ADULT: Meeting Of Minds - Chapters 11 & 12 of 23+
Dana Short (DanaShort@aol.com)
Mon, 26 Apr 2004 05:45:28 EDT
Note: The following segment is rated PG for language. Those of you=20
underage or easily offended by a string of profanity should skip=20
Chapter 11.
Legal Disclaimer: See first post, or visit the URL below for full=20
disclaimer. Just let it be known I don't own this universe.=20
Archive only according to rules mentioned in full disclaimer.=20
I hope you enjoy the story.
Fully formatted text of Chapters 1-12 available at:=20
http://www.DanaShort.com/HL-MOM.htm
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Chapter Eleven
And Then There Were None.
Eadgils was sitting in what he had named jokingly The Dojo Of The=20
Mind, when Sue finally showed up. =20
He was unsure of how long he had been there, time was odd in this=20
place, but it had felt like he had been sitting on the mat for years.
When Sue finally stepped into view he rose, and turned to=20
her. "Where have you been?" he asked.
"Thinking." She replied.
"About what?"
"Stuff."
"You should be here. You have a lot to learn if you are going to=20
survive long in the Game. You of all people should know that."
"Yeah. Like it really matters anyhow. Seems like you are just fine=20
living for me."
"What's that supposed to mean?", he asked.
"What the fuck were you thinking? Why didn't you kick that redneck=20
bastard in the nuts the second he started trying to come on to you? =20
Instead, you pretty much fucking ADOPTED him! What the hell am I=20
supposed to do with a STUDENT?"
"Calm down Sue. Anger won't help anything. What's done is done."=20
Eadgils responded, shocked by the vehemence of her sudden=20
outburst. "What are you so angry about anyhow?"
"I am a WATCHER. I CAN'T ADOPT AN IMMORTAL! How can I have one=20
following me around like a fucking PUPPY?"
"What would you have had me do? Leave him to fend for himself?"=20
Eadgils asked, honestly. The dojo had vanished, leaving nothing but=20
the eternal darkness, with the small lighted area surrounding them,=20
unbroken this time by either the wall or table which had been here=20
before, assuming this was the same place as before.
"If you hadn't picked him up in the first place, he'd probably still=20
be alive. GODS! Can't you meet anyone without totally fucking up=20
their lives?"
"Hey I resent that! I have met lots of people without fucking up=20
their lives! I have done so consistently for almost four thousand=20
YEARS!"
"Yeah, but when you fuck up a life, you REALLY FUCK UP THE LIFE,=20
DON'T YOU?" she yelled, "I mean, look at me. I'm a watcher. A=20
FUCKING WATCHER, WHO'S SUPPOSED TO WATCH IMMORTALS, AND NOT=20
INTERFERE! Suddenly, the next thing I know, I'm one of those fucking=20
Immortals I'm supposed to watch, what's more, I have the fucking=20
GHOST of another fucking Immortal stuck in my fucking head, and now=20
that fucking ghost has fucking adopted another goddamed fucking=20
Immortal! GODDAMNIT!" Sue screeched. =20
"Well I'm the one who's DEAD! Do you see me complaining about it?"=20
Eadgils asked, finally loosing his cool as well.
"Yes." Sue replied flatly, her glare hard enough to cut diamond.
"Ok. Bad example." Eadgils replied. "Well, what's done is done. =20
I'm sorry if I have needlessly complicated your life. I'll leave you=20
alone from now on!" With that, Eadgils strode to the wall, which had=20
somehow returned, stormed through the door, and slammed it behind=20
him, leaving sue alone in the formless darkness.
As water started to fall from the sky, Sue turned away from the wall=20
and sank down in the rain on the muddy grass of the hilltop and just=20
cried. She cried and cried until finally she drifted off to=20
oblivion, sleeping a normal sleep, and dreaming normal dreams.
Of Eadgils, there was no sign.
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Chapter Twelve
With Three, You Get Egg Roll
It was a bright morning when Sue awoke.
First off, she hit the shower, washed her hair, and got dressed,=20
automatically putting on both the Bowie knife and the stiletto before=20
pulling on her shirt and her pants.
That taken care of, she collected her Cell Phone, and called the=20
increasingly familiar Seacouver number.
=E2=80=9CJoe=E2=80=99s Bar.=E2=80=9D Said some female voice.
=E2=80=9CUh, yeah, is Mike there?=E2=80=9D=20
=E2=80=9CHold on a moment. May I ask who=E2=80=99s calling?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CTell him it=E2=80=99s Sue.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CHey there Suzie-q=E2=80=9D came another familiar voice, not Mike=
=E2=80=99s.
=E2=80=9CHey Joe.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CYou make it to L.A. yet?=E2=80=9D=20
=E2=80=9CNope. I=E2=80=99m stuck in Memphis, and I have an, er, complicatio=
n.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CA complication.=E2=80=9D Joe asked, an odd tone in his voice.
