Faith the Vampire Slayer:
The Master
12. Broken Prophecies
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Xander held Faith's phone in front of him, turned sideways to wide-screen to record the action. The crypt he was perched on gave him an excellent view of the Slayer kicking vampire butt. A crossbow, loaded and ready, rested beside him.
Faith grabbed the vampire's arm and brought his elbow back against her forearm. The joint gave a slick pop as it dislocated. The Slayer released him and stepped back, bobbing energetically as she waited for her opponent to recover. The vampire howled in pain as he popped his elbow back into its socket.
Growling, the vampire lunged at her. Faith spun to the side and used her momentum to kick him away. The vampire slid across the grass. He picked himself up and came at her again, this time with his fists up. The Slayer swatted a few his strikes aside before grabbing his wrist and tossing the vampire over her shoulder. Faith pushed a stake through his ribs and into his heart. The vampire crumbled to dust.
"That makes three," Xander told her proudly.
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Willow sat at the counter at the Bronze, sipping a soda. She rapped her fingers on the bar in time to the music. The Dingoes Ate My Baby were playing. The hacker was excited to find that one of the guitarists was Oz. As she watched him play, Willow noticed a passion, an intensity that had been lacking during their brief conversation. Narrowed in concentration his green eyes seemed darker. He would smile during riffs he liked or furrow his brow during one that was complex. On the other hand, his face was completely neutral in between songs.
At the end of the set, Willow put her empty glass down. She made her way to the edge of the stage. "Hi," she said, smiling.
"Hey," he smiled back.
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Chris Madison watched his daughter as she added pepper, garlic, and fennel seed to the boiling water. He continued to chop vegetables for the salad as the little radio began playing Sunshine of Your Love by Cream. "Hey, turn this up," Amy told him, handing Melissa – her step-mother – a loaf of French bread. "There's garlic butter in the lunch meat drawer."
"I didn't know you liked Cream," Chris smiled, moving along with the beat.
Amy shrugged. "Giles has a lot of old records. I think music is the only thing he likes as much as books."
"I'm not sure you should spend so much time around him," Melissa said as she spread a generous layer of garlic butter on the bread.
"I know you're just trying to be a concerned parent," Amy flashed her an annoyed smile, "but Giles is Faith's uncle, not just some creepy librarian who likes to hang out with the young kids." She paused, then turned to her dad. "Which reminds me: Willows parents want to know when you two are available for a dinner party. Giles will be there and so will Xander's folks. Hopefully."
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Giles puttered from the kitchen to his favorite chair in the living room. He set his tea down on the end table Faith had made for him. It had started life as a small three tiered book shelving cart and a wooden garden tray. Giles pulled the Codex – a rare tome Angel had given to him the night before – and a notebook off the shelf. He muttered to himself as he translated. "Ho korias phanaytie toutay... tay nuktee. 'The Master shall rise...'" he took a sip of his tea. "Yes, yes, this is it! 'The Master shall rise, and the Slayer...'" Giles paled. He double checked his translation. "Dear god no."
As he reached for his tea again the cup began to rattle. The whole room was shaking. Giles got up and made for the kitchen doorway. He winced as the dishes clattered in the cupboards. His teacup crashed onto the hardwood floor. Giles lamented not getting a rug for the area.
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Melissa screamed when the spaghetti pot fell off the stove. She also shoved Amy out of the way of the boiling liquid.
Amy drew power inside herself. She clung to the doorframe with her right hand and drew a Celtic sigil in the air, "Dhìon!" She repeated the gesture over her father. Cans and dishes rained out of the cupboards and deflected off shields of faint blue light. "Ragadh," the witch cast again, this time taking away the pain of Melissa's burns. "Stay still. I've only numbed the area."
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Oz hopped off the stage and grabbed Willow's arm when the shaking started. "Under the stairs," he tugged her along. When she put her hand on a step to brace herself he quickly pulled it away. A flood of people rushed down the stairs.
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In the graveyard, the trees were swaying. Car alarms echoed through the night air. Xander shouted and fell as the crypt's roof crumbled beneath him.
Pushing the crypt door out of her way the Slayer saw her boyfriend lying on his back. "Are you okay?" she asked as she approached.
"Peachy keen," he replied, sarcastically. "The stone sarcophagus broke my fall."
