Series One, Episode Twelve
Finally, Showdown, by Head Staff Writer RainTiger
---
This is the season finale of Slayer season one, but soon season two will be starting on the website () soon. If you want to read the rest of the episodes that weren't written by me, they're at the site, too. ^^ Enjoy!
"Nothing will stop me!"
The vampire was off her suddenly, dust covering her face and clothes. James stood above her, lifting her up. "Help!" Gabi choked, another vampire lowering her face to her neck. Danae took James' stake, throwing it at the vamp's back. She dusted.
Anthony struggled, staking his own vampire. Danae watched as Felipe saved Sara, and stopped him before he could go after the last one. The Slayer ran forward, tackling it and holding it down. She held the stake close to its chest.
"Who sent you?" she demanded.
"David Nicholas says goodbye," he spat, then sat up strongly to impale himself.
Wiping off her clothes, Danae stood again, confused. "Does that mean that David Nicholas is out of town again?" she asked.
"I think so," James said, and she sighed in relief.
"Isn't he, like, your big adversary?" Gabi asked, holding her throat.
Danae nodded. "I hope things will be a bit quieter now he's gone."
---
Four Weeks Later
The night was finally clear after such a long rain. The air was cold and clean, and everything was damp, as though freshly cleaned. The grass slurped wetly as Danae walked across the well-kept graveyard, boots sticking slightly and lifting with a pop. She sighed, looking around her and flipping her stake in one hand.
The wind whispered through the tall trees, sounding somewhat like a rushing brook. Other than that, the only sound was the soft breath of the man leaning against a tombstone.
"Slow night," James commented, folding his arms.
"I swear, I can prove it," Danae insisted, tossing the stake to her other hand. She shifted on her feet, impatient.
"I do believe you. This really isn't necessary."
"You don't really believe me, James, and I know it." She crossed over to him, pursing her lips. "Yes, the Book of the Dead has disappeared. Yes, old enemies are returning. You may say that you got the connection, but I somehow doubt you do. So, I'll just prove it."
James leaned forward. "Go ahead. Prove it." That was a dare if Danae ever heard one.
"Fine, then. I will." She swaggered a few feet away, putting on her innocent look. He noticed as she shifted from "predator" mode into "prey" mode. Most vampires would notice the change, too, if they had been watching, but some were dumb enough to fall for it
And indeed, minutes later, a vampire strolled out into view, looking as though he hadn't kept up with the fashion for the past five years. It was a slight fashion difference, but Danae could tell. The tell-tale alarm bells went off in her head, confirming her suspicion that the new person wasn't alive.
Without further ado, Danae launched herself forward. James laughed: she wasn't one for subtlety when it came to fighting. No matter how he tried, he just couldn't get her to grasp the basic premise of "patience." She hadn't changed at all for four years now.
She kicked it twice soundly in the chest, punching and striking before it even realized it was being attacked. When it finally caught up with her, it threw her away from itself, running. The vampire knew he was no match for the Slayer.
Danae, however, wasn't allowing this. She chased after the vamp, and James followed at a much slower pace to keep an eye on them. She was flung against a tree, but being the ever-determined person she was, returned with a good roundhouse of her own.
While it was still off-balance, she sank the stake into its chest, and with a shocked look, the vampire exploded. Danae folded her arms again, beckoning James over. He stood at her side, waiting with her.
The dust cloud the vampire had dissolved into began to form again, taking shape back into what he was only moment ago.
Even though James had half expected this to happen, he took a step back in surprise nonetheless. As soon as he had formed up enough, Danae staked him again, and this time his dust blew away on the wind. She sheathed her stake.
"See? For the past couple weeks, any time I stake anything on patrol, I have to wait around and stake them again." She sounded incredibly annoyed. "It's such a waste of time. At first, it was only a vampire every couple of days that did this, but it's speeding up. The Book's doing something."
"But it's been so quiet lately. After David-Nicholas left again, things became so calm," James said, almost as irritated as Danae. "We haven't even seen any demons since the beginning of May!"
"I bet it's doing this all just to annoy me," she mumbled sulkily. "'Let's make it harder for the Slayer to Slay things! It's going to make patrolling take twice as long, and give her less time to spend with her friends. And if all goes well in my evil, evil plan, she'll die from severe agitation!'"
"That's an excellent evil plan, Danae," James said solemnly.
"Yes, that's definitely the Book's scheme," Danae said, linking arms with James as they continued walking. "How much extra training and/or researching do I have to put in?"
"None," he promised. "Just focusing on studying. Next week's finals week, you know."
"Tell me the world is going to end before then."
