by Night, H. T.
“How could it not be? They are my little boys. The joy of my life. It’s tearing at my heart know what is prophesied.”
The Deity looked at me and nodded her head. She took in my every word and I could feel that she was moved by my sentiment.
I continued speaking, even though it was painful. “Now that I know Jason, he is real to me. I don’t think I can stand by and watch as my son gets martyred or murdered or whatever is prophesied to happen to him. I saw Helen die after she had the same prophecy about her life. It doesn’t seem right that Jason has to die, too. How many people have to die, and why do they?”
“It’s not for us to say who lives and who dies, and this destiny cannot be altered,” the Deity said quietly to me.
I began to get really emotional. I loved my family more than I thought I could love. I was pleading with her without asking directly to spare my son. I knew at the end of the day, it wasn’t her call. It was the Triat’s.
I took a deep breath and tried to regain my composure. “Well, anyway, that isn’t the reason why I came. I mean...it partially is, but I am here to ask your advice on a couple of important details that have been keeping me up at night.”
“You know I’m always here for you, Josiah. Ask away.”
“When the right time it is to tell Jason about the prophecy?”
She took a deep breath. “The right time will be obvious, but it won’t be anytime soon. That will become revealed to all of you in the next few years. Jason has Divine Blood. Believe it or not, so does Joshua. He just doesn’t possess the same gifts that his brother does. But make no mistake about Joshua, he will be a great Mani.”
“A Mani?” I said, shocked.
“You don’t plan on turning him, but when he is a good age?” the Deity asked.
“Into a vampire?!” I said, flabbergasted. “On purpose?”
“Yes. Listen to me when I tell you this, Josiah. Only you can turn him. He is a Son of Josiah. A divine son. So, his best chance is for you to be the one to turn him at the appropriate time.”
“You want me to bite my son on the neck and make him a vampire?”
“Sometimes, we don’t choose who we are. It chooses us.”
“You’re telling me. It never once crossed my mind to make my child into a vampire. Not ever.” I paused. “What about Jason?”
“Jason cannot ever turn into a Mani. It would be nearly impossible for that to happen.”
“Why?”
“Jason’s body would reject it. Plus, he doesn’t need it.”
“Why?”
“Josiah, it will become more and more apparent to you as the years go on that you have a very special boy there.”
“What should I do?” I asked, concerned.
“Continue to raise them the best way you know how.”
Then there was a silence in the room that lasted longer than I anticipated. So many thoughts swirled in my head that I could not contain them all.
“What else is on your mind, child?” the Deity asked me.
“Honestly?” I laughed.
“Yes.”
“It’s hard to say.”
She smiled. “That’s why you came to me, when things seem hard to say, you want my perspective.”
I nodded. “My life lacks a lot of the former purpose and mission. There’s no cause to fight for, no battle to plan for, no getting my hands dirty with a life well-lived on the edge. I’m stuck in a beautiful castle and it has become more than a bit of an ivory tower. I feel separated from my people and frankly, I’m bored,” I admitted.
Her eyebrows raised. “You’re bored? What does that mean?” The Deity seemed thrown off by my question. I had never seen her like that, so taken off-guard.
I tried to explain it to her. “Everything seems focused on raising my sons. What do I do now? I am not used to living my life in a secondary way.”
“I see what you mean. What would you want to do with your life, your immense resources, your heart?”
“Help,” I said plainly.
“Help?” the Deity asked.
“Help others, like you do. But I would do it in my own way.”
“With fists and blood,” the Deity said.
“Justice would be done, and that would be my only goal.”
“Like some kind of vigilante superhero?” She seemed somewhat interested, once she worded it that way.
I latched onto the phrase. “Vigilante superhero. Something like that,” I said, laughing. “I think you’re onto something.”
“Are you asking for my permission?” she asked.
“Not necessarily. But I would like your blessing. I’m asking if you see any harm in it. Some adventures of my own to do good things, to right wrongs, to pursue goodness and justice, and to combat evil. I miss that life. It was my calling and when I defeated Krull with my warriors, and I put up the ‘Mission Accomplished’ banner in my head, there was this small ‘what now?’ question in my head that has grown from a whisper to a shout.”
“You should follow it then, but I will caution you to just make sure you are always there for your family. If you do that, I don’t see a problem with it. Just keep a close eye on Jason, especially. He will need a lot of guidance in the beginning. Then, he will turn the tables and he will guide you. He is going to be a very wise boy.”
“A wise boy who has a dark destiny.”
“That’s where you’re wrong. Jason is Divine. When the time comes, his death will spark a new revolution. It will be one that I think you just might be too old for.”
I looked at the Deity. “I’m going to do everything I can to protect both my boys. Whoever wants my son’s life, they will have to take mine first.”
“It will all become a lot clearer as they boys grow. Allow them to be boys and grow up as normally as they can.”
“You mean normal, like living in a sixteenth-century castle on a deserted island in the Tasman Sea?”
