A/N Sphygmus, you may be right and God knows they needed professional help and definitely weren't getting it, but there are a lot of discussion posts and fan essays that very much believe the dance, at least, was a suicide attempt. She seemed pretty determined to let herself burn up. But, at the very least, it was a definite cry for help.

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"You are certain this cow had a vision?" The priest that came out of the castle to speak to them asked as Buffy resisted the urge to knock his teeth down his throat. He didn't mean cow as an insult, he meant it the way she meant human, as an identifier. Still offensive though.

"Yes." Buffy spoke for herself. "I dreamed the man I loved crumbled to dust in front of me." And she had, the night before her birthday and the curse was broken. "Then we came here and he transformed, he was a van tal and hunters destroyed him. He crumbled to dust as I watched." Also true. Painfully so.

"A van tal? You're lucky you escaped him, nasty creatures." The ugly demon stated.

"So people keep saying." Buffy let a tear out, it wasn't difficult, she was mourning for the loss of Angel, the destruction Angelus had caused, the destruction of her dreams and she had a lot of pent up angst she seriously needed to vent. Oh look, demons, she could vent on them. Once she was in the castle and could get this plan moving along. Surprisingly, it wasn't that big, as castles go. Maybe half the size of Sunnydale High School. Did it have a basement? "But before that he was the man I loved."

"Have you had other visions?" The priest inquired. "Or just the one?"

"I dreamed an ally was hiding information and she was." Ms. Calendar, Buffy had been so angry at her, when she learned she was from the Kalderash, the people who cursed Angelus and created Angel. "I see monsters in my dreams." And she did, the Master, Moloch, others. "They have to be stopped from killing people."

The priest nodded. "This is worth investigating, enter the castle, cow." Yeah, that knocking his teeth down his throat thing was looking pretty good.

"My sister." Buffy indicated Fred. "Please, may she stay with me?" Fred stood a better chance with the control collar equipment than Buffy, Buffy didn't want to cause anything to backfire. Apparently the collars could be turned up to a max that literally blew a head off.

"Very well, come along." The Priest agreed and motioned them both into the castle. "Send for the Grooselug." He instructed one of the guards. "We may have need of him." Oh goodie, that would be the demon the other demons might want her to comshok. Gag. Buffy and Fred followed the priest into the castle and she tried not to feel doomed as the door closed and the sunlight was cut off. The small windows were more for letting fresh air in and the room was lighted by burning torches set in metal holders in the walls as well as on the tables in the room. What exactly was this testing supposed to be?

She managed to keep a straight face when she overheard the priest speak softly to another priest. "If she does have visions and her claim proves true, the Grooselug can take them from her. He is a fool and so easily controlled and who among us would actually allow a cow to take the throne?"

"Those who believe the prophecy declares her Sovereign." The other priest replied. "And word will already be spreading that a cursed one has been found. If the testing proves true, we will have to let her take the throne, at least for a time. But the Grooselug can be her consort, once he has her visions we can kill her and continue to rule with him as the figure head."

Oh, so that's how they wanted to play it. Maybe it was time to get this show on the road. She took Fred's arm and slowly eased them both over toward the fireplace and it's roaring fire and Fred casually tossed bits of a plant clutched in her hand behind her and into the fire, as Buffy grabbed her and pulled her away from it. A huge whoosh! and the plants, whose oil was collected and used in a tiny drop or two to start fires caused it to explode. Fun fact according to Fred, the oil was flammable, remove the oil and the plant made a whole lot of smoke.

In the confusion they both made it into the hall beyond and began searching for the controll room. Open door, check, move on. Demons ran part them, as well as other cows (human slaves) frantically trying to escape the smoke that was rapidly clogging the hall. Giving up for a moment because the smoke was spreading so fast, Buffy pulled Fred around a corner into somewhat fresher air and into a room. She slammed the door and looked around for anything she could use to block it.

"It's a library." Fred decides, looking around. "If we clear the shelves, stack the books on the table, you could jam the shelves against the door. It might keep them out for awhile. Once they realize we're missing, I mean. Which could be a long while. That smoke will last for a long time"

"Good idea. It'll buy us a little time, just until the guards and the priests have evacuated and then we can start searching." Fred was rapidly pulling books off the shelves and Buffy moved to help her. "But I'm so disappointed, I really want to knock that idiot's teeth down his throat."

"Maybe later, right now we have slaves to free."

"Right, priorities." Still, that still left open the possibility of getting to knock his teeth down his throat later.