Swamp Kings 1 (Bayou Bishops #18)

CHAPTER NINETEEN

“Hey! Mon frere!”

Bishop turned, recognizing Kult’s unmistakable tenor, finding the waving arm ahead in the small clearing. They made their way to the approaching brothers from estranged mothers that were continuously becoming more interesting and less threatening. That tug he always got in his gut when in the North Swamp was more present than ever. After learning what 8-Bit discovered on Rukem’s Dream Bridge, he had to wonder if these Creole Kings and the band of men before him somehow shared bio-signatures with him. Like a part of his family, he hadn’t met yet.

Bishop spotted a lil’ T-Bagio bundle in Kult’s right gun but the man’s eyes and grin were fully zeroed in on the containers of food they carried.

“Mah-Mah loaded us up,” Bishop announced.

Kult laughed in delight, angling his head at the trail of men behind him, hauling half the damn kitchen. “Well, hot damn,” he said, holding out his hand to Bishop. “I’ll bring Garbagio over tomorrow and thank her properly. He’s like the goddamn prince of the world, everybody loves him.”

Bishop had to laugh at his obsession as he shook his hand, nodding at the baby. “I see he’s working with the men tonight.”

“Indeed,” he said. “In training. From the day he was born.”

The rest of the men exchanged greetings then followed them back to their place which turned out to be an open room the size of their Basilique with tables scattered everywhere. Maybe a study hall. Or lunchroom, though he didn’t see signs of a kitchen.

The room filled with laughter and murmurs about swamp life as they unpacked everything and got their northern brothers settled with food. He really did wish they were meeting for different reasons than they were. Everything seemed to be falling on their heads at once and he was gripping his faith with hands, feet and teeth.

He glanced at Seer, finding that serene look on his face still. He was his spiritual compass. As long as he wore that look, everything was okay. But he knew they were on a timer and sooner rather than later, his face would forecast trouble. And maybe it wouldn’t be doom, but it would be something he never wanted to face.

Bishop found himself watching the triplets. Their eerie unison was something to behold even while eating. Symbiotic. He turned his attention to Kult and T-Bagio. The memory of what happened to him at the last meeting had left a scar. The things he’d said. He’d wanted to ask one of them about the shit he’d said regarding the death of his entire family. Was that fucking real? It would surely explain how he ended up with those three personalities in his head. And what had he given to those triplets that he’d forgotten? Harlow was right. And Pain and Handy. Some things were better left forgotten. And if there was something worse than the tragedy he’d already suffered, then leave it fucking buried as deep as they could.

He recalled what Seer told him. Never experienced the power of God quite like it. It exploded through me and shot right into him. Had to hold on with both hands to keep the connection.

Bishop asked Samuel if he was allowed to say what he’d seen in the man. He’d never forget his answer, only because it took him a full minute to quit sobbing to give it. I wasn’t shown any details, brother. I was made to feel them. His past. His pain. His purpose. He’s here for many reasons and some of them will shred him. Some will shred us. I didn’t know it at the time, but God showed me later, it wasn’t just him that was touched. But that sweet baby . His purpose is tangled up so tight in that man’s you can’t see where one begins and the other ends. All I know is… in the end, God wins. And son… that’s all I need to know .

Seer said he needed to touch all his brothers now, but was waiting for the right moment. Like not in the middle of one of Mah-Mah’s grand slam parties just in case they all had similar lives, and something told him they did.

Bishop wasn’t initially sure what drew him to Kult, but now he did. He’d always been drawn to those in some kind of trouble. Part of his fix it nature. His find a way nature. And if he couldn’t do that, it went to his create a way nature.

He sure as hell needed every bit of that nature now. Which brought him back to the bat bite decision he needed to make. There was something that didn’t sit right with him about it. He’d been over the details in his head a hundred times, trying to divide his fears from hard logic. Everything about it said it was fine. But… something in him said otherwise. He intended to talk to Seer about it that night, maybe when this mysterious meeting was over. All he was told was they had more problems that needed their immediate attention and so they packed it up and headed over. That was the new norm. Dropping anything and everything to deal with whatever the fuck needed dealing with.

Bishop took a seat next to Kult, checking in on T-Bagio. “I can hold him if you want to eat with both hands. ”

“Mmm, brother,” he said, turning in his seat. “I don’t trust many people with him. Count yourself goddamn blessed,” he muttered.

Bishop grinned as they made the delicate handoff, his heart beating way too fast as he took the tiny thing and looked at his angelic face. “Mon Dieu, he’s sleeping like the dead in all this racket,” he marveled quietly. “Shaaaaa, peechay, he’s t-tiny.