“Govern your people. I know it’s easiest to get self-absorbed and only concentrate on your family. You still govern that island of yours. You must always be there for your family and also for the Mani who are choosing to live in harmony.”
“In that vein, let me ask you this: How come so many Mani have left our islands?”
“Because we all have free will. At the end of the day, regardless of being human or vampire, individuals will always do what they want. Those who have stayed, they believe in the harmony that was prophesied. Use that to motivate yourself. It might not be your friends who remain, but those who have stayed have shown a loyalty to you—that is undeniable. And you should realize how they have accepted you and support you.”
I thought about Sion. “Sion has shown a lot of loyalty, still standing by my side whenever I was in need. He lives in a gigantic cottage, about 500 yards from my castle grounds.”
“Whenever you need me, speak to him. He’s never that far away and is always eager to speak with me.”
“He’s definitely my go-to person. Without him, I could not have found you in Pahrump.”
“He’s a good investigator. Luckily, he’s on our side,” she said.
My time with the Deity was winding down. I had gotten the answers I was looking for. Except for one. Lena. “I have one more question for you?”
“Of course, my child. Ask away.”
“I want to be a good man to Lena and I often fall short by pursuing my own endeavors. She often feels this loss of closeness and craves my attention. And then I feel a little resentful when I have to give up time with my pursuits to reassure her. How do I balance the two?”
“In your heart of hearts, do you think you have been a good husband?”
“Husband? I know I’ve been a great dad.”
“Well, therein lies your problem. Lena feels she is second fiddle. Allow her to be just as important and sometimes, even more important than the boys. She deserves it. She has been through a lot.”
“We all have.”
“Yes, but she done a lot of it
from the sidelines and she feels a tad inadequate because of that. Assure her daily that she is important and that you will have a great relationship. And just remember that children grow up and go away. She will always be there for you, waiting for you at the end of the day. Honor that by being there for her.”
“Thank you for that. I needed to hear that,” I said as honest as a statement could be. I remembered that we talked for another hour. I thanked the Deity for her hospitality and told her I had a long flight ahead of me back to my family and that I wanted to get back soon.
We hugged and I promised her that I would take everything she told me to heart. She told me that she knew I would. She’s a great woman. A great Deity. I felt like her door was always open.
Chapter Four
I sat at the foot of our bed in our great castle and just took in the night. There was a gift of gothic poetry about our castle in the middle of the night. I like taking it in, even if it was my bedroom.
Lena leaned up. I guess I woke her. “You still up sweetheart? What’s going on?”
“Not sure what I’m getting Jason into tomorrow.”
“Well. You know how I feel about the situation. You don’t owe Brock Houston anything. You have done so much good over your lifetime that you can take one day off.”
“I told you, Sweetie, I gave my word. Go back to bed.” Before the words came out of my mouth, I could hear her squeaky snore. Lena always says what she feels and does things her own way. I remembered what she said when I got back from the Deity.
After I said goodbye to the Deity, I had quite a fly ahead of me. I transitioned to the Great White Eagle and made my way back to the island. I was planning on flying double-time and risking a direct shot over the ocean to save some time. I just wouldn’t tell Lena I did that. She liked me taking the routes that planes used.
I remember thinking about my discussion with the Deity on the whole fly home. I was glad to know that I just needed to trust my instincts as a father, and I was very pleased with her response to me about seeking new adventures out in the real world. Meeting with the Deity on that night gave me the courage to be what the Tandra called me: Vampire Superhero. I spent the next ten years fighting crime around the world. I helped everyone. Humans, vampires, werewolves, and other creatures of the night. Where’s my comic book? Where are my action figures?
When I got back to the island, I was exhausted. I remembered all I wanted to do was crawl up in my bed and grab a long sleep. Of course, that didn’t happen, because I had a wife who was always interested in what I was up to, and her curiosity never wavered nor could be put on a pause button.
Lena was eager to find out what the Deity had to say about our boys, but secretly she wanted to know what the Deity thought about my desire of wanting some superhero action outside in the real world. I got home in the early morning and Lena was still up.
I made my way into our bedroom and began taking off my jeans. I had boxer shorts underneath.
“Put those is the hamper, they must stink.”
“My jeans?” I laughed. “They were hardly exposed. I flew as the white eagle all night.”
“Still, I plan on doing some laundry tomorrow so put them in the hamper.”
I got up off the bed and put my jeans in the hamper to make my wife happy.
“How was her Holiness?” So here was the real reason behind the jeans and the hamper. She was waiting to hear about the Deity.
“She was wonderful. Like she always is.”
“Is she still blind?”
“You mean did she have laser surgery since the last time we saw her? I’m pretty sure what is wrong with her eyes cannot be fixed by surgery. So, what’s your real question?”
“Did you get your answers?” Lena asked.
“I got a few. Was there one that you were more interested in?”
“What did she say about the boys?”
“Not much.”
“Not much?”
“Not really.”
