Dalton strode purposefully through the dark alley. In his arms, he toted a cardboard box of books that he had used for researching the Rite of Cyperion. The vampire planned to offer them to Mr. Giles as a peace offering. It wasn't that Isiah wanted to help thwart the Master's plan. He lacked that particular bit of altruistic feeling in his remaining humanity. He was honestly just hoping that the librarian might be inclined to share some of his literary riches in exchange for his assistance. In his mind, life was all about the words and Rupert Giles had some beautiful words in his possession.
Since he was slightly nervous about approaching the human, the vampire was preoccupied going over possible things to say once he reached the library. Although Buffy had assured him that no one would harm him if he offered no threat, Isiah was still worried. He practiced and discarded a number of possible openings for his upcoming meeting. His mental conversation was tickled from his attention as a shiver of unpredicted dread traveled up his spine. He quickly glanced around in the darkness. Not seeing anything to have caused the fear reaction, the vampire hurried from the alley and onto the sidewalk. Unexpectedly, he slammed into another pedestrian. His box flew from his hands and he scrambled to catch it before it hit the ground and damaged the old tomes. Happily, he was able to secure the box before calamity struck.
The man with whom he collided was not as lucky. He bounced off the vampire, his metal briefcase flew from his hand, and it skittered across the sidewalk. The middle aged man landed on his butt with a grunt of pain. With a surprising amount of speed and a complete disregard for his dress pants, the human scrambled across the sidewalk on his hands and knees until he reached his case. He stood quickly and glanced nervously down the street in the direction he had traveled. He completely ignored Dalton while he skittishly searched the poorly lit area for something or someone.
Dalton barely resisted the urge to shift to his demon face to give the rude fellow a real reason for fear. Remembering his promise to both Buffy and Spike, the vampire suppressed the desire. Instead, he shifted his box in his arms again and asked if the gentleman was okay.
For the first time, the pedestrian actually acknowledged Isiah. He assured him that he was fine before explaining that he really was in a hurry to reach the high school. Without waiting for any type of reply, the stranger turned and started down the main street.
The creepy shiver of fear crawled up Dalton's spine once more. He glanced in the direction the man had come but did not see anything concerning. Shaking his head, he hastened after the human.
"Not much happening this time of night at the school," Dalton offered companionably as he caught up and adjusted his pace to match the edgy gentleman's gait.
Glancing nervously over his shoulder for yet another scan of the surroundings, the fellow explained that he was looking for Rupert Giles and that he hoped that he would be in the library since he was not at his flat.
Dalton nodded.
"He will most likely be there," the vampire confirmed as they reached another alleyway. Dalton paused in his stride. "I am on my way to see him also."
When the stranger went to continue down the street, Dalton called to him.
"This way is faster," he offered as he shifted his elbow to point towards the alley.
The gentleman glanced one more time down the empty street before nodding and following Dalton into the dark passage between two closed stores. No light shone in the small alley that would barely allow a compact car to pass. Both pedestrians hurried through the darkness towards the light at the end of the passage. Two sets of footsteps echoed through the darkened space in an eery reminder of the solitude of the situation.
Most days, Dalton would have been tempted to grab the foolish man who readily followed him into the alley. Today, he had more important plans than his stomach. It wasn't often the vampire had a chance to snack on prime blood but he knew his situation was tenuous at best. He didn't want to anger either Spike or Buffy. Disappointing either one could end in his untimely dusting. With a sigh at the missed opportunity, the vampire led his companion out of the darkness. They crossed another street and walked onto the poorly lit campus of Sunnydale High School.
"The back entrance to the library is this way," Dalton instructed as he motioned again with his elbow.
They walked in silence for a few more minutes as Dalten led them unerringly around the main building, through the open quad with its scattered picnic tables and down a short sidewalk passage towards another wing of the main building. The vampire shuffled the box of books until he could reach for the door handle. As Buffy promised, the lock wasn't engaged and Dalton led the stranger into the back stacks of the library. The vampire shrugged but didn't comment as his companion made a point of locking the door behind them. They could hear the mumble of voices as they trailed through the tall bookcases filled with all manner of books that few students at Sunnydale High School had any interest in reading.
Stepping into the main area of the library, the arrival of Dalton and the stranger was ignored in the bustle of unexpected activity for after hours in a school library. Everyone was busy.
