Faith folded her arms staring at the boy, �alright kid you heard the man so spill.� She noticed Wesley and Cordelia were staring at her for snapping at the child. �What we haven�t got all day. Did you want to go sit him down for milk and cookies? We got to end this thing,� she glared over at them her patience running thin irritated with the fact that she hadn�t gotten a chance to smash anything. Suddenly she heard a crash. Something had just been smashed at the back of the house. They had visitors that were attempting to use the back way to gain access to the boy�s room. It looked like she was going to get her wish after all. This caused the slayer�s whole demeanor to change, �looks like we got company.� A wide smile swept across her features as she rushed out of the room in the direction of the noise.
Everyone Please join the others in SHROUDED LEGENDS
Wes wasn�t sure what had just happened.Based on the spell he had transmitted telepathically to Willow, he believed at best the warlock would be temporarily incapacitated, during which time they could free Cordelia and perhaps magically bind the warlock, or if a binding spell didn�t work, Faith could kick his teeth in, which would likely give him pause.But something entirely unexpected had happened.The warlock vanished.
Wes first looked to Willow for answers, but her expression revealed that she was as befuddled by recent events as Wes.He turned his attention to the ever-fetching and marvelously-shaped brunette, �Cordelia, are you alright?�She certainly looked alright.In fact, she looked scrumptiously marvelous.
Reasonably assured that Cordy had not been ensorcelled, Wesley then crossed his arms over his chest and frowned at the boy, Taylor.Could he have been responsible for vanquishing the warlock?Taylor had been under the control of the warlock, or so they thought.Further, Wes was fairly certain that the boy himself, was a considerable threat, magically, and had collaborated with the warlock in the creation of the Sunnydale model and all the trouble in the real world Sunnydale.
�Taylor, I think you owe us an explanation.What just happened here and why?And what of our friends, the ones you shrunk and placed in your model upstairs?Those are real people with real lives and loved ones who are worried about them.It is neither fair nor just to trap them and play with them as if they were toys.�
Wes was getting pretty good with this remote mind meld thing.Will picked him up loud and clear like her head was in speaker phone mode, except only she could hear it.She understood his intentions perfectly.Wes had the recipes but Willow was in the kitchen with all the pots and pans.It was up to her to cook up the magic into a big omelet and then throw it with all her might at the warlock.
Her heart rate accelerated and the adrenalin started to pump through her veins, but she believed she could do it.Willow began to focus and felt the magic taking shape within her, which was aimed at the warlock like an arrow.As it built, the world around her became crisper somehow.She could tell that the real Cordelia was the one in the warlock�s arm lock, which upped the risk factor.Cordy was really scared, and if something went wrong, she could easily wind up dead.Willow�s heart rate skipped a beat and accelerated a little more.She knew a little how Buffy often felt � the weight of the world.
Unexpectedly, the boy Taylor, who was on the stairs, was talking in her head now too, which wasn�t good.She blocked him out, not knowing what he was up to.She�d have to deal with him at the same time as the warlock.And there was no time like the present.
Magical waves of energy blew Willow�s hair back as if a wind was getting through the closed windows of the suburban home.The warlock frowned, realizing his peril, but it was already too late for him.Willow confidently spoke the incantation that would undo him, �Bind aceasta vr�jitorului �i �i spusei lui pentru totdeauna din aceast� dimensiune, I comanda acest de tine!!�
Faith was reluctant to make a move. She didn�t want to do something that would result in injury to Cordelia. The two magically inclined individuals appeared to be cooking up some sorta plan. She wait to see if there was an opportunity for her to jump in and throw down. Searching the warlock for any vulnerability. The slayer caught notice of the child slipping down the stairs to sneak up on the man. She pretended not to notice, but in truth this may lead her to the moment she was waiting for. All she needed was for him to let his guard down and let the girl go and she�d take him down before he had a chance to wield any more of his crooked mojo.
