Chapter Seventeen – Master of the Inner Planes
Lady Aydin found herself in an unfamiliar position. She was in the gazebo (Willow had floated her through the maze). But the gazebo was no longer in the garden. Gray had reconfigured the maze into a pattern she did not recognize. After everyone was seated he somehow managed to transport the entire gazebo, and everyone in it, to the Astral Plane.
She needed to revise up her estimates of Sir John's powers. It was one thing to separate one's mind and spirit from their physical body and enter the Astral, it was quite another to segment an entire chunk of reality from the physical world and transport it into the Astral Plane.
Willow had loosened the restrictions on her movements and she could move her head to examine her environment. Everything had a faint glow. A mist obscured her vision. She observed the people around her. Both Willow and Gray gave off powerful blue glows that seemed to interact with mist, both drawing power from it and controlling it. Rupert, Eric and Caitlin all gave off similar blue glows, but far less powerful than Willow's and Gray's.
But Faye and Dawn drew her full attention. Faye glowed a bright red. Lady Aydin saw the power flowing off of her. Faye looked even more predatory. The Slayer was a creature born to the hunt.
Dawn's glow was predominately Green. But Lady Aydin could see streaks of red dance across the surface. Perhaps that came from being the sister of a Slayer she thought. The green glow at first seemed muted compared to Willow or Gray but after a few moments study Lady Aydin came to the conclusion that it hid far greater power. The red and the green, almost like two different sources of power contained in one person. The mist seemed to respond to Dawn's presence even more than any of the others. Almost like she was born to it.
The gazebo itself seemed intact. Nothing existed outside its boundaries. All Lady Aydin could see was the mist. At first it seemed white, tinged with a touch of blue. After a few moments she noticed the color green like a filter placed over her eyes. She turned her attention back to Gray.
She watched as he opened his eyes and began to look around. He seemed younger here. After looking at everyone else gathered in the gazebo his gaze finally settled on her. He smiled and motioned to Willow. She made a gesture with her hand and Lady Aydin found herself able to move freely. Gray spoke.
"I have brought us here to the Inner Planes because here, there can be no lies. No hidden truths. No bindings. No false oaths. Here, you are free to speak. Here, the compulsion spell has no power," he paused. Lady Aydin watched as he gathered his power. "In order to render an accurate judgment on this matter I must be certain of both the petitioners and the one whose actions are being judged. Here both must give a full account of themselves. Faye, you are the one who brings this petition before me. State your case."
Faye took a deep breath, "I had a vision. In a dream I saw this Wizarding world, cut off, isolated from the rest of world, dying. In that same dream I saw a man. His features were distorted almost snake like. He was killing his people. Many of my sister Slayers have had similar dreams. To a Slayer these dreams are a call to action. We must stop this man and find a way to save these people from their isolation. Lady Aydin has information that is critical for us to complete this mission. Only by removing the compulsion do we have a real chance at success."
Lady Aydin found herself staring at Faye. The Slayers were guided by dreams. She had no idea they possessed such abilities. She had always assumed the Slayer was just a warrior, that the Watchers provided the guidance. She was being forced to revise many of her old assumptions this evening. Her attention returned to Gray. She expected him to address her next. She was surprised when his attention turned to Rupert.
"Rupert, you are not a Slayer," Gray said. "What is your roll in this matter?"
"I am a Watcher," Giles answered. "My duty, the duty of all Watchers, is to support the Slayers. Where they go, where they lead, we follow."
Gray nodded his head. "Willow?"
"I too am a Watcher," Willow paused. "But more than that. I called the Slayers. Faye, the others, they wouldn't be here, wouldn't have these responsibilities, if hadn't cast the spell. I'm responsible to them. I have to help."
Again Gray nodded his head. "Eric?"
Eric took his time. He seemed lost in thought. "My father died with his Slayer. They died stopping a demon from killing a group of children. My grandfather raised me to take over stewardship of the Slayer line. I know the old council had its flaws; I had many arguments with grandfather about them, but there were a lot of good people there. Many of them were my friends. I fight to honor their memories. Besides I can't sit at a desk all day, I gotta get my hands dirty."
Gray smiled. "Dawn?"
"I know too much to walk away," Dawn said. "And I know I have the ability to help. I'm also a Summers girl. This is what we do."
Gray seemed to take his time studying Dawn. After a few seconds he nodded his head. His attention finally Lady Aydin, "Sophia, Faye has stated that she is being called to aid the Wizarding world in its present battle. She believes the knowledge you posses is essential to winning this battle. I remind you there is no compulsion here. You can speak freely of the Wizarding world. If I find that compulsion needs to remain, then no one will remember what you say here. So I ask Sophia, what is this threat that faces the Wizarding world?"
"A wizard named Tom Riddle, he calls himself Lord Voldemort, has recently been revived," Lady Aydin started her tale. "He seeks to destroy everyone in his world who doesn't meet his definition of a 'pure' wizard. He has gathered a large following among his people and we're fairly certain he has nominal control over the leadership of the Wizarding world. No one in their world is acting to stop him. I fear that I will be left with declaring the Covenant void as my only option. That would mean revealing the existence of the Wizarding world and by extension all magic to the world at large."
Lady Aydin took a breath, "We have spent a great deal of time learning how to combat wizards, but our resources are inadequate for the conflict ahead. Frankly we need help. But the Covenant prevents me from seeking that help."
Gray closed his eyes. The glow around him intensified. Eric looked over at Caitlin.
"What's happening?" he asked.
"He is communing with the Masters of the Inner Planes," she replied. "Verifying the truth of what you have said and determining the proper course of action."
After another minute Gray's eyes opened. He looked at Sophia and smiled.
"Sophia," he started. "It is my judgment that the compulsion no longer serves a function. As a result, it will be lifted. You now have the freedom to choose who learns of the existence of the Wizarding world. This is a duty that falls only to you. The others are still bound by the Covenant. They can only speak if you grant leave to speak and then only to those you choose. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Sophia, this is not a light burden that is being placed upon you. You now serve as the bridge between two worlds. In your hands rests the fate of the Wizarding world. I sense that this Tom Riddle, Voldemort, whatever he chooses to call himself, is but the first challenge you will face. Choose wisely trust your instincts. In the end all magic flows together."
Again Gray closed his eyes. Lady Aydin watched as the mist dissipated. The world outside the gazebo became real again. They were back at the center of the maze. Gray opened his eyes. He looked older, drained. Caitlin walked over to his side and began to examine him.
"I am quite alright Caitlin, merely tired," he said. "There is reason I don't do such things very often. I thank you for your assistance Willow."
"It was an honor Gray," Willow replied.
"The hour has grown quite late," Gray said. "Time moves differently in the Inner Planes. Litton has prepared rooms," Gray turned his attention to Sophia. "The others had already planned on staying the night. I had Litton take the liberty of preparing rooms for you and Montgomery. You are free to stay. I would like to speak with you tomorrow morning."
"Your invitation is most generous Gray," Lady Aydin replied. "It has been many years since I last enjoyed the hospitality of Oakwood. I need to make a few calls but I will stay the evening."
"Litton and Montgomery are waiting for us at the entrance to the maze," Gray said. "Let us join them."
A/N - Apologies for the delay in updating. I got hit upside the head by real life a couple of weeks ago. Things have finally settled down into their usual chaos so I should be updating more often.