Willow sat at the library computer pulling files from the coroner's office and cross referencing it with stories from the Sunnydale Press.
On the opposite side of the table, Cordelia sat with an open book in front of her. The pretty brunette flipped pages of the spell book and stuck a sticky tab on a page for later review by Mr. Giles. Although she normally only offered support under protest, the popular cheerleader had been traumatized by Darryl's attempted kidnapping and was more than willing to put in a little time with the weird and wiggy specialists if it ensured she wasn't targeted again.
Beside the distracted cheerleader, Anya read from a text dedicated to various forms of undead. She called out occasional questions towards Buffy who was practicing precision point attacks on Giles' newly reconstructed dummy. The former demon crossed ghouls from her notepad when Buffy confirmed that Darryl was able to communicate verbally and understand speech. The list already had a number of undead categories eliminated in their pursuit of discovering just what the former football player was and how to defeat him. They had determined he wasn't a hopping corpse, a revenant, a kyrkogrim, or a lich.
Anya turned the page. Her lips pursed slightly and she shook her head in annoyance. She ran repeated slashes through the word draugr. She was offended that the information in the Watcher's Council provided reference contained such obviously false facts. She fleetingly wondered how the organization ever succeeded in thwarting evil when they were so misinformed. The former demon snorted in disgust at the misplaced mythology about the undead from her homeland during her original human lifetime. Without even asking any questions, the young woman knew Darryl was not a legendary Norse creature.
Before Dalton could issue a greeting and call attention to their arrival, the library doors swung open and Xander and Oz thumped through the main entrance.
"We are so with the usefulness!" Xander called as he stumbled into the area with an armload of books. He thumped the heavy collection onto the wooden table beside Willow. "Found these in Chris Epps' locker. Think they are a clue."
Willow reached for the books.
"Grey's Anatomy, Mortician's Desk Reference, Robicheaux's Guide to Muscles and Tendons," the redhead read as she pulled free a folded piece of newspaper that was tucked between two of the large books. The main story on the newspaper page featured the same article she had noticed on the coroner's site. It highlighted the car crash that killed three cheerleaders from Fondren High. One of the girls was Meredith Todd who happened to be the same corpse Buffy and Willow had found removed from her grave the night Spike killed and turned Chris and Eric.
Willow offered her best friend a grin and praised his find.
"That is definitely a clue," she confirmed as she flipped open the first large reference book. Grey's Anatomy's pages fell easily apart to a section on organ systems. Neat notes were inked in the border of the page.
Buffy approached the table. Her nose crinkled as she frowned. She absently wiped sweat from her face with a hand towel as she considered the newly discovered clues. She tossed the used towel over her shoulder and leaned over Willow's shoulder.
"So are we thinking Chris put Darryl back together?" the blonde asked as she glanced over the scientific material.
Willow and Xander nodded.
"So then what did they want with a dead girl?"
"He said he didn't want to be alone," Oz quietly offered as he held out a small poster of a woman assembled from a mismatched collection of magazine pictures of various female parts. "Found this in Eric's locker."
"EWWW," Buffy grumbled. "They were making him a girl friend?"
"Looks like," Willow answered as she continued to flip pages. She was utterly fascinated with the amazing science theory scribbled in the margins with Chris Epps' neat lettering. The ideas were ground breaking and well beyond her fruit fly experiment that she completed for her most recent science fair project. From the notes, it was pretty obvious that Darryl was actually the product of amazing science and not magic.
Cordelia squealed.
"Oh god... they must have wanted some of my parts for their Bride of Frankenstein."
Anya patted the distraught teen on the shoulder.
Buffy shook her head.
"Nah... think they just planned to turn you," she replied as she tapped one of the pages. "Why go to all this work when a simple drain and drink would have made you more than willing to embrace the evil. These plans were probably in place before Chris got vamped."
Cordy moaned. She wasn't sure which was worse. Vampire bride or jigsaw puzzle monster. Either would have been a horror for the popular teen.
The library doors swung open once more.
"Have we discovered anything?" Rupert called towards the collection of teens as he backed into the room pulling a library cart of materials that needed returned from use by one of the English teachers. Giles might be the guru of the supernatural but he still had a paying job that needed completed.
"RIPPER!" the stranger called from across the library.
