<b>Chapter 17</b>
<p>
Darius shifted, placing his hands upon his knees and stood to walk away from the voice in the darkness. His mind was troubled.
He hadn't thought of the years in great detail of when he had led his armies for some time and knew that whatever happened a milleneum and a half ago was a diiferent life and personage than what he was now. He turned back towards the voice after what seemed to be minutes of silence. "This old soldier thinks that sometimes the past is best left alone."
<p>
Methos snorted as he scoffed, "You <i>know</i> better than that Darius. What we are now comes from what we were. Times change, people change but what the past was is a part of an immortal's history. <i><b>Your</i></b> history and life as well as my own! We <i><b>are</i></b> history!"
<p>
He paused and straightened himself, noting that Darius also seemed more alert as the thrum of another Immortal approaching the church was shared by the two of them. His time-honed instinct for survival rang a warning within him; he knew that he would have to leave <i><b>now</i></b>! He was too easy a target for someone and it had been a long time since he had fought for his life as well his head.
<p>
He slid his eyes to the two possible entrances to the chapel as he continued. "He will kill you, you know." Making his way to the front entrance, his hand poised over the handle, he paused then changed directions and headed to the side door.
<p>
"Who will kill me?" Darius asked as he heard the familar creak of the side door opening and craned his head in the direction hoping to see at last the man who had come to call after centuries of being a myth.
<p>
Holding the door open a crack, Methos simply said, "Grayson."
<p>
"He would have to get me to leave Holy Ground to do that. I'm needed here and I don't fight anymore." Darius frowned.
<p>
Methos nodded. "Grayson is killing your students one by one, haven't you heard?" His eyes became wide as he realized he had tarried too long already the other immortal was almost there; he could tell from the strength of the buzz how close he was and witout another word slipped out into the night and disappeared.
<p>
Darius heard the soft thud of the door's closing and the felt the fading of Methos' own presence. Methos had stirred up more emotions as well as bringing the turmoil of memories that had laid dormant for nearly a milleneum and a half. He closed his eyes and was instantly transported back to the sounds of nearly twenty thousand soldiers calling out his name on a hot summer plain in Greece in the year 392 CSE.
<p>
<i><b>Darius! Darius! Darius!</i></b>
<p>
Oh, the memories Methos had stirred up!
<p>
Regaining his compusure, he looked back towards the front entrance as it opened and then closed. A parishioner, fairly young by Immortal standards, had come to confession and Darius nodded his head at him. "Good evening."
<p>
"Ev'nin' Brother Darius. Y'all ready fer my confession?" The young man spoke with a distinct drawl the bespoke of his being American from the southern states if Darius wasn't mistaken.
<p>
"I won't be taking your confession tonight, Harrison. Brother Paul will. I have some things that need to be done."
<p>
Harrison looked about in disappointment and frowned. "Does he know?"
<p>
"No, but you'll be in good hands. Trust me." He smiled warmly at the other man. "Let me go and get him."
<p>
Harrison nodded rather reluctantly and watched Darius go. "Betcha tha' there priest knows every blamed one of us, I reckon," he softly said to himself.
<p>
Brother Paul came out after a moment followed closely by Darius then both Brother Paul and Harrison entered the confessional on their separate sides.
<p>
Darius heaved a resigned sigh of relief. He needed some time alone tonight. Pausing at the front of the alter he knelt, crossed himself and said a small prayer for his peace of mind then went back into his room at the side of the chapel in the small rectory.
<P>
<i><b>"Darius! Darius! Darius!"</i></b>
<p>
He sat heavily down at his chess table and looked over the game that he was currently playing against himself. He picked up the King and looked it over, lost in thought.
<p>
<i><b>"Darius! Darius! Darius!"</i></b> twenty thousand voices rang out from his memory.
<p>
First Corinth, mighty Corinth had fallen to the Goth armies led by Alaric. Corinth whose riches were plundered while the city burned and it's women raped.
<p>
Darius dropped the king and covered his face with his hands as if to block out the memories that were as sharp as the day they had become a memory. He could still smell the acrid smoke, see the bodies and blood in Corinth's streets, still felt the warmth of the women who struggled beneath him as he raped them and heard their cries as well as the cries of the children.
<p>
"Forgive me," he whispered to those who had died over a thousand years ago.
<p>
Next, once Corinth had been dealt with, came Sparta where the Trojans had left the gift of a hollow horse and had conquered teh city while the city slept from its' revels.
<p>
Darius sat straighter and nodded to himself. "Sparta was harder to capture," he said to himself as he relived it. "We had to lay seige to it--it took time from us and gave it to Rome." His armies used a "scorched earth" policy in the areas surrounding the cities laying waste to farms and villas then taking what was needed from them to feed his armies.
<p>
There had been a heated discussion between Alaric and himself as to whether or not the army should be split or not so as to attack Rome herself while continuing their attack on Greece. Alaric had wanted it, Darius did not using the explanation that it would weaken their position as well as the army should Rome's armies find the Goth army. Ultimatly, Alaric won and the army was split.
<p>
"It was a foolish thing to do, Alaric. A <i><b>foolish</i></b> thing to do." Darius angrily said as a fist slammed down on the table upsetting the pieces and ruining the game. "Rome found us and the chase began in earnest with no one able to tell just who was pursuing who..."
Posted on May 23, 1999, 1:40 AM from IP address 207.136.63.145