The Immigrant Song

Callum heard Elenna’s voice and knew that what she said was true. This was his only chance. The sword glinted dully in the night.

“I’m coming out,” said Callum. “You can have that cursed sword.”

He thought he heard Elenna sigh with relief.

And then he did the one thing he should never have done. Even as he heard Elenna telling him, “Don’t touch the sword,” his hand had reached out and closed over the hilt.

In an instant he forgot who he was. All that mattered now was the sword. And he was not going to let these people have it. He stood up very straight and pointed the sword at the group of gun wielding hunters. His eyes were burning red with blood lust.

“You can’t have this sword,” he yelled. “If you want it, you’ll have to fight me for it.”

Lenna heard every gun behind her click dangerous.

“You won’t fight a girl that is unarmed and I know you don’t want to fight any of us. This is not you speaking. Please Callum, don’t do anything you will regret.” Lenna walked slowly closer t him, until she was in the reach of the deadly sword. She looked at him, not just at his outside but really looked at him. “You won’t hurt me, you saw me in a room full of well mannered girls, you don’t belong there as I didn’t belong there. I trust you Callum, I would hand you my life on a silver plate to watch over it. You are not a killer, you are a good man. You want to find the beauty in the past so that everyone can see what a wondrous world this is. This sword proof that the Vikings were here, and you found it. Yes no one will ever really know the truth, but we do. We know they were here and this is enough, as long one person knows. Look at the sword, you know it could never be still sharp after all those centuries. You know something is wrong with it. Callum, please put it down. I want to help you!”

Lenna was standing right in front of him, the tip of the sword right above her heart.

“Please Callum, put it down. Trust me.”

Callum felt the pressure of the sword resting of Elenna's heart. The sword wanted to finish it. The sword wanted to run her through. But the sword hadn't bargained on Callum's feelings.

Callum felt his mind returning to him. It was a struggle. The sword was desperate for blood. But not Elenna. He couldn't let it have Elenna's blood.

"I don't want to hurt you," Callum said. "But I can't control it."

Elenna nodded. Her eyes were wide but she didn't back down. "You won't hurt me," she said, "You are a good man."

With all his energy he pulled back his sword hand. For a second it seemed like he was about to strike. There was a shot. Someone had shot him! It bit into his shoulder with a searing pain. He dropped the sword and fell to his knees.

Elenna jumped forward to catch him.

"I was putting it down," he whispered to her. "I would never hurt you."

"I know," she whispered back.

The pain was awful but at least Callum had his mind back. And he didn't plan to ever touch the sword again. And what's more the beautiful Elenna was watching over him.

Lenna never took her eyes from Callum even when he collapsed into her arms. She looked up furious, even though she had her back to them now seeing that everyone looked at Rome gave away who shot Callum.

“You shot him! What the hell do you think you were doing Rome? I had everything under control.” Lenna shouted angry at him. Before she looked back at Callum in her arms.

“Everything will be alright, I gonna find a way to break the curse. You wait here I’m right back.”

Lenna said gently when she got up and passed all her friends and Bela. She ran to the car and dragged her bag filled with books and the first aid kit to Callum, when a friendly hand stopped her. “Lenna!”

It was Georgie and she looked weird at her, as if she somehow understood her. “What?”

“We can’t trust him, as long as the curse is not broken.”

“What are you suggesting? Tie him up and let him bleed to death?”

“I’m sorry but I'm afraid we have no other choice.”


"For the record," Rome said, "I was kinda leaning towards the tie him up and then not let him bleed to death, but whatever."

Lenna eyes grew wide in shock, Georgie couldn’t mean that seriously, and Rome was the one who shot him in the first place! She bit her lip and dropped to the floor. “Fine tie him up, but I’m not part of it. As soon he is in your eyes safe I gonna make sure he is not bleeding to death.”

She started searching for books that could help her to break the curse. It was not easy for her to hold her tears back, it wasn’t right that they treated him like a monster he is the victim here. He needed help.

How could he do that? How could he shoot him?