"Disregarding the unusual demon activity in Sunnydale (they've always stopped apocalypses every time up to now), I'd say it's a sure thing you'll have to do school next week." Danae leaned on his arm with a groan. "I promise if you pass all your finals, I'll home school you next year."
She smiled. "Really?"
"Cross my heart," James said. "Now go stake hers."
Danae followed his gaze to see a vampire heading towards them. She pulled her stake out of her jacket, separating from her Watcher. "With pleasure."
---
"Okay, negative 'b' plus or minus the square root of 'b' squared minus four times 'a' times 'c'" Danae looked at the equation, drumming her pencil on her desk.
"It's all over two times 'a'," James said.
"Whoever came up with the quadratic formula should die," Danae muttered. "It makes no sense! How do I get 'a', 'b', and 'c' from the original equation?" She picked up her math paper, frowning at it in disgust.
"You're such an idiot," Felipe said with contempt from the corner, where he sat, looking on with disdain.
Danae growled, snapping her book shut. She took a deep breath. "Screw math. James, let's try History."
"You don't need to study History. You know it better than you know your demons. If we aren't studying Math, let's at least cover your Science." He slid the math book away, reaching for her science binder. "Good lord! Are these supposed to be notes? They look like pages of drawings and battle plans. Danae" James sighed heavily.
Danae shifted on her seat uneasily, eyes flicking over to where the bound mage sat. She was expecting a comment at any moment. Indeed, as soon as she looked over, he said, "Jaaaames, she's looking at me. Make her stop."
"I'm going to strangle you with my stylish scarf if you don't shut up," Danae said, and it was no idle threat. Felipe sat back (for the time being).
She leaned back, gazing out the window at the shining afternoon light. The view tantalized her; Danae wanted to go outside and jog, or go to Gabi's and drag her down to the lake for a swim. Instead, she had to be sitting around, studying things that were probably too late to learn, with that stupid little man who had tried to kill her talking endlessly.
"Don't threaten the harmless little ponce," James sighed. He was obviously bored of him too.
"'Harmless little ponce?'" Felipe repeated, outraged.
"Can't you bind his mouth or something?" Danae asked.
"I'm saving my energy," he said apologetically. "Fighting him took a lot out of me. I have all my magic back, yes, but you never know when I'm going to need it."
Danae slumped, banging her head on the table. "Can't Gabi watch him?"
"She doesn't have the strength to protect herself from him. Besides, right now I have him anchored in the studio. I don't feel like moving him."
"You know, I'm here right now. You don't have to talk about me like I'm in another room." Felipe waved at them.
James turned to the book he'd been paying half attention to, returning to reading. Danae and Felipe began bickering, but he tuned them out with practiced ease. The two never shut up. Maybe it would be best to separate them --
He stopped cold, looking closer at the paragraph he'd just read. Standing suddenly, James went to the coat rack, taking his jacket. "Are we going out?" Danae asked hopefully.
"I am going out, you are staying here and baby sitting Felipe. I think I have a lead," James explained, walking down the stairs. "I'll be back in an hour," he called. "Study!"
The door below slammed, and Danae stared at Felipe. "I don't need to be baby sat," he said flatly.
"Believe me, if it was up to me, I'd just kill you," she said, opening her History book. "Now shut up or I'll use dull scissors to remove any chance you have of ever procreating."
"Pleasant girl," he grumbled.
---
Gabi squeezed the bottle of lighter fluid, and the barbecue erupted in a fireball, surrounding the hot dogs. Danae leapt back from the fire, but it shortly shrank again. "Cool," Gabi giggled, and Danae poked the dogs with a fork.
"You're such a pyromaniac, Gabi," Danae laughed, looking around at the supplies on the picnic table. "Ooh, sour cream and cheddar chips." She grabbed the giant bag, opening it and munching.
"Share," Gabi commanded, keeping an eye on the barbecue as they ate.
"James! Want to join us?" Danae called to the man, who was lounging on a blanket several feet away in the sun.
"That's all right, I'll let you do all the work," he returned, laying back with his hands behind his head. Danae smiled fondly at him, watching how the sun shone in his hair. She never understood how he didn't get burned; he was wearing a muscle tee and no sun block, and when he fell asleep, he'd always come back un-burned.
"Stop ogling the Watcher," Gabi said playfully.
"I am not ogling!" Danae protested, laughing. She shifted the hot dogs to make sure they cooked evenly.
"You are so ogling," Gabi teased, sitting at the table to wait.
"Yes, I am. James and I are secretly shagging behind everyone's backs, and I'm staring right now because I'm carrying his child but don't know how to tell him," Danae joked.
