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. Nemesis is an original character from my Watchtower Gargoyles series. Briarley and Prophecy are original characters from my Witchhaven County series.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: There is a line in this chapter, 'One of their threads is almost ready to be cut.' This refers to an ancient Greek legend about the Fates, three sisters who governed life and death. Clotho spun the thread of life, Lachesis measured it and Atropos cut it.

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A Promise of Tomorrow
Chapter 5: Destiny and Prophecy

By Shadow's Mirror

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The demon's question hung in the air for a moment before Lorne suddenly grinned. "My friend, I've heard all kinds of demons sing all kinds of music. It was the invisible jazz ensemble that took me by surprise." Sweet laughed, then turned his attention to the hooded woman as she spoke.

"I am surprised at your willingness to aid us in our cause. From what I know of you, I would have thought this sort of chaos would be entertaining for you." There was no judgment or suspicion in our tone, only curiosity.

Sweet shook his head. "I enjoy chaos as much as the next demon, but I like my bloodbaths to be a little more Broadway-inclined. To me, watching swordplay is boring, but watching a song and dance number while people swing swords around… now that's entertainment!" His smile suddenly faded. "Seriously, I happen to have an interest in this affair. You see, one of the players in this little drama is an old friend of mine. The last time we met, he snatched the Slayer out from under my nose. Literally. I had her right where I wanted her. She was dancing her life away. Then he stepped in and did something extraordinary. For one of his kind, anyway." Sweet grinned wryly. "He saved her."

The hooded figure sounded slightly amused. "I see. He intrigued you."

"More than that." Sweet frowned slightly as he remembered back to that night. "Everyone my power touches, their minds and hearts are open to me. Normally, all I can see is the present and the past. But something happened that night that I wasn't expecting. When he sang, I felt the urge to sing too and as I did… I heard his destiny. I have to say, I was impressed. But as it turns out, I have a part to play in it. Now I might risk Lady Luck's wrath from time to time, but there's no way I'm messing with the Fates. I've known too many others who have."

"You saw this battle in his destiny?" The women's voice sounded troubled.

"Not exactly." Sweet turned. From where he was standing, he could see over the edge of the building. As he looked down on the battlefield, a shudder ran through his body. "No, I definitely didn't see this coming. I didn't get a visual. It was just a feeling. I knew I was involved in his future, but there was nothing to tell me when, where or why. All I got was the impression of two paths, one leading to chaos and the other… to destiny."

He turned to look at the woman who had summoned him, all traces of amusement gone as he continued to speak. "Something's gone wrong. I can feel it. Someone's trying to interrupt the flow of Fate. Someone with a lot of power behind them. This battle… maybe it should have happened, maybe not, but here and now… All I know is, those kids out there aren't supposed to die today, but if this scene is left to play itself out… The odd are against them."

The hooded figure nodded. Her voice was calm again when she replied. "Yes. That is why we are here." She raised one hand but then hesitated. "You understand what must be done? The spell requires the power of five. You are willing to be one of us?"

Sweet nodded. "I am."

She glanced at Lorne, who also nodded. He'd known Sweet was on their side from the moment he'd heard the demon sing. He'd also known that if they had met while he was still working in Wolfram and Hart's Entertainment Division, then he could have easily gotten the guy a gig working Vegas.

"Then I release you from the binding circle." Her hand glowed, a brief flash of light, and the circle Sweet was standing in did likewise. Then it was gone. The demon smiled slightly as he sauntered over to her and Lorne.

"You always have had a thing for the dramatic. I like that." Winking at the woman, he turned and eyed Lorne up and down for a moment before grinning at him. "Nice suit. Pylean, right?"

"I am, but the suit's native." Lorne smiled slightly, the little joke doing a lot to ease his tension. All the discussion about Fate and death had disturbed him.

"It is time to summon the remaining two."

The two demons turned at the woman's voice, both immediately becoming serious again. "So, who's next on the invitation list?" Lorne asked quietly.

