Chapter 12
Avalon
Avalon had once been a place of serenity, where the placid nature of the Order that resided there was paramount. Like a convent, the acolytes of the Entwined had gone around their daily tasks with dutiful silence, save for the odd friendly conversation and the small, shrill sounds of young Heather racing through the corridors.
But now the whole of the Order were as one in their motion. They were packing, their job done and their place assured in the main city. Many were sad to be leaving the tranquil home where they had spent so many years awaiting the coming of the Eclipsing One. But mostly the talk was of what they would do now. The conversations were full of joy, hope and excitement. The feeling was tangible throughout the halls and corridors of the buildings, and amongst the inhabitants.
Lady Nimue could feel it. Perhaps more than anyone, she felt a relief and an apprehension unlike any of the others. She had been one of the few who knew the true purpose of Avalon, and had patiently waited for the time when her burden could be lifted and she could finally rest. The burden had been heavy, and she was approaching the lifting of the burden with satisfaction.
But still there was a fear. The ravens that had escaped across the veil had no doubt informed Morgana of Avalon's location. Nimue knew that her gamble was now at its critical stage. Would the Entwined set the prophecy in motion in time to stop Morgana taking the power of Avalon? Or had all the planning and waiting and worrying been for nought?
She shook her head. No, she decided, there would be no failure. She had faith in Tara. Since the day Tara had arrived Nimue had been sure of her place in the greater scheme, that she was one half of the Entwined. She had called her Council and informed them of the fact and there had been the exhaustive round of discussions about what this meant for Avalon. Many feared the end of Avalon, and wished to keep the power within the buildings where they felt it belonged. The dissenters had been asked to leave, something Nimue now feared had been an error of judgement. She could not shake one thought from her head: What if one of the dissenters had betrayed them?
She knew precious little of the other half of the Entwined. She had had meetings, both on the Astral Plane and face to face, with Althanea Harkness and had seen the progress of Willow's recovery but she knew very little about the person within. She now needed to trust to her faith, and to Tara, to save Avalon. It was a gamble but Nimue was aware that in a high stakes game there was no such thing as an easy solution.
As she stood in front of her bedroom window she looked out at the grounds below and saw and heard the enthusiastic chattering and bustling of the Coven members packing and talking. They were too far away for the precise words to be heard but the sound was one of nervous joy, and that pleased her. The upheaval was necessary. Soon the soldiers would come in and fortify this place for the last days.
The first soldiers had already started to arrive. All of them armed and armoured. Warriors and Sorcerers were massing, and although she could not hear their words, she could see from their gesturing that they were discussing strategy. It seemed a sad irony to Nimue that this place of peace, of sanctity and hope to the world, would spend its last moments prepared for, and immersed in, bloody violence and nightmarish death. It was a sad epitaph for this place but Nimue was well aware of its necessity, but it didn't help the sombre note it rang in her conscience.
She looked across the horizon, deciding to drink in one last time the view that she had from her window. It was a beautiful landscape of mountains and rivers and forests that could have been the inspiration for a myriad of landscapes, both real and imagined, for artists over the centuries. It had been a view that had, in her darkest moments of doubt, had reminded her of the beauty, kindness and love the spirit was capable of, both Fey and Human.
But now she looked upon the horizon with rising terror. She could see coming all too clearly and quickly a dark cloud. She looked down once more at her Coven and saw them running, fearful at the sight. Nimue saw the soldiers and sorcerers ready themselves.
No, was the the first word to ring in Nimue's head. Not this soon, not before the Entwined have had a chance to act. Nimue voiced a silent prayer, asking for one thing: for the Entwined to bond. Avalon needed them, and needed them now.
Coven's Temple, DevonBuffy stared blankly at Tara. The idea that she was alive and well, and here in front of her, hadn't travelled through the cognitive pathways of her brain fully and she stood motionless, as the slow train to dawning realisation pulled into the station of joyous acceptance.
But whereas Buffy was in shock, Dawn was delirious with joy. Tears had flooded down her cheek when she had embraced Tara, mixing with the blonde's own tears of happiness at being reunited with her surrogate daughter. Dawn had missed her, more than she had realised, and she could not contain her joy.
Willow too, had her own reunion. She embraced Michelle, and thanked the Goddess for her safe return. Tara also embraced Michelle, and Althanea, and this time thanked them for their help with Willow and her addiction. It was a joyous time, those brief and precious moments, and all those within the office savoured them.
But now the reunions were over, and the shadow of the realities of the situation loomed over the assembled group. Professionalism trumped all other thoughts and feelings. All conversation topics, save for the business of Morgana and Avalon, were now out of bounds.
