Predator

Chapter 48

“It is not in your nature to console a mortal, Athena.” Ronon said as he wiped the tears from his face. “I’ve read about your kind in the archives. You think of nothing but yourselves and your power.”

“As you can plainly see, my young Lord, my kind is limited to a handful and we lost our power long ago. Your mother is my Creator and yours. You are not a mortal and even one as cold as I does not wish to see you grieve over matters that occurred centuries ago.” She patted his shoulder and took the seat next to him. “Alexandra has had a long, hard life but she survived it.”

“If you had your way, she would’ve been destroyed thousands of years ago.” He hardened his glare as he fixed it on her emerald eyes. “You and your brethren declared war on your Creator and set into motion events that killed a part of her heart. She never recovered from the pain of murdering your father and siblings.”

“I am well aware of that fact and after all these long years I have learned the error of our decision to do battle with her.” She took a deep breath and released it as she gazed upon him. “My brother was correct. We could never win a war against her but we were desperate and acted irresponsibly. I regret our actions of the time and not because I lost a majority of my family. We forced the Protector of Life to take lives and that was a travesty.”

“You are serious.” He said as he took in her saddened expression. “You regret your actions?”

“Of course I do! I have seen how much power she possesses and the good she has done with it. She could have ruled the mortals easily instead of allowing us to rein but that was not her way.” She shook her head in frustration and looked at Ronon imploringly. “We should have followed her example but we were selfish children that were afraid of the unknown. I wish we could go back in time and undo the damage we did to her heart but we cannot.” She lowered her head in shame and a single tear ran down her cheek. “I am so sorry for the pain we caused her.”

“Have you ever told her this?”

“No but I know my Creator knows my mind and I do not have to.”

“Maybe so but it doesn’t hurt to hear it.” He turned to the monitors and looked at the screen Kyra had been reading about the Immortals. “There is a reference in the archives about Duncan and a Dark Quickening. We could not access the information. Do you know what he did to my mother that was so horrible?”

“I do.” She nodded her head. “I witnessed the whole incident from here but was not allowed to archive it.”

“Why not?” He asked with a furrowed brow. “What did he do?”

“My Lord, if it is not in the archives then she does not wish anyone to know. Until recently, I was not allowed to reveal your existence and I knew all along.” She brought up the blocked file and stared at it on the screen. “I know what happened but I am forbidden to discuss it and even I cannot access the file. If you want to know what occurred, you will have to ask her or Lord Duncan. If either one of them tells you, the information will become available for anyone to read.”

“I do not wish to cause my mother anymore undo stress right now but I have to know. I am trying to find a way to ensure she remains amongst us after her child is born.” He stood up from his seat and looked at the Goddess. “I will ask Duncan for the answers and hope he doesn’t refuse.”

“You are very persuasive, my Lord.” She stood and faced him with a smile on her face. “I am sure you will be able to convince Lord Duncan of the necessity for your inquiry.”

“Will you teleport me to the corridor outside of his chambers?”

“As you wish. Let me know when you wish to return and I will bring you back.” She cocked her head and smirked. “I assume you will be returning here to complete your studies?”

“Yes I am and thank you, Goddess.”

“You are welcome, my Lord.” She gestured to his form with her hand and he disappeared in a flash of light. “Good luck.” She whispered as she sat at the monitor and waited to see if the file opened, marking his success.

~*~

Ronon materialized in the hall outside of Duncan’s quarters and stared at the door. He lifted his hand to knock and hesitated. ‘Do I really want to discover more of her sorrows? I have already seen so much of the horrors she has experienced.’ He thought as he brought his hand to his forehead in contemplation. ‘I have no choice. I have to know everything. If there is even the remote chance that I can learn something that will help me save her, I have to try to unravel all the hidden pieces of her past.’

Duncan heard a light rapping at his door while he was reading through an old book from his possessions that he brought with him from Earth. “Just a moment. I’ll be right there.” He marked his place in the book and set it aside before he went to open the door. “Ronon, isn’t it?” To say he was surprised to find the young man at his door was an understatement.

“Yes sir.” He held his hand out and Duncan accepted the handshake. “I was wondering if I may speak with you for a moment…in private.”

“I guess so, Lad.” Duncan stepped back to allow Ronon to enter and closed the door behind him. “Is there something wrong with Alexandra?”

