by Night, H. T.
The facts remained: Somehow, my rag-tag group of Mani and Carni misfits took out an army three times their size. We did it not by numbers, nor by superior weapons, but by intelligence, planning, and a collaborative belief that utter goodness and mercy on the meek would and should prevail. Defeating the army of Krull was one of my many moments in the sun, but perhaps the greatest of my—of our—accomplishments as a race.
After the dust and blood drops settled from the great fight for justice and freedom, the Mani people were given two islands just south of New Zealand. The islands were given to me in deeds, legally placed in my name. It sounded crazy that I owned two islands, but I did. I ran one island as governor, and I tried to adhere to the democracy of my formerly only-human origins. I had a sense of fairness and integrity that I vowed I would never depart from.
I called my island Helena, after my good friend, Helen, who had lost her life in the good fight against Krull, those many years ago.
The second island, I originally gave to Atticai, my former comrade, and even prior to that, my adversary who became an astute right-hand man, after Tommy, if not a friend. Atticai named his island Attica, despite my objections. He nearly ran his island into the ground for ten years. It was shocking to me how such an elite fighter had been a terrible governor. It was a lesson to me that just because a Mani was good at war, that he would also be good at peace.
The island of Attica was now run by someone new—Brock Houston—a highly educated Mani who, up to now, had turned that island around. It was as prosperous as our island in trade and crops.
I had been given the biggest castle on the island of Helena after the great battle with Krull. My friends came and went but managed to stay in my life and even help me out sometimes when I needed it. These days, I rarely did.
As for my friends, one by one, they eventually exited off the island to go on and do their own thing. The fairytale society of a perfect Mani kingdom fell short when we discovered we all took our imperfect selves into the mix. Our unique individuality was beautiful, but it was also a hindrance that occasionally ran to chaos and disassociation with common goals and distractions with personal lives and passions that did not fit who we were, as a unified people.
Everybody had the best intentions, and many did stay. It just fell a tad short of the Utopian world that was prophesied to so many for so long. The irony was, the ones who still stuck around on the islands were the oldest Mani vampires. It was as if they knew it wasn’t perfect, but it beat the lives they had once lived. By far.
I privately thought of my kingdom almost as a cruise-ship approach, where we kept the “lifers” happy with games and food, with little expectations beyond a swift and deadly defense if such an occasion should arise against some enemy who sought to take us out. It had not happened since Krull had come to try to destroy us. Helena was a peaceful place.
Over the last sixteen years, I noticed the people of Helena had grown complacent, lazy, and suffered from a serious lack of purpose or organization, beyond the day-to-day life that was not for the greater good, but degenerated into days that were merely for ourselves. I was more than mildly ashamed. If Tommy was around, he would at least kick my butt and make me work out every day, keep my fighting skills sharp. I did not perform such self-maintenance.
Again, the thought came to me: Where is my Utopia?
My friends, my comrades in arms, and in my heart...they had all decided to move on with their lives. All except for Sion. They visited once in a while and we usually found some trouble to get into when they came to raise the roof with the stories of us of old, with my sons listening, almost in wonder at their old man who became a legend, like the Vikings, like the Huns, even, dare I compare myself, like the disciples.
But, though my body barely aged, my golden age of courageous acts had seemed to pass away into dust, and into was, instead of is. That faithful gang of mine had definitely split up and my life was now focused on my family—my sons were not just my blood, but my divine blood, as the Deity put it to me so wonderfully.
It was a great responsibility, especially raising Jason. His destiny was not mine, but knowing the prophecies about him was truly a grappling hook in my heart. I would have to raise him, only to lose him. I would rather die than allow that to happen.
It had been years since I had fought for anything. I retired a few years back. But now, I had this strange feeling that things were about to heat up again on the home front.
My sons were almost men, and if my intuition proved to be accurate, that divine blood would prove to become even thicker than I anticipated.
I still couldn’t sleep. I had way too much on my mind, and there was only one who could fully understand my worries about tomorrow.
I sat up in bed and looked down on Lena, who was still laying sound asleep right next to me. She was sleeping peacefully, with not a crease of worry in her expression. I’d always thought there was no one more beautiful than my wife sleeping and each day, when I woke up next to her, I was grateful for her. She had been the love of my life for almost eighteen years of dating and sixteen years of marriage.
We’d had our ups and downs and I probably should have told her more often that I loved her, but I was sure she knew it. We had been together a long time. Through the years, there had been challenges, but we’d always come out ahead.
There was nothing normal or regular about my marriage to Lena. We lived in a sixteenth-century castle on an island that I owned. Lena and I were the rarest breed of Mani vampires. As a matter of fact, we were so rare that we were the only two vampires that had one really unusual trait: Lena and I were both mortal and immortal. If someone said they were mortal, that should be the end of the story. In our case, it wasn’t—we also had all the characteristics of vampires. Neither of us could handle the sun longer than 45 seconds. Our marriage had been as normal as walking on the surface of the sun in a pair of flip-flops.
