<see
Part 1 for disclaimers>
Red Moon Series, Book 10
Frau Hunter Ash
Summary: Xena is missing in a cave-in near Bacchus’ lair. Has she
been taken by the vampire-like deity?
How do the Scooby Gang get the Warrior Princess back and rescue
Rating: PG-13/FRT – Violence
Part 6
# # #
Both
warriors started back when they saw Xena go under. A
moment later Xena’s head appeared among the mass of bacchae dark clothing and bodies.
She threw the chakram and Gabrielle screamed as it
bounced around the cave interior, hitting the support pillar several times.
Buffy
grabbed Gabrielle, pulling her back as a rumble began building and dust filling
the chamber.
“Xena!” Gabrielle screamed as Xena fought out from under the bacchae, just as the roof caved in.
# # #
“She’s not dead! I’d know it!” Gabrielle snapped as Buffy approached where the bard was throwing rocks aside in a desperate attempt to reach the spot where they had last seen the Warrior Princess and bacchae.
“I believe you,” Buffy said softly, bending down to start moving rocks as well. “Giles and Xander are on their way with shovels. I found some wooden beams in one of the tunnels we could use as support beams to keep the roof from caving in again. Left over from when the Initiative was using these caves, I guess.”
Gabrielle looked down at her bloody hands and sat down on the tunnel floor. “This will take too long. There has to be another way back into where Bacchus is. He wouldn’t leave himself just one exit.”
“Would make sense,” Buffy said looking over the massive amount of rocks and earth blocking the tunnel they had just come from and frowned. “Do bacchae breathe?”
Gabrielle looked up with a confused expression. “What? Yes, even Bacchus breathes, why?”
“The government group that used these tunnels did a lot of improving and stuff,” Buffy said, still frowning. “High tech stuff, computers, labs, and stuff.”
Gabrielle stood up, her eyes shining. “And they wouldn’t trust stale cavern air to keep their computers and toys running. Air shafts.”
“And access tunnels to run the wires and stuff,” Buffy said with a nod. “There were some steel panels showing in that cave where Bacchus was, that means it was either used or about to be used by the Initiative.”
“And air shafts have to lead to the surface,” Gabrielle added. “There should be entrances in the rocks.”
“Let’s go,” Buffy urged. “If Xena made it, Bacchus probably has her. We sneak in and get Tara and Xena back.”
# # #
Xena shook her head with a moan. She could feel the familiar feel of chains around her wrist, especially since she was hanging in them by her wrists. The warrior got her feet under her and sighed. She hated being chained and really, really hated being blindfolded.
“Why the blindfold?” Xena demanded. “I know your ugly face, Bacchus.”
A deep resonant bass laughter greeting her insult. “Yes, but I’ve learned not take chances with you, Xena. Now that I have a pet sorcerer, a dark warrior and all these girls, I think I’ll stick around this realm for awhile.”
“I like your style, Lord Bacchus,” a male voice was added to the mix and Xena figured that must be the sorcerer, the one they called Rack.
“When the hell do I get to kick Buffy’s ass?” a female voice
demanded.
The Dark Slayer, Faith, Xena reasoned.
“Tonight,” Bacchus said easily. “I’ve her lover and the Slayer can’t be turned into a bacchae. She’s yours to kill as you wish. Just make it slow. Her lover will lead the other witch to us once she returns, the one Rack has told me about.”
“Yeah, Strawberry,” Rack said softly. “What about tall and deadly over there?”
“Xena?” Bacchus asked with a laugh. “She’s the ultimate bait for my wayward daughter. Gabrielle will come quickly and I’ll have them both. Until then, my bacchae can weaken her.”
Xena felt her heart skip a beat. If she could get loose…. They might not be able to kill Bacchus but a lot of the gods hadn’t realized she and Gabrielle had gained the power to hurt them again. A gifting from Xena’s goddess mother Hecate during one of their adventures. Being bitten by bacchae wasn’t Xena’s idea of a good time. Only Gabrielle got that privilege.
The warrior’s breath quickened when hands seemed to come out of nowhere, pushing her back against the wall, bodies moving in close.
“Damn you, Bacchus! I’ll rip out your intestines out and hang you with them!” Xena yelled and headbutted someone betting too close. Well placed kicks moved three more back but they were quickly replaced.
