Chapter 16

Angel glanced over at Willow with an unnerving sensation that something didn't smell quite right. She had bluntly refused to talk about what had happened inside the Path of Rangal, and it made his hair stand on end. What was she hiding? She was gathering far more energy than necessary, forming a large energy ball in her hand. Now she hurled it at the stone tablets that held the Path of Rangal with enough force to burn through a wall. He shared a concerned look with Buffy as the tablets were turned into dust and the mist hiding the Path vanished. The space that covered the Path of Rangal, as it turned out, wasn't much larger than five paces from the gates. They all stared at the small space they had covered in what felt like an eternity of time. Even Giles looked a little startled.

"Hm. I assume time was as distorted in there as space?" he asked thoughtfully, turning towards Willow. She was focusing on the doors leading in to the next room and hardly reacted, just nodded and said distantly,

"We've lost no more than a few minutes in real time."

"So how much time do we have left before the ceremony?" Xander asked nervously and Giles looked at his watch. He tapped it a few times then shrugged. Apparently watches didn't work in here.

"A little over an hour, normal time that is." Fridha put in and gave Xander a comforting nod. Giles gave her a surprised look. "I sense the magic of the crystal." she explained and Giles seemed to understand. Angel on the other hand couldn't help but wonder just how accurate her sensations were.

He forced himself to relax. He had worked long enough with the women in this coven to know they were good. And it was Willow who led them after all. He trusted her, he knew her. The images of Buffy torn to pieces still haunted him, though. The Rangal had done its job well in pinpointing his worst fears. The thought of losing Buffy was like a thorn in his chest. It used to be nothing more than a vague itch but now it was a constant, pulsating pain that left him staggering at times. After the kissing earlier, it had gotten increasingly worse. The memories of her touch, of her warm body next to his, all of it was burning in his mind. He wanted more, wanted her all the time, and it was tearing him apart. At the same time he had never felt stronger. When she looked up at him it was as if nothing existed but her. When she smiled all his pain vanished and he wanted to pick her up and take her away somewhere they could be safe. No more death, pain or danger. But then she blinked and he was brought back to reality. Giles was standing next to Willow, studying the doors to the next room of hell.

These pair of doors was very different from the front gates. These were forged from some kind of black metal with red flourished writings all over them. After studying it for a moment he realized he had seen it before. He certainly wasn't fluent but he did understand enough to know that whatever was behind those doors wasn't going to be easy to fight.

"Ancient Micrelian if I'm not mistaken. A warning of some kind" Giles said thoughtfully then tilted his head a little as he tried to make sense of it. "Not really my area of expertise," he added a bit disappointedly, "but I think it refers to a creature of Coloria. Not too difficult to defeat, maybe a spell?" he gave Willow a questioning look, but she didn't move, her eyes still transfixed on the writings. Angel frowned a little.

"Are you sure?" he asked doubtfully, "The Colorian warnings usually come with a more elongated strophe. Their massive egos usually give them away" Giles gave him a surprised look.

"You read ancient Micrelian?"

"Some, yeah. Not fluently but…"

"He's right." Willow suddenly interrupted. "This refers to a shadow that cannot be destroyed."

"Ah." Giles said, clearly feeling a bit hurt.

"So what do we do?" Xander put in, getting restless.

"We go in." Willow stated calmly and reached for the doorknob.

"Wait a minute." Spike interject and temporarily pulled himself away from Kaya . "Shouldn't we at least figure out how to bloody kill whatever is in there before we go charging in?"

"He's got a point." Giles agreed but Willow bluntly cut him off.

"If we stop every time Catherine throws something new at us we'll never get anywhere. Now common!" She promptly opened the door and walked inside. It sounded a too much like an order and Angel felt an urge to growl. But Buffy didn't seem to have any problem obeying. She was already close on Willow's heel and as she turned to see what held up the others she gave him a questioning look.

"What's wrong, Angel? She's right, isn't she? I mean, we can't stay here all day, or Catherine will win."

