Title: Of Courts and Consequence
Author: Ravynsword
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The usual
Note: There's only a chapter or two left after this, hope you've enjoyed the ride.
Chapter Seven
In the late afternoon, everyone assembled once again at Rupert Giles' apartment. Levellan, Grace, and his two sons sat on the sofa with Anya nearby. Willow sat on one side of the dining room table with Buffy and Dawn. The Death Maiden sat with her Knights on the other side. No one had any doubt that the grimly calm trio was anything else today. Seamus and Ashe moved to flank Giles, as Rhiannon had asked them to protect him.
Before the planning could become involved, there was a knock on the door. Everyone tensed as Giles moved to answer it. When he opened the door, three people entered warily. Not only did they appear suspicious of the people they saw in the apartment, they seemed uneasy around each other.
"Ah, the cavalry has arrived," said Rhiannon. At the confused looks around her, she motioned toward the newcomers.
"May I present Lord Aurelus, Head of the Seelie Court's Wild Hunt. Lord Bracken, Head of the Unseelie Hunt. And Lady Tourmalina, Archmage of the Elemtaarios. Each brings those under his or her command to the fight."
Each of the three nodded a greeting to the Maiden, ignoring the others around them, especially the other Fae. Willow and Dawn got up from the table to let the strangers sit while Ashe got a third chair so all of the new Fae could sit. Shortly, the planning got started in earnest.
***
"Absolutely not!" protested Lady Tourmalina. The tall, green-haired woman stood up from her seat. "I will not take commands from a mortal! We are Elementaarian mages, not mortals who play at power."
She would have said more but for two things.
The Death Maiden slowly stood, drawing energy to herself in amounts to set lightning charges running through her hair. On the other side of the table, Willow let the power begin to ride her, turning her eyes a solid obsidian. Lady Tourmalina froze like an insect in amber.
"Your queen sent you here to fight as I command. Willow is no pretend Witch, not an easy-bake Pagan. She commands Power to rival or surpass many of the court's mages and she is accustomed to this sort of combat. Therefore, you WILL accept orders from her and obey her as you would me. All of the mages will. Is...that...understood?"
The mage nodded slowly and sat down. Once Rhiannon's attention was returned to the planning, she sent out a probe towards the red haired Witch. The power she sensed was overwhelming. Tourmalina wondered how any mortal who had no taint of death magic could wield so much power.
At opposite ends of the table sat the two Huntsmen. Each thought the mage a fool to challenge not only her princess, but a Death Maiden in the bargain. They had been surprised by the power in the mortal With, but knew Rhiannon would not have considered giving her command of the mages if she were not qualified for the job. Rhiannon may have been a mischief-maker in the courts, but they knew she was also one of the most talented and deadly warriors any of the courts contained. Her light-hearted image fooled almost all of the nobles, with only the royal guards and huntsmen knowing the truth.
"Aurelus, the Seelie Hunt will be with the Slayer. Your responsibility will be to keep the battle contained to our chosen ground." The ice-blue haired Seelie noble bowed slightly, the light in the apartment shimmering on the azure of his tunic, his light hazel eyes sizing up the blonde girl across from him.
"Bracken, you will be with Ripper. He has an understanding of dark magics, and Ashe and Seamus stand with him." The sapphire-haired Unseelie turned his ocean-hued gaze on the older mortal. There must be more to him than was readily apparent, if Rhiannon set him to command the Hunt of the Dark Court. He nodded to the mortal and returned his attention to the Death Maiden.
Shortly before sunset, the plans were complete. Buffy and the Seelie warriors would hold the boundaries of the combat zone, hopefully to protect the rest of Sunnydale. The Unseelie warriors, led by Giles, would attempt to locate and either capture or kill the mage controlling the demon. Willow would co-ordinate the magic users in attacks meant to distract and hopefully weaken the demon. Lavellan would draw energy from his sons, Anya, and Dawn to create a low-level spell that would turn away the idly curious.
Finally, Rhiannon, Angel, and Spike would go on the direct attack. Their goal was a three-pronged attack on the Mordantus demon. The mages' spells should weaken it enough for the simultaneous attack on its head, heart, and an organ unique to the demon. Only by destroying those three organs at once could the demon be killed.
***
With less than an hour left until sunset, the group headed out for the clearing in the park where Rhiannon had made the change to a Death Maiden. As they had predicted, the demon appeared just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. It was uglier than anything they had ever seen before. In the shadows behind the demon, they could dimly see a form.
"Tomaisin, can you not fight on your own?" called the Death Maiden. She moved to keep his attention as everyone moved into position.
"Why should I risk my own hide, when I can have my demon take yours and clear the way to take Oberon's throne?"
"You will never sit on the throne. Neither you nor your demon will survive this night."