After a long pause, Gabi said, "Really?" as though she actually believed her.
"Hell no," Danae laughed, throwing a chip at Gabi.
"Anyway, I hear James got a lead yesterday. Anything good?"
"Nothing. He misread his Greek." Danae rolled her eyes, glancing over at the barbecue, then reaching for the paper plates. She moved the dogs onto the plate, then handed it over to Gabi.
"Guess that means I'm bun girl, huh?" Gabi asked, putting the now-cooked (and very slightly burned) hot dogs into their buns, and with a quick efficiency, put all the right toppings on each one.
"Your buns are better than the Slayer's, if a bit large," Felipe said, appearing from nowhere and stealing Danae's customized hot dog. He pointedly took a huge bite out of the end, watching Danae as he did it.
She stared at him incredulously while he downed her entire dog, and as he (with quite a bit of satisfaction), licked his fingers. "A little overcooked."
Her eyes flared, and she punched him in the stomach (and without the affection she had for most of her victims), and marched out into the sun. Gabi giggled from behind her, and Felipe muttered, "Shut up."
Throwing herself onto the blanket James was reclining on, Danae waited until he finished talking to whoever he was talking to on his cell before speaking. "I'm going to kill Felipe, James. He ate my special hot dog."
"I'm sorry, Danae, but I have to go to England," James said, standing and pulling Danae back to her feet with him. "The Council says they have news pertaining to why you were Called, but it shouldn't take long. I'll likely be back tomorrow or the day after."
"Take Felipe," she said desperately as they walked under the shade of the tree Gabi and the bound mage were.
"You two are secretly shagging behind your backs and you don't know how to tell your Watcher you're carrying his child?" Felipe asked, surprised. Gabi looked guilty, and James turned to Danae, more than a little puzzled.
"That's news to me," James said.
"Last time I joke with Gabi," Danae grumbled under her breath. Louder, she said, "Fine, go to England. At least give Felipe to Gabi. I'm sick of him, and they're seeming to get along okay."
"I told you, I don't have the time to move him," James sighed, taking the plate Gabi offered. "I'll be back in a day or two, I promise. And no killing Felipe while I'm gone."
"Just take all the fun out of everything."
---
"She kills them," a quiet voice said. "She ruins them. My work." The voice crackled slightly as it spoke calmly, and it sounded very distant, as though it came from the bottom of a well.
"We will kill the Slayer," promised a female vampire, wearing black leather and with her bright red hair pulled back. Her companions nodded, all of them female and clad similarly. It almost looked like they were soldiers, with the organization of an army.
"You will not. She is too strong," it whispered. It slunk out of its hiding place, draped in darkness so that its followers could not see it. "I will raise more, many at once. And then you shall bring her to me."
It crossed to the outside, looking upon the graveyard. What could have passed for its head tilted to the side, and it raised its arms. Soundlessly, several images rose from its body, burning in the sky brightly and causing the graves to dance with silver flames.
[insert graphic]
The symbols, as though ripped from a page, sank slowly into the earth. All was still for a moment, and then the ground itself began to glow. Dirt erupted, tombstones and coffins shattered, and slowly the dead began to rise from the ground.
"They will kill her."
---
It was clouded over, and it rained very lightly on the park, but Quentin Travers still sat outside. He was on a bench under the shelter of a tree, watching everything around him silently when James approached. He didn't acknowledge him at first, and so the younger Watcher simply stood in the rain, waiting.
"James, it's good to see you," Quentin said, still not looking at him, "especially after you last left on such unpleasant terms."
"Torture and unnecessary psychological batteries are mistakes anyone can make," James said dryly.
Travers laughed, gesturing to the empty seat next to him. "Please, sit. I don't suppose you've heard from Alexander recently?'
James moved over, sitting. "Just last week, Alex sent me a charm from the Himalayas, and a letter about a temple."
"We've been sending notices to all his usual 'haunts,' but we haven't gotten any replies. Does he answer when you write him?" Travers asked, folding his hands.
"As long as I don't mention returning home," James replied, looking up through the branches of the tree with a thoughtful look. "Do you still want him to replace me as Danae's Watcher?"
Quentin didn't answer for a while. "James, it isn't healthy for a Watcher to get too attached to his or her Slayer. Of course, there is a certain level of respect and whatnot, but when too strong a bond is formed, we often relocate both people." James looked alarmed, but Travers shook his head. "We're not replacing you. It hasn't hindered you or your work. However, once we do receive word from your twin, we will be sending him over as her primary Watcher. We have no plans of firing or moving you. You'll still have contact, but Alexander will handle the paperwork. You understand, of course."
