Quest, Reversal In Time
Confrontation
Quest, Reversal In Time
by
Frances Rolfe
Key: ****** Scene change,
Italics Thoughts
Summary: Duncan and Quetzalomeyocan meet a final time.
Disclaimer: Panzer/Davis owns the HL theme and itsractracters. The story line and original characters are mine.
A/N: One more chapter, readers, and this saga comes to an end. Thank you to everyone.
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Chapter 20
Confrontation
Quetzalomeyocan took a seat on a mat to the left of the ladder, on his right side sat Topiltzin. Owl, forming a circle, sat to the Warrior Priest's left and motioned Pahana toward his other side. Mica settled down between Pahana and Topiltzin. One of the two remaining Toltecs stood beside Running Antelope, who'd stationed himself conveniently beside the ladder. Quetzalomeyocan's fourth man, who'd brought two packs of goods down with him, waited just behind his Chieftain.
Everyone carried weapons. The Immortals had theirs in leather sheaths strapped to their backs. The others carried knives. The air was contentious, each man primed for any potential threat.
Rising Star provided drink and nourishment for her tribesmen and their visitors. When she was finished, she situated herself between her husband and brother-in-law. After a moment of polite repast, Owl lit a ceremonial pipe from the sacred fire in the center of the kiva. He drew in a deep breath and blew out the smoke to each of the four sacred directions, north, south, east and west. He then passed it to Quetzalomeyocan, who did the same. Duncan and Methos took their turns with the pipe, as did Topiltzin. Both the Immortals remained watchful for whatever their Toltec counterpart had planned.
Owl regarded the Toltec. "Why are you here, Quetzalomeyocan?"
The Immortal first eyed Mica and then Pahana before he answered, "I am here to trade."
"We have little to trade, Warrior," Owl commented. "What did you have in mind?"
The Toltec nodded to the man who'd brought down the two packs. He handed one of them to Quetzalomeyocan who unwrapped the hide covering. Inside were several beaver pelts cushioning a solid gold chalice.
The Catori's eyes widened at the extravagant trade item. Mica's hazel vision remained cloaked with indifference, but Pahana's flashed.
Duncan's deceptively soft voice demanded, "What do you want in return, Quetzalomeyocan?"
The Immortal returned the Scot's flint-eyed glare and, in a voice just as quiet, replied, "You, of course, and Mica."
Rising Star gasped and tried to lunge to her feet, but Duncan held her down with a restraining arm.
Owl spat his disgust with, "Never!"
Methos appeared unaffected, but his cat eyes glared his defiance. Running Antelope had unobtrusively lowered his hand onto a stone club he'd stashed behind the ladder. The other two unmoving Toltecs awaited a signal from their leader.
"Go to hell, you Toltec dog!" Duncan growled.
Quetzalomeyocan saw that his prey had not reacted quite as he'd wanted, so he held out his hand for the contents of the other pack. "Perhaps this will persuade you." Unwrapping the fur covering, he revealed Tescatlipoca's bloody severed head, a startled expression frozen on the now grotesque face!
Duncan's last look of the gentle Toltec King flooded his mind. Craving revenge, he leapt to his feet and wrapped his right hand around the grip of the crudely fashioned but razor sharp, obsidian blade Methos had crafted for him while still in Tula. "Why?!" he demanded.
Quetzalomeyocan jumped up and brandished his own similar sword. "Because he'd grown too soft!" he exclaimed and bounded across the fire.
MacLeod glanced behind him and saw Rising Star's white face. "Get out of here!" he yelled, wanting to remove her from harm.
The two Immortals' blades clashed, but Duncan disengaged and edged over to the blood thirsty warrior's left. They each parried and thrust, drawing blood from the other in small nicks and scratches.
Owl saw the man who'd opened the packs pull out a blade. Yelling, the Catori removed his own from a sheath fastened around his waist and met the attack. Gripping each other's wrists in attempts to weaken their opponent, the two Indians wrestled until Owl was able to jab an elbow into the Toltec's face. Then, while the man was stunned, Owl stabbed him in the side with his knife. The Toltec fell to his knees, mortally wounded.
Running Antelope did not wait for a signal. He hollered up the ladder, signaling his friends to attack the remaining two Toltecs in the plaza. He saw the one nearby move toward him and managed to grab a handful of the man's hair, jerking him in close. Unseen by the Catori, however, was the knife the other man gripped in his left hand. So when Running Antelope swung him arounde lae larger man stabbed the Catori in the chest, blood splattering them both, and Running Antelope's weapon falling uselessly onto the dirt floor. Even as he was dying, Running Antelope tugged the knife from his own chest and slashed his opponent's throat. Thusly, both men crumpled and died, appearing as though they'd embraced.
