Point one five rules und.., p.19
Point One Five (Rules Undying Book 4), page 19
“And how do we know that you will keep up your end of the bargain?” Billy asked him.
“Because I give you my word that I will go in, help you steal whatever information will ‘save Lord Pendragon’ and get us out of there. Then we split and go our merry ways. In turn, I get a copy of whatever is in there, and you help mi amor to safety. It’s a fair deal.”
“You’re really like Lorcan, then?” Billy asked.
“I’m not some freak who consorts with werewolves, well . . . unless I have to. I do keep my word, just like he does. Isn’t that good enough?” Javier asked.
They rode quietly for a while until Billy finally reached into his bag and pulled out a beaten-up notebook and a pen. Javier smiled.
“I was wondering—” Billy started.
“You are curious. You want to know what I know, no?”
Gail leaned in as well. “I’m curious, too.”
“I have so many stories, but they are from long, long ago. What point is there digging up the past when the present is about to be so very interesting?” Javier looked over to Gail. “On the other hand, I could totally impress a beautiful señorita with my tales of glory and conquest.”
“Yes, you could,” Gail said, batting her lashes.
Javier leaned back in his little seat and smiled his biggest smile. “Very well, we shall play a little game, no? I will tell a story, but only if each of you tell a story in return. We talk until we reach our destination and then the stories end and the present begins again. You game?”
“Let the games begin,” Billy said as he flipped open his notebook. “You’re starting, right?”
Javier broke out laughing again. “You know, I am starting to like you, lob hombre! Ahh, where to begin? Where to begin?”
“The beginning?” Gail offered.
Javier grinned and gave her a little wink. “You want the beginning, you get the beginning. I am one of the very few who knows it after all. Most of the libraries are buried, the books burned, and the tablets smashed. Only a few seem to care about the time before the Cesare and the young families, but there are still a few of the very, very old who walk among us, and I had the good fortune of a long night and some very good sherry poured down the throat of a magnificent virgin with one of those very, very old ones.”
“Really?”
“Sí, mi amor. I have found that the forgotten crave any opportunity to be heard and remembered, so I sat and I listened. Never fear, lob hombre, you will see how this ties to your history as well, if you are patient and listen well.”
Both Gail and Billy leaned over the fold-down table, waiting with bated breath for the vampire to find just the right words to say. Javier gnawed at his lips with his fangs. Finally, his dark eyes lit up and he pointed his finger to the sky.
“The very beginning is as dark and mysterious to me as it is to you, and I have no clear idea exactly where my kind came from. There are scholars from the Jiangshi who claim to have found evidence that our kind came from deep in the earth – attacking man as he sought shelter in the caves. The Lung and the Pendragon, however, think that we came from the depths of the ocean and were splashed upon the world the last time the oceans spilled over. There is even one crazy Cesare who is certain that we all come from the stars! He is a bit of a tossed Cesare salad, no?”
Gail and Billy both groaned. Javier gave a wink and continued.
“Of course, the Jaeger don’t care. They are too busy brooding and killing things to worry about the past, and the Azarola, well the Azarola tell all the tales and try not to judge. What matters not is how the sludgy little beasties we are came to be, it’s what we did once shoved into the gullet of advanced monkey beasts, no?”
“Sludge monsters?” Billy asked.
“Sí, this flesh you see is nothing more than a meat suit, a protein puppet we tug the strings of - marionetas de carne, if you will. If you ever saw a true vampire, you would be tempted to attack it with a mop, not a wooden stake. They say that beauty is found within, but not in los vampiros case. Anyway, the first marionetas were not as you see today. They are described as . . . .” He trailed off as he searched for the words. “Monster would be too easy, no? They were closer to their true natures. Yes, that is it. These were creatures that terrified the early men, sent them running, screaming, and crying in the night. Still, as the men of the past let go of their savagery, the oldest of the old learned to evolve as well. They gave up individual power for something far greater: the ability to influence others. This was known as the time of one law.”
