PART 2
Monday, 7:48 PM
Kavik had heard Theresa Cassidy yell that Tabitha and Sam were home when she felt the familiar Buzz that indicated the Presence of another Immortal. She was about to run to get her sword when she heard a young woman cry out. "Help!" The voice cried from outside. "Something's happened to Sam." Several people had run to the door to see what had happened.
The sensation of nausea passed as soon as it arrived, and Sam felt foolish sitting on the grounded, surrounded by well meaning people.
"Are you all right, Sam?" Storm asked.
"Yeah, ah'm fine. Ah just felt a bit weird." Explained Sam.
"Weird how?" Hank slipped into his doctor mode.
"There was this really intense feelin' but that passed, an' now it's like there's this dull buzzin' in ma head."
"You should come to the infirmary so that I can check it's nothing serious." Hank realised what he had said when Sam gave him a funny look.
"Ah don't think that Externals get anything serious."
"Well, maybe it's just exhaustion. You should go to your room and rest."
Sam nodded. Helped by Tabitha he walked into the mansion. As they began to climb the stairs, Sam couldn't help but notice the young woman who looked at him so strangely.
"Hey," said Sam when they got to the top of the stairs. "That buzzin' in ma head's gone."
Monday, 8:04 PM
Sam had just been about to fall asleep when he felt nauseous again. Like before, the sensation passed quickly, and like before, Sam was left with a dull buzzing sensation in the back of his mind. A couple of seconds later there was a knock on Sam's door.
"Come in." Sam called.
The door opened and the young woman who had been standing in the hall, walked in. She strode over to the bed and sat down. Sam just looked at her.
"I am Kavik MacLeod of the Clan MacLeod." She stated. "And I think we need to talk."
Monday, 9:24 PM
Sam Guthrie stared at the woman standing in front of him. He couldn't believe what she had just said to him. He remembered the time he had been, well, *gutted* by Sauron. He had died, and come back. Gideon had told him he was an External, that he couldn't die. Now, this woman, who he had just met, was telling him that he wasn't an External but an Immortal. Sam had wondered what the difference was when she had started taking about swords and others wanting to chop off his head.
"Ah don't believe you." Sam finally managed to say. "It's not possible."
Kavik laughed and shook her head. "Sam, you've met aliens and gods. So what is it about this that you can't believe?"
"Well, ah mean, ah know Externals exist, but all this about having ta fight othahs with swords and cutting people's heads off. Ah just don't believe it." Sam turned to walk out of the room.
Kavik sighed. "Won't you just admit that's it's at least possible?" She called after him.
Sam stopped. "All right. It's possible. But even if it is true, ah'm not going ta kill people."
"You don't have a choice."
"Yes, ah do. If this is real then ah just won't do it."
"Others will come after you."
"They'll leave me alone if they see ah'm not interested."
She called after him. "You will believe me, sooner or later." Sam was still walking away from her. "Well, if you have to run, at least run to Holy Ground!" She yelled. Sighing, Kavik leaned against the wall. "I'm not cut out to be a teacher," she mumbled to herself. "Yeah, right, 'Vik, what you gonna do? Leave him to lose his head? Damn, Duncan never had this trouble with Richie." Kavik walked down the stairs, into the lounge. "Where's Sam?"
She asked, noticing that he wasn't there.
"He said that he had some things to think about and went for a walk."
Answered Betsy. "Why, was it something important?"
"No," answered Kavik as she backed out of the room. "Nothing important."
Monday, 10:15 PM
The young mutant code named Cannonball had been walking for over half an hour, and he was still just as confused as he had been when he had left Charles Xavier's Westchester Estate. He'd been walking and thinking, not concentrating on where he was going.
He thought to himself.
Leaning against a wall for support, Sam looked up. In front of him was a man holding a sword.
"I am Tharrus." The man said. "Consider yourself challenged."
"But..." Mumbled Sam.
