Touched by Destiny by Kirk Baldridge

Spoilers: Lots of stuff from Season 5, including the finale, THE GIFT. So be warned.

Summary: Willow and Tara travel to another dimension to save a demonic princess.

Willow Rosenberg turned the tarot card over, revealing a stylized image of a heart. Her green eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked up and smiled.

Behind her, Xander Harris leaned over, resting his knuckles on the table on either side of her. He was shaking his head.

Willow nodded. The redhead put the card aside and drew another, holding it so only she and Xander could see the two crossed swords.

Across the table, Tara Maclay swept a lock of golden hair out of her face. She leaned back in her chair, giving a crooked smile that had become something of a trademark for her.

Xander started to smile, a chuckle growing in his throat until Tara stopped him. She held up a hand and arched an eyebrow as her gaze met Willow's.

"How do you do that?" Xander asked. He looked from Tara to the cards and back again. "You got some kind of witchy x-ray vision? What's your secret?"

"You're reading my mind, aren't you?" Willow asked. "It has to be. I can feel you."

Xander snapped his fingers. "Of course! It's the spell you did to get Tara's mind back, Will. When you zapped Glory, maybe you linked your mind with Tara's. You guys are like...bonded."

"I could have told you that." Tara reached across the table and took Willow's hand.

"Uh oh. I suddenly feel like a third wheel." Xander stepped away from the table, and headed for the back of the store. He came up behind Anya, his ex-demon fiancée, wrapped his arms around her waist, and began to kiss her neck. She threw her head back and moaned.

The four young people heard Giles' exclamation and, naturally, assumed he was reacting to the public displays of affection. He had never openly banned any such activity in his establishment, but made it known he preferred they keep it to a minimum so as not to disturb the customers.

This was different. Giles was not someone who panicked, so if he was calling out to them they knew there had to be something going on. They came running.

A tall, broad-shouldered figure stumbled through the front door of the Magic Box. It was a demon, obviously, with leathery gray skin, horns, and cloven feet. Something had attacked it, and recently, for it also had one of its eyes missing, and there were bloody gashes all over its torso.

"I was a demon too," said Anya. "If I came in, hurt, would you let me just bleed to death?"

The demon, meanwhile, fell to its knees. It was clearly exhausted, and nearly unconscious.

Willow shook her head. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, but I agree with Anya. He's hurt. We have to help him. I mean, okay, demon, but...aren't we supposed to be the good guys? Isn't that what we do?"

Giles removed his glasses. "This creature has done nothing to indicate it is any threat to us. And bear in mind, it did come here. Of all the places in Sunnydale..."

"There is every implication it is seeking our help," Giles continued. "So, I believe we're obligated to provide it with assistance.."

Xander frowned. "Just for the record, I think this is a bad idea. That being said..." He looked to each of them in turn. "...what's the game plan?"

"I don't know." Willow kneeled down near the demon, and glanced over her shoulder. "But whatever we do, we have to do it soon. I don't think he's got much..."

Without warning, the demon reached up and grabbed the redhead's wrist. It wasn't squeezing hard enough to do any real damage, but she still could not dislodged its grip.

Willow's own eyes widened as a thick, crackling bolt of energy erupted from the demon's hand. It traveled the entire length of her arm almost instantaneously, entered her body, and sent the redhead flying back as if she had been punched in the face.

Xander and Giles moved in on the demon, but it was too late. As they got close they saw its eyes were glassy, cold, and its chest was no longer rising. It was quite obviously dead.

As they turned to do just that, they found Tara had already helped the redhead to her feet. She appeared to be a little off-balance, and was leaning into Tara even more than usual.

"I-I think so." The redhead closed her eyes for a moment. "My head feels...all loopy."

Giles extended a hand to help Tara support her. "Perhaps we should take you to a hospital."

"And tell them what, exactly?" Willow asked. "I was zapped by a demon? Somehow, I'm thinking that would get me a one way ticket to a padded room. No thank you."

Tara out an arm around the redhead. "I'll take her home. We'll call you guys in the morning."