All the teens jumped at the unexpected call. Giles stumbled and barked his shin against the wheeled cart. Muttering in pain, the librarian whipped around to search for the person who addressed him with his past persona. All eyes centered on the stranger to Sunnydale. Buffy slid protectively around her friends to face the intruders.
"Philip?" Rupert murmured as he took two steps towards the unexpected visitor.
Philip Henry raced down the steps from the stacks and made a beeline towards Giles. He dropped his briefcase and grabbed hold of Giles' upper arms.
"You're having the dreams, yes?" his old friend demanded without any preamble. Fear dripped from his shaky voice.
When Giles failed to instantly reply, his companion from his wayward youth shook him slightly.
"The dreams, man... you are having them too. You know what's coming."
This time it was more of a statement than a question.
Finally recovering from his shock, Giles nodded. The admission seemed to steal all the strength from his friend. Philip sagged against him and Rupert was forced to catch the man to help keep him on his feet. The shaken visitor settled his head against the librarian's shoulder and he body shook with soft sobs.
On silent feet, Buffy shifted across the library. She poked Dalton in the arm.
"Who'd ya bring us, Book-vamp?" she whispered.
Dalton just shrugged before replying in an equally quiet voice that he had no clue.
"Something's wonky," Buffy muttered.
Dalton nodded.
"Yeah, and I think that whatever is umm..." the vampire cringed at the horrible word he was about to utter. "Wonky... umm... was following him. Felt it outside. Unpleasant. Gave me shivers."
Buffy glanced towards the back entrance through the stacks.
"It's locked," Isiah volunteered.
Buffy nodded her thanks before moving towards Giles. The former Watcher and his old friend were muttering back and forth in a heated manner.
"Deidre's gone," Philip whispered with a voice laden with anguish. "Thomas too."
Pain flashed across Giles' face as his hand raised to clutch at his lower left bicep. "You're sure? Both gone?"
Henry nodded with his own horrified expression on his face. He too mirrored Giles' movement and grasped his arm in the same position. He took a deep breath before continuing.
"Taken whole. It's following the Marks. They are working like a homing beacon. I haven't been able to find Ethan so I'm not sure if he is still alive or gone also."
"He was here at Halloween," Giles murmured. "I haven't seen him since."
The visitor took a long, fortifying breath. He reached for his briefcase.
"I brought components and a copy of the Bond of Blood. We can make a try at banishing him. I have been working on the rites and incantations for years. I think I have perfected the one we require."
Giles frowned as he considered their chances of handling Eyghon with only the two of them for the spell.
"We barely survived with five of us, Philip. Just two of us won't be near strong enough," Giles warned.
His companion appeared desperate.
"But we have to try something. Otherwise we are all just dead men in sacrifice for our skins."
"Whoa... who said anything about dead men?" Buffy interrupted.
Suddenly remembering that they had an audience, Giles blustered "It is nothing, Buffy."
The distressed Brit glanced around the library.
"I believe you all should head home now. You can research more about Darryl tomorrow."
Buffy crossed her arms over her chest and shook her head.
"Nope, not gonna happen," the warrior informed the librarian.
Anger flashed across Rupert's face before he snapped in reply.
"This is none of your concern, little girl," Ripper informed Buffy as his eyes swept over the collection of high school students. His voice carried none of the softness or insecurity that often inhabited Giles' speech. It almost dripped with disdain and annoyance. It held a strange mix of aggression and authority which made all the students concerned. "You all need to leave."
Her own eyes narrowed and Buffy informed him that they were not going anywhere until he shared with the class. A silent staring match ensued between the two sides.
The battle of wills ground to a sudden halt as the two combatants trembled. From the other side of the room, Dalton shivered also. Phillip sobbed hysterically. The four occupants most in tune to the supernatural or specifically to the demon outside felt the jarring call of power scramble across their skin like sharp clawed crabs scuttle in the sand. Summers, Dalton, Giles and Henry turned to face the library stacks.
"It's here," whispered Giles as pounding began on the back door. The sound traveled through the bookshelves and galvanized the occupants into action. The high school students clamored from their places around the table and hurried to the opposite side of the room. Without any prompts, they shifted past Rupert, Buffy and Philip and clustered much closer to the swinging doors into the school hallway. After carefully placing his box of books on the floor under the heavy library table, Isiah timidly followed the retreat.
