CHAPTER ELEVEN MIXED EMOTIONS
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MIXED EMOTIONS
“Sometimes dreams are wiser than waking.”Black Elk
Pine Ridge Reservation
Greyeagle got out of the cab of Declan’s truck and headed for the firepit.
The fire was blazing, and all the other Hotamétaneo’o were there waiting for him.
Only Declan and Greyeagle had gone to the second crime scene.
Greyeagle slipped into the chair beside Sarah as Declan sat on a bench beside Abby.
“We saved some food for you both,” Sarah said. “Steaks and roasted vegetables.”
“Sounds grand, love,” Declan said. “Thank ye.”
Greyeagle squeezed Sarah’s hand.
“So, how bad was it?” asked Mika.
“Two survivors, this time,” Greyeagle said. “Twenty-six killed, including one of the corporate big shots.”
“Was it the same creatures as before?” asked Kodiak.
“The tracks looked the same,” Greyeagle said.
“And Wisdom was able to recover some of the footage from the security cameras on the oil rig. It confirmed what we already knew. These creatures are massive and made of stone. They’re as big as Kodiak and weigh upwards of four tons.
They can rip through concrete and steel with ease and have no regard for life. Well, that’s not entirely true.”
“What do you mean?” asked Jay.
“One of the survivors was a Lakota,” Greyeagle said. “He was one of the security officers. Jesse Crow.”
“I know him,” Jay said. “He came to a sing last fall. He was trying to reconnect with our ways after he left the US Military. The National Guard, I believe.”
“That’s what he said, too,” Greyeagle said. “He credits the medicine pouch you gave him with saving his life.”
“Really?” said Jay, smiling. “I hope it helped when he needed it.”
“Apparently, one of the creatures was about to kill one of the employees there,” Greyeagle explained, “a woman named Megan Foster. When Jesse stepped in between the creature and the woman, it stopped and stared at him, then turned and moved off into the facility.”
“Was it because of the bag or because he was Lakota?” asked Black Fox.
“That’s a very good question,” Greyeagle said. “Clearly, these creatures are not Kade and his pack. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that he summoned them somehow. We don’t understand the magic of the Makhótaneo’o.”
“It is possible,” Jay said. “However, they would not have needed to summon other creatures to do their bidding. They could have destroyed the oil rig and pump station without help.”
“I agree,” Greyeagle replied, “but we can’t dismiss it entirely until we know for certain. At this point, the investigation is still ongoing, and we can’t rule anything out until we know more.”
“He’s right,” said Black Fox. “We cannot sit back and wait for another attack.”
“So, what’s the plan now?” asked Mika. “What’s our next move?”
Everyone turned to look at Greyeagle.
“If I were a betting man,” said Mika, “and I am, I’d put money on another Red Basin Energy Facility getting hit.”
“We’re not simply going to be able to go to the nearest facility and offer our services,” Greyeagle said. “Wisdom warned us that Red Basin has hired PMCs to guard their facilities.”
“What’s a PMC?” asked Mika.
“Sorry, brother,” Greyeagle said. “Private Military Contractors. Essentially, Special Forces for hire. They operate all over the world, and companies like Red Basin hire them when things get dangerous. I know they snapped up a lot of former Army Rangers from my unit. I got an offer from Black Rock and a few others, including the one that Red Basin hired. They’re called Praetorian Risk Management.
They only hire Tier Three and above operators. ”
“That won’t matter to whatever these creatures are,” Mika said. “They’ll wade through them as easily as the rest. If they’re made of stone, then I doubt that bullets will do much to them.”
“Aye, but explosives might get the job done,” Declan said. “That and other party favors these lads ‘ll bring t’ bear. Likely high-end systems that ‘r designed t’ stop tanks. I bet an AT-4 ‘ll put the whammy on whate’er these beasties are.”
“Where is Jesse Crow now?” asked Jay.
“Same place as the other witness,” Greyeagle replied. “The hospital in Martin. Bennett County Hospital, I believe.”
“Perhaps I should pay him a visit,” Jay said. “How badly was he hurt?”
“Burns and cuts mostly,” Declan said. “He won’t be needin’ skin grafts, but that’s still gonna scar somethin’ fierce.”
“Maybe I can help with that,” Jay said. “Perhaps a healing sing.”
“I’d be happy to help with that, grandfather,” said Jason.
“So, is there any news on Kade?” asked Black Fox. “I mean, even if these attacks aren’t him, he’s still out there.”
Greyeagle nodded in agreement.
“I’ve put the word out with contacts I have in law enforcement,” Greyeagle said. “They’re keeping an eye out for them. I gave them the plate number of the bike Kade was riding. Maybe it’ll help.”
