CHAPTER 36
Faith followed Pausanias into the dark corridor. “What do we
do now?” She really meant: what do I do
now. She couldn’t be locked down here. Not now. Not with the information
If he sensed her distraction, Pausanias didn’t comment. “Now, Lieutenant, we will speak with the troops and set more guards and increase patrols. Whatever our employer thinks, there is always a threat.” Striding quickly through the torch-lit gloom, Pausanias led them back to the arena. The sand teemed with soldiers.
Faith ran to keep up with the General as they dodged sparring pairs. Their end goal appeared to be the platform where Pausanias normally watched his men.
“Ring the bell, Slayer.” A muscled arm appeared from beneath Pausanias’ cloak, indicating a small silver bell mounted at one end of the platform.
For once not questioning an order, Faith leaped onto the wooden surface and gripped the woven cord dangling from the clapper.
Magic had to be involved. The first note of the bell pealed out, rising over the din of clashing swords and the shouts of the combatants. It continued to rise, mixing with the next wave of sound as Faith rang the bell a second time. The chime echoed in the vast cavern, and Faith barely restrained the urge to cover her ears.
The soldiers in the arena moved instantly at the summons. More poured in from the various entrances around the large area. As the clang of the bell began to slowly fade, Faith watched row upon row of crimson-cloaked vampires come to attention.
The ringing stopped.
There was no sound from the assembled army – until Pausanias mounted the steps to the platform, his armor creaking faintly.
“Comrades,” Pausanias did not shout. Whatever had controlled the sound of the bell also seemed to amplify his voice. “The waiting is over. Tonight and tomorrow may well be the end of this contract.”
Someone shifted. Torchlight flickered off armor.
Pausanias frowned and glared at the crowd, unhappy with the break in discipline.
Faith scanned the room, too. She kept a rushed headcount. Thanks to her raised position, each row was visible. Banners and symbols marked a few locations. At the third one, Faith realized they marked a unit within the army. Leaving off the individual counting, she concentrated on just those. Five…six…
Pausanias’ speech faded. A sound like the ringing bell echoed in Faith’s head, and she locked her knees to keep from dropping to the wooden planks beneath her feet. There was no way. They were doomed.
Her first count of the army had been wrong. Very, very wrong. Three hundred vampires was bad. Six hundred was impossible.
Sharp, snapping movement shocked her back to the present.
The rows of soldiers marched past in regimented waves. Barked orders and the sound of hundreds of feet merged with the rustle of cloaks and the creak of leather. Faith watched numbly until only a handful of vampires remained in the room.
“Lieutenant?” Faith turned her head and looked at Pausanias. “I see you have never experienced a parade before.”
He was amused. Clenching her fists around the wide belt at her waist, Faith fought to hide her anger. This wasn’t funny. They were about to die. “No, ain’t a lot of parades in the Big House, Soldier Boy.” She was amazed at how calm her voice sounded. Screams pressed against her throat.
“It is impressive.” He smiled at her. “I was a boy when I saw the army for the first time. After all these centuries, I still remember it clearly.”
“You’re better than me, General.” If Faith couldn’t leave yet, maybe she could get more information. “I ain’t been here a week, and I’m pretty sure I’ve already forgotten a lot.” She waved at the exit the soldiers had used. “Coulda sworn there were only three hundred or so the last time I checked. You packed the place today, though. Five or six hundred, at least.” She was so taut, Faith wondered how she hadn’t simply flown apart.
Pausanias jumped off the platform and looked up. He didn’t say anything.
Maybe the explosion wasn’t that far off. Faith noticed
tremors in her muscles as she looked back.
“Are you coming, Slayer?” One of Pausanias’ eyebrow rose sardonically. “We have rounds to make. My senior staff has had time to get the new guards in place. Let us check to see if my orders have been carried out.
“Oh.” Nothing was going to hide her blush. “Thought I’d done something wrong the way you were eyeing me.” Like pushed so hard she blew her cover. Faith stumbled off the dais, nearly face planting in the sand as her shaking legs gave out.
A hard hand gripped her shoulder, saving her from the fall. “You seem less than stable, Lieutenant. Are you well?”
“Uh…Five by five, General.” Faith straightened in his grasp. “I guess the thing with Dru got to me more than I thought.” They began walking across the sand. “She scares the fuck outta me,” she admitted.
Pausanias released her and lightly smacked her on the back. “You are not the only one. Lady Dru’s powers are immense, and I do not believe even the Lady herself understands them completely.” He fell silent for a minute, and Faith saw him glancing at her. “About what happened…I feared she would turn you in the throne room.”
“Me, too.” Faith watched her booted feet displace sand as they walked. “It was like I couldn’t move.” Hadn’t wanted to move, really. She smirked to keep up appearances. “Maybe that’s what B saw when she was riding Angel or Spike.”
She had said the wrong thing this time. Pausanias glared at her, and she saw his hand creep toward his sword hilt.
Fuck. Rushing to repair the damage, Faith looked up and shrugged. “Sorry, Sir. I keep forgetting you’re a vamp.”
The glare slowly softened until a small smile tilted Pausanias’ lips. “Indeed. In the future, Lieutenant, you might wish to keep that thought firmly in mind.” He stopped and waited until she turned to face him. “Should the time come that you wish to give up your humanity, our tradition is that each recruit be turned by a member of the Phalanx.”
“Keep it in the family. Wicked.” Faith was missing something. She could tell from the intent way Pausanias watched her, and the hint of disappointment at her answer.
“On those occasions when the recruit is a descendent or already a comrade in arms, we count it as a privilege to turn that recruit. It is a symbol of our bond and our respect.” The look sharpened further. “I would consider it the highest honor if you would allow me to truly make you one of us.”
He was serious. Faith’s head came up, and her shoulders squared. She’d never be a vampire. She’d stake herself first. Looking into Pausanias’ eyes, Faith admitted that didn’t matter. The offer itself…the implied approval and acceptance… “I decide to grow fangs, yours’ll be the first number I dial, General.”
There was no handshake to seal this deal. Pausanias pulled her into an embrace, kissing her cheeks. “I will wait for that call, Lieutenant.” Stepping away, he tilted his head at the corridor at the edge of the arena. “If we do not arrive soon, the others will mount a search for us. It would not sit well were we found in such close proximity.” Pausanias laughed as he resumed walking. “However, I would certainly gain respect in the eyes of the recruits. You have created quite an impression.”
Faith was still reeling from his request – and his embrace. It took her a minute to regroup enough to smirk. “I’m young, I’m hot, and I can kick ass like you’ve never seen. Of course your boys are drooling.”
The corridor Pausanias chose was new to Faith. The rough-hewn hallway led away from the Throne Room as far as she could tell. It was still difficult to judge direction in the underground passageways.
As they walked, Faith realized the General had never commented on the number of soldiers in his command. Should she push? Faith grimaced. She didn’t have a choice. If she managed to reach Phoebe, the gang would need all the information she could give them. Letting her eyes roam the hall and trying to keep her voice casual, Faith said, “You didn’t answer me about the miscount. Three hundred or six hundred? I know it’s been a while since my last math class, but I’m pretty sure I remember how to count.”
Yellow eyes flicked her way. “I am shocked that you were not a dedicated student, Slayer.” A brief smile edged Pausanias’ lips.
“Yuck it up, old man. I had better things to do.” Boost cars, booze… Faith raised her head and looked back at Pausanias.
“Be glad you were not a citizen of
Faith rolled her eyes at the less than informative information. “You been hitting the hospitals and turning the nearly-dead then? ‘Cause that’s a lot of newbies you got all of a sudden.”