Georgie felt like she was in two minds. On one hand they had to stop Callum but on the other hand she understood how Elenna felt, and it was really hard to finish the job while her best friend sat on the ground, flicking through her books while trying to hold back tears.
When Rome and Richard grabbed Callum who tried to fight them, Georgie noticed how Bela carefully tried to pick up her gun from the ground.

“One more move and I’m going to blow your non-existent brain out.” Georgie pressed her gun against Bela’s forehead.

Bela stopped moving and smiled innocently. “I’m a little surprised, I have to admit. I didn’t expect a fine lady in Versace to be so hostile…”

“It’s a Valentino, you stupid retard”, Georgie replied coldly. “And normally I prefer to sic a bunch of angry lawyers on someone before I actually threaten them, but the only thing you deserve is a bullet right through your forehead that looks like a plastic surgeon had already stuck a needle in it.”

“Can I make a suggestion?”

“No.”

Bela ignored her and continued. “If you would lower your gun and let me go, I promise I will leave the sword to you.”

Georgie raised her eyebrows. “You seriously think I’m that stupid?”

“I think you’re reasonable enough not to shoot me.”

“You have no idea, darling”, Georgie said, imitating her British accent. “I like your shoes, and I’m indeed very capable of killing people for shoes, believe me.” She quickly looked at the others to check if they needed help, but they had Callum tied to the tree already, so she turned back to Bela. “As a matter of fact, take them off. Now.”

“Excuse me?”

“You heard me. Take your shoes off.”

Bela didn’t seem really pleased but since she had a gun pointed directly at her she had not much choice. “This is ridiculous.”

“I don’t think so.” Georgie took her shoes. “That’s what we call karma, bitch.”

To his credit, Callum went quietly. He was shaking, faintly, muscles straining to remain under control. Rome approached him like he would a wild tiger. Hopefully the handcuffs from Bela's would be enough.

"Sorry about this, man," Rome mumbled, cuffed him quickly, and then set to dressing the wound. "For the record, if I wanted to kill you, you'd be dead, I just wanted to make sure you weren't hurting Lenna. I think we can agree on that one." Callum nodded faintly, but Rome wasn't even sure if he was listening.

Richard nudged him out of the way. "I'm a paramedic," he said. "And you're doing that wrong."

Rome laughed. "Awesome. Be my guest. We cool here, Cal?"

The Scotsman nodded, but, again, Rome wasn't sure he was listening. As much as he wanted a gun trained on this guy, he had another set of handcuffs, and there was someone else far more dangerous.

Well, aside from Lenna in this mood.

Rome picked up his Desert Eagle off the ground and against his better judgment, stuck it in the back waistband of his jeans as he approached Bela. "Remember these?" he said, flashing a pair of handcuffs at her. Georgie, who had already taken her shoes, smiled widely.

"I think those bracelets would look fabulous on you," she commented.

Bela frowned and didn't say anything and, as Georgie kept her gun trained on her, Rome cuffed her to the steering wheel of her own car.

"Okay, Bela," Rome grinned playfully. "You can either tell me where my phone is--which we used to track you here, by the way--and where your keys are, or we can do that full-cavity search we tried earlier, but it'll be a lot less fun for you this time around.

"Glove compartment. And the keys are in the ignition, idiot."

"Awesome, just testing," Rome said, pocketing both. "Can you watch her, G?"

"It'll be a pleasure," she replied, cocking back the hammer on her handgun.

"Ooh, now isn't that lovely?" Rome said, discovering more things in the glove compartment. "I have a present for you, G," Rome said, dropping the Walther PPK with mother of pearl grips into Georgie's purse. "It's like a pink James Bond gun. And here," he added, relieving Bela of her jewelry and draping it around Georgie's throat. He kissed her cheek. "Never say I don't give you anything."

"Oh, honey, you spoil me," she laughed.

Now Rome approached the really tough problem.

"Lennie? Hey, Lennie, baby," he put his hand on her shoulder, but she shook him off. Sighing, refusing to get mad, he crouched behind her and spoke softly. "Lennie, I was trying to protect you, okay? And I'm not going to apologize for that. You wanna be mad, that's fine. But do you know how to break this curse or not?"