Javier gave Billy a moment to finish scribbling his notes. Once the pencil stopped, he stared intently into the werewolf’s eyes. “It is a law. I am sure that you can understand. Basically, the strong ruled, and the weak suffered. This law worked out very well for the strong, not so much for everyone else. My source told me that the very few greatest of vampires scoured the earth, taking whatever they could and destroying the rest. One horrifically timed volcanic-supereruption in what is now Indonesia, and suddenly all the humans in all the world could fit in a single football stadium. Think how very, very close all of us came to being nothing more than squishy, boring dinosaurs, and there would be no story to tell.”
“That’s ridiculous—” Billy said.
“You’re telling me that humans almost became extinct and it was all the vampires’ fault?” Gail asked, eyebrow raised.
“Si! Think about it. How many lesser species have you obliterated? And you don’t even live that long! Still, the most amazing thing came from the long, hungry winter. The few strong ones banded together and made a new law, a law that they would stop killing each other and protect the precious little herds of humanity that remained. They were patient and wise, and fostered kindness and hospitality both in themselves and their flocks. In time, there were two laws that governed all the ancients, and it was good. As you can guess, it worked out pretty good for all involved. Civilization happened, farming happened, and the ancients became undying kings of all mankind.”
“I missed that part in history class,” Gail muttered.
“Alulim and Alalngar? Prometheus and Perseus? Ever heard of them? Kukulcan, perhaps?”
“Perseus? Like in Clash of the Titans?” Billy asked, taking his turn to raise an eyebrow.
“Ahh, silly humanos.” Javier sighed. “You always have to keep passing on and retelling history. No wonder it gets so screwed up. Aye caramba.”
“So what happened to all the vampire kings then, hmm?” Gail asked.
“The same thing that happens to any tyrants once their subjects realize that there are so many more of them then there are of the rulers,” Javier said with a little nod. “Humanity rose up and decided to rule itself. They hunted los vampiros and made heroes of their own. They even found ways to summon great monsters, warriors both blessed and cursed. These berserkers hunted the old kings to ends of the earth and drove them into hiding. Indeed, it seemed like the once great spark of vampire kind was doomed to flicker out. Some gratitude for the masters who once saved humanity from extinction.”
“After nearly eating everyone in the first place,” Billy added.
“Details,” Javier said, rolling his eyes. “But as you can see, it became the era of three laws. The vampires knew that their only hope of survival was to hide from the masses of humans and their monsters, so they came to an accord and agreed to remain hidden. However, there were those in this last council of ancient ones who did not want to skulk in the shadows and live off scraps. They desired to be kings and queens once more, but they had long lost the secrets to grow and change. You see, while the ancient ones hid, a new breed of vampire had slowly, quietly adapted to life hidden among the flock. There were called commoners and rabble, but bit by bit, a few of them had impressed the ancients and earned a seat at the table of rulers. These Cesare, as they later called themselves, were impressive, but they still could be hunted by the humans’ beasts. It was simply not good enough.”
“So, what did they do?” Gail asked.
“There was a legend among the common vampires, a vampire who had mastered hiding in plain sight. His true name is lost to the winds of history, but he was nicknamed el Zorro.”
Both Billy and Gail snickered a bit. “Zorro was a vampire?” Billy asked with a laugh. “How about the Lone Ranger?”
“Zorro . . . like the fox. I call him Fox from now on, and no, not like that wannabe that you were supposed to be set up with. This Fox was a legend, the greatest of all immortal spies, but because of the circumstances of his birth, his own kind wanted nothing to do with him. Still, there was one on the council, very sly in his own right, who hatched a plan to woo the Fox. His name was Imhotep, at least it was at the time.”
“The mummy ran off with Zorro,” Bill muttered as he furious scribbled in his notebook. “I’m sensing a punchline coming.”
