Something felt different to Connor, the pain was easing. He prodded his memories like a man testing a sore limb.
He turned his gaze towards the mouth of the cave. Cassandra stood there, in all her splendid glory.
Guilt began to build inside of him, knotting his insides. How could he do that to Sarah, was his love so shallow that he could fall into bed with the first woman he saw.
“You’ll not find Kronos easily, you know.” Her voice stopped his bitter train of thought.
“I don’t care how *hard* it is to find him, or how long it takes,” Connor’s voice had taken on a glacial tone. “I will find him and I will see him die.”
Cassandra turned to face him. Her mouth opened as if to say something then caught sight of his undressed state.
“Oh.....” Her face flooded with color. “Your... clothes... are right there.”
Connor looked down to where she had pointed and saw his clothing, folded neatly in a pile.
“Strange, you didn’t strike me as the homebody type,” Connor quipped as he donned his own dry clothing.
Cassandra flinch at his biting tone. If this is what caring about someone made you feel like, she wished she could find a way to fall back out of love.
“Just don’t tell anyone.” Her voice was slightly breathless as she rushed into her own clothes.
“So why didn’t you stay with the Moores,” Connor attempted to break the tension that had been building since they had started their trek earlier that morning.
It had to be afternoon, the way the sun was setting in the sky, and not a word had been spoken between them in all that time.
“This is my “quest” Connor, not yours.” To Cassandra’s ears her explanation just fell flat. Hopefully it would satisfy the bullheaded Highlander.
“Well it’s *mine* now too,” his voice said he wasn’t giving an inch. “So lets just try to keep from getting in each other’s way.”
Cassandra felt as if someone had thrust her own sword through her heart. What was wrong with him? What had she done wrong *this time*?
For another enternal hour they trudged up the path, the entire time of which Connor spent grumbling about *excess baggage*.
Finally Cassandra’s control on her temper snapped.
“I thought that *sex* relaxed a man,” her voice dripped with sarcasm.
Connor’s head snapped back as if he’d been slapped. He whirled around to face her, glaring at her.
For what seemed like an eternity they just stood there in the snow, starring each other down. Not a word was spoken, the only sound was the their labored breath as each fought with the emotions her words had brought into the open.
As Connor stared at Cassandra his first thought was to lash out in kind. But as he looked past the anger so readily apparent on her face he saw what she truly was. What she fought to hide with her bitter exterior. There was pain there, fear and something else. Something he couldn’t identify, or maybe it was something he just refused to acknowledge.
“That shouldn’t have happened, Cassandra. We made a mistake and it won’t happen again, I’m sorry.”
Connor barely glanced at her now, refusing to meet her gaze. He wasn’t sure what he was afraid of but instinct told him that looking into her eyes now would be his undoing.
Cassandra fought back the pain that welled up inside of her. She would not become one of those simpering, clingy women, *he* would not reduce her to that. She’d lived long enough to know how to hide the more vulnerable part of herself. Men were only good for one thing anyway, she told herself, and she’d got that last night.
Yeah and if she kept repeating this to herself, then maybe, someday she just might believe it.
Connor turned away and started up the path once more. He focused his mind inward, deliberately losing himself in his memories of his desperate flight to reach his family in time in hopes of tuning out the woman beside him and the emotions she was trying to make him face.
Connor had ignored the unconscious man, more intent on reaching the other two. They had been tormenting their helpless victim and had only now realized the danger they might face.
He reached the first one just as he turned, ramming him with every bit of pent up anger he had. The man slammed back into the wall. There was a sickening crunch as the man’s head struck the floor.
Blood pooled around him but Connor paid the scene scant attention. He was already turning to seek out his next victim.
The ropes that he had been bound with were old and worn, one reason they had bound him so loosely. When Connor had surged to his feet the pressure had snapped them, leaving them dangling from one wrist.
Connor advanced on his next target with deliberate slowness.
The man had no intention of going quietly. He picked up Connor’s discarded katana and charged Connor with it in a clumsy attempt to take skewer the smaller man. Connor lept up and turned in midair, coming down on the behemoth’s back. He quickly wrapped the length of rope that dangled from his wrist around the other man’s throat, cinching it as tight as he could.
Connor knew he had to try to reach his family. There was no way to tell how long he had been unconscious, there were now windows inside the dingy little room.
He pulled his sword from the other man’s hand, grimacing with the pain that was starting to make itself known.
The woman stirred finally, raising her head to look about the room.
“Damn,” Connor swore. He could not leave this woman alone, but his family might still have a chance to survive if he could only make it there in time.
He heard a scuffling behind him, coming from the door.
He whirled, sword ready, to face the possible new threat. But there was nothing there. He started to turn back when he realized that there was *absolutely* nothing there, the man that he had taken out first was gone.
Connor turned back towards the woman in frustration. That tore it. He couldn’t just leave her here.
