Memories Maketh the Man, Chapter 23
Jan. 16th, 2016 07:13 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
maryperk73703No werewolf rampage and Cain is run out of town. Silverado is based on a current tv character. Sorta.
Chapter 23
Faith wasn't happy with her circumstances. She screamed and pounded on the back of the creature that had stolen her away from the other creatures that had called her a cow. Finally, she stopped her struggle, and she grumbled under her breath about stupid portals and weird dimensions.
After a very uncomfortable ride over the creature's shoulder, it finally skidded to a stop where it dropped Faith onto the ground. At that point, she discovered it was male. 'He' growled at her, his ugly face and fangs scaring her.
Faith scrambled backwards across the forest floor. Her hand closed around a short, heavy tree branch that had a broken sharp point on one end. Faith held the branch in front of her while she continued to scoot away from the creature.
The creature roared, and it grabbed at Faith. She thrust the branch towards the creature. She didn't think it would do her any good, but it was her only weapon against her foe. It happened so fast, Faith wasn't even sure what had happened until the creature turned to a fine dust that covered her and the surrounding the ground.
"What the hell?" Faith muttered. She dropped the branch before she started to brush the dust off herself. "That was so weird."
Faith staggered to her feet. It occurred to her that she was quite far away from the other creatures who had been keeping her captive. Faith grinned to herself. If she could hide and stay out of their hands, maybe she could eventually figure out a way home. All she needed to do was to find someplace to hide.
Faith picked a direction and started walking.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ceridwyn looked up from her task. Something had changed. Unlike other vengeance demons, Ceridwyn kept a close eye on her victims. She didn't have as many people asking for reincarnation, as say, Anyanka with her scorned women.
Ceridwyn went to the cabinet where she kept the magical spheres that kept track of the reincarnated souls in her charge. She let out a peal of laughter when she realized that Liam's soul, his real soul, not the generic one the gypsies had forced on the vampire, had departed for its final resting place.
"I wonder what happened to him," she wondered to herself. After a few minutes of continued chortling, Ceridwyn shrugged it off. It didn't hurt her feelings that he was finally gone. "At least he won't be able to keep them apart again."
One down, and one to go.
Ceridwyn went back to her task.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Spike and Buffy stepped into the Bronze. They were meeting with Willow, Xander, and Kendra to watch the Dingoes' gig. Buffy veered off towards the table where her friends were seated while Spike went to the bar to get drinks.
At the break, Oz joined his friends at the table. He plopped down between Spike and Willow.
Spike sniffed the air before he turned to Oz. "You smell different," he stated.
"Spike, are you sniffing my friends?" Buffy teased.
Spike shrugged. "He smells like wolf. That's new." He turned to Oz. "You been bit lately?"
"My baby cousin," Oz replied. "That's it. Nothing else, not even a mosquito."
"The nose knows." Spike laid a finger on the side of his nose. "You're a werewolf."
"The full moon is tomorrow," Willow whispered.
"Well, better safe than sorry," Buffy replied. "We need to find a secure location before the moon comes up. Just in case."
Oz looked around the group. He figured they all were perfectly serious about what they were saying by the looks on their faces. "Only in Sunnydale."
"Any ideas where that secure location will be?" Xander asked.
"For now, we should use the cage in the library," Willow said. "Hopefully it's strong enough."
"You are all crazy," Kendra muttered.
"Crazy but fun, right?" Xander asked, making Kendra blush.
Buffy leaned over to tap Xander's arm. "Don't embarrass your date."
Xander rolled his eyes before he turned to Kendra with a smile. "Sorry, Kendra."
Kendra blushed again. "This is a date?"
"Of course, silly," Buffy replied. "Xander really likes you. Don't you, Xander?"
Xander nodded. "I do."
"Oh, okay." Kendra ducked her head. "I like you too."
"Sounds perfect to me then." Xander beamed the rest of the evening.
