A Slayer's Tale
by JaHo
Rating: NC-17
The vampire waited in the shadows for a long while. It was hunting, following its intended prey through the now empty streets of the marketplace. He had seen her much earlier that evening, and he had decided immediately that she was his meal tonight.
She was exactly the type of woman that, in his mortal life, he would have loved to touch and experience. She was all of 17 years old, just two years younger than he had been when he was made. And beautiful. Oh my was she beautiful. She was also blonde, her hair cascading down over her shoulders and perfectly complementing the yellow dress that she wore. Her walk and whole demeanor told him that she was a lady. A noblewoman in fact, which was why it was so hard to imagine why she would be out so late without a suitor.
However, her reason for being here didn't matter. Only her presence did. He watched her from his current pool of shadow, advancing only when she had made her way far enough that she would not notice his movement. His time was near, he could feel it. The young woman approached a large strip of shadow that lay to the opening of a nearby alley.
Now he made his move. He surged forward, his supernatural powers masking his every sound. Making his way to his target with unnatural speed, he grabbed her and dragged the blonde into the alleyway. He was fully consumed with the need of the kill...the hunger inside that demanded filling.
He dragged the human victim into the darkened alley and pinned her against the wall. This would be a meal that he would not soon forget.
Little did he know how right he was.
The blonde reacted immediately, as if she had been expecting his attack. She spun him around, hitting him hard in the face with suprising strength. The vampire reeled feeling the pain of the strike, and his intended victim kicked him hard in the stomach doubling him over. What the hell?
"As a rule.." she said as he felt himself being lifted by a handful of hair. "Vampires are largely overconfident. Let that be a lesson to you."
She plunged a stake into his chest, watching the demon explode into dust.
Oh no, she thought. This is my new dress. Elizabeth hurriedly brushed the vampire dust from herself. A proper lady can't be seen in public with a dirty dress, after all.
But all of this was part of the job, which she had gladly accepted. It was the only honorable thing to do. She helped people. She destroyed the demons that would feed on humanity.
If she had to get a little dirty doing it...well then, so be it. She could always wash later.
She smiled as she straightened her dress and corsette. Then she whistled a folk song on the way home. Rupert would be quite pleased that another vampire no longer roamed the night.
She was the Slayer. This was what she did.
"Please Rupert.." Elizabeth said as she stepped down from her carriage. "I'm not a little girl anymore, you don't have to help me down."
As much as she had been conditioned to be the quaint little lady, Elizabeth Summerfield had a strong independent streak. It had a lot to do with the fact that she was, in fact, the Slayer. She was the strongest and fastest female in her entire generation, who was chosen to fight the demons and other foes of the forces of good. She was still uncomfortable rationalizing why she should be doted over like a defenseless girl.
Other than being her advisor in affairs of state, Rupert was her Watcher. It was a sacred duty, which had been passed to him by his own father. It was his duty and privilege to assist and advise the Slayer on her duties. It was he, who did the arduous research and devised the complex plans against the invariably powerful demon, which Elizabeth faced with regularity.
He smiled up at his young charge, noting her streak of rebelliousness. She was the Slayer, yes. But tonight of all nights, was very important. Tonight the King would announce his son's intended suitor, and this could be an important event for both of them.
Elizabeth, of course, was uninterested in such affairs of state. Did it really matter who the Prince chose to court? Whomever it was, it didn't change her status a bit. Nor did she care. She was Lady Elizabeth Summerfield, courtesan and aristocrat. She did not care whom the Prince married, so long as the windbag chose someone else but her.
She gazed across the ballroom, listlessly. She was searching for any sign of a companion that might interest her. Finally her eyes settled upon a young man that she was surprised and excited to see.
"Alexander!" she exclaimed, running across the dance floor. She met her friend in a long hug, that dripped of absence. She had missed him so much, while he was away!
The young man reciprocated and hugged her back, as he felt his best friend collide into his side.
"Well…" he said, holding her at arm's length, "It's great to see you too."
"You've been away for too long!" Elizabeth told him, as the next song started and she danced with him. Alexander was her very best male friend. She was more comfortable with him than any man on the face of the earth. "Why didn't you write to me?"
"Well, I've been very busy, Elizabeth." He told her. "My father's business keeps me occupied. But you know that I'll always be back to see you."
"Aww. My Alexander.." She smiled at him as the next song started, letting the feeling run through her as the violinists played. "You know that I love you," she said.
He smiled at her. "Yes, but not in the way I want you to love me." They continued to dance and hold to each other while the music played.
They still smiled and danced, as if no other creature in the world could make a difference. This was a wonderful party, after all. And Elizabeth intended to enjoy it.
It was late. The second night that she had been on patrol with no break in the monotony. Things had been relatively slow tonight, with not even one vampire encountered. It was downright eerie.
Elizabeth walked the streets, still giddy from the dance. Alexander was her very best male friend, who understood her role but didn't mind. He was the best.
Then there was Willow. Willow was a serving girl that always gave her the very best attention. She had come to be the servant's very good friend over the past few parties that Elizabeth had been a part of. As far as the servants were concerned, Elizabeth was the sweetest noble. She always gave the highest compliments and expected very little. That was enough to grant her almost Queen status. Everyone loved Elizabeth, servants and nobles alike.
So now, to the present. Elizabeth was on her nightly patrol, just like it should be. Playing, as always, the role of the innocent girl who walked the streets alone after dark. It was fitting, in a way. Seeing as how she really would be no more than an innocent girl if she hadn't been the Chosen One. Without the strength and speed that she had been granted upon her calling, she would be nothing more than noblewoman Elizabeth.
It wasn't long after her calling that Rupert had found her. She was so thankful to have him as her Watcher. First, he was very smart. He knew almost everything about vampires and demons, which was so useful in the secret cause to which she was a part. Second, he truly loved and cared about her. Much unlike the real parents that she never knew, and finally she had used her influence to maneuver him into his current position as her consultant.
As all of these thoughts continued to drift through her mind, she continued to walk the main street of town. It was, indeed a slow night with demons considered. She was very surprised that no demon had made its move and attacked her yet, which made her wonder. Soon her wondering was quenched as she heard the sounds of a struggle from a nearby alleyway.
The demons had chosen to attack someone else tonight.
Elizabeth closed the distance quickly, running toward the sound of scuffle. Her reflexes were honed and ready. Entering the alley she saw the demon. It was perched above its intended victim grinning fatally and ready to deliver the killing blow. Elizabeth knew that she couldn't save the girl in time.
Then she stopped, totally surprised.
The dark haired girl, who had been the beast's intended victim, struck it across the face and sent it reeling back. Then she kipped up to her feet and closed the distance on her stunned attacker.
Elizabeth just watched, stone still. This peasant girl was defending herself?
The girl definitely was a peasant, Elizabeth could tell that by the way she was dressed. She wore the dress of a serf, and had smudges of dirt intermittently along the parts of her body that were exposed. The poor girl was in desperate need of a bath, but she was definitely causing a lot of damage to this vampire. She struck at it with all the strength and speed of a…no. She couldn't be.
The dark haired girl knocked the demon back against the far wall with a hard kick, then she began to run.
Elizabeth moved forward, finally allowing her reflexes to take over, staking the demon and watching it fall to dust. It was more of a distraction than anything else. She couldn't allow herself to be kept from at least talking to this girl. It was essential.
"Wait!" Elizabeth called, and the fleeing girl stopped in her tracks. She turned to face the noblewoman.
Her dress is so pretty, the younger girl thought. Why would she even talk to me? But still she stopped in her tracks, afraid to even move.
"Girl..?" Elizabeth called to the frozen figure, who slowly turned to look at her. The girl kept her eyes down, never looking her in the face which befit a person of her social stature.
Elizabeth approached her carefully, not sure how to talk to the young girl. She didn't want to scare her off, after all. As she got closer, she noticed how thin the poor thing was. It looked as if the girl hadn't eaten in days. But still her beauty showed through the dirt that covered her.
"What's your name girl?"
The young peasant hesitated slightly before giving her name. "Faith."
She then ran into the night, before Elizabeth could catch her. It was so fast that Elizabeth was left wondering if she had dreamed the encounter. She was now left with dust and an empty alley.
She walked home, her thoughts drifting to the young girl whose life she had tried to save. So pretty. So…dirty. Oh my, I didn't just think that did I? No. I just feel sorry for her.
Still though, I must find out more about her. Also I must tell Rupert about her. He will be most interested. Most interested indeed.
"Are you sure, Elizabeth?" Rupert said, as he paced along the floor and cleaned his glasses.
"Well," she frowned. "Not entirely sure, Rupert. But she was very strong. Nobody I know could defend themselves the way that she did."
"Well, of course I trust your judgement. But I still have never known of there being another Slayer while the current one is still alive. I just don't know how such a thing could be possible." He put his glasses back on, after succeeding in making them the cleanest pair in the world.
"I'll do some research, dear. In the meantime, just patrol as usual." He said to her. The thoughts in his head were not good ones, but he kept up appearances.
Larissa sat alone in her room, which was dimly lit with a few sparse candles. She worked intently on the trinket, which she had purchased weeks ago. She still had no idea how it worked, as the mysterious shopkeeper had given her no instructions as to its use. That was part of the bargain.