Guards at the end of the hallway snapped to rigid attention as they spotted Faith and Pausanias.
“We are a bit more selective than that, Lieutenant,” Pausanias said dryly. He returned the guards’ salutes, and continued through an archway into a small, brightly lit chamber. “The additions have traveled here from several of our training locations. Our liege may dispute the threat, but we have made our reputation on always keeping our employer alive. The Charmed Ones are not to be trifled with.”
Concentrating on his explanation, Faith was most of the way across the room before she realized what it contained.
A dozen guards stood at attention, hands holding the hilts of swords whose tips rested on the stone floor. In the center of the circle they created hung a large steel cage. Inside, like a large, red-haired bird, sat a woman.
CHAPTER 37
“You got something you want to tell me, General?” Faith asked, staring at the unconscious figure in the cage. “Like maybe why it takes all the big swords and the cage for one unconscious woman?”
A smile flickered briefly on the lips of the vampire guardsman in front of Faith.
It disappeared quickly when Pausanias moved directly in
front of the guard. “This is our
Snorting, Faith mumbled, “She don’t look like much.” Paige. Her mind raced. This had to be Paige. “But I bet this is why he thinks Phoebe and her sister won’t go after him. He’s counting on them coming here first.”
Pausanias regarded her closely. “We may make a strategist out of you yet, Slayer.” He put a hand on her shoulder and steered her back toward the entrance. “Indeed, that is exactly what Lord Cole has in mind. That is why I have increased the guards here; there will also be a new patrol checking on the guards and the witch every thirty minutes.”
“What about the rest of the vamps? This can’t be the only thing you got going?” She tried to make the question sound admiring and not part of an interrogation. Gripping her sword hilt, Faith scanned the corridor as they exited the chamber. She had to get out of here. The urgency was back, worse than before. If Phoebe and Piper tried to rescue Paige, they’d walk right into a trap.
“Fear not, Lieutenant. I am old but not yet feeble-minded.”
Pausanias never slowed his stride. He did, however, glance in Faith’s direction
with a curious tilt of an eyebrow. “What would you do, Lieutenant, if you were
in charge of protecting our
“Knock his arrogant ass out and put him someplace safe,” Faith said without thinking.
Laughter echoing off the stone walls, Pausanias stopped and turned to face her. “Yes, my initial thought exactly. However, that is not a possibility. My sword and the swords of the entire army are not enough to tackle Lord Cole and his witches.”
Faith had to agree. She’d seen
Starting down the hall again, Pausanias responded to her almost-question with a question of his own. “Give me plans for both scenarios, Slayer. What would you do to keep the witches out?”
There was only one answer. “Kill them.” Faith’s words were
clipped and cold. “Since they aren’t dead, and I’m standing here talking to
you, that ain’t the plan.”
“No. It is not,” Pausanias responded dryly. “We are inviting the Charmed Ones in for the Coronation. I am unclear as to the reason for their inclusion in the ceremony; however, I have been warned to expect them.”
Trying not to be obvious, Faith considered that information. Cole had only told her today that she wasn’t going to be fulfilling her role as an assassin. If Pausanias had known before… “What the fuck is going on, General?” She decided to gamble. Letting some of her confusion and anger leak out, Faith continued, “Did Cole decide he couldn’t trust me to do my job?”
“Is there a reason he should not?” Pausanias queried, glancing down at her.
“Nah, but that don’t mean nothing.” Damn it. This was wrong.
Now Pausanias was asking questions. Faith struggled to hide her growing fear –
and explain herself. “In case you missed it, me and Cole’s new bed buddy aren’t
exactly friends. If Red thought she could make me look bad or get me out of the
way…” She broke off. Fuck. What if
Pausanias snorted. “I was not aware this was a contest, Lieutenant. We are all here to do a job.” Eyeing her sternly, he snapped, “You would be better served if you stopped worrying about your friend and concentrated on keeping Lord Cole alive.”
“Right.” Right, Faith repeated to herself. It was time to stop acting like a brand new Slayer on her first patrol. “Sorry, General.” Flexing hands cramped from gripping her sword and sword belt so tightly, Faith fought to get her mind back on track.
“There are several details which need my attention,” Pausanias continued. “Are you able to take care of some of them for me or shall I assign another officer?”
That, more than anything, jerked Faith out of her panic. She’d earned the General’s trust; this wasn’t the time to lose it. “Whatever you need, I’m your girl.” Throwing her head back, Faith forced herself to meet Pausanias’s gaze.
Eyes boring into her, Pausanias waited a long minute before replying. “Excellent, Lieutenant. Excellent.” His face relaxed into a small smile. “At the moment, I need to arrange a few more patrols and consult with my senior staff. While I do so, you will be doing random checks on the various sentries guarding the portals and other entrances surrounding the Throne Room and the Charmed One.”
Faith’s right arm twitched with a sudden need to salute, her hand rising just above her waist. She regained control before she could complete the gesture.
Amused grey eyes watched the action.
“I’m on it, Soldier Boy.” Smirking, Faith added, “If I catch one of the guards taking a nap, you want me to stake ‘em?”
“It might increase discipline in the ranks.” Pausanias quickened his pace, moving away from Faith toward a hallway to the left. “However,” he called over his shoulder, “it would also diminish our numbers. If you find a problem, you may do whatever you wish short of eliminating the soldier.”
He disappeared from view, and Faith slowed her pace as she continued on her way back to the arena. Check on the guards. Easy enough. Too easy. She was going to be missing out on the rest of the planning.
There had to be a way to use this to her advantage, but how? Torchlight flickered off the bracelet around her wrist. With Pausanias out of the way, she could use the portal to reach Phoebe and get back before anyone noticed.
If running in uniform wouldn’t have garnered attention, Faith would have sprinted through the tunnel.
She had to lay a trail. If Pausanias or Cole came looking for her, they had to believe she was still in the Underworld. Spinning abruptly, Faith returned to the room where Paige was being held in ground-eating strides. She never slowed as she barreled into the room. The guards were still at attention. They stiffened further at her entrance, and the vampire in charge snapped off a sharp salute.
Faith nodded in acknowledgement mere seconds before she backhanded him to the ground.
Blood trickling from his mouth, the soldier stared at her from his prone position.
“The next time the General comes to visit you, I don’t want to see a smile on the face of any of your men,” Faith snarled. Her booted foot lashed out, and a sharp cry mingled with the crunch of bone. “Got it?”
“Yes, Lieutenant.” Yellow eyes blazing with hatred, the downed vampire managed to sound respectful. “It won’t happen again.”
Sweeping the room with a glare, Faith saw that her actions had improved the already rigid posture of the soldiers ringing Paige’s prison. “Better,” she grunted before leaving the room.
Now. Now she could find a portal. Vampires dove from her path as Faith hurried toward the nearest portal. With each step, her heart pounded harder and faster. She had to hurry…and she couldn’t draw too much attention.
The trip seemed to take forever.
Finally, Faith rounded a bend in the dim corridor and spotted the portal ahead. She started to trot toward it when a pair of soldiers marched in from the other end of the hallway.
Faith forced herself to continue past the portal toward the two. She couldn’t wait for the vampires to clear the area, and they couldn’t see her use the transportation device. As she got closer, Faith’s hand slipped to her spatha.
The vampires marched by.
In one smooth movement, Faith drew the short sword and clubbed the vampire on the left. He went down in a rattle of armor. Her sword continued, the blade flattening out just before it sliced cleanly through the neck of the second. Dust drifted to the floor.
One more swing took care of the vampire on the ground.