After hesitating for a moment he decided to ignore the warnings emanating from his gut and followed her inside. It was a dimly lit room with no windows and the walls were shrouded in darkness even his enhanced eyesight couldn't penetrate. The parquet floor was laid in intricate patterns with at least a dozen different types of wood. Someone had gone through a lot of trouble creating a mystical convergence under their feet. The room itself wasn't large exactly, maybe forty feet or so in length. He could clearly see another door at the end, a similar door to the one they had just stepped through but without the warnings.

Spike and Kaya came in last and as they stepped over the threshold the heavy, metal doors suddenly swung shut with a loud boom. They all froze and turned. Spike stared at them.

"It wasn't me, you nitwits! They just shut themselves." Angel couldn't help but growl now as every inch of him could sense the danger lurking in the shadows.

"It's a trap." he growled, scanning the room. He could feel something stirring but he couldn't see it. He hated fighting things he couldn't see. Willow had already made it half way across the room with Buffy close by, when something moved. He sensed it rather than saw it and his face changed instantly. He felt an overpowering urge to protect Buffy but he didn't want to overreact, or overprotect, so he hesitated a second too long. She suddenly screamed in agony then fell to the floor shaking violently. A second later he scooped her up in his arms and held her tight, while desperately trying to locate the threat. Everything was silent, except for the heavy breathing of his teammates. Buffy was lying unconscious in his arms and he turned towards Willow with an intense desire to cause pain.

"You did this! You and your arrogance!" he snarled but she just stood there with tears in her eyes, staring helplessly at Buffy.

"Willow!" Xander screeched jumping around like mad. "This is no time to go Popsicle on us! What the hell are we fighting and where are they?"

"I…I don't know." she stuttered and looked around frantically.

"I hate to be the one to point this out," Spike said slowly, "but there's nothing in here. Nothing living anyway."

"Shadows!" Angel hissed, angry that he hadn't thought of it sooner.

"Yap, that would be my guess." Spike agreed calmly, then suddenly grabbed Kaya and pulled her off the floor. She gave a small yelp as she was hoisted into his arms and for a moment she actually looked as though it was some form of romantic gesture and put her arms around his neck. Spike on the other hand had his eyes firmly focused on the floor where a strangely shaped shadow slowly glided passed where Kaya had stood and continued towards him.

"Get out of the way!" Angel exclaimed but Spike didn't move, just clenched his jaws as he always did when he was being stubborn. As the shadow reached him he relaxed a bit and said in a failing attempt at unbothered,

"It can't harm us, apparently. You were standing on it when you grabbed Buffy. Maybe it can't kill things already dead." He watched the shadow closely as it seemed to flow over his boots then suddenly it withdrew and vanish into the darkness. Kaya exhaled loudly and made no effort to get back on the floor. Spike smiled a little. He didn't seem to mind holding on. Giles cleared his throat.

"Well, hmm. Interesting. I must say I've never actually encountered shadows that could harm anyone. Was it just me or did it appear… well…clever?"

"The bloody thing new what it was doing if that's what you mean." Spike said emphatically.

"I suggest we try to get out of here as soon as possible. Who knows when it will try again. We've lost enough to this thing. " Angel tried not to let his emotions show but as he heard his own voice it didn't really work. The fear of losing Buffy was more than he could bear. Suddenly she moaned and twisted slightly. He almost felt like crying. Willow was already making her way to the doors, while keeping a watchful eye on the floor. Then she stopped. A large shadow was slowly creeping along the floor towards her. She tried to send an energy ball at it but it didn't even slow down. As the shadow got closer she had no option but to back up. Fridha pulled something out of her backpack, a small vial with a greenish content. When the shadow had reached her she poured it over the black shape and they all watched intently. After a momentary stop it resumed its path straight for Fridha.