"No clues, young lady.." The ancient looking man had said to her. "You must learn this yourself. But the rewards will be..incredible." A wicked smile had crossed his wrinkled face as he slid the rectangular object to her.
Now she sat on the floor of her room, the dim candlelight barely enough to see by. The device had consumed her over the last several days. She barely took time to sleep, eat or drink. Her every waking thought was of the wooden and metallic item that she held in her hands. She ran her hands over its surface now, in a random pattern, searching for its hidden secret.
This process was her final step. She just knew it.
Larissa had done it all, seen it all. Her exploration into the world of the unknown had lasted for years, spanning endless tomes and participation in rituals. Now after years of questing and questioning, finally she had the answer. It was there in her hands.
She knew little about the device itself, except that it originated far from her own birthplace. Plus that it promised immense unclaimed treasures.
So intent was she on solving the device that she didn't even notice the melody that began to emanate from the small, ornately adorned square. It was slight and imperceptible, so that she knew no difference in her surroundings. Up until now, there had seemed to be no solving point. There was a strange logic to the device that was almost unnoticed.
~click~
She grinned broadly and her body jumped in surprise and excitement. The box jumped in her hands and began to reconfigure itself. Watching in awe as it moved and shifted in both of her outstretched palms. At the same time the room began to shake, the walls rumbling and glowing in anticipation of the coming darkness.
Larissa only watched in awe. This is what she had been waiting for. A new player was entering the game, as the prophet of the Order Of The Gash entered her living space.
Less than a minute later she was screaming for her life.
Elizabeth had only been out for an hour before she heard the scream.
She ran in the direction of the noise, quickly pulling her stake from under her dress. She had no idea who or what the source of the problem was, but she planned to lend her help. She held her dress with both hands, so that she could run quickly and unfettered.
And as she ran, she saw Faith. Elizabeth stopped in her tracks seeing the girl run toward the same source of sound that she was. Her heart skipped a beat at the mere sight of the running peasant. What was happening to her?
No! The victim! Remember? She regained her composure in less than a second and took up her running again, hitting the door at almost the same moment as the peasant girl. The wooden door exploded inward into splinters.
They looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously ran into the next room.
Elizabeth gasped at the sight.
This was like nothing she had ever seen. The room was dank and wet with a scent of a metallic hue. Both of their senses were overwhelmed. Blood covered the floor and walls. The roof was draped with viscera, which intermittently dripped blood. The droplets fell the floor making sickly sounds as they collided with the layer of human life fluid, which they met.
As for whatever had done this, there was no trace.
Elizabeth ran from the room to vomit.
She sat in the alleyway composing herself, her hand stretched out against one wall to steady her dizziness. In all of her year, as the Slayer, she had seen nothing like the gruesome scene that she had just witnessed.
Rupert. She had to find Rupert. He would know what to do.
She felt a hand on her shoulder and spun reflexively, her hand drawn back. Wait. It was the girl. The peasant girl, Faith.
Faith stood, catching her own breath and holding out a handkerchief to her. Elizabeth took it.
"W-what could have done that?" the girl finally spoke.
After a short while Elizabeth finally answered. "I don't know. Are you alright?"
"Me? You're the one who was throwing her little guts out just a time ago." Faith laughed with the cutest York accent, which was typical of the lower class. Her confident smile made Elizabeth blush. Then they sat in silence for a while, and then Elizabeth finally spoke.
"I-I'm going to find my Watcher. He can help.." Then she turned to face the girl who still sat with her. "Will you come with me?"
Hearing the yelling of the nightly watch, Faith spoke quickly. "Sure! Just get us out of here, before they think we had something to do with this."
They ran as fast as they could from the scene, slowing only for the knowledge that they had put enough distance between themselves and the scene that they would no longer be stopped by anyone in regards to the watch's inquiries.
"So..why did you..?" Elizabeth searched for words. "Most people would have run from the sound of a scream like that."
"It sounded like someone needed help. I..I just wanted to help." Faith answered.
"Is that what you do?" Elizabeth asked, knowing that now she was really getting some information now. She knew that the instincts of a Slayer were to help people who needed it. Now she wanted to find out if this girl had those same instincts.
"Do you always help people who need it?"
"Not always." The girl stated, staring off as they walked. "Sometimes I just run away. Then I feel so bad."
"Well you certainly did run from me last night."
"Sorry `bout that ma'am. But I was surprised. And nobles scare me most times. You are a noble right?"
"Yes." Elizabeth said, feeling the fool for her lack of manners. Then she stopped, extended her hand, and curtsied. "I'm Lady Elizabeth Summerfield."
Faith was taken aback. Why would any noble curtsy to her? And why was this girl being so nice to her? This was definitely not the common behavior of anyone of the upper class. Usually they just dumped their urine in the streets, so that the commoners had to smell and walk in it. Then they walked around with handkerchiefs over their faces, acting perfectly as if it was the peasants who stank so badly. But this girl seemed so different.
"You are still coming with me, right? To meet my Watcher?"
The commoner shrugged. "Sure I suppose. What in hell is a Watcher, anyway?"
"He helps me." Elizabeth stated, contently as she continued to walk along the cobblestone path. The night was slowly turning to the total illumination of the moon. It sauntered overhead and cast its luminescence down upon the ground, reflecting from the occasional puddle.
"He'll help you too. Don't worry Faith. You're special. I don't know how it happened, but you are."
What the hell was this crazy noble talking about? She was special? What in the name of..
"Well..alright." Was her only response.
"Besides.." Elizabeth said, her face brightening. "It looks like you could use a nice meal."
Now she was talking. Food was definitely the subject of the day. Faith smiled.
"And I could give you a bath!" Elizabeth stopped dead in her tracks, realizing that her thoughts about the young girl had just blurted from her mouth. Now she was stammering for words to cover. "I mean..I could give you water..to take a bath in. And to be..clean."
Faith laughed.
"Food and a bath would be very nice, Beth. Thank you."
Notes: This chapter contains some semi-graphic descriptiveness. If you are squeamish, be warned.
This was not like the sorcerer had imagined at all.
His spell had apparently gone terribly awry. His invocation was intended to bring about a spirit guide, a bound companion to aid and consult him in his spell casting. But the lovely being of light was not here.
What stood before him was a horrifying creature that mocked him with an intricate display of chains and hooks that crisscrossed its flesh. As it moved, even slightly, the glistening, bloody meat beneath its flesh was hinted at. He knew instantly that this..this thing could not possibly be what he had intended to summon. After all his years of experience in the white and black arts, he was sure. And it sent him into a state of panic at what he had unleashed.
The sorcerer threw out a powerful banishment, which sent a white arc of energy toward the thing. The arc hit the beast's chest and exploded out in all directions, leaving a bright bluish glow that slowly faded into the dark room's normal hue. The practitioner of the magical arts steadied himself on his working table and breathed a sigh of relief. His sigh turned to a gasp of horror when he looked up and saw the beast still in the same spot that it was just a moment ago.
It smiled defiantly at him, the broadening of its mouth stretching the flesh grotesquely in odd directions. It was obviously humanoid, or at least, once had been so. Finally it spoke while beginning to slowly and meticulously move across the floor toward the wizard. The leather robing that it wore from the waist down obscured the movement of its legs.
"Do you even know who I am?" the thing asked. "Did you really think to banish me?" Its voice was as the sound of a rake being drawn across cobblestone. It was as if the scarification that crisscrossed every inch of its barren chest, coated the creature's vocal cords as well.
The only thing the shrinking, petrified man could think to do was vigorously shake his head and stammer out a, "N-n-no.."
"No matter." The being stopped just across the table from him and stared deeply into his eyes. "All that matters is that I know you." Its voice seemed to reverberate from the very walls and echo into the frightened being's ears over and over again with every word.
"I understand the nature of your fear. But do not be dismayed. Now that I have been unleashed into your world, I will make great use of your special skills."
Now the magician understood. This beast intended to use him! It intended for him to be his magical slave. He broke into a run, darting for the door, but was caught quickly by the throat faster than his eye could have followed. He felt himself being lifted from the ground and brought face to face with the monster, which stood a good seven feet in height.
"Do NOT question the pleasures or power which you have been offered." It spat into his face with a sudden flash of anger.
Then, just as quickly, its grotesque face regained its serene appearance and the human was lowered to the floor. The Prophet of The Gash smiled down at him, still holding him by the shoulders. In all his years he had never seen a smile filled with such wickedness, such pure evil.
"My name is Acolistes. Can we begin now?"
They entered the foyer, Faith staying slightly behind as she had been asked, and Elizabeth immediately asked one of her handmaidens to draw a bath.
It was not an unusual occurrence. Lady Elizabeth very often loved a hot bath after her night's activities. So the young lady spirited herself away to draw the bath and prepare clean bed linens for the young noblewoman.
Afterward, Elizabeth made a quick shewing motion to Faith who had been waiting and watching, unseen. The peasant girl immediately darted up the stairs that Elizabeth had directed her too, with the older girl not far behind.
