Angel slowly worked his way to the front of the crowd.
Sunnydale High’s courtyard had been transformed; mystic symbols had been drawn on the pavement, vampires, their pale skin almost luminescent under the unnatural light of an eclipsed sun, gathered around the edges. At the center of it all stood Kelvasus. His business suit was completely out of place in this setting, but he wasn’t. There he stood calm, regal and confident.
Before him on an alter sat the Shadwen, it rose from a rounded base to a narrow pointed spire. It was a pearly, shimmering, opalescent color.
Angel had considered killing Kelvasus, trying to anyway, but that wouldn’t guarantee anything. One of his followers might have been able to take his place. The key was the Shadwen, without it they wouldn’t be about to do anything.
He had to take or destroy the Shadwen, somehow.
* * *
"Well here we are, and no sign of Giles," Cordelia announced.
"I’ll go in. Cordy you stay here. Have the others join us as they finish their lists," Buffy said.
"That’s an excellent plan," Cordelia agreed. "You do your Chosen One thing, I’ll get the calvary."
In a short time Buffy found the window Giles had used to get in and headed in herself.
She could hear sounds of fighting in the distance, hurriedly Buffy moved in that direction. Almost immediately she was confronted by a pair of vampires.
"Why am I not surprised to see you?" Buffy asked raising her stake into fighting position.
Together the vampires moved toward her. Buffy met the one on the left with a spinning kick to the chest, sending the vampire staggering back as she turned to deal with the other one.
The second vampire was a blond girl who’d been about Buffy’s age when she died. She smiled exposing sharp fangs, then lunged forward trying to knock Buffy off her feet. Buffy side stepped her lung, then staked her through the back.
As Buffy moved to attack the first vampire, a third dropped from the crates onto her back. Buffy rolled, tossing the vampire on to the floor then staking him. As the late comer exploded into dust Buffy twisted to Stake the first vamp, who had tried to sneak up on her while she dealt with his companions.
"You’d think they’d try something new once and a while," Buffy muttered hurrying toward the sounds of commotion.
* * *
The Shadwen was glowing softly, Kelvasus chanted over it, occasionally tossing herbs or liquids onto the coals which had been carefully arranged around it.
The smoke rising from the coals filled the air with a sickeningly sweet odor.
Angel was as close to the Shadwen as he could get without drawing attention to himself. He shrugged slightly. There was nothing left to be done in preparation, no time left for delays and no other options left.
Angel dashed up the steps, slamming into Kelvasus and the alter as he grabbed the Shadwen sending the coals flying into the crowd.
Trying to capitalize on the chaos he’d generated Angel started running, forcing his way through the stunned crowd, the Shadwen cradled against his chest. In his arms the Shadwen was still glowing, burning him. Angel only tightened his grip.
Behind him Kelvasus roared, "Stop him."
The crowd responded, suddenly Angel was tearing at a sea of restraining hands. Angel’s face shifted as he fought revealing the demon within.
There were too many of them. All over him. Angel couldn’t focus on an opponent, instead he twisted and struck out at random.
Someone kicked the side of his knee. Angel screamed as the joint collapsed . As he fell Angel’s hold on the Shadwen loosened. When he hit the ground it was underneath him, the spire slashed into his chest, through his heart. He felt a wave of fire rippling out from the Shadwen. Angel’s body curled around the pain. The burning was so intense, Angel never felt the blows the mob rained on him.
"Back off," Cletus ordered. Slowly the crowd pulled back. Angel remained on the ground shuttering uncontrollably.
Nev grabbed Angel by the shoulder and jerked him onto his back. As Nev pulled the spire from Angel’s chest it’s glow died.
* * *
"Giles found it or something," Cordelia reported, "Buffy’s in the warehouse now."
"We’ll be there in a few minutes," Joyce replied, hanging up the phone.
* * *
"What is this, a vampire flop house?" Buffy asked dispatching yet another vamp.