Lenna sighed she wanted to stay mad at Rome, but how she be mad at someone that always wanted the best for her? She shook her head.

“Not really I have two options. One says burn the sword with rock salt, cayenne pepper and graveyard dirt. But the other option says doing this would increase the power of the curse and kills everyone who is cursed until the sword finds it one true master. The problem with the second option is that we need blood, lots of blood. But not just any blood, it needs to be from someone who is under the curse. We need nearly half a gallon. And… Rome? Don’t kill Callum, please?”

She turned around and looked with pleading eyes at Rome. “The ritual to break is easy take the blood cover the sword, add the same amount salt and then burn it. You can do it, let me touch the sword and use my blood. You don’t hurt Callum more than he already is.” She looked in back in her book and tried to hide from Rome that she cared for Callum, even though she guess he knew it anyway.

"What?!" Rome grabbed Elenna by the shoulders and shook her. "Are you insane? You're not going to do that, you understand me?"

"We can't kill him!" Elenna insisted.

Rome looked around at the assembly. Yeah, Callum was a definite no. He didn't need Lenna telling him that. They were doing this to save him, not kill him.

His eyes alighted on Bela hungrily.

"Don't look at me like that," she snapped. "I will haunt you for the rest of your miserable life, Remington, don't think I won't."

Yeah, as tempting as it was, looking over Elenna's shoulder at the "recipe," that much blood would probably kill her, and cold blooded murder wasn't so much his thing.

A thought began niggling in the back of his mind, but he stalwartly batted it back down.

But, come to think of it, that much blood would probably kill any of the girls, so that meant Georgie was out, too. Not that he'd let her do it anyway, on principle.

And if Richard was a paramedic....

"Well, sh*t," Rome said.

"What? Rome, what's wrong?" Elenna asked.

"Me," he said. "Okay, people, here's what's going to happen. Georgie, I want that gun on Bela at all times." He put his own guns in the Ferrari. "Aly, you keep a bead on Callum and me, okay?"

"Rome, what are you--" she began, but he continued quickly. "Richard, I need you to help Elenna and make sure no one dies who doesn't need to. Lennie, there's some rope in the trunk. I want you to get it, tie me up, and then curse me, and perform the ritual. And nobody's going to fight me on this."

“What?! Rome no I didn’t mean that you do it.” Lenna jumped up.

“To bad chica that is exactly what we are doing. Get the rope.”

Lenna shook her head but did as she was told. She got the rope, a blanket to wrap the sword in it, and her knife from the trunk.

“This is a horrible idea… I don’t like hurting you. We should have done this somewhere closer to a town so we have a hospital close by.”

Lenna tied Rome to a tree, had her ritual bowl next to him to collect the blood in it. But first things first, he needed to be cursed. She took the sword slowly and carful so that she didn’t touched it and put the hilt in his hand. It was terrible to see how he changed, well he didn’t really change but something changed about him. She quickly moved the sword out of his reach.

“Rome I’m sorry.” Lenna took her knife cut Rome, but her hands were shaking. She couldn’t do it.

Rome tried not to flinch as Elenna came at him with the knife.

But this was looking more and more like a bad idea.

"Hey, hey, hey, wait," he said. She seemed glad to stop. Good. Thank God.

Wait. No! This wasn't him talking!

'I think you should let me go,' he wanted to say, 'I have to pee, I left the car running, I have to wash my turtle, I want to play with the shiny shiny sword--'

"Richard." He was panting now. "Man, you gotta do this quick, or this is gonna suck way more than it has to." He felt his heart pumping in his earlobes. He began straining against the ropes in spite of himself. "Now. Do it now!"

As Elenna approached Rome, Richard tensed. The way the knife was shaking it was likely to cause Rome a serious injury, and possibly even herself. He reached out a hand.

“I’ll take the knife. And you’re right about the hospital, but needs must when Hades drives.” He wasn’t sure how much Elenna took in but she seemed relieved to hand the knife over.

“There’s not enough time now, but if something goes wrong I’ve a medical kit on the bike. The lower saddlebag on the right.”

As he closed in on Rome he spoke up again, speaking quickly.