"So, Willow and Tara, you now realise your importance to this world, and to all of us." Althanea knew that there were going to be difficult questions now.
"It would have been much easier if you had perhaps told someone about it". Giles, mind now focused on the task and swallowing back his pride at the reunion he had witnessed, could no longer hide his anger.
"We couldn't." Answered Michelle. "At first, we only had guesswork, and a few possible locations, to start with. That led us to several possible candidates. Like Potentials, Giles, we needed to wait to see who was called. And like the calling of Slayers, it took a death to make it happen."
"You could have come to the Watchers Council. We would have aided you."
"What Council? There had been several attempts on my husband's life, and more on his forefathers, to prove that telling anyone other than a few key necessary people would endanger everything. Then the Council was destroyed and, much to our dismay, when it was re-built, the same old problems arose. The Enemy will stop at nothing to destroy the Entwined before the bonding. You must understand, Mister Giles, that unlike a Slayer, the Entwined are a one-off. There is no second chance, no possibility of another Entwined coming years later. If the Entwined were identified and killed before the prophecy came to be there would be no prophecy. The Nightmare Court would control the power of Avalon and the strength that would give them would consolidate their power in the New World and place all of us in darkness. We have no lucky dip as Slayers and Watchers do, we have one shot and one only. Under these circumstances, we couldn't risk telling anyone."
"Surely you could have trusted someone at the Council."
"Joseph was very close to telling you, Mister Giles. But when we realised that Willow could be the dark one of the Entwined we knew, however professionally you acted or how guarded you were with the information, that you would act differently around Willow, as any father would with news that their daughter had been targeted. I know you look upon the Slayer and her friends as your children, at least sub-consciously, and we knew that one slip could be read by the agents of the Enemy and used to kill Willow and all who would try and protect her. They are relentless, Giles, and they would not stop, no matter how many Slayers you sent after them because they could use dreams and magic and dark arts you wouldn't be prepared for to kill her. It was safer for Willow, and for all of you, that she did not know." Michelle was visibly shaking, as she remembered her dead husband.
"So why was I never told?" Asked Tara.
"That decision was agonised over but Nimue feared that Avalon had within its walls its own spies. She was afraid that news of your arrival would be given to the Enemy and that you would be attacked. And, as it happens, she was right. The attack on Heather was unfortunate, but it did prove to us that the Enemy had people within, or its allies at least. Nimue knew she had to get you out before Morgana's forces took advantage. By placing the blame on Heather, it gave Nimue an excuse to send you out of the Veil without arousing suspicion. You questioned her decision to remove Heather, but it was done to both ensure you would leave but also to protect the girl. You see once Morgan knows the location of Avalon she will attack and kill all who lie within. Heather being here saved her from that and Nimue knew it."
"How long have you known who I was?"
"My memory loss was brief. I regained my full memories overnight. The rest was done covertly, I am afraid I had to play along with the charade of the frightened new arrival. Truth is I have visited Avalon several times, as has my mother, my late husband, and Gabriel here." Michelle motioned to the man standing behind Althanea, a passive look in his eyes hiding some darker thought.
"And that, more than anything, angers me." Snapped Giles, barely controlling his rage. "You can't trust me, even though both Willow and Tara were in my care and yet you can trust this, this psychopath!"
"I earned that trust, Mister Giles. Just as you did when Joseph asked for you to be contacted when he was murdered. Look you don't like me because of my past and I can live with that. But you're not entirely without dark roots in your past so let's not play the blame game, eh? Right now there are more important things going on than the egos of two trained Watchers so I suggest we deal with this crisis and then, if you still insist, we can debate my past and yours in any way you see fit." Gabriel glared coldly at the older Watcher, knowing that he had the moral advantage, regardless of Giles' feelings about him. He liked that position, to be one up on the Council.
Buffy stood up. She had sat down to listen to the explanations, to take it all in. But she could feel the rising tension between her Watcher and the young man at Althanea's side. "All right, enough! Both of you! I don't know the what or who or how with you, Gabriel, but I do know that right now it doesn't matter. Giles, we are the guests on this one, remember? If they trust this guy, then we have to go with it. There are bigger fish to fry here."
Giles relaxed, he was always filled with pride when Buffy took charge. "Yes, very well." His voice softened, he cooled his temper, deciding to concentrate once more on the problem in hand.
"I think we need to say something." Willow's voice was hesitant, but she looked at once to Tara and saw calm support. "Tara and I have been talking and we really don't like this "being forced together" deal. I mean, we have a history and all that and we may rekindle it but we need to do it in our own time, if we do it at all. We can't just get back together just cos other people want us to or need us to; it has to be right for us. So we will help in any way we can with the whole Morgana problem but long-term, we have to walk our own road there, not anyone else's."
