by H. T. Night
“That’s impossible. Goliath would have killed me if I wasn’t immortal.”
“No, Josiah. The Triat only made you stronger on that night. You were still mortal.”
I couldn’t believe it. “That’s impossible.”
“Josiah, feel your heart.”
I placed my hand over my heart and could feel it beat. “Okay,” I said.
“Josiah, vampires don’t have heartbeats, you do. You are very human.”
“So, you’re telling me that I can die just like anyone else? I can get cancer or some other life-threatening disease and die? Or I could eat a bad fast-food burger and just poof, dead from E. coli?”
“Josiah, the last thing I wanted was this to be revealed to you too soon.”
“Then why did you?”
“Because you are going to fight in a great war for the Mani people. Krull thinks you’re immortal. It will be to your advantage if he keeps thinking that.”
“How is that to my advantage?”
“He will not do an easy kill-strike on you, one that could kill the average human. If he knew that all that could kill you is a stab in the heart, or a gunshot in the back, then he’d do it and be done with you. Krull thinks that you are on the same level playing field as he is. He has no idea... that you are fallible and that he is—” The Deity stopped herself. So, I finished her sentence.
“Krull has no idea how much more powerful he is than me. It’s like I’m going in there with one arm tied behind my back.”
“That is where you’re wrong, young Josiah. He has an enormous advantage, but you have abilities that no Mani before you have ever possessed. You haven’t even scratched the surface of what you can do.”
“I have the ability to fly, ability to heal, read minds, and see the future. Anything else?”
“You can spit fire.”
“Are you being serious?”
“No, I’m just kidding. Even I have a sense of humor, once in a while.”
She got me. That was pretty good. I laughed. “Too bad, I wanted to be a dragon, too.”
“Josiah, you have all those abilities you mentioned. And no, you can’t turn into a dragon. But, you have yet to scratch the surface of them. Why is that?”
“With all due respect, your Holiness, I’ve been pretty busy. I haven’t had too much alone time to start making all of these tests for myself.”
“As you train your army, you also need to train yourself. Krull doesn’t possess all of your abilities. The more you master them, the better you will lead and will have a higher likelihood of defeating Krull and his army.”
“I hate thinking about this doomsday fight. I want to wish or pray for peace, just because it is easier than this freaking civil war. Is this battle inevitable?”
The Deity smiled and said, “Unfortunately, it is. It is the only way Krull will be stopped. You have been chosen for a reason. It isn’t because the Triat believed that you are bloodthirsty and would take pleasure in the destruction of his own people. They knew you would do it correctly, because of your heart.”
I looked at the Deity and sighed loudly. “That is a lot to take in and embrace. It’s a huge responsibility.”
“I know it is. But you will prevail. If you listen to your heart, I promise you will come out on the other side.”
“Can I ask you a completely different question?”
“Of course.”
“Why do I have an overwhelming need to have Atticai on my side?”
The Deity smiled and said, “Because you have an amazing soul and a tender heart. You realize Atticai was done wrong, and it’s your nature to make it right. The Triat used him and you always stick up for the underdog. You have a sense of justice that is unsurpassed among the Mani.”
I looked over at the Deity and scoffed.
“What is it, child?”
“I don’t get Atticai. I want to. He’s one of the toughest fighters I have ever seen. I would love to have him fight alongside me. Is there any way to get through to him?”
“Ever since he lost his one true love, he has never been the same.”
“Lena is not Atticai’s one true love?” I said, as indignant and angry of a tone I have ever used with the Deity.
“Not Lena, child. Atticai’s true love is from a long time ago.”
“His wife and kids that were killed?”
“Atticai loved his wife, but that was when he was in his human form. Many years later, Atticai met his soul mate. A woman who changed him forever.”
“Who was she?”
An Iranian woman named Donya.”
“Really?” I was shocked. This was the first time I ever heard of her. “Donya? Huh? What happened to her?”
“As far as Atticai knows, she’s dead.”
“She’s not a vampire?” I asked.
“No, she is human. Atticai loved her too much to make her a vampire.”
I put my hand on my chest, digesting this information. “I knew he was good to the core. He’s hiding it from me, though. To sacrifice a love and let her stay human, and watch her age and die, that is truly selfless.”
“As the Chosen One, your powers of discernment are rising, I see.”
“I’m working on it.” I leaned toward the Deity. “You said as far as Atticai knows, she’s dead. Is she really still alive?”
The Deity nodded her head. “In 1965, Donya came over to California on a work visa. She was an actress who made an extremely political movie here in the States. She was a beautiful and talented woman and Atticai was smitten with her the second he laid eyes on her. For three years, he lived a normal life with her as his one true love. He was willing to marry her and say to hell with ‘The Chosen prophecy.’”
“What happened?”
“Her country is what happened. When she was over here, she made a damaging film about the conditions of Iran. She showed how awful women were treated in her country. She was way ahead of her time with the concepts of women’s rights in a Muslim country. When she finished filming, she did some press for it and went abroad to Europe to speak at a world women’s conference. Atticai warned her not to go. Iranian radicals kidnapped her and brought her back to Iran.”