"Holy ground is our best defense," Philip stated firmly despite the debilitating fear racing through his body. Mr. Henry had fled across the ocean and the entire Northern continent in hopes of escaping his death at the hands of the dead body currently pounding on the back entrance. He had finally realized that fleeing was not a viable option. Their only chance of survival would be in containment and destruction of the dream-walking demon that had haunted them for twenty years. "It might hold Eyghon off long enough for us to do the Binding."
The newcomer glanced at the assembled teens with the first hint of hope blooming in his chest that he had felt in weeks.
"We have more than enough people present to successfully handle the distribution of powers for the Rite."
The sound of wood splintering as the door jam gave way under the assault traveled through the library. Mr. Henry moaned once more and began backing into the collection of wary students. He clutched his briefcase tightly against his chest.
"Holy ground, Ripper," Philip pleaded.
Instead of Giles answering, Xander volunteered the information that Grace Baptist Church was just down the street at the corner of Neyes Avenue and that they didn't lock their sanctuary doors until after the late night AA meeting was finished. The teen's mother had made a couple attempts at sobriety at the church. Even if the support group failed her, it did ensure that the church grounds would be accessible for their needs. After a quick glance at his watch, Xander confirmed that there was still almost an hour before the minister would close the sanctuary up tight.
Buffy glanced over her shoulder from her protective position between her friends and whatever demon was now plodding slowly through the book stacks.
"So go already," she ordered with a wave of her hand towards the door. Dalton was through the door before she had even finished moving her hand. After another glare from the previous Slayer, Buffy's friends followed the fleeing vampire. Still clutching his case against his chest, Philip fled after the Sunnydale teens.
"Buffy, you can't kill this thing. Eyghon's too powerful. It can inhabit any dead or unconscious body and influence dreams. With enough time and power, it can even alter reality," Giles warned with an edge of hopelessness in his tone as he refused to follow her order and leave.
Buffy offered him a smile.
"Right. Got it. Powerful magical demon. Never dealt with one of those before," Buffy deadpanned as she once more attempted to wave Giles from the library.
"Don't have to kill it though," she stressed with a peppy voice that she hoped would convince Giles to listen to her and leave. She didn't want him hurt or worse by whatever was plodding slowly towards them. "I just need to slow it down. Give you time to do your demon tying knot thing."
Torn between staying with his charge and following Philip to complete the only chance available for containment that he could consider, Giles faltered just long enough for the possessed body of Deidre Page to shamble into the library. Deidre's eyes glowed with an unholy light but her body had obviously been dead for a while. Her skin was a sickening greenish gray. Spots of decomposition were scattered across the surface. Her clothes hung from her body as if they were a size too large. Her nails curled into yellowed claws.
"R-I-P-P-E-R..." the possessed body called in a raspy parody of a loving greeting.
"Oh God... Deidre..." Giles murmured in horror. Frozen in dread by the sight of his friend's still moving dead form, Giles stood rooted in place while Buffy moved forward to meet the shambling monster. The demon possessed corpse growled at her while attempting to angle past her and towards Rupert.
"Oh no you don't," the teen informed the demonic corpse as she snapped a kick that struck it under the chin. The corpse stumbled back a few steps and shifted its attention from Giles to Buffy. Its eyes flashed green and it hissed like an angry cat.
"Get with the going!" Buffy ordered Giles as she pivoted on her lead leg and caught the demon in the chest with a spinning back heel kick that sent Eyghon's carrier crashing into the side of the restricted book section cage.
With one last concerned glance at his former Slayer, Giles rushed from the library. He ran awkwardly down the dimly lit hallway and slammed out the front door into the darkness of the school campus. Guiltily, he continued his flight towards Grace Baptist while Buffy faced off alone against the horror of his past.
The possessed body shambled towards Buffy once again. It raised its arms towards her and attempted to catch her neck in a choke hold. The teen easily sidestepped the ponderous attack. She followed her smooth evasion with a simple strike of her own. She stamped down her right leg directly behind the demon corpse's left knee while striking its body in the upper chest with her elbow and forearm. The force of the blow overbalanced the monster and Buffy propelled it towards the ground with her locked leg as a fulcrum point. As the body hit the ground, the teen skipped back from its grasping claws before stepping forwards once more and kicking the fallen body a bit like a striker in a heated soccer match. The tip of Buffy's foot caught the torso under her opponent's arm. The demon corpse skidded across the floor until it once more bashed against the metal cage.