Putting off the task he approached the woman cautiously, he’d seen what can happen to an immortal who had gone “feral” and was taking no chances that this woman would try to take him out.
“Are you tied up?” It was a pointless question but hopefully it would get her thinking again.
In answer she raised her hands out in front of her. They were bound in the same sloppy manner as Connor’s had been. He wondered briefly why she hadn’t attempted to escape. Was her mind that far gone or had she simply given up?
“Where’s your sword?” He tried to keep his tone reasonable.
“Did he take it?” His voice held more sympathy now, an immortal without a blade was as good as dead.
Connor knelt down in front of her, carefully bringing the blade of his katana towards the rope.
The woman snarled in animal like rage at the sight of the naked blade approaching her.
Connor jerked back. He did *not* want to get into a wrestling match with this woman, insanity always lent a raw determination that he didn’t think he could match in his condition.
“Fine, here do it yourself then.” He knew he was being harsh with her but time was against them. He didn’t have time to talk this woman around.
He laid his katana on the floor in front of her, hoping that she would see that he did not mean to harm her.
At first she just stared at the sword lying there as if she had never seen it’s like, but after a suspicious glance in Connor’s direction she picked up the tip and cut the rope with one swift jerk of her wrists then flipped the sword, catching the pommel with a surety that seemed at odds with the crazed expression on her face.
With the katana raised she lept. Instinctively Connor threw himself back, but he quickly realized that his head was not what this woman wanted. She was after the man that Connor had nearly strangled to death.
She swung the blade in a fast downward stroke, nearly severing the unconscious man’s head.
Connor reached up and caught her wrist before she could swing again.
“He’s dead.” He tried to keep his voice from betraying the gut-wrenching sickness he was feeling. “We have to go now if we want to catch up with the other one.”
He felt faint with relief as her hands went lax on the katana. He didn’t know what he would have done if she had decided not to give it up.
Connor wanted nothing more than to run all the way back to his cabin but he didn’t dare let this woman out of his sight, and she no longer seemed responsive. She seemed content to plod lifelessly behind him.
They could smell the smoke long before they could see the cabin, they were still several miles away. An orange glow was coming up over the tops of the trees in the distance giving the night an eerie quality.
As they broke through the trees that surrounded his home Connor’s stamina gave out. His legs buckled beneath him, his eyes locked on the sight before him. There was nothing left of the main cabin, all that remained was the burning remains of the lumber for the new house.
The distant sound of hoofbeats reached his ears, but in his shocked state he did not understand what it was or why he should care.
His body slumped forward, his forehead resting on the strangely cool ground. He turned his head and felt the coolness press sharply against his throat.
A hand gripping his shoulder brought him slowly back to reality. The woman, he had forgotten about her.
She looked warily down at him in fact she seemed ready to break into hysterics again.
He didn’t understand, why was she so afraid?
As awareness seeped into him he realized that he had, at some point, drawn his katana and had been pressing against it as if he had been trying to take his own head.
The woman reached down and pressed her small cool hand between the katana and his throat. Her eyes held only a more compassion than madness now.
“My name is Cassandra,” she said as a solitary tear slipped down her cheek.
Cassandra’s hand halted the morbid turn his thoughts had taken.
He looked over at her, ready to ask her what was wrong.
She made a quick chopping motion with her hand, keeping it in front of her body. He started to turn completely around but her hand stopped him.
“Can we stop and rest awhile?” Her voice suddenly took on a simpering quality.
Without waiting for him to answer she stepped from the path and plopped down into the snow, as if she was exhausted. He knew better, she had more stamina than he did.
He sat beside her, waiting patiently for some explanation.
“Boy it sure is lonely and quiet up here,” her train of thought seemed to have no rhyme or reason.
He looked at her again, seeing the intelligence reflected in those eyes he knew the only reason she would suddenly be acting so strange was to warn him. They weren’t alone up here. She must have heard something. Something he missed because he had been too busy trying to block any thoughts of her by reliving the past.
He nearly swore aloud, but settled for a good mental kicking so as not to alert their spy.
He could feel it now, unseen eyes watching.
A glance at Cassandra confirmed his deduction, although she definitely seemed disgusted with him for taking so long in reaching it.
She leaned forward suddenly and pressed her face into the side of his neck.
“There is someone behind us,” she whispered into his ear. “One of us needs to circle back while the other creates a distraction.”
Connor drew a ragged breath and fought to concentrate on the words but the feel of her lips so close that they touched his ear caused a time lag somewhere between his hearing and his comprehension.
Desperate to save his sanity he pushed her back, nearly toppling her over in his haste to put some distance between himself and temptation.
Without a backward glance Connor took off into the woods, giving Cassandra the impression of a cat who’d just had their tail caught in a door.
Connor headed down the path in the same direction they had been traveling, wanting put some distance between the unknown watcher and himself before backtracking. He would just have to trust Cassandra to keep their attention if this was gong to work.
