Julien Gregg's Twilight in Babylon: The Vampire Saga Chapter 12

 Chapter 12
THE FINAL CHAPER

“When?” Edward asked, looking at Archie hard.

“When the trees are green again,” he said.

“Why so long?” Gabriel asked.

“I don’t know,” he said. “It’s like they’re waiting for something. The vampire hasn’t gotten to them yet.”

“You’re seeing something that will happen because of something that hasn’t happened yet?” I asked.

“It’s like they’re waiting for him to come to them,” he said. “Like they need an excuse to take exception to us.”

“You said they’re all coming?” Elfric asked.

“The Vampires, the Forsaken, all of them,” Archie said.

“Contact Mark,” Gabriel said to me.

I called the Motherhouse and asked for Mark Hennings. I was told he was in the field but they asked what case this was referring to. I told them that I was the original hybrid and I had information that he wanted. I was given his cell phone number. I called that and got him. I explained what Archie had seen. He said he’d contact all of the species and send them to us. I was just getting off the phone when Jacob and Sam came into the house.

“The Council Di Vampire is coming for all of us,” he said.

“How do you know that?” Edward asked.

“The seers told me just a little bit ago,” he said.

“Archie saw it happening,” I said. “I’ve called Mark Hennings and he’s contacting the supernatural and sending them to us. The council won’t be here until the leaves on the trees are green.”

“That’s what the seers said,” Sam said. “The pack will be with you when they come.”

“Thank you,” I said. “It may turn into a battle but I’m not sure of that.”

“What do we do in the mean time?” Sam asked.

“We go about life like usual,” I said. “Christmas is in two days. I plan to give EJ a wonderful Christmas.”

“You’re not worried about this are you?” Jacob asked.

“No,” I said. “The supernatural beings will be here soon and I don’t think Brendan wants to mess with Godlings and Demigods. I don’t know what an Evo can do to him but I’m sure the Elves and Fairies can do a lot of damage.”

And live life like we always had is what we did. Two days later EJ sat in front of the Christmas tree in the family room and opened his gifts. He had so many. It seemed that everyone in the family had bought him something. He got the paints and easel and his eyes lit up. I gave him art books and things for his room. Every hybrid in the house got their necklace. We all put them on. I had presents for each of them. They all had presents for me, too. I got more necklaces and a few rings. I got a watch like they all wore. I set that to the right time and put it on. Then it was time for me, Edward, and EJ to go to my father’s house.

We got a shock when we got there. I could smell a ham cooking and all of the trimmings. The shock wasn’t the food. It was that Sue, Leah, and Seth Clearwater were in the house. It seemed that my father and Sue were getting close. I liked that. He needed someone in his life. He especially needed someone who could cook. I wasn’t sure about Leah and Seth becoming my step-sister and step-brother but I’d acclimate.

Charlie was happy to see EJ and insisted that we open presents now. That was fine with me. Edward and I had gotten Charlie a sophisticated fishing pole that had all sorts of extras. It had been very expensive but I wanted him to have it. We didn’t have gifts for Sue, Leah and Seth but they didn’t seem to care about that. They all had presents for EJ. He made out like a bandit. I’d told them not to buy him clothing because he’d just grow out of it in a day.

We had dinner with them and once again Charlie looked shocked that Edward ate human food. I’d explained to him that as hybrids we ate human food and consumed blood to survive. We utilized all parts of the human food and drink and had no waste. He thought that was amazing. He didn’t ask to be changed though. Neither did Kale but he was intrigued by what we were. He said he didn’t know what a hybrid really was and he was astounded when I told him that there were different types but that they were all part of my species.

When we left the house it was on a happy note. We didn’t tell them that the council was after us. Leah and Seth knew but that’s because they were shapeshifting wolves. Back at House Maxwell the first of the supernaturals had arrived. The Godlings were there and they were in the house. These were different from the ones that were there to witness EJ’s birth. Evan Porter had blond hair and blue eyes. He shocked me by telling me that his father was Poseidon. I thought that was fitting though and welcomed him. His counterpart was a girl named Dianna Grant. She was the daughter of Mars, the Roman God of War. They weren’t offended by vampires or hybrids and were intrigued by the Forsaken.