With the large shadow creeping up in front of them and two smaller ones cutting off their exit, the group soon found themselves trapped in the middle of the room, huddling together in a circle. Xander was standing at the edge, pushing Deanna to safety in front of him. A feeler of the shadow slowly reached out for him and before Angel had a chance to warn him it touched his heavy soled boot and Xander flew up in the air like a startled frog.

"Aooo!" he screamed and almost fell over Deanna. "That hurt!" he added as if that was necessary information.

"We need to get them through that door." Angel ordered, assessing the distance, trying to figure the odds if they ran. "We have to make sure it's open." he added and looked around for Spike. Maybe the Slayer could survive a full blown attack from one of these things but clearly the others wouldn't.

"I'll go." Spike declared and put Kaya back on the floor with the others and started to run towards the door.

"We'll have to carry you out." Angel said to the others, trying to keep them calm while watching the shadows with increasing concern. They were moving faster, as if they knew what they were doing. "Spike, hurry!" he shouted as the shadows were getting closer. The entire floor around the group was pitch-black now, as if it had been consumed by an endless abyss. It covered his feet and he could feel the evil in it. Buffy opened her eyes and looked around suspiciously.

"What's going on?" she asked, still dazed.

"You were attacked. Don't worry, we'll have you out of here in no time." he answered, trying to sound as confident as possible but by the look in her eyes he could tell she wasn't at all convinced.

Spike was wrestling furiously with the door. After he unsuccessfully tried to open it by hurling his body at it in full force, he stood still for a moment muttering to himself. Angel was beginning to panic. The shadows were reaching the group and even if Spike could get the door open there wasn't enough time to get them out. Suddenly Tess spoke the word, "Inlumino" and released a small flash of pure light. To his surprise the shadow she was aiming for gave up an eerie squeal then actually retreated slightly. Seconds later both Willow and Deanna were throwing similar flashes in every direction until a cascade of light engulfed the room. The shadows shrieked and hissed, building up into a deafening crescendo. At first it seemed they would succeed in defeating them as the shadows pulled back. But it was only temporary and as they appeared to get used to the lights the shadows returned far more aggressively than before. They still didn't like the lights but whenever they got a chance they shot their feelers at the group, especially the witches. Occasional moans of pain were heard as they frenetically tried to keep the shadows at bay. Spike gave up on the door and came running.

"Change of plans big guy. I'll take the girl, you get the door." He motioned for Buffy but Angel hesitated. Letting her go was harder then he liked to admit. As he hesitated she suddenly wriggled out of his arms and landed on the floor.

"I can stand on my own thank you." she announced but swayed a bit and both he and Spike made a move to catch her. "Oh, for heaven sake!" she exclaimed, pushing them away, "I'm not a child! Just get us out of here!"

In a few leaps Angel had reached the door and was now touching the cold metal of the door with his fingers for a moment, trying to assess its strength, then he focused all his anger onto it. With a loud boom the door gave in a little as his fist hit it but not enough to open. He aimed again, now with his entire body. The shadows behind him were getting louder and the groans of pain from his friends more immediate. He steeled himself then charged forward and forced the door open with a loud crash. He stumbled, then fell but got up within seconds. Buffy! That was the only thought in his mind as he raced back to get her. The lights flashing around them seemed to have less and less effect on the shadows and once again they were creeping closer. Angel ignored Buffy's objections, hoisted her up on his shoulder and ran. Spike had grabbed both Kaya and Mayling and came through the door seconds after him. As he sat Buffy down on the ground Angel got ready to go back for the others but right in that moment a white light flashed that blinded him for a second then he saw the rest running through the doorway. Spike and Xander helped close the doors again, as much as they could be closed after their rather forceful opening, but it didn't seem that the shadows could leave the room anyway.

After he made sure the immediate danger was averted Angel practically fell to the floor next to Buffy and pulled her as close to him as possible. He was shaking all over and as the realization of what could have happened hit him it was almost too much to take. But she just laughed a little and said jokingly,

"You're choking me." He didn't laugh though, just whispered,

"I almost lost you again." With that she stopped fighting his efforts to hold her and even moved in closer to him. She looked him deep in the eyes and said soothingly,

"Don't worry my love. I'm still here." Then she kissed him.