"What else do you have to say?" James asked tightly, trying to be patient. "Do you know anything about why Danae was Called?"
The older man took his time, turning to face James, but still watching just beyond him in the park. "Odd things have been happening lately. In Sunnydale, the true Slayer has a hell god to fight. Imagine that, fighting a hell god! In Cleveland, we have a small group of Potentials trying to keep the public from learning about vampires, and in Bryony, the Book of the Dead itself. No, we don't know why Miss Gray was Called."
James sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "In that case, I must return. As you know, things are rather hectic back home right now."
"Yes, yes, but before you go, there's something you might want to know," Travers said. "And it does indeed affect you and your charge"
---
Sara liked to wander around the school after all the students had left. It didn't take long for the entire area to empty except for the teachers; no one wanted to linger longer than they had to. It was a good place to just think quietly, and look around without anyone disturbing her.
Two days ago, it had still been weekend and not finals week, and James had left for England. Something having to do with Danae, as usual. In addition, Anthony was with his Grandma in Florida, and things had been awfully calm for a while.
Danae had spent any non-school time at the studio with Felipe, and Sara had tried hanging out with her, but the mage was being awfully obnoxious. It was as though the attractive boy was trying to make up for his lack of magic by being evil in annoying Danae. The Slayer kept throwing things, and Felipe kept eyeing Sara, so she'd left.
Gabi was boring. She had been studying constantly, and didn't want to take time to go do anything. All of Sara's other friends had become even more frightfully dull ever since she learned of this entire new world with demons and vampires, and just couldn't carry on a conversation with them.
So a lot of her time was spent here. Here, walking in the empty halls, just thinking and looking.
She'd just finished up doing a final for French, and was walking about. She had a pretty good feeling that she had failed -- Sara could really only remember how to say "rabbit," so all of her answers were related to that. "What is your favorite food?" the paper would ask in French. Rabbit, of course. "What was your first pet?" Rabbit. "What is your hobby?" Raising rabbits.
Sara wandered outside, gazing up at the clouds and the bright sky. Turning around, she saw Anthony coming up the path. He must be on his way to get makeup papers, Sara thought, waving at him.
He waved back -- then began gesturing emphatically behind her. Sara turned around, confused, and then suddenly everything went black. Ouch, she thought before she became unconscious.
---
He leaned back, smiling darkly. "I came for you, actually, but they were in the way. They knew I was coming. It's one of the reasons your pathetic little demon-hunting parents were on the run. Actually, they'd made many enemies along the way I was just one of them."
"Where are they?" she demanded, voice loud.
"I--"
"Where are they?!"
Francis drew himself up. "So. This is your fatal flaw. I had hoped you'd be the one."
He slammed her against the wall, and she didn't even see him go from a meter away to right against her. His forehead cracked against hers, her head hitting the wall. His eyes glowed darkly, and she tried to draw away -- he struck her in the abdomen, throwing her to the floor.
Rolling away quickly, she clambered under a table on all fours. The Francis monster grabbed the side of the table, throwing it to the side, and it shattered against the floor. Gasping, she slid around to the other side of another one of the coffins.
She spun, grabbing the handle and pulling with all her strength --
She ran inside, forgetting
to close the door. The room was long, and a dead end, but she could hear Francis'
roar behind her and had no choice but to run.
The end of the room rushed towards her, and she saw a large bronze-colored plaque
on the wall. That was it. She ran into it, palms flat against the metal, searching
for anything.
Her hands began to burn, palms itching and warming. Pulling away quickly, she fell against the ground, flush on her back. The burning continued, and she clenched her hands into fists. Her eyes were drawn up to the plaque -- lit by a single glowing torch. A massive ornate cross adorned it, softly shining a light gold. "Holy mother," she whispered, looking at her hands. The cross was on them.
Danae sat up quickly, gasping. The darkness of the room met her, and she panted, trying to gain her bearings. She was just in her bedroom, in a normal (non-four poster) bed, with a wardrobe and a round mirror. That was all.
Through the moonlight, she could see her vague reflection. Groaning, she rolled over and looked at the time.
With bright red numbers, her clock said 1:20.
Groaning again, Danae laid back, looking up at her roof. "I want to sleep," she moaned, closing her eyes.
Francis looked back at her.
Grumbling, Danae popped her eyes back open and threw her covers aside. Scrubbing her face, she threw on her robe, stumbling out into the hall. It was just as dark out in the hall as it was in her room, but in the main area, the moon had the entire room tinted blue. Felipe snored slightly. He was such a deep sleeper, she had to kick him awake in the mornings.
