Part 6: Harpy's Challenge

Angel moved restlessly from room to room in the mansion, the stirred-up memories of Hell making it hard for him to stay in one place for long. Buffy, Giles, Darkmoon, and the other Watchers sat in the main room, discussing events that the Watchers had not been aware of.

"Hey Darkmoon," Buffy said, "can you go get Angel in here?"

Darkmoon gazed up at Buffy with an expression in his eyes that clearly stated: "Are you crazy!" At the Slayer's glare, Darkmoon shivered, and went to get Angel. Minutes later, there was a screech, as the familiar flew back into the room, to land harshly against a wall.

As Angel walked into the room, Buffy commented, "You know love, you should stop doing that to him."

Angel wiped blood off his lips as he said, "He interrupted dinner."

Buffy blinked, then slowly said, "Ah..." She then noticed the look of concentration on Angel's face, and the slight fear. "Angel, what is it?" A low growl made Buffy look down at Angel's feet. Darkmoon crouched before his master, fur bristling. "What's going on?"

Almost in a trance-like state, Angel moved -- his familiar following -- towards the entrance doors of the mansion, and opened them. It was only then that those within the mansion heard the haunting song.

As Angel left the mansion, Buffy stood up and followed, grabbing a sword by the door as she went. The others soon followed as well.

"By the heavens," whispered a Watcher in awe.

Haunting beauty floating on raven-black wings, more woman than bird, the harpy sang. Below her, Buffy, Angel, and Darkmoon stood. As the Watchers watched, the harpy landed, becoming completely human.

In a melodious voice, she said, "So, you are the paladins that will defeat me, hmm?" She then noticed Darkmoon. "We meet at last, Familiar. I know it is you whom I've chased all these centuries." She then looked back at Buffy and Angel, saying, "You both have yet to take on the titles you are destined to. I will give you both three months to do all that is necessary to gain those titles. At the end of the three months, I will meet you here, and we shall battle."

With those words, the harpy's arms became wings, and she took flight.

"How are we going to fight something that flies, Giles!" Buffy asked hysterically.

Once again inside the mansion, Buffy paced while Angel sat on the couch, head in his hands, trembling. Darkmoon sat beside him, pressed against the vampire, purring loudly. The Watchers were scattered around the living room, frantically going through books, searching for any kind of reference for what they had seen. The Scooby Gang was there as well.

Giles went from studying the souled vampire, to looking at the distraught Slayer. He said quietly, "I don't know, Buffy."

"In order to fight this particular harpy," Angel said from where he sat, his voice muffled, "you must be a paladin. It's the only way."

All activity in the room stopped, as all focused their attention on the vampire as he said, "Except I have no clue how you become one."

At those words, Darkmoon stood, and leapt onto the coffee table in front of Angel. Once there, he began to write on the notebook placed there for just that purpose. Fifteen minutes and three pages later, Darkmoon was done. He turned, and looked expectantly at Angel. With a sigh, the vampire picked up the notebook, and silently began reading.

"No! I am not going back there," Angel exclaimed, panic-stricken.

"How else are the tests to be preformed?" Darkmoon snapped in anger.

"Can't they come here, Darkmoon," Buffy asked, then said, "It would take three months just for Angel to get there anyway."

Darkmoon paused, then picked up a pencil, and slowly wrote "There is one possibility, but it's not one I like using, as it will hurt my master." on the notebook. Buffy read what was written to the others.

Once Buffy had finished reading, Angel slowly stood up, and went to stand by the fireplace. He said grimly, "Do it anyway."

Darkmoon nodded, and went to stand in front of Angel. Once there, Angel knelt down beside him, then took off his shirt, clearly following an order given by his familiar. His shirt off, several of the Watchers gasped as they saw the mark upon the vampire's back.

"The mark of Kells," one Watcher whispered.

"Buffy," Angel said quietly, "I need the silver chalice from my bedroom."

Once the chalice had been placed between Angel and Darkmoon, the vampire stretched out his hand to his familiar. With a swift swipe of his claw, Darkmoon sliced open the skin at Angel's wrist. Angel made not a sound, as he watched his blood slowly fill the bowl.

Once full, Darkmoon placed one paw into the chalice. A blue glow slowly began to surround the feline, as Angel cried out in sudden pain. All watched in stunned silence as Angel fell to the floor beside Darkmoon -- unconscious, the mark on his back glowing with a rainbow radiance -- as the familiar began to grow.

Within a moment, wings blacker than coal sprang forth from Darkmoon's back. In the ending of that moment, the familiar had grown as large as a lion, but was the shape of a panther with feathered wings. Upon the wings -- etched in silver -- was the mark on Angel's back.

Giles whispered faintly in shock, "He is a guardian...as well as a familiar. Only Merlin ever possessed such a creature."

Darkmoon removed his paw from the now empty chalice, stepped over his master, then roared, his wings outspread. The sound was deafening, as the mansion shook with the force of the roar.

All in the mansion heard, as Darkmoon called out in a rumbling voice, "Sacred Moon, I call upon you as your son. Hear me!"

All felt the sudden feeling of some great force within the mansion. A female's voice that came from everywhere and nowhere said, "I hear. What do you request, my son?"

"My master needs to go through the tests to become a paladin...as does the Slayer in this room. They are unable to do so in the time allotted to them by the harpy. My request is that those that are needed to perform the tests are informed that they need to come here, and perform those tests upon the souled vampire and the Slayer."

There was a long silence, before the voice spoke again, saying, "I shall inform those that are needed. They shall be here by the time my face turns dark."

With those words, the presence withdrew.