Hey there! How are y'all doing? I tell you in advance, if you have a soft heart, go get a box of tissues before you begin to read this chapter. A part of it will surely make you emotional of you do have a soft heart. In any case, for the moment, just sit back and enjoy the chapter. This will show you lot how evil I am when it come to making cliff hangers.
Disclaimer: I do not own Rio, Blue Sky Studios and Carlos Saldanha do. As for the Guardians of Ga'Hoole, Kathryn Lasky owns the series, not me.
Dmitri belongs to Dimitri The Soviet Spix Macaw.
However, I do own Kurth, Serenade, Michael, Lucy and Henry as well as the personality Lutta has. The character belongs to Kathryn Lasky, though.
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Chatper 11: The Appearance of a Ghost
"Who the heck?" Jewel let out, slightly surprised.
"Everyone, I present you Michael, the one who helped both Kurth and me," told Lutta.
"Hey there!" greeted Michael, cheerfully.
"Um, is it normal if I am at a loss right now?" Rafael queried.
"Definitely. I mean, how can someone who's dead stand among the living?" Nico asked.
"For many a reason. Some not worth telling the tale while others may be helpful to all of you. Those I'm about to tell you concern both Kurth and Lutta," Michael explained.
"All of this is fine and all, but why don't you start by telling us how you are here?" Jewel asked Michael on a harsh tone.
"Quite the feisty one, this little Spix's Macaw," Michael replied in a mocking tone. "but in any case, I was about to inform you of that. Next time, learn to control your impatience and keep that tongue of yours in your beak."
"Hey, don't pick on the lady. She's done nothin' to ya!" Pedro let out.
"Please, had I wanted to pick on her, I would have used a harsher tone than that. I was merely amused by her lack of patience."
"You still haven't answered her question, though," said Blu.
"Fine, fine. If you want answers, then answers you shall obtain."
"Go on, we're listening," Jewel replied.
"Although you lot are right, only my mortal body died. Humans in general have two shells, the mortal one and the spiritual one. I has ascended to the spiritual form but when humans do that, they are generally sent to Heaven. However, I do not believe in Heaven or in any kind of religion as a matter of fact. As a result, I was left to roam the Earth freely," said Michael.
"Whoa, hold on! So you're some kind of spirit that roams or haunts the world of the living. You're startin' to scare me now," Pedro told Michael.
"I am not a threat to you. Instead, I was instructed to deal with Kurth, either by reasoning with him or by striking him down."
"Instructed by whom?" Blu queried, lost in the human's explanation.
"I was instructed by Glaux himself. You see, Kurth's very existence is a threat to the world. He is too powerful for this world and as I was able to sense earlier, he became a hagsfiend, right?"
"How did ya know?" Nico inquired.
"I can sense Kurth. After all, I spent ten years inside that owl's mind and during all those years, I learned some rather disturbing things about Kurth. Lutta, do you mind telling them?" Michael asked as he looked at the changeling.
"Not at all. All right, young'uns, listen well. I don't plan on repeating myself!" Lutta let out so she could gain the attention of all the other birds.
"We're listening," Blu answered.
"Good. Now, as Michael here said, Kurth's very existence is a threat to the world. There are a few reasons to this; one of them being the possibility that he has gained access to the book of Kreeth, a book written by the arch-hagsfiend herself who also happens to be my adoptive mother."
"And this is supposed to help us struggle against Kurth?"
"No, it is supposed to be informative so you can understand the situation like we do! Now, please do be kind and don't interrupt Lutta another time."
"Thank you, Michael but I don't think that last part was really necessary. In any case, the book of Kreeth is a powerful artefact containing various spells, some of them being extremely dangerous," Lutta told the group.
"But, as far as I'm concerned, Kurth never gained access to that book during these last few years so I think he read it after he killed Kreeth died," said Michael.
