Page 46 of Rekindled Prophecy

The talk would have to wait … again. The doorbell rang as she descended the stairs. When she answered the door there stood the smallest, most colorful little old lady Greylyn had ever seen, and she had seen thousands of colorful little old ladies in her time. With a mass of snow-white hair and bright fuchsia lipstick to match her dress and shoes, the elderly woman was all smiles as she introduced herself as Edith Smith, the justice of the peace.

She looked perfectly harmless, like a character from the movieSteel Magnolias. However, the hot-poker sizzle shooting up Greylyn’s arm from her handshake said otherwise.

Oh no! Not the little old lady!

The hunched over, but otherwise healthy-looking woman was possessed!

Mrs. Smith shuffled into the house. Her gray eyes darted around wildly, and her nose crinkled as she sniffed the air. She visibly recoiled from the stairs where Greylyn had secretly stashed another protection medallion under the carpet runner on the third step.

“I’d like to see the bride and groom as soon as possible. Got paperwork for them to sign before getting them hitched and need to go over what they should expect from the ceremony.”

No way I’m letting you anywhere near Kelly.

It was doubtful that the woman usually gave off demonic shock waves, this was most likely a recent possession. That did not bode well for Mrs. Smith, as demons never left their human vessels in good shape when they finished using them.

Now, how do I perform an exorcism quietly in a house full of guests?

Guiding Mrs. Smith towards the back of the house, and away from Kelly, Greylyn contemplated between the cellar door and the back exit. She doubted the cellar was soundproof. She would have to get the old lady out to the Carriage House.

Matthew appeared in the hallway, coming from the direction of the pub. With a grin, he raised his glass to salute them. “Hello, you must be the justice of the peace.” Indicating his glass again, “I’ve had about enough apple cider for a lifetime. This occasion calls for something a bit stronger.”

Mrs. Smith introduced herself to the groom. It was rather creepy how the woman’s crinkly eyes roved up and down Matthew like he was a piece of meat. He did not seem to notice.

“Why don’t we go into the dining room so we can take care of business? I’ll run upstairs to get Kelly.”

Greylyn needed to deter him quickly. “I think you’re forgetting one of the most important fundamentals of a wedding. The groom cannot see the bride in her wedding dress. We do not want an incident on our hands. You absolutely, positively, cannot see Kelly.”

Laughing, he agreed. “I guess you’re right, but … we haven’t done anything the traditional route yet,” he joked with a playful twinkle in his eyes.

Relief flooded her body. She fought the desire to audibly sigh. An overly exuberant groom could have put Kelly and the baby in jeopardy. Thankfully, Matthew was easily distracted in his quest to get a stronger drink.

Leaving Matthew in the clutches of the possessed magistrate did not leave a warm and fuzzy feeling in Greylyn’s stomach, but she was certain Matthew was not the one in the most danger. “I’ll let Kelly know you’re here,” she assured them. Instead, she stepped back into the hallway to eavesdrop. Even with all the noise coming from the sitting room, her angelic hearing allowed her to listen in on their conversation.

“Now, all I need are your signatures on this form, so this marriage is considered legitimate by the commonwealth.”

He scribbled his name everywhere she indicated without bothering to read the document. “And, you must know before we proceed that this is a very simple ceremony, complete with the usual ‘do you take this man/woman’ and the ‘I do’ parts, but there will be no religious references.”

Somehow that did not surprise Greylyn. As Mrs. Edith Smith was currently sharing her body with a demon, the evil creature could not utter any religious references without severe pain.

However, the next words from the groom caused Greylyn to cover her mouth with shock. “That’s fine.”

Damn it, Matthew!With Kelly’s parents so religious, she had just assumed the ceremony would be as well. If for no other reason than to appease them. Well, this wedding was going down as a disaster! A wedding ceremony conducted by a demon with no religious references to the holy covenant of marriage! Not that all weddings with the religious references made for perfect marriages, but it was an added layer of protection.

What God has joined together, let no man put asunder…

In biblical times, the wording had been more inclusive of supernatural forces …let no man nor evil put asunder …but the phrases had been cut out when people stopped believing demons really existed. There was a quote from movie she remembered that pretty well summed it up.“The greatest trick the devil ever pulled was convincing the world he didn’t exist.”That was the truest statement she had ever heard.

The muffled sound of a door opening alerted Greylyn that Kelly was on her way downstairs. She had only a minute or less to avoid a catastrophe. The demonic justice of the peace could attempt to possess the bride or otherwise cause her harm. With the protection spells, she had thought everything was fine, but once Sofia mentioned a prophecy, all bets were off. The mere thought of Kelly being in the same room with a demon sent a shiver of anxiety down her spine.

Greylyn popped back into the room and did the most convenient thing she could think to do in the situation. She lied. “Kelly will be here in just a couple of minutes, so Matthew you need to make yourself scarce. Why don’t you fetch Mrs. Smith a glass of cider or water?”

The possessed woman piped up, “Scotch on the rocks, please.”

Matthew shrugged in surprise, excused himself and headed off to the kitchen, leaving her alone with the demon.

Thankfully, Kelly chose to go down the front staircase. With the dining room towards the back of the house, it would take her longer to get there. Not wasting a second, Greylyn grabbed the elderly lady’s arm and escorted her out the back of the building.

“Mrs. Smith, there’s something I’d like to add to the ceremony as a surprise for the bride and groom, but I wanted to run it by you first. Would you mind coming with me so I can show you what I’m talking about?” All the while she forced a smile on her face, pretending all was well.

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