Azure Halloween

Summary: Crossover with something of my own invention Halloween fic. Things will never be the same again for Xander.

Disclaimer: Buffy belongs to Fox Interactive and Mutant Enemy. No copyright infringement intended. Anything not recognizable as someone else's work most likely belongs to me. Mitts off.

I know, I know. I promised I'd update soon but still took my sweet time getting this written. I'm really sorry for all of you who've actually been waiting for me to get to updating.. Right after I released chapter 10 I immediately wrote the first two sections of this chapter and then seemed to run out of creative juices.. this sat on my hard drive for months until three days ago when I took a new look at it and all just seemed to click into place. The result: nine pages of chapter 11 for all of you. Thank you all.

By submitting this file I indirectly spam 71 people, you know who you are. Thank you very much.

Chapter 11

The cold wind made a sound eerily reminiscent of a dying animal as it shrieked and swirled between buildings, big fat droplets of rainwater hammering into wood, metal and tarmac. A flash of lightning overhead was followed by a deep, rumbling roll of thunder that made the glass windowpanes of a sturdy, abandoned brick building vibrate in their moorings.

In the dark, secluded alcove of the building's fire door, partially sheltered from the driving rain, a thin, short and blonde figure pulled her jacket tighter around herself and took a second look at her cellphone, tiny black letters playing across the iridescent green display.

W, G, C & Oz OK. K in ICU, X unknown. Found A- in old manor, address..

Buffy looked up across the street, where an aged stone wall separated the tarmac of the sidewalk from a large lot overrun with knee-high grass and foliage. A wrought-iron gate with twisted, spearlike spines decorating the upper edge showed what looked like a formerly stone-paved path winding away between rows of gnarled trees up to a large, abandoned-looking mansion. Flashes of lightning were intermittently reflected in what intact windowpanes she could see. An age-tarnished bronze plaque on the right side of the gate showed the address of the lot, matching the one on her cell.

She gave a last glance at her phone before shrugging and turning it off. Bracing against the driving rain, she strode over the street to the gate. It was made of blackened wrought iron rods bent and curled into decorative patterns, the strongest of them as thick as her thumb. Patches of red-brown rust riddled some of the rods and a strong-looking steel chain that looped through both halves of the gate, the ends wrapping around and bound by a large, sturdily built padlock.

Buffy glanced around her again, sure that no-one was watching her at the moment. Wrapping her fingers around the chain, she gave a half-hearted tug that made the chain rattle eerily but remain intact. Sighing, she closed her eyes, took a deep breath and yanked-

Chrrk-creeeEEE-CLANG!

The chain resisted for a split second before one of the rusted links failed with a creak of tortured metal, the ends of the chain clanking uselessly against the gate. She sighed and pulled the chain off the gate before edging through into the lot, pulling a sharp shortsword from under her cloak with one hand and a stake with the other, the short text message running through her mind.

What exactly had Willow meant, Xander unknown - avoid the big blue creature?

I#I#I#I#I

The wind tugged at deep azure and shining cobalt scales with a hundred ethereal fingers, the thick heavy rain drumming into living crystal and sturdy bone with a thousand tiny hammers. The roar of thunder above sent a kiss of power and fury and magic running across his scales and surging through his veins.

Elongated shafts of curved, hollow yet sturdy bone unfolded to their fullest, the daggerlike plates of razor-sharp hardened bone decorating their tips slashed through the air with instinctive, graceful ease. Thick fleshy membranes stretched between the struts quivered in the wind, every single air current sweeping along the supple inner surface sending a million instinctive calculations of angle, speed and strength running through his mind, a thousand tiny, instinctive corrections fluttering through the muscle and sinew of his wings every second to achieve that fleeting optimum point between lift, control and thrust. Air shrieked between wicked talons and curving horns, whispering between scales and hissing against membranous ears as the changed one soared through the maelstrom above the darkened nest-dwellings.

