Unlikely Alliances
Spoilers- BTVS: up to Into The Woods
Angel: up to Dead End
Media tie ins: Oz: Into The Wild
Disclaimer- None the characters or concepts used belong to me, they all came from the brilliant mind of the Joss-god, except for those that do in fact belong to Christopher Golden.
Note- This is birthday present for my friend Natalie, sorry it's very belated.
Note2- Never written any of these characters as main parts, so it may be a little shaky. Sorry.
&&&
Oz groaned as he finally reached the top of the mountains, he threw his pack on the ground and rested his hands on his knees, panting wildly. He looked down at the slope he had just climbed; it was one of the largest in the local region. It was really high up.
Oz's eyebrow traveled high on his face. "Whoa."
Oz straightened, placing one hand on his weary and aching back. Even with his werewolf endurance the climb had been hell, okay not literal hell like in Sunnydale but it was still a gruesome journey all the same. He looked at the smallish cottage-type building that stood before him. Master Shantou did have one strange sense of humour.
Oz had been traveling after leaving Sunnydale for the second time, doing that around the world thing he had always wanted to do, when a letter from Jinan had reached him. Master Shantou had heard rumours about powerful spells being held by a tribe of heinous demons. As powerful as those spells were they couldn't be allowed to remain in the hands of evil. So here he was, on top of the tallest mountain in a particularly mountainous region of Chile.
Still out of breath Oz turned back to the view and watched the hazy sun set behind the distant mountain range. He had just made it; luckily, he didn't think climbing a mountain in the dark would be easy or fun. He had started off at sunrise, fresh and eager to tackle the mountain, now many hours later he was tired and covered in layers of dried sweat and dust.
"Ah," a voice broke through the quiet. "You have made it in one piece."
Oz quirked and eyebrow and bowed to his teacher. "Was there any doubt?"
Master Shantou inclined his head and smiled at him. "Jinan was concerned."
Oz made a non-committed noise in the back of his throat. He stared measuredly at the older man. "Big mountain."
Master Shantou continued to smile. "Yes."
"Small cottage," Oz commented.
"Our humble lodgings suit our needs." The corners of Master Shantou's mouth ticked upwards. "You look weary."
Oz glanced significantly at the slope he had just climbed.
Master Shantou clapped his hands together. "Come, we have a room prepared for you."
Oz reached down and heaved up his pack, wincing as his abused muscles screamed at the sudden weight. He started towards the cottage, Master Shantou falling into step beside him.
Oz cleared his throat, catching Master Shantou's attention. "So, demon problems, huh?"
&&&&&
'Goddamn demons,' Lindsey thought as he watched them carouse around him. He was tied to a very convenient stalagmite that had formed in the cave that the demons had appropriated for their lair. Lindsey shifted, wincing as his shoulders cried out and burned in protest. The rope that bound his hands behind his back rubbed on the rough surface of the stalagmite, pulling at his tender wrists. Lindsey scooted closer to the rock, trying to ease the pressure on his shoulders, and let his head fall forward, his dark, shaggy hair forming a curtain in front of his eyes.
After leaving L.A. Lindsey had traveled around America, dodging Wolfram and Hart assassins and various other employees whenever the firm got worried or scared of him and the knowledge he had over them, prompting them to attempt to kill him. It was amusing at times, others it was downright annoying. Interestingly enough Lilah, all though taking the promotion meant for him and the intense competition that had motivated the both of them through troubled times, had yet to call a hit on him and he severely doubted that she ever would.
Not that it really mattered now. It was starting to look to him as if the only way he could get out of here was in pieces and even then it might be in pieces inside a demon or two. The demons had nabbed him two weeks ago, feeding and watering him enough so he could survive. They had grabbed him his second day in the nearby village, he had spent the previous afternoon asking questions; questions that had gotten back to the demons and made them decide to capture him; questions the demons didn't want him receiving answers to; questions about some very powerful spells that the demons were reputed to have in their possession.
Lindsey couldn't even say what he needed or wanted the spells for, he could feel it in his gut that he needed those spells but he wasn't quite sure why. The spells were for cloaking, they worked kind of like an invisibility cloak. Unless the senior partners kicked up their 'activities' with him a notch he really had no use for them. Not at the moment anyway.
And so the search that had lead him from Texas to Chile had ended in him being held in a damp, drafty cave surrounded by demons that looked as if they had gotten loose in a paint factory. Their thick hides were covered in splashes of multicolored patches; there were patches of green, mustard yellow, blood red, bright blue and a colour that looked suspiciously like a deep purple on a aqua-marine base. Their eyes were milky white, like Vanessa Brewer, but they had keen eyesight. They were tall, extremely tall and had arms with muscles the size of a leg of ham. Their hands and feet ended in long, sharp, dark blue claws. They corresponded with each other through a series of clicks and squeaks that made Lindsey feel like he was trapped in a dolphin's tank.
He hadn't liked the way the demons had grinned at him when he first woke up tied to the stalagmite. Their sharp teeth glistened by the light of the fire. In the time he had been there, apart from his brief stat of unconsciousness, which they had so kindly sent him into with the introduction of his head with a really hard wall, he had barely slept. He had tried to fight off sleep at first, starting to catalogue the demon's size, colour, odor and such. Still fighting the incredibly powerful urge to close his eyes he had decided to compare them to the descriptions of the hundred of demons that he encountered during his stint at Wolfram and Hart but nothing matched. As far as Lindsey could tell he was in the lair of a very rare group of demons.
If their behaviour was anything to go by it was no wonder they were rare. These demons weren't exactly the smartest around nor were they the most well mannered and they were easily offended. It wasn't the greatest mixture in a demon. In the entire time he had been here he had had seen more fighting than he had in a Jackie Chan movie marathon. One demon would sit on the spot where another had sat the night before and that would be enough to cause a riot that would last the night and draw in the whole tribe. By the time the sun rose there was usually one or two dead. Every morning Lindsey had to watch as they prepared the dead and then consumed them, leaving nary a scrap behind.
One of the demons nearest to Lindsey looked up sharply and turned towards the mouth of the cave. Lindsey followed his gaze, his jaw tightening and eyes narrowing as he recognized the small, colourfully dressed man that stood trembling at the mouth of the cave. It was the man that worked behind the bar next to the dingy hotel Lindsey had checked into. He had thought that the man had overheard the conversation he had had with one of his sources while he was in the bar. The damn fink must have sold him out!
"Hey, I, ah, got some more information for you." The man's accent thickened with fear as several demons stalked closer to him. His beady eyes connected with Lindsey's for a second before he quickly looked back at the demons. "That old monk? The one that I told ya moved into that tiny dump on top of the mountain? He's been poking around that bookshop again. He's been asking about the spells."
This caused excited squeaking to rise amongst the demons that had gathered near him. Angered, shrill squeaks rose as the news spread from demon to demon.
The man eyed the demons warily. "There's one other thing…" The man faltered. "There's someone new in town and he's asking about ya too."
The squeaks and clicks grew dramatically, drowning out the rest of the panicked man's words as they descended upon him. Lindsey watched as the man's lips moved very quickly. One demon reached out a hand towards him, the man's eyes growing impressively wide as he backed away towards the exit. Another demon, a taller one, knocked its hand away and clicked rapidly at it. A few more demons clicked back. They were clearly arguing about something. Suddenly, like a switch was flipped, all the tribe became involved. Fights emerged between individuals and the din rose.
Taking advantage of the squabble the bartender turned tail and scrambled down the dirt road that lead into the town.
