Part 23

Willow cursed the full moon that lit the night sky as they waited near where Ethan's Sunnydale stronghold was purported to be.  She had wished for the cover of darkness but it didn't look like the fates were smiling on them.  She really hoped this wasn't an indication of how the battle would go.

Tara, Rupert, Wesley, Jesse and Willow had placed themselves strategically around the surrounding area while the shifter-versions of Willow and Rupert were also interspersed among the Wizards.  It had taken a bit getting used to seeing all the versions of her and Rupert.  Having seen the vamp version of herself she was a little prepared but it still was unnerving to see an exact replica of yourself.  It was also a little annoying.  Kind of like an irritating two-year-old niece or nephew that mimics everything that you do.

Angel, Druscilla, Darla, William and Xander were on their way to where Oz and Veruca were, according to the latest intel. Rupert had sent his illusions of were-hyenas on ahead as a distraction until the vampires could arrive.

The power of holding such an elaborate illusion over great distances had impressed Willow. She, of course, had felt Rupert's power before but she hadn't realized how much of it he had kept behind shields until she watched as a part of his mind still controlled the weres.

The Wizarding Council had decided to coincide their strikes to go along with Rupert's plan. A Wizards' high alert had gone out to all their branches so the attack could occur simultaneously.

"What about an illusion of fog or something to block the full moon?" Willow whispered in Rupert's mind.

"Fog will make an excellent cover for the others.  I'm sure Ethan's aware of our existence by now, in fact I'm counting on it."  Rupert glanced to where one of the shifter-versions of him was waiting.  "With their ability to mimic our power levels, they ought to be enough of a distraction for Ethan's forces."

"You're hoping to go one-on-one with Ethan aren't you?"

"Hoping has nothing to do with it. I've known since we've taken opposite sides that the final battle would be between he and myself."

Willow sent a warm breeze to softly caress Rupert's cheek, "Just don't be the hero and take unnecessary risks."

Rupert softly smiled as he felt the warm touch of the wind across his cheek, "I won't, love.  Too much is riding on this."  He refused to think about what would happen afterward.  Too many conflicting emotions were surging through him.  He wanted the battle to be over with once and for all with Ethan. 

There were no doubts that even if, no when, Ethan and Gwendolyn were defeated that a new power would rise among Ethan's ashes.  For time immemorial there has always been ying and yang.  Dark must always coexist with light for balance to be maintained. 

When he had begun his magickal apprenticeship with the Wizarding Council he'd found references to "The Powers That Be" making alliances with the "The Forces of Darkness" to maintain the balance. 

As he watched Ethan's rise to power, he'd wondered if the Powers would make an alliance as Ethan began this Second Wizarding War.  Willow's appearance also caused him to wonder about the Force and the Powers manipulating the fates to maintain balance.

But had the alliance included Willow's fate?  Would she be taken from him as soon as the battle was over?  Nimue and Merlin had alluded that they would see Avalon again, was this why?

A shift in the magickal aura around him pulled him from his thoughts. "Get ready, love."

"I'll meet you inside."

Just as a flash of bright light lit the night sky, Willow concentrated while she made thick fog descend over the group of the Wizarding Council that was closest to her.  When she noticed that the illusion was holding steady without much effort on her magick, the fog spread to encompass those even further away.

When Willow learned that Druscilla and Darla were not going to be with her and Rupert but actually launching the second attack on Ethan's elite forces she had sought them out in the mansion. She'd had a favor to ask and one she didn't think Rupert would agree to do. A slight grimace crossed her features at the memory of the vampires' violent reaction to her request but she'd been adamant. She was going to tap into the dark magick and it hadn't been that long ago that she trained with the coven.  Her draw to use dark magick was something that she fought everyday and she knew that Ethan would probably try to get her to use enough of the darkness so that she wouldn't care. Her fear was that she'd get lost in the darkness and not find her way back.  She'd wanted them to stop her by any means necessary, even death.

Willow concentrated on the meeting point inside Ethan's compound where she and Rupert were to meet.  She'd only teleported a few times and even with Rupert's guidance she was nervous. She hoped she had control over it and didn't reappear in-between the walls or something.  The Willow and Rupert shifters were to teleport in different areas throughout the complex making it next to impossible for the others to detect and track them.

A wide grin split Willow's face as she saw a smiling Rupert standing a few feet to her left.

"I did it.  Did the others make it in yet?"

