nor clear those horror scenes away. Macha , Badb and Nemain , reigning over the aftermath on an ancient battlefield. The gorgeous trio weaving, sitting , Macha working a spinning wheel, Badb workin the carding brushes, Nemain standing before an upright loom, weaving the thread that flowed off of Machas spinning wheel. Details slowly coalesced. The stools Macha and Badb sat on , the spinning wheel, the carding brushes, the loom, were all built from what looked like human bones. The bones still glistening with fragments of tissue and undried blood. All three of them had blood smeared upon their faces, blood dripped from their hands. The giant wolfhounds trotted up, each dragging a body, still clad in tattered armor. Michael worked his way closer, maneuvering around the scattered fallen bodies.
He noticed what Badb was carding, it was human intestines, arteries and veins, Sinew and ligaments. That she worked, gathered from the stacked, eviscerated corpses surrounding her. Every now and again Badb would reach down into a torn torso, grasping a handful to prepare for Macha to spin and Nemain to weave. The gory thread dripped blood. As the wheel spun it slung drops of blood into the air where it formed clouds. Looking at the spinning wheel, Michael could see stars, planets, galaxies floating between the spokes of the wheel. All three of them were smiling, whistling and humming an old Irish jig as they worked. Other that a quick glance and a subtle Mona Lisa smile, not a word was spoken.
Michael turned away from the disturbing scene. He was struggling not to vomit. The stinking effluvium was thick, like a fog of visible stench in the air.
Michael walked , seeking an end or way out of this charnel covered field of death. Hordes of Crows hopped about pecking, cawing as they consumed the dead. Ravens too numerous to count circled and croaked, a feathered ebony cloud that hid the sun. All was a shadow cast gloom.
In the distance , Michael glimpsed something fast moving, It disappeared behind a low ridge, then reappeared cresting another hill, closer this time. Michael could see what it was that was fast approaching. A war chariot, with spikes and blades protruding from all surfaces, Scythes were fixed to the wheels. Heads were tied all around, the rim, The chariot was drawn by , at least thirteen giant fire breathing wolfhounds. Their feet never quite touched the ground, neither did the chariot.
Driving the chariot was a slight, freckled, strawberry blonde boy , preadolescent, not by much. Behind the boy stood a tall bearded man. He was dressed in bright chainmail, a close trimmed blonde beard could be seen beneath the crested, open faced helmet he wore. Bright saphire flames flickering in his eyes and a long flame tongued spear in his left hand. The chariot circled, then stopped beside the Morrigans, The man stepped out of the chariot spear in his left hand. He drew a Celtic long sword from the sheath at his side, jostling the many human heads that dangled from his weapons harness. He was an nightmarish horror show in his own right. Fragments of organs and assorted tissues were spattered and caught on his armor. Blood dripped from his hands and flowed as if they were tears flowing down his face. Much as it did from the Morrigan. The armored figure turned towards Michael. Moving so quickly not even a blur registered, He cast that flame tongued spear at Michael.
It seemed as in slow motion when the spear left the figures hand. Michael tried desperately but could not convince his body to move. The spear struck dead center at the base of Michaels sternum, Michael could feel the flamberge blade of the spear move through his body to exit from his back. It had carried bits and pieces of Michaels insides with it. It felt as if lightning and fire spread out from the wound. It was as if Michael had been struck by lighting and his blood set on fire throughout his arteries and veins. Michael sank to his knees. He fell forward, the spear shaft held his torso upright. His head hung straight forward, chin touching his upper chest. Michael watched his blood running in rivulets down the spear shaft to pool on the gound. There was a flash of bitter cold across his neck, and then his head tumbled to the ground. Michaels eyes were open, he could see glimpses of the bearded man standing over his headless kneeling body. Michaels head rolled on the ground and stopped , he was looking back up at his body. A booted foot kicked Michaels body which lifted the bloodied spear shaft up from the ground. A hand grasped the shaft and a booted foot kicked Michaels body back while drawing the spear back out of the headless corpse with a meaty sucking sound. His body fell tolay on it’s side. That had become Michaels entire field of view. Things began to turn gray, then slowly faded into blackness.
With a shivering chill down his spine Michael jerked and sat up in the back seat. Macha was now driving, Nemain was turned in the passenger seat looking back at Michael. There was a concerned, curious look in her eyes. ” Have a nice nap? We are almost at the turn to head east on Alligator alley. What was the name of that Town again? Also, what is the exit we take.? ”
Michael rubbed at his eyes and face while lookin around to get his bearings. ” Get off at the Chokoloskee exit. Keep going south until you run out of road and you are there.
Macha laughed, “Chocolate lost key?”
“Chokoloskee. ” Michael replied spelling out the native American word. With a shake of her head, ” No sense of humor? ”
A few minutes later, they were slowing down, though still too fast for Michaels taste as they sped around the curving exit lane.
.