CHAPTER 5:

"Earth isn't big business for inter-dimensional slavers. They concentrate primarily on our demons for their mines, armies and heavy scut work. The Kridjatori take a few human women of child bearing age because they are close enough in humanoid terms to successfully cross breed but mainly they use them as incubators for specialized demon embryos. Oh, and as exotic sex toys. But almost two thirds die because it takes a while to adjust to the massive increase in gravity. And the bad treatment dished out to them, of course."

Dawn scrapped the last noodle from the carton she held and looked wistfully at the only half-empty cartons from the Chinese take-out. As she reached for it Adanar noticed and warned,

"You will make yourself ill if you eat anymore, Dawn. I suggest you be content with the rather large amount of food you have managed to guzzle your way through today."

"I don't 'guzzle'! And all I've had today is …. Oh. All right."

Remembering just how much she had eaten, Dawn reluctantly followed his advice but wailed plaintively,

"But I'm still hungry!"

The Ganaru nodded and told her gently,

"You only imagine that you are still hungry. You are only concerned with eating your fill in case there is no food tomorrow. Your mind set is as it was on Kridjator when having food was never a certainty but we are not on Kridjator and we do have a guaranteed food source from which to draw."

She eyed him speculatively and asked,

"Are you sure there are no psychiatrists on Ganarid? 'Cause you, Freud and some of those guys sure would have a lot to talk about."

"You were telling us about slavers. And these two who are in L.A. right now, Hadretz and Strega, in particular?"

Angel brought her back to the topic of the slavers; the reason why they were all seated about the large dining table in the house Dawn had rented for herself, Adanar and the convalescent Angel.

Seeing Angel in a wheelchair had been awkward for Buffy, and for Giles as well. The vampire was in a surprisingly upbeat mood; courtesy of a visit from Nina, whom Spike took some delight in introducing to the pair as 'Peach's girlfriend'. Nina and Buffy eyed each other closely, and warily, before the young woman kissed Angel goodbye and promised to visit the next evening.

"Hadretz is bad enough; he's a Tarethian warlock but that Strega,"

Dawn shook her head and her voice and eyes grew cold,

"He's a total monster! The story goes that he traded his mother, sister and two nieces to a brothel owner for five year old co-joined twin girls because he was so jaded he needed the novelty! Sick son-of-a-bitch even the Kidjatori despise and fear. He's also the single best fighter I've ever seen; a Samarian paladin given over to pure evil."

She turned to Adanar and declared,

"I don't want you leaving the house while he's around! He's not even going to get the very slightest idea that you're here and alive, okay? I'll deal with him; you promise me that you'll do as I say!"

"Dawn .. "

Adanar started to protest but she said something in another language that left them in no doubt that she was giving him an order he'd be a fool to argue with, let alone disobey. Reluctantly, he nodded and promised,

"Very well, I'll remain here but you are not to seek him out on your own! He is far too dangerous, Dawn. It is as you have said; he is a truly formidable warrior! Neither will he be alone; Hadretz is sure to have his Kidjatori bodyguards and Strega that foul beast of his."

Dawn smiled and touched the Ganaru's shoulder,

"I'm not a complete idiot, my friend! I'm thinking ambush where that sod's concerned! Just stay well clear of him, please? If I lose you … who knows who or what I'd end up having to depend on to cover my back!"

Spike assured the Ganaru,

"Bit won't be alone; I'll stick so close she'll think she's got two bleedin' shadows! What sort of beastie this bugger got for a pet?"

Adanar told him,

"A full grown Cralggaahn. It is not very large but it is swift, powerful and its jaws and claws are both sharp and poisonous!"

Dawn added,

"It's about the size of a half grown brown bear and moves like a bear crossed with a large panther. Nasty critter. It plays with its prey like a cat does and can follow the faintest scent for days on end and still have energy to spare. It's ferocious enough to make sharks seem like goldfish and polar bears as cuddly as kittens. Dumb though. Only enough brain cells to kill and eat."

She laughed and asked Adanar,

"Remember that one they let loose in the Ring? I reckon I broke almost every single Olympic record staying out of its way! We sure didn't bother about artistic finesse when we brought it down!"

"I remember sliding about in its dung for an eternity while I waited to be eaten! It killed seven, no eight, of Klats's spearmen before you almost scared me to death by leaping on to the creature's back and riding it about the Ring before managing to sever its spine and decapitating it! Gonstor was livid with you! It was his most expensive animal. I thought he was going to beat you to death!"

Adanar shuddered at the memory.

Dawn grinned and reminded him,

"He changed his tune when that fat old Death Ring owner from Sarnert wanted to buy me! I did all right out of that kill; we sure lived it up for a few days! And I got to choose our next three fights! Not too shabby, was it?"

"God Dawnie, how can you laugh about it?"

Buffy wanted to know, baffled by her sister's matter of fact tone and Dawn's seeming amusementat a deadly encounter.

Dawn looked at her sister with some bewilderment,

"Well, it was kinda funny. Getting depressed over everything that happened would have been a death sentence, you know. Besides, the Death Ring was a huge improvement on the brothel and the Berdea mine; at least I had some control over what happened to me while I was fighting. Don't tell me you haven't had a Slayer type fight or situation that wasn't a little bit funny? Remember the Halloween costumes that had that spell on them? I mean you turned into a swooning Southern belle and Xander thought he was G.I. Joe; that was good for a laugh, wasn't it?"

"May we please return to the subject of the slavers?"

Giles pleaded while polishing his glasses furiously,

"If we are about to go up against a warlock, then surely we should ask Willow for help? As much as I can understand how unpalatable the idea is for you Dawn; she is the most powerful magic user we have."

"You don't need magic when a crossbow bolt can do the job, Giles. I managed just fine for six years without the witch and there's no way I'm gonna spend my time looking over my shoulder to see what she's up to when I can just kill the guy. That kind of insecurity can destroy your focus and get you killed!"

The finality of her tone that told him that she wasn't open to either reason or persuasion. She added,

"Anyway, this isn't your fight or anyone else's. It's ours; mine and Adanar's. Strega was the bastard who forced Adanar to kill! When torture didn't work, he kicked a kid to death in front of him and threatened to do the same to every slave connected with the Death Ring. That's why I don't want him to find out Adanar's here, I'll take him down myself before he has a chance to hurt him again."