Shuddering slightly, Deidre's possessed body staggered back to its feet. Although it glared at Buffy, it sidled along the edge of the reinforced frame towards the exit. There was obviously more thought in the demon's mind than just simple destruction. It knew its opponent was too strong to defeat in its incomplete form. It was attempting to flee and then pursue its true targets after its escape.
"Not done dancing with me," Buffy informed the demon as she shifted to intercept its retreat. "Can't change partners just yet."
She followed her verbal direction with another attempt to knock the possessed corpse to the floor with a spinning kick. This time, she didn't connect. Eyghon's stolen eyes flashed and a moment of disorientation slowed Buffy's attack. With a tiny stumble, the teen's heel passed by the demon's chest without hitting its mark. The momentary magically induced disequilibrium forced the girl to nod her head in slight confusion and she failed to notice the sweeping blow thrown by her opponent.
A fisted claw caught the side of Buffy's jaw and sent her spinning. The blow was not hard enough to bruise or break her skin, but a slight shock zapped the teen at the point of contact. Recovering in what she though was only a moment, the blonde spun to retaliate with a backhand but encountered only air. Deidres's possessed body was no longer near the library cage. In fact, the monster was no longer in the room at all. The corpse had fled in the magically manipulated time it took for her to respond.
Although Eyghon was not able to easily work its mind altering powers on one who did not welcome the demon inside freely, it was still able to influence minor elements in the physical world. Its touch had been key. When it struck Buffy's jaw, the demon had been able to just slightly bend her reality. What Buffy thought was only a heartbeat of time actually stretched into almost five minutes.
Confused, the teen searched the room for her demon opponent. There was no trace of it. A hint of panic caught in her throat and she had to force herself to calm her breathing. She pulled a stake from her pocket and concentrated on the smooth wood in her hand until she was ready to focus on the problem at hand.
The doors no longer swung in the wake of the demon's flight and Buffy rushed from the library in hopes of finding the possessed corpse. She couldn't feel any of its shiver-inducing energy nor could she see any evidence of the monster's passage. Fear for her friends knotted in her stomach as she sprinted from the building and towards Neyes Avenue. Desperately, she hoped that she wasn't too late.
She quickly flowed up the stairs of the church and yanked open one of the large double doors into the foyer. She skidded to a stop with her lungs heaving. She spared only a glance for Dalton who was nervously shifting from one foot to the other while watching the activities in the sanctuary.
Inside the rather large sacred space, Giles was directing the Scoobies in setting up for the binding ritual. Oz was slowly encircling the open area near the alter with black sand. Willow followed him and placed tiny votive candles just outside the protection circle. Cordy was crushing and mixing a collection of herbs in a wooden bowl while Xander was lighting the candles Willow placed. Philip had removed his suit jacket and shirt and Giles was covering his back, chest, arms and temples with black marker ink symbols of purity and protection.
Anya stood beside the vampire in the vestibule and she reached out and plucked at Buffy's arm when the teen moved to enter the worship space.
"You should stay out here," the former demon warned. "Your energies might mess up their work and I doubt they have time to start over."
She cast a frightened look over Buffy's shoulder and towards the church doors. She fully expected the shambling corpse to shuffle inside behind Buffy and start attacking them.
"It hasn't shown up here?" Buffy whispered while trying to sense the demonic presence anywhere in the vicinity.
Dalton and Anya both shook their heads in the negative. Buffy frowned. It made her uncomfortable that the demon wasn't acting the way she expected. If it was targeting Giles and his old friend, it should have followed them here. Absently, the teen twirled her stake in her hand as she took up a defensive position in the foyer. Buffy wanted to be ready for when it arrived. She slid easily into position with her back to the sanctuary and her eyes focused on the now closed double doors.
Isiah audibly swallowed when he saw the stake clasped expertly in Buffy's hand. He retreated backwards two steps until his back hit the wall. He shifted fearfully as he contemplated whether the little blonde or the demonic corpse were more of a threat to his existence. Dalton clutched at the bottom of his vest and worried the material between his fingers as he contemplated the best way to avoid a dusty end. A tiny whimper escaped from his lips and he slapped both his hands over his mouth when he realized he had allowed the sound to whisper into the quiet room.
