If you know who or what the characters are, then Joss and the WB own them. If you can't then they came from my twisted psyche and nightmares about my mountain of student loans.
Author's Note: Read the previous partsas to when this takes place.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Part Fifteen
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Buffy climbed over the wall of the atrium, and stood at its ledge. All she hoped was that she could see was not there. There was nothing but woods, water and a deserted beach. There was no town that could be seen nearby, only sand. she thought as she jumped down from the twelve foot wall.
Lyle Gorach hissed as he took the blue blanket away from the opening of the atrium. The sun's bright rays started to burn his skin. He hissed again. "That damn bitch!"he muttered. He peered through the doorway, and saw nothing. His stomach dropped to the ground. "Get Lady Lilith!"he hollered."The Slayer gal escaped!"
* * *
"So what's going on?"Xander asked as he sat on the couch beside Willow. "What's the plan?"
"And why are we all here in the basement?"Cordelia asked as she stood next to where Xander was sitting."It's damp down here."
"Well, no one's asking you to stay,"Spike shot at her. Joyce merely touched his arm, and he quieted.
"Everyone's here, Hlin,"Joyce said quietly."Do you have any news about my daughter?"
Hlin shook her head slowly."Not yet, but there will be soon. First, I must tell you what my Elders have informed me."
"What's with the packages?"Oz asked as he pointed to the four items that Hlin carried in her hands..
"I will tell you in time,"Hlin said paitently as she set the packages down on to the coffe table."First, I must say that I am not allowed to kill Whistler."
"Well, that's a refleif,"he said wryly."I was getting worried there."
"A relief for who?"Spike muttered. Hlin continued.
"Second, I am not allowed to kill Spike for now,"Hlin said with a glare at the vampire. Spike turned to her and showed his game face.
"I'd like to bloody well see you try,"he snarled. Hlin took a step up to his face and gave him a cold smile.
"Anytime, any place, vampire,"she snarled back. Joyce grabbed Hlin's arm and pulled her back.
"What's the next thing?"
Hlin reluctantly backed down from the vampire's challenge and looked sadly at the Slayer's mother."I cannot kill the one that took the Slayer. I cannot kill Lilith."
"What? Are you crazy?!?"Xander exploded."Some demon has Buffy, and we're not allowed to kill it?"
Willow hit Xander in the shoulder to shut him up. She was about to speak when Angel interrupted her with his own outrage.
"What's wrong your Elders, Elemental? Are they so old that they feel for the demons?"He snarled. Hlin's eyes grew black in anger.
"Obviously not, since I was not given the strict order to *not* kill you, vampire,"she said as she started to reach behind her. Willow jumped in front of the two, her arms spread.
"Hey! Stop this! This isn't helping Buffy at all."
"Yes, it's not. There must be a reason that you are not allowed to kill Lilith,"Giles agreed."Do you know, Hlin?"
She shook her head."I only know what I am told. It has something to do with the Mana-kai/Slayer/Watcher history. That is all that I know."
"So then what about these packages?"Oz asked again. Hlin picked one up and handed it to Giles after she opened it.
"This is the Tiberius Manifesto. It contain the ritual for the Night of Gaia, which occurs on a full moon every two thousand years. The ritual must be performed at the Hour of the Tiger. But the exact purpose of the ritual is not clear,"she said as Giles looked through the passages that were marked. He handed the text to Angel, who was trying to read the words.
Hlin opened another package and handed it to Giles."See if you can read this, Watcher. It should have the prophecy that we found in the Pergamon Codex."
Giles squinted, and then his eyes grew clearer as he recognized the words."Once a Slayer...Slayer Once...Immortal..."
Joyce looked over his shoulder."You missed a few lines.On Mother's Night, Shall meet once a Slayer....a Slayer once perished..."
"An Immortal shall see...that fate not set..."Giles continued. Joyce nodded at him as she squinted at the words also.
"That fate yet to be...Shall create a destiny..."
"Or not to be..."Giles finished."Well..that was vague."
"What does it all mean?"Joyce asked."Why are you looking at me strangely,Hlin?"
"You can read the Neith Inscriptions?"
"Yes, not clearly, but yes. Why?"
"Because the book will not allow just anyone to read it,"Hlin said flatly. Giles dropped the old book, startled.
"You mean that book's alive?"Willow yelped.
"No, but it is blessed. It is forever changing as time and destiny is. It tells of the past, present and future. No one can read it if it does not wish itself to be read. That a Watcher can read most of the words is incredible, but to have someone else be able to read the inscriptions more clearly than the Watcher is nearly impossible,"Hlin said flatly. She turned quickly as she saw Angel throw his hands away from the book on the floor.
"The book burned me,"Angel said, amazed. Hlin picked up the book.
"No one with the touch of evil can hold the book for long. It would kill the holder,"Hlin explained. Everyone grew silent at that.