They were given places to sleep and Edward and I took EJ back to our house. We got ready for bed and took showers. Then we cuddled in the bed and said nothing. We just held each other. That’s the way it was for a few nights. More and more supernaturals came. None were the ones that had come before. There were four Evo and I had thought their species was small in number. There were six elves and six fairies. The Demigods came into the house and bedded down with the Godlings. Shocking me a Jinn came to be with us. He was amused by the vampires and the hybrids astounded him. He told us that we weren’t supposed to have been created. I told him it was a happy accident of crossing lines of ancestors in my bloodline. 

The leaves began to turn green and we all went to the clearing. We slept in tents and there were several. Of course the elves and fairies slept in the trees. The Evo just slept on the ground. I noticed that the grass was greener and had grown fuller where they slept. I didn’t know what the Evo were all about but whatever it was it had to do with nature. Edward and I stayed close to EJ who now looked like a child of thirteen. We’d given him new clothes that morning and he was wearing them. Of course we all had clothes in plastic bags because we were sure that we’d have to phase in front of the council to get them to stop and pay attention.

The pack came the same day as the council. They arrived just in time as we saw them marching out of the trees. There were ten of them. Five vampires and five Forsaken. Nathan, Jason, Link, and John looked at them with contempt. They had come for acquisition. It seemed that Archie, Edward, and I weren’t going to be given a choice about joining the council. Brendan looked at the assembled supernatural sand frowned. He looked at EJ and steeled himself. I stood there in the line of vampires and pushed EJ behind me somewhat. Then I told the hybrids to phase. We phased into wolves and Brendan stopped the procession. The Forsaken were looked at us with open-mouth shock.

“We were told that you had sired a Superdrone,” Brendan said from where he stood.

We had phased back to human and gotten dressed. Brendan had watched. “You were misinformed,” I said. “Laura Moreau raped me while I was in my death sleep. She got pregnant and he grew quickly but he is not a Superdrone. He is a hybrid like me, like Edward, Alice, Jasper, and Jacob. We aren’t subject to your laws and rules. We are a separate species from you.”

“Your diet? he asked.

“Human food and blood,” I said. “We consume both and utilize all parts of it to sustain us. We do not have waste. We phase at will and are different from vampires in that we eat human food and appear more human than the vampires. We are much like to Forsaken.”

“You are still under our purview,” he said. “You did not create a Superdrone but you told me that Laura tried to kill you all and you burned her. You left out what else she had done. How long was she with you all?”

“Three weeks, long enough to have EJ then I burned her to ash,” I said. “Supernatural were there for his birth and I told them what I had done. They all thought it was fitting that I had burned the body of a the witch who took lives to reach immortality. Isis arrived and stripped her of her witch power so that she couldn’t heal or kill anyone after EJ was born. She did this to take revenge on Edward for not making her a vampire.”

“You have assembled many to stand against us,” he said. “Did you think we came to fight?”

“You came here to kill me for making a Superdrone,” I said. “I will not allow that to happen but as you have clearly seen he is not a Superdrone.”

Then one by one the Gods flashed into the clearing. They were between us and the council. Poseidon, Isis, Darias, Ren, Ra, and Elle were all in the clearing. They smiled at me and I smiled back. I was so happy that they were there. Then another vampire came out of the sky. This one brought gasps from all who were present. This was my lookalike, Eric Maxwell, the King of the Immortals. He looked at Brendan and shook his head. He stood with the Gods.

“Eric?” Brendan asked.