Alone in the corridor, Faith wiped her sword on her cloak and sheathed it. She sprinted back to the portal and stepped inside. Her skin tingled and the world seemed to spin. When the feelings faded, Faith stood three blocks from Phoebe’s home.
She whispered the words of
No one seemed to be downstairs. Faith tilted her head and strained her ears.
Voices and scuffling sounds emanated from the upper levels of the house. Taking the stairs three at a time, Faith ran in that direction. The sounds got louder as she went up, and Faith wasn’t surprised when her trip ended in the attic. She burst into the room. “Hey, I ain’t got a lot of time so listen up.”
She was so focused on getting the information out, Faith barely noticed the mess in the large room or felt the tension from the four New Scoobies in the room.
“Faith…” Piper started, hand out and eyes wide.
Shaking her head, Faith interrupted. “Just listen. I got a lot of information about the Coronation. The trick worked, Wes. Cole’s moving up the ceremony to tomorrow night. Get this – Red told him the magic wouldn’t be as powerful because of some moon shit.”
Everyone merely stared at her.
Faith smirked. “I got more.”
No one moved.
“They’re doing some big preparation tonight. While Red and Dru count herbs or whatever, Cole’s a sitting duck. If you go after him, he won’t be coming back again.” Faith ended her tale and turned. “I got to go. I’m supposed to be checking on the guards for the General.” That reminded her of one more thing. “Fuck. Almost forgot. Your sister’s in a room away from where the Coronation’s gonna be. Thirteen vamp guards and a big birdcage thing hanging from the ceiling. Tell Moonbeam I love her and I’ll see her real soon.”
That was it. Faith started to run down the stairs.
Her legs froze – literally.
Arms, head, fingers…everything else worked. Not her legs. “What the fuck?” She craned her neck to look back at Piper.
Tears streaked the other woman’s face, and her eyes glittered with pain and rage. “Faith, Phoebe’s not here.”
Cold fingers gripped Faith’s heart. “Yeah, I noticed. Is she out hunting something down?” The fingers tightened as Faith saw Piper shake her head.
“No. Angel…Angelus showed up a few hours ago. He…” Piper’s voice broke, and she turned away, hand over her mouth.
Wesley picked up where she had left off, staring at Faith with a sympathetic half-smile. “I’m so sorry, Faith. Angelus took Phoebe, and it appeared he was either draining or Turning her.”
CHAPTER 38
There was a moment where Faith felt nothing. She simply stared at Wesley while sunlight shone through the attic windows and birds chirped in the early evening air.
Shaking her head in denial, Faith responded, “Fang wouldn’t do that.” Her voice was barely more than a whisper. “He wouldn’t,” she repeated. She couldn’t force any more words out. Her denial continued soundlessly inside her head. Angel was still one of the good guys. He’d come to her, warned her.
“I’m so sorry, Faith.” Wesley walked toward her. “I know you were…very close to her.”
Very close? Very close? If she hadn’t been frozen in place, Faith might have killed him. Rage poured through her, quickening her breathing and causing her heart to pound. The room behind her ex-Watcher flickered in and out as her focus narrowed to just him. I loved her! Faith wanted to scream. Instead, she gritted out, “Why don’t you keep walking Wes? Maybe I can demonstrate just how…close I was to Phoebe?”
The name hurt to say, slicing Faith’s throat and tongue until she was surprised she didn’t taste the copper of blood in her mouth
Wesley came to an abrupt halt. “My dear…”
“Shut up.” Faith fought the pain and the rage. She knew those emotions. More than that, she knew where they led. There wouldn’t be any more human corpses in her wake, no more blood on her hands. The effort left her shaking even inside her magical bonds. “You got the information about the Coronation. Let me go. The General and Cole can’t know I’m playing both sides.”
“I’m afraid that would not be wise, Faith.” The anger crept higher again. Wesley’s clipped tones scraped like a file on her nerves, the sound eerily reminiscent of those early days in Sunnydale.
“Shut up!” This time, Faith’s voice cracked on the command. “Just shut the fuck up, Wes.” Balancing on the edge of control, Faith looked at him. “I don’t give a shit about wise. This is the way it’s gonna go down. I’m going back Downstairs. You and the gang are going to get all the Juniors in town.” Letting some of the anger and bloodlust out, Faith bared her teeth in a cold smile. “We get together and slaughter as many vamps as we can, but Angel is mine.” Her mind raced ahead, considering and discarding options at lightning speed. “I’ll get you some portal keys.”
An inner growl rose at that. In order to get the bracelets, Faith would have to get rid of the guards at the portal locations. Anticipation rose at the thought of the kill.
She dug in her belt pouch and retrieved the crumpled map of
the
It was time to go. Turning her head and shoulders back toward the stairs, Faith tried to move. She was still frozen.
Faith rotated her head again to glare at Piper. “Let me go. Now.”
Reluctance in every slow movement, Piper raised her hands and flexed her fingers.
There was no new sensation to mark the change. However, when Faith took a step this time, her legs moved. Thundering down in a clatter of steel, she paused just long enough to repeat the invisibility spell. She had plans – and they didn’t include getting caught
Another quick run down the block, more tingling and blurred vision, and Faith stepped back out of the portal. This time, she didn’t reverse the spell.
Her exit point was in a slow traffic area. The only vampires in sight were the two guards bracketing the transporter. They spun when the sound of Faith’s sword clearing the sheath broke the silence in the tunnel.
Anger (and the need to keep her opponents alive for at least a few seconds) gave her unseen attack a brutal edge. Faith shoved her spatha into the stomach of the soldier on the right and twisted the blade to inflict the maximum damage. He toppled to the ground, and Faith moved on to his companion.
Yellow eyes wide and confused, the heavily tattooed vampire peered into the portal. Even with his desperate search, the guard never saw the blade that removed first his hand and then his head.
Faith stepped over the pile of dust and bent down, picking up his hand and yanking the portal key from his wrist. The other vamp watched the maneuver with pain-dulled eyes, not even flinching when she stepped back and beheaded him.
Wiping the bloody short sword on her cloak, Faith slid the weapon back into its sheath.
The bracelet in her hand tinkled against stone when she tossed it onto the portal pad. Lights flashed briefly when she pressed the control panel. Seconds later, the bracelet was gone. Grabbing the second armband from the severed arm on the floor, Faith gripped the hilt of her spatha and stared at the floor of the passageway. She didn’t feel any better. The Slayer still roared and twisted inside, begging for more action. Faith removed the invisibility spell and promised the voice inside as much bloodshed and violence as it wanted. Just as soon as everything was in place.
***
Now that she was back in the Underworld, Faith knew the clock was ticking. That meant getting back into character even as she retrieved the portal bracelets. A frisson of satisfaction snaked through the churning anger. Maybe she wasn’t playing a role anymore. Dark Faith pressed close to the surface and Faith welcomed that. That Faith had never been afraid. She’d been strong and confident. She was strong and confident.
Riding the wave of dark emotions, Faith began to fulfill her duties as Pausanias’ lieutenant…with a few minor changes to his orders. Her first stop was the barracks.
It hadn’t been on the General’s agenda. It was on Faith’s.
“Hey!” she snapped when she walked in to find a group of soldiers lounging around the common room.
As one, they jumped up and came to rigid attention.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” Stalking forward, Faith snatched a handful of cards from the scarred wooden table. “Gambling. Perfect. We’re about to get hit with an army of Slayers, and you’re trying to make a buck.”
A few feet shuffled guiltily, but no one broke ranks to respond.
Faith tossed the cards back on the table. “I tell you what…I’ll forget to tell the General about this little problem.” The vampires seemed to sag in relief. “If you can do a little favor for me.”
“Yes, ma’am!” they responded.
