Chapter 2: Preparation

"But I don't get it", said Xander. "If blood was the key to reading that mumbo-jumbo, how come it didn't work that time... you know, when I... had that nosebleed?"
"And sneezed all over my bloody living room – and me?" added Giles.
"Well yeah, but – hey! 'Bloody living room'? Hey everyone, Giles made a funny. You go English!" The two Wicca couldn't help but grin at Xander's remark but motioned for Giles to continue, who brought to their attention the first book marked page, which he read aloud. "... 'And the essence of The Key shall unlock and open all doors'". Xander's face wrinkled in consternation and Tara asked
"But if the key was blood, why didn't Xander's blood work?" But Willow exclaimed, "Higher case 'K'!"
"Ahh, did I just turn over two pages at once?" asked Xander. Giles explained.
"Xander, 'The Key' is written in higher case, meaning it refers"-
"To me", sadly finished Dawn.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"But what was 'the essence of The Key'?" mused Giles. Spike looked at Dawn.
"Raise your left hand, Little Bit. Palm out", he instructed. Dawn didn't understand the request but did as she was asked. A tiny knick was barely visible on her palm, where she had earlier accidentally cut herself with the cheap trinket. "Blood. Her blood", said Spike to Giles nodding at Dawn. Perplexed, Dawn started
"I didn't even"-
"Smelled it", explained Spike. "Why I thought Rupert here got in some fresh blood." Dawn looked at the tiny cut. She would never have noticed it. "Now that's out of the way, Mr. Watcher, if you would?"
"Oh?" said Giles. "Yes, of course."

Giles continued to read aloud the book marked pages, revealing how the Book was in fact in a language known only to the gods and the highest order of demons. How the words of the book shaped themselves to the eye of the reader, but could only be unlocked for a non-deity with The Key. The leather binder was also not its original cover, as the Book was actually called 'The Nature And Prophecy Of Ri'Oth'.

Further reading revealed 'Ri'oth' to be Glory's home dimension. Giles stopped at one particular section. Reading aloud, he said "'Those of mortal coil who worship the god Estyarth and abhor the goddess Glorificus are named The Knights Of Byzantium'." Giles trailed off.
"Then-", began a stunned Willow.
"Those poxy bastards!" grimaced Spike, as Xander looked to Anya, shock evident on both their faces. Giles resumed speaking.
"'...and when their tasks are performed to the satisfaction of their master, to Ri'Oth will Estyarth take them, and in doing so they will become his highest order of demon guard and destroy the Chaos Legions of the god Deetai. Thus, will their master rule all worlds, for so whoever rules Ri'Oth will be unrivalled in all planes'." Giles stopped and read to himself for a moment, his eyes widening. He sat back, the beginnings of a smile on his face.
"What is it?" asked Dawn as Willow read the page, her gasp punctuating the question.
"Buffy" breathed Willow.
"She's alive, Dawn", said Giles hopefully. "Buffy's alive." As everyone sat in stunned silence, the BuffyBot said,
"Of course I'm alive. I'm right here."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

A half-hour later, as Willow and Tara raised the earth with a spell, Spike and Xander pulled the lid off the coffin to reveal Buffy's body, whole and untouched by decay, in a state of calm repose. "Bolloxed if I didn't believe you, Watcher", Spike said nearly crying, "but you're right."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The next four days were spent discovering new information and with it, new questions, as Giles and Willow, and sometimes Tara, tore through the Book gathering all the knowledge they could.

"So what you're saying" asked Xander who was leaning on the counter in the Magic Box "is that when someone from another dimension goes to Ri'Oth, only their spirit goes and their body goes into some kind of hibernation?" Before Tara could answer Anya said.
"Its not uncommon to do that. When you're searching the spiritual planes or the ether, your spirit sometimes leaves your body. But its really dangerous if you're human". She stopped as she finished gift- wrapping a crystal ball and turned to the customer. "Thank you for shopping at the Magic Box. Pease come again for future purchases."
"Yes", said Tara. A demonic spirit doesn't belong in the ether or on the spiritual planes, so it will just go back to its body. B-but a human soul belongs there, so you need another person to act as an anchor to bring you back. Willow and I did it once".
"Now, when you say 'did it'" began Xander, who stopped when he got a raised eyebrow in return. "What?"

"Okay", replied Xander, "but how could 'The Knights of Bicentennial' be demons like it says in the Book?" he asked as Willow entered the shop, a pouty expression on her face. "Ah, so Giles finally managed to pry you away from the Book", he said to her. "He must have used his really big axe". Willow gave Xander a dark look, but he just grinned even wider.

