Chapter Four

"Do you know the spell?" Tara asked.

"No, but I know who does. But he can be a lit-tle bit difficult sometimes, especially since he's kind of pissed at me right now."

"You're talking about D'Hoffryn?" Willow asked.

Anya nodded.

"So, if he's pissed at you, and he won't help, then why even bring it up at all?" Buffy was getting aggravated at Anya, a common occurrence.

"I didn't say he wouldn't help, it's just that he'll want something from me. Something I don't think I'm willing to give."

"Well, maybe I can ask him. I still have the amulet he gave me after Oz left."

Everyone looked at her, puzzled and alarmed.

"You remember -- when I did that spell that made Giles go blind, and Xander was a demon magnet, and Buffy and Spike . . . ."

"We remember!" Buffy exclaimed.

"Are you sure it will be safe to ask D'Hoffryn for the spell?" Giles asked. "And do we really want to send Buffy back to find this Xena?"

"It can't hurt to ask," Willow answered. "And as far as going back, I think that's up to Buffy."

"It's not so much the going back I'm concerned about," Buffy said. "It's the coming home part. How will that work?"

"It will be part of the spell," Anya said. "There will be some kind of magical phrase or word you'll have to say, or something you'll have to do to come back to the present."

"I guess it's up to you," Giles said to Buffy.

Buffy looked at each of them, then made her decision.

"Willow, if you can get the spell, then I say let's go for it."

"Can I go, too?" Dawn asked.

"NO!" Everyone answered at once.

In less than fifteen minutes Willow had reappeared in the Magic Shop from the Underealm where D'Hoffryn ruled, and she had the spell. It was written on a very, very old piece of parchment, in proto-Sumerian, a language that even Giles was unsure about. Fortunately, Willow had no trouble reading it, thanks to a second favor from D'Hoffryn.

"What should I wear?" Buffy asked. "Should I take any weapons, or food? And what about a sleeping bag, or a tent? Or money? And how will I understand what people are saying to me? And how will they understand ME? How will I get back again?"

"The language won't be a problem. That's part of the spell. I suppose you could take something to eat. Maybe like trail mix or granola. Something that won't look too suspicious," Willow explained. "Don't know about the money part, or the clothes,"

"We've got books on Greece in the school library," Dawn said. "And they've got pictures of women in them. Mostly they wore linen or wool tunics and cloaks and sandals. Some of them wore head bands, and some had their hair up in braids."

"That sounds simple enough. Maybe I won't need any money. And if I'm lucky, maybe I'll find Xena before too long."

"You should take a tent, and hide it somewhere." Tara suggested.

By the time all the details were worked out, it was almost 9 pm. Buffy decided she would wait and leave the next morning, after a good night's sleep and a large breakfast.

By the time she was ready to go, Buffy had a tent, a sleeping bag, ten bottles of water, a dozen candy bars and bags of trail mix, suitable clothes (they hoped), and an amulet with words on the back she was to recite when she was ready to come home.

"I can't read this!" she complained. "It's in Greek."

"But once you're there, you will be able to. It's part of the spell," Willow explained.

"But how will I find her?"

"It's part of the spell. You should be within fifty to a hundred yards of her. You just have to look around for a woman who looks like a warrior princess."

"You know," Anya said, "I was really surprised D'Hoffryn gave you the spell just like that. That sure doesn't sound like the D'Hoffryn I know."

"Well, he did say there might be a peculiar effect or two, but nothing to really worry about."

"If we're going to do this, then let's do it," Buffy told them, not wanting to hear any more negatives about her excursion.

Willow poured sacred sand in a circle around Buffy and her supplies, lit incense, and began chanting in the proto-Sumerian.

And with no fanfare, no flashes of light, no sound, Buffy simply disappeared.

It was early morning when Buffy left Sunnydale, but she could tell now it was almost sunset.

"Great! Just great!" Buffy said as she took stock of her things. "No tent, no sleeping bag, no food, no water! You're a real comedian, aren't you, D'Hoffryn!" she yelled out. "Where are my freakin' CLOTHES!"

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