He knew his prey now, an instinctive pull through the fury of the storm and the taint of the land below. He could feel a slumbering core of darkness below and he knew without a doubt the clan-traitor was also near, unaware of the predator hidden within the storm above.

A second blast of thunder painted the world stark black-and-white for a split second, a new nearly euphoric surge of energy roaring through his flesh and mind. The storm fed upon his rage, and his power fed upon the storm, two writhing serpents that devoured each other alive from the tail upwards, a vicious circle that would be broken only in death. Serrated ivory fangs bared in a wild snarl, eyes that gleamed polished gold blazing with power and wrath, he tucked his wings tightly against his sides and dove into the darkness.

I#I#I#I#I

Scritch-scritch

A deep-in-thought Giles suddenly halted in the middle of a step, ears perked.

Scritch-scritch-scritch

Frowning, the librarian removed his glasses for a swift polish before placing them back upon his nose. The noise he had heard was faint, but still familiar – but what..?

Moving much more silently than a random observer would've expected from a man his size and age, he approached the source of the sound, a sturdy wooden door coated in a glossy varnish.

Scritch-scritch

Brow wrinkled, Giles grabbed the doorknob, twisted it and took a step in, the hinges letting loose a sound that wasn't as much a creak as a scream.

Schritch-scritch-"Eep!"

Giles blinked before the sight truly registered in his mind.

"Willow, what on Earth are you doing?"

Tomes and scrolls propped open with small but heavy knick-knacks lay on the hardwood floor around a startled Willow, who was kneeled down among them. A piece of chalk in her hand trembled, her face nearly the same shade of red as her hair.

"Giles! I- I-"

Giles took in the pattern Willow had been drawing onto the floor with the chalk, recognizing the central element easily. He had spent several hours drawing the same thing roughly a week ago, after all.

"..Nevermind the what, Willow, what I would truly like to know is why did you feel pertinent to draw that thing in my guestroom of all places.. without consulting me first?"

The array that had appeared on the floor of his guestroom really was familiar, at least most of it – the central design was the power circle they had used in their attempt to redo the soul curse on Angelus. However, it looked like Willow had been expanding upon it, adding bits and pieces from other similar circles – a foot or so of meticulously drawn eyes, birds and other symbols that looked suspiciously like hieroglyphs circled the original design, those supplanted by another layer of glyphs and sigils that looked like Sumerian, Akkadian and much, much more in a truly mind-bogglingly complex grid. She had apparently been finishing a hexagram – a six-pointed star – around the whole conglomeration when he had interrupted.

"It's – I thought – I wanted to help! I – I – I looked through the ritual but then I realized I couldn't do it alone so I thought I'd seen something in the second Zebethian Codex and then I remembered the binding circle in the Tome of En'Gha so I thought I could combine the two and then.. then.. it just.. grew from there.."

Grew from there would be an appropriate expression, Giles decided while examining the array. A closer examination showed elements from at least eight different ritual circles, painstakingly accurately copied and modified to match up to each other nearly seamlessly – at some points it was difficult to tell where one section began and the other ended. Egyptian melded with ancient Hebrew bled into angular Norse runes and Sumerian arrowhead script..

This just might work, he realized.

I#I#I#I#I

Buffy got exactly up to the second stair leading to the porch of the manor before she was ambushed. Her Slayer-sense suddenly screamed at her and she jumped backwards, three darkly clothed figures melting from the shadows.

"Look guys.." one of them whispered in a raspy voice, "..Dinner's served.."

Rough chuckles rang out as they charged at her.. And then her world contained only the vampires, her sword, her stake, herself and the Slayer.

I#I#I#I#I

"Two pairs."

"Color flush, chump."

"Hey, I think I've seen that seven before.. Twice, in fact."

"Are you calling me a cheater?"

"She's just saying you seem really lucky tonight, Ned."

Four of the six vampires gathered around the poker table glared at the fifth, who tried to give back a fierce look while not-so-subtly edging backwards on his chair. The last fiddled with her cards for a moment, then sighed and settled her hand on the table.

