The library computers are okay when one has no other options. Also, research is good. These are my thoughts for the day. In other news, this chapter is a bit longer than my usual shorter-at-around-1000-words-each chapters. Be of good cheer. Thus ends my randomness.
Fairy Tales, Chapter 6"Tara, no, please stay out of this," Willow implored. "I’d feel better if I knew you were safe."
Tara huffed resolutely into the phone. "And I would feel better if I knew you were safe, but you’re going to fight. And if it’s as bad as we think it is, you’re going to need me, and anyone I can get to go with me. Willow, please. Just let me help." She was set on going now - no amount of kobolds would keep her from being at Willow’s side. With Giles injured, the Scoobies were sure to need all the help they could get.
Practicality would eventually win out, Willow knew. They simply needed more than this tiny army to present more than a momentary inconvenience to the gathered clan. "…If you can get Amy to go along with you? Meet us on the corner of Alvarado and State Street, on the north side of the park. Have at least one strong defensive spell ready, okay?" she finally agreed. Amy was a quick thinker, and her spells were unusually fast and powerful. Even though Buffy didn’t trust her, she couldn’t deny that the girl would be an asset in a fight.
Tara agreed, and hurriedly explained the situation to Michael once she got off the phone. The boy offered to go along and help out, but the golden-haired witch shook her head. For one thing, his ribs were still not totally healed - but more importantly, if the host of the party was missing, people were sure to notice. Even in Sunnydale, there were some things that couldn’t possibly escape notice. After explaining things again to Amy, the taller witch immediately agreed to lend whatever aid she could in town, and before Tara could really register what she was getting herself into, she found herself seated next to Amy, headed towards the park and going over a few basic incantations.
They pulled up and parked next to the Summers’ Jeep Cherokee, seeing the Scoobies readying for battle a few yards away. Giles had his arm wrapped, but was gesturing to Buffy and Faith, likely something about the terrain and finding a way to turn that to their favor. Xander appeared restless and had his fists clenched around a battleaxe, looking to the south. Willow was the first to see Amy and Tara, and started off in their direction.
Tara reached out and squeezed Willow’s hand, glad to see that nothing had happened to her favorite redhead. Now that she was here, she was determined that nothing would. "Where are the kobolds?" the sorceress questioned immediately. She knew they didn’t have much time, and that the best way to use what time they had would be to prepare for the battle.
"They’re probably just south – Xander’s watching, and we picked up Angel to do the real scouting," Willow answered. "Once he reports back, we’re gonna go in. Giles says Buffy, Faith, and Angel are gonna be our front lines. Then Giles and Xander will be behind them, and we’ll be in the back working the mojo." She shifted and looked back to where Giles stood. "We, we tried to convince him to keep to the back with us, he’s not really in the best shape for this. And he has much better diction with the Latin." She led the newcomers to the main group as she spoke, arriving at the same time that Angel appeared over the gentle slope of hill in the park.
"Angel, what’s the status of the kobolds?" Giles asked, all business, trying not to be ruffled by the sight of the vampire that had done so much damage to all he held dear.
Angel frowned, and reached for a broadsword planted point-down in the soil. "They’re pushing this way. They haven’t really been stopping to tear things up like you’d expect a mob of that size to do – just heading north and squawking to each other, beating their shields with their spears. If they hold pace, they ought to be here in about five minutes or so."
The Watcher nodded. "Willow, shall we start the protection spell?" He looked to Amy and Tara. "I trust you’re familiar with the mechanics of warding?" It wasn’t really a question he expected an answer to, but the girls nodded anyway. The four magic-users quickly but carefully constructed their circle of protection, sure to make it large enough to encompass all eight of them. As far as they could tell, the spell went off without a hitch.
"Are you sure we can’t just talk to them?" Tara asked hopefully.
"Yeah," Faith said, "I’m sure they’ll come over the hill and see us with our weapons, and say ‘Wow, a few kids with pointy sticks. Maybe we really oughta think about this!’"
Xander raised an eyebrow. "Don’t suppose any of you speak kobold, anyway." He tightened his grip on the axe again, his knuckles white.
The first of the spears were visible over the top of the hill, and high-pitched yapping sounds could be heard under the more overt marching beat, growing steadily louder. Amy’s eyes widened – but not in fear so much as in revelation. "Wait a second! I know this!"
Willow wore a bewildered expression. "You know kobold? Why didn’t you say something before?"
The witch shook her head. "No, no, not kobold," Amy dismissed hurriedly. "There was a spell Michael and I were working on a while back to talk with animals. You remember it, Tara?" she urged.
Tara nodded her head, though she too looked baffled. "But I thought you never got it to work right?"
Amy nodded eagerly, which only contributed to the group’s confusion as the yapping grew steadily louder. "I think it was just a wrong ingredient! I’m pretty sure we can fix it in a few minutes if we all put our heads together."
"Well, start thinking!" Buffy urged. "Time’s ticking down here real fast."
After a rushed yet detailed run-through of how the spell had been set up, Giles suggested a substitution of jasmine in place of valerian, and Tara made a quick addition to the somatic portion that she thought may be of help. The kobolds, however, had now crested the rise to the south and were still headed towards the small group in the meadow in perfect rhythm with one another. Tara quickly dug through some supplies she and Amy had gathered from Michael’s collection, picking out a baggie of this and a vial of that from the bag they’d brought. All four of the magic-users worked quickly to prepare the spell, though from the look of things, there wouldn’t be enough time.
Xander stepped to the front of the group, setting the battleaxe down for a moment and waving his arms at the kobolds, who looked at him in utter confusion. "Whoa, whoa, little guys, just hold on a second here," he said, making the "time out" signal with his hands.
"Xander! What do you think you’re doing?" Buffy hissed, trying to tug him back behind her. He batted at Buffy’s hand, and though he wasn’t anywhere near strong enough to get out of her grasp if she really wanted to hold him, he had made his point, and the kobolds had actually stopped their march and now stood silently. Behind Xander and the others, soft but steady chanting filled the air, along with a strange burning scent of plant matter and spices.
"Where do you think you’re going?" Xander scolded the rat-dog creatures. "You just turn around and go back to your little caves, we’ll go back to our cheese and crackers, and we’ll just forget this whole thing ever happened." The kobolds simply watched the dark-haired young man, occasionally flicking a long, hairy ear.
"Hey, at least they aren’t coming towards us any more!" Faith cracked, though she didn’t let her guard down for a second. Xander Harris was always pulling stupid things like this in the middle of a fight. She was convinced that one day he would get himself maimed or killed. Or possibly maimed,
then killed.
And with that, the chanting rose in volume, and a red-orange haze enveloped the entire area. The humans coughed for a while, eyes watering. "Hey tall man! We can party now?" a small voice asked once the haze faded. The kobold who had spoken banged his spear loudly on his shield. This was met with a chorus of "Yeah! We want to party now! Where is noisemaker place with human music?" and myriad spears pounding shields, quickly developing the marching rhythm they had heard earlier.
Author's Note: I still love kobolds.