Chapter 2: Deal Struck
The two of them wound their way through the dispersing crowds and back through the tunnel that Dawn had first entered the market through. From there they took another series of access tunnels beneath Manhattan, until they ended up in a series of passageways that opened onto the subway system on the Lower East Side. Throughout the trip Nuada was completely silent, only making the occasional motion with his hand to steer her in the correct direction. It was just as well. Dawn didn't really want to talk yet anyway.
The main entrance was an aged oak door that bore scuff marks of a long life, and had the embossed tree symbol set in a disk of darkened copper. The seal bore a very deliberate looking diagonal slash through the very center of it.
The door opened up into a single hallway with alcoves to each side, staggered at an interval of one every twelve feet of so. As they passed through, Dawn noticed that this space was much larger than she would have thought these tunnels could be. There were several rooms laid out in a very archaic style with faded tapestries and low couches with leather upholstery. Yet another room had what looked like a shrine of some kind, and there was a very old looking kitchen as well as what she thought to be a very large pantry. She caught a glimpse of an armory that would have made Buffy green with envy. Her breath hitched just a little at that thought.
Finally the tunnel opened out into what could be called an atrium. The vaulted ceiling ended with a skylight in the form of what looked like a manhole cover with significant holes in it. To the left there was another shrine with candles around it, burning constantly and providing a bit of light along from the dim blue light from the subway passage lighting. Currently there were seating cushions scattered across the stone floor.
Nuada took a seat on a worn looking cushion and gestured for her to take the one opposite him She did after a moment of figuring out how tuck her awkwardly long limbs into the right shape. Finally she looked at him and he gave her a solemn nod.
"Once again, I have to thank you," he said. He folded his hands in his lap and gave her a slight nod. "Mr. Wink was an old and dear friend of mine. It would have been a shame if he had died."
"You're welcome," Dawn said with a small grin and a shrug. "I guess helping people just runs in the blood."
She looked down at her hand and clenched it, feeling the strong pulse pounding through her body. Summers' blood. Nuada seemed polite enough to let the silence continue for some time.
"When last we met," he spoke, breaking the quiet. "You had no such thing. How did you come to be as you are now?"
Dawn gave a bitter laugh and a smile. "They did it to protect me."
She trailed off and shook her head, marshaling her thoughts. She raised her hand and looked at Nuada through her fingers in the dim light.
"Have you ever heard of the Monks of Dagon?" she asked quietly. Nuada nodded, much to her surprise, so she pressed on. "They did it to... protect me. A Hell God, Ogdru Hem, called Glory, was exiled to Earth. She was looking for a way back."
"You," Nuada said with understanding. Dawn nodded.
"Yeah me," Dawn replied. She allowed a little green light to play along her hands as she turned them in front of her face. "They wanted to keep me out of her hands. Glorificus couldn't be allowed back to Quor-toth. It would destroy everything, bring all of this suffering and nastiness to so many people. It might even have unsealed the Great Dragon themselves."
"One of the Three of Quor Toth? You faced one of the Three?" Nuada asked with an expression of genuine surprise. Dawn laughed again.
"Oh I didn't do much of anything, except nearly get us all killed," she said bitterly. Dawn shook her head. She was getting ahead of herself. "The monks, they transformed me, using the Vampire Slayer's blood as a template. They made me a body and fourteen years of fake memories to go with it. They made me a whole new life. It must have been a hell of a spell. But I had no idea at all I was really the Key. I guess somewhere I knew, but I didn't have the words for it. I thought I was just a stupid teenage girl, obsessing over clothes and boys."
Dawn shook her head with a loud sigh. "Buffy, the Slayer, was my sister. She looked out for me, you know. She and all her friends too. But then bad things started happening. Glory was getting closer, she knew where I was roughly. I was in a place where the barriers were already weak, the Hellmouth of California. I probably stood out like a beacon there."