"Fall or skull?" Faith asked as he sat up.
Xander hissed in pain as he felt the back of his head, "A case could be made either way."
"Here," she helped him to his feet. "Let's make sure you don't have a concussion."
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Giles was pale when the pair of teens entered the house. "Faith!" he rushed to the foyer to greet them. "Are you alright?"
"I'm fine, but Xander might have cracked his skull," the Slayer replied.
"Set him down on the couch. I'll have a look at him," the Watcher instructed. He passed through the dining room and kitchen, meeting them in the great room with a first aid kit.
"Your first quake, too?" Xander asked. "Faith was fairly freaked."
"You fell and hit your head," the Slayer wagged a finger at him. "Of course I was freaked."
Giles checked the boy over as the pair bantered back and forth. He put three stitches in the back of Xander's head and recommended an ice pack as well. "You should stay here tonight, so I can keep an eye on you. I don't think you have a concussion, but you really can't be too careful with head injuries." Giles turned to his Slayer. "He can keep me company while I do some research. Would you fetch a blanket?"
When Faith returned with a pair of blankets and pillows Xander was showing Giles the footage he'd taken of that night's patrol. "Is it just me or are there, like, more of them than normal?" the boy asked.
"Their numbers are increasing," Giles concurred. He raised an eyebrow at Faith when she settled down on the floor in front of the couch with the second pillow and blanket. "W-why don't you head to bed, Faith? I can handle things down here."
"Don't wanna," she yawned. "I'm'a' sleep right here. Keep everybody safe."
The Watcher gave an indulgent sigh, "Well, don't complain to me about your back aching in the morning."
"Mmkay," the Slayer agreed.
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Xander noticed immediately that Giles was tense. Over what, he couldn't be sure, but he knew, beyond a shadow of a doubt, something was bothering the elder British man. He watched casually as Giles prepared a full English breakfast for the three of them. Why British folks ate beans in the morning, he would never know, but there it was. He continued to stare at the man as he went through preparing light, yet nutritious lunches for Faith, Xander and himself. After breakfast was finished, Giles shooed Faith upstairs to get ready for school. Finally, curiosity getting the better of him, he asked, "What's wrong? And how do we fix it?"
Giles stared at the teen for a long moment. Finally, with tears forming in the corners of his eyes Giles spoke softly, "There is nothing we can do. Tomorrow night Faith will face the Master, and she will die."
Xander stared at the Watcher as if he had spontaneously grown another head. "Um…don't you think you oughta preface that with, you know…something?"
Giles moved to the end table beside his chair and lifted the book in question. "I received this a few days ago. I've been translating it. It's been an endeavor, but my translations are correct. Within is a prophecy that states, unequivocally, that Faith will be led into the Master's lair where he will end her life."
"Well…" Xander began angrily. "Bullcrap, party of two." He dropped back on the sofa. "There's gotta be some way around it."
"I've checked it against all my other volumes. Some prophecies are, are a bit dodgy. They're, they're mutable. Faith has thwarted at least two major prophecies before. But this is the Pergamum Codex. There is nothing in it that does not come to pass," the Watcher slouched against the kitchen counter.
"So that's it, huh?" Faith said from the doorway. She was freshly showered and dressed in a black, sleeveless top and faded jeans. Xander approached her to offer comfort but she brushed by him to address Giles, "I remember the drill. One Slayer punches her ticket, next in line's up to bat! Will you train her? Or will they send someone else?"
"Someone else," Giles affirmed. "I wouldn't…" he shook his head. "I couldn't."
"They say how it'll go down, Tweed?" she asked. Arms snaked around her waist and a warm body pressed against her back. Faith stiffened at the sudden contact. "Don't," she pushed Xander away. "I'm fine. Knew it was a short term gig going into it." Faith sighed heavily. "Were you even gonna tell me?"
"I, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to," Giles admitted. "That there was, is some way around it."
"But there's not. And you know it. No sense in wasting what time I've got. Let's get a plan together and make sure bat-face's rise ends in a hail of dust," Faith scrubbed her arm over her eyes. She was fairly certain her threatening tears went unnoticed.