After the last set was over, the group piled into Spike and Oz's vehicles to make their way to the high school.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Giles stepped out of the library office with a book in his hands. He continued towards the counter until he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Giles looked up from his book to find a well-dressed, well-groomed man seated at the research table.
"Hello, Rupert Giles. I'm Sam Zabuto, Kendra's Watcher. I seem to have misplaced my Slayer."
Giles blinked in surprise. "Mr. Zabuto, what a pleasure to meet you."
"My Slayer?"
"Ah, Kendra. Lovely girl." Giles went to the counter where he laid down the book he was reading. "She's out with my Slayer listening to a band. Later, they'll do a sweep of the cemeteries with Spike."
It seemed to be Zabuto's turn to be surprised. "Your Slayer is dead, Rupert."
"Only a little bit, and only for a few minutes. Her friend Xander resuscitated her," Giles informed his fellow Watcher.
"Friend? Slayers do not have friends!" Zabuto said in a loud voice.
"Mine does." Giles joined Zabuto at the research table.
Zabuto stared at Giles. "And you allow this?"
"Slayers are a force of nature, Mr. Zabuto. It's our job as Watchers to make sure they are as forceful as humanly possible. I fear that the Council doesn't see our girls as anything but expendable." Giles looked at Zabuto's face to read his reactions to this statement. When he was satisfied that the other Watcher understood what he was saying, he continued to speak. "Let me tell you a story about reincarnation."
After Giles finished speaking, Zabuto stared at him for awhile. "Do you have any proof?"
It took every fiber of Giles' being not to roll his eyes in a similar fashion to Buffy. "I can call Ceridwyn if that helps you."
"I think that would help," Zabuto replied.
"Ceridwyn, could I speak to you for a moment?" Giles asked out loud.
Ceridwyn appeared next to Giles. and Zabuto sat back in surprise. "I was just coming to talk to you. Liam's soul has moved on. He will no longer be reincarnated," the vengeance demon informed the Watchers.
"Liam?" Zabuto asked. "That's Angelus, correct."
"Yes, Angelus," Ceridwyn replied. "I've hated him for centuries. Every damned incarnation he's been a cowardly lowlife. Cilla hasn't been much better. Although, strangely enough Drusilla was a sweet, innocent girl before she met up with Angelus. There's a chance things would have changed for Elizabeth and William back in 1880 if Angelus hadn't driven Drusilla crazy and turned her."
"I thought that it took Buffy being the Slayer and Spike being a vampire for this whole cycle to finally end?" Giles commented.
"It did. Just wishful thinking on my part," Ceridwyn said. "I'm finally glad they're going to be happy." She pointed a finger at Giles. "Nothing better interfere, or I'll be very unhappy. You better tell that Council of yours that she won't be participating in that stupid Cruciamentum."
Zabuto sat back. "You know about that?"
"I'm a vengeance demon. Of course I know about that." Ceridwyn kept her eyes on Giles. "If the Cruciamentum happens and Buffy dies, I promise that Spike and I will burn the Council to the ground."
Ceridwyn and the two Watchers were so intent on their conversation that they didn't hear Spike and the teenagers enter the library.
"I second that promise, Watcher," Spike drawled. "If Buffy's gone, there will be nothing to protect you from my wrath."
"But, your soul ..." Giles trailed off.
"Having a soul doesn't stop serial killers or genocides, Watcher. It's not a leash." Spike turned his back on Giles, and he went over to the book cage. He grabbed a hold on the gate. Then, he shook it for all he was worth. "Yep, this should hold him."
"Hold who?" Giles rose to his feet.
Oz raised a hand. "Spike thinks I'm a werewolf. We're locking me up just to make sure."
"A werewolf? Oh my." Giles took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Oz went to stand by the cage.
"So, our Slayers are hanging out with a vampire." Zabuto eyed Spike. "And a werewolf. What about these other two?"
Kendra squeaked when her Watcher spoke. She hid behind Xander.
Xander raised his hands in surrender. "All human. However, due to a spell that turned us all into our costumes, I can reassemble a M-16 in fifty-seven seconds."
