Chapter 14

Mount Tai

Immediately, they wondered how to get a visa for Buffy's passport as quickly as possible. The clock was ticking and they couldn't wait for standard time limits. Angel decided to ask one of his police friends who owed him a favor to obtain the visa under the pretext of an internal security problem in the country. This is how he went to the Slayer's house the next evening shortly before her departure to give her the precious document. Dawn and Xander were also there alongside Willow and Giles. Only Spike hadn't arrived yet.

Buffy placed a large sports bag at the front door and grabbed the passport the vampire handed to her.

"How's Spike gonna travel?" Xander asked suddenly. "He doesn't have a passport!"

"He'll hide in the baggage compartment," the Slayer replied, carefully putting away her papers.

"But… it's freezing in there!" Dawn exclaimed.

"Not necessarily," Giles said, "There are several compartments and the temperature shouldn't be below 41°F."

At this moment, there was a knock on the door and Willow opened it to the second vampire. "You don't have a bag?" She asked him after a few seconds, surprised.

He shrugged. "I don't need much," he said, showing her a black bag he was carrying over the shoulder. He walked in and noticed that Buffy was standing in the corner of the room with Angel.

"Stay safe," the dark-haired vampire whispered to the Slayer while putting back a lock of her hair behind her ear. She nodded and quickly hugged him before heading towards the rest of his friends gathered in the hall. Angel also approached but remained a few steps away.

Buffy looked up cautiously and met Spike's gaze. It didn't seem inquisitive, just curious. Curious about the following events and not even about this incongruous situation. This surprised the Slayer but also took a huge amount of stress off her. She didn't want to feel his eyes lingering on her and she didn't want him to ask questions she couldn't answer.

Relieved, she turned to Xander and smiled. She knew her friend disapproved of this trip but he loved her enough to support her all the same and she was grateful to him. She hugged him without a word then turned to her sister.

"Take care of yourself. If there's the slightest issue, you can call or send me an email. Or call Jing-Mai."

"Buffy, I think I'm gonna survive," Dawn sighed gently. "I'll be much safer than you," she added gloomily. Her sister grabbed her hand, "I'll be careful, Dawnie." She then turned to Willow and Giles. "I'm counting on you to organize patrols and stay in contact with Dawn every day," she said while her sister rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Buffy," the witch reassured her. "I've already planned patrols depending on everyone's jobs."

"Keep us updated about what you find and don't take any unnecessary risks to get this book," her watcher continued before hugging her briefly.

The Slayer nodded firmly and grabbed her bag. She waved to the bleached vampire and headed towards the taxi that was waiting for them at the end of the driveway.

"Spike, wait!"

Willow suddenly called out to him as he walked away. The young woman took a few quick steps and approached him. "Take this." She opened her hand and handed him a thin gold chain with a pendant supporting a green stone. The vampire frowned. "It's like the Gem of Amara except it only works for the sun," she explained.

Surprised, the vampire thanked her and stuffed the object into his pocket. Raising his head, he met the gaze of the witch and they remained silent for a few moments. "Take good care of her," Willow added as she watched her friend place her bag in the trunk. The vampire nodded in agreement before heading towards the taxi as well.

The journey to the airport was quick. When they arrived, Buffy stood on tiptoes to try to see a sign that would tell her where she should go to collect her ticket through the dense crowd of this early evening. Spike showed her a central panel where flight times as well as check-in counters were displayed and they spotted the right one without much difficulty. After collecting Buffy's ticket at the airline counter without incident, they settled not far from the boarding area. The departure time hadn't changed and the young woman would board in thirty minutes.

Sitting among the other travelers, Buffy sighed. She wasn't sure her trip was a good idea in the end. Firstly, she left her friends and sister to fend for themselves. Secondly, she wasn't at her best these last few days to face demons who ferociously guarded what she wanted. Thirdly, the presence of the vampire at her side made her nervous. Spike hadn't done or said anything to make her uncomfortable though. There had been no allusion nor insistent look from him, what the Slayer had feared since they had been alone. Embarrassed by her own behavior, she sighed again.

"You worried about Dawn?" The vampire asked her. Buffy grimaced and shook her head. "A little… even if I know she can manage without me," the young woman admitted.

"Willow will take good care of her. Rupert too," Spike said, spreading his legs in front of him. "On the other hand, the wimp she chose as her boyfriend…" Buffy couldn't help but silently agree and shrug her shoulders fatalistically.

"I don't understand how those two ended up together," the vampire continued as if to himself.

"I asked myself the same question," the Slayer sighed. "And in the end, I decided not to think about it at all. I can't imagine why my sister would like him…" Buffy seemed sincerely flabbergasted to the idea that Andrew could indeed have a few qualities.