"Then people started digging," Dawn continued. "They figured it out, figured out that I was the Key. I was so confused when I heard it. I ran away, but Buffy found me anyway and took me home. My mother started dying then; she realized that I wasn't really her daughter. Even so she was kind to me before she died. Things just kept coming, and the Slayer's team just got more and more buried under it all."
She released a ragged sigh. "Finally Glory captured me. She started the ritual to breach the worlds with my blood. It was terrible. I could feel the drain. But Buffy showed up, beat the stuffing out of Glory's host body."
Nuada leaned back on his cushion when Dawn trailed off. "That is... impressive."
"Darn right it was," Dawn replied. "She left Glory a bleeding mess. Then she came up to rescue me. But it was too late, one of Glory's little minions stabbed me and everything started. It was... I dunno. It was the worst I'd ever felt. I knew what was happening, and I knew the ritual. Once the blood started flowing, the blood had to stop in order to seal the rift to Quor-toth. I had to die to seal the rift; both my teenage body and the Key itself. Buffy, she made this decision, she wouldn't let me jump. She did instead, threw herself into the breach. Since the blood that I have is the same as hers, it sealed the rift to Quor-toth. I felt it... felt it rip her soul out of her body. I could feel my own powers rip her soul out!"
Dawn couldn't hide the tears now, and she took another minute to compose herself. "Something... something about all that jostled the monk's spell loose. I could remember things; things I'd seen and done, things I was capable of doing. I was so sad, but I was mad too. Real mad. I jumped to where Glory's host was and snapped his neck. Killed her and the man she possessed too."
Nuada looked impressed, and he gave her a tight smile. "A fitting end for such a monster. I approve."
"I didn't kill her because I wanted vengeance," Dawn said. Nuada raised an eyebrow at her and Dawn smirked ever so slightly. "Okay, maybe just a little. But more than that I just... I just wanted to make all of it stop. I wanted to make sure she'd never hurt anyone again. So I did."
Dawn wrapped her arms around legs as she brought them to her chest. "After the... the funeral, I told the others that I had to go. I needed to find strength. Strength like what Buffy had."
Nuada was silent for a moment, and the sound of dripping water somewhere was the only source of noise. Then he tilted his head to the side, giving her a measuring glance. "Why do you need to find this strength?"
"The last thing she said to me," Dawn whispered after a long stretch of silence. "Was 'take care of them. Take care of each other. Live for me.'"
"The thing is, I don't think that we could go on without her. She was the strength of the group. It's like there's this huge Buffy shaped hole, and no one to fill it at all," She raised her head and gave Nuada a long look. She raised her arm and green lightning played across it. "I have power. But I don't understand how to use it in this body. I may not be Buffy, but she gave me her last order, even if she didn't know it. I'll do what I can to fill that hole. I'm not perfect, but I can help. That's why I need strength. And I need it sooner rather than later. I don't know how long they can keep tabs on the Hellmouth as is."
Nuada seemed to contemplate this for a long time, finally nodding at her. "I understand more now. Though I loathe most humans, I will admit that her bravery in doing this was impressive. A noble sacrifice for her people and this world. You have my thanks daughter of the Slayer. Without such a sacrifice, we would have felt the edge of their invasion just as much as you would."
"Still," Nuada continued, looking thoughtfully into the distance. "To gain that kind of strength in a few month's time to rival a Slayer, even with your powers, would be quite a stretch. It would be most difficult for you to do so."
"No ideas huh?" Dawn asked with a watery grin. Nuada shook his head.
"Oh, I have one or two," he said. Dawn perked up at this, listening intently. Nuada gave her a death's head grin. "It will not be easy Divish-nal. It would require a great many different things, and would be a great drain on my time. I could not help you without a significant trade."
Her timeless core somehow knew that the Fae were creatures of bargains and pacts. Their nature was such that there was precious little they would ever do for free. It was simply against their nature to do so. Dawn tried to think.