The blond shook her head. "We'll be fine. Don't worry." She glanced at a clock on the wall. "Besides, don't you have to go relieve Spike? The sun'll be down soon."

Spike, the vampire with the anti-violence chip in his head, was an ally of the Scooby Gang. Since Buffy's death he had taken to babysitting her little sister, Dawn, spending as much time with her as he could. They had to hide the fact she was otherwise alone, and as it happened Spike was the only one whose were days free. Of course he had to stay out of the sun, but that was a small price to pay. At night he did most of the patrolling, taking up a lot of the slack with no Slayer in town, and so he tended to become anxious whenever the sun went down, as he was eager to find some other demons to kill.

"I'll take care of mister tall, dark and ugly here," said Xander, nodding toward the demon.

A short time later, Tara had just climbed into bed when Willow emerged from the bathroom, still buttoning up the top of her pajamas. Smiling, the blond held open the blankets so Willow could slide in and cuddle up beside her, then they both lay their heads down on the pillows.

"I just wish we knew what the demon was trying to do. I mean, it didn't seem like an attack."

Tara sighed. "I guess it doesn't matter now." She wrapped her arms around Willow, whose back was to her. "As long as you're okay. That's all that counts."

Unfortunately, it was two separate classes, and they were on opposite sides of the campus, so they made plans to see each other later in the afternoon.

In the middle of a particularly exciting math lecture, and without any sort of warning, Willow's head started to spin again. As she was striving to catch her breath the redhead glanced across the lecture hall, and saw there was someone standing near the podium where the teacher was speaking.

It was a girl. She appeared to be about twelve or thirteen years old, with long golden hair, and even from so far away Willow was drawn to her eyes.

Willow closed her own eyes for a moment and shook her head. When she opened them again the strange little girl in the black dress was gone. It was as if she had never been there at all.

"Okay," the redhead whispered. "That was weird." Several of the people around her kind of looked at her funny, but she ignored them. She had other things on her mind.

Tara and Willow walked hand in hand across campus, on their way to the Magic Box. The redhead had just told her girlfriend about what happened to her in class.

"I have no idea," said Willow. "I was hoping you would. You're the one who knows about dream analysis and all that stuff."

"Some sort of telepathic contact, maybe. Did this girl you saw look familiar at all?"

"I hope so." Willow reached up to massage her temples. Her eyes glowed slightly before she closed them, and she had the beginnings of a headache. "I really do."

Giles was walking in a slow circle around a table, at which sat Willow and Tara. Anya was on the other side of the store, seeing to some customers. Xander, there to hear Willow's account of what happened to her at school, had since gone to the Summers' home to relieve Spike.

"Admittedly," said the Watcher. "This sort of thing is not my forte. But Tara may be right. It could very well be some form of telepathic communication. It is difficult to say with any degree of certainty." He paused, absently chewing on his glasses. "But I can't help thinking it may also have something to do with that demon yesterday. Is it mere coincidence, you received a shock to your system one day and the next you are experiencing what does seem to be a form of hallucination?"

Tara put her hand over Willow's and squeezed it gently. "Take a deep breath, and relax." As Willow nodded, the blond turned to Giles. "Speaking of the demon, did you find out anything?"

"Unfortunately, no." The Watcher sat down and opened one of the books sprawled out on the table. "According to the texts, the Layoth are a singularly unremarkable breed. They're not exceptionally strong, nor do they seem to possess any unusual physical or mystical abilities." He slipped his glasses back on. "I found no indications of a capacity for bioelectric or even biomystical energy generation either. The discharge you experienced may have been something unqiue about this particular entity, Willow."

The redhead sighed. "So you're saying we're no close to an answer than we were yesterday?"

"My head," Willow whispered. She started to open her eyes. "It feels like it's going to...oh no. Not again." Only a few feet away, on the stairs leading up to the off-limits upper floor of the magic shop, she could see the same strange little girl as before. Strands of silky golden hair hung down in her face as she stared back at the redhead and smiled. "Please, tell me you guys can see her."