=E2=80=9CYes.=E2=80=9D She replied.
=E2=80=9CIn Memphis?=E2=80=9D Joe asked again.
=E2=80=9CYes.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CUh, this wouldn=E2=80=99t be a complication which might last a long=
time,=20
would it?=E2=80=9D Joe asked.
Before she could answer, another phone picked up. =E2=80=9CHi Sue! Make it=
=20
home yet?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CNo Mike. As I was just telling Joe, something has come up.=E2=80=
=9D She=20
answered.
=E2=80=9CYou know, Joe and I were just looking at some reports. There seems=
=20
to be a lot of activity right now in Memphis.=E2=80=9D Mike responded.
=E2=80=9CSue, you don=E2=80=99t know anything about the young man who was sh=
ot by the=20
cops, and then had his body stolen last night by necrophilic=20
terrorists do you? We were speculating it might be someone who=20
should have an eye kept on them.=E2=80=9D
Sue couldn=E2=80=99t help but laugh at the mental imagery raised by Joe=E2=
=80=99s=20
question.
=E2=80=9CSue?=E2=80=9D Mike asked in concern.
=E2=80=9CNecrophilic terrorists. Heh. Uh, yeah. That was kind of why I wa=
s=20
calling. Remember when I said I might have to leave the watchers? =20
Well, I think I need to tender my resignation right now.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CWhat?=E2=80=9D Mike asked.
=E2=80=9CWhy?=E2=80=9D asked Joe at the same time.
=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m Immortal.=E2=80=9D Sue said simply.
=E2=80=9CCome again?=E2=80=9D Joe asked.
Realizing this was not the time to come clean on the whole situation,=20
she rephrased herself =E2=80=9CI said =E2=80=98An Immortal=E2=80=99. As in=20=
sleeping in the=20
room next door.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CHow do you know?=E2=80=9D Joe asked while Mike asked =E2=80=9CWhat=20=
happened?=E2=80=9D both=20
pretty much at once.
=E2=80=9CI, uh, put him there. After I broke him out of the morgue.=E2=80=
=9D
=E2=80=9CYou What!=E2=80=9D Joe exclaimed.
=E2=80=9CNow Joe, there must have been a good reason. Sue?=E2=80=9D Mike in=
tervened.
=E2=80=9CI said I broke him out of the morgue.=E2=80=9D Sue clarified. =E2=
=80=9CI saw him=20
die, and I couldn=E2=80=99t very well leave him there. He had no idea what=20
he is.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CWhy would you do something like that?=E2=80=9D Joe asked.
=E2=80=9CWell, you could say I wasn=E2=80=99t acting quite myself lately.=
=E2=80=9D Sue=20
replied, earning a long silence.
=E2=80=9CYeah, well you might have even more long lived problems. Cassandra=
=20
seems to be following you.=E2=80=9D Mike finally responded.
=E2=80=9CMike,=E2=80=9D Joe began.
=E2=80=9CNot only that, but another one is already there. Do you know Du...=
=E2=80=9D=20
Mike continued.
=E2=80=9CMIKE!=E2=80=9D Joe yelled.
=E2=80=9CWhat?=E2=80=9D Mike asked, frustrated at being cut off.
=E2=80=9CMike, that=E2=80=99s enough. Let me handle this. Sue, given the=20
circumstances, I can=E2=80=99t accept your resignation at this point in=20
time. I am sure you are aware of how badly you have broken your oath=20
though, and I can=E2=80=99t tell you how disappointed in you I am at the=20
moment. At the same time, as you know, I myself have blurred the=20
line before, when the Hunters were after Duncan. I know how=20
stressful it can be to loose your assignment, and I understand the=20
special circumstances surrounding your involvement in Eadgils=E2=80=99s loss=
=20
as well. I can even see how you might feel like saving another=20
Immortal could help balance the scales, but you have to understand,=20
this is part of why we can=E2=80=99t get involved. First it is a balancing=20
of the scales, then it is something else. =20
=E2=80=9CNow, Mike, I can agree with your warning her about Cassandra, since=
=20
she really does seem to be following Sue, but until we get this all=20
sorted out, Sue, while I can=E2=80=99t accept a resignation from you over th=
e=20
phone, I can and will suspend you from active service immediately. I=20
will be terminating your network access and passwords as soon as I=20
hang up the phone, so please don=E2=80=99t try to access any watcher=20
resources. Mike, please don=E2=80=99t pass along any information about othe=
r=20
Immortals to Sue without clearing it with me, and Sue, if you=20
encounter any other watchers, please don=E2=80=99t make contact with them. =20=
I=20
will instruct them that you have been suspended, due to your=20
circumstances, and ongoing contact with an Immortal. Is everybody=20
clear?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CYes.=E2=80=9D Came Mike=E2=80=99s voice in a flat monotone.
