Disclaimer:All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc., are the property of Joss Whedon. The original plot is the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Original publish date: 2017-05-22

Chapter 26

"I have a question," Xander announced, slumping down on Giles' couch. "With Angel dead, shouldn't Buffy be free of him? Wouldn't she have come back to us once his effect on her was over? Why is she still MIA?"

Tara was once again playing the spy on the Scooby Gang and, as usual, she was being largely ignored. It had been decided that while Gunn worked on the computer hard drive that she and Wesley had brought from the cemetery, Tara would continue to keep an eye on Buffy's ex-Watcher and former friends to make sure they didn't do anything too stupid.

As time went by, Tara had become somewhat akin to furniture as far as Giles, Willow, Xander, and Anya were concerned. She was glad of it. Having their attention focused on her made her jumpy.

Giles shook his head in response to Xander's question. "If it was merely Angel's thrall, then yes, but I fear he had brainwashed her. That is the only explanation that makes sense."

Tara had to hold back a snort of disgust at that. Angel brainwashing Buffy? Buffy under Angel's thrall? That was utterly ridiculous. These people had been the ones to witness those two fall in love and interact for over a year. How could they not see that Angel and Buffy loved each other deeply?

Well, they are incredibly blind when something doesn't fit their preconceived notions of it, she reminded herself. Just take Willow's refusal to accept that our relationship is over.

"So what can we do to help her?" Willow asked, looking up at Giles with adoring eyes. "We want our Buffy back, safe and sound."

Giles sighed and took off his glassed to polish the lenses. He leaned down and sat on the armrest of his couch, next to where Willow was sitting, and missed her slight blush at his nearness.

Tara felt like gagging.

"Buffy is very strong, both physically and mentally," he said. "I'm afraid the only way to remove Angel's influence on her would be to weaken her significantly before making any attempts to reverse the vampire's effects on her."

"Weaken her?" Anya sounded curious. "How?"

"There are ways," Giles said evasively, and Tara felt her heart sink. She had several ideas of what ways there were to weaken Buffy; none of which were nice, and very few were painless.

Tara had no doubt that the Initiative, whatever they wanted with Buffy, would use several of those methods in an attempt to weaken her strong will. She also knew that the Scooby Gang was involved in giving the Initiative the information they needed to capture Buffy and Angel, but now she wondered just how much they—or, Giles, specifically—knew about what the Initiative was doing to the couple.

"In fact, I have spoken to Riley just before you all arrived," Giles continued.

"Did you tell him about these ways?" Xander asked. "They have to start as soon as she's back. We're going to save Buffy from Angel, even if it means fighting Buffy herself to do so."

"I have," Giles confirmed. "It was just in time, as well."

"You mean…?" Willow's tone and eyes were hopeful as she looked at the older man.

He nodded. "Riley told me that they've found Buffy."

Tara froze. So, the Initiative were changing their story. Why?

After several minutes of excited chatter, Giles was able to quiet them down again. "Riley didn't tell me where they'd located her, only that they had. He only had a few minutes to speak with me, and I wanted to make sure he had all of the necessary information in order to start the brainwashing reversal process on her."

Tara fisted her hands and hid them under the jacket she was holding in her lap. She couldn't believe how eager Giles was to start torturing Buffy.

"Is she in their compound under the collage?" Willow asked. "Maybe we could go there and help, somehow?"

Giles was shaking his head even before she had finished speaking. "It will not be a good idea for us to visit her at the moment. Professor Welsh is a trained psychiatrist, and she said that Buffy might blame us for her capture and that it might interfere with the rehabilitation process."

Buffy would be absolutely right to do so, Tara thought. You are to blame.

"When did you speak to her?" Willow sounded shocked.

"Right after I spoke to Riley." Giles gave Willow a reassuring smile. "Buffy is in the best possible hands, Willow. She will be right as rain soon."

"And pissed as hell," Anya said, much too cheerfully.

"Yes, I suspect that Buffy is not going to be very happy with them for killing Angel, or with us for our involvement." Giles said, giving Anya an exasperated look. "Professor Welsh assured me that Buffy will not be informed that we are aware of her whereabouts or of Angel's fate. It would be…complicated if she were to escape them again."

"Yeah, she would come after us," Willow murmured. "Nobody messes with her Angel."

Tara noticed that there was jealousy mixed up with the disgust in Willow's voice and wondered at that. Was Willow envious of Buffy's devotion to Angel?

