Disclaimer. Characters belong to Joss Whedon and Fox tv, etc. Used without permission
Title" Horsemen1-Xander gets a job
feedback: Would be nice.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Xander Harris grabbed his tray and wove his way through the crowded cafeteria to a small table over in a sparsely occupied corner of the room. Not that he was looking for the solo experience, but that was where Buffy and Willow were seated and he so wanted to talk to them. Besides, he hadn't seen them since last spring.
"Hey," he said, putting his tray down beside Willow. "Mind if I sit here." Without waiting for an answer, he hooked the chair out with a foot, and sat.
"Xander," smiled Willow. "When did you get back, you didn't call."
"Yeah, you should have," grinned Buffy. "I thought this cafeteria was for, you know, actual students."
"Hey, I am a student," Xander protested. "Signed up this morning, a full slate of courses."
"Oh," said Willow. "Oh, good. I think. I called your Mom last week, she didn't know where you were, or when you'd be back. You're here now, and in school, and you don't have the money, or at least you didn't when you left, and a week isn't long enough to get a student loan..."
"Will, its all paid for."
"It is, how?"
I got a job, which came with two conditions. One, I live where I work, and two I take a full load of classes at the University of California, Sunnydale campus."
"Xander," Buffy didn't know whether to be amused or exasperated. 'People don't get jobs like that."
"I did, and that's why I need to talk to you. I think I'm getting into something weird. Hellmouth weird."
"Figures," Buffy sighed. "Where is this job, and what do you do?"
"I got back a little over a week ago, I wasn't ready to go home, and I knew you guys would try to talk me into going back, that's why I didn't call, I couldn't face them yet. So I did the homeless thing, sleeping in my car..."
"You slept in your car," Willow interjected.
"I did it lots this summer, life on the open roads etc. Gives you a whole new perspective on what's important. Anyway, I'm curling up in my sleeping bag, when some guy starts rapping on my windshield. I figured it was a cop, who was going to tell me to move on, even though I wasn't blocking anything, or anywhere near Cordy's place. Only its a guy, about my age, who asks if I was Alexander Harris. I said yes, and he said he had a job, if I was interested. He told me what it pays, that a place to live is included in the offer, and I'd have to go back to school here. He said he didn't know how long the job would be available, and he wasn't going to screw up some kids life, when he should be getting ready for the future."
"So you took it."
"Yeah, I took it." Xander stared at his tray, speared a stringy bit of lettuce with a fork, and popped it into his mouth. This guy, Nathaniel Carpenter, lives on an old horse farm, just north of here, up on a hill. You can see all the lights of town from up there, you've really got to come out and see it sometime, and the stars..."
"Xander, the job," prodded Buffy.
"Oh yeah, I'm sort of a handyman, do all sorts of jobs, whatever needs done. No animals though. They got this big old red barn, and some one had built a suite into the side, that's where I live.
The only other person there is Meg, the Housekeeper, only she doesn't look anything like a Housekeeper. Young, back hair, eyes, beautiful."
"And the weird part is..."
"That all this would be happening to me," Xander said, a dreamy look in his eyes. He shook himself. "She owns the place you know."
"No we don't know," snapped Buffy rolling her eyes.
"They had me over for supper last night. After which, h calls me into his den, and gives me an advance on my first pay cheque. He also gives me another cheque to give to the school, for my courses. Anyway, while he gets them out, I'm looking around, and seeing a lot of books. Like Giles has, on demons and stuff. I look back on his desk and I see a letter with your name on it." Xander reached into a pocket, and pulls out a folded piece of paper.
"You took the letter," said Willow.
"Hey, if its about us..."
Buffy snatched the letter, glanced at it, and passed it to Willow. "Can't read anything but my name."
"That's because its written in Italian, which I can read. A little." Willow peered at the letter. "Its a report to a Signor Bartholomew, at some Academy in Florence. He knows that you're the Slayer, and we help, but he hasn't met us yet...but he wants to. He signs himself, Nathaniel Carpenter, Magus."
"That's like a wise man," asked Buffy.
"He's a magic user, like me." Willow told her. "Except he's much better. If he really is a Magus."
"So a Magus is at the top of the Magick user pyramid."
Willow nodded her agreement, eyes peering at some small print on the paper. "Hey, he's got a web page, maybe I can hack through that. Anyone can do it, well maybe Buffy can't but I could."
Buffy would have protested that, but was too lost in the unfairness of it all.
**********************************************************
"Giles," Buffy stood outside her Watcher's apartment door staring up at her disheveled Watcher. "We got a problem."
"Buffy, it's ah three in the morning. Can't this wait."
"No, Giles, it can't." Buffy pushed her way past Giles, into the living room. Where she placed her pack onto the coffee table, reaching into it and pulling out an enormous looking frog.
"This is Willow."
"What," Giles wasn't sure he could believe what he was hearing.
"He turned Willow into a frog."
"A toad actually..."
"Ewww," squealed Buffy dropping the creature onto her bag hastily. "A toad, a frog was bad enough. Now I'm gong to be all warty and..."
"Buffy," Giles snapped. "What happened. To Willow I mean."
"You know that letter we gave you last night, by this magoo guy?"
"Uh yes."
"Well it had a web address, and Willow thought she could hack into his computer if she could get to it. So she did last night. Only while she was downloading files from his computer, he was getting files from hers, a sort of reverse hack. Only, she didn't know that until she was finished, and it really wigged her. I mean she totally lost it. Threatened to turn him into frog, and started chanting. I never saw her like that, and by the time I could think to stop her, it was too late. It was a really short spell." Buffy took a deep breath.
