Wes flipped his Summerian dictionary back a few pages, scanned the text, then played the tape recorder again. Five minutes worth of language and it had taken him the better part of a week to translate the first half. He was nearing the end now, reaffirming his confidence in his abilities, but also worrying him a little considering the content. It was the fact that he was translating orally, he assured himself, that was causing all of his difficulties (that and the fact that the dialect used was quite old and hardly employed in magickal texts or enchantments of any kind, let alone divination), however, what was more disturbing were the impressions that the portions he'd managed to extrapolate so far were giving him.
There had been no direct mention of Willow, but Wesley had no doubt she was involved. Her power had been growing ever since he'd come to Sunnydale, most likely even before then, and now that she had removed herself from the trappings of life and reality, he was a little less than comfortable thinking about the power she may have amassed. Oz may have had a desire to find her, but Wes had an underlyng hope that it wouldn't be the case.
"You still working on that?" Fred asked, standing in the doorway to Wes's office, the smile he never tired of seeing gracing her face. She had Connor on her hip, the three-year-old sleeping with his head on her shoulder.
Wes looked at his watch, only realizing then that it was past midnight. "Shouldn't he be in bed," he asked, changing the subject.
"We tried around nine, but he's a rowdy one," Fred whispered, "I just got him to sleep a few minutes ago, but I'm not sure how long it'll last. I think he's a nightowl like his papa."
"Speaking of," Wes began, but Fred motioned for him to quiet down a bit after feeling Connor stir. He tried again, his tone just barely audible, "where is Angel?"
"Oh, I think he and Cordy are outside, I took Connor for them 'cause they've had a long day," Fred replied, "You want some tea or something?"
"You look like you've got your hands full," Wes said, giving her a smirk. Her slight frame seemed just barely able to hold up the boy, who was growing quickly and no doubt weighed about half of what she did.
"I'm just saying," Cordy's voice echoed through the atrium of the Hyperion as she and Angel came back inside. "Maybe we should just raise him like a vampire. He can sleep during the day and be up at night, cause this imbetween stuff is killing me."
Fred went into the atrium, trying to tell Cordy to quiet down a little, and Wes followed her.
"I want him to live like a normal kid, that isn't normal," Angel said, quieting towards the end as he saw Fred motion for it. "Look," he continued, holding a book up to Cordy (the title reading "Parenting Do's and Dont's in the First Five Years"), "it says right here that if he doesn't go out in the sun, he won't get enough Vitamin D."
"This is ridiculous, Angel, he wants to be up at night, so let him. Just as long as he developes sleeping schedule so that the rest of us can to," Cordy let out a sigh as she sat down on the circular couch.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Wes said after a few seconds of letting everything cool. He'd gotten used to these brawls between Cordelia and Angel, they were always about little things involving Connor, and they never caused much tension outside of the issue. "But I think that this reading Oz brought may be of some importance."
"I'll take him," Cordy said, smiling as she took Connor from Fred. Fred seemed a little relieved, no doubt for her back's sake.
"Have you finished with the translation?" Angel asked.
"Not entirely, but it speaks of powers rising on the Hellmouth. There's a single entity pulling on primeval forces," Wes replied, "and I have reason to believe that Oz's hunch may be right... She's the only one with the potential for that kind of power."
"Who are we--"Angel began, but was cut off.
"We have to go," Cordy said.
"What?" Angel and Wes asked in unison.
"Sunnydale... I just had a vision, it's vague..." Cordy seemed to be rushing herself in her explanation, "look, the one clear thing I'm getting out of this is urgency. Angel, we have to go."
"Alright, Wes, I want you to keep with that translation and manage things back here, Cordy and I are going to Sunnydale, we'll call if we need backup," Angel kissed Connor on the head and went for the door, Cordy following suit.
Cordy looked back for a second. "And just let him sleep whenever he wants," she added, closing the door behind her.
- - -
Willow could feel the groud twitching beneath her, her arms stretch out and forward pulling energy from all around her. The was pushed up and out of the way, revealing a coffin, the energy that surged around it cracking most of the headstones in the vicinity.
