The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy (6 page)

“Got it.” Gregory nodded. “Where are we headed?”

“Fort St. Charles, better known as the Old U.S. Mint.” I replied.

The Old Mint was nestled on the corner of Esplanade and Decatur at the furthest edge of the French Market. It was a product of the westward expansion during the nation's infancy. Even though it was built atop the remains of Fort St. Charles the soft soil made construction of the heavy red brick walls difficult. The architect hadn’t taken the swampland into consideration forcing the crews to make numerous repairs during its construction.

The mint itself served both the US government and the Confederacy and it was the only mint in the south to reopen after the Civil War. Eventually the costly repairs to the building and the expense of maintaining the mint forced the government to close it several years later. As many things are in New Orleans it was left abandoned and neglected for many years allowing nature to run its course. The building was almost beyond repair when the Navy took an interest in the building partially restoring it to be used as a recruiting station. The Coast Guard eventually moved in to help offset the cost of the buildings upkeep.

The north wing of the building was opened in 1931 as a prison by and for the State of Louisiana in a joint venture with the federal government to try and revive the historic building. The state however didn’t have as deep of pockets as the military and pulled out twelve years later. The Navy followed suit a few years later leaving the Coast Guard the buildings only remaining tenants. Eventually they too threw in the towel as well leaving the ailing behemoth to rot at the beginning of the decade of love, peace and dirty nasty hippies.

Sometime after the final abandonment the MCC quietly used their influence, involving both the federal and local government to rebuild the facility. Over the following decade the National and State Park Services reopened the main building as a museum while leasing out the north wing to a private corporation which happened to be owned by the MCC. They converted the ground floor and above into a state of the art facility. The lower floors were updated into a maximum security center to house prisoners of their own. As the might of the courts grew so did their need for extra cells to house the ever growing population of inmates too vile to be housed with the normal human population.

The federal and local authorities were contracted to maintain the facility and on paper that’s exactly what it looked like. In reality the MCC absorbed the cost of maintaining the site of their latest headquarters. It wasn’t a place I would have chosen but that was hardly my decision.

The King of Orpheus is the current Gatekeeper of the courts whose responsibility includes the day to day management for the MCC. He (or she as the case may be from time to time) would also direct the courts rapid response teams toward any crises. More than that he is the go between for the courts and Comus himself who created the laws for the courts and many of its counterparts. The most daunting of the Gatekeeper’s responsibilities is the use of the Scepter of Comus which is a tool to be used as a last result for prisoners deemed too dangerous to imprison. Simply put it carries out a death sentence to any unfortunate soul who commits the most heinous of crimes.

Since Gregory was new to both the area and to the MCC I knew he would be forced to do a bit more than the normal paperwork for a ‘guest pass’. I was also confident that because of my involvement past involvement with Gregory combined with the MCC Krewes would attempt to recruit him immediately without giving him time to think about his choices. Usually when someone discovers the secret of the MCC they are forced to immediately choose a Krewe. Normally this isn’t an issue since the person being recruited is introduced to the court by a ranking Krewe member they are already familiar with. Gregory, however, wasn’t going to have that particular luxury. Since I worked for Comus and the Gatekeeper directly I was banned from belonging to any one Krewe, and was more or less thought of as property of the state so to speak. I could though, with a little influence, give him time and opportunity to make a more informed choice.

As we drove I kept a wary eye on the angry sky above. The steel gray and black clouds hung low in the sky while lightning arced and thunder shook the earth with it's terrible power. The threat of rain hung in the air and I knew that it wouldn't be long before the threats turned into reality. I found a place to park on Elysian Fields just before it turns into North Peters. Stepping out of the vehicle I motioned for Gregory to follow me across Esplanade Ave. I took those few precious moments to reminded him of all the particulars we discussed over breakfast.

Fort St. Charles is a three story building constructed of deep red brick, in the once popular Greek revival style designed by William Strickland. While the building was nothing special by nineteenth century standards today it stands out as a work of art. A fairly plain piece of art in my opinion, but art nonetheless. The only entrance is captivating but all the other points of view are rather ordinary and lacking interest. Gregory and I walked through the double wide wrought iron gates, across the cobblestone entryway, and through a couple of very out of place modern glass double doors. Turning to my right with Gregory on my heels we were greeted by three men wearing dark suits and earpieces. The tallest one, Robert I believe, acknowledged us with a nod and immediately turned and headed for the hallway that was covered with plastic sheeting and signs denoting the construction area.

Gregory and I followed Robert while his two ‘friends’ fell in behind us as a rear guard. Wordlessly we proceeded deeper into the complex, occasionally stopping for Robert to swipe his ID across a reader, gaining access to previously locked corridors. Robert guided us deeper into the labyrinth of the ancient building. I am familiar with the route, and knew we were heading for the north wing. Stopping suddenly in front of an unremarkable steel security door in the stunted hallway, Robert looked back at me for approval to continue before swiping his card one last time. The door opened with a hiss as the pressurized air in the hallway ahead entered the the area. I knew from past experiences to turn my head as brilliant white light poured in from the corridor before us. Surgical white floors along with the brilliant white walls all seemed to magnify the light given off by the overhead modern stainless steel and frosted glass fixtures.

Gregory looked at me curiously and started to open his mouth to speak. Shaking my head disapprovingly, he closed it quickly. Looking out of the window to the left I could see that the sky had finally let the promised rain become a reality. Torrents of water poured down the large plate glass windows giving them the impressive appearance of infinity waterfalls.

Robert’s deep baritone voice was marred by his thick Cajun accent. "Mr. Aaron, you will need to come with me.” He waved Gregory over next to him. “Viktor, these two men will be escorting you to the Master of Arms. From there you will be escorted to the Gatekeepers council chambers."

