Chapter 26 – A History Lesson
I'm just debating whether or not I can leave Spike so I can talk to Lucy, when I hear her knock at the door. I gently extricate myself from Spike, get up and open it, to find her looking pale and worried.
"I think we should talk," she says.
"Yes. But, I don't want to leave Spike."
She glances over my shoulder at the form on the bed, and nods.
"You hungry?" she asks.
It hadn't occurred to me until she asked, but I find I am.
She seems to know the answer before I say anything.
"I'll bring something up. I've got another chair downstairs too, and we can talk here if you like."
"Thanks," I reply, grateful that she understands. "Just let me get dressed."
She leaves then, so I find some clothes, and pull them on. She returns soon, with a folding table and another chair which she leaves me to arrange. When she comes back, she has a tray with a pot of coffee, toast and some fried eggs. The smell reinforces my hunger, and I check on Spike while she sets it onto the table.
I'm relieved that Spike seems to be sleeping peacefully. I take my seat at the small table, and start to eat. Lucy seems hungry too, and in no time, we've finished the food, and I'm pouring myself another cup of coffee.
"He can't stay here," Lucy says.
I'm surprised, but then I'm not. He's the immediate threat, not me.
"He won't go without me."
She seems to bristle at that, but I can see she makes an effort to relax again.
"We could get rid of him if we need to, but that's not what I had in mind."
"What then?" I ask.
"I think you should both leave."
Ok, not what I was expecting. What I was going to ask, but not what I was expecting.
"Ok," I say, trying not to sound too enthusiastic.
"We'll have to make it look like you've escaped," she goes on. "I mean, so the Senior Partners think you're still working on their problem."
"I haven't said we're not," I remind her.
"I know, but I think you're still considering the matter. Am I right?"
"Well, yes, and to be honest, I'll be happier when I can discuss it with my friends. But you've got to realise that I'm not sure I'll be able to hide what I'm doing from the Senior Partners." Maybe Wesley will have some ideas, or Willow, but I'm strictly into the violence side of any conflict. Subterfuge isn't my strong suit.
"I'll be going with you."
Now, that takes me by surprise.
"A hostage you mean?"
"That's probably the easiest way to explain my presence," she agrees. "But I was hoping to be more of a guest."
"Ok," I agree cautiously. I wish Spike was listening to this. Not that I think he's any cleverer than I am, it's just, two heads and all that.
"And, if I come, I can help with keeping the truth from the Senior Partners."
I get up from the table and wander over to the bed. I want to check on Spike again, but it also gives me a few seconds to think. I'm pleased to note he's still asleep. The effort involved in resisting Lilah's compulsion seems to have exhausted him.
"So, you know how to keep things from the Senior Partners, and you know the source of their power. What I don't understand is why you need my help at all."
"I wasn't going to tell you this, at least, not yet. But, in light of what's happened …"
"I'm listening," I say, returning to the chair.
"I think a history lesson might be appropriate."
I feel my enthusiasm drop through the floor at that. But, I try not to show it.
"A long time ago, a very long time ago, the Carnolan people existed. They were powerful, and, where they came in contact with the primitive humans of the time, they were seen as godlike. They had a magic, something intrinsic to their makeup, which means that even if another species could learn about it, they could never reproduce it. Even though this magic was a part of every Carnolan, there was a small group who were learned in the lore, and who had great power. The lore was passed from father to son, but there were few sons, and the numbers were always small. Over time, the pride and arrogance of this group grew, and they started to call themselves the Chosen. And, inevitably perhaps, they decided they no longer wanted to serve the Carnolan people, but wanted to be served by them. They were annoyed by the insistence of the majority that humanity should not be enslaved. They wanted to remove restrictions around breeding with human women. They wanted power and pleasure, not for the whole people, but just for the few. The result was a war. Despite the power of the few, the war was evenly matched because they were so outnumbered. It took, it is said, five hundred men to thwart the magic of one of the Chosen, but there were those hundreds, and they fought."
"It was stalemate, and both sides knew it. The Chosen decided to change the rules. They found an ally, something that was far more powerful than they, but which was willing to grant them what they needed to defeat us."
She pauses then, but the silence is broken by Spike murmuring something. I jump up and run over to him, but he's already silent again, his breathing steady.