"But ... Kurth told me that Kreeth lived nearly a thousand years ago and he never told me that he had read such an ominous book. If he really did read that book, then it must mean that he's...," Blu began before beginning to catch on the situation.
"Yes, Blu, it is as you think. Kurth isn't a regular Barn Owl near the end of his life. He's a creature like me, a changeling. But unlike myself, his gizzard is filled with darkness and consumed by hatred. And he didn't suffer the same fate I did. In fact, he's older than all of you here. He fooled you all."
"Wait, are ya tellin' us that he's over a thousand years old. Babe, that's impossible," Pedro commented.
"If he gained access to the Book of Kreeth, then everything that was impossible is now possible to him. Surely he managed to find a spell of immortality. Cursed with the dark powers of the nachtmagen, he can use the magic he learned at will. He's dangerous enough as it is so I came prepared if I have no other choice but to kill him," Lutta answered.
"Does that also make you over a thousand years old?" Rafael queried.
"No, it doesn't. I didn't have the same luck as Kurth. I was killed at a very young age and love was the cause of it all," said Lutta with a hint of regret in her voice.
"Excuse me but if you died, how is it that you are here with us instead of the afterlife?" Nico asked.
"I had some spare time during the last five years. I made a deal with Glaux, the owl god. The deal was rather simple; eliminate the threat Kurth posed by any means necessary. Since I could not deal with him physically, I made another deal and bargained with Glaux on some terms," Michael told the group.
"Which happen to be?" Jewel enquired.
"To revive me. And if we managed to eliminate Kurth's threat, I would be allowed to stay among the living once more. Those were the terms of his bargain," explained Lutta.
"I don't quite get it completely but tell me what your relation with Kurth is. He loved you dearly from what he told me before he went crazy and you said he was someone you cared about. Maybe that would explain why you're trying to help him so badly," Rafael suggested.
"Well ... he's..."
"I'll take it from here, Lutta," Michael said, stepping in front of the changeling.
"And what exactly might you know about her relation with Kurth?" Blu replied.
"More than you might think. In any case, their relation is somewhat special. I'm sure that by now, you've all noticed that while Lutta is a hagsfiend, she does not give off an ounce of malice. There's a reason for that..." explained Michael.
"There is?" Jewel asked.
"Yes. You see, Kurth and Lutta are complete opposites. Kurth is, well, her other half and he is the representation of all the evil my friend here had. Now, her soul is as pure as any well-intentioned maiden. There's also another thing that Kurth managed to hide from everyone due to his constant ability to change his form, something that only I found out. I told it to Lutta and now, I will pass this knowledge to you."
"Are you sure you want to share such a secret if it is so ... secret?" Rafael queried.
"If I keep it to myself, not only will you end up dead but it will also be my fault for not telling you so I prefer to share it so you know his background and what he can really do," spoke Michael.
"This seems like a good 'nuff reason. All right, we're listening," Nico said, speaking on behalf of the whole group.
"Okay, I'm not going to repeat this as it is still a touchy subject for Lutta so you better listen carefully. Alright, like I said, Kurth is Lutta's other half. That means that when the two are next to each other, they feel complete both in their gizzards and in their hearts. Complementary to this detail, they were both born from the same egg but they are not siblings."
"But how can that be possible?" Blu asked, really confused about the human's explanation.
"When dealing with nachtmagen, pretty much everything can happen. But that is not important right now. Since they are not siblings, this means that when they were born, the yin and the yang were set. Kurth was to embrace darkness so he took away nearly all the darkness Lutta could have possessed while Lutta took away nearly all the light he could have possessed. That is why I said that they were complete opposites. Because one represents darkness and the other, light. They don't belong in the same worlds," explained Michael.
"But the truth to this is that we need each other if we want to feel complete. We can be apart but we will always feel what the other feels if deep down in our gizzards. In the end, that feeling of emptiness drove Kurth to folly. All I can guess is that he escaped Theo's trap and that he lived in exile, killing any who came too close to him," Lutta added.