"They are in the same place, more or less, therefore I can call them both at once. I know they will come, for this is not the first time they have aided me with this particular spell." As she spoke, the woman began to draw a complicated diagram in what looked, and smelled, like sea salt.

"The first of them is a daughter of the Sirens. Her voice is her magic and she can cast any spell merely by singing it. She has devoted her life to protecting the weak, defending the innocent and avenging those who cannot avenge themselves. To her friends and companions, she is Marina Blade. To those who are unfortunate enough to incur her wrath… she is Nemesis."

"Catchy name," Lorne commented. Sweet chuckled in agreement. "So who's our last party guest?"

"His name is Briarley Haven. He is a vampire." The women waited a moment for the two demons to get over their shock. "But no ordinary vampire. When he lived, he was son and apprentice to a very powerful mage. In fact, this mage was so powerful that he was able to cast a spell that protected his son from the usual fate that befalls those claimed by the Children of the Night. At the moment of his turning, he was given a choice. Surrender to the darkness or embrace the light. No one expected him to choose both. He was turned, but he uses his power for good, not evil. As vampires go, he is older than most and his powers are formidable because of it. His specialty is song-spells. The spell we must cast tonight is one that he is particularly gifted in. Indeed, he has cast it more times than I have."

Her design complete, the woman stepped back from it. She glanced at her two companions. "It is time." They nodded and she raised her hands. She was about to speak when a voice suddenly spoke up from somewhere nearby. It was low, slightly husky, more than a little musical and definitely female.

"There's no need to call us. We're already here."

Lorne jumped and whirled at the voice, staring around in shock. Sweet's reaction was similar and even the hooded women was startled. "How…?"

Two figures stepped out of the shadows on the other side of the roof.

The first was a woman. Nemesis looked to be in her early twenties and was tall and slender with hair that fell in waves of rippling black silk to below her waist and large sea-green eyes that seemed to shine faintly silver in the moonlight. She was beautiful, there was no denying that, but there was a coolness to her calm gaze that made the term 'ice maiden' flash through Lorne's mind. Or it could have been her outfit. The form-fitting black leggings, tunic and knee-high boots were a definite fashion statement… for a ninja. Or a cat burglar. Lorne blinked at the large mist-grey cat that the second figure was holding. The cat blinked back at him. Yes, cat burglar did seem more appropriate in this case.

The second figure was even more surprising. His companion's description had left Lorne with a mental image of a powerful young man rather like Angel, but with maybe a little less broodiness and more of Spike's 'bring it on so I can smash it' attitude. Instead, Briarley turned out to have the form of a human boy of around eighteen. He was several inches shorter than Nemesis, with a slender but lightly muscled build. His hair was as black as midnight and his gleaming silver eyes hinted at his being more than human, but his outfit was something an ordinary teenager might wear. Black jeans teamed with a dark blue T-shirt, black leather jacket and black sneakers. Lorne was suddenly glad that the other demon was also in a brightly coloured suit. Otherwise, he would have felt horribly overdressed.

The hooded woman shook her head. "I might have known that you would be aware of the situation. No doubt Prophecy brought you here tonight." Much to Lorne's surprise, she nodded to the cat in Briarley's arms. Even more surprisingly, the cat nodded back. "I take it that you are prepared to aid us in our cause?"

Briarley nodded. "Of course." His voice had a soft English accent.

"Yet you waited until after I had drawn the summoning charm." The woman folded her arms, her voice revealing her amusement.

"Well, you were introducing us at the same time. We felt it would be rude of us to interrupt." Nemesis smirked as she strode forward. She glanced over Lorne and Sweet and seemed to make up her mind that they were on the same side because she smiled at them both before turning to the hooded woman.

"Not to be rude, but if we're going to save all of them, we'd better get started. One of their threads is almost ready to be cut." Her words made the woman freeze for a moment before she nodded.

"You are right. Let us begin." With a swift wave of her hand, the mystical design vanished. She gestured for her companions to draw nearer. "Come, join with me in a circle of song, so that our magic may rise in chorus."

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To be continued…