Reborn

by Thomas A. Watson

  Raising his eyebrows in amazement, “Have to say, you keep well informed,” Kenneth mumbled as he started making notes.

  “I have been in this battle longer than you can even imagine. If vampires had unified long ago, the cubus would be no more. But that is the weakness of our race. We lean more toward solitude than any of the others,” Xu said wearily.

  “Not going to argue that point,” Kenneth snorted as he wrote. “I hope I’m not being rude, but why are you here? It seems a big risk, just to meet someone who is a pain in the ass to the Strong Hands.”

  Xu gave a laugh. “Surely, you don’t think humans are behind the Strong Hands?”

  “No, this planning took centuries and humans can’t plan that far ahead,” Kenneth answered as he wrote.

  “First, how do you know I’m really here? I could be projecting my image,” Xu challenged.

  Shaking his head and not even looking up, “No, you’re here,” Kenneth said confidently. “The disappearing trick was neat, though.”

  “But you saw me,” Xu said, studying Kenneth’s face as he wrote. “How do you know I wasn’t blocking their minds?”

  “You can’t block Besseta’s, and I could sense what she saw. It took her a few seconds, but she was able to see you,” Kenneth told him, pausing his writing.

  Reaching over, Besseta rested her right hand on Kenneth’s neck, touching his skin. “So, is it rude to ask why you are here?” Besseta asked, feeling Kenneth calm back down.

  Very slowly, Xu turned to look at Besseta with an expression very close to fear. “I come to warn you. The cubus have sent nine leviathans here to North America to join one already here. They will be here in two days.”

  “Aw, man, that sucks,” Besseta groaned, ignoring the look from Xu, but Kenneth wasn’t. “Where is their base of power?”

  “Australia and New Guinea,” Xu answered with the expression falling off his face. “Before you ask, yes, the last two you are after do serve the cubus freely.”

  Hearing that, Besseta’s face darkened. “Really?” Besseta growled, thinking of the last two who’d killed her family long ago. “I got the one who turned me, and I will get them.”

  Giving a nod, “Of that, I have no doubt, but the cubus know you want them, so be cautious,” Xu warned. “Your Kenneth has thrown the cubus more defeats in the last few months, than they have had since the fall of the Mongol Hordes. They will only move against me when they own the rest of the world, and will use massive armies of humans to do it. So, you can say, I’m here to make sure you win or at least, keep the cubus in check.”

  “May I ask why you haven’t just gone down and wiped them out?” Besseta inquired and Kenneth picked his pen back up and went back to writing.

  “I think it would be obvious; the leviathans,” Xu answered. “The cubus are powerful, but nothing compared to the ones that gave rise to us all. Normally, it would take an ancient vampire to face a cubus and live, but you have done it several times. There are enough ancients in my ranks to make any attack they mount without leviathans very costly, up to the point that we could wipe them out. Therefore, the cubus keep them close to their council.”

  “Just how many are on their council?” Kenneth asked.

  “Twenty-one,” Xu answered. “And yes, I know each one and at one time, served under them. I am in no rush to fight them, but if I must, I will.”

  “That doesn’t sound encouraging,” Kenneth mumbled as he wrote. “Has anyone’s mind ever survived the touch of a cubus?”

  Shaking his head, “No vampire or werewolf that I’ve ever heard of. They did take over our creators,” Xu admitted. “I’ve looked a long time. I’ve even tried to reverse some and have had mixed results.”

  Turning away from Kenneth, Xu looked directly at Besseta. “The ability to take a being’s power and use it is extraordinary and very rare, but the ability to share the power another has is beyond belief.”

  The air around Besseta suddenly felt cold as her heart sped up in panic and Xu stared at her. “That would be something,” Besseta forced out and Kenneth glanced over at her.

  “Breathe,” Kenneth said softly. ‘Yes, he knows about our ability, but he also knows more than we do. He’s not telling others, but it’s for reasons of his own,’ Kenneth told Besseta in her mind.

  “I didn’t mean to disturb you,” Xu said as an apology because Besseta could feel he wasn’t afraid.

  Shaking her head, “Sorry, the thought of one taking my mind terrifies me,” Besseta offered.

  “As it does me,” Xu nodded, glancing at Kenneth who was staring at Besseta. “You two share a bond I have never seen in our kind.”