Elizabeth took the lead and, upon reaching the second floor landing, led Faith to her chamber and closing the door behind them.
Faith walked further into the room, looking around in awe. This was the most amazing place that she had ever been in. Elizabeth's personal chamber was decorated in colors of gold and scarlet, made of fabrics more beautiful than she even knew existed. At one wall sat a large mirrored vanity, which fascinated her, as it was covered with a huge assortment of beautiful, intricately made containers. It became obvious that each was filled with a sweet smelling perfume or powder, because as she approached the area her nose was treated to the volley of wonderful smells.
Directly across the room was a large canopy bed, which was adorned in the same golden and scarlet fabrics. It was also adorned with enough large pillows that several families could make use of them. Then, glancing at the decorations and trimmings that filled the room, Faith decided that she should not touch anything. She finally turned to face the noblewoman who was contentedly watching her own exploration of the chamber.
"You stay here?" Faith asked.
"Yes." Elizabeth nodded.
"Every night?" This statement from Faith brought a cutely amused smile to the blonde Slayer's face.
"Of course every night, silly. This is my home."
"The whole house?!" If it were possible, the girl's eyes got even wider.
Elizabeth laughed. She found the brunette's awe and wonder incredibly cute.
"Wait here Faith. Alright?"
The peasant girl only nodded, and stood with her arms crossed protectively over her chest. She still wasn't quite sure what was happening here or why she had found her way to this large house. To be honest, she was slightly intimidated. But it was like any other situation that she found herself in. She could handle it. And if any situation ever turned for the worse, she could find her way out. She always had.
Elizabeth went to the door that separated her main bedchamber from the bath. Opening it, she poked her head inside to check on the progress of the water being poured into her large tub. Finding the handmaiden almost finished, Elizabeth politely asked her to leave before motioning Faith into the room. It was not that she was ashamed of having Faith here. Far from it.
However, she did want to keep the girl's presence here a secret from everyone from Rupert. Plus, it would cut down on the idle gossip and chitchat that sometimes ran rampant at any new occurrence.
Faith entered the bath chamber, and was once again highly impressed at the immaculate room, that was accentuated by the huge tub. "I'll get you something clean to wear, while you bathe. Umm, you can..undress over there." She made a motion with her hand and exited the room, as Faith began to disrobe.
She slid her dress off, noting the stains and tears in the only garment that she owned. Suddenly, she felt a little ashamed and uncomfortable to be here. She must look horrid to the noble. But, at least, she could make herself as presentable as possible.
She approached the ornate bathtub and tentatively lowered herself into the hot water. Then she found the cloth and began cleaning the layers of road dust from herself, just as the door opened again and Elizabeth reappeared. The noblewoman averted her eyes, strangely finding herself reluctant to do so. Still, her gaze at the younger girl's beautiful form lasted a moment longer than it should have. It didn't go unnoticed either.
She's looking at me! Faith thought. She's looking at my…oh… The brunette almost gasped silently, feeling the noblewoman's eyes upon her. Only then did it sink in.
She's attracted to me! Her mind filled with wonderful, yet unattainable images. What was she thinking? Was she really thinking about that? A noblewoman no less? Talk about your unreachable goals.
Yeah, Faith thought. Sure she's attracted to me. She's just being helpful, bringing in the clean dress that she was to change into.
But the next thing that happened made her wonder.
"Oh look now. You've missed a spot." Elizabeth said, as she reached forward grabbing another washcloth. Faith gasped aloud as she felt Elizabeth's hand on her, rubbing the layer of grit from her shoulder. Faith closed her eyes as the blonde's touch brought a moan from her.
Oh no! Did she just moan?
It was so strange. Why was she feeling this way? The feeling of the blonde's hands on her sent her into a place that she didn't know was possible. In her long travels, Faith had never known the intimate touch of anyone. Perhaps the things she was feeling were the result of her total lack of intimate experience. Faith had never known the touch of anyone on her skin. Other than that directed to hurt or scorn her.
Now this. This gentle tenderness touched something deep inside that spread right through her. She looked back over her shoulder at Elizabeth who just smiled sweetly at her, and for the first time in a long time Faith smiled back.
"Why are you being so nice to me?"
The blonde looked down at her and grinned as she continued to run the cloth along the younger girl's back. "I just am.."
Faith turned back around and settled into the warm water a little deeper, enjoying the heat of the water and the gentle hands upon her shoulders. The mutual attraction between them remained unspoken, but it grew nonetheless.
Notes: Ellie is my buddy. Thanks for your help with the dialogue, girl. :)
Faith sat in the chair in front of Elizabeth's vanity mirror, looking at herself in the large, tri-paned glass. She had never thought of herself as pretty before. In truth, she had never really had the opportunity to take a long look at herself. But the woman whose face stared back at her from the polished glass was unlike that which she imagined herself.
Elizabeth stood behind her, brush in hand, running long languid strokes through her raven hair. Occasionally, Faith would look up into the mirror which reflected both her own and Elizabeth's image and give the blonde a slight smile. When Elizabeth would grin sweetly back at her, she would shyly look down at her feet again.
When the bath had finished Elizabeth skillfully, yet regrettably, averted her eyes again as Faith put on the white silk nightshirt that she had provided. Now Elizabeth was dressed in a shirt that looked exactly the same. It occurred to Faith that the noblewoman had given her one of her very own shirts to wear. And that thought made her flush.
"Come with me." Elizabeth had said, leading the younger girl into the main chamber and sitting her down at the beautiful vanity. Faith sat down and crossed her fingers in her lap. Everything here was so fancy, that she was still afraid to touch anything. But with a little encouraging, she finally began to pick up bottles here and there to examine the wonderful and different scents within.
All the while, Elizabeth brushed her hair, giving Faith attention of the like that she had never had before. As a result, the brunette's wall of emotional defenses fell another notch.
Now they sat upon Elizabeth's bed together, facing each other in cross-legged seated positions.
"So tell me about where you're from." Elizabeth had started.
Faith only shrugged, reluctant to talk about her past. "I really couldn't tell you, Beth. I barely remember my parents."
"But..how have you lived?"
"Any way that I could find. I steal most times, for food and such. Other times I just go hungry. I'm not about to do any 'favors' for anyone, if you know what I mean." Faith looked down.
Elizabeth looked up at her innocently. "No. What do you mean?"
It was apparent that her new friend had lived a very sheltered life. Even if she was some fighter of evil like she claimed to be, she was still a little uneducated in the ways of the world.
"Sex, Beth. I'm not about to have sex with someone just for food." There. She finally had it out. Then she looked down at the ornately decorated bedcovers.
Elizabeth was taken by surprise. People would actually ask that of a girl? Trading sex for food? She realized, at that moment that she was highly ignorant in the ways of the lower class. Feeling so bad for the younger girl, she put her hand on the brunette's arm.
This girl was so pretty. It was such a stretch in Elizabeth's imagination that anyone would treat her badly.
"I'm sorry.." she said. "I didn't know."
Faith shook her head. "It's alright ma'am. I've learned to take care of myself."
They sat in silence, until the brunette finally spoke again. "So..what could have done..that? What we saw tonight."
"I don't know. I've never seen anything like it." The blonde Slayer looked down, shuddering at the memory of the carnage they had witnessed earlier. "A demon of some sort. We'll ask Rupert when we talk to him in the morning."
"So this Rupert fellow. You called him your 'Watcher'. What does he do?"
"He helps me." Elizabeth told her, bragging about her Watcher. "He's very smart about such things. I'm sure he'll know what it was, and if he doesn't he'll find out. Then I'll know the best way to go about confronting it."
Now Faith was a little intimidated. She didn't want to know what had caused the horrific sights of the past eve. Then, if she did know, the last thing that was on her mind was confronting it. The best thing that she could do was change the subject.
"Beth.." she looked deeply into the beautiful face of the lady across from her. "Thank you. For the food, and the place to sleep. I promise I won't get too used to it."
The blonde reached out and took her hand. Feeling the warmth, Faith buried her shyness and looked up into her companion's face. The noblewoman was smiling back at her, sweetly.
"I don't mind." The younger girl noticed that Beth was actually beaming.
"Let's go to sleep now, ok?" Faith said, feeling flushed again.
Not saying another word, Elizabeth nuzzled up to her pillow and pulled the covers up over the both of them. She smelled Faith's intoxicating scent as they drifted off to sleep. The brunette was so exhausted from the night's traumatic events. Not to mention she was sleepy from the fullness of her stomach, that she was succumbing to sleep almost immediately.
Just in the very moment before sleep, Faith could have sworn that she heard the whispered words, "I'll look after you from now on.." Then she vaguely felt a soft kiss upon her forehead and a butterfly's kiss upon her lips. It must have been a part of the dream that was forming in her freshly sleeping mind.
Then she was asleep.
The humanoid raised one hand as if to summon a companion. But what shot from the shadows was a long chain, which was tipped with a razor sharp hook. It hooked the human's flesh and immediately pulled back, tearing his muscle and flesh. The action sprayed blood in an arc on the far wall.
"What more did you want?" It asked, then laughed sardonically. The gesture of its laughter pulled and teased at the intricate array of wires and hooks that crisscrossed its cheeks and temples, giving horrifying glimpses of the gore underneath.