Giles nodded, and Xander snorted. "Yeah, no one messes with her perfect Dead Boy." He then turned to Giles. "So what can we do to help? There must be something we could do to help."

"Um, I might have an idea?" Willow's voice was hesitant and excited at the same time. "I came across a spell a while ago, and I think it might be useful now." She stood up and brought a book from one of the shelves. She leafed through it for a few moments before finding the right page and presenting it to Giles.

Tara glanced at the title on the spine of the book. There were some powerful spells in it, most of them very dark magicks, and Tara thought that she would hesitate to try them even as a last resort when all else failed for fear of the possible consequences.

Giles read through the page and hummed, appearing interested. "It could be useful."

"I-it's very dark magic," Tara whispered, unable to hold back the words. She was reluctant to draw attention to herself, but she had to try to make them see that whatever the spell they were looking at, it could not be a good idea, not if it came from that book.

"How would you know?" Anya demanded, and her eyes were hard and scary when they focused on Tara.

Tara shifted in her seat as all eyes in the room turned to her. "I-I'm f-familiar with the b-book." It was not hard to fake the stutter as real fear spread through her. She needed to see the spell in order to be sure of just how much trouble these idiots were about to get themselves—and everyone else—into, but she knew enough that it would be a whole lot of trouble with the spell's origin taken into consideration.

"She is right," Giles said, making Tara hope that he was indeed the responsible adult in the group. "This is dark magic, and I'm uncomfortable with you delving deeper into it, Willow. I should be the one to cast it."

Willow's shoulders slumped, mirroring Tara's hopes, though for different reasons.

"What does it do?" Xander asked.

"It removes all supernatural effects from a person," Giles replied.

Yes, we are indeed headed for trouble, Tara thought.

"Wouldn't that take away her Slayer's powers?" Xander said. "We can't not have a Slayer."

Of course, you would only think of the effect this would have on you! Tara was furious. YOU can't afford not having a Slayer to watch your backs and save your hides, but you have no concern over what this will do to Buffy. Goddess, these people!

"It would only be temporary, for one moon cycle," Giles said reassuringly. "Once the effect of the spell is over, Buffy would regain her powers and be just as strong as she was before. Let us just hope this will give Professor Welsh enough time to work on Buffy."

Tara wanted to tear some sense into all of them. First, there were the dangers of leaving Buffy exposed and vulnerable in the hands of an enemy—not to mention the entire supernatural community that was well aware of who Buffy was, which would come after her as soon as they heard of the spell—and second, there were also possible side-effects with Sunnydale sitting atop a Hell Mouth. Who knew what evil twist that would put on an-already dark spell?

At least Willow was smart enough to question the first. "What would happen to Buffy while she's weak? We were all almost killed on Halloween when she lost her powers. A month is a long time to be Slayer-less."

"She's in good hands, Willow," Giles said. "She is secure in the Initiative's headquarters, and Professor Welsh will make sure she isn't harmed while under the influence of the spell."

Tara closed her eyes in disbelief. The trust these people placed in the hands of the Initiative was staggering. At least one good thing came out of her spying tonight. She was now forewarned and, if the Goddess was willing, would be able to hinder or counter the spell when they attempted it.

"And so would Riley," Willow said with confidence. "He cares about Buffy a great deal. She is really lucky to have him."

Tara was glad that no one was looking at her right then. She was certain they would have seen the incredulity all over her face at Willow's statement.

"How long do we have to prepare before we can do the spell?" Willow asked.

Giles examined the book again. "We should have most of these ingredients at the shop, so I would say a day at most."

"Good." Willow smiled. "A bit late, but we could give Buffy freedom from that monster as her birthday present."

Nods of agreement were seen around the room. Tara sat tense, not daring to call attention to herself again. One day was a very short period to come up with a way to stop these idiots and rescue Buffy, but she thanked the Goddess that she had even that.

"I shall call Professor Welsh and let her know that we would be casting this spell," Giles said.

"Of course," Willow agreed. "We need to coordinate our efforts."

"Great, are we done here?" Anya asked suddenly, coming to stand. "Xander and I would like to go home now and have sex in private."

"Anya!" Xander shot to his feet, looking sheepish at his girlfriend's outburst. "We've talked about it."

She folded her arms across her chest. "What? You said you wanted to have sex in private. That's where we're going to go. I didn't ask you to give me orgasms right here, did I?"