Giles viewed the faces of Althanea, Michelle and Gabriel, and smiled. They weren't expecting this, he mused.
Althanea was stunned. At some level, she had assumed that the reunion of the two lovers would be the stuff of romance novels and that level of thought had completely ruled out the very real and complex questions their reunion posed. But now she was forced to see that they weren't two parts of some great cosmic puzzle, but two women, former lovers reunited after five years when one had been assumed to be dead and lost to the other. She saw the reality, and nodded.
"You are right, of course. Your expertise in magic, both individually and collectively, is the most pressing aspect right now. If the prophecy holds true, then your reunion will happen when it does. If not, then the power of Avalon will be taken to a secure location and guarded until it is needed."
Gabriel nodded his head. "Well, if the Mills & Boon fanfare isn't happening anytime soon, we should consider hitting Morgana as early as possible. She will be counting on an "earth-moving" reunion, not an early strike. Now, entwined or not, you two are the best weapon we have. Morgana is pretty tough, and way beyond any direct physical assault. Our best hope lies in someone being strong enough, magically, to take her down. So far, the job looks like yours, Miss Rosenberg. No offence, Miss Maclay, but I haven't seen your strength in the field, although your reputation is well known."
"No offence taken. So is Morgana the only threat, magically?" Tara's voice was commanding, no longer the shy girl in the corner. Here and now, she had a role to play, and she had accepted it.
Giles cleared his throat. "Well, some of her followers have some magical ability but I think the Coven can handle them reasonably effectively if Morgana is stopped from influencing them. However, she has a new "pupil" for want of a better term. Amy Madison, Willow's old friend."
Tara's features grew stern at the mention of Amy's name as she turned to Willow. "I will deal with Amy. Willow is far stronger than I am and she will be best suited for dealing with Morgana. I need to discuss a few things with Amy." There was a stern inflection to her voicing of the word "discuss" that informed all those present that polite conversation was more than likely not what Tara had in mind.
Gabriel noted the tone, and continued speaking. "Now we are pretty sure that Philippe will be the main danger physically. That is where you come in, Miss Summers. David is safe here now, so you can concentrate on dealing with Philippe. From what I have heard about you and saw from you earlier, I doubt you're going turn down a re-match with him."
"Oh, you bet there is gonna be round 2 and I don't plan on letting him get to round 3. Still got to find a way of getting through his armoured skin, though. I hit him with everything I had and all it did was slow him up. He makes Glory seem easy by comparison."
"There is more at Avalon than just the source of the Entwined's power. We will go there first, ensure that the shrine that holds the source is moved to a better place and we will arm you properly to face Philippe." Althanea's words were calm but authoritative.
"What about the children?" Asked Michelle.
"They will remain here. They will be safe enough. If I am right, Morgana will be aware that the Entwined have come together and will more than likely have the location of Avalon. That will be her point of attack. David and Heather will be safe here."
"Heather is the other reason I need to see Lady Nimue again." Tara now knew Heather's banishment was possibly the greatest act of kindness Nimue had shown. If she had remained, what chance would the child have had against Morgana and her horde?
Althanea smiled at Tara. "I think Lady Nimue will give you the answers you seek, although I believe that she will only confirm what is already in your heart." She now turned to the group as a whole. "My coven will start the ritual to open the gateway to Avalon. It will take us about thirty minutes to properly prepare so it will give you time to gather what equipment you may need."
Tara turned to Willow. "We have time then. I think it's time you met Heather."
Willow smiled, and nodded.
The play area that the Coven had set aside for their children was a beautiful place to behold. It had as its central theme a large tree, denoting life, for the children to climb up and around on, or bounce around nearby on the many inflatable castles and boats that were there. The perimeter of the room was dotted with small open chests containing dolls and toys of every variety, except for guns or other items denoting weaponry. Violence was not allowed inside the coven as a rule and the children were not encouraged to fight each other, but to play.
Heather and David were trying to see who could bounce the highest, with David clearly winning and enjoying the fact far too much. Heather, rather than admit defeat, was making up for her lack of height by making each jump more athletic, adding back flips and somersaults to her jumps that made David's, for all their height, seem rather dull by comparison.
Heather completed a double somersault just as Tara and Willow entered the room. She ran to Tara, almost knocking David over en route, and embraced her.
