Reyal's Rellik - Part 9 of 11
http://www.geocities.com/mommanerd/reyalsrellik.html
Of course this link will bring you to another link which leads you to the entire story...
What can you do?
Faith could tell how anxious Spike was. Part of her was waiting for him to explode out of pure unadulterated aggravation.
Spike wasn't one who liked to wait. Faith knew it was waiting itself that was killing him.
She shifted her gaze, watching Chatty talking quietly to a few of his followers. The group on the other side of the room were whispering among themselves and Faith’s enhanced hearing was picking it all up. The entire lot of them were getting on her last nerve. She just wanted to tell them to shut the hell up, but at least she finally got a name.
“When is he going to start?” one of them whispered.
“How do I know? Cooper’s not one to volunteer information to any of us. Why do you think the plan is going so well?” another one replied.
“I just want this to be done. I want her dead,” yet another one said, motioning to Faith. “Having the Slayer around makes me nervous.”
Should make you nervous, asshole, she thought.
“Enough of this chatter!” Cooper said as he finished his discussion. “The time draws near. We must get started.” He motioned two guards to watch Spike while he and four others left the room. The rest stayed and encircled Faith.
Spike struggled against the chains that held him. If anger and frustration could’ve broken them, there would be nothing left but shavings.
She asked Spike weakly, "Can you bust ‘em?” Not caring that everyone could hear her. What did she honestly have to lose at this point.
He shrugged his shoulders. “Not bloody likely.”
“Come up with a new plan?” she asked.
“Not yet.” He momentarily stopped struggling.
“You?”
She tried hers one more time. “I’ll get back to you," she said.
Just like the hundred times before, it was no use, neither one of them could break their bindings.
“Ahh,” Cooper said walking back into the room. “We’re all still here. Wonderful. This is so exciting I can hardly stand it.” He paused momentarily and then added, “I think I may be giddy.”
They looked his way. No one needed to tell them what they would see. Cooper was dressed for the ritual wearing his cloak. The knife had to be close.
The reality of the situation was far different than Faith’s dream. Instead of feeling fear, she felt anger. “You think I’m going down easy? Not going to happen. Think again you son of a bitch,” she said struggling against her bindings once more.
“Now, Faith, we’ve been through all of this. It might hurt... just a little, but not for long. After a while you won’t feel a thing. All that pain and anger you’ve been feeling will be gone. Don’t you want it to be gone Faith? Don’t you, for once in your life, want some peace?”
She stopped struggling and looked at him. She didn’t say a word. No retort, no nothing. She felt at peace suddenly. Wow. So that's what it felt like. Peace. Not a feeling she had often, but one she could get used to. Faith didn't even care where it was coming from. She just liked it.
“Faith!” Spike yelled. “Don’t let him do it. Stop looking at him. Look at me! Do you hear me? Look at me, damn it.”
Spike? What was...? Faith shook her head. Coming back from where she had gone momentarily. “Hey,” she said, smiling weakly.
Spike obviously relieved, smiled. “Welcome back. No more fallin' for the thralls, Slayer.”
Faith looked around. “Thinking I liked where I was before better.”
“Enough!” Cooper stated. “Do you two ever stop yapping?” He then motioned to the guards covering Spike. They gagged him. “Sorry about that but you’re ruining my concentration.” He winked.
Cooper moved closer to Faith.
“Well my dear, this is what you’ve dreamt about.”
Cooper took the knife from a pocket in his cloak. He turned it in his hand so she could get a closer look.
“See, this is what we do." He walked to the left side of Faith and motioned to one of his cronies. A chalice was produced. “We make a little cut here,” and he dug the knife into her upper arm making a small incision. The chalice was placed against her arm as the blood began to drip. “We won’t take much; we need quite a bit left over as a gift for the Old One… so we won’t kill you… well not yet anyway.”
Smiling, he held the chalice in place for what seemed like an eternity. Finally, he moved further down, cutting a hole through her jeans and into her leg. Another chalice was produced to gather the drops from her upper thigh.