As if that wasn’t enough, here was where everything got a little tricky. We had amazing twin sixteen-year-old sons who couldn’t be any more different. Both had a huge calling in their lives, just like their father. When I talked about ‘a calling,’ I was referring to the Triat. The Triat was the supernatural force that bound together all who are immortal.
Our lives had been pretty out of the ordinary for quite some time. So, every once in a while, I enjoyed just simply staring at my beautiful angel as she slept. I kissed Lena on the forehead and whispered, “I love you.” Maybe it would penetrate into her subconscious.
I used to think my two boys sleeping was a peaceful picture. I guess I just worried about them too much these days. That, and they were now both taller than their dad. Checking in on them at night was less cute and more just making sure that everyone was safe. There was no more night mischief, such as special bedtime blankies brought for them when they were young and still in possession of their baby teeth. There were no more teddy bears, no bedtime stories, and no tucking in of the covers. Boys to almost men...
These days, I felt like a captain checking in on his troops. Bed check. Big boots on the floor. Thick schoolbooks with titles like trigonometry and political science. A heavy bag in the corner. Martial arts videos, both entertainment and instruction.
Joshua and Jason were big boys. Not fat. Built like tanks. Both were nearing 6 feet, 2 inches tall. Joshua weighed about 215 and Jason was skinnier. He was pushing two bills, but I’d be surprised if he was a pound more.
I should have known better than to start reflecting about my family. Especially on this night. Tomorrow was going to be a huge day for one of my sons and me. I should be used to all types of stress, but there was nothing like the feeling when you worried about your kids. To me, worry meant that you loved someone.
I loved both my boys with every inch of my being and I would do anything for either of them. Anything. And that was what kept me tossing, turning, my stomach a pit of anxiety, and my heart, heavy. My mind was full of strife and what-ifs.
Jason, the introve
rt of our two sons, had a divine gift. It was a gift we discovered he had, right out of the womb. He could heal. He could heal anyone. I’d seen him heal humans, vampires and werewolves. However, his healing did discriminate. Also, Jason didn’t need the Triat’s approval to use his gift. His opinion overrode even the Triat themselves because of who he was, is, and will be.
My son was a very good boy. His heart was larger than anything else this world had to offer. The reason why tomorrow concerned me was because this time didn’t feel right. All my life, I had listened to my feelings—they had kept me alive this long.
Those who knew me well trusted me when I told them that the Triat wanted me to stay alive. There was no way I should still be alive after all I had been through. And yet, here I stayed. Lived. Thrived.
But...I was also a man of my word. I’d told Brock Houston that I’d meet him at his newly built mansion on the island of Attica. I remembered the day Atticai had named that island. I’d thought the name wasn’t too inspirational, as it was already the name of a prison, but the name had become what it was and Atticai was just trying to find a name that was close to his own name. He also had a wicked sense of humor, under the serious demeanor, but the name of the island, I felt, was driven by his need for a legacy. He had no children, and the island was all he had to carry his name.
Now Atticai was long gone, but that is a tale for another time. The island was now governed by Atticai’s successor, a superrich and highly charismatic Mani named Brock Houston. I didn’t know him well. I’d actually gone out of my way not to know him well. As far as I was concerned, he was an outsider.
Like I said many times, I was a man of instinct and my instinct told me on day one not to like this guy. There were many reasons to dislike him, other than that he came from money.
Attica’s people followed Brock Houston as passionately as my followers followed me. That scared me. His power. I had earned my power. I had come from nothing, and built my honor, blood drop by blood drop. When someone had power that was wrapped up behind their money, that never sat right with me. Respect had to be earned on the battlefield. Not granted. Brock’s power was pure granted, a given, because of his wealth, which both repulsed me and alarmed me.
However, I had never felt pressure to help someone. It had always been because it came from the goodness of my heart. I felt very manipulated by Brock. Whenever someone blatantly manipulated me, it made me feel highly uncomfortable.
I felt this situation had gone out of control. The only thing to do was honor my commitment and move on with my life. Hopefully, my son and I would both come out unscathed. This situation seemed to be coming from a power that wasn’t my own. This was entirely my decision to let my son go into the lion’s den. I just prayed that I wouldn’t regret it.
An old saying came to mind from many years gone by, and it was a scrap of wisdom from my once-human life that had been eclipsed by my immortality: Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.
When the time came, I’d be there with my son, by his side, and with the old battle cries and the power of the Triat behind us, guiding us, leading us, empowering us. I was going to honor that vow to serve, to protect, and to sacrifice, or my word meant nothing.
Chapter Six
I was still lying on my back in my bed next to my wife as restless as I think I ever have been in my life, my brain synapses repeatedly firing with ideas and worries and hopes and agonizing dread. I knew I needed some sleep because I wanted to be sharp tomorrow, just in case Brock tried to pull a fast one. At this point in my life, I needed to be prepared for anything.
I thought about the essentials that made me who I was, who I am and who I will be. Josiah, past, present and future. The scenes of my life rolled out like movie trailers, with the future misty and uncertain, the present clear and a little stale, and the past seeming like someone else’s life of glory, honor, and sacrifice.
I stared at the ceiling, willing my mind to focus on something for the greater good, a philosophy that had taken me from the near-gutter of selfish humanity to become the sacrificial leader of a united race of immortals.
