PART 1 PART 2 PART 3 PART 4 PART 3
"That was very unwise of you, Damus!"
The hit made Damus fly across the cave that was Zeishan’s nest. When the vampire had asked him to come to his lair, Damus had known that he would have to pay for the failure of the assassination attempt on the Slayer. Spitting his teeth, the priest replied:
"But, mighty Zeishan! I... how could I have known that Sidouf’s daughter would have had a vision?"
"I’m not talking about your lame plot to kill the Slayer, pathetic excrement! What I’m talking about is your lack of discipline, your inability to follow my orders!"
"But I did! I... I tried to take care of the Slayer as you ordered me... I"
"You’re an idiot, Damus! Sometimes I wonder how a light brain like yours has succeeded to reach such an important position in this town! I asked you to keep the Slayer away from us! I’ve never said you should kill her, moron!"
"But... but I thought!"
"Shut up, larva! And try to think for once! Do you prefer that we kill the Slayer so the emperor gets suspicious and reinforces his controls in the city... or should we keep our low profile and let her eliminate some unimportant demons or vampires? You see my point?"
Seeing the puzzled look on the man’s face, Zeishan grabbed him by the neck and threw him to the wall. Damus landed heavily on the ground but quickly stood up, knowing full well that laying on the ground too long would only bring him more hits. His face hurt from the cuts and the bruises he had received from the vampire but he managed to control his pain and listened to his master who continued his lecture.
"If the Slayer kills monsters, the citizens feel safer in this town. If the citizens feel safer, Nebuchadnezzar is happy. If the crowned dork is happy, he will lighten up his grip on the city. If he lightens his grip, it’s all bonus for us and for our project. Now, the sun has come back in your clouded head?"
"Yes, yes! I understand now!"
"So, what are you waiting for. Go back to the temple, keep an eye on the Slayer and make sure she won’t come to mess up with our plans."
Damus nodded before climbing the stairs as quickly as possible to join the safety of his temple.
Husa had left the house right after Faith had began her patrol. She had heard the conversation between Sidouf and the two women and she had to report it to the priest. She hadn’t had the time to do it sooner. She had indeed spent the rest of the afternoon with Rana.
Now, Sidouf and Nazra had just come back and the first thing the man had done was to order the Slayer to go on patrol.
Still carefully, she slowly made her way to the temple, the place she had always considered as her home.
Damus had bought her as a slave when she was just a kid, more than 20 years ago. Damus had needed a personal slave, a punching ball, someone to exert himself out of his rage. She had had countless of cuts, bruises, and broken bones during her years at Damus side but it was her role, it was what Baal wanted for her. Baal, the god who had given her a shelter in its temple. Now, she was Baal’s spy, a promotion in the ranks of the servitors of the God and she wasn’t going to disappoint him... especially with what she had learned tonight.
She finally reached the temple and quickly made her way towards Damus room. Once she arrived in front of him, she noticed that his nose was broken and that he had blood on his clothes. What could have happened to him?
"What? What are you looking at, worm?"
"No... nothing, master!"
"So? You learned something of interest?"
"Yes! Rana saw a hand in her vision. A hand pushing the vase! A hand with three rings on the fingers."
"And I suppose Sidouf made the link with the order of Baal."
"Unfortunately!"
"Rhaaa! Why do you make things so complicated, Baal? Need to think! Does the girl see whose hand it was?"
"No! I’m sure of it!"
"Good, so the emperor and his scribe won’t do anything against us. Too few proofs. Thanks Baal for it... and thanks Baal for you being here."
Husa’s eyes grew wide when she saw Damus take the whip she knew too well. Tears were menacing to fall but she didn’t let them... it was her duty, she had to help her master to relax... it was her purpose on Earth. So, she stared straight into his eyes while he was beginning to beat her up.
Faith was walking the streets near Sidouf’s house, finishing her patrol. She hadn’t patrolled the whole city, one night wouldn’t be enough for it and she didn’t know the city well enough for it. She and Sidouf had made a schedule though, a kind of program of patrol that would often change to avoid the routine.
