Chapter 4
A week had passed since Tara's birthday was ruined. Buffy and the gang had done research at every spare second they had. Even Anya was working to her best. Tension began to rise and soon even Dawn was doing research under Giles orders. It was another hot day when everyone was in the Magic Box, silent.
"I just don't get it, out of all of my books, none of them have proven well. There is nothing about a sorceress banned from our realm, or anything about Cascade Demons. However, the boy told us research would be a good idea. Maybe we are looking in the wrong places."
"You trust him? He makes me very uneasy. How is it that he knows everything about us?" Xander, like Spike, had grown an instant dislike to the girl and boy. Willow, Tara, and Anya however, were quite thankful that they showed up, and thought that their powers were amazing.
"I don't like them either. My slayer sensors are going negative with them."
"I don't know Buffy, a protection globe, healing powers? Not powers evil things would have. Anyway, their children." Willow said.
"Remember Hensel and Gretel?" Xander reminded.
"They were, dead though and all demony, Kyle and Kayla are living. I think. I hope." Willow answered.
"We cant stop. Something is definitely going on again in Sunnydale. We just, have to keep looking. There must be an answer." Giles set his useless book on the table and headed upstairs for more books.
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In the hotel room, Amanda was dressed in a black robe, ready to call forth more assistants. Sari had failed her, but she didn't care. There would be more, a lot more. She had to move fast however. The Cascade Demons had appeared and gotten in the way. They protected the slayer from her curse. But the more she thought about it, the more she thought it was better that way. If eight people had to kill her, she wouldn't want a slayer to be one of them. Weaker opponents are always a better idea. She felt angry that she hadn't thought about it before, and realized that she had to do things more carefully now.
She began to chant again in front of the portal that now lay dormant as the color was a solid black.
"Caintigh Keso de fo Ach. Present yourself before me. Awaken! I call you, demons of the wind, come through the portal and obey my commands. Seta, seta, seta!"
Once again, the portal began to swirl and a cawing sound could be heard along with wind beats.
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"I think I found it! I think I found it! Here it is. Cascade Demons."
Everyone got up and charged Anya. Another week had passed and Anya's sudden outburst of success excited everyone. Even Giles began to trot over to the table Anya was at.
"Well, read it!" Xander said excitingly.
"Ok, ok, ok! Let's see. Yes, Cascade Demons. Cascade Demons are among the few species that can perform telekinetic and telepathic abilities at the same time. They are also known to possess the power to control weather. They are originally from the Oasis Realm, but may be caught between dimensions occasionally. The species is an unaging one which means that they may appear to be teenagers but can range to centuries of age. Further information is still unknown"
"That explains it then." Giles said.
"So are they good or bad?" Anya confusedly questioned.
"It's technically, still unknown." Tara pointed out.
"No, no, this book is about a decade old itself, we need newer references." Giles said.
"I agree." Buffy added.
"But this information helps us a little bit doesn't it? At least we know they weren't lying about their powers. Right?" Willow contributed.
"Well, I sup...."
Sarah burst through the door screaming at the top of her lungs.
"Buffy, Buffy, help!"
"Doesn't anyone knock anymore?" Buffy ran to catch Sarah as she collapsed to the floor. Her nose was beading withat, and she had been stabbed oat the arm as well as many other places.
"Oh, my god, Sarah what happened?" Tara said as she approached Sarah.
"They're after all of us Buffy, all of us, it was the blue stuff. It was magic. We're all going to die." Sarah fainted in Buffy's arms. Buffy continued to hold Sarah as she looked at Giles for answers.
"Giles, what's going on?"
"I, I don't know. Put Sarah on the sofa. Dawn, get some paper towels. Anya, do you have any ice?"
"Ice, what do you think I am, a refrigerator?" Xander glared at her. "Ice? Of course I do, what silly person wouldn't have ice?" She stalked away murmuring to herself.
"Sarah said that it was magic, the blue powder. She said that they were after all of us." Giles started to put the puzzle of one thousand pieces together but was having great difficulty.
"Oh my god, that means Selma is in trouble too." Willow ran toward the telephone ready to call Selma but was interrupted when some people outside began to scream.
Buffy, Willow, and the others ran to the door. When they opened it, they found that there were birds attacking the people that were now running and heading for cover.
"Those birds must have been the ones that hurt Sarah. Oh my god, their seagulls?"
The seagulls started to caw as they flew toward the Magic Box. Everyone got in and shut the door when Anya returned with a cup of ice.
"Hey look you guys, I found ice." Anya said cheerfully.
"Hurry Anya, out the back." Xander pushed Anya away from the door as they ran toward the back door. Giles went to pick Sarah up to include her in the great run. They met Dawn who was heading back with a roll of paper towels when she screamed at the window. Everyone turned around to see one of the seagulls hitting the glass and fly through. Some had made dents in the door as they tried to get in. When the first one came in, the others followed.
"Let's keep going shall we?" Giles said.
They went out the door and into the alley where they met...
"Kyle, Kayla, what are you doing here? Did you set those seagulls on us and came to watch the show as they pecked our eyes out?"
"You still don't get it? We are here to help you!" Kayla said annoyed.
A seagull came flying out of the door after them when Kyle shot a ball of fire, that once again, came out of no where from his hand.
The seagull sizzled and fell to the floor as others could be heard on their way out.
