Chapter 13
Frequency of a Soul
Margot opened the door to the hospital room and walked in, closing the door quietly behind her.
“There’s no reason to be so quiet, daughter, I’m neither asleep nor dead.”
Her father was sitting up in bed, wide awake and looking reasonably healthy. He had a deck of playing cards spread across a rolling table in front of him. The only sound was the steady hum of a monitor next to the bed and the flick of the cards.
Her mouth quirked. “It didn’t take you too long to become bored. Where did you find the cards?”
“When I learned I would be stuck here for a few hours, I sent Kyle down to buy them in the gift shop. You know how I can’t stand television.” He pointed to the empty chair in the corner. “Sit down, Margot. I think we need to have a talk.”
“Where’s Kyle?” Margot inquired, pushing the chair closer.
“Rupert is taking him home to get some sleep. He wanted to stay, but I told him you’d see him in the morning. I wanted to speak with you privately.”
“So you’re on a first name basis with Watchers now?”
Gathering his cards, he stacked them neatly. “Only this one. He’s a good man.”
“I already got the message, play nice with the Watcher.”
“Which is more than you’ve been doing.” Raising an eyebrow, he commented. “You look much too thin, hiding does not become you.” Clenching his fist, he asked, “So tell me, in the end will all this cloak and dagger really be worth it?”
He shuffled the cards trying to regain his calm. “What exactly are you trying to do Margot? Leave your children motherless and the Council in ruins?”
“The Gashi offered me a chance to destroy them. I couldn’t pass that up.”
He eyed her sourly. “Are you telling me this entire charade is merely for vengeance? I thought better of you than that.”
“There’s more at stake than vengeance.”
“Then what?”
“I’ve learned for certain that the Gashi Chieftain has John’s Grimoire.”
Chaplain laid out another spread. “It’s no more than we surmised at the time. It’s interesting, but not important enough to wage war on a demon clan, especially right before a succession when the tie between our powers has thinned.”
“Father, he’s made at least one attempt recently to read it. He obviously believes it will enlighten him about wizards. If the thought weren’t so frightening, it would be amusing.”
The elderly Wizard flipped a card over, holding it in his wrinkled hand. “He won’t be able to translate it. No wizard would break the code, they would choose death first.”
Margot slumped in the chair. “I can’t leave this to chance. It’s been left far too long now. Everything that happened, that will happen, is my fault and my responsibility. I have to take care of this.”
Laying his cards down, the wizard looked over at his only daughter. “You’re not alone in this Margot. There are people around you who will help, including me.” He leaned forward. “Now, come closer and help me with a healing spell, I have lost my interest in Solitaire.”
*****
“The prisoner has not been located, Overlord. We have soldiers at both exits and they report no sighting.”
“Have the cross tunnels been sealed?”
“Yes, Overlord. The tunnels were sealed immediately after the alarm sounded.”
“Continue the search.”
The soldier made the obligatory salute and departed.
The Overlord was furious. Somehow the female had bent the bars of her cell and easily overpowered two of his soldiers. He did not understand how this could have happened. The poison injected into her system should have been enough to keep her powerless for much longer. Not only that, but without any idea of the hive’s layout, she had seemingly vanished into thin air. The escape was not logical, unless….
“Get me the Tracker.”
When the Tracker arrived, the Overlord gave his instructions. “Take a large contingent of four-marks. I believe the female is attempting an escape through the visitor’s tunnel.”
The soldier started for the door and the Overlord called after him. “Be vigilant. I do not believe she is alone.”
*****
It’s finally quiet again. Buffy carefully picked her way around another rock impediment. The couple had rushed to the visitor’s tunnel, narrowly avoiding the soldiers that had moved to block it. Once inside they didn’t need the glamour, so Buffy had touched her bracelet and canceled it.
They both agreed that calling this a tunnel was definitely a misnomer. It had almost immediately spread out, joining with a cave system. The only thing man-or demon- made inside were the traps and obstructions across the winding, steep path.
She and Spike had worked their way in far enough that she could no longer hear that horrendous gong. Her ears were still ringing madly, but her leg was finally better. It barely hurt at all now even with climbing over all the boulders and even once, crawling along a very narrow ledge.
