by Night, H. T.
It didn’t matter if I was a werewolf or not, every time I fought, the world went into slow motion. He was clearly beating me and I began to grow frustrated with my werewolf body, but was afraid to tip my hand and transition into my Mani form.
Krull was at the west end of the corridor and I was at the east end. It was a classic showdown. I decided that it was now where I would fight him, one on one, Mani vs. Mani. I transitioned into my Mani form.
Krull stared at me and called out, “How many advantages will one man have?”
“The Triat leveled the playing field!” I yelled back at him. “They figure you have hundreds of years of experience. My only dream is to be all the things you’re not!”
I fully expected Krull to attack me, but he didn’t. He did something far different. He ran. He fled at the west side exit. I chased after him and as Krull hit the sunlight, he quickly transitioned back into his raven form and flew high into the sky.
As I exited, I transitioned into the eagle and saw where Krull’s ravens that had made it through were now gathering in the sky with Krull. I knew that once they had a large number of ravens that had made it past us, is when we need to retreat and get back home and wait for them to pursue us there, where we were ready with the second battle plan.
At this point, there were only a couple of hundred Mani enemy ravens. We still had them outnumbered outside. I flew back to the east side and as the three crews led by my friends attacked each enemy Mani as they exited, I noticed that our kill success rate was at about 50 percent. Tommy had informed me that they had killed over 500 men inside the wine cellar.
Krull now had close to 400 men who had joined him in the sky. It was now time for us to retreat.
“Tommy,” I yelled in my head. “Pull back and leave through the west-side exit.” I gave the signal with my wing to Yari, Hector and Helen that the first battle was over and we needed to leave very fast.
Our first battle was a huge success. We had killed more than half their men and left another couple hundred too injured to fight.
It was time for phase two.
Chapter Thirty-four
I had all the Mani fly back to the house in Victorville. Fortunately, we lost no Mani during the first battle. Several were injured, but none gave their lives.
Unfortunately, eight werewolves died inside the cellar but thank God, Tommy and Yomaida had survived without any injuries. Tommy and his fifteen survivors transitioned back to Carni and took the next train back to Victorville. They would arrive back home around 3:00 p.m.
When my men and I got back to our compound, we all headed into our bunkers. We crammed in there, very similar to the sardine mess we just exposed over at Krull’s vineyard.
Once each of us entered the bunker out of the sunlight, we transitioned back to our Mani forms.
We celebrated as each of us entered the bunker with hugs and high fives. The plan that Sion and I came up with was executed perfectly. It was time for all of us to regroup and get into position for Krull to come for us.
Wyatt showed up from his plane trip from Amsterdam. That gave me an additional Mani superstud, along with Atticai. Atticai was up in the house.
I told everyone to make room for one another and rest. The second the sun went down, we would get into position for phase two.
Everyone had the bloodthirsty look in their eyes, and I wanted that, too. It is the nature of war. Soon, this would be over.
I asked Yari to join me in the house. As we entered the house, Yari asked, “How you holding up?”
“I’m fine,” I said. “We didn’t lose a single Mani.”
“How do you feel about their side?” she asked.
“Their side is of no concern to me,” I replied.
“Josiah, it’s okay if you have empathy for their souls. That’s who you are. I understand that you have told yourself to not look back. But also be true to your nature. It will only benefit you and make you greater as this continues.”
I nodded my head. “My heart goes out to their misguided selfish natures. Anonymity is what keeps us strong. We’re in the shadows. We take what we need, and then we’re gone. Krull’s plan to expose us to the human race and then wage war against them is so bull-headed and ignorant that it makes me nuts, just thinking about it.”
Yari stared at me. “Remember this, Josiah. I followed you for two years. I watched you when you never thought anyone was watching. The beauty of your heart is what makes you who you are. The courage that you have deep in your soul will lead us all of us to victory. Remember that. Will you, Josiah? Because you and I know that the real war is about to begin.”