“Why didn’t Atticai fly over there and clean house?”
“That was what we were afraid of: Atticai taking it to such an extreme that it would have caused a human and Mani war. The American Tandra are already so entrenched in Iran issues that it could create an international incident if Atticai went over there and killed people to save her. Which he would. So, we told him that something else happened to her. It is one of the few lies I have told that I have never regretted.”
“You told him that she was killed.”
“Yes.”
“And he believed you because you’re the Deity.”
“Yes, Josiah. Sometimes deceit saves lives. Atticai would have started World War III there in Iran. He would have exposed our race to humans. In the history of the world, no man has ever loved a woman more. Atticai’s love for Donya was something to behold.”
“So, that was it? You told him that she was dead, and that was it?”
“No, Atticai went to Europe and checked things out, but he didn’t find out anything. The radicals were in and out of Europe. And he didn’t have any Tandra intelligence at his ready disposal. On his own in Europe, he tried to inquire after her, but the Iranian intel was just not available. We knew it wouldn’t be.”
I pressed my lips together. “Where did they take her?”
“Eventually, they took her to a prison camp for traders.”
“They obviously killed her there.”
“No, Josiah, she is still alive.”
“In the prison camp?”
“Yes.”
“In Iran? Where in Iran?”
“No, the prison camp is off an island just south of the Philippines. Josiah, please don’t do anything stupid. Things have only gotten worse since then. You might be a Mani, but you’re still an American citizen. If you
go down there, all hell will break loose. You can’t just waltz in there and take what you want.”
“Don’t worry. I won’t do anything stupid.”
“Why don’t I believe you?” The Deity smiled at me. “Anything else, Josiah?”
“No, that’s a lot to take in. I just found out about my own immortality. Not to mention learning about Atticai’s one true love.”
I took a hold of the Deity’s hand and kissed the top of it. “Thank you for telling me all of this. You are very dear to me, your Holiness. I feel extremely close to you.”
“As do I, Josiah.”
I kissed the Deity on the forehead and stood up. I said my goodbyes and I was off.
As I flew home, I wrestled with myself about going straight to Atticai and teaming up with him to go get Donya the hell out of the prison camp. The two of us could kick ass. Hell, we could get all the oppressed women out of that prison! Hell, we could get all the women out of all of the prisons! I face-palmed myself as I flew. Because then I thought about unleashing World War III to save one Tandra woman, and exposing the Mani to the entire Tandra world, including the far-reaching tentacles of Iran’s power, all the way to that horrible island prison and all the way to the Twin Towers in New York. I thought about what America had just gone through with 9/11 and with Iraq, how many people had died, on both sides. And how long it had taken to get everyone home, too many of them in body bags.
Every piece of information mingled in my head and I asked myself the question: If I was really immortal and not about to become a father, would I go get Atticai and then we’d go get Donya?
And the answer I came up with was: hell yes.
Why didn’t I go after Donya myself? I wasn’t immortal, I was about to become a father, and I wasn’t ready to fight Krull, let alone start another big war that would quickly spread from the Philippines to the Middle East and back to the States. The horror of 9/11 was so uppermost in my mind that I could barely sleep that night. I didn’t want to start a conflict that would end that way.
So, that night, despite being torn at the news of Donya’s terrible and unjust life, and Atticai’s loss, I just went home to Lena and my two little baby boys in her womb. While she slept soundly, I talked to her belly and told the boys how much I loved them.
Chapter Eleven
When I returned home, I knew the first person I needed to talk to about my mortality was with Lena. After all, we were both in the same boat. She needed to know this information as much as I did.
I came into the bedroom and she was sitting up watching Pulp Fiction on the TV set. “I have no idea why Tommy and you love this movie so much,” Lena said. “All the scenes are out of order.”
“That’s is what makes it a masterpiece. That and it re-launched John Travolta’s career.”
“He will always be Danny Zuko to me,” Lena said, smiling. “So, what’s up?”
“Why do you think something is up?”
“Because I know you and you just visited the holy mother. I can only imagine what new information she sprung on you. What is it this time? Did she tell you that our sons are going to be born green or something?”
“Didn’t get that bizarre, but she told me something bizarre nonetheless.” I looked at Lena and didn’t want to worry her, but I had no choice but to tell her. Especially with the fact she was delivering any day now. She needed to know the seriousness of her health.
I needed to just come out and say it. “Lena we’re not like the others.”
“I’m aware of that. We eat steak well done and they can only lick it when it’s rare.”
“It’s on a much bigger scale than that.”
“Okay, then tell me what it is.”
“Lena, you and I are going to age.”
“Come again?” Lena didn’t quite understand.
“We are mortal. We can die, we can get diseases. We are not going to live forever.”
Lena was puzzled. She turned off the TV and stared at the wall. “Are you sure?”
“I trust The Deity. So far, everything she has said has come to pass.”
Lena was quiet.
“Well, what do you think?” I asked.
“I’m glad,” she said. “I’m happy that I get to experience the circle of life. It was the one thing about being Mani I wasn’t completely on board with.”
“So, you’re okay with it?”