Tonight had been a calm one. One vamp and two slow demons. Still, it was better than nothing and it had also given her some time to think. At first, she had thought about her situation here. Why was she now playing the Slayer in the Antique Babylon? How had she landed here? Still the same questions, still no answer. Then, her thoughts had changed to focus only on a certain blond girl and her relationship with her.
They were both stuck there for almost 48 hours and things seemed to go so quickly between the two of them. There had first been some tensions, sure. But the friendship they had before seemed to come back. Buffy had saved her and she had forgiven her, two big plus in the friendship possible with Buffy column. She just hoped that she wouldn’t screw things up this time. She wasn’t a fool. She knew that there were still a lot to do before they could really trust each other... but they were doing it, step by step and once again, Faith wished to not screw things up... well, she also wished that Sidouf got a lumbago for making her train like crazy but she sincerely doubted that she would be lucky enough for it to happen.
Buffy was getting ready for dinner. She had changed her toga for a new, darker one. The nights here were much colder than the days and she had read somewhere that dark colours were keeping the warm better than bright ones. It was maybe some divagation but hell, who knew?
She hadn’t seen Faith since the meeting with Sidouf. She knew that Faith would probably question her about the "I forgive you" thing and she was ready to confirm to her friend that she had indeed forgiven her for her past deeds. She didn’t know why it was so easy now to make things better with Faith. Was it the fact that they had only each other to try to get out of this place? Probably! But it was more than that! Deeper than that! Even when she had tried to convince herself that she hated Faith, Buffy had never been able to completely shut off the hope that one day, Faith would find the right path back, the hope than one day they would fight side by side again. And when she had seen Faith the day before, somehow, she had seen in her eyes that she had finally found this path and this secret hope of hers had won the internal struggle with her mind. Yes, she wanted to give Faith a second chance! Yes, she knew that the road to trust was still a long one but hell, she was sure that it was gonna be worth it.
"God, I’m so bored here!"
Buffy smirked and looked at Faith. The younger woman was laying on the grass of the garden next to her room. It had been two days since the assassination attempt and nothing seemed to change or to move forward. Sidouf spent his days at the Royal palace, no one had bothered the priests of Baal or even asked some basic questions about their deeds at the moment of the "vase incident" and the Slayers had still no idea about what they were supposed to do in Babylon. The blonde was sitting on a chair, not far from Faith who had just a break in her training schedule.
"No disco, no cool music, no TV... there is just the slaying that brings some fun here."
"Speak for yourself! I don’t even have this fun factor!"
"Yeah, but you don’t have Sergeant Slaughter Diet Program to follow either!"
"Agreed! Instead, I have to play Giles girl examining scrolls in Sidouf’s "library" during your diet sessions! Wanna switch?"
"Nope! I’m as found of research as you are!"
"If only I could find a clue about all of this! But nothing, nada! I don’t know if we are in an alternate universe or if we have really turned back time to Babylon! I don’t even know why we are here."
"Stop thinking about it, B! At least, there are some good points! The Chosen Two are back in the same team!"
"Yes! You’re right! Just for that, the trip was worth it!"
Buffy looked at Faith while saying it, knowing that a smile would appear on her face. Faith was a very insecure person under her though girl mask and she needed some reassurance from time to time. And each time Buffy had given it to Faith, the dark Slayer had showed a bright smile Buffy liked to see. And this time, it didn’t change. The smile was there, as shining as ever on Faith’s face.
"You know what! Drop the Giles girl outfit! Today, we’ll have fun!"
"Well, I don’t think Sidouf or Mansur would like it! Diet program, remember?"
"Don’t care, girlfriend! Do you?"
"Let me think! On the one hand, old scrolls, dust and hours of boring reading... on the other hand, a whole day having fun with a friend! Is there really a choice?"
"Nope! Besides, tweed doesn’t suit you, B!"
And they both moved towards the stairs giggling.
They spent the rest of the morning wandering in Babylon, discovering the city and its beauties. People were still looking at Faith but they were acting differently than the first day now. Since Faith’s arrival, the demonic activity had slowed down in Babylon and the citizens were grateful to the brunette for that. They had even received some food to eat while they were walking in the souk. They were just making a sightseeing tour like tourists, smiling, teasing each other, really enjoying being friends again for the first time since a long while.
