Chapter 15

Ivory tower

The Slayer and the vampire headed towards a large temple whose typically shaped roof was surrounded by sparkling gilding. When she entered, Buffy observed the serenity which permeated the walls. Despite the many tourists milling about, pilgrims stood respectfully around statues and prayers were written on ribbons that formed a circle in the center of the main room. As Spike approached a statue surrounded by incense, Buffy observed the frescoes on the walls. She followed their drawings until she noticed a door that blended into the decoration. Puzzled, she pushed it.

Dazzled by the sun, she shielded her eyes to give them time to get used to the light before discovering that she had entered a large Zen Garden. A little further away, several men were practicing a martial art. The Slayer also noticed a small fountain suitable for meditation. Without thinking, she plunged her hand into the water and enjoyed its coolness to splash her face.

"This is sacred water," a male voice informed her from behind. Buffy quickly turned around and realized that a monk had just spoken to her. He wore traditional clothing and had shaved his hair despite his young age. The young woman guessed that he was around forty at most.

"I'm really sorry," she apologized, blushing, but the man shook his head and smiled. "It's all right. Few people notice the gate that leads to this garden. You must be very observant."

"I don't know… I was looking at the drawings on the walls of the temple."

"What are you doing here?" He cut her short.

"Me? I… came to visit the temple," she stammered because of this sudden question.

"You don't seem to be a tourist," he pointed out quietly while the Slayer observed him suspiciously. "I feel like you've been here before…"

"You're wrong," Buffy assured him. "This is my first time in China."

"Do you know the history of Mount Taishan, miss?"

"I don't know much about it," she admitted.

"Taishan has always been an imperial symbol," he explained. "It was a sacred mountain to the emperors who all came here to perform their sacrificial ceremony, a worship of gratitude to heaven and earth. It is the only mountain in China to benefit from this honor from the emperors so Mount Taishan abounds in historical and cultural remains…"

"Have you lived here for a long time?" The young woman asked. She was beginning to find this strange monk sympathetic.

"My initiation began when I was still a child," he replied, inviting her to sit at the foot of the fountain on the ground. "Taoist monks usually live reclusively but I chose to make this temple known to the people who come to visit it."

"What are they doing?" She then asked, turning to the men who were practicing a few meters away. "Shaolin kung fu?"

"Indeed. Do you practice it?"

"A little," the young woman replied, smiling.

"We'll be happy to teach you some techniques," he offered.

"That's very nice but I don't think I'll have the time," she replied regretfully. "Is this a Taoist temple here?"

"It is. Mount Tai is the birthplace of many philosophies and spiritualities including Taoism and Buddhism. You'll be able to discover all its facets during your stay."

"This place is truly magnificent," the Slayer murmured, looking up at the temple. "It feels… so serene." The monk nodded. "Mountains are meeting places between gods and men. The path between the two can only be extraordinary…"

"Have there been any… extraordinary events here?" The Slayer took the opportunity to ask cautiously. The monk turned to her and took a few minutes before answering her, "We have seen phenomena that are inexplicable to most humans over the years."

"What phenomena?" The young woman asked.

"A tiger with the Yang sign appeared some time ago. It is proof of a god's visit to the mountain."

"Oh." The Slayer could not contain her disappointment and apologized once again to the monk. "I'm looking for something," she explained, "I thought that maybe you'd have seen it…"

"Everyone sees what they can see. I don't know if I would recognize what you are looking for. Nevertheless, I hope you find it," he said before getting up.

"Thank you."

The monk walked away towards the training ground and Buffy closed her eyes for a few moments to enjoy the warm air and calm surroundings.

"All life must find its balance between Good and Evil and inner peace is only obtained after accepting our destiny."

The Slayer raised her head sharply and met the piercing gaze of the monk who had turned towards her again. With a nod, he turned away before continuing on his way. Buffy frowned. What a strange sentence, she thought as she turned her attention back to the small fountain.