“You want to know something funny?” Kult said, pulling out his phone. “I used to have a serious aversion to kids. I didn’t hate them, just didn’t like being around them, which is odd since they’re the most puzzling little fucks you ever laid eyes on. And now?” He held his phone toward him and he couldn’t hold back his laugh at the collection of T-Bagio pics. “Look at this,” he strained, scrolling on and on and on. He hit one, enlarging it. “I’m taking selfies with him!" he whispered, astonished. “I’m telling you, this kid has superpowers . And the second he’s old enough and it’s safe, I want to discuss his upgrade with your Alchemist. I trust him. I want him to have every defense possible,” he said quietly. “Because in this world, he’ll fucking need it.”

“Wow,” Bishop said, shaking his head, looking at the baby. “You’ve got more balls than I do. I can barely stand the idea of my wife leaving the house, I’m so protective.”

“Pretty sure you’re exactly, like me, you just express it differently. God , your Mah-Mah is my new favorite woman, don’t tell Mary. Or your Pah-Pah,” he said, lifting the bowl and drinking the rest of his gumbo.

Bishop aimed his grin back at the baby. “I still can’t believe you found this precious little thing in a trashcan.”

He stuffed an entire fresh bread roll in his mouth, answering around it. “Kaphas and my other three brothers and their wives,” he added. “Found him.”

Wow. How miraculous and heartbreaking. “And he was still alive.”

“Just barely.” Bishop glanced up, finding one of the triplets eyeing him with his arms crossed on the table. “Kaphas brought him back from the other side.”

From the other side. What did that mean to somebody like him? A spirit, they’d called themselves. The memory of Kaphas screaming and holding his dead wife in his arms returned to stab him in the chest.

Laughter erupted at the table, getting their attention.

“Atlas has a thing for food,” Harlow said.

“Bruh,” Hurricane said, fighting back chuckles. “Our boy looks like he’s going down on a bowl of pussy .”

The explosion of guffaws hit all at once with Bishop’s big mouth waking poor lil’ T-Bagio. It only got funnier when Atlas shot them two fuck you fingers before getting back to that bowl of pussy with gusto. The sight had them falling out their seats. Even the terror triplets found it funny.

“Hey!” Bacon called over the racket. “Pussy and food are like rice and gravy .”

“And that’s our perv,” Bishop informed Kult with pride.

“It’s not the fucking food I get off to,” Atlas explained. “It’s watching a woman eat it.” A fresh round of booming laughs hit as he shook his lowered head. Judging by his expression, it wasn’t his first time getting fucked with about it.

“Fucking legendary ,” Spook blurted while catching his breath.

“Oui,” Bishop agreed. “Your name will surely be heard in our circles, long after you are dead.”

Atlas’s tongue made an exaggerated pass around his whole mouth, splitting their guts again. He stood after a bit and went to the food table, then turned with a whole pie, diving in with his mouth.

Mon fucking Dieu he was going to kill them.

He stood there in pie heaven, red sauce dripping from his mouth and chin as he ate that pie out like a pussy king .

Kult took poor lil’ T-Bagio who was wide awake, bawling.

Whatever divide might have existed between these new brothers was wiped away now. Not a huge surprise that pussy won that trophy. They all lived to have it, and they’d all die to keep it.

When things finally settled down, Harlow stood. “Okay brothers. The food was… amazing,” he said, holding back a grin. “But, it’s time to ruin some appetites and get to the reason we called you here.”

“Let’s do it,” Bullets said, a man beyond ready to shoot more than love blanks.

“So, who recalls about the dirty brain collection part of my education?” Harlow wondered.

“You callin’ our terror triplets dirty?” Hurricane cautioned.

“Yes! You understood,” Harlow celebrated, turning to the triplets. “Definitely not calling them dirty. Kinky no doubt, but not dirty.”

“Give em’ time to get a little more tied up in it,” Traps assured.

“He speaks from experience,” Nitro chuckled.

“So, what about it?” Bishop asked, ready to get to the dirty point.

“Well, Handy replicated the parts of our minds that mingled with our cognitive gifts and became dangerous. He then created a vessel that enabled him to take these parts into himself for the purpose of removing them eternally from us. But here comes a little tiny woman,” Harlow marveled, “with simple, sweet words that not only reverses unfathomably complex codes, but splits… a whole into two, allowing these little monsters to escape their co ntainment. Not only did they get into his wife, but it turns out when Quantum shut Kaphas down, they hitched a ride on his Backlash power into him as well.”

“You telling us that the Quantum King is possessed?” Bullets said, pissed. “How about call me when there’s something I can put a bullet in.” He pointed at Seer. “That’s the man you need, not us.”

