The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy (27 page)

The wind blew through the trees gently and he was gone. Not a sound or something fading away, but just gone. I always found it very disconcerting. Gregory and I stood and walked out to meet his support team. He looked at me nervously and I shook my head slightly, indicating that we would talk about it later. Several SUV’s and vans pulled up with the SOG to secure the scene as well as the CSI unit to process the evidence. It was going to be a long afternoon. I walked back to the truck and pulled it behind the others and waited.

Gregory and one of his deputy’s made their way out of the house about twenty minutes later. The man following Gregory was nearly the same height though considerably thinner, with mussy light brown hair and a slight stutter to his gait which just came off as cool. While he wasn’t what most would consider classically handsome something about the whole package made it work even when it shouldn’t. Even at a distance he gave off an air of likeability that made up for his cocksure attitude. As they got closer the deputy pulled an evidence bag from his back pocket as he gave me one of those ‘you know what I’m about to ask for’ looks.

It didn’t take a genius to figure it out, I pulled my weapon from its holster and ejected the clip before clearing the chamber, ensuring it was empty. The man simply smiled at me as he opened the bag. Dropping it casually in the bag I asked. “Make sure I get a receipt for that will you?”

Gregory seemed to relax slightly at the sight of my weapon in the bag. “Deputy Jones will ensure its safe return after we process the scene.”

Jones quickly handed me a receipt as he stepped to the side to fill out some paperwork before sealing the bag.

“Thanks.” Luckily for me I had several other weapons to use in the meantime. Governmental entities are not exactly known for their expedited services.

Deputy Jones gave me a nod as he sealed the bag. “I’m guessing you have another handy?” Unsure of what he was implying I sort of shrugged at him. “If you need a loaner until you get back to the office I have a backup you can borrow.”

“Awfully kind of you but I’m good.” Jones eyed me appraisingly before nodding and taking his leave. Marching back to the other members of the SOG he quickly issued several commands breaking them into three man teams to sweep the property. 

Gregory turned to ensure that his men were heading off to fulfill their duties. Turning back to me he shrugged helplessly. “They seem to think there is still a suspect on the grounds to capture.” His baffled expression told me he hadn’t known what to tell them about the broken window and the freshly tilled earth from the wraith’s. “When they were asking what happened I didn’t know how to answer so they’re working under the assumption I’m suffering from some sort of shock.”

“Are you?”

“Hell no!” His face twisted in a mixture of anger and fear as he turned away. “How the hell am I supposed to tell them about the wraith?”

“I don’t know but your deputy there seems to know more than he is letting on. What’s his story anyway?”

“As you can see he is the Team Leader for the SOG task force here in Louisiana as well as my second in command. He has a reputation for shooting first and asking questions later.” Gregory leaned back against the truck and watched the last of the SOG disappear into the rotting forest. “After being transferred from one assignment to the next, he finally seemed to flourish here in New Orleans.” A sense of pride filled his voice.  “He’s a decent guy and I’m glad he is finally living up to his potential.”

“He does seem like a good guy.” I was still concerned about what they might find during their search of the woods. My head told me that I shouldn’t be, but there was still a part of me that feared the wraith hadn’t fully departed.  “We should probably pull Jones aside and tell him the truth about what’s going on with this case before someone gets hurt.”

Gregory considered it for a moment before nodding in agreement. “We’ll need to find a quiet place and see how he handles the news.” He eyed me closely. “Think you could give him a demonstration like the one you gave me?”

Shaking the thought of wraiths running wild in Acadiana I returned my focus to the conversation at hand. “When the time comes I will make sure he understands.”

I watched as Gregory kept a careful eye out for any trouble as he pondered the days events. “Any chance you can help me understand before then?”

“I can try. Where would you like to start?”

His voice was uncertain as he spoke. “Last things first, I suppose. Who was that Indian guy? I mean, I felt like I was in the presence of a god.”

“Hell of a place to start!” Pushing myself off the car I paced for a moment while I thought best how to answer his question. “I don’t think he is a god with a capital ‘G’ or anything like that, but one can never be sure.” Already the conversation wasn’t going as well as I had hoped. Its like trying to explain to someone not from our time how a television works. The science and required technology is all there, and for the everyday average Joe it just works. Same principles apply here. There is a science to it, and a whole set of conditions that allow someone like Hustahli to exist, but for people like myself he simply existed as a fact of life. The science part of it was beyond me and therefore almost impossible to explain. “He is more of the spirit of the land.”

“What the hell does that mean?” Gregory asked befuddled.

That made me laugh! Checking around to make sure we were alone, I tried to explain to him what I knew, or at least thought I understood, which apparently wasn’t very much. The world is divided into territories, huge tracts of land and sea each governed by a protector. These protectors, while most are benevolent, can be extremely hard to get along with. I suppose that was a nice way of saying they would try to kill you the first chance they had. Fortunately for me Hustahli was one of the benevolent ones. His territory now included most of North America, while only a few hundred years ago it had only been the area once known as the Louisiana Purchase. When I arrived in the New World, as it was called then, I stumbled across a wraith that nearly killed me and it was only by Hustahi’s intervention that I survived the ordeal. As payment for his kindness I was indebted to him for the next century to serve as protector of the land.

Gregory had questions but held his peace as I continued to try and explain what I knew. The great spirits around the world were numerous, and at one time assisted man in living in harmony with the world around them. As man grew in their own self importance many of the great spirits simply grew tired and found places to rest where they would not be disturbed. Others, like Hustahli, doubled their efforts to try and keep the land safe. Without these beings things like the wraith would be commonplace in our world. Their evil would corrupt the land and send us into famine and other horrible natural disasters. Sometimes these godlike entities become overtaxed and things like Hurricane Katrina happen.