“We need to set up sentries on the surface,” Faith lied. “Put together two-man teams and post them at each portal location.” It was a risk with the Slayers heading for the same places; however, even new Slayers should be able to manage a pair of vamps. If she couldn’t send enough portal keys through, the gang could steal them from the guards as they reached the surface.
“But…” one of the vampires was dumb enough to protest.
Faith was actually happy about Pausanias’ ban on dusting this time. Leaving her sword safely sheathed, she grabbed the protestor by the neck of his tunic and heaved him into the stone wall.
With a grunt and a clang of armor, he slid to the floor. He didn’t stay there for long.
Military discipline – and the Slayer – demanded a physical example of Faith’s displeasure. The soldier had volunteered himself with his inability to follow orders. Leaping after her victim, Faith let her darker side out to play.
Lost in the sheer pleasure of the fight, she pummeled the vampire while his comrades tried to stay at attention and not watch.
With each punch, images flickered in front of Faith.
The vampire soldier with blood streaking his face and his eyes silently begging her to stop…Allen Finch and the stake protruding from his chest…The common room still covered in cards and money…Her hand just touching the knife Buffy had shoved into her stomach…
The memories and the sights and smells of the barracks were too much. With one last blow and a savage yell, Faith stepped away from the unconscious body of the vampire. Her breathing sounded loud and harsh in the small stone-walled room. Blood stained her hands and the front of her uniform.
As she stared at the evidence of her actions, Faith’s stomach cramped and her fingers shook with fine tremors. She swallowed back the sickness in her throat. Gripping her sword belt in a desperate attempt to hide the shakes, Faith walked slowly over to the remaining group of soldiers.
“Anyone else have something to say?” she asked in a deadly voice.
The uniformed soldiers pretended to be statues.
Too bad. The thought floated through Faith’s mind as she continued through the room to the exit. “Then the next time I use a portal to check on Lord Cole’s enemies, there better be two of you right there to help me out of the fucking thing.”
This time, she got a response. A shouted, “Yes, ma’am,” thundered through the room.
***
The Slayer kept a macabre count of the number of vampires they killed as Faith continued her check of Pausanias’ new guards. Three in a quiet passageway behind the training arena. Another five at various portal locations.
Work had been more difficult near Paige and the Throne Room.
That hadn’t kept a dozen more soldiers from decorating the stone floors with their last earthly remains. Faith leaned against a rough-hewn wall and closed her eyes. Time had lost all meaning. She had no idea how long she’d been striding through the labyrinthine corridors.
“Lieutenant?” Pausanias’ voice was hesitant.
Shoving off her resting place and reaching for her sword, Faith spun to face the General.
Pale eyebrows rose as Pausanias held his hands out from his body. “Easy, Slayer. You looked unwell. I was concerned.”
Unwell. It didn’t even come close to describing Faith’s condition. “I’m five by five, General.” She met his eyes. “Got your boys all straightened out. Just took a little strong arm shit.” Gesturing to the bloodstains on her uniform, Faith smirked. “They got the message pretty quick.”
“Yes, I have heard tales of your escapades,” Pausanias said.
Faith wasn’t sure how to take the softly spoken comment. Her right hand dropped to the hilt of her sword, and she balanced on the balls of her feet, just in case those stories had included a body count. “You said no dusting,” she reminded him.
“And you followed my command?” There was disbelief in Pausanias’ tone.
“Um…yeah. I did.” Winking at the General, she relaxed a little. “I can play by the rules, Soldier Boy. Just don’t always count on it. I like to keep people guessing.” Faith walked over to join Pausanias. “I got to all the new guard posts and most of the portals. The vamp who decorated my shirt got sent up top. I figured if you were watching the portals here, having another team on the surface wouldn’t hurt.”
Pausanias clapped a heavy hand on her shoulder. “Your initiative is impressive, Lieutenant. Perhaps we will keep Lord Cole in one piece after all.” He steered Faith down the corridor. “Come, Slayer. The Black Witch has scheduled a rehearsal for tomorrow’s ritual.”
Faith followed Pausanias through the corridors. As they walked, her exhaustion fled. In fact, with each step she buzzed with energy. It was time for the charade to end. “This is a big deal, right?” she asked the general as they rounded a corner. “The ritual practice or whatever.”
“Your witch friend seems to believe so.” Pausanias didn’t
appear to be very impressed with
“Gotcha. Rows of spit-shined soldiers ain’t a ceremony,” Faith mocked. Then she met his eyes. Time to get back into character. “I’m just wondering, if this has Red’s robe in a bunch, should I find something a little less bloody?” She waved a hand at her tunic. “I don’t want her to faint or anything.”
An eyebrow rose over yellow eyes. “I think you underestimate her fortitude. The Black Witch seems most comfortable with our line of work.”
He didn’t know how close to right he was, Faith thought. “Your call, Soldier Boy. As long as you ain’t embarrassed to be seen with me, I’m good.” They skirted the arena, using passageways Faith had never seen before. “Aren’t we going to the throne room? I thought the Boss needed that big ass chair and a crown to feel important.”
“Careful, Slayer. Our
“You posting guards here, too?” Faith tugged on her tunic and tried for casual. If he did, Piper and her crew would never get through to Cole before the ceremony was complete.
Frowning, Pausanias glanced her way. “If I did so, they would no longer be a secret, would they, Lieutenant?”
Oops. Covering her mistake with an uncaring shrug, Faith answered, “Kinda thought the whole point was keeping the ritual ‘good-witch’ free. Guess I missed the memo on the secret part. My bad.”
“Not to worry, Lieutenant. Your training is far from complete.” Pausanias gripped her shoulder. “I will make sure to cover the advantages of surprise and cunning in warfare as soon as our contract here is over.”
They continued to walk, and Faith felt her Slayer senses sound a call to arms.
Pausanias must have noticed the way she stiffened and slowed. “Slayer?” His hand dropped to his sword and his eyes intently scanned the hall. “What is it?”
“Don’t know.” Faith cursed the need to talk – especially to Pausanias. “Something big’s up ahead.” Closing her eyes, she beat back the screaming in her head and concentrated. It didn’t help. “Stay alert, though. Don’t want to be explaining to the Boss why you’re a big pile of dust.”
Steel sliding against steel sliced through the quiet of the tunnel as they both drew their swords. Faith pushed outward with her senses as they crept along. No one blocked their progress. In fact, Faith didn’t see anything. Her only warning of danger came from inside.
By the time Pausanias crouched near the hidden entrance to the throne room, Faith was drenched in sweat and trembling from strain. Her muscles ached from the constant tension, and she panted in the heat of the Underworld.
“I will go first, Slayer,” Pausanias ordered in a piercing whisper. “When you breach the chamber, you must find Lord Cole. He is your only priority.”
If the gong in her head announced Piper’s entrance, Cole could wait. Angel was first on the list. Faith didn’t say that, however. Like the good soldier she pretended to be, she whispered back a curt, “Yes, sir.”
With an approving nod, Pausanias shoved the recessed door open and darted through.
Faith waited only a second before following him. She hit the doorway at a sprint and flattened against the wall to the left to check out the action.
Pausanias stood in the center of the room, sword raised. Even his powerful frame seemed ineffective against the glittering blades of the guards blocking his path to Cole.
“Well, fuck.” Her words broke the frozen tableau in the chamber. The guards protecting Cole sheathed their weapons. Pausanias, Faith noted, did not. Taking her cue from him, she continued to grip her sword tightly.
Cole raised his hands and clapped slowly. “Impressive. I never imagined the greatest general in the demon world would save me…from myself.”