Before the arguments could turn into a brawl a lone demon stood from its position at the back of the cave. With all things there are exceptions to the rules, with these demons this one was it. While the others brawled and argued amongst themselves this demon sat in its corner and mediated, and argued amongst themselves this demon sat in it's corner and meditated, this was the first time he had seen the demon move. The demon squeaked loud and long silencing the rowdy demons. It spoke sharply, causing many of his peers to shuffle their feet uncomfortably and the great many others to glare angrily. Another demon clicked with irritation, whatever it had said caused all the demons to turn suddenly and pin Lindsey down with their eyes.
A few crept towards him. Lindsey started to laugh hysterically.
A snarl accompanied the vicious backhand that turned Lindsey's head sharply.
Lindsey shook his head, ignoring the urge to vomit, and glared at the demon that struck him. "I don't know anything about it."
The demon snarled again, his large, clawed hand rocketing towards Lindsey's face. His head bounced off the stalagmite. Lindsey slumped forward, the ropes the only thing holding him up, his breaths coming in gasps that were interrupted by bouts of lung-tearing coughing.
His head spun.
He could feel himself losing the iron control he had been holding over himself.
His conscious slipped away, traveling back in time, to a place that was forever imprinted on his memory.
Nine year old Lindsey gripped his mother's hand and thrust the thumb of his other hand into his mouth, gnawing on the nail.
"Momma?"
"Yes, Linds?" His mother's soft accented voice washed over him.
"Why did Matty have to die?"
His mother kneeled in front of him and gently caught his chin in her hand. She made him look at her, tearing his eyes away from the small, still, blanket-covered figure that lay on the only mattress in the corner of the tiny room.
"God called her home, Sweetie. He saw her sufferin' and took mercy on her. He took her up to heaven. She's never gonna be cold again, never gonna be sick or hungry."
Lindsey looked solemnly into his mother's clouded blue eyes. "Why can't I go too?"
She blanched and pulled him close. "Oh, Linds, my boy. You can't be thinkin' of leaving me yet." Her gentle smile fell from her face as she held him tightly. "Momma still needs you. You can't leave me too, Lindsey." Her shoulders shook as she sobbed. The sound teared at her throat and made her breath hitch.
Lindsey patted her on the back absently, his eyes trained on the prone form that had previously been his bubbly and excited little sister Matilda. The whimpers of his grieving siblings grew louder.
A lone tear trailed down Lindsey's dirt-smudged cheek, revealing the deathly pale skin underneath the dirt. The tear dropped onto his mother's head and became lost in her thick, dark hair.
A bubble of jealously rose in his stomach. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair! Matty got to be warm and full and loved while he had to stay cold and sick and hungry! He wanted to be in heaven! He wanted to be with Matty!
Lindsey's eye open to a slit. He felt the insane giggles burble in his chest. It looked like was going to get that wish. Lindsey tensed as one of the demons raised his meaty fist and cocked it back.
' See ya soon, Matty.'
&&&&&
Oz smiled as he walked through the small village, Jinan beside him. It seemed like a nice place, it was the very image of a rustic village, not dark and grimy like the media reports had lent him to believe, but more like the villages from a Disney cartoon. He half expected the villagers to burst into song about the price of fruit or about housework, except…
There was one thing that worried him; it was the look in the villager's eyes. Their eyes were haunted, filled with fear and knowledge of what would happen if they spoke about it. It reminded him a little of Sunnydale, these people knew something, even if they wouldn't admit it to themselves that they knew.
Jinan reached over and grasped his cold hand in her ever-warm one. "What's wrong?"
"The people," Oz answered. "Their eyes."
Jinan looked at the people around them. She locked eyes for a second with a young woman, who quickly adverted her gaze and scurried away. Jinan shivered and moved closer to Oz.
"They're afraid."
Oz nodded.
"The demons did this," she sighed. "What are we going to do, Oz?"
Oz squeezed her hand and looked into Jinan's dark eyes, blinking as he saw fire flicker in her dark orbs. "What we can."
A melancholy expression settled on Jinan's face, replacing her previously happy one. She rested her head on Oz's shoulder and sighed.
With silent agreement they turned and walked back towards the small shop where they had left Master Shantou. Exploring the rustic village no longer gave them the release from their harsh reality that they dealt with. They strolled back, both feeling the weight of the villagers fear weighing heavily on them. They stopped at the age-worn door. Oz reached out his hand.
There was a low scuffling sound from within the building, so low that had Oz not been a werewolf he wouldn't have heard it. Oz tensed and titled his head to the side. There was no other sound. Something was wrong.
Oz detangled his hand from Jinan's and gestured for her to remain behind him. He sniffed the air, thanking whatever god/s out there that were looking after him that his sense of smell had gradually been enhanced as his control over the wolf strengthened. A mixture of scents hit his delicate nose: a fragrance that was purely Jinan, a mixture of wild flowers, soap and fire; dust; unwashed humans; an array of farm animals; the scent of another male wolf (something which made the inner wolf's hackles rise). There was also something that Oz had never smelt before; it was sickly sweet and sour at the same time. But there was one scent that Oz knew better than any, a scent that made the wolf lick its chops in hunger.
Blood.
Oz reeled back as the enticing smell threatened to overwhelm him.
Jinan put her hand on his shoulder. "What is it?" she whispered urgently.
"Blood," Oz growled deep in his throat. Anger swept through him, trying to wipe out his rational human mind and resurrect the wolf. Taking a deep breath, and ignoring the blood, Oz stamped down the change. He took a step back and lifted a well-booted foot. With a loud grunt he kicked the door down and crashed into the room, Jinan following close behind him. The sight that greeted them stopped them in their tracks.
A group of multicolored demons stood within the room. Three were crouched in a corner feasting on what looked to be the body of the shopkeeper. Another five stood in a semi-circle near he back wall. They had all turned to look as the crash sounded and in doing so revealed what they had huddled up against the wall. It was a werewolf, it's coat as white as freshly fallen snow. It's coat was stained red from the various cuts and gashes on it's body, a cracked bone jutted through the skin of his right hind leg. He whimpered in pain and moved his front paws weakly, his breathing erratic and weak.
"Master Shantou!" Jinan exclaimed, her hand coming up to cover her mouth, which had fallen open in horror.
Oz growled and hunched his shoulders, feeling the wolf completely awaken within him. The change came upon him quickly, his bones cracking and changing, hair bursting through his skin and teeth and nails turning into fangs and claws. His face elongated, transforming into a snout, which bore a terrible snarl. Oz dropped to all fours and stretched as his spine extended to form a tail.
The transformation was complete. The wolf growled at the demons in front of him, they were intruding on his territory! The wolf continued to growl, becoming irritated by the lack of reaction. He started to snap his powerful jaws and snarl.
One of the demons pointed at Oz and squeaked to it's peers. They laughed.
Oz dropped down on his hunches. He paused and examined the intruders, his head cocked to the side and ears perked. His tongue lolled as he gave a doggie grin. Without warning he struck, lunging at the mocking demon and using his powerful jaws to tear it's throat out.
The demon dropped to the ground with a high-pitched gurgle. The wolf fell upon him; biting and scratching, instinctively finding all of it's vulnerable spots. Soon the demon lay a bloody, motionless, lifeless mess.
The wolf looked up at the other demons, a growl from deep within his chest emerging past his lips. The wolf lips curled back, revealing sharp, white teeth.
His powerful muscles tensed and he sprung forward.
&&&&&
Lindsey groaned as he slowly regained consciousness. His entire body felt like it was on fire. The demons had spent the previous day torturing him, even after he had told them repeatedly that he didn't know anything about either of the men that were after them and the spells. Lindsey gingerly moved whatever limbs he could while still tied to the stalagmite. Although his muscles screamed painfully at him they hadn't broken any bones that were essential for an escape. A couple of his ribs were cracked or bruised at the very least, as well as several of his toes, and if the ache from his nose was any indication then he was going to have two black eyes for a few weeks.
