Chapter 3
"Creepy." Elizabeth looked up at the huge stone slabs.
"Can you just imagine how long these have been here?" Spike ran his fingers down the rock surface, not fully sanded, rough and cold. He snatched his fingers away, remembering a time long ago when he had been with Dru up north on the main continent. They thought they would have died hiking up the mountain in the snow. He saw the girl shiver violently and realized they had to work quickly. "Follow me." Spike went through a large stone archway towards the center of the pillars. In the center there seemed to be a bumpy boulder sticking out of the ground, but Spike knew better. He bent down on the taller side and touched the ground in front of him. It crumbled revealing a doorway cut into the stone just below ground level. He looked at Elizabeth for a moment then jumped down. The little hole was barely big enough to hold both of them, but with both of their strength they managed to push the door in.
Spike's firs thought was how could this hollowed out cave hold up the pillars? But when he lit a match to give them momentary light, more for Elizabeth's need than his, he saw the answer. They extended down into the ground, supporting the earth above their heads.
"It smells in here." Elizabeth observed.
"Quiet." Spike listened with his sensitive hearing, straining to pick up any sounds in the depths of the man made caves.
"Why is the book down here? Why not a museum, or guarded by someone?"
"Who says it's not?" As he listened Spike heard the very distant steps of some very large thing.
"Elizabeth, did you understand that we aren't getting this book from our side, we're stealing it from them? They don't want us to have it."
"Duh." She slapped a stake into his hands. Smart girl. He certainly hadn't brought anything with him. All his weapons were still in the trunk of his car. "That sounds like a very big thing." Elizabeth fretted.
"You haven't faced anything until you've faced a God." Spike said tightly. He rolled the stake in his hand, wishing it was a sword or mace. The first thing they saw were the red eyes of the creature. And then the fire.
"Holy crap. That's a dragon." Elizabeth rasped.
"No. It's another demon that's a descendent of a dragon. It's a Draconis demon."
"Same thing." The demon's steps made the dirt under their feet quiver. Spike reasoned that he was more afraid of it than Elizabeth. If he was on fire for too long he would just combust. Then poof. No more Spike. "Do you remember the story of St George and the Dragon?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, Spike go for the throat." Suddenly she darted past him with a war cry. He stood, shocked for moment as the girl, fearlessly leaped towards the beast. Her blond hair memorized him. It stirred up his painful past, and also the need to win this time around.
He shook himself out and headed forward. He could smell the charred breath of the demon as it's head snapped towards him. The room was not very high and the demon took up most of the room. If he managed to trap them, it would be all over. Elizabeth dodged to the left and Spike darted to the right. Huge claws reached out towards him, one catching his coat.
"I've had that for 44 years you damn dragon!" Spike growled .
"Maybe he's trying to tell you something about your fashion sense!" Elizabeth used a rock outcropping to help her flip, making her land right on the back of the Draconis demon. The demon's head jerked upward exposing the neck.
"Smart girl." Spike grinned and raced forward. He sunk the stake into the soft flesh under the jaw. The demon howled before the sounds were cut off as Spike jammed the wood in further. He felt fire breath over him, one last bellow before it went out. The demon wavered and Spike moved to get out of the way, feeling the top of his head burned a little.
"Damn." He muttered stepping away. The demon crashed to the ground and Elizabeth got up with a smile.
"Good work."
"You too." He kicked the demon for good measure and headed around it, deeper underground. The earth sloped downward, no wonder it had taken the thing so long to get up there. He heard Elizabeth slip behind him in the pebbled ground and he felt her barrel into him. He reached behind him in the darkness to stop her and keep himself upright. They became intertwined and he fell too. He winced as the rocks burned his exposed flesh. They tumbled, bruising forming the whole time until they hit level ground.
"Spike?"
"You ok Slayer?"
"I think so. But you're on my leg." Spike wiggled away and they both stood up. He could see her in the darkness and reached out. She shrunk under his hands and he felt the slickness of blood.
"You're bleeding."
"You are too. But we're fine. We both heel fast, remember?"
"Still, you have to be more cautious. Something could have been waiting down here for us." Spike walked past her, scared by his own concern for her. He had to remind himself she was completely different than that past life. But she was going to face it any how, in him, and then when they went back to Sunnydale. The name sent a chill up his spine. What choice did he have?
"Was that it? Now we just grab it and go?"
"Doubt that. Wouldn't be that easy."
"Easy. You think that was easy-Urg. Never mind." Elizabeth scowled at him in the darkness.