The simple séance that they had tried to perform was now a foolish dream. It became more than apparent that the simple invocation they had performed, served as nothing more than a gateway to the spirit realm by which this being used to enter reality. Their own wishes did not matter, nor did their coven's simple human magic.
Up until this point, the coven had considered themselves to be one of the most powerful in all of Europe. Now the realization was beginning to dawn separately on each of its six members that whatever had appeared before them was beyond the touch of even their abilities. Almost all of them had tried to banish or damage the gruesome thing, in turn. It was all to no avail.
Now four of their six members hung suspended by hook and chain that permeated the most vital and painful points of their bodies. The screams of pain were deafening as they hung like nothing more than slabs of meat in a local slaughterhouse. The only difference being, that in a slaughterhouse, the butcher did the service of killing the animal before the hanging and flaying of creature's flesh. This being had no such mercy.
Acolistes stood in the center of his dark work, hearing the screams as music to his ears.
Since being unleashed by the workings of the configuration, he only needed the essence of any magickal working to gain access to this reality. Actually he didn't even need that, but it was so much simpler to follow a magickal trail. It drained him much less than ripping a hole in reality, which he was perfectly capable of doing if he wished to do so.
And these foolish humans trying to use their magick against him. He laughed loudly again, as chain and blade shot from nowhere to capture the last two and lift them from the ground.
"I..I know you." One of them said weakly, as her body's lifeblood flowed from her wounds and dripped to the floor, meeting and mixing with the blood of her compatriots. The pathetic sound of the human, whom he now assumed to be the coven's leader, now had his attention.
"Do you?" the demon asked, its voice causing even more pain to the barely living victim.
Indeed, the coven's leader did know Acolistes. Knew about him, at least. In years of study, all of mankind's knowledge of the Order of The Gash, she had learned. Now the order's prophet leaned close to her face and hissed its fetid breath at her.
"What do you know?" the dark prophet demanded.
"I know that you bring death."
So foolish. Humans and their inane perceptions.
"No. Not death. Only the endless art of pain." Then his will directed the chains as extensions of his own body, rending flesh from bone and silencing the inept babbling of the coven's leader. Now Acolistes laughed even louder, bringing more melodic screams from his other victims.
Only one force on earth could stand against him now, and soon even that threat would be eliminated. The will of the order would be done.
This was going to be a long and enjoyable night.
Disclaimer: Joss Whedon owns the characters of Buffy and Faith. Clive Barker owns the Hellraiser universe. FOR THOSE WHO HAVEN'T GUESSED YET, YES THIS IS A HELLRAISER CROSSOVER. I own nothing but my own imagination. :)
"Rupert..?" Elizabeth said inquisitively as she poked her head into the study.
Rupert looked up from his books at the sound of the Slayer's voice. "Ahh, Elizabeth. Good morning."
Her watcher smiled fitfully at the sight of his young charge, and he motioned to a chair.
"Come in and have a.." He paused at the entrance of not only his Slayer but also another girl. A young brunette that trailed in behind Elizabeth. It did not take much for him to put the pieces together and realize who it was that now stood next to Elizabeth, shifting her weight uncomfortably from one foot to the other. Though, he was taken aback at seeing her here, so early in the morning.
"Ehh..Faith I presume?" He asked of the younger girl who nodded her head nervously.
"Yessir."
They sat for a moment of uncomfortable silence.
"Well then..both of you have a seat. I have things to talk about." Rupert said, motioning to a pair of chairs. The two girls sat at the table across from him. Faith sat, reluctantly. She was still wary of this man, regardless of how much Elizabeth had sung his accolades.
"Her name was Larissa Colmes.." Rupert said, laying out the morning gazette. His fingertips strummed the headline for the girls to draw their attention to. Noting the address, Elizabeth surmised.. "This is the poor girl we stumbled across last night! We were going to ask you about this Rupert!"
"It's not only that." Rupert said solemnly. "The council has told me that a prominent coven has disappeared as well."
"Disappeared?"
"Yes, as in no contact. When the council sent its emissary, there was nothing to be found but blood. That's why they want to involve you, Elizabeth."
Faith sat silently, absorbing as much as she could. What in the Devil's name was a council?
"Me?" The blonde asked.
"Well..yes. It seems that they think the two occurrences are connected. I don't know how, exactly. But then, I'm not necessarily in the inner circle. However, I would like for you to investigate. Our insider has told me that there is a large file of evidence on this Larissa girl. As usual, he will be on duty tonight. He will allow you full access to what files the watch does have on the incident."
Elizabeth nodded. "Can Faith come with me?"
Faith shot her a quick look. What the hell?
"Beth..I don't know if I.." she was shaking her head nervously. Was Elizabeth really expecting her to charge in like some soldier in a war?
"I.." Rupert interrupted. "I still have some tests that I'd like to do with Faith. Just out of curiosity of course."
Now Faith panicked. Tests? What tests? She got up from her chair, fully intent on leaving.
Elizabeth had been successful in keeping Faith from running again. It turned out that the test he wanted to run on Faith was nothing more than a sample of her saliva mixed with an herbal compound.
The compound was similar to the one that only Rupert knew about. The one that was administered on the Slayer's eighteenth birthday. However, this mixture had a different intent. It was meant to find out if the person being tested was a potential Slayer. The bloodline reacted differently for each person that was tested, but the results were undeniable.
From this simple litmus test, Rupert did know that Faith was a potential Slayer. Plus, from what Elizabeth had told him, her abilities had been activated. He had no idea how it had happened, just that it had. Perhaps some chance act of nature had given her blood the initiative to react on its own. It was certainly worth doing more research.
He was both puzzled and intrigued at the revelation. However, his mind needed to be focused on the task at hand. There had been a violent death and six mysterious disappearances that needed to be addressed.
Giles dismissed the girls to go about whatever business they needed to and returned to his books. He had no plans to tell the council of this new development. They kept him out of their little circle, after all. Bollocks to them.
If Elizabeth had not been there, she would have bolted immediately for sure. But the pretty blonde had been right there with her. It turned out that all the 'Watcher' had wanted was a little of her spittle that she was more than willing to provide.
Spit in this cup? Ok, that I can do.
This mystical and spiritual nonsense was definitely something she was not going to get used to. But her Elizabeth was there, smiling sweetly and reassuringly at her while Giles performed whatever test he needed to. Apparently, he too was under the mistaken impression that she was somehow "special". But Faith knew better. She wasn't special at all. She was just an unwanted girl.
Well. Mostly unwanted. She felt an undeniable attraction to Elizabeth, though she was unsure why. She was a girl, after all! But when she was around the blonde, as crazy as she seemed, Faith felt so at home. It was almost as if there was something deeper, in her blood that cried out to touch her.
Perhaps that was why what happened next, happened.
"Beth.." Faith asked as the door closed when they exited Giles' study.
"Yes Faith?" The noblewoman turned to face her.
The beauty of the older girl overtook her. "I..I just wanted to get this one little thing out of the way."
Then Faith leaned forward and kissed her. Her lips were pressed against the older girl's touching and feeling the softness of her skin. Elizabeth's heart beat faster and she wrapped her arms around the younger girl. She felt herself being pushed back against the wall and pursued further.
Faith knew that she was taking a huge chance in this action. If her feelings were not reciprocated as she had assumed, then this could possibly be the last thing she ever did in this house. Elizabeth would punt her right from this place if she were wrong.
Amazingly though, and sweetly, she felt Elizabeth melt into her embrace and her lips become softly welcoming. Elizabeth was surprised at first, to say the least. But she quickly overcame the heartbeat of fear and pressed herself against the brunette. Despite herself, she moaned into the younger girl's mouth. Never before had anything felt so right.
Faith kissed a line across her chin and onto her neck before Elizabeth realized that they were still in the hallway, in full view of anyone who happened to wander by.
"My chambers.." Elizabeth gasped. "Please?"
They pulled away from each other, gasping for breath.
"Yes.." Faith only smiled and took the lead back into the noblewoman's bedchamber.
"The box..!" Acolistes demanded. "Where is it?"
The demon's body pulsed with stolen life as he spoke. The energy that he had stolen from the death he had wrought had fed him, and it rewrote his body both blood and sinew. The difference being the hiding gores that lurked beneath the surface of his healing flesh.
"I..I don't know.." the watch commander sputtered as he hung like a slab of meat from the array of hooks that suspended him from the ground. His own blood covered his naked flesh and dripped from a dozen different places, finding its own purchase at the slight sputter on the floor.
"By now..it's probably in the hands of the council." The human shouted in pain before unconsciousness overtook him.
The Watchers' Council. Wonderful. That would mean the Slayer would be involved as well.
Now the demon knew where he must go, but he couldn't do so until tonight. When the sun set, he would be there.
The two of them sat on the edge of Elizabeth’s large bed. Their first kiss had been sweet and tender, but now it seemed that they had no idea how to touch each other. Like most beginnings it was going very slowly. It was shy and tentative with no words spoken. Occasionally Elizabeth would lean forward and kiss Faith on the lips, then pull away with a slight giggle.