“She was in danger of malnutrition for a moment but my father called Riddick to assist in getting her to eat.” He said as he took the offered seat that Duncan indicated. “She finds the morning sickness she is suffering from very disconcerting and thought if she refrained from eating it would make it go away.”

“I can imagine it upset her.” Duncan said as he took his seat on the couch. “Your mother has faced death several times and lost her life but she has never been sick. When she gets something stuck in her head, it is almost impossible to change her mind. I am relieved that Riddick talked her into eating. Now what can I do for you?”

“I have been at the temple all day going through the archives. I know you are aware of the role I am to play in my mother’s future.” Duncan nodded his head grimly. “Riddick has convinced her to try to find a way to avoid the events she has set into motion but I am sure you know it is almost impossible to derail her grand designs?”

“Yes I do but I have hope that she will find a way.”

“Well that is why I am here. I am trying to help her find a way out of this. Riddick suggested I go through the archives and research her history.” Ronon hung his head and clasped his hands nervously in front of him. “You see I was very upset by my mother’s decision to put me in this position and 2 of my newly acquired brothers called me her future murderer. It did not sit well with me.”

“Who the hell called you that, Ronon?” Duncan said angrily. “You had no choice in your future role in Alexandra’s life and they had no right to say that! Who was it?”

“I’d rather not say, Sir.” He looked up at him uncomfortably. “I do not wish to get them into trouble.”

“They are already in trouble. I am a Lord of the Royal Family and I am asking you a question, Ronon. Who said that to you?”

“It was Brandon and Jesse but I prefer you let me handle it, Sir. I am a stranger in this house and I have yet to prove I am a part of this family.”

“You do not have to prove you are a part of this family, Ronon. You are Alexandra’s son and that is enough.” He sighed heavily and leaned back in his seat. “I know these boys have known each other since they were born but that is no excuse for them to treat you so badly. I know Brandon gets his arrogance from his father but lately he has been losing his temper a lot more than usual. I have never been a fan of Tyr but I thought Jesse was better than his behavior with you dictates.”

“I do not know about Brandon but my problem with Jesse is a Nietzchean thing.”

“I see.” Duncan nodded his head and smiled. “I assume it has something to do with Lady Kyra?”

“I believe so.”

“She won’t choose him. If there is anything this old Scotsman knows, it is the sight of a young woman in love. Your mother held the same glow when I was courting her.” He took in the smiling face of the young man before him and reflected on times past when he held the same expression on his face. It was a wonderful time in Duncan’s life and he hasn’t regretted a single day since. “Well let’s get down to the reason for your visit, shall we?”

“Uh, yes Sir. I have been reading and watching the archives of your history with my mother. It appears the two of you had and still maintain a wonderful romance. The story of your meeting, the adventures you had together, and your eventual wedding is practically a fairy tale.”

“I know my mother created your race in an effort to make a mate of the winner of the prize but she chose you before the Game had ended. She found a kindred spirit in you the day she met you in those woods and nothing would ever take her heart away from you. Not even your cousin, Connor.” He whispered and glanced up at Duncan through his eyelashes. “She loved him but she found what she was looking for in you. I am very sorry for the loss of the man you both loved so deeply.”

“Thank you.” Duncan said with a voice tight with emotion. “It was a difficult time for Alex and me. I didn’t think she could forgive me for taking his life. I thought that was the reason why she left me after my battle with Kell but I was wrong. She just needed some time to settle her grief.”

“You both did and you came through it even stronger. That is a testament of true love and devotion.” He smiled at Duncan before he returned his eyes to his lap. “I am here to ask you about the events that occurred after you absorbed your Dark Quickening from Jim Coltec. I know that you were not yourself and were channeling the evil Immortals within you. I know my mother and Methos found a cure for you. What I don’t know is what you did to her after you turned that was so horrible that it wasn’t recorded in the archives.”

Duncan’s eyes widened in surprise and he shot up out of his seat to pace uncomfortably around the room. “Ronon, that is a private matter and one I don’t wish to discuss.” He said in a heavy Scottish accent. “That whole incident was a nightmare that I have been trying to forget for centuries.”

“I’m sure it was a difficult time for the both of you but it is important that I know everything about my mother’s past.”