Faith thought Pausanias would need to sharpen his fangs later. She heard his teeth click together and his jaw muscles clenched visibly at Cole’s verbal jab.
The clapping stopped abruptly. “Now that we are all here and prepared for the worst, let’s get started.” Spinning on a heel, Cole strode toward the throne.
As he moved, Faith realized the warning jangling her senses
was not coming from him. In fact, she
frowned and focused solely on Cole and found that his blip on her internal
radar was faint. The real power radiated from
And as the power grew, Faith traced its path to the tome
clutched in
Faith frowned. Phoebe had mentioned a design on the floor in her vision, but the stone floor was clear. She took another half-step forward, intending to ask about the omission. “Hey, Red…” Faith began – and then stopped. She couldn’t ask about the artwork without blowing her cover. There was no reason for her to have that information.
Solid black eyes raked over her, and Faith shivered. “Yes?”
“Ah…just wondering why I’m here.” Tucking her hands in her sword belt, Faith threaded her way through the crowd. With each step, the clanging of her senses rose. She was surprised she could still walk. “The general I can see. Me? I’m just the hired muscle.”
Not quite sure what promises Willow meant, Faith simply nodded brusquely. “You want this to be a blood bath, I’m your girl.” She smirked and did a little headcount. “I don’t need all the help, though, Red. Fifteen vamps? I’m not B. I don’t need a bunch of boys with fangs to hold my hand.”
“When the time comes, you will understand your place better, Slayer,” Cole interrupted them. “For now, shut up and get out of the way. The ritual must go off without a hitch at the appointed time.”
“You’re the boss,” Faith told him. She managed to walk to the altar and leaned gratefully against the stone table.
As the final vampire took his place, the thump of booted feet sounded outside the chamber. Faith shoved away from the altar and jogged toward the entryway. She still clutched her spatha in her right hand. Ready for action, she stepped into the hallway.
Once again, her diligence was unnecessary. Paige, still in
her cage, proceeded toward the throne room on the shoulders of a dozen
soldiers. “You’re late. The party’s already goin’,” she told one of the
vampires in the front. “Get the damned cage inside or
The cage swayed alarmingly as the vampires quickened their paces.
Faith’s sword rose. It would be so easy…The vampires were all focused on getting Paige into the throne room…Soon, Faith promised her Slayer. They would take action again soon. Right now, though, they had to go back to the rehearsal.
Movements stiff and mechanical as she fought the rage back one more time, Faith sheathed her sword and returned to the ritual chamber.
Cole hadn’t moved. He stood straight and tall, holding court
from his assigned position.
A loud clank and the squeal of grinding gears interrupted Faith’s perusal of the room. Paige’s cage, now in the center of the ring of soldiers, rose at each crank of a pulley. In seconds, she hung right at head level, and her escort trotted out of the room in a jangle of armor.
If Faith remembered Phoebe’s vision correctly, not all of the players were present yet. Angel, Phoebe, and Dru were conspicuously absent. Phoebe. Faith’s hand tightened around the hilt of her sword. She had to remember that this…all of this was for Phoebe.
“We’re ready, my lord,”
A new tickle touched Faith’s senses. She pushed outward with no results. The irritating feel remained as Cole and Pausanias marched from the room. They weren’t gone long. When they returned, Faith could almost hear the swell of creepy organ music. Cole paced majestically forward while Pausanias preceded him with drawn sword held in the same fashion as the other soldiers.
Faith rolled her eyes. All that power, and
It was good enough for Cole, though. “I am.” His voice faded into the expanse of the room.
“Then take thy place in the Circle so that the swearing in
may begin.”
Faith was so intent on watching the rehearsal, she barely registered the continued and expanding cramping from her Slayer senses. She snapped back to attention, though, when the Slayer howled. Her eyes locked onto three new people entering the chamber.
No. It couldn’t be.
Nausea, pain, and the sound of Willow’s freakish voice mixed inside Faith.
“…requires the spilling of blood and the deepest of betrayals. Behold your gift, my lord. Your queen, returned to you, shall feed on the blood of her brethren”
Faith’s throat worked to hold back a whimper and then a scream of denial as Phoebe strolled across the room on Angel’s arm. Her eyes met Faith’s as she moved past and she smiled, fangs white against the torch-lit gloom.
Phoebe was a vampire. The words rang hollowly in Faith’s head. A vampire.
The cold yellow eyes slid away as Phoebe and Angelus continued their procession through the throne room.
Unable to stop, Faith followed their progress. It hurt to breathe. Each inhale shoved shards of ice into her heart. Piper had told her. Piper had said Angel had bitten Phoebe. Faith stared at the end result of that bite and bled deep inside.
The couple reached Cole’s position. He smiled, looking smug and triumphant. “My Queen.”
A choked whimper tore from the Slayer huddling deep inside Faith.
Reaching out, Cole took Phoebe’s hand and raised it to his lips. “It won’t be long until we rule again, Phoebe. This time will be different.” Solid black eyes scanned the room. “This time, your sisters won’t be able to tear us apart.”
Phoebe didn’t answer in words. Instead, she stepped closer, tilted her head, and put her fangs against his wrist.
“No!”
Her hands balled into fists around her sword belt, the heavy leather doubling over from the force.
“My lord, she cannot feed from you. The ritual requires her
first taste of blood be from one of her sisters,”
Chill and ancient energy snaked through the cavern as
Finally, lips pressed tightly together, Cole tangled his free hand in Phoebe’s hair and pulled her head away from his arm.
A tiny, nearly unnoticeable smirk crossed
Phoebe’s fangs flashed again as she snarled at
The already poorly lit room darkened at the sight of Phoebe - in full game face - standing behind Cole. For a second, Faith thought she was going to pass out. She was so hot…no, cold. Sweat rolled down her back beneath the rough undertunic. Locking her knees, she managed to stay on her feet with one thought: The test was almost over. She had one last task to complete – that leap in front of Leo.
Faith smiled slightly.
One task and it would all be over. Phoebe had seen her go down in her vision. Faith was ready for that. Ready for an end to the old memories and the new, unbearable pain.
She paid little attention as
Faith spent the rehearsal time narrowing her focus. She kept her senses on high, waiting for the feel of another Slayer to announce the arrival of Piper and the gang. Once the fighting broke out, Faith had one target before saving Leo.
Angelus. The scene
was crystal clear in her mind.
Faith walked up to
Angelus and tapped him on the shoulder. “Hey, Fang.”
He turned and smiled
coldly. “Faithy. Did you need something?” That mocking edge in his voice raised
goose bumps on Faith’s skin.
“Yeah. You could say that.” Letting the Slayer loose, Faith screamed a battle cry and slammed the stake she’d hidden in her tunic into Angelus’ chest…
An explosion rocked the room, and Faith jerked her attention away from her fantasies.
Black fire flared from the floor of the cavern inside the ring of vampire soldiers. Waist high and so hot she could feel their heat from across the room, Faith watched as the flames rose and licked at the bottom of Paige’s cage and then dropped to smolder on the stone floor.
When the embers finally died out, Faith stared at the intricate design they left behind. Burned deep into the stone, the deep-hewn marks created a collection of interlocking triangles set in a roughly hexagonal pattern. Her eyes compulsively followed the lines of the shapes, tracing their path over and over.
A voice deep inside called out, urging her closer, into the ring of vampires and magic. Faith took an automatic step forward, answering the summons.
She might have continued if Dru’s shrill voice hadn’t shocked her to stillness. “Look! Look! The Queen, she comes. All dark. Betrayal follows her. Ms. Edith sees.” Still dazed and tempted by the power in that mental voice, Faith watched the sinuously swaying vampire cover her doll’s eyes with a slender hand.
