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Author's Chapter Notes:
Never mind. This is an action,adventure,drama, romance and humor story.
Chapter 14

Deep Red

It had only taken Margot a few minutes to set up and perform a powerful healing spell. Her father had immediately looked better, color returned to his face and his breathing became much less labored. She summoned the doctor on duty and requested that her father be released.

Sunnydale being Sunnydale, the physician hadn’t questioned the miraculous recovery of the odd gentleman in room 208, but acquiesced and signed the release forms. They were free to leave.

She was pulling out her cell phone to call Drake for a ride, when it rang. Ethan was back from the Thesa hive and was returning her phone call. He agreed to pick them up in his car.

After they’d settled the elderly wizard in the back seat and Ethan started the engine, Margot turned to him. “Did you hear anything about a female prisoner while you were there?”

“I know they captured the Slayer.” Ethan filled Margot in on everything he and Spike had discussed. “The glamour he was using was really good. I’m sure he made it to the cells.”

Margot was still thinking about the turn of events when they pulled up behind Giles’ convertible.

Chaplaine, getting out of the back seat, immediately realized something was wrong. The trunk was still open and he could feel negative energy in the air surrounding the car. “Margot, there’s something very wrong.”

Margot’s voice came from the other side of the car. “It’s Mr. Giles. He’s been hit on the head. He’s alive, but unconscious. We need to get him inside the house. Ethan, help me lift him.”

Once they’d settled Giles on the couch and grabbed a cloth for his head, the Watcher began to come around. Blinking his eyes, he focused on the trio of wizards beside the couch. “Is Kyle alright?”

Margot’s face turned ashen. “What are you talking about? Isn’t Kyle upstairs asleep?”

The Watcher struggled to sit up. “We were attacked before we made it inside. Demons. There must have been three of them. They’ve taken Kyle, although I haven’t the foggiest idea why.”

Roger Chaplaine moved closer to the wounded Watcher. “Rupert, do you have any idea who they were?”

Giles turned his aching head toward the wizard. “Yes, I recognized the species immediately. They were Gashi.”

“They won’t hurt him.” Margot glanced at her father. “They need him too badly.”

Confused, Giles tried to follow the conversation. “Are you saying this wasn’t a random attack?” He turned to Chaplaine. “Roger, what is she saying?”

His shoulders slumping, the elderly wizard walked over to a chair and sat down heavily.

“Rupert, there is more to this than you know and I promise we will discuss this at length. But now, you need some time to recuperate and I myself must rest. For the moment, Kyle is perfectly safe. The Gashi won’t harm him. Yet. We can be sure of that.”

Margot nodded. “I agree with father. Why don’t we meet again in two hours after everyone has rested?” Turning to Ethan lounging by the doorway, she said “Ethan, I know you haven’t had much sleep, so I’d like to drop you off at your apartment and borrow you car.”

“Margot, where are you going now?”

“Don’t worry Father; I’m not going on a one woman crusade.” She added wryly, “It’s too late for that anyway. But I’m guessing by now the Slayer has made her way to the fissure and could use a ride home. It’s a long way to walk.”

Giles perked up. “You’ve heard something about Buffy?”

“Come on Ethan, let’s go. My father will explain what we know, but I should have your Slayer back to you within a few hours.”

Giles nodded. “I’m willing to wait and Ms. Chaplaine?” Margot turned back to the Watcher. “I think after everything that’s gone on, shouldn’t we be on a first name basis by now?”

Margot smiled softly. “I agree, Rupert.”

“Most people call me Giles.”

“I think I prefer Rupert.” She turned to leave and hesitated. “Thank you Rupert, for everything.”



*****

“What is your name?” The Gashi Chieftain stared at the sullen boy sitting in the chair.

“Kyle”

“Well, Kyle, it’s a pleasure to meet you. I have sons myself, one of whom is probably about your age.”

“So?”

Ignoring the rudeness, the Chieftain continued. “You’ve been brought here for a reason. I want you to translate the second section of the book in front of you. Just transcribe whatever you can on the blank paper next to it. When you’ve completed my little request, you’ll be returned to your home.”

Hope flared in the boy’s eyes. “Then I can go home?”

“After the translation, I’ll release you. Oh, and Kyle in case you think you can drag this out until someone comes for you, I want the translation by early this evening.”

“What if I don’t know the language? I’m just a kid.”

The Gashi’s smile widened, giving Kyle a frightening view of his serrated teeth. “Oh, I don’t think that will be a problem, I’m sure you won’t disappoint me. After all, you do want to go home, don’t you?”

When the boy nodded, the Gashi smiled again. “Then you’d best get started. This might take awhile.”

Kyle waited until the demon closed the door before opening the book. Curious, he leafed through the pages scanning the text. The book was a wizard’s Grimoire.

The first section, written in Latin, was a basic primer all wizards used. It held several elementary spells. On one page, Kyle recognized the basic glamour he’d been taught and had subsequently used on Spike’s car and his grandfather’s ring. The remainder were basic spells, too, which seemed to have been written down mainly as a memory aid.

