The Gift of a Family Ch16. The Sire of the Slayer.
Thank you Sulien for being such a wonderful beta reader!
The begining of the ritual is in this chapter very small warnings for blood and black magic
Jack groaned at the pain in his head as he slowly started coming around. He realized that his wrists were also hurting from hanging from the iron manacles and got his feet beneath him. His next realization was that his chest was being lovingly caressed.
"Wake up naughty boy." A woman's voice whispered in his ear as she gently nibbled on his earlobe. Jack opened his eyes and blinked at a woman with long black hair and a vacant, slightly crazed look. She looked like a cross between a woman out of the past and someone who had gone Goth in an old fashioned dress and corset. She had long dark curly hair and long fingernails that were painted red with little crescents of white at the tips. "Naughty soldier kills our minions so his sunshine can rise up and kill the rest." This said, the crazy lady stepped back and started dancing to music that only she could hear.
An oriental man with black hair walked up to her. Jack noted the red and gold tattoos of oriental dragons on his arms and knew that this was the Dragon.
"What do you see grandsire?" He asked respectfully. It was respectful but there was also something in the way he stood and asked that said clearer than words that though he respected her, he was in charge.
"The stars sing to me, he walks among them like a lumberjack through the woods. Through a big shiny ring into the sky." She danced and twirled in a little circle around the Dragon. Her hands seemed to wave gently at stars that only she could see. "It swirls and twirls with light like a bright shiny toilet flushing sideways." She turned to look at Jack again and walked over to him caressing his chest and face again.
"No offence but I think the lady here is a few crackers short of a full cracker barrel. Mind getting her off of me?" Jack asked feeling a little wigged at her talking about him walking through the stars by going through a shiny ring.
"He won't be walking through shiny rings anymore Dru. He's to be blood sacrifice so no snacking. Is there anything else?"
"His sunshine is coming, drawing near even now."
"Who is that?"
The wacko woman cried out and started shaking clearly upset. "She comes wrapped in death, she is his daughter and Spike's sunshine."
"He's the slayers father?" An evil smirk crossed the Dragon's face. "I'll make sure you have a front row seat while I change your daughter." He told Jack venomously. Then turning to one of the minions he ordered. "Make sure that when you bleed him for the ritual you leave him enough to live through it. He will make an excellent first meal for the newest member of our family." With an evil laugh he turned to the crazy lady who had calmed down at his words. "Take some minions and go to the mouth. We will open it after the beast has come and then when Buffy wakes up we will go find Spike."
"And Daddy?" She asked sulking.
"He will join us or he will die. Something tells me you would enjoy breaking him to your will, as he enjoyed breaking you to his."
She smiled and Jack couldn't help thinking that he had never seen a smile so deadly. "Yes, please. I'll show Daddy everything he taught me. I'll make him proud."
The Dragon laughed. "I'm sure you will. Watch out for the Slayer on your way out. If you find her kill the others with her, but don't take her on yourself. She is for me to turn." Then turning to the sacrifices chained to the rocks he smirked evilly. "Now if you will excuse me while I prepare for the ritual make sure to hang around." Turning he ordered the remaining vampires to guard them and walked off with 5 other vampires to prepare.
Vampires are coming your way, watch out. Jack thought out to the others but received no reply.
Looking up Jack grimaced at the chains holding him he had no chance of getting himself free, he had to depend on the others to come and save him. The thought chaffed a little, not because he didn't have faith in Daniel and Buffy to save him but because he was the one who was supposed to be helping her.
Whispering among the other soldiers was mostly ignored while he was tried to figure out a way to break free. That is until he heard them mention his daughters last name.
"Summers." One of the soldiers finished his sentence. Jack looked up to see the other sacrifices were three young men in night op's and an old timer who was clearly retired and should be living the good life. Mentally he reminded himself not to retire in Sunnydale.
"It was just crazy rambling. Riley said that her father had light blond hair. His is brown and gray besides I heard that Mr. Summers was a white collar worker who had never seen a battle in his life." Another soldier stated back.
"But that vamp is supposed to have some kind of psychic precognition and if he is then maybe it means that Buffy is coming."
"Let's ask him." Another of the soldiers stated.
"Hey, buddy, are you Hank Summers?"
"Nope." Jack said simply wondering if the initiative wasn't as absent from Sunnydale as they were supposed to be. "Tell me something boys, you're all wearing night op's clothes but there isn't supposed to be any military presence in Sunnydale what so ever?" Jack stopped there and let the question stand for it's self.