“Do you suppose there’s much call for a Slayer that’s become hearing impaired?
If not, since it was work related, do you think I’m due some kind of compensation?”
Spike shook his head and winced. “I dunno. I’ll think about it once I get that racket out of my own head, but I wouldn’t bet on it. There’s no one tighter with the dosh than that bloody Council. Rupert was always bitchin’ ‘bout that when I stayed with him.”
Buffy watched as Spike continued down the slope in front of her, stopping just out of range of her sight. “There’s a rope bridge here. It’s the only way across this ravine.” He eyed the narrow swinging bridge thoughtfully. Remembering Rayne’s warning, he carefully tested the supports.
Buffy walked up beside him. “Looks like that bridge in Indiana Jones. Do you remember the food scene in that movie? They served him monkey brains. An entire vat of tomato goodness wouldn’t have improved that meal.”
She looked over the edge. “We need to triple check this bridge, that’s a seriously long way down.”
She ran her hands slowly down the sides to the posts, looking to see how it was knotted. “Seems solid.”
The vampire stood up, where he’d been looking beneath the bridge. “It looks sturdy enough under here, too.” He placed his weight on the first plank. It held. “I’m heavier than you, I’ll go first.”
Buffy waited until the vampire moved to the second plank and followed, walking one plank behind him. They were nearly across the swaying bridge when they heard the tramp of feet behind them.
“Spike.” Buffy hissed. “Soldiers almost to the foot of the bridge.”
The vampire turned to look. It was a platoon marching downhill toward the bridge. “They must have a secondary tunnel. Come on Slayer, we’ve got to get off this bridge.”
Hurrying across the last few planks, they could hear the soldiers stepping onto the bridge. Warily the soldiers stopped a little short of half way. Waiting for the bridge to stop swaying from so much movement and weight, they notched arrows and took aim at Buffy and Spike.
Jumping off the last plank, the couple dove behind a boulder as the volley of arrows landed in the bridge planking just behind them.
Buffy peeked around the boulder and saw the soldiers continuing to stand on the bridge, notching more arrows. She realized the demons would walk the rest of the way using the arrows to keep the couple pinned. They needed to stop the soldiers fast.
“If they get across the bridge, we’re toast. I’ve thought of a plan, but you’re not going to like it.”
Spike raised an eyebrow. “That’s just the perfect start to any presentation.”
“I’ll need your knife.”
“Why?”
“I’m going to throw it and cut the bridge support. With only one, it’ll turn enough that they should all fall, or at least be so busy grabbing at the other support, we can finish them off.”
“They’re waitin’ for one of us to stand up and do somethin’ just like that.”
“That’s where you come in. I need a diversion, a decoy.”
“Bloody hell. This moves from the realm of decoy to sitting duck. You don’t need a diversion, Slayer, you need a volunteer pincushion. In case you didn’t notice, those are wooden arrows. Besides, I think I’ve seen this skit on Monty Python.”
“We’ll only get one chance and I throw better than you.” She looked around the ground.
“Here, you can put this big flat rock over your heart; it’ll keep the arrows from getting through.”
Buffy watched Spike open his mouth and clamp it shut again. “Look, we’ve got to do something and this is an actual plan. That should be worth something. All I need is the chance for one throw.”
“They might not shoot all their arrows, that’ll leave some to aim at you. It’s too risky.” At her stubborn expression, he tried another tack. “Are you absolutely certain you can hit it with one quick throw?”
“I recognized the handle on your knife; you must have gotten it from the weapons chest. It’s the one I train with all the time. Easy, peasy, lemon squeesy.”
He sighed. “Fine. I don’t know what you just said, but I’ll do it.” He slipped off his duster. “Here, hang on to my coat, no sense in getting holes in it, too.”
Spike looked around the boulder and grabbed a handful of the biggest rocks, which were sure to make quite an impression on an entire platoon of well trained demon soldiers.
Maybe they’ll laugh themselves to death.
He gave her a look that was a cross between glower and resignation and slipped the large flat rock Buffy had indicated under his shirt.
Daft woman didn’t even consider my head. But then, I’ve obviously got rocks in it already.
He gave the Slayer another look. She actually gave him a thumbs up. Bloody hell. He shook his head, gripped the rocks tighter and slipped away through the boulders.