They are incredibly powerful beings who look out for our well being, so it is in our best interest to keep them happy when they decide they like us. Pissing them off could be akin to having the worst possible scenario play out in a natural disaster. One such spirit became angered during the Middle Ages and the bubonic plague spread across Europe like wildfire. Such is the power they wield and when provoked their anger knows no limits.

The wraith are minor entities who perverse the land they encounter. When you come across a place that gives you a bad vibe, like something is rotten to the core, you can be assured a wraith or something like it lives there. Wraiths are solitary creatures that rarely come out in the daylight and are so confident in their killing skills rarely hunt in packs. The fact that we encountered so many together in one place probably meant that they were getting their orders from someone higher up the food chain, someone powerful enough to force them to work in unison. It seemed obvious that someone wanted to make sure we died here today. I had my doubts that Gullveig had that type of clout. She was a powerful being herself but not powerful enough to control the wraith. This was something different and entirely more dangerous, but for now I had to put aside the thought of who might be controlling the wraith as we had a known danger to contend with.

Since Deputy Jones obviously hadn’t made the same offer of lending a gun to Gregory as he had to me I lent him a gun that I kept in the glove compartment. It was about an hour later that Jones informed us that the bedroom where we found Creepy George was cataloged and the body was being moved for transport back to the morgue. Gregory and I headed inside to be briefed on the situation. As we entered the kitchen I recognized the man who greeted us, who was much too thin for his own good. His round face seemed to have a permanent smile tattooed in place as he vigorously shook Gregory’s hand.

“Pete this is Viktor.” Pete gave me a wry smile as he shook my hand just as vigorously.

“Good to see you again Mr. Warden.” The deep base of his voice shouldn’t be allowed to come out of a body that frail looking. “Our paths have crossed more than a few times over the years.” Waving for us to follow, he opened the door to the first floor master bedroom. It’s one of the reasons I wanted to speak with you two before proceeding.”

“One of the reasons?” Gregory asked.

“I hope I haven’t made your job more complicated.” I said giving Pete a polite bow.

“On the contrary, it helped.” He pushed aside a few pieces of the broken furniture to reveal an ancient totem. “Once I knew you were involved I started looking for crazy shit and this is what I found.”

Gregory quickly pushed the door closed behind him as he gave Pete a stern look. “I would rather not broadcast anything that might be hinky to the rest of the men.”

That got a chuckle from Pete as he smoothed back his thick gray hair before he pointed a thin digit in my direction. “You should have thought of that before they saw him.” He was clearly enjoying toying with his new boss. “The men out there know Mr. Warden by reputation and those who don’t are new to the team, meaning you.”

Gregory was clearly perplexed by Pete’s explanation. “So everyone knows there’s something wrong here?”

Pete was clearly trying not to laugh as he explained the facts of life in the Big Easy. “Since you’re new to the area, let me explain.” He eyed Gregory to ensure he had his full attention before continuing. “New Orleans is the biggest small town you will ever encounter, which means there aren’t any secrets to be had.” Pete pushed away a few more pieces of broken wood, fully exposing the shrine. “While we act like we live in a prim and proper society, we don’t. Everyone’s dirty laundry is hanging out for everyone else to see. While we may not know specifics we know enough to get ourselves in trouble.”

“I still don’t know how Viktor fits into the equation.”

“Mr. Warden’s reputation proceeds him like a force of nature.” He waved a hand in my direction as if to exemplify his point. “Anything he gets involved in personally means something extraordinary has happened.” His face twisted as he fought for the words that seemed to elude him as he paced back and forth. “People like you and me are left to clean up Mr. Warden’s messes, a price we gladly pay to keep our families safe.” Looking at me he shrugged helplessly. “You and I hunt rapist, murderers and the like... Mr. Warden hunts monsters which make our worst nightmares pale in comparison.”

Gregory’s face fell as the realization struck him. “Everyone here knows about him?”

Pete’s face beamed with pride that Gregory grasped the concept. “Of course! Most of us belong to the courts or in my case work for them when the occasion calls for it.”

“So there was no need to fabricated anything about what happened earlier?” Gregory asked.

“Oh hell yeah there is a reason to lie, especially when it comes to the paperwork. But if you want your team to respect you and be of use, then you should level with them about what really happened here today.” Pete looked at me and smirked. “It’s not like Mr. Warden be at every crime scene.”

“I see...” Gregory struggled with the new information.

I thought it best to let him chew on that for a few minutes while I found out what Pete had for us.“From the sounds of things Pete, you have some information for us?”

“I have a few questions first if you don’t mind?” Pete looked at me tentatively as I smiled and waved him on. “Do you have any idea what this is?”

The bad news was I did know, and how I missed it earlier was out of sheer stupidity on my behalf. “Its a totem to summon a wraith.”

Pete paled visibly as he started to shake. “Oh dear god you should have said something earlier. They are sitting ducks out there.”

Stepping forward I put my hand on Pete’s shoulder to calm him. “Take a few deep breaths everything will be fine.” He pulled away from me giving me an ‘are you fucking crazy’ look but wisely kept his mouth shut. “I was able to put one down hard enough to turn it to ash and let’s just say that we had a visitor that banished the others from the area.”

Pete’s mouth fell open in shock at my words. “You can do that?” His concern for his fellow Marshal’s vaporized nearly instantly as his mind switched gears. “I have never heard of one being killed before. Wounded maybe but killed, that’s never happened before.” He started rummaging through his pockets. “I need to get a sample of whatever is left.”

“First things first. Tell us what happened here and I will tell you where you can find what’s left of it.”