As ever, the characters you know and love belong to the nice people
at Rhysher. I have
no money. None.
I was born, or raised perhaps, an Ammorite sometime in the 1700's
- BC that is. No
accuracy there, stupid calendar. When I was a little girl I thought
Babylon was the greatest
wonder the world would ever know. Shining Babylon with its gardens
and temples
and strong walls, a little piece of eternity, to out live us all. What
a joke.
Tinat of Babylon, priestess of Ishtar, sitting in a run down Seacouver
blues club, nursing a
draft beer. Methos would get a kick out of that piece of irony. Goddess
knows I've spent far
too many centuries hanging around with alcohol waiting for Methos to
show up. He always
does. But usually I don't have to worry about him losing his stupid
head, not in a solid two
millennia at least.
"You look like a lady with problems, if you don't mind my saying so."
I looked up at the guy
behind the bar, really noticing him for the first time. He had an interesting
look about him, as
if he had seen things. And maybe he had, even mortals do.
"Many people have problems. Who is to say mine are worse than most?"
I tilt my head
back and look him in the eye. Curious to see how he'll respond. He,
has an abstracted look,
like he's worried about something. I know when I'm being used as a
distraction. But why not?
He shrugs, "Sometimes it helps to talk about it."
"Sometimes. If you like to dump things on strangers. Believe me, my
story is not one you
want to hear." I finish my beer in a single gulp. He pours me another.
I catch a glimpse of
the tattoo on his wrist.
"Well, my name is Joe, Joe Dawson. If you would tell me yours we wouldn't
be strangers
anymore." He grins at me. I let my lips curl.
"But I think you already have some idea of who I am, don't you watcher?"
He draws back
for a second, startled, then nods to me. I assume he's become used
to immortals knowing
him.
"Tina Delenay, I believe."
"I've been called that before." Paris in the 1920's, under the lights.
When for a brief
moment just living life seemed worth anything and I got careless.
"So tell me what brings you to my place." I let myself relax. Why not
give history to this
watcher? That is what they are meant for after all. And even Methos
trusts this one a little.
"This is hardly the place for conversation. Why don't -" I stop suddenly,
tasting the
electricity of the buzz in the back of my mouth. I look up to see Methos
as I haven't seen
him in centuries. He glances around as if the walls were ready to strike
at him without
warning. His eyes focus on me and he relaxes. But not much.
"Another time," I tell the watcher, "my current problem has just arrived."
I can't help
remembering another time Methos looked at me like this. It was in Alexandria,
while the
Romans ruled . . .
"I'm telling you it is a clear example of the foolishness of the Demetrous
position! If we
could-" I let my mind cut out the loud debate of my scholarly guests
and took another sip of
the thin Egyptian beer. Though it seemed to me the quality had been
better before the
Ptolemies . . .
"Milady." A woman's voice pulled me from my reminiscence. My current
handmaiden. Now
her name is . . . damn . . . oh wait - I remember.
"Yes, Milania?" I kept irritation out of my voice with an effort and
smoothed the folds of my
dress.
"There is an individual here to see you. He claims it is urgent." Her
voice told me what she
thought of those claims.
"Did he tell you his name?" Maybe it was another one of those strange religious types.
"He said to tell you his name is Methos." I stood up abruptly, upending my pitcher of beer.
"If you will all excuse me, I have some urgent business to attend to.
But by all means feel
free to enjoy yourselves." I left my guests and ran down the stairs,
tasting the electric presence of him in the depths of myself.
I stopped short when I actually saw him. No wonder Milania had been
suspicious. He
looked liked a barbarian, all scruffy hair and dirt. Then I saw his
eyes.
He looked as if he wanted to cry or as if he would kill the next the
next person who touched
him. He looked so hungry and as if he could never bear to eat again.
Like a habitual drunk
who had tried to stop drinking. That was it.
With a force of will, I pushed aside the circumstances of our last meeting
and opened my
arms to him.
"Oh Methos." I heard myself whisper. And suddenly, with a wounded animal
sound, he was
holding me hard. I let my fingers run through his matted hair and wondered
what I should do
with him.
