Chapter Eleven:

Raksha walked into the club, she casually walked over to a table in the back.  There were three huge thugs, all vampires, sitting and drinking from an average looking human girl.

                "I need to see Doran.  Where is he?"

                "Who wants to know?"  One demanded, just as the other slapped him and jumped up.

"I'll take you straight to him.  Please forgive this lowly servant, he didn't know, he's young and outspoken, I - "

Raksha waved a hand at him, "Oh, stop already.  I'm in a forgiving mood, so just don't do it again."

                "Yes lady."  He said, bowing and stepping to the side, opening a secret door.

'My, he has his help trained well, perhaps too well.' She thought with disgust at the simpering fool that was leading her down a flight of stairs.

He held open a door for her, "In there."

"Good, now go do something."  Raksha said offhand as she strolled in. "My dear Doran, how are you?"

"Fine and to what do I owe this pleasant surprise?"  Doran said, in his cracked deep voice.

"I need to call in that favor you owe me."  Raksha said stepping farther into the room so she could see him.  He sat on top of an elegant looking old chair, with too young demons on either side of him, ready to do whatever he commanded.  He himself was an odd-looking creature, even for a demon.  His skin was sky blue, and shifting as his mood dictated.  His third eye shimmered with an inner radiance, offsetting its red/orange colors.  Coming off his forehead were long spikes, with a clear black tip.  Long talons, extending past his knuckles and fingertips.  A long three pronged tail shot out behind him and moved with a life of its own, as it had been possessed over a century ago.

"Ah, for saving me from those hunka demons, if I am correct."

"You are very correct." Raksha said softly. People took her more seriously when she bothered to lower her voice. She couldn't imagine why. . .  "It happened that I bled when I came away from that, my blood was spilt for you, well, that makes it a very big favor."

"Yes, you tend to get touchy when someone makes you bleed."  He smiled, showing a mouth full of sharp teeth, "So what is it you want me to do?"

"I need to start a war."

"You're always so much fun, Raksha."  He said with a grin.

~

"So we have formed a plan."  Dreko said, "If we can't kill her we can trap her."

Hannah seemed doubtful, and ran a hand through her long blond hair nervously. "How can you do that? You couldn't handle her with your dragons, and she nearly killed one of you, he still isn't fully healed, he may never be."

"We were talking to the witches, and Angel, and we found a material that will hold her.  The witches are working on the cage now.  We just have to get close enough to let a witch perform the ritual of sleep, one designed to kill Threisha demons," Some of the assembled just stared at him, with a blank look on their faces.  "Threisha demons are ones created using the Threisha stone.  But Raksha is the only one we've ever heard of who has it in her blood.  So it won't kill her, just disable her long enough to get into the cage.  Any questions so far?"

"And just how do we get her to sit for this ritual?"  Demanded a werewolf called Loup.

"We need someone who can fight her, match her in strength and skill.  Then we will put a very old net over her, which is coming in from England. There's a coven there that has connections to a lot of ancient artifacts. It's a very powerful complex spell, should be strong enough to hold Raksha for a short while."  Dreko looked at Chyana, "You have to be the one to fight her."

                "Me?"  Chyana stared at him, "Why?"

Angel spoke up from the back of the room, "Because, you match her in strength perfectly.  You were made to be the perfect killing team.  If you shift, you have a chance of beating her, even killing her."

"No, I can't beat her."

"Yes, you can."

"You said I'd have to shift, I won't."

Every person in the room stared at her.  Then they all spoke at once.

"You won't?  You organize this whole thing, then don't have the guts to go all the way?"

"Why? I don't-"

"How can you not?"

"QUIET!"  Thierry yelled, "Now, Chyana please, can you explain this?"

"What's the use in killing one monster if you create another?"  Chyana said softly, and walked out of the room.  Hannah, Thierry, Rashel an ex-vampire hunter, and Angel followed her out.

"Chyana, talk to us."  Hannah said, "We need to know what's wrong."

"It's none of your business."  Chyana snapped.

"Chyana, you have to tell someone."

"I don't think that you need to know about my problems." Chyana glared at Angel, "This is my life.  I can deal with it on my own."

Angel looked at her, " If you could deal, then this wouldn't be an issue.  What happens when you shape-change?"

"I didn't even know you could change."  Thierry commented.

"Well, I can, but I certainly won't." 

"Why not?" Rachel demanded.

"What was with the monster bit?" Hannah asked, using her fingers to brush her honey-colored hair out of her eyes. It was beginning to be a nervous habit.     

Chyana sighed, "Fine, if you really must know. The last time I changed was over two hundred years ago.  I was as bad as Angelus or Raksha.  I killed humans, mercilessly slaughtered them.  Then one day I realized what I had been doing.  I had become what I vowed to destroy.  I had killed a slayer. I refuse to become that again."

"But you can keep control now, can't you?" Rachel asked, green eyes blazing. There was nothing about herself she hadn't faced and mastered, and she couldn't begin to understand Chyana's difficulties.

"Maybe, maybe not.  I don't know, the urges are so much stronger in that form." 

"Please," Thierry looked at her, "at least try."               

Chyana shrugged, in the end there was really no other solution. "Why not."

"Good, now all we do is find her."   

"That won't be a problem,"  Chyana looked out the window, "She'll come to us."