“Good,” said Black Fox.
“Grandfather,” said Greyeagle, “have you heard of anything like these creatures before?”
Jay frowned and leaned back in his chair.
“What are you holding back, old man?” asked Black Fox. “This is not the time for your games.”
Jay frowned at Black Fox, ignoring the comment. He turned back to Greyeagle and shook his head.
“There is something,” Jay said, “but it hasn’t been spoken of in generations. I barely remember the old tales. It is a legend of the Cheyenne, but it was one that our people learned and remembered.”
“What is it?” asked Mika. “Don’t tell me there’s another pack out there.”
“Not a pack,” Jay said. “Not like you’d think.”
“Then what is it?” asked Black Fox.
“They are called the Ma’êstse-hóhkeso,” Jay explained, “and I thought they were only a myth. One of the old stories, like the Bear Man or the Underwater Panther.”
“Does that mean what I think it means?” asked Mika. “My Cheyenne is a little rusty, but I think that means Stone-Clawed Ones or Those With Stone Claws.”
“That is precisely what it means,” Jay said, nodding. “They are enormous creatures. Elementals, made of living rock. It is said that you can feel the ground shake when they walk. But they were supposed to be guardian spirits. They cannot be summoned. They come when there is imbalance in the land.”
“That sounds like what hit those facilities,” Greyeagle said. “And I’d definitely say things are out of balance. Red Basin was drilling into the Rez to steal from our people, and nothing was being done about it. Perhaps that’s why they’re here.”
“Could Kade have summoned them?” asked Black Fox.
“They cannot be summoned,” Jay answered. “Not as far as I know, anyway. They only respond to the Earth. They come when she calls. They answer to no other spirit or power.”
“So, they’re a force of nature,” Greyeagle said.
“Have you ever heard the tale of the First Winter?” asked Jay.
“I vaguely remember hearing you tell the story when I was very young,” Greyeagle said.
“When the world was young, and the land was still cracked from her creation,” Jay said, his voice taking on a deeper resonance and power, “the first animals were the mammoth, the giant bison, the first wolves, and yes, even the Dire Wolf. The world was new, and everything was as the Great Spirit planned it. But some animals ate more than they should, killed when they shouldn’t, and took advantage of others.
The First Warriors tried to fight them, but they were too few to stop such massive beasts.
The Earth Maiden, like your namesake Sarah Makawee, felt the imbalance upon her skin and sent the Ma’êstse-hóhkeso to restore it to the way it was intended.
They hunted and killed the corrupted animals and brought peace back to the new land.
Then, their work done, they faded back into the stone from which they emerged, only to rise again when the Earth Maiden felt an imbalance.
The Elders from my youth would say that when the ground trembles without wind, when the stones groan like old men, when the night tastes of dust, the Ma’êstse-hóhkeso are walking. ”
Everyone sat in awed silence for several moments, letting the words sink in. They were all moved by the power of the tale and knew instantly what the imbalance was. Red Basin was just the beginning.
“How do we stop a force of Nature, herself?” asked Greyeagle.
“You do not,” Jay said. “You simply move out of its way until its work is finished. No force known to any of us, man nor beast, can stop them now that they have been called.”
In the distance, a massive fireball rolled into the night sky. Seconds later, they felt the earth rumble beneath their feet and felt the pressure as the air moved past them.
“What the hell was that?” asked Mika quietly.
“Likely another oil rig,” Greyeagle said. “We need to figure out where that explosion was and try to rescue survivors.”
“On it,” Declan said, taking out his phone.
Everyone scattered and began gathering their gear and weapons. By the time they were loading the trucks, Declan was off the phone.
“That explosion was Red Basin Rig Number Seventeen,” Declan said. “They called it Lucky Seventeen.”
“Not anymore, they don’t,” Mika said darkly. “How many people are there?”
“Accordin’ t’ Wisdom,” Declan replied, “they were runnin’ a full crew with extra security. Wisdom estimates close to forty people.”
“Do you know the way?” asked Greyeagle.
“Aye, boyo,” Declan said. “Follow me.”
They all piled into their vehicles and headed out of the campground as quickly as they dared go on the loose gravel road. Once they hit blacktop, Declan set the pace at a hundred and ten miles an hour.
The convoy raced off into the night, knowing that every second counted for survivors, and they were close to an hour away.
“God help them,” whispered Abby.
“Aye,” Declan agreed. “God help us all. If these things ‘r what Jay says they are, we’re only gonna be pickin’ up the pieces ‘till they’re through.”