Chapter 7
The silence was palpable and Buffy had to focus all her energy on breathing. The words echoed in her mind like thunder. She desperately wanted to do violence but she didn't dare move for fear her body would collapse. So she sat still, simply turned her head slowly so she could see the High Priestess from the corner of her eye. The woman absentmindedly brushed some dust off her white dress as if everything was normal and when she spoke again her voice was perfectly calm,
"Oh, really Giles, you don't think I would sacrifice our best warrior on a suicide mission, do you?"
"I'm not sure what you're capable of anymore, High Priestess." Giles' voice was thick with controlled rage but she seemed unmoved by his anger, simply looked at him for a moment with an unreadable expression. When she answered though, she sounded unusually sympathetic.
"I am truly sorry that it was necessary to deceive you all. I know how much you care about him. But I can assure you I had no other choice. You see… " Now she turned to all of them with a dramatic gesture, "…the gateway will only admit a demon. If any humanity resides in those who enter, the magic will destroy it. Passing though the gateway, he will become Angelus again. And everything Angel knows, Angelus knows too. That's why it was so important that Angel truly believed that this potion will do what I said and that we all believed it was our only way."
When she finished her eyes scanned the room calmly, her face a perfect vision of serenity. The rest of them just stared at her in shock, trying to process what she had said. Willow actually had to sit down, all color vanishing from her face. When Giles finally broke the silence, his voice almost cracked with emotion.
"You are mad. How could you release Angelus, knowing what he is capable of?"
"It was the only way. For some reason he stands in high regards with Dacq'ilion. He can get close to him, close enough to be a part of the ceremony."
"What good will that do? Angelus is evil, he will never help us!"
"Yes, Giles, Angelus is evil. But Angel has served good long enough to earn the respect of the Powers That Be. When he signed away the Shanshu Prophecy he changed his fate but that made him no less worthy of redemption. In the moment when the gateway is weak enough to shatter, before the ceremony is complete, the Powers That Be has agreed to grant Angel his soul again. Then he will help us enter the dimension and stop Dacq'ilion from gaining the powers of the Crystal. But there will be a very small window of opportunity." She turned directly towards Buffy and as she met the woman's eyes with murderous calm she continued, "It is crucial that everyone work together and do their part. Make no mistake, if we fail here, the world, the people we have sworn to protect, will suffer a fate far worse than either of us can imagine."
Buffy had to let the torrent of emotions fade a little before she could trust her body again. The nerve of the woman was astonishing. As she slowly stood up she watched the witch intently but there was no sign of any emotion at all on the old woman's smooth face. She could feel Spike stir next to her, could feel his anger build up. He probably had a few well chosen words for the High Priestess but the old woman had clearly challenged the Slayer and she wasn't about to let Spike get in the way of accepting that challenge. She put a gentle hand on his arm and he immediately backed down. Then she moved passed him, all her focus on the High Priestess. She forced herself to unclench her fists and breathe deeply. She threw a quick glance at Willow, making sure she had been kept in the dark as well. Betrayal by the High Priestess was one thing but Willow would have been different. But her friend looked as horrified as the rest of them. Buffy knew she should feel something; shock, pain, anger, something but she didn't. All she felt was cold, empty and distant. In truth she felt dead.
The High Priestess stood very relaxed, her arms folded across her chest. She made a good show of pretending that she had all the power here, that she would lead them to victory with her scheming. But as Buffy approached her, a hint of fear suddenly appeared on the woman's face. The old witch had played a dangerous game with stakes higher than ever before. And it gave Buffy at least some small satisfaction that, with all her power, at this moment the woman felt fear. She stood only a few inches from the High Priestess when she stopped, firmly holding the old woman's gaze. Her voice came out almost completely void of emotion as she calmly stated as a matter of fact,
"Just so we're clear, if those palls of yours That Be don't honor their commitment in this or if this plan of yours don't work out for some reason and we lose him, I am going to feed you that damn braid of yours until you choke to death. And I don't care how powerful you think you are. Make no mistake, if you ever deceive me or any of us again I will kill you." The High Priestess swayed a bit where she stood, color fading from her cheeks. Buffy waited until the woman averted her eyes for a second, then she turned to Riley. "The ceremony is in less than six hours so we don't have much time. We need to make a list of the demons we are most likely to face and how to kill them." She ignored the stunned expressions on her friends faces and calmly set about to construct battle strategies for yet another doomsday battle with ultimate evil.