Willow started pacing restlessly up and down the hallway, trying to clear her head. She had been careless and Buffy almost died. She had almost lost Mayling too. How did Buffy live like this, being responsible for the lives of her friends? When she and Catherine had traveled the world and dimensions in the apparent charade of fighting evil, she had secretly hoped that one day she would be met with the same kind of respect that Catherine always received, the respect of a leader. And a part of her had probably always felt a nudge of jealousy towards both Buffy and Angel for the status they had. But now all she wanted was to sit in a corner and wait for them to tell her what to do. She was done with leadership! No more impossible decisions. No more responsibility. No more!

"Willow, could this be a Drakar labyrinth perhaps?" Giles asked her thoughtfully as he carefully peered inside the entrance of the labyrinth. She sighed. After successfully, of not gracefully, escaping the shadows they had found themselves at the beginning of one of Catherine's favorite pastimes - a labyrinth. Willow hated them, especially after spending three days trapped in one before Catherine had rescued her. Catherine knew how much she disliked them of course, that's why it was here. When Giles gave her a questioning look over his glasses she shook her head.

"No, sorry. A Drakanian labyrinth we might have been able to find a way out of. This is Catherine's own design, I'm afraid. And before you ask me for a map, I haven't got a clue how to get through it. She loved creating impossible labyrinths. Did it for fun, even. Not that she put anyone in them, except herself from time to time, or maybe I should say I don't think she did..." She paused for a moment, then added with a sigh of resignation, "Then again, what would I know."

"Wait a minute?" Xander exclaimed, "Are you saying we're trapped here?"

"It would appear so." she answered faintly.

When she heard how defeated she sounded she flinched. Was this what Catherine had reduced her to? She glanced over at Buffy who was sitting on the floor, comfortably snuggled up in Angel's arms and watching her calmly. He watched her too, his dark eyes searching her face as if he was looking for something. A reason to doubt her maybe? She cringed. They were expecting her to, no counting on her to fix this, and she had no idea where to start.

"Why don't we just take a rope and tie one end here and see how far we get?" Xander asked in his usual optimistic way and started to pull a rope out of his backpack.

"Because this is no ordinary labyrinth." she answered patiently but without bothering to cover up the hopelessness she felt. "This is a magical one, it exist outside of time and space. You could tie a rope anywhere and it would still wind up nowhere. You walk in there you'll be lost within a few turns."

"An unravel spell could work." Tess suggested in her heavy Australian accent. Willow felt like crying.

"No it won't work! Do you honestly think Catherine would create something that could be broken that easily? We barely got through the cloaking spell! And that she wasn't even that good at." She realized she was shouting and blushed violently. This was no way for a High Priestess to act. She had to pull herself together. Their stares felt like knifes to her body. Tess straightened into her full length and as she approached Willow suspicion was written on her plain, square face.

"Just because you and Catherine had a special…" she paused for dramatic effect, "…relationship doesn't mean you're the only one who understands her. I knew her long before you came to the coven and I think an unravel spell will work. Quite frankly I'm surprised at you for resisting so stubbornly." There was a deathly silence as the tall woman clearly challenged her. Then she delivered the ultimate blow by adding accusingly, "Don't you want us to get out of here?" Willow found it hard to breathe. Wasting time and energy on a spell she knew wouldn't work went against everything she had learnt. But if the others thought she was working against them it would be equally bad. Tess now turned to the others for support and declared assertively,

"I am confident I can make it work." Willow sighed heavily and nodded.

"Fine, give it a try. Just be careful."

As Tess gathered herself to perform the spell Willow used the time to think. If Tess was successful here the coven would probably choose her as High Priestess when this was over. A part of her was glad, but it felt strange. She had spent the better part of seven years preparing for this role and now it seemed it might not have been meant to be after all. Tess began the chant and in an elegant motion she released the spell. She was very good at her craft and she was strong. Perhaps the coven would be better off with… Suddenly Willow felt a tingle at the back of her neck. Something was wrong.

