Part 19: Challenge Accepted
"I really hate riddles," said Buffy as she looked at a piece of paper in disgust. "Why couldn't they have just told us?"
"Actually, this is pretty plain-spoken for Oracles," Angel said then pointed at the first line written on the paper. "'Dark and Light must join, forever bound.' This is us, as paladins...and as vampire and Slayer."
"And this one about a Familiar has to be about you and Darkmoon, Angel." Buffy said, realization in her eyes.
"But 'The Bloodline must be acknowledged.' I don't understand," Angel murmured, confusion evident in his tone.
"That's easy," said Darkmoon from where he was sprawled out on the sunlit table in the mansion. "That's talking about the Pendragon's line." Off of his master's confused look, he explained further. "No Pendragon has been acknowledged since their massacre -- which Angelus and the Harpy caused --." Angel winced at the reminder "Sorry. Anyway, due to this, only just now have the Pendragons been recognized again... And since you are the only Pendragon left Master, you are the one they must recognize."
Angel nodded, frowning. He understood it, but did not like it. Looking down at the paper again, he said, "The next two are obviously about us three joining together because of the spell we did."
"And the one about 'Mounts and Riders reunited' have to be about us getting our paladin's mounts," said Buffy.
"'The Sword returned to its Master's line' has to be me getting Excalibur from the Powers That Be," Angel said, his hand going to rest on the hilt of the sword laying sheathed on the left side of his hip.
"'Souls ravaged' I don't like," Buffy said as she chewed on her bottom lip.
"Just as much as I don't like the 'Powers lost', Love," Angel said quietly as he gazed at his familiar, a dark look in his eye.
"If only we knew what it meant!" Buffy exclaimed in frustration, as she slapped the table.
Darkmoon slowly rose from his sprawled form, walked over to the two paladins, and sat in front of the paper they were studying. He placed one paw on the page, then said, "Mother recently spoke to me concerning the Harpy. What she told me was a warning: 'Let not the Harpy's voice lure you in.' She knew more, but was forbidden to speak it by the higher powers."
"Then," said Angel quietly and grimly, "the only clue we have to defeat this creature is this last line: 'By Will and Love alone, shall the Harpy be no more.'"
"Correct."
A month passed in frantic preparation for Angel and Buffy to face the Harpy. Within that month they honed their fighting abilities to such heights as to make all the Underworld fear them...and the forces of Light revere them. Not one demon would willingly set foot onto the Hellmouth either, for Spike's tale of Angel's invincibility had spread like wildfire. As such, Sunnydale had an all-time new record of low death rates.
"Angel, honey..."
"Yes," Angel asked tiredly from where he lay sprawled out on their bed as Buffy got dressed for her first day of college.
As she brushed her hair, she asked casually, "Can we spend the next two weeks until the Harpy comes not thinking or doing anything about her...please? I'm so tired of training, and thinking of what she might do when we fight her!"
Angel sighed as he sat up, reclining on his elbows. His voice soft and gentle, he said, "You know we can't do that, Beloved. But we can take the night off."
The Slayer stopped mid-brushstroke, and turned around to gaze wide-eyed at her husband, "Really!"
With a slow smile, Angel nodded.
Two more weeks passed in absolute peace... Then came the siren call.
The moon shone fully down upon the two mounted Paladins and Familiar-Guardian. All who had added them -- but the werewolf -- stood behind them at a safe distance.
On raven black wings she came, her voice haunting yet terrifying in its power. Alighting not far from the paladins, the harpy took on its human form, and tilted her head to the side...her eyes colorless.
"We meet again...Pendragon," she whispered, her voice a velvety whisper in the breeze.
Angel swallowed back his fear, then said -- his voice filled with sudden rage --, "Yes. We do."
The harpy studied him, then said as her gaze sharpened as it swiftly focused on the Slayer by his side, "So. You have mated, Pendragon." She once again looked at Angel, her voice hardening as she said, "It matters not. All shall be obliterated tonight, and I shall be free!"
With a sudden fierceness, a wind surrounded the harpy as she transformed into her natural form, and took flight.
"Do you accept my challenge Paladins!" she cried, her voice shrill in the night air.
In answer, Buffy raised her bow, and shot an arrow of pure light at the harpy.
With effortless ease, the harpy dodged the arrow...and with a scream, dived towards the Light Paladin.