Willow saw the bond immediately. Heather looked upon Tara as an older sister, or possibly even a mother figure. Tara had that effect on people, thought Willow, remembering the mother-daughter bond that had been formed between Tara and Dawn. She wondered if she could ever truly reach out to someone in the same way, if she could earn this young child's trust as Tara had. Willow wondered if she had a maternal instinct in her at all.
Tara looked at Willow, and saw the doubts. She smiled, knowing that Willow had been, addiction aside, a competent parent to Dawn. She looked back down at Heather, and smiled at her young charge. "Heather, there is someone I would like you to meet. This is Willow. She was the woman I was living with, before I came to Avalon."
Heather smiled at Willow. "Hi."
Willow looked at the young girl, and smiled weakly. "Hi there. See your all with the bouncing and the somersaults. Pretty cool."
Heather gently placed her right hand in Willow's left. "Don't worry. It will work out." For a moment, her face was serious, but now beamed into a warm smile. She turned her head to face Tara. "I like her. She is very nice."
Tara was relieved. There was work to be done, but the initial meeting had gone better than expected.
David had now stopped his acrobatic display and came across, curiosity getting the better of him.
"Are you two getting on okay?" Tara asked Heather, motioning towards David.
"We are. He is good fun." Replied Heather.
"Good. Listen, Willow and I are going on a little trip, just to check on a few things. We will be back in a couple of hours, I promise. Until then I want you to stay here and look after David for us."
David looked aggrieved. "I am older than she is and I know this place far better. It shall be I who will be looking after her."
Willow shook her head and smiled. This boy comes from a family of Watchers alright, she mused to herself. "Fair enough. Let's for the sake of argument say you are going to look after each other until we come back."
The children both nodded, accepting the compromise. Heather turned at once to Tara, hugging her close as her surrogate mother rose back onto her feet again. "You sure you're coming back?"
"I promise. You will be safe here. Willow and I will return and the first thing we will do when we get back is check on you both to see you are safe, okay?" Tara wrapped her arms around Heather tenderly, holding her close.
Willow placed her hand gently on Tara's shoulder. "We need to get ready. There's some packing to do."
Tara nodded, gave Heather one last gentle squeeze, and then let her go. "We'll be back. Just play nice till we do." Tara left the room, Willow following her. "I didn't like lying to her, Willow."
"What about?" Willow couldn't hide the concern in her voice. This feels so much like old times, thought Willow, me reassuring Tara.
"Because we both know that we may not make it back. It's the kind of work we do, Will. Sometimes we don't get back to our loved ones."
Willow reached out to Tara and held her on her shoulders, looking at her soul mate straight between the eyes. "I'm not going to lose you. And you're not going to lose me. And Heather isn't going to lose either of us. I really do believe in fate, Tara, and I can't see fate bringing us back together just for us to lose each other again."
Tara looked deep into Willow's eyes, her long held feeling rising to the surface. But she held them at bay. It would be too easy to succumb and right now there are more important things, she said to herself. She smiled her lopsided smile that Willow had always found so sweet, so engaging, so Tara. "You won't lose me, regardless of what happens between us." Tara let her arms envelope Willow and held her tight. It had been perhaps what both had secretly yearned for, a re-establishment of the connection between them.
Willow felt safe in Tara's arms. In that briefest of moments, the world melted away and all that was left was Tara. Willow settled her head on Tara's shoulder, content in that moment to be nowhere other than where so was. A single tear dropped from her eye and touched Tara's neck.
Tara felt the tear, and knew why she was crying. It was the safety and security that Willow had been seeking for these five long and lonely years. Tara cocked her head ever so slightly enough to gently press her lips against Willow's cheek. It was a kiss that did not state passion, but comfort.
Willow slowly pulled herself away, gratitude etched on her features as she smiled at Tara. She saw the smile returned, and then a resolve resurfaced in them both as they decided enough time had been spent on small exchanges. It was time for action, and they needed to pack.
Rupert Giles, Buffy and Gabriel Caine perused the weapons cabinet in an anteroom just off the main hall in the temple. The weapons were largely medieval in design, save a few more modern items.
"The rifles and handguns and automatic weapons your idea I take it then, Gabriel?" Asked Buffy, somewhat bemused in general by any weapon post-Renaissance. She hadn't yet gotten a fix on the former Watcher. He certainly seemed a part of the team here at the Coven but Giles' didn't like him and that was usually good enough for Buffy.
"The Fey, unlike the demon underworld that you normally deal with, have for the most part embraced technoligical advances, Miss Summers. Especially as they inspired most of them."
"What do you mean inspired?" Buffy was now intrigued at the possible connotations.