"There was this flash of light, and there was nothing left of Willow, except for a pile of clothes on the floor where she'd been standing. And this, uh, toad crawled out of them." Buffy shuddered. "I had to chase her around the room to catch her, so I could bring her here"
"She tried to turn a Magus into a frog?" Giles inspected the creature, who inspected him back. "I suspect he turned her spell back onto her."
"Precisely what I did," I said from the doorway, startling the pair. Buffy launched herself at me.
I lifted a finger, she stopped. I raised the finger some more, and pushed. She rose into the air, and floated back, to where I deposited her on the couch.
"If you hadn't moved her, I wouldn't have had to come looking for you."
"Sorry for the inconvenience."
"No need to apologize, I knew you'd bring here here. "I don't suppose you brought some clothing for her. Did you?"
"Clothes??"
"For when I change her back. Of course some Wiccans go skyclad, but something should be handy. Just in case."
"I'll get something." Giles moved to his closet, and brought out a rain coat, that would cover her nicely. He moved slowly, never once taking his eyes off me. I could feel magick in him, and he was prepared to use it. I appreciated his caution, unnecessary as it was, to say nothing of futile. He passed the coat to Buffy, who inched closer to the toad.
"Ready," I nodded. "or not." There was a flash of light and the toad became Willow again. Buffy hurriedly wrapped Willow in the coat, and ushered her over to the couch. I assured myself that all was well, then turned to leave.
"You were in my computer," a sharp voice came from behind me.
Personally, I would have thought the toad thing would be uppermost.
"Willow..." Giles tried to caution her.
"No matter," I said and turned to face the hot tempered red head. "You hacked through my web page didn't you?"
She nodded, not expending the energy needed to deny it.
"When you did so, you activated a little program I wrote. It keeps track of the callers who look at my web page. It also captures the keystrokes coming in through my connection, puts them into word groupings, and compares them against my directory. Should it suspect that I'm being hacked, it traces the connection back, and retrieves files from that computer." I shrugged. "Seems fair to me."
Obviously she didn't. She started to get up, I made a sound like a toad, she sat back down again.
"As for the toad thing. As I told Mr. Giles, I merely reversed your spell back onto you."
I waved a cheery goodbye, and once again headed for the door. This time I made it without interruption, and I had cloaked myself with a spell of invisibility by the time a certain blonde poked her head out the door.
"Gone," snarled Buffy, flouncing her way back to the couch. "Giles."
Giles jerked his head up., and looked at her questioningly.
"Did you translate that letter yet?"
"Er ah yes, I have it right here." Giles walked over to the table, and picked a piece of paper from a folder. "I'll read it to you.
Signor Bartholomew:
It has been two months since you departed, leaving Meg and I in our new home. We are doing our best to settle in here in Sunnydale, and becoming familiar with our new home. Both of us are enrolled for classes at UC-Sunnydale.
As yet, there is little or no signs to foretell the coming of the Horsemen. However Sunnydale is located over a Hellmouth portal, and it seems likely that they would no wish to make use of its power. Especially after a long and arduous journey.
Rest assured that I will devise a plan to defeat them, or, at the very least, urge them to go elsewhere. Not that I would wish such horror on others, but better there than here.
I still believe that a successful defense will need the concerted efforts by more than one party, organized into s single focussed effort. To that end, I have established contact with various Magick users. I have yet to hear back from them.
There is another possible source of help here in Sunnydale. However, I am uncertain of their value.
The current Slayer is a resident of Sunnydale, and is a student at UC-Sunnydale. It is less than a coincidence that I am in some of he classes she is taking. I believe it easiest to both keep an eye on her, and to approach her if that course should become advisable.
I will say that the Slayer is exceptional. Her unique position of being less encumbered, than most Slayers, by the strictures of the Watchers Council, due to her being activated before they found her, an unconventional Watcher, and friends who both aid her and fight along side her, have made her the most successful Slayer yet. Her work is exemplary, and she would be a great asset in the fight against the Horsemen.
However, the information I have suggests that she is headstrong, insolent, and tends to go off in her own tangents without due consideration for the consequences of her actions, both for herself and for others.
Mr. Rupert Giles, is her mentor. He was chosen by the Watchers Council to be her second Watcher, and his unconventionality allowed him to form a successful relationship with the Slayer. A relationship that would have done great things, if the Council hadn't attempted to fix their mistake by dismissing Mr. Giles as Watcher. Fortunately, he has remained as the Slayer's friend, advisor and mentor.
If it seems that I am not in awe of the Watchers Council, it is because I am not. For two reasons. One, because it is my belief that the Council thought the Slayer to be untrainable, and thus wouldn't last long. Mr. Giles once rebelled against the Council, and they perceived a chance of ridding themselves of a Watcher with dubious loyalties.
The second reason is slightly more personal. The Slayer's third Watcher, Wesley Wyndham-Price is a distant relation of mine. So distant I would not expect him to be aware of it. He was taken out of school, given little if any actual field experience, and encouraged to believe that the Slayer would actually be willing to knuckle under and obey. He was totally unprepared for the situation he found himself, and what self confidence he might have gained was irretrievable shattered. H was capable of better things, and may well be again. No matter how distant, family is family.
But I digress.
It would be easy to dismiss the Slayer and her friends as potential allies, and leave them to their own devices as long as they did not conflict with mine. However, Willow Rosenberg, is a witch and quite an accomplished one at that. She has learned much with the aid of Mr. Giles, and her own researches. With proper training, she has the potential to be a powerful force on he side of Order.
I do not believe that she will be permitted to live much longer. At least not without a price.
At the moment, she is committed to Order because of her friendship and loyalty to the Slayer and her friends. She is also being watched by agents of the other side, who would use her powers to enhance their own ends. She may, and probably initially would, resist. At which point an attempt to force her cooperation will be made. Should that fail, she will most certainly be killed. No Chaos Agent would leave a potential threat alive.