He quietly worked his way around the largest boulders back toward the edge of the clearing. Peering out at the armed platoon slowly crossing the bridge, he muttered, “Sod it.”
Spike popped up, put on a burst of speed and ran the rest of the way into the clearing at the end of the bridge. Using all the vampiric strength he could muster, he hurled the rocks at the startled soldiers and yelled at the top of his lungs, “Hey you bloody arses, what’s the air speed velocity of a fully laden swallow?”
The demons acted just as Buffy predicted. First confused and then angered, the entire platoon took aim at Spike and let fly their second wave of arrows. Still yelling something about weight ratios, the vampire dodged the volley by hurling himself across the open space, diving behind a boulder on the other side of the bridge support.
Buffy swore later he grinned madly the entire time.
After the soldiers loosed their volley of arrows at Spike, the Slayer stood. Determined, she quickly took aim, throwing the heavy serrated knife straight toward the bridge support. It lodged expertly in the main rope, slicing it neatly in two.
Buffy and Spike watched from their twin vantage points as the bridge shuddered, shifted and finally turned sideways, causing the entire platoon to drop to their knees. Sliding on the wooden planks, the soldiers scrambled for support, dropping their weapons and scrabbling to grab onto the edge. The bridge groaned under the excess weight placed on the remaining tie and the second rope support sprung loose. The demons and the bridge fell, landing among the boulders in the steep ravine.
Jubilant that their hair brained scheme had really worked and neither of them had even received a scratch while employing it, the pair ran to each other jumping and laughing.
Before he realized what he was really doing, Spike grabbed Buffy and kissed her. Right on the mouth. Hard. There might have even been tongue.
Later Spike tried to figure out what had caused him to act so impulsively. It might have been the thought that they’d almost died. Buffy for the second time and if he counted poncy William, his dusting would’ve made twice for him, too. That would’ve been four times between them.
Or maybe it was the euphoric realization that he hadn’t been hit with any arrows. Not one. And arrows really bloody hurt.
It could have been the fact that the Slayer finally came up with her own plan, albeit an insane one that had literally put him in the line of fire, but also trusted that he could save his own skin and still get the job done. Insanely, they’d faced down twenty- five well armed, well trained demon soldiers with one training knife and an armload of rocks and won.
Hell, it might’ve even been the bits of silly Python verse he’d flung around. Or it could have been all those things bound together with one even stronger reason.
He’d fallen in love with her.
Dazed, Buffy wasn’t analyzing why she was kissing Spike either. If asked, she probably couldn’t have listed even one of the reasons, because even if she’d wanted to, there just wasn’t enough time. She was too busy wrapping her arms around Spike and kissing him back. Just as hard.
*****
Rupert pulled the car up to the curb and turned to his passenger. “If you don’t mind, I‘d like to stay here tonight, Kyle.” He looked at the luminous clock on the dashboard. “Make that this morning.”
Kyle shook his head. “That’s really not necessary, Mr. Giles.”
“Nonsense.” The Watcher looked kindly at the tired boy. “Besides, when will I ever get another chance to stay in such a beautiful home? I adore the Victorian period and would very much like an invitation.”
He watched the boy nod gravely. “We do have a nice guest bedroom on the second floor.”
Stepping out of the car, Giles turned to retrieve his overnight bag from the boot as Kyle started up the sidewalk.
Hearing a scuffle erupt behind him, Giles turned to see two furred demons grabbing the young wizard. Kyle was putting up a valiant fight, struggling and kicking, but the demons were enormous and much stronger.
Giles grabbed the cross bow he had stashed in the trunk. Looking down to notch it, he didn’t realize a third demon was stealthily stalking him. He never saw the demon before he was hit over the head with a wooden club.
Preparing to stab the fallen man, the other two demons called out. “Hurry up, there’s a car coming.”
The demon shrugged. His orders hadn’t including any specific instructions regarding the wizard’s companions, so he kicked the watcher viciously in the side and retreated, joining his fellow demons. The demons, having subdued Kyle, threw him in the van, slammed the doors and drove away amid a cloud of exhaust.
Giles was left lying beside his car in the street, unused crossbow at his side.
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Author's Chapter Notes:
These characters are not mine.