Tara frowned. There was definitely something wrong about Anya, and it wasn't as simple as her inability to grasp the concept of tact. It almost felt like it was intentional behavior on the ex-demon's part.

"I will coordinate with Professor Welsh from here," Giles said with patience, having apparently become accustomed to ignoring Anya's tactless manner. "Buffy might try to object to the removal during the casting, and the Initiative needs to prepare for that. We don't want Buffy to be hurt."

Didn't they? Tara wondered. All of their actions had already caused immense pain to Buffy, both physically and emotionally. What they were planning to do next was no different. Tara couldn't imagine how they were able to rationalize that taking away Buffy's powers, her ability to defend herself, was not going to hurt her.

"While I am on the phone, Willow, will you write down a list of what we would need for the spell?"

"Sure, Giles," Willow said and jumped up to grab a pad and pen.

"Xander?" Anya turned puppy eyes on him.

"Call us when you know when we'll be performing the spell," Xander said and quickly guided Anya out of the apartment.

Tara focused her attention on Giles, casting a small spell to follow him as he went to the phone and dialed a number. She made sure to take note of it on the pad she grabbed from the nearby table. Gunn had proven he was very good at getting information about people when he had a lead, and a phone number belonging to Professor Welsh was a solid one.

"Good evening, Professor, this is Rupert Giles." He proceeded to update her on the spell they were going to attempt and its possible effect on Buffy. When he was finished, he asked if there were any updated on the Slayer's condition. "I see. No, it is best if she remains sedated until after we are done with the spell. Yes, we will wait for your confirmation, and I will keep you informed, of course. Thank you. Goodnight to you, too."

Tara closed the spell as soon as the conversation was over. She quietly came to sit next to Willow. "C-can I help?"

"Sure," Willow said cheerfully and moved the book so Tara could see the page with the spell. "I'm just making a list of everything we need, could you read it out for me while I write it down?"

Tara nodded and slowly dictated the ingredients. She intentionally skipped over a couple and mispronounced a few more. It was innocent enough that she could attribute it to an honest mistake if asked, but it would give her and the others more time to find Buffy.

With friends like these, who needs enemies? Tara thought with amazement.

"Hey, Giles, did you talk to Buffy's mom lately?" Willow asked. "Buffy said that she planned on going on a buying expedition for her gallery, but she should have been back by now."

Giles shook his head. "No, I haven't spoken to Mrs. Summers lately. Has she called the dormitory?"

Tara wondered at the slight catch in Giles' tone when he spoke of Buffy's mother. Was there a history between them? Another thought came to her then. Buffy had been missing for well over a month, but her mother hadn't called anyone looking for her daughter? Was it possible that Buffy's mother was also in trouble?

"No." Willow bit her lip. "Do you think we should call her and see that she is okay?"

Giles appeared to give it some thought, and once again Tara had the feeling that there was something between the ex-Watcher and Mrs. Summers, either in the past or in the present. "This being Sunnydale, I think it might be a good idea to speak with her."

"Yes, the last time she was on a shopping trip, she brought back a mask that could raise the dead." Willow chuckled. "If she's back, perhaps it would be a good idea for you to take a look at the new inventory."

Giles smiled. "I believe Mrs. Summers had learned her lesson regarding purchasing items form unfamiliar merchants. I'll be right back."

As it turned out, Mrs. Summers was doing well and had bought no new masks with abilities to raise the dead. However, she had asked no questions about her daughter, and that made Tara feel very sad. Buffy had told her the night when she had spoken of her history that she felt abandoned by her friends and her family. Tara remembered thinking that Buffy was exaggerating, but now she realized that, if anything, Buffy was downplaying her mother's actions.

How could the woman completely ignore the fact that her daughter has been missing for over a month? Or did she miss that fact completely? Poor Buffy. Tara's heart was clenching inside her.

With the list of ingredients finished—as flawed as Tara dared it to be—she and Willow said their goodbyes to Giles and left. Willow wanted to stop by the magic shop to get a head start on the spell preparations, and Tara was glad for the excuse to part ways with the redhead. She needed to speak with Wesley, Gunn, and Cordelia. She didn't know if they would be able to come up with a plan on this short a notice, but they would give it their best shot.

Tara took out her cell phone—Wesley had given it to her, telling her that they all carried one in case they needed to get in touch quickly and in case of emergencies—and hit the speed-dial. "Wesley? Yeah, it's me. Could someone come pick me up from the dorms? I have some news, and we will need to act quickly."

o.O.o

"Tara, my girl, you are one hell of a spy," Gunn said with a grin. His eyes were on the computer screen before him, so he didn't see the shy smile his words had brought to her face. "We should call you Bond, Tara Bond."

