Chapter Forty-Five
Niebos:
J. D. hid behind the rocks until Phillip left the cove and started along the cove path, pausing near where J. D. was hiding and looking around thoughtfully. J. D. held his breathuntil Phillip finally shrugged and went on. The boy waited until he was certain Phillip had gone and then raced to the surf. Already it was coming in and he wouldn't have long before he'd have to head back. He didn't want to have to climb the steps again.
He couldn't say what had brought him back, made it seem so darned important. But he was here. And he wanted to see if the lady he thought he'd seen showed up again. Splashing through the incoming tide, feeling the waves on his bare feet and the wet sand between his toes, J. D. eased out towards the rock ledge… and its hidden treasure. Oh… he had no intention of bothering it… he just wanted a better look at the chained immortal. He held his cast high… hoping he wouldn't get it wet. The waves crashed in around him the further out he went, and the deeper the water. J. D. paused, wondering where the path to the rock shelf was.
Hearing voices, he turned with a start and saw Chou and Denis descending the steps. Evidently they'd figured out where he was. Shallow water lapped at his feet. J. D. shrugged, assuming he'd found the path and went further out, his eyes focused on the sand below him. He didn't want to walk off the narrow sandbar and into the deeper water.
The waves crashed further out and withdrew.
Behind him, he heard Chou and Denis yelling. He looked back at them. Denis was running toward him. Chou was pointing towards the ocean. J. D. turned to see what was so important and froze. He stood openmouthed staring at the wall of water still some distance away.
Denis reached his side and pulled him back. "We got to go… now!"
J. D. nearly lost his footing, noticing now that there was no water in the cove at all. He pulled loose, intending to get a better look at the chained form near the suddenly exposed rock shelf. Denis pulled him. "No time!"
The wall was getting higher and higher the closer it came to shore. In this rocky cove where it would hit… there was nowhere for the water to go. "Climb!" Denis yelled and began bushing J. D. up the stairs. "Faster!"
J. D. climbed as fast as he could, but still he kept glancing over his shoulder at the water. It still seemed to be higher than they were. He re-doubled his efforts, nearly tripping and falling but caught by Denis and pushed to continue his desperate climb. "We're not gonna make it!" he managed to yell at the two boys below him.
"Don't talk! Climb faster!" Denis yelled.
J. D. focused on the rocks, unable to use one hand… while the memory of falling the last time and the pain of it echoed in his memory.
Then there was a hand above him. J. D. didn't think twice. He grabbed it and let Kenny pull and steady him the rest of the way. The two collapsed on the mountain top. J. D. breathlesss, Kenny, silent and staring at the water ready to crash onto the cliff-face. Denis and Chou were still climbing. Denis was scampering over the edge now and turned to reach for Chou as the wave of water hit.
The smaller boy vanished in the explosion of water and foam against the rock. Sprays of water leaped into the air, splashing down on the mountaintop. But the three there were safe. They were above the wave, if not above some of the splashing. Faster than it had come in, the water raced out to sea again… a brown and bubbling torrent of Nature's fury. And with the wave… went Chou.
Denis had seen the other immortals fearful face as the water had enveloped and swallowed him. Chou had screamed as he'd looked up at Denis… reaching out to him with his arms. But as the wave retreated… so Chou had diminished in Denis' sight until it was if he'd never been. Denis screamed his denial at the cloud-clear sky.
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Curled onto her side, Eleanor became aware of Marianna's babbling. Opening an eye, she saw her small daughter sitting cross-legged on the bed and talking to two small dolls. Eleanor yawned, still tired and sleepy.
"Morning little one," she grinned.
"Not morning," Marianna replied in between her cooing and babbling to her dolls.
"Not morning?" Eleanor rolled on to her back and glanced through the French doors. The sun was evidently high overhead.
"No Momma. We had lunch."
Eleanor rolled back on her side and curled around Marianna as she arched an eyebrow and teased, "And what did you have for lunch?"
"Fruit salad and cheese and bread and cake for dessert." She grinned, proud that she'd recalled everything she'd evidently eaten.
"And why are you in Momma's bed?" She reached over and began to tickle her daughter.
Marianna whooped in glee as she laughed and kicked her legs up and down. "For tickle fingers!" she finally managed to get out.
"And raspberry kisses?" teased Eleanor… kissing and blowing on Marianna's neck. Methos usually gave her those… likely she was missing him. Marianna whooped even louder. But even above her laughing… Eleanor heard the siren in the village go off. "Now what?" she said and scooted off the bed to pad to the French doors. She opened them and stepped out onto the small balcony. Her room did not face the village, but even from where she was… she could see people running for the mountainside.
Filled with curiosity, Marianna followed her onto the balcony. Eleanor picked her up and settled her on one hip. "Loud!" her daughter said covering her ears.
"Yes," Eleanor murmured, wondering what was happening. She turned and raced back into the bedroom, and down the stairs to the main floor. She threaded through the rooms to the huge brick veranda overlooking the village and harbor. Once there… she stood gazing in horror at the wall of water.
