"Mac?"
"Shut up, Richie!" Duncan yelled. "Show yourself," he demanded of the disembodied voice.
A large figure stepped out of the shadows a few sword lengths away from Duncan. "You killed my student," the man growled holding up a German broadsword.
"Is that what this is about?" Duncan asked casually.
"Nobody has ever killed one of my students and gone on living."
"Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" Duncan took off his coat and tossed it aside. "But you're more than welcome to try."
Richie had been listening to the conversation but still jumped when he heard the first clang of the two swords meeting. Not two weeks ago he hadn't been able to take his eyes off the fight on the bridge, he had been scared but fascinated. But now, not being able to see what was happening he was terrified. He couldn't tell who was winning . . . But he knew that somehow he wasn't on the ground with the battle. He didn't want to be that close, but he wanted to be on the ground.
"Slan came looking for me," he heard Duncan say. "You should have taught him not to get in over his head. Then he would still have his."
"You won't have yours for much longer," the other immortal replied.
Richie pulled and twisted the ropes around his wrists. He could feel his wrists getting burned by all the movement, but he didn't care, he wanted the damn blindfold off. He jerked and pulled but couldn't get himself free.
The two immortals on the ground circled each other taking a moment to catch their breath and preparing to be attacked. "How you doing, Rich?" Duncan called not taking his eyes off the other immortal.
"I'm good," he answered, his voice higher pitched than normal. "How about you?"
"I'll be done in a minute, just don't move."
"You'll be done alright," Slan's teacher scoffed lunging in for an attack.
Duncan sidestepped throwing the other immortal off balance and sending him stumbling forward a few paces. Duncan sliced at the man's stomach as he positioned himself behind the wounded immortal. Not giving him a chance to recover, Duncan held his sword high above his head and swung it down severing the immortal from his head.
Richie gulped as an eerie calm washed over the warehouse and the hairs on his arms stood up. He had only felt this sensation once before, when Duncan had taken Slan's head on the bridge. His heart pounded as a raw, primordial scream echoed around him. A strong wind blew around him and he could feel the electricity in the air. Even through the blindfold he could see bursts of light as lightning crackled around him. After a few minutes the wind died down and the lights stopped flashing. Richie let go of the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He strained his ears, but couldn't hear anything.
"Mac?" he called softly wondering if he should be attracting attention to himself. There was no answer. "Mac?" he tried again.
Duncan leaned against a steel beam and tried to catch his breath and slow down his racing heart. He could hear Richie calling him, but couldn't find his voice to answer. Still over whelmed by the powerful quickening he had just received he looked around for a way to get to Richie. He spotted a narrow staircase against the far wall of the room. Taking a final deep breath, he began to walk towards it, staggering slightly.
Richie heard a muted clang like someone walking up a metal staircase. He swallowed hard and waited for whoever was approaching him to say something.
Duncan slowly walked across the crossbeam towards Richie careful not to shift his weight too much for fear of slipping off the edge of the foot- wide beam. He chuckled lightly as Richie began to press himself as far back as he could from him. At the sound of his laugh Richie started panicking and opened his mouth allowing an uncharacteristic whimper escape.
"Richie?" Duncan said softly trying not startle the boy as he put his hand on his shoulder.
Still unaware of who was with him, and not being able to eaisly identify the heavily accented voice speaking to him, Richie screamed and pulled away. Duncan jumped back at the sudden movement and lost his balance. He immediately reached out and grabbed both of Richie's shoulders to balance himself.
"Richie! Calm down it's me," he said as the boy began to fight his grip. Richie stopped.
"Mac?"
"Yeah, who did you think it was?"
"You didn't sound like you," Richie explained as Duncan took his blindfold off. He blinked a couple of times getting used to the low light, then looked up at Duncan. "So exactly, how up are we?" he asked.
"Very."
Slowly Richie allowed his eyes to travel downward, he gulped and closed his eyes. "Oh, man," was all he could say.