"Okay, everyone behind Kyle and Kayla." Giles suggested. No one wanted to question the two who could save them by having a barbecue.
More came out and Kyle and Kayla shot them down one by one, sometimes two at a time. A pile had started to form near the door as the last few flew away in the bright blue sky. Kayla shot one more down before turning to the slayer and her friends. Kyle started to walk toward them as Kayla stood behind.
"I suppose I'm looking for a thanks. Thanks." Buffy had barely ever been saved from someone other than herself. Now she felt frustrated as she realized that she had just ducked behind two kids for cover.
"There is no need to thank us. It is our job. Only if we fulfill it can we leave. So we will do our best."
He raised his fingers and began to swirl again. He touched Sarah's forehead and she recovered right before their eyes.
Sarah woke up in Giles arms. "What's going on? Are we dead already?"
"No, we're alive. Thanks to..."
They turned around but Kyle and Kayla were nowhere to be seen. They had disappeared again down a dead end alley. It was magic.
"Can you put me down now?" Sarah said awkwardly.
"Oh, of course, sorry." Giles said.
"Willow, go call Selma again. We need to be together. Xander, Anya, more research, fast. Look in every book. Tara can you try to do a summoning spell that will get Kyle or Kayla back? We need more information." Buffy gave orders fast and ran back into the shop.
The others obeyed without saying another word.
"...One by one, all in name. Bring the one I need today." Tara had tried several spells, but none of them had worked. They worked before on others, but apparently not Kyle or Kayla.
"Buffy, I can't seem to get it. I'm sorry."
"Don't be Tara. I'll go out to find them." Buffy said.
"Wait, I want to try something." Anya got up from her chair and walked toward Buffy and Tara. "I know a summoning spell."
"Anya, if you had one, why didn't you tell us before?"
"Well, because I just made it up."
"Buffy, go, ignore Anya." Xander said frustrated.
"Xander! What's wrong with you?" Anya cried.
"I'm tired of your silly jokes, Anya. Your never serious. Please, be serious now! Sit down and read." Xander pointed to the chair.
"No! I want to do the spell!" Anya was close to tears but she did it anyway.
"We need him for a while, bring forth to us, Kyle." There was a pause and then Buffy headed out the door.
Before Buffy could touch the door knob, Kyle flashed into the room, looking very mad.
"Wow, Anya, how did you do it?" Xander questioned.
"Well Xander, maybe if you paid attention to my face and not down low, you would've heard me tell you that I got powers." Anya was really crying now and letting it out.
"Why am I here?" Kyle asked.
"We need you. You have to answer our questions. Why are there seagulls, ninjas and ugly ladies after us?" Xander asked, taking his attention from Anya who was starting to control herself.
"This is not my battle, but I will help. Giles, you have a book on her, I know you do. It's somewhere upstairs. She's in it, and it should give you all the information you need. You must also get Selma, she plays a big part in this."
"I know, the powder inflicted everyone that was at the party."
"Yes, but also for more reasons. It's all a big coincidence that you guys are friends."
"What, tell us."
"Sorry. I can only tell you this. The sorceress must have the blood of eight people in which are close to the victim to work the amulet as I mentioned earlier. However, if each of the eight people kill Germanda once, she will be forced to give up and hunt for an alternative. As he finished, he disappeared into another cloud of mist.
After Kyle had gone, Giles headed up the stairs.
"That explains what Kyle keeps saying. It's not my battle it's all of yours." Buffy said.
Why can't he tell us more information." Xander said.
"Damn!" Giles' voice could be heard among shelves upstairs.
"Giles, find anything?" Buffy asked.
"Damn!" Giles repeated. "It was right there, I didn't even give the book a second glance. It was right there."
"I'm taking you found something."
"Yes, I uh, here." Giles began to read the text. "Germanda, a sorceress with extreme power who was banned to the Osis realm when she committed an unforgivable in the Basol Tribe. Germanda is known to hunt down souls with great power and knowledge and keep them trapped in a Tirfix.
"Yes, Willow, Xander, Spike, Tara, Selma, Sarah, Anya and myself." Giles concluded. "And Dawn."
"What, no, Dawn cannot fight Germanda. Anyway, there already is eight."
"That's the part I still don't get." Giles said.
"Whatever. She can't, she's only fifteen." Buffy said.
"I can! Can't I just like, stake her?" Dawn said, angrily as everyone thought her weak and useless.
"There must be another way Giles. There must be. What about the blood of eight. Dawn would make nine."
"Buffy, I'm afraid I don't know the answer yet. But Dawn can handle herself. We'll be there to help her."
"Wait, so I'm going to have to kill someone?" Sarah had been listening, and now was her time to go crazy.
"I, I, I Can't, I mean, I have trouble killing flies. How can I kill a person?"
"Well, if you don't, she'll kill you." Anya said.
"Of course, we could negotiate and work something out? I mean, my daddy's a banker, and uh, he can deal with this."
"Sarah, if you told your dad that you had to kill a demon or she would kill you, would he believe you?"
"Well, well, I guess not, but it's worth a shot, right?"
"We'll be there to help you, ok? You wont be alone." Willow encouraged.
"So, what are the plans then? Do we kill her one by one?" Tara asked.
"Yes, I believe that's the only way." Giles answered.