"Tsunami," she whispered. She'd seen one once before… long ago. That time she'd had to run along with others to keep from being swept out to sea. This time, she could tell that the villa and the hospital were out of range of the wave's influence. It would spread out over the low-lying land and then retreat.
Aware that Grace likewise stood on the veranda, breathing in short bursts, Eleanor put Marianna down. "Grace?"
"John's in the village," Grace sobbed and then bent over with a short cry of pain. She leaned on one of the chairs.
Eleanor put one hand on her friend's back and reached around to lay the other on Grace's burgeoning belly. "It's not time," she said.
"No," moaned Grace as her knees buckled. She gasped again and this time, Eleanor felt the strong draw of the developing child. Small crackles of quickening sparked around her fingers. She glanced around. "Where are the boys? Where's Phillip?"
"Phillip went to the cove… low-tide," moaned Grace. "Greg's at the hospital," she added.
"The boys?"
"J. D. felt sick at lunch and went to lie down. The others went to see about him."
Eleanor looked around and noted Carl and Denara standing and gaping at the wave as it crashed onto the white sand beaches and through the streets of the village.
"Carl… John's in the village! Find him. Grace needs him… can you do that?"
The big man looked with worry at Grace and then the boiling sea of brown, muddy water flowing freely over the lower areas of the island. Even from here, they could hear screams and cries of terror and loss. He nodded and took off at a run.
"Denara, find J. D. and the boys," Eleanor continued. By this time she had Grace leaning over the back of a chair and was actively massaging her back while quickening continued to crackle where she touched her.
Grace shook her off. "I know what to do!" she snapped. "I was a mid-wife for centuries!"
Eleanor nodded. "But there's a difference between mid-wifery and actually giving birth."
"Methos made me promise not to involve you in the birth," she sobbed.
"I'm fine… and don't worry. Now breathe. You need to calm down."
Denara came racing back onto the terrace, "The boys aren't in the house," she lisped.
Eleanor looked around fearfully… aware that her rising fear would soon be known to Methos. She had to find J. D.
"I know," Marianna said tugging at her mother's hem.
"Know what little one?"
Marianna pointed. "I saw them go up."
Eleanor bit her lip. J. D. had promised not to go up there… but if they were up there, they were safe… unless… Panic rose higher as she realized the cove had likely taken a direct hit. In its narrow expanse, if the boys had been down there… they were dead. Her hands began to shake. She had to get up there… she had to see for herself.
Grace cried out again. Another contraction! This was too soon!
As if in answer to a prayer, she heard John calling out from the grounds. He was running full out in his attempt to get back to the villa. "Grace!" he yelled.
Grace called back to him and then shuddered and moaned. John reached the terrace and quickly swept her into his arms, holding her from behind, his arms wrapped about her, his hands on her abdomen. The surge of quickening grew. "I have you now."
Eleanor stepped back… "I have to find J. D. Where's Phillip?"
John was breathing loudly in Grace's ear trying to get her to breathe evenly with him. "He was me, helping to drag villagers to safety. I told Carl to stay and help."
Eleanor looked around wildly. "I have to go John… can you manage?"
"I've been preparing for this for the past few months. Go! Phillip sent someone to the hospital to let Greg know. He'll be here as soon as he can."
"You can't do this alone," Eleanor persisted, torn between finding the boys and making certain that neither Grace nor John paid the ultimate price for this child.
"I'm here," said Denara. "I can help."
Eleanor grabbed her. "No! You have to watch Marianna. Neither of you is to leave this house until I return! Do you understand?" Desperation was beginning to creep into her words.
Denara bit her lip and nodded soberly. "I'm not a child Eleanor."
Eleanor nearly lost it at that moment. She let tears form as she nodded in agreement. "I know… and I depend on you to keep Marianna safe." She picked up her daughter. "Momma has to go to the ruins to find J. D. You stay and play with Denara." She smiled and kissed Marianna and then held her tightly before setting her down. "Watch her!" she called over her shoulder as she raced from the terrace and around the villa to the serpentine path. Her bare feet oblivious to the small cuts and bruises of rock and nettle. She could climb this path in her sleep. She knew all of the turns… she knew how many steps… she knew all the places where she could cut across and climb to the next level without losing time.
She heard cries below her and paused to see another wave come crashing on shore… bigger than the first one. Eleanor redoubled her efforts to get to the ruins on the summit. She couldn't worry about what was below… until she assured herself that J. D. was safe. the life of her son was what mattered.
So focused was she on the ground and finding her footing as she climbed that it was only when she heard J. D. call out "Mom!" that she looked up… almost fearfully. J. D. and Kenny were on either side of and supporting a sobbing Denis. A wave of relief coursed through her when she saw him. He was alive! Her son was alive! She raced toward the boys, thanking all the gods who'd ever been and swept him into her arms as she wept.
"Aw Mom!" J. D. protested. "I'm fine."
She continued to hold him for some moments before holding him at arm's length., and checking him for additional broken bones and or scrapes and cuts. He was bleeding in several places, most notably a gash on his head, but nothing serious. Then anger followed her relief. "What were you doing? I told you to stay close to the house?" Then she glared at Denis. "And you… You were supposed to be looking out for him!" Even Kenny caught part of her tirade. "And why are you here? Getting into trouble as usual?"
