A/N Please keep reviewing!
Chapter 3
Hours later found Kira still passed out on MacLeod's couch with the two older Immortals sitting across from her. Joe was impatiently waiting downstairs for her to wake up.
"We should have Cassandra teach her," said Mac breaking the silence.
"Maybe," said Methos distractedly.
"What do you mean 'maybe'? You saw her power. I can't teach her anything about that. I haven't even seen anything like that."
//You haven't, but I have,// thought Methos. //It was many years ago, just before I joined the ranks of the Horsemen. The Immortal had been old, probably older than I am now.//
*Flashback*
"Now Methos, if you ever become old enough you will want to know how to shield your energy. You already know that a quickening can reveal information about your apponent but you don't want your opponent reading your weaknesses from you."
Methos nodded. The man's name was Garok, one of the most powerful Immortals in the world. Due to his great age, he had learned to manipulate his quickening until it became a type of magic. He could call his sword to him, influence the way people thought. He could even read their minds. To Garok, Methos was an open book. His quickening was raw with the power of youth and practically screamed for attention. It had gotten to the point where Methos' quickening was becoming an annoyance, much like a fly that just wouldn't stop flying in your face.
Methos and Garok were sitting on a cliff over looking the desert. Garok knew that the sound of the wind against the sand dunes had a soothing effect on the child.
"Now close your eyes and find your centre. Find your source of power." Garok smiled as he watched Methos do as he asked. It had taken the child almost a year to learn how to do this but unlike past students, he had not given up. Garok had been surprised at the time. He was extremely talented for one so young. "Now do you see your center? Do you see how the lightning is reaching out?"
"Yes."
"That is what alerts you to others of our kind. The longer the reach of the lightning, the sooner the immortal senses you. As you become older, the reach becomes longer. To stop this you need to build a wall."
*End Flashback*
Methos smiled. Those had been good times. He had stayed with Garok for almost a decade learning how to manipulate his quickening, but even he knew that he could not use most of Garok's teachings until he was much older. Methos looked inside himself. He could still see the shield on his quickening. The control of that had become instinctive over the years, so instinctive that he had actually forgotten about it until today.
Too bad, Garok wasn't around anymore. He would have been the perfect teacher for Kira. Unfortunately, he had lost his head during a skirmish with a neighboring village. Methos had been fighting alongside him at the time. Garok had been so focused on stopping the invading forces he did not pay attention to the mortal behind him. Methos had seen the assassin raise his sword but was too far away to stop the tragedy. The ancient's quickening rose above the town like a fog before it settled on Methos. What followed was the largest quickening he ever experienced. Not even the double quickening with MacLeod could compare.
//But that would make me the most qualified to teach her,// Methos thought. //Cassandra is talented, but her strengths are in basic mind control and dream seeing. She won't be able to handle Kira if she gets out of control.//
Methos glanced at MacLeod. The problem with him becoming her teacher was that he had forgotten many of Garok's lessons. He remembered writing most of them down but those journals were buried somewhere in Egypt. He would have to search them out first. "I'll find someone to teach her MacLeod, don't worry about it."
"What's wrong with Cassandra?"
"She won't be able to contain her power if it gets out of control." MacLeod looked at him skeptically. "Trust me." Methos glanced at Kira. "She's about to wake up."
"How can you tell?"
"A hunch," Methos replied as he felt Kira's quicking begin to spike.
A few moments later Kira slowly opened her eyes and groaned. "Ow my head. God, I promise to never drink again."
Methos chuckled. "That wouldn't be good."
Kira started. "Adam? What are you doing-" Kira paused and looked around. "Rephrase that. What am I doing here?"
"You passed out at Joe's."
"Really? So you brought me home? You know this isn't the kind of place I pictured you'd live in."
"Actually this is his place," Methos smiled pointing to MacLeod. "He's going to help you out."
"With what?" Kira asked suspiciously looking at Mac.
"Do you remember what happened last night?" asked Mac.
Methos could almost see her mind shy away from that topic.
