by H. T. Night
Chapter Thirteen
There was a deafening silence in the study.
My friends weren’t sure if I had lost my mind and was about kill each of them. I needed to assure them that the choice I had just made just saved their lives. “Please, no one be afraid. This was something that had to be done.”
“What the hell did you see?” Yari said. “You just fucking killed one of our own. What kind of Lord of the Flies bullshit is this?”
“Yari, I understand that you were close to Cyrus. To be honest, I am disappointed that you weren’t able to see how deceitful of a person he was.”
Yari walked over to where Cyrus had laid before he disappeared and just blankly looked at me. “Josiah, I know you have a lot on your plate. This, however, is something you needed to give the rest of us a heads up on. You don’t just kill a member of the inner circle on a whim.”
“You shouldn’t question Josiah.” Sion spoke up and defended me.
“Hey, kid! Shut up!” Yari said, snapping at Sion. “Josiah didn’t just kill someone you had been romantic with for the past year.”
“Yari, look at me,” I said. “I want you to see what I saw.” I grabbed Yari’s head with both my hands and closed my eyes. I recalled the horror I had seen when I touched Cyrus’s chest. I recalled all of his betrayal and even the death of Yari herself. I let go of her head, and Yari knelt to the ground and wept. I had never seen her so vulnerable. So completely wide open.
“Josiah did the right thing,” Yari said. “Cyrus was going to be the end of us. Every one of us.”
I looked at the group and said, “I saw evil. Cyrus was evil to the core. He was also a lot stronger than he let on. That is why he was able to hide it from you guys. This was the first time I had a chance to catch my breath and to truly see what he was made of. Trust me when I tell you that it was pure evil. He was still a loyal follower of Krull. God only knows how much information he has fed him.”
“I stand by your decision, Josiah,” Hector said. “There was always something about that guy that rubbed me the wrong way and now I know why.”
Each person seemed to agree with Hector, so I calmly told everyone to sit back down. “Now, that I know I can trust each one of you, I am going to tell you something that can alter everything if it is ever let out. If our enemy would find out this bit of information, it would debunk all we have tried to do as a unit.”
“For God’s sake, Josiah. What is it?” Tommy blurted out.
I stared at the group and calmly said, “I am mortal, and so is Lena.”
“That’s impossible. You’re the most incredible Mani of all time,” Wyatt said. “There is no possible way that a drop of you is mortal.”
“Well, Wyatt, I’m very much a Mani. I’m just also human. And if you’re just a tiny bit human, it can only mean you don’t have immortality.”
“So what does that mean? Yari asked. “I have been around a hell of a long time and have never heard of this.” Yari was concerned. “Who told you?”
“The Deity. Think about it, guys. How else could Lena be pregnant? We both are vampires and mortals. We can die of disease, a gunshot wound to the heart. Even a slit wrist.”
“This is remarkable. So, you’re going to age just like every other putz out there?” Tommy asked.
“There is nothing wrong with aging. I was told Lena and I would age at a much slower rate, but we will get older and someday perish from this earth.”
It was weird. Everyone in the room acted as if I told them I had cancer and had a year to live. This wasn’t that serious to me. After all, it’s what humans have to live with every day. Their own mortality. Vampires get a free pass on that. It really isn’t that fair, if you really want to break it down and dissect the truths about it. Why should vampires and werewolves live forever? What made them so special?
“I just want all of you to know, I take comfort in knowing that my life is going to have a natural beginning and end.”
“This is major news. Thank you for trusting me, Josiah,” Yomaida said.
“No need to say thank you, Yomaida. It is what it is. You passed the test,” I said, smiling in her direction.
“If I didn’t, would you have killed me?” Yomaida asked.
“I don’t know. It would have depended on the level of betrayal I would have seen,” I replied.
“Trust me,” Yari said. “What I saw when Josiah grabbed my head was brutal. Cyrus’s betrayal was extremely awful. I wanted to break it off with him anyway. He had grown distant in our relationship, and now I know why.”
I looked at the group and said, “I know now that each of you is trustworthy. To be honest, I find that to be exciting.”
“So, what’s the plan?” Hector asked.
“Yeah, what’s the plan?” Tommy asked. “Also, why are we helping Atticai? He has been such a little bitch lately.”
“Tommy, there is a lot of good in Atticai. I know it. I have a feeling that if we find this woman and bring her to him, it would make him a new man.”
“Or weird him out. You do know she isn’t a vampire, Josiah,” Yari said. “She’s going to look old and she might be in poor health or suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.”
“I know.”
“Do you know if she is even alive?”
“Wait a second,” Tommy said. “She is human? How old is this broad?”
“She is in her sixties,” I said.
“You think dropping off an old lady who has spent the last forty-plus years in a prison camp at Atticai’s feet is going to make him happy?”
“I was told she was the love of his life. Love has no age and no time limit. If Atticai is the kind of man I think he is, then he will celebrate her love, no matter how old she is physically. After all, the guy is 300 years old himself.”
“Is the only reason you want to do this is so Atticai will come and join us against Krull?”