“You’ve been hanging around Viking gods too long, you think like them,” Bacchus mock scolded Xena. “Such a vivid imagination for torture and death.”
“I can’t wait to try a Red Eagle on you!” she shouted as fangs pierced her neck.
Rack shook his head in amusement as Bacchus laughed.
Faith sighed and twirled a stake in her hand. “I’m bored, I’m going to go find B and kick some ass.”
“Don’t get caught or dead,” Rack said absently.
“You wish,” Faith muttered.
# # #
Buffy and Gabrielle were searching for access shafts to the tunnels when Giles and the others found them, emerging from the woods armed for a fight.
“You guys look prepared,” Buffy commented, noting the short Russian sword in Giles’ belt and battle axe in Xander’s hands.
“We don’t have time to risk letting Bacchus reach Halloween with those girls,” Giles said firmly. “We need to end this.”
“Problem is we don’t know how to drive Bacchus off,” Gabrielle said with a sigh. “And he has Xena and Tara. We can’t kill him, only a bacchae can do that and he’s not about to let us repeat turning into a bacchae and then turning on him.”
“We’re looking for access shafts to the room Bacchus is holed up in,” Buffy explained.
Giles nodded and held out his hand to Dawn. The young teenager took her father’s hand and closed her eyes. The Watcher-mage’s head dropped back slightly and Buffy’s eyes widened at a sudden warm breeze that rose out of nowhere, whipping around Giles and Dawn.
“Hey, look!” Xander called out, pointing towards the cliff rocks.
Three different grates began glowing, revealing themselves to the group. Originally built to be overlooked, now they were as bright as day.
Dawn grinned and released Giles’ hand as the Watcher opened his eyes, the wind dying down.
“Wow, you never said you could do that,” Buffy said softly.
“She’s my DNA with only slight variations, I can channel energy through her very easily,” Giles explained. “Now, let’s find a way to stop these bastards.”
# # #
The Scooby gang split up into three teams, one with Buffy and Anya, another with Gabrielle and Xander, the third of Giles and Dawn. They pried the grates off the entrances to the access shafts and glanced at each other.
Buffy gripped her sword and walked over to Xander and Anya
hugging them close for a moment and turning to Dawn and Giles. She hugged Dawn
and then held Giles tightly. “Don’t let
Giles hesitated and then nodded. If it came to it….he had a dryad bone in his arm bracer.
Buffy nodded to Gabrielle and the teams entered the shafts, having to crawl forward on elbows with their weapons across their forearms at times, most of the way was bent over in a painful stoop.
Each group reached grates at the bottom of carved tunnel walls at almost the same time. Giles used a touch of magic to burn the bolts away from the grate, Buffy kicked the grate open and Xander pulled out a small multi-purpose tool and unscrewed the bolts, each group emerging in separate tunnels near the entrance where Bacchus and the others were.
Buffy turned to help Anya out of the access shaft and froze when a familiar voice sounded out in the confined space.
“Well, I was wondering when you were gonna show, B,” Faith said with a grin. “The big guy has had your girlfriend for days now. Expected better out of you, B.”
Buffy turned without responding verbally, slashing with her sword where the voice had come from. She wasn’t very surprised when Faith blocked her slash with a metal pole, maybe a reinforcement bar from the collapsing construction around them. Faith countered with a swing at Buffy’s head, Faith swinging the pole over her own head with both hands.
Buffy jumped back as Anya fell back into the access shaft with a shout of frustration. She blocked a blow from Faith and countered with a slash towards Faith’s stomach.
“Whoa! Getting vicious there, B!” Faith laughed as she jumped back, hitting Buffy across the left bicep with the iron bar. “Someone might think you were actually ready to kill me.”
“I’ll live with it when I do,” Buffy said firmly as Anya crawled out into the hall. “Anya, find the others. I’ll deal with psycho bitch here.”
“Oh, my feelings are so hurt,” Faith smirked, ignoring Anya as the ex-demon worked her way around the two fighting Slayers.
Buffy and Faith exchanged parries for a few moments, matching move for move until the blonde Slayer sensed movement above and behind her and then heard a screech as she swung, her sword slashing.
