CHAPTER EIGHT TRUTH AND CONSEQUENCES #2
“Is that a fact, boyo?” asked Declan, smiling dangerously. “Is that a threat?”
“Not at all,” Wisdom said, shaking his head. “I just think I might have finally met someone faster than you.”
“Aye, and pigs might fly out o’ me arse,” Declan said. “Who is this Sidewinder anyway?”
“He’s a sheriff I met out in New Mexico,” Wisdom replied. “RC Sandoval.”
“Is that a fact, now?” Declan asked, cocking his head slightly. “Maybe I’ll have t’ go pay me respects. If he’s faster ‘n me, I’d love t’ meet him.”
“He’s one of the good guys, Caine,” said Wisdom, raising his tone slightly. “Leave him be.”
“Oh, God forbid any harm come t’ the man,” Declan said. “I’d just like t’ see his draw.”
“Why don’t we worry about what’s going on here first?” suggested Wisdom. “You can go to New Mexico and measure dicks later. No offense, ladies.”
Abby chuckled, and Cassie just shook her head.
“Alright, boyo,” Declan said. “We’ll just have a look-see for ourselves and be back.”
“Take your time,” Wisdom said. “I’ll put on a fresh pot of coffee.”
Declan led Greyeagle and the others out of the tent and took them a short distance away before he turned to speak to them.
“I take it the two of you know one another,” Greyeagle said.
“Aye, boyo,” Declan said with a shrug. “He’s what ye might call an un-friend o’ mine. We both work for the Marshals, but his team handles the paranormal stuff. We handle cryptids. Our two groups don’t have a history o’ workin’ and playin’ well t’gether.”
“Who is this RC Sandoval fellow?” asked Abby.
“I hae no idea,” Declan said, “but I plan on findin’ out. Later. For now, let’s figure out what’s goin’ on here.”
“Watch your step,” Greyeagle said. “Once we pass the crime scene tape, we’ve got a good chance of stepping on evidence.”
“Tell ye what, boyo,” Declan said. “Ye go on ahead and hae a good look ‘round. I’m a fair hand at a’ readin’ sign on the ground, but yer a mite better, I’ll admit. So, go take yer look, and we’ll wait right here.”
Greyeagle nodded and slipped under the tape, then began moving very carefully, watching where he placed his feet.
At first, he found only debris from the wrecked worksite, but as he moved deeper into the area, he began finding evidence collection numbers and blood-soaked ground. The pieces had already been collected.
After a few minutes, he stepped over a fallen piece of the gantry and stopped. He’d just located his first track that wasn’t human. He made a quick size estimate and discovered it was close to twenty-six inches long and pressed four inches into the hard-packed soil.
“This is impossible,” Greyeagle whispered. “Whatever made this had to be the size of Kodiak and weigh four to five tons to press that deep into the ground.”
Greyeagle took out his phone and placed his knife next to the track for scale, then took multiple images from several different heights and angles to get as much detail as possible. He moved slowly, taking images of the twisted steel and impossibly deep claw marks in the side of ruined vehicles.
He spent more than an hour moving around and checking the other tracks.
No two were identical, indicating that there had to be numerous creatures.
Perhaps as many as a dozen. He also noted that some of the spots on the steel looked distorted, like it had been subjected to incredible strength or high temperatures. Maybe both.
Greyeagle finished walking the crime scene, marking several pieces of evidence that the other teams had missed.
Most interesting of all, the tracks vanished into the ground, leaving a shallow depression in hard-packed soil and a few loose obsidian chips.
Rock that wouldn’t normally be found in this area, much less simply lying on the surface.
Greyeagle made his way back around and found Declan, Cassie, and Abby back in the tent. They were sipping coffee and reading over the case files and reports generated during the investigation. Wisdom handed Greyeagle a cup of coffee without looking at him as he entered.
“Did you find anything of interest, Detective?” asked Wisdom.
Greyeagle looked at him in mild surprise.
“Yes, I knew who you were the moment you stepped into the tent,” Wisdom said. “Trust me, we have extensive files on you and the other Hotamétaneo’o. After all, you might be doing good now, but we have to be informed in case you and your team go bad. No offense.”