Buffy looked over her shoulder at the unexpected sound of distress. She shook her head and sighed.
"Chill, Book-vamp. This stake does not have your name on it," the teen offered in hopes of relieving some of his tension.
"You put names on your stakes?" Anya curiously asked as she strained her neck to try to see if the wooden weapon had any writing on it. Her movement pulled an unexpected giggle from Buffy as she shook her head in denial.
"I don't develop close, personal relationships with wood," Buffy replied but then frowned over the possible perverse connotations to her comment. She verbally backpedaled. "I didn't mean that the way it sounded."
Anya grinned and patted her friend on the arm.
"Of course you didn't," she offered in a teasing tone that in no way placated the blonde.
Buffy scrunched up her nose in annoyance but didn't continue the friendly banter. Instead, she shifted her attention to Dalton.
"As long as you're a butcher bag vamp, I won't have a problem with you, Dalton. I find you fall off the blood wagon, then you will be all with the dusty date compliments of me and my unnamed wood."
Dalton nodded in understanding as he promised to give her no reason for retribution. The obvious fear in the vampire's eyes lessened and he relaxed a fraction until he was leaning against the wall instead of trying to push himself through it. Buffy offered him a soft smile of encouragement which he returned with a very strained one of his own. Figuring she had done what she could to support the bibliophile vampire in his attempts at being less monstrous, the smile slipped from her face to be replaced with steely determination.
Buffy turned her attention back to the door and stared at it as if daring it to open and reveal their newest flavor of demonic opponent. She was ready for it. No matter what its reason for chasing the new arrival, the warrior was determined not to allow a rotting corpse to hurt Giles or her friends.
A tiny expression of speculation passed across Anya's face as she glanced between the slightly less cowering vampire and reborn Slayer. For a moment, the previous demon wondered it her new friend might actually accept her despite her less than kind history as a vengeance demon. She decided to approach Buffy some time soon and test the waters of her theory. Although she enjoyed her blossoming friendships, Anya desired to share more of her knowledge and experiences. Unfortunately, she wouldn't do it if it cost her new found place. She had never felt like she belonged when she was a human previously and so she did not want to risk the comforting situation she had now.
In the sanctuary, Philip and Giles stood just inside the sand circle. They started to chant. From their positions along the outside of the circle, Willow and Cordelia joined their voices in repeating what Giles was murmuring while Oz and Xander mimicked the other Brit's words. The former dabbling acolytes of Eyghon had corralled the students into joining the ritual in hopes of having enough energy and support to succeed. The two British men acted as the directors of the ritual while the teens offered an additional spectrum of strength to the spell. A slow build up of power began to coalesce in the protection circle.
While the Scoobies prepared to bind the evil demon, the possessed corpse shuffled through the sewers beneath Sunnydale High School. When it bent time and escaped from facing Buffy, the monster had recognized a third calling. A pleased smile pulled back Deidre's lips into a shriveled grin that looked more like a grimace on the dead body. The siren call of its marking on Ethan Rayne was now stronger than the enticement from Philip Henry or Rupert Giles. Deciding to face its wayward minion who would most likely be less well protected, Eyghon followed the silent pull towards the Hellmouth.
As the possessed corpse meandered down a poorly lit utility tunnel, Ethan stood from his uncomfortable seat against the cold, stone wall. He began babbling in fear and pulling uselessly at the manacle holding him in place. Scabs tore and blood sluggishly flowed from his reopened wounds on his wrist. Shivers of fear surged through him and tears of frustration fell freely from his eyes. He shoved his tattered and smelly shirt sleeve up and scratched frantically at the black tattoo on his inner arm above his elbow. Although death was an unknown and uncontrollable commodity, the chaos mage was not the least bit interested in experiencing it for himself any time soon and he knew what was coming closer. He was beyond petrified. Rayne knew that the demon from his past was following the call from his mark and would be here all too soon.
Surprised by Rayne's sudden fit, the Master unfolded from his throne where he had been comparing his already acquired components with the extensive list required for the Rite of Cyperion. He had been happily contemplating the newest addition to the slowly growing pile in the corner of his magical prison when his prisoner started panicking.
"Be still, mage," he ordered regally as if he expected instant compliance from the scruffy man. The ancient vampire scowled when Ethan failed to follow his order. If anything, the mage's fear and hysteria only increased.
