CHAPTER 35
Methos stood near the window of the villa he'd rented in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, a little fishing village north of Puerto Vallarta. The peaceful town and tranquil waters were a stark contrast to the rage that stormed in his being as he meticulously sharpened his blade, watching it glint in the sunlight as he worked.
MAY 1824 - Soto La Marina, Mexico
Methos waited until the guards surrounding the church had disappeared around the corner before forcing a side window open and climbing silently through it. He knew he had to hurry. They would be back, and it would not be good if they found him stealing away with the former emperor's body . especially a body that could walk out on its own steam.
He hadn't planned to find Don Augustin's wife weeping beside the body that was beginning to show signs of life. This was an unplanned complication.
"Senora" he whispered, getting her attention, but hiding behind one of the pillars so she could not see. "You should go to your children." He told her in Spanish. "They are in danger."
It was a lie, but the only thing he could think of to get her to leave quickly.
"Who is there? How do you know this?" she asked. Stepping from his hiding place, Methos bowed, his eyes not leaving hers. She recognized him as her husband's trusted friend and physician, Doctor Adams.
"Please go and take them out of the city before it is too late." He told her, and she wasted no time following his orders. "I've sent a man to your sister's house. He will take care of everything."
She'd only just left the room when Don Augustin sat straight up on the slab where he'd lain.
"Do not be afraid." Methos said, coming to his side to reassure him.
"I am alive?" Don Augustin questioned what was happening. His hands ran over the places where the bullets from the firing squad had hit his body in rapid succession. His skin was unmarked, smooth. "How can this be?"
"I'll explain later, but we must get you out of here and to safety. Filip Garza believes he executed the Emperor this afternoon. Finding you like this now would be . complicated."
Don Augustin didn't know what to do, but he trusted Doctor Adams, so he followed him quietly into the shadows and out of town. Once they were safely away, Methos explained to him about his immortality.
"But my family ." the man lamented. "How can I leave them?"
"They may not understand or believe what has happened, and even if they do, it would not be safe with you. As it stands now, they are going to be well provided for. I've arranged passage for them back to England. You shouldn't have left there my friend, but that can't be helped now." He explained.
Methos spent the next five years living in Peru and teaching the man who once ruled Mexico how to survive the game. The last time he'd seen his friend was in 1985 when earthquakes rocked Mexico City and the surrounding area. They'd worked side by side, digging for survivors in the rubble. Methos had gone because he knew his friend, who had been so wronged by his country, still loved his people and could use his help. Together they'd freed more than a dozen, and administered aid to even more of the injured.
And now Methos stood looking out the window, watching the sails of a fishing boat come into port. He tested the edge of his blade and polished it to a gleaming finish before pulling on his jacket and hiding it in the folds.
Don Augustin recognized the tall, lean figure and his familiar stance as Methos faced the wind and waited for him to step from the boat to greet him.
"My friend, why did you not tell me you were coming?" Don Augustin tried to embrace him, but Methos wouldn't allow it. Instead he greeted him stiffly.
"You are troubled." Don Augustin could see the pain and anger in his eyes. "Come to my house, we will talk."
"I'd rather walk along the shoreline if it's all the same to you." Methos replied, nodding toward the south where they wouldn't be disturbed.
For several minutes they walked in silence. Don Augustin wasn't going to rush him. Once their relationship ended as student and teacher, it was he who assumed the role of elder and confidant most of the time. He had always been a good listener, and his ability to see through a problem and find the solution had only sharpened with the time of his immortality.
"I've come to a turning point in my life." Methos told him finally, and was not interrupted as he continued. "I've lost all reason and all meaning to exist . all save one." He told his friend. "The person I loved and trusted above all others, betrayed me in the most cruel way imaginable and I haven't the strength to fight the pain anymore."
He didn't know why he continued to tell Don Augustin exactly what had happened between he and Beth, and how she'd poisoned him and fled on their wedding night. But he supposed it was because he wanted the man to understand what had driven him to the place where he was.
"I can understand. Remember how difficult it was when you told me that my children could not possibly be my own? I loved my wife deeply and never suspected her deception. It was like a knife through my heart." Don Augustin admitted and Methos nodded.
"But you had your love for this place, these people." Methos continued. "I have nothing I care about and nothing I desire . save one thing."
"And what is this one thing?" his friend asked, and Methos knew he could delay no longer.
"To be the only one." Methos said flatly. "I desire to know the prize and to attain it." And with those words, he drew his sword.
"You came here to challenge me?" Don Augustin wisely took a few steps back and reached into his own coat, but then paused. "I will not fight you. If you want my head, take it. You gave me the knowledge and the skill to survive and live among the people I love for longer than I could have ever hoped." He knelt and extended his arms from his body, his eyes reflecting sadness and pity for the friend he could see had no hope.
Methos wasn't prepared for him to just give up. Before he was Emperor, Don Augustin had been a soldier. He had been prepared for the man to fight for his life. The ancient immortal's jaw twitched as he fought with himself.
"Don't look at me." Methos ordered, and his friend complied. Bowing his head, he accepted his fate with a prayer on his lips.