"Royal flush. Pay up, people."

The vampire with the two pairs narrowed his eyes and took a closer look at the winning hand.

"I thought we weren't supposed to be playing with jokers in the deck?"

"That's on Thursday's, Chad. Now gimme my money."

A collective groan rose around the table as poker chips exchanged owners. Thunder roared overhead, a bright blue-white flash illuminating the skylight while the lonely lamp in the corner flickered and faded for a moment.

"Damned storm.. hasn't really let up in the whole damn week, either. Makes me feel lucky I'm not one of the poor saps patrolling tonight.. It's your turn to deal, Suze."

The blonde vampiress reached her hand out for the deck, then paused for a moment.

"Did you guys hear something?"

Chad rolled his eyes. "It's just the bloody wind. Less with the talking, more with the dealing, OK?"

"Didn't sound like the wind to me.."

"Look, this is the Hellmouth, OK? If you can't eat it and it's not trying to kill, eat or enslave you, you'd best ignore it. Now on with the damn cards."

"All right, all right.. Hey, there it was again."

There was a moment's pause as all six vampires tried to listen for anything unusual. Only the sizzle of rain hitting the skylight above, the howling of the wind and the occasional crack of thunder could be heard.

"I don't hear an-"

Ka-SMASH!

The skylight exploded inwards, shrapnel of glass and steel filling the air even as the only light of the room detonated with a sharp popping noise and a cascade of iridescent sparks, plunging them room into chaotic darkness. The floor shook with the force of a sudden impact that sent the surprised vampires flying away from the table.

There was a clatter and a groan from the corner. "What.. the.. hell.."

Thunder roared above and a flash of lightning revealed that they were not alone any longer. The table had shattered, the cards and poker chips spread every which way as the table legs had buckled underneath a crushing force.. and on the remains a vast, dark shape perched, little more than a horned silhouette in the darkness, water dripping off its form- until what had looked to be a thick cloak unfolded into a pair of batlike wings, revealing a muscular frame covered with scales and plates of bony armor. The apparition growled, a deep rumbling thrum like thunder, narrowed slit eyes blazing with a crimson glow.. and then it tossed its head back and howled, a tearing hoarse call of fury and hatred shaking the entire room as it pounced.

Dust and screams filled the night.

I#I#I#I#I

"We call upon Thee in the Land of the Dead, in search for one of our own lost to us.."

Seated in the center of the Circle, six smoldering braziers of incense in the tips of the outer hexagram, Willow closed her eyes and allowed the power of the ritual wash over her.

I will help you, Giles had said. I will be your anchor. I will give you my power, and I will pull you out if I must.

"Lord of the Fallen, tomb-guardian, soul-warden, we beseech Thee, open Thy gates and allow pass the one that seeks Thy audience.."

A tiny bundle of sensations in the back of her mind pulsed and she thought she could smell a combination of old, hardened leather, lovingly cared for paper and dusty parchment, could feel a warm hand on her shoulder although Giles was well outside the Circle, eyes squeezed shut in concentration.

Are you ready?

Power coursed through the lines of the Circle, eldritch light surging and pulsing in the runes and glyphs. Willow allowed herself a smile. Ready as I'll ever be.

This had to work. For Buffy, and for Angel and Cordelia, and Oz and Kendra.. For Miss Calendar. And for Xander, her sweet, silly, Xander- shaped friend. He'd trusted her, he'd fought for her, he'd almost died for her – and what had rose in his place that terrible night had recognized her, had protected her, she knew. The Xander she knew was still there, underneath the armor of bone, muscle and scale, lost, confused..

For him, she would make this work.

I#I#I#I#I

The fluorescent tubes overhead made a crackling noise, flickered and went out. An inhuman , piercing shriek tore through the darkness, degenerating into a noise that was half sobs half wails; Spike, startled, inhaled strongly and managed to swallow his cigarette. Technically speaking he didn't breathe but somehow the smoldering stump still succeeded in triggering his coughing reflex, forcing him to spend the next few moments trying to cough up his lungs.