Lindsey looked around and frowned. Something was wrong, very wrong. While the cave was never really overcrowded it was significantly emptier now. Even they had abducted him only three demons had left the cave for him, and ever since he had been captured only one or two demons had left and that had been to get extra food and water.
There were at least ten gone.
The remaining demons milled about, unusually calm and solemn. They would occasionally click at one another before walking off. Lindsey looked over at the meditating demon. It was still sitting as it had been for the last two weeks. Suddenly it's eyes snapped open and locked onto Lindsey's. The demon's gaze was calm and steady; it held Lindsey's gaze for a second. The it's eyes flickered over towards the mouth of the cave. It slowly rose to it's feet.
Lindsey followed it's gaze as a small metallic object bounced in. His eyes widened in panic, it was a hand grenade. He struggled against his bonds. A loud crash echoed in the cavernous space. Rock dust and particles showered down from the roof of the cave. The grenade must have been altered to do less damage than an ordinary one. Before the echo could fade a series of loud pops sounded.
'Gunfire,' Lindsey thought, his ears still ringing from the grenade blast.
The gunfire continued, felling many of the demons. They squealed and rushed about, trying to find cover in the bare, exposed cave. Bullets tore into their thick hides, spraying their deep purple, near black, blood over the grainy surface of the walls. The demons, panicked by the rush of bullets, turned on each other; pushing each other in their need for self-preservation.
Lindsey winced, the ringing in his ears intensifying with the further rush of bullets and the increasingly high pitched screams from the injured and dying. He tried to shrink down, attempting to make himself as small as possible to present a small a target as possible.
A bullet hit the stone above his head. Lindsey gritted his teeth and pulled on the ropes securing him to the stalagmite. His eyebrows rose high on his face as his hands came free, the rope heaving been cleanly cut in half.
"Cover your face!" A masculine voice boomed. "Quickly!"
A small tin can landed on the cave floor, clanging loudly. Thick smoke rapidly billowed out the can and engulfed the entire cave.
Lindsey painfully brought his ragged shirtsleeve up to mask his nose and mouth with the filth encrusted material. He squinted against the eye-watering smoke.
A figure wearing a gas mask emerged through the smoke. As the figure moved closer Lindsey realized it was a tall man in army fatigues. He stopped in front of Lindsey and knelt down; slipping a knife from the sheath on his belt he cut the ropes that bound Lindsey's feet. The man got back to his feet and reach down to help Lindsey up.
Lindsey stumbled to his feet, groaning as blood rushed through his abused body. He nearly fell back to the ground, the strong hands of the strange man the only thing keeping him standing. The man wrapped an arm under his shoulders and half-helped, half-dragged Lindsey out of the cave that had been his prison.
They started down the dirt trail, Lindsey blinking rapidly at the harsh sun. The man reached up and pushed the mask on top of his head. Lindsey blinked again. His rescuer was young, younger than he had expected. He had to be almost ten years younger than Lindsey himself. Not only was the man young he was also the epitome of the all-American, farm-raised-corn fed-football playing-blond hair-blue eyes- collage student. If it wasn't for the fierce set of the jaw, the steel in his eyes and the very large gun hanging from his belt Lindsey would never have thought him capable of doing all that damage and chaos single-handedly and in such a short amount of time.
Lindsey was gasping by the time they reached the bottom of the mountain. "I… need… to… rest…"
The man looked around. "Not here, it's too exposed. Just a little further."
The man hauled him back to his feet and Lindsey concentrated on putting one foot in front of the other. Finally they reached an outcrop of rocks shaded by several full and leafy bushes. Lindsey sighed as he settled onto the pleasantly warm ground. He started to gently rotate all of his joints, relieved when they crack and released a tremendous build-up of pressure. Lindsey winced as his ribs protested over a sudden movement; he brought a hand up to cover the aching spot.
"You're hurt."
"My ribs," Lindsey ground out. "I think a few of them are broken."
The man ran expert fingers over Lindsey's ribs, frowning with disapproval. "Two on your right, one of your left. I'll wrap them for you when we get back to the village."
Lindsey flashed him a quick smile. "Thanks."
The man nodded curtly and returned to his lookout position.
"Uh, I'm Lindsey McDonald."
The man nodded again, his eyes trained on the land before him.
"What do I call you?"
The man turned and stared at Lindsey, something in his honest blue eyes made Lindsey squirm internally.
"Finn. Riley Finn.
&&&&&
With a great deal of help from Riley Lindsey hobbled into the main street of the village. Riley had practically carried him most of the way there, Lindsey's muscles having become so unused to movement. It was starting to get better, the cramping in his arms and legs had faded and breathing in the fresh air acted to rejuvenate him, beating back the effects of sleep deprivation.
Riley's head snapped up and his intense eyes searched the street.
A second later there was a mighty crash and a large, hairy form barreled into the street. It looked around and snarled.
The few people still on the street screamed and rushed for their homes.
"Werewolf," Riley stated calmly. He reached for the gun hanging from his belt.
"Unless you have silver bullets in that gun I don't think you're going to stop it." Lindsey stared at the wolf as it snapped at the villagers, but didn't try to bite or savage them.
As if sensing their examining him the wolf's eye trained on them. It growled and bounded towards then only to skid to a stop a foot in front of them. The wolf tilted it's head. The big one smelt familiar, not just like prey, it smelt like someone the human knew. He sat back on his hunches and panted, tongue lolling out of the side of his mouth. Blood coated his fur, streaks of red mixed with the deep purple. A strand of saliva dripped to the ground.
Riley lifted the gun and aimed it at the wolf's head. He eyed it carefully, unsure of the wolf's next move.
A short Asian girl ran from the building the wolf had busted out of. She looked around frantically; a terrified expression covering her face when she saw the gun aimed at the wolf.
"No, don't shoot him!" She ran towards them. "Oz, you can change back now. They're dead. The demons are all dead!"
"What?" Riley looked from the wolf to the girl.
Neither noticed how Lindsey paled. Finn, Riley Finn, no wonder the name rang a bell for him. It was the Slayer's boy toy. The one that irritated Angel so much. That explained the military get up any way. And Oz, Daniel Osborne; another of Buffy Summers' pals. Surrounded by stalwart white hats, this was just not his month.
There were the sounds of cracking and shifting as bones rearranged themselves under his thick hide and hair shrunk back into skin. Oz looked up from his position on the hot, dusty ground. There was a haunted light to his eyes.
"Riley."
"Oz," Riley nodded at him and holstered the gun calmly. "What are you doing here?"
Oz looked back at the building where he had found the beaten form of his teacher. A tear threatened to fall. Jinan bit her lip and threw herself into his arms.
She started sobbing. "He's gone, Oz. He's really gone."
Oz rocked her, stroking her hair and murmuring soothing sentiments in her ear. He winced and inhaled sharply as liquid fire tears hit his bare chest.
Jinan pulled back, instantly apologetic. "I'm sorry, Oz. I forgot." She sniffed and wiped away a few more tears.
Riley looked from Lindsey to Oz and Jinan. "What happened?"
&&&&&
Lindsey leant against a table that had remarkably remained upright. He surveyed the room. For a little guy he sure as hell did some damage. Lindsey prodded on of the corpses with his foot. He was impressed. Not only had Oz found the renowned Master Shantou and convinced him to take him on as a student but also he had mastered control of the change. It took incredible self-control to stop the wolf from responding to the pull of the full moon.
Wolfram and Hart had been trying for years to get Master Shantou on their payroll, but he kept turning them away. One of the reasons Wolfram and Hart didn't have many werewolves as employees were due to their savage and unpredictable nature during the full moon. They thought that if they could get Master Shantou in their pocket than they would be just that little bit more powerful. Now it looked like Oz could be in the position to make a very large amount of money.