“This isn’t just a spiritual thing,” Harlow corrected.

“What are you thinking?” 8-Bit wondered.

“We need a better vessel,” Kult said.

“If you can extract them and put them into another container,” Patches said. “Why aren’t we just... disposing of them?”

“Because they’re symbiotic and powerful,” the Fetch triplet said.

“And they have knowledge that’s still needed,” their fathoming triplet added.

“Also, they cannot be killed. Only contained.”

Before the third triplet even spoke those words, all eyes were on him, waiting. They were getting used to them speaking as a three-man team. A single thought, broken into three parts.

“Hence, we need a better vessel,” Kult said.

“Handy said Bishop can build what he needs,” Harlow said.

All eyes landed on Bishop .

“If you were to receive certain upgrades,” he added.

“If you mean the bite,” Bishop said, shaking his head. “I’m not there yet.”

“What are your thoughts on the bite?”

The question came from Seer, surprising him. “I think logically… the science works. But… something in the unforeseen realm has me…”

“Running as far from it as possible?” Hurricane offered. “I sure as fuck share that sentiment. But then I ain’t got a lick of gifts, so I’m guessing all that juice will go to my love for destroying shit.” He shook his head real big. “Unless you find a way to give this thing a built-in leash, I’m hiding my neck from that fucker's teeth,” he said, eyeballing Nitro.

“I can give it a leash if I take the bite,” Lesion said quietly.

Fuck. Bishop did not like putting his men before him in this. “Maybe I can build what’s needed without the bite.”

“I spoke to King Nidev,” Seer said. “Wanted to learn what I could about the coin he saw.”

8-Bit wondered, “So it was a coin?”

“I had a vision and wanted it verified.”

Ah fuck. And Seer was looking at him. “What did you see, mon frere?” Bishop asked.

Seer straightened in his seat and clasped his hands on the table before him. “I saw in my vision, the word IDOL. It was on the coin. And I saw… a group of people using Rukem’s bridge to rescue a woman. I saw the woman clear as day. Maggie was able to touch me and draw everything in my vision.”

He suddenly stood and pulled paper from his coat, walking it over to Bishop. “Tell me what you see, son.”

Bishop opened the papers and spread the three sheets on the table, standing to get a good look. He recognized himself on the bridge. And Spook. Seer, maybe. The triplets. And two women. He pointed to the one he recognized. “Is this Maggie?”

“It is,” Seer said.

“This is me and Spook. The triplets,” he pointed out. “You?” he wondered, touching the one facing away.

“Indeed it is.”

“And is this the woman we’re rescuing?” he asked, pointing to the long haired brunette, also facing away. “She’s with child?” he wondered, eying her swollen midsection.

“She is.” He turned over the last page and pointed. “But this is the woman we’re rescuing.” He flipped the page back over and touched the other woman. “That’s your wife.”

“What?” he muttered, looking at him then back at the paper. “How can you be sure, she’s facing away, it could be anybody. ”

“Maggie said it’s her sister,” he said, his voice low.

Bishop stared at the paper, his head shaking as it all hit him, why Seer was being so careful about it. “Well, brother,” he began, that familiar darkness rising up in him. “She isn’t leaving these swamps.”

“Her gifts, brother,” he said extra quietly. “Are what’s needed for this rescue.”

“And if she doesn’t go?” he challenged, locking gazes with Seer.

The compassion in his blue eyes served to stoke his growing fury. “I know how fucking terrified you are,” he said quietly. “I’ve been there.”

“Where the fuck am I, Samuel? This isn’t the same, my wife is safe in these swamps where she belongs and if you could’ve kept Cherie from leaving, don’t fucking tell me you wouldn’t have!” he swore, his breaths shaking with the idea of it.

Seer raised both hands in surrender. “You’re absolutely right on that. And nobody can make you do a damn thing, least of all me. And even if I could, I wouldn’t, not in this.”

“What the fuck is the but in your voice?”

“This vision was two-fold.”

“Two-fold,” Bishop marveled at him, pissed.

“There was no need to tell you the other one if you agreed to go. But if you didn’t, I was shown the outcome. ”

He pulled out another set of papers and held them out.

Bishop stared at the burning crossroad in his hand for many seconds, taking them. They shook in his grip as dread spread through his veins, cold as death.

He suddenly handed them back and made his way around the table, rolling up his sleeve. He stopped next to Nitro who stood and locked his gaze on his. “ Bite me,” Bishop ordered. “And don’t fucking hold back. I want every drop of power you’ve got to give.”

That familiar rage-lust immediately boiled in Nitro’s gaze. “I’ll give you the inferno , my Eveque.”