Chapter 1
Seacouver, Joe's bar, a week later, some time in the afternoon before opening time
"Damn," Duncan MacLeod grumbled as he shut off his cell phone. He had just returned to Seacouver this morning; however nobody knew where his luggage had gone. It had gone lost and his sword with it. He had immediately called Joe for help from the airport. Luckily, Methos was at Joe's, and agreed to pick him up.
Just after arriving at the bar, MacLeod received a call from the airline. As it was Friday, it would take at least until Monday to start to investigate the whereabouts of his luggage.
"No luck, Mac?" Joe asked. The highlander just shook his head. Joe responded, "You know, Mac, this a really bad time to run around without a sword. With the exhibition opening in two weeks, there are even more immortals around town than usual. In addition, some strange killings among your kind have occurred."
Methos started to chuckle. Mac looked warningly at him and said "don't you even start…" "What should I start? I just was about to say that Seacouver had been very quiet in the past 5 years. You return – voila – trouble. How do you do that every time?"
Mac just glared at him. Methos went over to the bar and got a bottle of whiskey and a glass and gave them to Duncan. "Here have a drink. It calms your nerves."
Then he turned to the watcher, "So, Joe, didn't you want to give me something just before sending me to the airport?" "Oh yeah, I nearly forgot. Someone sent me a script role with Egyptian hieroglyphs last week. I thought you could have a look at it and tell me what it is about. It looks old and important." He got the scroll and gave it to Methos.
Methos opened it and had a quick look at it before he started to chuckle and got himself another bottle of beer and a plate with sliced lemons. Joe and Duncan looked questioningly at the old man. Duncan was first to ask "so, what is so funny about that scroll?" "Oh yeah – really important indeed." "Why? What is it about?" "It's a recipe – for brewing beer…"
Then Methos opened the scroll again and looked more carefully at it. He took a piece of lemon and wiped it over the document. A few seconds later, the most wicked smile appeared on the old man's face. "Joe, I hope you have enough beer around. An old friend of mine is coming here tonight." "How old and who is it?"
Before Methos could answer, Duncan already commented "and don't give us your 'it is not mine to tell' – response, wise guy!"
Duncan just finished his sentence, when he felt the presence of another immortal. A muscular man with black hair and dressed completely in black, entered the bar, laughing, "Oh, no, no, no – he might be old, but he will never be wise. Methos, it's nice to see you." The old guy laughed, "True, I am the older, you are the wiser. But you are still the biggest pain in the butt." Then the two greeted each other with a short embrace.
In the meantime, Joe glanced at Mac's face to find a mixture of recognition, confusion and surprise on it. "Mac, what is the matter? Are you OK?" "Yes, yes, Joe, I am fine. I – I know this man, but it can't be. He was dead."
The man went over to Duncan smiling broadly. "Well, so you do remember me. And I am still very alive, as you can see." Joe interfered, "Mac, how do you know him?" "He saved my life once. It happened about five months after Cassandra had left. My father had taken me to go hunting with him."
- Flashback -
1604. A forest near Glennfinnan…
"Come on, son, you did a great job and even caught a hare today. Your mother will make us a great dinner of it. Come on, we can ride the horse together. Then we will be home sooner." The boy happily obliged.
However, they didn't get very far, when they were attacked by three men and torn off the horse. Ian MacLeod was able to draw his sword and fight off and kill one man, but when the two others attacked, one of them broke the chieftain's sword. The two brutes were about to kill him, when another stranger appeared out of the woods and killed one in an instant with an arrow and stroke down the other one with a sword. Duncan and Ian MacLeod were saved.
"I am Ian MacLeod and this is my son Duncan. I don't know who you are, but you saved our lives. How can we thank such an honorable man?" Ian asked. The man simply answered
"I am happy that I could help you. If you really want to thank me, let me make you a new sword." "A new sword - do you have the knowledge?"
Instead of answering, the man gave Ian his sword. He had a good look at it and saw the mastery in the weapon. Then the man said, "I am Todd the Smith and I made this sword; I could make you a similar one, if you let me."
Ian MacLeod looked sadly at the man and gave him the sword back. "Aye, what a glorious sword this is. Unfortunately, it would be too expensive for me to buy such a weapon. I am the leader of my clan, but these are bad times and we don't have a lot of money." The man smiled and asked, "Do you have a blacksmith in your village?" MacLeod answered that the smith had died of a fever a few years ago. They indeed needed a new one urgently.
"Then let me be your blacksmith. Your people will pay for everything I make for them and in return I only ask two things of you. You let me make you a new sword and train your boy how to fight with it."
After a short silence, Ian MacLeod smiled and, agreeing to the deal, invited the man for dinner and to stay with them for as long as he wanted.
Todd Smith forged the new sword, taught Duncan MacLeod and his friend Robert how to use it and was the blacksmith for 9 years, when a terrible fire broke out at the forge and burnt it down to ashes. Everyone thought that Todd Smith had died in the fire.
- End Flashback -
After Mac had finished his story, silence hit the bar. Then Methos started to laugh and said "Oh, now every thing is clear. MacLeod, you just had to become a boy scout with him as a teacher."
Then he looked at Todd, "and you - you really do like to burn, don't you, Phoenix?"