Not like she minded.
Shuffling over to the refrigerator, Danae threw open the door and stared in. Fumbling for a yogurt, she snatched a spoon and flopped at the table.
"Can't sleep?" a masculine voice asked.
Looking up, she saw a very hassled looking Watcher looking down at her. "James!" she cried, standing and throwing her arms around him. He returned the hug, smiling at her.
"I've been away so long," he said.
"What's the news?" Danae asked, leaning back to look at him.
Ruffling her already sleep-tousled hair, he said, "They still don't know why you were Called."
Making a disgusted sound, she pulled away and sat again. Swallowing a mouthful of strawberry yogurt, Danae said, "And they made you go all the way there just to hear that?"
"Yes. They're horribly predictable, aren't they?" he said, taking off his coat and laying in on a chair before sitting. "That's not all. Travers also gave me the usual, 'Get your brother here, we need to have a talk with him.'"
"And what else?" she asked, scraping the bottom of the little bowl. His voice hinted there was more.
"Don't tell the kittens," Felipe mumbled from the couch.
James sighed heavily. "I don't know what I'm going to do with him, honestly. He's off his magic high, and I thought he would be more of a white hat by now, but he's still unpredictable."
"And annoying. You're hedging, James. It can't be that bad."
"They told me another Potential was Called, Danae. Someone named Chanterelle."
Danae stared at him, eyes wide. She leaned forward on the table, puzzled. "What does that mean? Another another Called? I haven't died, the other Slayer hasn't died, as far as I know--"
The door downstairs slammed, and Anthony called, "Danae! Danae, are you up?"
Rolling her eyes, she stood, calling down, "Yes, come upstairs." Felipe snorted, rolling over. Anthony ran up, hair a mess and clothes dirty. "What's wrong?" Danae asked, alarmed. She went over to him, looking at the cuts on his face.
"T-today, after school, I came back from Florida," Anthony panted, as though he'd been running for several hours. "I dropped by the school to get makeup papers, and I saw Sara there. She was k-kidnapped by d-demons."
"What took you so long?" James asked sharply, standing. Felipe stirred again, sounding like he was waking up.
"I f-followed them. They took a pretty e-erratic course, like they were scared of something, but they took her to the cemetery in Clairvaux," Anthony explained, and Danae allowed him to lean on her. "I came back as fast as I could, but I was pretty worn."
Danae sat him at the table, then took off her robe. "James, weapons."
"Are you going now?" her Watcher asked, worried.
"I can't let them have Sara. Who knows what they'll do to her, what they might have already done?" Danae said, walking over to the extra wardrobe they had there. She began pulling out clothes -- leather trousers, deep gold shirt -- and turned back to them. "Waiting has gotten people killed before, at my feet. You guys stay here. I think I think this is the big fight."
She ducked behind a changing screen so James couldn't follow. "What do you mean, 'the big fight?'" he asked, beginning to sound upset.
Felipe sat up suddenly, awake. Danae pulled off her tank top and shorts, throwing them on the top of the screen. "Slayers have their big fights. I guess this is mine."
"Are you implying" Anthony began, Danae's meaning slowly forming in his head. "No. No, you're not going alone, and you're not going to die."
"He's right," James said, beginning to pace.
"Most Slayers have short lives," Danae said, and she didn't sound disturbed by the prospect at all. She came from behind the screen, dressed. She tied her hair back, and James got in her way of grabbing weapons.
"You won't," he said with incredible intensity. "You're not really-- you-- you'll make it. And I'm coming."
She shoved him aside, taking her duffel. "No. James, give me the keys to the Boxster."
"You're not going to hurt the Porsche, are you?" Anthony asked, scandalized, at the same time the Watcher said, "You only have your learner's permit!"
Rolling her eyes, Danae took the keys out of his jacket. "Sit," she ordered him. James complied, looking annoyed that he had. "Stay. Good boy." She paused, biting her lower lip. "I'll come back. I promise." Danae kissed James on the cheek, and then ran down the stairs and out the door.
---
"Slow down, you're moving too fast," Sara sang under her breath, off-key. "You gotta make the moment last--"
"Shut the hell up!" the vampire yelled. The Book definitely owed her -- the stupid little hostage hadn't shut up for the past three hours.
Sara paused, shifting a little. The chains on her wrists hurt a bit, and it was uncomfortable sitting with her arms up above her head in the way that they were, but there wasn't much she could do about it. She thought for a minute.
"Last dance! Last chance for love," she sang.
"If you don't shut up, I'll mutilate your body and piss on your remains," the vampire woman threatened.
