Reyal's Rellik - Part 7 of 11
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Select "Reyal's Rellik - Updated" not the link to previous parts. 'Cause, well, those haven't been updated.
When Angel got back to his office, Wesley was waiting for him. “Anything?” Angel asked, walking to his desk.
“Perhaps.” Wesley spread out a map across Angel’s desk. He indicated different sections on the map. When the dots were connected they resembled the shape of a triangle, with Wolfram and Hart at the top.
“Well doesn’t that beat all?” Spike said. He pointed to the top of the pyramid. “Lo and behold.”
“Why doesn’t that surprise me?” Angel said. “Talk to me, Wes. What does all this mean?”
Wesley adjusted his glasses and pointed to the map. “These other points, ten in all, including Wolfram and Hart,” he indicated. “They could be directly related. We have four on each side of our pyramid and one at the bottom.”
“That I can see,” Angel said looking at him. “What else?”
Fidgeting Wesley said, “I’m sorry. Yes. Fine.” Wesley slid over the map and then presented eight different sketches. “Point one, Wolfram and Hart. Where they took Faith. Angel being here didn’t hurt either. Could be the connection to the others, but I’m not sure.” Wesley paused, apparently gathering his thoughts before continuing. “Points two through nine are where these were found.” He pointed to the sketches. “Seven chalices, “ he paused before continuing, “And one knife.”
“Reyal’s Rellik.” Angel stated, more as a fact than a question.
“Yes. That was recovered at location nine.”
“Let me guess,” Spike began. “Everything you’re telling us right now leads us to position ten?”
“Where they’re going to sacrifice Faith,” Wesley added solemnly.
“We know where she’s at. Let’s bloody go and get her,” Spike suggested. Without waiting for an answer he turned and walked towards the door.
“There’s one more thing,” Wesley began.
Spike stopped. He joined Angel as Wesley started explaining.
XXXXX
“This is so not happening.”
Faith struggled against the bindings. She wasn’t surprised to see she was living out her nightmare. She was indeed strapped down, on a floor, in an old dirty room. She tried her bindings. She knew they wouldn’t be loose; still, she had to try.
“Awww,” came a voice from behind her. “Our Faith is awake!” She heard him walking around to where she could see him better. “How are we feeling?”
Faith finally looked at him. He was the chatty vamp from the garage. She was surprised she wasn’t as terrified as she had felt in her dreams.
“I could be wrong, but I’m thinking there is no we. I’d be more then happy to switch with you though.”
He laughed. “I like your wit Slayer. Too bad we need you. I wouldn’t mind having you around.”
“We could arrange something. You keep me alive. I keep with the wit,” she said, knowing it wouldn’t do her any good.
He ignored her remarks. “We were late you know,” he said. “That night at the cemetery, we were supposed to meet up with you there. Unfortunately, our colleague arrived before we did. You got to him before we could get you.”
Faith thought back. “The ‘not-going-to-kill-me’ dude?”
“That would be Frank. He was never one for patience. It’s too bad though, he really wanted to be here for this occasion. It’s probably why he jumped the gun and tried to take you himself.” He pulled up a chair closer to Faith, but still not within arm’s reach, and sat down.
“What?” she asked. “We going to have a nice little chat now? You going to get off on telling me how you’re going to kill me?” She didn’t try to hide her anger.
He laughed again. “No Faith. First of all, it’s not time yet. We have a few hours. Secondly, I figured you might want to know why you’re here.”
“Let’s see,” she began. “Some ancient prophecy. “ She looked directly at him. “It’s always some ancient prophecy. Did you know that?” She didn’t wait for his reply. “You need my blood. What exactly you’re going to do with it, I don’t think I want to know. End of story, there really isn’t much more to it than that.”
He leaned in closer to her. “I would’ve thought you would want to know what your most important role was going to be.”
“Are we back to you getting off by giving me the blow by blow?”
“Not at all,” he said standing. “You are a very bright girl Faith, regardless of what you think. I knew you’d have questions regarding your sacrifice. You are very important to us. I was being polite. If you don’t want to know, that doesn’t hurt my feelings at all.”
She thought for a moment and decided that she might as well find out all she could. She was going to stop whatever it was if it was the last thing she did. “Okay,” she began, “is this like Twenty Questions?”
He sat back down. “It’s like… well, any way you want it.
XXXXX
After listening to Wesley, Angel felt a little better. They knew where Faith was. They knew that the ritual wasn’t expected to take place until later that night. They had time to plan. The actual resurrection still confused him. If The Old One had been dead for so long, what was left to resurrect? After Buffy had killed The Master, his skeleton remained. From what Buffy told him, Kakistos turned to dust when Faith had finally staked him. What was the difference between the two? It just didn’t make any sense. Some vampires turn to dust and some don’t? If they needed Faith, most likely there was something left of The Old One. Too bad they hadn’t known that sooner. They could’ve found whatever it was before his groupies did.
In some of the research Wesley had done, the eight sites had been destroyed in looking for the sacrificial artifacts. No one thought anything of it until Wes had started tying the pieces together. Angel was grateful for that. It gave Wesley something to focus on. If only briefly, his thoughts weren’t one hundred percent on Fred/Illyria and in the end, it would probably save Faith.
Spike was the one being difficult. He just wanted to go and kill some demons. Angel didn’t really want to wait around either. He just wanted Faith back, safe and alive - especially when Wesley told them how the ritual would take place.
“The floor has nothing to do with the actual resurrection. I believe it’s more of a holding place, for lack of a better word,” Wesley had said. “The ritual starts with the reading of the prophecy. Once spoken, they will begin to cut her, or mark her, in seven different parts of her body. This will begin the blood flow.”
“Then what?” Spike had asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Wesley had a hard time continuing. “Once the blood begins to drip they will gather small amounts in the goblets they took. They will stop the blood flow after that.” Wesley paused yet again. “The blood initially taken will wake The Old One. Once awoken, he will drink from Faith, drain her; the Slayer’s blood bringing him almost immediately back to full strength.
“That’s it! We’re going to get her. Now!” Spiked yelled. “I don’t care. Nothing is going to happen to her.”
“Spike,” Angel began. “You heard Wes, we have time. We need to make sure there aren’t any surprises waiting for us. One screw-up and Faith is dead.”
XXXXX
She wished she hadn’t asked. Which was worse, being cut up or having some creep suck you dry?
“No offense, but I don’t like door number one or door number two. Door number three would be good,” she finally said.
He was still grinning. “I’m sorry Faith. That’s the way it works,” he stood up. “Now it’s time for you to rest. Well be moving you shortly. If you’re exhausted it won’t nearly be as… enjoyable.”
Faith was left alone again.