Giles and Tara both looked where Willow pointed, but all they saw was the empty staircase. Their expressions told the redhead all she needed to know.

"Oh man, I really am going crazy." To Willow's surprise, the girl shook her head. "You heard me?" She nodded, and Willow jumped to her feet. "Who are you?"

"What?" Willow approached her. "I can't hear you." The girl tried again, and still nothing happened. "Speak up. I can't help you if I can't hear what you're saying. Please..." Sadly, the girl lowered her head, and her image started to fade. "No! Come back!" It was too late. The girl was gone. "No."

"It's too much...I-I can't..." Willow's eyes rolled back in her head, and she started to collapse. Luckily, Tara and Giles were right there to catch her.

Willow was abruptly, hesitantly brought back to consciousness, with the distinctly familiar sensation of being carried. It had happened before and would no doubt happen again, but since it had always been Buffy or, perhaps, Oz, she wondered in whose arms she was this time.

Willow blinked. It couldn't be who it sounded like. She raised her head, stunned to find herself securely in the arms of Spike. The vampire was carrying her up a corridor toward her dorm she realized, and none of the co-eds they passed could take their eyes off of him.

Tara glanced at the vampire and then back to Willow. "I know this must seem strange, but let me explain. After you passed out we put you down in the training room so you could rest. Giles and Anya left to go see Dawn, and when you didn't wake up I decided to take you home. But I didn't think I could carry you all the way back here on my own, so when Spike stopped in I asked if he would help."

"Begged is more like it," the vampire grumbled. He shifted Willow's body to a more comfortable position, for him at least. "Bloody hell. How can someone so little be so heavy?"

"Here. This is the place. Just a second..." Tara unlocked the door and stepped out of the way. "Okay."

Spike actually stepped forward, but as soon as he arrived at the threshold of the doorway he made contact with the invisible barrier which prevented the vampire from entering a home uninvited. He growled as he almost lost his grip on Willow, and regained his footing only at the last moment.

The question he was really asking, of course, was whether or not they were going invite him in. As much as he had become an ally to Buffy, and to the Scoobies in general, and despite the fact the chip in his brain guaranteed he would not be able to harm either of them, he was still a vampire.

"Put me down," said the redhead. "I'll walk the rest of the way." The decision, apparently, had been made. Spike did as he was told, and took a step back.

Nodding, the vampire drew a cigarette out of his pocket, and lit it as he was walking away.

When Tara turned back, she found Willow had already gone inside. She closed the door, and then followed the redhead into the room, where she slumped down on the bed.

"Leave it alone, would you?" Willow closed eyes. Then she sighed. "Tara, I'm sorry, I just..."

Later, as Willow slipped into an obviously troubled sleep, Tara curled up in a chair beside her with a lapful of books she had borrowed from Giles. She was hoping to identify the golden-haired girl Willow had seen, or to at least understand what was happening to her girlfriend.

The blond glanced toward the bed, thinking Willow had woken up. But the redhead was still sound asleep. Tara assumed she was having a dream and went back to reading.

Willow jerked her head from side to side as she heard the voice echoing from a seemingly endless black void all around her. It was so dark she could barely see herself.

It didn't make any sense. One minute she had been with Tara—holding her, kissing her—and the next she was in the middle of nowhere, all alone. And now someone was calling her. This was a dream, it had to be, but it was so bizarre she didn't know what to make of any of it.

Willow started. It was right behind her now. She turned, slowly, chewing nervously on her lip until she saw the white-eyed girl. Again. Her hands were clasped behind her back.

The girl's lips parted as if she was going to speak. Then she seemed to change her mind and came forward, one barely tangible hand reaching for the redhead. As the girl's fingers touched her arm, Willow's eyes grew wide. A surge of intense white light washed over them both.

Willow woke on the verge of screaming, her heart threatening to pound its way out of her chest. She sat up, in a haze, her skin glistening as if she had been burning with fever.

Tara immediately sat the books aside and slid into the bed with her. "Hey. Are you okay?"