Sara considered this, tilting her head. "I need you by me, beside me to guide me," she continued to sing.
---
Danae pushed the tree branch aside, looking in at the cemetery. There was an expanse of grass surrounding a large stone building, squat but with some delicate statues. There was no movement from the area around the graves, but by each tombstone, the ground had exploded, and there were several large ditches.
But no living dead.
Glancing back at where she had parked the Porsche (unevenly, but she was still learning), she knelt and opened her duffel bag. Putting the sword sheath on her back, and concealing several daggers in her clothes, Danae put a bunch of stakes on the special belt she had had made long ago. As an afterthought, she added another sword (smaller, but still sharp). Grabbing her one-handed crossbow and some bolts, she walked out from the cover of the trees.
Nothing.
Looking around suspiciously, she opened her extra sense of detection -- dead, all around her.
The attack came from all sides at once. Bodies in different states of decay hurtled at her from out of the forest and behind the mausoleum, and she whipped up her crossbow quickly. Aiming, she shot a bolt at a dead and struck it square in the chest. It fell back, dead again.
Danae reloaded quickly and shot again, but missed. There was no time left, and the dozen dead had reached her. Dropping the crossbow, she drew her sword and twirled, slashing. She decapitated two at once, kicking the bodies away. Her arm was grabbed by a moldy, half-skeletal woman, and Danae head butted her back.
Kicking an old man, she jumped back away from all of the dead, slicing one in the stomach. It fell, but she didn't wait to see if she'd killed it (again), turning to a clump of enemies. "What I wouldn't give for a flame thrower right now," Danae muttered, drawing the second sword.
Flipping over one, she sliced it in the back while decapitating one with the left hand sword. Danae was starting to feel good, muscles fresh and only a little strained, breath still coming easily, when a woman got a shot in, shallow-kicking the fist holding her broadsword.
Danae dropped it, and the sharp pain in her hand told her that her two middle fingers were probably broken. Wincing, she brought her other sword forward, impaling her attacker in the heart. When the dead didn't drop, she realized it was a vampire.
"Shit," she whispered, bringing her arm back to try and behead the vamp -- but the dark woman caught the sword, throwing it to the side and grabbing Danae by the throat, pressing her nails in. Danae could feel the pressure on her windpipe slowly increasing, and clenched her good fist, drawing her legs up to her chest and kicking the vampire.
Unhooking one of her many stakes, she landed on the vamp and brought the wood down quickly. She fell to the ground as it dusted, and instantly rolled over.
One of the bodies attacked her, dropping down, but Danae had her legs up to meet it. She kicked it back, jumping up and looking at how many were left -- three. "I can do three more," Danae said, trying to convince herself.
Her vision spun, and the iron tang of blood filled her mouth. The vampire that had punched her pulled back, ready to strike again, but Danae ducked low, grabbing the vamp's legs and throwing her down to give her a moment to stake her.
Danae rolled back. Two left.
The sky burned suddenly, bright silver-blue symbols appearing above Danae in the stars. Puzzled, she looked up -- luckily, the dead looked up too, just as curious. The symbols looked like Egyptian hieroglyphs, then began to rain on untouched graves.
The Book, she thought with a chill.
Instantly, the ground began erupting again. One exploded under her feet, and Danae was thrown to the side. She kept moving even after she should have hit the ground and stopped, flying all the way back to the line of trees.
Danae stumbled into someone, and then pulled back to see who was there, cradling her arm.
James, Gabi, Anthony, and Felipe. She groaned. "I told you guys to stay home," Danae said.
Ignoring her comment, James dropped his hands. "You're welcome."
"That was pretty incredible!" Gabi said, and Danae shrugged, looking back towards the open area. The newly-risen dead had disappeared, and things looked quiet, like they had before. Even the things Danae had killed were missing, but her crossbow and swords still lay there.
"James pulled you all the way over here," Anthony said. "Very impressive magic for a dance teacher."
Felipe sulked.
"Listen, the Book of the Dead is in that mausoleum, and it has Sara," Danae explained quickly. "I need to get in there and get her."
"We conjured a present for you -- well, James conjured a present for you while the rest of us watched in gaping-fish manner," Gabi said, pulling a small box out of her pocket. "See, the Book can only be closed again with fire, and lots of it. James said he knew you'd love a flame thrower--"
"He knows me too well," Danae commented.
"--but he said that you had to leave yours in Europe because you couldn't get it through the airport," the girl continued. "So instead he made this cute little box. You open it, and poof, big fireball. It's a single-use. Sorry."