Undoubtedly that would enrage the Slayer, who would burn herself out in a probably futile attempt to get at the killers. She would probably not succeed, unless she were to concentrate her efforts solely on them, which would leave the others a clear field.
My instincts tell me that an attempt is in the offing, and I will do what I can. However, sooner or later, my attention will be needed elsewhere, and unless she has received adequate training, there may be little, if anything, that can be done.
I would offer the training if it were not for the question of her loyalties. I do not disagree with them, but, at least for now, I cannot afford the luxury of training one whose goals may run counter to mine.
It is a dilemma, but one I do not think will last long.
Yours, as ever
Nathaniel Carpenter
Magus
********************************************************
"The Horsemen, I believe, are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Giles sat behind the desk in his cramped office. Buffy had claimed the only other chair, while Willow, Oz, and Xander found spaces for themselves. "There isn't much written about the Horsemen, but what little there is indicates them as Demon Princes, who travel at the head of an army."
"Which ties in nicely with some dreams I've been having," Buffy said morosely. "A grassy plain, covered with green grass, falling prey to a horde of locusts, moving across it. We are there, trying to fight them back." She looked glum. "We don't win."
"They must have been here before," said Xander from where he sat on the floor. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be anything written about them. Someone must have fought them before. Right?" He faced Giles.
"Er right," said Giles. The most successful defense was mounted by a Magi, his Apprentice, and a Wizard."
"What happened to them?"
"They ah didn't survive."
"Sounds bad." Oz shifted closer to Willow. "Should stay out of it."
"I don't think we can." Buffy slumped at the thought of another major fight looming. "Xander, what can you tell us about Carpenter?"
"Not much, seems like a regular guy." Xander felt everyone looking at him. "Well he does. We talk about what needs to be done on his farm, its not like he told me he was some kind of male witch or something. Oh and Meg, the Housekeeper, owns the place."
"Why would the housekeeper own the house?"
"Because the Academy bought it for them. Usually it goes under the Magus's name, unless they think he's going to die." Angel stood in the doorway. "If he's going up against the Horsemen, chances are he will."
Angel, what do you know about the Academy," Buffy eyes glowed momentarily, then faded.
"Only that it exists." Angel nodded at Giles. "Just rumours that that is where the Magi are trained, then sent out on Apprenticeships. Except in Carpenter's case, he was given an intense accelerated course, and they waived the apprenticeship. My guess is they wanted to get him ready to face the Horsemen."
"And you know this how?"
Angel shrugged. "I have my sources."
"Which leaves us where? We've a Magi, but no Apprentice or Wizard. What would Willow need to do to become his Apprentice?"
Me," squeaked the red-headed cyber-wiccan.
"You're the only one who can Wills," Buffy glanced at her. "This is way too serious to ignore. Besides, there's the other stuff in the letter, about Chaos Agents and stuff."
'Nobody's going to get me," Willow protested.
"Does the word toad ring a bell?"
"Oh," Willow flushed. "Ok, but he caught me by surprise."
Angel looked mystified, Buffy shot him a tell you later look.
""Gotta get you prepared Will, and Giles can be the Wizard. The rest of us will have to do the best we can."
"Buffy," Giles began.. "I ah don't think this is going to work." Buffy stared at him. "I don't know near enough magick, or have the skill needed to learn it. Also, I don't have time. There are all these other threats, they won't go away just because a greater evil is coming. I think we can expect them to increase."
Buffy slumped further into her chair.
**********************************************************
"So, what's the topic for discussion?" Bufy had requested a meeting with me, over lunch. I opened my lunch box to see what Meg had packed. An assortment of fruits nuts vegetables, and cheeses. Plus, a thermos of her herbal tea.
"What is that," inquired Xander. "Inquiring minds want to know if not experience."
"A regimented diet," I said popping an unsalted cashew into my mouth.
"One which he'd better stick to." Meg came up from behind, and took a place at the table. "Honestly, he'd much rather fill himself up with whatever Xander is eating."
"Hey, there's nutrition in here," protested Xander. "Somewhere..."
"The cardboard it's packaged in perhaps." Meg transferred her glare to me. "I found your latest stash. Honestly, this boy is seriously corrupting your eating habits. For which, I have to compensate."
"Ahem," came a British voice on the other side of Buffy. "I'm sure this is quite fascinating, but could we get back on track. The Horsemen?"
I chewed an olive before speaking. "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, or the demon princes we call by that name. War, Hunger, Pestilence, Death. Very powerful, very nasty. Headed this way at the head of a horde of an unknown number of lessor demons."
"You know this how?"
"The Lords of the Magi keep track of these things. I was selected for an intense but accelerated training program, and tasked with the job of stopping them. Or, at the very least, inviting them elsewhere."
"Why you?" Willow put down her milk. "Why did they choose you?"
"It was my ancestor who faced them several centuries ago, and managed to shunt them off in another direction." I shrugged. "My guess is that they're hoping that I can do the same."
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"That's the question." I eyed the remaining contents of my lunch pail, and shoved it aside, getting a dirty look from Meg. "I don't think I can stop them from coming. I may be able to use hit and run tactics, to slow them, cut down their numbers, and push them towards an area where I have an advantage. When they do get here, I have offers for help from other Magi, their apprentice's and the like."
"But they're not there now," Xander chugged his pop.
"No."
"So how are you planning to do all this," Buffy toyed with her lunch. "You against an army."
"Yep, just me," I said, reacting a little to the sarcasm that was creeping into her voice. "Except that it isn't an army. Not disciplined enough, which is my best advantage."
"Oh really."
"Giles said it took a Magus and his Apprentice to stop them the last time."
"And a Wizard," I supplied. "Filling a magickal triumvirate that had enough power to turn them aside."