Faith’s head was swimming. Though the experience was slow and unsure, as she had never been this close to anyone. But she was more than happy to learn this experience with the beautiful woman next to her. When Elizabeth would lean forward to kiss her, she would willingly accept and bring her hand up to cradle the blonde’s flawless face.
Still, no word had been spoken between them. All that needed to be said was done so with actions.
Suprisingly, Elizabeth was the first one to reach up her bedmate’s dress. What she found was sweet wetness that welcomed her touch. Faith’s hips trembled at the pressure against her sex, then bucked slightly as Elizabeth’s finger slowly entered her. She wasn’t making any motion to stop Beth from the delicate touches that were bringing her to the special place that she had only known by her own hand.
“Oh..Elizabeth.” She gasped as she lay back on the bed. She maneuvered her way on top of the blonde and pressed her now bare breast against the older girl’s face. Elizabeth accepted the nipple into her mouth and moved her tongue over its hardening surface the way that she always assumed it should be done.
This was the strangest thing that Elizabeth had ever imagined, and also the most wonderful. The feeling of Faith’s soft flesh pressing against her was bringing out feelings that she didn’t even know she had. She had always imagined that her first time would be with a man, but in truth she had never been interested in this type of intimacy with any of her suitors. Now she knew why. There was a heat in her center that spread down into her legs and to her toes.
Faith stared down at Elizabeth’s beautiful face, the sight of her own body pressed against the beauty’s face raising her excitement to a newer and higher level. She memorized every line and curve of the blonde’s features and burned them into her memory, so that when she closed her eyes only this image floated languidly in front of her.
“Oh yes..” Faith murmured. She felt the blonde’s fingers still working between her legs, slowly pulsing in and out of her dripping sex. Oh my God! Better than anything I imagined! She arched upward in pleasure, forcing Elizabeth’s fingers even deeper inside and bringing out a throated cry of pleasure.
From the sounds that were coming from her lover Elizabeth assumed she was doing fairly well, considering that she was only doing to Faith what she did to herself when she would masturbate. She just hoped that she would do a good job for her bedmate, and from what she could tell the brunette wasn’t disappointed in the slightest.
“Oh Beth..” she sputtered, as she brought their lips together once again, whimpering into the blonde’s mouth as she came.
She lay for a while her body pressed against Elizabeth, holding so close to her that she eventually lost all sense of where her body ended and the older girl’s began. Finally she looked up into her lover’s face, noticing the flush of the skin around her neck and breasts that was a clear mark of arousal.
Shyly, Faith began to unlace the noblewoman’s corsette and pull it free from her body.
“Faith?” Elizabeth asked as she let the young brunette undress her. “Was that..was it good?”
Faith looked up at her and nodded, nervously chewing on her bottom lip. “It was my first, and it was..wow.” She blushed and returned to her work of disrobing the girl beneath her.
“It’s mine too.” Elizabeth admitted.
“With a girl, you mean?” Faith paused.
“With anyone.” Then she leaned up and kissed Faith’s forehead, then helped her finish taking off her elaborate dress.
The brunette smiled, feeling a welcome happiness flood through her. Faith began to kiss down her lover’s chest, over the small but perfect breasts, pausing briefly to admire the soft sweet lines of the blonde’s naked body. Her plan was to do something for Elizabeth, in return, that she had only heard whispered stories about.
She found the blonde entrance between that lay between soft thighs and placed her tongue against it. She tasted the flavor and found herself immediately wanting more. She found the sensation of tasting bringing her just as much excitement as she was trying to bring Elizabeth.
“Mmmph!” Elizabeth gasped when she felt the first warm wet separation of her folds. She bucked her hips against it as Faith lapped and sucked into her. Tentatively and shyly at first, then gradually progressing to more pressure and insistent fervor. Cupping Faith’s head with both of her hands she rode the sensation to its end, crying out when an orgasm shook her body almost immediately. She couldn’t believe that she had climaxed so quickly. That almost never happened, even when she was most excited. She was vaguely disappointed in herself, as she didn’t want to lose her contact with this new and incredible sensation just yet.
Faith raised her face from her dripping sex. “More?” she whispered.
“Oh..please..” the blonde smiled broadly lying back against her headboard, feeling Faith’s tongue fill her again. Riding each and every movement of the brunette's face and hands against her, she writhed in ecstasy for several minutes until she finally climaxed again.
My..my, she thought. I have a lot to learn.
She leaned up on her elbows and stared down at her bedmate, smiling sweetly. “I..I think that I..that was..”
“Don’t..” Faith put a finger to her lips, her heart jumping at what the older girl might say.
“Don’t what, dear?” Elizabeth said. “I wouldn’t lead you Faith. You are amazing..now come here and snuggle with me.”
Soon Elizabeth was asleep again. And Faith just sat staring at her, occasionally brushing a stray hair from her face and smiling to herself. Just a few days ago it seemed that she had nothing but herself. Now, wrapped up in this sweet blonde woman, it seemed like she had more than most people ever did.
Tearing a hole in the fabric of reality, Acolistes appeared at the very moment of sundown, in the foyer of Elizabeth’s home.
The box was his and the Slayer was the only one capable of standing against him. Both must be in his possession should the will of the Order be accomplished.
Constable Forsythe sat in his office, behind his large desk. His working space was littered with files and evidence from a half-dozen different cases. But what held his interest now was his latest case: one Larissa Colmes. Quite frankly, it was the most gruesome scene that he had ever witnessed. But in his capacity as acting Watch Commander, he had behaved incredibly well under fire.
His current role as Commander of the Watch came about by the inexplicable disappearance of Detective Gruden. No one had seen or heard from him, in the entire time since the discovery of the girl's body. He had been scheduled to report in this morning, but had never come to the station. After sending a man to his home, the message came back that there was no one there either. Not even a trace.
Now, being the next in the chain of command, Forsythe found himself in charge. So, he sat dutifully at his desk examining one of the few pieces of evidence that they had been able to salvage from the scene. It was a small box, sized just so that it could fit perfectly between the palms.
Its six sides were lacquered in black and gold. His reflection, which was distorted and scattered along its surface in the areas of gold ornamentation, stared back at him.
Absentmindedly, he ran his fingers along its surface. Then, shaking it slightly, he heard an almost imperceptible rattle from inside. It was a puzzle. How very interesting. He ran his fingers along it again, grasping for any clue as to the secret of its solution.
It seemed that the more he explored the box's mystery, the more he was drawn to do so. Strangely he was entranced by it, every pull or tug leading afresh into new possibilities and curiosities that he wished to experiment with.
Over the course of the next hour, he became so intent on solving the puzzle box that he did not even notice the faint sound of the music that began to emanate from it.
The demon stood in the front foyer of the Slayer's home. He looked from one corner to the other, surmising his surroundings and drawing in a perception of the current Slayer.
He held one servant in his grasp already, his grip on her throat silencing any possible complaint that might have been uttered from her. The serving girl had been the only one to hear his entrance into this reality and had mistakenly come, out of plain curiosity, to the greeting area to ascertain the source of the sound near the front doors.
Now she was held in the grasp of death, the demon's hand digging into her throat. Her head was swimming from the lack of oxygen from the unknown being that now held her.
When she had first entered the front room, intrigued by the sound of someone mustling about, her first reaction had been dumbfounded silence. It was as if she had entered another dimension. The room that she knew and had been in at least a hundred times no longer existed.
What now greeted her eyes was a display of darkness, which gave way to the menacing figure in the center of the scene. She became aware of the sounds that echoed around her, at the same time that the visual acuities had become apparent to her. It was a theater of pain, plain and simple.
Gone were the hardwood floors, the alabaster table, and padded chairs that normally sat a short distance to the left of the receiving area. The fine tapestries and velvet curtains were gone as well. What was now in its place was a dank void. Blackened walls and floors that were bare and wet with an undetermined substance that oozed in droplets from an unknown source.
From the ceiling hung intermittent chains, each tipped with either a razor or large barbed hook. They rattled with an almost fixating melody, apparently caused by the slight wind that was blowing through the room even though there appeared to be no windows.
The room was illuminated by a faint bluish light, which while giving a repast from total darkness did little more than give outline to the gruesome beast, which stood in the center of the room.
The girl's heart beat fast, and she felt her adrenaline start to release. This caused the fight or flight response that is present in every human. The survival mechanism which was a throwback to the time in man's history when, on a daily basis, it was necessary use violence on an almost daily basis. It was human evolution's answer to aid them if the need for either ever arose.
The response that came from Jennifer was the same as would come from most any other human in her position. Flight. She turned to run back through the hallway that she had entered through, letting out a small shriek.
She was met with two glaring obstacles. First, the hallway was no longer there. In its place was a wall that was as bereft of doors and windows as the rest of the hellish nightmare that she had stumbled into.
Next, the beast was on her faster than she could move. It had grasped her by her throat and began to squeeze limiting any noise that she could produce to draw attention to her plight.
Now, when she was close to losing consciousness, the gruesome thing lightened its grip upon her allowing her to draw in a breath. A breath, which was followed by another scream.
