Normally the library was a sanctuary of sorts, but today it seemed like a prison. Why was it that other watchers were not burdened by secondary jobs? Today was not the day to call in sick. Principal Snyder was in a rotten mood. More so than usual. To be avoided at all costs.
Fighting off a yawn, Giles covered his mouth with the back of his hand. A headache had been hanging around all morning, the result of pulling a research all-nighter with his younger counterpart. Thinking back to his Ripper days when lack of sleep meant little to his energy levels, he realized might have to admit that he wasn’t as young as he used to be.
Most of his books were at the mansion. He had brought a few files with him. They had split the work. Giles assigned Wesley the research on the obelisk and the Rites of Tavrok. A fresh eye on the subject might provide some new clue that he had missed. They were close to discovering something. He could feel it. But the truth remained just out of reach.
Giles took everything they had on European vampire clans and the Obscurantist Vampyr. There were more references here in the library that had been left behind, thinking them unconnected with the prophecy. He hoped to find out more details about the House of Solaris.
Before leaving for work this morning he made a call to London to request everything the Watcher’s Council possessed on the Banished Ones. He’d gotten the expected reaction and it took three requests before someone actually took him seriously. They started paying attention when he revealed that Angel was the source of information linking the two houses to a single bloodline. It would take several days to produce copies of the original documents. Most were so old they required special handling and storage.
The delay was expected and not bad timing. With Beverly Quinn’s funeral tomorrow, the day, if not the entire weekend, would be difficult for everyone. All signs pointed to the pause in demonic activity continuing for a while, but it was impossible to be certain just how long it would be.
Before the next sign appeared and another victim was selected as a future sacrifice, it was vital to discover who and what they were up against. Now they knew the who: Nicolau Cibran and his childe, Isobel. Likely, the entire House of Solaris. Potentially, their demon-worshipping thralls. It was impossible to know just how pervasive this cult had become.
On the countertop in front of him, Giles opened the Obscurantist Vampyr to the entry on the Banished Ones. He stared at the words until they blurred before him: ‘beware the light-bringer’. Removing his glasses, he pursed his lips, thoughtfully tapping the tip of the earpiece against his lower lip while considering the options.
The library doors pushed open unexpectedly. Giles looked up to see Buffy, Willow and Xander shuffling in from the hall. He glanced at his watch. This was class time. He was not expecting these three for another two hours.
Buffy dropped her notebooks onto the counter and whined, “Will this day ever be over? I can’t believe Troll Man tried to blame me for the missing stuff from the Chem Lab.”
Interpreting ‘Troll Man’ as Principal Snyder, Giles suddenly understood why the gruff man was especially acerbic this morning.
“Anything that goes wrong around here is automatically my fault,” Buffy’s shoulders slumped and her eyes widened in a woeful plea for sympathy. “What would I want with old Buster Burners anyway?”
He did not have the foggiest idea. It was on the tip of his tongue to ask whether there was something he needed to know when Willow slyly pointed out, “Didn’t you burn down the gym at your old school?”
With an offended gasp, Buffy said, “That was slayer stuff.”
Xander was quick to provide some cheer. “Look on the bright side, Buffster. We got out of that boring chemistry experiment and got to come to the library to ‘study’.”
Finally noticing that he was standing there, Willow waved perkily, “Hi Giles!”
Still pouting, Buffy grumbled a greeting and, for once, Xander just nodded a pleasant hello.
“How’s it going, Library Man?”
Correction. Xander had not undergone any personality changes in the past few hours. Certainly not since serving everyone his ‘breakfast extraordinaire’ consisting of Pop Tarts and YooHoo.
Tapping his watch face, he asked why they were there ahead of schedule. “Skipping classes or were you thrown out again?”
Buffy held her hands up and pleaded innocence. “I didn’t do it.”
“Willow?”
“Neither did I,” Willow harrumphed breathily.
Giles popped his glasses back into place. “No, no, I was merely asking why you’re gracing me with your presence at this time of day.” Not to mention causing him to wonder if Principal Snyder would be searching for them.
Explaining the situation, Willow told him that some Bunsen burners and chemicals were missing from the Chem Lab, so their teacher decided to cancel class and sent them all off to study. Chirpily, she added, “So here we are.”
“No doubt your classmates were devastated at the cancellation. Fortunately for us, we can use the time to coordinate our plans for this afternoon,” Giles told them. “We have a lot to accomplish before tomorrow.”
He let it go unspoken, but all three knew he meant the funeral. It was unnecessary to remind them to dress appropriately and be on their best behavior. Despite being young, they had been through more than most adults in a lifetime and living here in Sunnydale ensured that black was a standard part of everyone’s wardrobe.
Before his thoughts drifted to another funeral, one not so long ago, Giles turned back to the business at hand. “At the close of school today, I will drive to the butcher shop for a fresh supply of blood. You three can stop at Willy’s Bar.”
Three groans sounded, but no one refused the assignment.
“It is best that our guests be weaned from their regular diet slowly. An immediate switch,” he explained, “might cause cravings we’d rather avoid.”