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Willow had never skipped class before. She was typing away at her laptop despite the tears in her eyes. The hacker sniffled as she marked herself, Amy, and Xander as being called in sick by their parents. Giles had actually called in for Faith. The group sat in the great room listening as the Watcher read the translation of the prophecy.
"Screw that," Amy stood up and grabbed a spell book off the shelf. "We have an awkward dinner party next Thursday, and you're not getting out of it that easy."
"Can't Faith just stay in tomorrow night?" Xander asked.
"Anything could cause her demise. It, it... There is no indication as to how," Giles stammered as he cross-referenced another vague prophecy. "I do wish I had a copy of the Devandiré Sibylline Codex."
Faith handed him her cell phone, "Does the council have a copy?"
"Well, yes," he admitted.
"If they give you any guff tell them I quit," she smiled at him.
"Faith," Giles chided as he dialed.
"If they give you any guff, ask them what else are they good for and tell them it's their job to help the Slayer," Xander suggested.
"Xander," Giles chided firmly as the phone rang on the other end.
"What? It worked for Faith," the teen grinned.
The four teens were witness to a rare and authoritative Giles as he politely demanded that the research department drop what it was doing to double check the prophecy. He didn't shout or panic and made liberal use of the phrase, "Because we'll all be dead, otherwise."
When the long call was completed Xander asked, "Is there good news?"
"My calculations are spot on."
"Bad news?" Faith prompted.
"My calculations are spot on," Giles repeated.
"Maybe," Willow said looking up from a pile of books, "I mean, it says the Slayer, right? What if Faith wasn't? What if we could transfer the Slayer power to a-another vessel?"
"The essence of the Slayer would burn out a normal human in a matter of hours," Giles informed them. He stood and retrieved a particularly old Watcher's diary. "It was attempted in 1412 by Owain Glyndŵr. What was left was buried in the church of Saints Mael and Sulien."
"There is another way," Amy said, her head still lowered. "But it's risky. And if we fail it leaves us facing the Master Slayerless."
"Amy, what…" Giles began to ask.
"I was so scared," she sobbed.
"What are you talking about?" Xander asked.
"Willow was in danger, but he just collapsed I, I couldn't just leave him."
Xander, frowning, looked at everyone. "Leave who?"
"Morgan," Faith said as she moved over and wrapped her arms around the witch. "She used her magic and saved his butt, remember?"
"Oh, yeah," he said, nodding. "See? Context is key. Less confused Xander's walking around that way."
Faith ignored him. "I know, Amy. You did the right thing. Everything worked out. I know none of you asked for this. I really appreciate all your help." When Amy's tears subsided Faith tilted her chin up, "It's a good thought. The Codex is always right so we give it what it wants but on our terms. But I can't leave you guys to face him on your own."
"Angel!" Xander jumped up. "He's all tough brooding champion of the night. We'll use him as a backup Slayer."
"No," Giles said firmly. But he was smiling, "We already have a backup Slayer." He snapped the book he was holding shut, "We just need a strong enough vessel to put her in."
"Who?" Willow asked.
"Artemia," Faith answered. "The Greek Slayer that's been possessing me."
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Faith explained the procedure to Cordelia as Amy and Willow set out candles and Xander drew a boundary line with salt, "All you have to do is hold this chalice and repeat anything Amy says in English."
"What's in the cup?" the cheerleader asked, sniffing the contents. "It smells like lawn clippings and cheap Walmart perfume."
"A blend of cyclamen, rosemary, and dandelion," Amy answered.
"Look at that I was right." She moaned sadly. "Why me?"
"Because you know about the supernatural, and Ms. Calendar has classes to teach," Xander offered.
"Bonus," Faith added, "Angel will be here so you can get his number."
"Fine," the cheerleader huffed. "What exactly are you trying to do anyway?"
"Give Willow superpowers," Xander gave her the short answer.
"Why?" she looked at the mousy redhead. "Not that she doesn't need them, I mean."
"Need to take out an über-vamp," Faith explained. "Wanted some extra back up."
Giles arrived with Angel just as the preparations were complete. Inside the circle of salt was a circle of twelve white candles. Another circle of salt was at the center of a complex set of runes drawn on the hardwood floor in chalk. The Watcher went over the symbols carefully. "Nice work, Amy. But this should be Sowilō, not Tiwaz," he offered, motioning toward a few of the runes.