"So what's in the other packages?"Cordelia asked. Hlin opened the third one, and revealed an ornately carved old wooden box. She handed it to Whistler. He took it in puzzlement.
"I was told to give this to you, demon. You are to have this."
"Oh, why does he get presents?"Xander said in mock jealousy. Cordelia then hit him in the arm."Why am I the only one that's getting hit here?"
Whistler opened the box, and it revealed an ornately carved wooden rapier. He raised it from the box, and peered at it. The hilt was a silver metal, with the sign of a dragon carved on it, but the blade was wood, but it didn't look it. The wood was jet black and sharp. A small ring of rose were carved at the base near the hilt.
"It's beautiful,"Willow whispered."What is that? Wood? Metal?"
"It's Black Rowan,"Whistler said softly."I can rememder nothing of what happened ten thousand years ago, but I do remember this rapier. I remember the flowers. Why?"
He looked at Hlin who shrugged. The he looked at the rapier. Slowly, he took off the end of the hilt, and revealed a small engraved picture.
"That's you! And you have a baby!"Giles exclaimed. Whistler peered at the engraving.
"I have no idea of who that baby is,"Whistler said slowly."Do you?"
"I only know two things demon. I am not to kill you and that I was to give you this rapier. That is all."
"So what's in package number four? Drum rolls please,"Xander said as he picked it up to hand it to Hlin.
"This is for the Slayer's Mother. It is a scarf that will protect her from any mystical harm. It was woven specially by my people,"Hlin said as she handed it to Joyce who took it gracefully.
"It's beautiful,"she whispered. Hlin nodded, pleased.
"You are the first Slayer's Mother that we have seen in a very long time. It is our duty to keep you safe,"Hlin said seriously."The Slayer's Mother shall always be safe with us."
"What about the rest of us?"Cordelia asked."I mean, don't we get any protection? We're the Slayer's Friends."
Hlin was about to answer that when Giles interrupted."So we have all these items, and we still don't know where Buffy is, or what is it that's going on."
"But we do know that she is the key to all this,"Spike said."From what the prophecy said, she's the Once dead Slayer."
"But who are the others? The Once a Slayer? or the Immortal?" mused Willow.
"And what's this stuff about destiny?"Oz added." By the way what time is it?"
"It's nearly three. Plenty of time before we have to chain you, honey,"Willow said."If we only have more to go on."
"Well, the Hour of the Tiger is between two and three in the morning in the Oriental calender, and Gaia is known in the Greek world as the Great Mother,"Joyce mused."Spike what do you remember about what Lilith was telling Buffy? A place? Time?"
"Only that there was going to be a dance of Shiv performed, on the night of the full moon,"he said slowly.
"Shiv? Shiva?"Giles asked. Spike nodded."I think that's it."
"Oh dear,"Giles fretted.
"What's that I'm missing?"Xander asked."What gives?"
"Shiva was the god of destruction in Hindu mythology,"Giles explained."By the tone of what seems to be going on, Lilith wants to destroy the entire world. By using Buffy."
Everyone grew quiet at that thought. The phone then rang from Joyce's pocket.
* * *
"Come on, Mom! Pick up! Pick up!"Buffy willed as she heard the tone ring. She looked nervously around her, there was no one, but she felt that she was being watched.
* * *
Joyce jumped. "Oh, god! I forgot that I had it there. Hello?"
Joyce listened to the voice that she thought she would never hear again. "Buffy! Honey! Where are you?What?"
* * *
"Mom! Listen! I don't know where I am. I'm not dead! Get someone to help me! There's this funky demon with tentacle hair called Lady Lilith that wants to kill me, humanity and vampires all at one shot. Tomorrow night at the full moon. Mom-"
"Slayer you shouldn't have run,"Lilith said as she came from behind Buffy. Buffy flew out a back kick, but Lilith caught her leg with her writhing hair."Let's go home."
With that, Lilith absorbed Buffy's energy, and then carried her, encased in hair to the woods near by.
The phone jangled. "Buffy? Buffy? BUFFY!!!"
|
|
|
|
Rave
Barbie Girl (Becca)
biscuit07
Filmtheory (Jim)
Malice (Jess)
MebbtheScribe (MichaelB)
Reset (Allie)
Shay (Marrisa)
somnambulist29 (Shea)
Stephanie Loss
Wendyness (Wendy)
Questions?Contact Us
|
|
All stories on this site have been archived with the authors' consent. Do not copy these stories for your own uses without the express consent of the author themselves. Buffy the Vampire Slayer TM and Angel TM are © UPN, WB, Fox and its related entities. All photos on the site are © UPN, Fox, Warner Bros, and/or their respective owners. No profits are being made by use of these images.
Powered with the assitance of eFiction.
|
|
|