"Willow could be your Apprentice."
"Buffy," Willow yelped like a scalded cat. I raised an eyebrow and stared at her.
"This is way serious," Buffy cut her off. "You know magick Willow, and he can't do this alone."
I wasn't overjoyed with the level of her enthusiasm for my abilities, and I could guess that Meg wasn't either. Except that she couldn't quite hide her smirk.
"Buffy...," began Giles, looking uncomfortable. "Don't you think Willow should decide."
"Everybody gets a choice except me," Buffy groused.
"No, wait," Willow held up a hand. "She's right. This is serious." She turned to me. "I'll still be able to help Buffy, right. Cause I'm not doing it if I can't."
"I raised an eyebrow. "That's not quite the way it works. Also, I don't know if it would work."
"Why not," the red head snapped her eyes over to mine. "I'd make a good Apprentice. I'm good with magick and stuff."
"Recall what happened when you tried to turn me into a frog?"
She opened her mouth. Oz and Xander fixed their eyes on her. She reddened, and snapped her mouth shut. "I could've done it," she muttered, not really believing it herself.
"No you couldn't," I assured her. "You knew the spell, could make it work, but you couldn't break through my defenses fast enough to prevent me from discovering your attempt, and reversing your spell on you, with a few modifications of my own."
"You turned Willow into a frog," Xander's eyes darkened.
"A toad, actually, only as long as it took for me to find her and change her her back.
"I'm going out on a limb and assuming that you shared that letter Xander pilfered. In which case you know that the opposition would try to have you use your powers for their ends."
"How do we know your not?"
"Of course I am, that's the whole point to this exercise. I just won't use magick or other means to force compliance."
"I'd die first."
"That would be an acceptable result, from their point of view. Leaving the question of how long you would suffer while they determined that you could not be coerced into helping."
"They haven't tried yet," Willow said with a little more confidence than she actually felt.
"Actually they have," I told her, watching her eyes grow big. "I've stopped three attempts so far."
"Then I don't have anything to worry about."
"Unless my attention is drawn elsewhere. In which case, there would be little I could do."
"How would I be safer if I was your Apprentice? You could still be distracted."
"Let me first ask you a question, Willow. Where does the energies used in magick come from?"
Willow thought a moment, trying to remember what she had read. "From within us," she asked.
"No. The talent, the ability to use magick comes from within. But the motive forces, the energies used, comes from outside. From the layers of ether that surrounds us, and can only be accessed by magick. When you use magick, you send ripples out through the ether, much like dropping a stone into a pool of water. Those with the talent, to do so, can sense those ripples, and seek out the source.
"My commitment to Willow would be as great as her commitment to me. The process of binding herself to me as my apprentice, would create a psychic link between us. I would know if she were endangered. If I were delayed, and she was killed, or taken, they would still have to deal with me. The most effective way to hide from a magick user, especially a Magus who is looking, is not to use magick."
"The ripple thing?" Buffy looked interested.
"Yes the ripple thing. Non magick users would force me to use more traditional ways to track them down. However, the people attracted to her power would want to use that power. I would know the instant she does. Magick users, especially those willing to go up against her, or me, may find it difficult not to use their magick. Eventually they would slip, and I would find them." I grinned. "I'm sure you're more than capable of handling anything that is left over."
"Oh." Willow glanced back at Buffy, then at Oz. Buffy nodded, Oz shrugged. She turned her attention back to me.
"Okay, I'll be your Apprentice. As long as I can still help Buffy."
"But," I interrupted. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. You all seem concerned about Willow becoming my Apprentice. I don't know if I want Willow to be my Apprentice."
"Wait a minute," protested Buffy. "Didn't we just go through all this?"
"Not quite, there's the matter of her loyalties." I looked at Willow. "You've been together for what four years? If it came to a decision, where where my interests ran counter to that of the Slayer's, could you place your loyalty to me and to my teachings above your loyalty to Buffy?"
"No," said Willow firmly.
"Yes," said Buffy equally as firmly.
"Buffy, I could never go against you."
"It is not likely that the situation will occur, but it is conceivable. I would need to be assured that my Apprentice is not working against me."
"Oh." Willow paused to think it over. "I could still help Buffy, and Giles with the research, and the slaying?"
"So long as it doesn't interfere with your lessons, and as long as you remember that your first loyalty is to me and not to Buffy."
"Willow, I need you to do this." Buffy looked grim. "This Horsemen thing is bigger than any of us, and we gotta do what we gotta do to beat them. You can still be my friend, I'll always be yours. I,uh, I want to be sure that you, and the others, will be okay after I'm gone. I mean, how much longer can I last?"
The two girls looked at each other, while an uncomfortable silence fell over the table.
"Oh, okay." "Willow looked at me, wide eyed, scared. "What do I do?"
"Take a couple days to think it over. There's no going back."
"So, now we got to find him a Wizard. I nominate Giles."
"Xander, that would not be practical. I still have my research, and Buffy's training. There's still the other threats, which I presume will increase as the Horsemen draw nearer."
I nodded. "They will be trying to get theirs before he new masters come, or currying favour with them. I think you can look forward to an increase in activity."
Buffy slumped, and nibbled on her sandwich.
"We could maybe work around that, at least for the time being." I thought a moment. "Okay, if agreeable. Giles is at the Magician stage, and won't take too much effort to bring the rest of the way. But that will cut into the time needed for research and training. Since Xander nominated him, I think it only fair that he pick up where Giles is forced to leave off."
Xander paled, and Willow grinned widely.
"As my Apprentice, Willow will need to learn some fighting techniques, and Buffy could do that as part of her training."
Now it was Willow's turn to pale.
"We can see how it works."
Deal?"
"Deal."
"Deal."
"Deal."
