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Witch's Faith
"Two groups," said Buffy, taking charge. She had the sewer map unfolded on a table at the Magic Box, and everyone was gathered around. There was an air of excitement–the gang was all going out together to defeat yet another dark villain. But Dawn and Tara were in real danger, and that cloud hung over everything.
Buffy pointed to the two easiest ways into the blank area of the map where Elise's hidden base was located. "Faith and I will enter here and search for Elise. We'll take out as many of her higher-ups as we can, too. The rest of you come in this way and try to find Dawn and Tara. Willow, use your sprite to find the way to Tara. Capturing her is Elise's biggest mistake yet. But if you need help, or get an idea where Elise is, then tell us telepathically. Can you do all that Willow?"
"Yeah, I think so. My batteries are about half-charged, I'd say. But that's enough for some junior magic!" With pride, she realized that many witches would kill for just half of her power.
"Well I know you and Tara wanted to work you up to this slowly, but we could really use your magic tonight. So stay away from black magic and conserve your energy–but if a spell is needed, don't hesitate."
Willow gulped nervously but nodded. This would be a real test. She might truly taste her own power tonight for the first time in many weeks. Would she be able to back off again afterwards? The excitement she felt at the prospect of using her magic did not bode well. But she wouldn't hold back. Not with Tara and Dawn depending on her.
"Ok, it's Christmas time!" said Faith. "Come get your toys!" She unpacked some weapons from home, and some from the Magic Box. Everyone took a supply of stakes and various other weapons. Willow selected a crossbow, glancing at Faith as she did so.
"Let's get on with this!" said Spike. "I want to get back and start moving back home finally!"
"I'm helping him pick out new furniture," explained Anya, "there's a gorgeous embalming table in the antique place over on Sixth!"
"I'm glad everyone is so focussed on the goal..." quipped Xander.
"We still have one last problem," Buffy reminded them. "Jatharal. The demon might already be in Sunnydale to... activate the Key." Buffy shuddered involuntarily. "Anya–have you and Tara turned up anything we can use on him?"
"Not really, unless Tara found something today. Oh–one thing!"
"Yes?"
"Hold your breath around him. His breath kills. It's supposed to be even worse than Xander's in the morning."
The gang loaded into two cars, the Slayers in Buffy's car, the others in Xander's.
Buffy started the engine. "Wait–I'm coming with you," said Mrs. Betts, opening the rear door.
Buffy opened her mouth to object, but Faith put her hand on Buffy's arm. "I don't think there's much choice, Buffy. This is my trial." Faith knew that tonight would probably be the end of her trial, in fact. With Elise gone, Mrs. Betts would report to the Council and they would decide what to do with Faith.
"Don't worry," said the Watcher, "Mrs. Bitch will stay out of the way!"
Faith jumped, "I never..." She was about to say that she never called Mrs. Betts that to her face.
Mrs. Betts smiled. "No, you never did. But everyone I've ever taught has called me that behind my back. Don't try to tell me you haven't." She forced her pickaxe awkwardly between the front seats and climbed in. This would undoubtedly be the most dangerous battle of the Watcher's long life, but Faith could tell she was ready to fight bravely. The Watcher was tough. Faith could almost like her.
Faith believed she would clearly prove herself to be Elise's enemy tonight, and that the Watcher would have nothing incriminating to report to the Council. She could not have been more wrong.
Buffy and Mrs. Betts both harbored the same fear as they drove to their chosen sewer entrance. That the coming raid might fulfill the Oracle's deadly prophesy. Please let me die, Buffy thought, over and over. Not little Faith, please not little Faith! She almost broke down crying behind the wheel at the thought that today might be the first and last day of her life with Faith. And if it wasn't, she'd face the same fear the next time they left the house. It seemed so unfair that whatever time Buffy had left with Faith would be colored by this oppressive burden.
Dawn and Tara were guarded by a vampire and two nasty-looking demons. They were all gathered on a circular stone island of sorts, perhaps thirty feet across, ringed by three separate moats of fire. A large symbol was drawn in the middle of the stone circle, and the same symbol was drawn on Dawn's forehead. The side of her face was bloody, but not as bad as Tara's. Tara lay unconscious on her back, Dawn's sweater rolled up under her head. At least she was breathing. Dawn sat beside the fallen witch, looking absolutely terrified. Her guards, well-disciplined by Elise, stood silently at their posts, watching the prisoners. Eight more guards, all vampires, waited outside the rings of fire, four watching each of the two entrances to the chamber. Elise was nowhere to be seen.