Buffy slowly got up and left the garden, striding over the small fence that separated it from the rest of the village perched on the mountain. As she lingered near a huge tree a few meters from the temple, Buffy suddenly felt a wave of panic come over her. She immediately turned and looked around but didn't notice any visible enemies. Usually, her premonitions warned her of possible attacks but she saw nothing wrong here. She then looked for Spike's figure which she did not spot either.

On alert, she tried to breathe deeply to chase away this unpleasant sensation but in just a few seconds, the Slayer felt cornered. She took a few steps and sat on a small wall that surrounded the garden of another temple. She noticed her hands were sweaty and trembling. It increased her panic and she jumped up, casting fearful glances in all directions. If an enemy found her, she was screwed, she realized as she felt anxiety grow even more. She tried to close her eyes for a moment to regain her composure but opened them abruptly when she felt that something had just brushed her right arm.

Her only reflex was to stagger awkwardly backwards. Her heart was pounding in her chest and her legs seemed to no longer want to obey her. She hadn't even seen her attacker but her mind was screaming at her that it was too late anyway. She wouldn't know how to defend herself. She was going to die here…

When the presence grabbed her by the shoulders, Buffy finally raised her eyes. Despite a strange feeling of unreality, she recognized Spike.

"You okay?"

The vampire's voice slowly made its way into her brain and she understood that she was not being attacked, which made her come to her senses a little.

"Buffy, you okay?" Spike asked again, eyeing her suspiciously.

"Y-Yeah," she managed to mumble as she tried to calm the anarchic beating of her heart.

"You're shaking. You're cold?" He remarked, frowning.

"I… I'm not. I'm okay." The Slayer took the opportunity to squeeze her hands together and realized that they were frozen despite the afternoon heat. All her muscles were stiff and she took a few steps to regain possession of her own body.

"What happened?" The vampire asked, not taking his eyes off her. "You weren't in the temple."

"What? Oh, I went to the back garden and then I came back here, that's all," she answered quickly.

"And then?"

"And then nothing, Spike! Nothing else happened!" She got annoyed.

"You looked completely lost and I had to shake you to get you out of it! It's not nothing!" The vampire exclaimed.

"Listen, I was lost in my thoughts, it's not that serious," she evaded while taking advantage of the sun to warm herself up. "I'm gonna visit other temples and check that there were no incidents," she continued. "You can ask the merchants and we'll meet at sunset in front of the main Taoist temple, okay?"

Spike nodded. She wouldn't tell him even though it was obvious she had been completely overwhelmed by distress a few minutes ago. He had seen a real emptiness in her eyes. As if she was prevented from moving or thinking. As if she was no longer part of this world for a few moments. The vampire followed her with his eyes. Something was going on with the Slayer and he intended to find out what it was.

After touring the various temples of the Mount, Buffy headed towards the meeting place. She had learned nothing to help in her investigation and felt quite tired. Suddenly, she noticed that the light was fading and she turned her head towards the sun. She decided to climb onto the bench that she and Spike had occupied a few hours earlier not far from the edge of the mountain. Here, near the abyss, she overlooked the landscape that she had not stopped admiring since they arrived. She tried to soak it up and chase from her mind this wave of helplessness that had hit her head on.

The air had cooled and she shivered before pausing in front of the solemn beauty that stretched out before her eyes. She had never seen a more beautiful sunset. The sun was slowly declining on the orange sky dotted with clouds that made a scarf of mist. The last rays were reflected on the temples, giving an air of unshakeable calm to this high spiritual place. Here, things were immutable and followed their course to the rhythm of nature alone.

The Slayer felt enveloped in a positive energy contrasting with the strength of the despair that had run through her a few hours before. She indulged in this deserved well-being and closed her eyes to enjoy its sweetness while the noise of the crowd around her became a simple rumbling. The evening air began to blow, making her blonde hair dance before it returned to its place on her shoulders. Buffy felt in perfect harmony with nature at that moment and she tried to prolong this feeling as long as possible in order to maintain this peace of mind. Finally, the sun disappeared completely and the cold intensified, forcing the young woman to come down from the bench.