Angelus had never felt so ecstatic. The Teacher had greeted him like a long lost son and immediately brought him into his closest circle. He directed him to the seat next to him at the table, moving the leader of the Varnush demons one chair down. The big, horn-clad demon looked very surprised when he realized he had been demoted by a simple vampire and made quite a fuss. Angelus had no choice but to kill him. Snatching one of the many knifes the demon had on him he quickly perforated his only lung then calmly watched as the big clot fell dead to the floor. The Teacher had nodded with satisfaction and after that the others had no problem showing Angelus proper respect.
During the rest of the meeting he enjoyed their full and undivided attention as he filled them in on the stupidity of the witches and the weak and pathetic Slayer. The Teacher seemed particularly interested in his account of Buffy. When he finished, the old man's strange, piercing eyes was locked on him as the Teacher carefully prodded the subject.
"So, my dear Angelus, you say the Slayer is weak, yet she was the one who defeated the Corosch at the entrance of the cave. How do you explain that?" He never flinched when he answered,
"I never said she was weak in a physical sense. She's probably stronger than ever. But she's burning out. No slayer has ever lasted as long as she has and the clever elimination of her sister was the last straw. She's gone, her mind, her spirit. She's just fighting on fumes now. And losing her precious Angel will definitely push her the last mile to never never land. She's an easy mark." he said confidently. The Teacher watched him intently.
"Good, then you won't mind killing her before the ceremony begins. I really don't like surprises." He hoped the disappointment he suddenly felt didn't register on his face and he kept his voice as neutral as possible.
"Nothing would give me greater pleasure than to take care of the Slayer, but there's soldiers and witches ready to fight on the other side. Wouldn't it be better if they thought their plan worked? If I suddenly showed up and sliced the Slayer, I think they might get a little suspicious. Besides, it's unlikely I would be able to get back..." As soon as he had said that last bit he wished he hadn't. It sounded more desperate than he wanted them to know he felt. He wanted so badly to be there by the Teacher's side for this. To be sacrificed on something so mundane was almost unbearable. But he kept his gaze steady on the Teacher's unreadable face, and after what felt like an eternity, the old man smiled and as if he had read his mind he said,
"Don't worry, my son. You will not be sacrificed. I will send my best warriors with you and you will not use the main portal. There are others, where you can surprise the Slayer when she is alone. As long as you are sure you can kill her." He had to take a few seconds before answering. He actually feared his voice might be thick, on the verge of tears. He steeled himself.
"Yes, Teacher. If I get her alone, with no soldiers or witches to worry about, I can kill her." He was glad to hear himself sound strong and as the Teacher looked at him with fatherly pride, he felt happier than he ever thought possible.
"What the bloody hell was all that about the Shanshu Prophecy?" Spike glared suspiciously at Willow who had her head buried in the countless books in front of her. Thinking she hadn't heard him he touched her arm and she shot him a cold stare.
"In case you hadn't noticed I'm a little busy, Spike. Maybe we can discuss this later."
"No we bloody well can't! Is it true? Did he sign away his chance of becoming human again?"
Willow sighed heavily and lifted her head.
"Yes, Spike. Angel signed away the fate prophesied in the Shanshu document. Apparently it was the only way he could get the Black Thorn to trust him." He stared at her.
"That was like ten years ago. Why the hell didn't anyone tell me!"
"I guess no one thought it was any of your business."