Amused by her reaction, the vampire decided to tease her. "Maybe he's a good lay…"

Buffy widened her eyes and jumped out of her seat towards the vampire. "Dawn is absolutely not old enough for… this kind of thing!" She choked and attracted some surprised looks from other passengers. Faced with Spike's smirk, she sat back and added more calmly. "Well, maybe she is old enough but I don't wanna know and even less if it's… with him." She finished with a wince and a frankly disgusted face.

Leaving her in her thoughts, the vampire looked back in front of him with satisfaction. The Slayer had finally reacted since they were together. She barely spoke to him and he had started to suspect that something was wrong but seeing her take offense at Dawn's relationship reassured him. Buffy was still herself beneath her apparent indifference to him.

A few minutes later, the young woman headed towards the boarding area while the vampire snuck behind a back door to reach the runways.

Buffy bit another nail and closed her eyes to try to relax. She reopened them after a few seconds and took another look at the window which only reflected the black of the night. She grabbed a magazine and leafed through it absently, attentive to the slightest jolts of the plane in reality. The Slayer wasn't used to getting on a plane and knowing she was so high in the sky where she couldn't escape made her nervous despite her good will not to show anything. She glanced at her row neighbors, a businessman who was reading a business newspaper and a young girl whose headphones blasted metal music to the point that Buffy could almost understand the lyrics.

The Slayer rested her head on the back of her seat, annoyed because she was probably the only one worried about being at 33,000 feet and tossed around by small turbulence. In the end, she was lulled by the sound of the plane and closed her eyes. Her mind slipped gradually towards the goal of her journey, the book The Balance of Forces. Jiang-Mai should be waiting at the airport and she'll give them directions to continue to Mount Tai. In this tourist spot, they would need to find an accommodation and scout out the place before recovering the book while remaining discreet. On top of that, she had to carry out this mission without revealing her discomfort to Spike. She couldn't wait to get back home, she thought as she finally fell asleep.

Buffy opened her eyes to the sound of the pilot's voice announcing their landing in a few minutes in rough English. She quickly put away her things and tried to see the landscape but it was still dark. Frowning, she glanced at the clock on her phone. It was past 8am. She turned her attention back to the lights of the city which were growing with the descent of the plane. Her neighbor noticed her confusion and tapped his own watch.

"It's 2am in Beijing and it's Wednesday," he explained with a smile.

"Oh yeah… Time difference," Buffy realized with a grimace.

The Slayer buckled her seat belt and didn't take it off until the signal light went out, unlike most passengers who rushed to grab their luggage and into the narrow corridor to be the first to exit the plane. In front of this race, Buffy got amused. Maybe she wasn't the only one being nervous around planes after all.

Finally, the Slayer was back on earth and she followed the crowd to go through customs. Once the formalities were completed, she continued towards the baggage reclaim. After a few minutes, she spotted her bag and grabbed it easily before settling down a little further away to wait for the vampire. Several more minutes passed and Buffy was getting impatient. Most of the other travelers had left and she hesitated to do the same. Maybe Spike was waiting for her outside…

Suddenly, her eyes widened in surprise when Spike burst out onto the carousel. The Slayer took a quick look around and was relieved to see that no security guard seemed to have seen him. Only a few passengers looked at him suspiciously as the vampire quietly walked towards her.

"This is not a discreet entrance," she said with annoyance.

"I had to wait until all the luggage was cleared so as not to be spotted and so that there were fewer people," he explained while repositioning his bag.

The Slayer shrugged her shoulders and headed towards the exit in search of Jiang-Mai. They quickly spotted a slim young woman with long jet-black hair. She carried a bag over her shoulder and opened it as soon as they approached.

"I'm Jiang-Mai," she introduced herself. "I'm really pleased to meet you, Miss Summers," she added, bowing slightly to the Slayer. "Your victory against the forces of evil has made you a legend!"

"I… Thanks, it wasn't much," Buffy stammered while Spike smirked.

Jiang-Mai didn't seem to notice her embarrassment and continued. "Here is my phone number, you can reach me at any time. I have also made a precise map of where you'll find the book in the mountain. I'm sorry not to go with you but we're undergoing more and more regular attacks and I need to coordinate all the new slayers in China."

While talking, the young woman led them towards the bus station and showed them one. "You'll arrive around 5:30 am at Mount Tai. The first rays of the sun won't appear until 6am. That should give you time to find a place," she explained, turning to Spike.

"You… know about Spike?" Buffy asked, surprised.

