"Seven deadly sins
Seven ways to win
Seven holy paths to hell
And your trip begins

Seven downward slopes
Seven bloodied hopes
Seven are your burning fires
Seven your desires....

I am he the bornless one
The fallen angel watching you
Babylon, the scarlet whore
I'll infiltrate your gratitude
Don't you dare to save your son
Kill him now and save the young ones
Be the mother of a birth strangled babe
Be the devil's own, Lucifer's my name

Moonchild - hear the mandrake scream
Moonchild - open the seventh seal

I count the heads of those unborn
The accursed ones I'll find them all
If you die by your own hand
As a suicide you shall be damned
And if you try to save your soul
I will torment you - you shall not grow old
With every second and passing breath
You'll be so alone your soul will bleed to death

Moonchild - hear the mandrake scream
Moonchild - open the seventh seal
Moonchild - you'll be mine soon child
Moonchild -- take my hand tonight

The twins they are exhausted, seven is this night
Gemini is rising as the red lips kiss to bite
Seven angels seven demons battle for his soul
When Gabriel lies sleeping, this child was born to die

One more dies and one more lives
One baby cries one mother grieves
For all the sins you will commit
You'll beg forgiveness but none I'll give
A web of fear shall be your coat
To clothe you in the night
A lucky escape for you young man
But I'll see you damned in endless night"

-- Adrian Smith & Bruce Dickinson (Iron Maiden), "Moonchild" (from the cd "Seventh Son of a Seventh Son")

Here’s the CYA part of the program. DPP owns the rights to the Highlander Universe. I’m just playing in their sandbox. Many canon characters will appear in this work, including Methos, Richie, MacLeod, Dawson, Gregor and others, as well as a plethora of original ones. I suspect you’ll be able to tell the difference without difficulty.

This work has been over two years in the planning, researching, and outlining, and considerable seeds and foreshadowing have been sown in the entire “Fool’s Journey” series and other related works. I think of it as a much magnified follow-up to “Ouroboros.” Please see the author’s notes for exact references to the previously posted stories. In addition, since there are over 600 researched references for this novel, they will be collectively posted online, at

http://www.ithilas.com/novel/mcref.html

A timeline can be found at

http://www.ithilas.com/novel/mctime.html

The three parts of this novel are “Ishtar,” “Narcissus,” and “Khensu,” named after gods/mythological characters related to the moon. Please consult the notes for the individual parts for further discussion of the symbolism.

A note about the set up of this work. There are many flashbacks, which cover several millennia. It might seem like I'm jumping around a lot, but I'm actually setting up all of the various pieces. Think of it as a jigsaw puzzle. You pick up piece and see where it fits. You certainly don't expect to put the pieces together in order, but you should start to see a picture emerge before too long.

As this work takes place in my main fanfic universe, the slash relationship between Richie and Methos is assumed. It actually plays a vital role in this work, especially in “Khensu,” where the real reason for the existence of this relationship will be made clear. After much angst <G>, I’ve decided to go with an ADULT rating, although I think that’s a tad severe, given that there are not very many sexually explicit scenes. There is, however, an ongoing undercurrent of sexuality running through the work, so perhaps this is for the best.

Synopsis? You must be kidding! I guess if I really had to say, this is the story of Methos -- his birth, his first death, his first head, his first meeting with Kronos. This is the story of the Watchers -- their origin, their true purpose, the corruption of that purpose. This is also the story of the origin of the Holy Man whom Darius killed at the gates of Paris as well. But this is also a modern day story, featuring everyone’s favorite young Immortal. The Scot is muttering here and there as well. Love, angst, sex, betrayal, secrets and more secrets. That about sums it all up.

Here come the thanks. First of all, to everyone who’s read this far into my little universe and sent encouraging feedback. It’s made a *big* difference in keeping me motivated!

Next, to the other half of my brain and chief beta reader, Valerie, for listening to my babbling every time I found a new esoteric notion to include in this behemoth. She, Tia, K2, and Misha deserve a medal of honor for service above and beyond the call of duty for plodding through various parts of this beast.

Thanks to tirnanog for helpful discussions, and for allowing me to borrow her initial characterization of the Holy Man at the Gates of Paris and Gregor. Please visit her Darius stories at

http://www.angelfire.com/film/bookofdarius/

Finally, thanks to all those who looked at various parts of this creature when I was first composing certain critical scenes almost two years ago -- Terry, Lynn, Kin, and anyone else I’ve forgotten.

And now, on with the show.....

Ishtar : [Parts 1-17] [Parts 18-End]

Narcissus: [Parts 1-8] [Parts 9-15] [Parts 16-22]
[Parts 23-28][Parts 29-38] [Parts 39-52] [Parts 53-57]
[Parts 58-63]  [Parts 64 - 70]  [Parts 71 - 83] [Parts 84-89]
[Parts 90 - 96] [Parts 97-103(the end)]

Khensu [Parts 1-8] [Parts 9-15] [Parts 16-23] [Parts 24-30]
[Parts 31-36] [Parts 37-41] [Parts 42-48] [Parts 49-55] [Parts 56 - end]

to the "Fool's Journey" series
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