The way the girl defiantly thrust her spiked heel into the warlock�s booted foot, and from the outraged, obstinate, and rebellious fire in her eyes, Wesley was certain the warlock�s captive was not a totem, but was none other than the real Cordelia Chase.He needed to think of something fast, to devise a plan right away to defuse this precarious situation.The warlock apparently felt threatened by Willow, or he wouldn�t have taken a hostage.But what now?The ball, so to speak, was squarely in Willow, Faith, and Wes� court.
Wes had all the training and knowledge from the Watcher�s Academy, but Willow had the magical talent and ability.They just needed to join forces against this formidable foe.Wes wracked his brain, trying to remember what he�d learned in Sorcery 101, which of course was no substitute for a lifetime of magical practice, which this warlock no doubt possessed, but under the circumstances would have to do.Wes sifted through the file cabinets of his mind for spells, counterspells, incantations, and anything else that might help.He found what he was looking for in a file labeled �hinderment spell�.It was a simple spell that would temporarily incapacitate, from a magical perspective, even the most powerful magician.But they wouldn�t have much time.Within seconds they would have to free Cordelia and then bind or banish the warlock, which would be more problematic.Still, Wes had a spell for that too � to bind him � although he wasn�t sure he remembered all the words and he wasn�t entirely sure it would work or for how long.Still, he opened up his mind to Willow and did his best to transmit the spells to her like he was talking on a cellphone.She glanced his way and all he could hope was that she had received the message in its entirety.
As if things couldn�t get worse, or more complicated, the boy � Taylor � appeared at the head of the stairs.He was padding on bare feet down the carpeted stairs, as silent as a mouse in back of the warlock.He had an index finger at his lips in that universal shushing gesture.Taylor was sneaking up on the warlock.But why?
Wesley gasped when the warlock placed the knife against Cordelia�s supple throat.The red of her blood was almost too much for Wesley, but there was nothing he could do.Or was there?He had to think, damn it! Clear his mind of the useless emotional response that was preventing him from thinking rationally.The girl, Cordelia, depended upon him and the others.Yes, it might be just a totem made from fog, but it might be the real Cordelia.Until proven otherwise, he had to assume the worst.
Wes took a deep breath, then felt something, like someone was knocking at the back door of his mind.He glanced towards Willow.It was she!Willow was talking to him in his head.A most curious sensation, but he recognized immediately the urgency of what she was saying.The warlock was inside his head too, and they must block him.He would know their every thought and be ready to counter whatever strategy they devised to thwart him.So Wesley focused.Willow was showing him what to do, how to construct the walls, which he went about doing with methodical determination, but also with a swiftness that took the warlock by surprise.Wesley could see the bewilderment blossom on his features.In a moment, the warlock was blocked from the minds of Willow, Wes, Faith, and Cordelia.The problem was, they still didn�t know which of the various Cordelia�s in the room was the real Cordelia.Then if they could extricate her from her predicament, if in fact the warlock held the real Cordelia, then what?
Wes tried to relay a psychic message to Willow, as long as the channels of communication appeared to be open, �Willow, it is up to you to somehow contain the warlock. However, I can perhaps provide a distraction.�Wesley then addressed the man in the top hat, �Let her go.Killing that girl will not advance your cause, in fact, it will damn you even further to hell.We only want our friends back, out of the model. They�re causing problems for you there, aren�t they?At this point, I imagine you�d be more than happy to send them somewhere else, because they are akin to a cancer afflicting in your model.They will not stop until they�ve destroyed what you�re doing.And they�re positioned right where you�re most vulnerable.�
Wes glanced towards Faith.She was picking herself up from the wreckage of some busted up furniture.With her slayer resilience, she�d be fine.Her pride would be hurt more than her physical self.So the warlock wanted to talk.His focus was on Willow, who he must see as the threat, or perhaps an opportunity.In either case, Wesley didn�t like it.They were going to need her abilities if they hoped to get out of this in one piece, and in their current stature and height.Wes really didn�t want to be relegated to the model.So he spoke in the hopes of giving Willow some time to regroup.
