[Reviews - 17]
-
Table of Contents [Report This]
Microsoft Word Chapter or Story | ePub eBook Chapter or Story | Printer Chapter or Story

Has been viewed 1537 times

- Text Size +




Chapter 6, No Place Like Home Part 2

Malachi had barely escaped with his life when the Beast entered the Czech monastery. Abbott Popeo, Brother Levi, and Brother Zeev had all given their lives so that he might be able to flee with the knowledge that the Key was safe with her protectors. He carefully arranged the lit candles and religious icons around his location. Just a little more magic, and the protectors would be strong enough to defeat the Beast. Malachi was upset about losing the Dagon sphere, but he couldn’t think about that now. He just needed to find the darned thing.

Malachi marked different locations on a map of Sunnydale before he was interrupted by a boom that resonated through the factory. He looked towards the steel door. “I hope that holds,” he muttered under his breath. “The Beast is here.”

The booming came closer until it was a pounding on the door. Malachi watched as the steel buckled under the pressure until it flew across the room, taking out the far wall. The dust settled to show a beautiful blond woman with a maniacal look in her eyes. She stepped into the room smoothing down her tight red dress while she walked.

“There you are,” she said to Malachi. “I have been looking all over for you.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Thank you for choosing to shop at the Magic Box, and please do come again,” Giles said to a pair of departing customers. “Real customers. It’s brilliant.”

Willow looked up from the book she was skimming. “Congratulations,” she said with a laugh. “You’re an official capitalist running dog. I have to tell you though, on the orbular front, we’re batting zeros.”

“Not good. We’ll just have to keep trying.” Giles looked up when another group of customers entered the store to browse. “If there’s anything you need help with, let me know.”

Anya was in the throng of new customers, but before she could approach Giles another older woman broke away from the others to approach the Watcher.

“Hi, I’m Nora. I was wondering if you could help me with a couple of things.”

“I would be happy to, my dear, if I’m able,” Giles said while he put on his best shopkeeper face.

Nora looked around nervously. “I was wondering how you were going to guarantee that you’ll stay open. Mr. Bogarty was a really nice guy, and I’m gonna miss him. We’ve lost the last three shop owners.”

Giles’ facial expression sported a small smirk. “This shop falls under the protection of the Master of Sunnydale now.”

“Oh, my, that is good news.” Nora gave a silent sigh of relief. Everyone who was anyone connected to the supernatural in Sunnydale knew that the Slayer and the Master of Sunnydale were romantically linked. “No worries then. I was also wondering if you knew of any covens in the area.”

Giles turned to Willow. “I think this one falls under your area of expertise.”

When Willow took Nora aside to tell her about Serina, and the newly formed coven, Anya stepped up beside Giles. “Your conjuring powder is grotesquely overpriced.”

“I know, but that stuff doesn’t come cheap. I tried to find a cheaper distributer but soon discovered there are a lot of frauds out there,” Giles explained.

“I could hook you up with a troll that sheds the stuff.” Anya looked around the store. “I see other things I can help you with.” She paused. “For a finder’s fee, of course. I’m nearly out of money you know. It’s been over 1100 years since I had to buy things, and people just don’t know how to barter anymore.”

Spike and I are going back to the factory where we found the orb thingy now. I just wanted to let you guys know just in case anything happens, Buffy’s thoughts came through to the other Sunnydale clan members. We ran into the security guard we met last night at the hospital. Something he said has me worried about Mom and Dawn.

Poor bloke is missing a few cards from his deck now, Spike interjected. That’s not normal, even for Sunnydale.

What did the man say, Buffy? Giles asked.

They’ll be coming through my family. Buffy’s voice came through soft and unhappy.

Buffy, I want you to be careful at the warehouse, Doyle said from Los Angeles. I have a bad feeling about whatever you’re going to find there.

Thanks for the heads up, Doyle, Buffy replied. How goes your situation?

It’s being dealt with as we speak, Doyle answered. Then, he withdrew from the conversation.

It has to be Dawn, Buffy said. Something with Dawn. That toady little man already kidnapped her wanting the Key.