"This power," I ask, returning to the table. "What was it?"
"I'm not sure I can explain it in any detail. But, I believe it was the creation of the entity known as 'The First' that you defeated in Sunnydale. This … it calls itself the Darkness, started as an agent of the First, but it seems that it escaped control. With the Darkness, the Chosen had the means to destroy the rest of the Carnolan people, and achieve the rest of their aims. Their first forays caused untold carnage among the rest of the population. Many believed there could be no escape. Rescue came from an unexpected source. One of the women who lived among the Carnolans at that time, human, of course, was a witch. A powerful witch. Her name is remembered with reverence among all Carnolans. She was called Seosaimhín. She found a way to use the magic of the earth, the magic of the goddess, to shield those who remained. They fled, going into hiding, and she hid them from the Chosen. Although numbers were few, they survived. As Seosaimhín grew older, she knew that the shield would fail when she died. She taught what she knew to the other women, and when she was gone, the others maintained the shielding as well as they could, but they lacked the power, and eventually it failed. However, the Chosen had turned away from their roots by then. Corrupt as they had been, they were further corrupted. They had become immortal, and had amassed great power over both humans and other species of demons. They no longer saw the rest of their kind as a threat, and so they were ignored. And to this day, neither the lore nor the numbers of the Carnolan people have been regained."
She pauses again, looking down at her hands. I know the next bit is the important bit, so I sit silently, determined that nothing should distract her.
"In recent times, those who called themselves the Chosen prefer to control from behind the scenes, using corrupt humans and some demons to do their bidding."
"The Senior Partners," I say quietly. That's what Spike suspected, or was beginning to suspect, when Lucy said that Lilah's control might be able to get through the enclave barrier if the two magics were similar.
She nods.
"So, you see, it wasn't an idle boast when I said that I knew the source of their power. And, for one like you, who defeated the First, it should be possible to defeat the Darkness."
"Willow," I say.
Lucy looks confused for a moment.
"Willow – she's a friend. She helped me, or us, defeat the First. Without her … She's a powerful witch."
"I knew you had the help of one such, but I didn't know her name. I can supply her with the records on the shield used by Seosaimhín. If she can reproduce it …"
"Then, we should be able to keep Spike safe from Lilah," I finish. "But won't they guess what's happening?"
"Hey, I didn't say the plan was foolproof, now did I? It's going to need work, but …"
"It might actually come together."
Spike moans again, louder this time, and I glance over to see his eyes fluttering.
"I think he's waking up," I say.
"If you agree, I'll arrange for us to leave as soon as possible."
"Any chance of getting my phone charged?" I ask. "If I can call ahead, maybe I can get Willow back to LA soon. Or, could we go to her?"
"I think that'd be too suspicious, don't you?"
"Probably," I admit. "Ok, back to plan a."
Lucy picks up the tray with the dirty dishes on it, and I move to sit on the bed next to Spike. He wakens slowly, smiles when he sees me, then his expression changes.
"It's ok, Spike," I reassure. "You didn't hurt anyone, well other than yourself."
"Was a close thing, though. I …"
"You chose to hurt yourself rather than someone else. Can't say I approve of the part that was hurting you, but …"
"Doesn't feel too bad," he notices, flexing his left arm.
I remove the rough bandage I managed to put on his arm, and I'm relieved to notice that it's healing well. As well as I would, or maybe better. The cuts only seemed older than they were as a result of accelerated healing.
He's pushing my hand away, and trying to sit up. I move to give him room, and he tries to stand, but quickly sits back down on the bed.
"Dizzy?" I ask.
"Just a bit," he admits. "Be fine in a minute."
He carries on removing the bandages, examining the cuts which range from just crusted over to almost closed.
"Healing fast," he notices. "How long?"
I check the time. "Maybe three hours since the first of them?"
He nods. "I'd guess that's faster than when I was a vamp. But then, lack of actual circulation meant it wasn't a big problem."
"Any idea why?" I ask. "The strength, and the healing – do you know why?"
"Not a clue. That's a question for the witch and the Watcher, if we ever get out of here."
"They're going to let us go."
He stops what he's doing at that.
"Why?"
