Title: Chapter 15 Destined By Fate - Citadel
Disclaimer: The poster of Spike that I can see right now is mine! The rest is not.
Notes: To be clever… to be clever. Thud is for Jess and I dedicate the sewer bit to Mike in the light of the 'incident'. If you want castle defs ask me.
Spike watched the sun set behind the city, outlining it in a blood red colour. Whilst he appreciated the irony his main thought was Show-offs. Bet that's deliberate. The suns descent acted like an alarm call on Asara because she woke when it disappeared and sat up.
"You were meant to wake me!" Asara looked worried.
"I'm rested pet," Spike reassured her. "Now 'bout those walls. Do you reckon you can scale them?"
Asara turned to look at the walls. Spike knew them intimately as he'd studied them all day. She tilted her head and he watched her work out paths up.
"Yeah I can manage but what about you?" she turned back to him.
"Just about but I'll be slow," Spike admitted.
Asara nodded, plan forming in her mind when she heard dead grass whisper as someone walked through it. She silently pulled her feet under her and gestured up the tree to Spike who nodded and climbed up. Neither wanted to alert the citadel's guards to their presence so that meant no fighting, only hiding, or so Spike thought. He watched Asara slip off through the grass, stalking whoever was walking towards the city and despite the fear thudding in his chest, almost like a heartbeat, he kept quiet. A small demon appeared under his tree and sniffed the flattened grass where Spike and Asara had sat before glancing towards the city. Spike watched the demon sit down in exactly the same place, fold his hands in his lap and softly say,
"I know you are both there. Please I will not hurt you nor will I inform the Riddell's guards that you are here."
"How do we know we can trust you?" Asara's voice whispered out of the darkness.
"You don't," the demon, recognisably male by his voice, answered. "My name Fxaul and I live in the last remaining forest in this realm. Most people think that the forest is weak, that it has lost its magic but all the magic has fled here and is stronger than ever. The Riddell knows this and pretends he can hold this power. Many, like myself, know different."
Asara showed herself, still clearly wary but willing to trust him enough to come forward. Spike dropped out of the tree, trying to make Fxaul jump but the small demon simply smiled and asked him to sit. The couple moved so they were next to one another and some distance from him but still close enough to talk comfortably.
"May I ask what you are doing out here?" Fxaul questioned.
"Waiting," Asara said simply. "Who is Riddell?"
"The Riddell is his realm's ruler. He is a powerful Afrit demon, cruel and full of black magick," Fxaul wasn't at all put out by Asara's uninformative answer. "But for you not to know that means you are not from this world."
"We're from Earth," Spike stated, knowing it could taken two ways.
"Earth?" Fxaul looked surprised. "The dimension The Riddell is trying to conquer? What are you doing here?"
Asara and Spike exchanged a look and both decided to take a risk.
"What do you know of the Slayer?" Spike watched Fxaul closely.
"She has just arrived, captured from your dimension to lessen your chances of fighting The Riddell," Fxaul remembered seeing the blonde fight as she was lead to the city, pass the edge of the forest.
"We're here to take her back," Asara explained.
"Just the two of you?" Fxaul looked utterly startled.
"They didn't want to risk more people in case we failed," Asara confessed.
"You two must be great warriors for the good back on Earth," Fxaul looked humbled.
"Bloody hell no!" Spike grinned at Asara. "Probably quite the opposite."
"You are not great warriors?" Fxaul looked confused.
"No we are sort of considered the bad guys," Asara smiled and Spike sat up indignantly.
"Sort of? I'm evil luv and don't you forget!" he prodded Asara.
"You are not warriors for good?" Fxaul glanced backwards and forwards between the two.
"Well," Spike sat back. "For this trip I suppose we are."
"How did you get the job then?" Fxaul was a clever, well spoken demon who had spent years teaching himself everything he could but these two were beyond him. He could see their closeness and if he looked through his third eye he could see their auras mingle together so he knew they shared more than their bodies.
"I was…erm told to," Asara shook her head, still puzzled by that.
"And if she was going so was I," Spike said possessively.
"I see," Fxaul stared down at his hands, contemplating the information in silence.
Spike raised an eyebrow and turned to look at Asara. He rolled his eyes and she tried to stop her lips twitching into a smile by frowning at him. Checking that Fxaul was still thinking Asara snatched a quick but passionate kiss, startling Spike. She batted her eyelashes at him and he growled at her which got Fxaul's attention. In the brief moment Fxaul had to observe them before they turned back to him he saw private emotions and it helped him make his decision.
"I have decided to aid you in your quest," he announced.
