Marcus was in his office as he was most days at this time of morning. He was trying to work and not think about Cally. It was not easy. "She"s done this kind of thing hundreds of time." Then he would play devil"s advocate and think, "but not as Cally." He was able to do a few minutes of work before his mind would again turn to her. He consoled himself thinking, " Eagle was a professional. One of the best shooters in the world. Like Cally said easy peasy..." Why was he so uneasy?His office phone rang. Finally, he thought. "This is Marcus." On the other side he could hear rapid breathing and a distant shout "c.r.a.p! it"s bad!" Hal suddenly said, "Marcus, Cally"s been shot! She moved in the split second before the round hit that Ivar character. She was stunned or some s.h.i.t and Ivar hit her like a mack truck. He took out her throat! Marcus, man I, man I"m sorry, I think she"s gone!"
Hal waited a few seconds and heard no response from the other side. "Marcus? Are you there? Did you hear what I said?" Again silence. Finally, "What is Ivar"s status?" "Yeah we took that b.a.s.t.a.r.d out with the second shot. But he had already got to the girl. He was wicked fast."
"Copy that. I"ll be up in the helo within the hour. Prepare an LZ." with that Marcus disconnected. Hal threw the cell phone in the SUV and grabbed a couple candy bars and walked over to Eagle who was resting with his back against a tree. Tossing the food to him he said, "Man I think we missed our calling. We shoulda been actors." Eagle looked up "So he bought it with no problem?" "Yeah, yeah. He seemed stunned. The omniscient Wotan is dead. The wicked witch is dead. And you were right. He"s coming by chopper so he wants an LZ prepared."
Marcus had stood up and was holding his phone. His mind was full of static and he wasn"t thinking clearly. Truly his mind blanked out for several minutes. Forcing his thoughts into order. He called the pilot for the chopper. He quickly decided he wasn"t in the right frame of mind to fly it himself as he often did. Next he called a two man security team and told them to meet at the helipad in twenty minutes. Finally he called the new Clan Home President Renard Durand, "Mr. President there has been an accident."
Renard was just getting up to start his day and his new duties as the successor to Olen Hamundarson. "Oh? Did Cally"s team miss this Ivar? We need to step up security here at Clan Home yes?" Renard started to steam ahead with preparations. "We need to send out intercept teams-" "RENARD." "Yes. Yes what is it?"
"I received a call from the spotter sent with Cally. He said She stepped in front of a bullet and Ivar killed her." Renard pulled the phone away from his head and stared at it blankly. "This is ridiculous. It is a joke?" Thinking this in his head he finally asked, "Is this Marcus?" "Have you gone daft?! What the h.e.l.l do you mean she"s dead? I don"t care if she was pulled apart by wild horses; she wouldn"t die! Who says lies like this?"
Interrupting the enraged tirade Marcus said, "Renard, I received the call from Eagle"s spotter, Hal. He said they shot her by mistake and the mad wolf ripped her throat out. They also said that as he attacked her they killed him with the second shot. I am heading up there in ten minutes by chopper. I am requesting that you join me." Marcus was furious, enraged. "You"re d.a.m.n right I"m coming! Eagle shot her by mistake? Léon César doesn"t miss! He is one of Jean Michel"s people. That backstabbing weasel!" Renard was well aware of Eagle"s origins. Wasn"t he a Frenchman also? He was never one of the de Mont Rouge"s people. Never a member of the Red Cliffs clan. "hmfh!" When this was cleared up Cally would annihilate the entire clan!
Marcus ended the call as Renard continued to spout his refusal of such as possibility. Leaving his office, leaving guild hall, he looked up at the second floor at Cally"s rooms. There were no lights and no discernable movements from Cally"s girls. Deciding not to disturb them he headed to the hanger and helipad were Clan Home kept an H125 - Airbus. His pilot and security detail were standing beside the chopper that could seat six people. It was black with a grey interior. Stepping on board he said, "We are waiting for President Durand." He gave the pilot the coordinates and sat back in his seat. He was sitting there thinking that he could never thank Renard enough for giving him hope. He was also thinking he might never forgive him for giving him a false hope.