The flickering fire gave Willow hope that she could approach Dawn unseen. She stayed close to the ceiling, following cracks and gouges in the concrete to keep the light of her sprite as inconspicuous as possible. She worked her way to a spot in front of Dawn and waited. Eventually, Dawn happened to glance up, and Willow did one quick circle in the air. Dawn squinted and then realized what she was seeing. Willow saw Dawn's fear lessen slightly. The girl coughed twice. It sounded fake.
There was nothing more Willow could do here. Her sprite had homed in on Tara, but now she had to return to her body and lead the rescuers here in person.
Willow...
Willow froze. "Did you hear something?"
Spike and Anya and Xander shook their heads, looking around nervously for attackers. They had faced over half a dozen vampires and demons already, although Willow, having scouted the route out, was able to give advance warning of most of them.
Willow ran ahead and the others hurried after her.
Willow, can you hear me? The words were more distinct now.
Yes! Tara! We're coming to get you! "It's Tara!" she told the others, relief in her voice.
I know. Dawn signaled when you arrived. Two coughs. I can talk to her but she can't answer without being heard, so we worked out a few signals when we had a moment alone. I've been trying to reach you ever since I knew you were here.
Are you all right?
We were both beaten a bit, but we're OK. A demon attacked us at home, and got his hands on Dawn's throat before I could react. I let him kick me and pretended I was knocked out, but I told Dawn what to say to get him to take me with her. I knew you could use me to find her. So I told Dawn to say that I had found a way to attack Jatharal, and had made a spell that was already working. Elise is now waiting for me to wake up so she can question me. But I'm afraid I don't really have a clue how to beat Jatharal. I hope he's not around.
I was so worried when I thought you were knocked out! Willow replied. Most of us are on our way to you now, but Mrs. Betts and the Dynamic Duo are hunting for Elise. Do you have any idea where she is?
I think so, they brought us to her when we first arrived. It was a tall, narrow chamber, like a shaft, and it seemed like we went downwards forever to reach it. It's not far from here, only much deeper underground.
When Willow finished relaying Tara's information to everyone telepathically, the Slayers were quite impressed. The shy witch had bravely allowed herself to be taken, knowing how much she could help the gang make their move when the time came.
Buffy, Faith and Mrs. Betts worked their way downward, carefully slaying everything they came across to avoid alerting Elise. One group seemed to be high up in Elise's organization–they were holding a meeting about capturing people to feed on. The Watcher and the Slayers had a fight on their hands, but managed to kill the entire group.
Eventually the three found a heavy iron grating that looked down on a tall shaft. At the bottom, in a wooden throne, sat Elise, surrounded by vampires and demons. There was no way down the walls, so they would have to work their way lower to gain access to Elise. But at least they now knew exactly where she was.
About halfway down to Elise's level, the group realized that the sewers were becoming increasingly populated by demons and vampires. The best chance at slaying Elise was a sudden surprise attack: reach her as quickly as possible, without bothering to slay every creature they encountered on the way. Mrs. Betts saw the sense of this, and agreed to stay behind, slaying anyone who strayed her way, while the Slayers struck without warning.
Elise heard the commotion just in time to flee through a side door. Faith had given no response to her many invitations, and now it sounded like both Slayers were after her!
Buffy and Faith emerged into the bottom of the shaft, aware that they had left perhaps a dozen vampires and a few demons alive behind them on the way in. They had slain twice that many though, taking advantage of surprise. Elise's followers felt untouchable buried away in their hidden base, and few even carried weapons. Their false sense of security was proving fatal.
Working in concert, almost as one mind, Buffy and Faith cleared out the eight or nine vampires that surrounded Faith's throne. They also caught three who had followed them into the chamber. After that, no more entered.
But Elise was already gone. There were only two unexplored exits, and Buffy and Faith split up. Both doorways led to long, dim chambers that were currently in use as storerooms. The one Faith entered was nearly empty. She explored the corners, looked inside a few boxes, but turned up nothing. The room Buffy had chosen, however, was piled high with coffins, crates, and racks of weapons. She searched carefully, but in the near-darkness, Elise slipped past her and back into the throne room.