Joe could see what was happening from the pier in the distance, but he was too far away to interfere. "Don't do it." He yelled, but his plea went unheeded.
Methos closed his eyes and struggled to control his emotions before swinging his blade quickly and cleanly, severing his friend's head from his body.
The Quickening was intense, not because Don Augustin had taken many heads, but because his life force was very strong and his presence on earth had been extremely fruitful in it's service. He was a man of deep passion.
Methos fell to his knees and wept as the Quickening shot through his body. He felt the essence of his friend pass through him just as his hand clenched around a hand that was not there. When it was over, Methos looked weakly at the body of a man he'd cared for and respected, and then he heard his name and saw another man whose image invoked similar feelings coming slowly toward him.
Joe stumbled over the rough sand, trying to reach his friend before he could recover from the Quickening long enough to fight hearing what he had to say. He didn't know whose head Methos had just taken, but whoever it was hadn't fought him.
"Joe get out of here." Methos ordered as soon as he'd recovered his voice and could stand.
"Adam!" Joe yelled when he saw his friend start to drag himself away. "Wait! We need to talk."
"Talk about what Joe? The weather? Your health? Old times?" Methos shook his head. "I don't see a beer, and I'm afraid I'm not in the mood without one." He pulled the sword from the coat of his fallen student and strode away with purposeful steps.
Joe tried to catch him, but his feeble attempt on crutches and prosthetics was futile. "You need to know the truth about Beth." He yelled, but Methos wouldn't hear. In fact the immortal covered his ears and kept walking.
By the time Joe got to the villa, Adam had packed his belongings and was gone.
Cassie had been fussing for almost an hour, and Beth knew that without Adam's soothing voice to calm her, the baby would probably fret all night. He'd always been able to help her relax and stop fighting to stay awake. The baby had come to rely on his presence, and without it she was restless and cranky. The past month had been difficult for both she and the baby, and she hated Garrett all the more for putting Cassie through this frustration.
Beth finally managed to rock the child to sleep and had only just laid her in the crib beside the bed, when the sensation shot through her. And again she not only felt fingers lacing with her own tightly, but could see the imprints turning white on her skin. This had happened almost a dozen times in the few short weeks she'd been locked away in the villa, and it was more troubling every time. She wished there were someone she could talk to, but that was impossible.
This time however, there was a deep sadness that washed over her, causing her to weep fiercely for some unknown soul. "Adam, is it you?" she whispered through her tears. "Is this you I feel? Is it your sadness and pain?" Somewhere inside she knew it was a connection. She only wished it gave her comfort. Instead it left her feeling troubled and lonelier than before.
Methos stood near the window of the villa he'd rented in La Cruz de Huanacaxtle, a little fishing village north of Puerto Vallarta. The peaceful town and tranquil waters were a stark contrast to the rage that stormed in his being as he meticulously sharpened his blade, watching it glint in the sunlight as he worked.
MAY 1824 - Soto La Marina, Mexico
Methos waited until the guards surrounding the church had disappeared around the corner before forcing a side window open and climbing silently through it. He knew he had to hurry. They would be back, and it would not be good if they found him stealing away with the former emperor's body . especially a body that could walk out on its own steam.
He hadn't planned to find Don Augustin's wife weeping beside the body that was beginning to show signs of life. This was an unplanned complication.
"Senora" he whispered, getting her attention, but hiding behind one of the pillars so she could not see. "You should go to your children." He told her in Spanish. "They are in danger."
It was a lie, but the only thing he could think of to get her to leave quickly.
"Who is there? How do you know this?" she asked. Stepping from his hiding place, Methos bowed, his eyes not leaving hers. She recognized him as her husband's trusted friend and physician, Doctor Adams.
"Please go and take them out of the city before it is too late." He told her, and she wasted no time following his orders. "I've sent a man to your sister's house. He will take care of everything."
She'd only just left the room when Don Augustin sat straight up on the slab where he'd lain.
"Do not be afraid." Methos said, coming to his side to reassure him.
"I am alive?" Don Augustin questioned what was happening. His hands ran over the places where the bullets from the firing squad had hit his body in rapid succession. His skin was unmarked, smooth. "How can this be?"
"I'll explain later, but we must get you out of here and to safety. Filip Garza believes he executed the Emperor this afternoon. Finding you like this now would be . complicated."
Don Augustin didn't know what to do, but he trusted Doctor Adams, so he followed him quietly into the shadows and out of town. Once they were safely away, Methos explained to him about his immortality.
"But my family ." the man lamented. "How can I leave them?"
"They may not understand or believe what has happened, and even if they do, it would not be safe with you. As it stands now, they are going to be well provided for. I've arranged passage for them back to England. You shouldn't have left there my friend, but that can't be helped now." He explained.
Methos spent the next five years living in Peru and teaching the man who once ruled Mexico how to survive the game. The last time he'd seen his friend was in 1985 when earthquakes rocked Mexico City and the surrounding area. They'd worked side by side, digging for survivors in the rubble. Methos had gone because he knew his friend, who had been so wronged by his country, still loved his people and could use his help. Together they'd freed more than a dozen, and administered aid to even more of the injured.