Joe intervened, "the Phoenix – the legend?" Now it was Todd's turn to laugh
"Yes that is me, too. And no, I hate to burn. It just happened to me a few times."
Then, looking at Methos, he continued, "the first time it happened was just a few minutes after my first revival. The fire was started by a quickening of another immortal. And the one in Scotland really was an accident. Anyhow, how do you call yourself now, Methos or Benjamin or Adam?" "Call me what ever you like. In public I am Adam Pierson, but to a select few friends I am Methos. So choose for yourself."
"OK, Adam Methos Pierson. You can just call me Todd or Phoenix. I am both."
Then he pointed at Methos' beer and said "You know you still owe me one of these. You are buying tonight."
Now all three men looked at Todd in surprise. Joe was the first to ask, "You seriously believe that Methos buys anyone a beer? He doesn't usually even pay for his own, if he doesn't have to." They all laughed at that. "You are right, he usually doesn't, but he still owes me one for a bet." "What bet?" Methos asked. "Oh come on, you do know that." Then Todd changed into another language that Duncan and Joe couldn't understand. Methos answered him the same way.
Their talk continued for a few moments. First they laughed at what was said. But then the tone got more serious and the smiles disappeared. When they finished talking, they both looked sad. Finally, Methos got up without another word, got himself a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. He filled the two glasses with the liquid and gave one to Todd. Then he said a toast in that strange language and they both drank.
Duncan knew that something terrible must have happened to Todd and couldn't resist asking for the matter. Methos answered, "His wife was killed last week. He wants to find out who did it, and," looking at Joe, he continued "he knows that you are the person who can help him to find that immortal."
Before Joe could say a word, Todd said "I know you don't trust me, why should you anyway; you don't even know me. But Methos has also told me" pointing at Duncan "that you have a problem with a missing sword. I might be able to help you with that. The only thing I ask for in return is that we exchange our knowledge of Maya's death."
Joe was the first to answer "Maya – was she an immortal, too? Do we know her?"
"Her name was Maya Caras and yes, she was an immortal, too." "Maya Caras – that name sounds familiar." Joe stopped for a second at looked at Todd and at Methos and then continued "but she was a watcher, not an immortal. She was killed a week ago, when that building exploded." "I know, it was my building and she was my wife. Why do you think that building blew up in the first place?" "Well, they said it was a leakage of a gas pipe. And they found more ashes than a body."
Without commenting on Joe's words, Todd grabbed his cell phone and called someone. Then he said, "I know we all have a lot of questions, but that has to wait. The call I made was to a friend of mine, who is also a smith. I can use the forge for tonight." He took his coat and went for the door. Before leaving, he asked, "do you want to come along?"
Methos and Duncan got up immediately and followed him. Joe needed an extra moment to think. Then he told them that he would be there in a minute. He phoned Mike, the bartender, to come in earlier, locked up his bar and entered Todd's van. Driving off, Todd informed the others the he had to go to the burnt down building first. "What for," Joe asked "there is nothing left. What do you want there?" "There is one part of the building that is still there."
Methos looked at him and knew "you built your own cellar?" "Yep, in the Egyptian style to be exact." Methos laughed out loud and asked further, "so how do we get in?" "The first entry is of cause lost, but the second is through the building across the road. I'll show you."
Leaving Mac and Joe in the car, Todd parked near the burnt down building and he and Methos entered the one across the street, heading directly to the basement. It looked like any other cellar, with small stalls on both sides of the way. Todd went into the last one on the left and opened the door of a large cupboard. Instead of the back wall of it, there was another door. Todd unlocked and opened it. A large hole lay behind it.
Todd went in first and switched on a light. Methos could see a long, narrow staircase that descended probably below the sewers. Todd waited at the end of the stairs for him and then switched on a second light and the first one off. The tunnel ended after a few more meters with a vault door. Todd entered the combination and opened it. There was a big, cave-like room behind it. Entering, Methos saw that the room was a mixture of ancient architecture and modern technology. It was huge. Someone could comfortably live in here. On the opposite wall were two other doors, but they stayed in this chamber.
There was only a desk and two computers in the room, some big chests and some luggage. Todd opened one of the chests and removed a couple of sword blades that were wrapped in a cloth and put them into a travel bag. Then he asked Methos, "what kind of weapon does MacLeod use?"
Methos told him that it was a katana. Todd just nodded and got out a cardboard from another chest and put it into the bag as well. He handed it over to Methos. Then Todd went to one of the computers, unhooked the tower and took it. They left the vault after relocking it carefully. They went their way back to the car, stored bag and computer into the rear of the van and got in. Driving off, Todd simply said, "Joe, it is good you came along. I've got some work for you to do."
After driving for hours, they finally arrived at an old manufacturing building. They got out and Todd went over to a man who had just left the building. He grumbled at Todd, "you are late! I was about to leave. Clean up the forge when you are done, I will be back tomorrow morning at around nine. You have to be gone by then." The guy left without another word or look at the other three.
Duncan and Methos took the bag and computer out of the van and went into the building. Todd went to the back of the van lifted up the floor board. Joe could see another compartment under it. Todd got out a sword case and another bag that seemed to be very heavy. Joe took the sword case from him and, after locking up the van, they followed the others into the building.
- 5 -