After each cut was made, a chalice was produced and a small amount of blood was taken. By the time the cutting was done, Faith knew she had grown pale, but still, she said nothing. No protests, no cries of pain, nothing. The only thing that remained consistent was her stare. It never wavered from Cooper’s eyes. Faith wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of letting him see her pain. She would continue her glare, and when she had her chance, she was going to kill him. There was no question about it anymore. She would take him out.
The first part of the ritual was done and Faith was still alive.
XXXXX
“Does anyone want to guess what comes next?” Cooper asked, looking first to Faith and then to Spike. He must've realized that Spike was still gagged so he indicated that it be removed. “Can’t very well answer that way can you?”
“Next?” Spike began. “Thinking about maybe ripping your eyeballs out. How does that sound for a bleedin’ plan?”
The cold smile never faltered. “I wouldn’t expect anything less from either of you. If you were docile and cooperative, where would the fun be? Where would the challenge be?” He continued, “Well since no one wants to guess, I’ll just have to show you.”
He then opened a door to an adjoining room.
Faith looked to her left. Spike looked just beyond her. He wished he hadn’t. The next room was glowing. There had to be hundreds of candles. They were being held in wooden candleholders spread throughout the entire room. In the middle of the room stood a table. The table held remains, the Old One’s bones.
“If I could trust you two,” Cooper said, “I would let you take a closer look. But since I know of another Slayer who happened to smash the Master’s bones to smithereens … maybe I should make a note to thank her…” He paused, “I figured I’d let you watch from right where you are.” He then walked into the next room, the other vamps followed. He then began his Latin chant of resurrection.
Rise the Old One
Take your place in this world
It is yours for the taking
We have your gift
The gift of life is here for the taking
Rise and rule those who are unworthy
Rise and rule
For each line he spoke, a chalice was produced and the blood drained from it. It was dripped onto the skeleton at the same point that it was retrieved from Faith. Seven cuts, seven chalices, seven verses in the chant.
“He will wake. The blood we took will be just enough to wake him, but not restore him fully.” Cooper called out to them. “Once the marked Slayer’s blood begins working its magic on the Old One, we will bring you to him Faith, he will be strong enough to drink from you and after that, he will be the all powerful. Our new Master will rise!”
“Sod off you…” Spike didn’t have the chance to finish.
CRASH!!!!!
The noise surprised them all. “Go!!” Cooper ordered. Five of his flunkies went to investigate.
“Hey, pet,” Spike whispered. “I think our odds just got better.”
“How many does that leave, besides the yacky one?” Faith asked quietly.
“Eleven. Shouldn’t be much longer pet. Can you hold on?”
“Oh I can hold. Look, I’m full of holdy.”
XXXXX
“We’re late,” Wesley indicated checking his watch. “The ritual started over a half an hour ago.”
“I know!” Angel grumbled getting out of the car. They had parked further down the road so it wouldn’t be spotted. “I don’t think the traffic in L.A. cares. We should have brought the helicopter,” he muttered.
They got out of the car. “We are clear on the plan,” Angel said. “Maximum damage. We get Faith. We get Spike. We get out.”
They heard a loud crash.
Angel looked around. “What the hell was that?”
Wesley knew immediately. “Illyria, she’s gone.”
“Why do people keep doing that?” Angel ran towards the warehouse, his black trench coat billowing behind him.
“I don’t know,” Wesley sighed and quickly followed.
They arrived at the front of the building at the same time. Angel had slowed his pace so Wesley could keep up. There was no sign of anyone. Angel went to the left, Wesley fanned out to the right. The front door was gone, demolished. Nothing but splinters remained.
“At least we know which way she went,” Wesley whispered to Angel.
They heard the unmistakable bargaining style of their missing warrior. “You are nothing. You half-breeds dare to threaten me? You will know my wrath.”
“I suggest we go.” Angel said. “Now.” He and Wesley then did what Spike hadn’t done. They went through the front door.
XXXXX