My mind was all over the place. I sure wasn’t a kid anymore. I never went into the tank over anything other than Lena. But tonight, I had a lot on my mind. I was just taking some time to think how I got into this predicament. It was a series of events that got me to where I was today and it started with my close friends leaving. It was heartbreaking and I couldn’t stop them because I had nothing to offer them.
As if it was yesterday, I remembered the point of no return for each of them. Yari had never even got her feet dusted by the thick, red earth on Helena Island. So, when she came to visit me at my castle, I wasn’t surprised what she had to say to me. It pained me to hear, but it sure didn’t surprise me.
We had only been on the island for about three full years. One day, Yari had simply showed up around 6:00 p.m. without any explanation or even an implied mission. In my book, that was very early in the day for a Mani, so I knew she had a big night ahead of her. Why she came to see me was becoming more apparent as the clues came rolling in.
“What can I do for you, sweetie?” I said after we carefully hugged, prudently though, as I was a very married man and as befitted the leader of the Mani.
“Sweetie? Man, being a dad has made you mellow.” Yari winked and gave me one of her beautiful smiles.
My heart warmed. My old friend and comrade in arms. She was still a charmer.
I charmed right back and replied, “Oh, I can call you sweetie if I feel like it. After all that we have been through...if I wanted to call you ‘blueberry muffin,’ I’d be entitled to it.”
She laughed, and it was genuine and from her gut. “That’s why I love you, Josiah. You’re the one man who never let me get away with my bullshit.”
“Well, I love you, too, Yari. How can I be of service to you this evening?”
“If I knew you were giving out services at this time of night, I would have been by a long time ago.”
My mouth flickered in an almost-smile at her double entendre. She still flirted like a champ. I said, “You used to come over a lot until you got your own place,” I said. “Then you nested in and became a hermit.”
“I kind of did that, didn’t I? I was tired, Josiah. We fought an amazing war and I stood by your side through all of it. It was the greatest experience of my life. And yet, it was the most heartbreaking. It both built me up and it tore me apart.”
“What are you saying, Yari? You’re getting sentimental. People usually only get like this when they are going away. What’s going on?”
Yari was quiet and I knew what she was going to say before she said it.
“I’m leaving.” Yari smirked and looked deeply into my eyes and gave me her mischievous up-to-no-good smile for the last time.
“Why?” I wished it wasn’t Yari. She was like my right hand in battle.
She folded her hands, as if subtly pleading for my forgiveness. Apologetically, she said, “I’m taking my journey back to the East Coast where I feel more comfortable. This farming and small-town values structured society you built here is nice. It’s just not for me.”
“I’m surprised you lasted this long,” I said, laughing. “I’m grateful you stayed as long as you have.” I bowed my head to honor her, my friend, almost my Lancelot, if the truth be known.
Then Yari got extremely serious and looked me in the eyes, her eyes intent on my reaction. “Josiah, there’s something I need to tell you.”
“Okay...” I said.
Yari sighed and stared deeply into my blue eyes. “I hope that this stays in this room,” she said. “I just want to get extremely real with you for one moment.”
Yari was really passionate about what she wanted to tell me. It wasn’t often that she had such a hard time spitting out her thoughts. We were that close and honest. She looked at me and said, “In my life, I had only one man who could make me feel the way I always imagin
ed being ‘in love’ would feel like.”
I looked at her, my head tilted in puzzlement, yet forewarned. “Yes? Who’s the lucky guy?”
She sighed. “That person was you, Josiah. I’ve broken many, many hearts. But you were the first to break mine.”
I felt wounded. “I’m sorry. I have always respected and loved you deeply; I just needed to place you in the appropriate place in my life.”
“I know you did. It wasn’t in the cards for us. I just wish it would have been. It would have been nice to be your destiny. More than nice.”
“We cannot undo what or who we are,” I said terribly surprised that this conversation went in this direction.
“I know. I can’t get that image of you out of my head.”
“Which one?” I said.
“What I heard Krull did to you, on that mechanical, metal crucifix. And how you survived it, and thrived.”
“Ah, it wasn’t so bad. I think it got some kinks out.”
“I heard it was a nightmare.”
“It was a long time ago.”
“I know.”
“I don’t like to think about that day,” I confessed.
“That day always bothered me,” she said.
“Why?”
“None of us were there for you,” Yari said.
“One person was,” I said.
“How is Atticai?” Yari asked remembering it was Atticai who swept in and saved me on that day. That was a long time ago. Atticai had different problems on this day.
“Donya is still very sick,” I said, risking revealing sensitive information, but I trusted Yari as a sister and knew Atticai did also.
“Do we know yet what’s wrong?” Yari asked, with a sincerity that was honest and loving.
“I think they know, but they are just keeping it a secret.”
“People do what they got to do.”
“I hear that.”
Then Yari changed the subject. “How are Lena and the boys?”
I knew what she was really asking, what she really wanted to know...if I was really happy. “I have no regrets,” I said, nodding in a way that Yari would know that Lena was still the love of my life.