Buffy? Giles started in a rueful voice. Is Dawn the Key?

I think so.

Be careful out there, Buffy, Giles said. “Please be careful,” he repeated aloud.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Malachi tugged at the ropes that held him to the chair. He was terrified, and rightly so. The Beast had beaten him in the hopes of learning where the Key was, but he’d been steadfast in his silence. Not that he’d been able to talk anyway. Duct tape had a way of shutting up even the most avid of gossipers.

“You know, when you think about it, I’m the victim here,” the Beast announced. She paced around the monk like a crazed lunatic. “First off, I don’t even want to be here. I’m not talking about this room or this city. Hell, not even this state or planet. I’m talking about the whole mortal coil, you know. It’s disgusting.” She ripped the duct tape from his face.

Malachi moaned with the sudden pain. He knew that there was a pretty good chance he wouldn’t be able to withstand any torture that the Beast might decide to partake in.

“Of course it is, your Glorificusness,” a voice said from the doorway.

Glory whirled around. “Who are you?”

Doc tilted his head in a show of reverent greeting. “I am a Cerebusite. I am here to help you in any way possible.”

“Really?” Glory advanced towards the small manlike demon. She completely forgot about the monk for the moment. In fact, she didn’t even notice the whimpering security guard chained to a nearby pipe. “A Cerebusite? It’s been a very long time since I’ve seen one of your kind.”

“We have been working hard to ensure your success,” Doc replied. “We know that the Slayer has your Key. We just don’t know what form it has taken.”

“The Slayer, you say?” Glory smirked. She circled Doc much like she had circled Malachi earlier. “The Slayer has my Key.”

“Yes, but there are complications.” Doc bowed his head a little.

Glory let out a shriek. “I do not like complications.” She grabbed Doc around the neck, and she shook him like a small animal.

Doc gagged, but it would take more than a mere choking to actually kill him. “Your Glorificusness, it is nothing we can’t handle. Together,” he gasped.

“Tell me more.” Glory released Doc.

“Success has to be made here. The Slayer and her vampire are the key to the Key,” Doc said with a dry little chortle. “We have to be careful, your Gloryness. She’s a Sultana.”

Malachi watched in horror while the insidious little humanoid told the Beast of other dimensions, of other Glorys, and even of other Keys. His English wasn’t the best, but he understood enough to know that the Beast must be stopped at any cost in this dimension.

Malachi let out a sigh of relief when the Beast left with the humanoid, her mind easily distracted by what the creature had to say. He just hoped the Slayer was strong enough to withstand the Beast’s torture.

“Pssst, Mr. Monk,” the guard hissed at Malachi. Now that the threat was gone, he had lost some of his fright but not all. “Can you get loose from the ropes?”

Malachi shook his head. “I don’t think so,” he replied in halting English.

The guard turned frightened eyes towards where Glory had disappeared with Doc. “What was she? What was she on?”

“An abomination,” Malachi whispered. “A pestilence from the depths of Hell.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

“Don’t let them see you,” Spike hissed. He pulled Buffy behind a dumpster. Together, they watched the little freak that had kidnapped Dawn in search of the Key and a tall, blond woman leave the warehouse.

“That doesn’t bode well,” Buffy said. “What is that little toad up to now?”

“Who’s the blond bitch with the bad perm and lopsided arse?”

“Follow them, or explore the warehouse?” Buffy asked her mate. She was torn between doing both. They could split up, of course, but that would leave them vulnerable. She didn’t like that feeling at all.

“Your call.” Spike sniffed the air before he tilted his head for a listen. “There’s a coupla heartbeats inside the building though. Might be just as informative as followin’ those two.”

“Warehouse search it is then,” Buffy said. She made sure that Doc and the blond were out of sight before she darted across the parking lot with Spike close behind her. Buffy broke the chain before they slipped through the fence. Then, they were to the door in a matter of seconds.

Buffy slipped inside the broken door first. Spike took a quick look back to make sure no one was watching them before he was inside the building right behind Buffy. He pointed towards the back of the warehouse to where he was sure the heartbeats were coming from. They crept down the dusty hallway till they came to a huge hole in door. Beyond the hole stood a crumpled steel door. Then, they heard voices.