"Yes..scream!" the demon said, its voice filling Jennifer with even more dread. "Let's call out the Slayer shall we?"
Faith looked up at the sound of Jennifer's first shriek. This wasn't right, not right at all.
She shook Elizabeth gently.
"Beth..Beth wake up! Something's wrong!"
Elizabeth's eyes opened groggily, looking up at Faith curiously. When they both heard the second scream that emanated from the foyer, they sprang from the bed. Faith immediately grabbed her dress and pulled it on in frenzy.
Elizabeth, on the other hand, only adjusted her undergarment then ran to the foot of her bed and threw open the elaborately decorated chest that sat there. This could not be happening! Not in her own home. She arose from the chest holding a double-edged sword and ran toward her chamber door with Faith closely behind.
At the foot of the stairs Elizabeth stopped dead, frozen in shock at what she was witnessing. Her living area was gone and in its place was an open space that was decorated with horrific items and a being more horrible than any that she had ever faced.
Faith looked over at her, now feeling a certain amount of fear now herself. She looked from Elizabeth back to the demon, which held the young girl with a certain confidence on its face. What she could ascertain of its face to better be said. Its ritual disfigurement marred its features into a mask of constant horror. But from what the two of them saw of the intermixing of its features, it was most certainly not afraid.
Acolistes smiled up at them, the gesture pulling its face in a myriad of odd directions. He still held the young servant girl around the waist. Its grip was so strong that she knew she would never escape, and though the demon had let go of her throat she still uttered not a word. She only sobbed uncontrollably.
"Ahh, girls..so nice of you answer my summons."
Elizabeth fought down her fright and moved forward with her sword. She was stopped by the sudden movement of two sets of chain that shot toward her at the will of the dark prophet. One knocking the sword from her hand, and the other stopping less than an inch from her face, tipped with a long razor sharp blade.
"Easy Slayer.." its voice was like a knife, itself. "I did not come here to do anyone harm, regardless of how it may look."
He released his grip on Jennifer, the serving girl, allowing her to fall to the ground and scramble over to the staircase where Elizabeth and Faith stood at the ready. He then took on an almost serene countenance as he began to speak further.
"I've only come to speak to you, Elizabeth." it said.
"Y-you know my name?" the Slayer spoke to the beast.
"Oh yes," the creature said in a tone that could be interpreted as calming. "I know everything about you."
Faith only looked back and forth between them as the banter took place.
"I know that you live an existence as a slave.." she made to respond, but Acolistes raised a silencing hand, so that he could continue.
"I..I.."
"You are nothing more than a servant. Holding more power, in your body, than most people ever know, yet under the thumb of mortal men who appreciate your skills no more than an old shirt sent to launder.." he waited for his words to sink in. "..but imagine a world where you are in control, Elizabeth. Where you are the one who gives order where once there was chaos."
"Wh-what are you?!" Faith finally stammered.
The demon scanned the surface of this girl's thoughts also, searching for purchase. However, it found something completely unexpected. She had the power also? Now there were two Slayers? Acolistes did not flinch at this knowledge, only turned his head to her with the same slow and graceful movement.
"Faith.." it said. "Don't think that I don't know you either..the things that you have suffered over the course of your sorrowful life. The mistreatment and pain.. I could show you both a world that is hungry for new possibilities. "
They were silent, and again the demon took its bait.
"N-no.." Elizabeth said reluctantly.
"You have both lived lives based on the wills and whims of others. Now imagine this.." He leaned his head back, basking in the mere thought of the darkness they could create together. "Oh girls..imagine a world where the humanity that you protect, now feeds you both! Imagine that the stinking face of human existence is nothing more than a canvas and your will (for a welcome change) is the brush..That, THAT is what I offer you both.."
After two hours, Constable Forsythe was almost ready to abandon his quest to find the box's secret opening. Then, and only then, did a chance gesture of his thumb, middle, and little finger offer some encouragement. A part of the box slid free, giving way to the revelation that the inside of the box was as oiled and polished as its outside.
Each pull and half twist led to another clue, and to the next. The way this miraculous device had been created to open. Forsythe was fascinated.
Finally, after ceaseless and enamored attention upon the puzzle, he heard the audible click.
~click~
Acolistes heard the noise of the box's activation, as clearly as if he were in the room where it were being solved. Reluctantly he staved back from his seductive conversation with both of the young women who held the bloodline of the Slayers.
Hell, after all, is bound by laws as well. Plus, he knew that his information had been wrong. The Slayer did not have the box. It was being opened now, summoning his essence for the work of human art which the box demanded by its solving.
"There are conditions of the human body which open the doors to pleasure, the likes of which you cannot hope to imagine." Acolistes pointed a finger at them. "Even greater than the pleasure that you recently found with each other."
It could smell the scent of sex upon them from where he stood.
"Do not underestimate what the Order has just offered.."
Acolistes disappeared, the room flashing for a brief instant. Now it was Elizabeth's living room again. What was left was only the three girls, on the staircase. Everything else was perfectly normal. Faith held closely to Elizabeth who teared up in fear, hugging tightly against the brunette. The servant girl was between them, finding some slight comfort from her trauma in their grasp.
Faith rocked back and forth, embracing the two of them and feeling them embrace her.
"It's ok.." Faith repeated over and over, finding herself the comforter for the first time in her life. "Ok..don't be afraid..don't be afraid."
Then she broke into frightened tears herself, at the horror that she had just seen.
"He was in my home, Rupert!" Elizabeth said, pacing back and forth in the upper office of her home. She was still visibly shaken from the experience that she had been through. "He knew my name and everything about me!"
Rupert rose from his seat and caught Elizabeth by the shoulders, to calm her. The myriad of thoughts in his head was swirling like a tornado, but his first instinct was to calm Elizabeth into a place where he could speak to her rationally.
"Listen to me." He said, guiding her gently to a chair next to Faith, who only sat staring at the floor, too nervous to say a word. "At a time like this, what we need to do is think about what actually happened."
The girls just sat and looked at him.
"Did you say that he mentioned some sort of Order?" he said calmly.
Elizabeth looked up, taking a deep breath. "Yes. He said that the 'Order' had offered us something special. But he was so horrible, Rupert! How could that be?"
"Of course..all demons will try to entice anyone that they can. I would think that, since you are the Slayer.." he corrected himself. "..since BOTH of you are Slayers..it would be to his advantage to try enticing you to his court."
Rupert himself, was more than a little unnerved. He had been trained to handle hard situations, but this was something he had never been taught. How was he to handle the frazzled emotional state of the girl whom he had come to think of as a daughter? Not something covered in the Watchers' Handbook, most certainly.
He hated seeing Elizabeth like this. True enough, she had been shaken before. After a battle with an especially powerful adversary, he had seen her nervous and relieved. But nothing she had ever faced had left this amount of terror in her. He resolved to do whatever he could to help her, and that meant research.
"Umm..girls." They both looked up at him. "Perhaps it would be best if you both went to the Constable's office and talked to Mr. Forsythe. He is the Council's contact there. Find out what he knows of the disappearances and the murder. Obviously they are connected, as the demon chose to approach you personally."
He thumbed through the volume that lay open on his desk.
"I'll do what I can researching what you've already told me." He told them as they left their chairs. Then he set to work, looking up anything that resembled 'demonic orders'.
As they left the room, Faith could not help but think back to what the horrible thing had told Elizabeth. That she was a slave. Elizabeth had so much skill and cunning, why was she being ordered around? Rupert may be a nice man, but he had no power over her. Save those that were implied by being a 'Watcher'. This 'Council' he served must be even worse.
But Faith knew that it was for the best to help, and she was helping Elizabeth anyway. Not some Council.
The walls shook, and Constable Forsythe's breath quickened in suprise as he dropped the box. He sprang from his chair, looking right, left, then out his window trying to ascertain what was happening. However, from what he could see of the outside world, things were calm and life was proceeding as usual.
At some point in his labor of working the puzzle, the bell had begun to ring. In the back of his mind, he imagined the sound coming from the street outside. But now, he knew better. The sound of the bell had originally come from somewhere that was very far away, yet now suddenly very close.
Forsythe sat in awe, as the room took on a bluish hue. Though no source of light was evident, the room began to glow with it. The candle on his desk began to flicker in time with the sound of the bell that rung with banal regularity. It dimmed and brightened, then dimmed again with the pulse of the ringing of the bell's tempest, burning its brightest on each chime.
That was all he could make of the scene as the walls began to take on a liquid lucidity, parting and reforming before him. The bare boards of the wall flayed, for a moment losing their solidity and spreading apart to reveal the source of the blue glow. The pair of demons entered the room.
Then the wall was solid again, and the bell was silent.
Forsythe sat, or more precisely fell, back into his chair. He wanted to cry out, but his vocal chords would not seem to respond to his pleadings. He only stared, wide-eyed, at the pair who now stood before him. His candle flickered out, this time with no hope of re- igniting. The only light that was present was the fluorescent glow that the demonic entities put off from their bodies.
He surveyed the two beings that now shared the room with him, in a quiet stupor. There was only anguished horror as his eyes found purchase on one then the other creature.
