The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy (26 page)

BOOK: The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy
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Landing hard I felt my spine pop, but quickly realized I cracked by back and was unharmed. This was probably the only bit of good news I was going to get for the rest of the day. Rolling to one side I avoided the creature as it dived through the gaping opening above, its talons chewed through the earth missing me by mere inches. The creature howled with rage. I guess it wasn’t used to prey trying to fight back or run away as the case may happen to be. Scrambling to my feet it struck my shield near my shoulder with a wicked backhand, spinning me through the air only to be stopped suddenly, if not a bit painfully, against the rotting wall of the house. No matter how much I wanted to believe that I looked graceful in flight I had to believe I looked more akin to one of those flailing, less than graceful idiots in a John Woo spoof. What can I say? Everyone wants to look cool, especially me since I just gotten thrown around the day before. The wraith dove at me again as I rolled to the side barely avoiding the creatures talons. As it pulled itself free of the wall large chunks of the rotting siding splintered as it fell to the ground.

Hearing several shots ring out, the beast halted its advance as it turned its attention to its new adversary. Looking in the same direction as the wraith I watched as Gregory advanced slowly as he emptied the clip before ejecting the spent cartridge to be quickly replaced by another. Gregory didn’t have a chance of surviving the beasts initial onslaught so in a desperate move I tackled it. That’s right, when in doubt try something utterly stupid. It just might work. It swatted me away as if I were no more of a concern than an insect. Rolling to my feet and forcing my will into my shields I stood my ground as the vile creature advanced upon me once more. As it swung its razor sharp talons at my face I felt a surge of power course through me as I lifted my arm to block the attack.

My forearm erupted in flames as it connected with the wraith’s talons, turning them to white ash and fall harmlessly to the ground. Coming up with a left hook I caught the creature in what should have been it’s chin, it screamed in agony sending shivers up my spine. The wraith tried to retreat as confusion seemed to set. I don’t think that it had ever known fear until this moment. Something deep within the creature knew it couldn’t escape and chose to stand its ground. Bravery was not something I thought the creature was capable of. Perhaps it was just desperation.

Quickly closing the gap between us, I felt sluggish as the new abilities were rapidly draining me. Suddenly the wraith stopped and turned back towards me, striking at me again, catching me in the chest. I took a step back from the force of the blow while the creature pulled back a nub as more ash fell to the ground.  Throwing a quick jab to the creatures midsection, to my surprise I punched a hole through the it as more white ash fell. The creature’s howls were a combination of rage and agony as it slashed out again catching me in my stomach. I felt my shields quiver slightly but they held which thankfully kept me from being eviscerated.

As I drew in more power the fire wrapped itself around my entire body. Advancing quickly upon the wounded wraith, it retreated in slow motion as black liquid oozed from the creatures wounds and fell to the ground like acrid tar. With a running leap I brought my knee up catching the creature in the chest, causing it to stagger back as more of its form fell away. As it  doubled over in pain as I slammed my fists down into the creatures back, then I brought my right knee up catching the wraith in the face. The flames took hold of the creature in a blue haze, producing acrid fumes that caused me to fall back, coughing as I covered my face to shield myself from the heat of the wraiths burning remains. In a matter of seconds the poor creature was nothing more than a pile of white ash a few feet away. The fire rapidly faded from my shields as a weariness deep into my soul as I staggered backwards.

Turning at the sound of footsteps quickly approaching I could see Gregory running towards me with fear etched deep across his face. Falling to my knees I swayed weakly in the wind as Gregory reached out and steadied me, keeping me from falling over face first. “Thanks...” I rasped.

Gregory pushed me into a sitting position while he pulled his pistol and scanned the broken house for any other enemies. “What the hell was that?” Fear, confusion and excitement mixed in his voice in equal amounts as his eyes continued to search the land.

“Wraith...” I panted.

“Are you going to be alright?” He looked me over carefully assessing my injuries carefully. “You have definitely looked better.”