Lightning began to arc over the clearing as magic was hurled from both sides of the clearing. Rhiannon could hear the sounds of the Fae dying. She didn't know how many were injured or dead, but she was determined that their deaths would not be in vain.
Angel and Spike could smell the different types of blood. When they spared a glance around them, they could see bodies on the ground. By the colors of the hair and armor, most of them appeared to be from the hunts, but there were a number of mages, if the robes were an accurate indicator. A scream from nearby grabbed their attention and they looked in time to see Willow thrown across the meadow. Both of the vampires wanted to go to her, but realized that it could mean the death of them all. Two of the mages ran to her. Lady Tourmalina shouted out that it was time.
As one, the Death Maiden and her Knights attacked. The demon managed to slash Spike's arm and Angel's leg as they closed with it. Their weapons pierced the demon in unison. An unearthly shrieking filled the air as the demon appeared to rot before their eyes. Once it was dead, Rhiannon stalked towards Tomaisin, her own injuries forgotten in the fight.
"Tomaisin! I declare your life forfeit on grounds of treason and murder."
The Unseelie noble backed away from the ice-cold look on her face. He raised his hand and began to cast a spell. He was never to finish the spell. Halfway through the incantation, he looked down in confusion. Protruding from his chest was the hilt of her sword, blood running down from it. Looking at her face, he fell first to his knees and then to the ground. She drew the sword from his chest and used it to cleave his head from his neck.
Emotionlessly, she turned and handed the head to an injured Lord Bracken. He bowed and retrieved the remaining few members of his hunt and headed for Underhill with the proof that the murderer was dead. As he left, she surveyed the desolation that was the battlefield.
The magics that had been loosed in the clearing had incinerated the grass and torn trees out by their roots. Of the dozen Huntsmen from each court, there were maybe a dozen total left. Two-thirds of the mages were also dead, with some of the remaining burned out or injured. Taking stock of the Sunnydale crew, Willow appeared to have a broken leg. Giles' arm was slashed open and being tended by Ashe. Xander had a burn on his arm. Buffy had various cuts, but would probably be alright. Dawn was unharmed, but Anya was seriously injured.
As the adrenalin from the fight left her, Rhiannon felt the grief and pain of the loss of her family and friends overwhelm her. Angel caught her as she collapsed, sobbing. Spike came up behind them and helped them to stand.
Slowly, the entire group made its way to the mansion to tend the wounded.
***
Author: Ravynsword
Rating: PG
Disclaimer: The usual
Note: There's only a chapter or two left after this, hope you've enjoyed the ride.
Chapter Seven
In the late afternoon, everyone assembled once again at Rupert Giles' apartment. Levellan, Grace, and his two sons sat on the sofa with Anya nearby. Willow sat on one side of the dining room table with Buffy and Dawn. The Death Maiden sat with her Knights on the other side. No one had any doubt that the grimly calm trio was anything else today. Seamus and Ashe moved to flank Giles, as Rhiannon had asked them to protect him.
Before the planning could become involved, there was a knock on the door. Everyone tensed as Giles moved to answer it. When he opened the door, three people entered warily. Not only did they appear suspicious of the people they saw in the apartment, they seemed uneasy around each other.
"Ah, the cavalry has arrived," said Rhiannon. At the confused looks around her, she motioned toward the newcomers.
"May I present Lord Aurelus, Head of the Seelie Court's Wild Hunt. Lord Bracken, Head of the Unseelie Hunt. And Lady Tourmalina, Archmage of the Elemtaarios. Each brings those under his or her command to the fight."
Each of the three nodded a greeting to the Maiden, ignoring the others around them, especially the other Fae. Willow and Dawn got up from the table to let the strangers sit while Ashe got a third chair so all of the new Fae could sit. Shortly, the planning got started in earnest.
***
"Absolutely not!" protested Lady Tourmalina. The tall, green-haired woman stood up from her seat. "I will not take commands from a mortal! We are Elementaarian mages, not mortals who play at power."
She would have said more but for two things.
The Death Maiden slowly stood, drawing energy to herself in amounts to set lightning charges running through her hair. On the other side of the table, Willow let the power begin to ride her, turning her eyes a solid obsidian. Lady Tourmalina froze like an insect in amber.
"Your queen sent you here to fight as I command. Willow is no pretend Witch, not an easy-bake Pagan. She commands Power to rival or surpass many of the court's mages and she is accustomed to this sort of combat. Therefore, you WILL accept orders from her and obey her as you would me. All of the mages will. Is...that...understood?"
The mage nodded slowly and sat down. Once Rhiannon's attention was returned to the planning, she sent out a probe towards the red haired Witch. The power she sensed was overwhelming. Tourmalina wondered how any mortal who had no taint of death magic could wield so much power.