“Isn’t that was why you went? To find out if we are raising the boys right?”
“That was certainly one of the questions I asked her.”
“But you had others that were equally important.”
“I’m sorry, but yeah, I did. I have a lot on my plate.”
“So, what did you ask her?”
“In regard to the kids, I wanted to know when was a good time to let them know they have special abilities.”
“You mean Jason has special abilities?”
“She was very clear that Joshua’s blood was equally as divine as Jason’s and that he just had a different path with different abilities.”
“I was really hoping to have one normal kid,” Lena said in a manner that I wasn’t sure if she was teasing or not.
“We have great kids,” I said.
“I know we do,” Lena agreed.
“I asked the Deity a lot of things.”
“You surely asked her about your need to want to go out and save the world and be a vampire hero?”
“I did because it is very important to me. In the grand scheme of things, I asked her all the important questions that were on my heart.”
“Did she say anything else about the kids?” Lena asked.
“She told us to trust our instincts. That’s all I needed to hear. Our instincts have gotten both of us this far, right, babe?”
Lena smiled at me. She liked it when I included her in my reasoning. But then she changed her tune real fast. “What did she say about the other thing?”
“You mean about me saving the world?”
“Whatever you’re calling your crusade. Josiah, you’re gonna do what you wanna do and I don’t even think the Deity could have stopped you, but if she blessed it, then, oh boy, there will be no stopping you now.”
I smiled and nodded my head. “She blessed it.”
“Lord have mercy. The world is in trouble.”
“Au contraire. Because of me, I will save the world from trouble.”
“And get yourself into it.”
“She gave me the okay on helping people as long as...”
“As long as what?” Lena said.
“As long as I don’t neglect my family. My family comes first.”
“I always told you I thought the Deity was wise.”
“Just five minutes ago, you weren’t exactly being supportive.”
“Don’t get me wrong, Josiah. I am very supportive in anything you do. I just have to come to terms that your spiritual advisor is a woman.”
“Who is two thousand years old and looks like she could pass for a member of an MTV nation.”
“I just wish we had some of the answers that you seek inside ourselves.”
“It had been almost four years since I last saw her.”
“She gave us pretty dark news on that day, telling us we would have twins, but one of them will be martyred. It’s not her I don’t like, it’s that she is a bearer of bad news. Every time.”
“Don’t shoot the messenger.”
“Never. She is the voice of the Triat. I told her no one will ever touch Jason, over my dead body, and she pretty much told me that destiny is undeniable, but that I will always do what I ultimately want.”
“Do you think she really said you will be able to save him?”
I kissed Lena on the lips, instead of answering her tough question. It had been a while since we made love. And all the flying had gotten my juices going, in more ways than one.
I walked over and lay on top of Lena while she was lying in the bed. She liked it when I did that. I smothered her with my body in a giant super hug.
“Oh my, I see someone is up!” Lena said, referring to the abrupt way my body always reacts to her sexy body.
I slipped off her nightgown and took off my clothes, starting with my black shirt and then stripping all the way down, until my boxer shorts laid in a crumpled pile on the floor and then I offered her myself. I didn’t offer her the Chosen One. I didn’t offer her th
e leader of a people. I didn’t offer her a vigilante superhero, or a governor of an island, or a vampire or a great white eagle. I offered her Josiah, the young man who had saved her from frat boys and changed her life.
Lena and I made love. It had been a few days, so I was ready. I hoped that she knew, deep down, that it was the old Josiah who offered himself up in love. I finally understood what she needed and I gave it to her, with all of my heart.
Present Day Helena
That all took place some time ago and those fights seemed to be so innocent in regard to what we were dealing with in the present. I was exhausted, but my mind was racing. I decided to give it one more try. I threw off my shirt and slowly crawled into bed with Lena. Finally, the stiller I laid, the sleepier I got.
Chapter Five
Where is my Utopia?
The thought woke me, as if spoken by someone else in my head, someone younger, and fighting for something he believed in: a race of immortals, an ideal, and a profound righteousness of belief, word and deed. That striking thought of “Utopia” came from the “me” of my honor days gone by...that old me occasionally reared up with a thought that was part dream, part truth, and part challenge.
I am Josiah Reign and I am a Mani vampire. My voice within was strong tonight, reasserting itself about my identity and my purpose.
Sixteen years ago, I had led a revolution like no other. I had done it for a race of immortals, and also, for my sons. I had taken out the evil Krull and his men, only with the help of many friends and much bloodshed, sacrifice, loss, and eventual triumph. Krull had been a vicious and cruel Mani vampire who had led his followers down a path of death and destruction. They had been hoping to take over the world, the human one, too, using intimidation and force. I had been chosen by the Triat to stop him.
And therein, lies the bygone tale of destiny, of murder, of mayhem, of blood, and of triumph over adversity and termination of the most evil and diabolical villain the world had ever known. Krull was gone now, and peace reigned. I was still amazed by what we had done and how we had defeated him and his army.