Reborn

From the perspective of Chase Cringle.

Jeriah continued to lay lifeless, unmoving. His spirit was trapped in the Nether, but we, his friends, would not allow him to be trapped there for long.

After puncturing my forearm with my own fangs, black blood poured out effortlessly, dripping down onto Jeriah's lips, his mouth slightly open. I prayed for my act of mercy to work, I prayed harder than I ever had before, and I'm not sure myself why I did pray for Jeriah. I guess he was like a friend to me. He was good-hearted, friendly, though somewhat rebellious.

Jeriah eyes fluttered, then opened fully, his reborn crimson-red eyes embracing the fascinating, awe-inspiring, totally whimsical world. He grinned a sly grin, licked his lips clean, then he softly wiped his face with his right hand, collecting traces of the black sludge, and he licked his fingers clean.

"That taste is exquisite. Chase, your blood is truly remarkable. If only you knew how good you taste."

Initially, I was skeptical and weary of Jeriah's sincere remark. But then I thought nothing of it.

Jeriah lifted himself up to greet us all with a groggy face. "What am I doing laying down in the middle of the road? And why do I feel like I'm empty?"

I suddenly felt as if a sack of bricks had been dumped onto my chest, and I thought twice about telling Jeriah the truth. "Orrus. That big, bald, buff vampire, shot you with a revolver. You die. I came up with a plan to save you, with some help, of course."

As Jeriah met eyes with Austin, a complete stranger to him, Jeriah's face turned from self-grandeur straight to perplexion. Jeriah didn't even care to reply to me. "And, you are?" Jeriah asked Austin.

Austin widened his eyes, surprised and responded, "I'm your grandpa. "

Jeriah commented, a little annoyed, "Well, gramps, I hope you're ready to take responsibility for me. I'm terribly hungry."

"That's to be expected, fledgling. Luckily, I always keep a quick solution to counter any fledgling's unquenchable thirst for blood."

Austin peeled away his robes to reveal a tall and wide pocket with seven sockets, each containing a distinct vial, all of his vials sealed, and he produced a single vial from one of the sockets, a vial nearly brimming with dark red frothy blood.

"I keep these vials on hand for a plethora of reasons. Most of all, I keep them for the hungriest of fledglings. This vial here came from a very prominent human female of high stature and power, a woman endowed with a very special gift. I won't divulge why this woman is so special. And, no, I didn't kill this woman for just a vial of blood. That would get me fired, quick. The woman offered a sample of her blood to me in the hopes that I would have a use for it. She thought that because of her peculiar ability her blood would prove to be beneficial in my scientific endeavors. I haven't studied this woman's blood, yet, and, now, I'm offering you a single sip. One little sip. Please don't chug it. Care to try some?"

Jeriah barked, "Why can't I just have the whole damn vial?"

"Because, I've yet to study the chemistry of the female's blood sample. I will need most of the blood in this vial to conduct my study properly. Only a few precious drops can be allowed to go to waste."

"I'll only take a sip," Jeriah replied. "Oh, and if you call me a fledgling one more time. You'll be eating dirt."

Austin cursed under his breath, then he unplugged the cork to the vial with his sharp pointed nails, and held the cork with his forefinger while, with his other outstretched arm, he generously offered the vial to Jeriah. "Take a swig."

Jeriah grabbed the vial and immediately began to slurp the contents, but Austin knew better and he swiped the vial from Jeriah's grip, then he twisted the cork back into place, ultimately stuffing the vial in its respective socket beneath the folds of his black robe. "That's all you get," Austin said firmly.

Jeriah sourly replied, "Ass wipe."

I didn't care for Jeriah's attitude, nor the way held himself. He seemed like an arrogant slouch with an insanely deluded sense of grandeur. Definitely not good, I thought. What's with his sudden change in demeanor?

Blood trickled from the corner of Jeriah's mouth and down his neck; It seemed that Jeriah didn't notice, and his eyes seemed to go completely blank for a second due to the sudden euphoria from the blood he drank.