Kyle knew that wizards tried to memorize incantations, but like any other person, some had better memories than others and almost everyone had days when they’d forget little things. Kyle’s mom had always been proud of the fact that he never forgot anything; he had a really good memory.

Hurrying past the primer, he turned to the second portion and recognized the language immediately. It was the archaic language of white wizards, used among the private circle that had practiced their art for millennia.

Kyle had known from the first moment the demon had spoken that it would be the ancient language; what else could a demon possibly need a wizard to decipher? He also knew there was no way he’d ever break his oath, he’d just have to think of something.

Moving to another page, his eyes widened.

This Grimoire’s owner was John Carter. My father. These are the very spells that my father mastered or invented for himself.

Kyle turned to the following page and settled in to read.

*****

The incredible kissing went on and on and on. Spike was starting to believe he’d actually been knocked unconscious by a rebounding rock and was in the middle of a fantastic dream. The Slayer had her arms around his shoulders; her warm body pressed against his and hadn’t displayed any inclination to move.

Until now.

Gasping for breath, Buffy pulled away, her eyes wide. “Wow.” Blushing, she backed up, opening more space between them. “Uh, I guess we sort of got carried away with the whole dead demon celebration.”

Spike’s eyes narrowed speculatively. A century of experience told him the Slayer had kissed him as enthusiastically as he’d kissed her. Had he pushed too hard? Spike worried that she’d enjoyed the act but not the who or maybe thought that he was just looking to score with her. Things don’t usually happen this fast between two people.

Unless the attraction is already there.

Buffy seemed to read his mind. “Spike, we can worry about whatever just happened later; we’ve got to get out of here. I’m sure once those demons don’t report back; this whole area will be crawlin’ with soldiers.”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.”

“So lead on Duff.”

“The saying is ‘Lead on Macduff’. Duff is the name of the beer on the Simpson’s.”

“Oh yeah. Hey, I bet you didn’t know that I can name all seven dwarves from that episode.” Without waiting for a reply, she recited, “Tipsy, Queasy, Surly, Sleazy, Edgy, Dizzy and Remorseful.” She grinned.

Spike chuckled, drawn into the conversation in spite of himself. He didn’t seem able to stop moving toward her either, his feet naturally closing the gap between them.

“So, Slayer, which one are you? Since they don’t have Daft, my dosh is on Dizzy.”

“I don’t drink much, but I can definitely guess which one you are.” she countered, surprising him by closing the remainder of the gap between them. I can’t seem to stay away from him.

“Oh? And which one would that be?” They were almost nose to nose.

His eyes are so blue. “I’d say Surly, or possibly Sleazy.” She teased, her voice sounding husky.

Spike voice purred. “Now, there you’d be wrong, luv, on both counts.” She’s so beautiful. He put his hands on her arms and gently tugged her forward.

Buffy was so close she could smell that musky Spike smell she’d missed so much during the glamour. “Why am I wrong?” She pouted and put her arms around his neck. We fit together so well.

“Because everyone knows that I’m Edgy,” he countered, staring into her face. I could drown in you.

“But that’s just not true, Spike.” Her lips hovered just above his.

He could feel her warm breath on his face. So alive. “Why not?”

“Because if you were Edgy, you’d be kissing me right now,” she murmured.

“Certainly wouldn’t want to lose my hard won reputation.” He pressed his lips to hers tenderly.


******

“Rayne said that bridge wasn’t too far from the exit and gave me instructions for a safe place where we can wait until the soldiers get bored.”

Buffy nodded. “That sounds good.” She carefully stepped around a gap in the path. After the gentlest and sweetest kiss Buffy had ever experienced in her entire life - and that included Angel’s and Riley’s - Spike had stepped back and gruffly announced that they needed to get themselves sorted, so for the moment they had a tacit understanding to hold off any personal discussions until they were well away from the Thesa domain.

They emerged from the visitor’s tunnel, blinking in the sudden change from dark to dawn. The sun was beginning to rise. The couple quickly moved to the tree line and a brisk ten minute walk later they were standing in front of the fissure. The Slayer found and tossed the onyx stone, the door appeared, and they both ran inside. The door closed immediately, enveloping them in total darkness.

“I know this is just what I wanted, more time underground in a cave.” Buffy touched her bracelet and the thin beam highlighted a medium sized cave with a high ceiling. “Well, at least it’s dry. It would even be homey; if you were a bear or-she smirked at Spike- maybe a bat.”

“You know bloody well vampires don’t turn into bats, at least none with an ounce of self respect,” Spike protested. Prowling around the cave, he spoke over his shoulder. “Slayer, there’s a crate over here in the far corner.”

“It’s got food and water and yay, a lantern.” Buffy pulled out the lantern and handed it to Spike. “You’ve got your lighter, don’t you?”

Spike nodded, rummaging around in his pockets. Soon the cave took on a cheery glow.

“How will we keep it from using up all the oxygen? Still need to breathe here.”