  Clearing his throat, Kenneth turned to lock gazes with Xu. “You said vampire and werewolf earlier, and we know some leviathans weren’t affected by the touch of a cubus, so have humans been able to resist?” Kenneth asked.

  A cheerful smile leapt onto Xu’s face. “Very astute,” Xu chuckled. “Yes, but it is very rare. I’ve only heard of four or five cases in my lifetime.”

  “Um, excuse me,” Tiffany interrupted. “Just how long is that? You’ve always been evasive.”

  Reaching over, Xu held Tiffany’s hand gently. “My dear, that’s because I don’t really know,” Xu admitted. “All I can say for sure, is I’m over twenty thousand years old.”

  Dropping his pen, Kenneth leaned back. “You had to wait that long before you got a car? I’m sorry.”

  Giving a hiccup, Besseta bit her bottom lip to keep from laughing. “Yes, these last years have made life much easier,” Xu smiled.

  Picking up his pen, “How many have you ever known that had the ability to take a being’s power?” Kenneth asked and felt Besseta tense up.

  “I’ve heard of more humans surviving the touch of a cubus,” Xu answered, then added. “The ability to share powers another has, never. The ability to take a power, less than a dozen edimmu. But I know several cubus that have the ability.”

  ‘Glad we didn’t run to China and look for his ass, then,’ Besseta said in Kenneth’s mind.

  Giving a soft chuckle, “Yes, that would’ve been a letdown,” Kenneth said out loud, almost making Besseta’s heart stop. “What pointers can you give me for fighting leviathans?”

  “Do it with a large group and only engage them one at a time,” Xu offered. “As I’m sure you’ve noticed, sunlight has no effect on them as it has no effect on the cubus.”

  “Shit, didn’t know any of that,” Kenneth gasped as he wrote.

  “I didn’t know that,” Maliki admitted, wiping sweat from his brow. “Can the Asian League provide any assistance to us?”

  Xu turned to Maliki. “We have been here fighting since this started. Not in large numbers, but we are here. I can’t devote large numbers, or I will weaken our sovereign territory. We can’t lose that, or the cubus will have the numbers of humans they need to take on the Asian League.”

  “You know your strategies,” Kenneth chuckled. “You have any advice for us?”

  “Yes, continue the war as you have been, taking out their rank and file army,” Xu told him. “Are you sure you want the rest of my advice?”

  Hesitantly, Kenneth nodded, “Yeah.”

  “You have killed some powerful minions they control, but you haven’t killed a cubus as of yet. I suggest you do that soon. They are losing their fear of you because of that. None of you have threatened them personally, but have been close several times. They are beginning to believe you are scared of them,” Xu told him.

  “Okay, I’m not going to lie,” Kenneth said, putting his pen down and realizing it was dark already. “I said ‘run’ the last two times, but they were after a friend. I would like to think, if things would’ve been different I would’ve attacked, but I still think I would’ve run like a bitch.”

  Furrowing his forehead, “If you would’ve run like a female dog, they would’ve caught you,” Xu pointed out and Tiffany busted out laughing, startling everyone.

  They all turned as she fell off the
bench, holding her sides and laughing. “Besseta, control your friend,” Kenneth said.

  Leaning over to Xu, “I’ve had difficulty following this new meaning as well,” Maliki informed Xu, then explained what Kenneth had meant. When Maliki finished, Xu busted out laughing and slapping the table.

  Slowly, Xu stopped laughing and wiped the tears from his eyes. “Yes, I did that for several thousand years because I couldn’t get anyone to stand with me.”

  “And you expect us to just charge in and kick their asses?” Kenneth asked.

  “Don’t kick them, kill them,” Xu corrected. “They aren’t as fast as us, and even in daylight we have the advantage of speed, but at great danger as I’m sure you’ve learned. But they all have abilities of the mind that varies greatly with each one.”

  When Tiffany stopped laughing, she climbed back up on the bench. “Xu, have you heard of a cubus that calls herself Elizabeth?” Tiffany asked.

  Nodding with disgust, “Yes, she changed her name a thousand years ago, and her appearance just a few decades ago, but yes, I know the urchin,” Xu replied.

  “Then, you must know her son Efrin,” Tiffany asked as all joy left her face.