Two bacchae lunged at the Slayer while a third dropped from the ceiling. Buffy sliced the one falling towards her in half, causing the bacchae to scream and explode into a wisp of black dust, like charcoal. Buffy felt the iron rod Faith was wielding connect with her back and spun, slicing at Faith’s head, forcing the rogue Slayer to jump back.
Buffy continued the spin, aiming the sword at the neck of the closest bacchae. The infected girls could be killed by fatal blows with sword, stake, or other means until they drank the blood of Bacchus, then it would take a dryad bone to kill them.
The sword stopped suddenly, just nicking the neck of a
snarling bacchae.
”
Buffy fell almost into Bacchae Tara’s arms after Faith’s bar connected with the blonde Slayer’s head, stunning her and causing Buffy to drop her sword. She felt hands grabbing and turning her over, still seeing stars.
“Maybe the Council was right, B,” Faith’s voice drifted through the darkness. “Emotions and relationships can get you killed in a fight. Bring her into the main room.”
# # #
Giles moved quietly through a dark tunnel that was partially filled with rocks, cement and wires hanging from the ceiling. He could hear music from ahead of them and see flickering light dancing on the walls. He and Dawn moved like a well oiled team. Having lived in a demon controlled world, the father and daughter had learned how to fight together and think as a unit.
Giles flattened himself against one side of the tunnel and Dawn on the other as they approached the main room. Glancing inside the main room, Giles had to draw back and take a deep breath and calm himself.
Dawn’s eyes narrowed as two bacchae dragged Buffy over to the feet of a chained Xena. The Warrior Princess raised her head and tugged on her chains. Buffy was obviously unconscious, with blood flowing from her nose.
Giles felt his pager vibrate and raised his sword, catching Dawn’s attention. He nodded, letting her know that Gabrielle and Xander were ready at another entrance. He could only hope that Anya hadn’t been captured or killed.
Giles looked back into the main room, knowing the others were waiting for him to start things. He was surprised Gabrielle had given over control of the situation to him after her centuries of experience but she admitted she worked more as a team, not teams.
In another tunnel Gabrielle waited impatiently as Xander gripped his weapon tightly.
Anya crouched behind some wine barrels, wondering how the hell she was supposed to help, considering she was just a former demon, not really a fighter. Buffy was unconscious and the Warrior Whatever was chained to the wall and no one else was there…. Anya wished Xander was with her. Thank the dark powers that Faith seemed to have forgotten that Anya was running around lose.
Xena looked down at the bleeding Slayer and around at the bacchae dancing around the fountain in the center of the room. Bacchus had opened the veins in one wrist and was letting the blood flow into the fountain to join with the blood he had been contributing to it over the many nights he had been in Sunnydale. Xena knew, one drop could transform a bacchae permanently. A full slip and they would be bacchae forever, the girls they had been lost.
The warrior’s eyes narrowed slightly, spotting the tip of a dryad bone inside Buffy’s coat.
Giles gripped his sword and nodded at Dawn, both moving into
the room with a battle yell, starting through the startled bacchae towards Bacchus, Faith and Rack. “Find
Rack threw a bacchae away from his neck, trying to get her off of his body so he could get his trousers up and fight back as Giles spotted him.
Gabrielle jumped into the main room, chakram
in hand. “Xena!” she shouted, sending the chakram flying. Almost before it left her hands, the
warrior bard was pulling out her
Xander jumped when he leapt into the room and Anya jumped up
from behind the wine barrels at the same time. Together they began hitting bacchae, trying not to kill the
infected girls but stun them, trying to find
Faith laughed and flipped over two bacchae fighting with Dawn and laid her steel bar across Giles’ back. “Hey, G! Glad you could join the party! Rack’s been missing that tight ass of yours!”
Giles shook his head, rising to his hands and knees, still
gripping the sword.
”Hey, hotshot!”
Faith turned, the bar raised above Giles’ head. Standing over Buffy was Xena, chakram in hand, her chains now cut, two links dangling from her manacles. “Wanna try someone who can really kick your ass?” Xena asked with a grin.
Both rogue Slayer and warrior somersaulted into the center of the room, onto the thick wall-like edge of the fountain, iron bar and chakram meeting in mid-air. Faith’s eyebrows rose when the iron bar was cut in half and then grinned, swinging a half of the bar in each hand.
