The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy (7 page)

I knew that would be more than enough time if we actually lived that long. Gregory would have time to study the Krewe’s background and history to find a good fit for himself here in the Big Easy. “Sounds fair to me.”

Nathan sniffed as he leaned forward and hit the end button on his phone terminating the call. “Thank god that’s over!”

“I take it that Robert is one of his lackeys?”

“Don’t get me started on that slimy little bastard but yeah he is.” Nathan was clearly disgusted by the whole affair. “Just as a heads up something big is going on. I’ve seen several of the Krewe’s leaders showing up this morning.”

“Thanks, I guess I should get going.” I stood up and shook his hand.

“Oh and one last thing. They are meeting in the council chambers down the hall instead of the formal reception area.”

That was just odd, but hell the Gatekeeper was an odd little man. “Thanks again, we should catch up after this is over and grab some lunch.”

“Sounds good.” Nathan settled back into his chair as he sifted through more paperwork as I headed out.

At the end of the hallway I opened the stairwell door and made my way up to the third floor. I’m not exactly a huge fan of elevators given the fact that if things go wrong you’re pretty much stuck there all alone at someone else's mercy. Over the years I had spent far too much time alone and stuck in places I didn’t want to be. Opening the door on the third floor my feet were met with a plush crimson carpet. I turned the corner and I found myself in the lobby of the courts, the walls painted a deep rich cherry with several comfortable chairs and sofas for waiting delegates. Across from the brass elevator doors were an impressive set of double oak doors, heavily embossed with intricate carvings of Mardi Gras celebrations.

If this were a more formal occasion I would have been escorted through these doors where my title would be announced just prior to being received by the current king and his court. Today, it would seem, wasn’t such a day, so I turned right and made my way around the corner that led to what appeared to be an emergency exit. Even though I knew it wasn’t going to sound the alarm, somewhere in the back of my mind I waited for the sound as I pushed the handle.

Closing my eyes for a second I was able to adjust to the low lighting of the council chamber. Scanning the room quickly I had to agree with Nathan. Something very big was up. Not only were the first two rows of semi circular seating filled with the ranking members of the courts but every seat in the house was full. Someone had called in every King and Queen of the MCC, giving me a very full audience today. If the Gatekeeper had something up his sleeve, today would be the day to execute it, to be witnessed by the entirety of the courts. This was a rare occasion as it had to be at least ten years since such a conclave had been called. Personally I didn’t believe Helena’s murder rated the full attention of the courts at this point in the investigation but someone in the room believed differently.

Though the members of Comus hid their identities from the general public, such things were forbidden within the confines of this room. As a matter of protocol proper names were not used but usually substituted with their title, since each King or Queen spoke for their Krewe and not as an individual.

The first row of seats consisted of four dark brown leather bound comfortable looking chairs which were reserved for the upper echelon of Comus. The seat furthest to the right sat the King of Zulu, and his immediate neighbor was the Gatekeeper. The seat to the furthest left and closest to me sat the King of Rex. The remaining chair, which sat empty, was held for the absent Comus. His was the eldest of the four chairs and while it looked well used and comfortable but it was rarely filled. If this meeting had taken place within the Ceremonial Reception area down the hall, the Gatekeeper would occupy the extremely ornate and uncomfortable looking Throne of Comus. I bowed as a sign of respect and greeting, but the Gatekeeper barely moved his head in acknowledgement. Pulling the USB drive out of my pocket I handed it to the nearest guard who quickly disappeared while I made my way to the podium.

As I waited I took a moment to look around the room where I saw faces I hadn’t seen in ages, such as the King of Rex. He was rail thin and stooped with age, with a few wisps of gray hair atop his head. His body appeared frail, and his right leg was missing from the knee down. One shouldn’t consider this injury a hindrance. Even in his aged crippled form the man is a force to be reckoned with. His powder blue eyes glittered in the dim light of the room and his mental faculties are as sharp as any living member of the courts. He is feared and respected and usually in that order.

To his right sat the King of Zulu, a man in his mid forties, powerfully built, with dark eyes and a strong jawline. He looked to be just as accustomed to any boardroom than perhaps a seedy underworld syndicate of organized crime. The latter was his real job even though he is a well respected attorney most days. He, like Rex, commands respect and fear and usually received both it in abundance. These two men were the sharks in the room. When the hard choices had to be made, one, if not both, of these men were the ones to make them.

The squat, balding, overweight and jittery little man seated between the empty chair for Comus and Zulu was the Gatekeeper, better known as the King of Orpheus. Contrary to his public persona as a retired factory owner he, like Zulu, was in the “family business”, which rivaled Zulu’s criminal organization outside of the courts. This was more often than not a point of contention between the two as Orpheus currently controlled the courts. I felt that one day the situation between the two would end badly for the Gatekeeper, and frankly I was surprised it hadn’t already done so. One day the Gatekeeper’s luck would surely run out and that Zulu would gladly lead the second line at the man’s funeral. It was a show of true restraint on Zulu’s behalf that an all out war for control of the courts hadn’t erupted after the creation of the Krewe of Orpheus. It was my opinion that this creation was a master stroke of genius and one that very few had seen coming. In fact I had been out of town dealing with this very case.

In the second row sat the Queen of the Nine Muses. She was a particularly stunning woman with long red hair, piercing green eyes, perfectly shaped ruby red lips and a body that would make even the most devout man or woman consider the most sinful of things.

Throughout the room many men and women of power and prestige were arrayed in a semicircle and awaiting the news of the day. I had to imagine that it was only by the voice of King Rex that they’d gathered so quickly. Everyone in the room feared Rex, and he once told me that respect only gets you so far, but carrying around what others fear the most gets the job done. As I said before, sharks.