Title" Horsemen1-Xander gets a job
feedback: Would be nice.
*** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** *** Xander Harris grabbed his tray and wove his way through the crowded cafeteria to a small table over in a sparsely occupied corner of the room. Not that he was looking for the solo experience, but that was where Buffy and Willow were seated and he so wanted to talk to them. Besides, he hadn't seen them since last spring.
"Hey," he said, putting his tray down beside Willow. "Mind if I sit here." Without waiting for an answer, he hooked the chair out with a foot, and sat.
"Xander," smiled Willow. "When did you get back, you didn't call."
"Yeah, you should have," grinned Buffy. "I thought this cafeteria was for, you know, actual students."
"Hey, I am a student," Xander protested. "Signed up this morning, a full slate of courses."
"Oh," said Willow. "Oh, good. I think. I called your Mom last week, she didn't know where you were, or when you'd be back. You're here now, and in school, and you don't have the money, or at least you didn't when you left, and a week isn't long enough to get a student loan..."
"Will, its all paid for."
"It is, how?"
I got a job, which came with two conditions. One, I live where I work, and two I take a full load of classes at the University of California, Sunnydale campus."
"Xander," Buffy didn't know whether to be amused or exasperated. 'People don't get jobs like that."
"I did, and that's why I need to talk to you. I think I'm getting into something weird. Hellmouth weird."
"Figures," Buffy sighed. "Where is this job, and what do you do?"
"I got back a little over a week ago, I wasn't ready to go home, and I knew you guys would try to talk me into going back, that's why I didn't call, I couldn't face them yet. So I did the homeless thing, sleeping in my car..."
"You slept in your car," Willow interjected.
"I did it lots this summer, life on the open roads etc. Gives you a whole new perspective on what's important. Anyway, I'm curling up in my sleeping bag, when some guy starts rapping on my windshield. I figured it was a cop, who was going to tell me to move on, even though I wasn't blocking anything, or anywhere near Cordy's place. Only its a guy, about my age, who asks if I was Alexander Harris. I said yes, and he said he had a job, if I was interested. He told me what it pays, that a place to live is included in the offer, and I'd have to go back to school here. He said he didn't know how long the job would be available, and he wasn't going to screw up some kids life, when he should be getting ready for the future."
"So you took it."
"Yeah, I took it." Xander stared at his tray, speared a stringy bit of lettuce with a fork, and popped it into his mouth. This guy, Nathaniel Carpenter, lives on an old horse farm, just north of here, up on a hill. You can see all the lights of town from up there, you've really got to come out and see it sometime, and the stars..."
"Xander, the job," prodded Buffy.
"Oh yeah, I'm sort of a handyman, do all sorts of jobs, whatever needs done. No animals though. They got this big old red barn, and some one had built a suite into the side, that's where I live.
The only other person there is Meg, the Housekeeper, only she doesn't look anything like a Housekeeper. Young, back hair, eyes, beautiful."
"And the weird part is..."
"That all this would be happening to me," Xander said, a dreamy look in his eyes. He shook himself. "She owns the place you know."
"No we don't know," snapped Buffy rolling her eyes.
"They had me over for supper last night. After which, h calls me into his den, and gives me an advance on my first pay cheque. He also gives me another cheque to give to the school, for my courses. Anyway, while he gets them out, I'm looking around, and seeing a lot of books. Like Giles has, on demons and stuff. I look back on his desk and I see a letter with your name on it." Xander reached into a pocket, and pulls out a folded piece of paper.
"You took the letter," said Willow.
"Hey, if its about us..."
Buffy snatched the letter, glanced at it, and passed it to Willow. "Can't read anything but my name."
"That's because its written in Italian, which I can read. A little." Willow peered at the letter. "Its a report to a Signor Bartholomew, at some Academy in Florence. He knows that you're the Slayer, and we help, but he hasn't met us yet...but he wants to. He signs himself, Nathaniel Carpenter, Magus."
"That's like a wise man," asked Buffy.
"He's a magic user, like me." Willow told her. "Except he's much better. If he really is a Magus."
"So a Magus is at the top of the Magick user pyramid."
Willow nodded her agreement, eyes peering at some small print on the paper. "Hey, he's got a web page, maybe I can hack through that. Anyone can do it, well maybe Buffy can't but I could."
Buffy would have protested that, but was too lost in the unfairness of it all.
**********************************************************
"Giles," Buffy stood outside her Watcher's apartment door staring up at her disheveled Watcher. "We got a problem."
"Buffy, it's ah three in the morning. Can't this wait."
"No, Giles, it can't." Buffy pushed her way past Giles, into the living room. Where she placed her pack onto the coffee table, reaching into it and pulling out an enormous looking frog.
"This is Willow."
"What," Giles wasn't sure he could believe what he was hearing.
"He turned Willow into a frog."
"A toad actually..."
"Ewww," squealed Buffy dropping the creature onto her bag hastily. "A toad, a frog was bad enough. Now I'm gong to be all warty and..."
"Buffy," Giles snapped. "What happened. To Willow I mean."
"You know that letter we gave you last night, by this magoo guy?"
"Uh yes."
"Well it had a web address, and Willow thought she could hack into his computer if she could get to it. So she did last night. Only while she was downloading files from his computer, he was getting files from hers, a sort of reverse hack. Only, she didn't know that until she was finished, and it really wigged her. I mean she totally lost it. Threatened to turn him into frog, and started chanting. I never saw her like that, and by the time I could think to stop her, it was too late. It was a really short spell." Buffy took a deep breath.
"There was this flash of light, and there was nothing left of Willow, except for a pile of clothes on the floor where she'd been standing. And this, uh, toad crawled out of them." Buffy shuddered. "I had to chase her around the room to catch her, so I could bring her here"
"She tried to turn a Magus into a frog?" Giles inspected the creature, who inspected him back. "I suspect he turned her spell back onto her."