Xander nodded vehemently. “Definitely gotta agree with that. My neck always seems to be on someone’s lunch menu.”
“Do you think Spike and Drusilla will do what Angel says?” asked Willow putting one of Giles’ own concerns to voice.
There was every reason to believe that they would not considering they were soulless vampires with a past history of defying authority. Though technically, Angel was sire of their line, he was not their acknowledged master. If Angelus had killed Darla to assume leadership of the House of Aurelius, there would be no question, but the curse changed things. Possessing a soul might make him more than just a vampire, but not in their eyes. To them, he was tainted, and their clan in a state of disarray.
Truthfully, Giles did not know what to expect. He could only hope that Angel retained some influence over their behavior.
Buffy seemed certain of her opinion on the matter. “They’ll behave.”
Taking the opposite stance Xander blurted, “Tell that to the crazy lady with the thrall.” The power of which was something Giles completely understood.
“Okay,” conceded Buffy with a shrug, “I’m not so sure about Dru, but Spike knows what’s at stake.”
“But they’re not like Angel. They’re soulless,” Willow argued against trusting Spike so easily.
Giles was about to agree when Buffy snapped, “Having a soul hasn’t stopped Angel from being a jerk. He’s dating Cordelia. Cordelia! Ugh!”
This was not the time or place for having that conversation again. Even Willow and Xander looked uncomfortable with the subject, a wary silence following the short outburst.
Fortunately, Buffy did not skip a beat and went on with her original opinion of why it was safe to trust Spike. “Don’t forget that Spike tipped me off about Angelus’ plans to suck the world into hell. Anyway, it sounds like he really wants to help out against the Psycho Seductress.”
“Speaking of Isobel,” Giles changed the subject, “have you gathered what you need for the Location Spell?”
Willow nodded. “Yup. Last night. Scary.” Her thin shoulders shuddered.
The girls had been gone for several hours. To be honest, he had been so focused on the research and discussing theories with Wesley that the time had gone by without notice. What should have been a short trip to the Magic Shop took a bit longer than planned.
“We got what we needed,” Buffy left it at that. “She’s good to go as soon as we get back to the mansion.”
“Excellent.”
Xander suddenly got serious, jumping a step ahead. “What happens after we find Isobel? Do we go into attack mode? Search and destroy? Or stick to an undercover op?”
It was too early to determine the appropriate cause of action. He explained, “That depends on the location of the lair. We might find them in a vulnerable position or one that is highly fortified.”
The trio settled into their usual spots at the front table. Giles turned his attention back to the line of text in the Obscurantist Vampyr: ‘beware the light-bringer’. Was it, as Willow had suggested, a warning to the vampires? Was the light-bringer someone, a slayer perhaps, who would bring about their destruction? Or was it intended for any who might oppose the sect of Solaris in their demon-worship? Could the light-bringer be the demon itself? Might it be something else entirely?
Glancing up, he saw his young protégée and her friends looking bored. Xander had his feet up on the table while he balanced himself on the two back chair legs, Willow was pushing a pencil back and forth across the table—without touching it, while Buffy propped her chin in her hand and strummed her fingers against her cheek.
“If you aren’t going to study your chemistry homework, perhaps you three could do something productive,” Giles did not bother to hide the sarcasm.
Neither did Xander. “Chemistry homework or vampire research. Notice we never get to choose between goofing off and taking it easy.”
“We could get our homework out of the way,” Willow suggested and reached for her schoolbooks.
Buffy and Xander gave her the stink eye, overruling her with a dual, “Research!”
Carrying over the stack of books, Giles explained again that their focus was to be the vampire clans. “I left Wesley to review the research on the obelisk.”
Buffy glanced over at Willow, who gave her a look of encouragement suggesting that the two of them had chatted about something. Bolstered, Buffy ventured a question. “Does Wes seem…kind of young to you?”
“Meaning compared to me.” Already feeling less than spry today, Giles suddenly felt like a decrepit old man with one foot in the grave.
A careless shrug followed from Buffy. “For a watcher.”
Willow apparently had some of the same concerns. “Yeah. Shouldn’t watchers be older, mature, know stuff?”
They really had not had an extended opportunity to discuss Wesley’s presence. Things had been moving rather quickly over the past few days. Giles was less concerned about his age and more about his actual experience in the field. From what little he had gathered on the subject, Wesley’s field training included staged scenarios rather than the real thing.
Even that was something they could work with as long as he and his slayer remained in Sunnydale. Tandem training could strengthen them as a team. Considering Faith’s rather strong personality, Wesley was going to need some support. Giles wondered if the Council had truly considered that match before sending him here.
Even Xander could predict the worst. “Faith is going to eat him alive.”
Giles did not want to present a negative picture despite their legitimate concerns, which matches his own. “Ah. Yes, Faith does have an appetite for controversy. Your concerns are noted. I assure you that while he may not be as old and decrepit as I, Wesley Wyndham-Pryce is a qualified watcher and comes highly recommended for our particular cause. As for Faith, he’ll have to learn quickly.”