"Well, mainly because they've decided you're too dangerous to have around. And, partly, I think, because they think Willow'll be able to help."
"I think you've got some talking to do," he tells me. "Throw me some clothes, and tell me what happened while I was having my beauty sleep."
"I'll tell you, but first, let me go and get you something to eat. Lucy and I had some breakfast while you were asleep."
He seems to consider that for a moment, then shakes his head.
"I'm not sure I could stomach anything just now. Maybe in a while. So, let me get dressed, and then you can tell me what's happening."
I manage to persuade him to sit up on the bed when he's dressed. I think the giddiness is passing, but it's not gone. I spend a few minutes telling him as much as I remember of Lucy's story, with Spike's questions reminding me of bits I missed. When I get to the part where I tell him that the Senior Partners are Carnolans, he smiles.
"Thought there was something funny about that. I mean, we couldn't tell her anything about that amulet, so why would she even consider the possibility that its magic might be related to what powers the enclave?"
He stops then, his eyes narrowing a bit as he thinks of something else.
"But if that's true, there isn't much chance that Willow will be able to do anything permanent about my control by the amulet. A shield's only a temporary measure at best."
"But there is a chance that one of the Carnolans could do something about it."
"Well, providing it's not in the realms of that lost lore, I suppose."
"Did she say how we're going home?"
"No, you were waking up, and I wanted to see how you were. She said she had to arrange things."
We chat a bit longer, or at least, I chat, and Spike doesn't say a lot. I know he's upset about what happened, and I understand it. I just wish I could show him it wasn't his fault. I wish he could see that choosing to hurt himself rather than anyone else makes him pretty much the hero of the piece.
We pick up our belongings, throwing them back into our bags. When we go back downstairs, Lucy isn't alone. She introduces her companion as Clinton and comments that he's one of their current experts in Carnolan lore. He's also going to get us through the barrier that encloses the enclave.
That sounds fairly simple, since it's just a matter of one of them zapping us. Well, the phrase used was 'imparting a resonating energy wave', but I prefer zapping. I'm assured it's painless, and that Lucy's had it done countless times. This Clinton is going to travel with us in the back of a van. He'll then be coming and going from my apartment, and we're going to have to smuggle him inside my apartment when we get back, but that's a problem for then.
When we go outside, the van is waiting. It's large and black, with seats in the back, but the windows are so tinted as to make the occupants invisible. Clinton climbs into the back, and Lucy takes the driver's seat. She glances at me in invitation, so I join her in the front, and Spike climbs in the back with Clinton. I certainly don't want to drive, and I'm not sure Spike should be driving just in case he has another of those dizzy spells. One or two onlookers seem to be glowering at us as we move off.
"They don't seem too happy," I comment to Lucy.
"There was considerable resistance to my leaving with you," she replies. "As their leader, it was felt I was too valuable to be risked, but I insisted that it had to be me."
"Why?"
"Well, it's bound to be easier since I'm human. I'll be more comfortable with you and your friends. And then, I'm more able to defend myself than any other of our women. And, from the hostage point of view, that's bound to be more believable given my position."
I nod. She looks as if she'd like to add something, so I keep my eyes on her.
"And then there's the fact that I'm a Slayer. I kind of like the idea of being able to be part of that life too, even if it's only for a little while."
We drive towards the edge of the enclave, and as we approach it, I feel a tingle, like a small electric shock, that seems to permeate not just me, but the van itself. We approach the mirror-like surface of the barrier, and go straight through.
Interestingly, we seem to be in a tunnel – a tunnel made of whatever the enclave is made of. If they can do that, it sort of explains why there aren't visible tracks which could lead to the location of the enclave. Glancing in the side mirror, I see the tunnel apparently collapsing as we go, never quite catching up with us, and behind us, there are no tracks. This magic of the Carnolans seems to be very practical.
I glance in the back. Clinton seems to be asleep, his eyes closed. Spike's eyes are closed too, but he's not sleeping. He's tense; I can see it in his arm muscles. He's still upset by what happened, and scared that he might not be able to resist again.
While we got things together to leave, Spike talked a little about his ordeal in the shower. Like last time, Lilah looked through Spike's memories to come up with ideas of what to force him to do. The scene she had dragged to the front of his mind was something particularly gruesome, although he refused to give me the details. I do know that it was something Angelus planned, though.