"A most succinct description," Giles replied, holding off several other with a bottle of holy water.
Buffy had fought her way to his side just in time. Giles had managed to destroy the largest of the vampire threatening him, but in doing so he’d given the read head and the boy an opening. Buffy had arrived to see the vampire girl preparing to sink fangs into her Watcher’s throat. Fortunately the vampires were so intent on Giles they failed to notice Buffy. She staked them both before they had time to correct their oversight.
Then the Slayer and Watcher had continued into the depths of the warehouse. Buffy found the maze like arrangement of the crates and the vampires popping up at random intervals disturbingly reminiscent of a video game Xander had talked her into playing a few weeks ago, Area 54, or something like that.
"Shouldn’t these guys be in a hurry to get to their ceremony thing?" Buffy asked during a lull in the vamp deluge.
"If these vampire are Kelvasus’, yes," Giles replied.
Buffy stared at him, "These guys are the wrong bad guys?" she asked.
Giles looked tired, "The eclipse is in effect and this group seems totally unfocused. They have no agenda, no plan for this event."
"What!?!" Buffy exclaimed. "Well lets pull back. Cordy’s supposed to be regrouping the others outside. I think it’s time for a new plan."
Giles sighed, "Buffy I don’t know what to do now. The eclipse is underway and we know next to nothing about the Shadwen or Kelvasus. We seem to have run out of time."
"No," Buffy said firmly, "Even if we can’t stop him, we’ll find a way to undo his eclipse." She smiled, "We can’t give up, we’re the good guys."
Giles returned her smile, "Of course, how could I forget."
* * *
Xander, Oz, Willow, Cordelia and Joyce crept into the warehouse.
Joyce nervously held a cross before her. she was the only adult in the group, but she was also the only one who hadn’t been involved in this sort of situation before
Xander lead the group, stake in hand. Willow and Oz flanked him each carrying a water gun filled with holy water. Joyce brought up the rear with Cordelia, who also carried a cross as well as a duffel bag holding the rest of their slaying supplies.
Xander, Willow and Oz all looked determined. Cordelia looked annoyed.
"Where to now?" Cordy asked.
A pile of crates at the end of one of the aisles toppled as a vampire crashed into it.
"That way looks good," Xander replied running toward the vampire.
Before the vampire could extricate itself from the crates Xander destroyed it, then stood to see Buffy and Giles finishing off another vampire of their own.
"Where’s the ritual?" Xander asked.
* * *
The bizarre half-light reflected off the vampires’ pale skin, making their hands and faces seem to glow. Several had reverted to their more demonic forms.
The crowd parted making room for the small group half dragging the injured, dark haired vampire back to the alter and Kelvasus.
"The Shadwen is undamaged," Nev said presenting it to his lord.
"The spell components have been wasted," Kelvasus said quietly as he accepted the blood stained spire his solider offered him on bent knee.
At his words Angel raised his head, revealing glowing yellow eyes set in a leathery skinned visage as horrific as that of any of his captors. His smile radiated a calm satisfaction that was at odds with his demonic appearance.
The vampire lord glanced down at this most unexpected enemy. "Why?" he asked, "You may not have wanted to follow me, but what vampire would not desire an end to the sun’s tyranny?"
"For the humans," Angel said. "Vampires are a curse upon the Earth. I’d see them all destroyed if I could."
"Don’t think you’ve won," Kelvasus replied. "I have worked for this nearly two thousand years. Your interference buys only a few more years, and I can afford to wait."
Another wave of pain crashed through Angel’s body, leaving him hanging limply between the vampire restraining him.
"Angelus," the vampire lord said, waiting patiently until his prisoner recovered himself enough to raise his head again. "You could have joined with us," he continued. "Instead you chose a deranged alliance with humans, against your own kind. And now you have failed and will die, for nothing."
The vampire stepped forward and viscously backhanded his captive, sending the younger vampire reeling into unconsciousness.
"Leave him for the sun," Kelvasus commanded.
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