"Dru? Dru!"

He didn't pause to think about the (admittedly useless) wheelchair, he bolted. Spike had never heard Drusilla make a sound like that; sure, whatever she'd seen some time back had scared the Hell out of her, she hadn't even gone out to hunt for crying out loud – but this, it sounded like something was tearing her apart –

"The Dragon is here!"

The flickering glow of candles lit the room Drusilla had claimed for herself, most of the opulent furniture still covered in pale drapes and dust. Dru herself was curled on her bed, still shrieking at the top of her lungs –

His eyes locked onto the thing above the head of her bed, a part of Spike's mind wondered who the bloody hell had gotten a pack of crayons to her. Most of the wall above her bed was a strange swirl of all the colors of the rainbow, like a spiral or vortex tapering to a central point directly above the bedhead, a black splotch shaped vaguely like a rounded hourglass that tapered to sharp points – a black splotch that was studded with tiny white points. Something clicked and Spike realized he was staring into a painted eye with an oddly shaped pupil.. a pupil that was a black void filled with stars. The dancing candlelight and its odd shadows gave him an uncomfortable feeling the eye was staring back at him.

"-when you turn they will be gone, whispering their hidden song-"

"Dru, luv, snap out of it!"

Spike made to grab her by the shoulders, but it was like trying to hold onto a sack full of angry cats – she squirmed her way out of his hold without even noticing he was there.

"It's here, and it has brought the Crystal Eye with it! I gaze into the Abyss and the Guardian gazes into me! Miss Edith cries tears of blood and pus - Vision milky, then eyes rot – My stars cry out to me, but they won't stay still long enough for me to hear them!"

She paused long enough to draw breath, a long, low rasping noise that made him shudder.

"The gates to the Halls tear open, and the Blind Ones reach out! Traitors, outcasts, heretics – they claim the Devourer, and Daddy with him! The Sentinel sees all that has been, all that is and all that shall ever be – Everything is changing, and my Kitten is the center of it all! The storm is rising, and it tears my stars away with it – and the Light, it burns so!"

Something heavy crashed into something else down the hallway, thunder roared outside as rain whipped into the ornate glass windows – the whole room seemed to shake at the impact.. Something screamed, a hoarse tearing shriek that felt like an icepick in his skull, the windowpanes rattling in their moorings. Almost instinctively he had Dru's wrist in a tight grip and was halfway to the door when he realized she had gone deathly quiet.

"It's here.."

Something just outside the room snarled.

I#I#I#I#I

"..Warded by Thy mercy, we pass through the Seven Gates of the Underworld.. We invoke Thee, The One of Eternal Vigil, Guardian of Kings, Judge of the Dead!"

She could hear Giles chanting to himself across the room, his presence beating in the back of her mind like a second heartbeat as the power of the Circle grew to a soaring crescendo. Faintly glowing mist was rising from the six braziers, each of the glyphs in the hexagram's six triangular points burning their own radiant light. Eldritch light seared across the lines of the Circle – and there was a rush, for one moment she was one with the Circle and Giles and the power running through all three, and then she was everything and nothing and all that was and would be was clear to her- and she was melting, dissolving into the Weave, a sentient drop of power and will and might-

Suddenly she could no longer smell the sweet sting of the incense. A warm sensation of sunlight on her skin washed over her, she could hear a sound of flowing water and the scream of birds..

Willow opened her eyes and found herself standing upon a stone pier. A river of blue-green water flowed behind her, sturdy stone pillars pushing up from the depths to support the massive tiled slab of stone she was standing on. Thick reeds on both shores swayed upon the gentle wind, a flock of odd white birds with long legs and curved beaks striding among them. A faint splash sounded from her right ands she spied a short glimpse of a reptilian form with a ridge-covered gray-green-brown scaly hide slipping into the water.