“Listen, you know that this will be dangerous. It’s a lot of blood to take out of one person, even a big bugger like him. This might sound a bit heartless, as Callum has already been hurt, but he has been patched up and should be able to donate a little more blood. It could make the difference for Romulus.”

Given the situation he didn’t have time to wait for a reply.

“Ok, get the bowl ready.” Richard reached over with the knife and made the cut with surgical precision.

Lenna felt close to puking. She handed Richard the bowl. And piled up not far from Rome some sticks. “Feuer!” If the situation wouldn’t have been so serious it would have been a nice romantically campfire.

“What? Just don’t hurt him more, please.” Lenna knew that Richard was right and it was dangerous to get all the blood from Rome alone.

Lenna had all other things ready, including the savely wrapped up sword. She was save-keeping it, and ready to protect now Callum and Rome from themselves. They could never take it from her.

Richard’s face was a mask of concentration, watching the blood fill the bowl trying to keep track of its volume. It was a balance. Too much and Romulus could wind up dead, too little and it would be Callum in the mortuary. As he did so he brought out a spare dressing from Callum’s bandage, and as the bowl reached the right level he pressed the dressing over the wound, calling to Elenna as he did so.

“Keep pressure on here, it will stop him bleeding out until I can put a proper bandage on.” Richard then moved over to Callum, and lifted off the dressing on his arm.

“Sorry about this. But it’s too much to ask from one person.” He brought the blood up just below the wound, pressing a little so the blood flowed in. Callum squirmed with pain. “Just hold on, it shouldn’t take long.” He kept a firm eye on the blood, at last there was enough for the ritual. Richard passed Elenna the bowl.

“I’ll take over the wound. You deal with the sword. Once it’s done grab my med kit and I’ll patch Romulus and Callum up properly.” Maybe he had been wrong about these hunters actually being a witches coven or something, given Romulus risking death for Callum. Of course, Callum could be in it and playing innocent, but that seemed unlikely. But in any case, Elenna still needed to do some explaining when this was over.

“What kind of sick people are you?”, Bela asked as she watched the scene with disgust.

“Just half as sick as you are”, Georgie replied, trying not to show how dizzy she actually felt. Elenna looked like she was close to a mental breakdown, she barely held it together. Georgie tried to keep focused on Bela who only waited for her to get distracted.

“Do you seriously think you’re able to stop a curse as powerful as this one? You’re a bunch of-“

“Just shut up, you’re really getting on my nerves.”

Bela sighed. “I really don’t see why I have to stay here. It’s not that I-“

“What part of ‘shut up’ don’t you understand?” Georgie still pointed the gun at her but when she quickly looked in the direction of the others Bela took advantage and tried to take away her gun. However, Georgie reacted quickly (maybe too quickly) and punched her so hard in the face that Bela fell back. She couldn’t remember the last time she actually punched someone. Oh yes, in 10th grade…but that had other reasons.

“Oops...” Georgie didn’t even try to hold back a grin. “I hope that’s not going to turn into a black eye. Oh, wait a minute…it will! But don’t worry, it goes well with your dress.” She pointed the gun directly at her leg. “Now get up or you’ll have to check out wheelchairs soon. I heard they come in all colors.”

Lenna starred at Richard for a moment. She didn’t dare to look at Rome or Callum. She nodded when she went to the fire. She added the salt and the pepper to the blood, cayenne pepper and graveyard dirt it turned into a paste she unwrapped the sword and carefully making she didn’t touch the sword with her bare hands she rubbed the paste on it. She felt the power of it in her hand it was as if there was a fire trapped in the sword. For a moment she wanted to touch the sword feel its real power, but she resisted and threw it in the fire. For a moment nothing happened and then the fire rose huge. Her eyes sparkled, but she turned around and looked finally at Rome and Callum.

“How can I help?”

She hasn’t noticed yet that she burned both of her hands.

As soon as the sword touched the fire Callum began to feel something change. A grip was loosening on his mind. It was like a thick fog had suddenly been cleared. He properly saw where he was and he didn't particularly like it. He was muddy, his clothes were torn and blood covered, he was in the middle of nowhere in pitch black night.