The diminutive vampire entered the shaft at the same time Faith emerged from the storeroom. The vampire bolted for the main exit, but Faith was too quick. The Slayer tackled Elise and forced her to the ground. The vampire's small body was soft and surprisingly warm.
Elise, looking into Faith's eyes mere inches away, saw the Slayer's dark compulsions come over her before Faith herself realized it. The vampire was repulsed but not surprised to find herself being kissed. Elise did not struggle. If there was any hope of using sex to gain influence over Faith, this might be her only chance. "You need me and you know it!" said Elise, triumphantly.
"I don't need anything from you! Except your death!" hissed Faith. Yet she found herself nuzzling Elise's chest in spite of herself. Elise pulled her black blouse open and Faith's lips were on her bare skin. But the movement reminded Faith to keep Elise immobile, and so she held both of the girl's arms firmly to the cold concrete floor. Faith trailed her lips lower until she came to the waist of Elise's slacks. Faith tore them open with her teeth and pulled them down roughly. She tugged the girl's panties down as well, and Elise obligingly kicked both garments off. Faith brushed her lips over Elise's dark pubic curls, then gave the fur a painful tug with her teeth. Elise winced but resisted the useless urge to struggle.
Faith felt as though she were operating on another wavelength of the same instinct that drove her to slay. It felt evil. It felt perfect. She salivated and spat, allowing her hot saliva to land over Elise's clitoris and slide down the tightly closed seam of the girl's sex. Elise moaned in disgust, but her genitals began to respond ever so slightly to the Slayer's attention. Faith licked her own saliva off of the vampire, pleased to taste just a hint of other secretions.
Somewhere tucked away at the edges of her consciousness, some part of her was aware of Buffy screaming at her.
Buffy gave up searching the cluttered chamber and headed for the door. Hearing the sounds of a scuffle, she raced back into the throne room. Faith and Elise were locked in mortal combat... No. Not combat. No! Buffy stopped in her tracks, frozen with shock, jealousy, and disgust. She remembered seeing Faith feeling inside Elise's clothes earlier–searching her, she had thought. She remembered the photo of Elise, and the note. Something very wrong was happening, at a time when Faith's entire future depended on her good conduct!
"Faith! What are you doing?!" she screamed, but Faith did not react at all. The dark Slayer was sucking noisily on Elise's labia. The vampire either hated this or loved it–her intense expression could mean either.
Buffy ran forward and pulled Faith off of Elise by the shoulders, hurling her back to the floor hard. Then she got her first good look at the creature who had terrorized Sunnydale for so long–and now had captured her sister. The vampire was quite lovely, and amazingly small. Her near-nudity made her all the more attractive.
Buffy took out a stake and Elise scrambled to her feet. Buffy and Faith both helped bring her down this time, and Buffy's stake found her heart. But Buffy did not press down. She let the stake fall aside and a familiar dark desire caused her to squeeze Elise's small, firm breast instead. She squeezed both of them, then licked them, then bit them lightly. Buffy was vaguely aware that Faith had returned to Elise's crotch.
Taking both of Elise's wrists in one hand, Buffy lowered herself beside Faith. The Slayers' mouths fought over Elise's private flesh like tigers feeding on a fresh kill. Elise's face transformed, and she bared her fangs.
Unlike Faith, Buffy knew this dark obsession intimately. But that did nothing at all to make her stop licking Elise's clitoris. Buffy glanced up occasionally, and each time, she was surprised to see that the face looking down at her was not Spike's, or even Angel's. It was a lovely dark-haired demon wearing an expression of triumph.
Having fought off a number of vampires and demons, Mrs. Betts had retreated up several levels, and found herself again at the metal grating looking down on the tall throne room. With shock and horror, she observed the unspeakable things that Buffy, Faith and Elise were doing. The knuckles gripping her pickaxe whitened.
Continue to Episode 26 – Trial.
"Hold on, Willow!" called Tara. Willow would have to maintain the bridge by herself now. Tara lowered her arms and leaped towards her lover. The bridge did not quite hold, and Willow fell to the floor as the flames surged high again.
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