A deep rumble sounded, the pier shaking under her feet- and then the sand just beyond the pier began to shift and churn. As she watched, a massive form of stone rose from the depths from the earth, an Egyptian palace of white stone that pushed up from the red-brown sand, beautiful pillars and engravings of animals and beasts unfamiliar to her decorating the stone surface.

A milder vibration shook the pier and the span of sand between the gray-brown stone of the pier and the entrance to the palace seemed to boil, a path of smooth white stepping stones floating up from the depths flanked by dual rows of seven obelisks.

She looked up to the closed gates the path lead to and felt a reassuring pulse running through her, the mental equivalent of a gentle squeeze on the shoulder.

"Thank you, Giles.."

Her steps made muffled clicking sounds upon the stone path. An odd sense of distortion washed through her, the path between the pier and the palace seeming to stretch in length as she walked across it – but finally, she climbed seven white stone steps to reach the door, a pair of massive stone slabs decorated with engravings and inlays of bronze. Each of the two halves was at least four feet broad and twenty feet high, and if they were half as strong as they looked, they were at least a foot thick.

The moment she reached the top step, a deep, brass clash of a gong of some sort rang from somewhere inside the building and the massive doors began to swivel open towards her. A deep boom shook the steps as the two halves finally stopped, the gate fully open to her. Beyond she could see a second gate across a courtyard of stone, seven graceful arcs of white stone outlining the path to the inner doors.

The air inside the courtyard felt much cooler than on the outside. Fountains of crystal-clear water interceded with tastefully designed plots of various plants decorated the area. Again, by the time she reached the first of the seven arcs she felt like she had traveled at least twice the distance it should have taken her to reach the gates.

By the time she passed underneath the fourth arc she heard a grinding noise behind her as the outer doors began to close again. For a moment a flash of irrational fear washed through her – was she going to be trapped here? – but once again she could feel Giles giving her courage and she hardened her resolve. Climbing the seven new steps of stone to the inner gates, she stood firm as the gong rang out again and the gates swung open for her.

It was dark inside, the only light in the stone corridor she could've driven a truck through came from massive braziers that sat in alcoves built into the walls. A faint rustling noise rang out and she thought she could see something shifting in the flickering shadows. She ignored it and took her first steps into the corridor that seemed to stretch into eternity. Beautiful engravings of hieroglyphs and scenes of animals, people and gods decorated the walls – for a moment she thought about stopping to examine them but kept heading for the next pair of braziers. As she walked between them Willow was faintly amused and not really surprised to see that there were a total of seven pairs of the things.

The corridor ended into a third set of doors. She stood before the massive slabs of stone, feeling the flow of power through her body and the calming pulse of Giles' presence. Nodding to herself, again she climbed up seven steps of smooth, polished stone; and again, the deep brass ring of a gong pulsed and the doors opened for her.

A massive chamber opened before her, seven pairs of obelisks flanking the path to the back of the chamber, each taller than the last. A raised platform of stone dominated the rear of the chamber, seven great stone steps leading up to it; and on the platform, a massive throne of white stone decorated with gold inlays sat. A pair of huge braziers flanked the great throne, and a pair of large windows in the wall above the throne gave more light into the room.

ENTER, VISITOR, AND COME BEFORE ME SO THAT I MAY SEE YOU.

The voice rang out from the throne, but it seemed to vibrate in the stone around her, as if it came from everywhere and nowhere at the same time. It was a strong, deep bass rumble, full of power, command, and, surprisingly, gentle curiosity.

The flickering shadows cast by the throne had moved oddly to her eyes, but now that she approached the great seat what had seemed to be a part of the shadows there suddenly solidified into form.

Big, was Willow's first impression. Big and black.

Black was the color ancient Egyptians associated with death and purity, she remembered Giles' voice telling her long ago.

