* * * * *
Willow stepped off the bus and looked around. The city was spread out before her in a maze of streets, buildings and people. She had no idea where to even start looking; it?s like trying to find a slayer in a stake pile. Heh? inappropriate humour. Good one, Willow.
Willow really had no idea where Buffy had been or if she had even made it to San Francisco. The last she and the gang had heard, Buffy was staying at Angel?s hotel in LA for the night, before catching the bus to San Francisco. That was two weeks ago. As far as Willow was concerned, it was about thirteen days too long with out any word from the Slayer. So here she was. To find Buffy, find the book and take them both home.
Even though she knew the book that Giles had told them about was important, Willow was still annoyed that Buffy felt in necessary to come on her own.
Every time she does this things just start to fall apart. Goddess, Buffy! What a time to get itchy feet.
Sick of standing around looking aimless, Willow picked up her bag and walked towards the nearest row of taxis. She was thankful yet again for the bank account that they had set up not long after Giles left to go back to England, jokingly called the Slayage fund, to help out if times like this ever arose. What with money from Anya and the Magic Box, Xander?s increasingly well paid construction work, Willow?s own small but lucrative computer programming and Buffy?s self defence classes, the fund had grown into quite a large amount of capital. However, Willow?s lack of cash flow problems was the last thing on her mind as the taxi pulled up outside the small Wicca-owned hotel in the centre of town where she had decided to base her operations.
?That?ll be $20 mam?.?
?Huh? Oh yeah, of course, here you go. Sorry.? Jolted from her musings by the taxi driver?s gruff voice, Willow fumbled for the door handle after paying.
?Have a nice day.?
?Thanks.? Willow had the impression that he didn?t care whether she had a nice day or not.
Looking round at the street Willow found herself on she noticed that, right above her there was a sign that read, ?Wicca and Broom. Bed and Breakfast. Cilia Swan proprietor.? Nice name. Subtle much? Willow walked up to the front door and gently pushed it open with her free hand.
The interior was dimly lit, but not in a threatening way. Even though it was dark and slightly smoky, Willow didn?t feel any danger here. She felt comforted by it, secure. Her sense of ease was enhanced by the soft smell of sandalwood that hung in the air. There was also a sense of power about the place. Again, it wasn?t threatening, just obvious. Willow paused for a moment and concentrated on the source and flow of the spell that she could feel all around her. As tangible as water, Willow noted the skill involved in the creation of such a complex spell, as well as its purpose. Coming back into herself she was pleased to find that she was able to locate and identify the type of spell used. A simple warning spell, like one of those buzzers in a shop. Only silent? oh, and witchy.
?I?m glad you find my establishment worthy of an inspection. You must be Willow. Its nice to finally meet.?
Willow spun around to face the source of the voice, and found herself staring. The fellow witch was nothing like what she had been expecting from the few e-mail and on-line conversations that they?d had. Cilia was a short woman in her early thirties with bright red spiky hair. Her flowing floral skirt and peasant top finished off the almost stereotypical look. The woman gently pushed her metal-rimmed glasses back up her nose, looking at Willow the entire time. And it was her eyes that really caught Willow?s attention. They were the most vividly blue eyes that she had ever seen. They held a wisdom and gentleness about them that was at odds with the witch?s outward appearance. There is more to this lady than meets the eye. I wonder what her story is?
Breaking away from the eye contact, Willow finally opened her mouth and was horrified to hear babble emerge.
?Willow? Yep, that?s me. And if I?m Willow that means that you?re Cilia, right? Nice place you have here. So do I need to check in, or just head up to your? uh, my room?? Willow was talking too much, she knew, but as far as she was concerned some nasty higher power was making her do it. Taking a deep breath, she suppressed her natural desire to run and hide. Instead, she started again.
?Hehe, sorry, long bus trip. Let me try that again. Yes, I ?m Willow. You must be Cilia. I?ve been looking forward to meeting you.? Willow turned on te charm, just to make up for her prior embarrassment, of course.
She stepped forward to shake Cilia?s hand. As their palms touched, Willow felt a slight jolt. Looking down at her hand, she could almost feel the power surging beneath the skin of this petite woman. Wow. Powerful, much? This is going to be an interesting trip.