�We are associates of the people you trapped in the model of Sunnydale.We know your methods and your plan.We know you have created totems that when placed in the model come to life out of the fog as real manifestations.And we�re not the only ones who know.Sorcerers of immense power and abilities are on their way to Sunnydale to stop you, to put you in a bottle just as we have trapped some of your monstrous creations in Kymorian vases.�He lied about that, but hoped it might give the warlock pause.�Furthermore, we understand your relationship to the boy.We know how you�re using him.�Wesley was speculating about the boy, but when the warlock turned his penetrating gaze his way, he knew his speculation had hit the mark.The warlock needed the boy, and perhaps his relationship with Taylor was a vulnerability.
Faith had to assume her assumptions were right. He was trying to put the moves on Willow. She didn�t like the way he was looking at her. It was almost like he was trying to enthrall her. She hopped up to her feet. �Close enough slick. Red isn�t going to fall for any of your lines,� she took a defense stance between the warlock and the witch as if she could do something that mattered in this fight. The slayer then delivered a couple of defense blows to the man�s abdomen. It felt like she was slamming into a brick wall. She would have winced, but didn�t want to give him the satisfaction of hearing her cry out in pain. A wave of his hand sent her flying across the room into a table. She smashed a lamp landing in a pile of broken glass.
Wesley had taken the time to pick the lock on the front door. Personally, she would have just knocked the thing down and been done with it. He was trying to be stealthy. The odds were this thing already knew they were there. It knew basically everything that was going on in the town. Cordelia was tagging behind them and was unusually quiet. She figured the girl was still under the vampire�s thrall. There was a body lying near the door way with tooth marks on her neck. Faith nudged Wesley. There was nothing they could do about it now. She wondered through the house leading the way until she found the stair case. It looked like a good starting point. Something appeared at the top causing her to freeze on the first few steps. It was draped in a black cloak, the hood draped over it�s head. It stared at her with glowing red eyes. The only thing she was sure of was that it wasn�t a vampire.
The slayer was fearless or foolish. She didn�t hesitate to head forward again attempting to tackle the beast. It sent her flying backwards with a wave of it�s hand into her companions knocking them over like bowling pins. The group landed on the floor at the bottom of the passage way. Faith�s head was pounding. She sat up looking at the creature. �I think we found the warlock,� or maybe it was another totem. She wiped blood off of her cheek from the fall.
In response to Faith�s �Nice work�, Wesley added this cautionary note, �Let us not make the mistake of slipping into a false sense of congratulatory security.Recall what happened with Dracula.These are not the real werewolf or Frankenstein�s monster.They are considerably more durable and resilient than those fabled beasts.�In a corroborative gesture, the two downed monsters turned to fog and then drifted away on the breeze.�Mark my words, they will likely be back.And when the warlock and the boy realize we�re here to rescue our friends, I�m betting that they�ll send in reinforcements.So stay ready.�
The boy�s house was almost lost in the fog that blanketed the town.No lights could be seen in the house, and after the evaporation of the two monsters, the streets were silent.�Willow, your abilities are going to be key.We will attempt to get as far as we can without arousing the enemy, but at some point we will no doubt have to confront them.I can help you, I have some training in the mystical arts.But I am certainly not a warlock.When the time comes, you will have to take the lead.But you can use me as an anchor, if you will.�Wes glanced warily back at the house.�Alright, let us proceed.�
Cordelia had been silent and had stayed in the car during the encounter with the werewolf and Frankenstein�s monster.She was probably wishing they�d left her behind.But nowhere in Sunnydale was safe.At least here she was with a slayer and a powerful wiccan.
With stealth, they approached the front door.Once onto the front porch, Wes put an index finger to his lips in that universal signal to keep quiet, then he knelt down to examine the lock on the door.He extracted a small metal box from his jacket pocket and opened it.It contained several metal picks and small levers � an assemblage of lock picking tools.He selected one of them and inserted it into the lock to probe the tumblers.But as he did, the door opened on its own into a dark and silent foyer.