  Again, Xu reached over, taking Tiffany’s hand. “Yes, even for a cubus, he is a dark one. When his father bred his mother years later, and as I’m sure you know the cubus custom, restrained her until the baby was to be born and took it, Efrin was the one who cut his sibling from his mother as she was restrained. Yet, he didn’t turn the sibling over to his father, Damon, to raise like he was told. Efrin raised it himself. Even other cubus fear him, as they do his father. None of them trust Elizabeth.”

  “Are they on the council?” Kenneth asked, feeling the anger building on each side of him from Besseta and Tiffany.

  “No, they would be considered generals, if you want importance assigned to them. Damon is the only one who has taken offspring from Elizabeth. Elizabeth has sired four offspring from members of the council and withheld the offspring,” Xu said.

  “We get a TV crew to film a reality show about the cubus, we would blow the ratings out of the water. Those fuckers are cold-blooded to the core. Just rape a fucker and take the kid?” Kenneth said, reaching out and patting Besseta and Tiffany. Xu leaned over to Maliki, wanting to know what Kenneth had meant and Maliki just shrugged.

  Closing her eyes, Tiffany took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Xu,” she said softly. “Is Efrin in the country?”

  Shaking his head, “I don’t know, but Damon and Elizabeth are here,” Xu told her. “They move around, but as you know, the base in New Mexico is one of their strongholds.”

  “What the hell are they guarding in Iowa?” Kenneth asked, feeling Besseta finally relax.

  “Some type of research, but what kind, I don’t know,” Xu said.

  “They control Europe, why have a research base here?” Besseta asked.

  “They do,” Xu told her. “Two, in fact, but just because there is no league, don’t think they are ruling unopposed. A war rages there, but more assets have been pulled from Europe to America, so the cubus are only maintaining control of population centers for now.”

  As Besseta was about to ask a question, Xu looked off with a blank expression for a second. “I’m sorry, but I must go. It seems the cubus want to try and establish a foothold on the mainland. I shall teach them another lesson,” Xu said, standing up.

  Holding out his hand to Kenneth, “Yes, you, Besseta, and Tiffany have extraordinary power, but you caught them off-guard in L.A. Don’t make that mistake again. When you hit them, it must be hard, violent, and very fast,” Xu instructed, shaking Kenneth’s hand.

  “Thank you and after we stomp their asses, how about we sit down for a few hundred years and talk?” Kenneth offered.

  “We will be taking nights off, though,” Besseta smiled as Xu shook her hand.

  When Xu went to shake Tiffany’s hand, she came around the table and hugged him tight. “Don’t let them hurt your libraries. They are the best I’ve ever studied in,” Tiffany told him. “I’m already livid, and I don’t want to go past that.”

  Chuckling, Xu hugged her back and then let her go, turning to Maliki. “Continue as we discussed and if needed, you can contact me, but it may take me an hour or two to respond,” Xu said, shaking Maliki’s hand.

  When Maliki let go of Xu’s hand, he stepped from under the pavilion and disappeared with a thunderclap. “I want to run fast like that, just once,” Tiffany pouted.

  “The only ones that are as fast as Xu that I’ve seen are Besseta and Kenneth,” Maliki said, waving the driver of the SUV away. “Well, I’m going to hit a pack near Amarillo, since I’m this close. Where are all of you off to?”

  Looking down at his closed hand, “Don’t know yet,” Kenneth mumbled.

  “What?” Besseta asked and Kenneth opened his hand to reveal a folded sheet of paper. Picking up the sheet of paper, Besseta unfolded it and saw hand drawn map. “This is the compound in New Mexico!” she gasped.

  “Did Xu give that to you?” Tiffany asked, and Kenneth nodded.

  Maliki looked up at Kenneth, then at Besseta and Tiffany. “You’re the one that told me to leave that site alone. It wasn’t worth the risk!” Maliki gasped.

  “Well, maybe it is,” Besseta nodded and Kenneth grinned.

  Chapter Twenty-Seven

  “I’ll call my troops in and hit the area with you,” Maliki blurted out, looking at Tiffany.

  “No,” Kenneth said. “We can’t attack together because if all of us get wiped out, then it’s game over. Who else will lead here to fight?” Kenneth asked, and Maliki’s mouth hung open as he thought, but couldn’t come up with an answer.