"Shiny," Danae said with a nostalgic smile. She missed her old flame thrower. Taking the box, she put it in her only empty pocket.
"Are you up to fighting the Book?" Anthony asked worriedly. "There were a lot of dead things out there."
"Of course, I'm fine," the Slayer lied. Her fingers were broken, she'd gotten a few teeth knocked loose, she'd pulled several muscles, and all she still wanted to do was sleep.
James sighed, taking her good arm. He closed her hand in his, then closed his eyes, muttering under his breath. She wasn't sure at first if it was a spell, or if he was just annoyed, but shortly silver fire snaked up her arm, leaving her feeling warm. Danae could actually feel the bones popping back in place, and the muscles being returned to normal.
It wasn't the most pleasant feeling.
A more familiar rejuvenation spell followed, and she popped completely awake. "Wow," Danae said.
"Any time," James said, yawning. "I hope you don't expect any more magic out of me tonight, though. The little flame box took a lot of magic."
"I still have more than enough," Felipe said.
"Not caring. Okay, you guys stay here. I'm making a break for the mausoleum, and if I'm not back in twenty minutes, just leave."
"We're going in with you," Anthony said.
"We have weapons," Gabi said cheerfully.
Danae sighed, turning to James for support. "We are coming," he said.
"If you guys die, I'm blaming it on Mr. Responsible Watcher," Danae said. "Okay, we're running for the building. Don't fall back. The dead'll appear as soon as we get out there, but don't kill anything unless you have to. We don't have time, and the Book still has more it can raise. Once inside, secure the door and don't let anything else in. I do have to fight the Book on my own."
"Agreed, now can we cut the talk and just fight? I'm getting bored," Felipe said, stretching as though yawning.
"Fine. Let's go."
Danae turned and ran out onto the grass at top speed, not looking to see if anyone followed. As she'd predicted, the dead appeared and came toward them. They had too much of a head start for them to catch up, though, and Danae threw open the door to the mausoleum. "Get in!" she yelled, and the four shot inside. She jumped in and shut the door, leaning against it.
The inside was dark, but no darker than the outside, and they could all see well enough. Several caskets adorned the room, and there were shelves on the walls, but no bodies. With a chill, Danae was reminded of Francis.
"Tally ho," Danae said, pointing to the door leading to another chamber. They began to move forward when the door swung open on its own.
Several dark shapes passed through the doorway, tall and lanky. They held swords at their sides, moving as though their feet didn't touch the ground. They were swathed in burial shrouds, hiding their sharp faces.
Hell's Sentinels.
James took a step backwards, and Danae's heart fluttered. Gabi gave her a panicked look. "We killed these," Gabi cried, holding the axe in her hands tighter.
"We did," Anthony said grimly, knuckles white on his sword. The blade wavered, and Danae brushed past all of them to take point. "We can do it again."
"Let's do this quick. No flashiness; go straight for their solar plexus," Danae ordered them, daggers sliding into her hands.
The Sentinels moved forward as one, a solid rank, then split in the middle. Instead or coming forward to attack, as Danae thought they would, they instead moved aside, standing by the walls. They looked like they were waiting for something.
And what they were waiting for quickly became apparent. Through the still-open door came what Danae assumed was the Book -- but it certainly looked nothing like the tome that she had taken from Ethan Rayne many months ago.
A tall woman came through the door, with skin a powdery gold color. Her skin color was odd enough in and of itself, but crawling all along her body were hieroglyphs, ever-shifting. Danae could tell very easily the symbols covered her entirely; she wore no clothes, but her long hands were folded in front of her. She had no hair, but large eyes and a mouth that was parted slightly to show long fangs that scraped her bottom lip.
"Well," James said.
"Wow," Anthony murmured.
"Mouths closed, boys, evil book there," Danae said, unimpressed.
"Slayer," the Book said, licking her lips. Her voice was like crumpling paper, scratchy, and with an accent Danae didn't recognize. Of course, Danae had never met any Egyptians before, and she assumed that it was an accent from that region. "You are far too hard to kill."
"Sorry," Danae apologized, fingering the box in her pocket. If she were to just pull it out right then, it could be over -- but she didn't know the range. For all she knew, it could end five feet away.
Running forward, the Slayer pulled the box out, trying to open it. The Book didn't move at first, and Danae began to think that this would be disappointingly simple, but once she was in arm's range --
WHAM.
The Book struck Danae with the heel of her hand, throwing her back. The box skittered away, but the Slayer managed to stay on her feet. Anthony began to move forward, but James held him back. "No. Watch," he said, pointing.