The first, larger being was undoubtedly male. The horrible scarifications that crisscrossed its muscular torso and face, bringing yet another gasp from Forsythe's lips. The chains that passed through both flesh and bone pulled tight by even the slightest movement, drawing more blood to run down its powerfully built upper body. The face..dear God the face that was stretched and placated into a grotesque visage of pain. The being was truly a roadmap of ritual disfigurement.
The sound of steps on the floor drew his attention to the second figure. Smaller in stature, yet androgynous in appearance. The clothing it wore, which was sewn both to and through its skin, gave no indication of the being's gender. The demon, which had once been the human named Larissa, moved forward letting the human see her more clearly.
She had seen and experienced much over the past 48 hours. Now, she was ready to serve at her master's right hand, showing the world the pleasure of human artwork. But she was untested and overeager. Acolistes held out his hand to her, motioning for her to stop and watch.
Forsythe saw not a hint of joy or pain in either of their faces. Only hunger.
"You summoned." The larger being spoke, its voice hurting his ears and forcing a wince of pain from him. "Now we are here."
A volley of hook-ended chains shot forward, hooking him around the face and shoulders and dragging him across the desk. Then the room flashed, returning to normal. The only trace left of Forsythe's presence in the room at all, was a single drop of blood that had fallen upon the investigation file of one Larissa Colmes.
Of course, there on his desk, sat the box.
"Yessir. Lady Elizabeth Summerfield." She told her name to the man at the desk. "I'm here to see Mr. Forsythe."
"Yes Ma'am. Constable Forsythe is at the top of the stairs, third door on the left." The desk clerk was stammering over himself at the beauty of the noble and her companion. The blonde and brunette literally took his breath away as he watched them trail up the stairs where he had directed them.
Damn, he thought. What I wouldn't give to meet a woman like that.
Elizabeth knocked tentatively on the door that had "Constable William Forsythe" etched expertly across its surface. Third door on the left, just as she had been directed. After a few moments with no response, she knocked again. Harder this time.
Still no response.
Elizabeth reached forward and turned the knob, opening the door into the office. It was hard to say what struck her first. The feeling of sublime normalcy, or the overwhelming scent of vanilla. The sweet scent hit her as soon as the door opened, but it did little to mask the stench of decay which lay beneath.
Upon further investigation of the room, the two girls found nothing out of place until they explored the desk itself. Faith had gone around the desk to look out the window, onto the still street below. But, upon turning back, she saw the box. It was sitting adamantly upon the desk, directly on the middle of a large file folder in the center of the hardwood desk.
"Beth.." she spoke. "I think this might be something."
Faith pointed toward the wood and metallic object that sat upon the file that was labeled "Larissa". Though she did not want to touch the thing, she took it in her hand feeling a slight shock at her hand's contact with it.
Once she had the box in her grasp, she held it up for Elizabeth's inspection. The blonde's heart skipped a beat at the sight of it. She also noticed the drop of blood on the folder next to where it had been sitting.
"He's dead, Beth." Faith said with an eerie finality. "We need to leave here. Now!"
The intensity that was present in Faith's voice was enough to convince her to bring her search to a halt and rest upon whatever Faith had found.
"Rupert?" Faith called when she opened the door to his chambers. "We found something."
The young brunette held, in her hands, the square that Rupert recognized immediately. His research had proved unsuccessful, until this point.
He was still searching for some connection, in his books, toward any demonic order. But when he saw the box his jaw dropped and his heart skipped. "Oh my God." He gasped, reaching for the item, lip trembling.
"Rupert?" Elizabeth asked now, seeing her Watcher's reaction. "What is it?"
"I..I know what you're dealing with, now." He took the box from Faith and placed it in the center of his desk.
Then moved to the bookcase to retrieve another lesser-used tome. Bringing it to the table, he cracked it open blowing the dust from it as he separated the book's ancient pages until he found the right place. Turning the book around and sliding the book toward the two girls, they immediately recognized a diagram of the box, which now sat on Rupert Giles' desk.
"What is it Giles?" Elizabeth asked.
"And what does it do?" Faith followed up.
Taking a deep breath, Rupert knew that he must tell them both everything. The more they knew, the more likely that they would live through the assault, which was waiting.
"The demon's name is Acolistes.." Rupert began, a look of abject horror on his face. "And he is Hell's firstborn."
Rupert turned the book back around and began to read from the two hundred year old, personal journal of a former Watcher.
**
Entry 427
The legend of the creature called Acolistes intrigues me to no end. I am recording it here in the interest of completeness, even though I have no idea as to the truth behind the story. However I can only believe that any legend must have at least some basis in fact. Therefore these words may prove useful to some future generation.
~
Long ago, when the earth was first formed, the Lord of Darkness grieved to the Creator. He approached heaven vehemently, armed with a horrible demand.
"Are you not happy Prince of Darkness? Lord of Flies?" the Creator asked. "I have made and entire world for you to prey on."
"No." The Dark Prince spat. "You have created children for yourself! Children who will either hate or love you, as a father! How is that fair to me? I have no children! First you cast me out of Heaven and now you expect me to exist alone? Without Acolytes of my own?"
"Dark One, you know that you cannot create. You may only pervert. What do you expect me to do? Create, for you, a human life then hand it to you? Why would I do such a thing?"
The Devil pointed an accusing finger at the Almighty. "When I served in your guard, the one thing you always stressed above all was justice and balance. Are you being just to me, denying me my own child?"
The debate continued that way for 666 years. Finally the Creator acquiesced. However, what He created for the Dark One was not human for He could not bear to see one of humanity be perverted by the Devil's hand. It was a life, yes. But, it was a dark thing. Soulless, like the being that would be its so-called 'father'.
Happily the ruler of the Hell dimensions accepted his prize, taking the being under his watchful gaze and raising him in the ways and order of Hell. The Devil's right hand, Satan's Acolyte.
Acolistes.
~
Watcher's note- Supposedly the things that he taught the young creature are too horrifying to have been recorded in any tale. However, I can only imagine the things that must have been imparted to this mythical being. If he or it does actually exist, that is.
**
Entry 513
Recently, I have acquired a unique and strange item. Even more odd, is the story that came attached to it. For any and all readers of this text in the future, for whatever reason, refer back to my previous entry number 427. The legend of the creature Acolistes.
This story behind this item and the previous legend are strangely connected. The person that I received the box from was a nefarious fellow, who reeked of alcohol and urine. But the story he weaved held me fixated till its end.
This creation, a black and gold lacquered box, was supposedly created by a toy maker in France name Philippe LeMarchande. Commissioned by an aristocrat named Galil, reputed as a master occultist, the box was designed to be a nearly impenetrable puzzle.
LeMarchande labored on the device for months. It was to be his greatest achievement, which would gain him reknown and catapult him into the most famous crafter of wood and metal intricacies in all of France. However, he had no idea what his labors were producing. When he delivered the box to his commission, he was paid handsomely and lavished with praise. Later though, after LeMarchande had gone, the dark empowering ritual had been cast upon the small device imbuing it with power.
The schematic that the toy maker had been given to build from was actually an ancient and evil design, intended to tear a rift between the world of the living and the dimensions of Hell. Not a permanent rift, mind you, but a hole just large enough to draw out Hell's first son.
It was the first time I had heard the name Acolistes in many months, and I have no doubt now that it was no coincidence that this device fell into my hands. The horrid smelling man who had told me the story had only wanted a few pence for it. Probably to buy another round of whatever it was he had been imbibing last evening.
I was eager to purchase it, for more than one reason. First, it was a beautiful piece of craftsmanship, a prize to behold. The second, if the legend behind the device were true, it would best be kept away from prying hands of those who would unknowingly trigger such a device. It's best given to the Council, which I will do tomorrow.
Though I am no longer a Watcher, I still hold to the mission.
~
Entry 514
I have not ventured to see the Council. The more I stare at the box upon my desk, the more I realize that I am the only one who can keep it safe. The Council only knows how to spew rhetoric. The Watchers and Slayers are the ones who actually wage the war against darkness.
Besides, just looking at the box which sits upon my desk now, I can't believe that such a beautiful work of art could possibly hold anything evil. I will sketch a copy of each of its sides following this entry. Just for reference of course.
~
Entry 515
When I look at it I cannot help but hold it, my fingers running delicately over its perfectly crafted sides.
I've not eaten for a few days. No need.
Need to study but haven't. My thoughts are scattered most times. Except when I hold it.
My senses are alive with acuity. Sometimes when I work at the box, I can almost feel the collision of dust against my skin.
~
One of my few moments of clarity.
It's taking me over, entrancing me. I need to get rid of the damnable thing, but everytime I touch it the flurry of sensation assaults me and dims my mind. For those who come after me, do not touch the damned thing!
Oh my..reaching for it again. Oh such pretty music is coming from it.
**
Rupert closed the book.
"That's the last entry." He hesitated slightly before continuing. "The diagram that was drawn here, is clearly what you've found."
They were all silent for a long while. Finally, Elizabeth broke the silence.
"So..there is the story. Then there is the box and the demon. Just tell me how we can fight it. Can it be killed?"
