In this sequal to Morgaine and Michael, terrible events occur at Moonwood, including demon possession and two suicides.
When Melody falls in love with Michael, a psychic, he gives her an ancient manuscript to read that seems to suggest he is a centuries old former-knight who sold his soul to the demon Asmodeus for immortality. But when she asks, "Are you really a thousand-year-old sorcerer?" he evades the question, and tells her a plausible story which cannot be verified. Then, Michael implores Melody to marry him, and despite her doubts, she cannot resist his hypnotic eyes, and agrees to become his bride. For the first time Melody knows what passion can be. On Halloween night, Michel wakes Melody to go out in the woods where a second pagan marriage is performed, and they dance naked in the moonlight. A few days later, when Michael is out of town, his friend Morgaine, whose name also appeared in the manuscript, tells Melody's with Tarot cards--and sees something in the cards that sends her screaming from the room. When Melody presses Michael for answers, he finally admits that he is the knight described in the ancient manuscript, and that the demon Asmodeus is coming to claim his soul on Halloween night (the witch's new year). He wants to renounced The pair decides to face the demon with their newfound love for each other. But, unknown to both, Morgaine, who was Michael's lover in ancient times, and is still in love with him, has conceived a diabolical plan to trick Asmodeus into taking Melody's soul instead.
Excerpt
Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she raised her arms heavenward. In a voice that was not hers, she intoned, "As Asharte, I bless this union of souls and beseech the Fates to be kind. Let them be joined in flesh and spirit."
Morgaine came out of her trance and hugged us one at a time, Michael tighter and longer than me. She stepped back and cried, "Now we shall dance, dance in the moonlight on Samhain, in joy of this wonderful occasion." She took Michael's hand, who in turn grabbed mine and we joined the circle of persons who had witnessed our pagan wedding ceremony. The music started up again, except this time it was a wilder, more energetic; Stravinsky's Fire Dance at first, but later changing to other fast-paced classical music.
And we danced. And danced. At first in a circle, moving our feet in various patterns that I somehow was able to follow although I had never done them before. The human chain became unlinked at one end and we danced a twisting snake dance among the trees and back to the clearing again, going faster and getting wilder and more abandoned each time around. It was like when you were a child and you and your friends would spin around making yourselves dizzy until you all fell to the ground laughing and giggling. Perspiration dripped down my back, into my eyes and between my breasts, yet I did not tire.
The fortunate inherit riches, prestige, positive notoriety. Those not so lucky bear legacies filled with poverty, infamy or, worse yet, the unhinged insanity and murderous urges of their ancestors.
Happy Halloween. A volume of Horrible Haunts & Twisted Tales taken from the horror books La Belle Rouge has written every October for a decade and a half. If you have read her works in the horror genre, you know the invitation is for you to enjoy thr