Danae straightened, looking annoyed. "I do NOT appreciate that," she said. Without another word, she kicked the Book twice in its bald head, then leaped and struck down at it, landing behind her. She kicked the Book's knees out from behind it, but it twisted as it fell and grabbed Danae.
The Book head butted her, reaching around to keep her wrists behind her. The odd-colored woman knelt on Danae's stomach, pressing her knee just below the breast bone. Danae struggled, and finally threw her off.
The Slayer began looking around quickly for the box, but the Book wouldn't have any of it. She grabbed Danae around her middle and threw her against the wall. The Sentinels moved back, almost politely, and it was all Gabi could do not to giggle. Danae frowned at the Sentinels in irritation, then launched herself back at the Book -- and towards the light box.
Danae slammed her fist into the Book's nose, aware that it probably wouldn't kill or harm her at all. The Book stumbled back, and Danae rolled across the ground, grabbing the box.
At a disadvantage, the Book turned quickly to the Sentinels, gesturing towards the Slayer (who was trying to open the box again). James saw before Danae, and panicked
"She can't kill them. I can't kill them," James muttered, and Felipe touched his arm.
"Let me," the mage said, his eyes sincere.
James paused for a long moment, watching Danae struggle with the box, then look up and see the Sentinels. The Watcher had no magic left, and if Felipe lost control "Fine." He pinched his first finger and thumb together, making a pulling motion.
Felipe's eyes glowed, and he paused for a minute, drinking in the power he had missed for so long. Remembering quickly that he wasn't getting high this time, he concentrated on not getting hyped. James began to worry as the boy didn't move, just stood still with his hands together.
He shouldn't have bothered being concerned. As soon as the Sentinels moved in on Danae, Felipe began to gather the magics. James could feel the potency of this new, pure magic, and the held his hands out in front of him, palms up.
His lips began moving silently, and the Hell's Sentinels paused, turning to face this new threat. Danae looked up from the Book, who she'd been watching warily, and saw what was happening. The Book was as distracted as she was, and Danae took the opportunity to reach up, grabbing the Book and punching.
It fell back one last time, and the Slayer finally forced the latch on the box open, pointing it at the Book -- and a massive fireball erupted from its insides, leaping forth and wrapping around the Book of the Dead.
It began to scream; a high, screeching noise. It stared at its own hands as fire leapt up its fingers and arms, and then in a quick moment, was completely swamped.
The fire disappeared, and Danae saw a lump on the floor -- the Book of the Dead, a book again.
Her attention was drawn back to the Hell's Sentinels. She thought for a moment she was going to have to fight them, too, but then she saw Felipe. He was floating slightly above the ground, somehow, and his hands were in front of him. The Sentinels had their backs to her, and Felipe clenched his hands into fists.
All seven dissolved.
"Wow," she heard Gabi say. "Wish you'd been here when they first rose."
Danae smiled, turning to the door. "Let's get Sara." She opened it, going through to a small, dimly-lit room.
Chains rattled, and Sara waved. "Hi."
---
James shut the door by backing into it, going up the stairs behind Felipe. He watched as the young boy set the Book on his desk, then lay Danae carefully on the couch. She didn't even stir, just continued to sleep.
"I'm sure the authorities are going to have a great time re-burying all those bodies," Felipe said cheerfully, opening the refrigerator and examining its contents.
The Watcher didn't reply, sitting at the table thoughtfully. He eyed the Book, deep in thought. "I can't keep that here," he said resolutely after a moment. Felipe pulled out a chair, flopping onto it and opening the bottle of Sobe.
"What are you going to do with it?"
James shrugged. "I don't know. I could return it to necklace form and" He paused. "No. I'll have to take it somewhere remote and do a permanent binding spell. Danae can stay with Gabi until I return."
Felipe turned the bottle in his hands, watching the pale greenish liquid swirl inside. "I understand you're going to bind me again," he said quietly.
"No," James said, sitting back. Felipe looked at him oddly. "Binding you is just a way of delaying the inevitable. There's a coven in Devonshire I have good friends in; they'll help you recuperate and teach you to better deal with your magic. Of course, that's if you're willing to learn."
He thought about it for a moment. "I am."
James nodded. "I'll make the call tomorrow."
Danae rolled over on the couch, beginning to snore slightly. "It's pretty amazing," Felipe said, voicing his thoughts.
"Hmm?"
"You know, her," he said, gesturing at her with the bottle. "She looks so small, so helpless, and she just saved the world."
James laughed. "It is pretty amazing, isn't it?" he asked, watching her sleep for a moment. "And it's only just begun"
---
To be continued next season...