Chapter Nine
Blade rotated on his heels and stared at the bayou. He expected to see a water snake, perhaps even a cottonmouth, swimming near the bank.
Instead, to his utter consternation, he beheld a literal monster of incredible dimensions, a reptile that dwarfed every animal he had ever seen, a creature that rivaled the dinosaurs.
A gargantuan black snake.
The serpent was over 50 yards from the shore, yet even at that distance its tremendous, sinuous bulk eclipsed everything around it, even trees. Ten feet in height and 40 feet in length, the snake appeared to be a throwback to the ancient era when gigantic animals ruled the earth. Its elongated head swung from side to side as it wound across the swamp, and its slender red tongue flicked outward repeatedly, testing the air.
“Tell me I’m dreaming!” Ferret breathed in amazement.
“What if it spots us, yes?” Gremlin declared.
“Take cover,” Blade directed, and swiveled to reach for their prisoner.
Henri Pétion was already in motion. The sight of the snake had produced a remarkable transformation in his visage. Sheer joy lit his eyes and he beamed happily. He shoved off the ground as the giant turned toward him, brushing past his captors in a bound and darting down to the edge of the water.
“What the—” Blade began, rising.
“I’ll get him,” Ferret offered, and took a step forward.
Suddenly Pétion lifted his arms to the heavens and shouted across the water. “Damballah! Mighty Damballah! Your humble servant is here to do your bidding!”
“What the hell is that idiot doing?” Ferret snapped.
“Gremlin doesn’t like this, no,” the humanoid offered.
Blade saw the huge snake start to stop. “Hit the dirt,” he directed, and suited action to his command by turning and diving into the undergrowth. He heard the brush rustle on either side as the hybrids obeyed, then he crawled to the north and covered a minimum of 20 yards before he halted and rose to his knees.
Pétion had stepped a few feet into the water and was now standing motionless, his arms still raised. “Great Damballah! Hear the prayer of your loyal follower!”
The Warrior looked at the serpent and felt his pulse quicken.
Advancing at a slow, winding clip, the snake was approaching the bank, its gaze fixed on the tonton macoute.
What was the fool doing? Blade marveled, and eased lower, slightly parting the weeds in front of him so he could witness whatever happened next. Fleeing was out of the question. The serpent would undoubtedly spot them and overtake them within seconds. The smartest recourse was to stay where they were, well hidden, until the snake departed.
“You have blessed me with a visitation, oh wondrous Damballah!”
Pétion cried ecstatically.
The, man must be insane! Blade reasoned. He slid the Bowie into its sheath and tucked the Thompson against his right side, his finger on the trigger, ready to cut loose. A glance to his right revealed Ferret a yard away; a glance to his left showed Gremlin crouching behind a bushy clump of matted vegetation.
“Magnificent Snake God!” Pétion raved on. “You came in response to my prayer! You came, yet I did not use the Sacred Drum!”
Blade watched in fascination as the reptile neared the man is black. He was astounded by Pétions behavior. The man acted as if he knew the snake!
“Now you will destroy the enemies of our Society,” Pétion shouted.
“Now you will show them our power!”
The serpent never deviated from its course. When only 15 yards separated it from the voodoo practitioner, the snake stopped and elevated its head an additional four feet above the ground, that scarlet tongue flicking-flicking-flicking.
Pétion waded out until the water reached his knees. He spread his arms out and stared up at the immense creature. “Go find our enemies, oh, mighty Damballah! Seek them out and devour them as you have done so many times in the past! Show them your followers do not worship you in vain.”
Blade stayed as rigid as a rock, hardly breathing, dumbfounded by the riveting tableau.
“Wait until the Baron hears of this!” Pétion declared. “Wait until he hears how you have favored me. I will move up quickly now. Why, I wouldn’t be surprised to be appointed boko. And all thanks to you!”
The living nightmare slid slowly toward the man in black, its dark, obsidian eyes reflecting its soulless nature.
Henri Pétion performed a sweeping, obsequious bow. “Lord Damballah, I am yours to command! Do with me as you will.” He straightened, his arms at his sides.
The Snake God acknowledged the request.
Suddenly sweeping forward, the black serpent’s enormous head darted at the expectant human, its maw opening wide enough to accommodate a horse. Exhibiting lightning rapidity, striking before Pétion could utter a single sound, the snake snapped its mouth shut over its prey, then reared back.
Blade felt revulsion at the ghastly sight. He could see Pétion’s ankles and feet jutting from between the reptile’s lips, the black shoes kicking and twisting, and then the snake tilted its head upward, gulped, and swallowed. Pétion’s feet disappeared.
A bulge formed in the serpent’s throat just behind the jaw. For over a minute the snake didn’t move except for the rippling of its scaly skin as the bulge flowed down its throat. Pressure from within distended its neck as Pétion went into his death throes, thrashing and tossing wildly.
Blade almost stood and fired. He wanted to kill the serpent, but the realization that their weapons might not be adequate for the job deterred him. If he was going to take the reptile on, he would prefer to do it when he had an edge, some way of evening the odds.
At last the snake turned and headed to the southeast, its head held low to the water, moving swiftly.
The Warrior waited until the reptile was out of sight before standing.
“Just when you think you’ve seen everything,” he muttered.
“That thing scared Gremlin, yes?” the humanoid said, rising. He removed the sunglasses and tossed them aside. Ferret stood and took several strides toward the bayou, his countenance registering severe agitation. “Did you see that sucker?” he asked absently. “Who could miss it?” Blade quipped. “What the hell are we doing here?” Ferret queried, gesturing at the water. “I mean, what the hell are we doing here?”
“You know the reason we came to New Orleans,” Blade said. “To find the party responsible for the distress call and to help the people here in their fight against the Black Snake Society.” His eyes enlarged in amazement as the obvious finally dawned on him. The Black Snake Society!
“No, you came to help some poor saps fight for their freedom,” Ferret corrected him angrily. “Gremlin and I came because we’re morons!
Because we let Lynx sucker us in again!”
“It’s no use crying over spilt milk, no?” Gremlin commented.
“I’m not worried about spilling milk, damn it,” Ferret snapped. “I’m worried about spilling our blood. Didn’t you see the size of that thing?”
“Of course, yes.”
“And didn’t it occur to you that we don’t stand a prayer against a mutation as big as a mountain?”
“We’ll find a way to destroy it, yes,” Gremlin asserted optimistically.
“Yeah. Sure. Right. All we have to do is round up a mongoose forty feet long and we’re in business.”
Gremlin glanced at Blade. “Excuse him, yes? A few little problems and he tends to fall to pieces.”
“Little!” Ferret bellowed. “If that snake gets any bigger, it’ll start snacking on elephants.”