  “Maliki, if you want to help us, then slaughter as many werewolves as you can and hopefully, that will pull some out,” Tiffany told him as Kenneth packed up his backpack. “At the very least, it will call away reinforcements they could call on.”

  Staring at the three in disbelief, “I sent six powerful psychics, each was at or near a thousand years old, and none reported back that they’d even made it,” Maliki said in a panic.

  Pulling on her backpack, Tiffany laughed. “Well, if you add all our ages up, we are older.”

  “We will attack tomorrow so if you can, hit another pack within five hundred miles,” Kenneth said, pulling on his glove.

  “This is suicide!” Maliki cried out.

  “Please,” Besseta scoffed. “It gets that bad, we can haul ass like last time.”

  Maliki stepped over to Tiffany. “If you fail, know I will kill Efrin before I die,” Maliki vowed.

  Reaching up, Tiffany patted Maliki’s face. “Thank you and that means a lot, but I plan to remove his spine from his body with my hands and use it to fornicate with his anus, until Efrin dies with his insides ripped to shreds,” Tiffany smiled.

  Kenneth froze, and a shiver ran through his body. “Saying it like that, one can’t even grin. Sounds beyond medieval.”

  Turning to Kenneth with a cold expression, “Oh, wait until you see what I do before that,” Tiffany warned.

  “I’ll bring the popcorn and Kenneth’s blowtorch,” Besseta smiled.

  Seeing there was nothing he could do to change their minds, Maliki hugged each one, climbed on his bike and left without saying another word to them.

  The three walked out to their motorcycles and climbed on. “I think Maliki is still sweet on you,” Besseta giggled.

  Shaking her head, “No, I am special, but he remembers a time when he had friends. It is getting easier to look at him, and not expect to hear Herotho. In time, I see us as good friends again,” Tiffany told Besseta as they both pulled on helmets.

  ‘Keep at the speed limit. We don’t want to attract any attention,’ Kenneth said in their minds. ‘We will stop in Albuquerque… just remember to take a right turn,’ he added and laughed hard, echoing in their minds.

  They both turned to see him snickering and slapping the gas tank on his motorcycle. Feel
ing the stares, Kenneth stopped laughing and turned to them. “Right turn at Albuquerque?” he offered, hoping they would get it. “That’s where Bugs Bunny always made a wrong turn,” he finally cried out.

  “Who’s that?” Tiffany asked.

  “Wait, wasn’t there a Bugs in that Roger Rabbit movie we watched?” Besseta asked, looking from Tiffany to Kenneth.

  Pulling on his helmet, “Never mind,” Kenneth groaned. “We are watching cartoons when we get home.”

  After cranking up, Kenneth took the lead and headed for the interstate. It was after midnight when they drove into town. ‘Let’s find some snacks,’ Kenneth told them.

  ‘I’m not really hungry,’ Tiffany replied, but was concentrating too hard and it came out as a bellow in their minds.

  Hearing Tiffany’s bellowed reply Besseta jumped, making her bike weave over the road. Reaching up, Besseta flipped up her face shield and turned to Tiffany. “Damn it, that hurt!” Besseta screamed.

  ‘Sorry,’ Tiffany replied back meekly. ‘I’m still getting used to not using my mouth with you two. Can’t we use the blue thing for our phones?’

  ‘No, they can track those, and we might slip up and use a word they are searching for,’ Kenneth replied, turning off the highway. ‘We need to feed because tomorrow will be a knock-down, drag-out fight.’

  Giving a sigh, Tiffany just followed the two. It didn’t take long for them to find a parking lot at a sleazy hotel with a party going on. Kenneth kept them linked to his mind while he sat on his bike, filtering through the thoughts of the partiers.

  ‘The woman with long black hair and gray pants is mine,’ Tiffany snarled, hearing the woman’s thoughts of killing another woman and her kid.

  It didn’t take long to find two more, and they got off their bikes and pulled their prey away. Twenty minutes later, Besseta led them to a motel where they checked in and carried their guitar cases up to their room.

  They opened up the guitar cases and checked their equipment over, then called to check on Mickey. Tiffany pulled out her laptop, so she and Besseta could play with the puppies. The sun was above the horizon when they packed their gear up and sat around the small table in the room. None of them spoke and they prepared themselves, in an almost Zen-like state, for the fight ahead.