CHAPTER TWO

THE SEARCH

Buffy and Dawn were all but spat out of the other side of the portal and landed roughly on the rocky ground. Buffy winced as she slowly got to her feet, ruefully rubbing her shoulder.

"Why can't these things ever come with seat belts?" she muttered. "Dawn, you okay?"

"I'm here," her sister answered. "Does that count?" Buffy fought a smile.

"It's a start," she quipped. "Now let's see where we are." She pulled a flashlight from her belt and clicked it on. Its beam of light illuminated a small, dark cavern.

"Looks like we're in some sort of cave," she said aloud, as Dawn came to stand beside her.

"Great," Dawn replied sarcastically, "Just where I wanted to visit."

"Let's just find Will and get out of here."

"Any idea where to start looking?" Dawn asked. Buffy shone her light all around them.

"Looks like this cave keeps going in either direction," she said after a moment. "Wanna flip a coin?" Dawn's reply was interrupted by a sudden, terrifying scream that echoed throughout the cavern. Buffy felt her blood run cold.

"Will!" she called out, recognizing the agonized voice of her best friend. "Will, where you are?" There was no answer, just another blood-curdling scream. The echoes, unfortunately, made it nearly impossible to determine exactly where Willow's scream was coming from.

"Will, please!" Buffy shouted back, trying to keep from panicking. "Please tell me where you are!"

"Buffy…" Dawn whimpered, drawing up close to her sister. Hearing Willow in pain was like a knife to her gut. Willow had been like a mother to her, ever since Buffy's mercifully short-lived death, and she still loved the red-headed witch as much.

"Buffy, help her!" Dawn pleaded.

"I've got to find her first!" Buffy shouted back, her own love for Willow causing her emotions to rage. Suddenly, from out of the darkness to Buffy's left, a tiny sparkling dot of light appeared. Buffy blinked, thinking she had to be seeing things. Then the brilliant green light began to float towards her.

"Will?" Buffy managed. The light flashed brightly for a moment, and then began to float back down the passageway. Buffy grinned.

"That's my girl," she whispered proudly. She turned to Dawn.

"She's showing us which way to go!" Dawn exclaimed. Buffy nodded in agreement.

"C'mon, follow that light!" The two sisters hurried down the darkened passageway after the light, Buffy carefully using her flashlight to guide them. They were so focused on their desperate mission to find Willow that neither sister noticed the shambling shadows that began to follow them.

Without warning, a decaying hand burst through the floor of the cavern and grabbed Buffy's ankle. The Slayer fell forward hard, the flashing tumbling away from her. The arm attached to the hand rose from the ground, followed by a monstrous, partially-decomposed head and shoulders.

"Buffy!" Dawn screamed. Drawing her sword, she rushed to aid her sister. Another of the foul, rotting creatures burst from the ground directly in front of her. Dawn kicked out at the zombie with all her strength, staggering it slightly, but it continued to advance towards her. Its hand darted out to grab Dawn by the throat. The younger Summers instinctively slashed out with her sword.

"Eww, eww, EWW!" Dawn retched as she pulled the severed hand from her neck and hurriedly tossed it away. Ignoring the wound entirely, the zombie reached for her again. Dawn dove forward into a roll, slipping under its attack, and came up behind it. Her sword slashed again, and the suddenly headless zombie fell lifelessly to the ground. Dawn rushed over to her sister, but found Buffy had already freed herself. Clutching her own bloodied sword, Buffy stood defiantly waiting for the next attack.

"You okay?" she asked Dawn.

"If you don't count the severed hand thing, sure," Dawn muttered. "That was seriously nasty."

"It's gonna get worse," Buffy warned her. "He had friends." Dawn turned to see nearly a dozen more zombies moving towards them.

"Let's get out of here!" she wailed. She tried to run ahead, but still more zombies blocked her path.

"They're everywhere!" Buffy gripped her sword tightly.

"Still got my back?" she asked grimly. Dawn swallowed and steadied herself.

"Always," she replied, coming to stand back-to-back with her sister. The mindless army of zombies began to close in…


"Incoming message," Renee announced from her post at the command center back in Scotland. "It's Mr. Giles."

"About time!" Xander replied. "Put him through." She nodded, and a moment later Giles' grave face filled the large viewscreen.

"Xander," he greeted the younger man.

"Long time no see, G-Man," Xander responded jovially.. "Where've you been?"

"Must you call me that?"

"Sorry, old habits." Xander grinned. "So, did you get Buffy's message?" Giles nodded.

"I did, and I've had time to research the symbol she asked me to look at. I must speak to her immediately."

"That could be a little difficult. She's gone."

"Gone?" Giles asked.

"Yeah; she and Dawn went after Willow."

"Alone?" Giles pressed.

"Uh… yeah," Xander stammered. "Why? What's up?"