=E2=80=9CYes Joe.=E2=80=9D Sue responded. =E2=80=9CAnd Joe?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CYes Sue?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CThank you.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CYou=E2=80=99re welcome. Take care my little Susie-q. I know how d=
ifficult=20
a spot you=E2=80=99re in right now. Remember, at some point you will need t=
o=20
explain your actions, possibly even to a Tribunal. Our oath is not=20
something to take lightly. Even resigning from active service=20
doesn=E2=80=99t relive you of it, you know.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CI know.=E2=80=9D Sue replied.
=E2=80=9CJoe?=E2=80=9D Sue asked.
=E2=80=9CYes, Sue?=E2=80=9D=20
=E2=80=9CCan you tell me about Cassandra? She=E2=80=99s really following me=
?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CSince she seems to be following you, I guess I can tell you what I=20
know. She flew in to Savannah Saturday afternoon. She must of left=20
within a few hours of Eadgils=E2=80=99s death. When she arrived, she went=20
straight to the alley where he had been killed. She looked around,=20
never crossing the police tape, but she seemed unsatisfied about=20
something. Saturday night, she checked into a hotel near the crime=20
scene. On Sunday morning, she headed to Macon Georgia. She poked=20
around a Motel 6 there for a while, prowled around the place, then=20
specifically requested room 2152. She spent a few hours there,=20
sleeping, we think, then late last night, she got back in her rental=20
car and headed off towards Atlanta. She didn=E2=80=99t stop there though,=20
she kept driving all night long, and a while ago her tail checked in,=20
saying she=E2=80=99d just arrived in Memphis. We did some checking, and it=20
took us a while, but you stayed for two nights in room 2152 in the=20
Macon Georgia Motel 6, didn=E2=80=99t you?=E2=80=9D Joe asked.
=E2=80=9CUh, yeah.=E2=80=9D Sue answered, a chill running up and down her sp=
ine.
=E2=80=9CWe thought so. We were about to call you and see where you were,=20
and tell you to be careful.=E2=80=9D Mike added.
=E2=80=9COk, although what can I possibly do if Cassandra comes after me?=
=E2=80=9D=20
Sue answered.
=E2=80=9CDo you still have that Hunter=E2=80=99s gun?=E2=80=9D Joe asked.
=E2=80=9CUh, yeah. I haven=E2=80=99t found a good place to dump it yet.=E2=
=80=9D Sue=20
answered.
=E2=80=9CYou could always shoot her and run away.=E2=80=9D Joe replied.
=E2=80=9CUm, Joe, that didn=E2=80=99t work too well for the girl in Terminat=
or.=E2=80=9D Mike=20
offered.
=E2=80=9CNo, but it=E2=80=99s about all I can recommend. Anything more woul=
d be a=20
blatant violation of her oath. Sue, I know you wouldn=E2=80=99t do such a=20
thing, but if you were to kill an Immortal, under any circumstances,=20
you have to know that there would be a full Tribunal, with you=20
charged as a Hunter, right?=E2=80=9D Joe added.
=E2=80=9CUh, yeah, I guess.=E2=80=9D Sue replied.
=E2=80=9CGood. You know, even as disappointed as I am with you right now, I=
=20
still care about you a great deal. I would hate to see a verdict of=20
guilty levied against you. You know as well as anyone that the=20
penalty for that would be death. But at the same time, I can=E2=80=99t allo=
w=20
my feelings for you or my memories of your father to get in the way=20
of my doing my job. Under these circumstances, warning you is about=20
the best I can do. Do you understand?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CI suppose so.=E2=80=9D Sue answered.
=E2=80=9COk then. I=E2=80=99ll let you talk to Mike alone for a bit. You t=
ake care,=20
ok sweetheart?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9COk Joe. Bye.=E2=80=9D Sue replied.
She could then hear a thunk-click as the phone was hung up.
=E2=80=9CSue, you still there?=E2=80=9D Mike asked gently.
=E2=80=9CYeah.=E2=80=9D Sue answered flatly, her emotions having run complet=
ely dry.
=E2=80=9CYou gonna be ok?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CI suppose. As long as Cassandra doesn=E2=80=99t kill me.=E2=80=9D=20=
She answered.
=E2=80=9COk then. Adam was worried about you. He=E2=80=99s the one who act=
ually=20
thought it might be you who was responsible for the =E2=80=98necrophilic=20
terrorist attack=E2=80=99 on the morgue last night. Neither of us believed=20
him, of course. I guess he knows you better than we do, heh? I=20
didn=E2=80=99t know you two had gotten so close in France.=E2=80=9D Mike sai=
d.