?So, where do I sign in and get my key?? Willow was desperately trying to get a little bit of her equilibrium back, but was finding it difficult.
?Just over here, Willow. I?ve given you a slightly larger room, seeing as you are going to be with us for a while. If you?re ever going to be out late, just ask, and I?ll let you know the entrance word to get through the portal. It?s rather like the barrier that stops vampires from entering the homes, only it works for all demons.?
?Really?? Willow perked up at the thought of learning a new spell. ?Could you teach it to me? That kind of spell would be really useful in Sunnydale.?
?Of course. I?ll bring the book up to your room later. But first, you mentioned in your last e-mail that you were coming to San Francisco to find your friend. You mentioned that she was here looking for something??
"Well, it?s actually a book of prophecies and history??
Willow explained the nature of the book, as she and Cilia made their way up the staircase.
* * * * * * *
The next day dawned with Willow sitting on the floor of her room, a large leather bound book in her lap and candles placed around her in a circle. She was reading from the Book of Hermes, kindly lent to her by Cilia, which was an ancient series of spells that allowed the searcher to latch on to the life essence and mind of the person who is being searched for. Willow believed that this would be the simplest way to locate Buffy in the city. The spell that she was using was even able to break through magical barriers - which would be useful, if, as Willow suspected, Buffy was being held captive.
Cilia had no news of the Slayer. There had been no unusual vampire slaying activities, and no indication of Buffy looking into any of the mystical bookstores around town. The more time that went by, the more worried Willow got. It was like Buffy had never even turned up. Buffy was not one for skulking around in the shadows. She took action, much like a force of nature; people knew when she was around. Willow had quickly decided that the sooner she found the Slayer the better. While she was loath to jump straight into spell casting, in this case it seemed the best option. Something is really not right here. Where are you Buffy? Come back to us? I need you.
With this final thought she looked down and began to read. The spell was a complicated one, and in order for her to get it right she needed to be fully aware of all the components. The one she was using was called Mind?s Key, and it latched on to shared memories between the caster and the person being searched for. Since Willow didn?t have anything of Buffy?s with her, this was the simplest. After all, they did share a large number of memories.
Searching through her own mind, Willow thought back over the last few years, and tried to latch on to a memory that she and Buffy shared, one that was important to both of them. The spell called for a specific memory that would be easy to find in the mind of the lost person. Therefore it had to be relatively recent, and clear. Anything too traumatic would only cloud the spell.
This is harder than I thought it would be. We?ve shared so much, and yet I can?t even think of something that will be near the surface?
Willow finally decided on Buffy?s departure, which was only a few weeks ago, but seemed like so much longer.
Buffy stood waiting for the bus. Willow, Xander and Dawn were all there to see her off.
?Okay guys, I?ll ring when I?m at Angel?s. I should only be in San Francisco for a week. You?ll be okay patrolling until then??
?Hey no problem Buff. We?ve done it all before. Anya and I are on the first two nights, Spike on the third and fourth, and Willow on the sixth and seventh. We are slaying machines!!? Xander said jokingly, never willing to pass up an opportunity to use his imitation Arnold Schwarzenegger accent.
?Yeah, big sis. Everything?s fine. No need to worry.?
?Oh, and Dawn. If the house even looks like you had more than five people in it at one time??
?Yeah, yeah, I know. Don?t worry, Buffy. Anyway, Willow will be there with me. Won?t you, Will??
?Of course, Dawny. She?ll be fine Buffy. No need to worry.?
?I know, but hey, old habits die hard. This is me.?
Buffy turned to them, liberally giving out hugs. Willow was the last in line and as she hugged the most important person in her life goodbye, Willow tried to persuade Buffy one last time.
?Please let me come with you,? she whispered in the Slayer?s ear, ?something isn?t right about this, I can feel it.?
?I?ll be fine Will. And I need you here, just in case. Remember, you?re my big gun.?
Then, with a final smile, she was gone.
Willow shook her head as she remembered the scene. I knew I should have gone with her. Damn! Not wanting to dwell on events she couldn?t change, Willow looked down to her book and started the incantation.