"Methos," I whispered as I let my lips brush against his. He grabbed on to me like a lifeline.
"You came pretty quickly." He said as he pulled me over to his 4x4.
"I was in the area anyway, you know I like to stay near John's grave."
I let my mind drift to
my lost husband for a sweet instant.
"Yeah."
"You," I told him, "look bloody awful."
"Thanks, I always could count on you for complements." He smiled and
brushed aside a
strand of my copper hair.
"Now, talk to me. What the hell is going on?" I pushed my finger into
his chest for
emphasis.
"Yeah, that's what I'd like to know." We looked up to see the iron haired
watcher limp
toward us.
"Joe, I hadn't realized you were working." Methos said. He put his hands to his forehead.
"So what where you going to do Methos - run off into the sunset with
a pretty lady and no
explanations?" Joe asked in an calm tone.
"No." Methos' voice was quiet and factual. "Kronos would never make it that easy."
"Kronos? You mean that bastard is still wandering around?" Damn, if
only I had been a
little faster. I hate if only, I really do.
"Tell me where to find Methos and I'll let you live." The painted barbarian raised his sword.
"You are in no position to tell me do anything. One shout from me and
half the Roman
garrison will come running to my aid. And that's assuming you can beat
me." I raised my
own blade in a mocking salute.
"Sadly true. Tell Methos to watch his back because I will find him."
"And who in the abyss are you?"
"I am called Kronos." He smiled at me, sending a shudder down my spine.
I smiled back,
showing teeth.
"You won't find him Kronos. I have already taken his head. And now it's
your turn." I
engaged. He countered and then tossed a handful of dust in my eyes.
"I think you lie. Tell him I will find him." The words wafted back to
me as he disappeared
into the alley. I hurried back to my home and made arrangements to
move to my Persian
estates. Putting Methos back together would take time and privacy.
Kronos would have to wait.
"So what Cassandra said is true." For the first time, Joe sounded old.
"Yes, it's all true." Methos replied in a gray voice.
"Cassandra, she would be the girl you . . . who was involved in. . ."
I couldn't make myself
say the words.
"She's the one I raped and tortured, Tinat."
"Does she know all of it?" That, I truly doubted.
"Just the obvious part." As if that didn't make a difference. But then
Methos had never
excepted that distinction. I did, but then I had to cling to something.
"Wait, what are you saying?" Demanded Joe, suddenly hopeful that there
was a good
reason why. We ignored him.
"You might have told her - she certainly wouldn't be causing the problems she is now."
"Told her what? Sorry I helped butcher your people for no reason. Sorry
I raped you and
used you as a toy. But you know it really wasn't my fault because someone
else raped and
tortured me until I started liking it. It's not good enough Tinat,
it never was." For the first time
I heard anger in his voice. He would need to hold to that if we would
ever be rid of Kronos.
"That might have been a start. You would rather believe it was all your
fault then admit you
might not have been in control, you know." I said. Joe looked slightly
sick. Make that very sick.
"Does Macleod know?" He asked.
"I told him some of it but not- Joe there is reason he must not know.
If Kronos and the
others are to be taken down I'll need his help later but for now he
is best out of the way."
"So Silas and Caspian are alive as well."
"Yes." Then we started as Joe's cell phone rang.
"It was Macleod." He said after a moment. "He wants to talk to me at his place."
"Look, Joe I know I haven't always been forthcoming but you have to
pretend you know
nothing about this. Can you trust me that far?" I saw the pleading
in Methos' eyes only
because of all the years I'd known him. But Joe nodded silently.
"You'll explain all of this afterward." He did not make it a question.
Then he limped toward
his car.
"That's a true friend you have."
"Yeah, I know. Coming?" We climbed into the 4x4.
"So what's the plan? And don't even think about telling me I'm only
along for moral
support." He sighed and told me what he wanted to do. I swear he's
getting suicidal in his old age.