As she was about to head back to the temple where she was supposed to meet Spike, he appeared in front of her, making her jump.

"I saw you climb onto the bench and since you weren't moving…"

"You thought I was gonna jump into the void?" The Slayer joked before losing her smile in front of the vampire's concerned face. "What? Did you really think I was going to jump?" She exclaimed.

"No, no." He said, shaking his head and visibly uncomfortable, "But since you didn't seem to be feeling well earlier…"

"I'm fine!" She replied with annoyance. "I'm perfectly fine!"

Spike sighed. Buffy could be so dishonest. A bad faith that she used wonderfully to protect herself from everything that was eating away at her. He knew it only too well and so he allowed himself to insist.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night but I know you and I can tell when you're not okay!" He told her calmly.

The Slayer took a step back, wary. Her reaction made the vampire understand that she was not in the mood to confide and he tried another approach.

"I need to tell you something," he began.

"You don't know me, Spike. You have no idea what I can feel!" Buffy snapped coldly. "Why do you insist on believing that you know me better than everyone else? I'll tell you what, Spike, if there's one thing that makes me sick, it's knowing you're here with me!"

All her calm had vanished in an instant. All that remained was the anger and bitterness of her words that she had spoken without thinking. The vampire remained silent. If he didn't understand the Slayer's rage, at least it allowed him to confirm that there was a problem. A problem between them, sure, but a problem that was also beyond them.

For her part, Buffy was waiting for a scathing retort that didn't come. She knew how to handle outbursts and conflicts with him. She was on familiar ground. His lack of reaction made her even more furious then.

"I'll go back to the hotel," she said as she walked past him, trying to appear as indifferent as possible.

The vampire watched her walk away without a word. He lit a cigarette and let it burn almost entirely on its own. His gaze lingered on the landscape darkened by the night that the Slayer had observed a few moments before. Thinking about it, her face was really serene when she had turned to him. No doubt she hadn't lied and felt good at that moment but the reality was that he had been scared when he had seen her leaning over the void after the distress he had caught a glimpse of in the afternoon.

He remembered what Willow had told him. Buffy was feeling down according to her. Her friend had probably underestimated the seriousness of the situation and he could tell that Buffy was withdrawing into silence and aggression to better protect herself from something. It was a typical reaction of the Slayers and even more so of Buffy.

She had been friendly to him since they arrived in China and he had begun to think that their relationship was evolving into some kind of nice routine. An event like this tended to make him think that nothing had changed though. The Slayer shared a few casual moments with him but did not allow anyone to approach her when she felt weak. At least, she did not allow him.

With a pang in his heart, he remembered the way Angel had said goodbye to the young woman. Friendly. Considerate. Tender. Loving… Spike crushed his cigarette on the ground and headed for the stairs. He needed calm and running down these thousands of stairs sounded very good.

The next day, they went back to look for information among the inhabitants of Taishan. Buffy had sent an email to her sister to ask if everything was going well but she had not replied yet. She had gone to bed immediately after returning and had slept through the morning. After a hearty breakfast, she had found Spike in the small lobby of the hotel.

At noon, they met in the shade of a small shop where Buffy ordered a soup since it was the only thing she was sure of on the menu. It was very hot again, and their host had told them that it was unusual for the season. The young woman had then chosen a white tank top and flexible black jeans. Spike had managed to figure out that several strange creatures had been seen at night around the mountain and in the village but the language barrier was such that the man had only been able to point out a vague lair to the west of the town.