Xena grinned and split her chakram in half, matching Faith’s blows, parry for blow, each testing the other.
Bacchus roared in frustration, as the room became a mass of battle.
# # #
Xander, Dawn and Anya were finding it difficult to merely
stun the bacchae, especially
the ones that had dashed over to the fountain and drank deeply from it. Those
they couldn’t stun or kill until Anya grabbed the dryad bone from Buffy’s coat.
Several bacchae and partial bacchae exploded into black smoke. Xander prayed none of
them were
#
Giles yelled and tried to get his feet under him as someone strong wrapped an arm around his throat, pulling him over and backwards. A knee went deep in his back and a fist crashed down across the bridge of his nose, causing his eyes to sting.
“Hello, pet,” Rack said, dropping Giles across his knee again before dropping the Watcher to his hands and knees on the floor. The sorcerer kicked Giles in the ribs, raising the Englishman up off the floor by two feet before he dropped over onto his back, moaning. “I’ve been wanting you back for a long time. You practically sparkle with magic energy now. I want it and hearing you scream will just be icing on the cake.”
#
Dawn yelled as two bacchae grabbed her hair, trying to get her sword from her. The young fighter swung, trying to reach the bacchae as they flew back and then in to attack her, trying to claw her face and reach her neck.
#
Anya and Xander stood back to back, barely holding several bacchae on each side away from them. “So not good!” Xander yelled.
“At least they just want to sex you up with fangs,” Anya complained. “They want to make me one of them. I do not look good in black, Xander!”
#
Buffy sat up slowly, wiping at her nose as the trickle of blood slowed to a stop. “Okay, I owe Faith for that one,” she mumbled, getting to her feet. She spotted Faith fighting with Xena; Xander, Dawn and Anya holding off a pack of bacchae; Gabrielle working her way towards Bacchus; and Giles…
“Giles!” Buffy shouted as Rack’s body began glowing with a sickly green light, surrounding him and Giles and the Watcher’s body jerked as energy was yanked from him.
Buffy hit several bacchae
that tried to grab for her as she worked her way towards Giles. Then she pulled
her punch, realizing the bacchae
grabbing her throat was
“
# # #
Bacchus backhanded Gabrielle across the room and into the
wall with a laugh. The warrior bard had gotten several good blows in with her
The Watcher was almost unconscious from being drained by Bacchus’ pet sorcerer, Rack and Xena was fighting to a stand-still with the rouge Slayer.
Bacchus’ favorite part was the blonde Slayer shaking her head and waking up, her eyes widening as she realized the bacchae at her shoulder was her lover, just as Tara’s fangs sank into her neck once more.
# # #
Giles felt Rack’s familiar touch and energy and felt a revulsion crawl over his skin. The months held by the sorcerer and then a year spent on the run from demons, trying to keep him, Dawn and others alive…. Giles felt something snap inside.
Gabrielle surprised Bacchus with a drop kick to his chin.
Bouncing up off her palms,
Buffy felt her energy fading quickly and brought a fist up,
hitting bacchae Tara across
the nose, breaking the bacchae’s hold on the Slayer.
Buffy coughed, falling forward on her hands. As
Xena and Faith had fought each other over nearly every inch of the large room. Each were bruised, scratched, cut and bloody and still standing but doubt was creeping into Faith’s eyes as Xena laughed and parried another thrust. Faith snarled and tried a desperation move and found herself frozen, a sharp half of Xena’s chakram under her chin. The dark Slayer waited.
Xena grabbed one of the iron bars from Faith and hit her across the temple with it, hard. The rouge Slayer dropped without a sound to the floor. Xena reformed her chakram and looked around and was instantly torn between helping Gabrielle in her fight with her ancient enemy, Bacchus and helping the Slayer. She could tell Buffy was weakened and starting to fade, her neck still bleeding.
Xena saw Gabrielle trip Bacchus and ram her sai through his throat but the Greek lesser god grabbed the bard by the throat, pulling the sai out with his other hand. Xena saw his grip tighten around her wife’s throat.
Buffy rammed a bacchae
into the wall but found herself fighting three more, one being
The Warrior Princess grabbed up a fallen dryad bone. “Buffy!”
The Slayer caught the dryad bone without looking, spinning
it in her hand as
Xena turned to help Gabrielle.
# # #