[Reviews - 43]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 2229 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 6


“So that’s another blank drawn then” Willow said sighing and drumming her fingers on the table.

“What’s that?” Giles asked coming from the kitchen with a tray of tea.

“Xander. He hasn’t seen Anya in months, I just phoned him”

“So what do we do now, huh?” Gunn asked

“Good question – I suppose we could, or rather Angel could trawl the demon bars see who’s new in town”

“But Spike would know that better than me, I wouldn’t know a regular from a - ” Angel began, until Giles interrupted him by saying irritably,

“ - But Spike isn’t available, is he – he needs to be with Buffy”

Angel rolled his eyes. Everybody sat round, not knowing what to do, or where to start looking for clues next.

The shop door rattled and Willow got up to open it.

“Who is-“

“It’s Clem”

Willow opened the door

“Clem! What brings you here?”

“Spike was telling about things, and I was in Willie’s bar earlier – there seems to be a great buzz about the place, seems several gangs of Hellions are on their way to Sunnydale, bringing their head of the clan with them”

Everybody sat up straight from slouching – this looked like it might lead somewhere………

“Come through Clem have some tea and cake – tell us exactly what you heard………” Giles said

******************


“And you said it was Clem that told you this? He’s a good bloke, well demon…nice one Clem…so what are you going to do?” Spike asked

“Well, observe for now, I’ve got a feeling once the big cheese so to speak is here, we’ll learn a lot more and be able to take appropriate action…how’s Buffy, by the way?”

“Resting…going stir-crazy being kept inside all the time, but she understands why”

“Give her our love”

“I will, and you know, thanks, for keeping me in the loop – if you find out what’s happening, perhaps Willow could come and sit with Buffy and I could help you lot or something, I feel so bloody helpless stuck here”

“Okay Spike, as soon as we know anything – bye”

Spike put the phone down and looked at Buffy. She was fast asleep curled up on the sofa, so he went into the dining room and opened the computer up and began tapping away………

*****************


“Orb of who?” Giles asked putting his glasses back on. Angel and Clem had gone to the demon bar to see what they could find out, and they’d scored immediately from Willie himself. He’s been moaning about lack of customers………


“Everybody, is out looking for that damned Orb! I swear if I hear another person say – ‘How do you spell Trimundifass’, I’ll scream – can I get you two guys another?”

“Actually Willie, no thanks. Incidentally, how DO you spell Trimundifass?” Angel asked and Willie gave him a sour look.

***************


“Triad…Tributary…Tri-candle spells…Triffids…Trigg demons…Trills and other noises…ah - here we are, got it!
Trimundifass. An ancient Orb, supposedly laid by the Gorgon, holds the essence of the evil being raised from hell, until the ritual is complete and then it shatters and permeates the host, in this case, the baby, and then boom – deed is done” Willow said.

Suddenly, the shop door flew open, and some scrawny looking demon stood there. He was surprised to see the people there and went to turn tail and run, but Angel was too quick for him and had his neck broken in a trice. The demon sagged to the floor and imploded to a none-existence.

“Think we should put a protection spell on this place too Giles, it’s the only magic supply shop in Sunnydale – and they’re all gonna come here first looking for this Orb thing” Angel said re-shutting the door and dead-locking it.

“Good idea, Willow you do the back door, I’ll do the front” Giles said, picking up his spell book.

The spells done, Willow and the others set about trying to find out all they could about the Orb and how it was used. Giles began a detailed search of his stock book to see if he had this orb in the shop………

After and hour and a half Gunn found something significant.

“Giles – look, it says here that the Gorgon Stheno, she laid these orbs, and they are also known as Gorgon eggs – does that help?”

“Oh goodness it sure does, I have several of those downstairs in the stockroom!” Giles stood immediately and went to fetch them.

Willow immediately switched to looking for rituals calling for Gorgon eggs, and found several…hundred.

“Here all take a dozen or so rituals, and see who can come up with the most likely one”

************

Two hours later


“Spike?”

“Hello Giles – what is it?”

“Well, breakthrough! The ritual, at least we think anyway, according to what Angel and Clem tell us needs an Orb of Trimundifass - also know as the eggs of the gorgon Stheno – problem is, there’s well over a hundred different rituals that could be used using these things………………………”

******************


Meanwhile, on Anya’s home planet

“I will be SO-OOOOOO glad when this is over… so tell me, is everything assembled on earth yet? – Hallie…Hallie………HALFREK!”

“Sorry sweetie – yes, don’t worry, everything is going according to plan!”

“Good………have the Gassenbeeks got the gorgon egg yet?”

“Ah that, apparently, that’s providing to be a little…difficult!”

“Difficult? Why – look this must NOT go wrong! I’ve told them – The Magic Box, it’s the ONLY magic supply shop in Sunnydale for all the hell-gods-in-Hades sake! I KNOW FOR A FACT that Giles had three of them in the stockroom – we need one, just one – what’s so difficult about that?”

“Getting into the Magic box for one!”

