Chapter 19 Tara
The enormous ruby eyes of the Destroyer fastened onto Dawn's slim figure in an instant. The great lion paced toward us, his shaggy head lowered, his huge furred feet soundless on the filthy dance floor. He stepped delicately around the body of the poor kid, straight toward our sadly depleted group.
Spike growled deep in his throat in challenge, and thrust the girl behind him, weaponless and desperate in his bravery. Buffy was at his right hand, her sword thrust forward menacingly, her eyes ferocious. Two warriors protecting the innocent, even to the cost of their own lives. The Destroyer focused on them and appeared to have grown an additional pair of arms, each holding yard-long swords. The creature stepped closer and I could smell the ripe stink of the predator cages at the zoo. Man, what I wouldn't give for a nice, quiet forgery case.
Anyanka used that moment of distraction to strike at Giles. Her face contorted with writhing veins, revealing her true countenance. Justice was to be served. Her curse was a peculiar one.
.
Giles stood and howled, his head thrown back like a wounded animal, foaming at the mouth and screaming obscenities in a dozen languages. He began heaving bits of broken furniture and handfuls of feathers at the Destroyer. His robes flapped wildly as he ran at the now vastly amused creature, shrieking unintelligibly and shaking Andrew's magic bone. His eyes were wild with confusion and terror. He stood panting for breath and heaved the bone toward the demon, but her sword stroke spun it out of the circle and into the darkness. Finally, a well-placed chair shattered on the surprised lion's muzzle. The ebony figure appeared to have acquired a dozen arms, or maybe they were huge black wings. Nothing about the creature seemed real. Her eyes glowed and the broad face burst into a joyous smile. A scintilatting radiance surrounded Giles howling form, wrapping him in black bands of power. His body seemed to shrink into itself, writhing in agony as the transformation occurred. A gray-green snake lay curled in the Lady's hand. A snake with a flickering red tongue and hazel eyes that glared at us with human intelligence. She wound the snake through her necklace of pearls and continued her stately progress toward Dawn and her protectors.
I saw no point in running away, so I stepped up beside the others and drew my pop-gun. What a laugh.
The Destroyer stopped abruptly ten steps away. A quizzical look appeared in the fierce red eyes. There was a lucent shimmer as her body began to alter, the midnight black fading to a brilliant green like April grass after the rain, her long black hair now the golden color of ripe wheat. The lion was gone and in its place was a sort of horse, snowy white, with eyes as wide and blue as summer skies, its spotless mane bound in ribbons and flowers. The horrors that had corrupted the dance floor were gone, and in place of the stench of the charnelhouse, there was a scent of roses in the air.
The Lady smiled sweetly at us all, her heavy-lidded eyes so gentle and kind. She held up her pale hands in a gesture of peace and called in a trill of birdsong, Child of Hyperion? Eos? Dawn.
We were frozen into immobility, chained in place by some uncanny agency while Dawn fled to the Lady's side.
Dearest child, my most Beloved One. Wilt thou open forth the Way home for me?
Dawn smiled her innocent smile and nodded. The Green Lady took Dawn's hand, then leant down to place a silvery kiss on the girl's forehead. A dazzling glow spread, surrounding the pair, wrapping them in iridescent veils of light. Then, miraculously, we saw Dawn's face bloom, alive with intelligence. The vacuous smile transformed to a clever grin, full of the joy that had been missing from her. The girl spun in mercurial delight, her glossy brown hair flying, her arms wide.
Dawn made a whirling gesture with her hand and a wide emerald portal opened before us, shimmering with raw power. On the other side we could see an endless, starry void. It was so beautiful, the yawning emptiness.
I heard Anyanka gasp behind me.
Buffy whispered in a lost, broken voice. Spike's hawk eyes watched anxiously from his frozen vantage. I just held my breath and waited.
The white horse stepped toward the portal, bearing the glittering presence on his back, while Dawn walked alongside, her fingers woven through his pearly mane. The Lady looked intently into Dawn's eyes, but the girl only smiled and stepped backward. The Lady wriggled long green fingers and giggled like a young girl as the portal closed behind her.
tbc
AN: Svergja comes from . Also in Old Norse, sverial--to swear. In Norwegian, it has two meanings: to swear an oath, and to use foul language, and is similar to forsworen, which means to commit perjury. Kind of apropro, I thought.
Music for this section: George Winston