"I think so." The redhead turned and looked her lover in the eye. "I understand, Tara. I think I know what's going on..." She tapped her brow. "...in here. She's real, Tara. The girl. I saw her again."

Willow nodded. "I know. Tara, believe me, I understand how crazy this all sounds. But it's true. I was talking to her, in my mind. She touched me, and...I get it. I know what happened."

"I don't know how. But Tara she's scared. She's alone, and she's terrified something is going to happen to her. I have to find her. I have to help her."

Tara nodded, and gently stroked her lover's hair. "Okay. We'll figure this out. Right now, I think you need your rest. You get some sleep, okay?" She climbed under the covers and held out her arms for Willow, who snuggled right up to her, and lay her head on the blonde's shoulder. "Just sleep now."

Tara nodded. "Of course I do, sweetie. We'll take care of it together. Tomorrow, okay?"

In the corridor outside Willow's dorm room there came a hooded figure, not making a sound as it strode up to her door and stopped. It cocked its head slightly to one side, and made a sound that in human terms would likely qualify as a throaty chuckle.

The next morning, when Tara awoke, she discovered that she was alone in bed. Yawning she sat up, rubbing her eyes, and looked around.

The room was quiet, save for the gentle purring of Miss Kitty Fantastico, who was curled up in her own bed in the corner. Tara slid out of bed and headed for the bathroom.

As she swung the door open, she was surprised to find Willow sprawled out on the tile floor. The redhead was laying in a fetal position, with a sponge clutched in her hands.

"Willow?" Tara kneeled down beside her girlfriend, and caressed her cheek. "Wake up."

The redhead arched her back and jerked awake. She was gasping, obviously shaken by something, but when her eyes met Tara's she visibly relaxed. "Oh, hey. Morning." Still trembling she sat up, and it took a few moments to regain her bearings and realize where she was. "How did I get in here?"

"I was hoping you could tell me," said Tara. She took the sponge from Willow's hands, and held it up for her to see. "Maybe you felt dirty?"

Willow shook her head. "I don't even remember coming in here." She gazed at her lover, tears in her eyes. "Oh Tara, what's happening to me? Am I going crazy?"

"I don't think so." Tara took Willow's hands. "Do you remember what you were telling me last night? About the girl you've been seeing. The one who came to you in a dream?" Willow nodded. "Well, it occurred to me, if she's on some other plane of existence, she might be fading in and out, her reality periodically coming into sync with our reality. That might be why she isn't here all the time."

Tara bit her lip. "If I'm right, it should be possible for you to project your conscious mind out of your body. It would be kind of like that nether realms spell we did. Only a lot more intense. But it would also make your mind more open and receptive, and hopefully would allow you to communicate with this girl more freely. At the very least, it might give us a better understanding of the situation."

"Later." Tara stood up, and helped Willow to her feet. "First we need to relax and take our minds off things for a while, to clear our heads." She smiled. "How about a shower?"

Willow stared at her for a moment, and then smirked. "Only if I get to be the sponge."

Giles slid his glasses back on and dropped into a chair, across the table from Willow and Tara. They had come to the Magic Box to tell him what Tara had in mind.

Tara nodded. "Our consciousnesses could be permanently separated from our bodies."

"I realize it's a big risk," said Willow. "But Giles, you don't know what it's like. This thing is driving me crazy. I have to figure out what's going on in my head."

"Actually..." Tara reached into her pocket and pulled out a folded piece of paper. "...we need to get a few things from you. For the protective wards and circles."

Later in the afternoon, Tara came down the ladder from the upper level of the shop, with a leather-bound book in her hands. She glanced toward the table where Willow was supposed to be checking to make sure they had all of the supplies they were going to need.

"Sweetie, look what I..." Tara paused in mid-sentence as she realized the table was empty. "...found." She looked around. "Willow? Where are you?" She bit her lip. "Willow?"

Anya walked past her carrying a box of crystals which she handed to Giles. "I think I saw her heading that way," the ex-demon said, gesturing toward the training door.