Spike frowned. Being human themselves, surely the wizards had thought of that important little fact. Hunting around, he discovered a stone niche shaped like the small lamp carved into the wall. “I think it must sit on this.”

Placing the little lantern in the niche, they watched as the stone above it dissolved, changing into a chimney. Spike could smell fresh air. The chimney had been majicked, providing not only a place for the smoke to escape, but a continuous stream of fresh air. Spike would’ve bet his lighter that the lantern’s smoke disappeared when it reached the outside.

Buffy continued to open pouches. “Oh, here’s cheese and crackers, salami, even pickles.”

“No ketchup Slayer?”

“No monkey brains, no ketchup needed.”

“I don’t see her Imperialness eating monkey brains, but I wouldn’t put it past her to feed them to Rayne.”

“You don’t trust her, do you?”

“Probably about as much as you do.”

Setting the food packets down, Buffy frowned. “There’s something missing in this entire deal, I just can’t figure out what.”

“Slayer, I think we’ve got something else missin’, too.”

Buffy looked up from assembling her meal. “What?”

“I’ve lost the Imperial’s ring. It must have slipped off when I was playin’ stone the demons.”

“Is there some sort of deposit on it, like a pop bottle?”

“What? No, he didn’t even mention returnin’ it.”

“Well, I don’t think it really matters then. It’s not like the “one ring to rule them all” sitch. You were supposed to use it to find me and I’m found. No harm, no foul.”

She twisted the top from a water bottle and continued. “Anyway, it probably wasn’t really meant to have a long shelf life like those waxy little chocolate donuts Xander likes, but more like a bakery éclair or a Napoleon.”

“That’s true about the ring; it was made for that one purpose. Anyway, it’s not like I can go back and look for it. I’ve already dodged arrows today; I’m not playin’ tag with a bunch of demons out in the sun, too. Besides, it’s probably at the bottom of that ravine.”

“Exactly. We probably couldn’t find it even if we went back and looked. No one could.”

“Hey do you suppose there’s any chocolate in here?” She rummaged in the crate and came up triumphantly holding a Hershey’s Candy Bar.

“Chocolaty goodness. Spike, I’m sorry there’s no blood.”

He shrugged. “I’m fine for now, although you could share that chocolate bar.”

Breaking off a piece from the offered candy, he munched thoughtfully. If they hadn’t been in a cave hiding out from a demon army, this would have been a nice picnic, sitting here with the Slayer, sharing a chocolate bar. Man, you’ve got it bad.

Finishing the chocolate, Spike watched Buffy stifle an enormous yawn and realized how exhausted they both were. “Slayer, I think we’re going to be stuck in here for awhile. The sun’s up and we’re going to have to outwait the demons anyway. What do you say to a little kip?”

“I’d say “what are you doing in a cave and not in a stream somewhere”, ‘cause kip sounds like the name of a little tiny fish.”

Hearing Spike’s snort, she grinned. “But yeah, I think you’re right. I’m almost asleep on my feet. I wish Margot had thought about throwing in a blanket, I’ve had enough of cold stone floors to last a lifetime.”

“My Lady.” Spike spread his duster with a flourish. ”Your wish is my command.” He added, “Proven by my death defying stand earlier today.”

“I just knew I’d hear about that again at some point.” She sighed theatrically, causing Spike to smile.

Buffy sat down cross legged on the duster and Spike mirrored her actions. Gazing into the vampire’s eyes, she said softly. “What happened at the bridge between us was unexpected, but I can’t say I didn’t want it to happen. I wanted it as much as you did. Before we leave to go back to Sunnydale, we need to decide just where this is going between us.”

At the vampire’s easy assent, she laid down. Spike rolled next to her, putting his arm over her waist and pulled her close. Closing their eyes, they were both sound asleep in seconds.




*****



The Thesa Overlord recalled his troops. The woman had outwitted him. After interrogating his soldiers, he understood that she and an accomplice using some type of spell, had slipped into the west tunnel just before it was blockaded.

He’d sent a platoon of his best soldiers in using the parallel tunnel. An hour later, having heard nothing from his troops, he’d sent in a Tracker.

The Tracker had returned to report the astonishing fact that the soldiers were all dead, perished at the bottom of a ravine, the bridge support sliced through cleanly.

The Overlord looked down at the ring sitting in the palm of his hand. Turning the ring to the light he could see the inside band, engraved with an ornate crest that he’d seen before on documents, the crest of a venerable wizard family.

The Overlord threw the ring to the floor. If it hadn’t been for magicks, the human’s companion wouldn’t have been able to roam freely through the hive, wouldn’t have found and assisted the woman in her escape. He’d still have his prisoner and his soldiers would still be alive.

The Thesa Clan had been betrayed by the Successor or someone close to her. The Overlord refused to allow this to become the first of many such betrayals.

He motioned one of his soldiers closer. “I need you to take a message for me to the Chieftain of the Gashi Clan. Tell him I must meet with him in secret, under a flag of truce, as soon as possible. Tell him it is a matter of life or death for us both.”





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