Tara moved to Willow, and after kissing her, reiterated Xander's question. "That's what I just figured out", she began in unhappy tones, "when Giles was all like 'Willow, you've been up all night, perhaps you should get some rest'", she said in imitation of his English accent. "Does this face look tired to you?" she said, pointing to her face. "Nuh-Uh!"
"Ah, Will", said Xander, "the question?"

"Anyway", began Willow explaining "Ri'Oth's not like any other dimension, where you stay the same once you go through. Even the darkest dimensions like Quortoth and Acathla's hell-dimension leave you the same being as when you went in. But every thing and one in Ri'Oth is part of it."
"So, if The Knights of Byzantium entered Ri'Oth, they would become part of it?" said Anya from the till.
"You mean", said Tara, "you mean they would become demons?" Willow nodded.
"But that would mean... Buffy-", said Xander.
"Is now a demon", finished Willow.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

The Scoobies all gathered in the Summers' house that night, as Giles insisted they were destroying his carpeting.

While the news that Buffy, if still alive in Ri'Oth, was a demon was disturbing, relief was evident in Giles' voice when he said "But should we somehow return Buffy to Earth, her spirit would return to her own body, and she would once again be... Buffy, he finished.
"Then we have to get her back!" said Dawn fiercely.
"Of course, Dawn" said Giles. "But the question is how we are to accomplish that. I have discovered-." Willow coughed. "I mean Willow and I have-." Willow coughed again. Giles looked to Willow and continued. "I mean that Willow, Tara and I have discovered a means of travel to and from Ri'Oth. The only problem..."
"What is it?" asked Dawn.
"Dawn, you must understand-."
"What is it?" she repeated.
"Dawn, honey", began Tara.
"What is it!?" she snapped. Willow looked to Giles who replied,
"You, Dawn."

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"But if I can go to Ri'Oth at any time" said Dawn "and take you with me, why did Glory need that big ceremony on the tower? And why at that time?"
"From all we've been able to gather from the Book" replied Giles "Glory's essence; her spirit, was so deeply embedded into her human body by the other two gods of Ri'Oth, that she couldn't remove herself from that body by any magical means. Her only way back to Ri'Oth was by physically walking through the Gateway, which was the purpose of the ritual; to create the Gateway.
"However, by utilising an Orb of Opher, akin to the Orb of Thesula, a willing being's spirit can be removed from the body and temporarily placed into another, called The Vessel." Removing and wiping his glasses, Giles continued "In this case The Vessel would be you, Dawn. As The Key, you are native to all dimensions and barred from none. Having travelled to Ri'Oth, you would then release the spirits of those accompanying you, and they will take form."
"Demon form?" asked Dawn.
"Yes" replied the Watcher. "I'm not going to deceive you, Dawn. It will not be easy." She nodded determinedly.
"That's been itching me," said Xander. "When you say 'demon form', what do you mean? Vampires?"
"It all depends on the person," replied Willow. "One person might become a sprite, while another might become a Polgara demon, who would immediately try to eat the sprite. Which kind of presents a problem."
"You think?" said Xander, eyebrows raised. "Isn't there some kind of spell you could do to, y'know, keep us human?" Willow shook her head.
"It wouldn't be possible. Not in Ri'Oth. Besides, it's a moot point, because if we human we'd probably be the natural prey of almost every single creature in the dimension. Kinda like a sandwich in a room full of guys."

Xander excused himself to go make a sandwich, muttering something about 'suggestive control'. Tara took up the story when he returned. "Willow and I can hex you all with a curse called 'An Céasadh de Cuimhne'. It's a Gaelic spell meaning 'The Torment of Memory'. Xander looked appalled.
"Wait a minute! Curse; hex! Torment! These are words Xander no like".
"Oh, I love that one" chimed Anya. "I once used it on a guy in Waterford who was unfaithful to his girlfriend."
"What did you do?" asked Tara curiously.
"I made him relive the night he was unfaithful over and over again." Seeing incomprehension on everyone's faces, she partially covered her mouth with her cupped hand and whispered loud enough to be heard next door "He didn't perform." Tara's eyebrows raised and she mouthed 'Oooh...' Dawn was looking around, confused at the silence and said
"What?"