Anyanka appeared next to Giles. "I'm a vengeance demon though." She smiled up at Giles. "I'm here for Giles though. Hello, Ceridwyn, " she greeted the other vengeance demon without looking at her.
"Anyanka, good to see you," Ceridwyn replied.
"I'm all human too," Willow spoke up.
"That is true." Ceridwyn peered at Willow. "But you have potential."
"Potential for what?" Buffy asked. "Willow's a great girl, Mother."
"To catch Hoffy's attention for one. I can see the magic swirling just under her skin. She needs a mentor." Ceridwyn turned back to Giles. "You need to get her one before she hurts Buffy."
"I would never!" Willow protested.
"Not on purpose."
Oz let out a grunt of pain. "I really need to get into that cage."
The room burst into activity. Giles went to the counter, and he tossed the cage keys to Spike. Spike opened the cage for Oz.
Spike turned to Xander. "Take Willow home," he told the young man.
"Kendra and I will go patrol," Buffy said.
Zabuto looked at his Slayer. "I'm staying at the Sunnydale Inn, Kendra. Room 202. When you're done with patrol, I need to speak with you."
Kendra kept her eyes on the floor, but she nodded in agreement. "I will be there, sir."
Zabuto left the library without a backwards glance. He needed to think long and hard about what he'd seen tonight.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Buffy and Kendra strolled through the cemetery, keeping an eye out for fledges.
"Cain, don't you walk away from me," a voice echoed through the cemetery.
The Slayers looked at each other and shrugged. They turned towards the voice. In a clearing, in the middle of several crypts stood two men with guns.
"You know nothing, Silverado," Cain sneered.
"I know you don't hunt by the code."
"The code is just antiquated crap." It was if Cain's sneer was permanent. "I will kill whatever werewolf I come across. I don't really care about anything but the kill."
Buffy and Kendra stepped out from their hiding place. "You kill any werewolves in our town, you will answer to us."
Cain snorted. "Two little girls." He pointed his rifle at them.
"They're not werewolves, you stupid ass," Silverado said.
"No, we're Buffy."
"And Kendra." The younger Slayer blushed.
"The vampire Slayers," Buffy and Kendra said together.
Cain snorted. "Slayers are just a myth."
"So are werewolves, and yet you hunt them," Buffy replied. Her stake appeared in her hand. "There will be no hunting in my town. Leave now."
"Not until I get my quarry," Cain said.
Buffy looked over at Kendra. "I think we need to find someone to escort this idiot out of town before he does something stupid. Dalton, you can come out of hiding now."
Dalton shuffled out of the shadows. His face looked perfectly human. "Hello, Slayer. What can I do for you?"
"The gentleman here with the tooth necklace needs an escort out of town. Can you do that?"
Cain sniffed in disdain. "He looks wimpier than you do, bitch."
Dalton turned to Cain, and he let his demonic visage appear on his face. "Sure thing, Slayer."
Cain let out a surprised grunt. "What the fuck is he?"
"You know about werewolves but not vampires. You are a shoddy hunter," Silverado replied. He shouldered his gun. "It's a pleasure to meet you ladies. I'll help your friend here escort Cain out of town. I think he needs a refresher course on the hunter code."
Before anyone could move, Buffy disarmed Cain. She bent the barrel of his rifle before she handed it to Silverado. "I don't hurt humans, but I'm not too nice to ones that hurt others. Get this idiot out of town before he runs into someone less hospitable than me."
"My pleasure, ma'am." Silverado grabbed Cain by the back of the neck. "Let's go, asshole. The Hunter's Council wants to talk to your sorry self."
At Silverado's words, two more men appeared. They took over escorting Cain towards a fancy SUV parked near the cemetery gates.
Silverado took a card out of his pocket, and he handed it to Buffy. "If you ever do have a werewolf problem, feel free to call me."
"Sure thing." Buffy and Kendra watched Silverado walk away. "Things are never boring in Sunnydale," Buffy told Kendra.