“There are a lot of reasons why I think this is the right thing to do. The main one being that I’m a romantic at heart. Atticai’s one true love is still out there. He has believed for over 40 years she has been dead. I want to bring her to him. If he wants to join up, then that would be fantastic, but that is not the reason why I’m doing it.”
“What do you need us to do?” Yomaida asked. “Remember, Tommy and I are grounded. We can’t exactly fly to the Philippines like the rest of you.”
I looked at Tommy and Yomaida and said plainly, “I need for you two to sit and watch over the property while were gone and take care of Lena.”
“Seriously? That’s all you want us to do?” Tommy asked perturbed. “Keep the home fires burning?”
“We’re going to need to be in and out extremely fast. I am going to need you here with Lena because you need to notify me the second she goes into labor or if anything happens.”
“So my job and Yomaida’s job is to play nurse to Lena?” Tommy was enormously disappointed.
“Tommy, you guys can’t fly. It will be a liability, having you two grounded. Plus, I’m going to need someone to hold down the fort. I can’t exactly feel that comfortable about leaving Lena alone. Even if it’s going to be just 24 hours. Please, Tom, see it for what it is. I’m asking you to be there for my family. I wouldn’t trust that job with anybody but you.”
“You’re just sugar-coating the fact that I can’t fly,” Tommy said, not buying my hard sell. “It’s cool, Josiah. We will gladly stay back and make sure Lena is okay.”
I looked Tommy in the eye and walked over to him. I knew this guy and he wanted in on the mission. I just couldn’t risk someone who was tied to the ground. God only knew what kind of ammunition they are going to have.
I walked up to my best friend and placed my hand on his chest. Not in some Christ-like way for healing, but in bonding way to recognize my friend for his worth. His value was more than anything in this world to me in terms of friendship and union.
As I placed my hand on his chest, Tommy gave me a look like ‘what the hell a
re you doing?’
“Tommy,” I said. “You’re my dearest friend, I love you more than words can express. I need you here. I want you here. You paid your debt to me tenfold already. Sit this one out. I won’t ask that of you that often. Plus, I promised you in Mexico that you could take the rest of the year off.”
Tommy resisted my affection and then gave in to my touch. He placed his hand over the top of my hand, which was still on his chest. That was his way of saying okay. I looked at the rest of the group and said, “Now that we all know that I am mortal, I can’t even be on the inside because of guns. There will be too many chances for me to get shot in the back.”
“So, what? You want us to do all the heavy lifting?” Wyatt asked.
“Does that sound like me? When is the last time you heard of me not going balls out on a task? I only need for those of you who can take a bullet to step up and go with me. I understand if you don’t want in on this mission.” I paused and looked my friends in the eye. “So, now is the time to tell me that you’re willing to put your bodies on the line for me.”
Everyone nodded and said under their breath, ‘I’m in.’
“Sion, you will stay here. I know actual physicality isn’t your thing.”
“Thank God,” Sion said.
“But you would go if I needed you, right?” I asked Sion.
“Of course I would.”
“Very good. But what you can do is brief everyone.” Sion had graduated from MIT and had the IQ of a character from The Big Bang Theory.
“I have found the exact location where Donya is being held,” Sion said. “She is on an island just south of the Philippines. Iran runs an underground prison camp on the island. They keep their political figures there. They like to bring them out for trial when needed.”
“Not to be weird,” Tommy stated, “but why has the government kept her alive so long? What good is she to the Iranian government?”
“Some mysterious donor paid an extremely large sum of money to their government not to execute her in 1968. By now, the government is probably just waiting for her to die.” Then Sion and I went over the rest of the details of our mission. We were going to take an airplane down there and fly ourselves back. It was going to take precise planning. Thank goodness, I had Sion.
Chapter Fourteen
Lena was not too thrilled about what I wanted to do in regards to rescuing Donya. As a matter of fact, she was against me going. Well, she knew by now that once I had my heart set on something that I was going to do it, especially when it’s something this selfless.
Before I left, I promised her that I would come back the second she went into labor. My gut was telling me that wasn’t going to happen. Plus, I planned on being gone less than 24 hours.
“Okay, Lena, I’m leaving but I promise to be back first thing tomorrow morning.”
“You’re really leaving?” Lena rolled over to her side on our bed and refused to look at me. I should say, she rolled over as much as she could roll over. She didn’t quite make it. It was actually a funny sight. She looked like an injured animal that was stuck on its back trying its best to move.
“I promise you, I’ll be back before you know it.” I walked over to the other side of the bed and made Lena look at me by sticking my face an inch away from hers. “Do you trust me?” I asked.
“Of course I trust you. What I don’t trust is a bullet in your chest.”
“That’s why I’m bringing Yari, Hector and Wyatt. All of them can take a bullet. Please give me your blessing to leave and I promise everything will be okay. I have survived this long.”
“What if I don’t want to give you my blessing?” Lena said in her cute, little-girl voice.
I knew now she was coming around. “Look, sweetie, close your eyes and go to sleep. Tommy and Yomaida are here and the second your water breaks, we have a sea of nurses on call who will be here in minutes.”
