Chapter 10

The shouts had drawn Duncan further up the dock. He arrived in time to watch Phoebe kick a woman into a vortex, which disappeared in a blaze of light. Then the immortal he felt earlier at the club tried to kill his friend. Thankfully, she was able to elude the man until Duncan could reach her.

Forcing the man back, Duncan stepped in front of Phoebe. The man's focus turned from her to him. Duncan went on the offensive pressing forward so Phoebe could escape. From the corner of his eye, he saw her sprint down the pier as he rained blows on his opponent. Dodging a lunge, Duncan stepped past the man and elbowed him in the back before pivoting.

The man spun and renewed his attack with a volley of strikes. Put on the defensive, Duncan backed up bringing the battle into the open.

Phoebe couldn't believe what was happening. She watched as the men exchanged thrusts and parries. From the way they moved, she knew this conflict was being fought in deadly earnest. C'mon, Phoebe. Get a grip, she thought and raced to Richie and Piper.

Piper was now unfrozen but still unconscious. Phoebe sighed with relief when she felt her sister's pulse then turned her attention to Richie. A few wisps of smoke rose from the burn that covered a large portion of his chest. Phoebe gently felt his throat for a pulse but couldn't find one. Oh, no, she thought, not like this.

She heard a moan coming from behind her. Prue, she realized and rushed to her sister. Luckily Prue's fall had been somewhat cushioned by a container full of collapsed cardboard boxes and styroform chips.

"You okay?" Phoebe asked.

"I think so."

Phoebe debated whether or not to leave her sister where she found her. Prue might be better off hidden amongst the cardboard. On the other hand, the Charmed Ones were usually safer when together.

"What's going on?" Prue asked.

"I was able to get rid of the warlock, but Richie and Piper got hurt," Phoebe explained briefly. "The guy who was with the woman tried to kill me with a sword, but Duncan stopped him, and now they're fighting."

"What?"

"Can you move?"

"Yeah."

"Okay, lets get to Piper just in case we need the Power of Three."

Putting Prue's arm over her shoulder for support, Phoebe helped her hobble to their sister.

Steel clanged against steel as the two immortals fought. Blood oozed from the various wounds each man had inflicted on the other. They were about evenly matched. However, Duncan realized that his opponent was on the verge of going berserk with grief, and fighting a madman was often more dangerous than fighting a sane one.

Duncan dodged a swing aimed his chest and tried to disarm his opponent by enveloping his blade. Unfortunately all the move did was lock the swords together. Each man grabbed his opponent's wrist trying to force him to release his weapon. Changing tactics Duncan let go and punched the man hard in the face. He followed with a kick to the stomach and tried for a head stroke, but the man deflected the blow.

The immortals circled then continued the battle with a barrage of strikes and counter-strikes. Duncan's muscles began to ache, but he knew a defeat would likely mean his friends' heads as well as his own. Concentrate, MacLeod, he told himself blocking another thrust. The man suddenly charged him. Barely sidestepped in time, Duncan sliced the man's stomach. He spun and attacked with a series of thrusts and lunges. The man blocked most of the assault and retaliated with several wild, hacking blows. When the man lunged, Duncan saw his chance. This time he successfully enveloped his opponent's blade sending it clattering to the dock. Before the man knew what was happening, Duncan swung his katanna one last time.

Phoebe watched in dumbfounded shock as the man's head, and then body, fell gracelessly onto the wooden planks. She heard the low hum of electricity as a strange mist surrounded Duncan. A breeze began to stir as the buzzing got louder.

"What's going on?" Prue asked. Still recovering from her fall, she was sitting on the dock with her back against a crate. She couldn't see the scene unfolding behind her.

"I don't know," Phoebe answered, "but whatever it is, I don't think it's over yet."

Out of nowhere, lightning forked the night sky. The breeze quickly swirled into a whirlwind with Duncan in its centre. Electricity crackled along wires, and suddenly lightbulbs burst as though from a power surge. The warehouse's windows shattered raining fragments of everywhere. Phoebe stared in astonishment as shafts of energy struck Duncan like a lightning rod. She heard him yell as bolts of electricity repeatedly assailed him. The storm surrounding her friend continued to swell until it reached its zenith like a sonic boom.

Though the wind began to dissipated, the atmosphere still felt charged with energy. Phoebe slowly walked toward her friend who was on his knees breathing heavily.

"Duncan?"

"Are you okay, Phoebe?"

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"What about the others?" he asked ignoring her question.

"Prue's sore from being slammed against the warehouse," she replied. "Piper's unconscious, but Richie's dead. Duncan, I'm so sorry."

"Take me to them."

"Are you sure you should move?"

"Now, Phoebe," He insisted. She helped him to his feet. Without explanation, he sheathed the sword in his coat and followed Phoebe to the others.

She watched as Duncan first examined a weary Prue who flinched when he felt her head and winced when he touched her side.

"Slight concussion and several bruised ribs I think," he pronounced moving on to examine Piper whose eyes fluttered open. She moaned when he touched her head.

"Careful, Piper," Duncan cautioned. "You cut your head when you fell. You may need stitches, and you probably have a concussion."

"What happened?" she asked.

"Richie pushed you aside just as the woman was about to electrocute you," Phoebe explained earning a perplexed look from Duncan who was checking for Richie's pulse.

"Richie?" Piper asked groaning as she turned her head toward the body next to her.

"He's dead," Phoebe said softly.

The group looked at their fallen friend. Tears ran down the witches' faces as the death of the young man who had become like a brother to them finally sank in. As Phoebe gazed down at her friend, she thought the wound looked different, smaller, but that wasn't possible. The tears and the moonlight must be distorting my vision, she thought. The sisters looked at one another each thinking the same thing. The work they did was for good, but losing friends and family made it harder to bear. Andy had died just over a year ago because of the evil they faced on a regular basis, and now Richie seemed destined for a similar fate. Piper knelt beside Richie's body to say good-bye. Phoebe and Prue turned to Duncan expecting grief and anger but were confused by the foreboding expression on his face.

As she closed his eyes, Piper avoided looking at the wound. The young man had sacrificed his life for hers, and she wanted to thank him for it even though he couldn't hear her. Piper's hand was on Richie's shoulder when she thought she felt movement underneath. Her eyes widen as she witnessed his wound knit closed and his chest rise drawing in air. Startled, Piper drew back in shock he breathed again and his eyes opened.

A sharp gasp for breath and Piper's yelp of surprise distracted the girls' attention from Duncan. Whirling around, the witches' jaws dropped as Richie inhaled deep breaths of life-giving air.

Duncan brushed past the girls. Kneeling beside his friend, he raised him into a sitting position to help him breathe. Looking at the stunned Halliwells, Duncan said, "We have to talk."

The End

Author's Note: Many thanks to those who marked this story as a favourite or had it as an alert. The third in the trilogy to come soon!