"I see that."
Buffy tilted her head. "He's kinda cute for an old guy. You think I could set him up on a date with my mom?"
"You be one crazy Slayer," Kendra replied.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ysped and Cordelia blazed through three more riddles with flying colors, or at least it felt that way. It took them almost three weeks to get through three riddles. They met Doctor Smitty, Cameron, and Diggory. The riddles were challenging, making Cordelia put on her thinking cap. She realized she was smarter than she'd first thought. What took Ysped and Cordelia so long was the physical challenges on each level. The Doctor's was the most difficult because he had set up a maze throughout the entire level.
There was only one piece of the Crown of Divination left to be found. There was one last bodyguard and riddle to solve. The level was surprising clear. There were no enemies to fight or traps to avoid. At the end of the big empty room was a dais with a throne on it. Cordelia and Ysped approached the dais with caution.
Ysped whispered. "I forgot about them. How could I be so stupid?"
"Forgot about who?" Cordelia whispered in return.
"Sir Brian and his guard dog Ty," Ysped answered.
"Ysped, you know Ty doesn't like being called a dog." A skinny, pale young man appeared on the top step of the dais. Beside him was a tall, dark-haired man who glowered at Ysped. What surprised Cordelia the most was neither one of them was a ghost. They seemed to be flesh and blood.
Cordelia straightened her back and threw back her shoulders. "I'm ready for the next riddle."
Brian chuckled. "There is no riddle or obstacles left. You've passed all the tests."
"I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be," Ysped commented.
"I got tired of waiting here ages ago, Ysped. So, is Ty. We're ready for a new queen," Brian replied. "Lucky us. Here she is." He gestured towards Cordelia. "If we wish to live our own lives, we need to fight the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart."
"The idiot returns with the Consort," Ty growled.
Ysped chuckled. "They're all idiots. Let's get the Crown put together and the Queen on her throne before the Consort makes his way here."
"Don't worry," Sir Brian said with a wink. "We've slowed him down."
Chapter 23
Faith wasn't happy with her circumstances. She screamed and pounded on the back of the creature that had stolen her away from the other creatures that had called her a cow. Finally, she stopped her struggle, and she grumbled under her breath about stupid portals and weird dimensions.
After a very uncomfortable ride over the creature's shoulder, it finally skidded to a stop where it dropped Faith onto the ground. At that point, she discovered it was male. 'He' growled at her, his ugly face and fangs scaring her.
Faith scrambled backwards across the forest floor. Her hand closed around a short, heavy tree branch that had a broken sharp point on one end. Faith held the branch in front of her while she continued to scoot away from the creature.
The creature roared, and it grabbed at Faith. She thrust the branch towards the creature. She didn't think it would do her any good, but it was her only weapon against her foe. It happened so fast, Faith wasn't even sure what had happened until the creature turned to a fine dust that covered her and the surrounding the ground.
"What the hell?" Faith muttered. She dropped the branch before she started to brush the dust off herself. "That was so weird."
Faith staggered to her feet. It occurred to her that she was quite far away from the other creatures who had been keeping her captive. Faith grinned to herself. If she could hide and stay out of their hands, maybe she could eventually figure out a way home. All she needed to do was to find someplace to hide.
Faith picked a direction and started walking.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ceridwyn looked up from her task. Something had changed. Unlike other vengeance demons, Ceridwyn kept a close eye on her victims. She didn't have as many people asking for reincarnation, as say, Anyanka with her scorned women.
Ceridwyn went to the cabinet where she kept the magical spheres that kept track of the reincarnated souls in her charge. She let out a peal of laughter when she realized that Liam's soul, his real soul, not the generic one the gypsies had forced on the vampire, had departed for its final resting place.
"I wonder what happened to him," she wondered to herself. After a few minutes of continued chortling, Ceridwyn shrugged it off. It didn't hurt her feelings that he was finally gone. "At least he won't be able to keep them apart again."
One down, and one to go.