“I assume no one is going to come looking for you,” a male voice said.

“No, I am the last,” an accented voice replied.

“Yeah, my partner was found kinda out of it this morning. He’s at the hospital,” said the first voice. “My name is Elias Burns. I’m married to Jennifer, and we have two daughters Megan and June.”

“I am Bother Malachi.”

“Who was that woman? What was she on?” Elias asked. “She was so strong.”

“That wasn’t a woman. That was the Beast,” Brother Malachi said.

“Knock, knock,” Spike called out loudly to announce himself and Buffy. He stepped past the steel door into the room. His eyebrows rose when he realized that the monk was tied to a chair and the other man, Burns, was handcuffed to a steam pipe. “Well, well, well, what do we have here? This will be like taking candy from a baby.” He rubbed his hands together as if he was anticipating something good.

Buffy stepped into the room behind Spike. She smacked him on the arm. “Stop it, Spike. We’re to find out about that glowy ball thing, not scare people.” Then, she realized that the two men were restrained.

Buffy, Giles’ voice rang out in Buffy and Spike’s heads. We’ve uncovered more than expected about the orb. It’s called the Dagon Sphere, and it has a history going back many centuries.

What’s it do? Buffy asked.

It’s a protective device used to ward off ancient primordial evil, Giles answered.

Any word on what this evil looks like?

Unfortunately no. The accounts are very vague. All we managed to uncover so far is it was created to repel That Which Cannot Be Named, Giles informed the Slayer.

“So, either of you two blokes know what a Dagon Sphere is?” Spike watched the two bound men for a reaction.

“It was the monk dude, dear,” Buffy laughed. “Well, I’m fairly certain it was him.”

“Are you the Slayer?” Malachi whispered.

Buffy nodded. “We need to get out of here before those two come back. Spike, get the guard. I’ll work on monk man.” She hurried over to Malachi, and she pulled the ropes away from his wrists.

“The Beast wants what you have, Slayer,” Malachi gasped. “You have to protect the Key.”

“Yeah, we kinda got that figured out when that little toady man kidnapped my sister in exchange for the Key,” Buffy growled. Her eyes flashed.

Malachi gasped in horror. “The Key! The Key is human now. It had no form, but we molded it into flesh and gave it form. We sent it to you.”

“Dawn,” Buffy said with certainty. “Yes, we kinda figured that out already. Between the dreams, and the memories, we figured it out.”

“You must protect her,” Malachi begged. “The Key is energy. It’s a portal that opens the doors to Hell.”

Buffy’s eyes flashed again. “Don’t worry. We’ll do what it takes to protect her. She belongs to the clan of Sultana-Aurelius. We protect our own.”

Across the room, Elias cringed when Spike’s eyes flared iridescent blue, but the bleached blond man wasn’t interested in him.

The clan link flared while the other clan members acknowledged the claim on the Key.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~*

Anya laid down the stack of money she was counting. “You’re out of crystal balls, Giles. Those babies are really popular with the amateurs. Better restock and raise the price ten percent. No, better make it fifteen. Sometimes it is just a fad thing.” She gathered another bunch of cash from the register. “Your cash register looks like squirrels nest in it, and the Hand of Glory packs some serious power. Better institute a seven day background check for any customers wanting to purchase one.”

Giles let out a tired sigh. “Anya, would you like a job?” Who knew how many intricate details came with being a store owner to such supernatural items?

“Okay,” Anya said promptly. Her spirits brightened considerably.

“Good. Then, we can talk about it tomorrow.”

Both Anya and Giles gasped when the clan link flared. It had been awhile since that had happened, and they had forgotten how intense it could be.

Willow and Xander looked up from the books they were studying when they too felt the burst of energy flood their minds.

Oz acknowledged the link without even breaking a note as he practiced with the Dingoes. Nothing fazed him anyway.

In Los Angeles, Cordelia and Doyle glanced at each other, and they ducked their eyes to hide the flash of light in their eyes that was a sign of the clan claiming another soul for its own.





You must login (register) to review.