HEARTS IN DARKNESS VII
She looked at us. "I just got a message from Willow, Spike sent word from the Tree that according to Illeria, someone is trying to open the crypt."
"Just what the hell does that mean" Faith asked.
"Spike and Illeria are guardians of the Tree, it's the entrance to a crypt that runs straight through the Earth. The remains of the ancient gods are in there. If the crypt is opened, some of them will reanimate; and that is very bad news."
"So" Buffy asked, "back to England?"
"No" I replied, "the Tree is at one end of the crypt, the Rock is at the other. Obviously Kennedy is trying to remove the Rock". The girls looked blankly at me. "Ayers Rock" I said "in the center of the continent; sacred to the Aborigines, and according to myth, the only place that God actually touched the Earth". While they were digesting this information, I walked forward to the pilot "Alice Springs" I said. He just nodded.
"Are we going to just be fighting a bunch of new slayers" Faith asked.
"That and Kennedy" I answered.
"So killing them is a last resort?" I nodded. She seemed to come to a decision, and reached into her backpack. She pulled out four pairs of leather gloves. "Little Earl, a muscle for hire that I know, makes these for himself and friends". She tossed each of us a pair of gloves. They looked normal, but they were very heavy. "There's lead wire that runs up the back of the hand and down each finger; should make for an easy knock-out punch." I pulled mine on and flexed the fingers; "good idea, Faith" Buffy chimed in.
Faith looked surprised that her fellow slayer had acknowledged that she had a good idea; I thought that I could even detect the hint of a blush. We landed in Alice Springs, and had rented a Jeep, when the first attack occurred.
Six new slayers came at us with all the subtlety of a thrown mallet. I guarded the Father from two of them. One was slightly in front, and I stopped her with a stiff finger jab to the solar plexus; she doubled over trying to catch her breath. The other had a knife. I grabbed her wrist with my left and popped her on the chin with my right. Her eyes rolled up and she was down for the count. The first girl was still gasping, so I whacked her behind the right ear with my right and she dropped as well.
Dawn was using her superior speed to her advantage. She was stinging with jabs and moving before the new slayer could corner her. The newbie succeeded in grabbing her shoulder, but Dawn just spun inside her grip and; to my astonishment, decked her with a head butt. The slayer dropped and Dawn just stood there rubbing her head and saying "great, now I've got a migraine".
Buffy and Faith were fighting side by side against three new slayers. The newbies were all armed. I asked "need a hand"? I was told 'no' most emphatically, with some colorful punctuation. As usual, Faith gave up dancing and charged in driving the one in the center back. Faith followed the new slayer, peppering her head with jabs. Buffy was splitting time between the other two, keeping Faith's back clear. Finally, Faith slipped an upper cut that lifted the new slayer right off the ground. The other two paused in astonishment, and that was their downfall. Buffy kicked the one on the right in the knee, and as she went down, Buffy cracked her behind the left ear with Little Earls gloves. The newbie didn't get up. Meanwhile, Faith used a spinning roundhouse kick and her motorcycle boot nearly dislocated the new slayers jaw. The girl took a couple of dazed steps back, and went down hard on the tarmac.
Buffy had a minor cut, but it was no problem to heal. "So, what do we do with them now" Dawn asked.
Buffy just smiled and from her bag produced a syringe and a large vial of golden liquid. "This will make them normal until all this is over" she said "it's the stuff Giles used to take my strength away during that test for the council." She dosed them all. We loaded their unconscious forms into the jeep and dropped them off at the local Catholic Church. We left instructions for the priest to care for them but be careful himself.
That being taken care of, we headed towards Ayers Rock. We were approaching the Rock when Father Knowles suddenly said "turn here."
I did, and we soon came across an Aboriginal Shaman. The Father and I got out and went to talk to him. He told us that something bad was happening and that someone was on Ulurru. I explained our purpose and asked him for two favors. One was permission to be on Ulurru as well, this he granted; and asked him to make a place that could contain a demon. He looked surprised for a moment but agreed to this as well. We thanked him and proceeded on foot.
We approached with as much stealth as possible. The basic plan was for the girls to handle the new slayers and I would get Kennedy down from the Rock. I told the Father to get some protection spells on us, and to prepare for an exorcism. One of their lookouts spotted Dawn, and suddenly yelling and screaming seemed everywhere.
I pulled my shirt off, grew my wings, and headed for the top of the Rock. Kennedy was indeed up there and she was definitely possessed. The demon in her felt me coming, and she tried to hurry through the ritual. I tried coming to grips with her, but the protective circle kept out all otherworldly types, including myself.
I was searching for a way in, when I thought about my sword. It was of this world, and yet not. It had been blessed by the Holy Father, and this made it part of the other world. Drawing it, I slashed at the ring of protection. The spell sent up a shower of sparks, and an incredible jolt up my arm. The pain was extreme, but the circle was open.
Kennedy realized her defenses had been breached, but was trying to finish the spell.
I did not give her a chance to finish. Flying, I grabbed her around the waist and took off, out over the outback.
She was shrieking at my touch, tearing at my wings and pummeling me. "No", she was screaming over and over. "I've got to finish, she's got to come". At about 300 feet, I just aimed for the ground and drove her into it. She hit under me, and was stunned. Unfortunately, she didn't stay stunned for long.
She heaved and kicked me off over her head. I started to spin around, but she was too fast, and her fist hit me in the small of my back. I landed OK, but I could feel her coming up fast. I drew my left sword and attacked. The light from the sword startled the demon and it used its hands to ward its face. I used the opportunity to drive my sword through her foot, nailing her to the ground. The demon howled and reared back; I grabbed my other sword and holding it by the blade, pressed the hilt into its face. The cross shape burned itself into Kennedy's forehead. The demon inside her howled until I though either my ears or her throat would rupture.
I pressed forward, the blade flaming argent, but cold. She fell back, but with the sword through her foot, she couldn't go far. I raised my sword high, my desire for its destruction at war with my recognition of the human inside her. Screaming, I brought the flat of the blade down on the demon's head, rendering it unconscious. I fell to my knees, checking for a pulse. Finding one, I turned to see how the others were doing.
"We're all fine" Buffy said. I just hung my head. "You get her to the Father, and do your stuff, we'll take care of these birds". She indicated the unconscious girls.
"Any of you hurt" I asked.
"Nothing serious" she replied. "Could you come with" I asked. She looked surprised for a second, but then nodded. While I was picking up what was left of Kennedy, Buffy went over to talk to Faith and Dawn. Then, together, Buffy and I took Kennedy to see Father Knowles.