She looked up from her reading, face blank with the effort it took to concentrate on that one memory. She slowly started to rise up from the floor, her hair floating gently around her face as if it were floating in water. Taking a deep breath she began to intone the spell.
?I call on Hermes, god of travellers. Heed me. Help me find one who is lost. Allow me to search so that which is in the dark may be in the light, that which is lost may be found. Allow me to search. Allow me. Take this memory that we both share. Look through minds until it is there. ?
As the power of the spell took hold, Willow?s head was thrown back, and her eyes became pools of black power. She felt as if her mind was separating itself from her body. This sensation lasted only a minute before she had to concentrate on the huge number of minds she was touching on. Each time a new mind was selected, Willow had a brief flash of the memory that had drawn the spell to it, before moving on to the next mind, and then the next. After what seemed like an eternity, Willow was able to keep the spell under some semblance of control, so that instead of just randomly touching on every mind in San Francisco, she was touching on those minds in places where the Buffy could be.
After more than an hour of searching, she finally had to stop. Even though her control over spell casting was constantly increasing, Willow was still unable to cast spells above a certain level for any long period of time. And this was one of the hardest spells she had yet attempted. She felt utterly drained, and hardly felt as if she had the strength to stand. Unwrapping her legs from their cramped position, Willow stopped to think about what she was trying to do. Ok, so far I have had no luck, and at this rate its going to take weeks for me to even get anywhere near her. I need to find someone who has a seen, or talked to her. I need to know that she actually made it here. Maybe its time for some good old fashioned detective work. Ok, research. I can do that. I?m Research Girl.
Having made a decision, Willow felt better. The spell would work, but only once she was able to narrow her search.
Slowly standing, Willow paused for a moment to let the feeling tingle slowly back into her legs. Trying to ignore the uncomfortable sensation, Willow thought back on all the things that had brought her to this place. She never thought that it would be her looking for Buffy and not the other way round. I guess things really have changed.
Giving her legs a final shake, Willow grabbed her bag and strode purposefully out the door, resolve face, as Xander liked to call it, firmly in place.
* * * * * * * *
The world that Willow was looking through, and was intimately aware of, was the world most people only thought about in their darkest nightmares. However, this was Willow?s world, and even though it often terrified her, she wouldn?t want it any other way.
Willow started to look for the book that Buffy had come to San Francisco to find, hoping to find anything that would point her in the right direction. All she knew about it was what Giles had told them on the phone from England. Thanks to his contacts within the Council, Giles kept tabs on anything that may be of use to Buffy and the Scooby gang. He had thought this book the most important find in centuries. Willow could still hear his disembodied voice on the other end of the speaker phone.
?Buffy, this book and the information it contains may answer the questions we have always had about the origin of the Slayer. Not only is it a history of the slayers, but also a book of prophesies detailing the nature of the work done by slayers throughout history. Every major battle, every death. This book is supposed to hold all of this knowledge. I thought it only a myth, until now. We really must get our hands on it. If any demons or agents of evil were to get hold of this book, there would be dire consequences??
?Giles! Giles, we know the drill. End of the world as we know it, hell on earth, yadda, yadda, yadda. We?ll find the book.? Xander spoke with his usual lack of gravity.
?Yes, thank you, Xander, insightful as always. But this book is more than that. If I?m correct, these creatures will know what Buffy?s next move is even before she knows that she is meant to move.?
?Okay, Giles I get the picture. Now in what god-forsaken part of the world can I find this thing?? Buffy cut straight to the point as she always did on these long distance calls to England.
?San Francisco. It should be somewhere in the Bays area. But I would suggest looking mainly in San Francisco, as it has a number of well-known occult bookshops. But be on the look out. A prize of this magnitude is going to be attracting a lot of attention. So try not to be too obvious. Nothing too unusual.?
?Okay Giles. I won?t. I?ll go to San Fran and the others will stay here.?
?May I suggest Willow goes with you? After all, two people will be able to cover more ground than just one. And she does have a number of spells that could come in handy.?
?I?ll talk about it with Will. Anything else you can think of??
?Only that you be careful. This book could be of great value, but it is still just a book. You are worth more.?
?I?m always careful? well, most of the time anyway. Don?t worry, Giles, I can look after myself.?