“I know,” I looked at Yari and gave her a hug.
“I am so proud of you,” Yari whispered in my ear.
“Well, this victory isn’t ours yet.”
Yari nodded and went back to the others.
I found Atticai in one of the empty rooms, meditating. The surprises that this man reveals never cease to amaze me. I stepped into the room and Atticai looked up at me. He asked simply, “Did you prevail?”
“Yes, we eliminated more than half of them. Krull probably only has a third of his army left that are strong enough to fight.”
Atticai was impressed. “That’ll make it a pretty even fight.”
“We’ll have the advantage. We have home court. We are going to have 50 men spread out with crossbows, specially designed to shoot metal stakes cleanly through a man’s neck. My experts have been practicing for months. If you any trouble with Krull at any given time, I’m sure one of my crossbows snipers can shoot him.”
Atticai looked up at me and simply said, “Krull will die from my hands.”
Atticai really wanted this and it was time that I knew why. “Atticai, what exactly did Krull do to you?”
Atticai was quiet.
“It has to be more than he ostracized you.”
Atticai exhaled and said, “Krull revealed the whereabouts of my biological Tandra family. He let the Carni know where they were. Although I hadn’t shared a bed with my wife in years, I still loved her dearly. She was the mother of my two sons.”
“Two sons?” I asked.
“Pretty profound, isn’t it, Josiah? How you get everything I lose.”
“Atticai, it’s the way things have turned out, but I never took those things or those people from you that you lost. You are a good Mani, and The Chosen One destiny could have easily been your fate – you are certainly worthy in my book — but the Trait chose me and we must honor that. The way I see it, we can help each other by not being constantly at odds with another. It weakens us as a race, not to be united in harmony, as we strive for our common goals. For the good of all Mani, I ask you to put aside jealousy, envy, and a divisive heart.”
Atticai looked resigned. He knew I was right. I saw it in his face. “Josiah, just promise me one thing. That, you allow me to kill him.”
“I promise.” That was my second promise in all of this. The first was to Lena that I would live. Atticai asked if he could meditate alone. I told him to knock himself out.
Wyatt arrived and I briefed him on his role. His job would be the north end of camp. He looked very well rested. Good, because he was the only one. Well, he and Atticai.
* * *
It grew dark and it was time for everyone to get in position. Tommy and his immortal fifteen werewolves returned. I stood in front of my army and explained it was simple, a numbers game.
We would allow them to attack us, but we would defend. I had Wyatt defending the south end with a hundred of his soldiers. I had Hector defending the west end with his hundred men. Yari had the east and Helen, the most experienced warrior, had the north end with 150 of our best fighters. We built a wall around the compound. It would take the trumpet of Jericho to tear down this wall.
Unlike what happened to Krull, in which, we surprise-attacked and pushed them out to one particular side, we were going to defend all four corners with most of our men. Fifty of our fighters were designated
as crossbow snipers. The remaining Mani, along with Carni, would fight in the middle. Our job was to hold strong. There would be no reason to leave. With Atticai occupying Krull’s attention for as long as he could, this would leave his army without a leader.
My job was to fly overhead and to spot weakness on our side and theirs. I needed to do what I did best: Kick as much ass as I could, and defend my turf.
My men were ready and now waited in position. To my surprise, Krull did not come right at sundown as I expected. Hours went by and we held our positions. I was beginning to think this wasn’t going to play out the way that Sion and I anticipated. But… at the stroke of midnight, we heard the buzzing of a thousand ravens flying through the sky. Then in packs of a hundred, Krull’s men flew in from all four sides, just as Sion and I had anticipated.
They were as organized as a depleted army could be. At the very front was Krull. It was Atticai’s job to get his attention and to steer him away from the battle, near the south end of our compound.
As a second battle broke out, Krull’s men were out for vengeance. They were wore metal breastplates that came to the neck, and had furs similar to Vikings. As they landed on the ground, each member of his platoon transitioned in unison. They were a sight to behold. But, so were we. We were definitely a more clean-cut group, but I had my rock stars.