"Not my business!" Now he was getting really angry, all though truth be told, he didn't really want to admit why he felt angry. That Angel hadn't trusted him to share something of this importance, hurt more than he wanted to admit. "That prophecy could just as easily have been for me and you didn't think I would like to know that it wasn't in the cards anymore?"
"Oh for heaven sake Spike! Angel only signed away his chance not the prophecy itself. If anything he made sure you had a chance. Let's face it, you really weren't high on anyone's list for this prophecy before. Now you stand a slim chance. You should thank him. Now I really have to concentrate here, I have to memorize eight different chants in eight different languages before the ceremony, so please go bug someone else." She returned to her books, letting her finger run along the many lines of text in archaic languages, quietly reading some of the words out loud.
He didn't move. It took a while for her words to sink in. For as long as he could remember he had been fighting to get on equal footing with Angel, his grandfather of sorts. Now he suddenly realized with mind-numbing clarity that that was never going to happen. Angel would always be The One. Feelings of rage, jealousy and guilt rushed through him, but as the storm subsided he was left with a strange sense of relief. Why fight a battle you could never win? Specially when there was so many other battles that needed to be fought. He threw a glance in the direction of the High Priestess. Buffy had made quite an impact on the woman, which in itself was extremely satisfying. But she seemed to have recovered since then and although she stayed out of the Slayers way she went about organizing the attack with the same air of importance as before. He hesitated a moment, then turned back to Willow.
"How much do you really know about the High Priestess?" he asked quietly. Willow stopped her reciting. She seemed to breathe more rapidly and to Spike's surprise her eyes where actually filled with fear as she turned to him. Her voice though, was accusing,
"What do you mean?" He looked around, suddenly aware that he wasn't sure where Buffy was. She had kept herself busy making sure everyone knew their place and had the right equipment. So far he had managed to make sure she stayed in the main hall but now she was nowhere in sight. Willow was still glaring at him. He smiled a little,
"Never mind, it can wait." He really hoped it could. She nodded, looking very relieved. He guessed she was on her last tether, like the rest of them. No matter, he had to go find Buffy.
Buffy closed her eyes for a moment and made herself breathe deeply. This was the third time she had tried to count the boxes of silver-bullets and lost track of where she was. She got as far as nine and then her mind fazed out. She was clearly going insane. But she had to make sure no one else knew. They depended on her for strength and guidance. She had to see this through. So she started counting again. The small cave had been her choice for storing the weapons. They had to make sure they kept exact account of what they had and used it wisely. There was no telling how many or exactly what they would face. Silver bullets had proven useful on a number of different demons but hitting the right one in the chaos would not be easy. Riley's men were good, the best even, but in the end they were only human. There was only so much they could do. Most of it would be up to her. She actually longed for it. At least in a fight she didn't have to think, her body knew what to do. Slaying demons was what she was built for. The only thing she knew she could do well.
She got as far as twelve but it wasn't her mind that drifted this time. It was her senses. She wasn't alone. Her body went on high alert instantly, her hand griping one of the long knives lying in a neat pile next to her and with the other hand she reached for a sword. Seconds later she had forced the knife deep into the gut of a demon, moving in on the other before the first one hit the floor. She quickly took in the scene in front of her. Demons where coming out of the cave wall. Apparently the High Priestess had neglected to mention that there was more than one gateway down here. They weren't just any demons either; these were warrior demons, the worst kind. She found herself laughing out loud. This was just what she needed, a little boost to get her mind working again. Steel clashed against steel and the foul smell of demon intestines filled the small cave. She barely felt the pain as one of the demons threw her down onto the hard stone floor. She easily rolled out of the way and his sword hit nothing but solid rock. He actually looked a bit surprised when her knife pierced his chest a second later. Unfortunately these demons didn't vanish in a pile of dust or a puff of smoke and it was becoming rather difficult to get around the bodies without stumbling. Luckily the demons had the same problem and they were a lot clumsier than she was.
