Date: Fri, 17 Mar 1995 02:20:31 EST Reply-To: the dungeon of souls Sender: Highlander TV show stories From: the dungeon of souls Subject: Unwelcome Inheritance - Act II, part 7 =========================================================================== Urgent Plea: anybody who has been following this tale who has all the parts *please* contact me so that I can beg them to forward the Act I and the beginning of Act II to people who have just joined the list? Virtual kisses to anyone who can help me!! -C.D. Kane =========================================================================== Unwelcome Inheritance Act II, part 7 by Caile Donachaidh Kane comments&flames to Fitz arrived around six o'clock that evening. He checked into a hotel and ate a quick dinner, then went to Duncan's apartment. The two hugged like brothers, and Shae ushered Fitz inside, he with a fatherly arm around her shoulder. "What I could really use, Duncan, is a good shot of vodka followed by a nice cold beer," Fitz replied to an offer of coffee. Duncan grinned. "Coming right up." He got three beers and Fitz's shot, while the other two sat down in the living room. "So, how goes it?" Fitz asked earnestly. She sat down on the couch and motioned him into the chair opposite. "Bloody awful," she said cheerfully. "Only slightly better than it was going when I was with you. We think we know what's causing it, but we don't know what to *do* about it." Duncan came back with the drinks, and sat down on Shae's right. She comfortably slung her leg up over his, which prompted raised eyebrows from Fitzcairn, but no comment. "I'm going to get straight to the point, Fitz. Did you ever know an ancient Immortal named Ashe?" Fitz looked shocked. "Briefly. God, Duncan, that was nearly eight centuries ago! What, don't tell me she's still around? Lovely lady, really, but we didn't get on so well. I was young and obnoxious then..." "Ashe died in 1197," Shae said softly. "Perhaps you should explain, Duncan, you understand this thing much better than I do. And it is *your* theory after all." Duncan explained his idea as briefly as possible, and explained Shae's dream. "The thing that really gave me the idea was that is was a *dream*, not a vision." Fitz nodded. "Quickening nightmare, eh? Is that what you mean?" "Yes that's..." "Wait," Shae interruppted. "Duncan, what's a 'Quickening nightmare', and why have you not said anything about them before now?" He shrugged. "I assumed you wouldn't have heard of them yet." "They're dreams," Fitz said, "that you get from an extrordinarily powerful powerful Quickening. Because Quickening is knowledge as well as power, you recieve a person's life story in it. Sometimes certain events come back to you in dreams, usually something like a fight or the death of someone close. And since there is a chain cycle of Quickenings, you sometimes get events from people you yourself haven't killed." "Chain cycle of Quickenings?" Shae repeated quizzically. "When you recieve a person's Quickening," said Duncan, " you get every Quickening they've ever gotten, and every Quickening each one of *those* people have ever gotten, and every Quickening each one of *those* people have ever gotten, and so forth back through time. It's so there's no waste of power, and so there's universally shared knowledge. At least, that's what connor had taught me." He paused,w atching Shae trying to take in all the inofrmation. "So this is the basis for your theory? These Quickening nighmares? And why are they called nightmares, by the way? Are they so frightening? "They *can* be," Duncan answered. "Warfare, for example, has always been brutal, but in the old days a battlefield was a butcher shop. All the combat was hand to hand; swords, daggers, lances. Imagine having a dream where you suddenly found yourself in the middle of one of those battles, and some huge barbarian on a horse is flying toward you, swinging a mace at your head." "Sounds like you speak from experience, MacLeod," Fitz commented, lighting his pipe. "It was just an example," Duncan said defensively. "At any rate, Quickening nightmares are rarem because they come from powerful Quickenings." "*But*," said Fitz, picking up the tack, "since Ashe was bloody ancient, her Quickening, if you indeed have it, is exactly the kind that would bring on Quickening nightmares. As for the psychometry, you may have gotten that from the Quickening as well. Ashe was supposed to have been a seer, you know." "A seer?" Duncan shook his head. "That's not in the file." "You have a file on Ashe? From those beastly Watcher people, I suppose?" "Yes, from Dawson, I told you about him after that other... incident?" "I remember... A good one, you say? I'll believe it when I see it. Anyway, can I look at this file?" "Of course." Duncan got for him, then sat back down beside Shae. They sat in silence as Fitz looked through it. "More like a personality study than a history," he muttered. "Of course, she did keep to herself. Ashe, Ashe... " Then, with a sudden cry of triumph, he snatched up the pad and pencil from the coffee table and scribbled something. "By God, I was right!" he exclaimed, laying the file aside and leaning forward. "Take a look at *this*, Duncan!" Duncan leaned forward also, and studied the proffered pad. On it, Fitz had written simply "Ashe" and "Shae" next to each other. "I'm afraid I don't see what you mean," he said after a minute. Fitz shook his head. "No, of course not, I only noticed it by accident. Look, Duncan, if you rearrange the letters in Ashe's name, you get Shae. Chew on that coincidence for a while, and tell me what you come up with." Duncan and Shae were both astounded. He took the pad from Fitz and stared at it -- *he* *was* *right*. Incredible! "If you want coincidence," Shae said suddenly, "then I've got one for you." She rose and came back with a sword wrapped in black chamois. She handed it to Fitz and he unwrapped it uncertainly. Fitzcairn nearly choked on his pipe when he saw the sword inside. "This is Ashe's," he whispered in wonder. "I saw her fight with it once, when it was newly commisioned. You never forget a piece of work like this. But how on earth did you get it?" No-one had told him yet who it was that had killed Ashe, just that she had been killed by a mortal. "It's been passed down in my family for generations," Shae told him. "It's first owner was Ashe, yes, but she left it to my ancewstor, Elisabeth Taylor, when she died." "The same Elisabeth who spoke to Darius? Who saw Ashe die?" "She didn't *see* Ashe die, Fitz," replied Duncan. "She killed her." "*Your* *ancestor* was the one?" Fitz shook his head again. "This is getting far too complicated to all be a big accident." "That's what I say," Duncan said. "And I only reluctantly accepted his theory," said Shae, "that is, until now." "So, you're convinced, then?" Duncan challenged. "Almost. This is all very new and strange to me, forgive me for being sceptical." "We understand," Duncan said. He took her hand and pulled her back down beside him. Fitz rose then, tamping more tobacco into his pipe. "I think it's time for me to go to bed. It's been a long, long day." "Do you want a ride back to your hotel?" Duncan offered. "No, no bother. I've got a hideous little rental that'll do just fine. But I'll see you both tomorrow, yes?" "Come by around noon." Duncan nodded to his friend, and Fitz nodded back. "Noon it is. Good night, all." He left them alone. Shae slid her hand up Duncan's thigh, and tucked her fingers into his pocket. "I kind of feel like going to bed early, too." A smile crept across his face. "Yeah, okay." ****************************************************************************** one last dramatic part will be forthcoming!!! =========================================================================