"Mr. Giles told me," the young woman replied simply. "That's why he chose this schedule for the plane." The Slayer nodded and was about to get on the bus when Jiang-Mai stopped her. "You'll need this," she said, giving her two bills. "You can withdraw money up there. One yuan is about 15 cents of US dollars."

"Great," Spike grumbled before getting on the bus.

"Good luck, Buffy. Call me when you get back to Beijing," Jiang-Mai added again before turning around and retracing her steps, letting the Slayer board in turn.

The cool of the morning made the Slayer shiver. The bus had dropped them off in front of the city center of Tai'an, the ultimate vacation spot for tourists who rush by thousands every year to come and admire the five sacred mountains of Shandong province. The sky was starting to turn pink and she felt Spike fidgeting.

"We should try that way," he suggested, heading towards what appeared to be an inn.

Buffy followed him in silence and when they walked through the door, a bell announced their arrival. A small, middle-aged woman immediately appeared and walked behind a wooden counter. "Welcome to the East Mountain Inn," she called out to them in lilting English, "We have rooms available for a few more days and-

"We'll get two," Spike interrupted as he approached.

"For how long?"

The vampire turned to the Slayer who took a few seconds to think. "Three days," she replied, coming closer in turn. The woman shook her head apologetically, "I don't have room beyond two days. They're all reserved because of the festivities…"

"It's okay; two days will be enough."

The woman smiled and grabbed a register. She filled out a few lines then turned the book towards her clients, asking them to sign. Then she handed them two sets of keys. "The rooms are on the same floor, the second, but not side by side," she apologized.

"It's all good," Buffy reassured her, grabbing her key.

"Breakfast is served between 6 and 10am every day."

"Thank you."

With these words, Buffy headed towards the stairs while Spike followed suit. On the second floor, the Slayer opened the door to room 205 and the vampire the door to room 212.

"Let's meet downstairs in an hour," the young woman said before closing the door behind her.

Buffy casually threw her bag on the floor and flopped onto the bed. The soothing decor consisted of several figurines of Buddha and other Asian genies in two black vertical shelves which framed the window. A pale green veil adorned it and allowed light to enter widely into the room. Opposite the bed, a small bamboo sat in the middle of the desk. Long embroidered tapestries hung symmetrically on either side of the room. As for the bed, it was made of black wood and followed fine elegant curves. The mattress also seemed comfortable at first glance and the Slayer regretted not being on vacation. The landscape and lifestyle of the inhabitants of this village seemed strangely relaxing and in just a few moments here, she felt better than in many months.

The young woman got up with energy and opened the door leading to the bathroom. It was small, sober but just as elegant. Small red pebbles placed on a large, dazzling white sink caught her eye. Above, she noticed small bright yellow lamps which mixed with touches of scarlet red. The bathtub ran the entire left length of the small room and Buffy discovered clean towels underneath the sink, delicately folded.

Overjoyed, the Slayer turned on the taps and waited patiently for the hot water to fill the bathtub before taking off her clothes and slowly immersing herself. She closed her eyes and enjoyed this impromptu moment of relaxation.

The young blonde woman rushed down the stairs and found her traveling companion chatting with the woman at the desk. She felt in excellent spirits and above all, she felt in full control of herself. She walked towards the vampire with a grin that he didn't fail to notice.

"You like it here?" He asked.

"I do," the Slayer admitted. "Where do we start?"

"I think I figured out where the tourist office is. You can find maps of the city and the mountain over there."

The Slayer nodded and walked towards the door before freezing. The vampire had noticed her reaction and he glanced questioningly in her direction when she approached and dragged him a little away from the counter.

"How are you gonna get there with the sun?" The young woman whispered, visibly annoyed because she realized she hadn't thought about this detail before.

"It won't be a problem," the vampire replied calmly. He waved the pendant that Willow had given him under her nose.

"What is this?" The Slayer asked, intrigued.

"A sort of Gem of Amarra."

Buffy frowned. "Where did you get that?"

"Your friend the witch gave it to me before we left. She found a way to reproduce some of its effects."

"Which ones?"

"It only works for sunlight."

"You sure you can count on it?" She asked him suspiciously, grabbing the pendant to examine it better.

"There's only one way to find out."

Before Buffy could make a move, Spike took the jewel and walked through the door of the inn. After a few seconds, the Slayer finally reacted and joined him.

"You okay?"

"The sun is really dazzling but… I'm okay," the vampire murmured, narrowing his eyes to contemplate his hands and be sure that there was no smoke.

"You idiot!" Buffy muttered as she walked past him. Stunned, Spike rushed behind her and caught up with her after a few meters.

"What was that for?" He asked while trying to protect his eyes from the aggressive light that he hadn't seen for a long time.