"Creepy." Elizabeth looked up at the huge stone slabs.
"Can you just imagine how long these have been here?" Spike ran his fingers down the rock surface, not fully sanded, rough and cold. He snatched his fingers away, remembering a time long ago when he had been with Dru up north on the main continent. They thought they would have died hiking up the mountain in the snow. He saw the girl shiver violently and realized they had to work quickly. "Follow me." Spike went through a large stone archway towards the center of the pillars. In the center there seemed to be a bumpy boulder sticking out of the ground, but Spike knew better. He bent down on the taller side and touched the ground in front of him. It crumbled revealing a doorway cut into the stone just below ground level. He looked at Elizabeth for a moment then jumped down. The little hole was barely big enough to hold both of them, but with both of their strength they managed to push the door in.
Spike's firs thought was how could this hollowed out cave hold up the pillars? But when he lit a match to give them momentary light, more for Elizabeth's need than his, he saw the answer. They extended down into the ground, supporting the earth above their heads.
"It smells in here." Elizabeth observed.
"Quiet." Spike listened with his sensitive hearing, straining to pick up any sounds in the depths of the man made caves.
"Why is the book down here? Why not a museum, or guarded by someone?"
"Who says it's not?" As he listened Spike heard the very distant steps of some very large thing.
"Elizabeth, did you understand that we aren't getting this book from our side, we're stealing it from them? They don't want us to have it."
"Duh." She slapped a stake into his hands. Smart girl. He certainly hadn't brought anything with him. All his weapons were still in the trunk of his car. "That sounds like a very big thing." Elizabeth fretted.
"You haven't faced anything until you've faced a God." Spike said tightly. He rolled the stake in his hand, wishing it was a sword or mace. The first thing they saw were the red eyes of the creature. And then the fire.
"Holy crap. That's a dragon." Elizabeth rasped.
"No. It's another demon that's a descendent of a dragon. It's a Draconis demon."
"Same thing." The demon's steps made the dirt under their feet quiver. Spike reasoned that he was more afraid of it than Elizabeth. If he was on fire for too long he would just combust. Then poof. No more Spike. "Do you remember the story of St George and the Dragon?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, Spike go for the throat." Suddenly she darted past him with a war cry. He stood, shocked for moment as the girl, fearlessly leaped towards the beast. Her blond hair memorized him. It stirred up his painful past, and also the need to win this time around.
He shook himself out and headed forward. He could smell the charred breath of the demon as it's head snapped towards him. The room was not very high and the demon took up most of the room. If he managed to trap them, it would be all over. Elizabeth dodged to the left and Spike darted to the right. Huge claws reached out towards him, one catching his coat.
"I've had that for 44 years you damn dragon!" Spike growled .
"Maybe he's trying to tell you something about your fashion sense!" Elizabeth used a rock outcropping to help her flip, making her land right on the back of the Draconis demon. The demon's head jerked upward exposing the neck.
"Smart girl." Spike grinned and raced forward. He sunk the stake into the soft flesh under the jaw. The demon howled before the sounds were cut off as Spike jammed the wood in further. He felt fire breath over him, one last bellow before it went out. The demon wavered and Spike moved to get out of the way, feeling the top of his head burned a little.
"Damn." He muttered stepping away. The demon crashed to the ground and Elizabeth got up with a smile.
"Good work."
"You too." He kicked the demon for good measure and headed around it, deeper underground. The earth sloped downward, no wonder it had taken the thing so long to get up there. He heard Elizabeth slip behind him in the pebbled ground and he felt her barrel into him. He reached behind him in the darkness to stop her and keep himself upright. They became intertwined and he fell too. He winced as the rocks burned his exposed flesh. They tumbled, bruising forming the whole time until they hit level ground.
"Spike?"
"You ok Slayer?"
"I think so. But you're on my leg." Spike wiggled away and they both stood up. He could see her in the darkness and reached out. She shrunk under his hands and he felt the slickness of blood.
"You're bleeding."
"You are too. But we're fine. We both heel fast, remember?"
"Still, you have to be more cautious. Something could have been waiting down here for us." Spike walked past her, scared by his own concern for her. He had to remind himself she was completely different than that past life. But she was going to face it any how, in him, and then when they went back to Sunnydale. The name sent a chill up his spine. What choice did he have?
"Was that it? Now we just grab it and go?"
"Doubt that. Wouldn't be that easy."
"Easy. You think that was easy-Urg. Never mind." Elizabeth scowled at him in the darkness.