Since when did I need an escort? “Is that really necessary?” I asked. Robert and his cronies blanched under the weight of my glare. “I would think that I’ve been here often enough to know my way around.”

“The Gatekeeper has instructed us...” Robert stammered.

“If the Gatekeeper is worried about something he can come personally tell me. Until that comes to pass I will be alright on my own. Am I clear?”

Robert took a few steps back as his face turned chalk white. “I'm sorry sir...” His voice shook as his nerves got the better of him. “I didn't mean to insult you...” Robert seemed to shrink as he stepped back into the wall and tried to make his escape. “I’m just following protocol. You of course can find your way if you wish it. Please forgive my impertinence.”

“Calm down.” I waved dismissively. “You needn’t work yourself up over this. You have other things to worry about, like my friend here.” Pointing at Gregory I let a dark smile work its way across my face. “He is to be afforded every courtesy you would extend to me.”

My smile slid out of sight as I stepped forward and jammed a finger into Robert’s chest pinning him against the wall. His two friends flinched as they too looked around for an escape route. “If he is insulted or mistreated in anyway I will hold not only you but your entire Krewe responsabile.” My voice was cold and hard as all trace of emotion faded from my face. “Further he will not choose a Krewe until such time I see fit for him to make a well informed choice.” Pushing my finger in harder against his chest Robert stifled a groan of pain. “This my right as Progenitor!” Releasing him his knees nearly buckled. “You can test him and do whatever paperwork that needs to be done but nothing more than that.”

For a moment I thought Robert was about to faint or have a seizure as his face contorted. He was flush and turning pale all at the same time. I was quite an impressive feat! Finally able to find his voice, even if it came out a little squeaky, he stammered “But sir that isn’t protocol. I am sure that is against the Gatekeepers wishes...”

“I believe that if you inform the Gatekeeper of my ‘wishes’ he will make an exception, at least this one time.” I growled. “Robert, please do not mistake my statement as a request.”

The man blanched white and stammered. “Sir?”

“Please carry out my orders. If you have somehow misunderstood them please let me know. Otherwise this particular conversation is over!” Turning on my heels I proceeded to the end of the hallway, leaving Gregory with his escorts and more confused than ever.

I was sure that the guards would be more than a little flustered by my ‘request’ such as it was. It was well within my right to postpone Gregory’s choosing of a Krewe until he could make an informed choice. The Gatekeeper of course would be furious but what the hell was new about that? There was little he could do about it now! If he were to go against my wishes he would be overturning the law of Comus which was something I was sure he wouldn’t dare attempt. It is the price that the MCC pays to have me around whenever I might be needed, whether they like it or not.

I suppose we should set a few things straight at this point. The use of the word Gatekeeper within the local courts was purely a ceremonial title and every decade or so there is a change of the guard. The Gatekeeper sits upon the Throne of Comus as a symbol of authority and that particular honor fell to whoever was currently in the greatest favor of the majority of the Krewes. While it is true that Rex and Zulu are the face and body of the Mardi Gras celebration all the Krewes answer to the Throne of Comus.

In the 1990’s a new parade and Krewe named Orpheus was created by several of the old guard wishing to return to the glory days.They wrestled control of the Throne of Comus from the previous watchers of the city. They did it quickly and quietly, with such a display of force as to not find themselves on the receiving end of the combined krewes retaliation. It also showed how much the previous leaders were actually despised. The Court of Comus isn’t a court in and of itself, but an amalgamation of all the other Krewes higher echelon, combined into a Congress of sorts that allows the Krewes to act with one mind. This is one of the real reasons behind all the secrecy of the identities of the members of Comus. The current ‘Gatekeeper’ is a member of the of Orpheus, and has been since its creation and the man despises everything about me!

It wasn’t long before I navigated through the maze of hallways to the office of the Master of Arms. This title, unlike some of the others in the courts, isn’t ceremonial. Everyone who has ever held the post has been exceptionally familiar and comfortable with the practice and implementation of violence. Nathan Williams, who currently held the position, was in his mid forties with a heavily muscled physique, cold dark eyes, his square jaw line and calm demeanor that inspired confidence and loyalty in his men both now and when he was in the military. We met prior to his service to the courts and in the years since we had fought alongside one another on several occasions.

Nathan hardly glanced up from the file he was reading before nodded for me to take a seat. He finished the file and set it aside as he leaned back in his chair eyeing me carefully. “How are you today Viktor?”

“Well enough I suppose and you?” I could tell he had something on his mind but the dance of polite conversation needed to be adhered to, especially here where tradition and pleasantries ruled the day.

He pulled his chair closer to the desk as he leaned forward to push his phone to the side. The screen lit up revealing an open line. I nodded to let him know I understood we were being monitored as Nathan started the conversation. “It would appear that you not only put Robert and myself in a bit of a bind but disobeyed a direct order from the Gatekeeper.”

Cocking my head to the side I gave Nathan one of my ‘what the fuck’ looks along with the ‘you have to be kidding me’. He shrugged his shoulders as he leaned back in his chair. “All I asked for as per my right as Progenitor was to delay Gregory Aaron’s induction until he could make a well informed choice.”

Nathan smirked as he tried not to laugh. “I’m sure that the Gatekeeper would accommodate your request if we could put a reasonable time constraint on it.”

Holy shit, the Gatekeeper was even more petty than I had previously believed. The guy was going to try and force me into defying him openly so he could run me out of the organization to allow him free reign. “And what do you suggest is ‘reasonable’?” I asked as I spoke into the phone a little louder than necessary just to be an asshole.

“Sixty days should be time enough for him to make up his mind. Don’t you?”