She quickly got rid of two more before the others suddenly stopped and pulled back. They looked intently on something to the left of her. Slowly, with every muscle in her body tensing, she turned. She didn't think anything particular at that moment, just that whatever it was she would defeat it or die trying. Riley or his men would soon get here and in this small space they could easily take whatever came out of that gateway, one at a time. Of course, there was one thing she hadn't thought of. Angel.
"Hi there, Buf. It's nice to see you again. You look good." He smiled and moved a little closer. "I'm glad to see you haven't lost your touch." Angelus gestured towards the three dead demons. Buffy just stared at him. When the knife and sword glided from her hands and dropped to the floor with a loud clank she flinched, inhaled hard and started to back up. All she could think was; no not again! The face was Angel's but the eyes; cold, dark and evil... She knew those eyes well. They had been in her nightmares, awake and asleep. Now they hypnotized her, pinned her to where she stood. He moved in carefully, slowly, like a cat stalking a mouse, maneuvering it into a corner. She forced herself to breathe. Everything felt like slow-motion. She could see every move he made so clearly, she knew he would kill her and yet she couldn't stop it.
He steadily moved in closer to her, holding her gaze. Soon his tall, muscular body was next to hers and she closed her eyes. His lips gently touched hers and unable to prevent it she let her mind wander to a different time. She could feel his face change and she held her breath. The sharp pain in her neck passed quickly and as he began to drink her she felt a strange sense of relief. She remembered this feeling well. Her heart started beating faster, her breathing became more intense. He moved in closer, his arms embracing her, holding her tight. She could feel all of him and she realized how much she had missed him. Far off in the distance she heard a roar, loud thumps, something crashing. But it didn't concern her. Soon her legs would give out, she would fade, no more pain, no more fear. Then suddenly he was torn away from her. His arms let her go and she fell to the floor. She saw Spike standing there, his eyes glowing with rage, a wooden stake in one hand, a sword in the other. That was the last thing she saw before she drifted out of consciousness.
Spike shifted his stance and forced himself to silently count backwards from ten. Up until a few years ago, Spike had always thought of himself as a warrior and little else. If someone had enraged him he simply killed him. Lately though, he had been forced to learn to control himself. Killing wasn't always the answer and in this case it wasn't even an option. Angelus had to live or all would be lost. He knew that, but fighting the urge to kill him proved harder than anything he had ever had to do before. His former mentor licked the remaining drops of blood from his lips with a satisfied grin.
"Yeah, just as I remembered it. Best blood in the world, Slayer blood, but you already know that, right? Of course Buffy has her very own deliciousnes about her. I'm sure there's some left if you want a taste." Angelus smiled as arrogantly as ever before and he had to draw on every bit of strength in him not to launch into a killing spree. There were two other demons left, he could at least kill them. But Angelus clearly wasn't going to leave until Buffy was dead and as he suddenly launched at her Spike had no choice but to fight him. But just to be on the safe side he let go of the stake and concentrated on the sword. Even if killing him was out of the question there was no reason why he couldn't hurt him.
The sword pierced Angelus skin, just below the heart and Angelus groaned in pain. He had apparently calculated on the other demons preventing him from getting to him, but they just stood there, hesitating, seemingly contemplating whether or not to go back to the safety of their own dimension. Angelus cursed them, then grabbed a sword and blocked Spike's next move. The two vampires then tore at each other with a passion, cutting through everything around them that wasn't made of metal or stone. Wooden boxes were chopped into pieces leaving lots of wooden stakes around. In an elegant move Angelus then moved in, punched his fist into Spike's skull with full force. Spike fell back, dropped his sword, got up only to feel Angelus fist hit him again, and again and again. He didn't remember Angel being this strong. His head was ringing and all he could think of was Buffy. She was lying under some debris just a few feet away. If he failed to get up now Angelus would kill her. He couldn't let that happen. He spat out some blood and was just about to get up when he saw the stake coming at him. He had nowhere to go, trapped between the floor, the wall and one really pissed off super-vampire. For a second he thought for sure his time was up. Dying at the hands of the true hero, what would that make him? A sad footnote in history no doubt. Then he heard guns firing. Angelus rammed the wood in his chest, but the bullets fired in his back made him miss his heart. Riley was standing by the entrance, one of the remaining demons lay dead at his feet while the other one was scrambling to make it back through the gateway. Angelus yelled at him to come back and fight but he was gone. With Riley's men gathering outside and Spike slowly getting up, there was nothing more for Angelus to do but accept defeat and hurl himself through the gateway. As soon as he was gone Spike fell to the floor again. The piece of wood was still stuck in his chest and he pulled it out, biting off a cry of pain. He closed his eyes for a moment. He knew the image of Angel with his teeth in Buffy's neck was one he would never forget. He should never have left her alone. He had made a promise.