Duncan turned on Ronon with dark eyes lit with anger and sorrow. “It was not difficult! To say it was difficult is like describing Alex’s deaths as a minor inconvenience!” He yelled into the young man’s face from a few inches away. “What I did was heinous and unforgivable!”

“Apparently not because she forgave you and her love for you never lessened after she cured you.” Ronon said calmly as he stared into Duncan’s hysterical eyes. He waited as the Immortal processed his words and his heavy breathing eventually evened out. “She did not hold it against you and she stayed by your side. I would say that is a testament of how much Alex loves you.”

Duncan stood up straight, getting out of the young man’s face, and stared down at him with unbearable pain in his eyes. “I know she loves me.” He said in a choked voice. “By all rights, she should have hated me for the rest of her life and left me to drown in my misery…but she didn’t.” Duncan gave a pathetic laugh laced with deep sadness and wiped the tears that streamed down his face. “That isn’t in her nature.”

“I know its not. She’s a better person than even she thinks she is.” Ronon said as Duncan sank back down on the couch. “Please tell me what happened.”

“Dark Quickenings were a myth amongst Immortals. When we take a head, we absorb the power, skill, and part of the Immortal’s soul. It was a rumor if you took too much evil within you, you become evil. There was never a recorded incident of a Dark Quickening until my friend, Coltec.”

“I read that he was coming to meet you when he made a stop on the road.” Ronon spoke calmly in an effort to avoid scaring Duncan off of the conversation. “He went into a store and came across another Immortal robbing the owner at gunpoint.”

Duncan nodded his head solemnly. “It was Horvan Kant. He was a real bastard. He killed mortals in the act of mortal crimes. Jim lured him outside and they fought until Jim took his head. I guess he took one too many. He kept his meeting with Ritchie and me and attacked. He almost took Ritchie’s head before I stopped him. All three of us got away alive.”

“Jim was a Hayoka, the equivalent of a holy man that could take a man’s pain and anger within himself to free the other from it. I met him in 1872 at Fort Willoughby in the Dakota Territory. It was a difficult time for me and we met in the Fort’s jail. I was full of hatred and looking to kill an Immortal named Kern for leading the soldiers to a village of Sioux Indians that befriended me. They killed every last man, woman, and child in that village.”

“Jim told me that my hatred was like a cup of water filled to the top. One more drop and I would give in to my evil for eternity. He offered to take it away from me. I asked him since he was Immortal and absorbed not only the evil of his slain but the mortals he helped as well, what would happen if he took in too much. He said he was Hayoka and his cup had no bottom.”

“I think, no I know my friend was wrong. He stopped taking heads after killing an Immortal, Bryce Korland, in 1958 in Greenwich Village, New York. He knew he couldn’t absorb any more of the world’s evil because he felt the limits of his ability were reached and left the cities behind him to live in the woods once again. When he came back to visit me it was in 1996 and that was when he ran into Kant.”

“I tried to use his magic to siphon off some of his evil and return him to normal but it didn’t work. He escaped and I hunted him down. I took his head and the Dark Quickening. I felt it happening.” He whispered. “I felt my true self subverted and replaced with something wicked. I couldn’t stop it. I was a prisoner within my own body, helpless to watch as my form tried to kill my student, Ritchie. My watcher, Joe Dawson, stopped me but couldn’t bring himself to kill me.”

“Where was my mother during this?” Ronon asked.

“She was away on Empire business but returned as soon as she felt the disturbance within me. We had just had Dean. It was her first birth and it left her physically drained. She came to me as I wandered the back alley streets of Seacouver, Washington. She said she knew something was off balance within me and asked me how she could help.” Duncan began to openly weep and forced his words past his tight throat. “I tricked her into believing I was fine, enough to throw her off her guard, and I attacked her.”

“I watched…as my new self brutally attacked my wife…the mother of my child and left her naked, beaten body tied up in that alley for any lowlife who happened by to ravish, rape, or do with her as he pleased.” Duncan closed his eyes and covered his face with his hands as he cried. “I had some moments of confusion mixed with the clarity of my true mind and I knew I was a danger to my loved ones. I went back to that alley to find her and she was gone.”