"Oh, sorry. Is Faith standing there?" Amy asked as she fixed the marks around the north facing circle of runes.
"Yes, and opposite her will be Angel," the Watcher nodded as he changed the runes marking that spot as well. "Amy to his right, Cordelia to his left. Xander will stand across from her." Giles stood with a groan. "Now the fun part," he gestured for Willow to enter the center circle. The librarian walked around the circle with a long red cord. As he wrapped it about their wrists, insuring that it didn't hamper their movements, he told each, "I bind you to this gathering. Our number is six, united." As he spoke, the candles lit up. Finally he took his place between Faith and Cordelia.
"I bind you to this gathering. Our number is six, united," Amy intoned. Faith and Cordelia echoed her words. Giles joined her on the next line, "I bind you to this gathering. We are no longer one and six but seven, united." As the others repeated this, Amy and Giles both pricked their finger and dropped blood on the rune circle around Willow. The circle began to glow with warm golden light.
"Artemia, I beseech thee to depart me. Enter into my companion and fight by my side. Artemia, pass from me into another," the Slayer recited.
Giles and Amy spoke again, "Artemia, We beseech thee to depart the Slayer. Enter into our companion and fight by our side. Artemia, pass from the Slayer into another." The others echoed their words. Silver light swirled around Faith and coalesced in front of her.
"Mípos mou aporrípsei?" the vaguely human-shaped light asked her.
"Se chreiazómaste. Parakaloúme, polemísoun sto plevró mas!" Giles pleaded in her native tongue for Artemia to stand with them. The body of light that was Artemia turned to face him. "Parakaló eiságete aftó to éna kai na polemísoun sto plevró mas!" he gestured at Willow.
"Tha prépei na bo aftós pou aníkei stin Ekáti? Vlasfimía!" the long dead Slayer shouted. The flame of the candles became a ring of fire.
Giles looked shocked. He stammered, "B, blasphamy? Tóte ríxte mía boreíte na vreíte katállilo."
"Polý kalá," Artemia nodded. She examined each person on the circle before standing in front of Cordelia. "Eínai to éna." The light entered the teen. The fire went out, the glow around Willow stopped and the cord fell to the floor. For a long moment, all was still.
"What just happened?" Xander asked.
"Artemia rejected Willow, because she is a natural born witch. She belongs to Hecate," Angel explained. He glanced at Giles when the Watcher gave him a surprised look. "I'm two hundred and sixty; I've picked a few things up along the way."
"You are a Vampire," Artemia spoke with Cordelia's voice, harsh and accusatory.
"He has a soul," Faith stepped up to the possessed girl. "We need him. We need all the help we can get."
"Why? You cannot trust his kind," Artemia growled.
"It's less trust and more pointing him at the bad guys and letting him go," the Slayer shrugged. "Anyway he knows where the Master's lair is."
"Very well," the dead Slayer acquiesced. "I require a gladius."
Xander jogged over to the weapons locker, "We got three British long swords, four basket hilt rapiers, a katana I'm not allowed to touch, a falchion…"
"Shamshir, actually," Giles corrected absently.
"…a nine ring broad sword, and a twelve pack of machetes," the boy continued.
"If that is all you have," she huffed grabbing a pair. "Also, I cannot fight in this footwear."
"I have a spare pair of boots that should fit you," Faith headed up stairs.
"Why does she associate with a vampire and a demon lover?" Artemia glared at Giles.
"I beg your pardon?" the Watcher scoffed.
"You reek of the sleepwalker's stench," she spun the blades in her hands. "If he comes I will not hesitate."
"I'll keep that in mind," Giles said snidely.
"Sleepwalker?" Amy asked.
"A part of my wild and miss spent youth," Giles replied. "It's not something we need discus at the moment."
Faith reentered the room, "Who sucked all the fun out of you guys?"
"Artemia," Willow said. "Apparently she doesn't like Giles."
"Well, he's my Watcher so suck it up, Arty," Faith handed her a pair of socks and combat boots. "Put those on. We need to get this party moving as soon as we can. Possession may be different then transferring the Slayer mojo, but it's still no picnic."
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They entered the Sunnydale underground through the same mausoleum in Quinn Cemetery they had used to rescue Jesse. Angel leaned over to whisper to Faith as they strolled through the dark tunnel, "I understand bringing Artemia and Giles, but the rest of them? They could get hurt. They could be killed."