Oz and Jinan knelt beside the body of their fallen teacher. Jinan rested her head on Oz's shoulder and Oz wrapped an arm around her shoulders. In death Master Shantou's body had returned to it's human form. Jinan crossed his arms and patted him on the hand. He pressed a kiss to forehead and draped his long, blood spattered braid over his shoulder.
Oz lowered his chin to his bare chest.
Jinan brushed a few stray, slivery hairs away from Master Shantou's face.
"Goodbye."
She got to her feet and crossed the room, almost running into Riley, who stood silently, head bowed. She stared out the window and played absently with the collar of her shirt, refusing to allow her liquid fire tears to fall again.
Oz stood and brushed off the knees of his borrowed pants. He bowed low over the body. Oz closed his eyes and chanted to himself, trying to find his inner calm. The corners of Oz's mouth tipped downwards as he felt Riley move closer.
Riley placed a hand on Oz's shoulder. "We have to go. We stay and we're an easy target."
Oz nodded and his eyes snapped open. He turned and walked towards the doorway, stepping over the puddles of blood and body parts. A hard lump settled itself in Oz's stomach. His famous extremely long fuse had been lit and it was burning fast.
The demons had brought the fight to them and now he was going to return the favour.
&&&&&
Riley spread his weapons out on the small table in the dining room. He dissembled his gun and started cleaning it. "So you're what kind of demon?"
"A Kaohsiung demon," Jinan answered. "We're a peaceful species, generally."
Lindsey studied the small girl. One of the first cases he tried was for a Kaohsiung demon. It had accidentally killed a homeless man that had wondered into it's home on a winter night looking for some shelter and the building's owner had been charged with murdering the man. Kaohsiung's usually had a high sense of honor so it had contracted Wolfram and Hart to defend the accused man.
"Didn't used to be," Lindsey said absently, picking at his bandages. He mentally kicked himself as all eyes turned to him. "I used to study demons and, ah, their histories."
"Watcher?" Riley asked.
Lindsey pulled a face and tried badly to suppress a bubble of sardonic laughter. "No, nothing like that. I was just, ah, interested."
Wolfram and Hart had paid him too well not to be.
"So what about these demons?" Riley asked reassembling the gun in an efficient manner that was very unsettling.
"They're Tialdisch demons," Oz spoke from the corner of the room. He shifted through loose paper and books. "They're practically immortal, the only way to kill them is by piercing the vein in their neck or removing the head completely. The vein's prominent, shouldn't be too to hit." He looked directly at Riley.
Riley nodded, his trained mind immediately starting to run stratagems. "What else? Anything to look out for?"
Oz skimmed through the notes. "Sharp claws, really strong, communicates using a series of squeaks and clicks-"
Lindsey's eye twitched.
"-that's pretty much it. Apart from the spells they're said to be protecting."
Riley looked up from his weapons check sharply. "What spells?"
Oz shuffled through the mass of paper and leather bindings. His body was still tense and his movement were jerky.
"They're purely defensive, apparently. Cloaking and the like. The demons haven't been using them, at least that's what Master Shantou said…" Jinan trailed off, her grief weighing heavily, causing her head to bow and her shoulders to slump.
"Right," Riley nodded absently. He looked at the windows of the small cottage to which they had retreated. "They broke their pattern to. They were only attacking the villages during the night, your friend must have been a real threat to them for them to move during the day."
Oz nodded slowly.
Riley replaced his mobile armory. "We're still under threat of attack here. We should organize shifts. I'll take first watch."
"Second," Oz said tersely.
Lindsey shifted and winced as his broken bones pulled. "Third."
Riley shook his head. "No, you should rest. You need to get your strength up so you can heal."
"But-"
"He's right," Jinan interrupted. "I'll take third watch."
Lindsey wanted to protest. Riley had liberated him from that cave, Riley had been the one to insist that they stick together and he was the one who had collected Lindsey's belongings, including his precious guitar, from his room. Riley was the one with the walking armory. Oz and Jinan had provided the cottage for them to hide out in, even though the climb had left him breathless fifteen minutes into it. So all Lindsey had done was be rescued and carried. It wasn't that he liked them, he barely knew them, it was more that they had something over him. Ever since he left that one room hovel his family lived in when he left for collage he had been fiercely independent. It was a trait that had carried over into law school and had served him well with his work. Lindsey scowled, he hated being dependent on these people, it reminded him too much of the consequences of dependency from his childhood.
Pity came second in his dislikes.
Lindsey looked at Jinan, studying her eyes. There was no pity, just guilt, grief and a healthy dollop of understanding and fear.
He sighed. "Okay."
Riley slid his last knife into it's sheath. "Good. I suggest the rest of you get some sleep." Riley turned his sad, blue eyes to a window and stared out.
"It's going to be a long night."
&&&&&
Jinan sighed and rearranged the lumpy pillow under her head. She couldn't sleep, every time she closed her eyes she could see it all again. It was like a movie, complete with surround sound playing on the backs of her eyelids. There was so much blood, blood from Master Shantou staining the walls and floor, blood from the demons flying as Oz savaged them and blood flying around the room from several cuts that the demons had managed to inflict on Oz's tough hide. And she had stood off on the side, staring in shock until Oz had crashed through the spindly front door and had bounded out into the streets, then she had ran out after him, unsure of how she could stop him if he tried to attack people.
Then she had seen him. He stood and calmly faced down a charging, enraged werewolf with just a gun. A ball of burning guilt grew in her stomach. She had watched a dear friend and teacher die and not two hours later she was having trouble tearing her gaze away from a pair of haunted, shuttered and incredibly sad, blue eyes.
There was something about Riley Finn that drew her in. There was this absolute sadness about him, showing itself in his eyes, in the way he held himself. It called to something within her, it made her want to give him a hug and let him cry on her shoulder so she could make it all better. Like it had with Oz. Oz's pain was deeper though, it was grief, guilt, fear, pain and self-loathing that had combined to give him this aura of deep-seated pain. Nearly everyone he met helped him, especially the women, they wanted to take him home and comfort him.
Jinan sighed irritably and threw off her blanket. She couldn't sleep, not tonight. Not with rage, guilt and adrenaline coursing through her system. Jinan started to pace the small room she had to herself. The cottage only had three rooms, one main room with an old fashioned kitchen in one corner and two bedrooms. The males had all insisted that they could share a room in order to ensure Jinan some privacy. It was something Jinan knew she would appreciate later but right now it was driving her crazy. Here alone with her thoughts and blood-soaked memories, here were anything and everything reminded her of her dear teacher, here where she had nothing to do but pace.
Jinan hit the light button on her digital watch. The neon green light gave her exotic features an alien cast, reminding her oddly of a scene from The Blair Witch Project. It wasn't even time for second watch yet. Jinan ran her hands through her thick black hair. She couldn't stay here, couldn't be by herself in the dark while she waited for something, anything, to come.
Jinan opened the door and paused. Her delicate hand clutched the doorknob in a strangle hold. She cocked her head to the side, straining her hearing. In the next room the gentle snores, perforated by odds grunts of pain, told her that Lindsey had finally succumbed to sleep and would be out for a good long while. She gently closed the door behind her and walked gently and quietly down the corridor, which lead to the main room.
Jinan paused as the sounds of two whispering male voices caught her attention.
"Willow said you joined back with the military."
"Yeah," Riley's voice was void of all emotion. "Got an offer I couldn't refuse. I'm surprised you're still keeping in contact with Willow."
Jinan could just imagine Oz shrugging, one of his many patented actions.
"Whenever I can. Willow's always going to be in my life, she's a big part of it. She might have a girlfriend now, but that doesn't mean we can't be friends."
There was a long pause, heavy with tension of something unsaid. Jinan didn't understand. The fire snapped.