Tharrus laughed. "You don't know, do you?" His eyes narrowed. "I knew you were young, your Quickening does not hold the feeling of age." He lowered his sword. "You know, young one, if I were a fair man then I would let you go. If I were a kind man, then I would teach you what you are. However, fairness and kindness never were any of my strong points. Besides, taking your head now means you can't take mine further on down the ages." Tharrus laughed and raised his sword. He began to walk towards Sam. "You have to appreciate the irony, I come out here on the trail of the oldest and find one of the youngest. Ah well, Methos can wait, youngling, you will have to suffice for now."
<"If you have to run, run to Holy Ground!"> Kavik's words blazed across Sam's mind. Thought Sam. Finding his legs, Sam turned and bolted down the street. He could hear Tharrus laughing and running after him. Turning a corner, Sam could hear Tharrus gaining on him.
Turning another corner, he could see the cemetery ahead of him. The sight of his goal made him run faster. Sam was almost at the gates when he stumbled and fell. "No!" He shouted. Sam tried to get up, but his ankle was twisted and a wave of pain swept through him when he tried to stand.
"Trying to get to Holy Ground." Noted Tharrus, as he walked up and crouched in front of Sam, staying just out of reach. "So someone *has* told you something." Tharrus stood, and began to walk closer to Sam. "Pity it wasn't enough." Tharrus lifted his sword above his head. "There can be only..." Tharrus' voice trailed off as he felt the presence of another Immortal.
Sam fought down the terror he was feeling and lifted his head. He started to look in the direction Tharrus was staring when another wave of nausea hit him. Sam watched as Kavik MacLeod stepped out of the darkness.
"Back away from him," she demanded, her sword held in her hand.
"And who are you to demand anything of Caylen Tharrus?"
"I am Kavik MacLeod."
Tharrus' eyes rolled Heavenward. "Not another one," he muttered.
Kavik took a step forward. "Back. Away. From. Him. *Now*." She extended her sword towards Tharrus.
"You can't interfere, MacLeod," snarled Tharrus. "It's against the rules of the Game. You can't stop the fight."
"This isn't a fight, it's a slaughter." Kavik retorted. "You want a fight, then you come to me."
Tharrus smiled, but it was a cold smile. "That sounds like a challenge, Highlander."
"Wrong MacLeod," replied Kavik. "Technically, that name only applies to the other two."
Tharrus ignored her and stepped towards Sam.
"Kill him and your head hits the ground the second after his," warned Kavik.
Sam could see the anger in Tharrus' eyes. "Very well, MacLeod. You want me, here I am." Tharrus leant towards Sam. "Don't worry, young one. I'll see to you after I deal with this." Tharrus turned and began to walk over to Kavik.
"Sam, get into the graveyard," said Kavik, never taking her eyes off Tharrus.
"But, my ankle - " protested Sam.
"Is fine," interrupted Kavik. "Now, go. And no matter what happens don't leave the boundaries of the cemetery."
Sam nodded and tried to stand up. To his surprise, his ankle was fine and he was able to run to the cemetery. He clambered over the wall and turned to watch Kavik and Tharrus.
The two swords clashed like thunder. Tharrus spun and slashed at Kavik's arm. She felt a searing pain and looked down to see her sleeve cut open and blood seeping out.
Tharrus laughed. "Walk away now, MacLeod, and I'll only kill the boy, instead of both of you."
"Go to Hell, Tharrus."
"Not before you, Highlander."
Tharrus thrust his sword forward, but Kavik twisted around. Spinning, she elbowed Tharrus in the stomach, winding him. Fury in his eyes, Tharrus lunged and brought his sword down. Sam could see the sparks as Kavik's sword met Tharrus' in mid air. At the same time she was meeting his thrust, Kavik's leg came up and kicked Tharrus back. Pulling her sword towards her, she avoided another swipe from the other weapon and thrust her sword into
Tharrus' side. Tharrus fell to his knees.