=E2=80=9CI didn=E2=80=99t either,=E2=80=9D Sue replied, =E2=80=9CAs I said I=
really wasn=E2=80=99t myself=20
last night. I=E2=80=99m not sure what came over me, I=E2=80=99d given Patri=
ck a ride=20
to town, and during the course I found out he was Immortal. Then,=20
when he got shot, well, something must of snapped or something. I=20
dunno. I still don=E2=80=99t know what to do about it.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CWell, I have faith in you. Despite what Joe said, you have the=20
potential in you to be one of our best Watchers. I=E2=80=99d hate to see yo=
u=20
throw it all away because you ended up in a bad situation caused by a=20
bunch of Hunters. You know what I mean?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CYeah, Mike, I do.=E2=80=9D Sue replied.
=E2=80=9COk then. I=E2=80=99ll let you get going. You really might want to=
hit the=20
road quickly if Cassandra is on your trail. I don=E2=80=99t know that I=20
believe even half the things in her chronicle, but even if I do only=20
believe the other half, she can do some weird things.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9COk Mike, I=E2=80=99ll get out of here as soon as I can. I=E2=80=
=99ll let you know=20
where I am tomorrow.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CAlright. Take care.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CWill do. Bye Mike. And thanks for the warning about Cassandra.=
=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CNo problem. Bye.=E2=80=9D
As the phone went dead, Sue got up and looked around the room, then=20
looked at the connecting door to the other room.
She went to the connecting door, and knocked on it as loudly as she=20
could. =E2=80=9CPatrick!=E2=80=9D she called.
=E2=80=9CWha?=E2=80=9D she heard faintly from the other side of the door.
=E2=80=9CGet up, we=E2=80=99ve got to get out of here, pronto.=E2=80=9D
As quickly as she could, she packed up Ed=E2=80=99s laptop, then turned to=20
her luggage. She was just tossing her dirty clothes into a plastic=20
bag when she felt the tingle of another Quickening coming into range.
Freezing for a moment, she looked at the door to the other room, then=20
walked over to it and knocked again. =E2=80=9CPatrick?=E2=80=9D she called.
=E2=80=9CCome in=E2=80=9D he replied.
Opening the door, she stepped in, and found Patrick standing by the=20
bed, clothed in the same outfit he had worn last night when they=20
arrived here from the hospital. =E2=80=9CMy brain itches.=E2=80=9D Patrick=20=
said=20
simply.
As she took another step towards him, she suddenly felt the edge of=20
another Quickening brush against hers. Patrick cringed at the same=20
instant, and said =E2=80=9CThe itch just got lots worse.=E2=80=9D
At that moment, there was a firm but insistent knocking at the door=20
to Patrick=E2=80=99s room.
Darting over to the window, Sue looked out. =20
=E2=80=9CHousekeeping=E2=80=9D came a male voice.
Through the window, Sue could see a cart, but nothing else.
Glancing at Patrick, she cautiously opened the door, and stepped=20
back, wishing she had thought to put on at least one of the knives=20
that morning, and forgetting that she had already donned them.
The open door revealed a man in Days Inn uniform, a maid=E2=80=99s cart=20
beside him.
=E2=80=9CSorry,=E2=80=9D he said. =E2=80=9CI can come back later if you=E2=
=80=99re not ready yet.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CPlease do,=E2=80=9D Sue answered him, her heart rate slowly subsidi=
ng to a=20
normal pace. =E2=80=9CAlso, please wait on the room next door, it=E2=80=99s=
mine as=20
well.=E2=80=9D She finished, gesturing towards her own room, and the open=20
door in between.
=E2=80=9COk. Have a nice day.=E2=80=9D The man said, backing out of the doo=
r, and=20
closing it behind him.
=E2=80=9CWhat=E2=80=99s wrong?=E2=80=9D Patrick asked.
=E2=80=9CThat itch you are complaining about, did you feel it last night?=
=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CYeah, hadn=E2=80=99t realized it, but I think I felt it all night l=
ong, was=20
gone this morning. Does it mean I=E2=80=99m gonna die again or somethin?=
=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CNo, that is an effect of the Quickening. It means there is another=
=20
Immortal around.=E2=80=9D Sue answered nervously.
=E2=80=9CSo, I=E2=80=99m feelin you in my head?=E2=80=9D Patrick asked.
=E2=80=9CNo.=E2=80=9D Sue said flatly. =E2=80=9CWe=E2=80=99ve got to get ou=
t of here. Now.=E2=80=9D
Returning to her own room, Sue grabbed the Katana, and slipped it=20
back into the pocket in the back of her coat. Stuffing the plastic=20
bag containing her dirty clothes into her suitcase she zipped it up=20
as well.