Desperate, Ethan flung his entire body as far as the manacle and chain would allow him to travel. The metal creaked and the man landed in the corner he had been using as a bathroom since his detention in his underground prison. Not caring that he was now covered in excrement, Rayne began laughing uncontrollably. Tears continued to trail down his cheeks as he cowered in the corner. Making himself as small as possible, Ethan sent out a silent prayer to Janus that he intervene in his wretched existence with some sort of escape. He doubted he would receive any real divine assistance though since his chaotic deity had not assisted on his behalf up to this point of his captivity.
Slow and plodding footsteps near the entrance to the sunken church drew the eyes of both prisoner and keeper. The Master smirked in amusement at the unexpected and interesting visitor. The vampire could feel the fluctuating power of the demon possessed corpse and he was intrigued. All visitors were welcome to his limited world. Anything to break up his unending boredom born of years of imprisonment was appreciated in the vampire's thinking. He chuckled as he watched to see what would unfold. He did not have wait long.
"Eeetthhaaann, my wayward child, my favorite acolyte. You cannot hide behind your second rate god. He will not save you because you are not truly his. You cannot offer a soul already promised to another. You belong to me," Eyghon stated through Deidre's dead lips as he took another step towards the cowardly man rocking and sobbing on the floor.
The Master stepped forward and intercepted the slow moving corpse.
"He belongs to me," the powerful vampire informed the demon possessed creature. Entertainment value aside, the Master of the Aurelians was not about to allow his magic user to be taken. He would rather be bored for a few more weeks than face the possibility of not having the Rite completed because his minions or Childer could not find another fitting magic user. He would keep what was his and prior demonic allegiances be damned.
Ignoring the vampire's claim, Eyghon stepped around the Master and stretched its hands towards Ethan.
Furious at being ignored, the Master reached out and grasped Deidre's body around the neck. With minimal effort, the vampire lifted the possessed creature and shook it. Its eyes flashed but found itself unable to affect the powerful mind of the head of the Aurelians. The vampire's powerful mental strength and thrall provided the Master an immunity to Eyghon's magical manipulations.
"Fool. You should have listened," the vampire growled as his claws bit into the neck of the demonic dead body. He raised his free hand and slammed the claws into decomposing flesh. His nails sunk deep and found purchase on Deidre's skull. With a grunt from effort, the Master separated the head from its body. With a snort of disgust and a scathing comment about pathetic demons, the ancient vampire dropped the decapitated body and head without a second thought. He turned his back on the destroyed corpse and mockingly informed his prisoner that he was safe from the second rate monster.
As the vampire taunted Ethan, the corpse turned to a thick green slime the oozed towards the Master's leather boots. It pooled around the vampire's feet as Eyghon's presence attempted to find another undead or unconscious body to act as its host. The viscus fluid had just swelled up the Master's leg when bright golden light surrounded the slime.
Noticing the magical shimmer surrounding his feet, the trapped vampire cursed and kicked at the swirling and glowing tendrils. His foot passed harmlessly through the twinkle that moved to encircle the residue remaining from the dissolved corpse. A pulse of powerful energy crackled over the skin of the vampire leaving burn marks on his skin where the glittering light touched it. The Master cussed and staggered back in unexpected fear and pain. The glowing spell did not follow the Aurelian. Instead it tightened its hold on the slimy remains of Eyghon. The spell coalesced into a tight ball while collecting the demonic residue into its center. With a sudden white flash and a sharp snapping clap, the light and its content were gone.
A few blocks away on the surface, the ball of light appeared in the middle of the protective circle near the alter in Grace Baptist Church. It expanded once more into the swirling tendrils of light as it had manifested in the sunken sanctuary. As it grew, the demonic essence it contained shifted from green sludge to a wispy shadow of the demon Eyghon. The horned, dream-walking demon raised its hands towards Giles and silently called to him. It found itself unable to utter any sound nor move beyond its twinkling prison. Captured for the time in the magical vortex, the demon raged as the ritual continued.
Ignoring the captured horror, Philip and Rupert chanted more loudly with the four students repeating their words from their positions along the edge of the circle. As their ritual raised to a fevered pitch, the whirling tendrils of light reached towards Eyghon's former acolytes in an attempt to connect their life forces with the energy required for the binding and dispersing spell. The black protection glyphs covering the vitality centers of their bodies flared to life. The two British men shuddered under the powerful magical pull but the sigils held true to their purpose. They protected them.