"Oh dear god…" Giles whispered. He took off his glasses and wearily rubbed his eyes.

"What is it?" Xander pressed him.

"The symbol Buffy asked me to look at… I've identified it as the crest of an extremely powerful sorcerer known as Zaragos. According to my books, he ruled over much of Europe during the 13th century."

"Why do I get the feeling that's not the worst of it?" Xander muttered.

"Not by a long shot, I'm afraid," Giles replied.

"Wait a minute," Xander interrupted. "Why would the not-so recently deceased be wearing the crest of a guy who died centuries ago?"

"Perhaps because he didn't," Giles said simply. "At least, not in the normal, natural way."

"Um… do I really want to hear the rest of this story?"

"For Buffy's sake, yes," Giles said grimly. "Xander, it was said the sorcerer Zaragos was so terrified of his death that he used powerful, forbidden magic to escape it. The legends say he willingly transformed himself into a malevolent undead creature who possessed the power of darkness... a creature known as a lich."

"A lich?" Xander repeated.

"A Lord of the Undead," Giles explained. "Remorseless, pitiless, wielding the most sinister and powerful dark magics… and completely, utterly immortal."

"You mean he can't be killed? Not even by The Slayer?"

"Not by any mortal hand," Giles confirmed.

"You said it was a legend though."

"So were vampires, once. Do you honestly believe it's a coincidence you were attacked by an army of living dead wearing the symbol of a notorious dark sorcerer?"

Xander felt himself swallow, and he gripped the back of a nearby chair for support.

"Buffy and Dawn are walking right into this guy's clutches… and they can't stop him," he whispered.

"See if the mystics can bring them back," Giles suggested. Xander shook his head.

"They're completely tapped out from opening the portal in the first place… there's nothing they can do."

"Then it's up to us," he replied. "I'll be on the next flight out." Xander couldn't resist a small smile.

"The Scoobies, together again."

"Let's hope it'll be a happy reunion."


Back in the netherworld she found herself imprisoned in, Willow writhed in torment. She had never before felt anything like what the monstrous entity known as Zaragos was doing to her. She had tried every spell she knew to try and fight him off, and still he continued to attack her.

"My… friend… will save me…" she managed. Zaragos' flickering red eyes betrayed no emotion.

"She will try," he answered gravely, "but The Slayer is no match for the powers I command. Soon, she and her young accomplice will die… and you will give me the power to cover the world in darkness forever!" Another wave of agony washed over Willow, and she struggled against the magical manacles that bound her to the altar again. She knew what Zaragos was doing to her; she could feel him tearing at her very essence, and try as she might, she was powerless to stop it. Despite it though, Willow's thoughts were far from her own predicament. Instead, she feared for her best friend, and who she knew had to be with her. A single, silvery tear slid down her cheek.

Buffy… Dawnie… I'm so sorry. Please be okay…


Buffy's sword flashed again, and yet another of the zombies fell before her. Breathless, weary, and covered in blood and grime, she nevertheless stood tall and defiant.

"Any more?" she asked Dawn.

"I don't think so," Dawn managed between gasps for breath. "I think… we got 'em all." She stared at the gruesome remains of their attackers.

"That was wicked gross," she muttered sourly. Buffy nodded.

"Tell me about it… but we can complain later. Will's still waiting for us." She turned to look for the tiny pinpoint of emerald light that had been guiding them. It was still where she had last seen it, hovering in the air a few feet away. She took a step towards it, and it began to float away again.

"Come on." She gestured to her sister. "We gotta keep going." Dawn nodded in agreement and stood up straight, still clutching her sword.

"Right behind ya." Without another word, Buffy turned to follow the floating light once more. She had only taken a few steps when the ground beneath her feet began to shake violently.

"Now what?!" Dawn shouted. Buffy opened her mouth to reply, but a chilling cracking sound silenced her abruptly.

"Oh my god… run, Dawn!!" Dawn didn't bother asking why; she took off as fast as her legs could carry her, trying desperately to keep up with her sister. Behind them, an ominous rumbling sound began to thunder through the cavern. Then, all at once, the entire cavern began to collapse in on itself. Huge chunks of rock and stone began to tumble from the ceiling, and choking clouds of dust quickly filled the passageway.

"Don't stop, Dawn!" Buffy shouted to her sister. As they rounded a corner, Dawn's feet suddenly slipped out from under her, and she fell hard, rolling onto her side. Buffy was at her side in a second.

"Are you all right? We've got to keep going!"

"I think I twisted my ankle!" Dawn replied, grimacing.

"Then I'll carry you!" Buffy scooped Dawn up like she weighed nothing and took off again, carrying her sister in her arms. Unfortunately, their brief pause proved to be just a little too much. With a thundering crack, the wall in front of Buffy & Dawn came crashing down in a shower of jagged boulders, a rain of crushing death heading straight towards them…