As Buffy slowly drank her burning brew, she glanced at the vampire. He was trying to locate this hypothetical place on the map and seemed absorbed in his task. The Slayer looked back into her soup. They had hardly spoken since the incident the day before and the young woman still felt angry with him. Still, she had to admit that she had been the more unpleasant of the two and so she looked for a way to renew contact without going further into their last conversation.

"How do you eat?" She asked.

"I brought some blood bags," he answered calmly, folding the map.

"Can you keep them cool in this heat?" The Slayer asked in astonishment and the vampire stared at her for a few seconds. "In this modern world, there are really effective little cooling pouches," he explained while laughing.

Buffy scowled. She had wanted to reconnect, not look like an idiot. She fell silent and focused on the liquid that burned her tongue with each sip until the vampire informed her that he thought he had spotted the place the man he had met in the morning had told him about. He stood up then, pointing to a small store across from their stall.

"I'll be right back," he said before walking away.

Puzzled, the Slayer followed him with her eyes until he entered the small shop. She squinted and tried to see what it was selling, but the glare of the light prevented her from doing so. Finally, she shrugged and continued her meal.

A few minutes later, she jumped when a shadow in front of her pulled her out of her thoughts. She looked up and couldn't help but smile. Spike had put on black sunglasses worthy of the biggest rock stars. With his messy blond hair and white skin that contrasted with his black clothes, he definitely didn't go unnoticed among the inhabitants.

"You're gonna attract attention, Billy Idol," she said with a laugh.

The vampire shrugged, "I can't stand this sun. I haven't been used to it for hundreds of years!"

The Slayer put down her empty bowl, still smiling, before getting up in turn. "Then let's go make ourselves known to the local scum!"

They finally located the entrance to the place they were interested in after more than an hour of searching. Out of sight and of the tourist's favorite spots, the lair actually looked like Willy's bar. When they crossed the door, none of the solitary creatures scattered in the small, filthy, smoke-filled room seemed to notice them. Not all of them had a human appearance and Buffy cautiously approached the counter before calling out to a man who was cleaning glasses and staring at her with a dull face.

"I was told I could get information here," she said in a falsely cheerful voice.

The man didn't move an inch and Buffy repeated her sentence followed by the same silence. The Slayer was starting to lose patience when her interlocutor mumbled in a language she didn't know, probably mandarin. Disappointed, the young woman turned to Spike who was looking around for someone who could understand them. In the end, he headed towards the door that led to the kitchens and came out a few seconds later with a young boy of about fifteen years old whom he had grabbed by the shirt to force him to move forward.

"Human," the vampire explained, pushing him toward the Slayer. Buffy frowned. If this place was a meeting place for demons, why was a teenager in the kitchens?

"What are you doing here?" She asked.

Terrified, he just stared at her, his eyes bulging, and Buffy sighed. This young boy certainly didn't understand their language either…

"We won't find anyone who speaks English in this damn place," the vampire muttered, glancing at those who hadn't left their tables.

"Coo-Cooking," the young man stammered.

The Slayer turned her head towards him. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" She asked hopefully.

The boy, however, fell silent again, much to the vampire's annoyance. He approached and began to shake him roughly. "Answer! Do you speak our language?"

"Spike, stop!" The Slayer intervened, seeing the teenager's face distorted by fear. The vampire released the pressure he was exerting on his shoulders and took a step back as Buffy came closer. "We don't want to hurt you. We're looking for someone to give us information," she explained kindly. "Do you understand us?"

"A little," he replied in a weak voice.

The Slayer smiled warmly before continuing on to the subject that interested her. "What are you doing here? You're not a demon…"

He nodded firmly. "Not a demon. I cook. Demons can't cook," he added after a moment, struggling with words.

"Where are we?" Spike asked. The boy gave him a frightened look and then glanced around the room.

"Outside," he replied, pointing to the door before heading towards it. Buffy nodded and followed him while Spike closed the walk.

"Who are you?" The boy asked when they were in the shadow of the narrow street.

"Answer our question first," the vampire cut him short.