They made a quick trip to the harbour, playing between the pillars, the ships, talking with the sailors, wondering about the other civilisations they knew were hiding behind the horizon. Then, in the middle of the afternoon, they made their way back towards the house, walked in front of the Royal Palace noticing that lots of people were entering a temple next to it. The temple of Baal!
"Now, I understand what Sid said about Baal still being popular! There are more people going in there than sailors in brothel after a long journey on the seas."
"Faith! Look!"
Turning her head to the direction Buffy was pointing to her, Faith saw a young woman join the believers. A young woman she knew.
"Husa?"
"Bruised face Husa but still Husa!"
"I thought she was ill!"
"Babylonian air does miracles!"
"You know what, B? I’ve just had an illumination! I believe in good ol’Baal now!"
"No kidding? That a coincidence because me too!"
"We definitely should meet the guy and pay him some respect!"
"Like listening to his words coming out of the priest’s mouth."
Spotting a bunch of people going to the temple, they quietly joined them in order to enter the place without being noticed.
The ceremony was held by the high priest Damus himself. The Slayers had positioned themselves on the right corner of the temple, not far from the exit, in a place where they could see but weren’t really visible, even from the priest. This place had also a direct view on a row of banks were Husa was sitting.
The ceremony had began for 20 minutes now and the Slayers were getting bored. Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea after all. Maybe Husa was just attending a common ceremony that had nothing to do with whatever plot the priests of Baal were into. Damus lecture was also pretty boring! He spoke about the highness of Baal and about how standard humans were just worms, unworthy of the god’s blessings over and over again and both Slayers wondered what benefit these men and women could see in such a cult.
Suddenly, the lecture change as Damus began to speak about a new beginning:
"Baal talked to me last night! He confirmed that the time of the Great Change is coming, said that the worthies would be chosen soon, that they and they only would accomplish the Great Ritual when the time would come! Baal will give me their names in a few days, I’m sure of it. In the meantime, be sure to serve him well!"
Damus had just finished his lecture and left the place. He entered a small opening next to a huge statue of Baal while the believers were leaving the place. The Slayers didn’t move, still looking to Husa who hadn’t moved yet. The young servant waited a few minutes before finally getting up and going to the exit. Hidden behind a pillar, the Slayers were about to move out too, when a voice stopped them and Husa.
"Worm!"
The two Slayers didn’t move and were looking at Damus walking towards Husa, ready to catch every word of the conversation to be. Damus looked around them, unable to see the Slayers from his position then, when the last of the believers exited, he said:
"Anything new?"
"No! Mansur was very upset this morning. The Slayer and Rana are out, in the city, without Sidouf’s permission and the master didn’t like it at all! As Mansur had to keep an eye on Nazra..."
"Not important, worm! What about their suspicions?"
"They have no real clue. Just a vision! They don’t even speak about it now."
"Good!" He turned around and walked towards the opening without even looking at Husa again. The young servant walked away, followed by the Slayers who exited the place carefully in order to avoid any unpleasant encounter.
Sidouf was furious. The Slayer had disobeyed his orders, she had left the house without explanation, without finishing her training session and Rana was with her. He didn’t even recognise his daughter anymore. She who was usually so gentle, she who never disobeyed. Now, since the Slayer’s arrival, she seemed completely transformed, she retorted to what he said, to what the emperor said and spent every possible minute of the day with Nazra. He was really beginning the think that the Slayer had a bad influence on his daughter. The noise of the front door opening brought him out of his thoughts. Angry, he walked towards it shouting.
"RANA, NAZRA!"
But the girl in front of him wasn’t one of them.
"Oh, sorry, Husa! I... I thought..." noticing the bruises, he then added: "Husa, but, what happened?"
"It’s nothing, just..."
"Some beatings done by a fellow Baal groupie?"
Sidouf and Husa jumped when they heard Faith’s voice. They hadn’t heard the Slayers coming in, Sidouf too concerned about the bruises, Husa too busy trying to cover them. Seeing the two girls back should have raised Sidouf’s anger but he was very intrigued by what Faith had just said.