“It has a door – two in fact – three if you include the one leading from the tunnels…”

“There’s a protection spell around the shop”

Anya rolled her eyes

“Willow! When IS she going to give up the magic, huh? – There’s nothing else for it Hallie, you’ll have to zap in there and get it”

“Now hang on, it’s YOU that wants to-“

“Forget it, I’ll do it myself then – only I didn’t want to see any of the stupid Scooby gang because of-“

“Okay, OKAY! Keep your hair on, I’ll do it”

“It might be harder than I first thought…” Anya said, biting her bottom lip

“What might – but you said not a minute ago that is was easy, Giles had three of these things in the shop and-“

***********************


“Ah-ha! Come here you little…troublesome things you” Giles picked up the box and went back up to the shop.

“Here we are, found them” Giles said, lifting the lid on the box

Everybody peered into the box, lined with aging cotton wool, to three slightly bigger than a hen’s egg eggs, they looked like they were made of stone.

“That it, that’s them, that’s what all the fuss is about?” Xander asked, looking not in the least impressed………

Giles looked almost affronted

“Well very sorry to disappoint you Xander! – But yes, THOSE are what all the fuss is about!”

Giles put them on the research table

“Um, do you think it wise to have them...you know, hanging around the shop just casually like this?” Gunn asked

“There IS a protection spell around the place”

“I vote we destroy them” Xander said

“We do not destroy them!” Giles said

“Why not? Evil is their doing, so why keep them at all?” Willow reasoned, and Xander nodded

“Because not everything is evil that they can do! – And are we anywhere closer as to what ritual possibly be used yet?” Giles asked

“Well, I need a pee-break!” Xander stood up

“Ew, too much information there Xander!” Willow sat back wrinkling her nose. Cordelia too looked disgusted and stood up

“I need some air!”

“Cordy, don’t open the door!”

“Alright! I’ll just walk around then, all this sitting…”

“Anybody want some tea?”

“I’ll put the kettle on” Willow said, jumping up.

Gunn sat back in his chair, as did Angel, they both stretched………

It was at that precise moment that Halfrek decided to drop in with a flash. Before Angel could say,
“Who are you?”, Halfrek saw the gorgon eggs on the table and said

“Oh thankyou, just what I need, bye!” And was gone. There was a slight fluttering breeze and a few pieces of paper fluttered to the floor. Giles looked around, his eyes bulged when he saw, or rather DIDN’T see what he was expecting to on the table…

“What? What was - who was- WHERE HAVE THE GORGON EGGS GONE?” Giles stared at the table where they’d been sitting not two seconds previously

“She just zapped in and out – man, I’ve never seen anything like it!” Gunn said

“Who did – oh dear lord! Why didn’t you try and stop her?!”

“Because Giles, it all happened in a flash! Anyway YOU were closer to her than we were!” Gunn reasoned

Willow came out of the little kitchenette

“What’s wrong?”

“This weird looking woman just – kinda appeared out of thin air, took the eggs and vanished again – split second!”

“Took the – oh god oh Giles! – We must tell Spike!”

“Oh dear god I suppose we had better, hadn’t we – he’s not going to like it”

To say Spike ‘didn’t like it’ was the understatement of the year, after calling them all the incompetent idiots, going through the alphabet swearing, he slammed the phone down, waking Buffy

Biting his lower lip and screwing his eyes up Spike came over to her

“What’s wrong?”

“Nothing pet, you rest”

“Don’t tell me nothing, you just called Giles a piss-balling, arse what was it?”

“I was calling them ALL that pet…honest to the gods, that lot they’ve only gone and let the enemy have the very thing they need for the ritual”

Buffy sat up, rubbing her bump and looking worried

“Perhaps they didn’t mean to” Buffy said in a small voice

“Well that’s debateable pet, they left the bloody things on the table, and bingo, someone zaps in and two seconds later, zaps out again, WITH the eggs”

Spike saw Buffy’s face crumple and immediately sat next to her gathering her up and holding her firmly

“Now don’t you cry pet, don’t you get yourself upset, I swear I won’t let anything hurt you or our baby, I promise, ‘kay?” Buffy nodded and sniffed Spike saw a few tears drip onto her hand and mentally cussed them at the shop – of all the stupid things they could do!


********************

Two hours later, Willow came round to the house#

“How’s Buffy?”

“Well how do you think she is, huh? A bunch of so-called friends let her enemy take the very thing they need to do this ritual, by leaving them unattended on the bloody table…guess how she feels!” Spike snapped

“Willow had her deer-in-the-headlights look

“I’m, we’re sorry, I was in the kitchen, Angel and Gunn were at the table, and Giles was standing, well he was…look, I’ll stay with you, all the time – I won’t get in your way I promise, but I might be more use here with you than there with them and did I say I’m sorry?”

Spike heaved a sigh

“I’m sorry too Red…come in, I shouldn’t have shouted like-“

“No, no, it’s quite understandable, I know you’re worried…does she um, you know, know?”

“Yes, Buffy knows all the latest developments, it’s only fair”

Willow almost crept up to the sofa and she could see for herself that Buffy had been crying

“I’m sorry!”

“Not your fault Will. So, any closer as to what ritual is going to be used?”





You must login (register) to review.