"Damn, ain't this goin' a bit too far? I mean, you guys like reinvented the definition of weird!" Pedro let out.
"I dunno 'bout you, Pedro, but I don't think they're lyin' to us," Nico told the red-crested cardinal.
"Well, I believe them," Blu said, stepping in front of the whole group even if he was slightly trembling.
"And for that, you have our thanks but unfortunately, I am needed elsewhere so I will have to take my leave. Lutta, would you mind staying with them and protecting them from danger?" Michael asked Lutta.
"You can count on me. But what if Kurth shows up while you're gone. I don't even have an ice splinter to stab his heart with," said Lutta.
Don't worry; just keep what I told you in mind for it will come in handy if you ever have to clash with Kurth. But there is another thing you should know about. The name Kurth is just a false name he used to avoid suspicion. His real name is Kretari."
"Seems ancient," noted Jewel.
"Quite right but it is befitting a creature old of a thousand years," commented Lutta.
"Kretari seems wrong so I think I'll stick with Kurth for a while."
"Yeah, me too," Nico added, agreeing with Blu's opinion.
Then, a strong wind hit the group of birds head on and that forced them to hold their ground. Well, if they didn't want to be brushed aside by the winds, holding their ground was probably the best choice they had. Strangely, Lutta was not affected by the winds and just stood there as if she a breeze was passing next to her. None of them knew where this wind came from but there was one thing they were sure of; it wasn't natural. Blu could prove it as he caught a glimpse of the trees above him and not once did he see the branches being affected by the winds.
"It would seem that it is a pressing matter. I'm afraid that I will take my leave for now. Until we meet again ... Lutta," said Michael before he disappeared just as quickly as he had appeared.
Blu had so many question that none of his new friends could answer. In fact, some of them couldn't even be answered by Lutta. He extended his wings to implore Michael into staying so he could answer his numerous question when he heard the human say that he would take his leave. It wasn't until Michael disappeared that Blu realised he acted selfishly. Hopefully, Jewel was there to support him and reassure him that she would have probably done the same thing if she were in his situation.
As for Lutta, she was still afraid of the coming encounter with Kurth, or Kretari as he was originally named. She couldn't get the idea that they could end up as enemies after all the time they spent together. But the worst was that she feared the possibility of her failing to save Kurth. If she had to kill him, she wondered how she would live without his presence. After all, she still loved him and losing him would surely affect her greatly.
Shortly after the Michael's spirit disappeared from everyone's sight, the tramway they were on stopped suddenly. As soon as it stopped, Rafael told everyone that they were getting down. Unlike before, Blu and Jewel were able to get down normally without abruptly falling down. Once the whole group and Lutta were on the ground, Rafael didn't lose any time in telling his friends that they were right in front of Luiz's garage.
Naturally, Blu was uncertain about going in the garage. Mostly because it was as dark as the night itself but also because it seemed to possess a strange aura, one he didn't like. Finally, since everyone else had already begun to walk towards the large door of the garage, Blu let go of his fear, although only slightly, and joined the rest of the group. And even if Lutta had assured the group that she meant no harm to them, the cerulean feathered macaw still felt insecure with the hagsfiend right behind him.
Soon, after some silly moments between a few of the group's members, they were all inside Luiz's garage. At first, it felt awfully empty as no one was able to hear any sound whatsoever. Even Lutta had to admit that the silence was disturbing, almost nerve-wracking. The group still ventured farther into the garage to realize that there was no one inside, except for them. They were about to turn back when they heard a sound comic from the back of the garage.
Then, a large dog jumped out of one of the cars inside the workshop and began chasing after everyone at the exception of Rafael. Unlike the others, the toucan managed to keep his calm despite the rather... peculiar situation. However, that was not the case for Lutta. Her eyes had instinctively begun to shine with a bright golden glow, indicating that she was using her fyngrot. Upon realizing what she was doing, the hagsfiend quickly stopped herself from fully using her fyngrot on any unfortunate souls that would gaze upon her eyes.