“I think so.” To be clear I wasn’t really sure that was the case. I had never had powers like that before. All I could assume was that the upgrades were taking hold, allowing me to kill something so ancient that even I thought to be immortal. “At least I hope so.”

“Glad to see you’re so confident about such things.” Gregory smiled as he eyed me curiously. “Care to tell me about all the pyrotechnics?”

“You’ve got me.” Hanging my head as I tried to draw what little strength I had left to stand. “That was new.”

Gregory’s voice shook slightly causing me to look up as his face fell flat. “Do you think you can handle another one or perhaps five of those things?”

Following his gaze I was filled with horror as five of the unholy beasts floated out of the woods. In all my years I had never known the wraith to hunt in packs and today was a really bad day to find out differently. “Oh damn.” Struggling to my feet with more than a little help from Gregory I pulled the Staff of Gungnir from its sheath on my leg, which instantly sprang to life. “Gregory, it might be time for you to run and never look back.”

“Like hell.” Gregory pulled his weapon and took aim.

“You understand that doesn’t do any good right?” Leaning heavily on Gungnir I felt the spear hum to life as it yearned to be unleashed in battle. “If you stay both of us will probably die.”

“That’s a hell of an attitude.” Gregory tried to put on a brave face but like anyone facing their imminent death he and I were both scared as hell.

The wraiths howled back to one another coordinating their attack. Stepping forward I slashed Gungnir through the air, watching as a wide flaming arc sped toward our attackers causing them to flee. The two in the center of the arc were caught in the fire’s wake and howled in agony as white ash fell while the others fled in either direction. The wraiths were far from finished but they were slowed and weary of what might come next.

A bright light appeared, followed by a song so ancient and holy that words in any form would utterly fail to describe its wonders emanated some twenty feet off the ground midway between the wraith and where we stood. As we basked in the glow I felt a surge of power pulse through my body, rejuvenating my entire being. Shielding my eyes as the light reached its pinnacle then faded from view revealing Hustahli, the ‘Great One’. With his arrival the fight was taken completely out of the wraith as they took flight back from whence they came.

The powerful avatar of Hustahli stepped into the mortal world. Like Mir, Hustahli was a mountain of a man, towering several feet above us as he stood proud. The red shirt he wore fit a little too tight across the chest and through the arms as his muscular form shown through, though for all I knew the shirt had been dyed in the blood of his enemies.The black leather pants and combat boots set off the look. His angular jaw and straight nose were both pleasing to the eye and exuded strength and power. His long black hair was pulled back allowing for a perfectly unobstructed view of a vibrant yellow and green tattoo of a mythological bird covering the left side of his face.

Hustahli looked at me with kindness in his deep blue eyes as he smiled. I quickly took a knee, pulling Gregory down as I bowed my head. Hustahli was a being to be revered and as such deserved a show of respect that was due him.

"You have grown my child!” Hustahli sounded pleased and I couldn’t help but swell with pride at such a compliment.

His voice boomed across the land causing the dormant flowers in the nearby fields to suddenly bloom. “It pleases me that you have done so well in my absence.” He looked to my left as he strolled toward us. “And who is your friend here? He looks to be an exceptional example of the mortal form."

Slowly raising my head so I could see Hustahli, I couldn’t help but smile as a sense of joy flowed through the air. "It has been a long time, I’m glad to see you again.” Looking back at Gregory I was filled with pride once more that Hustahli found his presence pleasing. “My friend’s name is Gregory and he is exceptional by any standard of measurement."

Hustahli smiled at us. "Please stand. We are old friends, are we not?"

Grabbing Gregory under the arm, I hefted him to his feet as I stood, hoping he’d soon snap out of his daze. "I would like to think so.”

Hustahli smiled as he turned and walked to an old table and lawn chairs. He somehow squeezed his bulk into one of the chairs before gesturing for us to take a seat opposite him. "It would seem that you needed rescuing once again and as you have fulfilled our previous bargain twofold I felt it was my duty to intervene."

