Chapter 48
by Carycomic
"What the blazes are you up to, now, Ethan?" demanded Giles: "And, who's little girl is that?"
"Would you believe me if I said I needed someone pure-in-heart to help me save the day from Glorificus?"
"You?! Doing something so brave and unselfish? I think not."
"Yeah," I added: "That'd be like Wile E. Coyote hiring himself out as a sheepdog!"
"I think you mean 'Sam Wolf,' " Oz corrected me.
"Whatever!" shouted Sonny: "There's no way I'm letting you out of here, Rayne. Especially, with that kid! You're gonna come with me to face the judgement of the Conclave."
"Sorry, old chap! But, where I'm concerned, you'd have better luck holding on to a searing wind."
And, with that (just as Sonny, Oz, and I lunged forward), Rayne grabbed the girl in a bear hug and teleported away! Leaving the three of us in an embarrassing heap on the floor.
"Blast it!" cursed Giles: "Did you see what he was holding in his right hand as he popped out? That was Queen Bessie's Lucky Charm! I don't what he's planning to use it for. But, in his hands, it bodes no good!"
"At least we know where's he _planning_ to use it," I replied: "Or, am I the only who noticed that little slip of his tongue?"
"He's headed for Chinatown," confirmed Sonny: "And the Temple of the Searing Wind headed by Sifu Yu Nohu."
I nodded: "Care to join me in some reconnoitering?"
"You know it!"
"Count me in, too," added Oz.
HALLIWELL MANOR
Magga looked at her old friend, the Green Lama.
"Michael St. John and two others are about to venture into a trap. A trap sprung by your old foe, Dr. Death! You must go to help them, Jethro."
"But, the augmentation spell. . .!" he began to protest.
". . .can be cast by the rest of us, just as effectively, now that we are enjoined. Now, go! Hurry!"
The veteran white mage complied.
* * * * *
NIPOMO DUNES STATE PARK
Glordelia had but to flick an index finger, and the section of stucco-painted balsa wood before her shattered into thousands of tiny splinters.
"This?!" she exclaimed with sarcastic amazement: "This is your idea of a big barrier to keep me out? Puh-lease! ! ! I could sh. . ."
Buffy (still enjoined) held the Dagon-sphere up in her right hand, while simultaneously sweeping a horizontal arc with her left arm. Freezing Glordelia in place just the way Piper Halliwell would have!
"Get ready, Angel," she said: "The stasis won't last long."
Angel nodded: "I know what to do."
"Wait!" exclaimed Xander: "What do you know what to do? What are you planning?"
"No time," declared Buffy: "Ask Willow and the Charmed Ones. They'll explain."
Suddenly, Glordelia's body began to quiver. Like a filmed image that had been on freeze-frame resuming full movement beginning with slow motion! Angel, seeing this, swiftly ran around Glordelia on her right-hand side, before exiting the hole she had left in the pseudo-pyramid's wall. Meanwhile, Buffy calmly walked up to within arm's reach of Glordelia's face; clenched her left hand into a fist; and, then, with the most powerful upper-cut she had ever delivered to any opponent's jaw. . .
. . .she belted the egotistical brunette back through the hole for a good hundred yards, at least!
"I have SO been wanting to do that for SUCH a long time," muttered the Slayer (with a smile).
Meanwhile, during that flight, Glordelia's body literally cart-wheeled in mid-air one hundred eighty degrees. Consequently, she landed right at Angel's feet, face-first in the sand. With Angel looking down at her neck. "Game face" on.
* * * * *
S.F. AIRPORT HILTON
(MICK ST. JOHN'S P.O.V.)
"Come on, Oz!" I snapped: "I thought you were a computer whiz."
Oz desperately leafed through the instruction manual, trying to get the gist of how to fly a Bell JetRanger helicopter (now that we were without a pilot).
"Give me a chance, okay? I mean, this isn't some first-person jet jockey video game. This is real life!"
"Then, maybe I could lend you a hand."
Sonny and I turned as one, preparing for another surprise attack. Our fangs already bared. But, when we saw the Green Lama standing next to Giles, we immediately stood down!
"How the frig did you get here?" demanded Sonny.
"Courtesy of an enjoined Magga. Now, somebody was saying something about needing a pilot?"
"Can _you_ fly this overgrown egg-beater?" I demanded.
The Green Lama just grinned: "Do bears organically fertilize forests?"
MEANWHILE, BACK AT NIPOMO DUNES STATE PARK. . .
Angel bent down on his right knee, steeling himself to bite the unconscious Glordelia's jugular vein. But, just as he was about to deliver that dental coup-de-grace, she suddenly rolled over on to her back and then sprang to her feet. Simultaneously gripping Angel's throat, and lifting him two feet off the ground, with just her right hand!
"Surprise! I was only playing 'possum. Now, all I have to do is wait for your girlfriend, Slutty the Vampire La. . .
The pejorative misnomer was cut off, in mid-syllable, by Buffy's orbing in behind Glordelia. Whereupon, the enjoined Slayer did a crouching sweep kick that knocked the self-proclaimed "hell goddess" flat on to her back. Allowing the former to jump on the latter's stomach and pin her to the ground. Buffy's left hand around Glordelia's throat. . .and her right fist preparing to deliver a Dagon-sphere amplified right hook.
"Now, we end this."
Yet, just as Buffy made that pronouncement, a strong wind suddenly began to whirl the sand up all around them.
tbc