And he had been shot! Now that the sword's hold was vanishing Callum felt every ounce of pain. His shoulder was throbbing and seeping blood. The ropes that bound him to the tree made it even worse.

Now that the ritual was done Richard returned to his side, a medical kit in hand. This is going to hurt even more, Callum thought.

“You can…” Richard’s eye’s widened as he turned around and saw Elenna’s hands. “Erebus take it! First thing to do is find some snow and bury your hands in it. Make sure it’s clean.”

Richard dashed to the bike as Elenna looked with shock at her hands. He soon returned with his medical kit and, to much surprise, a roll of clingfilm. He soon set to work bandaging up Rome, who was insisting that he help Elenna first.

“The best thing she can do now is cool down those burns. The snow isn’t ideal for that, but it’s the best we’ve got right now.” After finishing Rome’s bandage Richard tied a fresh bandage on Callum having pulled off the last one. He then turned his attention to Elenna’s burns, approaching with the clingfilm. She backed away.

“I’m fine, really I’m fine.” She protested.

“If I don’t cover your hands then one of two horrible things will happen. One is an infection, the other, well, in any case you are risking losing your hands. It’s far, far better than nothing.” He was exaggerating, but given the reluctance of the patient and the circumstances it was worth the bluff.

Rome felt woozy. His arm was covered in seran wrap.

But he felt...normal again. And ten minutes was ten minutes too much to be under that thing's spell.

"So it worked. Awesome."

There was a knife stuck into the ground by his knee, and since Richard was busy with Elenna--crap! Elenna!--Rome quickly set to freeing himself from the tree.

And Callum. "You with us, buddy?" he asked, cutting the man loose. "Just sit tight, we'll get someone to help you to the car. I need to check on Elenna."

"Is she all right?" the man asked, his eyes wide.

"Uh." Rome was startled by the naked concern in Callum's eyes. It was like the guy did a complete 180, from wanting to kill everything in sight to making sure he didn't accidentally step on an ant--and he seemed especially worried about Elenna.

But that was his job! Rome wanted to, but didn't dare think to himself. No, he batted that back down. Hell, this guy was a fair sight less sleazy than Lenna's usual hookups, and was probably even actively decent. I guess, you know, if she was gonna settle for someone, she could aim lower.

"Yeah. Yeah. I mean, I'm gonna check. Just sit tight, okay? We'll get you out of here." Rome straightened, feeling light-headed, but managed to keep it together.

And, okay, was that ringing in his ears just him?

Rome paused, leaning against the tree, straining to listen and straining even harder not to pass out. He was pretty sure he'd forgotten where he was going.

"Um, okay. Guys?" he tried, then, a little stronger. "Guys? I think we have a problem."

Lenna back a little more away from Richard. “My hands cannot really fall off… can they?” Lenna looked at her hands, they did hurt a little but Richard was… it looked like he is some kind of medic. She peeked at Rome he was with Callum, but he would still not let anything happen to her. Lenna stepped a little closer to Rome, just in case something would happen.

“You’re a doctor or something?” She asked sounding scared.

“Paramedic.”

Lenna nodded in her eyes they were all the same, and all were horrible. Very slowly she held her hands to him.

Do anything fishy and I burn you like a crisps, she thought.

When she heard Rome. "Guys? I think we have a problem." Now she heard them too.

“Aw come on can’t we at least one leave a place without running from the police?” Lenna mourned.

"You mean this has happened before?!" Richard bellowed.

Rome gave him a sloppy grin to hide how really freaking scared he was. They had all of two team members on their feet, one liability handcuffed to her car, and a whole lot of blood and satanic-looking stuff.

As well as a stolen artifact that was now a murder weapon.

Oh, yeah, and if they hadn't IDed Callum yet they soon would, and Rome was on the books and, oh, man, he couldn't even think straight! This was bad.

"Okay, buddy, let's get you on your feet," he said, turning to heave Callum upright. They were both using the tree for support. "We gotta get outta here. It'll be a little cramped in the Ferrari, but it'll work. Aly, you drive. Georgie, take off the parking break and roll Bela into that ditch--"

"You can't be serious!" she screamed, but he ignored her.