Tara nodded. "I don't think she slept too well. I'd better...hey!" As she was opening the door, she was rocked by wave of mystical energy which pulled the knob right out of her hands and slammed it closed. "Giles," she said in a hushed tone. "I think we've got a problem."

Willow was walking across a vast, arid expanse of pure white sand—a desert, for as far as the eye could see. In the back of her mind somewhere she knew it was another dream, but the dry, hot wind and the eerie crimson sky overhead was more real than a lot of the realities she had seen.

The redhead heard something behind her and turned. On the other side of a huge, jagged chasm, which she was sure hadn't been there before, stood the girl with the white eyes. She stood there with her hands clasped in front of her, and a slight smile on her face.

"Oh, it's you." The girl took a step closer, but Willow shook her head. "Stay away." The girl paused, and cocked her head. "I'm sorry, but after the last time..." The girl nodded. "Look, what is it you need from me? I'll help you, if I can, but you have to talk to me."

The girl began to cry. She pointed to something behind Willow. The redhead turned and saw several tall, robe-clad figures racing toward her.

Willow gathered up the magick within her and deep down wished Tara was there. While she had a great deal of power in her own right, she was somehow far stronger when she was with the woman she loved. It made her feel more confident too.

For the last several minutes Tara and Giles had been trying to get the door of the training room open—without much success. It was as if someone or something was fighting them, and the harder they tried the more it pulled against them. In fact the doorknob itself was starting to get warm.

"It's Willow!" said Tara. "I can feel her fear." There were tears in her eyes. "I have to get to her!"

"If she's asleep..." Tara lowered her head and sighed. "...and having one of those dreams, her subconscious may be tapping into her magick. It happens sometimes, with very powerful witches, especially if they've been using a lot of magick beyond their scope."

A pair of pale, black-nailed hands reached between Watcher and witch, and grabbed the frame of the door. The expression on Spike's face was one of amusement.

"Harris came by to watch the niblet, so I'm going out on patrol. But I broke my sword fighting a Makos demon last night, so I decided to swing by and stock up."

The Watcher shook his head. "Never mind. Be careful with that door. It's real wood, which doesn't come..." He stopped in mid-sentence, as Spike tore the door out of the frame. "...cheap."

"Door's fine," said the vampire. He handed it to Giles. "Hinges might need some work." Smiling, he turned and started to head into the training room. "Bloody hell."

Tara and Giles—after laying the door aside—peered over the vampire's shoulders. They glanced at one another, their eyes widening as much as his.

The robed figures attacked Willow from all sides, and the redhead knew she had a problem.

With a little luck and no small amount of skill, she was able to deflect the first several blows with a minimum of effort. She did not quite understand how she was able to 'feel' impacts against the invisible energy barrier she had erected around herself, as it was all just supposed to be a dream, but the fact of the matter was each one was like a blow to the side of her head. Tears welled up in her eyes.

Willow was sitting cross-legged in the middle of the training room, hands steepled and eyes closed, with axes and swords and other weapons swirling in mid-air around her. And the air felt as if it was static-charged, it made their skin crawl and their hair stand on end.

Spike shook his head. "Are you out of your bloody mind? You'll be torn to bits!"

Tara pulled her arm away. "After Glory...after what she did to me...my mind was so scrambled. But I heard you all. I heard every word. Especially Willow. She was ready to give up everything to help me. To bring me back. If you think I'm going to forget that, and not do everything in my power to help her..." She gritted her teeth. "...then you're the one who's crazy!"

With a determined expression on her face, the witch turned and walked into the training room, heedless of the danger all around her. She was thinking only of Willow.

Outnumbered, outclassed, and with a sudden throbbing headache that was making it more and more difficult to maintain her shield. She knew it was only a matter of time before one of her hooded attackers managed to make it through, and then it was all over.

The redhead's eyes met, ever-so-briefly, those of the strange young girl who had been haunting her for the last few days. A silent plea, a cry for help, passed between them and the white-eyed girl came forward. She began to scream—a shrill, deafening, tortured wail that filled the air.