Tara chuckled and blushed when Cordelia said, "Yeah, good job, Tara."

"Thank you. I assume this means that you've found something, Gunn?"

"I did better than find something." He made a few more mouse clicks before a new screen opened up, showing the schematics for a large compound. "We already knew that they had to have a compound under the university, but thanks to Miss Spy here, I was able to track the signal of Professor Welsh's cell phone and follow it to find one of the entrances. It's located directly under Welsh's campus office."

"That's great!" Cordelia exclaimed.

"But wait, there's more!"

Cordelia snorted and exchanged a look with Tara, mouthing, "Boys and their toys."

Tara held back a chuckle and simply smiled.

Neither of the girls were able to follow what Gunn did next on the computer, so they just waited to hear what he had to say.

"I got the plans for the compound, as well," Gunn continued and brought up a picture of the schematics he had been able to obtain—not entirely legally—for the structure under the university's campus. "We'll need to find a way to learn more about their security and hack it, as well as find out exactly where Angel and Buffy are being held, but it's progress."

"I'll be damned!" Wesley whispered. He had just entered the room at the start of Gunn's explanation. "Well done, Gunn!"

"Oh, it's not just me," Gunn said quickly. "Tara was the one who gave me the lead."

Wesley grinned at her. "Good job, Tara."

"Thanks," she said. "So now we just need to come up with a plan on how to rescue them."

"Easier said than done," Cordelia muttered.

"Gunn, what do you need in order to find out what kind of security the place has?" Wesley asked.

Gunn gave it a moment's thought. "Time, mostly. I have a few sniffers that should yield information soon enough."

"How soon?" Tara asked. She was getting a nervous feeling in her stomach.

Cordelia noticed Tara's reaction first. "What's wrong, Tara?"

She shifted, rolling her shoulders to relieve some of the tension that had suddenly built there. "I fear we don't have much time. We need to act sooner rather than later. I did my best to hold back Giles and the rest of them, but they will figure things out eventually."

"Working as fast as I can." Gunn turned back to the computer and became engrossed in it.

Wesley approached Tara. "We can try another form of spying. It's risky, but it could save time."

"What did you have in mind, Wes?" Cordelia asked. She wasn't sure she liked his tone of voice or the look he gave Tara. "What kind of risky spying? I don't want Tara endangering herself. She's done enough as it is."

Tara smiled at Cordelia's defense of her. She placed a hand on the brunette's shoulder. "What kind of spying, Wes?"

"Astral projection."

"Okay, even I know what that means," Cordelia said. Then she frowned. "Is it really dangerous?"

"A little," Tara admitted. She saw the guilt on Wesley's face and the worry on Cordelia's and was quick to add, "It's less risky when done with a partner, which is what I think Wesley meant."

"I did," he said. "It's even better if you have more than one partner."

Cordelia raised a brow. "You mean me?"

"Yea," Tara said. "It's actually best done with four. One flying and three grounding."

"Gunn?" Cordelia suggested.

"Yes, that would be best," Wesley agreed.

Tara took a deep breath before nodding. "Very well. You instruct them on what to do, and I'll prepare the garden. It's best to do it outside."

"Why?" Cordelia asked, but Tara was already walking away.

Wesley answered her, his eyes following Tara. "Less restrictions for the spirit to pass."

o.O.o

It didn't take long for the group to prepare themselves. Tara stood in the middle of the circle, wearing a simple cotton dress that left her feeling a little chilled in the wintery breeze. The three others surrounded her, each holding a candle that she and Wesley had engraved with symbols.

"Ready?" she asked quietly. Having received nods from everyone, she took a deep breath and concentrated on relaxing, finding her balance. Then, she reached for that inner connection she had with the magick passed down to her through generations. Finding that spark of pure power inside her, she opened her eyes and looked up. She did not hear the chant coming from the people around her. Her focus was on the journey before her. It was risky, even with the three anchoring her. One could get intoxicated with the feeling of weightlessness and freedom that came with spirit travel and not come back to one's physical body.

Wesley kept his eyes on Tara as they lit their candles and finished the protection spell. As soon as their last word was spoken, Tara lifted her hands up and began her own spell.

"Goddess of the air, I call three.

"Carry my spirit on the waves of the wind, so free.