"That's very kind of you," Asara said, glancing at Spike.
He could see that she didn't what to accept his help in case he betrayed them or they got him hurt.
"But we wouldn't want to…" Asara paused.
"Hell mate we don't trust you," Spike was brutally honest.
"Yes I would not expect you to," Fxaul nodded. "But let me ask you this. What were you planning to do with the Slayer if you get her out of the citadel? She will be weak and injured."
"We'll manage," Spike knew the demon was right.
"I have a place you can stay that no one else knows of," Fxaul told them, standing. "The forest protects it and hides it from unwanted eyes."
"So how will we get in then?" Asara asked as she rose, followed by Spike.
"I am the guardian," Fxaul explained. "I will wait for you and if you want my help I will be here."
With that he strode back off to the trees. Asara looked at Spike and shrugged,
"In case of emergency?"
"Works for me luv," Spike stared down the valley towards the city. "Time to go."
The pair set off, quietly slipping through the night, cloaked in darkness until they stood at the foot of the enormous wall surrounding the city. Spike had led Asara to what he hoped was the best spot to climb the wall without being spotted. She pulled off her boots and hid them under a clump of grass. Asara developed shorter claws on hands and feet to aid her with the climbing and set off up the wall, slithering from crack to slightly protruding blocks.
The wall had been well designed when it was built but that was over two hundred years ago so weather and age had taken its toll not to mention the numbers of battles it had stood through. Spike eyed her climb before setting off, digging his steel toe capped boots into the fissures and crumbling parts of the wall. He hauled his body up the wall through supernatural strength rather than through safe, well positioned grips.
At just over the half way mark Asara looked down, searching for Spike and found him only a quarter of the way up the wall. Making up her mind she climbed quicker until she was just below the parapet and listened for the sounds of the rotating guards as they toured the wall walk. As soon as one had passed she hauled herself over the top of the crenellations and started looking for a rope to pass down to Spike, saving him the trouble and them the time. In the end she had to venture some distance to find any and that made the return journey tricky as she was walking against the flow of the guards.
She had nearly reached the point where she had climbed over when her luck ran out. The guards had changed patterns and she walked straight into one. Both jumped in surprise but before the demon, who stood at seven feet tall, could call out the alarm Asara had ploughed her hand through his well armoured chest and ripped out his heart. The demon dropped without a sound and Asara mouthed an expletive as she examined her hand. It was hard to tell how much blood was hers because it was covered in the guards blood but it hurt enough to tell her that some of the bones were broken. Asara uncoiled the loops of rope off her shoulder with her good hand, tied it to a merlon and dropped the end over the side to Spike.
Spike looked up in time to see Asara disappear over the top and instantly began worrying. He climbed faster when possible but after several near misses he decided it would be better to get to the top in one piece. Spike was three quarters the way up when a rope smacked him on the shoulder and he lifted his head to see Asara's. He grabbed the rope and walked up the wall, leaning his weight backwards to gain more purchase for his feet.
Asara extended her hand when he reached the top and hauled him over. Spike saw the body and raised an eyebrow. She motioned throwing the body over the wall and Spike nodded, grabbing the guard's shoulders. Using her good hand Asara caught one of the demons ankles and together they lifted and threw the body, and now fully detachable heart, over the side of the parapet. It hit the ground with a dull thud.
Noticing the way she was cradling one of her hands to her chest Spike untied the rope and curled it around his body, securing it with a figure-of-eight. Together they jumped off the wall walk that ran round the inside of the main wall onto a roof of a house situated inside it. They made their way across the town on the inside of the citadel, towards the impressive palace, Buffy's scent always leading them. Both knew it well enough to find it in the myriad of smells assaulting them at every turn. When the got to the wall of the palace they rested and Spike insisted at looking at Asara's hand.
"It's fine!" she hissed as Spike ran his fingers over her knuckles.
"Those are broken," Spike muttered. "I need to see…"
Spike bent down and gently licked her hand clean to reveal white edges of bone sticking through the back of her head, just below the knuckles.
"Fix 'em," Asara gritted her teeth.
Spike jerked her hand without warning, pulling her fingers forward and the bones slid back under the skin. Asara breathed out loudly through her nose but it was the only sign of her pain she showed. He tore a strip off the bottom of his t-shirt and bound her hand tightly to prevent the hand from healing crooked. She smiled gratefully at him before both looked at the second wall looming above their heads. Spike ran his fingers over the rope and started calculating distances and length in his head. Grinning he undid the knot and tied one end round Asara waist.