"I got drunk, passed out and had a really really really bad dream?" Kira asked hopefully.
Mac's face fell. He did not like to break new Immortals to their first death. Before he could say a word Kira curled up, bringing her knees up to her chin.
"It's not true. It's not real. I'm supposed to be dead!" she began to mutter. Methos felt her quickening begin to close in on itself. Before it could be unleashed he wrapped his arms around her and reached out with his quickening. With his inner eye he watched as his power surrounded them both, absorbing the raging storm inside her. Watching from the outside he began to get flashes of what happened. A sword, an alleyway, Gavin, pain. Fear.
Methos looked over to MacLeod. "Get Joe."
"No. You saw what she did to the bar. She might do it again," Mac protested.
"I've got it under control. Get Joe. She'll react better around him," Methos ordered before turning his attention back to the girl in his arms. He could feel the images become more ordered in her mind. He held her close as she began to relive the last few moments of her life.
Joe walked calmly up to Methos. He was surprised. The old Immortal didn't seem to realize he was there. He took the chance to look at Kira. She was curled up on Methos' lap and holding onto him as though he were a lifeline. She wasn't reacting to anything.
"What's wrong with her?" asked Joe softly.
"Gavin tortured her," replied Methos. "He thought she was mortal so he wanted to find out how she learned about us. He cornered her in an alley and used his sword to get information. When he realized she was pre-immortal he decided to get creative. Now she's trying to deal with it." Mac looked a little nervous. Methos snorted. "Don't worry MacLeod. I'm not going to ask you to teach her. You may have some good techniques but you have no idea how to handle trauma."
"So who's going to teach her? Amanda?"
"No. I'm thinking it's about time you introduced me to your Clansman."
Mac tensed. He didn't want to introduce Methos to his cousin.
Methos' eyes began to harden, when Kira suddenly spoke up.
"Why don't you trust him? He's let you live your own life for years and only interfering when absolutely necessary. He's saved you countless times and yet you still don't trust him?" Kira sneered. "And you call yourself his friend."
Kira felt something inside of her surge. The feeling she had about MacLeod suddenly intensified. She could practically see the way he was reacting to her statements. That's when she realized it. He was young, from a maturity standpoint anyway. He still classified everything in black and white and had trouble seeing the grey; especially in himself. As a teacher, she could see he was one of the best, for he would see the failure of a student as a failure in himself. That was when she saw his largest flaw. He would never treat her as an equal. His chivalrous attitude would make allowanced for her that he would never allow in a male student. He would be able to teach her the basics but after that she would need to go somewhere else. She looked at Adam and her eyes widened. He was old. He had experienced all sides of life and was still here to tell about it. Her power faded out before she could get a full reading and she looked up at Adam questioningly.
Methos looked at her in respect. //I wasn't able to do that for centuries,// he thought.
"This is getting annoying," Kira said referring to her powers.
Methos chuckled. "I'm going to help you with that, but I want you to learn the basics first. Besides he's better at sword work than I am."
The moment he said that, Methos knew she didn't believe him. Before she could say anything, he clumsily formed a link and shoved his reasons into her mind. He trusted her not to reveal anything she might have learned to MacLeod. He felt her tense as the information first entered her mind. Moments later she sent back a feeling of confusion over the link followed by understanding as she sorted out the information.
//An empath too?// thought Methos.
The exchange did not go unnoticed. Joe had seen the way their bodies were reacting. They were communicating; he knew that for sure, but how? Then it hit him. If Kira's quickening could manifest itself into a telekinetic force, why not a telepathic one as well? He was definitely going to be keeping an eye on this Immortal.
"So Macleod here can teach you the basics until his cousin shows up," Methos said glancing at Mac.
"Alright. So when do we start training?" Kira asked happily shoving her worries to the back of her mind.
"How about tomorrow? You and I can go through some steps and we can see where your strengths lie," replied MacLeod.
Kira smiled.
"I have a feeling she's going to surprise us," Methos whispered to Joe.
A/N To be continued.