"We aren't at liberty to talk about the details of our mission." The first soldier stated at once.
Jack snorted. He expected as much. The question was were these guys NID? And what did they have to do with Buffy?
"Riight." Jack drawled out his reply. He was about to say something suitably sarcastic and witty when the vampires returned with large vials of what he assumed was blood and some other liquid.
The Dragon supervised as black candles were placed at various positions around the circle the pentagram was in.
Buffy, not to rush you or anything but the ritual is starting. Jack used the spell to communicate to his daughter, but once again received no reply. Damn! Jack cursed in his mind, apparently the spell wasn't working anymore.
The Dragon then started chanting in some other language, but Jack was only able to recognize the word, Lucifer. Switching to English he directed the vampires with the blood to each of the points of the pentagram where Jack and the other sacrifices stood chained.
"We offer you these sacrifices to cleanse the way and open the gate. First the blood of Druid Dhubh, the blackbird, bird of the gateway may it's blood open the way for our great beast."
A vampire who stood next to Jack stepped forward and poured his vial of blood into a tiny channel that was carved into the black stone. The blood must have been fresh because it ran smoothly through the channel to the pentagram and the eye that was carved into it's very center. Jack realized that this was the path his blood was to take once they got around to bleeding him. Wincing he tried once again to contact Buffy, Daniel and Wesley but once again received no response.
Once the vial was empty the vampire next to him drew a stake, "I give my dust in faith, to rise again when the great one comes." That said he thrust the stake into his own heart and collapsed into a pile of dust.
The ritual continued with the vampire to his right.
"Next the blood of Art, the bear, to bless the beast with primal power, sovereignty, intuition and instinct." The blood was poured and the vampire who poured it sacrificed himself.
Next came the venom and blood of Nathair, the adder, to fill the beast with life energy and the powers of transformation. The adder was followed by Eala, the swan to give it the powers of love and beauty and even souls.
Jack found it odd that they would want a hell beast to have powers of love and beauty, not to mention the soul thing, but then he was chained to a sacrificial stone waiting to become a blood sacrifice, and everything was weird at this point.
Finally they used the blood of Faol, the wolf to give it the power of intuition, learning and the Shadow. All the blood sacrifices of the animals were followed by the dust of the vampires who poured it.
"Now we offer the blood of warriors, humans who have seen battle with forces greater than themselves and lived to tell the tale." A vampire with a long ornate blade stepped forward.
"Remember shallow cuts, the beast will want fresh meat when it arrives and that man, is to be her first meal when Buffy becomes one of us." The Dragon then pointed to Jack.
"That is never going to happen." Jack growled. "Buffy is going to kick your ass back to the Ming Dynasty and preserve your ashes in a vase." The vampire rolled his eyes but Jack wasn't through yet. "Then when I retire I'll get a cat and let it defecate on your ashes."
Jack didn't blink, he knew he hadn't but somehow the Dragon had crossed over 20 feet in an instant. One moment Jack was taunting him from across the seal and the next he was looking into very angry green eyes. It was disconcerting and more than a little frightening that he could move that fast.
"In your position you should be more concerned about what I'm going to do to you before I let your daughter finish you off." He stated slowly scratching down Jack's chest with his hand weapon the Tigers-claw. Jack stood resolute taking the pain and shoving it to the back of his mind the way he had been taught. The thought of Buffy fighting this thing made him want to wince, but never let the bad guys see you squirm was his motto...that and real men go fishing, but that didn't really apply to this situation.
"Tell me something," he said wanting to ruffle the bad guys feathers some more. "What is it with you over the top bad guys? I mean look at this place, how cliche can you get? A creepy cave, torchlight, vampire cult minions. The only thing your missing is a black cape, a widows peak hairline and a Transylvanian accent."
Keep him talking. He thought to himself. Give Buffy and the others more time to get here.
"We will see how cocky you are once we are through with you and your daughter is draining you dry. Sire of the Slayer, I look forward to seeing just how much you can take."
That said the Dragon backed off and looked at the minion holding the ornate dagger.
"Let it begin." He commanded and the minion stepped toward one of the men. The blade in the minion's hand reflected the flickering light of candles, bonfires and torchlight.
A.N. No animals were harmed in the writing of this chapter.