The Blood Eagle in the Big Easy

by K. A. Lange

  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.”

  G
regory 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.

  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.

  Chapter 18

  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 thei
r 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.