"Hm," she said. "Well, is there anything that you need found? I'm pretty good and finding things. Key powers and all that."
For a moment Nuada frowned. Then, ever so slowly, he began to smile. Dawn almost started feeling nervous at the width of it. "Yes there is something; a family heirloom lost many years ago due to foolishness. This would be an acceptable trade should you be able to discern its place."
"Okay," Dawn said. "So, you make me the equal of a Slayer within three months and I find this...?"
"A piece of the crown of Beth-Morae," Nuada finished. Dawn leaned back thoughtfully. Perhaps this was where she needed to be. She certainly couldn't think of many other beings who would be bound by their word to such things. She leaned back on her cushion.
"Alright then," she said. "You will make me the equal of a Slayer within three months and I find you the piece of the crown you are looking for. Now, I'm not gonna go get it, you understand? I don't want to be breaking into anyone's house or anything like that."
"The location alone would be more that sufficient," Nuada replied raising his hands in a placating gesture. "And I will require your full cooperation to do what you asked."
"This won't include any funky blood rituals will it?" Dawn asked. "Kinda not interested in that, if you understand."
"Oh I do," Nuada replied with a nod. "No, though there will be magic. Magic to dilate time, to pass through a year in a day. This will give me all the time that I require, given the powers of your own blood and the power of the Key within you. You will learn more quickly than a normal human could possibly learn."
"Alright," Dawn said. She mentally crossed her fingers. "It's a deal."
She extended her long fingered hand, and Nuada grasped her forearm with a huge grin.
"A deal."
0oooo0oooo0
The preparations were intensive. The ritual required an area to be sealed off from time such that it could be used for the allotted time. This was more complicated than it seemed. The seals for example had to extend to things like the plumbing; there was a need for water and to get rid of waste. Thankfully Nuada's sanctum was connected both to a huge junction in the sewer main and an even larger cistern for stored water. While he spent his time preparing the spell bubble, Dawn spent her time shopping. A lot of time shopping frankly.
People rarely got everything that they were going to eat for an entire year all at once. The good news was that the Prince knew several merchants who could obtain what they needed. Several of Nuada's rooms were converted over into temporary storage areas for all of the food and other consumables that were needed. However, the merchants covered it all. Dawn still had to do some of the shopping herself. She'd found the surest way to get an extremely crazy look at a drug store was to buy them out of feminine hygiene products all at once.
She was quick enough on her feet to claim she worked as an errand girl for a large NYU Sorority, but still it was embarrassing. However, after more than a few red faced and stuttering explanations and many trips to the surface, their stockpiles were completed.
There was also the rather complicated matter of Mr. Wink. Once he'd awakened, the two of them had gone to visit him. Nuada had explained that she'd brought him to the hospital, and much later at his sanctum who she really was. That realization had induced a very comical expression as Mr. Wink's squinty eyes widened until they looked like they'd pop out of his head.
A goblin who specialized in custom limb replacements had over the course of two weeks forged a magical clockwork forearm out of steel and hundreds of moving gears. Attached to his arm the device looked crude, but was nearly as dexterous as his original. That wasn't really saying that much, but Mr. Wink seemed happy with it. Dawn wasn't exactly sure what 'special features' had been built into it, but she'd seen at least one. Mr. Wink had taken it upon himself that day to try some target practice. The street they were on was deserted, and they were almost back to the tunnels. He'd like up his fist at a wall a few yards away and suddenly the metal hand shot out, shattering the bricks and re-bar with a contemptuous ease. The chain on the end of it, reeled the fist back in, and he'd turned to her stunned expression and given her a gruff nod and a smile.
She hadn't really asked him exactly what else the hand could do. She wasn't really all that sure she wanted to know.
In all that time, he'd been extremely deferential to Dawn and seemed to have taken it upon himself to watch over her. It was almost funny, watching the giant troll follow around the slender girl as she ran her errands. His glamour cloaked him from normal mortal eyes, and caused the majority of them to simply swerve around him. Those who were able to see him were by and large smart enough not to even bother with a second look.