She then indicated the duffel bag and the suit case, while she=20
herself reached for the Laptop and the back pack she thought would be=20
aptly named the 'Evidence Bag', considering the nature of its ever=20
growing contents. =E2=80=9CCan you get those two?=E2=80=9D she asked Patric=
k, while=20
collecting her cell phone and the keys off the dresser.
=E2=80=9CSure thing=E2=80=9D. Patrick answered, effortlessly lifting the tw=
o bags,=20
one in each hand.
With a final sweep of her eyes around the room to make sure nothing=20
was forgotten, they headed out the door, and to the stairs leading=20
down to the car, Patrick in the lead.
It was as he stepped on the second stair down that his left shoe=20
started to come off. When he moved his foot to place it on the third=20
step, the shoe twisted, and Patrick started to loose his balance. =20
Still clutching the bags out he swung his arms out and twisted in an=20
odd parody of a ballet pirouette, then began to tumble backwards down=20
the steps. About halfway down, his head bent at an odd angle,=20
accompanied by a sharp =E2=80=9Ccrack!=E2=80=9D, like someone breaking sever=
al=20
pencils at once.
Landing at the foot of the stairs, his body laid still, his head at=20
an impossible angle.
Sue headed down the stairs herself after him as fast as she could,=20
but upon reaching him, she knew he was dead. She stood over his=20
body, and couldn=E2=80=99t even feel his Quickening.
She looked over at her car, and setting down the laptop and backpack,=20
she moved to try and lift Patrick to drag him the short distance.
As she struggled to stand under his weight, she heard a soft, lightly=20
accented female voice from over her left shoulder. =E2=80=9CHello Child=E2=
=80=9D.
Whirling her head around, she took in the sight of the woman behind=20
her.
She was dressed in white. White pants, white shirt above them, and a=20
long, white coat worn on top of it all.
Her dark hair flowed down over her shoulders, in shimmering waves.
=E2=80=9CLet me help you with the other Young One. I am Cassandra. What is=
=20
your name?=E2=80=9D
Her heart pounding, Sue answered, =E2=80=9CSue.=E2=80=9D
Leaning over, Cassandra gently lifted Patrick=E2=80=99s head and shoulders=20
off the ground, supporting his head so as not to put any additional=20
strain on his broken neck. =E2=80=9CYou have no reason to fear me, Sue. I=20
have not come to harm you.=E2=80=9D
Putting her fears aside for a moment, Sue lifted Patrick=E2=80=99s feet, and=
=20
together, the two of them lugged him over to Sue=E2=80=99s car, where she se=
t=20
him down and opened the back door, before they slid him in onto the=20
rear seat, lifting his feet so they could close the door on him.
Suddenly Cassandra=E2=80=99s hand shot out, capturing Sue=E2=80=99s left wri=
st. Her=20
eyes widened and she looked back at Sue. =E2=80=9CYou are an Observer? How=
=20
can that be?=E2=80=9D
Pulling her arm from Cassandra=E2=80=99s grasp, she said, =E2=80=9CIt can=
=E2=80=99t. I was a=20
Watcher, but now I am one of the Watched. Or I will be, if I ever=20
tell them, and they agree to let me go.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CWere you my Teacher=E2=80=99s Watcher?=E2=80=9D Cassandra asked.
=E2=80=9CTeacher?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CLong ago, I met him on the plains. I had been held a slave, for=20
over a hundred years. Raped and tortured to death time and again by=20
the Horsemen. Death was the worst. He seemed fixated on me=20
somehow. Finally, one night I managed to escape. I fled into the=20
plains, where I wandered for weeks, dying, and rising again to wander=20
some more.=E2=80=9D
Sue listened, an image of Adam, or Death as Ed called him, floating=20
to the surface of her mind, her memories of the happy grad=20
student/researcher totally incompatible with the memories Ed had=20
shown her, and even more so with the description she was hearing now=20
from the woman before her.
=E2=80=9CI was not going anywhere, you understand, just trying to escape fro=
m=20
them. Anyway, one afternoon, I woke to see a rider coming towards me=20
on a horse. As he neared, I suddenly felt him, as I had previously=20
only felt The Four and my first thought was that it was Methos or=20
Kronos, come to take me back. I turned and ran as fast as I could.=E2=80=
=9D=20
Cassandra continued.
At the mention of the name Methos, Sue looked up again, another image=20
of Adam flashing across her mind. He was the Methos Researcher. He=20
couldn=E2=80=99t actually be...
