Circle of the Chosen, by Sharon Cross (Adult)

[the-hobbet.livejournal.com]

I apologize for dropping out for awhile. Real life sometimes gets in the way. But I'm back and I hope to get a few more recs in before the end of the month.

Fandom: HIGHLANDER
Crossover with: THE SENTINEL
Pairing: Duncan/Methos, Jim/Blair
Length: Long
Author on LJ: Unknown
Author Website: Crosswords
Why this must be read:

Circle is a quest story in the epic tradition. An evil even greater than Ahriman threatens the world and a strange 2000 year old immortal who has never taken a head assembles a group of mortals and immortals to combat it. Circle does justice to our favorites in both Highlander and The Sentinel, plus giving us some of the most unusual and compelling original characters in fandom. It includes trips to other realms and the Underworld, the return of the Horsemen, and a satisfying twist. It's a roller-coaster ride well worth the time.

Sample Circle of the Chosen

"People thought the child was strange without quite knowing why and the child became aware that he was not normal and hid his talent. Though he used the power, this was not a malicious child. Sensing so clearly the feelings of others had given him a respectful and deep understanding of all living things. He was an empath in love with the world. Then one day, his world ended. Destroyed at the hands of evil men on horseback."

My attention doubled...The Horsemen? Renn read the unasked question and nodded sadly. "That child was certainly not the first victim of Death but he would be the last. Those Horsemen took away his home, his family and friends, his future and his love and then they took him; one after the other. Death took him last and the child died screaming in his arms."

I knew the child in the story was Renn and my jaw clenched. I also knew about the atrocity he was speaking of. Dear God, another Immortal scarred with the Horsemen's legacy. Methos said once that he had been the nightmare of children but the reality of meeting one of the victims was too much. Renn sensed how I felt, maybe, if his claim to being an empath was true.

"Relax MacLeod.", he soothed, "It was a very long time ago and no longer matters." I was shocked at that. Cassandra had carried the hate and trauma with her for millennia. How could Renn appear to so easily dismiss it? He had said Methos was his killer and it sickened me to know how he had probably been killed. I found it impossible to envision Methos as a vicious rapist even though I had been told otherwise.

"You said Methos was your lover. Rape is not love! Such an act can't be forgiven." Renn just shook his head as if I had missed the whole point.

"You're not listening closely to the story Highlander. This is not about me but a long ago child who is an empath. A child who can absorb emotions but also reflect them back; change them. That's how the child of this story turned rape into love and a killer into a teacher. Death had taken away his world and in return the empathic child destroyed Death's world. Death was forced to shed his hatred of Life and be reborn."

Circle of the Chosen