Circling back he could see the signs left behind by a very clumsy individual. Thanks to Cassandra he could tell there was only one person and that person was rather large.
He was almost on top the man when he finally noticed him, he was so still. It was him, the man who had gotten away to warn Kronos. He was actually impressed with the other man’s ability to stay hidden until he noticed movement out beyond the bushes.
Standing there in the middle of the path was Cassandra. She was stark naked and giving herself a “snowbath”.
Connor was torn. He wanted to run out there and throw her cloak over her but at the same time he knew he had to take this man out. He was hoping to keep him alive, for the time being anyway, so he could get information on this Kronos.
The choice was taken from him as the man rushed from the bushes and charged straight towards Cassandra.
The thought of her helpless out there sent Connor into swift action.
Katana raised, he charged the man.
Cassandra saw the man running towards her and bolted for the clothes she had left by the path. Reaching the pile she grabbed something then whirled around to face her attacker.
In her hand she held a small shiny object.
The man saw the derringer in her hand but paid it no heed. It was only a lady’s handgun, it couldn’t seriously hurt a man his size.
There was a loud bang. The man jerked in surprise but did not slow.
Within seconds he tackled her to the ground, intent on subduing her.
Cassandra shrieked as the man hit her. As her body hit the ground the impact forced the air from her lungs and almost knocked her unconscious.
She could just barely make out, past the gray fog that was trying to envelope her, Connor coming up behind the man and slowly placing his sword to the side of the other man’s neck.
The man had been so intent on ravishing Cassandra that he hadn’t stopped to wonder where her companion was, or heard him charging through the brush.
He froze with shock, at the feel of the blade pressed to his throat.
“Get off of her.” Connor’s voice shook with suppressed rage.
As the man rose up slowly air rushed to Cassandra’s lungs, making her slightly giddy. Feeling something drip on her bare stomach she looked down in surprise. It was blood.
She shot a startled look at the man who had assaulted her and gasped in surprise.
Blood had begun to drip from a small hole in his neck. Even as she watched the blood flowed stronger, increasing with every heartbeat. His lifted his hand and pressed it to his throat, feeling the blood pumping against his hand.
The man’s legs buckled. He landed sitting up in the snow, hand still pressed to his neck trying to staunch the flow.
Connor knew the man’s time was probably limited, if he was going to get any answers out of this man he would have to act fast.
“Where’s did Kronos go?” He demanded.
“I ain’t gonna tell you nothin’.” The man’s voice was thready, blood dripped from the corner of his mouth.
Cassandra grabbed a handful of the man’s hair and yanked his head back, so that he was forced to look her in the face.
“Because if you don’t,” she began in a menacing tone, “we’ll make sure you die a slow and painful death. You know, I’ve seen these kinds of wounds before. It could take you days to die.”
The man was wracked with a coughing fit that sent blood bubbling out his wound and his mouth.
Blood splattered across Cassandra’s face. She wiped her other hand across her face, smearing it, and continued to taunt the man.
“Or we could end it all for you real quick,” she glance at the katana. “All you have to do is tell us what you know.”
“But I don’t know anything.” The man whined.
Cassandra gave him a disbelieving look.
“No really,” he insisted. “Kronos didn’t tell me where they were headed. He only let me live to throw you off his trail.”
Connor felt his heart lodge in his throat.
“They?” He nearly shouted the question at the man, startling Cassandra.
The man was fading fast and Connor hoped he wasn’t too far gone to answer.
He was about to yank the man out of Cassandra’s grasp when the man finally answered.
“Him and the boy,” he gasped. “He was hiding when the place went up. We found him by the woodpile and the boss said he was gonna have some fun with him.”
Cassandra caught her breath with a gasp as Connor stepped forward, swinging his katana in a downward arc. The blade severed the man’s head cleanly from the body, stopping just short of Cassandra’s stomach.
Cassandra felt her stomach heave. She was standing there holding mortal’s head as if it was some prize.
She threw it to the ground and turned away, her face mirroring her disbelief.
“What do we do?” Her voice sounded a million miles away.
Connor looked at her blankly for a moment, not hearing nor understanding her question.
“Simple,” he answered at last. “We hunt the bastard down, and we kill him.”
With that he turned and headed back down the path, back towards civilization.
Cassandra jerked on her clothes as fast as she could. Clutching her boots under her arm she ran after Connor leaping over the forgotten corpse.
This is a work in progress...stay tuned for Part 3, coming soon to a webpage near you!
Copyright 2000 Written by CinnamonBearCDC
The pictures and/or characters of Connor MacLeod/Christopher Lambert, Cassandra and Kronos belong solely to Rysher,Davis/Panzer or Christopher Lambert. I have no claim to them and I am not profitting by this story in any way. It is purely for entertainment and fun.