"You could be killed," Faith whispered back. "Or you could shut up."
"Sorry, I'm just worried about your plucky little sidekicks," he muttered.
"They do okay," Faith reassured him. "They came up with some crazy good ideas."
"They are amateurs that will get us all killed," Artemia spoke up.
"Thank you for that stellar vote of confidence and boost to morale," Xander huffed.
"I am merely stating the truth. You have less training than a soldier on the line. The daughters of Hecate are powerful, but also untested in a true battle," Artemia shook her head. "The fate of the world is in the hands of you losers. We're doomed."
Faith hung back as Cordelia took point. She turned to Giles, "Is it just me or was that last line all Queen C?"
"Possession and channeling are a tricky business," the Watcher replied. "I just hope it holds until the Master is defeated."
The rats thinned out as they traveled. Faith and Cordelia steered them towards a large congregation of vampires, until Angel directed them down some stairs and into a round side tunnel. "How do we know he's not leading us into a trap?" Cordelia asked.
"Well, for one you'd kill him, and we'd let you," Xander answered. "And second off it looks as if he's leading us away from an ambush."
Angel sighed, "You don't like me very much do you, Xander?"
"No. I don't," the boy admitted. "All I really know about you is that you're a vampire. Sure you're doing the whole Interview with a Vampire meets Blade thing, but what's to stop you from going all blood sick monster on us?"
"I do have a soul, you know, a conscience," Angel returned.
"No dice," Xander shook his head. "I know too many bad humans for that to even factor. Oh, no. You'll feel bad after. Pff. Big deal."
Angel stared at him a moment. Given how long he'd lived, both as a part of humanity and apart from it… "Fair point," he conceded, turning his attention back to the tunnels before them.
"Quiet now," Artemia snapped. "I can feel him."
"The Master?" Faith asked.
Cordelia nodded, "I remember him from the graveyard. Can you not feel him?"
Faith shook her head, "I feel something, but I don't know what."
"Distinction will come with practice," the older Slayer assured her.
At the end of the stairs the cavernous room was lit with hundreds of candles. The decrepit and ruined interior of an old, gothic church surrounded them.
"You're early," the Master's voice seemed to be coming from all directions.
"I'm not the type to put things off to the last minute," Faith snarked back.
The Master stepped into the light to look at her, "And you brought snacks. How thoughtful."
"Oh my god, what happened to you?" Cordelia gasped.
"A near millennium of undeath will have that effect," he gave her a toothy grin.
"Not your hideous bat-face," she scoffed. "Your clothes."
"My clothes?" he questioned. "What's wrong with my clothes?"
"Please, that outfit is so S&M mad scientist. I mean come on, all that leather and you still manage to look like you're wearing a cheap vinyl rain coat. I hope you murdered your tailor," Artemia/Cordelia berated him.
He looked at her with an expression of genuine hurt, "I'm offended." The Master's expression slowly melted into an oily smile, "I like you. I'll kill you last."
Artemia took this as a sign that the banter portion of the fight had concluded and grabbed Willow's crossbow. With his lightning reflexes the Master caught the bolt right in front of him dead center on his heart. This was just a distraction, as the others had launched a salvo of holy water balloons. The Master hissed in pain as boils sprung up everywhere the water touched him. Even indirect hits were of use.
Angel stayed on the stairs covering their exit. The amount of holy water in the dozen balloons they'd filled wasn't enough to kill any vampire, let alone ones as strong as himself or the Master, but it was like instantly getting the worst sunburn you've ever had.
The Master snarled, "You're not going to kill me with that."
"Hadn't planned on it," Faith shot back and fired a bolt of her own at him. He caught it, but dropped it immediately. "Ow! Hot potato!" she said, smirking.
"Enough games, little girl!" He strode towards them until he hit the barrier keeping him trapped. "You still don't understand your part in all this, do you? You are not the hunter. You are the lamb."
"I may be a lamb, but I'm definitely a black sheep," the Slayer snapped back. "And you're still stuck." She reloaded and fired another bolt at him. The Master dodged it with inhuman speed and retreated behind a stone column.
His low sardonic laugh echoed through the cave, masking his location again. "It is a noble effort you and your little friends put forth, but in the end you will die, like all Slayers die."