At opposite ends of the table sat the two Huntsmen. Each thought the mage a fool to challenge not only her princess, but a Death Maiden in the bargain. They had been surprised by the power in the mortal With, but knew Rhiannon would not have considered giving her command of the mages if she were not qualified for the job. Rhiannon may have been a mischief-maker in the courts, but they knew she was also one of the most talented and deadly warriors any of the courts contained. Her light-hearted image fooled almost all of the nobles, with only the royal guards and huntsmen knowing the truth.
"Aurelus, the Seelie Hunt will be with the Slayer. Your responsibility will be to keep the battle contained to our chosen ground." The ice-blue haired Seelie noble bowed slightly, the light in the apartment shimmering on the azure of his tunic, his light hazel eyes sizing up the blonde girl across from him.
"Bracken, you will be with Ripper. He has an understanding of dark magics, and Ashe and Seamus stand with him." The sapphire-haired Unseelie turned his ocean-hued gaze on the older mortal. There must be more to him than was readily apparent, if Rhiannon set him to command the Hunt of the Dark Court. He nodded to the mortal and returned his attention to the Death Maiden.
Shortly before sunset, the plans were complete. Buffy and the Seelie warriors would hold the boundaries of the combat zone, hopefully to protect the rest of Sunnydale. The Unseelie warriors, led by Giles, would attempt to locate and either capture or kill the mage controlling the demon. Willow would co-ordinate the magic users in attacks meant to distract and hopefully weaken the demon. Lavellan would draw energy from his sons, Anya, and Dawn to create a low-level spell that would turn away the idly curious.
Finally, Rhiannon, Angel, and Spike would go on the direct attack. Their goal was a three-pronged attack on the Mordantus demon. The mages' spells should weaken it enough for the simultaneous attack on its head, heart, and an organ unique to the demon. Only by destroying those three organs at once could the demon be killed.
***
With less than an hour left until sunset, the group headed out for the clearing in the park where Rhiannon had made the change to a Death Maiden. As they had predicted, the demon appeared just as the sun began to dip below the horizon. It was uglier than anything they had ever seen before. In the shadows behind the demon, they could dimly see a form.
"Tomaisin, can you not fight on your own?" called the Death Maiden. She moved to keep his attention as everyone moved into position.
"Why should I risk my own hide, when I can have my demon take yours and clear the way to take Oberon's throne?"
"You will never sit on the throne. Neither you nor your demon will survive this night."
Lightning began to arc over the clearing as magic was hurled from both sides of the clearing. Rhiannon could hear the sounds of the Fae dying. She didn't know how many were injured or dead, but she was determined that their deaths would not be in vain.
Angel and Spike could smell the different types of blood. When they spared a glance around them, they could see bodies on the ground. By the colors of the hair and armor, most of them appeared to be from the hunts, but there were a number of mages, if the robes were an accurate indicator. A scream from nearby grabbed their attention and they looked in time to see Willow thrown across the meadow. Both of the vampires wanted to go to her, but realized that it could mean the death of them all. Two of the mages ran to her. Lady Tourmalina shouted out that it was time.
As one, the Death Maiden and her Knights attacked. The demon managed to slash Spike's arm and Angel's leg as they closed with it. Their weapons pierced the demon in unison. An unearthly shrieking filled the air as the demon appeared to rot before their eyes. Once it was dead, Rhiannon stalked towards Tomaisin, her own injuries forgotten in the fight.
"Tomaisin! I declare your life forfeit on grounds of treason and murder."
The Unseelie noble backed away from the ice-cold look on her face. He raised his hand and began to cast a spell. He was never to finish the spell. Halfway through the incantation, he looked down in confusion. Protruding from his chest was the hilt of her sword, blood running down from it. Looking at her face, he fell first to his knees and then to the ground. She drew the sword from his chest and used it to cleave his head from his neck.
Emotionlessly, she turned and handed the head to an injured Lord Bracken. He bowed and retrieved the remaining few members of his hunt and headed for Underhill with the proof that the murderer was dead. As he left, she surveyed the desolation that was the battlefield.
The magics that had been loosed in the clearing had incinerated the grass and torn trees out by their roots. Of the dozen Huntsmen from each court, there were maybe a dozen total left. Two-thirds of the mages were also dead, with some of the remaining burned out or injured. Taking stock of the Sunnydale crew, Willow appeared to have a broken leg. Giles' arm was slashed open and being tended by Ashe. Xander had a burn on his arm. Buffy had various cuts, but would probably be alright. Dawn was unharmed, but Anya was seriously injured.
As the adrenalin from the fight left her, Rhiannon felt the grief and pain of the loss of her family and friends overwhelm her. Angel caught her as she collapsed, sobbing. Spike came up behind them and helped them to stand.
Slowly, the entire group made its way to the mansion to tend the wounded.
***