"Shut up, Richie!" Duncan yelled. "Show yourself," he demanded of the disembodied voice.
A large figure stepped out of the shadows a few sword lengths away from Duncan. "You killed my student," the man growled holding up a German broadsword.
"Is that what this is about?" Duncan asked casually.
"Nobody has ever killed one of my students and gone on living."
"Well, there's a first time for everything, isn't there?" Duncan took off his coat and tossed it aside. "But you're more than welcome to try."
Richie had been listening to the conversation but still jumped when he heard the first clang of the two swords meeting. Not two weeks ago he hadn't been able to take his eyes off the fight on the bridge, he had been scared but fascinated. But now, not being able to see what was happening he was terrified. He couldn't tell who was winning . . . But he knew that somehow he wasn't on the ground with the battle. He didn't want to be that close, but he wanted to be on the ground.
"Slan came looking for me," he heard Duncan say. "You should have taught him not to get in over his head. Then he would still have his."
"You won't have yours for much longer," the other immortal replied.
Richie pulled and twisted the ropes around his wrists. He could feel his wrists getting burned by all the movement, but he didn't care, he wanted the damn blindfold off. He jerked and pulled but couldn't get himself free.
The two immortals on the ground circled each other taking a moment to catch their breath and preparing to be attacked. "How you doing, Rich?" Duncan called not taking his eyes off the other immortal.
"I'm good," he answered, his voice higher pitched than normal. "How about you?"
"I'll be done in a minute, just don't move."
"You'll be done alright," Slan's teacher scoffed lunging in for an attack.
Duncan sidestepped throwing the other immortal off balance and sending him stumbling forward a few paces. Duncan sliced at the man's stomach as he positioned himself behind the wounded immortal. Not giving him a chance to recover, Duncan held his sword high above his head and swung it down severing the immortal from his head.
Richie gulped as an eerie calm washed over the warehouse and the hairs on his arms stood up. He had only felt this sensation once before, when Duncan had taken Slan's head on the bridge. His heart pounded as a raw, primordial scream echoed around him. A strong wind blew around him and he could feel the electricity in the air. Even through the blindfold he could see bursts of light as lightning crackled around him. After a few minutes the wind died down and the lights stopped flashing. Richie let go of the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. He strained his ears, but couldn't hear anything.
"Mac?" he called softly wondering if he should be attracting attention to himself. There was no answer. "Mac?" he tried again.
Duncan leaned against a steel beam and tried to catch his breath and slow down his racing heart. He could hear Richie calling him, but couldn't find his voice to answer. Still over whelmed by the powerful quickening he had just received he looked around for a way to get to Richie. He spotted a narrow staircase against the far wall of the room. Taking a final deep breath, he began to walk towards it, staggering slightly.
Richie heard a muted clang like someone walking up a metal staircase. He swallowed hard and waited for whoever was approaching him to say something.
Duncan slowly walked across the crossbeam towards Richie careful not to shift his weight too much for fear of slipping off the edge of the foot- wide beam. He chuckled lightly as Richie began to press himself as far back as he could from him. At the sound of his laugh Richie started panicking and opened his mouth allowing an uncharacteristic whimper escape.
"Richie?" Duncan said softly trying not startle the boy as he put his hand on his shoulder.
Still unaware of who was with him, and not being able to eaisly identify the heavily accented voice speaking to him, Richie screamed and pulled away. Duncan jumped back at the sudden movement and lost his balance. He immediately reached out and grabbed both of Richie's shoulders to balance himself.
"Richie! Calm down it's me," he said as the boy began to fight his grip. Richie stopped.
"Mac?"
"Yeah, who did you think it was?"
"You didn't sound like you," Richie explained as Duncan took his blindfold off. He blinked a couple of times getting used to the low light, then looked up at Duncan. "So exactly, how up are we?" he asked.
"Very."
Slowly Richie allowed his eyes to travel downward, he gulped and closed his eyes. "Oh, man," was all he could say.