“I’m actually excited about it. It’s funny how it seems that living forever is a perfect concept until you believe it to be true. Then you see how imperfect it is. That life was meant to be lived and it’s also meant to be celebrated in death. Did she say what will happen to us when we die?”
“Nope, it will be a mystery to us, as much as everyone else.” I crawled up next to Lena and wrapped my arms around her. “It looks like we are more normal than we thought.”
“Trust me, there is nothing normal about either one of us.”
“Amen, sister.”
***
A couple of days later, Tommy and Yomaida returned to the house.
I knew they had been up to something. Tommy was as transparent and as predictable as the weather in southern California: Sunny with a chance of beach boy. In Tommy’s case, he’d do whatever it took to make the ladies happy. And, not consciously, but yeah, he wanted to get next to them. That lady at the moment was Yomaida. He tried to play things off as casual, but I knew the guy. It didn’t take a genius to know what Tommy did. I just had so much on my mind. I couldn’t worry about it. It was obvious that Tommy had tried to werewolf whisper Yomaida. Tommy was his own man and even though I had said ‘no’ to her, that would mean little to him if he thought it was important enough for her to have that skill. What could I say? Tommy was a free-thinking lone wolf... literally.
I knew in my gut what they were up to. When they came home from wherever they went, I was going to have to confront the situation.
I was right in the middle of a bowl of Life cereal with milk and watching Jimmy Kimmel Live when the two of them came home. They both decided to come into the living room and stand next to me while I devoured my bowl of cereal. I knew something had gone down. By the looks of Tommy’s face, he was dying to tell me what had happened.
I looked up from my cereal and Tommy and Yomaida both were staring down at me quietly, standing no further than a foot away. They were giving off a strong couple vibe and were just hot to give me some news. They were either going to tell me that it worked, and Yomaida was now able to transition at will, or that they ran off and went to Las Vegas and got married for the pure hell of it.
“What’s up, guys?” I asked, as I clicked off the television show with my remote control. I didn’t want to. Jimmy Kimmel Live was my favorite show, and it had been a while since I could just collapse on the couch and take in an episode. But, I knew they had some news. Whether I liked it or not, I was going to hear it. I had a strong feeling I wasn’t going to like it.
Tommy looked down at me with a big, goofy grin and then they both walked over and sat next to each other on the other couch. “I have something to tell you, and you need to promise not to be mad at us?” Tommy said hopefully.
I looked up at Yomaida, and she seemed a bit more bashful about the information that was about to be dropped in my lap. I decided to let them both off the hook because Tommy was a grown man and I wasn’t going to be able to control him. If he wanted a little playmate, who had the ability to be the type of werewolf that he was, I couldn’t stop that.
“It’s okay, guys, I know what you did.”
“And you’re not mad?” Tommy asked.
“Depends. Did it work?” I looked down for a split second, and when I looked up, both Tommy and Yomaida had transitioned into their werewolf forms. They were both gigantic werewolves, hanging off the couch. Tommy was in his usual gray coat, but Yomaida looked badass. She had slick, black fur that gave her a panther-like presence.
“Transition back to your Carni forms,” I said to the two wolves. “We just cl
eaned the furniture and we are fresh out of cans of Resolve.”
Both of them transitioned back.
“You have a nice coat, Yomaida,” I said. “You’re undeniably more intimidating than Tommy with your black hair. Tommy looks like an old man when he becomes a werewolf.”
Yomaida laughed. “I think Tommy is extremely sexy as the gray wolf. He is almost invisible in the moonlight.”
I smiled at Yomaida. She was under Tommy’s spell. At one time or another, it seems all women were taken by his charm. The guy had game, that’s for sure. “So, what’s the deal with you too? Are you all coupled up?”
“Not at all,” Yomaida insisted. “Tommy is a lot of fun.”
“We’re just going with it, Josiah. No labels.”
I laughed. “Whatever floats your boat, you two. It’s amusing to know how little that people listen to me around here. I can’t even get my best friend to do what I ask. Which was not to share the knowledge of how to transition at will and be trained.”
“You know how I roll, Josiah. I could give a shit if you’re the Chosen. I fight next to you and have your back because of who you are in my life. Not because of what some voodoo force thinks of you.”
“Is that how you refer to the Triat now? As a voodoo force?” I asked.
“Look, I know you have a hard-on for the Triat because they dubbed you savior of your people, but my life has been a little less glamorous. I take my pleasure where I can find it, and I do it without permission, and without giving anyone a say-so about what I do. I am my own wolf. I own my pleasure and I own my mistakes.”
I looked at Tommy and was extremely surprised at his disdain and disrespect for something that was obviously protecting him and giving him favor.
“Well, not everything is what it appears to be. I’m discovering realities about myself every day.” I looked across at Yomaida and Tommy. “Apparently, I’m a lot less tough than I thought.”
“How so?” Yomaida asked.
I stopped myself from continuing in this line of conversation. Although I wanted to share about my mortality with Tommy, I just wanted to wait until he and I were alone. Tommy might have trusted her, but my lack of immortality is a bit of information that I only planned on sharing with Tommy and Lena alone. “It’s nothing,” I said. “Just that every day as the Chosen One is a big learning experience.”