“Josiah, just promise me one thing. Once you do this for Atticai, then let it be over. Don’t try to keep reeling him in. Let him go.”
“I promise,” I said. I knew I wasn’t going to be able to keep that promise in the long run, but it was what she needed to hear. I kissed her goodbye and made my way downstairs.
The four of us who were making the trip met with Sion in the bunker for one last briefing and then we were off to LAX airport. We were taking a trip to Manila.
So, Wyatt, Yari, Hector and I all took the next flight out of Los Angeles to the Philippines. We flew into Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila at 2 o’clock in the morning. My plan was to get Donya in and out before 5:00 a.m. We were going to fly back to California on our own power, as Mani. If we flew at that time, we would hit night sky, the whole way back.
The island that Donya was being held on was called Tiachia. It was the same distance to the Philippine coast as our own Catalina Island was to California’s beaches. Tiachia was an island that didn’t appear to be what it seemed. On the outside, it looked like a military training ground for the Philippine army. That was just ‘a ruse.’ In reality, the island was not even owned by the Philippines. It was owned by a notorious Iranian political activist, Albiat Qumar. Certain nations outsourced their political prisoners to him. I could only imagine the conditions of the place and the horror that Donya had experienced for the last forty-plus years.
Hector, Wyatt, Yari and I were now on the ground. We didn’t bring anything with us, other than our skills and abilities. We quietly went over every detail of the plan on the plane before we landed.
The island wasn’t too large. There were two areas of the islands where they kept their prisoners. There was a giant concrete building in the northwest section of the island that appeared from the outside to be a government building. Sion figured out exactly what the building was being used for by cracking into some CIA sites. It was our belief that Donya was being held in there. There was also a smaller prison on the south side of the island that physically looked like a prison from the outside. The island claimed it was only used for training, and that it wasn’t a prison at all. We obviously thought otherwise.
As the four of us exited the airport, I informed them that we would be heading out immediately to the island of Tiachia. I added, “Are you guys okay with the plan?”
“This is what we do, Josiah,” Wyatt said, stone-faced. “We help those in need. We went from not giving a shit for years to saving the world.”
“At times,” Yari added, “I need to remind myself I am now one of the good guys.”
“I like being one of the good guys,” Hector said, as a matter of fact.
“So do I, Hector,” I said. “I just need to ask one more thing of you all.”
They looked at me expectantly. “There will be blood. I would ask you not to feed upon the Tandra here, but to keep your mind on the fighting, protecting each other and saving Donya,” I looked pointedly at Yari, who I thought might break ranks if she was hungry enough.
“That goes without saying,” Hector said and everyone else nodded their assent.
“We all fed at home in the Mani mess hall before we left,” Yari said. “We are well aware of your policy for our Mani soldiers.”
“Whew,” I said. “Because I always see feeding as a weak point when we fight, if anyone was to get distracted from the mission.”
“Not gonna happen,” Wyatt said, “no matter how much blood there is,” and I saw my team was all in top form and all dedicated to the mission. They all bore intense fierce looks on their faces.
“You are the best of the best,” I said, wishing Tommy could have been here to see how our small Mani team worked so well together. “Everyone transition,” I said.
I transitioned into the great white eagle. Hector and Wyatt turned into black ravens. And Yari turned into my old friend Daphne, the beautiful red hawk. The four of us were off, darting through the sky in a beautiful formation. I was at the head, and my three dear friends directly behind me. In about thirty minutes, we made it to the coast. Al
l that separated Donya and us was ocean, prison guards, and some bars. We needed to execute the plan 100 percent the way Sion explained it to me. He calculated the exact time to be in and out with the least casualties. I didn’t want to blow up the place because I remembered the warning The Deity had given me. As an American citizen, I didn’t want to start World War III.
At exactly 3:30 a.m., we flew across the ocean to Tiachia’s island. We needed to do this quickly, but we had one giant problem. We had no idea what cell she was in.
As the four of us crossed the ocean to the island, I had knots in my stomach. Mani and Carni was one thing, but these kinds of people made my blood boil; the type of people that had taken liberties away from individuals in the name of government, a government that operated on the fear and misfortunes of others. A part of me wanted to just destroy the joint, Mad Max style, but I knew that was exactly what The Deity was afraid of. That was why she never let Atticai know that Donya was alive. He would have blown up the joint.
As we made our way closer to the island, the giant concrete prison as visible as the Great Wall of China, must have been a hundred feet up in the dark. It was just right out in the open. It amazed me that people could just get away with torturing human beings right smack out in the open.
I glided over at a safe distance with my crew close behind me. The last thing I wanted was to be target practice for some bored night prison guard who had nothing better to do than to shoot some pretty birds out of the sky.
This night, I needed to use all my skills. I needed to fly over and focus on the building and get a sense of what was going on inside. As we flew over, I focused my attention inside of the building. I didn’t have X-ray vision like Superman, but I had the ability to see and to feel people inside without a clear visual. I could feel that there was misery below in the concrete building. There was death and distress at the highest level. The despair of the prisoners overwhelmed me as I concentrated on the building below me.