Unfortunately, science and magic shared some commonality. To bend reality to the will of the ritual, the casters required an equal exchange. Energy cannot be created; it can only be converted. Unable to pull the energy from Giles and Henry, their will forced the ritual to seek power elsewhere. The Rite did not call on the direction of the divine nor any of the elements. It was entirely dependent on the casters magical and physical strength for power. Unable to steal from Giles and Henry who hid behind their protective runes, the magic reached outward. Arcing light triggered blazing blue lightning from the containment spell. The energy streaked from the center of the spell towards the edges of the sand circle. Deafening thunder sounded as the lightning hit the circle and shattered it. The candles and sand flew outward as the magic leeched power from the next available sources.
Willow and Cordelia screamed as they were slammed into pews on either side of the sanctuary. Xander grunted as his shoulder knocked into the alter table at the front of the church and Oz sharply yelled as his head connected with the pulpit off to the right of the table. Their cries abruptly cut off as the spell light penetrated their bodies. The four students seized as the ritual ripped energy from their unprotected bodies.
Buffy, Anya and Dalton rushed into the sanctuary as the power rushed back from its stolen sources. Energy streamed into the swirling pulse around Eyghon with another thunderous crash. At the center of the maelstrom, the shadowy demon shuddered in a silent scream. Its body wavered as lightning pierced its wavering figure. High pitched cries sounded from Rupert's and Philip's lips as they dropped to their knees and grabbed their heads. Eyghon's spell contained death cries ripped through their minds and seared their nerves but remained unheard by the other three conscious observers present.
The demon's form shattered into a fine dusting that swirled like a miniature tornado for a second then collapsed into itself with a deafening crack. With Eyghon's destruction, the Marks tattooed on the upper arms of Giles, Henry and Rayne flaked from their bodies like dead skin. Only unmarred skin remained. The Marks of Eyghon were gone from this world along with its energy and influence. The three friends were finally safe and free from the follies of their youth.
Buffy rushed to Willow's body as Anya more carefully approached Cordelia. Fear clutched at their throats as they hesitantly reached for the still bodies that were covered with patchy burns. Small trickles of blood trailed from the girls' noses and neither responded to their friends' concerned touches.
"They're alive," Dalton offered from his position beside the entrance. The vampire wasn't particularly comfortable with entering the sanctuary but he could tell that Buffy and Anya were distressed over their fallen friends. Buffy offered him a nod and verbal thanks before the vampire slipped from the room and away from the tempting call of easy prey. He wasn't a strong demon and knew his control would waiver if he remained.
A few blocks away, Ethan rocked and laughed hysterically as he rubbed his no longer Marked skin.
"Thank you... thank you... thank you..." he muttered in fervent repetition to whoever had saved him from this most recent threat. Rayne didn't even care that he was still manacled to the wall in a cavern over the Hellmouth, that he was hungry and filthy or that the Master expected him to perform a spell that would most likely tear his body apart in its casting. In that moment, the mage was just grateful to still be alive.
A/N: I have had a couple people ask about changes to timelines since Ted did not originally appear until after the ritual to cure Dru and that Ford showed up before Eyghon. To avoid repeating myself in messages, I figure I will share my thoughts with everyone (yeah, cause my ego thinks everyone wants to know how my brain works *grin*). In my mind, very little happens as an isolated event. Most situations build from another. Buffy might have found her mother playing tonsil hockey with Ted towards the end of November but he had to have been involved with Joyce before that day. I can't imagine her making time with some random guy without the intervention of cursed chocolate. Similarly, more than a week would be required to set up the Sunset Club given how elaborate it was decorated and how busy it appeared. That gives the new vampires in town opportunity to interact with the lost humans long before Ford would have originally approached Buffy. Certain things, like Halloween are gonna have to happen on the the day they happened. The 31st is the 31st no matter what else is occurring. Likewise, Eyghon arriving would have been pretty much locked into place. On the other hand, the fact that the library was accessible for Philip instead of locked is easily changed due to the altered activities and individuals at the school on the night of Eyghon's arrival. See... logic. At least in my mind.