His behavior did bother Dawn just a little. He seemed very grateful to her for what she did, but by week four he was passing through gratefulness and moving towards stalker-ness. She'd asked Nuada about it when they were alone.
"You mean he hasn't mentioned it?" Nuada asked with a surprised look. Dawn scowled.
"Mentioned what?" Dawn shot back. "He hasn't told me anything. In fact, I'm not even sure he can talk."
"Oh, Mr. Wink can speak," Nuada said. He shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps he simply thought that you would find it to be self-evident. Your ignorance of our ways is not your fault. You've had precious little time to adjust to them after all. Tell me, how do our people interact with one another?"
"Everything is a bargain," Dawn replied instantly. "A pact or a deal."
"Correct," Nuada said with a smirk. "So then, what would be of equal worth to a life?"
"Well a bunch of things I guess," Dawn said. She scrunched her nose in deep thought. "But probably at the very least a life... Oh you have got to be kidding me!"
"Not in the slightest," Nuada said. His smirk was growing. "He owes you his life; a debt that he must repay with a life."
"Oh my god," Dawn whispered. "How long will he follow me around?"
"Until he thinks his job is done," Nuada said with a shrug. "And the debt is repaid. Some time, I imagine. Don't worry, I've added another large delivery to our stocks to take into account Mr. Wink's participation. His section of the tunnels connects directly to my own, and that will give us more space for training. Space that we will need if we're to achieve your goal."
Dawn nodded once hesitantly. The idea of being cooped up with a troll and the extremely dark Nuada for an entire year was a bit much for her to stomach all at once. What if Mr. Wink got hungry? She shuddered a little. Still, the troll owed her a life; he wouldn't eat her and she was pretty sure that Mr. Wink couldn't eat Nuada, even if he wanted to. She shook herself out of her stupor. Of well, at least she would have good people to test herself against. That would help, right?
"Alright," Dawn said. She frowned thoughtfully "Is everything else ready?"
"It took more than three weeks, but yes, the way is prepared," Nuada said. Dawn pulled out a wallet picture fold and looked at a pair of pictures. One was the whole gang, the other was just her and Buffy. She smiled a little.
"I need to make a phone call before we go under," Dawn said. "I need to let them know I'm alright."
"They will not miss you any more," Nuada pointed out. Dawn shrugged.
"Yeah, but I'll miss them," she replied. "It won't take long."
"Very well," Nuada said. "Mr. Wink and I shall await your return with baited breath."
Ignoring the Prince's sarcasm, Dawn made her way through the tunnels and to the surface. She found a pay phone easily enough and stepped inside. Carefully, she pulled out a pile of coins and put them into the phone one after another. She punched the number in and her finger hesitated over the very last button. Last chance to back out Summers, she thought to herself. She let out a sharp breath and pressed the final key. The phone rang three times before a very enthusiastic woman picked up.
"Magic Box, your neighborhood occult supply store!" a cheerful voice called. Dawn smiled just a little.
"Hey Anya," she said. "It's Dawn."
"Dawn?" Anya squawked. "Are you okay? You haven't been kidnapped by a sex cult or anything have you? Because I'm not going to pay any ransom money, or anything to treat any diseases you've picked up."
Dawn couldn't suppress the laugh this time. "I'm fine Anya. I just... I just wanted to let you guys know that I'm okay and that I'll be home pretty soon. Maybe a month more at the most. I'll be sure to call and keep you guys updated."
"Wait!" Anya called out. "Willow and Giles are going to be frantic. This is going to be such a mess. They're right around the corner on a coffee run."
"Well," Dawn replied. "Then tell them later. I have a copy of the Daedalus Codex in it for you if you do..."
"You got a copy of the Codex?" Anya cried out. "How did you do that? Steal it? I'm all for stealing you know, unless you get caught. Bail money is expensive and I'm running a tight ship right now. You aren't calling from prison are you?"
