The Door in the Hedge
Chapter 7 - Is the Reality Getting a Bit Thin around Here?
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"Here," Ann said. "Somebody figure out how to work this." She handed Wesley a GPS receiver, a package of batteries and an instruction manual.
"Let me see that," Cordelia said. "I've seen these. Everybody, but everybody, has one for their car. I was thinking we should get one."
"After you can use that, look at these," Ann said, passing two stun rods and two stun guns over to Cordelia and Wesley.
"Ivo," Angel said. "Where are they going to be? Willow, Tara, do you have a map that shows the planetarium?"
"Let me look," Tara said.
"This is nice," Ivo said. "I like maps. We're here, our gate is. It's hidden, of course. They will be opening their gate here, see this level area? It's sort of level."
"That is close," Tara said. "Are they doing this on purpose? To destroy California or even your country?"
"It doesn't matter," Angel said. "We have to stop them."
"Stop or kill?" Ann asked him.
"Wesley," Angel asked. "When can they try this again?"
"Sixty-three earth years," Wesley said. "It has to come out even," he explained. "And conditions will recur here in seven years and there in nine, so it's sixty-three Earth years until they can attempt to open a gate to their world from this spot again."
"Stop," Angel said after a moment's thought. "If they leave, fine."
"Then, if I may make a suggestion, put us above them. Harder for them to attack us, uphill, and easier for them to run away, downhill," Ann said.
"And how are we getting there?" Filis asked.
"I'm hoping Ann can move us," Angel said. "Otherwise, we're really at a disadvantage."
"From here to, say, there?" She indicated a spot above and west of where Ivo said the demons would be, between the existing gate and the demons' gate..
"Fine."
"I can do that."
"Angel, do you have any spices in the kitchen? We'll need some sage," Willow said.
"What about the hair?" Tara asked.
"Dust from the ground, I guess."
"The kitchen is mostly empty," Angel said. "I don't cook."
"Make a list, Willow. I can probably import what you need," Ann said.
"Do either of you want a weapon?" Angel asked Ivo and Filis. "You, Ann?"
"I'll be ready," Ann said. She moved away with the girls and spoke quietly with them for some time. Willow nodded occasionally, but Tara just got paler and paler.
"We have our own, thanks," Ivo said, as a sling materialized in his hands. Filis placed a bow and quiver on the table as she strapped a dagger around her waist. Angel shrugged and went to his weapons locker. He selected a large war axe; it would slow down a smaller man, but he was large enough to use it swiftly.
Ann left Willow, who seemed calm, and Tara, who was trying to appear resolute. Willow held Tara's hand for a moment, then they both turned to the book. Ann
came over to Angel.
"Will she hold up?"
"I think so, although this is certtainly not the best way for a novice to start off. Willow's very steady, which is good. All of Tara's families--father's, mother's, and the new one with Willow--are tough, but they all have had more experience." She glanced over at the girls. She obviously put that worry aside and turned back to him:
"Do you know the term 'fated,' Angel?"
"Doomed?"
"Yes, but not necessarily to death. You're fated. I have no idea how, just that there is something coming to you that I cannot alter. I cannot tell when or even if it will be good or ill. However, I will do what I can for you tonight, since you might be the one of us in the most danger from the girls' spell."
"In danger how?"
"I'm not sure," Ann said. "You and Spike are the only vampires I've met, and both Claire and Rupert Giles insist neither of you is typical, but I think it might be serious if you lose the magic keeping you alive, which might happen."
"How do you manage to avoid vampires, living in Sunnydale?"
"I've only lived there a year and a half, and before that, of course, I wore vampire repellent for five and half centuries. I couldn't do that in Sunnydale: it would be
noticed right away, so I took it off last year."
"So what happened in 1450?"
"1447, actually. I fell in love with a Watcher, and lived with him for eleven years. Tara's aunt thought that made me the best suited to look after Tara, considering
what goes on in Sunnydale."
"What are you?" he dared ask.
"I am a work in progress," Ann smiled. "Now, hold still, Liam."
"I meant to ask you about that."
"No one else hears your name," Ann promised him, "even though it doesn't work with humans quite the way it works with Ivo and Filis. Quiet now."
Her green gaze seemed to engulf him like wave of the sea. Her voice rose and fell, then died away completely. When she clapped her hands, it was like suddenly awaking. She opened her hands and handed him a chain and pendant. "An amulet," she said. "Wear it tonight. It won't work after a week or so, unless you want
me to recharge it."
"Thank you," he said, examining the pendant. It was resembled a stylized fishhook, made of crystal, threaded directly on the chain. He put it on, under his shirt. It was warm, not cool, and heavier than he had expected.
Tara came up then, with a list of ingredients.
"We found nothing in the kitchen and he doesn't have a lab," she said. "So, we need all these. We have the instruments, so that's OK. It's not a long spell--there's a lot of steps, but they should go quickly."
"The demons will try to distract you," Ann warned her.
"We ran through the spell four times. Wesley and Cordelia can run the first thing and those other things. The way we have it planned out, you take us there, we get some dust from the mountain, Wesley gets the numbers, and we start. That's as far as we got, planning."
"It doesn't sound like much of a plan," Filis said.
"It's realistic," Angel said. "Nothing about a fight ever goes the way you planned anyway. We keep the witches alive and hope their spell works and just in case it doesn't, we'll be killing the demons' openers. Frankly, I can think of anything else to do."
"Give me the list," Ann said, and moved over to the table where Willow sat, reading the book again.
"Nice amulet," Filis said.
"Yeah," Ivo agreed.
"It's OK," Angel said.
Filis eyed him strangely. "In this world, the chain alone would cost you about $20,000. That's ignoring the magic value."
"The work isn't that good," Ivo said. "It's deteriorating already."
Filis turned the same exasperated look on her brother. "Look again, and think. An artifact like that is going to attract magicians like nothing else in this city. Pretty soon, Angel wouldn't have time for anything but them. So she has also put a masking spell on it--one that decays at just the same rate as the protections; so that both charges wear off at the same time--leaving just a pretty pendant on a platinum chain, which is perfectly safe for him to have. If that's not good work, she's
extremely lucky, far too lucky to be under constraints the way she is. Apparently, she thinks you can deal with mortal thieves," she told Angel.
"I probably can," Angel said, with a quiet, humorless, smile.
"So why can we see it, smarty pants?" Ivo asked.
"We saw her make it," Filis snapped. "And I don't think we're going to remember it, once we leave here."
Ingredients started appearing on the table in front of Ann who handed each one to Willow and checked it off. Willow measured, mixed where mixing was required and packaged everything in order of use, then checked everything. Satisfied, she nodded.
"Take off your shoes," Ann told her. "Tara, you too; and whoever's running the GPS. Angel, we're about ready."
"Get what you need. The girls and their gear in the center. Wesley and Cordelia and their equipment near them. Ann, Ivo, Filis and me around the outside." He glanced over at Ann, then looked again.
Ann was dressed all in deep black and shades of red--a black knee length tunic with slits up the sides, over loose red pants, with a black and red fringed and tasseled sash. She wore no shoes on her feet and her black hair, braided with red cords, was long and wild down her back. A bright double edged sword, reaching
to her waist from the floor, was in her right hand. "I can handle a tighter grouping more easily," she said.
"Uh," Ivo said.
"Yes?"
"I think they've started. Our gate is echoing, or something."
"Step closer together," Angel said, then: "Ann, move us."
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