“I didn’t know what else to do so I decided to get as far away from my friends as possible. So I left for France on the first ship I could find. I ended up in Limay when I had another moment of clarity. An Immortal friend of mine by the name of Sean Burns lived there and I thought he could help me. He had a power like Jim’s. He could heal a troubled mind and soul but, before he had the chance to try, my mind was subverted again and I killed my friend.”

“Methos tracked me throughout France with the aid of Dawson and, as I later found out, Alexandra. He was trying to help me but I wouldn’t let him. He finally tracked me down again as I took Sean’s head. He tried to take mine but didn’t succeed. When I was about to take his, I felt something nudge my real consciousness to the surface for a second and I left. I went to my barge in Paris trying to find something to keep me here but found nothing. I ended up at the monastery where my second mentor, Darius, had lived. There I battled for control of my mind and there is where Methos found me again.”

“He talked to me. He tried to reason with me. After I listened to Methos' words, I felt the memory of Darius around me, the soul of Sean Burns within me, and a gentle push from Alex urging me to hold on. I went with him to the woods to a holy spring that had ‘natural’ healing abilities that he knew about and battled my other self for my soul. I entered a pool of glowing water and felt my two selves separate. They fought each other and I was on the verge of losing until I heard Sean in my head. He told me to draw on all my good and all the love I felt from those who knew me. I won when I thought of Alex.”

“A fire burned in the pool to cleanse my soul and the water rained over me to wash the pain away. In the end, I was my self again. Methos and Alex were waiting for me when I emerged from the cave that housed the spring. When I saw her, I knew it was her doing. She saved me…after I did those horrible things to her.” He was shaking from his sobs and Ronon went to kneel beside his chair. “I had no rights…to her after I did those things. I never asked her if…something happened to her…in that alley but I knew something did…after I looked into her eyes.”

“She was violated.” Ronon whispered and Duncan nodded his head. Ronon clenched his eyes and fought a wave of nausea that ran through him. He wanted to be sick. He wanted to kill the man before him. He wanted to at least hate him but he couldn’t. He put his hand on Duncan’s upper arm and looked at him with tears in his eyes. “She did not condemn you. Why do you condemn yourself?”

“She was my wife!”

“She still is.” He said with conviction as he stared into the Highlander’s tear-filled eyes. “She never left your side and you never left her heart.”

“I left her.” Duncan whispered.

“When? There was no mention of it in the chronicles.” Ronon asked confused.

“An Immortal demon named Ahriman rose from his grave as he is destined to every 1000 years. I was the prophesied champion that was supposed to destroy him. He was a trickster that messed with my mind to confuse me and he…I killed Ritchie. I ran away to a monastery in Malaysia for over a year to get my head together before I came back to fight him.”

“I assume you won.”

“With her help again, I defeated him. She left me for a few days after I killed Connor but I found her in Scotland. She was sitting by his grave near hysterics.” He was having difficulty controlling his motor functions due to his overwhelming sadness. His hands were trembling badly and his throat threatened to constrict off his airway. “She was almost delusional. She thought I was Connor and she told him what I had done to her. She said it wasn’t my fault and that Connor shouldn’t blame me. She said that she forgave me the second I did it and loved me still. I picked her up and carried her to my home. When she woke up the next day, she didn’t remember a thing about her hallucination but I could never forget.”

“Did you keep this out of the archives so the others wouldn’t know your shame…or did she keep it out to hide hers?”

“It was my doing.” Duncan looked at Ronon in confusion. “Why would she be ashamed?”

“She was bested by someone else she loved. You used your control over her heart to leave her vulnerable to your attack just like Tristan usurped her control over her dark side in times past and present. You betrayed your oath to her when you left her. For that reason alone, your life should have been forfeit but she could not do it. That couldn’t possibly sit well with her even if she forgave you and still loves you. The Phoenix is a proud creature and doesn’t like to lose against…lesser beings.”

“I never thought about it that way.” Duncan wiped his eyes on his sleeve and covered them with his shaking hand. “I know I hurt her but I never knew I hurt the Phoenix as well. I tend to separate the two.”

“They are one and the same, Duncan.” Ronon said as he sat on the table in front of Duncan’s chair. “Alexandra might be her shell and the source of her human emotions but the Phoenix is what she is at her core.” He took in the distraught form of her mate and reached out to pull his hand away from his face. “It was not my intention to come here to cause you pain. I just believe that we all need to face the truth. Somewhere in her past is the key to her salvation.”