"How is she?" Riley's voice quivered.
"She's doing the best she can, considering."
Jinan crept closer, just able to see Riley's back as he sat on watch. She shook her head. Ex-girlfriend issues, it figured.
He nodded. "Good, I'm glad."
"So…"
The fire snapped again.
"Back in the military, huh?"
Riley shifted. "Yeah."
There was another long silence.
"What are you doing in rural Chile than?"
Riley cleared his throat. "Recon. There have been reports of demon activity in the local area."
Jinan pressed herself against the wall, her mind churning. Military?
Military?!
This was bad, so very bad. Military meant government and government meant very not good. Oz had written to her, after he left Sunnydale for the second time, explaning that he was going to travel because Willow had a girlfriend. Over the next couple of months she had slowly dragged the story out of him.
Wait!
Hadn't Oz said that Riley was a part of that Inquisitive program that kidnapped him?
Jinan's eyes narrowed. What the hell was he doing here? Jinan moved closer, this time catching Oz's attention. She arched her eyebrows dramatically at him than gestured to Riley.
Oz stared at her for a second, his brow creased.
Jinan mouthed the words 'bad guy' at him while pointing to Riley.
Suddenly the corners of Oz's mouth tipped up, the first pleasant expression he had made since finding Master Shantou's body. He shook his head, chest bobbing with silent laughter.
Jinan exhaled with relief and sagged against the wall. She wiped a hand across her forehead.
Riley poked at the fire in the grate, so caught up in Buffyland that he was oblivious to the goings on around him.
Oz's expression instantly turned somber, as Riley emerged from his Buffy brood and focused on the task at hand.
"I don't think I can take that many alone. I don't have the firepower." Riley ran a hand through his hair, wincing as flakes of blood, sweat and grime showered down at the movement. "It'll take weeks for back up to get here. This was meant to be simple, the big wigs thought the rumours of nighttime demons attacks were just that, rumours."
"Not alone," Oz stared into the dancing flames.
Riley started and looked over at the laconic man. "What?"
Oz lifted his head and looked Riley in the eye; his usually warm eyes were frosted steel. "They're not getting away with what they did."
Jinan's finger's flexed against the wall as anger coursed through her body. Her skin became a mottled black. She gritted her teeth and forced her human image back into place. Flame flickered from her eyes.
"Oz, are you sure. I mean, this isn't… it's not going to be…"
"They brought the battle to us." Icicles could have formed just from Oz's tone.
"What about Jinan?"
"She can take care of herself." A mysterious twinkle returned to Oz's eyes.
Riley sighed. "Alright. All for one, huh?"
Oz looked over Riley's shoulder at Jinan. He arched an eyebrow at her. She nodded and turned back to her door. They weren't just going to sit here and let the creatures that killed Master Shantou walk free.
Maybe now she could sleep.
&&&&&
Lindsey perched on a windowsill. He rested his booted foot on the wall to secure his precarious position. Lindsey glanced out the window, wincing as the bright rays of the sun filled his vision and sent stabbing pain into his head, and sighed.
It had been almost two weeks since he was rescued from that cave. He was well rested; his ribs were healing nicely, the two black eyes were fading and his fingers and toes were completely healed. Several shiny new scars littered his face, chest and arms, with any luck they would be barely noticeable and even if they weren't Lindsey came to the conclusion he didn't mind them. They added character; they were a reminder of how he had survived.
Lindsey sighed again. He was bored. They wouldn't move until Lindsey's ribs were healed enough for him to fight and their cautiousness was beginning to grate on his nerves.
Then there was their plan. They were great people, real nice and that was the problem. The tactics that Riley had been taught were worth zip here, although he had come up with several things that had made Lindsey pause, they sure weren't military, and probably something left over from being with the Slayer for so long. Oz was laconic; he did most of his talking through stares, eyebrow movements and significant shrugs. There was something about Jinan that had him intrigued, one moment she was biting her lip as she looked nervously at him, the next she was gazing longingly at soldierboy, then she was glancing guiltily at Oz before finally hanging her head and, if the movement of her lips were any indication, having an argument with herself.
Lindsey shifted, the hard wood biting into his skin. Oz was making worry. The werewolf would stare at him, like he was looking through him. It made Lindsey's skin prickle uncomfortably and his heart leap in his chest. He had the unsettling belief that Oz knew he was lying, lying about almost everything he had told them about his life and why he was here. How the werewolf could know Lindsey didn't know, he was a consume liar, one the best at Wolfram and Hart. He had none of the tells, his heart didn't even speed up. He was an excellent liar; after all he was a lawyer.
Lindsey chanced a quick glance at the others. They sat in the middle of the room playing some type of card game. Before Oz could look up and cause those shivers of doubt to run down his spine Lindsey reached down and picked up his guitar. He lovingly ran his hands over the polished wood. His finger ran lightly over the strings, the sweet sound that emerged making him close his eyes in ecstasy. Lindsey paused and fiddled with the strings, tightening some, loosening others. Once again his fingers trailed over the strings. The sound made Lindsey smiled genuinely for the first time in near a month.
The familiar tug of music pulled him in and he went willingly. His fingers danced over the strings, coaxing out a familiar tune. Without thought to surroundings Lindsey started to sing and everything just fell away.
"Pretty girl on every corner
Sunshine turns the sky to gold
Warm, warm, it's always warm here
I can't take the cold
Streets littered with diamonds
Everyone is glistening
This whole world shines so brightly
I can't see a thing
She is pretty as a picture
She is like a golden ring
Circles me with love and laughter
I can't feel a thing
Sky's gonna open
People gonna pray and crawl
Gonna rain fire
Gonna burn us all
Sky's gonna open
People gonna pray and sing
I can't feel a thing
She is pretty as a picture
She is like a golden ring
Circles me with love and laughter
I can't feel a thing
Sky's gonna open
People gonna pray and crawl
Gonna rain fire
Gonna burn us all
I can't feel a thing
I can't feel a thing
I can't feel…"
The notes faded into silence. It hung heavily, serenely. For the first time since he had arrived in this god-forsaken country he felt calm and centered. He breathed out.
Enthusiastic clapping made his eye snap open. Jinan beamed at him, her clasped hands resting against her grin spilt lips. She giggled.
"That was amazing!"
Riley nodded, a small smile on his lips. "That was good."
Oz tilted his head in agreement, an unknowable gleam in his eye. "What's it called?"
Lindsey carefully leaned the guitar against the wall. "L.A."
Jinan turned solemn. "Who was she? The woman in the song?"
Lindsey tensed, images of a petite blonde parading across his memory. His eyes clouded with remembered pain and emotional instability, the rage that ran through his limbs as Darla threw her encounter with Angel at him. She had taunted him, knowing full well that she held his heart in the palm of her dainty hand. She had screamed at him, twisting the nail deeper as she threw the useless band of Blacknil at him.
"No one."
Jinan looked like she was going to protest. Instead she jumped about a foot in the air as three loud knocks announced the presence of another person.
Riley stood, frowning. It was almost impossible for anyone to get to the cottage, so who was knocking? He pulled his gun out of the holster and yanked open the door, aiming his gun.
Riley's face went slack with shock, though his grip on the gun was strong. "What the hell?!"
&&&&&
The demons went about their usual routine as the sun rose. Though their numbers had been depleted from their encounters with both the werewolves and the strange man who had attacked them with some type of projectile weapons, the demons had continue to bicker nightly amongst themselves and the night previously had been no exception. Ever since the attacks the inter-tribe fights had been getting progressively worse, whereas only one or two would have been killed now the number could be anything up to five. The mutilated bodies of four demons were laid out in front of the cooking fire. The remaining twenty demons milled about the now spacious cave, one sat crossed-legged in a corner, back against the walls, eyes closed.