"Yeah, yeah, you could kill me if you could get to me," Faith sneered. "News flash: so could another human being. So could a dog. So could a dedicated duck. You aren't special."
"Tomorrow you die and nothing will stop it," he laughed. "Prophecies are tricky creatures. They don't tell you everything."
Behind them Angel swore. Willow and Amy turned to give him support. Artemia surged forward with her machetes. Faith chased after her. Giles swore. "Xander, help the girls." Giles chased after them both.
"You are destined to die! It was written!" the Master taunted her.
"Yeah, but you'll be dusted by then," Faith returned whipping around a pillar and losing a crossbow bolt.
The Master stepped out of the shadows behind her. "Come here!" He commanded after she turned to face him and their eyes met. "You came to stop me," he whispered as he approached her. Faith didn't move. "How ironic that you're the one that sets me free!" He gripped her throat with his long fingers. His sharpened nails bit into her flesh. "If you hadn't come, I couldn't go," he leaned in to bite her. The Master stopped and gasped in pain.
"She did not come alone," Artemia snarled as she swung the blade that was not piercing his spine at his throat. The machete struck it's mark and the carbon steel blade sliced cleanly through his neck. The Master's head tumbled to their feet. The flesh disintegrated from his bones leaving them to clatter unceremoniously to the floor.
Faith stood motionless. A hand gabbed her shoulder from behind. "Faith!" Giles called to her.
The Slayer shook her head, "Ugh, sorry Tweed. He just put the whammy on me big time. The lights were on, but I was trapped in the attic."
Giles chuckled. "I'll bag these remains. We'll deal with them later."
"A little help here! Please!" Amy shouted.
The two Slayers ran into the flood of vampires pushing their allies back. Standing on either side of Angel they hacked off limbs as if they were tree branches. Amy, Willow and Xander didn't dare fire into the fray. Giles on the other hand took the occasional shot. Soon the remaining vampires fled.
Willow coughed. "Gross. I'm breathing people." Giles gave her his handkerchief to put over her mouth and nose. "Thanks," came her muffled reply.
"What happened?" Cordelia snapped. She glanced around the cave as though she had never seen it before.
"You accidentally got the superpowers and killed the über vamp," Xander filled her in. "Congrats."
"Where are my shoes? They're genuine leather," the cheerleader looked at her feet.
"Safe at my place," Faith answered.
"Good," Cordelia huffed. "Angel, when we get back to Faith's I'm going to need your digits."
"Um?" He asked.
"Your cell phone number," she clarified.
"I don't have a cell phone," he admitted.
"I can fix that," the cheerleader smiled at him. "Are you busy tomorrow night? There's this dance at the Bronze. The spring fling."
Faith chuckled at her antics. "Always on the hunt."
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Faith lay the bag of Master bones on the study table in the library. "Did we have to bring these here?" she asked. "We could have swung by the house and picked them up, you know."
"Anything to lessen the delay," Giles justified. He went into his office.
"Whatever, let's get going," Faith moved to grab the crate of holy water. She saw a flicker of movement out of the corner of her eye. "Who's there?" She turned towards the door. A small boy, no more than nine or ten, opened the door to the library.
"Are you lost?" the Slayer asked. The boy turned and ran down the hallway. Faith jogged after. He threw open the door to the basement and darted down the stairs. "Yeah, I don't think so." She knelt at the top of the steps. "You know, kid. There's a lot of nasty stuff that likes to walk around under this town. I was you, I'd come back up. Because you screamin' isn't exactly gonna draw a lot of attention." She waited for a couple of minutes, shrugged and rose to her feet. "Suit yourself." She shut the door and turned back to the library.
He listened to her words…and frowned as he heard the heavy metal door slam shut. "That," he cocked his head, "That isn't how it was supposed to happen."
"That's alright," a deep voice called from the shadows.
The boy turned to the dark skinned vampire. "Absalom," he said, smiling.
"We'll see the Master returned." He rested his hand on the boy's shoulder. "Time is on our side." He grinned. "Being immortal and all."
"You're right." Collin turned and moved toward the sewers. "Have them followed. I want to know where they put him."
Absalom gave one last look to the door atop the stairs. "I'll see it done," he said, before following the child.