The Queen. Phoebe. The pain was there with the name, but Faith shoved it away and concentrated on Dru’s babbling. Betrayal follows. Was Dru talking about Phoebe feeding on Paige? Or…was she seeing the Slayers and Watchers arriving?
Either way, Faith couldn’t wait any longer. It was time to take action and make sure Cole never had a chance to rise to power. Yanking her sword from its sheath, Faith started forward again – this time in response to duty and not her inner darkness.
From the corner of her eye, she realized Pausanias was doing the same.
Damn it. Faith didn’t want to kill the general. Not yet. She wanted Cole. She raised her sword, though. If he got in her way…The sword dipped when Pausanias veered away and charged toward the main entry.
Uniformed vampires met him at the archway, pouring into the
chamber with weapons at the ready. They formed a ragged double row of
protection between Cole and the
Faith’s Slayer senses finally announced other Slayers in the underground caverns. The cavalry had arrived.
As if summoned by her thought, the first group of Slayers dashed into the chamber. More followed, and the crash of steel and shouts and screams filled the air.
With a feral grin, Faith reached up and ripped off her cloak, symbolically tossing it on the ground. The undercover assignment was over.
The first vampire soldier she encountered must not have understood her gesture with the cloak. He never even raised his sword as she neared. Faith didn’t spare a second of regret as she beheaded him. His dust would be the first of many piles littering her path to Angelus.
It wasn’t as simple as Faith had hoped. More fighters crammed into the now crowded throne room. Clusters of fighting soldiers and Slayers clogged her path.
Her uniform further complicated matters. Faith found out the hard way that, to the new Slayer crew, she appeared to be an enemy. A tall, skinny girl jumped in front of her. Ducking a wild knife thrust, Faith dove forward and knocked the unknown Junior Slayer attached to the hilt onto the ground. “Listen up, kid. I’m on your side. Get the fuck away from me and make sure to spread the word.”
Wide green eyes stared up at her.
Great. The cavalry was clueless. She’d be lucky to get out of this fight without killing one of the newbies. Rolling to her feet, Faith left the young Slayer on the ground and resumed her journey.
Unfortunately, Angelus wasn’t where she expected. His spot behind the throne was empty. Phoebe was missing, too.
Faith froze in place – not an easy task with swords flailing on either side of her and bodies diving and crashing to the floor only inches from her feet.
A faint whisper of steel cut through the air to Faith’s left.
She spun, sword slashing in a diagonal and upward path. With an arm-tingling
crash, it slammed into the blade aimed at her neck.
“I knew the General was a fool to trust you,” the vampire soldier ground out.
Ignoring the comment, Faith struggled to keep his sword away from her body. He was big, standing at least a foot taller. Size seemed to trump even Slayer strength because all of her efforts weren’t enough. The shining and deadly blade dropped lower and lower, pushing Faith’s own weapon back toward her body.
Sweat stung Faith’s eyes. She didn’t dare blink it away, though. Muscles trembling with effort, she focused on the crossed swords hovering mere inches from her throat. This wasn’t going to end here. She had work to do.
Faith was so intent on pushing against the vampire that she lurched forward when he suddenly turned into tiny particles of dust and drifted to the floor along with his weapon.
The same Junior Slayer from earlier winked and twirled a stake a few feet behind where the soldier had been. She was, obviously, a quick study.
Raising her sword in a brief salute, Faith thanked the other Slayer before searching for Angelus again.
He was on the far side of the room, surrounded by soldiers and Slayers.
The path was clogged with combatants. They didn’t matter to Faith. She waded into the fighting. A single step later, she paused and decapitated another vampire. That became a pattern. Step, behead, step, block a sword thrust, step…
She was never going to make it. Nearly screaming in frustration, Faith swung her spatha at the next vampire with a little extra verve. The blade passed cleanly through his neck. Unfortunately, Faith had put too much behind the move. The continued momentum pulled her off balance and spun her to the right.
That’s when she saw them.
Piper and Leo battled with a group of Spartan troops. Leo was holding his own, hacking and slashing at the vampires with a sword he had more than likely stolen from a fallen soldier. As he fought, Piper flicked her hands and soldiers exploded into clouds of ash. They seemed to be making headway toward the circle and Cole.
In that one split second, though, Faith saw a tall, familiar figure working his way toward Piper and Leo.
All thoughts of Angelus disappeared and vengeance took a back seat to destiny. Faith reversed her trek. More vampires fell under her sword. “Leo!” she shouted, trying to get his attention and alert him to the danger.
Apparently, angels didn’t have superhearing.
The distance between them looked miles long. She wasn’t going to make it without help. Shoving a vampire out of her way, Faith stepped into the path of another Junior Slayer. With mild surprise, Faith realized it was Debra, the Slayer assigned as Phoebe’s bodyguard. “You’re with me now.” Not pausing to explain or make any kind of a plan, she waded back into the throng of fighters.
The younger girl stuck to her side. Two swords and two Slayers. They cut a swath through the army of soldiers. Their path, though, led them into the heart of the fighting. Paige’s cage hung just to their left; Faith barely noticed that Paige was missing from the golden cell and the bars on one side were blackened and twisted.
Lashing out with a brutal kick, Faith made contact with yet another soldier. He came off the ground and careened into a couple of his comrades several feet away.
Faith hunted for Leo. Still fighting. Still unaware he was being stalked.
A crazy idea had Faith grabbing Debra’s arm. “I gotta move faster. We ain’t got time to fight our way through. Toss me right there.” She pointed to Leo.
“What?” Faith grimaced at the badly timed question from her assistant.
“Just do it, Deb.” She balanced on her left leg, lifted her right as if she were about to mount a horse, and waited.
Debra’s sword clattered to the floor as she cupped her hands under the ball of Faith’s foot.
Faith settled into the makeshift stirrup. She was lifted up then lowered slightly. Muscles bunched under the hands she rested on the Debra’s shoulders. “Good luck, Faith.”
With one powerful heave, Faith flew over the heads of the vampires blocking her progress to Leo.
When she started to lose altitude, Faith tucked into a tight ball and performed a somersault. Her feet struck the floor and she staggered, windmilling her arms wildly to remain upright.
Leo and Piper were directly in front of her, facing to Faith’s left.
Light reflected from the sword descending toward Leo.
Faith screamed his name and dove across the intervening space. She crashed into Leo’s side, and the sharp tip of the blade slammed into her chest. The tearing of flesh and muscle and the crack of bone was familiar, almost comforting. Faith raised her eyes from the bloodstained steel protruding from her body. “Thanks, Soldier Boy.”
The throne was cold and smooth under her hand. Phoebe
stroked it absently as she watched
“Phoebe!” Angel’s hissed whisper penetrated the fog in her
mind. Phoebe carefully turned her head to look at him. The flickering
torchlight cast his face into shadows. All she could see were his bright yellow
eyes and the white points of his fangs. “Get ready.
A loud bang echoed through the cavern and drowned out his words.
A hard hand grabbed her arm. “Let’s go. Now, while no one’s watching.” Angel moved quickly, dragging Phoebe along in his wake.
The speed and the motion made her headache and heaving stomach worse. Phoebe stumbled after Angel and prayed she didn’t ruin the plan by vomiting.
They hadn’t reached their destination when a shrill voice
rose above
“Dru. She’s seen something. We may have trouble.” Shoving her toward the stone table, he said, “Go. Get the athame. You know what to do. I’ll take care of Dru.” With a fierce smile, Angel took off.
Phoebe hesitated only a second before following his command. She ran toward the altar as quickly as she could.