Tess was standing at the base of the hallway and to her left was the entrance to the labyrinth where she had directed her spell. A faint shimmer hovered there now, signaling that the spell might have worked but as the others rejoiced and Tess looked at them with a confident smile, Willow felt a growing sense of alarm. What if Catherine had anticipated this move? What trap would she have put in motion to punish the one attempting to unravel her labyrinth? Seconds later Willow heard herself scream as she rushed over to try to get Tess out of harms way but she was too late. A surge of energy poured out of the entrance, enough to engulf them all. In that moment it was as if time froze. She could see it all in slow-motion; the pale, yellowish flame that she knew was designed to suck the breath out of every living creature and in its path were the people she cared about more than anything else. Without hesitation she summoned the powers to build a protective shield to prevent the flame from reaching them. Tess was already on the floor gasping for air, consumed by the energy flame, and as long as she remained there Willow couldn't break the spell she had cast, not without killing her. Then it dawned on her, vampires didn't need air!

"Spike." she heard herself say with a firm voice, "Pull her out." It was a direct order and the vampire obeyed without flinching. He quickly walked through the protective shield, into the flames and hoisted Tess over his shoulder and walked out. He carelessly dropped her in front of Willow and asked with a look of satisfaction,

"Now what?"

"Get out of my way." she said as calmly as she could and while she motioned for Cassandra to check on Tess she walked up to the protective shield and breathed deeply. She knew how to do this, she just had to concentrate.

After a rather longwinded chant the energy flame slowly burned out and she released the protective shield. She inspected the entrance, hoping against hope that perhaps it had done some damage on the weaves that held the labyrinth but it was intact. Tess was still on the floor with Cassandra working her healing. At least the woman was still alive. Willow had never felt so disheartened. With Tess down they were one powerful witch less and even if they could find a spell to break this labyrinth they might not have enough strength to do it. She kneeled next to Tess and gently stroked her hair.

"I should have known." she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else.

"I wasn't your fault, child." Fridha said sadly. "But we still have to find a way out. I believe a few Mangali chants might produce sufficient guidance through the labyrinth."

"No it won't!" Willow cried out more loudly than she had planned and rose to face her, to face all of them. "Why is this so hard to understand? The labyrinth is an ingeniously simple and cost-effective way of making sure people don't get to where they want to go. And our beloved High Priestess spent hours and hours constructing them to perfection. No magic is going to work here, don't you get that!"

She was angry now, angry at Catherine, angry at herself for believing in Catherine. So angry she wanted to cry. Suddenly Buffy untangled herself from Angel's embrace, and grabbed her sword.

"Buffy, it's not a thing you can kill." Willow said desperately but Buffy just turned towards her with a smile.

"You know what I've learnt over the years? When everything else fails, do the unexpected." With that she turned towards the labyrinth, but instead of hitting the entrance she aimed her sword at the wall in front of them. It was clearly a wall of solid bricks, built to force the travelers to enter the labyrinth. But instead of accepting the impenetrability of the wall Buffy rammed her sword straight into it. Willow shook her head jadedly. Buffy must have lost her mind. There was no point in trying to bring a wall down, it had no effect on the labyrinth or the magic that created it, nor did it change the inevitable…suddenly she gasped. Buffy's sword had penetrated the wall and as she pulled it out again there was a glimpse of light in the tiny hole her sword left behind. When she perforated the wall again, seemingly effortlessly, she twisted the sword horizontally and the magic of the labyrinth suddenly began to shimmer. Willow's heart started racing. Of course! This was the one weakness Catherine wouldn't bother fortifying! The one thing she would never have thought anyone would attack.

Angel and Spike swiftly joined Buffy and for every blow they inflicted on the wall the magic faded a little more. Within a few minutes the only thing left was the murky hallway and the wooden door that led into the next room.