“Good morning ladies and gentlemen, such as it is. If it pleases the court I would like to proceed with what information I have at hand.” I spoke clearly and with the reverence due the situation.

Both the Kings of Zulu and Rex looked at each other, and then nodded for me to proceed. Turning my head toward the guard I confirmed that the information had uploaded. As the lights dimmed further the front wall turned opaque before flickering to life as an oversized monitor with file folders flooding half the display. At the same time smaller screens embedded into the desks of each Royal sprang to life. No matter how often I visited the courts headquarters I am always amazed at the level of ingenuity created by man. This room was nothing short of one of the most technologically advanced places on earth. Air Force 1, and even the White House’s Situation Room would be envious of the gadgets and technological advances held within the walls of this once forgotten building. Each royal could elect to send this information along with my supposition to their respective members.

Using my phone I remotely opened the first folder containing this mornings crime scene photos, garnering more than a few choice words and sharp intakes of breath. For a moment I thought a few of the less seasoned members of the court were going to be sick but to their credit they were able to reel it back in.

“As you can see the perpetrators of this crime are vicious, but this is not the first time I have encountered them.” I turned and gestured to an elderly man in the far corner of the room. “If the scribe would please pull up the records from my trip to Maine twenty years ago each of you will understand the full extent of our problem.”

Pushing my finger atop of the next folder icon on my phone the room was flooded with photos and files related to the earlier case. Many in the room winced as they bore witness to the brutality of man. Rex never looked down as he kept his eyes riveted on the big screen before him. A mixture of rage and sadness painted his face.

These were not the standard crime scene photo’s from the Marshals service but the ones the remainder of my team had taken to truly document that days events. Another set of sharp intakes of breaths and queasy looks made their way around the room. The King of Zulu spoke in a deep gravely voice as he gestured toward the old photos. “I was under the impression that all of the business in Maine had been tended to at the time.” He leaned forward in his seat as he gave me a grave look. “Understand that I was a recent addition to the courts during that time, but from what I was told the threat was terminated. And now you expect us to clean up your mess?”

Taking a deep breath and slowly exhaling to control my anger I shook my head. “I have no idea who gave you that particular impression sir, but it was and still is a mistaken one.” I quickly motioned for the others to follow along. “If you open the files from the original case you will see that there were at least five of the higher ranking members that were never accounted for.” I caught myself clenching and unclenching my right hand as I spoke as 20 years of anger threatening to take over. I took in another breath and steadied myself. “To make matters worse I never discovered the confluence of their power. It always left me feeling uneasy and today is a perfect example as to why.”

I was caught by surprise, much like everyone else, when I heard an aged voice no more than a whisper drifting across the still air of the room to completely fill the emptiness. All attention turned to the aged Rex who glared at the Gatekeeper. The Gatekeeper visibly shrunk as he tried to make himself as small as possible, trying to avoid the aged man's wrath.

“It would seem that our previous scribe may have been a little premature in my counterpart, King Zulu, tutelage. Isn’t that correct Gatekeeper?” Rex seethed.

“Perhaps he misunderstood my instructions.” The Gatekeeper said as his voice broke slightly.

“It was this particular incident where I lost my leg from the knee down.” Rex wheezed stopping to take a puff from an inhaler before continuing. “It nearly cost me my life and only by the grace of God and our good friend Viktor that I survived the day. But I do digress, please carry on.” Rex rasped.

It was a rarity for the old man to speak in public anymore due to the pain involved. Having been diagnosed with both throat cancer and emphysema, it was only the gravity of the situation that compelled him to do so now. I bowed slightly and nodded at him in thanks. “This particular set of crazies were playing on an entirely different level than anything most of us have ever encountered.” I held up a hand to stop any of the younger members who were pushing themselves off the wall to argue the point. “Before any of you get indignant, yes I am sure of that statement, and if you want confirmation please read the files provided after our meeting. If you still want to pull them out and measure after that, please feel free to discuss it with Rex. I am sure you will get the scope of the situation in its entirety at that point.” The idea of discussing this with King Rex, more than anything, caused them to shrink back into the darkness.

The Gatekeeper stood and addressed me. His voice was wheezy and slightly higher pitched than a man’s voice should be as it cracked, as if his balls were finally dropping after fifty plus years.

“If you are so very concerned about, ‘the crazies’ as you call them, then why aren’t you out there doing something about them instead of here?” He threw up his hands in mock surprise. “Wait a minute! Let me guess!” as his face suddenly contorted into a sneer. “You want the council to do your job for you. Isn’t that right?” Anger and hatred filled his voice. “Are you not the mighty and all powerful Viktor Engel Warden that we have heard so many stories about?” He waved a hand at me as if dismissing me. “I would appreciate it if you would just get to the point and allow the rest of us to get on with our day!”

I could have sworn I heard him stamp his foot under his desk as he finished his tantrum. Invoking my right as Progenitor must have pissed him off more than I had expected. That and the fact we have been at each others throats for most of the last two decades probably didn’t help. We rarely see eye to eye on anything other than our mutual displeasure of each other. At one point in 2005 he even tried to have me removed from the court.

That didn’t work out well for him and it weakened his position within the courts. Because of his demand for my removal Orpheus fractured and now operates as two separate courts. The Gatekeeper remained as the figurehead of the court, but within his own Krewe was forced to share power with Nathan. The Gatekeeper remained in his position only because his supporters held all the cash flow and are more prominent members of Orpheus, while Nathan controlled the foot soldiers and the day to day people who made the court function. One without the other at this point would be a non entity.