The first thing Alexander and Corda did after returning to Sunnydale was call the group together to share the good news with Oz. Alexander set up a video camera in the shelves facing the door of the library. Corda rolled her eyes.
"In some ways you're still a little boy."
"You gotta make your fun where you can."
Once everyone was gathered, Alexander made his announcement.
"We did find a tear near the moon. Its location was very interesting. You know our sun has a detrimental effect on most demons, right? This tear was in direct and indirect sunlight. Except for one night a month. Full moon night. On the day before and the day after, it's partially out of the sunlight. The energy coming from it was slightly different as well. The sunlight seems to keep the energy at bay. Now we think we know why the moon is tied to the werewolf cycle and we believe it no longer is. We sealed the rift. Oz, you're still a werewolf, but if we're right, you'll never be subject to the moon cycle again."
Bated breath as everyone waited to see how Oz would react. "No more locking myself up?"
"Well, we'd have to test it with next week's moon, but we think so."
Slowly a smile spread across Oz's face and then to everyone's surprise, he threw back his head and howled. Then whooped. "Yeeeeees!"
"That's our Oz, as Faith once said." Buffy commented. "Accept no substitutes!"
Everyone took a few minutes to enjoy the good news and then they got down to business. Time had not stood still while Alexander and Corda were out of town.
"There's a group of people set up outside of town. They look like some kind of renaissance fair. Thanks to the fact that Mayor Wilkins efforts to keep people from noticing things around here are gone, people are noticing. People are complaining because when they go out there to visit the fair, they're getting kicked out." Buffy reported. "I took a look myself. I don't think they actually are a renaissance fair. I went to one with my mom when I was kid. They're missing quite abit that a fair would have. No woman in fancy dresses, for instance. All I'm seeing is men in armor, horses and all of them are carrying swords, nothing more modern then that. No one knows how they even got here. They seemed to have shown up overnight."
"Dressed in armor? They may be reenactors." Johnathan suggested.
"It's possible, but we should check them out anyway." Alexander said. The others agreed and they followed Buffy's directions to where they were.
"Who is in charge here?" Alexander asked when they arrived. "And are you truly knights or are you playing a game?"
"General Gregor is in charge, we are the Knights of Byzantium and we are a Holy Order. We do not play games." One of the knights answered. "And who are you?"
"I am Captain Alexander, Captain of a ship, which makes my rank the equivalent of Colonel in the Air Force, I would request a meeting with your General."
"I will inform him of your request."
"Thank you."
"Alexander, why are you talking like that?" Buffy asked.
"It never hurts to be courteous, Buffy and if they really believe themselves to be knights and this General Gregor is in charge of them, then showing respect to him, keeps his men from becoming antagonistic. There must be a reason they're here. And being a little diplomatic can help us find that out. This formal way of speaking is apparently normal for them. It was for us too."
"Oh, that's right. You were talking that way on Halloween. I'd forgotten."
"I am General Gregor. My knight informs me that you wish to speak to me. You are the first to show respect. I will speak with you."
"I thank you. Can you explain to us why you have come to our town?"
"I can. My clerics tell me the small blond one is a Slayer. They are confused though, their magics tell them, the Slayer is a few hours from here."
"This Slayer drowned in a pool of water, I breathed the Breath of Life into her."
"Ah, that explains it. I thank you for explaining. Now I will tell you why we have come to your town, Our clerics have traced the Beast here."
"The Beast, some sort of demon?" Alexander asked.
"A goddess from a Hell. After a war she lost, the others banished her here. We have learned, they imprisoned her in the body of a newborn human male, crafted for the purpose of being her prison. We have never been able to learn the identity of the male, not in many years of searching. He is hidden from our magics. The Beast is too powerful for her prison, she is able for short periods, to force her way out. She has servants from her Hell that followed her into exile."
"You believe she has come to our town?" Alexander asked.
"Yes. She seeks the Key, the means by which she may return to the Hell she came from. The monks hid it, we know not where. We will find it. The Key is the link, the link must be severed, such is the will of God."
"The Key is gone, you do not need to trouble yourself with it. One of the monks came to us and told us where they hid it. We have banished it beyond the Earth. It is of no use to this goddess."
"You have banished it?! How have you done this?"
"With our own magics. I take the safety of my people very seriously."
"We wish to sever the link because we believe doing so, denying her a way back to the Hell she came from, will break her will. She will retreat into her prison, perhaps never to return."
"Does she have any weaknesses we could exploit?"