"Nazra, what did you say?"
It was Buddy who answered: "We saw her "dad"! In the temple of Baal, talking to Damus. Thanks to her power F... Nazra heard what they said. She is spying on us, reporting our moves and words to him. It’s Damus who tried to kill Nazra two days ago."
"Is it true, Husa?"
The young servant was looking for a way out but it wasn’t possible. Sidouf was in front of her, blocking the stairs and the others were blocking the exit. She didn’t know what to reply either, she hadn’t thought about a story to say if she was discovered, she hadn’t wanted to even think about that. She remained thus silent.
"Your silence is a proof, Husa! You know that?"
"I... I know but I’ll be rewarded by the mighty Baal for my work."
"Pff! Mighty Baal. Telling his disciples they are shits and letting them beating girls like you, that’s surely really mighty stuff. You know what? You’re Baal is just a coward, a reject god with an inferiority complex who says that people are nothing cause it’s his only way to feel superior!"
"How dare you to insult the great Baal? You blasphemed!"
"And I’ll continue! What about your Baal has no balls?"
"Stop it or you’ll regret it when the wrath of Baal will strike you!"
"Booo! Jeez, you almost scared me to death! I’m the Slayer, Hu, looser gods like that won’t be a problem for me. I’ll show you how to kick some serious god’s ass. If he dares to come to me!"
"Oh he will and sooner that you thought, bitch! When the great Zeishan will..."
"Will what, Husa?" For the first time, Buffy intervened in the talk.
She had remained silent when she had understood what Faith wanted to do but now that Husa had discovered she had been played with, there was no more reason not to speak.
The young servant didn’t say a word and they all knew that she wouldn’t add anything. Sidouf then asked Mansur and another trusted servant to escort Husa to the palace to deliver her to the guards then, showed the way of the living room to the Slayers. Once inside the place, he said:
"This Zeishan, I’ve heard lots of rumours about him. He is the leader of the Babylonian vampires. Some think that he is as old as the city itself. Did you hear anything else?"
"Only something about a new beginnings and worthy people, nothing else except that whatever they are preparing, it will happen soon."
"Well, I have to check with..."
"The emperor, blahblahblah, we know the disk!"
"I follow the rules and avoid trouble, Nazra. Not like some girls I know!"
"Well, "daddy"! Look what we’ve found while we were not following rules!"
"I... We’ll discuss about that later!"
Sidouf looked at them one more time before exiting the room.
"This game for the Slayers, B"
"Yep, but beware to Sidouf II, the revenge. I don’t think he would spare us this time!"
"We’ve known worse!"
"Yes! By the way, nicely done, the whole badass Faith crushes Baal thing!"
Opening her arms matter of factly, Faith replied: "People have to use what they are good at! I’m good at pissing people off so..."
"All right, all right! Please, stop throwing flowers to yourself. Soon, you’ll be stuck under them."
"You’re just jealous!"
Buffy rolled her eyes, which made Faith smirked. Then, Buffy took one of the scrolls she had read previously and began to look at it.
"Er... B? What are you doing?"
"This Zeishan guy! I’m sure I’ve seen his name in one of these scrolls."
"Oh!"
Buffy raised her eyes and looked at her friend seriously.
"You say anything about books, scrolls, British or tweed and I kick you ass!"
Faith smirked again then also took a scroll.
"What are you doing?"
"Helping! If you don’t find anything quickly, I’ll be the one who would have to support you whining... just not in the mood."
"I don’t..." seeing Faith’s smile, Buffy didn’t finish her sentence and turned her attention back to her scroll.
Escorted by the two servants, Husa was in deep thoughts. She was completely oblivious of her surroundings. Granted, she knew where they were leading her but didn’t really care right now. No, she had failed Baal in revealing Zeishan’s name and it depressed her. She had always hoped that, one day, the mighty god would reward her devotion, that she would finally be more than a mere individual, a worm as Damus always called her. But this failure wouldn’t be unnoticed, on the contrary, this failure would probably ruin all her hopes.