The crunch of heavy footsteps drew attention to the mouth of the cave. Lindsey stood there; shotgun slung casually over one shoulder and a smug smirk on his lips.
The demons stared at him, clicking softly.
Lindsey's smirk widened. "Hey there, boys. Miss me?"
The smirk fell suddenly from his face and his eyes turned a flinty blue. He pulled the gun around in front of him and pumped it. His face was hard and emotionless; scars still a shiny pink. Without another word he pulled the trigger, the powerful blast taking off the head and neck of a demon, it dropped lifelessly to the ground.
The demons looked down in shock. They looked back to their former captive. Furious squeals pierced the air.
Lindsey flinched but refused to let go of the gun. He set his jaw as Oz, Jinan and Riley stepped up beside him. Oz started to growl, a low rumbling from his chest that turned into a hostile, gruntal sound as his bones changed, his spine elongated to form a stubby tail, joints cracked as they changed shape and potions. A snarl emerged from between sharp, jiggered teeth as his face grew into a snout. His skin prickled as thick, rough hair sprouted, covering the thickening skin. The transformation complete Oz fell forward onto all fours.
Riley raised his riffle, his thumb expertly removing the safety.
A large demon charged the small group, it's needle teeth gnashing. Teeth bared Oz lunged forward and collided with the demon. They went down in a tangle of limbs. Oz snapped and snarled at the demon and the demon lashed out with it's razor-sharp claws, trying to blind him. Oz's claws raked against the tough hide of the demon as he lunged for that vulnerable vein. The demon wrapped it's thick hands around Oz's large neck.
Seeing the two wrestling for their lives the demons broke out of their trance. With a shrill war cry they charged forward, determined to punish the intruders.
Jinan separated herself from the two mortals. She took a quick breath to steady her nerves; it didn't help. She cursed under her breath and tensed for the change.
Her flesh began to ripple. To change. Her muscles bulged and her skin turned bruise-black, became slick as oiled canvas. Her hand grew and lengthened into claws, ears turning up and out, long and pointed. From her lower back bone and flesh flowed outward into a long, powerful tail. Jinan's skull spilt open, and a furnace of flames erupted from within, fire flickering from her eyes also.
Jinan's eye narrowed, flames licking out from the lids. These were the demons that killed her teacher, these were the demons that tried to kill her and Oz. Oz took down eight of these, solo, in a rage. In her human disguise she may look like a weak, meek girlie girl, but the truth was far different.
Jinan bared her teeth as the demons bared down on her.
"Batter up!"
&&&&&
Riley took a side step away from Lindsey; he wanted room for the 'desperate fighting for your life' actions that he knew the demons had no qualms in using.
His eyes narrowed as the demon bore down on him. His gun was held steadily in his hands, safety off with a live bullet in the chamber. Riley waited, his eyes tracking the demon as the rest of his adrenaline-boosted senses went haywire. Riley's upper lip curled back, revealing his white teeth.
With a sudden movement the gun was in place and his finger jerked the trigger back. The bullet exploded out of the gun and tore through the air; it's path impeded by its collision with the demon's body. The bullet forced its way through the neck of the demon, severing it's voice box and vocal chord and rupturing the vein before blowing out the thick spinal chord. Blood and bone coated the bullet as it flew through the air to become embedded in the hard rock of the cave walls.
Riley smirked. "Guess that sniper training stuck after all."
Beside him Lindsey let out a bark of laughter. His face instantly became grim as most of the demons rushed them as a group.
Lindsey sidestepped, ensuring his back was to the wall. He raised the gun and brought the but of the gun around to crash into the skull of the leading charger. The demon fell back, his skull cracked and weeping blood, creating a short dominoes effect.
Lindsey pulled a much smaller pistol from the back of his belt. Efficiently and remorselessly he fired a bulled at the fallen demon, the bullet entering between it's eyes and exploding out the back of it's skull. The body lay still.
Lindsey. "This kills 'em good too."
Riley grunted as he took a kidney shot. "Good to know."
Riley grabbed the barrel of the gun and held it like a staff. He knocked the out stretched hands of a demon away, avoiding it's dangerous claws. The demons half spun and it quickly pivoted back. But it had been enough for Riley to grab his knife. He slashed at the demon, the razor-sharp edge slicing through the demon's claws. While the demon looked at it's hands in despair Riley sighted the vein and brought the knife around to tear a long, deep, bloody gash into it. The demon fell to the ground, lifeless.
Another steeped up to take it's place.
Riley blew out a deep breath.
Time to get to work. No rest for the slightly wicked.
&&&&&
Jinan gasped as a rock shattered against the wall next to her head. The tall ring of flames that trapped several of the demons flickered before flaring up higher than ever. The demons snarled at her. Jinan knew if they rushed her she wouldn't be able to fight them all, and Lindsey had said that they might need some of them alive to get the location of the spells. They couldn't be allowed to remain in the hands of evil, they were too powerful.
Jinan jumped as another rock shattered against the cave wall, jagged rock splinters raining over her face and spilt skull. Jinan glanced at the caged, all but one was smirking at her arrogantly, the other demon's eyes kept flickering off to the side. She followed his gaze, and spotted a large demon storming towards her, a heavy tree branch held over it's head like a club. The others had probably been trying to distract her, if it wasn't for that one demon and it's wondering eyes…
Jinan waited until the demon was almost upon her then sidestepped. The impromptu club crashed into the wall with great force, the shock waves reverberating up the club and into the demon's arms. It dropped the tree branch and squeaked angrily. Once again the demon rushed towards her, this time as she stepped to the side she brought her strong, thick tail around to sweep the feet from under the demon. It crashed heavily to the ground; it's massive size working against it. While it lay dazed on the ground Jinan lifted up a boulder that was half her size. She held it over her head. A liquid fire tear ran down her bruise-black skin.
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
The boulder dropped.
The body twitched violently as the crushed head slowly lead the death. Blood pooled underneath the boulder as the ruptured vein pumped out the deep purple life essence in wild spasms.
Jinan turned away from the horrific sight, feeling sick to her stomach. She hated killing. She hated knowing that the reason a person or a demon couldn't get up and lead their lives, that the reason they would die a painful death was because she decided they couldn't live a moment longer. These demons were evil, murderous and emotionless; she knew that. She had stood, her feet frozen to the floor and watched as Master Shantou gasped his last breath; the pained whimpers of the wolf filling her ears until they stopped and then their absence deafened her. Still she stood frozen, Oz raging around her, demons knocking into her, hitting her, Oz racing over, swinging his powerful paws, the long black claws sinking into the softness of their all white eyes.
Even now the demons would gladly rend her flesh from her bones, they would cheer as her flame spluttered and grew weaker. They would feel nothing but primitive, predatory satisfaction as her lifeless body was carved up and served. And it didn't matter to them, human or demon, good or evil, they didn't care so long as the meat was fresh and tasty.
Enraged at the failure of the attack the demons fell as one on the smaller demon who had unwittingly warned Jinan. It's painful death squeals grated against Jinan's eardrums.
Jinan turned away, unable to watch as members of it's own tribe tore the demon to pieces. The demon's screams got louder. Images flashed through her mind and she shuddered at the violence of them.
Jinan looked for her friends and allies. Lindsey had made his way deeper into the cave. He was blowing off limbs and lashing out with a large hunting knife. His eyes were glazed with frenzied excitement and his full lips were twisted in a horrendous parody of a smile. Burst of mocking laughter could occasionally be heard over the din of battle and the rapid 'pops' of gunfire.
Oz was still in wolf form. Unlike at the store, where he had been full of terror, rage and fear and had let the wolf almost completely take control, he had his emotions in check. The gleam in his wolf-y eyes was hot and calculating. He would wait for a demon to fumble, reveal a weakness and then he would strike, fangs and claws flying.