The dog instead tackled Blu and Jewel, knocking them down, and positioned himself in a threat display. Lutta was about to intervene, peacefully of course, but then Rafael broke the mood by bursting into a soft laughter and telling the dog to let go of his friends. Most members of the group were surprised that Rafael knew the dog but what surprised them the most was that the dog was Luiz. Not even Lutta had anticipated such a thing and was equally surprised.
"Wait a minute! Luiz is a Bulldog?" Jewel queried, her voice hinting both surprise and anger.
"Ya got a problem with dogs?" Luiz replied, responding to Jewel's rude answer.
"In fact, I do when they're drooling on me," Jewel stated.
"It's a medical condition," Luiz muttered under his breath, hardly audible for most.
"Excuse me but could someone explain to me the reason why we're in a garage with a dog?" Lutta inquired, puzzled by the current.
"We came here with the intention of getting rid of this chain," Blu told Lutta, showing her the chain that restrained both macaws to each other.
"And I think I have just the thing to help ya."
Luiz asked the group to follow him deeper into the garage and they complied. Compared to what it looked like outside, the garage was quite large inside. Several minutes later, they entered a room in which a table saw was. Blu, recognizing what Luiz was going to use, began to feel really nervous because a table saw wasn't something one should use carelessly. If used wrongly, it could easily kill its user. Nonetheless, Luiz made Blu and Jewel climb on a platform he elevated to later climb on the table saw.
"Are you sure this is safe?" Blu nervously asked.
"Don't worry, he's got his fair share of experience," Rafael told the macaw.
"I have the feeling we're gonna regret this," said Jewel.
"Relax, it's gonna be just fine. You need to trust Luiz," Nico told the macaws.
And they did. However, Luiz made things overly complicated as he always managed to stress the two Spix's Macaws by telling them that the helmet he had on blurred his vision and reduced his hearing. Of all things to say, such things were not the best things to say while trying to reassure someone else. Lutta thought that Luiz was being somewhat inconsiderate towards the two birds.
And so, the Bulldog began to push the chained macaws towards the saw that Rafael had turned on. The sight of the saw frightened Blu like never before and he wished that he hadn't with Luiz's idea in the first place. Still, even with Blu and Jewel's complaints, the dog continued to push the two birds as if he had never heard anything. However, just as Lutta had expected, Luiz lost his footing due to his own drool and pushed the birds even more, nearly throwing them at the saw.
Scared of the outcome of Luiz's klutziness, Jewel took off, lifting above the saw's blade but also dragged Blu with her. Without even analyzing Blu's situation, she didn't even see his head barely escape the saw's blade. She was still under a state of shock and didn't see the hanging lamp right in front of her. She hit it directly and was stunned of doing so. She hanged on the lamp and dove right back towards the table saw. She, however, miscalculated her plunge and she found herself descending straight at the saw.
A sudden, desperate cry echoed through the garage and the saw stopped almost instantly. The chain restraining Blu and Jewel was broken as Blu was thrown to the ground at a quite rapid speed. He tried to call out to the Spix's Macaw to show her his excitement now that he was free from the chain but no response came from Jewel. He wondered why and asked Luiz to take him up so he could talk to her. Once he was up, he saw that everyone had grim faces, including Luiz and Lutta.
"Where's Jewel?" Blu asked.
"Blu, she's..." Rafael told him, his voice broken by sadness.
Blu didn't have time to ask what happened to Jewel. Instinctively, he looked behind Rafael and then saw a mass of feathers and blood. Azure colored feathers to be precise...
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Hehehe, me and my cliffies. I hope you won't hate me because of them. Although I do think that I could place them a little more gently, I wouldn't see the fun of it then. Anyway, I hope you've enjoyed chapter eleven because after this, things are gonna get worse and the final battle will approach quickly. Just be ready because I have a lot of cliffies where this came from.