A massive figure sat upon the throne, a form like carved obsidian against the white and gold of the seat. A basically male humanoid body, bare-chested and hairless, their lower body covered by a kilt that gleamed pure white. His skin was deep glossy black, like polished black marble, arm- and wristbands of gold glittering against the deep ebony of his skin. The massive hands that rested upon the carved stone heads of the throne's armrests appeared strong yet surprisingly delicate, otherwise Human but for the slightly elongated and oddly curved fingernails. One of the great hands held a scepter of gold decorated with azure and crimson gems, and the other grasped a short rod tipped with an ankh carved from shiny blue stone. The figure's bare feet also were otherwise Human in appearance except for the nearly clawlike nails- but the face..

Anubis regarded her with a regal expression upon a jackal's face, the very tips of razor-sharp ivory fangs faintly showing from a long, narrow muzzle. A pair of long, slender doglike ears stood up from the top of his ebony black head, a neat mane of silky black hair falling to his shoulders.. but the eyes, they shone bright gentle blue against the deep ebony of his face, eyes that seemed so ancient and yet so watchful and kind at the same time.

AH, YOU ARE ONE OF HERS. IT HAS BEEN CENTURIES SINCE ONE OF YOUR KIND WALKED THESE HALLS IN SEARCH OF ME. WHAT IS YOUR NAME, CHILD?

When dealing with the Powers beyond, be courteous, be firm, and above all be honest.

Closing her eyes, Willow dipped her head down and courtsied.

"I.. I am Willow Rosenberg, my Lord."

HAVE YOU COME SEEKING FOR THE WISDOM OF THE AFTERLIFE, OR THE POWER OVER LIFE AND DEATH? HAVE YOU COME SEEKING FOR THE SECRETS OF IMMORTALITY?

"None of those, my Lord."

A low rumbling noise rang out, the deity's manifestation tilting his head in a curious movement, his eyes glittering deep azure at her.

THAT IS GOOD, FOR NONE OF THOSE AR MEANT FOR THE SOULS OF MORTALS TO ENDURE. TELL ME, WHY HAVE YOU COME HERE, YOUNG WILLOW, IF NOT FOR KNOWLEDGE FORBIDDEN TO YOUR KIND?

Her mouth felt dry, waver of gentle power pulsing over her. Swallowing seemed to help for a moment.

"I have come to barter for a soul, my Lord."

The light darkened for a second, a deep sonorous rumble coming from the figure. Deep blue eyes – eyes that seemed to glow faintly with their own inner light- narrowed at her.

EXPLAIN.

She took a deep breath. For a second she thought she was going to panic and start babbling but then she felt a new pulse of reassurance form the Giles presence and calmed herself down.

"Centuries ago, in the land of the living, a nobleman was slain by a demon – and in his place, another demon rose. The demon spirit took over his body, expelling his spirit and leaving the ka no place to wander upon the lands of mortal men."

A low displeased rumble. SUCH CREATURES ARE KNOWN TO ME.

"Clad in the body of the nobleman, the demon wreaked havoc upon our world for centuries, slaying men, women and children where it pleased – until a mortal mage cursed it, calling back the soul of the nobleman from Your realm and binding it back into the body to do combat with the demon. Aware of all the foul deeds of the demon within him, this nobleman – for the presence of the demon within made him immortal – labored thereafter to rectify what he felt were his misdeeds."

GO ON.

"The binding was not perfect, my Lord. Sure the knowledge of the demon would be eternal torture for the nobleman, the mage bound the curse with a clause – that a moment of ultimate happiness would break the curse and release the soul of the nobleman."

Silence. Willow risked a glance into those azure eyes, but was forced to avert her eyes and take a deep breath before she felt she could continue.

"That moment of happiness came to him two months ago, my Lord, and now the demon called Angelus has began to kill again. He.. he has found something called Acathla-"

A sudden rumble shook the floor beneath her. Dust spiraled gently down from the ceiling – and the avatar of Anubis lifted the heavy scepter in his hand, fangs bared.