Hands grabbed him, helping him up. Riley was carrying the still unconscious Buffy in his arms, while barking orders to bring everything back to the main cave. But all he wanted to do was run away, far away where he couldn't disappoint anyone again.
Angelus tumbled through the gateway and landed rather ungracefully on the floor. He clenched his teeth hard, focused his rage and rose slowly, his eyes fixed on the demon standing a few feet away. The warrior demons of the Garuli clan always bragged about being the best warriors in all dimensions but as Angelus closed in on him he didn't look so brave.
"You call yourself a warrior!" He spat out the words with as much contempt as he could manage. "You had a simple job to do. Get me close to the Slayer and keep everyone else away. But at the first sign on trouble, what do you do? You tucked your pathetic little tail between you legs and ran!" At this point he was close enough to rip the demons throat out and that was exactly what he was about to do when he saw the Teacher approach. He took a step back, not sure if the Teacher would like it if he killed one of his soldiers. Dacq'ilion stopped and eyed a deep wound in his side. He hadn't even noticed it himself.
"Are you all right son?" the Teacher asked gently and he nodded quickly.
"Yes Teacher. I'm fine." He looked down at his wound so no one would notice how overwhelmed he felt at his Teacher's concern. "It'll heal."
"Good. Did you get her?" He made the question seem a simple one, as if they were talking about fishing. He cringed. As much as he hated the Garuli demons and their weakness, he hated disappointing the Teacher more.
"No Teacher." he said quietly, lowering his head. "I failed. But she is badly wounded..." his voice filled with hope at that last part. Maybe it would be enough.
"Wounded but not dead." The Teacher's voice was smooth as silk and he glided closer to him while the object emanating from his forehead started to glow faintly. Angelus closed his eyes and steeled himself, knowing what would come. The Teacher gently touched his forehead and all that had happened in that cave rolled up before his eyes again, followed by excruciating pain. He tried not to scream but he couldn't bear it for long. He could hear his own hollering in the distance and cursed himself for not keeping silent. When the Teacher was done with him, he collapsed on the floor, shaking. So much for passing himself off as impressive and powerful. When he looked up, though, the Teacher had turned his attention on the Garuli demon and he looked even less brave then he had before.
"I sent you on a mission, did I not." The Teacher's voice had become cold as ice. "To ensure that Angelus could complete his, yes?" The Garuli demon started to stammer then finally said,
"But he wasn't killing her, he... he... he was drinking...and not killing..." he stopped short as the Teacher moved in closer.
"Yes. Angelus was drinking. And had he been allowed to drink a little more, the Slayer could have been one of us. But you failed in your mission and now she is not dead and not one of us." He tilted his head slightly, his voice almost seductive when he continued, "What do you think is going to happen to you now?"
Angelus smiled happily. He pulled himself off the floor and one of the Teacher's helpers brought him a chair. He had missed this, watching the Teacher in action. It had been too long. It didn't matter that the Slayer was still alive. She was as good as dead anyway. They would meet again soon and then he wouldn't let anything get in the way of making her one of them. A vampire slayer turned vampire! Priceless! He would be remembered for all eternity. He laughed out loud as he watched the Teacher slowly kill the warrior demon in an ingeniously painful way.