"Tara and Jesse just checked in and they'll begin their phase of the operation soon.  Wesley set the explosives in his area and he's gone off to check on the progress of Faith."

Before Willow could ask Rupert another question she was knocked to her knees by a powerful blow. Rupert spun to face the assailant and narrowed his eyes when he saw it was a Dark Fey.

"Such power this one has, no wonder Ethan wants her.  Maybe I'll take her as a present to my King."

"Vincire." A green light shot out of Rupert's hand and wrapped around the Dark Fey's torso binding his arms to his side.

The Dark Fey began to struggle while mumbling an incantation of his own.

Willow rose to her feet and smiled cruelly at the captured Fey.  "Did you really think your fey magick was strong enough to cause a dent in ours?"

"Dropped you to your knees." He smirked as he felt the bonds around him loosen slightly.

Willow walked to within a hair's breath from the Fey, "Last time someone was suspended in front of me I flayed him alive.  Want to see if I still can?"

His heart slammed in his chest as he felt the ancient power rolling off of the witch as she allowed her shields to drop slightly. Though Fey weren't immortal, it did take a lot to kill them. He'd had body parts amputated and reattached as a lesson in discipline. It wasn't the flaying threat that had caused his heart to skip a beat, for he would eventually heal from that.  It was the source of their power.  He'd felt the recent touch of Avalon in them. Unlike other Wizards and Witches in this realm, whose bond with Avalon is tenuous, theirs was strong and could inflict much damage on those of the Fey race.

The Fey may be many things but the core of their being is survival at all costs.  There wasn't a fey alive that wouldn't sell their mother to survive and this Dark Fey was no different. It seemed the Wizarding Council had the backing of Avalon in this battle and no fey would go against Avalon. The birthplace of all magick and the home of Oberon.

"Wait! I can take you to Gwendolyn and Ethan."

Rupert narrowed his eyes, he knew their captive wouldn't be phased by Willow's threat of flaying for they survived much worse. Why was this one giving up Ethan and Gwendolyn so easily?  He didn't trust his motives but the fey had played right into their hands. He already knew where Ethan was for he could feel him, as he was sure Ethan could feel his presence. They hadn't been sure where Gwendolyn would be. Some of the Wizarding intelligence claimed she was in Los Angeles leading the attack there but they knew she wouldn't pass up the opportunity to prove herself with Ethan by going against Willow and winning. Ethan had hinted since their first confrontation that Willow had been merely playing cat to Gwendolyn's mouse.

Willow cocked her head to the side with a feigned look of interest. "Now why would you give up that information so readily?" She gave a small pout, "I was looking forward to hours of torturing you.  I really haven't had much practice and I've never worked on a magickal creature before." 

She turned to wink at Rupert, "Or does a Hell Goddess count as a magickal creature cause I helped in kicking the ass of one."  Willow thought it prudent to leave out the part that she'd been weakened by her human half when said ass was kicked.

"I feel Avalon's blessing."

Rupert masked his shock at that one simple sentence well. His heart beat frantically but his facial features were bland.  Had Nimue and Merlin given them some of Avalon's magick when they'd glimpsed them in the mirror?  There were only a few things you could count on with the Fey, they would never go against those that had the blessing of Avalon.

Rupert's arm raised in an arc as he mumbled an incantation releasing the bound Fey.  "Take her to Gwendolyn."

The Fey looked questioningly at Rupert, "Don't you want to know where Ethan is?"

"Well actually, you don't really have to look for me.  I decided to join your little party."  Ethan's voice came out of the shadows in the corner.

Willow watched in horror as the Fey was suspended in mid-air by Ethan's magick and slowly his skin began to turn in on itself. She fought down the bile that had risen in her throat as the screams of pain filled the air.

"I might not be strong enough magickally to kill you, Lochlain but with the pain you'll wish I could. You'll serve as a lovely monument to those that would betray me."

Ethan turned to Rupert and Willow, "Now the question is are you real or are you yet another shifter pair?  Good plan by the way, Ripper.  You're the third Willow-Rupert pair I've run into."

Willow's mind gave the call that the shifters had been waiting for.  A series of flashes of light filled the room and the only sound was Ethan's mocking laughter as he saw the many pairs of Willows and Ruperts.

Ethan clapped his hands slowly, "Bravo, Rupert, Bravo.  Which one is the original and which are copies? Hmm, Should I waste my time trying to figure out who's who or go for the direct route and kill you all, sorting it all out later?"