"Finish it, MacLeod." He snarled.
Kavik glanced over at Sam, before raising her sword above her. "There can be only one," she said, before bringing the sword down, and severing Tharrus' head.
Sam watched in fascinated horror as Tharrus' decapitated body began to emit a glow. Sparks jumped from the body and a flash of light hit Kavik. She screamed and fell to her knees. After a few seconds it was over. Sam felt his body tingle when the sparks began to leap from the body, and now it was over he felt drained. Shaking his head to clear it, Sam climbed back over the wall of the cemetery and ran to Kavik.
"Oh ma God, ya were tellin' the truth!" Exclaimed Sam in wonder.
"So now you believe me?" Asked Kavik, pulling herself to her feet. She looked down at the body and grimaced. "You know," she mumbled, more to herself than to Sam, "this was so much easier in the past. You could just leave a body where it fell and carrion eaters would take care of the evidence. Now you've leave a headless corpse lying in the street and you've got murder investigations and the police knocking on your door, looking for *motives* and *murder weapons*. Gods, being an Immortal can be a bitch in this day and age!" Turning to Sam, Kavik pointed across the road. "Sam, I need you to go and stand over there for a little while."
"Um, okay," mumbled Sam, never taking his eyes off the body as he backed away. Sam was so overwhelmed by what he had just seen that he never noticed the dull buzzing in his head becoming less and less intense as he walked away from Kavik. By the time he was standing where Kavik had told him, he couldn't feel anything.
Glancing over at the cemetery, Kavik spotted a freshly dug, empty grave.
Bingo, she thought. Using her abilities, Kavik surrounded Tharrus' body with air molecules and lifted him over to the grave. She pulled another few feet of soil out of the ground and dropped the body and the head into the hole.
She replaced the soil and walked back over to where Sam was, leaving no indication that the grave had been further disturbed. "Come on, we have to get out of here." She said, pulling Sam's arm. Kavik slipped her sword into her coat, and then bent down to retrieve Tharrus' sword from where it had dropped. She placed the second sword next to her own and began to walk away, leaving Sam to stare at where the body had been, before he turned and ran after her.
"What was that?" Sam panted, when he caught up to Kavik.
"What was what?" Kavik replied, never once breaking her step.
"That thing with tha lightnin'. You killed him, an' all that lightnin' came from his body an' hit ya. Tha guy had lightnin' comin' from his body."
Sam's voice became increasingly louder and faster until he was almost shrieking the last sentence.
Kavik stopped and faced Sam. "Sam, calm down," she said softly. Sam's eyes were bulging and he looked at her with utter disbelief and confusion.
"What you saw wasn't lightning, it was Tharrus' Quickening; his power."
"His Quickening?"
"Yes."
"But how - "
Kavik held up a hand, stopping Sam's question. "Can we do this later?"
"But - "
"Sam," snapped Kavik, aware of the shocked look Sam gave her. "Go back to the mansion." Kavik kept her voice calm. "I'll tell you everything you need to know tomorrow." Sam still looked unsure. "I know this is difficult for you to take in right now, but I need you to trust me." She held Sam's gaze.
"Will you trust me, Sam?"
Sam looked at Kavik's face and then nodded quickly.
"Good," smiled Kavik.
"What about you?"
"What about me?"
"Aren't ya coming back ta the mansion?" Sam asked.
"Not just yet." Kavik saw another question forming in Sam's mind. "Don't worry, I'll be back soon, I'm just going for a walk." Kavik watched Sam walk away. When she could no longer see him, she took a deep breath and willed her body to calm down. It normally just took a few minutes for Kavik to recover from a Quickening, but Tharrus was old, and, as such, his Quickening was a powerful one. Her body was still assimilating the energy; still coming down from the plateau of ecstasy and agony that had been reached. She laughed sharply as she remembered what Richie had nicknamed this feeling . . .
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