"Michelle could give you the real point for point on this but the upshot is this. The Powers That Be brought to the world the concept of nobility and compassion and love and so on, qualities that are considered "good". Demons brought with them the concepts of malice, cruelty, all the traits considered "evil". The Fey brought with them the concepts of magic and imagination. Humans were unique, they brought with them the concept of being influenced by the other three. Every dream you ever had, every inspired thought that humanity has had, good or ill, was because the Fey made it possible for Humanity to see beyond logic, to grasp the unattainable and make it happen."
"But the Fey were too close to humanity, and we began to be tainted by the presence of good and evil in the world. Those who felt the pull of the Powers That Be, formed the Court of Dreams, and took a vow to look after humanity. Those who felt the call of demons, refused to accept that we could not hurt the human race, and were dubbed The Court of Nightmares. Silly I know, but the name stuck." Michelle was standing behind them all, looking more radiant for having cleaned up.
"So all those dreams that I get was really the Fey sending them to me, not the PTB's?" Asked Buffy, confused at this notion.
"No. Once the concept was out there both the PTB and the Demon representatives found a way to manipulate them, either directly or using the Fey as conduits or envoys. So the message was from them, but the Fey may have been the carrier."
"Well, that explains a lot. So when the message comes as really cryptic, that's you lot not translating well. Good to know for future reference." Buffy smiled, enjoying a brief moment of moral superiority in a situation where she felt like the outsider.
"Anyway, like Werewolves, the Fey are rather susceptible to silver." Said Gabriel, trying to get the conversation back on track again. "And magic. Anything else damages the body but not their spirit. They head back across the Veil and recover their strength. Depending on the manner of death and the strength of the individual, they can be back on this side of the Veil within hours. So, silver blades on the swords, silver tips on the arrows, bolts and bullets."
"The bullet that killed Tara, was just an ordinary bullet, that's why she crossed to the Fey. It all makes sense now. Almost the opposite of what happened to you Buffy." Giles was smiling, the full scale of realisation dawning on him.
"Hmm? What do you mean?" Asked Buffy, confusion afflicting her brain once more.
"Your death was by magical means, and they could bring you back because of that. If you had died from a bullet, your soul would have remained in a Heavenly dimension. But with Tara, if she had died as you had done, she would have been lost, because it was a death by magical means. But as it was a mundane death, a simple bullet, she didn't die in the strictest sense, that's why Willow could never contact her spirit. Fascinating!"
"Yes, that was necessary. When Tara crossed over we realised that her death may have triggered events into motion. By bringing her to Avalon we knew the ambient magic that hides it from detection would be more than enough to hide Tara from Willow. We regretted putting Willow through that pain, but we needed to protect them both. As cruel as it was, we may have saved both their lives by doing so. The Enemy would doubtless have had spies out for them both if they had even the slightest inkling."
"Yes, I am beginning to realise the high stakes you were playing with."
Buffy saw Gabriel grab an ornately crafted Sabre from the shelf and slide it neatly into the scabbard on his left hand side. "Pretty fancy looking for a sword? Don't tell me you accessorise?"
"Hardly. I do have an ornate silver sword but this one has runes on it designed specifically to imbue the blade with a magical ambience. In essence, it is an enchanted sword. Not as powerful as some I've seen wielded, but it kills Fey just as dead."
"You got one of those for me?" Buffy liked swords. They weren't random and unpredictable like handguns, such as the one she saw Gabriel place in a shoulder holster, but were steady weapons that she could put her full strength behind.
"One silver sword, as previously mentioned. I had to choose, figured you would want one that was good looking. With Silver, you really want the head or the heart, don't give them time to die of natural causes."
The sword was a sabre of similar style to the runed one that Gabriel was wearing. Buffy felt the weight of the sword in her hand. It was perfectly balanced. She was used to oriental or medieval weaponry and had never really held a sword from the 19th century before, but she found the movement of the blade and pommel to be good enough for her. "So, why a sabre? Why not a claymore or something more Scottish?"
"I hate stereotypes. Besides, a sabre is a hell of a duelling weapon and the Fey are real traditionalists when it comes to duels. Make no mistake, if the Fey attack and they have a sword, they're playing for keeps, and in the Fey world, "keeps" is whatever drops your opponent."
Althanea arrived at the doorway, with Willow and Tara in tow, viewing the battle ready. Her face was almost ashen. "We are ready. The portal is about to be opened. We have scryed ahead, and we may be too late. Avalon has fallen. All we can hope for is that the power has not be taken."
"Then let's not waste time chatting." Buffy's voice was full of command. It was a battle situation for definite now, and in that regard, she was the leader. All fell in behind her, almost in natural step, as the portal opened.