Part VIII
"What have you got for me?" Spike asked as he came in the door.
"Well, whatever it is, it's going down tonight. I think." Willow said. She was seated in the middle of the kitchen table, surrounded by various sacred and odiferous objects.
Spike sighed. "Can you give me a probability?"
"80 percent. Give or take."
He turned to Xander. "How goes the research front?"
"Well, I've narrowed it down to about ten possibilities, all in languages I don't read." Xander picked one of the opened books off of the coffeetable, and handed it to Spike. "This looks like it could have some connection--"
Spike looked at it, and said, "It's a bloody recipe for chocolate cake in transliterated Mayan."
"Okay, once again, language I don't speak." Xander said angrily.
"Sorry, mate, not your fault. Can you run down to the hospital and pick up the Nibblet and Tara? And give Giles a few bucks for bus fare. I'll make sure he pays you back."
"Finally! Something I can do!" Xander stormed out.
"Cookies!" Anya said, coming out of the kitchen. She went to put the plate down on the coffeetable, noticed she was going to put it on a book, and picked up the book in her other hand to move it. "Hey, what year is it in the Chinese calendar?"
"Um, I'm not sure, let me look in the encyclopedia." Willow found the book in question, and in a minute of reading said, "4699."
"All righty then." Anya put the cookies down, brought the book to Spike. "See that?"
"Sorry love, I don't read Chinese."
"Obviously, since this is Ancient Mandarin. Nevermind, it says, loosely translated, 'In the Town of the Sun, in the 4699th year, Year of the Snake, at the sound of the first bell, a Kantok will mate with a Farwerk, and all Hell will break loose.' Hmm, that's new. Don't these things usually happen at midnight, not one a.m.?"
Spike sighed. "Again? I mean, the first few times, it was kinda fun, but really, by now it's practically a tired, recycled plot."
"Hey, don't blame me," Anya said. "I just read the prophecy. Oh, by the way, to stop the mating, we need to make someone a Vessel of Holy Truth, and to do that, we need a Orb of Reltetsoh and a Ptah Chalice. I've got a Ptah Chalice in the shop, but I don't know where to get anything as powerful as an Orb of Reltetsoh."
"I have one at home."
Anya turned to Willow. "What are you doing with an Orb of Reltetsoh?"
"Spells."
"What kind of spells?" Anya pressed.
"Just... Spells." Willow turned red.
"If Willow's been playing with dark magic, and I'm not accusing, we'll argue about that later," Spike said tiredly. "Let's all meet at the shop in an hour. I'll leave a note for Xander and Giles."
"I drove over in my mom's car, why don't we all pile in, and we'll swing by the dorm on our way. It's a station wagon, Spike, plenty of room to hide under a blanket."
"Sounds like a much better plan," Spike conceeded.
"What have you got for me?" Spike asked as he came in the door.
"Well, whatever it is, it's going down tonight. I think." Willow said. She was seated in the middle of the kitchen table, surrounded by various sacred and odiferous objects.
Spike sighed. "Can you give me a probability?"
"80 percent. Give or take."
He turned to Xander. "How goes the research front?"
"Well, I've narrowed it down to about ten possibilities, all in languages I don't read." Xander picked one of the opened books off of the coffeetable, and handed it to Spike. "This looks like it could have some connection--"
Spike looked at it, and said, "It's a bloody recipe for chocolate cake in transliterated Mayan."
"Okay, once again, language I don't speak." Xander said angrily.
"Sorry, mate, not your fault. Can you run down to the hospital and pick up the Nibblet and Tara? And give Giles a few bucks for bus fare. I'll make sure he pays you back."
"Finally! Something I can do!" Xander stormed out.
"Cookies!" Anya said, coming out of the kitchen. She went to put the plate down on the coffeetable, noticed she was going to put it on a book, and picked up the book in her other hand to move it. "Hey, what year is it in the Chinese calendar?"
"Um, I'm not sure, let me look in the encyclopedia." Willow found the book in question, and in a minute of reading said, "4699."
"All righty then." Anya put the cookies down, brought the book to Spike. "See that?"
"Sorry love, I don't read Chinese."
"Obviously, since this is Ancient Mandarin. Nevermind, it says, loosely translated, 'In the Town of the Sun, in the 4699th year, Year of the Snake, at the sound of the first bell, a Kantok will mate with a Farwerk, and all Hell will break loose.' Hmm, that's new. Don't these things usually happen at midnight, not one a.m.?"
Spike sighed. "Again? I mean, the first few times, it was kinda fun, but really, by now it's practically a tired, recycled plot."
"Hey, don't blame me," Anya said. "I just read the prophecy. Oh, by the way, to stop the mating, we need to make someone a Vessel of Holy Truth, and to do that, we need a Orb of Reltetsoh and a Ptah Chalice. I've got a Ptah Chalice in the shop, but I don't know where to get anything as powerful as an Orb of Reltetsoh."
"I have one at home."
Anya turned to Willow. "What are you doing with an Orb of Reltetsoh?"
"Spells."
"What kind of spells?" Anya pressed.
"Just... Spells." Willow turned red.
"If Willow's been playing with dark magic, and I'm not accusing, we'll argue about that later," Spike said tiredly. "Let's all meet at the shop in an hour. I'll leave a note for Xander and Giles."
"I drove over in my mom's car, why don't we all pile in, and we'll swing by the dorm on our way. It's a station wagon, Spike, plenty of room to hide under a blanket."
"Sounds like a much better plan," Spike conceeded.