Asara let him do it without question and when he tied the other around his waist she knew what his idea was so backed up on the roof. Spike followed her. After nodding at Spike Asara sprinted to the end of the roof and leaped for the top of the wall, Spike close behind. She hit the wall hard, both hands just grabbing the edge of the battlement but even so she nearly fell because of the pain that shot through her injured hand. Digging her claws into the wall she pulled herself up until she lay with her stomach on one of the crenels before looking around for guards.
Spike hit the wall on the next crenel over and hauled himself through the gap, knowing they had to move quickly and that Asara was watching for the guards. He untied the rope from his waist, helped Asara onto the wall walk and freed her too. Wrapping the rope around himself again as they crept Spike followed Asara down a flight of steps to the courtyard. Spike watched Asara look at and dismiss any doors they came across until she found a small grate that they could both fit through. She crouched down and stared past the bars into the room beyond before standing and stepping back. Spike bent down, grabbed the bars, braced his feet and tugged on it sharply. The metal screeched as it slid over its stone housing and Spike increased his efforts to free it.
Asara extended her senses, searching for anyone who was coming to investigate the noise. She heard Spike free the grate and slip through the hole into the space beyond. Never letting her guard down she crawled through the hole backwards and dropped quietly down next to Spike, feet splashing into a puddle.
Spike wrenched the grate back into place to cover their tracks and then vamped out to look round the room better. He discovered the room wasn't a room at all but that they were in fact standing in the sewers for the palace. That would explain the smell. he thought, wrinkling his nose in disgust. Hate to think what it's doing to my Docs. Asara lead him through the sewer, her sensitive nose leading her to where she wanted to be. Spike trusted her to find Buffy because all he could smell was shit and urine.
Asara hoped Buffy was being kept in the dungeons and they would be situated in the deepest, darkest part of the palace along with the sewers. She was looking for a garderobe drop that came from there but she was not going to tell Spike that she wanted them to climb up the shaft. A small glint of light caught her eye and she trudged over through the slime to investigate. Placing her hands on the wall she leant forward and peered upwards. A draught brushed over her face, bringing with it different smells than could be found in the sewers.
"Here," Asara whispered and Spike came to her side.
"Up there?" he asked, making sure his voice didn't carry.
Asara nodded and dug her claws into the masonry. The shaft itself was narrow and Asara's back scraped against the wall as she climbed up. Spike followed her, legs wedged on opposite walls as he couldn't dig his boots into the slippery surface. Looking up Spike could see Asara highlighted in the minimal light and despite their conditions he admired the view. Asara felt the heat through the connection and she shook her head. Trust him to think like that Asara thought.
Asara slowed her ascent when the current of air became stronger and she cautiously peered over the edge of the garderobe into the small chamber it was situated in. Noting the lack of the door she listened for any noises from beyond the garderobe chamber and picked up the faint sounds of the guards and prisoners. Putting both hands on either side of the rim Asara levered herself out of the drop, tucked her feet up and swung them forward so they touched the floor without making a sound. Creeping to the empty frame Asara shot a quick glance round the edge to see into the next room. In it was a guard by each of the two other doors and another behind a desk which was against one wall.
Spike hooked his elbows over the edge but failed to get a grip with his boots to push himself up. He stayed put until Asara turned back to him and raised an eyebrow at which he glared. She came over, hooked her arms under his and lifted him straight up and out. After setting him gently on his feet she gestured to the door and held up three fingers, then two. Spike frowned and Asara rolled her eyes. She held her three fingers and bared her teeth before holding up two and swinging her hand backwards and forwards. This time Spike grasped her meaning and responded in a similar fashion. Raising three fingers he covered two with his other his hand and left one alone. Asara grinned and nodded.
Both went to opposite sides of the door, both knowing that they needed to do this quickly and quietly without the guards giving the alarm. Asara crouched down, legs shortening and Spike knew she'd was going out low, hard and fast. Spike felt an explosion of excitement surge down their connection just before Asara blasted out of the doorway and into the chamber.
The first guard, standing by the main door, died before he knew what had hit him, throat ripped out. Spike was on the second in the next instant, hands wrapped around the demons head and all the guard could manage was to open his mouth before his neck was snapped. Asara had leapt off the first demon onto the one behind the desk, clearing the desk in one motion but this guard had seen his colleagues die so he was more prepared.
