Chapter Twenty One
They drove for hundreds miles past moors and hills, much of which Duncan Macleod remembered the way from his wanderings soon after becoming an immortal. He had to stop often for Elizabeth to rest. She began needing food more often and would eat during almost every waking moment.
Sitting in the back seat, Ursa would sing and Beth noticed Evan would lie still during the songs. August was well underway and it rained often. The evening came early on their 10th day out when all three sensed someone was following them.
The roads were uneven in places and after the sixth jolt in as many miles, Beth gave a cry, "Ouch, stop something is wrong."
In the same moment, Ursa growled and said, "Ma Cleod."
Duncan pulled the car over asking, "What's wrong now? Do you need to get out and walk around?"
She replied, "That would be a good idea but I have a strange feeling like when I was near the meteorite."
Ursa growled again and took the door handle pushing it open. He said, "Ma Cleod, I will stop him!"
He reached back, took an axe and got out of the car. He ran off into the darkness in the direction of a waiting shadow.
Duncan and Beth both yelled, "Stop Ursa!" but he was set in motion and did not stop. The ground reverberated with his giant steps until they faded.
Duncan got out of his seat and he yelled again, "Ursa stop!" far away in the dark, he heard a faint reply, "Ma Cleod!"
Beth said, "Duncan wait, check the meteorite. I think it came out of the box."
Mac was several yards away with his sword in hand looking for Ursa. He wanted to know what the danger that commanded his friend's attention was.
Beth got out of the car with some difficulty and opened the trunk of the rental car. She saw the metal box open in the corner and empty.
Duncan chased after Ursa until he lost him in the darkness. Then he sensed another immortal ahead. He scanned around in all directions to detect where it was coming from. There was also the unmistakable buzz from the meteorite.
He stopped chasing Ursa and went back to the car to check on Beth.
Ursa caught up with the immortal that had been following them on a motorcycle. He barred the way with his body while swinging his axe. He raised it high and said, "Go back."
The man turned off the motor and got off his ride. He sized up this opponent and said, "I am Keim Sun. You are nothing to me."
Ursa attacked bringing his axe at full swing towards Keim's head. He followed through with a deadly targeted back swing.
Keim jumped back once then twice. He said, "You're faster than I thought." Pulling his sword out of the sheath, he stayed out of range to see this giant's action.
His grunts punctuated the darkness as he kept going after Keim. Anger drove Ursa behavior. "Go back!" he warned again.
Keim just smirked and gracefully circled around staying away from the blade of the axe. He commented, "I could have had an army of brutes like you if I still had my potion."
A short distance away, Keim sensed other immortals and he heard voices too. He started moving towards them using his sword to block Ursa's attack and the axe from cleaving his head in two.
Duncan came back to the car and saw Beth looking through the back. She stopped and said to him, "The meteorite fell out of the box." Duncan replied, "There's another immortal out there. I think Ursa went after him."
"I know," she said, "I felt it too but the sensation came from the meteorite seemed to emanate out."
"I'll put it back in the box." He told her, "Just keep a lookout for Ursa and whoever else is out there."
He turned his attention to the trunk of the car and began pulling out bags and their supplies.
She suggested, "Should I get my rifle?"
Duncan replied with a concerned tone, "Not yet I want to see who it is first."
Beth tried to look into the darkness to find Ursa. She called out one more time, "Ursa come back I need you!"
She could hear the metal clashes, grunts of effort and soon saw shapes coming their way.
The closer Keim got the more urging he felt and it seemed to pull him. "What are you guarding?" he asked the giant.
Ursa became more aggressive the closer Keim moved towards the car where Duncan and Beth stood. He cried out, "No! You go back!" He advanced upon the immortal striking him harder.
Keim gave way until he saw an opening. Rolling on the ground, he came with an up thrust into Ursa's lower abdomen. Then standing quickly, he knocked the axe away and with a fluid movement, he cut through Ursa's neck.
Duncan seized the meteorite from its hiding place and turned facing Beth when she screamed at Ursa's defeat. "No Ursa!" she cried. "Duncan, it's too late!"
Duncan rushed forward until he saw Keim Sun. Ursa's head fell forward and the eerie scene began…
There was an expression of triumph on Keim's face, Horror on Elizabeth's face. Recognition was on Duncan's face and the quickening in progress.
The blue mist and lightning bolts seemed to move slowly away from Keim and crept towards Duncan MacLeod and the meteorite in his hand.
"No! You cannot do that!" Keim yelled with disbelief and raised his sword pointing it at MacLeod.
The quickening struck the Highlander and made Beth collapse at the same time. He could not let the meteorite go as he absorbed the energy. As it neared the end and began to fade. Keim shouted, "You took everything from me!" He came charging towards his new opponent.
