Disclaimer: The various incarnations of the Highlander universe belong to Panzer/Davis and anyone I’m forgetting to mention. I am just borrowing them for my own and hopefully the enjoyment of other fans. Please don’t sue.
Note: This is part of the Deadman verse and takes place in the year 2002 for that fic verse. This follows Merlin’s Revelation
A visit with a Sorcerous
“Greetings Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod,” The beautiful immortal shrine maiden said as he arrived at the steps leading up to her shrine. “I trust you had a pleasant journey from Zheng’s temple to my humble shrine.” He nodded as he followed her in glad this meeting was taking place on Holy ground. “There is something I have to tell you before we begin our discussion I am a member of the fourth covenant, Agathe of Sparta’s secret society.”
He was startled into stopping outside the gate of her shrine by that confession. “You are a member of that group who arranged for Richie to kill Cassandra?” She nodded and then headed inside clearly giving him the option to just turn and leave. He would have if he didn’t need her help to learn how to face Merlin. He followed her in and saw the shrine was deserted as he looked around. “Why tell me?”
“Because the man you know as Merlin told me to when he dropped in to announce your upcoming visit.” She said shaking her head. “He was very blunt that I would regret it if I was not completely honest with you about everything and I am no match for him in combat.” She glanced back at him. “So ask your questions and I will answer honestly but I would prefer if you didn’t ask me too many questions about the covenant.”
“You cannot help me if your magic isn’t strong enough to defeat his,” he said mind reeling from the explanation. “Do you know of any other sorcerers who have the magical power to defeat him that I can ask for help?”
“You misunderstand Merlin is better with a sword than I am,” She said surprising him. “Ask yourself this Duncan Macleod,” she said smiling darkly. “How did Cassandra lose to Richie Ryan when she had killed the only sorcerer alive older than Merlin, his former teacher Ananzi the trickster?”
He found himself frowning he knew from Joe that Cassandra had used her voice but Richie had used the same trick he did against Kantos to beat her. “Why didn’t Cassandra use that magic if she possessed it?” He was embarrassed that the answer had never come to him.
“Because she was smart enough to know that using the power of illusion in a fight is the quickest way to lose your head.” She gestured and chains wound around him pinning him in place. “These chains are not real it is my will that holds you,” She dropped her hand and the vanished. “They can last only as long as my will is greater than yours and in a fight to the death that isn’t always the case.” A serious look spread over her features. “Any of my ilk who rely on our more esoteric powers to win a fight are usually dead within a year take for example Kane killer of the great Nakano who within weeks of gaining his freedom returned to the game and died by your kinsman Connor’s hand.”
“So you are saying Merlin will not use his powers in our fight that I will be able to simply take his head like any other immortal?” He found the idea unbelievable. She continued walking deeper into the Shrine’s grounds so he followed.
“Yes and no,” She said after a moment. “Merlin will not use the power of illusion or some of the more draining powers,” she paused frowning to pick a stray weed from the ground. “However, he does possess some powers that like Cassandra’s voice can be used safely in a fight.” She turned back toward him. “And in truth I believe it would be a mistake for you to try fighting him, your destiny lies elsewhere and Merlin is no threat to you.”
“He helped make me think I killed Richie and gave me the experience of a false world where I was reunited with Tessa, for those crimes alone he should die.” He perhaps could have understood why he made him think he killed Richie but he couldn’t forgive the torment of letting him see a different Tessa.
“That world wasn’t false,” She said giving him a hard stare. “I do not really understand why they exist but they do exist and I have seen them.” She smiled a bit then. “For the longest time I doubted their existence until I learned to turn my prophetic gifts from looking into the future to looking side ways into parallel worlds.” Her face changed to be filled with wonder. “The things you see when you look at them are incredible and I greatly envy the man you call Merlin who can supposedly actually visit them as well as send others to them.”
“You are saying he physical sent me there,” He shook his head. “That is impossible my body did not disappear.” He was sure of that and had always assumed it was some kind of dream sent by Fritz before everything else happened.
“I was hoping not to have to show you this,” She said and began to lead the way toward a small tool shed. “Please do not tell anyone about what I am about to show you.” She glanced back at him and he nodded wondering what it was. Inside the building she opened a trap door in the floor and headed down into it. He followed into a stone room that had a huge steel vault door with a tiny window set in it. “Look through the window and tell me what you see,” she said sadly.
He looked into the room and saw a strange glass coffin with an exact double of her laying within it. “Is that you?” He asked and she nodded. “How is that possible I can feel your presence and the weed is all this just an illusion?”