Ceridwyn went back to her task.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Spike and Buffy stepped into the Bronze. They were meeting with Willow, Xander, and Kendra to watch the Dingoes' gig. Buffy veered off towards the table where her friends were seated while Spike went to the bar to get drinks.
At the break, Oz joined his friends at the table. He plopped down between Spike and Willow.
Spike sniffed the air before he turned to Oz. "You smell different," he stated.
"Spike, are you sniffing my friends?" Buffy teased.
Spike shrugged. "He smells like wolf. That's new." He turned to Oz. "You been bit lately?"
"My baby cousin," Oz replied. "That's it. Nothing else, not even a mosquito."
"The nose knows." Spike laid a finger on the side of his nose. "You're a werewolf."
"The full moon is tomorrow," Willow whispered.
"Well, better safe than sorry," Buffy replied. "We need to find a secure location before the moon comes up. Just in case."
Oz looked around the group. He figured they all were perfectly serious about what they were saying by the looks on their faces. "Only in Sunnydale."
"Any ideas where that secure location will be?" Xander asked.
"For now, we should use the cage in the library," Willow said. "Hopefully it's strong enough."
"You are all crazy," Kendra muttered.
"Crazy but fun, right?" Xander asked, making Kendra blush.
Buffy leaned over to tap Xander's arm. "Don't embarrass your date."
Xander rolled his eyes before he turned to Kendra with a smile. "Sorry, Kendra."
Kendra blushed again. "This is a date?"
"Of course, silly," Buffy replied. "Xander really likes you. Don't you, Xander?"
Xander nodded. "I do."
"Oh, okay." Kendra ducked her head. "I like you too."
"Sounds perfect to me then." Xander beamed the rest of the evening.
After the last set was over, the group piled into Spike and Oz's vehicles to make their way to the high school.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Giles stepped out of the library office with a book in his hands. He continued towards the counter until he was interrupted by someone clearing their throat. Giles looked up from his book to find a well-dressed, well-groomed man seated at the research table.
"Hello, Rupert Giles. I'm Sam Zabuto, Kendra's Watcher. I seem to have misplaced my Slayer."
Giles blinked in surprise. "Mr. Zabuto, what a pleasure to meet you."
"My Slayer?"
"Ah, Kendra. Lovely girl." Giles went to the counter where he laid down the book he was reading. "She's out with my Slayer listening to a band. Later, they'll do a sweep of the cemeteries with Spike."
It seemed to be Zabuto's turn to be surprised. "Your Slayer is dead, Rupert."
"Only a little bit, and only for a few minutes. Her friend Xander resuscitated her," Giles informed his fellow Watcher.
"Friend? Slayers do not have friends!" Zabuto said in a loud voice.
"Mine does." Giles joined Zabuto at the research table.
Zabuto stared at Giles. "And you allow this?"
"Slayers are a force of nature, Mr. Zabuto. It's our job as Watchers to make sure they are as forceful as humanly possible. I fear that the Council doesn't see our girls as anything but expendable." Giles looked at Zabuto's face to read his reactions to this statement. When he was satisfied that the other Watcher understood what he was saying, he continued to speak. "Let me tell you a story about reincarnation."
After Giles finished speaking, Zabuto stared at him for awhile. "Do you have any proof?"
It took every fiber of Giles' being not to roll his eyes in a similar fashion to Buffy. "I can call Ceridwyn if that helps you."
"I think that would help," Zabuto replied.
"Ceridwyn, could I speak to you for a moment?" Giles asked out loud.
Ceridwyn appeared next to Giles. and Zabuto sat back in surprise. "I was just coming to talk to you. Liam's soul has moved on. He will no longer be reincarnated," the vengeance demon informed the Watchers.
"Liam?" Zabuto asked. "That's Angelus, correct."