THE DEVOURER?

Devourer?, she wondered for a second, but then she found her voice again.

"A great demon, my Lord – one who has the power to consume the world with his inhalation-"

THAT ONE WAS LOST FOR AEONS. MANY THOUGHT HIM DESTROYED. I THOUGHT HIM DESTROYED.

"Angelus has found him, my Lord, trapped within a shell of stone – and he is looking for a way to release him. That is why I have come seeking for a boon from You."

Closing her eyes, she dropped down onto her knees and pressed her forehead against the cool stone floor.

" I.. I have come to ask that You relinquish the soul of the nobleman to do battle with Angelus once more, my Lord."

A deep silence filled the room for a moment, then the floor shuddered beneath her, a thoom that rattled her bones all the way from her legs to her teeth. A second shudder made small cascades of dust fall from the ceiling, she could feel the sudden absence of light on her skin and she looked up- and up and up..

More than twenty feet of obsidian flesh towered over her, the massive bulk of Anubis blocking most of the light from her sight. His arms were crossed on his chest, still holding the scepter and the ankh, and the expression on his alien features was completely unreadable.

WHAT YOU ASK FOR GOES COMPLETELY AGAINST THE NATURAL CYCLE OF SOULS, YOUNG ONE.

Her mouth was suddenly completely dry. The aura of gentle energy she had felt had hardened into something nearly like steel.

"I.. I am aware of that, my Lord."

HOWEVER.. I CAN SENSE YOU SPEAK THE TRUTH. ACATHLA THE DEVOURER IS A BEING THAT SHOULD NEVER HAVE COME TO BEING.

She blinked. "My Lord..?"

OPEN YOUR MIND, YOUNG MAGE, AND ALLOW ME TO SEE THE SOUL YOU SEARCH FOR.

His azure eyes gleamed with their own inner radiance – and then she was felt like she was submerged in an ocean of black water studded with motes of brilliant azure, and the sea plucked at her thoughts and memories-

As suddenly as it had began in ended, and she came to kneeled upon the stone floor, her temples pounding and the feeling of Giles a frenzied strobe in the back of her mind.

That- that was.. I'm OK, Giles. I think..

A strange rumbling noise filled the room. Willow looked up and stifled a gasp.

The drastically different facial configuration of the Avatar had kept her from seeing the normal nuances of emotions she had come to expect in conversation – but now.. for the first and probably last time in her life she had the opportunity to see something of deific power completely dumbfounded.

…THE SOUL YOU SEEK.. IS NO LONGER UNDER MY PROTECTION. IT IS NOT IN MY HALLS. I CANNOT GRANT YOUR REQUEST, YOUNG WILLOW, AND FOR THAT I AM SORRY.

She blinked. "I, ah, what- you.. You don't have it.. my Lord?"

I AM BUT ONE OF MANY WHO SAFEGUARD THE SOULS OF THE DEAD, YOUNG ONE. EVEN THE SOULS THAT ARE IN MY HALLS HAVE THEIR OWN TIME – AND WHEN THEIR TIME COMES, THEY GO INTO THE PROTECTION OF.. ANOTHER.

Her mind was a whirling jumble, the word failure echoing in her ears as she fought back bitter tears.

"Is.. My Lord, is there.. is there any way to reach that soul?"

His azure eyes seemed to weigh her for a moment.

THERE MAY BE. I KNOW WHO HAS THE SOUL YOU SEEK.

She swallowed. "Then.. Can you take me to them, my Lord?"

A deep, soft pulsing rumble made the floor under her vibrate slightly, and Anubis raised the cerulean ankh in his hand.

THAT I CAN DO, YOUNG ONE. GO WITH MY BLESSINGS.

The gleaming, engraved surface of the ankh covered her field of vision.. then the ankh touched her forehead gently and her world collapsed into a whirling maelstrom of energy.

I#I#I#I#I

End Chapter 11

Thank You for Reading!