?I know, Buffy. But once a Watcher, always a Watcher. Be safe all of you, and we?ll talk again when you get back.?
?If only we had a name for the damn thing!?
Willow was jolted out of her musing with her own inadvertent exclamation. Glancing around, she saw that no one was paying her much attention. She looked around her, trying to orient herself in this big, bustling new city. Willow continued to wander aimlessly down the bustling street, taking a few minutes just to enjoy the multitude of people, and the different cultures that they represented.
As she walked she noticed a small alley heading off to her right. A quick look down it told her that this was as good a place to start looking as any. The street was crammed full of stores selling all varieties of books, and book-related products. Glancing briefly at the street sign, she had to suppress yet another outburst. It was called Book Alley, and for some reason she found it immensely funny.
?The stress must really be getting to me! Goddess, I need to find Buffy and get home.?
Giving the sign one last look, Willow headed into the dark confines of the alleyway.
Walking down the narrow alley, Willow didn?t really look at the individual shop names. She was just letting the place wash over her, trying to follow her nose as it were. As she slowly made her way down the packed alley, she noticed shops selling books on every subject, from ancient looking history books to an entire shop dedicated to books on mending model ships. Willow knew this was where she would find some clue about the mysterious book that seemed to have taken over her life.
Looking up from browsing the open displays, Willow took a moment to review her surroundings. Looking out of the alleyway back towards the main road, she was idly glancing at the various apartment blocks when she caught sight of a flash of blonde hair.
Rushing out of the alley she looked in vain for the blonde head. Finally catching sight of it, Willow set off down the road after them.
This is stupid, Willow! How many blonde-haired people live in San Francisco? Thousands. And yet here you are running after the back of someone?s head! Get a grip?
Despite this inner monologue, Willow continued to dodge other pedestrians in her pursuit of the blonde. Realising that she was losing her prey, Willow called out in hope and desperation.
?Buffy!?
The person she had so desperately been trying to catch up with just turned and hurried down a small flight of steps before disappearing into a darkened room. Stopping at the top of the stairs, Willow looked down towards where her quarry had entered. Looking at the sign above the door, she stifled a sigh before turning and walking dejectedly back the way she had come.
She spared one last look at the sign as she turned, wondering what kind of bar Nosferatu would be. If she had looked a little longer she might have seen face, whose _expression_ was a mixture of fear and admiration, looking back at her.
Getting back to Book Alley turned out to be harder than she thought. After taking two wrong turns, and ending up in a dead end, Willow tried to concentrate on where she was going, finally returning to the alley just as most of the shops were closing.
After looking dejectedly at the few promising stores, she turned and made her back to the hotel.
* * * * * * * *
Stepping inside the hotel, Willow felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from her shoulders. All the tension that had stacked up during the day finally felt as if it were leaving her. Looking around the entrance room, Willow noticed a small visitors book, and decided to read through it.
Flicking through the entries, she came upon one that instantly caught her interest.
?Wonderful hotel. Great service. And so close to Occult Books and Items! I had the best time! Thanks to Cilia and the wonderful staff here, you are all so helpful!
Marcia, London, UK?
Hmmm... I wonder if this would be a good place to start? I?ll have to ask Cilia about it.
Walking up to her room she was a little surprised to see a small handwritten note sitting on her bed. Wondering who it was from she dumped her bags before bending down to pick it up.
?Willow.
I took the liberty of making a list of the better occult bookstores in town. Luckily for you, the very best are found not too far from here in Book Alley. Rather original, name isn?t it? I?ll be up a little later if you need any more help.
Cilia.?
Huh! I should have just stayed around here. I found out more in the last twenty minutes than I did all day getting lost in San Francisco! It?s time for me to take this a little more methodically. No more rushing, from now on it?s Methodical Girl to the rescue. Not rush-head-long-into-things Girl.
Looking back to her list she noted that of the nine stores on her list, three of them were in the Alley, two were further out of town, and the remaining four were dotted around the central city. Deciding to the leave the two that were out of town as a last resort, she split the seven remaining stores into two groups and decided to slowly go through them over the next couple of days.
Once she had organized her search pattern, Willow decided that she had done about all that she could in terms of research for the day and headed out again to find some food, and maybe a little entertainment.