But Riley, he was starting to struggle. Unlike Lindsey he wasn't running off anger. And unlike Oz or herself he didn't have any demonic store of strength. The demons had figured this out. He was just a human with lots of guns and knives. The demons had fallen away from herself, Oz and Lindsey and had concentrated on Riley instead. They had only killed about ten demons, three were trapped in her ring of fire, Lindsey was playing with two and Oz had a deadly wrestling match with one other. The rest of the demons were head for Riley.
Riley was tiring, and was starting to run out of ammo. And the demons knew it. They circled him, snarling and snapping their yellowed needle teeth.
Riley's jaw was set and his face was grim, if he was going to die here than he wanted it to be proud and fighting.
The air shimmered wildly around Jinan as her fire flared up, the waves of heat distorting the grain of the rock. She moved away from the wall that she had her back to, her outline vaguely burned onto the wall by the layers of black caused by the heat.
Jinan ran, praying that nobody else would die. That she wouldn't have to prepare the body of another friend. As she ran Jinan stretched her hand out and concentrated as hard as she could while doing a Kamikaze run towards a group of demons that would happily tear her limb from limb. A fireball formed tentatively, hovering above her palm as it swirled and grew.
Aiming carefully Jinan let the fireball fly. It hit the back of a demon; it twitched and brushed the fireball off. Jinan exhaled sharply. The demons were still attacking Riley, who was growing increasingly weaker. Jinan stood behind the horde of demons and held out both her hands. She flinched as she heard both Riley and Oz cry out in pain. Quickly, faster than the one previously, two fireballs formed. Soon they were the size of baseballs, still they grew bigger. Jinan held up her hands, the fireballs now resembling soccer balls. She offered up a silent prayer and launched them at the demons.
These had a better effect. Demons howled as the extreme heat seared their flesh and charred their thick hide. As fast as she could Jinan was forming and throwing fireballs. One by one the demons fell, howling and squeaking in pain.
Riley's face lightened as he saw the demons fall. Hope blossomed in his chest. Riley put the guns away. A stray bullet could do god knows what to Jinan. Riley managed to maneuver a hand to the back of his belt and pulled out another large knife. A knife in each hand Riley hacked and slashed at the demons that encircled him.
Jinan was growing tired; it was too much needed too quickly. The fire that burned from her spilt skull wavered and she started to sway. But still she continued to throw fireballs. The ring of fire she had so carefully constructed to contain a few demons collapsed and the demons rushed out to help their brethren, or possibly to kill the intruders before someone else could claim the glory.
Jinan's heart sank towards her navel. She didn't have the strength to fight these one on one. Not now.
Out of the corner of her eye Jinan caught sight of a large, hairy blur. Oz!
Jinan wanted to cry out in relief.
Oz barreled into the demons, tripping. In seconds he was on them. The demons couldn't even bring their powerful claws into use. Oz was giving in to instinct, allowing the wolf that resided within to take control.
As one scrambled to get away he sunk his teeth into the calf muscle and yanked. The demons screamed and folded, it's head flew back as it cried. Oz lunged; teeth open wide.
There was one less demon to worry about.
He turned to the others, and within minutes they lay dead and bloody on the cave floor. Oz turned away, flicking his short tail dismissively at the demon corpses and loped over to his friends. The scent of blood, human, demon and werewolf, was stuck in his nose; it made him hungry. A feral light twinkled in Oz's eyes. The easy lope turned into a run.
His muscles tensed and then relaxed as he leapt into the fray.
&&&&&
Lindsey ran towards the back of the cave. He had calmed since he had killed the two demons, he had left them a bloody mass of broken bones and torn flesh. There was still a frenzied gleam to Lindsey's eyes but the twisted smirk no longer dwelled on his lips.
Lindsey slowed to a walk and looked around him. It was darker back here, damper too. During his time here he had never seen any of the demons venture this far into the cave. The spells had to be around here somewhere.
He turned a sharp corner and came to a sudden stop as he found himself face to face with a demon. His hand whipped down to cover the hilt of the dagger on his belt. Than he visibly relaxed.
"Oh, it's you. You should of given me some warning."
&&&
Flashback:
Riley stared at the demon that stood in front of the door. His brow furrowed.
"What the hell?"
He brought the gun in his hand up and pointed it at the demon.
The Tialdisch demon stared at him calmly. Then to everyone's surprise spoke.
"I am not here to hurt you. You may put down the weapon."
It's English was surprisingly good and it's voice was high and had an echo of a squeak.
"I am here to help."
Lindsey snorted. "Yeah, right."
The demon held out it's arms. "I come before you unarmed. All I ask is that you listen to what I have to say. Them my life is yours to do with it what you will."
"I don't think-"
"Like we'd buy-"
"I-"
"Come in," Jinan cut through the protests of the males. "Any information you could give us would be helpful."
The demon nodded at Jinan and entered the small cottage.
Jinan gestured towards the cushions that were scattered on the floor. "Please, sit down."
Lindsey grabbed Jinan's elbow in a harsh grip. "Are you insane? We're meant to be killing them, not inviting them in for tea," he hissed in her ear.
Jinan glared at him and yanked her arm out of his hand. "We need all the help we can get. If that demon can give us anything that will hurt them, than I'll invite it in for tea and call it the Queen of England if it wants." Jinan closed her eyes and took a calming breath. She opened her eyes and pined Lindsey under her gaze. "You're not the only one with a score to settle, Lindsey."
Jinan turned back to the demon and sat on a cushion across from it. Oz shrugged at Lindsey and joined her. Riley shut the door and lent against it, gun still in hand. He was willing to listen, but that didn't mean that he was going to be stupid.
The demon looked around the room, meeting the eye of every person in it.
"My name is, well the closest English translation is Jane." The demon began. "I am over six hundred years old. Over two hundred years ago two vampires approached my tribe. At the time we were living in a cave similar to the one we live in now, it was in a remote valley. We could go for decades without seeing a human. We live on whatever animal we could hunt down, and of course the bodies of those who had fallen in the inter-tribe battling the night before."
Jinan pulled a face, disgusted at the thought of the cannibal proceedings.
"You have to understand, Tialdisch demons are generally scavengers and we are naturally very aggressive. What would be the use of wasting good protein?" Jane cleared her throat. "The two vampires spoke to the Elders of the tribe, they told them of their plans, the vampires wanted to take over the villages, control them, use the people as their slaves and food. The man said it was an anniversary gift for the woman. In return for our co-operation they promised to give the tribe special powers; cloaking, forming weapons, strength, agility-"
"The usual," Oz muttered.
Lindsey tensed. The spells! The demon was talking about his spells! Where were they?!
Jane continued on, oblivious to Lindsey's tension. "To prove they could do it the vampires left some of the scrolls the spells were written on with us. Not that any of us could read at the time, and they are written in a language I have never seen before. The Elders agreed. The offer of power and fresh human flesh was too much for them to ignore. The y moved us from our remote valley to the cave. They gave the rest of the scrolls to the Elders. The Elders spent the next week going over the plans with the vampires. One night the vampires went out hunting and they never returned."
Riley scratched his stubbly chin. "But the attacks only started last year."
Jane ducked her head, a sheepish expression on her face. "Tialdisch demons are not known for their intellect."
"And the spells? What happened to the spells?" Lindsey felt like he was going to snap like an over-stretched rubber band.
Jane blinked at him. "They're hidden in the cave somewhere. I believe I can find them."
Lindsey nodded and let out a sigh of relief.
"Why are you doing this?" Oz looked up from his clenched hands. "Aggressive, not very smart, near immortal. Why are you betraying your tribe?"