The hooded figures stopped what they were doing and staggered back, clutching at their heads with dark, scaly skinned hands. Darkness folded in on them, and they were gone, leaving Willow and the girl once again standing on either side of a seemingly bottomless precipice.

The weapons, which had been threatening to cause her serious bodily harm, having lost their means of support and locomotion, simply fell to the ground. The air cleared and, in a matter of seconds, everything in the training room returned to normal.

Tara glanced over her shoulder at Spike and Giles, who were both as wide-eyed and obviously confused as she was, and then rushed to Willow's side. The blond dropped to her knees as the redhead slumped forward—gasping as her eyes began to open. She looked longingly into her lover's eyes.

"It's me, sweetheart." Tara embraced her lover, held her close and kissed her. "I'm right here."

Willow was sitting in a chair as close to Tara as she could, with her hands entwined with the blonde's. Giles and Spike were nearby, listening as the redhead told them about her dream.

"I could see and feel everything. It seemed so real." She paused. "The thing is...it didn't feel like it was actually happening to me, though."

Willow shrugged her shoulders. "I-I'm not really sure. It doesn't make any sense."

"Probably not," said Spike. He lit a cigarette. "But go ahead anyway. I'm fascinated. Really."

The redhead ignored him and continued. "I was there. I mean I was the one getting attacked but it's almost as if I was experiencing the whole thing through someone else's eyes."

"That makes sense," said Tara. "It must be the girl. The one you've been seeing?"

Giles shook his head. "But why now? Why would their communication be so much more vivid?"

"I was meditating." Willow saw the way Spike was looking at her, and she nodded. "I know. But I read in one of Giles' books, that if you relax your body and mind you can achieve a higher level of consciousness. I thought, if I could do that, I might be able to speak to her more clearly."

Tara nodded. "But it just goes to show that I was right. We should be able to communicate with her, Willow, if we can just find the right mental pathways." She looked around. "We'd be better off at home, though. No offense Giles, but this place does not really lean toward relaxation and concentration."

On the other side of the shop, Anya and a customer were arguing, rather loudly, about the price of the crystals she was trying to buy.

Giles put his glasses back on. "I see what you mean." He headed for the counter.

Tara was asking the question of Willow, who was down on her knees in the middle of the dorm room, lighting a ring of candles around where they were going to sit.

"You did just go through something kind of traumatic, Willow. Don't you think it would be better if you took a break? You know, get some rest? We can always do this in the morning..."

Willow shook her head. "No. Tara, look, I need to do this. She's trying to tell me something, I'm sure of it, and besides...I feel all wired up right now. You know? I don't think I'll be in any better condition, even if I get a good night's sleep." She looked up at her lover and smiled. "Okay?"

After a moment, Tara sighed. "Goddess. I never could deny you anything..." She sat down across from Willow, as the redhead chuckled. "Do you have the dolls-eye?"

"Right here." Willow held up the crystal, a family heirloom of Tara's, which the other witch had given to her as a gift even before they started dating. "How does this work again?"

"We float the crystal between us," Tara replied. "And use it to focus on as we chant. If everything goes the way it's supposed to, our consciousnesses will extend outside our bodies."

"Our two spirits will be linked. That way, if we do manage to make contact with this girl, I'll be able to see and hear everything you do." Tara shook her head. "Don't worry. I told you I would never leave you, Willow, and I am not going to start now. I'll be there for you. Always."

Willow nodded. "I know." She held the dolls-eye crystal out in front of her so she and Tara would both be able to put their hands on it. They closed their eyes.

The chant was in Latin, and roughly translated to "open our eyes, to the realm unseen" and "enlighten the souls, of those who would travel those paths". In essence, the spell they were using would allow Willow and Tara to go beyond the limitations of their physical bodies by releasing their minds into the other dimensional realm known as the astral plane. It was closely related to the dream plane, where Willow had communicated with the girl, and Tara was hoping this would allow the two of them to find her again. She was going with Willow this time, just to make sure nothing happened to her, and to increase their chances of getting back to their bodies by doubling the amount of mental power they would have at their disposal.