“Hollywood has ruined vampire history.” Javier sighed. “Anyway, Imhotep spent years upon years trying to convince the Fox to share his secrets to the council. I am told it was so long a time that many of the Ancients fell into despair and buried themselves deep within the earth to rot their pointless meatsuits away and slumber until the sun burned out. Yes, vampiros are that dramatic when they get drunk and tell stories. It seemed there was no bribe, no fortune, and no threat that could convince the Fox to help those who had scorned him.”
“I’m sensing a ‘but’ coming,” Gail added.
“But of course. There is one temptation that will eventually fell any man. Imhotep had a niece so beautiful that any of the council would rip out their fangs just for a chance to taste her once, but alas, she was a second child, and while beautiful, she was stymied in her ambition. Her dear uncle Imhotep had just the solution to everyone’s woes. He introduced the Fox to his vixen, the Lady Azarola, and she was . . . very persuasive. Still the Fox demanded one last condition, if he were to join with the Lady Azarola. He demanded proof that the council was truly honorable, so he proposed an old ritual, one he had learned of in his travels. He demanded to share the hospitality of the council, and in turn, they would form a new law, a fourth law – that no vampire would ever break their word. With that ritual and pronouncement made, he asked Imhotep if he, too, would get a seat at the table, once he had given away his secrets. Imhotep promised that one of the Fox’s name would always have a seat at the council. Finally, the Fox wed Lady Azarola, took her name, and taught the Council how to hide among mankind fully. For a time, all was blissful and happy. Of course, the Lady Azarola told her new husband that she should sit at the council first, since she had experience with the Cesare and their ways.”
Gail and Billy exchanged knowing looks. Javier laughed and nodded to them both.
“Oh, you can see where this is going, no? The Azarola family had already had a daughter, and she was even more cunning than her mother. She knew her father was powerful, so she worked with Imhotep to have him disgraced by revealing that he had an affair with some common vampire girl. The Lady Azarola stripped her blood from her husband—”
“Zorro? The original fox?” Gail asked.
Javier nodded.
“There are a lot of foxes,” Billy muttered.
“It’s a family of foxes,” Javier said. “Should I go on?”
Both Gail and Billy nodded. Gail peeked over to see Billy sketching out a twisted vampire family tree. He also had a note, “Vampires like to fuck each other over,” both in bold and underline.
Javier let out a deep sigh. “She had him thrown out of the council in Rome, utterly disgraced. Of course, an Azarola still sits at the table with the council, but they are all thieves who stole the knowledge and the power of the true Fox. As you can guess, this vexes the true Azarola to no end, but there is little they can do. The council rewrote history and branded el Zorro a traitor. To this very day, el Zorro and all his followers are hunted and despised while the perra still rules.”
“And what does this have to do with you and with my people?” Billy dared to ask.
“There came a time when the council stirred and tried to make its presence known again, not from the shadows, but in the light. One vampire even dared to become king on a dreadfully dreary island full of rebels and sarcasm! Naturally, this caused quite a stir. The humans even started summoning berserkers again, and one of them nearly tore this hinterland island apart. It was chaos and carnage, and once more, los vampiros were on the worldwide defensive. It was at this time that they once more asked the Fox for help. It used to be that the true Foxes were like the Lung were, until quite recently. To be a true Fox was to be killed on sight as a traitor, but in these dark times, you were offered a choice – fight and kill enough berserkers, and you would be given pardon for you ancestor’s sins. It kind of boiled down to certain death versus only mostly certain death. What else could be done? The Foxes learned to hunt the wolves for a change, and a handful brought enough pelts to be allowed back into the hall, even if they could never sit at the table.”
“So that means . . .” Billy said, wide-eyed. Rikuto even looked up from his tablet to stare at the sweet-faced Javier in shock. The vampire smiled broadly.
Javier slowly, methodically rolled up his jeans to show off his plastic leg. “Of course, a poor little farm boy is no match for even one of you,” he said sweetly. Billy and Rikuto exchanged pointed looks. Javier nodded to both of them. “However, I have found in this life that it is not about what you do . . . it is about what you can get credit for.”