My heart's home is found in the lower plains of the Tigris Euphrates
valley. The Akkadians
came here to found the first empire known to man. My people, the Ammorites
took it from
them. Then came the Assyrians, the Persians and countless others. In
this earth is the
history of civilization and for most of that history I have kept lands
here. In the time of
Romans I brought Methos here in hopes that he could find a measure
of healing. In those
days a journey from Alexandria to Persia was a long one but we were
none of us in a state to mind.
By the time we arrived Methos had withdrawn from me completely. At first
I took it for the
exhaustion of the journey but after a week of being ignored I got a
little upset.
"TALK TO ME! Goddess bind you in the abyss! I won't let you keep me
out. You can't just
show up on my doorstep for the first time in centuries, AFTER you tried
for my head last
time and Ishtar knows I should have thrown you out on the street or
- or just killed you
myself-" I suddenly heard my own words and stopped. But I saw them
reflected in his eyes.
"You should have Tinat. You still should. A lot of people would thank
you. I would thank
you for it myself." I had seen eyes like his on the battle field. The
eyes of someone who has
been mortally wounded and knew it.
"No. You came to me for a reason and it was not to die. You could have
had that Kronos
barbarian kill you if you wanted it." I was trying to convince myself
and we both knew it.
"You should have killed me. Why didn't you?" His eyes were dark.
"Why didn't you kill me at Jerico? Maybe I want to return the favor."
"That was different." He looked away from me as if the floor were of consuming interest.
"How different? Tell me. I can't help you if you won't talk to me."
In desperation I reached
down to kiss him, to make him feel. He pulled away for me as if I were
a flaming brand and
curled into a fetal ball.
I sat with him until we both cried ourselves to sleep.
"Can I have a knife?" He shook me awake in the morning.
"Why?" I looked at him.
"Look I'm not going to hack anyone's head off - not even mine. Please?"
I shrugged and
handed him one. He calmly hacked off most of his hair and tossed it
out the window.
"Why?" I asked again.
"She liked it long. But she is gone now." I felt something stir in my gut.
"I'm here you know." I held him quietly, hoping he would say more. Praying he would not.
"Do you remember the mountains? Iyin used to love the mountains. I think
I hate them
now." Iyin had been his first wife, now three millennia dust, of course.
"I'm here." I repeated, feeling the utter helplessness of the moment. He shivered in my arms.
"I was riding down through the mountains. There were bandits coming
down - an ambush.
I tried to fight them off but there were to many. I died. They hung
my body up on a stake in
the sun. But I didn't -" But he didn't stay dead of course. I listened
to the story, letting myself
out to be sick at intervals. They hadn't known what to make of a man
who did not die, but
they soon realized he was helpless, that he could be held like a mortal.
I could see what it must have been like. Being held down and used like
a thing, worse than
an animal. The heavy body of the stronger entering you and taking away
what you were. I
still hear the soft wet sounds of use and the laughter of those others
in my nightmares. It is
a vision of my first death. But I had Methos to find me and make me
safe again and he had
no one. I wasn't there.
Of course that was not the end. So much hurt. He got away of course,
a mortal can get
careless and they never really understood what they had. And he killed
them and found
what I had found in Jerico, that it is a terrifyingly easy thing to
kill. So sweet. And I wasn't there
for him.
He never told me about Kronos and the horsemen- he thought it would
have been more
than I could stand. But I know, he talks when he has nightmares.
And now he goes to face the final remnant of those days. And I swear
by all that I have ever
been, I will be whatever he needs me to be. I will be there.
"I don't want you in danger." He brushes the hair from eyes in a gentle gesture.
"I can take Kronos. I would rather die than see you hurt again." I know
he will do what he
can to prevent me from me meeting his `brother', but we will see.
"So brave. Oh Tinat, you know what your death would do to me."
"I won't die. Don't face him."
"He would hunt me down, you can't smuggle me off to Iraq in these days.
Besides it has to
end. To finally be over." I nod. I can understand that. He kisses me
once more and walks to
meet Kronos. I just hope the Macleod person is really the friend to
help him through this. If
Methos dies I will know who to hunt.
I paced. Then I paced some more, back and forth, forth and back. Lets
see how many holes
you can wear in the floor. Probably none, they just don't make floors
like they used to.