Frowning at Anya's reminiscing, Willow said, "The curse was normally used to punish somebody by forcing them to constantly remember or relive an event of their life that they'd prefer never happened. We're going to alter the spell so that the cursed will be forced to recall everything that happened in their lives, so when we take demon form, we will remember who we are."
"Wait a minute", interjected Tara, "y-you're, you're not going Willow, a-are you?" Clutching Tara's hand in her own, Willow said
"I have to, Tara." Before Tara could object, Willow said, "They'll need someone who understands magic, baby." Tara's features creased in total concern. "You and Giles can handle the ritual and the curse." Seeing Tara yield, Willow hugged her, but Tara still looked pensive. Giles removed his glasses,
"Now wait just a minute, Willow." Willow interrupted.
"Giles, please! With me going and Tara performing the hex, you're the only one of us who'll be able to perform the ritual, and you know it!" Willow spoke with uncharacteristic heat. Giles punched the table.
"Damnit it, I know!" shouted Giles. He sighed and replaced his glasses. "But that doesn't mean I have to bloody like it", he said tiredly.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

"Our major priority is to protect Dawn" Willow said to Spike, Xander and Anya, who refused to let Xander go without her. All agreed, save Anya who thought their first priority should be to Xander safe, but eventually relented. "We have to be sure Dawn is safe before even try to find Buffy."
"You'll get no argument from me love" replied Spike.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Willow had instructed Tara in the basic repair of the BuffyBot, Xander had gotten time off of work and they had gotten the Bot to ring up the school saying Dawn was ill and would be absent for a short while.

Giles instructed them that leaving Ri'Oth would be much simpler than actually getting there. All they had to do was be within Dawn's aura when she returned, and their spirits would returns to their own bodies. No one was clear on how long it might take them to find Buffy, but Giles and Anya told them that most demons dimensions run slower than Earth's time, so if it took them a week to find Buffy, they might actually return on the same day as the left.

Willow gave Tara some last minute advice on the Bot's maintenance with a hug. Dawn hugged Tara and Giles as well. "Be careful, Dawn" he whispered to her as the hugged. When he released her he was all business. "Alright, Xander, Willow, Anya and" he hesitated, "Spike, if you would?" Giles objected to Spike going, as in Ri'Oth, there would be no chip tp restrain him. Giles honestly did not think Spike would hurt Dawn, but why take such a risk? Dawn, however, had insisted on his accompanying them.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Giles motioned for the four to link hands. He began 'The Ritual Of Opher' even as Tara started mouthing the chant that brought about 'The Torment of Memory'. "Those who have duly chosen," he began "to join with the vessel," he raised up the grey orb in his left hand Eyes blind and hearts trusting," the four closed their eyes and raised up their linked hands on unison, "free of will and judgement." He stopped and began pouring sand over the Orb with his right hand, and caught as much as he could beneath the Orb, only to pour it again. This he did until his hand was bare. The indigo orb lost all colour, and seemed to dull, then darken the area around it.

Suddenly, in some corruption of Latin, Giles intoned "Satei Nei! Ensta Nei!" Then calmly to the four he asked, "Say ye yea, or nea?" As one, the four replied 'yea' and they room darkened further. With his free hand, Giles motioned for Dawn to stand beside him. Giles' left hand was now no longer visible, the room itself losing all illumination. Now only four faint lights were visible, seemingly hovering over the Orb. Without warning, they simultaneously shot at the Orb, spiralling into it. It illuminated the room as Tara clapped her hands, saying
"Anois!" The light of the Orb momentarily paled.

Willow and the others were lying on the ground as Giles turned to Dawn, the Orb in his outstretched hand. Tara smiled reassuringly at Dawn, and said "Don't worry, sweety. Just do what Mr. Giles told you." That had been to blank her mind, think about nothing – easier said than done thought Dawn. How could you think about nothing?

Reverently, Giles proclaimed "The Vessel", and Dawn felt... nothing. But she realised she could sense Xander and the others in the room, almost, as if standing over her shoulder. It was very disconcerting, but reassuring in an odd way. She realised Giles was on the floor; unconscious, and quickly knelt beside him. Dawn looked to Tara.
"Don't w-worry D-Dawn, she began, "Mr. Giles told me this might happen. Its not an easy ritual to do. He's just exhausted, he'll be alright in a few minutes." Dawn nodded. Now, for the really hard part, thought Tara.

"Okay, Dawn? Remember Willow and me showing you the part in the book about 'Travelling'?
"Yeah, it was a real head-wrecker," winced Dawn. "Now, I guess?" Tara nodded and gripped Dawn's hand. "'Kay, here goes nothing." Dawn closed her eyes. She thought about a road: a grey road of nothingness. A void of zero, yet infinite distance, and probed, searched with a sense she didn't know she had. Her one thought 'Buffy'. Suddenly, instead of the void was a sliver of light she knew was Ri'Oth. She reached for it, across universes.

Tara caught herself as she nearly fell. Dawn was gone. Giles sat up. "Lord, help them," he breathed, as Tara knelt and held Willow's hand.