I confronted Jeriah. "Tell Austin that you're sorry."

Jeriah retorted, "I'm sorry, Austin. Happy now?"

"You're damn right you're sorry."

Jeriah then asked us all at once, "Why are we here? What is our agenda?"

I explained to Jeriah, "We're all now associated with the Hart Clan. We work for them. Austin, though, he's only an affiliate. The three of us: me, you, and Brandon. Our job is to recruit individuals for the Hart Clan. We're all brothers, in blood. Both of you must follow my orders. Understand?"

Jeriah agonized, "When did you become Captain Commando?"

I rushed to grab Jeriah by his throat. I hardened my grip while gazing into his eyes. "Are we fucking clear?"

"Of course, captain."

"Wonderful." I released a sigh of relief, then I released my grip.

Jeriah could only fondle his neck, where I had left a dark red handprint.

"Now, get your sorry ass up," I commanded Jeriah.

Jeriah stood, then, with tact, he asked, "Where will we find more competent individuals to recruit as vampires into our clan?"

"Great question," I replied. "We'll look over every nook and cranny to find recruits worthy of being in our clan. If you meet someone with the right traits, then make them a damn vampire, but only if they want it, and only if you want it. It's important that you do not make someone a vampire if they don't want to be one."

Brandon chimed in, "Our business venture has turned out to be quite a journey thus far. I wouldn't be surprised to see a dragon swoop down and fly us to another dimension."

"Seen it," Austin commented.

Brandon turned toward Austin in awe-struck. "Seriously?"

Austin relented a single laugh. "I'm just fucking with you."

"Go to hell," Brandon responded.

"That, I have seen."

"Really now?" Brandon questioned, somewhat suspicious.

"Yeah. This time I am telling the truth. I have seen hell, just not the same hell you had in mind. How do you think I retrieved that witch that healed Jeriah? I ventured through the Nether."

Brandon asked in response, "What is this 'Nether'?"

"Oh. If you must know, the Nether is a place of death and despair and misery that even vampires dread. It is its own realm, it's own dimension. It is what Christians would call 'Hell'. As for me, I've been to the Nether more times than I can count. I have no qualms navigating the Nether, it helps to save me time here in the real world. When I'm in the Nether, it's like a dream. A lucid dream. A dark lucid dream. I like it that way. The Nether challenges me every time I go there. It's not some place to go to just for fun. I know the risks. I know I could be trapped there if I am caught by a rogue Nether Guardian."

Jeriah asked, "How does navigating the Nether save you time?"

"It's simple. Time flows much, much slower in the Nether than on Earth. Ten weeks in the Nether is about five minutes on Earth."

Brandon interjected, "So that's how you got here so fast!"

Austin proudly replied, "Yes, indeed. You guys owe me, as I said before. I risked going into the Nether twice. Once to go fetch Ms. Nethers, and another to bring her back here. Don't expect me to do this again any time soon."

I uneasily replied, "Austin, if we do this favor for you, how long is it going to be before you move on? Gene told me that you're a nomad."

"Gene said that?"

"Who's this 'Gene'?" Brandon inquired.

Austin eagerly replied, "Gene is the leader of the Hart Clan. The other living clan members and their hosts all say Gene is a nice, well-respected vampire lord. What do you think, Chase?"

I attested, "Gene wouldn't set us up for failure. He believes in me."

Austin countered, "I know Gene better than he knows himself. If I wasn't Gene's friend, then I'd have been dead and in the grave a long time ago. Hasn't he told you?"

I had to ask, "Told me what?"

Austin grinned and replied, "Gene made me a vampire some years back. I need not tell you all I know about Gene, not yet anyway. But, what I will tell you is that I work for a company that studies vampires. It's funny, really--I am the only vampire employee that officially works for the FEF. The company is funded totally through their money-making experiments. The FEF primarily exists to study particle physics and molecular biology. But they're also known for creating new technologies and biological weapons.