"Allow me to see that which is hidden from me,

"Allow me to go where I have not yet been.

"Goddess of Locks and Doors, open the gates, I now implore thee.

"Allow me to pass through the Astral veil,

"And grant me the speed and power to set sail.

"Guard me as I cross the sky in flight,

"Hold me in your kind sight.

"And when I have gained that which I must learn,

"Please, grant me a hasty return."

The trio standing around Tara watched in amazement as her spirit suddenly left her body and disappeared into what looked like thin air. Her body remained in the middle of their circle, though, frozen in position. Her eyes open but clouded over. Her muscles relaxed.

As Tara flew, she navigated the skies of Sunnydale carefully. It was easy to be lost in the sensation of being completely weightless and free. Focus, she ordered herself, and her eyes began searching for her destination. The sunny town appeared somewhat surreal to Tara's spiritual body. Her ability to see auras was heightened while in this state, and that meant that she was seeing a colorful kaleidoscope as she sailed cross the sky.

Time meant little in this state, so she knew not how long had passed before she finally found herself above the campus. She searched for the shadowy-aura that represented Riley Finn or for that of Professor Welsh. Those two were their best leads. The professor was nowhere to be seen, but Tara's luck was on her side, and she found Riley waking into one of the campus buildings. Following him, she dived down. He made his way through several hallways through what Tara realized was his frat house.

Riley stopped in front of an elevator and leaned close to a side panel.

"Retinal scan accepted," a mechanical voice announced, and the elevator doors opened.

Tara followed Riley as he entered the elevator. Once inside, he said his name aloud, and the same mechanical voice replied, "Vocal code accepted."

She couldn't quite tell how many levels the elevator had descended before the doors opened again as there was no indication of floors on the inside cabin. Eventually, Riley stepped out, and Tara made to follow him.

They had no idea where the Initiative was hiding Angel and Buffy, so following Riley around and learning the lay of the land—so to speak—was Tara's main objective. It was better than her wasting precious time searching the compound floor by floor in hopes that she would get a glimpse of either of their auras.

Riley met with several others, some she knew from campus—Graham and Forest were his closes friends—but others were unfamiliar to her. They went up a flight of stairs, crossed two corridors, and entered another elevator. They exited at level B3.

What could the B stand for? Tara wondered before her eyes landed on a something on the wall nearby. Basement – Level Three.

How nice of them to be so organized as to post a map of the level, including emergency exits clearly marked, Tara thought as she memorized different markers and signs that she could later describe to the others.

She followed Riley and his team of five as they geared up and went down several more levels. The label said that this was Basement – Level Six, and the floor map underneath showed that this floor contained a multitude of laboratories and observation rooms.

She followed the men, watching them spread through the corridor in what looked like a security mission to make sure it was safe for someone to pass. This level held more than just bad people, and she felt several chills run down her spine. This place housed true evil.

With the rest of his team positioned, Riley placed himself outside a room labeled Observation Two. He brought his hand up and said something she didn't catch into what had to be a hidden microphone.

Moments later, Tara noticed a dark aura approach from the same direction they had come. The dark, sinister aura was familiar enough for Tara to recognize Professor Welsh even before the figure had walked close enough to be seen.

The Professor nodded to Riley and walked inside the observation room. Tara drifted to follow.

Inside, she found a woman in a lab coat, along with several techs sitting next to computer monitors. The name of the tag identified the woman as Dr. Cullen.

"Professor," the doctor greeted Welsh. "We're ready."

"Good," Welsh said, turning her attention to one side of the room. "Proceed."

Dr. Cullen nodded and left the room.

Tara followed everyone's eyes as they turned to one side of the room, where a light came up showing what had to be the adjacent room. As if pulled by invisible cords, Tara felt her projection drifting closer to the observation window. Her heartbeat grew louder in her ears, drowning all other sounds around her.

The room on the other side of what had to be a two-way mirror held five figures. Tara briefly noted the trio of women that stood to one side, registering the power radiating from them, but her attention was drawn to the creature to whom Dr. Cullen was speaking.

Tara cried out as realization dawned on her, and she was glad that she was in spirit form. She knew she would not have been able to hold back the sound even if she were in danger of being overheard. The rush of emotions that engulfed her was maddening; shock, joy, fear, amazement, fear…it was like a tsunami had washed over her. She had never experienced anything like that.