Asara was on the receiving end of a set off razor sharp claws to her upper chest. Unable to dodge the blow completely Asara had only been able to drop her shoulder so the claws didn't go through her heart. She still hit him with enough force to topple the chair over and retaliated through the pain by ramming her hand through his chest. Unfortunately because of his claws that were now all the way through her chest she couldn't use her left arm and therefore good hand. She been forced to use her still broken hand and it had crunched under the impact. The demon howled in pain and Spike was there gagging the sound with a broken table leg.
Spike had felt the flare of pain from Asara when the demon had stabbed her and reacted by ripping the table leg from the desk. When the second flash of pain had rippled through him he'd been hard pressed not to ram the wood through the demons head. He stopped any noise the demon might make and pressed his face to the guard's.
"You're going to answer out questions," Spike stated flatly.
Asara hissed and Spike saw the demons hand twitch under its leather tent on Asara's back. Spike punched the demon hard, breaking his nose. The guard's head whipped to the side under the impact but Spike knew he couldn't fight back. He'd effectively lost the use of one hand by stabbing Asara and she'd immobilised his other arm like he'd done to her. If it'd just been the two of them it would have been a stale mate but Spike tipped the scales. The demon knew he was trapped but he'd been in service to The Riddell for over twenty years and he didn't get to be the head of the prison guard without being tough.
Asara, from her unique view point, saw a determined expression set on his face and smiled. The guard's eyes widened at the evil glint but it was Spike who made the noise. Pain ripped down their connection and it was so unexpected that he swore. Asara and the guard were engaged in a battle that involved them searching for each others hearts. Spike grabbed the demons arm and squeezed, hard. The table leg broke in half.
"Where is the Slayer?" Spike growled.
The guard hissed, pain colouring his voice,
"I will not tell you anything."
"You're talking aren't you?" Spike smiled. "Now you were going to tell us where the Slayer is."
"No," the demon's eyes closed briefly.
"Did you know," Spike leant forward. "I learnt how to make people babble in so much I had to rip their tongues out to stop them?"
"I've heard worse," the guard wasn't impressed.
"Oh that's nothing," Spike shook his head. "That was before I met her," Spike nodded at Asara. "The woman straddling you is my mate and you are hurting her. Can you imagine what I'll do?"
"I've got a good idea," the demon sneered.
"Wrong answer," Spike tutted. "You have no bloody fucking clue what she makes me capable of. Now where is the Slayer?"
The demon was silent.
"Do it," Asara hissed low and hard.
Spike locked eyes with her then nodded. Normally he'd hum. Normally he'd smile. Normally he'd love this but now he was silent, cold and the demon suddenly knew that these two were going to do whatever to get the Slayer back.
"I will tell where she is on one condition," the guard stated.
"We are not letting you go," Spike stated flatly.
"I'm not asking you to," he answered. "I asking you to kill me."
Both of his captors looked shocked.
"Would it truly be that bad if The Riddell found out?" Asara asked quietly.
"Worse," the demon said simply.
"How do you want to die?" Spike raised an eyebrow, treating it as a last request.
"Heart out, head off. I can't be brought back then," the guard replied.
"Deal," Spike nodded.
"Down the prisoner corridor, through the third door on the left and then fourth on the right," the demon gave them the directions.
Spike moved behind Asara and lifted her off the guard. Asara cried out in pain as the guards hand came free and Spike gently placed her on the floor. He tried to check her wounds but she waved him away, gesturing to the guard who hadn't move. Spike stepped over to the guard and as he looked down at him, he felt a twinge of sympathy.
Asara watched Spike deal with the demon with a detachment she knew he kept for times like these. She struggled to deal with her wound. Her left arm didn't work properly and her right hand was completely smashed. Having managed to tear her top off she set about trying to stuff it into her wound. Spike interrupted her but she shook her head,
"Go get Buffy. We won't be alone for long."
Spike was worried but went anyway. He had to kick down each door on his way to the Slayer and when he bust in the last door he was very glad he didn't breath. The room stank of old blood and urine. The Slayer was curled up in the corner, clothes torn, covered in blood but she was awake and she looked up when the door crashed in.
"Spike?" she croaked.
"It's me Slayer. Come on," Spike went to her side and hauled her to her feet. "Think you can walk?"
"Maybe," Buffy took a few wobbly steps but slowly made her way to the door.
Spike caught up with her and, with his help, she half ran. They got back to the main room and Spike nearly dropped the Slayer when he saw the huge pool spreading out from under Asara. The cloth was soaked through and no longer absorbed any blood. Buffy saw Asara and gasped,
"Oh god is she alright?"
"Go through there," Spike pointed to the garderobe. "Go down the shoot and wait for us."