"Anyway, I've had the luck to study Orrus' DNA. I used to know Orrus quite well. We were, what you guys could say, friends, but only in business. He wanted to know what made himself indestructible. So I scraped off a sample of his skin and took it to the lab. In his DNA I discovered a unique mutation that endows him with skin cells infused with aluminum oxide, titanium oxide, magnesium, and silica--a very, very potent combination which allows Orrus to be super-resistant to high temperatures, ballistic explosives and nearly every conventional weapon known to man. When I had all the answers I needed, I returned to Orrus, hoping for a small reward. I told him the complexities of his condition. The son-of-a-bitch lost his cool and nearly blew my head off with the same revolver he used on Jeriah. Since then, I've quit seeing him and his goons, except for Micah. Micah isn't so bad, just misguided and entrapped.

"Anyway, to kill Orrus, someone must shoot or impale his brain through one of his eye sockets. Or dissolve him in a highly corrosive acid. Impaling him through one of his eyes would be the easiest route. If you guys ever wanted Orrus out of the picture. I don't see many other options."

I replied, "So, Orrus is a menace with skin stronger than steel, and his entire gang needs eradicated? How do we fight a giant vampire and his entire gang?"

"The honest solution? Deliver an ambush on the Flesheaters outside their tower. Mow them all down with heavy artillery. Wipe the gang from the face of the Earth. But, I am sure there's a simpler, less destructive way."

"Which way is that?" I implored Austin.

"Each of us is a carrier of a unique special gift, and I'm not talking about the talents we're born with. No, I speak of supernatural abilities, magical abilities. As vampires we are energized vessels. When we die, we lose part of ourself in the process, but we also gain three things in return: We gain new life, we gain an unquenchable thirst for blood, and we gain the ability to practice the magic arts. We can use magic against Orrus and the rest of the Flesheaters."

I pressed for more answers. "How do we practice the magic arts?"

"About that. Normally anyone that wants to learn magic needs extensive schooling from one of the only two existing accredited vampire academies. The one I know, Castle Academy, is located in northern British Columbia deep in the wilderness. The other academy, Piedmont School of Sorcery, is a fortress hidden in central Serbia. I was trained at Castle Academy in British Columbia. Both academies once communicated with each other, and, together with Sard's School of Divination, a third obscure academy in southern China, these three institutions formed a federation of academies all devoted to teaching vampires the magic arts."

"Amazing," I said. "That's awesome. I would love to visit each existing academy, some day. "

Austin continued, "What year is it now? I cannot for the life of me keep track of time."

Brandon quickly answered, "2056. You didn't know?"

Austin glared back at Brandon. "Does half the time count? Anyway, the federation of vampire academies dissolved nearly six hundred years ago when Sard's School of Divination was obliterated in a mighty conquest led by five corrupted grandmasters from the Piedmont School of Sorcery. I'm not sure how or why. My grandpa taught me many things, and the history of the three vampire academies was one thing he didn't divulge much upon me."

Brandon replied, "Interesting. But I doubt us three will run away and attend an academy for vampires. At least not right now."

"Why not?" Austion questioned.

Brandon narrowed his eyebrows, almost sneering, and replied, "It's utterly ridiculous. Being around a bunch of other hungry vampires in an old castle, learning ancient magic tricks. I thought only wizards and witches learn magic."

"Ha!" Austin laughed. "No. Vampires can learn magic just as well as any sorcerer or wizard. Although, few vampires choose to learn the magic arts, maybe because most of them think they don't need it, or maybe because most of them don't know they have the ability to practice magic.

"The magic arts include sorcery, pyromancy, divination, as well as the forbidden art of necromancy. I could teach you sorcery, pyromancy, and divination myself, but… I'm not qualified, and I would be labeled as a traitor by Vampyr Society and be hunted down and executed, and anyone that trains under me could be executed as well. Even though I work as a high committee member for the FEF, I must always follow the guidelines set under Vampyr Society, as do all vampires."