“You came to kill one who is precious to me,” Eric said. “Your council has overstepped in many ways. You came here to acquire. You want Edward and Archie to join the council. I disband the council as of now. You are no longer my proxy. You are a fledgling and will be governed according the laws and rules of a fledgling. The rest of you are free agents, vampires who don’t have to stay together. I suggest you all scatter from House Maxwell which is no longer a home to any of you. I will not stand for what you’ve done in my absence. Making rules that I didn’t tell you were rules. Killing those who kill other vampires. Did you not stop to think that to settle a dispute between two vampires one might have to kill the other? No you were drunk on power. Well it stops now. I’m awake and will take my place as the King of Immortals.

“Beau,” he said, turning to me. “Create more hybrids and tend your species. I am your King but I will not lord over you. You and your species are free from this meeting. Take EJ and leave this place. Go home.”

As we stood there the Forsaken that had come with Brendan took off back into the trees. Brendan and the vampires were gone a second later. This was over. I looked at Eric and then the Gods. I didn’t know what to say to them. I had questions but they seemed insignificant in the face of the group. I took Edward’s hand and EJ’s hand and turned to leave. The others followed me back to the house. Once there we were among the Gods once again. Eric was among them.

“You woke up,” I said to him.

“I came to stop what was about to happen,” he said. “Brendan overstepped his authority to govern. The very fact that he formed a council was overstepping. He was to make sure that vampire numbers increased. He set limits and laws on how they were created, how many each vampire could have. I told him to let the vampires decide how many fledglings they could take care of. The law of the secret is still in effect. No one who is not Supernatural can know about us.”

“I can live with that,” I said.

“You won’t age any more than a vampire,” he said. “You will have to leave this place soon. I know that you have a relationship with your father. That may continue but it will have to be that he visits you instead of you visiting him. It won’t be good for the people of Babylon to noticed that none of you age.”

“We will decide where to go and go there,” I said.

“I am declaring you the Master of the Hybrid,” he said. “You will decide what they can and cannot do, who can and cannot be changed. I will make no rules about your kind.” To Gabriel he said, “My son, I am making you Sheriff of Area Five. I know where you are going. The hybrids will not come with you. I know that this effectively splits your family and I’m sorry but they await a different destiny than you do.”

“It will be as you say, Father,” he said.

“Go to Area Five,” he said. “That is San Juan. Live in the palace. Please don’t form a council. You are allowed one advisor and you’ll see your family from time to time I’m sure.”

“Where will you go?” Brendan asked.

“With the Gods,” he said. “It is time that I face a reckoning for the things I have done.”

“That sounds ominous,” Elfric said.

“Not at all,” said Poseidon. “He is our beloved much like Beau is. He’s just too powerful to remain among humans.”

Things began to happen quickly after that. Tomas, an Evo told me about a piece of land in Alabama that was more than half forest. He said it was perfect for the Hybrids. He took my hand and showed me the land. I smiled. I liked what I had seen. I told him to show Edward and he did. We packed our things to take with us and our journey started after tear-filled goodbyes with the family. We had dinner with Charlie and Sue and told them that we were leaving for Alabama in the morning. Charlie was upset about this but I told him it was a God who told us to go. People would start to notice things if we stayed here much longer. He accepted this. I told him that he would have to visit us instead of us visiting him. He accepted that.

Edward had a private word with Gabriel and Elfric. I hugged Nathan and told him to take care of them. Jason came with us as he was still Edward’s Forsaken drone. The change from vampire to hybrid had not broken the bond. We boarded planes while shipping companies took our stuff to Alabama. A house had been bought and it was half in the forest. We landed and made our way to the house. It was a three story building with a sun porch. A large kitchen was at the back of the house with a formal dining room attached. There were bedrooms for everyone. Of course Archie and Jasper only needed one. Jacob took the second and EJ the third. Edward and I took the master bedroom with its master suite.

“Well we’re here,” he said. “Are we going to turn more hybrids?”

“I’m sure we will,” I said. “There are only five of us so far. That won’t do.”

“No, I supposed we should all start changing people soon,” he said.

“Our species has to flourish,” I said.

“Well we have forever,” he said with a smile.

“Forever,” I agreed.