Then the phone rang.
"Tinat, do you know anything about explosives?" Methos sounded incredibly nervous.
"Not terribly recent stuff, but I try to keep current. Dare I ask why?"
"There's a bomb in the Bordeaux water supply. One of Kronos' little virus surprises."
"You're sure you won't need me on your end?" I bit my lip.
"I'll be fine. This has to be taken care of. Will you?" He sounded like
a bloody puppy. Damn
I hate these kinds of choices. I hate dogs.
"If you get yourself killed without me, you'll never get to talk to
me again." I said and hung
up the phone. So I'm being childish. So send me to the guillotine.
Several hours and some tense moments later, I was back to pacing. Kronos
should have
studied his bombs more. I walked into the wall, banged my knee into
a table, took that as an
omen, grabbed my sword and was out the door, when the buzz hit me.
I found him sitting alone on outside the hotel room with his sword cradled
in his hands. He didn't
even look up when he felt me.
"You know this isn't holy ground, Methos. I could be the big bad villain
here for the head of the five
thousand year old man." He did look up at that. His smile was bitter,
but it was still a smile.
"I don't know, Tinat. You don't look all that big to me. Maybe a stretch
on the rack would
have done you some good." Nah, not like no one has ever tried that
before.
"Is it over?" I was suddenly serious.
"They're all dead. I killed Silas. I liked Silas." I nodded at that. There are no words for it.
"And your Macleod person?"
"He's fine. Not to happy with me, but we'll work it out in time." He looks a little relieved at that.
"Should I be jealous?" I tease. That is one emotion I'm glad I lost along the road.
"No, not you." I give him a long look. He's serious.
"Come inside, someone will get curious about the guy with oversized
knife." I said, rather
than respond. He came in and sat on the bed. I sat next to him, careful
not to touch him.
"You know you never told me why."
"Why what?"
"Why you gave up the killing, why you left Kronos and the horsemen and
came to me." It
was the one question I had never dared to ask.
"It was a slow thing, but I think Cassandra was the end for me. You
see, she really deluded
herself into thinking she cared for me. That I would protect her. And
I didn't even try." I
nodded. "But it was the caring that got me. I mean deluded or not,
someone cared about the
thing I had become. After that I was only waiting for a chance to get
away." I felt a lump in my gut.
"I cared, Methos. I have loved you in one fashion or another since the
moment I met you. I
still remember the rain over Ishtar's grove the first time we came
together." He looked up
me with glistening eyes.
"It was hard to convince myself you could. I was never worth-" I silenced
him with my
mouth. Neither of us spoke for a long time.
Afterward he ran his clever fingers through my hair. As I drifted into
sleep I heard him
whisper his love into my ear. I took that with me into the shadow lands.
"So, what are you going to do now? Abandon this old wreck and go hunting
for a better
one?" He grinned and speared a piece of the fruit room service has
sent up.
"Hmmmmm . . . No I don't think I'm going to find a better or older wreck
than you anytime
soon. But remember, you did promise to try and explain things to Joe."
He stiffened. "I'll be with
you if it helps."
"Oddly enough, it does. But I have no idea what I'll do with myself
afterward. Maybe Monte
Carlo, its been a while since I've spent some money." He gave me a
hopeful look. I grinned.
A nasty grin.
"I have an idea. I've still got the old lands and Iraq is really nice
at this time of year."
Probably the oldest continually inhabited Babylonian buildings. Though
of course I've added
modern improvements. Never let it be said I don't appreciate plumbing.
"How do you avoid the bombs? I mean aren't they fighting there?" Sure,
that was how I kept in
practice.
"Not funny, Methos. Coming? I bet you haven't walked in the lower plains
in centuries."
Too damn many memories. He never goes there and I cannot stay away.
"Not since the last time you dragged me down there, no. It's insane
for a woman your age to
be -" I smacked him lightly. Humor to avoid the pain. Oldest defense
mechanism in the
book. But we will deal with it in time. At least now I know there is
time. Ishtar is mighty. May
she keep Erishkegal at bay for a while longer.
End
.