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The boat pitched again and Empress whined softly. Buffy, one hand clutching the seat in front of her, reached over with her other hand and picked up the Grundy. Being mindful of her clothing, she set the little demon in her lap. Empress snuggled down, pushing her nose into the Slayer’s stomach. Gently stroking the soft fur between the Grundy’s pointed ears, Buffy leaned down and whispered, “Only a few more minutes and we’ll be on dry land.” She settled back against the hard plastic seat as the Grundy snuggled closer.

She didn’t blame Empress for being unhappy. Their runabout, fully loaded with fifteen passengers, four Grundies and the two working employees, was fighting the island’s outgoing tide every inch of the way. They were riding so low in the water it was impossible not to feel every dip and swell. Fortunately for her, Slayer’s had a strong stomach, while evidently Grundies did not.

She tried to help Empress take her mind off the trip. “So Empress, how much deeper do you suppose the ocean would be without sponges?”

All she got for her trouble was a surly snort.

Giving up, she surveyed the hilly island looming steadily larger. Having never before seen any island up close and personal, Buffy curiously compared it to versions she’d seen on the big screen.

This island appeared larger than the one where Tom Hanks and Wilson had spent too much time, although the craggy hill in the center made it look smaller than the one where Jack Black discovered King Kong. A distinct lack of fog plus the tiki torches and large pink striped awning set up on the beach made it a lot less sinister than Cthulhu’s place of rest.

Buffy fervently hoped Zahn didn’t plan to use the bracelet to awaken any Old Ones. She definitely didn’t have a large enough sword for that.

The boat finally tied up at a short wooden dock and the guests piled out. Buffy set the much happier Grundy on the sand and strolled over to the large buffet table set up under the awning. Grabbing a couple bottles of water, she made her way in the darkening sky toward the center trail, the steepest of three that led to the hill’s pinnacle and the monastery.

Xander, dressed in his work uniform, stood in front of metal stanchions wrapped with caution tape that blocked access to the trail. He was speaking to a couple in swimsuits. “I’m sorry but awhile ago some rocks fell at the ruins. It isn’t safe up there anymore. However, there’s a nifty beach trail that starts just over there. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it and don’t forget it’s only half an hour until the clambake and Bluetini’s.”

Buffy waited until the couple headed down the beach before saying in a low voice. “Any sign yet?”

Xander shook his head. “Nada. Anya and I walked up there when we arrived a couple hours ago. Even though we knew Spike was up there somewhere, we never did see him. He’s doing a good job on surveillance. In fact we didn’t see anybody except a couple of people we recognized that came over on the same runabout. It seems that most everyone is too lazy to hike up the trail; they’d rather hang out on the beach and drink.

Willow walked the length of the beach trail and didn’t find any boats anchored anywhere. Of course the trail doesn’t go all the way around the entire island either. After An and I walked back down, I blocked off this trail and gave Willow and Anya the other two. That was an hour ago.

Luckily everyone that actually did walk up there came back down anyway when it started getting to be time for food, so it hasn’t been much of a problem to move the stragglers along. Our best guess is that Zahn must be anchored on the other side of the island past the end of the beach trail. He either knows another way up the hill that’s not labeled on the tourist map, or else you’ve been stood up.”

Checking to see if anyone was watching, he lifted the caution tape. “Good luck.”

“Remember, I’ll send Empress if we need you guys for anything.” Buffy ducked under the tape and the Grundy followed.

Picking her way carefully along the narrow, rocky trail, she thought about what Xander had said. Zahn must have tied up his stolen boat on the other side of the island. She couldn’t see him blowing off his only chance to grab the bracelet. Adjusting her eyes to the deepening gloom cast by the thick overhanging vegetation, she stared down at the delicate bracelet on her wrist. It had caused so much trouble over the past weeks.

*****

Spike shifted. He patted his shirt pocket and then stopped himself, frustrated. He’d spent the entire afternoon hiding from the sun under a magicked umbrella nicked from the ship while checking out the monastery for signs of Zahn and his merry band of kidnappers. He’d even worn fifties clothes including a bloody hat so he wouldn’t stand out from the other guests.

He finally dropped the poncy peach colored umbrella and stood in the thick tropical vegetation impatiently waiting out the last rays of late afternoon sun watching for the Slayer and dying for a cigarette.

He cursed softly over how ridiculous that sentence sounded, even in his own head. It didn’t help. He still wanted the bloody cigarette. Hiding in the grove of coconut palms a few yards from the monastery’s front doorway, Spike knew lighting up wouldn’t be one of his brightest moves and muttered another oath After all, two of his men were vampires. They’d probably smell it all the way at the bottom of the hill. Now he had yet another reason to kill Zahn.

Hearing footsteps and voices, he forgot about the cigarette and slid farther back in the shadows. Show time.

*****

“Light the torches and find some way to attach them to the walls by the altar.” Roc pointed at the crumbling walls within the center of the main room. “Monastery” was a misnomer for the walled ruins and there was no monastic altar either. While this may once have been a place of divine worship for the few Christians living among indigenous peoples within the island chain, they had merely discovered a convenient structure already in place.

This decayed stone structure was eons old and had seen many groups of faithful worship their deities and then move on, including the mysterious people who had been the original architects. They had diligently built this, only to vanish into history themselves.

Now the only thing that remained were four crumbling outer walls surrounding several smaller interior rooms, one set within the other like a Chinese puzzle box.

The main roof had crumbled, leaving the structure susceptible to the seasonal monsoons that swept across the island. Rubble and plant debris was scattered everywhere.

The worn stone altar, within the smallest most interior room, consisted of a huge stone square the size of a railway car. Several stones at the far end stood upright imitating a miniature Stonehenge.

Picking their way among the debris, Roc’s men jammed their torches into large cracks in the walls and lit them.

Two more followers took up positions on either side of the doorway. Roc nodded, pleased. Everything was set according to Zahn’s instructions.

Zahn strode through the back door with the two vampires following in his wake.

Walking slowly behind them, feet still numb, was Aria. Styre followed the woman, the muzzle of his revolver pressed into the small of her back.

Aria’s feet had been freed, but her hands remained bound in front of her. Exhausted and unable to see clearly in the torch light, she stumbled.

Styre pulled her up again. “Keep moving,” he snarled.

Zahn ignored them both. He stood on the altar and called to his assistant. “Are we ready? The Slayer should arrive shortly.”

“Everything is in place.”

“Good.” Zahn turned to Styre. “Find a way to rope our guest to the wall. I want your gun trained on her at all times.”

He turned again to his right hand man. “I didn’t see any guests. The Slayer must have had the entire area closed.”

Roc nodded. “I sent someone down the front path earlier and she did just as you expected. All three paths are closed and some employees, probably hers, are manning them.”

“Good. So far she’s done exactly as we expected.” He glanced at his watch. “In fifteen minutes, she’ll come through the front door with my bracelet, while her smart mouthed boyfriend and that ugly Grundy try to in sneak through the back.”

“We’re ready for them.”





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