She just hoped that Zeishan wouldn’t suffer from what she had said. She had seen the guy only once. He was handsome and noble. She had met him the day Damus had sent her to Sidouf. It was this day that she had been honoured to see the Higher Priest of Baal that existed as her master had introduced him. In her heart, he represented everything she desired to achieve, beauty, charisma, devotion and prestige... and now, she had failed him. No, she couldn’t let her mistake ruin everything, she had to do something to repair what she had done.
The two servants weren’t really soldiers, besides, they knew her as the sweet, shy servant of Rana. They hadn’t even checked if she had weapons on her. Slowly returning back to the present moment, she noticed that the night had come and that they were very close to the Palace now. They just had to go through a dark alley to join the place around it. It was now or never for Husa.
Once they had done a few steps inside the alley, Husa took the small knife that she hid in her sleeve and quickly attacked Mansur who she knew was the most dangerous of the two men. Surprised by the move, Mansur didn’t react and wouldn’t anymore. The knife cut his throat open as Husa had wanted to. Terrified by the sight of his ally falling on the ground, lifeless, the second servants stayed frozen from the shock and didn’t react either when Husa repeated her performance on his own throat. Sweating both from the physical action she had done and the anxiety that was hers, Husa didn’t let fear take possession of her. The two servants were laying in the alley and sooner or later, someone would find them. She had to go to the temple and warn the priests. It was her duty as follower of Baal.
"Faith! I got him!"
The brunette happily let her scroll fall on the floor and nodded to Buffy.
"Zeishan. One of the oldest vampire in action. According to the legend, he was a disciple of Baal himself, a powerful mage with lots of occult lore. A vampire that led a cult that honoured Tiamat, the evil dragon, sired him. Great charisma, blablabla, nothing else."
"So, big bad vampire with kick ass powers who is organising something big for the following days... is it me or is there a kind of déjà vu in this?"
"New baddies, new Slayers but always the same goals."
"Only now, we don’t have to battle the present baddies but their grannies and pappies as well!"
"Do you think that’s the reason we’re here? To stop Zeishan and his apocalypse team?"
"Don’t know but someone has to stop them and as they are vampires and I’m the Slayer... Well, seems like I have to stop them."
"We have to stop them!"
"B! You’re not a Slayer here!"
"But I’m still a Slayer in my heart, in my head, Faith! I feel like a Slayer! I have to do something to help!"
"OK,OK so, what now?"
"Two options! Staying here waiting for Sidouf or going out and pay a visit to the priests of Baal."
"You know me, B. Never been the one who waits."
"Let’s go then!"
"Yeah, but stay behind me, OK?"
Buffy sighed but nodded as Faith and her moved towards the exit.
Husa was now inside the temple, in the room where Damus prepared his material for the rituals. She had just seen two priests enter the room and had wanted to join them, to ask them where Damus was. But, once she had reached the room, they weren’t there anymore. The room was empty and it was strange, as the entrance she had taken was the only exit! Or, at least, the only visible exit! That should be the solution! She began to scan the walls and soon found the stone that opened the passage. Carefully, she began to descend the stairs and stopped when she reached the final one.
In front of her, illuminated by the light of the torches, she could see the priests of Baal and other people, stocking material in chariots. She could hear conversations from her observation point, learned that Damus was currently out, gathering the Baal’s chosen... she wasn’t one of them thus but, it didn’t mean that she had top forget her mission. She had to warn them. She was about to make her presence known when, suddenly, one of the priests let a huge vase fall on the right foot of another person. That person’s face was automatically transformed to a face that had nothing human. It was a monster. The priests of Baal were allies with monsters. While the vase was rolling on the dust, the vampire, furious, grabbed the priest and twisted his head before throwing him away, next to the vase. Then, he ordered some servants to take the vase away carefully as it appeared that it was very important for the ceremony.
Panic took possession on her now and, quickly, she climbed the stairs back to the temple. She had to run out of this place, run far away from these monsters but, as she reached the room, she felt something, no someone, grab her hair. Then, without having the time to think, she was thrown to the wall and fell on the floor. She raised her head, scared as hell to meet Zeishan’s eyes.