Her Watcher shook his head. "I'm not sure that it can. Not anything that has been noted here has any reference to means of destruction. My thoughts would be leaning toward banishing. I don't know if such a being is capable of being destroyed, entirely."
The blonde sighed, her heart still beating a bit fast. But she was fighting the ominous feeling that was in her mind. The adrenaline rush of confronting the beast gone, her mind was beginning to clear.
"So then, how would such a thing be banished?" Faith spoke up, finally. She had been sitting in a chair, knees drawn up to her chest, letting everything sink in.
Looking over, Rupert answered. "I don't rightly know. But I'm sure it must have something to do with the summoning device."
He was loathe to touch it, considering what he had just read. The last bloke who tried, ended up tied into it, until it was too late. But still, tenaciously, he picked it up and placed it into his lock box. Out of sight, out of mind the saying goes. "I'll look into it more thoroughly. Don't worry now. I know this may be hard on you dear, but you must get ready for the cotillion tonight, Elizabeth."
The noblewoman shook her head. "I can't. Not tonight Rupert."
"You know how important it is to keep up proper appearances, Elizabeth. Being the Slayer is not your only duty."
She sighed defiantly. "Fine. But I'm taking Faith with me."
"Huh?" Faith said, now wide eyed.
With that Elizabeth took the younger girl's hand and led her out of the room to get ready. She'd find something beautiful for both of them to wear, most definitely.
The first thing that Faith thought, was that the room they had entered was incredible. She was in awe of the music, lighting, and decoration. As the double doors had opened, the entire experience flooded into her.
Oh my, she thought. This is going to be a long night.
The ballroom was grand. The first thing that struck Faith was its enormity and extravagance.
Almost her entire life, Faith had hated parties or large social gatherings. Even those of the lower class that she, before tonight, had been privy too. She'd not had that many friends over the course of her life, but she had been to a few gatherings along the course of her wanderings. Even those she had been uncomfortable at.
It was not only her shyness but the falsity of such events as well. The looks to be pasted on and the gestures meant to be interpreted. Then there was the conversation. That made her stomach turn even more. She had nothing to say of the slightest interest to the world at large. Of that, she was certain and had been for a long time.
But Elizabeth had persisted, and she had agreed. She, after all, knew for certain the consequences of refusing. Elizabeth would have politely kissed her forehead and gone without her. But then she would have been left alone moping in a stew of self torment, cursing her cowardice and thinking of her Beth's sweet face.
She had not found a way to breech the subject of what had happened between them just the night before. She had the sinking feeling that the memory had been suppressed by the intensity of what they had experienced just after. But then, when those thoughts would seep in, occasionally Beth would look over at her and smile erasing any doubt she may have had.
Elizabeth had given Faith basic instructions on behavior and the like. Basically just stick close to her. No one would expect her to illuminate the room, only to nod and laugh when appropriate. And Elizabeth was at her radiant best, the blue gown accentuating her perfectly as she curtsied to this person and that. This was her element. This was where Elizabeth excelled.
Faith's own gown, not quite as extravagant but still beautiful, hugged tightly to parts of her body in ways that she was not used to. But looking at herself in the full-length mirror before they had left, Faith was stunned at the young woman looking back at her. So, she loved the dress and would get used to wearing it if necessary.
Weaving her way through throngs of people, Elizabeth made her way to the other end of the room. Finally she stopped at a large table, which was adorned with extravagant amounts of different foods. She had led Faith, having told the younger girl not to leave her, to the same area with her. This was where Elizabeth's closest friends, all two of them, usually congregated at the regular gatherings.
Elizabeth wasn't disappointed, readily finding Willow at her regular station she smiled broadly. Looking up, the redheaded serving girl smiled back and waved.
"Hello, Willow." Elizabeth leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. "Have you seen Alexander tonight?"
"Funny you should ask." A voice sounded from behind Elizabeth. She turned, delighted, and threw her arms around Alexander who returned the embrace with equal fervor. Faith just sat silently.
"Who is your lovely friend?" Alexander said.
"Oh my. Where are my manners? Alexander this is Faith, she's a new friend. A good one." She smiled and tried to hide her blush, as to not give too much away about their relationship.
Elizabeth made all the necessary introductions between Faith and her other friends, and they were amazingly cordial to Faith, who decided tentatively that she liked these two. Even through the nausea she was feeling.
"Well, if you wouldn't mind Elizabeth, I'd like to share my first dance of the night with your new friend. That is, if it's alright with you, young lady." Nodding to Faith and extending his hand politely.
Faith smiled and, suprisingly, felt her nausea subside at the manners of the young man who patiently waited for her answer. How polite, she thought. From her lifetime of experience, she knew how to judge people, and right now she looked into Alexander's eyes and saw a gentleman. A man who would never make unwelcome advances or strange requests of her.
"I'd like that." She smiled, extending her own hand to meet his. Perhaps this particular party wasn't so bad.
Faith and Alexander danced for two songs.
All the while, Elizabeth stayed at the table and watched. She snacked politely on the breads and cheeses that were provided and talked to her other friend.
"Isn't she lovely?" Elizabeth asked, gazing wistfully at Faith.
Willow cast a glance at her, slightly askew. What was this? Willow looked at her lazy gaze and her sweet demeanor as she watched Alexander and Faith dance. Willow knew that look. It was the same look that she, herself, got when she looked at...Oh goodness.
The redhead stifled her suspicions as their two friends returned from the dance floor.
"Hello." Elizabeth extended her hand to Faith and smiling, even before Alexander. Willow watched intently. Oh yes, she thought. I'm right.
"That was fun." Faith said, her face bright and cheerful. Elizabeth was delighted that Faith was having such a good time after so many of her misgivings about coming this evening.
"I'm glad." Elizabeth said. She scanned the elaborately decorated room for other people that she might know. Then suddenly her face fell.
"What?" Faith asked.
"Oh no."
"What?"
Elizabeth looked to her other friends. "William is here."
Willow and Alexander reacted as if it were a finely practiced drill. Faith just stared in the direction of the blonde man that Beth had glanced.
"Normal distraction, Elizabeth?" Alexander asked.
"Please." She said, grabbing Faith's hand and pulled her toward the rear of the building.
As the bungling, blonde William made his way to the table, he had caught glimpse of Elizabeth. Wonderful! This was his chance to regale her with his latest foray into the world of poetry. This would win her heart for sure.
Elizabeth couldn't help but offer a backwards glance as she disappeared into the crowd. William was pursuing her vehemently, then suddenly tripped over Alexander's well-placed boot.
People laughed all around him as he regained his footing.
"You did that on purpose you wanker!" the blonde stammered, regaining his feet finally. He was livid, having lost Elizabeth completely.
"Who me, William? I wouldn't do anything to halt the pursuit of true love." He said sarcastically.
William sighed. "Dammit. I wrote her a poem and everything." Then he trudged off.
"Well, take your horrid poetry and be off with you." Alexander said, watching William the Bungler traipse off sullenly. He shook his head. Damn, he thought. When will this guy ever learn?
"I usually don't leave the cotillions this early." Elizabeth said, closing the back exit and spilling herself and Faith out into the alleyway. "But William is a pain. He's totally in love with me."
"I could tell." Faith said to her. "But then, who could blame him?"
After that statement, the younger girl blushed and turned away from Elizabeth. She was obviously embarrassed by her statement. The blonde Slayer looked right, then left. Then she put a hand to Faith's face and gave her a quick but sweet kiss, followed by a beautiful smile.
"I'm only yours." Elizabeth said, reassuring her friend. "All yours in fact."
Look at her sweet smile, Faith said to herself. "Are you really?"
"Yes." Looking at her it was impossible for Faith to even remember anyone lying to her, though many had in her life. She looked into those emerald eyes that held not an ounce of drivel or misunderstanding. Faith leaned in for another kiss, feeling her heart skip a beat as their lips met.
Then they just stood for a while staring at each other, fitfully.
The back door that they had escaped through opened. Damn.
"Elizabeth?" A blonde head poked out. Oh god. It's William again. "I wrote you a poem..."
Grabbing her hand, Faith started to run. "C'mon Beth, the poems must be even more horrifying than the demons!"
They ran for a block or more, then were stopped in their tracks by a scream. The two stared at each other for a moment, then reversed the run to the source of the noise. Only a few steps and both were witness to the horrifying scene.
It was William.
Their quick exit had made him easy prey for the vampire that lurked in the alley. The two Slayers moved in quickly and dispatched the creature, leaving only a pile of dust where it once stood over William's neck.
He stood primly and straightened himself. "Well then." He started, smiling broadly. "Now would be a good time for me to sing your accolades, dear Elizabeth."
He began his poem, then Faith punched him squarely in the jaw line, knocking him out.
Elizabeth just looked at her.
"I didn't hurt him. He'll be fine!" Faith exclaimed.
Her Beth smiled slightly and took her by the hand.
"Let's go home, bully."
They sat on Elizabeth's bed again. Once again cross-legged and facing each other.
"Thanks for taking me Beth. I actually had a really good time." Faith finally said.
"Oh it gets better, young lady." Elizabeth said, her beautiful face smiling contently. "Much better indeed."
She leaned forward and kissed Faith.
...continued in part 11...