“No, this is a special form of astral projection that creates a second body for my spirit,” She said looking away. “It is virtually just as real as my own body except I cannot receive a real quickening in this form taking one would simply shove me back into my own body without me receiving anything from it.” She then turned back with a sad smile. “It has a major draw back however once dispelled by quickening or by my own choice I cannot do it again for ten times the amount of time I inhabited the false form.” She looked away again. “If I spend an hour in this body then it is ten hours before I can do it again.” She turned back smiling. “I do not know what affect it has on Merlin but it is probably less than that for him since he has mastered this ability to a much higher level.”
“What happens if you lose your head in that form?” He asked as he wondered if he’d been in real danger in that world. She looked absolutely horrified as she turned back toward him. “I take it that it is a terrible out come?”
“One of the worst,” She said with real fear. “Those who lose their head in a false form live but their esoteric power the thing that makes them special is gone forever.” She shuddered. “It happened to my teacher and he was never the same.” She then turned toward him. “And before you ask I have no idea what would happen if you had lost your head it was your essence but Merlin’s power that made it possible,” She said and then paused looking thoughtful. ”I do not know if he would have lost his power or if the power sleeping inside of you would have been destroyed instead.”
He could clearly see she was wondering about that. “I have only one more question and then I will go,” he said knowing he had a lot to think about. “I know you don’t want to answer this but what is the goal of the society of Agathe’s?”
“We have three goals,” She said calmly. “The first is to discover the truth about the game and why it exists, the second to do our best to ensure the game never ends and finally if the game must end to ensure the winner is not an evil immortal.” She turned a sad smile on him. “We do not believe any immortal should have the power of the prize but if someone must win it then we want them to be good.”
That raised a lot of questions but he decided not to ask anymore. She had given him a lot to think about and he needed to return to Zheng and get his opinion on things. “Thank you for your assistance Sorcerous.”
“Good-bye Duncan Macleod of the Clan Macleod,” She then smiled. “And my name is Chiyo.” He thanked her again and followed her back up and out of the shed. She stopped when they got out and saw a teenaged Japanese girl walking around listening to music loudly smacking gum. “The shrine is closed for cleaning didn’t you see the sign?”
He hadn’t seen the sign himself but he supposed he might have missed it. “I saw it but it doesn’t apply to me Chiyo,” The girl said in a distinctly male voice. “Told you that you wouldn’t recognize me Macleod.” Then the girl was gone replaced with a character from the Wizard of Oz film.
“Merlin,” he said darkly recognizing the form of Oz the great and powerful. “You have a great deal of nerve showing up in front of me again.” He turned to glance at Chiyo but she was gone. “Chiyo, where is she what did you do to her?”
“She’s fine just back in her body,” Merlin said shaking his head. “She panicked and ended the false body when she figured out who I was.” Merlin was looking toward the shed. “She should join us in her real body soon and then I can answer the question bugging her.”
He debated challenging Merlin and seeing if he’d accept. They could leave the holy ground of the shrine and find a safe spot for a fight. “I am sorry, Duncan,” Chiyo said as she exited the shed in her real body. He really couldn’t tell the difference.
“No big deal I’m used to my fellow sorcerers cancelling false forms when I show up,” Merlin said with a twisted smile. “They seem to think since I cut the Oath breaker’s false forms head off I’d do it to them.” He saw Chiyo’s eyes widen in recognition at the mention of whoever the Oath breaker was. “If your curious Macleod the Oath breaker is the man Agathe expects you to kill and you’ll learn the full story from her later.”
He was getting tired of being told he’d learn things later. “Why are you here?” Chiyo asked a hint of fear still in her voice. He wondered how good with a sword Merlin was to install that kind of fear.
“To answer your question about what would happen if Macleod there had lost his head in the other world,” Merlin said looking at them as if they were stupid. “It would have destroyed the power sleeping inside him and prevented him from ever existing as a false form again.” He smiled over at Duncan. “I thought that was an acceptable risk to try to show you how important you are to the world.”
“So you wouldn’t have suffered any side effects?” Chiyo asked her fascination seeming to override her earlier fear. He didn’t care if Merlin was risking side effects but out of respect for her. He kept his mouth shut and focused on figuring out how to get Merlin off holy ground so he could end him.
“No, I created it but it was maintained by Macleod’s essence so I was in no danger except during the moment of creation.” Merlin’s smile turned sad. “Don’t worry Macleod the next time you see me will be the last and it isn’t going to be for a few years so get on with your life.” Merlin was gone seconds later.
“That is good advice Duncan Macleod,” Chiyo said softly. “It could be decades before you see Merlin again so you would do well to move on with your life and face him when he returns.” She then turned back toward the house behind the shrine. “I must take my leave I need to rest to recover my strength,” she turned back toward him. “I wish you good luck and hope you find happiness along your path.”
He watched her walk away getting the impression she wasn’t going to speak to him again. He wondered what she’d do if he called out to her and asked for more information. He suspected he wouldn’t like it so he turned and headed toward the exit of the shrine. He would go discuss things with Zheng.
The End...
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