Jane blinked rapidly, purple tinged tears coming to her white eyes. "Twenty years ago a young scholar accidentally wandered into the cave. The tribe captured him. Because he entertained the Elders he was allowed to live. For months he stayed with us and in that time we became friends, he taught me how to speak English, how to read and the teachings of many Eastern religions. Then one day he no longer amused the Elders so they had him killed."
"You loved him," Jinan observed quietly.
Jane nodded sadly. "Yes, since that night I haven't touched meat nor have I laid a harmful hand on any human or animal. I spend my days meditating and scraping moss off the cave walls to eat. I have tried, many times, to stop my fellow demons to stop harming human but they refuse to listen to a child. I fear this is the only thing left to do. I can't continue to stand by and allow humans to be hurt."
"Your English is very good," Jinan said.
Jane smiled bashfully. "Thank you."
"Look, this is very touching and all," Lindsey broke in. "But how do we know we can trust you?"
Jane stared unblinkingly at him. "During the time you were held in our cave I never harmed you. In fact I tried to stop them hurting you. I fed and watered you when the others were content to watch you die of thirst and starvation. When the young soldier came to rescue you the rope that bound your hands was cut."
Lindsey looked to Riley. "That wasn't you?"
Riley shook his head. "No, I thought…" He looked at Jane.
Jane nodded slowly.
Riley ran a hand through his hair and sighed. "Alright, I have a plan. Here's what we'll do…"
&&&
Jane grinned widely, revealing her needle teeth, and held out her hands. Several scrolls rested across her claws. "I found them!"
Lindsey smiled at her. "Great. Come one, lets get out of here. I never want to see this place again. If I ever see a another cave it will be too soon."
Jane smiled at him and they started walking back towards the front of the cave where Oz, Riley and Jinan waited.
Lindsey looked at Jane. "Just out of curiosity, what were the names of the two vampires?"
Jane looked at him distractedly, still excited over her discovery. "Hmm? Oh, um, they were called… Angle? Angus? Angelus? Yes, that was it. Angelus and Darla. I found out a few years ago that they didn't return because a vampire hunter named Holtz ran them out of Chile; apparently he chased them all over the world.
Lindsey's eyes narrowed and his head filled with red fog. He drew in great gasping breaths, desperately trying to get oxygen to his lungs. Angelus?
Angelus!!
That piece of Euro-trash, that son of a bitch had nothing but mess up his life since he moved to L.A. And now, some how the bastard had managed to screw Lindsey over from two hundred years ago!
"Son of a bitch!"
Jane turned to him, her white eyes now wide with shock. "What?"
He looked over at her than focused on the scrolls in her hands. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else."
Jane looked at him warily, not quite believing him. "O-kay."
They continued walking.
"Say, Jane." Lindsey's tone was sweet and reasonable.
Jane turned towards him. "Yes?"
Lindsey thrust his arm out, the dagger half hidden in his hand piercing the vein in her neck. The scrolls tumbled out of her limp hands.
Jane's mouth open and closed several times. "W-w-what?" Her hand reached up to her neck.
Lindsey wiped the dagger on his blood-encrusted pants and put it away. He knelt to pick up the scrolls. "Sorry, Jane, but I need those scrolls. And I can't let anyone else get their hands on them. See, I know why I need them now. That Euro-trash, wanna-be human vampire is going to get what's coming to him. He's managed to screw up my life once too often."
Lindsey pulled out a leather bag and put the ancient scrolls carefully in it. He walked away from the body of their double agent, moving closer to his allies. Lindsey stopped beside a small pile of rocks, he check that he still couldn't be seen, when he was sure Lindsey placed the bag behind the rock pile.
Lindsey straightened and stumbled towards the others.
Riley, Jinan and Oz, still in wolf form but sitting calmly next to Jinan, waited at the mouth of the cave. The bodies of the demons that had tried to gang up on Riley lay littered on the ground.
Jinan spotted him first. A frown lined her face. "Where's Jane?"
Lindsey feigned a sorrowful expression. He hung his head. "I'm sorry. There was another demon. By the time I got there it was too late. There was nothing I could do."
Riley scrubbed a dirty hand over his face and sighed. "The scrolls?"
Lindsey shook his head.
"Dammit!"
Jinan sniffed back tears. "She did a good thing. She was very brave."
Riley rested a hand on her shoulder and squeezed. "She did, she was."
Oz nuzzled against her leg and whined. His big brown eyes stared soulfully into hers. Jinan scratched behind his ears.
She took a deep breath. "Let's go. There's nothing more we can do here. Master Shantou has been avenged and the villagers are free. We did the best we could."
Riley nodded in agreement and started silently down the trail. Jinan followed him, Oz close on her heels. Lindsey looked back into the cave. He would come back later for the scrolls, they should be safe where they were fro the time being.
Lindsey walked down the trail, several paces behind the others with a wide smile on his face that hinted at the malice he hid behind a charming façade. Pleased with himself Lindsey began to hum.
All in all, he reflected, it hadn't been a bad day.
&&&&&
Riley shoved his hands in his pockets, glad to be back in civvies. "So what are you going to do now?"
Oz looked down at the large grate at his feet. "Jinan and I are going to take Master Shantou back to the monastery. He liked it there, he was happy. He deserves to go back. The others deserve to know."
Jinan walked over to Oz. "We're ready to go whenever you are."
She looked around at the villagers; they hustled and bustled about, their loud voices mingling.
"They seem happier," she observed.
"Hmm," Oz said.
Jinan suddenly smiled. "I'm glad."
Riley grinned at her. "Me too."
"So back to the military for you?" Oz asked.
Riley nodded. "Yeah, always places to go and demons to kill."
"The exciting life of the armed forces," Oz quipped dryly.
Riley and Jinan laughed.
Jinan stepped forward and hugged Riley. "Be careful. She's not worth losing your life over."
Riley stared at her in shock; apart from that one conversation with Oz he hadn't mentioned anything about Buffy. "What? I…? How did…?"
Jinan shrugged. "I always seem to fall for those with ex-girlfriend issues." She smiled at Oz.
Oz raised an eyebrow at her.
"Hey, did I miss the big emotional goodbye?" Lindsey voice broke in.
"Not yet."
Lindsey cleared his throat. "Right, well I just wanted to thank you all for what you've done for me."
Jinan hugged him. "Try not to captured by demons again."
Lindsey couldn't help but smile. "It's on the list. But I'm thinking of heading back to America, to find my little sisters."
"Good, family's important. Oh!" Jinan looked at a rustic truck that had pulled up behind them. "I should tell them about the crate and Master Shantou."
Jinan rushed over to the truck and immediately started to argue with the two burly men that drove it.
Lindsey, Riley and Oz watch on in amusement for a few minutes. Riley was the first to break the silence.
"I should be going. There's a chopper waiting."
Riley and Oz shook hands.
"Try and write every now and then. It'll be good to know you're amoung the living."
Riley grinned sheepishly. "I'll see what I can do."
"See ya, man."
"Bye, Oz, Lindsey."
And with that he walked away into the crowds of people, quickly becoming lost in them.
Lindsey and Oz stared uncomfortably at each other. They still put each other on edge.
Jinan popped up beside Lindsey. "Oz, they're ready to go. They just need to load… ah, they need to… um…"
Oz startled. "Right, okay."
He looked at Lindsey.
"I should be going too. It's a long trip back to Texas." He nodded at them and walked away. In the shade of a building out of sight of Oz and Jinan Lindsey stopped. He wanted to make sure he was alone. He watched as the two burly men loaded the large crate into the back of the truck and Oz and Jinan hopped in after it. Lindsey smirked as the werewolf and the demon were driven away.
Breathing a sigh of relief Lindsey picked up his pack and his guitar case. He hummed to himself.
He had some scrolls to pick up.
And the destruction of a certain souled vampire to plot.
&&
End.