Willow and Tara's backs arched, and they let out long, labored gasps as their consciousnesses extended out of their bodies. Together they traveled, almost instantaneously, down a winding tunnel of light, at the end of which their astral forms appeared in the center of a beautiful, grassy field. It was ringed by trees and filled with bright, colorful flowers, some of which even had butterflies fluttering around them.

"It's more a manifestation of how your mind perceives it," Tara replied. "See, I don't think we could understand the true nature of the astral plane. It is energy in its purest form. So your mind is forced to relate it's own scope of experience. You see it as best you can, and I see what you see because our thoughts are linked." She held up a finger so one of the butterflies could land on it briefly. "This is amazing though. I've always seen it as a void full of crackling lines of energy. You have a beautiful mind, Willow."

The two witches abruptly realized they were not alone, as the young, white-eyed girl was straddling the branch of a nearby tree. She looked down at them and smiled.

"Okay, Dariel." Tara wasn't smiling, and she didn't seem amused by the girl's antics. "What are you doing in my girlfriend's mind anyway? And I'd better like your answer, or else..."

"Or else...what?" the girl asked. "You can't do anything to me in here. And even if you could, we both know you wouldn't dare. You'd be risking..." She nodded at Willow. "...her losing her mind."

Tara stepped forward, and raised her hands. "Who said I was going to hurt you?" She clenched her fists, and the darkness beneath Dariel snaked up and enveloped the girl's feet. "I've been on the astral plane before, and I know the rules." The darkness also swallowed the girl's legs up to her knees.

Dariel's eyes flashed, and a shimmering wave of energy rippled down her body. It burned away the darkness, in a matter of seconds, and the girl smiled at Tara. "So do I."

"Stop it!" Willow cried, stepping between the two of them. "I don't know how much time we've got in here, and I don't want to waste it." She turned to Dariel. "Please, tell me why you're here."

The girl lowered her head. "I'm sorry. I didn't know what else to do. They took my body, and..."

"Wait." Willow reached out and put a hand on Dariel's shoulder. "Start at the beginning."

"My home is called Hakimos. A world which is far removed from your own, in what your people would call an alternate dimension. It is a quiet, peaceful place, at least most of the time. My people, the Asyri, are one with the land. Most are farmers, who commune with nature in all its glory—animals, plants, and water alike, though some have demonstrated a talent for the arts as well." Dariel paused for a moment. "And while most would deny it, my people have a tendency to be decidedly xenophobic. We like our privacy, to the point that we often spurn the few races who might once have dared ally themselves with us. Thus leaving us woefully unprepared for an assault, an invasion really, by the Moorg."

"The Moorg," said Dariel. "Are a violent, brutal race." A figure shimmered into being in front of the girl. It was wearing a dark, hooded robe, and stood very still.

Willow reached for Tara. "That's one of the things that attacked me before, in my dream."

"I'm sorry about that," said Dariel. "I was only trying to make you understand what had happened to me, but you are different from any of the life forms I am used to merging with. Your thoughts are so ordered, and your mind has a natural defense system I had not accounted for. We are, for the most part, incompatible. I was only able to make contact with you through this place, and then only when you are sleeping."

"So you're actually in Willow's mind?" Tara asked. "This isn't some sort of telepathic contact?"

Dariel nodded. "I am...complete. When I was forced to leave my own body..." She smiled. "I seem to be getting ahead of myself, so allow me to continue with my story." She gestured, and the robe was stripped away from the thing standing in front of her. "My people are peaceful, but by no means pacifists. When the Moorg attacked we fought back, as best we could, though we have no true warriors. We have managed to hold them at bay for over a century, due largely in part to my father, Andreas."

Dariel nodded. "He is our...I believe your word for it is king?" The witches nodded, and she continued. "He has tried several times in the past, to broker a peace agreement with the Moorg. But they don't seem to be attacking us for anything we have, nor do they seem to have any reason to hate us. As far as we can tell they have selected us as targets, simply because we appear weak to them."