"Yes, Angelus," Ceridwyn replied. "I've hated him for centuries. Every damned incarnation he's been a cowardly lowlife. Cilla hasn't been much better. Although, strangely enough Drusilla was a sweet, innocent girl before she met up with Angelus. There's a chance things would have changed for Elizabeth and William back in 1880 if Angelus hadn't driven Drusilla crazy and turned her."
"I thought that it took Buffy being the Slayer and Spike being a vampire for this whole cycle to finally end?" Giles commented.
"It did. Just wishful thinking on my part," Ceridwyn said. "I'm finally glad they're going to be happy." She pointed a finger at Giles. "Nothing better interfere, or I'll be very unhappy. You better tell that Council of yours that she won't be participating in that stupid Cruciamentum."
Zabuto sat back. "You know about that?"
"I'm a vengeance demon. Of course I know about that." Ceridwyn kept her eyes on Giles. "If the Cruciamentum happens and Buffy dies, I promise that Spike and I will burn the Council to the ground."
Ceridwyn and the two Watchers were so intent on their conversation that they didn't hear Spike and the teenagers enter the library.
"I second that promise, Watcher," Spike drawled. "If Buffy's gone, there will be nothing to protect you from my wrath."
"But, your soul ..." Giles trailed off.
"Having a soul doesn't stop serial killers or genocides, Watcher. It's not a leash." Spike turned his back on Giles, and he went over to the book cage. He grabbed a hold on the gate. Then, he shook it for all he was worth. "Yep, this should hold him."
"Hold who?" Giles rose to his feet.
Oz raised a hand. "Spike thinks I'm a werewolf. We're locking me up just to make sure."
"A werewolf? Oh my." Giles took off his glasses to pinch the bridge of his nose.
Oz went to stand by the cage.
"So, our Slayers are hanging out with a vampire." Zabuto eyed Spike. "And a werewolf. What about these other two?"
Kendra squeaked when her Watcher spoke. She hid behind Xander.
Xander raised his hands in surrender. "All human. However, due to a spell that turned us all into our costumes, I can reassemble a M-16 in fifty-seven seconds."
Anyanka appeared next to Giles. "I'm a vengeance demon though." She smiled up at Giles. "I'm here for Giles though. Hello, Ceridwyn, " she greeted the other vengeance demon without looking at her.
"Anyanka, good to see you," Ceridwyn replied.
"I'm all human too," Willow spoke up.
"That is true." Ceridwyn peered at Willow. "But you have potential."
"Potential for what?" Buffy asked. "Willow's a great girl, Mother."
"To catch Hoffy's attention for one. I can see the magic swirling just under her skin. She needs a mentor." Ceridwyn turned back to Giles. "You need to get her one before she hurts Buffy."
"I would never!" Willow protested.
"Not on purpose."
Oz let out a grunt of pain. "I really need to get into that cage."
The room burst into activity. Giles went to the counter, and he tossed the cage keys to Spike. Spike opened the cage for Oz.
Spike turned to Xander. "Take Willow home," he told the young man.
"Kendra and I will go patrol," Buffy said.
Zabuto looked at his Slayer. "I'm staying at the Sunnydale Inn, Kendra. Room 202. When you're done with patrol, I need to speak with you."
Kendra kept her eyes on the floor, but she nodded in agreement. "I will be there, sir."
Zabuto left the library without a backwards glance. He needed to think long and hard about what he'd seen tonight.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Buffy and Kendra strolled through the cemetery, keeping an eye out for fledges.
"Cain, don't you walk away from me," a voice echoed through the cemetery.
The Slayers looked at each other and shrugged. They turned towards the voice. In a clearing, in the middle of several crypts stood two men with guns.
"You know nothing, Silverado," Cain sneered.
"I know you don't hunt by the code."
"The code is just antiquated crap." It was if Cain's sneer was permanent. "I will kill whatever werewolf I come across. I don't really care about anything but the kill."
Buffy and Kendra stepped out from their hiding place. "You kill any werewolves in our town, you will answer to us."
Cain snorted. "Two little girls." He pointed his rifle at them.
"They're not werewolves, you stupid ass," Silverado said.