=E2=80=9CHe called out to me, in a voice I was unfamiliar with, but I still=20
ran as fast as I could, panicked at the thought of returning to the=20
hell of the Horsemen=E2=80=99s camp. I was not watching where I was going,=20
and I stepped in a hole of some sort. Twisted my ankle, and much=20
like your friend there,=E2=80=9D Cassandra nodded at Patrick in the rear of=20
the car behind them as they walked slowly back to the base of the=20
stairs, and the accumulation of luggage lying on the ground beside=20
them, =E2=80=9CI fell and broke my neck.=E2=80=9D
Reaching the pile, Cassandra bent and lifted the suitcase and duffle=20
bag Patrick had been carrying when he fell. She continued her story=20
as she turned towards the car, leaving Sue to recover her own=20
burdens, and follow her. =E2=80=9CWhen I next revived, I was laying by a=20
fire, wrapped in a blanket. Food was cooking nearby. There was a=20
man, and from him I sensed the same power as I did from the Horsemen,=20
but unlike them, he did not feel, I guess these days you would call=20
it Evil. Back then there was not really a word I knew for the force=20
of bad as opposed to good. In any case, he was different enough. =20
But he was still a Man, and I a Woman, and so I knew I had to fear=20
him. For the longest time, he just sat there across the fire,=20
watching me. Finally he moved, and as he did I flinched a bit,=20
fearing what I knew would come. Instead he handed me a stick, upon=20
which was skewered a roasted fowl, and said =E2=80=98Eat girl, you look like=
=20
you are dying of starvation.=E2=80=99 I was so shocked; I just sat there and=
=20
did as he told me.=E2=80=9D
They had reached the car again, and Sue opened the trunk, allowing=20
Cassandra to set the two bags she carried inside, before adding the=20
Laptop and knapsack on top. =E2=80=9CHe then told me a story. He told of=20
how he had been killed one day by an arrow shot by the hand of Death=20
himself, yet Death could not hold him. He told of awakening amidst=20
the ruin of his peoples, all slaughtered by the horsemen. He told of=20
tracking the horsemen by foot, and finally chancing upon yet another=20
man who Would Not Die. He then told me all he knew of Immortals in=20
general, and finally, in a show of trust, he gave me the greatest=20
gift I have ever received, either before or in the three thousand=20
years since then, he told me how to kill them.
=E2=80=9CHe then offered to teach me the art of the sword. Despite my size,=
=20
and gender, he thought I should be able to learn how to defend=20
myself. We found a village, and he had the blacksmith craft a weapon=20
for my size and strength, a thinner blade than was the usual back=20
then, the sides fluted to further reduce their weight. I carried his=20
blade for almost five hundred years before losing it in a battle. I=20
cried the day I lost it, for it was the only physical remnant I had=20
of my Teacher. I had thought him long dead, until I heard his call=20
the other night.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CHis call?=E2=80=9D Sue asked, still not understanding.
=E2=80=9CAll this time, he has lived. My first true love, my oldest friend,=
=20
the one I called Teacher. I never sought him out, for I thought him=20
long dead in his quest to bring down the Horsemen. I had heard of=20
how a great warrior, Immortal like they themselves had ridden into=20
their camp, killed their followers, and scattered the remnants of=20
their army before himself loosing his head to the one they called=20
Death. The Horsemen broke up after that, Death just left, and=20
without him, the other three fell to arguing, and eventually drifted=20
apart. I had made it my quest to avenge my Teacher, to find Death=20
and to kill him, thus closing the circle. But when I had the chance=20
in Bordeaux a few years ago, I passed it up. Death himself had knelt=20
at my knees, amongst the corpses of his three one time partners, one=20
dead at his own hand, and I had wielded an ax, ready to cut off his=20
head, but to my regret and dishonor, I stayed my hand.=E2=80=9D Cassandra=20
leaned against the open trunk, her eyes haunted by the memories.
=E2=80=9CWhy? I mean, if after three thousand years, you finally had a=20
chance to end it, why?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CBecause a man I love and trust, one who has shielded my honor in th=
e=20
past, he asked me to. And I granted him that boon, despite the pain=20
it caused my soul. I laid down the ax, and I walked away, leaving=20
Methos and Duncan in the lair of the Horsemen. I returned home, and=20
wept for my Teacher all over again. I wept for my failure, both as=20
his student, and as his vindicator.=E2=80=9D
Sue finally reached out, and closed the trunk. =E2=80=9CDuncan MacLeod?=E2=
=80=9D she=20
asked.
Cassandra=E2=80=99s eyes widened, =E2=80=9CYou know him Child? But of cours=
e. You=20
were of the Observers, or Watchers. I had not learned their name in=20
English, only in the French.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CI don=E2=80=99t know him, but I know a friend of his. In fact, I k=
now=20
several friends of his.=E2=80=9D Sue explained.