The Slayer was trying to identify which street they were on. "You're an idiot, Spike," she repeated as she continued her task. The vampire shook his head, unable to understand the Slayer's reaction. Faced with his incomprehension, the young woman shook her head in turn and took out the map that Jiang-Mai had given her.

"Which street is the tourist office on?" She asked him after a few moments when she failed to locate it on the map.

"That way," the vampire said, pointing to a street on the left.

The Slayer sighed and put her map away before heading in the right direction.

"I can't believe it!"

The Slayer fumed, leaning over a small stone wall not far from the tourist office. The view was breathtaking over the entire valley because the village was already several hundred meters above the sea level and Buffy let her gaze wander over the landscape while letting her frustration escape.

"That gives us time to identify the place," Spike pointed out, lighting a cigarette.

Buffy sighed. The New Year festivities would disrupt their schedule and they would have to wait three days before going precisely where they wanted. Indeed, there would be people everywhere day and night since the cave was exactly on the side of Mount Tai. It was a high place of spirituality and it would be extremely guarded at this time of year.

"Let's go and take a look anyway," she suggested. "We'll see if the place is so inaccessible…"

Spike nodded and they walked towards the Mount. They quickly reached the destination of all travelers, the village of Tianwaicun from where the first flights of the 6,600 steps that rose to the sacred summit began. Next to a temple, there was an open-air museum including numerous steles adorned with old twisted cypress trees. From this point, tourists and pilgrims could choose between two routes, the central one and the western one. Buffy also spotted cable cars that took the most tired and elderly ones to Nantianmen, the "southern gate to Heaven".

The Slayer remembered the young woman from the tourist office. She had given them so much detail about this mountain that she was tempted to take the cable car because the flight of steps that awaited them would take them to the summit after several hours of walking. Yet the cave was probably built into the side of the mountain and only visible and accessible from the walking path.

With determination, she headed towards the giant staircase and began the ascent with the vampire. They were quickly joined by dozens of other tourists of all nationalities who rushed to walk up the grand staircase. As they climbed, the two travelers remained vigilant and observed the sides of the mountain, hoping to see a hollow in the rock which would reveal the entrance to the cave. They regularly came across security guards who ensured the preservation of the site and helped the most tired ones to continue their journey.

Finally, after more than an hour, Spike waved at the Slayer to indicate a recess in the stone a few dozen meters from the stairs. Buffy moved closer and they looked at the gray stone for a few moments, forcing the other travelers to go around them. As the young woman began to follow this new lead, a security guard approached and grabbed her shoulder.

Surprised, the Slayer turned around and saw the face of an angry man.

"You can't leave the main staircase," he told them coldly, pointing to a sign not far from them which repeated his words. "This is a protected site."

"She's really tired. If we could sit on the grass for a few minutes, she'd quickly catch her breath," the vampire tried to explain, pretending to hold her.

"We can help you get upstairs but you can't leave the staircase," the guard continued, addressing the young woman.

"No, I'll be fine," she replied with a forced smile. "I already feel better!"

At these words, the Slayer slipped out of the guard's gaze and resumed her ascent while the vampire followed suit.

Over two more hours passed before Spike and Buffy reached Jade Peak. They had remained alert for another possible recess in the rock but had noticed nothing. The sun was now high in the sky and its rays cruelly struck the skin of the travelers. A street stretched on one side of the mountain and revealed a row of shops and restaurants with various temptations. Buffy glanced at the huge square made up of imposing, thousand-year-old buildings and counted no fewer than ten temples across the Mount. The Slayer then spotted a bench a little away and decided to sit there for a few moments.

"I didn't take sunscreen," she grumbled as she saw her white skin starting to turn red. She glanced at Spike and saw that he hadn't taken off his coat while she had taken off her sweater since the start of the climb. "Are you never hot? It must be so great!" She pointed out enviously, trying to create a little air with her hands for her face.

The vampire turned towards her, shrugging her shoulders. "My body's dead. I don't feel heat or cold."

"When you put it that way…" The Slayer continued, "You should take off your coat anyway."

"Why?" He asked, surprised. Buffy nodded towards the crowd wandering around the square. "Because you're the only one who hasn't taken off clothes and we try not to get noticed," she explained. The vampire nodded and placed his coat at his side.

"It's not gonna be easy to enter the cave before the festivities end," the Slayer said after a few seconds. "It wouldn't be wise to knock out these guards, we'd get spotted and we don't know the terrain…"

"We can learn about the town and try to see if any incidents have been reported in the area," Spike suggested.

"That's a good idea," the young woman agreed, getting up, "But I'd like to visit this place first. We can't have come up here for nothing!"

This place is real, I did some research before choosing to get them there!

I hope you like it so far.