"Mom! Mom! Give Denis a break! We're okay… but the wave took Chou out to sea," J. D. explained frantically.
Eleanor looked about as if unable to process J. D.'s last comment. "Chou?" she finally murmured.
Denis, now loose from the grasp of the others, turned and tried to return to the summit. Kenny grabbed his arm, urgently shaking his head. Letting his grief overwhelm him, Denis collapsed to the dirt and sat holding his head, his knees drawn up. His sobs wracked his thin body.
J. D. meanwhile was trying to explain. "It was my fault. Don't be mad at him. I was the one who snuck off to the cove. If they hadn't come for me… it would have been me carried out to sea. Even then… without Kenny… I doubt we would have made it back up the steps in time."
Eleanor knelt next to Denis and gathered him into her arms as he sobbed. The two small immortals had been inseparable for well over a century. They'd found a common bond in both their small size and outlook on their situation. While Chou might well survive and be found, it didn't lessen the grief Denis felt. J. D.'s arms went around his mother as she held Denis. For J. D., this was the first time he'd ever lost someone close to him. Even knowing Chou was immortal did not lessen his grief at his loss, nor his concern for Denis. Kenny stood near, looking uncomfortable and uncertain. Eleanor reached an arm toward him and gave him a weak smile. "Thank you," she whispered as she clasped his hand and pulled him down to their group embrace. It felt good to hold on to one another in the face of what had happened.
Within her mind, she finally let the walls crumble and let her relief shine across the miles.
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Glasgow:
The loud pounding on the door woke Methos. He struggled up from sleep, also aware that something was bothering Eleanor. He could feel her tension… and her desperate attempts to keep her mental walls erect. "Bloody hell!" he shouted. "What is it?"
A tense Robert opened the door. "It's on the news. Didn't you say Eleanor was in Greece?"
"What?" Thoughts of an attack on the island by mortals or immortals rose in the ancient immortal's mind.
"An earthquake… a strong one in the Aegean Sea." Robert crossed to the small television in one corner, turning it on and adjusting it. He stepped back.
"Once again," the somber news reporter was intoning in a deep voice, "a strong earthquake has been felt in the area of the Aegean Sea off the coast of Greece. We have little if any information about it's strength at this time… but tsunami warnings have been issued for the area, and reports of the waves overwhelming coastal villages on some of the smaller islands have been reported."
Methos closed his eyes and focused on the thread of Eleanor's fear and desperation. She was frantic… but no details were clear. Then it came… a wave of relief. "J. D.!" was all he clearly got. His legs buckled and he collapsed sitting on the bed… her sense of relief nearly overwhelming him. The ancient immortal slowed his breathing… as both Robert and the voice of the newsman faded to the background. His family was safe for the moment.. He looked up. "I have to go home," he finally said aloud.
Robert nodded. "I was on the phone with Gina when the news broke. She and Amanda are in Rome."
Methos' brow knotted. "Rome? Shopping?"
Robert shook his head. "Amanda got a message from MacLeod. He's fine. Amanda said for me to tell you that he found the artifacts and was shipping them to Greece."
Methos stared without comprehension.
"Anyway…" Robert continued. "He wanted Amanda to take some things from the villa in Florence to Phillip and they were in Rome trying to arrange a flight to Athens."
"The artifacts?" Methos tried to understand what the artifacts had to do with the Highlander's search for Kate and Alistair. He shook his head. Evidently something had suddenly broken loose. MacLeod had been working on the problem of the artifacts for twenty years without success. What was going on?
"Look… flights into Greece have been cancelled for the moment," Robert added. "You can't get there from here… at least not on a commercial flight." The Frenchman smiled. "I do have a private plane outside of Paris, though."
"Niebos doesn't have a landing strip," grumbled Methos as he grabbed his belongings and stuffed them into his carryall.
"Well," Robert replied, "I could fly over the island and push you out the cabin door. I'm certain you'd survive."
Methos stared at him and then chuckled as he ran a hand through his dark hair. 'I gues I would at that… but I hate the landing. It's always so messy."
Robert nodded. "Exactly. Now if we drive back to Paris, get my plane, we can stop off in Rome and pick up Gina and Amanda. I told them just to wait. Gina knows the smaller airport I use when we fly down. She can take Amanda there. From Rome, we fly to Athens. Finding a helicopter from there to Niebos ought to be possible."
They were fine. His family was fine. Methos nodded numbly. "Yes… there's a charter service in Athens that Phillip owns. I can put a hold on one for our purposes." He patted his shirt pockets and tried to think.
Robert held out the phonecard. "Here. Make the call."
Methos stared at it for some moments before realizing what it was and taking it. In the background the newsman was talking about additional waves and aftershocks. Finding the saved number, Methos gave the charter service a call even as he pulled on his coat with its hidden sword. A few moments later, he and Robert left the room and descended the stairs to check out. They had a long, hard drive ahead of them… but better that than commercial flights at the moment. At least in the car, they could secure their weapons and keep on the move.
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