Into the Abyss
by Rainne
Part Seven
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I hate my gift, Dakota wrote in her journal two nights later, sitting again on the balcony bench, squinting in the light of the moon and one guttering candle. I don't know what to do and I can't ask anyone, because everyone's involved but nobody knows it yet. I'm absolutely terrified.
I've gotten so good at not looking into people's eyes that sometimes I even forget why I do it. It never occurred to me before last night that I've only looked in Faith's eyes once, and that was when we first met, and I didn't see anything in them then past the fight with the Karvuil demon. I knew she would survive that, but it's all I knew.
But last night I got a good look in her eyes, and I saw what I've always avoided her eyes in fear of seeing — her death. I saw her death last night, and I saw who was responsible, and I'm sick. I'm so sick with fear and worry that if I could be sure a stake would kill me, I'd fall on one right now to stop myself having to live through what's coming.
That book. That fucking book. I've got to get that book back. If I can get it back, maybe I can stop everything. Maybe something different will happen. She won't die. She can't die. Please, God, whatever name or form You have, please don't let this happen. If I've got to live forever because of You picking me as a Slayer, then at least don't make me have to lose her like this. I think I'll go crazy.
There's got to be a way to stop this. There's just got to.
I'll get that book back, for starters; I'll get it back and burn it and then it can't be used that way. I don't care how useful it might be. I don't care. None of that matters. I can't do this!
I have to stop this. I have to. But I have to find out how far this goes. I'm going to have to use my gift on her... I've got to find out what she's planning. I have to. Faith's life depends on it.
---
The first thing Faith noticed was the look of sick fear on Dakota's face as she stared unseeing out at the sunrise. Concerned, she sat next to her lover and tried to find out what was wrong. Dakota was incoherent, only able to cling to Faith and cry. She finally picked the smaller girl up and carried her to bed, telling her in no uncertain terms that she wasn't to move.
She went downstairs to get some breakfast for Dakota and also to get Maisri to come and have a look at her, and bumped into Willow on the second floor landing. Willow had a look of incredible excitement on her face. "Where's Dakota? I need to talk to her about something."
"She's upstairs," Faith replied. "She ain't feeling so hot. I figured maybe she's got a bug or something, so I'm getting Maisri to come have a look at her."
"Oh," Willow said, looking disappointed. "Well, I guess I'll just tell her about it afterward, then. Do you think it would be all right for me to use one of the workrooms upstairs?"
"The magick rooms? Sure, go ahead. Just keep a list of whatever supplies you use out of the cabinets so I can make sure they get replaced. Maisri gets cranky when she runs outta stuff."
"Thanks!" Willow trotted on up the stairs and Faith headed on downstairs, looking for her in-house medic.
---
Willow popped back into her room for long enough to grab Rothschear's manuscript and then she headed up to the next floor, where the magick workrooms were. She chose the cubicle farthest from the stairs with the least likelihood of interruptions and began to set up. A trip to the supply cabinet provided her with everything she needed to do the spell she was planning. She set up the room just the way she wanted it, and sat down to go over her planned working one last time.
---
Dakota, after throwing up three attempts at eating breakfast, gave up completely and simply sat at the head of her bed, shivering. She had been unable to get the image of Faith's dead body out of her mind — and the face of the woman who had caused her death. That face had been terrifying and evil, but also familiar.
She was trying to formulate a plan. Something, anything, to stop what she saw coming. She decided to take the straightforward approach and simply ask for the book to be returned. Now. She didn't feel that she would have to give an explanation — Willow had now had over four days to look over the book and satisfy whatever morbid witchy curiosity had led her to want to read the thing in the first place, and it was time the book went back to the tower, where it would be safe.
The phone next to the bed rang, and Dakota rolled over to it and picked it p. "Yes?"
"Miss Dakota, there's a taxi on its way in. Thought you'd like to know."
"Yes, thank you." Dakota wondered who on earth it could be, then stood, dressed hastily, and went downstairs to meet their guests.
---
"This place is gorgeous," Xander commented. "I've never been to England before, you know."
"Yes, Xander, I know," Giles replied dryly. "I figured that out somewhere in the last four hundred and eighty-seven times you said it."
The taxi pulled up in front of the manor and after paying the driver, Giles slid out with Xander just behind him. There, standing on the porch, was Dakota, and Giles embraced her warmly. "It's good to see you," he told her.
She hugged him back and then hugged Xander as well. "It's good to see you both, too. Giles, we've got a situation. I need to talk to you right away. Xander, I'm so glad you came. I think you'll like the place. Come on in, I'll get a couple of girls to give you the nickel tour." She looked around. "Chimi!" she called to a girl who stood nearby. "Can you and your Partner come and carry Mr. Giles' bags to his room?"
"You bet, Ms. D," the girl replied, grabbing another who stood close to her. They came, took the bags with a smile, and trotted off toward the stairs.
Dakota looked around at the girls who were loitering around, many lounging on couches and a few playing what looked like dice against a wall nearby. She reached over and touched a girl on one of the couches. "Quontavia? Would you and Mindy carry Mr. Harris's bags up to the room next door to Miss Summers and Miss Rosenberg's room, please?"
"Sure will," the dark-skinned girl replied with an easy grin. "C'mon Mindy."
Then Dakota turned to a third set of girls. Casey, Tien, would you girls like to give Mr. Harris a tour of our lovely facility?"
"Oh, yes!" Tien exclaimed. "We would be honored."
"Yeah," Casey added, grinning. "What she said."