"Well, well! Curiosity killed the cat... guess who the cat is?"
"No, don’t hurt me, please!"
Putting his vamp face, he approached the terrified girl.
"And why shouldn’t I hurt you? You’ve discovered too much for your own good!"
Struggling with words, trying to save her life, Husa babbled:
"The Slayer, Sidouf... They know about the Great Ceremony, they know your name... they... they were at the meeting this afternoon, they will soon be here and..."
"They’ll be too late but, thanks for the info! It’s another proof of Damus incompetence. As soon as the Ceremony will be over, he’ll regret it."
"Does... Can I leave? Please, I don’t want to die!"
"Well, no! See, I want to see the sunrise sometimes but can’t... sorry, pretty face, people don’t get what they want every time."
The Master Vampire took the girl by the shoulders and dig his fangs in her neck, savouring the girl’s blood.
Sidouf finally reached the doors of the emperor personal quarters. A few minutes before, he had discovered the bodies of his servants in the alley. Husa was gone and she would probably warn Damus now. She had to see Nebuchadnezzar. He was the only one who could order the soldiers to arrest the priests of Baal. Inside of him, Sidouf knew that they had to be quick... something huge was coming and it wasn’t a happy something. They had to prevent or stop it. Nervously, Sidouf waited for the soldier he had just talked about to come back to lead him to the emperor... he just hoped that he would be back quickly.
The nest was now completely empty. The last chariot had just left the cave through a tunnel that surfaced outside the city. Zeishan had left the place in this chariot after having ordered three of his minions to clean the temple and the cave. He didn’t want his enemies to find any clue that could lead them to him. One of them had gone to the temple to do a rapid check while the two remaining vampires were scanning the cave just in case.
"It’s stupid! The chariots have brought any evidence away from here. There is nothing left in this nest except this fool."
Looking at the direction indicated by his partner, the second vampire saw the body of the man who had unwillingly let fall the vase a little less than an hour before. Smiling, he then noticed something on the ground, next to the body.
"Hey, what’s this?"
He pointed his finger to what he had seen in order for the other vampire to spot it too. It looked like traces on the sand. They began walking towards these traces when they heard something falling from the stairs that led to the temple. They quickly looked into that direction just in time to see someone hitting the ground at the end of the stairs before vanishing into dust.
They had just had the time to recognize the vampire that had left them to check the temple before hearing someone descend the stairs. Stunned by what had just happened, they stayed at the same place, ready to fight whoever was coming. After a few seconds, a young woman with dark hair appeared in front of them. The Slayer. Scanning the place, the brunette said:
"Nice place! I’ve seen worse, you know."
"Slayer!"
"OK, that remark... not very original!
"How did you..."
"...find the secret entry? Thanks to Mister Dust Now! We were in the room when he came so... By the way, I came to meet a fucking celebrity, some nasty guy named Zeishan! You know where I could find him?"
The two vampires didn’t reply, instead, they charged her, vamp faced. Faith was expecting the move. These vampires were lackeys and lackeys usually charged without double thinking. She dodged the fist of the first one and pushed him away while squatting down. She kicked then the second vampire in the legs, a move that made him fall backwards before standing up again just in time to block a second attack from her other opponent. She then rotated enough to throw him on her partner who was standing up and didn’t see him coming.
Both bloodsuckers fell on the ground. At that moment, Faith took one stake in each hand and jumped on them, dusting them in the move. She then stood up and suddenly heard someone clapping in her hands. She slowly turned around and saluted Buffy, who was coming, as a comedian would salute his public at the end of his representation.
"Precision, rapidity and strength! Sidouf would be proud."
"Well, they weren’t that tough!"
"Seems like the bad boys have taken the French leave!"
Noticing the puzzled look she was receiving from faith, Buffy asked: "What?"
"You know, you’re beginning to get creepy! Talking like a damn British tweed guy. Listen to you, you sounds like a fucking watcher with your ‘Precision, rapidity and strength’ or your ‘French leave’"
"Now that you speak about it... looks like Rana is very fond of research. Oh God, I’m turning into her... I’m turning into Giles!"