I flew around the battle and watched as all four sides defended their posts. Wyatt led his group and fought his side straight up. Helen’s side was cleaning house, which was suspected, because she had the toughest of our fighters.
Both Yari and Hector’s sides were not doing as well. Each side was being pushed back. We couldn’t let them penetrate and reach another side of the compound. We needed to keep them isolated.
Krull had pushed his way into Hector’s side, leading his very large group of Mani men. Sion’s calculations were that he would enter from the north end, but we were wrong. Hector’s army was being taken over at a rapid rate.
One by one, I saw my men vanish in the night. As they were being executed by a Krull army, they were delivered painful executions from a vengeful army. I did my best to fly in and attack these brutal warriors. I was only one individual, but I managed to take out a good share of the enemy.
I had taken out a dozen of his men with crisp attacks from the sky, ramming my eagle beak through the necks the same way that I once killed Atticai.
After I finished off another man, I flew back up to find Krull. I spotted him from the sky. Krull was annihilating my men. I watched as Atticai tried to make his way to where Krull was. Atticai was having a hard time getting to him. I waited as Atticai killed man after man to get to where Krull was standing. I watched as Krull finished off men from my crew. As I looked down, the battle reminded me of Braveheart — both carrying swords and spears, making their way to the middle where the other one was standing.
Watching a Mani war was not your typical fight, as everyone attacks the neck, opposed to one’s chest. It would be pointless to strike a Mani anywhere but the neck, and no one wasted that kind of effort, on either side. The neck was the clearest kill shot. There was a lot acrobatic lunging on both sides, where everyone was out to protect their head, while simultaneously, going for the neck of their opponent.
Finally, Atticai and Krull were face to face, with fierce expressions on both their faces. Both men flew up in the air at the sight of the other one. This was going to be a battle for the ages.
“Atticai! I should have known that you were in on this!” Krull called out.
“The only thing I’m in on is watching you breathe your last breath,” Atticai answered.
They were both hovering in midair.
“What makes you think, after all these years, that you could even compete with me?” Krull laughed.
“This will not be a competition. This will be an execution!” Atticai flew into Krull, carrying a metal sword in his hand. Krull fought him off and the two continued to trade blows, each trying to ram their blade into each other’s necks. As far as I could tell, the fight was dead even. I did not have time to be a spectator. I needed to maneuver Helen’s group to the west end and help Hector’s group, which was being depleted quickly of fighters.
I needed for Wyatt’s group to do the same. It appeared that we were winning, although Hector’s group was cut in half. The war continued to move on. I continued to help and we continued to battle. Something had happened and I began to have an out-of-body experience, almost in slow motion and as if I watched from afar. I watched as Atticai and Krull fought an epic battle where both were bloody messes. I watched as my Mani men and women fought valiantly. One thing I was becoming highly aware of, even as I delivered kill shot after kill shot to my enemy: We were winning.
The numbers were now down 300 on Krull’s side and we had at least 400 on our side. We finally outnumbered our enemy. We continued to fight and maneuvered in a way to give us maximum kill success.
I continued to launch into the parts of the battle where I was most needed. I flew down next to Helen in the battle and helped her out. She was being specifically marked for who she was. Someone was watching. As I finished off another enemy Mani, I could see something in the distance. As I looked to the north, I could see Lena and Sion. What the hell were they doing here?
Even though our numbers had improved, I didn’t want either of them anywhere near here. I worried for their safety and was afraid I would be distracted by them during our fierce fighting. Suddenly, I heard one of my men yell, “Josiah, watch out!” I looked to my right and one of Krull’s men had taken control of one of our crossbows and it was faced it in my direction. He had already launched at me.
Then time completely stopped. The crossbow released and I could see Helen to the left of me, and in an instant, she flew in front of my body.