"Precisely what I did," I said from the doorway, startling the pair. Buffy launched herself at me.
I lifted a finger, she stopped. I raised the finger some more, and pushed. She rose into the air, and floated back, to where I deposited her on the couch.
"If you hadn't moved her, I wouldn't have had to come looking for you."
"Sorry for the inconvenience."
"No need to apologize, I knew you'd bring here here. "I don't suppose you brought some clothing for her. Did you?"
"Clothes??"
"For when I change her back. Of course some Wiccans go skyclad, but something should be handy. Just in case."
"I'll get something." Giles moved to his closet, and brought out a rain coat, that would cover her nicely. He moved slowly, never once taking his eyes off me. I could feel magick in him, and he was prepared to use it. I appreciated his caution, unnecessary as it was, to say nothing of futile. He passed the coat to Buffy, who inched closer to the toad.
"Ready," I nodded. "or not." There was a flash of light and the toad became Willow again. Buffy hurriedly wrapped Willow in the coat, and ushered her over to the couch. I assured myself that all was well, then turned to leave.
"You were in my computer," a sharp voice came from behind me.
Personally, I would have thought the toad thing would be uppermost.
"Willow..." Giles tried to caution her.
"No matter," I said and turned to face the hot tempered red head. "You hacked through my web page didn't you?"
She nodded, not expending the energy needed to deny it.
"When you did so, you activated a little program I wrote. It keeps track of the callers who look at my web page. It also captures the keystrokes coming in through my connection, puts them into word groupings, and compares them against my directory. Should it suspect that I'm being hacked, it traces the connection back, and retrieves files from that computer." I shrugged. "Seems fair to me."
Obviously she didn't. She started to get up, I made a sound like a toad, she sat back down again.
"As for the toad thing. As I told Mr. Giles, I merely reversed your spell back onto you."
I waved a cheery goodbye, and once again headed for the door. This time I made it without interruption, and I had cloaked myself with a spell of invisibility by the time a certain blonde poked her head out the door.
"Gone," snarled Buffy, flouncing her way back to the couch. "Giles."
Giles jerked his head up., and looked at her questioningly.
"Did you translate that letter yet?"
"Er ah yes, I have it right here." Giles walked over to the table, and picked a piece of paper from a folder. "I'll read it to you.
Signor Bartholomew:
It has been two months since you departed, leaving Meg and I in our new home. We are doing our best to settle in here in Sunnydale, and becoming familiar with our new home. Both of us are enrolled for classes at UC-Sunnydale.
As yet, there is little or no signs to foretell the coming of the Horsemen. However Sunnydale is located over a Hellmouth portal, and it seems likely that they would no wish to make use of its power. Especially after a long and arduous journey.
Rest assured that I will devise a plan to defeat them, or, at the very least, urge them to go elsewhere. Not that I would wish such horror on others, but better there than here.
I still believe that a successful defense will need the concerted efforts by more than one party, organized into s single focussed effort. To that end, I have established contact with various Magick users. I have yet to hear back from them.
There is another possible source of help here in Sunnydale. However, I am uncertain of their value.
The current Slayer is a resident of Sunnydale, and is a student at UC-Sunnydale. It is less than a coincidence that I am in some of he classes she is taking. I believe it easiest to both keep an eye on her, and to approach her if that course should become advisable.
I will say that the Slayer is exceptional. Her unique position of being less encumbered, than most Slayers, by the strictures of the Watchers Council, due to her being activated before they found her, an unconventional Watcher, and friends who both aid her and fight along side her, have made her the most successful Slayer yet. Her work is exemplary, and she would be a great asset in the fight against the Horsemen.
However, the information I have suggests that she is headstrong, insolent, and tends to go off in her own tangents without due consideration for the consequences of her actions, both for herself and for others.
Mr. Rupert Giles, is her mentor. He was chosen by the Watchers Council to be her second Watcher, and his unconventionality allowed him to form a successful relationship with the Slayer. A relationship that would have done great things, if the Council hadn't attempted to fix their mistake by dismissing Mr. Giles as Watcher. Fortunately, he has remained as the Slayer's friend, advisor and mentor.
If it seems that I am not in awe of the Watchers Council, it is because I am not. For two reasons. One, because it is my belief that the Council thought the Slayer to be untrainable, and thus wouldn't last long. Mr. Giles once rebelled against the Council, and they perceived a chance of ridding themselves of a Watcher with dubious loyalties.
The second reason is slightly more personal. The Slayer's third Watcher, Wesley Wyndham-Price is a distant relation of mine. So distant I would not expect him to be aware of it. He was taken out of school, given little if any actual field experience, and encouraged to believe that the Slayer would actually be willing to knuckle under and obey. He was totally unprepared for the situation he found himself, and what self confidence he might have gained was irretrievable shattered. H was capable of better things, and may well be again. No matter how distant, family is family.
But I digress.
It would be easy to dismiss the Slayer and her friends as potential allies, and leave them to their own devices as long as they did not conflict with mine. However, Willow Rosenberg, is a witch and quite an accomplished one at that. She has learned much with the aid of Mr. Giles, and her own researches. With proper training, she has the potential to be a powerful force on he side of Order.
I do not believe that she will be permitted to live much longer. At least not without a price.
At the moment, she is committed to Order because of her friendship and loyalty to the Slayer and her friends. She is also being watched by agents of the other side, who would use her powers to enhance their own ends. She may, and probably initially would, resist. At which point an attempt to force her cooperation will be made. Should that fail, she will most certainly be killed. No Chaos Agent would leave a potential threat alive.
