Chapter 65

Northeastern France

Cassandra had made it to shore by early afternoon. She'd dragged herself up on a beach and lay panting in the sand... a wet and bedraggled piece of flotsam cast out of the ocean's depths.

Remorse for the death of the old Watcher touched her briefly. She dug within herself and cast it off. She had done what was needed. She had no time for guilt or regrets. By the time they were aware of what had happened to him... she'd be long gone, and her involvement in his death might never be known.

Struggling to her feet... she thrust her hands deeply into the pockets of her coat... relieved that the crystal was still there. Although it had not, as yet, shown her anything... after what she had gone through to get it... she did not wish to lose it... especially at the bottom of the English Channel.

Her sword, however, was another matter. Apparently it had slipped from its hiding place within her coat and had fallen victim to gravity and to water. She'd had that one a long time... and she hated to lose it... but she could always get another. The crystal was the only one of its kind... and could not be replaced. One day soon it would speak to her again as it had once spoken to her. She would see the paths of the future arrayed about her as Lilith had once seen... she was Lilith's inheritor... like the Ancient... Cassandra had the gift of prophecy... and would know how to maneuver people so that the future would play out as it should. Lilith's warning about madness went unheeded.

Cassandra centered her thoughts and focused on the path of her choice. Brushing her damp and sand-laden locks from her face, she faced inland and headed for signs of civilization. She needed to get cleaned up and she needed to rent another car... or steal one. She had a house to burn... and a certain old immortal to bedevil.

***

If he were honest with himself, Derrick was glad Adam was gone for a while, although he did hope he'd soon be back. He did want to get back to that enticing computer game... the one that seemed to whisper to him of other times and other places. Ellie, while thoughtful and staring off into the distance with a small smile, seemed much more the Ellie the boy had known over the last few years... before they'd ever run into that bad man... that immortal in Seacouver... the one Duncan had killed when they'd first met.

When Adam wasn't around... Ellie seemed like a kid again... the big sister for whom the boy was the center of her world. Derrick liked that. Even knowing that she was older than she looked and that Ellie and Adam had likely known each other for hundreds of years without aging, did not truly phase him. She was his Ellie... and she had promised him she would never leave him... never again.

Eager to be outside... to have a chance at running and exploring Adam's estate... the two had spent most of the day doing so. They'd picnicked in a small glade on the sandwiches they'd made and laughed and danced and talked.

"What's it like to live for hundreds of years?" he finally asked her.

Ellie's expression was one of puzzlement. Then she'd shrugged, "Like living is for anyone else except we outlive many people we care about. We watch them being born... growing up... and then we watch them die... and we remain."

"And one day you will watch me grow old and die?" the boy had pushed.

Tears welled up in Ellie's eyes at that point and she'd sniffed and shook her head. "It's what makes loving mortals so hard, Derrick. If I truly give my heart to one... I have to be willing to face that... and I have always found it difficult. Usually... I leave before too much time passes."

"But you won't leave me... you promised!" The boy's voice took on an insistent tone.

"Ahh... little one... One day you will leave me." In that moment, Derrick thought he saw for the first time a glimpse of the immortal Ellie who had lived so very long.

"Never!" he cried and wrapped his arms about her and clung to her. He felt her return the embrace and kiss the top of his head. Then the moment passed. She tickled him until he collapsed in laughter on the ground.

With a laugh... she rose to race back to the house, calling over her shoulder, "First one back gets to cook dinner!"

Derrick had scrambled to his feet and run after her. After all... her attempts at cooking were well-known to him. Even he could do better. She was once more simply Ellie.

Not far from the house... she stopped suddenly. As he passed by her... she reached out and pulled him back sharply... clutching his shoulders. Derrick glanced at her face and knew that someone was here. It was the way these immortals had... They could sense one another somehow.

"Maybe it's Adam!" he cried and pulled loose... shrugging off her hand and heading for the house.

"Wait... Derrick... it's not..." but the rest of her words were lost to him as he exited the trees. He stopped short on the gravel drive seeing the unfamiliar car. Then the long-coated figure turned to stare at him. Derrick's face broke into a smile.

"Cassandra!" he cried and ran toward her... throwing his arms about the woman who'd helped him face the demons of his past... the woman who'd helped him find the way to put them all to sleep.

"Derrick?" Cassandra held him at arms' length and smiled thinly. "How did you get here? Why are you here?" She looked up at Ellie's approach and Derrick thought he saw the barest flicker of something dark and twisted move across Cassandra's face.

"Ellie," he cried to his sister, "Look who's here!" He glanced back at Ellie who was standing very still and small ten feet away. Her eyes were focused on Cassandra's. Derrick saw the fingers of Ellie's left hand move in their silent signs to warn him away from Cassandra... Derrick shook his head. "We have a visitor Eleanor... We must make her welcome." Ellie's eyes widened a bit as Derrick's tone changed slightly, but she nodded ever so perceptively.

"Cassandra," she said evenly as she slowly approached, "What brings you here? How did you find us?"

Cassandra smiled, but it seemed hollow. "Oh... a mutual friend."

"Duncan?" Derrick asked reaching to hold both women's hands as they headed to the house, once more sounding only like an eager little boy. "Do you know Duncan, too? Are you like Ellie and Duncan?"

"Duncan... yes... I know Duncan." Cassandra met the boy's gaze. "As for being like them? What do you mean?"

Derrick looked back at Eleanor and read the movements of her flicking fingers... "Say nothing about Adam!" He nodded. "Oh... you know... old friends."

Cassandra laughed, "Friends... old friends... Yes... you could say that."

"Good!" said Derrick dropping both women's hands as he opened the front door and stood aside for them to enter. He knew there was more going on here than he realized... that there was something else... but other than that one dark look that had crossed Cassandra's face a moment ago... Derrick had not sensed the evil in her or that awareness he'd had of the bad men who had threatened his friends as well as Derrick himself not so long ago. Cassandra did not really like Ellie... and Ellie apparently felt much the same way... but Cassandra was his friend... she would never hurt him. Derrick would stake his life on that. "We were gonna make some dinner... Are you hungry Cassandra? Will you stay for dinner?"

"Hungry... oh little one... you have no idea how hungry I am," Cassandra had said with a laugh. There was an undertone to her words that worried him... but for here and for now... everything would be all right. He just knew that it would be.

Eleanor watched Cassandra enter the house and motioned Derrick to go ahead. She knew the psychic was lying about Duncan having told her anything. Duncan would have had no idea where Ellie and Derrick were. Methos would not have told him. Eleanor carefully kept her emotions under control. Methos had to focus on helping the Highlander deal with Nestor. He needed no distractions... besides... Eleanor could handle Cassandra if it came to it... but she didn't think it would... Cassandra seemed as enchanted with Derrick as Eleanor herself was. Nevertheless, Eleanor would be wary of the psychic while she was here. Very wary! While she did not have her short sword on her at the moment... she was armed. On her back, beneath the overlarge jacket... her harness held the two long knives. And deep within one pocket... she was already fingering another knife with her right hand.