"What is Vampyr Society?" Jeriah asked, completely intrigued.

Austin sighed deeply and rolled his eyes. It was apparent he was getting tired of answering questions. "How can I explain?" Austin closed both his eyes as if to generate the perfect explanation. "It's not a place. It's a collective of all of us vampires. In Vampyr Society, we have strict rules and regulations. We and all of our kindred play a role in Vampyr Society. I suggest you fine folks get acquainted with the rules and regulations that can be found in the official Vampyr Guidebook which are given away for free at hives and clubs and businesses owned by other vampires. Trust me. There are rules in our society for a reason. Would you seriously want to live in a world where vampires are allowed to do whatever they want? No, you wouldn't. That's mainly why Vampyr Society exists: to protect innocent humans and vampires and all other races from vampires bent on destruction."

Jeriah replied, "Maybe going to an academy solely for vampires isn't such a bad idea after all. Chase, Brandon, and I could all learn a few spells and save our own skins. Two birds, one stone."

I spoke for my friends and I. "Yes, a vampire academy would be cool, but that's not for us, not now. I have a duty to recruit. And I have to get revenge on Orrus. We all do."

Jeriah agreed, "True. Orrus can't be allowed to live, that scumbag. I would love to rip his heart out and shove it down his throat for all the damage he caused."

Brandon replied, "Just imagine the carnage that son of a bitch can wreak on anyone he chooses. He rose to power by being ruthless. He must be stripped of his power, or, even better: destroyed."

Austin gritted his teeth in disappointment at me and my friend's responses.

"All three of you have an insatiable desire for revenge, and it's overriding your ability to think clearly. If you three were to enroll and attend Castle Academy you guys could really make a difference in Vampyr Society. There is no cost. Only commitment. You guys could go for one year and be done with elementary education in the magic arts. You guys would learn how to improve your strengths and learn how to defend against your weaknesses, all the while making some cool friends along the way. You just can't learn Necromancy."

"We'll think about it," I affirmed Austin.

"I guess I can't change your mind. Maybe one of these days guys will have a change of heart. Anyway, Chase, how do you think you will get your revenge on Orrus? Have you ever killed anyone?"

I replied, "I have. Earlier, at the Tower of Blood, I stabbed a guy in the chest. He dissolved into ashes. And before that I stabbed another guy in the eye while riding a motorcycle. He burnt to a crisp. That's all the experience I have." I shrugged my shoulders.

Austin took a moment to breathe. Then he resumed, "Ok, so you've already got your hands dirty. Awesome. But will you three together be enough to kill Orrus and his entire gang? I would love to help, but… Orrus doesn't walk about St. Louis alone. He's always accompanied by an entourage of Flesheaters. Bodyguards. Elites. They do the dirty work. And they're skilled in terrorizing and killing."

"And? The next time we meet the Flesheaters, we ambush them and attack with some heavy artillery. Just like that," I said, thinking I had everything in the bag.

"Fair enough. I didn't think I would ever consider taking down an entire gang of vampires. But I will help you all, yet again. And, as I said, I will need Micah's Promethean Orb as compensation," Austin finished.

"We will get you the orb." I stated.

Austin smiled and nodded and joyfully replied, "I know you all will get the orb. But, first, I suggest that we all attend the second to last night of the Festival of Wizards tonight in East St. Louis."

Brandon asked, "What can we do until then?"

Austin replied happily, "We can hang out on the west end of Congressman William L. Clay Sr. Bridge and admire the sunset."

Jeriah commented, "That sounds heavenly."

As the four of us climbed into the Tahoe, a cloudy vision of a friend's betrayal entered my head, stunning me so that I seemed paralyzed for a moment in time. But the vision dissipated and so did my concern, and I hopped into the Tahoe. Austin took the wheel and drove to the destination.