=E2=80=9CPerhaps I shall see him, while I am here. However, as I was saying=
,=20
three days ago, I suddenly felt my Teacher. In my heart, my soul,=20
and my mind. He was there, I knew right where he was, and then, he=20
was gone. I could not believe it. After all these centuries, he=20
still lived. It took me a while to find where to go, but I was drawn=20
to Savannah. When I arrived, imagine my heartache when I found that=20
he had died the day before. What I had felt had been his soul=20
released at last from the bounds of life. While I was no longer=20
shamed by my failure to seek vengeance for him against Methos, and=20
the debt that man owes to me is one I have the power, and someday=20
possibly even the will to forgive, but again the burden of avenging=20
his death has been laid on me. And this time I saw the body. It=20
truly was that of Eadgils, last speaker of the Flornlef, as I am the=20
last Seer of the Trancatta.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CEadgils?=E2=80=9D Sue squeaked, her heart racing.
=E2=80=9CI was right then. You did know him, Child.=E2=80=9D Cassandra=20
continued. =E2=80=9CThere is more to my tale, however. Even as I sat=20
searched in Savannah for clues to my Teacher=E2=80=99s killer, I awoke=20
yesterday morning and again I felt him in my soul. He still lived! =20
But he could not, for he was dead, I had seen the body. I checked=20
again, verified that the host I had seen was that of my teacher,=20
before I followed my heart. It took me towards Atlanta, but I was=20
compelled to stop in a town along the way. It was there that I so=20
strongly felt the trace of his soul. It is a talent I have, I can=20
touch a thing, and I can see images, or feel feelings, hear sounds,=20
or remember memories if they are strongly enough associated with it. =20
A room in a hotel in that town cried out with the memories, thoughts,=20
and feelings of my one time Teacher, Lover, and Friend.
=E2=80=9CBut there was more. There was another trace there as well, a faint=
=20
one. I followed again the trail of my Teacher, and it led me here,=20
to this town, to this building, and finally to you. But I can tell=20
from your Quickening, you, like your friend, are but an infant in the=20
Game. You have yet to take a single head. So now that you know my=20
story, I ask you, and ask you true, what can you tell me of my=20
Teacher? Where has he gone, what has happened, and most importantly,=20
WHO TOOK HIS HEAD?=E2=80=9D The last few words Cassandra spoke had a force=20
unlike anything Sue had experienced before in her life.
Up until then, the soft, spoken words of Cassandra had been soothing,=20
almost mesmerizing. As she told her story, Sue could almost see the=20
poor woman lost, starving, and frightened amongst the open plains of=20
eastern Europe. She could feel the regard the woman held for her=20
Teacher, and she could feel the pain and heartache the woman had=20
suffered in the recent years. She somehow felt the longing=20
compulsion which caused the woman to cross an ocean in search of a=20
man she had not seen in three thousand years, and the renewed pain=20
she had felt on finding him dead.
But with the last part, when Cassandra had asked her about Eadgils,=20
her voice had subtly changed. No longer was it simply hypnotic, now=20
it was compelling. Had Cassandra asked her to pull her blade and=20
chop off Patrick=E2=80=99s head, she had no doubt she would have done it. =20
But that was not what the woman had asked of her. Instead of a=20
simple task, she had asked the impossible. The geas thus laid on her=20
soul was so painful, as a part of her strained with all it=E2=80=99s might t=
o=20
form the words to tell Cassandra all that had happened, yet at the=20
same time, another equally powerful part was fully aware she still=20
had no idea what all had happened. She DID NOT KNOW where he had=20
gone, or what had happened to him at present. She knew the mechanics=20
of what Eadgils believed had happened. But Cassandra had not asked=20
that, and surprisingly the part of her which struggled for=20
independence from the part which wanted only to obey Cassandra had no=20
problem preventing the whole from bringing that up. So, she was left=20
with only one part of the geas she could resolve, the last question=20
laid before her. Entirely against her will, she opened her mouth,=20
and a single word escaped, the pain it was causing her evident in her=20
entire being. =E2=80=9CHhh-hunTERS!=E2=80=9D she shouted at last, freeing h=
erself=20
from the strange spell.
Cassandra looked confused. =E2=80=9CWhat sort of hunters? I don=E2=80=99t=20
understand, Child.=E2=80=9D Cassandra=E2=80=99s voice was more normal soundi=
ng again,=20
while still almost hypnotic in its cadence, it lacked the strength it=20
had had previously.
Feeling like a weight was suddenly lifted from her soul, Sue shook=20
her head, and glared at Cassandra. =E2=80=9CWhat was that?=E2=80=9D she ask=
ed.
=E2=80=9CI=E2=80=99m sorry Child. I did not realize the use of the Voice wo=
uld cause=20
you such pain. You have a strong personality for one so young. I=20
would be grateful if you could tell me what you know though. I must=20
do what I can to help the soul of my teacher find peace. It stirs=20
restlessly, and apparently is following you around. In my experience=20
however, I have never seen a soul with so much strength after its=20
passing. The traces he has left are almost like he still lives. =20
Obviously he seeks vengeance against those who killed him, and he=20
must think you can help him somehow. Were you the writer of his=20
stories for your Watchers? Did you see his death?=E2=80=9D This time the=20
question was entirely without the compulsion it had had before.