Undoubtedly that would enrage the Slayer, who would burn herself out in a probably futile attempt to get at the killers. She would probably not succeed, unless she were to concentrate her efforts solely on them, which would leave the others a clear field.
My instincts tell me that an attempt is in the offing, and I will do what I can. However, sooner or later, my attention will be needed elsewhere, and unless she has received adequate training, there may be little, if anything, that can be done.
I would offer the training if it were not for the question of her loyalties. I do not disagree with them, but, at least for now, I cannot afford the luxury of training one whose goals may run counter to mine.
It is a dilemma, but one I do not think will last long.
Yours, as ever
Nathaniel Carpenter
Magus
********************************************************
"The Horsemen, I believe, are the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse." Giles sat behind the desk in his cramped office. Buffy had claimed the only other chair, while Willow, Oz, and Xander found spaces for themselves. "There isn't much written about the Horsemen, but what little there is indicates them as Demon Princes, who travel at the head of an army."
"Which ties in nicely with some dreams I've been having," Buffy said morosely. "A grassy plain, covered with green grass, falling prey to a horde of locusts, moving across it. We are there, trying to fight them back." She looked glum. "We don't win."
"They must have been here before," said Xander from where he sat on the floor. "Otherwise, there wouldn't be anything written about them. Someone must have fought them before. Right?" He faced Giles.
"Er right," said Giles. The most successful defense was mounted by a Magi, his Apprentice, and a Wizard."
"What happened to them?"
"They ah didn't survive."
"Sounds bad." Oz shifted closer to Willow. "Should stay out of it."
"I don't think we can." Buffy slumped at the thought of another major fight looming. "Xander, what can you tell us about Carpenter?"
"Not much, seems like a regular guy." Xander felt everyone looking at him. "Well he does. We talk about what needs to be done on his farm, its not like he told me he was some kind of male witch or something. Oh and Meg, the Housekeeper, owns the place."
"Why would the housekeeper own the house?"
"Because the Academy bought it for them. Usually it goes under the Magus's name, unless they think he's going to die." Angel stood in the doorway. "If he's going up against the Horsemen, chances are he will."
Angel, what do you know about the Academy," Buffy eyes glowed momentarily, then faded.
"Only that it exists." Angel nodded at Giles. "Just rumours that that is where the Magi are trained, then sent out on Apprenticeships. Except in Carpenter's case, he was given an intense accelerated course, and they waived the apprenticeship. My guess is they wanted to get him ready to face the Horsemen."
"And you know this how?"
Angel shrugged. "I have my sources."
"Which leaves us where? We've a Magi, but no Apprentice or Wizard. What would Willow need to do to become his Apprentice?"
Me," squeaked the red-headed cyber-wiccan.
"You're the only one who can Wills," Buffy glanced at her. "This is way too serious to ignore. Besides, there's the other stuff in the letter, about Chaos Agents and stuff."
'Nobody's going to get me," Willow protested.
"Does the word toad ring a bell?"
"Oh," Willow flushed. "Ok, but he caught me by surprise."
Angel looked mystified, Buffy shot him a tell you later look.
""Gotta get you prepared Will, and Giles can be the Wizard. The rest of us will have to do the best we can."
"Buffy," Giles began.. "I ah don't think this is going to work." Buffy stared at him. "I don't know near enough magick, or have the skill needed to learn it. Also, I don't have time. There are all these other threats, they won't go away just because a greater evil is coming. I think we can expect them to increase."
Buffy slumped further into her chair.
**********************************************************
"So, what's the topic for discussion?" Bufy had requested a meeting with me, over lunch. I opened my lunch box to see what Meg had packed. An assortment of fruits nuts vegetables, and cheeses. Plus, a thermos of her herbal tea.
"What is that," inquired Xander. "Inquiring minds want to know if not experience."
"A regimented diet," I said popping an unsalted cashew into my mouth.
"One which he'd better stick to." Meg came up from behind, and took a place at the table. "Honestly, he'd much rather fill himself up with whatever Xander is eating."
"Hey, there's nutrition in here," protested Xander. "Somewhere..."
"The cardboard it's packaged in perhaps." Meg transferred her glare to me. "I found your latest stash. Honestly, this boy is seriously corrupting your eating habits. For which, I have to compensate."
"Ahem," came a British voice on the other side of Buffy. "I'm sure this is quite fascinating, but could we get back on track. The Horsemen?"
I chewed an olive before speaking. "The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, or the demon princes we call by that name. War, Hunger, Pestilence, Death. Very powerful, very nasty. Headed this way at the head of a horde of an unknown number of lessor demons."
"You know this how?"
"The Lords of the Magi keep track of these things. I was selected for an intense but accelerated training program, and tasked with the job of stopping them. Or, at the very least, inviting them elsewhere."
"Why you?" Willow put down her milk. "Why did they choose you?"
"It was my ancestor who faced them several centuries ago, and managed to shunt them off in another direction." I shrugged. "My guess is that they're hoping that I can do the same."
"How do you plan on doing that?"
"That's the question." I eyed the remaining contents of my lunch pail, and shoved it aside, getting a dirty look from Meg. "I don't think I can stop them from coming. I may be able to use hit and run tactics, to slow them, cut down their numbers, and push them towards an area where I have an advantage. When they do get here, I have offers for help from other Magi, their apprentice's and the like."
"But they're not there now," Xander chugged his pop.
"No."
"So how are you planning to do all this," Buffy toyed with her lunch. "You against an army."
"Yep, just me," I said, reacting a little to the sarcasm that was creeping into her voice. "Except that it isn't an army. Not disciplined enough, which is my best advantage."
"Oh really."
"Giles said it took a Magus and his Apprentice to stop them the last time."
"And a Wizard," I supplied. "Filling a magickal triumvirate that had enough power to turn them aside."
