**

I didn't die! I swear! ** CHAPTER FIFTEEN

Liam looked out into the morning sunlight. Loading another arrow into his bow, he pulled back to take a shot at his target. He released his arrow.

Liam sighed unhappily. He was never a very good archer, but today he was even more distracted than usual. He hastily loaded another arrow. Maybe if he didn't think about his fight with Buffy, it would go away and everything would be back to normal.

Or maybe not.

He took another shot and it landed several feet from the target, in close proximity to his other wayward arrow.

With another frustrated sigh, he loaded another arrow. He needed to be able to shoot well. If he ever wanted to do anything with his life, he needed to have complete training. But that thought brought him back to thoughts of his uncertain future and of course to Buffy. His thoughts cycled around his mind, almost making him dizzy.

The sun beat down on his back, warming his skin through the fabric of his tunic. A memory struck him of his previous life; he would never have been outside in weather like this. The humid heat would have been forbidden to him; it would have ruined his expensive clothing. He chuckled at how weak he had been, pale and small. He had been a true prince, never dirtying his hands with the work of the common people. He was royal, what did the commoners have to do with him? Before he had entered Giles program, he had barely ridden a horse.

Of course he knew differently now. The common people were the ones who truly owned the kingdom- they worked the land, they reaped its fruit. They were the one who always searched for something, always tried to get by, tried to make their lives just a little bit better than they were before. They were the true nobility.

He had been a brat, Liam knew it, and he'd accepted it for what it was- a phase in his life, something he'd moved past. He was different know. He didn't want his old life back.

Did he?

Maybe just a little.

He gave up at his archery, at least for the time being. He would try again later, when his mind wasn't so troubled and he could concentrate on the target, instead of Buffy's face.

He needed to speak with Giles. Giles always knew what to do, always knew exactly what to say. He had been more of a father to Liam than the old King Connor had ever been. And father always knew best.

Plus it helped a little that Giles wouldn't take him for a raving loony for blabbering on about the Slayer or demons and vampires.

He set off for the cottage in search of some valuable advice.

At that same moment, in a small, dark cottage in the village, Riley was conversing with Darla. Or rather, Riley was trying to get Darla into bed and Darla was resisting. The thatched roof and lack of windows kept the morning sun out of the small house.

"Stop it!" Darla giggled, pushing Riley away from her body, his hands away from her dress.

"But-" he started jovially, trying to get a little bit closer.

A large wooden bowl suddenly hit his head, and before he saw stars, he saw Darla's face swimming above him, smiling menacingly.

Riley lay sprawled out, unconscious on the dirt floor of the cottage.

"Finally," Darla said with an impatient sigh. "And so it begins..." she said philosophically, with an excited smile, eager for the rest of the plan to take effect.

She exited the house through the underground tunnel the Elders had built for this specific reason, dragging Riley by his hair. While his weight wasn't difficult for Darla to lift, she felt like dragging him. Serves him right, she thought, for being an idiot.

She reached the underground cave where the Elders' held their council, admiring the beautiful stone architecture that never ceased to amaze her. How it had been built, she'd never know, for the secrets to the Council's beginning had been lost in the sands of time.

'malum intrat'

Carved in stone, the words stood above the main entranceway to the Council.

'Enter all evil.'

She dragged Riley with her to the large wooden doorway, which was easily two-times her height. As she had done so many times before, she knocked soundly, and waited for the door to creak open.

If she were any other vampire, she would have waited at least three days to gain entrance, the wards of the Council and spells would have been cast to test her agenda, to see if she had anything hidden. They would have probed her mind and made her wait.

But Darla was not 'any other vampire'- she was a Master, she was the head of her line, and in time, she would be more powerful than any other members of the Council.

They knew better than to make her wait.

The door opened, and with a deep breath, she entered the room. She was not afraid of them. She was Darla, she was powerful, and she would prevail.

A circular room stood behind the doorway, a large stone chamber decorated with the richest of tastes. Velvet drapes and fine tapestries adorned the walls of the large hall, along with a wide assortment of weaponry. A long mahogany table stretched across the room, 12 magnificent seats spaced evenly along it's length. Each seat was equal in stature; the high backs were all the same height.

In the old days of the Council, there had been 13 seats. One larger chair had stood in the center, it's occupant had the major power in the room. But all that had changed when Darla had killed the Master, the head of the Aurelius line. She had expected to take the reign of control over from her Master. The Elders had labeled her too young and insignificant to lead the Council. They had scoffed, snubbed her from the position she so desired.

Darla would get her revenge.

She would succeed. Her plan would work.

The Elders all sat in their respective chairs, eyes guarded, waiting for Darla to begin. They all put on an air of superiority, but they were scared. They had seen Darla ruthlessly murder her Sire, the most powerful vampire in the world. Which one of them was next?

"Speak, Darla. Waste not our time," an Elder, Wesley said sternly. Wesley was still a new addition to the Council, only having served for forty years. He was young, and the rest of them treated him as such- he was born only 400 years ago.

"Of course," she breathed, continuing in a louder voice, "Great Elders of the Council, I call upon you. The new Slayer has been called. All our lives are in grave danger. She is young yet, and untrained, so my plan must be set in motion immediately. Many of you know what I am proposing. When it succeeds, the world will be changed. If the prophecy is true…Our race will rule. All I am asking for is your cooperation."

Penn, a 600 year old vampire raised a cool eyebrow. "And if we refuse?"

"I don't think you will," Darla said coldly, her pretense of politeness quickly falling away. "You need this to happen. If the Codex is right, if the prophecy comes true… You all know the outcome"

"What if the prophecy is false? What happens then? Prophecies should never be relied upon; too untrustworthy," Wesley questioned Darla, searching for an answer.

"You are only a child," another Elder said condescendingly, "You have not the experience-"

"But I have the drive," Darla said loudly, cutting him off mid sentence.

A silence spread through the Elders, enveloping the large stone chamber. Who was this girl? Who was she to dare interrupt an Elder?

"This will work. I have planned continuously for days on end. It starts with the boy," she said, pointing to the unconscious form of Riley on the stone floor.

"He will lead me to the Slayer's blood."

**

END CHAPTER FIFTEEN

A/N- Okay, so I didn't die. ::dodges rocks from angry readers:: Heh. School's a bitch, and I'm still kind of sick, not to mention my computer being really screwed up and crashing. It took a while, but your update is here.

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Many thanks to all who reviewed last chapter:

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