DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fanfiction produced for entertainment purposes only. Angel, Buffy the Vampire Slayer and all related characters are the creations of Joss Whedon and copyright of 20th Century Fox and Mutant Enemy, Inc. The song "What You Feel" is also by Joss Whedon.
AUTHOR'S NOTE 1: Text in italics is being sung. If you recognise the singer, then you'll probably know the tune. I may do up a song file at some point. The words are mine except for two lines, which are altered versions of the originals.
AUTHOR'S NOTE 2: The mention of Wes in the first paragraph is intentional. At this point in time, as far as Lorne knows, Wes is fighting with the others.
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Chapter 4: The Gathering Begins
By Shadow's Mirror
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"Looks like the party's started without us." Lorne peered down at the action from one of the rooftops overlooking the battleground. Somewhere amidst the chaos, he knew that Angel, Spike, Wes, Gunn and Illyria were fighting.
His hooded companion came to stand beside him. She studied the scene far below them for a moment before nodding. "Yes, although it has not been going on long. We had best get started. There is little time left to us." She began to reach into her cloak. "Your friends are already beginning to tire."
Lorne had seen the others face bad odds before, but nothing like this. He knew that they were good fighters, but even so… Being from a warrior race, he knew all too well how draining a battle could be, and this battle was on a scale of nothing he had seen before. He looked up at his companion, certain she could see the fear that he was trying his hardest to hide. "At the risk of sounding like a scared little demon, are you sure this will work?"
She turned and smiled at him. Even before she spoke, Lorne's fear began to ease. "Yes. I am sure. This is not the first time I have done this." She looked away and Lorne had the sudden feeling that she was no longer entirely with him, but lost in her memories of another time and place. "There are some tragedies that are too much even for me to bear." Her voice was so soft it could barely be heard.
Shaking her had as if to clear it of her memories, she moved back from the roof edge. "But enough talk of history! Come, Lorne. We must begin the gathering."
Lorne joined her, suddenly uneasy. "Uh… If you don't mind my asking, who, or what, are we 'gathering'? I thought we were just gatecrashing their party." He pointed to the battleground. "If I'd known we were throwing one of our own, I would have brought dip."
A light laugh trilled through the air. "Do not fear, my friend. What must be done here tonight will take more than the two of us to do, therefore we must call others to lend their powers to our cause. To stop this war will take a spell as powerful as it is ancient. It is written not as a chant, but as a song, and only those with both music and magic in their blood may cast it. It might surprise you to learn that there are not all that many of us so gifted. The spell requires the power of five. Us two, and three others."
Lorne nodded slowly, determination flooding him. Whatever it took, he was ready, willing and able to see it through! Despite what he'd told Angel earlier, the truth was that he wasn't ready to give up on his friends so easily. "So, who's coming to this little shindig? Anyone I know?"
His companion smiled. "I doubt it, however it is possible. The first is a demon. In his realm, he is king and he is not known for his compassion or goodness, so I do not believe it will be a simple matter to convince him. But if we can, his power will aid us immeasurably."
Lorne whistled. "He's that strong, huh?"
"Yes. Like you, he has the power to read the souls and hearts of those who sing in his presence. However, his true power is that he can bring song to all around him. Literally. When he is near, song and dance is everywhere. Ordinary people will be doing ordinary things one moment and the next there will be music and lights and then… They will sing, they will dance and when it is over, they will wonder what happened and try to pretend that it was nothing."
"Well, he sounds like the life of the party. What's the catch?" Lorne knew there had to be one. Someone who could bring music to people like that… but she had said that he wasn't good.
"Sometimes, the music becomes too much. The people become unable to stop dancing. They use up so much of their life energy that it kills them. Song, dance, death… it is all entertainment for him."
Lorne swallowed hard. "I take back what I said about him. Obviously 'life' wasn't the best choice of words."
As they had been speaking, the woman had been making her preparations. She had carefully sprinkled some sort of powder on the ground; forming two circles about three feet wide and six feet apart. Now, she stepped into one of them, being careful not to let the hem of her cloak disturb the circle as she did so. She held up one hand and Lorne could see that she was holding some sort of amulet. It looked old and worn and the chain was gold that had tarnished almost to black. Closing her eyes, she began to sing.
Lorne looked on in silent awe as her power surged in almost physical waves through the air around them. He could feel it, taste it, smell it. The magic of the song was almost intoxicatingly beautiful. It wasn't until the singing stopped that Lorne realised he had closed his eyes at some point. When he opened them, he gasped. There was a red demon in a stylish blue suit standing in the second circle.
"I have summoned you here…" Before the woman could say another word, the demon held up one hand. The next thing Lorne knew, there was a catchy jazz beat echoing in the air.
"There's no need to say it.
I know why you've called me.
I felt the power.
You might as well set me free.
You called me and I came a-runnin'.
You've got chaos, time to bring some fun in.
So what are we waiting for? Let's interrupt this party.
'Cause I know how you need me girl,
And I'm ready to give this spell a whirl.
This has nothing to do with what's right or wrong,
This is destiny and I'm just riding along.
'Cause I saw something inside that boy's heart.
Now it's time for me to play my part.
So let's get in and do it, let's sing this song!"
The song demon, Sweet, smiled in amusement at the startled pair standing before him. "What's the matter? You never heard a demon sing jazz before?"
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