“And you believe it is hidden in the secrets she has kept out of the archives?” Duncan reined in his rampant emotions and focused on the welfare of his beloved wife. “You think if you uncover all of her past that she will be spared from the prophecy?”

“I do, my Lord.”

“Then I will help you.” He stood up and pulled the young man to his feet. “I will not sit idle while my love is in danger of losing her life. If you would spare me a few hours to collect myself, I would appreciate it.”

“Of course.”

“I won’t have anything to do with questioning Tyr so you will have to do that on your own.” Ronon nodded his response. “To be quite honest with you, Lad, I think the answers you seek reside further back than the archives go. I think it is during her time with Ian and it will take both of us to get the answers out of him. Go back to your research and I will come to you.”

~*~

As Athena sat at the monitor, the hidden text appeared before her eyes. ‘He did it. The young Lord got his answers.’ She smiled at the bravery of the boy as well as his perseverance while she watched the missing history on the screen. Tears ran down her face as she watched her Creator ravaged by mortal scum in an alley.

She turned away from it in disgust and sorrow before she felt a gentle tug in her inner mind. She quickly composed herself before she brought Ronon back to the temple. “I see you succeeded in getting your answers.” She pointed at the screen that held the images of the previously sealed history text. “I know it must have been difficult for both you and Lord Duncan.”

“You saw then.” He asked with tear-filled eyes and received a nod from the Goddess. “It was horrible.”

Athena took the trembling young man in her arms and comforted him. “It is all in the past, my Lord. She survived it and loves her mate with all of the heart he gave her.”

“That is what makes it all the more sad, Goddess.”

“What is the Nietzchean crying about that interests you so, Aunt Athena?” They both turned to the doorway and saw Brandon walking in. He glared at the statues of Rhade and Ronon before he looked back to the stranger in his house. “What are you doing here, murderer?”

“Brandon!” Athena’s eyes flashed in anger. “Watch your tone, boy! He is your brother and a member of the Royal Family!”

“He is no brother of mine, my dear Aunt.” He manifested a ball of energy in his hand and bounced it in his palm. “Come on, boy. Let’s see why my mother thinks you are so special.”

“You are picking a real bad time to fuck with me, Brandon.” Ronon growled as he circled Ares’ heir. “I am not in the mood for you or your bullshit right now.”

“Too bad for you I don’t give a shit.”

“Brandon…NO!” Athena yelled as her nephew threw his energy sphere at Ronon.

The young Nietzchean surprised the both of them by catching the sphere in his hand and absorbed it into his system. His eyes crackled with green energy and power arced between his fingers as he stalked towards the Godling.

“How did you do that?” Brandon asked with a voice tinged with concern as he hurled a bolt of energy that Ronon deflected with a wave of his hand. “How the fuck are you doing that?”

Ronon stood face to face with Brandon and ran his energy-filled eyes over his form. The anger he exuded was a thick presence in the temple. “None of your fucking business!” His two open palms impacted with Brandon’s chest and blew him through the marble door.

When Brandon regained his senses, he found himself lying on the grass 50 feet from the temple. The debris of the marble door lay scattered between his body and the entrance. “Let me guess.” He turned his head and looked up from the feet that stood behind him to find Riddick smiling down at him. Kyra was by his side. “You were stupid enough to fuck with Ronon.” The young God frowned when his mother’s mate laughed hysterically at his expense.

“What is so damn funny?” He yelled.

“Oh that would be you.” Riddick said as he grabbed the boy’s shirt and hefted him to his feet. “The fact that you thought you were strong enough to take on your mother’s destined warrior is fucking hilarious.” He threw Brandon to the ground and growled at him. “Go home, boy, and learn to curb your fucking attitude before it ruins your own destiny. I guarantee if you fuck with him again, he will kill you and mess up all of your mother’s plans.”

“Oh Brandon.” He turned to the sound of Kyra’s voice just in time to receive a right cross to the jaw. “Stay the fuck away from me and my man until you learn how to act civil or at the very least…grow the fuck up.” He watched with a slack jaw as the 2 of them walked into the temple before he teleported home to lick his wounds.

~*~