Sue took a breath, and spoke. =E2=80=9CI took an oath, on my eighteenth=20
birthday, a year and a half ago. 'I am a Watcher. I take this oath=20
to observe and record the lives of any Immortals I encounter. I will=20
do so without interfering in their lives, nor allowing them to know=20
of my presence. To this I swear and pledge my life, so help me God.'=20
My very existence violates that oath now, Cassandra. I can not=20
interfere. But I can tell you this much of Eadgils death. I was his=20
Watcher. And I died my first death at his side. He died protecting=20
me from rouge Watchers called Hunters. It was no Immortal who took=20
his head. It was a mortal, and that mortal died, his very body=20
laying atop the torso of the man he had killed. I know this because=20
when I awoke, the sword was still in his hand. Eadgils=E2=80=99s own sword.=
=20
Any vengeance has likely been satisfied, as both the men involved are=20
now dead.=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CTwo Mortals? And they killed both you and Eadgils?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CThey had guns. I shot one. Eadgils stabbed another. The one I=20
shot had shot Eadgils dead, before I shot him. He also shot me, and=20
then killed Eadgils before he died. There was one other, my=20
supervisor, who had told them where to find Eadgils, who was really=20
their target - they didn=E2=80=99t know about me, heck, I didn=E2=80=99t kno=
w about=20
me at the time. The watchers took him into custody the next day. I=20
don=E2=80=99t know if he has been tried yet, but when he is, and he will be,=
=20
they will almost certainly find him guilty. The sentence for a=20
watcher who so breaks his oath so as to harm, let alone kill, an=20
Immortal is simple, and consistent. Death. Vengeance will be=20
served. You need not worry.=E2=80=9D Sue explained.
As a sudden gasp came from inside the car, Sue felt Patrick=E2=80=99s=20
Quickening spike back into her mind. Looking in the window, she saw=20
Patrick suddenly sit up, rubbing his neck with his hand and look=20
around the inside of the car.
Looking outside, he saw Sue, and he smiled, then he saw Cassandra=20
standing a bit behind her, and he froze.
Opening the door, Sue said =E2=80=9CPatrick, come on out and meet Cassandra.=
=E2=80=9D
As Patrick climbed out of the car, Cassandra introduced=20
herself. =E2=80=9CGreetings Youngling. I am Cassandra, Witch of Donan=20
Woods, student of Eadgils of the Flornlef tribe. I mean you no harm.=E2=80=
=9D
Patrick stood to his full height, and proudly introduced himself in=20
his lazy southern drawl. =E2=80=9CPleased ta meetcha Miss. I=E2=80=99m Pat=
rick=20
Wescott, student I guess of Sue.=E2=80=9D He added, reaching out his hand fo=
r=20
a shake.
At that last, Cassandra raised an eyebrow and looked askance at Sue,=20
while reaching out her hand to shake Patrick=E2=80=99s.
As her hand touched his however, she gave a little jump, then just=20
held his hand and looked closely into his face. =E2=80=9CYou have a cloud=20
over you, Youngling. Someone has expended a great deal of energy to=20
see that you come to harm. What do you know of this?=E2=80=9D
Patrick looked bewildered, and said, =E2=80=9CNothing at all, Miss=20
Cassandra. What kind of cloud?=E2=80=9D
=E2=80=9CHave you experienced an exceptional amount of bad luck lately?=E2=
=80=9D=20
Cassandra asked.
=E2=80=9CYa mean like getting killed on my Uncle=E2=80=99s front lawn? For=20=
that=20
matter, now that I thin =E2=80=98bout it, loosin=E2=80=99 my job, my wife, m=
y=20
house, =E2=80=98an my life, all in =E2=80=98bout six months?=E2=80=9D he gro=
used.
=E2=80=9CExactly like that. Someone has Cursed you. I will have to look=20
into this. This is a misuse of the Power.=E2=80=9D Cassandra replied.
Then turning to Sue she simply said =E2=80=9CAren=E2=80=99t you a little new=
to the=20
game to be taking on Students?=E2=80=9D
Patrick piped in them, asking =E2=80=9CWhy, how long do ya gotta be Immortal=
=20
before you can take on a Student?=E2=80=9D
Cassandra replied with a wry smile, =E2=80=9CI don=E2=80=99t think there are=
any=20
rules on the matter, but I do believe three days is a new record.=E2=80=9D
Patrick just gasped, and whirled around to look at Sue with=20
shock, =E2=80=9CThree days?=E2=80=9D
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D =3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
=20
To be continued in Chapter Thirteen - "Immortals and French Toast"=20
Comming Friday, 4-30