"We're from the United States." The Slayer explained, "We're here to retrieve an object and we were told it was in this village."

"You're looking for the book?"

Buffy's eyes widened. "Yes, we're looking for the book. How do you know?"

"The monks said someone would come and take it back. A girl,' he added while giving the vampire a suspicious look. "They said it would be a girl."

"Spike is a friend. He'll help me get it back," the Slayer explained. "What else do you know?"

The teenager shrugged his shoulders. "They didn't tell me much. They said that the balance between Good and Evil had to be restored and that a girl would come for the book, that's all."

"Who are these monks?" The young woman asked again.

"The monks of Mount Tai. Those of the great temple. I went there often when the demons left the village a few months ago. But they have returned and they are guarding the cave. I work with Sheng in the kitchen. The demons really like my cooking. My father taught me," he added with sudden sadness, "He's a great chef from Beijing…"

"Your parents are in Beijing and you're here?"

The boy nodded. "They made a pact with the magical powers. They wanted to be known worldwide for their cuisine… In exchange, I have to stay here…"

Buffy bit her lips. What parent could reasonably leave their child in the hands of supernatural creatures to better live their dream of glory?

"What's your name?" She asked him then.

"Tao."

"My name's Buffy," she introduced herself. "Tao, can you tell me if the temple where the monks are has a Zen Garden and fighters?"

"Yes!" The teenager exclaimed, "You know them?" Silence fell as Tao observed the two Westerners. "Are you going to kill them?" He asked them suddenly, nodding towards the bar a little further away.

"No, we'll get the book back," the vampire replied.

The teenager sighed disappointedly, before composing himself. "The monks said that when order is restored, there would be more demons but we could defeat them. Are you going to weaken them with the book?"

Spike shook his head. He really didn't know.

"We don't know what we can do with it yet," the Slayer replied frankly, "But I promise we'll do our best."

The young woman and the vampire walked away while the teenager returned to the kitchen. As Buffy thought about the best way to introduce herself to the monks Tao had told them about, Spike kept telling himself that it was time to tell the Slayer what Willow had discovered about him. What the young boy had told them proved that the book was of crucial importance to the Slayer's mission and she needed to know what to expect with him. He thought of Willow's words when she had told him telepathically what she had discovered just before he left while Buffy waited near the taxi.

"You're connected to the First; there's no doubt. I think it's because of the necklace you wore to destroy it. It looks like a bond between you. I think the First knows about you in the same way you feel it. This is an advantage but also a disadvantage because maybe it knows what we're up to now. There's gotta be a connection between its resurgence and your resurrection. It's time to tell Buffy…"

The vampire took a deep breath as he walked through the maze of city streets. The witch was right. It was time. He had thought long enough about what he would do next. The only unknown was the reaction of the blonde woman who walked alongside him.

"We have time to go back to Mount Tai before nightfall and question these monks," she said at that moment.

"Buffy…"

"I know we have to wait two more days before acting, but the more information we have, the better prepared we will be."

"Buffy, I gotta tell you something." The vampire's voice made the Slayer slow down. Spike had stopped a few steps back and looked visibly uncomfortable.

Puzzled, she approached him. "Did you see something, Spike?"

"No, but… we need to talk."

"About what?" She asked suspiciously. She didn't want to bring up what had happened last night and she was prepared to respond sharply if he decided to address the issue. Sensing she was on the defensive, the vampire preferred to reassure her on this point.

"It's about me. About my resurrection."

The young woman immediately relaxed and her curiosity increased while a hint of worry came over her. If Spike wanted to tell her, that wasn't exactly a good sign. Her fear was reinforced when she saw him slowly heading towards a small bench under a huge cypress tree.

The vampire sat on the back of the bench and didn't wait for Buffy to join him to tell her what he knew. He wasn't good at speeches and prolonging the suspense only made him more nervous. Especially in her presence.

"I came back because I'm connected to the First and it has reappeared."