She stared me with her eyes very peaceful, just as I watched the metal arrow go right through her neck.
With my hand, I pushed the arrow out so the arrow didn’t completely go through her neck. Helen fell into my arms gasping for air. I immediately placed my hands over her neck to try to heal her, but it was no good. It was a shock, but Helen was also immune to my healings.
Chapter Thirty-five
She collapsed to the ground and as I looked at this beautiful woman and it all became very clear to me that Helen was our martyr. She had always known what her fate would be on this epic day. I stared into her eyes, and I said the only thing I could, “Thank you. Thank you for all that you are.”
Helen gasped one last breath and said, “Take care of our people.”
And with that, Helen vanished.
Tears dripped from my eyes as I looked up. I wanted to mourn this moment, but I had no time. The battle had turned. We were clearly winning. It was time to square off with Krull.
I flew up into the air and went to the area where Atticai and Krull were still fighting. From the looks of it, Atticai was clearly losing. Krull seemed to have grown stronger as their fight went on, while Atticai seemed to be weaker.
The last of the individual battles seem to stop around us. Everyone on both sides was now watching Atticai fight Krull. It was almost as if Krull’s army needed to know if they should continue. In a matter of a couple of minutes, they had lost another three-fourths of an already-depleted army.
Lena and Sion made their way over to us. I gave her a look as if to say, “What the hell are you doing?” When it came down to it, she was as stubborn as I am.
It was now up to Atticai to finish off Krull. I didn’t see the likelihood of that happening. Atticai was just getting his ass kicked.
The two men continued to trade punches and kicks. Just when I thought Atticai was finished, he would reverse it and take control. There were many times when I nearly jumped in.
This was a fight for the ages. But, Atticai lost his focus. For a second, he let his guard to down to take a breath. That was what Krull needed.
Krull took his sword and raised it in the air and was about to take out Atticai
and once again, time went still for me. I considered what Atticai told me, that no matter what, don’t interfere. This was his fight… live or die.
There was one person I couldn’t allow that to happen to, and it wasn’t for Atticai’s sake. It was for Donya’s. She had paid a horrible price the last forty or so years, and the one strength she had that kept her alive, was that someday she would be reunited with Atticai. And now she was. So now, Atticai needed to live, not just for him, but for her.
This is where I stepped in. I leaped forward and with a mighty force, I used my telekinesis and removed the sword from Krull’s hands. Krull was a skilled enough warrior that he would have a variety of ways of finishing off Atticai. That wasn’t going to happen. Not tonight. I launched my body into Krull with a force of a thousand men, and sent Krull flying off of Atticai.
Krull looked at me and smiled. This motherfucker had no reason to smile.
“What are you smiling at?” I asked, mocking him, as he had mocked me when I was helpless against him. “The fact that in less than 24 hours, my army killed over 90 percent of yours?”
Krull looked at me and shrugged. “I’m smiling at this great moment,” he said. “Because, you may have the upper hand and you might have won the battle, but taking your life now will be my victory!”
“Come get it!” I said plainly. “I’m done with your mind games. The only game in town is scoreboard. As I see it, my team is kicking your ass.”
“Then, let’s make this interesting,” Krull said, reaching for an angle.
“You are in no position to barter with me. You will defend yourself and that is it.” That felt really good to say out loud. I leaped into Krull and we traded punches and kicks. Krull kept landing his kicks and punches on me. He was incredibly strong and had amazing quickness.
At one point in the fight, something became very clear to me. It was something that all fighters know. In the thirty seconds of a fight, every fighter is aware of one of three things: you’re going to win, lose or have the fight of your life. Whenever I have stepped into a ring, or squared off with an opponent in real life, I was quickly aware of one of three facts, and I was always right. After the thirty seconds, I knew the outcome. I clearly was not going to quickly win this fight. Also, I was certain… this was not going to be the fight of my life. I was certain of one thing and one thing alone: I was going to lose.