"No, we're Buffy."
"And Kendra." The younger Slayer blushed.
"The vampire Slayers," Buffy and Kendra said together.
Cain snorted. "Slayers are just a myth."
"So are werewolves, and yet you hunt them," Buffy replied. Her stake appeared in her hand. "There will be no hunting in my town. Leave now."
"Not until I get my quarry," Cain said.
Buffy looked over at Kendra. "I think we need to find someone to escort this idiot out of town before he does something stupid. Dalton, you can come out of hiding now."
Dalton shuffled out of the shadows. His face looked perfectly human. "Hello, Slayer. What can I do for you?"
"The gentleman here with the tooth necklace needs an escort out of town. Can you do that?"
Cain sniffed in disdain. "He looks wimpier than you do, bitch."
Dalton turned to Cain, and he let his demonic visage appear on his face. "Sure thing, Slayer."
Cain let out a surprised grunt. "What the fuck is he?"
"You know about werewolves but not vampires. You are a shoddy hunter," Silverado replied. He shouldered his gun. "It's a pleasure to meet you ladies. I'll help your friend here escort Cain out of town. I think he needs a refresher course on the hunter code."
Before anyone could move, Buffy disarmed Cain. She bent the barrel of his rifle before she handed it to Silverado. "I don't hurt humans, but I'm not too nice to ones that hurt others. Get this idiot out of town before he runs into someone less hospitable than me."
"My pleasure, ma'am." Silverado grabbed Cain by the back of the neck. "Let's go, asshole. The Hunter's Council wants to talk to your sorry self."
At Silverado's words, two more men appeared. They took over escorting Cain towards a fancy SUV parked near the cemetery gates.
Silverado took a card out of his pocket, and he handed it to Buffy. "If you ever do have a werewolf problem, feel free to call me."
"Sure thing." Buffy and Kendra watched Silverado walk away. "Things are never boring in Sunnydale," Buffy told Kendra.
"I see that."
Buffy tilted her head. "He's kinda cute for an old guy. You think I could set him up on a date with my mom?"
"You be one crazy Slayer," Kendra replied.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Ysped and Cordelia blazed through three more riddles with flying colors, or at least it felt that way. It took them almost three weeks to get through three riddles. They met Doctor Smitty, Cameron, and Diggory. The riddles were challenging, making Cordelia put on her thinking cap. She realized she was smarter than she'd first thought. What took Ysped and Cordelia so long was the physical challenges on each level. The Doctor's was the most difficult because he had set up a maze throughout the entire level.
There was only one piece of the Crown of Divination left to be found. There was one last bodyguard and riddle to solve. The level was surprising clear. There were no enemies to fight or traps to avoid. At the end of the big empty room was a dais with a throne on it. Cordelia and Ysped approached the dais with caution.
Ysped whispered. "I forgot about them. How could I be so stupid?"
"Forgot about who?" Cordelia whispered in return.
"Sir Brian and his guard dog Ty," Ysped answered.
"Ysped, you know Ty doesn't like being called a dog." A skinny, pale young man appeared on the top step of the dais. Beside him was a tall, dark-haired man who glowered at Ysped. What surprised Cordelia the most was neither one of them was a ghost. They seemed to be flesh and blood.
Cordelia straightened her back and threw back her shoulders. "I'm ready for the next riddle."
Brian chuckled. "There is no riddle or obstacles left. You've passed all the tests."
"I don't think that's the way it's supposed to be," Ysped commented.
"I got tired of waiting here ages ago, Ysped. So, is Ty. We're ready for a new queen," Brian replied. "Lucky us. Here she is." He gestured towards Cordelia. "If we wish to live our own lives, we need to fight the Wolf, the Ram, and the Hart."
"The idiot returns with the Consort," Ty growled.
Ysped chuckled. "They're all idiots. Let's get the Crown put together and the Queen on her throne before the Consort makes his way here."
"Don't worry," Sir Brian said with a wink. "We've slowed him down."