Faith couldn’t prevent a laugh from escaping her lips when she noticed the horrified look Buffy was giving her. She was expecting a slap in the arm or a retort but didn’t receive any. Instead, she saw Buffy looking at something to her right. She turned her head and spotted the body of a man. They slowly approached it and stopped just in time to avoid the traces in the sand. They both knelt next to them. There were five different symbols printed in the sand, surrounded by lines.
"Look at this, B! Something heavy had rolled from the place I dusted the vamps to here."
"Yes, a vase I guess, I don’t see any other circular thingies with symbols on them. We’re lucky they hadn’t had the time to erase them."
"And with your new super Giles power, can you translate them?" Faith asked smiling.
"Actually, I think so, oh uneducated one..." she stopped then continued. "I didn’t say that, right?"
"Yes, you said uneducated!"
"OK, I’ll copy the symbols, we go back to the house so I can translate them, then we kicked Zeishan’s ass and find a way home before I sing the "God save the Queen. Deal?"
Faith smirked and nodded, too busy trying not to laugh. She let Buffy carefully drawing the symbols on a scroll to check the rest of the nest but found nothing. So, when the blonde had finished her task, they moved to the stairs. They were on their way to reach Damus’ room when they heard voices coming into their direction. They quickly made their way back to the cave and, while Buffy hid herself in a corner, Faith waited next to the door, ready to strike the first person that passed the entry. They waited a few minutes before seeing one of Nebuchadnezzar’s guard appearing, quickly followed by other guards and Sidouf.
"Better late than never. Hi Sid! How are you doing?"
The watcher didn’t seem very happy to see Faith here and seeing his daughter in the place didn’t make things better. Loosing his temper, he shouted at the girls who had, one again, disobeyed his orders.
"Nazra! Rana! I told you to wait in the house!"
"Got bored so we went to check the place!"
"That was not my orders!"
"Daddy"
"There is no daddy that matters! You disobeyed and..."
"Excuse me, your excellence!"
"What?" said Sidouf turning his attention to the guard who had just spoken.
"There is no one in this place, just a body, there!"
The watcher and the Slayers looked at the body by reflex. The guards were surrounding the poor guy, erasing the traces at the same time.
"Fuck! Could these guys be any dumber?"
"Nazra, shut up! Captain, keep a few men here and go back to the emperor! Tell him, I’ll make my report as..."
"SCREW THIS!"
Everyone, Sidouf, the guards and Buffy looked at Faith stunned by what she had just said and by the tone she had used. She pointed her finger to Sidouf and continued.
"YOU! You’re a fucking watcher so, do your job! I’m fed up with your orders and your politics, fed up that you have to report to your damn emperor about every fucking shit! I say screw him! So, you’re gonna follow me and B and help her translate the symbols."
"Err... Nazra... B, symbols and... who gave you the right to..."
"Shut the fuck up! It’s your daughter I’m calling B. I call her B if I want to call her B, she doesn’t matter! The symbols were in the sand but your boys erased them when the came in. Fortunately, B copied them before. So, you’re gonna help her find a translation and right now. No report or anything to the lazy bastard. Understood?"
Sidouf nodded but the captain didn’t seem pleased by Faith’s words.
"Slayer, I..."
"Did I tell you to speak? No! So, no word or you’ll regret it! Go back to the palace, get ready in case we call you! "
"But you insulted..."
"Yes and what? Who fights the vampires and the demons? His royal ass or me?"
"Er... you!"
"Damn right! So, who is the more capable to track them a prevent a bloody ritual that could bring an apocalypse? His royal asshole or me?"
"Er... you!"
"Do you want an apocalypse?"
"NO!"
"So, who are you going to follow?"
The guard put his head down then ordered his men to go back to the palace. Faith smiled then looked at Sidouf and said:
"So? What are you waiting for? Scrolls are waiting for us!"
Completely taken aback by the events, Sidouf nodded and moved to the stairs. The Slayers followed him and while climbing the stairs, Buffy said to Faith.
"That was impressive!"
"Came naturally! Looks like this Nazra chick knows how to lead troops!"
They exited the temple and went straight to the house for a long night of research.
Suite PART 4