Methos and Topiltzin drew their weapons and moved toward each other. Topiltzin had often dreamed of defeating a mighty warrior in battle. Too, he'd always been jealous of Quetzalomeyocan's favoritism of Mica. Wanting to show his Chieftain how much better a fighter he was than the former priest, he knew this was his chance. Unfortunately, the hapless native chose the wrong person. The man he'd known as Mica had himself once been a blood thirsty Horseman.
Mica's immediate goals were to avenge the murdered Tula ruler and keep Duncan MacLeod alive, anyway he could. His sword fit his hand like a glove.
Topiltzin swung a sword club at Mica who deftly ducked and thrust his obsidian blade toward the Toltec's stomach. Topiltzin evaded the attempt, and the two men exchanged powerful blows from their weapons. In the end, however, the four thousand-year-old's seasoned Immortal skills won out, and the Toltec gaped in horror as Mica plunged his deadly weapon into his abdomen. Toppling over, the dying man's intestines spilled into his clutching hands. He was dead before he hit the ground.
Meanwhile, Duncan retreated from Quetzalomeyocan's attack until he found his back against the wall. He wanted to draw the fighting away from Rising Star, but the girl hadn't moved; she stood agape at what was happening around her.
Duncan feinted to his right, but the Toltec's greater height and weight enabled him to counter any move the Scot made. Duncan leaped back over the fire, ignoring the flames that singed his lower legs. He exchanged more cuts and parries with the surprisingly agile Immortal MesoAmerican. Quetzalomeyocan advanced toward Duncan and managed to slip under the Scot's defenses, pricking Duncan's left shoulder.
Rising Star, seeing the blood flowing from Pahana's wound, screamed and raced toward him. Her movement diverted Duncan's attention and enabled Quetzalomeyocan to lunge forward, intending to deliver a killing blow. The Catori woman, her thoughts only upon Pahana, stepped in between her beloved husband and his adversary, in an attempt to save his life. The Toltec's sword pierced her heart instead.
"Rising Star!" Duncan didn't realize he yelled her name, but he hadn't time to waste. His Highland War Cry emitted from his throat, and he ferociously attacked his enemy in wave after wave of quick movements and slashes.
Methos knew how devastating Quetzalomeyocan's quickening would be to anyone in the area, so he shoved a dazed Owl up the ladder to the plaza. It never occurred to him to doubt that MacLeod would not win the fight. He himself remained in the kiva to watch the battle.
The Highlander finally found an opening and thrust his weapon toward the Toltec, stabbing him just below the sternum. The wound was enough to cause Quetzalomeyocan to cry out and bend over in pain.
Duncan seized the opportunity and whacked the Immortal's sword from his now clumsy hands. "This is for Rising Star, Tescatlipoca and all your other victims, you blood thirsty son-of-a-bitch!" MacLeod bellowed.
In a spinning movement, he swung his blade around and severed Quetzalomeyocan's head from his body. Ironically, it came to rest beside that of Tescatlipoca's.
For the first few seconds, Duncan stared unbelievably at the smoke contrails rising from the Toltec's body. the the white streams began to swirl about him. Just before the first lightning bolt jolted his body, he exchanged a quick look with Methos.
The older Immortal instinctively knew tuickuickening would impel Duncan forward to his own century. He nodded to let Duncan know without words that he would watch for him. He then quickly scaled the ladder to get out of harm's way. The darkened sky and broiling thunderclouds, heralding the transfer of one Immortal's energy life force into his opponent, found its way to the underground holy temple and into Duncan MacLeod's body. For long moments, Methos was awed at the force and violence that was the aftermath of Quetzalomeyocan's quickening.
When the earth's forces subsided, Methos cautiously descended the ladder into the kiva's remains. He spotted the Toltec Immortal's severed head and empty shell of a body. Beside it was the head of his friend, the former Toltec king. Running Antelope's bodies and the other two Toltecs were also there. Across the kiva lay Rising Star, in death she reached out toward a now empty space that had once contained her husband. But of Pahana, Duncan MacLeod, there was not a sign; the kiva was empty.
"Well, I will be damned if he didn't do it!" Methos exclaimed, resting in stunned shock against the ladder. He'd believed Duncan would accomplish his goal, but seeing it with his own eyes was staggering.
* * * * * *
Mac felt himself start to panic, but at that precise moment, Rising Star's cool, pillowy lips pressed against his and her image floated above his unseeing eyes.
Her words, however, were crystal clear. "Thank you, my beloved Pahana. You have done what you came here to do. You have avenged my death. I hope, I pray, that you, too, have achieved your goals. Be patient for a short while. Mica awaits you."
Her musical voice and lovely face dissipated into the blackness, and Duncan was again smothered by his aloneness. His hope waned.
* * * * * *
--TBC--