The battle was on, as Angel raised his hand blazing red with the flames of Hell, and shot a ray of light at the destroyer of his line. The harpy screamed as she was forced back away from those she wished to kill.
Face twisted with fury, the harpy began to sing. Not a song of joy, but a song of death.
Instantly, all but the Paladins and Guardian cried out in pain as they tried to cover their ears to not hear the agonizing song. Within moments, all affected by the half-siren's power were unconscious.
With a roar, Darkmoon leaped into the air -- his wings unfurling --, and lunged at the harpy. Instantly, an airborne dance of death began, as each fought for a death-strike. In seconds, Harpy and Familiar shrieked in pain. The harpy moved higher into the air as Darkmoon fell to the ground with a thud -- his right wing at an unnatural angle in several places --.
As the harpy gloated, Buffy -- her sword of light blazing -- and her mount rose into the air. Just as they reached their destination, the harpy dove down and under the pegasus. Easily evading deadly hooves, she reached up, and ripped the underside of the winged horse's stomach. With an agonizing scream, the pegasus fell, Buffy falling with her.
The ground shuddered with the impact, as Buffy cried out...her lower body pinned beneath her mount. The harpy laughed in malicious glee.
In sudden fury, Angel kneed the night-stallion he rode roughly -- causing the creature to rear and trumpet out loud --, and shouted, "Harpy! I am the one you want, take me if you can!"
The harpy sneered as she said darkly, "As you wish Pendragon!"
Instantly, rider and mount rushed forward as the harpy dove towards them. In a moment of time that seemed to almost stop, Angel struck with Excalibur. At the same time, the harpy reached out with her talons, and struck the night-stallion across the neck...ripping open the jugular. The stallion staggered, then began to collapse as the Dark Paladin was forced from his seat by the harpy.
Time sped up once again as Darkmoon -- almost completely healed -- leaped towards the two. As Angel and harpy crashed to the ground the harpy thrust her taloned hand into Angel's stomach.
Darkmoon roared out in torment as he convulsed in mid-air, then collapsed mere feet from his master and the harpy...just as Buffy screamed and fell unconscious.
In the sudden stillness that followed, Angel gazed down at his stomach in shock -- a choked sound escaping him --, then looked up into the harpy's eyes. He felt cold at the triumph he saw in them.
"I have won!" whispered the harpy in human form, as a silvery-black light surrounded her.
With a strangled gasping cry, Angel felt as all of his power was drained from him...and through him his beloved's and familiar's powers as well. He felt himself becoming weaker by the second, as their combined power was drawn into the harpy, healing and feeding her...and destroying them.
He closed his eyes as he felt all hope of winning leave him.
Forgive me, Beloved, was all he thought as darkness began to cloud his mind.
Those who had been made unconscious by the Harpy stirred awake at the twin cries of agony, and looked on in horror at the destruction before them. But as they watched, the moonlight surrounding the Harpy and Dark Paladin seemed to intensify...casting a gentle glow upon Angel and Angel alone, unnoticed by the harpy.
At the moment the darkness was about to completely consume him, Angel felt a presence touch him, and from some unknown source, a haunting female voice whispered within his mind, "Souls ravaged... Powers lost... By Will and Love alone, will the Harpy be no more."
Confusion filled him, then understanding.
With a suddenness that shocked all who watched, Angel's eyes snapped open as he grabbed the arm of the taloned hand within his stomach. With a primordial scream, he slowly pulled the harpy's hand out of him, as a flaming red light surrounded him. The light slowly moved up to Angel's hands, as the Dark Paladin kept a fierce grip on the harpy. The light was terrifying to watch as it seemed to constantly shift and move just like flames up Angel's body.
Angel grimly held on as the harpy struggled to free herself from his grasp, but he would not allow it. Locking eyes with the harpy, Angel hissed out through gritted teeth, "You chose the wrong Pendragon to mess with, Harpy."
The Harpy froze as the flames surrounding Angel's hands suddenly grew...then rush towards her. It was only then that he released her.
Writhing in pain, the harpy took flight with a shriek, then stopped suddenly as her back arched...the flames becoming blue as Buffy suddenly shouted, "DIE Harpy!"
The flames then became purple as Angel called out, "Return our life and powers, creature, and be no more!"
Writhing in the air, the harpy slowly began to disintegrate. As this happened, a silver light -- just like flames -- left her and went to the two Paladins, Familiar and Mounts. Within seconds, the harpy was nothing but dust in the wind.