“What did you do?” Billy growled.
“There were so many great hunters. I only had to outlive one of them and take their pelts back to Rome and the Cesare.”
“You cheated?” Gail asked.
“I survived. It’s what I do. Oh, they say there is great glory to die in battle. I say that it is better to sing the song of the battle for generations to come. It is odd, no? It was creatures like you that took my leg, killed my family and the woman I once loved, yet, without the lob hombre, I would have been killed by los vampiros, and I would lose such an opportunity today.”
“Opportunity?” Billy asked. “Really, is that what we are?”
“In all my years, I had an amigo who I thought capable of standing up to Imhotep and his corrupt ways. I thought he would champion the true Azarola as a paragon of the new order, but now I know that he, too, is just an outcast, hiding the truth and dining on the scraps as his brother did, and his mother before them both. I must help you to help him, and together we can change things.”
“I’m lost,” Gail muttered.
“Lorcan,” Billy explained. “You want to help us so that Lorcan owes you, and you can go all revenge saga on Imhotep for betraying your family? Right?”
“Exactamente, lob hombre!”
“El enemigo de mi enemigo es mi amigo,” Billy muttered as he scribbled one last bit in his book. He glared pointedly at the vampire. “So, you really never hunted werewolves, just took credit for killing them?”
“Do you really think a scrawny little son of a bitch like me stands a chance against a monster like your hermano? I am a talker more than a fighter.”
“Just how old are you, Javier?” Gail blurted out.
“Oh, mi amor, don’t be rude. How would you like if I asked your age?”
“I’m twenty-eight and a half,” she replied flatly.
“Good for you. Now, I have told you the tragic tale of the Azarola and the origins of the kind you call vampires. It is time for your tales, as you promised,” Javier said. “Lob hombre?”
“My stories aren’t quite as epic as yours, I’m afraid.”
“It is never the scale of the story, only the feeling and truths behind it, amigo,” Javier said. “Tell me your story. That is all I ask.’
“You want the story of a boy who lost his parents to a drunk driver and was saved by blond stranger who looked more like a movie star than a social worker. He liked to stalk the reservation because the healthcare wasn’t as good back in the Eighties. He rescued a handful of us and spat in our chocolate pudding. A month later, and half of us were werewolves and the other half had disappeared. He said they went to a better place, and I hope to hell he meant Wichita orphanages. I’m the last one left from his batch of redskins, as he liked to call us,” Billy said, staring out the window.
“This savior have a name?” Javier asked.
“It’s a tradition in pack that you always get a new name when you change. In our generation, we got colors as last names. Billy and Samuel Black for my brother and me. The last generation was all named for the city in which they killed their first bloodsucker. My savior was called Irvine.”
“I see. I was wondering about the new ways. You should know that the old berserkers were always given new names once they went mad.”
“One in our pack never got his name. He won’t kill . . . even though he has more reason than any of us to be full of hate,” Billy said softly.
“But you have killed. Should I be afraid for my life, lob hombre?”
“There is a reason Sammy and I got the same last name. It took both of us to take down one bloodsucker that was going to kill a girl in Albuquerque. We were the next color up on the wheel, replacing the previous boys who weren’t as lucky. It’s just the way it was. I will say that vampire was nothing like Lorcan . . . or you.”
“I remember someone telling me about animals,” Gail said, furrowing her brows. “Is that right?”
“I know of vampiros who go mad the moment they are born,” Javier explained. “They are not bound by the four laws. Vampires try to kill them before they cause damage, but a few always get away. Commoners are not quite as careful as the great families. It is escandalo.”
“Yeah, because the smart bloodsuckers always get you in the end, right?” Billy asked softly. “Anyway, that’s my story. Yes, it was an animal, as you and Lorcan call them, that we killed, but I can’t forget it, and I can’t do it again, so I’m relegated to being the storyteller . . . even though my stories are not the best.”