Walking through the dark wooden hallway of Bed and Breakfast Willow tried to take stock of what she was going to do.
She knew that this was a powerful book, and that it was the reason for Buffy?s disappearance. She was also certain that there was more going on here than anyone knew, even Giles. The impression she had was that it was only a history book containing a number of prophecies and a history of the slayers.
This must be important. Giles seemed so scared when we talked to him. Why would he be scared? After all, it is only a book.
Arriving at the front desk, Willow looked around to see if Cilia was lurking about anywhere. She walked to the front desk to ring the little bell when the other red head stepped out of her office. Looking up from the book she was reading, Cilia smiled when she noticed who was standing there waiting for her.
?Willow. This is a pleasant surprise. I thought you would still be pounding the streets looking for your friend.?
?To be honest, Cilia, I?ve made very little headway today. Also I just wanted to thank you for the list that you gave me. It?s helped a lot to know where to go, rather than just walking around like a lost puppy. Do you have any suggestions as to which shop would be the best to look at first??
?Well, I would suggest just going straight to Book Alley, and not really looking at the others. As this seems to be an important book, though, ? Cilia looked thoughtfully into space for a moment, ? definitely try the Hunted Bookshop, and Secrets of the Earth in Chinatown. They have some wonderful volumes. In fact, rather than just looking into the Occult bookstores in Book Alley, you should perhaps try and look at all of the stores. I know that is a rather large task, but you may find that, in some of the better rare stores down there, some items have slipped through the fingers of the occult store owners.?
?Thank you so much for all your help. I was wondering if you could help me with one more thing?? Willow asked, somewhat hopefully.
"Of course. Anything.?
?Tell me where I can take you for dinner tonight??
Cilia let out a small laugh before flashing Willow a stunning smile. Willow returned the smile with a slightly abashed version of her own.
Okay. Where the hell did that come from? Oh, hell, Willow! Stop analysing. Just go with it.
?I would be delighted to tell you where you can take me for dinner tonight, Willow.?
Giving Willow another smile, she turned around to get her jacket, and to let another member of staff where she was going. Once ready, she walked up to the red head and looked at her questioningly.
Willow gesture towards the door.
?Where you go, I shall follow. After all I?ve already been lost once today, and I don?t really need a repeat performance.?
?Ok then. You trust me??
Now there is a loaded question. But you are reading far too much into this Willow. She?s just talking about dinner!
?With my, hopefully, soon to be full stomach.?
Willow flashed Cilia what she hoped was a cheeky grin, and was rewarded with another one of the other witch?s stunning smiles.
?Very well. Malay food it is then!?
?Malay? Well, I did say I trusted you. Lead on, fair one, and may this all end well!?
Giving her most courtly bow, the red head swept her companion out of the foyer and into the warm night. The sound of their laughter mingled with the other sounds from the street.
* * * * ** *
Two days later, and Willow was nearing the end of her tether. She felt like she had looked into every occult and rare bookshop in the Bay area. It wasn?t that she hadn?t found anything - quite the reverse. If this had been a trip for spell books, volumes on Demonology, the history of the vampire/ random demon rebellion, or anything else that was just a little obscure she would have been in heaven. But as it was, she wasn?t any closer to the book she was searching for, than when she had first arrived.
Well at least I now know where not to go. This is just getting ridiculous!
Looking out of her bus window as she headed back into the main part of the city, Willow began contemplating giving up on the book and just concentrating on Buffy. Looking down at her list, the frustrated Wicce decided to wait until the next day for searching Book Alley. She had three stores on her list, and a number of others that had been recommended to her by other shop owners. Right now, however, she was tired, hungry and grumpy.
I think take out and an early night is definitely in order. I just wish Buffy were here to share it with me. This would be so much easier with her here. Hell it would be easier if everybody were here.
Holding back a sigh, Willow broke herself free of her musings, looking out her window just in time to see her bus stop streak by.
?Great! Just my luck. The one stop on this stinking route that doesn?t have someone wanting to get on or off!? Muttering under her breath the she hit the stop button so she could alight at the next stop.