MacLeod dropped the meteorite and staggered towards the car to find his katana.
Beth lay on the ground behind the car lost in the pain of the quickening. Keim did not see her and he did not care as he came after MacLeod.
Keim gave a challenging cry, "Fight me you coward. You took my quickening after a fair combat!"
With katana in hand, Duncan circled around out of range of Beth. He staggered with effort and prepared to answer the challenge saying, "It's not like that. The meteorite did it."
Keim sneered back, "I once called you friend but you always had to interfere."
The champion from many battles drew strength deep within and backed away from Keim until he felt ready.
A faint glow from the half moon in the sky did little to help the immortals for this combat. In a calm voice Duncan said, "The gathering is here. You need to wait and fight for your side."
The urgings from the meteorite nearby made Keim loose his reasoning. He aligned with evil and attacked MacLeod.
Their swords swung around in unison as if a ballet of steel were on display. They blocks and parried their weapon as each anticipated the other. Duncan's calm demeanor against Keim's angry assault showed how uneven the match was.
Keim's sword gave way as Duncan served up the justice he wanted for Ursa's death. Now this quickening hit him with the vengeance of a king.
"A storm is coming!" She called out over the wind. Beth felt the danger all around her. Turning back, Duncan was gone from her sight.
She looked up and saw the dark clouds were heavy with rain. It changed shape and formed into warriors that lined up a hundred deep. Noise of the thunder became their battle cries and flashes of lightening became their swords.
A mighty army glowed red as they consumed the sky from north to south, east to west.
Her sword appeared ready in her hand and she stood watching for the attack to come. They were there circling her and taunting.
Her anger and fear seemed to fuel the storm. She heard many voices saying, "Poor little Joram he died calling for you!"
Korbin appeared and taunted her, "I killed your mother while she begged mercy for your life."
Each face appeared briefly as they taunted her looking like the men who slaughtered her village. "You ran away and let them all die."
"No!" she screamed back at them, hitting their swords away. Repeatedly, Beth swung her sword at the evil encircling her.
The quickening from Keim subsided and in that moment, Duncan saw Beth striking out at unseen opponents. He slowly went around her with caution.
Using his sword, he blocked hers as it came for him. Pushing it down, he pulled her off her feet and knocked the sword from her grasp. Without her weapon in hand, she woke up.
Still fighting the impulses, she struck out with her fists yelling, "Where are they! What happened to me?"
Standing there holding her tightly to keep her under control, He told her, "You were hallucinating that you were fighting enemies. I think it was brought on by the double quickening."
Weak with distress she collapsed and held onto his arms. Her mind cleared and she saw the manipulation. She told him, "They taunted me with such hurtful things. I wanted to kill them all." Her eyes looked out with fury and pain.
Holding her gently to calm her sorrow, Duncan assured her, "I know sweetheart. It was the same thing that happened to me." He led her back to the car.
She sat down in the passenger seat. She confided to him a hurtful secret, "I am ashamed now about how much I judged you and for how long I held that grudge."
He kneeled down to look into her eyes before answering her, "I know and I forgave you. I only wish you could be spared this trial before you."
She looked at his face and saw love there. She told him, "I will have to fight Ahriman like you did. I just didn't realize how powerful it would be."
"Remember," he emphasized, "It has no power except what you give it." He gave her hands a squeeze and stood up saying, "I have to get the meteorite so we can leave here before the local police show up."
The car trunk was still open so he repacked the box of supplies. Taking out a blanket, he returned to Ursa's body and covered it up with a silent prayer on his lips. A short distance away, another body went uncovered with no one to morn him.
Checking the ground, Duncan picked up the meteorite and put it away in the metal box. After securing it tightly with a piece of rope, he wondered how such a little object could cause so much trouble. He shut up the trunk with force before getting back into the driver's seat.
Starting the car and putting it into gear, he recalled this advice telling Beth, "Remember you can't fight this influence with a sword. The next time it happens you must leave any physical weapon or symbol of a weapon behind."
She nodded and lay back closing her eyes feeling the emptiness from Ursa's absence. Quietly she grieved for the gentle giant.
Sleep wanted to come after her late night encounter. The baby had grown more and was moving around. She asked Duncan, "Sing to me please?"
He smiled a little and turned the wheel onto the dirt road. With the rocking motion of the car, he sang a Scottish lullaby.
.
"Ae morn of May, when fields were gay,
Serene and charming was the weather,
I chanced to roam some miles frae home,
Far o'er yon muir, amang the heather.
O'er the muir amang the heather..."
.