Shouts and the sounds of combat broke out behind her.
The noise spurred her to more speed. Phoebe panted as she slid to a stop at her destination. An array of tools littered the stone surface. Only one mattered. Phoebe seized the onyx-handled athame.
The second her fingers closed around the hilt, Phoebe’s world spun as the magic surrounding her was ripped away. The lights in the throne room seemed to dim and then lighten. The nausea disappeared. Straightening, she scanned the rapidly filling room.
Phoebe spotted Angel as he fought his way through a throng of vampire soldiers and girls (Slayers, Phoebe hoped) toward Dru..
Now that the cavern had become a battleground, Phoebe lost track of the job she’d agreed to do. She needed to find Faith. That single thought drove Cole from her mind. Where was she? Phoebe couldn’t pick her out of the fighters at first.
Then light winked off a sword.
Phoebe relaxed slightly when she saw Faith was fine. Faith waded into battle with her spatha held in both hands. It was awe inspiring. Vampires turned to dust in droves.
Reassured, Phoebe got back to business. Cole. Athame heavy in her hand, Phoebe searched for him. He was no longer in the Circle. Growling in frustration, she climbed onto the altar for a better view. There he was, halfway across the large room and protected by a battle guard of four vampires.
Desperate for a way to reach Cole, Phoebe continued to scan the throne room, looking for answers. None came. Sword-swinging vampires and people blocked her access.
As she contemplated her limited options, Phoebe caught another glimpse of Angel. He’d finally reached Dru. The skinny vampire clutched at him, seeming to press against him with no awareness of the fighting or of the danger Angel posed.
Angel smiled tenderly and bent down.
Their lips hovered close.
Then Angel’s muscles bunched, and Phoebe watched the sharpened piece of wood in his hand stab Dru’s chest.
Dust drifted to the floor seconds later; Miss Edith landed in the pile, glass eyes staring sightlessly at the ceiling.
“My Queen!” Phoebe’s head snapped around at the call. Two uniformed vampires stood next to her perch, hands outstretched. “Come, my Lady. We will take you to safety.”
That wasn’t part of the plan, but it did give her an idea. “Not without Cole.” She pointed over the battle. “We get him and then we get out of here.” With their help, she should be able to reach Cole even through the throng of combatants.
Phoebe’s orders didn’t sit well. “My Lady…” one of the soldiers started to protest.
Taking the decision out of his hands, Phoebe leaped off the altar and swung her athame at the Slayer who immediately blocked her path. The short, narrow blade wasn’t made for this type of warfare. It slid uselessly down the blade of the girl’s saber before slamming into the bell guard with shoulder jarring force.
She didn’t have time for finesse or a drawn out fight. Springing into the air and spinning, Phoebe rotated her hips, sending her left heel into the temple of her opponent hard enough to stun the other girl. The Slayer dropped to the floor, shaking her head and struggling to stand.
By the time Phoebe landed, her bodyguards were at her side. Apparently, they’d decided Phoebe wasn’t going to quit the field without a fight.
“Start clearing a path out,” Phoebe ordered them. “I’ll be back.” The fight with the Slayer had been the final straw. She wasn’t going to play by the rules. Concentrating, she jumped straight up – and levitated to within inches of the ceiling.
This time, no one got in her way.
Floating over the heads of Slayers and vampires alike, Phoebe reached Cole and his guard in seconds. She descended slowly, coming to rest inside the ragged horseshoe of safety created by the bodyguards. “Cole! I have a way out,” she shouted to get his attention.
Cole jerked, nearly impaling himself on the sword of the Slayer in front of him. He recovered immediately, though. Reaching out with his left hand, Cole gripped the tunic of one of the soldiers keeping him alive.
He didn’t alert the vampire to her presence the way Phoebe expected. Instead, Cole dragged the guard away from his own fight and left him to face the sword of the Slayer Cole, himself, had been fighting.
“I’m ready. Lead the way,” Cole said tersely as her turned in her direction.
Phoebe smiled and held out her hand. “It won’t take long.
Cole didn’t care about that. He crushed her hand when he took it. “Then get me out of here before someone gets lucky.”
“My pleasure.” Yanking Cole closer via their linked fingers, Phoebe thrust the athame into his chest at the same time. The spelled blade fluoresced, illuminating Cole’s body in pale blue.
Ignoring a niggling ache in her heart for the love they’d once had, Phoebe chanted a vanquishing spell,
Hell waits for you, bringer of death
Now fire shall take your every
breath
The blue light expanded, and Cole looked at her in disbelief. “Phoebe?”
His fingers slid from hers as Phoebe stepped away.
The light brightened painfully as it enveloped Cole’s body. His scream of agony and denial echoed through the large room. It lingered for a second even after he vanished amidst the blue fire.
Phoebe stared dazedly at the empty spot in front of her. It
was over.
She remained motionless until blue sparkles swirled to her right. “Phoebe! Wake up. We don’t have time for you to take a walk down memory lane,” Paige snapped.
“I’m not…” Phoebe started to say.
Paige didn’t wait for her to finish. She grabbed Phoebe’s arm and the cavern disappeared.
It could have been seconds or minutes later when they returned to the throne room. Phoebe tried to reorient herself, looking for landmarks in the room.
She never made it past Faith’s still, bleeding figure clutched in the arms of a kneeling vampire.
“Bastard!” Phoebe screamed at the soldier holding Faith. Grabbing a stake from one of the people clustered around the pair, she slammed it into the vampire’s back.
The gritty feel of his ashes under her knees barely penetrated her awareness as she dropped to the floor and stroked Faith’s pale face. “Faith? Sweetie?” She prayed for a response but one never came.
Faith’s eyes were dull and fixed on a point above them. She was alive, though. Barely. Phoebe could feel the faint rise and fall of her chest, and soft, thready breaths puffed against her cheek as she bent low and brushed her lips over Faith’s.
Where was Leo? Leo could fix this. Eyes blurred with tears, Phoebe looked frantically at the people hovering around them. He wasn’t there. Why wasn’t he there? Faith had just saved his life!
“Leo!” Anger, pain, fear…They thinned her voice to a shrill, strained sound that eked from her dry throat. “Leo!”
“He’s gone, Phoebe.” Piper stepped forward. Tears streaked her face as she held out a hand. “They took him. He…he tried to heal Faith, and the Elders took him.”
No. The protest started with one, quiet word. It grew, though. It grew and grew and grew until Phoebe shook visibly from the force of her internal screaming. “No!” The scream broke out. “She’s not going to die. She passed their test. She saved Leo. She saved all of us!”
“Yelling isn’t going to help, you know,”
Phoebe was in no mood for anger management lessons. She
spun, ready to let
She never got the words out, though.
A short blonde woman flanked
“Like what?” Phoebe needed someone to tell her what to do. Faith’s skin seemed to grow colder and colder under her palm, and Phoebe couldn’t think beyond that.
“Do what I should have done instead of resurrecting Buffy on
my own. Take the fight up there.”
***
There was no pain. That was new, but Faith wasn’t going to complain. She didn’t mind the lack of the burning, stabbing agony in her chest. She opened her eyes. Pausanias had looked stunned at what he’d done, and Faith wanted to let him know it was OK. If she had to die, better at his hands than one of his men.
She wasn’t in the throne room, though. Faith didn’t know where she was, but it definitely wasn’t the throne room.
Muted light filtered in through tall columns. The entire space was shrouded in a fine mist.
Faith carefully turned her head. Robed figures moved smoothly and silently in the distance.
“Welcome, Faith.” The deep voice startled her so badly, Faith cried out and scooted back automatically.
