Date: Fri, 29 Jul 1994 13:04:50 +0000 Reply-To: Highlander TV show stories Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: "kimberly (k.s.) smith" Subject: BLIND FAITH (4/4) As ususal, please send comments to ksmith@aludra.usc.edu. Here we go..... ************************************************************************* BLIND FAITH (Conclusion) Kim Smith (c) 1994 "Good evening, my dear." Instinct brought her sword up and around. She slashed at the sound and the smell, but she hit nothing. She was standing now, breathing hard, her senses straining for any sign of her enemy. "Such a greeting, for an old friend." His voice flowed out of the darkness. She whirled, trying to find it, and swung again. Her sword hit something too hard to be a body. Something crashed to the floor. "Cadian?" She heard Duncan's call immediately, but could not spare the attention to answer. She heard the whoosh of a sword, barely ducked in time. "Such a treat, to find you an Immortal. I had thought I would have to find another toy." His voice was silky and seemed to wrap around her in the darkness. "And still running to Macleod as well. Two Quickenings for the price of one." "Why are you doing this?" Cade almost sobbed, her voice shrill from fear and desperation. "Why not?" You must admit,it is a fitting celebration for our anniversary. A fitting end to my game. You spoiled it before, you know. That delightful reward money,Macleod's Quickening, gone.I only want to take what is mine." Another swing. She ducked again, realizing that she was the mouse to his cat. *He's still playing games. Duncan, hurry!* His voice came in answer. "Leave her alone, Danneau." "Ah, the hero appears. It's our fight, Macleod. You can't interfere, that would be against the rules." "You'll have time for her later," Duncan said, his voice flat. "You want to play, try me." His sword was already in his hand. Danneau looked at him with a bitter half-smile. "Tell me, Macleod, does it ever get tiresome, being the knight in shining armor, riding to the rescue?" "No more games, Danneau. It ends here." "I want the girl." Duncan's jaw clenched. "You can't have her." "Pity." With the single word, Danneau's sword swung up and out. Duncan parried, slashed back, and the fight began in earnest. Cadian followed the sounds of battle, cowering back even as she despised herself for her cowardice. She heard Danneau grunt -- one of Duncan's slashes had gotten through. Then, a laugh, as Danneau's thrust hit its mark. He was older than Duncan, quicker and crueler, and he had less to lose. Cadian suddenly knew that Duncan would not win this fight. He would die for her. For Danneau's game. Resolve hit, washing away fear. Cadian's voice rang out over the clashing metal, over the wind raging outside. "You want me, coward? Come and get me!" "Cadian, no!" Distracted for a moment, Duncan didn't see Danneau's blade until it slammed into his stomach. He fell to the floor, curled around agony. Danneau pulled his sword free and looked down at his victim. Then he chuckled. "I'll be back for you, Maclead." He kicked Duncan's body as an afterthought, turning to follow Cade. She felt her way through the door and down the hall to the stairs, moving as quickly as she dared. *Faster, faster!* Danneau came slowly, his footsteps barely audible over the howling winds outside. She had known he would follow, had known he would drag out his game. One flight, then two. Finally, she touched the basement door. She fumbled for the knob, her fingers stiff with fear. Finally it turned and she stumbled through, down the steps. He followed, his footsteps heavy, mocking her efforts to run. She fumbled along the wall, found what she was searching for -- and waited. Upstairs, Duncan felt the Quickening, felt his strength begin to come back. But it was too slow. "Cadian," he groaned again. He shoved himself up, then fell back. "Cadian." The storm broke, finally. Rain lashed down with lightning, creating chaos outside. Inside, there was near silence, but for Cadian's harsh breathing. Thunder sounded close by, shocking a scream out of her. Danneau found his prey by that sound, crouched by the cement wall of the basement. Her eyes were wide with unseeing fear, her blade gleaming under the harsh lights. She waved it helplessly at every noise. He swung at her, just for fun. She parried and the blades clashed. Another half-hearted swing, another desperate parry. This time, she lunged for him, and almost connected. He stumbled back in surprise. Off balance, she crashed against the wall, clinging to the grey box mounted there. "Very good, my dear," Danneau laughed. The sound echoed oddly off the bare walls. "But the game, I think, is over." "Not yet." Acadiana St. John's jaw tightened and the fear left her eyes. In one move, she opened the box and ripped out the fuses. The house plunged into darkness, deep and absolute. The storm blocked even the streetlights, so that only strobes of lightning offered sight. In the windowless basement, even that was locked out. Suddenly disoriented, Danneau froze. Only an instant, but long enough for Cadian to dart past him, her movements swift and sure. The door to the basement slammed shut. "Want out, monsieur?" This time, it was Cadian who mocked. "Come and get me." He lunged for her voice. Cadian heard him move, parried easily and cut his arm with the backstroke. He lunged again, and her blade sliced his leg. "The darkness is terrifying, isn't it?" Her voice echoed as his had, seeming to come from all sides, feeding his growing fear. "Never knowing what's there, where your enemy is, when his blade will come. Like this." Another slice, to the other arm. "Or this." To his leg. He stood in the darkness, blood flowing, and felt the cold breath of panic. "It's a scary thing, darkness. Unless you've lived in it for two hundred years." He raised his sword, tried to lunge for her again. She danced aside. Above him, he heard the door open and a stumbling step. His nerve broke. He turned to run -- and felt cold steel in his chest. The blade struck his heart, before she pulled it free. He fell to his knees, his sword falling from his lifeless hand. It crashed to the floor. Blood stained his shirt. A flash of lightning came through the open door, casting her in sillhouette over him. Her face glowed like ice, all harsh lines and angles. "Game's over. You lose." Her voice was flat and cold. Jean-Paul Danneau looked up at her, his eyes full of the shock of being beaten. He laughed once. Cadian needed no sound to guide her blade. "There can be only one." The sword fell. Duncan felt his way down the stairs, his eyes beginning to adjust. In a flash of lightning, he saw the gleam of Cadian's blade and the headless body, still kneeling before her. The darkness fell again, until a white glow began around the body and rose into the air. Lightning struck again, this time inside the room, a continuing stream of pulsating light surrounding Cadian. It bounced crazily off of walls and ceiling, off of Cadian and Duncan. The Quickening took her, its power shaking her body, ripping her apart even as it forced her back together. They shared the feel of Danneau's mind, the memories of cruelty and torture in the game of Death. They felt his last moments of terror. Cadian screamed once, high, raw and shrill. Then it all faded to darkness. She fell to the floor. Duncan was beside her in a moment. He felt her shake, felt the sobs that tore through her, harsher than her first Quickening. Silently he held her, absorbed her grief and rage -- only held her, until the storm passed. END =========================================================================