The sirens were getting louder as Rome and Callum, arm in arm, staggered to Richard and Elenna. "Thanks for what you did today, man," he said solemnly. "Now I don't want to drag you into this, so if you just go your way and forget you found us, man, you'd be doing us and yourself a favor." He looked back to his companions. "Let's go, gang."

“Cops or no cops, I’m not going to leave my patients behind. Especially when you probably won’t make it near a hospital before being arrested.” Probably not the most sensible course of action but Richard meant what he said. Regardless of who they were, he would try and help anyone who needed medical attention.

Between them Richard and Rome we able to get Callum to and into the car. The rest piled in while Richard returned to his bike. As both car and bike set off, the flashing lights from the police we visible through the trees.

Rome was surprised. Pleasantly surprised.

And, yeah, okay, still completely loopy.

"Rome, we're in the middle of a car chase, hands off," Georgie ground out.

"You're sitting on my lap!" he protested. "And when you punched Bela in the face--oh, man, I am so turned on right now."

"I'd like to see you make good on that promise without passing out--considering the blood you lost!"

Rome chuckled. "Yeah..." He watched the dark world speed by outside the humming car as Aly kept them going at a fair clip, the bike just keeping pace behind them.

"Turn here!" Rome said suddenly.

Aly obeyed as he continued. "We don't want to go to Canada. Head west, hook around and take I-9 out of here. I don't care...where..." Moment of lucidity gone. He shifted slightly and rested his face against Georgie's chest. "Mm. Soft," he said, and then, "Okay. How we doing, gang? Roll call."

Lenna grinned for a moment, no matter how much Rome was hurt he was still Rome hitting on everything with boobs (everything except her). But her smile disappeared when she saw Callum. He was in pain and confused, and maybe slightly scared? Lenna was sitting next to Rome in the backseat, while Callum was sitting next to the driving Aly.
Her hands hurt, but he mind kept wandering back to the sword and the trapped fire in it. Was it possible that she was able to see the curse in it? She had to do some research on that, and also she felt as if her powers increased but not in a way she ever planned.

“Are we going to the Safehouse, or just crash at the next motel? Rome and Callum need to rest and we all need a shower and get changed.”

It was weird she sat in the crowded Ferrari and had butterflies in her stomach, she would nearly dare to say that she was happy about everything that happened and maybe it wasn’t such a bad thing that she had to wear a friggen dress on this party.

“Hey Rome, can we keep Callum it will be so much fun to have him around. He is smart, well read and he has a cute accent.”

Callum was relieved that the worst was over. He was sitting in the front seat of the ferrari with no sword and no curse. Yes, maybe he had a few injuries to show for his escapades and yes he was as tired as he had ever been, but it was nothing he couldn't deal with.

His mind was drifting, only paying half attention to what the others were saying, squished in the back. He heard Elenna say she wanted to keep him. He twisted carefully in his chair.

"I suppose I could stay for a wee while," he said, playing up on his accent. "If you'll have me?"

Elenna almost blushed and avoided the question. "I thought you were asleep."

Callum shrugged. "Too much to think about... and a gunshot in the shoulder doesn't help."

He turned back to face out the front window. He didn't think it had quite sunk in yet. So much had happened. And there was so much he didn't remember. He wasn't sure if he wanted to remember.

Lenna smiled shy she had forgotten that she had asked Rome a question, she actually had forgotten that three other people were in the car.

“I’ll explain everything. I’m quite good at it by now, aren’t I Aly?”

“If you mean by good, scaring people with horror stories you are great.” Aly teased Lenna.

“It’s not my fault everything out there in the dark is horrible.” Lenna pulled her book from under the seat in front of her. She had some troubles with her bandaged hands.

“I still wonder how you could touch the sword and when I kind of did it burnt my hands. Also it looks like as if in the sword was a fire trapped.” Lenna tried to sound not worried, but she wasn’t sure she managed to ban the worry out of her voice, but maybe her friends were too busy with their own worries.

“I think back at the mansion I used too much magic, I might end being in trouble for it. But it was amazing it was so easy to control it this time.”