“Who knows what might happen to that poor girl out there in the dark. If she makes it into the fire-damaged area. . .,” Wesley’s voice trailed off as his thoughts carried him in a worrisome direction.
Giles was of the same mind. “There is no time to waste. We have only the one lantern. I shall begin down here. You rouse some help above.” Reminding him where they stashed the extra flashlights, he suggested that he also bring a crowbar or the crossbow.
“Why on Earth would we need those? I can see that we might need to pry a door open if it became lodged during Miss Brewer’s escape. Surely she would not react well to armed men chasing her.”
The girl was confused, but whether it was strictly post-traumatic stress, and some form of brainwashing techniques, or the aftereffects of powerful magick were still unknown. “I believe it would be best to prepare for anything. We don’t know how Karla got out of the shackles.”
“I-I presumed that Drusilla let her go,” confessed Wesley now thinking that he might be forming conclusions without enough evidence. It seemed a sensible line of thinking, the vampire’s behavior being so unpredictable, and the girl’s mental state still so fragile.
Admitting that was a strong possibility, Giles did not want to spend time debating it. “We should get going. We must find Karla. Too much is at stake.”
Wes nodded, “Right. On it.” He rushed back to the stairs noting that Giles waited long enough for him to traverse them before heading through the far door. The training room was swallowed up in darkness the moment he left taking the lantern with him.
Taking a mental note, Wes realized the number of available helpers for the search party was quite low. There was Xander, of course. Still in the kitchen. He could hear running water from further down the hall. Likely making a futile attempt to save the charred frying pan.
With Faith, Buffy, and Willow either on town patrol or taking the night off, and Angel out on the mansion grounds, that left only Cordelia, Spike and Drusilla. It did not seem very reasonable to place Cordelia in danger in order to find Karla Brewer, however he knew she would want to get involved, or at least be made aware of the situation. Spike might be convinced to lend a hand, but Wesley was still wary of Drusilla’s involvement.
Perhaps his Watcher training was just too deeply ingrained, but he did not trust the vampires. He knew that Drusilla was mad, and that she followed her own inner voices. She also possessed a power he did not fully understand. Portents, psychics, prognostication all fell within his studies, but Drusilla seemed driven to act for the benefit of her sire, Angel, ensuring the safety of his pet.
Wesley scowled as the word pet crossed his thoughts, but in the scheme of things that was the appropriate designation. As far as he knew Angel had made no formal claim or marked her as his mate. He wondered if Cordelia had a clue about the ramifications of such a role, and where it was likely to lead.
He continued to ponder the notion as he rifled through the coat closet that served as the weapons and equipment storage area. They had stocked quite the arsenal. “Where are the torches?” he muttered.
“You mean the flashlights?” Xander’s voice immediately behind him caused Wesley to yelp in surprise.
“Good heavens! What are you doing creeping up on me that way? I might have harmed you.” Wesley loosened his grip on the crowbar, relaxing at the sight of the teenager.
The huge yawn Xander did not bother to cover showed he was hardly concerned that his actions might end up in injuries. “Well, whatever you’re doing, have fun with that. I am gonna get some shut-eye.”
Quickly stopping him, Wesley explained, “Karla is missing. The manacles are broken and bloody. She either squeezed out of them, broke free by some unknown means, or was let go.”
Xander glanced across the foyer toward the stairs. “Dru?
That had been his immediate conclusion, too. “Drusilla was alone with Miss Brewer for some time tonight.”
The boy went quiet for a moment, looking quite concerned about something. “Um, a few minutes ago, did you hear Cordelia scream Angel’s name?”
Wesley’s head jerked in the direction of the staircase, following Xander’s gaze. “Nothing so specific. I heard something, but dismissed it. We discovered Karla was missing.”
“Um, yeah, well, I guess I thought it was just Cordy and Angel, uh…y’know, again!”
Knowing precisely what his stuttering meant, Wesley held up a hand. “Oh, you need go no further. My room is not as soundproofed as I would hope being just down the hall from theirs.”
Shuddering, he realized Xander still had issues with the idea of his former girlfriend being bedded by a vampire whilst being forced to live under the same roof. Poor boy. At least with his own minor infatuation with Cordelia it was merely a matter of being concerned for her wellbeing. Despite the reports of Angel’s secure soul, there had been no formal study of it. Well, one might consider their frequent sexual antics some form of testing methodology, but it was certainly not a proper analysis.
“Wait a moment! Angel is patrolling the grounds,” Wesley reminded Xander of the plan. The vampire headed out while Cordelia went to their room to shower and prepare for bed. “He will not have had time to complete a sweep of the perimeter and return.”
“So that scream was. . .”
Gasping, “A cry for help!” Wesely ran for the stairs, bumping into Xander along the way, dropping the heavy crowbar on his foot.
“OWWW!” Hopping up and down, Xander’s face twisted in pain. “That was my big toe.”
Wes sent him an apologetic look, but there was no time for anything further. He reached for the crowbar only to be elbowed in the head as Xander hopped toward the stairs. He yelped painfully at the jolt, “AHHH!” Losing his balance, he tumbled to his knees landing awkwardly on the wooden floor.
That. . . hurt.
As quickly as he could manage, Wesley maneuvered himself to his feet and moved to join Xander on the stairs. They limped quickly, glaring at each other along the way.
“Do you think Karla is up there?” asked Xander with a grunt of pain as he put pressure on his injured foot.
Having not thought that Karla might consider Cordelia a target of some kind, Wesley’s eyes widened at the notion. “Good Lord! Hurry!”
“I am!”
Halfway up, they realized Spike was standing at the top of the landing staring down at them. Drusilla spared them a glance, but seemed to be rubbing a sore spot of her own as she walked by, continuing to move toward the third level stairs.
Spike demanded to know, “What the deuce are you two doing?”
“Saving Cordelia!”
“We heard Cordelia scream.”
Spike seemed to find that funny. “Maybe you did, but I don’t think she needs rescuing. The cheerleader is fine. Not the night to go snooping around bedroom doors, especially that one. Not unless you want an eyeful.”
Hint received, Wesley cringed. “I take it Angel has already returned. Perhaps I should tell him the news before they have an opportunity to…ah…”
As he made an attempt to move past the vampire, Spike put a hand to his chest making it impossible. “I said it’s best you leave them alone.”
“We need some assistance tracking Karla Brewer,” Wesley explained the situation. Refusing to back down, not wanting to appear vulnerable to a vampire he did not trust, he held his ground, his chin tilted a notch higher than usual. “If Angel is unavailable, we need you on the job.”
Spike glanced down the hallway toward Angel and Cordelia’s room, as if he considered letting Wesley disturb them anyway. “Bollocks!” he muttered. “What are you waiting for, Watcher?”
“Is Drusilla planning to accompany us?”
She was leaning against the wall watching them. “You coming, luv?” asked Spike holding out his hand.
Drusilla stayed put. “You waste your time. Though her body runs free, the girl cannot be reached. She is lost until he comes for her.”
“Amolon comes for her?” Wesley gulped. “Y-you saw this in a vision.”
“Inside her mind, her soul,” Drusilla’s whispers tickled creepily along his nerves. “A little peek. Only a hint of brightness of the girl she once was. The rest is shadows. There, in the darkness, he waits.”