"No," Dawn shook her head in mild exasperation. "I'm calling from Manhattan. Anyway, take care of each other until I get back okay?"
"But there's some stuff you need to know!" Anya said. "Willow's been working on a spell to bring Buffy back. She's had me hunting for an urn of Osiris. Think I may have a lead, but I don't know yet."
"She's going to raise Buffy from the dead?" Dawn asked slowly. Anya made a vague sound of assent on the other end of the line.
"Well, she's going to try," Anya temporized. "Really hard stuff, and powerful too. We need to find the ingredients."
She had to admit part of her soul leaped to hear there was even a chance of bringing her sister back. But the other part of her, the ancient part, was making her stomach feel queasy with the wrongness of it all.
"Are things really that bad?" Dawn asked.
"Probably worse," Anya said with a nonchalant air. "I know they've got the Buffy-bot running full out these days, but more and more demons seem to be showing up. Must be that 'almost-gate' to Quor-Toth or something. I can't really feel it anymore. But there's that. Giles has been all mopey; it's been bad for business, I can tell you that. Tara and Willow are worried about keeping the bot going and worried about what happened to you. Xander is worried about getting into my pants, not like that was very hard for him to do, well except when he..."
"Anya!" Dawn cried out incensed. "TMI, I mean really. No more Xander/Anya sex life tidbits please. Just tell everyone that I'm okay and that I love them. I'll be back soon."
"Fine," Anya said. She sounded like she was going to say more so Dawn said hurried goodbyes and hung the phone up. She dimly noticed that she was hyperventilating, her chest rising and falling far too fast. As her vision began to go black, she finally managed to settle herself a little.
"Even if you were there," she said to herself once her breathing was regular again. "You still wouldn't be able to help. It's better this way. It has to be."
Yet, even as she descended to the under-city, she could feel how hollow that sounded in her own ears. She pushed it aside. When this was over, then she would be back, with a vengeance.
She hoped.
0oooo0oooo0
The day of the ritual all three of them were settled in the atrium that faced out towards the train tracks. The ground before them was covered in interlocking symbols whose origin was alien to Dawn. It looked nothing like the magic that she'd seen Willow use before. The script was completely different, the diagrams themselves were of another kind. Candles were laid out in simple brass trays at set intervals, and the tiny fountain behind them set into the wall bubbled a little.
The ritual was time sensitive, and had to be performed at the Summer Solstice. Something about hiding a year in the longest day or something like that. Dawn really didn't understand the technical details and Nuada wasn't really forthcoming about them. Still, here they were, sitting as the sun was scheduled to rise at any moment. The Prince was the one who began to sing when the final candle was lit by the lighter that he had given to Dawn.
She watched as pale white light flared around Nuada' hands while he chanted. The language was beautiful and haunting, a song unlike anything she'd heard as a human. The power flared from Nuada to the various inlaid symbols causing the dark ink mixed with blood to glow white, one section after another. As the chant seemed to reach a climax a racing train came down the tunnel. There was a brilliant flash that stunned her for several seconds and then she was looking at the train. The train that appeared to be completely frozen. Nuada smiled a little as he slumped, panting for breath.
"That was quite difficult," Nuada exhaled. Dawn nodded mutely as she stared at the frozen passengers just a few yards away, yammering away on their cell phones. Mr. Wink seemed duly appreciative of the Prince's efforts as well. He offered a hand to the Prince as he stood off, but Nuada waved it off. "I will be fine. I must rest for the remainder of the day. However tomorrow Dawn Summers your training starts. I hope you're ready."
"I'm not afraid," Dawn said, tearing her gaze away from the frozen New York commuters to face her teacher. Nuada smiled at her, and his response made chills run down her spine.
"You will be," he said, as he turned to walk away. "You will be."
He couldn't have seen that movie... could he? That would be impossible...