I give up thinking about that. Whatever it was, it's just not fair that Spike had to think about it again.
The tunnel ends as we get to a rough road. There isn't any traffic visible on it, but Lucy double checks anyway before turning onto it. I'm just thinking that it's surprising that Lucy's going to let us know the location of the enclave, when there's a sudden lurch. My first thought is that the van hit something, but then I realise it's full dark, and the road we're on isn't a rough track in the desert any more. We're in LA, or the outskirts of it anyway.
"What the bloody …?" comes from the back.
"What just happened?" I demand, turning to talk to Lucy.
"Don't worry," she says. "It's just a little confusion thing, so you won't be able to remember the location of the enclave. Clinton just arranged that you wouldn't remember the past few hours. I know, it's an invasion of your mind, and I wouldn't have agreed to it if there'd been any alternative. Originally, we planned to sedate you for the journey back, but that wouldn't work if you were supposed to be escaping."
"If you're trying to persuade us to help you, that's really not the way to go about it."
"In the end, Buffy, you'll have to choose between us and the Senior Partners. If you're the Slayer I believe you are, you'll make the right decision, and you won't let something like this get in the way. And, if you decide in favour of the Senior Partners, then I'll be dead, so it won't matter to me by then anyway."
And, you know what? I get it. I understand that what she's saying is that she's a leader, and she's got to make tough decisions. She's got to do some things that she wishes weren't necessary, but she knows they are. And if making me forget what was probably an extremely boring road trip is the worst of it, then maybe it's not a big deal.
"It wasn't my decision," she continues. "It's a question of long held custom – no one is allowed to know where our enclaves are until they agree to join their lives to ours."
"And putting a blindfold on wouldn't have the same effect?" I manage. Well, I might understand, but that doesn't mean I'm not annoyed.
"No, it wouldn't, as I'm sure you know. Now, would you like to direct me to your apartment? Or do you wish to go elsewhere?"
"My apartment's fine," I answer. "I don't suppose you let anyone know we're coming home?"
"No, I didn't. While I realise that your friends need to know, I'd rather Clinton is out of the way first. I have begun to know you two, and even to trust you up to a point, but I don't know your friends."
She has a point, of course.
We arrive at my apartment, and by mutual consent, we decide that Lucy should pretend to be unconscious, and that Spike should carry her. While he does that, Clinton gets out quietly, and seems to disappear from sight. I shrug my shoulders, and follow Spike and Lucy inside, only to find that Clinton got there before me.
Once there, Clinton takes up residence in the living room, doing what Lucy explains as some security. He hasn't spoken a word that I remember, and I decide to just ignore him for now. I set about making Lucy comfortable in one of the spare bedrooms. Since I moved in here, the other bedrooms have had more use than I'd have expected! Once she's established there, I go in search of Spike. I assume he's in front of the TV, and I'm right, except the set's not on. And Clinton has disappeared.
"Where's …?"
"Don't know. Heard the door close, though, so it looks like he's off to do whatever Carnolans do."
I have to say, I feel like I'm not in control right now, and I'm not happy about it. But, there are things I need to do. It's almost six, and I decide to call Willow. I'll probably wake her, but it won't be the first time I've done that.
I pick up my cell phone. The first thing I notice is that I've had a couple of calls recently. I check who's called, and, hardly surprisingly, it's Wes. Ignoring that for a moment, I call Willow. We need her to come here, and the sooner she's on the plane, the better for all concerned.
I explain what I can, without going into too much detail on the phone, and Willow agrees to book the first flight. Having dealt with that, I call Wes. The phone rings, and I'm on the verge of giving up when he picks up.
"Wes?" I ask when no one says anything.
"Buffy? Is that you?"
"Yeah," I reply, but I'm on the alert, and so is Spike by the look of him. I've only heard him say one word, but I know there's something wrong.
"What's happened?"
"It's Gina. I left you a message, asking you to call, but I didn't know when you'd get it."
"What about Gina?"
Wes continues to mumble something in the background, and I have to repeat myself more loudly to break through to him.
"What about Gina?"
"She's gone. Lilah … Lilah's got her."