A heartbeat later, Tara sensed peaceful warmth taking over the turmoil that was her emotional state. She felt her very soul sigh in delight as she was wrapped in the pure, positive energy. Despite the evil she could still detect in the room, the inky-blackness of the souls of the four women in the room, her eyes only saw the beauty of the pure aura of the fifth figure in the room.

That aura was calling to her, beckoning Tara to come closer, even though she could see that the owner was no more aware of Tara's presence than the others were. The invisible pull guided her spirit as it passed the glass into the room being observed by the others.

Tara felt as though the auras of the other occupants of the room grew darker, simply because of the comparison to such a contrastingly good one nearby. There were two things Tara now knew in the hailstorm of emotions that still threatened to pull her under.

She'd just found another soul in need of rescue from the Initiative.

And this soul belongs to my one true mate.

Even as that earthshattering realization washed over Tara, she focused her attention on the scientist when the latter spoke.

"Begin the ritual," she ordered the trio of women in the corner. Tara examined the power she could feel emanating from them and determined that they had to be witches. They were not nearly as powerful as she herself was, but they had enough to pose a threat.

"Yes, Doctor," the trio of women answered unanimously.

"You," Dr. Cullen turned to the last figure in the room, "behave, or else…" She let the threat hang in the air.

The whispered, "Yes, Doctor," was almost too quiet for Tara to hear as she felt her strength begin to waver.

No! Tara screamed in her mind, fighting to remain where she was.

The doctor left, and Tara felt the power levels in the room suddenly rise. She listened and tried to commit to memory the words she was hearing, knowing she would need as much information as possible if she were to identify the ritual later.

The feeling of something crawling just under her skin spread through her, and she shivered again. As soon as Tara shivered, it was as though she couldn't stop shaking. The ritual, whatever it was, was definitely not white magic. The murky, dark tendrils of power that swept through the room made her feel as though she was choking on black smoke.

Then, her gaze met a pair of amazingly-clear blue eyes, and the chills stopped. Though Tara knew her soulmate could not see her, she still felt as though her presence had been sensed. There was so much anguish in those eyes that Tara drifted even closer, her fingers almost touching the ethereal creature before her.

I didn't think that any were left in this world, she observed in a far corner of her mind. I thought they had all been chased away or slaughtered.

Sadness spread through Tara as she felt the pull that signaled her journey would have to come to an end soon. Reaching inside herself to find the strength to hold on a little longer, she heard the strong, clear voice of her soulmate. It was as lovely and pure as its owner. Soft, clear, it carried the power of generations of hereditary magicks.

"Gaia, Mother, I call to thee,

"Feel the power vested in me.

"As Lady Moon mourns the arrival of dusk,

"Allow thy Champions to succumb to lust.

"Mother, hold the two in thy kind embrace,

"Allow their joining to gain your grace.

"Infuse their souls with your light,

"Goddess, hear my call, answer my plight,

"Give your blessing, turn the key,

"As I will, so mote it be!"

Unlike the other spell that had been cast inside the room, Tara felt that this one was deeply rooted in white magic. It was not meant for harm, but she could not be sure of its purpose. Even in the astral plain of existence, Tara felt the wash of power as the ritual reached its peak, bringing the levels of energy in the room to new heights.

As a pillar of light formed in the center of the room, Tara knew exactly where to find those she had been looking for.

I will come back for you, she vowed silently before drifting upward, following the light. As she passed through the floors, she saw that the pillar was branching out, sending tendrils in different directions. Some were brighter than others, some faded away, and some continued to shine brightly. Tara could see exactly the path she needed to follow as though it was painted in a different color than the others.

She found them several levels higher, in a room that appeared to belong to one of the Initiative's soldiers. They were sleeping on a narrow bed, curled around each other. As the powerful magic wove a cocoon of light around the two, Tara knew that she had the information she had come there to get—and more some.

With a heavy heart, Tara allowed herself to be pulled away from the vile place that was the Initiative's compound, toward her physical body. The return trip was almost brutal. One moment, she was looking at the two Champions of light as the magic surrounded them, and in the next heartbeat, she was lying on the cold ground and looking up into three worried faces.

I know it has been a reallllllly long time, but I've been trying to get several chapters ahead written. I keep changing my mind and having to go back to this chapter, which means rewriting the next ones, which means more changes here...and I got stuck in a loop...

I'm holding my fingers crossed that I finally have it figured out. Hope you enjoy this chapter, and I really hope that you are going to like the direction I'm taking with this story. Reviews feed the Musie :)

Have a wonderful week,
Alley Cat