Leaving the bus, she looked around to try and get her bearings. The first thing that she noticed was that she was standing outside the bar that she had followed her Buffy-wanna-be to. Looking again at the sign she laughed quietly to herself over the names people came up with for bars.
?Nosferatu? Will people never understand that vampires just aren?t cool??
She hesitated for a moment before deciding that now wasn?t the time for sampling San Francisco?s night life, then turned to make her way, minus the wrong turns this time, back to the hotel.
Picking up a couple of slices of pizza and a can of coke on her way, she was almost back to the safety of the hotel when she felt a strange brushing sensation just at the edge of her consciousness. She stopped and looked around her, trying to find out what it was. The feeling increased slightly, to the point where it was annoying, but it didn?t quite push hard enough to be too noticeable. Moving into a quiet alleyway, Willow closed her eyes and tried to follow the probing mind back to its source.
She muttered a small incantation under her breath and searched out the person who was taking such a large interest in her. Following the magical trail left by a spell, Willow was able to detach a part of her consciousness and float above the city, and trace the spell back to its point of origin. She moved quickly so as to reduce the chance of her eavesdropper realising that she was coming for them.
The trail finally led to a warehouse down by the water. Her consciousness streamed through the window, and Willow saw a demon dressed in green robes staring intently into a large silver surface. Its heavily ridged face looked confused, almost as if it was trying to work out what she was doing.
Giving a little more power to her spell, Willow allowed more of her consciousness to follow through.
?What do you think you are doing?? Her disembodied voice boomed into the warehouse.
The demon jumped to his feet, and in the process broke his spell. Looking frantically around, he was nearly spinning in the effort to find out where the voice was coming from.
?I asked you a question! What was a rank amateur like you trying to spy on me for? I mean, really. How sloppy.?
?I...I?I?m sorry. Please don?t hurt me, Powerful One.? He dropped to his knees and bowed in the general direction of her voice.
?I am but a lowly sorcerer. Please, I will tell you everything.? He whined in a low hissing voice and Willow could tell he was trying to think up something worth telling her.
Feeling her strength begin to waver, she realised it was time to stop her little game, even if she hadn?t found anything out.
?Tell your master: if he thinks some crony spying on me is going to scare me, he really doesn?t know what he is up against. And if I ever feel you trying to delve into my mind again? you won?t have a mind. Understand me??
Injecting as much scorn into her voice as possible, Willow stayed long enough to see the demon shake slightly in his boots and nod, before bringing her consciousness back into her body.
Stumbling slightly when she returned to her body, Willow took a few deep stabilising breaths before making her way back out into the main street. Nobody even gave her a second glance.
Goddess. A few more minutes of that and I might have been in real trouble. I?ve never done the talking part of that spell. I think I might have to look into it a bit more.
Walking as fast as she could, it didn?t take too long to get back to the hotel. Nearly running through the door, Willow leaned against the wall to catch her breath, and slowly lowered her guard.
?Goddess! Willow, are you all right??
Cilia ran over to the other witch, a tender hand closing around Willow?s arm in support.
?Um, yeah. I?ll be okay. Cilia, can people who are scrying, see into this building??
?Scrying? No, the wards I have ensure all my guests? privacy. Why do you ask??
?I just had a little visit from some demon lackey with a little bit of talent for spells. I think he was trying to find out if I had the book yet. Luckily, I caught him before he could find out any more, even though I don?t have the book.?
?Come sit down. Have a cup of tea.?
?Thanks. A sit down is just what I need. I just wish I knew if they actually had Buffy, or not. I need to find her.?
?But if you find the book, you may be able to find out where she is. After all if these demons are after the book, as well as Buffy, you may have a bargaining piece.?
?Maybe??
Willow looked thoughtful for a minute before standing up.
?Thanks for the advice, Cilia. I think I need to eat,? she illustrated with her now greasy pizza bag, ? and then hit bed. I?m going to have a long day tomorrow, I can already feel it.?
?Well, be safe, Willow.?
?I will. Thanks.?
With that Willow headed over to the stairs and up to her room, still wondering how her run in that after noon was linked to Buffy and the mysterious book.
* * * * ** * * **
End Chapter 2
Continued in Chapter 3, if you like it that is.....