She let her arms drop to her sides, and the coffin dissapeared. She looked at the headstone sitting above the mess she'd made, her face became stern and she shot a bolt of light towards it, cracking it down the middle.
Smiling, she followed the coffin to its destination.
There had been no direct mention of Willow, but Wesley had no doubt she was involved. Her power had been growing ever since he'd come to Sunnydale, most likely even before then, and now that she had removed herself from the trappings of life and reality, he was a little less than comfortable thinking about the power she may have amassed. Oz may have had a desire to find her, but Wes had an underlyng hope that it wouldn't be the case.
"You still working on that?" Fred asked, standing in the doorway to Wes's office, the smile he never tired of seeing gracing her face. She had Connor on her hip, the three-year-old sleeping with his head on her shoulder.
Wes looked at his watch, only realizing then that it was past midnight. "Shouldn't he be in bed," he asked, changing the subject.
"We tried around nine, but he's a rowdy one," Fred whispered, "I just got him to sleep a few minutes ago, but I'm not sure how long it'll last. I think he's a nightowl like his papa."
"Speaking of," Wes began, but Fred motioned for him to quiet down a bit after feeling Connor stir. He tried again, his tone just barely audible, "where is Angel?"
"Oh, I think he and Cordy are outside, I took Connor for them 'cause they've had a long day," Fred replied, "You want some tea or something?"
"You look like you've got your hands full," Wes said, giving her a smirk. Her slight frame seemed just barely able to hold up the boy, who was growing quickly and no doubt weighed about half of what she did.
"I'm just saying," Cordy's voice echoed through the atrium of the Hyperion as she and Angel came back inside. "Maybe we should just raise him like a vampire. He can sleep during the day and be up at night, cause this imbetween stuff is killing me."
Fred went into the atrium, trying to tell Cordy to quiet down a little, and Wes followed her.
"I want him to live like a normal kid, that isn't normal," Angel said, quieting towards the end as he saw Fred motion for it. "Look," he continued, holding a book up to Cordy (the title reading "Parenting Do's and Dont's in the First Five Years"), "it says right here that if he doesn't go out in the sun, he won't get enough Vitamin D."
"This is ridiculous, Angel, he wants to be up at night, so let him. Just as long as he developes sleeping schedule so that the rest of us can to," Cordy let out a sigh as she sat down on the circular couch.
"I'm sorry to interrupt," Wes said after a few seconds of letting everything cool. He'd gotten used to these brawls between Cordelia and Angel, they were always about little things involving Connor, and they never caused much tension outside of the issue. "But I think that this reading Oz brought may be of some importance."
"I'll take him," Cordy said, smiling as she took Connor from Fred. Fred seemed a little relieved, no doubt for her back's sake.
"Have you finished with the translation?" Angel asked.
"Not entirely, but it speaks of powers rising on the Hellmouth. There's a single entity pulling on primeval forces," Wes replied, "and I have reason to believe that Oz's hunch may be right... She's the only one with the potential for that kind of power."
"Who are we--"Angel began, but was cut off.
"We have to go," Cordy said.
"What?" Angel and Wes asked in unison.
"Sunnydale... I just had a vision, it's vague..." Cordy seemed to be rushing herself in her explanation, "look, the one clear thing I'm getting out of this is urgency. Angel, we have to go."
"Alright, Wes, I want you to keep with that translation and manage things back here, Cordy and I are going to Sunnydale, we'll call if we need backup," Angel kissed Connor on the head and went for the door, Cordy following suit.
Cordy looked back for a second. "And just let him sleep whenever he wants," she added, closing the door behind her.
- - -
Willow could feel the groud twitching beneath her, her arms stretch out and forward pulling energy from all around her. The was pushed up and out of the way, revealing a coffin, the energy that surged around it cracking most of the headstones in the vicinity.
She let her arms drop to her sides, and the coffin dissapeared. She looked at the headstone sitting above the mess she'd made, her face became stern and she shot a bolt of light towards it, cracking it down the middle.
Smiling, she followed the coffin to its destination.