"Willow could be your Apprentice."
"Buffy," Willow yelped like a scalded cat. I raised an eyebrow and stared at her.
"This is way serious," Buffy cut her off. "You know magick Willow, and he can't do this alone."
I wasn't overjoyed with the level of her enthusiasm for my abilities, and I could guess that Meg wasn't either. Except that she couldn't quite hide her smirk.
"Buffy...," began Giles, looking uncomfortable. "Don't you think Willow should decide."
"Everybody gets a choice except me," Buffy groused.
"No, wait," Willow held up a hand. "She's right. This is serious." She turned to me. "I'll still be able to help Buffy, right. Cause I'm not doing it if I can't."
"I raised an eyebrow. "That's not quite the way it works. Also, I don't know if it would work."
"Why not," the red head snapped her eyes over to mine. "I'd make a good Apprentice. I'm good with magick and stuff."
"Recall what happened when you tried to turn me into a frog?"
She opened her mouth. Oz and Xander fixed their eyes on her. She reddened, and snapped her mouth shut. "I could've done it," she muttered, not really believing it herself.
"No you couldn't," I assured her. "You knew the spell, could make it work, but you couldn't break through my defenses fast enough to prevent me from discovering your attempt, and reversing your spell on you, with a few modifications of my own."
"You turned Willow into a frog," Xander's eyes darkened.
"A toad, actually, only as long as it took for me to find her and change her her back.
"I'm going out on a limb and assuming that you shared that letter Xander pilfered. In which case you know that the opposition would try to have you use your powers for their ends."
"How do we know your not?"
"Of course I am, that's the whole point to this exercise. I just won't use magick or other means to force compliance."
"I'd die first."
"That would be an acceptable result, from their point of view. Leaving the question of how long you would suffer while they determined that you could not be coerced into helping."
"They haven't tried yet," Willow said with a little more confidence than she actually felt.
"Actually they have," I told her, watching her eyes grow big. "I've stopped three attempts so far."
"Then I don't have anything to worry about."
"Unless my attention is drawn elsewhere. In which case, there would be little I could do."
"How would I be safer if I was your Apprentice? You could still be distracted."
"Let me first ask you a question, Willow. Where does the energies used in magick come from?"
Willow thought a moment, trying to remember what she had read. "From within us," she asked.
"No. The talent, the ability to use magick comes from within. But the motive forces, the energies used, comes from outside. From the layers of ether that surrounds us, and can only be accessed by magick. When you use magick, you send ripples out through the ether, much like dropping a stone into a pool of water. Those with the talent, to do so, can sense those ripples, and seek out the source.
"My commitment to Willow would be as great as her commitment to me. The process of binding herself to me as my apprentice, would create a psychic link between us. I would know if she were endangered. If I were delayed, and she was killed, or taken, they would still have to deal with me. The most effective way to hide from a magick user, especially a Magus who is looking, is not to use magick."
"The ripple thing?" Buffy looked interested.
"Yes the ripple thing. Non magick users would force me to use more traditional ways to track them down. However, the people attracted to her power would want to use that power. I would know the instant she does. Magick users, especially those willing to go up against her, or me, may find it difficult not to use their magick. Eventually they would slip, and I would find them." I grinned. "I'm sure you're more than capable of handling anything that is left over."
"Oh." Willow glanced back at Buffy, then at Oz. Buffy nodded, Oz shrugged. She turned her attention back to me.
"Okay, I'll be your Apprentice. As long as I can still help Buffy."
"But," I interrupted. "Let's not get too far ahead of ourselves. You all seem concerned about Willow becoming my Apprentice. I don't know if I want Willow to be my Apprentice."
"Wait a minute," protested Buffy. "Didn't we just go through all this?"
"Not quite, there's the matter of her loyalties." I looked at Willow. "You've been together for what four years? If it came to a decision, where where my interests ran counter to that of the Slayer's, could you place your loyalty to me and to my teachings above your loyalty to Buffy?"
"No," said Willow firmly.
"Yes," said Buffy equally as firmly.
"Buffy, I could never go against you."
"It is not likely that the situation will occur, but it is conceivable. I would need to be assured that my Apprentice is not working against me."
"Oh." Willow paused to think it over. "I could still help Buffy, and Giles with the research, and the slaying?"
"So long as it doesn't interfere with your lessons, and as long as you remember that your first loyalty is to me and not to Buffy."
"Willow, I need you to do this." Buffy looked grim. "This Horsemen thing is bigger than any of us, and we gotta do what we gotta do to beat them. You can still be my friend, I'll always be yours. I,uh, I want to be sure that you, and the others, will be okay after I'm gone. I mean, how much longer can I last?"
The two girls looked at each other, while an uncomfortable silence fell over the table.
"Oh, okay." "Willow looked at me, wide eyed, scared. "What do I do?"
"Take a couple days to think it over. There's no going back."
"So, now we got to find him a Wizard. I nominate Giles."
"Xander, that would not be practical. I still have my research, and Buffy's training. There's still the other threats, which I presume will increase as the Horsemen draw nearer."
I nodded. "They will be trying to get theirs before he new masters come, or currying favour with them. I think you can look forward to an increase in activity."
Buffy slumped, and nibbled on her sandwich.
"We could maybe work around that, at least for the time being." I thought a moment. "Okay, if agreeable. Giles is at the Magician stage, and won't take too much effort to bring the rest of the way. But that will cut into the time needed for research and training. Since Xander nominated him, I think it only fair that he pick up where Giles is forced to leave off."
Xander paled, and Willow grinned widely.
"As my Apprentice, Willow will need to learn some fighting techniques, and Buffy could do that as part of her training."
Now it was Willow's turn to pale.
"We can see how it works."
Deal?"
"Deal."
"Deal."
"Deal."