Buffy stared at him before nodding and setting off for the doorway. Spike hurried to Asara and knelt at her side. She was so pale Spike panicked but she smiled just a bit and Spike managed to control himself.
"Get her out of here. She's all that matters," Asara whispered.
"I am not leaving you!" Spike picked her up.
"My blood will lead them to us," Asara warned.
"Our scent will anyway," Spike refused to be swayed.
Asara bit her lip and stopped talking, her breathing becoming harder with each passing minute. One lung ripped to shreds, most of her blood gone and her heart working overtime meant she wasn't going to stay conscious for long. Spike got to the garderobe in time to see Buffy disappear down it so he set Asara on the edge and waited for the sound of Buffy hitting the bottom.
"Slayer!" he yelled after the noise came. "I'm sending Asara down. Make sure you're out of the way."
He swung her legs over the edge, flattened her out and dropped her down the shaft. Spike heard Asara hit the ground and winced, knowing it would aggravate her wounds. He followed the women down the drop, controlling his descent more than they had and managed to avoid stepping on them. Buffy was cradling Asara's head on her lap and she looked tired and worried. Spike ignored her, picked Asara up and waited for Buffy to stagger to her feet before he led the way back to the grate.
Buffy knew Spike couldn't get both of them out so she ignored her own injuries when Spike stood in front of the grate, struggling to decide what to do. She stepped up to it and pulled it free with a seemingly horrendous amount of noise. Buffy crawled through the hole and Spike passed Asara up to her then followed himself.
Spike led the way back to where they'd got over the wall and told Buffy what do. She did what he asked without question and neatly jumped to the roof below. Spike leaped to but Asara's dead weight meant he stumbled and fell on landing making Asara cry out with pain. Whispering his apologises to her, he led Buffy over the roof tops.
Half way across the city the alarm was raised in the palace and Spike picked up the pace. Buffy fell slightly behind but stuck to his path. When he jumped to the wall walk so did she but he stopped in his tracks when he saw the drop and it was like he'd forgotten that this obstacle was here. Buffy pulled the rope off him, tied one end to a merlon and dropped the other over the wall.
"What about…?" she began but Spike cut her off roughly.
"Go."
Buffy climbed over the edge and set off down the rope. It didn't reach the ground but it made the drop to the floor non-lethal. Spike stared at Asara and she knew what was coming.
"Do it," she hissed. "It won't kill me."
"It won't help either," Spike answered before kissing her hard.
She wanted to respond but lacked the strength to do so. Spike took the final step to the edge and dropped her over the wall. Buffy saw Asara plummet past her and heard the sickening crunch as she hit the ground. Spike could hear the guards coming and swung himself over the wall, praying that the rope wouldn't be spotted right away. Buffy reached the end of the rope, muttered a small pray and let go. She hit the ground hard and rolled, dislocating her shoulder with the move.
Spike was only half way down the rope when it was found. The guards began to pull it back up so Spike made a split moment decision and decided to take his risks with the ground. He broke his leg on impact and couldn't stop the scream that the pain tore from him. Spike looked up to find Buffy tying Asara's boots round her neck, getting rid of evidence, right arm hanging loose and Asara lying at an unnatural angle on the ground. Crawling to her he touched her cheek at which she opened her eyes.
Get to Fxaul. Get to the trees.
Spike heard every word in his head and it shook him to the core. Struggling he picked Asara up and stood. Buffy climbed to her feet and roughly supported him with her good shoulder and the three made their way up the hill towards the forest. The city gates opened when they were half way there and Spike tried to run but his broken leg wasn't going to co-operate.
"Run Slayer," Spike ground out. "Get into the forest, look for a demon named Fxaul. He might be able to help you."
"I'm not leaving you," Buffy hissed.
"Bloody white hat," Spike snapped. "You're the only one here that can run so bloody run!"
"I'm not leaving," Buffy shook her head, glancing behind them.
"Listen to me," Spike got her attention. "The demon that had you captured is going to wage war on Earth. You are the first line of defence. The world needs you to save it again."
"I…" Buffy stammered, glancing between trees and army.
"Save my children," Spike had a desperate note in his voice.
Buffy saw tears in his eyes and it broke something inside of her. She ran.
You can move quicker if you don't have me.
Asara's thoughts cut through him. Spike gritted his teeth, tightened his gripped and kept going.
Our children need one of us.
For forever remember?
Spike mentally argued with Asara as the army closed in on them. He was torn but not because of what Asara had asked. After he had sworn he'd always be there to protect her Asara had never been seriously injured. Spike always taken the hit, the fall but now he had failed, was failing. It almost felt like dying again.