“None taken,” Greyeagle said. “Honestly, even though I was a member of the Wild Hunt, I suspect they have the same types of files.”
“Oh, they do,” Wisdom assured him. “Do, to be honest, I would really like to know what you think did this. You and I know this wasn’t a bunch of radicals. This was something new.”
“I left red ribbons to mark several new pieces of evidence your teams missed,” Greyeagle said. “However, it will do little more than add pieces to the remains you’ve already collected.”
“Thank you for that,” Wisdom said. “I’ll have it collected. Now, what do you think did this?”
“I have no idea,” Greyeagle admitted. “I’ve never seen tracks like that before. No creature I’ve ever tracked makes prints like that. Whatever it was, I believe it vanished into the ground. It didn’t walk away.”
Wisdom nodded and took a deep breath before letting it out slowly.
“That fits with what we’ve already deduced,” Wisdom said.
“Is there any chance that you can release a statement that will exonerate the tribe?” asked Greyeagle. “I fear reprisals, and we both know the Lakota had nothing to do with this.”
“Do we?” asked Wisdom. “No offense, but if your magic can allow you to change into a werewolf, for all intents and purposes, then it can summon other things, as well.”
Greyeagle frowned. He couldn’t argue that. Whatever those creatures were, they were likely tied to ancient magics. The question was, who summoned them?
“See,” said Wisdom. “Even you can’t just deny it. You had to think about it first.”
“So, now what?” asked Greyeagle. “Do you intend to bring in my people for questioning?”
“No,” Wisdom said, “but I did think we might be able to work together on this. I can’t operate on the Rez. You can. So, how about a little quid pro quo? You investigate on the Rez and report to me, and I share everything we turn up in our efforts.”
Greyeagle thought about it a moment, then glanced over at Declan.
“Oh, ye can trust him,” Declan said. “Wisdom and I don’t always see eye t’ eye, but he’s a straight shooter. He’ll do exactly as he says he will.”
“So, what makes you think we weren’t behind it?” Greyeagle asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”
“I don’t mind a bit,” Wisdom said. “If you and the others wanted to take out this oil rig, you don’t need ritual magic to do it.
You could’ve ripped this place apart with your bare hands and covered your tracks.
This, whatever this was, didn’t care who found their tracks.
It simply destroyed everything in its path and disappeared.
If it had been the Hotamétaneo’o, we wouldn’t have found a damned thing. ”
“No, we would have left nothing,” Greyeagle replied. “This was primal. Not rage, not fury. This was just a force of nature, like a tornado. I do not know what kind of creature did this, but I know who to ask. I will consult with my people and get back to you.”
“Good,” Wisdom said. “I’ll forward everything we have to Caine’s laptop. He can give you all of it. Is there anything else I should be aware of?”
Greyeagle paused for a moment, then sighed.
“Yes, I’m afraid there is,” he said reluctantly.
“I’m listening,” Wisdom said.
“There is another group like mine,” Greyeagle said. “One that doesn’t operate with our restraint or sense of justice. They’re called the Makhótaneo’o. They can shift into some sort of canine creature, not a wolf. However, I have seen their tracks, and they are nothing like what was here.”
“Are they a threat?” asked Wisdom.
“Yes,” Greyeagle said. “Very much so. However, I do not think they were behind this. I did, but now I am not so sure. Like us, they wouldn’t have needed to summon anything to do this kind of damage, and you most assuredly would not have found any trace of them.”
“So, these Makhótaneo’o are the dark version of the Hotamétaneo’o,” Wisdom said.
“That is one way to look at them, yes,” Greyeagle replied.
“Alright, then I want to know everything you know about them,” Wisdom said. “And so will the Wild Hunt, but that’s not my problem. You might want to update them, though. I think they’ve been through enough lately without being blindsided by something like this.”
“Agreed,” Greyeagle said. “I will work up a threat report and forward it to you later today.”
“Good,” Wisdom said. “I’ll let you people get to it, then. I’ve got a lot of work to do here. Caine, never a pleasure. See you next time.”
“And feck ye, too,” Declan said, grinning.