Xander followed the girls with a slight grin as they began to tease one another, and Giles turned to Dakota. "What seems to be the problem?"
She looked around the crowded lounge. "Not here."
---
They settled into Dakota's comfortably-appointed office, the door securely locked behind them, before Dakota broke down crying. She poured out all the tension she'd been holding since catching that glimpse of Faith's future and he held her while she cried, then helped her to clean her face when she was done, and made her square her shoulders and face her fears.
"We're simply going to have to take the book away from her," he stated flatly. "There's no other way around it. You can tell her or not tell her what you've seen... but the book has to be taken away. The sooner the better. Where is she?"
"I don't know. Let's go find out." Now that she had been able to share her burden and cry out her anguish, she felt able to take decisive action. They stood and left the room. Faith was just crossing the hall and heading for the main staircase, and Dakota called out to her. "Have you seen Willow?"
"Yeah, I saw her earlier, maybe a couple hours ago. She wanted to borrow one of Maisri's workrooms."
Giles and Dakota shared a horrified glance, but neither had taken more than two steps before a sudden eerie whine filled the hall. A strange bluish glow settled on each of the Potentials and the whine grew into a deafening bell-tone. The glow on two girls suddenly intensified into a blinding white light, and the rest of the girls, appearing very dazed, were released. The two girls still being held were somehow lifted into the air, held there for a brief moment, and then suddenly dropped to the floor simultaneously with the cessation of the light and the sound.
Faith, Dakota and Giles rushed over to those two girls. They both lay very close to each other on the floor and were both groaning and holding their heads as though they had pounding headaches. One of the girls, a pretty blonde named Kerry, opened her eyes. Faith gasped as the eyes glowed bright yellow for a moment and then suddenly cleared again. "Wow..." Kerry moaned.
The other girl, the Latina Maria Ortega, opened likewise yellow eyes and sat up quickly, looking around. "What's that buzz?"
"Buzz?" Giles asked. "I hear no buzz."
"No, not sound buzz." She touched the nape of her neck. "Buzz here. Like... power."
"Power..." Faith breathed. "Maria, that's the buzz that tells you a Slayer is near. I get that around B all the time." She looked up at Dakota. "And I'm getting it now... double strength. From these two."
"Oh, my God," Giles whispered hoarsely. "She's tampered with the basic nature of the Slayer line."
"Who has?" Buffy asked from the doorway. "Giles, what the hell is going on?"
Dakota stood. "It's begun," she said quietly. "Willow's done something irreversible and bad things are about to happen." She moved to the center of the room. "We don't have a lot of time. Everyone listen up. Willow's done something you all need to know about — she used one of the magick texts from up in the tower — one that she was supposed to be researching demons from — in order to alter the nature of the line. Now, rather than only one Chosen, we have at least four. There are possibly more than four — when this is over, we're going to have to do a pretty major Seeking to try and find anyone else who isn't already here who might have been Called. But this is pretty serious mojo and, if what I'm afraid of has occurred, there's going to be fighting here. Anyone who has been here less than six months, and anyone who is under the age of sixteen, get out to the barn, get horses and get out into the woods. We are officially under attack alert and you are not under any circumstances to return to the manor until the all-clear is signaled. Is that clear?" All the girls responded with crisp "yes, ma'ams", and Dakota continued. "There are a few girls who are not accounted for in this room. House heads, find them. Get them out. Everyone go!"
"Miss Dakota?" It was the newly-Chosen Maria. "What about me?"
"Oh. You're only fourteen. But... wait. Look at me." She took the girl by the chin and looked into her eyes. She saw the battle to come, saw the girl surviving it, and going on to become a very successful Slayer. "Okay," she said, breaking the contact. "You're staying. We might need you."
"What on earth for?" asked a deceptively sweet voice from the staircase.
All remaining eyes turned to her and the room rang with a gasp of horror. Buffy's choked voice slid through the silence that followed. "Wills?"
It was Willow on the staircase, all right, but it was Willow as none of them had ever seen her before. Her eyes and hair were completely black, and the expression on her face was cold. "Not so much. Willow... doesn't live here any more. But I certainly appreciate the vehicle. She's a pretty girl. I haven't had a female body in centuries."
Giles knew. "Rothschear."
"How lovely! You know me!" Rothschear smiled. "And you are?"
"Part of your undoing," Giles stated flatly. Then he glanced around at the few remaining girls. "Don't tell him your names. He can use them against you."
Rothschear faked a yawn. "Well, enough with the idle chatter. I suppose if I'm going to take over the world, I'm going to have to go through you lot. This is what the Watchers' Council brings to bear against me? An old man and a pack of little girls?"
"The Watchers' Council is no more, Rothschear," Dakota snarled. "And we'll have Willow back."
"Really? The Council has gone? How delightful. Then it won't be much for me to handle the lot of you, will it?" With the wave of a negligent hand, Giles went flying back against the wall and slumped to the floor in a heap.
Partner Trainee Conchara Jimenez stepped forward, said three brief words, and hurled a ball of green fire at the sorcerer wearing Willow's body. He also went flying back. Faith suddenly turned. "Nicki Roland! Go get Miss Maisri and do it now!"
The young girl, who just a few days ago had pitched a bottle of holy water to bring down a vampire, took to her heels and darted out of the hall as quickly as she could.
Rothschear stood up and gave a chilling smile to the room. "Well, perhaps I've underestimated you girls." The smile disappeared. "I won't again, you can be sure of that."
And the battle was on.