"Thank you for that. I wasn’t sure we would make it through the day.” That was an outright lie because I was fairly sure that we were about to die. I hadn’t really held out any hope we would have survived without his intervention.

“You handled yourself well against the shadow beasts. I’m truly impressed that you were able to stand your ground for so long.” Hustahli waved one of his massive hands in my direction sending yet another jolt of power through me. “It won’t be long before you will be whole again.”

Forgetting myself for a moment and the fact that Gregory was right next to me I couldn’t stop myself from blurting out. “You know of my condition? My memory loss?”

“I know many things Starborn.”

“Do you know who I am?”

“All will be revealed to you in time but for now you must focus upon the task at hand.”

Knowing better than to press my luck I thought I had better change the subject. “It had been so long since our last meeting I thought you might have slumbered like so many of the others.”

Hustahli shook his head as he spoke. “I thought about sleeping long ago but things have changed and so have I.”

“I can see that.” I was more than a little amused by his attire but thought I should compliment him instead of antagonizing my recent savior from the wraith. “You found a change of clothes since we last met.” 

He looked down at himself and then back at me. "One has to keep up with the times. Something I learned from you actually.” He leaned back in the chair as it groaned under his weight yet somehow didn’t splinter into a thousand pieces. “I have traveled far and wide while you have stood guard over my lands. I’ve learned much as I watched you grow. You will soon need to claim lands of your own and make your own way in this world.”

“I don’t think I understand what you mean just yet, but I do what I can.” He always confused me when he spoke of me becoming a guardian. I was far from qualified for the job and it was only recently that I had learned of my birth as the Starborn which I still didn’t fully understand. “Trying to follow your example there was much to be done, and I would hate to leave a job only half complete.”

Hustahli chuckled as a devious smile crossed his face. “If that is the way you see it I may never be rid of you.” He spread his hands wide as he looked around us. “You know as well as I that this land calls to the darkness.” Leaning forward he rested his elbows on the table without flipping it over from his sheer bulk, which was an impressive feat if you ask me. “For many seasons I stood guard against the darkness alone. You have eased my burden and for that I thank you.”

Blood rushed to my cheeks as I felt more than a little embarrassed for doing the right thing. “It is the least I could do since you saved my life so long ago and it would seem you did so again today.”

Hustahli shrugged this time as he spoke. “It was nothing really. I was just paying an old friend a visit.”

“Convenient timing. Not that I mind at all. I am just saying.”

Gregory stammered. "It's a pleasure to meet you. My name is Gregory Aaron."

Hustahli and I both looked over at Gregory in amusement. "He's a good friend, but a little slow some days. Its not every day he gets to meet someone of your stature."

Hustahli gave Gregory a look as his smile grew. "The pleasure is mine Gregory Aaron, I am Hustahli the guardian of this land.” Curiosity grew in him as he asked. “Did you even know what a Impa Shilup was before today?"

"A what?" Gregory asked puzzled.

"I believe Viktor calls them wraiths but we called them the Impa Shilup or soul eaters.” Waving a hand in my direction dismissively. “They are very dangerous and nearly immortal. I suppose that particular soul eater will get a chance to meet its maker." Hustahli was clearly impressed with Gregory.

“Think you could put a few bad words in with the wraith’s maker?” I have found that it never hurts to ask. The worst they can say is no, right?

Hustahli smirked as he raised an eyebrow in my direction. “That’s assuming I know them.”

“You know everyone.”

"I had no idea that such things even existed till a few minutes ago.” Gregory blurted out, his voice full of wonder as he spoke.

Hustahli turned his attention back to me. "There is much to discuss but now is not the time.” Hustahli pointed toward the highway. “Many of Mr. Aaron’s men are fast approaching.” Standing he turned to leave but stopped suddenly. “Viktor, call for me when you are free of this Gullveig mess.” He simply bowed and walked toward the barn.

BOOK: The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy
13.76Mb size Format: txt, pdf, ePub
ads

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