That’s when she realized she wasn’t injured. There was no blood, no knife sticking out of her chest, and still no pain. Hand pressed to the spot where Pausanias’ spatha had stabbed, Faith scrambled to her feet. “Where the fuck am I? And who are you?” she demanded.
The golden-robed figure reared back. “I beg your pardon?”
“You can beg all the fuck you want. Just answer the questions.” Widening her stance and setting her base, Faith crouched slightly.
A pained sigh emerged from the hood and then two hands lifted to grip the material hiding the man’s face. “I am Odin, one of the Elders. The Powers That Be, as you call us.”
“Oh.” Faith straightened and peered around. “Thought you’d have better digs. What’s with the creepy mist and all the quiet?” She tried to hide the sudden pounding of her heart. If she was here then… She was dead. Faith struggled to absorb that idea.
Her continued questions seemed to irritate Odin. He frowned, his lips pressing together in a disapproving line. “Perhaps we could focus on the reason we summoned you here.”
They didn’t need to do that. Faith already knew more than enough about the subject. “Nah. That’s old news. I musta failed your test. Leo explained the fine print to me a few days ago.” She was surprised to be here and not someplace a lot hotter. Maybe that was what they were supposed to talk about.
Rapid movement to her left distracted Faith. Mist swirled around three more robed figures running toward her and Odin.
“Faith!” Leo’s hood slid back as he stopped at her side. “Sorry I’m late. I wanted to bring a few friends along to this meeting.” He didn’t sound like the blushing, quiet Whitelighter Faith remembered. His voice was clipped and angry, and he hadn’t stopped glaring at Odin since his arrival.
Two more hoods came down, revealing a blonde woman and a dark-haired kid.
“Uh…hey. Nice to meet some friends of L’s.” The whole situation was getting too weird. Faith wanted to get this over with, wanted to hear the big pronouncement of her failure and get her one-way ticket to Hell.
“It is very good to meet you as well, Faith. I am Sandra.” Faith shook the hand Sandra held out. “And this is Kevin.” She tilted her head at the boy next to her.
“Hey, Kev.” He grinned at her and brushed his hair away from his eyes. Faith waited for more, but no one spoke. They stood in uncomfortable silence.
Finally, Leo got the conversation restarted. “Faith, the Elders have some things to tell you.”
Odin stiffened and opened his mouth.
“Listen to what they say,” Leo rushed on. “It’s important.”
“We are wasting time.” Faith had to agree with Odin’s angry outburst. “The test is over. The outcome clear.”
“Yes, clear, Odin.” Kevin might have looked like a young boy, but his voice was firm and commanding. “Faith has earned the right to choose her fate.”
Choose? Faith zeroed in on that one word. Maybe she wasn’t going to be roasting in Hell after all. She took a deep breath, feeling a little more calm. “I passed?” she had to ask.
Sandra met her eyes. “You would not be here if you had failed.”
The relief was so overwhelming, Faith swayed against Leo. “Wicked.” She hoped they didn’t notice the quiver in her voice or the tears in her eyes. “Then let’s hear about the choices.”
Sandra and Kevin looked at Odin. Faith followed suit.
“Your choices,” he said, and Faith thought his teeth were probably clenched. “There are two, Faith. Each will allow you to continue atoning for your past.”
Even in the afterlife that wasn’t over. Angel hadn’t mentioned that. Wishing she could pass the information along, Faith swallowed hard. “What’s behind Door Number One?”
“You may stay here.” Odin waved a hand at wherever they were. “As a Whitelighter. We will pair you with a charge. Someone who needs guidance to avoid making mistakes similar to your own.”
“Like Leo?” No way. They wanted her to be a guardian angel? Faith chuckled. “No, thanks. That orbing shit makes me want to puke, and I ain’t exactly a role model for the kiddies.”
Blonde hair waving, Sandra shook her head. “You would do well as a Whitelighter, Faith. Please don’t turn us down so quickly.”
“Tell her the other option, Odin.” Leo’s hands gripped Faith’s shoulders in a comforting squeeze.
This must be his pick, then. Faith rocked on her heels and waited.
“If you decide you cannot handle the role of a Whitelighter,” Odin said condescendingly, “then you may elect to return to your mortal existence.”
That was it? Believing she’d missed something important, Faith asked, “What else? You ain’t just going to send me back with an ‘Atta Girl.’”
“Correct.” Odin stuffed his hands inside his robe’s sleeves.
“As a mortal, you would need to continue your duties as a Slayer and remain in
Odin wasn’t up to date on his Faith lore. He didn’t seem to know she loved her job. “Sign me up,” Faith told him.
“So be it.” Odin raised his hands, and Faith felt her skin tingle…
…Blinking, she stared up at a black expanse. “Fuck, who turned off the lights?” she asked as she sat up.
Phoebe stood a few feet away, mouth hanging open.
The wound in her chest was gone as if it never happened, but Faith still felt a tearing pain. Phoebe. Phoebe the vampire.
“You’re dead,” Phoebe said.
“Not anymore.” Faith couldn’t believe this conversation. She climbed to her feet and brushed off the dust that covered her legs. “It was temporary.” Keeping her eyes down, she looked for a stake. No one else was going to take care of Phoebe. Faith knew she had to do it.
She didn’t have time to dodge when Phoebe launched herself across the space separating them. “You’re not dead!” Gripping Faith tightly, she kissed her over and over again.
Even knowing Phoebe’s undead status didn’t stop Faith from responding to Phoebe’s kisses. She groaned and pressed up into Phoebe’s warmth.
Warmth?
Yanking Phoebe away by her hair, she mumbled, “Moonbeam?” Faith reached down with her thumbs and pried Phoebe’s lips up so she could peer at her teeth. No fangs. Abandoning her hold, she checked for a pulse.
Phoebe’s heartbeat pounded against the fingers Faith wrapped around Phoebe’s wrist. “How? I saw you. I felt you. You were a vampire, Moonbeam.”
“A spell, sweetie. I promise. Just a spell,” Phoebe assured her.
Now it was Faith’s turn to dole out celebratory kisses. She lost awareness of the throne room and their audience.
“I fly all the way from
Faith reluctantly pulled away from Phoebe and looked up. It was. “Fuck, B. I just died already. I think a few kisses are normal.”
“Don’t even get her started, Faith.” Angel grunted when Buffy jabbed him in the stomach. He persevered, though. “Pretty soon, she’ll be keeping score. ‘I’ve died twice, Faith. You’ve only done it once. I’m still the best Slayer,’” he mocked in a falsetto voice.
“She can claim anything she wants.” Faith wasn’t interested in picking at Buffy. “She might even be right.” Wrapping an arm around Phoebe, she glanced around the throne room. There were Junior Slayers and Watchers everywhere. “Where’s the General and the army?”
Phoebe stiffened.
“Moonbeam?” Faith looked down, but Phoebe avoided her gaze.
“You’re standing on Pausanias,” Phoebe whispered.
Faith hopped to one side. “Fuck!” She’d expected it. Pausanias had been a vampire. She still regretted it. He’d been different than most.
“At least you didn’t sleep with him, unlike some people we know,” Dawn chimed in, breaking the mood.
Like the mature older sister she was, Buffy stuck her tongue out. “Thanks, Dawn. On that note, I think it’s time we got out of here. I’ve got serious jetlag, and I’m starving.”
As Buffy wandered away, followed by the rest of the gang, Faith leaned down and kissed Phoebe again. “The Elders wanted me to be like Leo.”
Phoebe’s eyes widened.
“They must be pretty fucking stupid if they thought I was going to trade you for some blue sparkles.” Holding Phoebe close to her side, Faith led them toward the exit.
THE END