And now Methos stood looking out the window, watching the sails of a fishing boat come into port. He tested the edge of his blade and polished it to a gleaming finish before pulling on his jacket and hiding it in the folds.
Don Augustin recognized the tall, lean figure and his familiar stance as Methos faced the wind and waited for him to step from the boat to greet him.
"My friend, why did you not tell me you were coming?" Don Augustin tried to embrace him, but Methos wouldn't allow it. Instead he greeted him stiffly.
"You are troubled." Don Augustin could see the pain and anger in his eyes. "Come to my house, we will talk."
"I'd rather walk along the shoreline if it's all the same to you." Methos replied, nodding toward the south where they wouldn't be disturbed.
For several minutes they walked in silence. Don Augustin wasn't going to rush him. Once their relationship ended as student and teacher, it was he who assumed the role of elder and confidant most of the time. He had always been a good listener, and his ability to see through a problem and find the solution had only sharpened with the time of his immortality.
"I've come to a turning point in my life." Methos told him finally, and was not interrupted as he continued. "I've lost all reason and all meaning to exist . all save one." He told his friend. "The person I loved and trusted above all others, betrayed me in the most cruel way imaginable and I haven't the strength to fight the pain anymore."
He didn't know why he continued to tell Don Augustin exactly what had happened between he and Beth, and how she'd poisoned him and fled on their wedding night. But he supposed it was because he wanted the man to understand what had driven him to the place where he was.
"I can understand. Remember how difficult it was when you told me that my children could not possibly be my own? I loved my wife deeply and never suspected her deception. It was like a knife through my heart." Don Augustin admitted and Methos nodded.
"But you had your love for this place, these people." Methos continued. "I have nothing I care about and nothing I desire . save one thing."
"And what is this one thing?" his friend asked, and Methos knew he could delay no longer.
"To be the only one." Methos said flatly. "I desire to know the prize and to attain it." And with those words, he drew his sword.
"You came here to challenge me?" Don Augustin wisely took a few steps back and reached into his own coat, but then paused. "I will not fight you. If you want my head, take it. You gave me the knowledge and the skill to survive and live among the people I love for longer than I could have ever hoped." He knelt and extended his arms from his body, his eyes reflecting sadness and pity for the friend he could see had no hope.
Methos wasn't prepared for him to just give up. Before he was Emperor, Don Augustin had been a soldier. He had been prepared for the man to fight for his life. The ancient immortal's jaw twitched as he fought with himself.
"Don't look at me." Methos ordered, and his friend complied. Bowing his head, he accepted his fate with a prayer on his lips.
Joe could see what was happening from the pier in the distance, but he was too far away to interfere. "Don't do it." He yelled, but his plea went unheeded.
Methos closed his eyes and struggled to control his emotions before swinging his blade quickly and cleanly, severing his friend's head from his body.
The Quickening was intense, not because Don Augustin had taken many heads, but because his life force was very strong and his presence on earth had been extremely fruitful in it's service. He was a man of deep passion.
Methos fell to his knees and wept as the Quickening shot through his body. He felt the essence of his friend pass through him just as his hand clenched around a hand that was not there. When it was over, Methos looked weakly at the body of a man he'd cared for and respected, and then he heard his name and saw another man whose image invoked similar feelings coming slowly toward him.
Joe stumbled over the rough sand, trying to reach his friend before he could recover from the Quickening long enough to fight hearing what he had to say. He didn't know whose head Methos had just taken, but whoever it was hadn't fought him.
"Joe get out of here." Methos ordered as soon as he'd recovered his voice and could stand.
"Adam!" Joe yelled when he saw his friend start to drag himself away. "Wait! We need to talk."
"Talk about what Joe? The weather? Your health? Old times?" Methos shook his head. "I don't see a beer, and I'm afraid I'm not in the mood without one." He pulled the sword from the coat of his fallen student and strode away with purposeful steps.
Joe tried to catch him, but his feeble attempt on crutches and prosthetics was futile. "You need to know the truth about Beth." He yelled, but Methos wouldn't hear. In fact the immortal covered his ears and kept walking.
By the time Joe got to the villa, Adam had packed his belongings and was gone.
Cassie had been fussing for almost an hour, and Beth knew that without Adam's soothing voice to calm her, the baby would probably fret all night. He'd always been able to help her relax and stop fighting to stay awake. The baby had come to rely on his presence, and without it she was restless and cranky. The past month had been difficult for both she and the baby, and she hated Garrett all the more for putting Cassie through this frustration.
Beth finally managed to rock the child to sleep and had only just laid her in the crib beside the bed, when the sensation shot through her. And again she not only felt fingers lacing with her own tightly, but could see the imprints turning white on her skin. This had happened almost a dozen times in the few short weeks she'd been locked away in the villa, and it was more troubling every time. She wished there were someone she could talk to, but that was impossible.
This time however, there was a deep sadness that washed over her, causing her to weep fiercely for some unknown soul. "Adam, is it you?" she whispered through her tears. "Is this you I feel? Is it your sadness and pain?" Somewhere inside she knew it was a connection. She only wished it gave her comfort. Instead it left her feeling troubled and lonelier than before.