"All my life, I have heard stories of your world. Earth. I have always wanted to come here, but my father would never have allowed it. That is why I took matters into my own hands."

"My people do not possess the capacity for interdimensional travel, nor would most of us use it if we did. But they do." The image of the Moorg in front of her, which had been still all this time, began to slowly turn. One of its scaly black hands came up, revealing an ornate silver bracelet encrusted with multi-colored jewels on its left wrist. It glittered, even in the dim light. "I would never pretend to understand the inner workings of this mystical device, but it allows the Moorg to travel between worlds, from their own to ours, and even to yours. I found one hidden in the shrubs after a battle, and I hid it from my father."

"Yes." Dariel lowered her head. "Unfortunately, the Moorg found out somehow. They followed me, they came after me, and I was in no position to fight them off. I am not a warrior, after all. I believe they're planning to use me as leverage against my father."

"You see, while the Moorg can travel between worlds, my people have the capacity to release our essence out of our bodies, and enter the minds of other beings. It is the pastime of many, and one of the things which allows others to be so successful at farming and animal husbandry." The image of the Moorg vanished, replaced by that of the Layoth demon who had died at Giles several days before. "I escaped my body just after the Moorg caught me, and this creature was the nearest intelligent being I found nearby. I entered its mind and because it is closer to being one of my kind than I am to yours, I was able to communicate with it quite easily. I asked it for help, and it agreed to bring me to one it believed could best assist me. One called...the Slayer." Dariel's face fell. "But the Moorg must, somehow, have realized what I had done. They found me, and this poor creature was seriously hurt trying to defend me. It got away from the Moorg, and brought us to that structure, where I jumped from its body to your moments before it died."

"I heard the Moorg talking as I was making preparations to leave my body. They were planning to take me back to my own world, to a hidden encampment, where they would send word of my capture to my father. But if I can get back to my body, I can stop him from making a serious mistake." Dariel looked them in the eye. "I had heard the Slayer was a formidable warrior. But after having been in your mind, Willow, I believe the two of you would be a great deal more useful in combating the Moorg."

Before Dariel could respond, the world around them abruptly shuddered. Everything rippled and churned, as if reality was collapsing in on itself.

Willow jerked suddenly, painfully, to consciousness. She couldn't breath, her head was spinning, and her heart felt as if it was pounding a mile a minute.

"We know the Asyrian princess is within you human, so we must keep you alive for the time being." It glanced over its shoulder. "But we have no use for that one."

Blinking through a haze of tears, Willow looked past the demon, and saw another jerking Tara off the floor by her hair. She was only half-conscious, and in no condition to defend herself.

Willow was utterly exhausted. She could hardly move, and her head was pounding. But she wasn't about to just sit by and let anything happen to the women she loved.

The demon turned and drew back its hood, revealing oily black scales and a ridged forehead. It had tiny, slitted golden eyes, a wide maw full of dagger-like teeth, and a forked tongue. The definitively reptilian demon cocked its head and sneered at the witch.

Willow didn't have much energy left, but she focused all of her thoughts on one last, desperate maneuver. She crossed her hands together and looked up at the demon.

The Moorg snorted, but did not otherwise move. It obviously didn't feel threatened.

Willow, who had been muttering under her breath while the demon was talking, smiled. She whispered the last word of the incantation and shimmering rings of barely visible force erupted from the palms of her hands. They struck the demon and sent it flying across the room.

The other demon, by luck or chance, happened to be right in line with the first. The two of them slammed hard into one another and were flung back into the far wall. They both crumpled to the ground, not quite unconscious but, at the very least, stunned.

Willow dropped her hands and sighed. She had nothing left now. If the Moorg chose to attack again, there was nothing she would be able to do about it this time.

But the demons, it seemed, had had enough. One helped the other up, and they both snarled.

The blond was teary-eyed. "I should have expected this. When you astral travel, your body is helpless. I should have set up some protective wards, some..."

"That wasn't your fault." Out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of something metallic by the leg of a chair, on the other side of the room. "And besides..." The redhead started crawling in that direction. "I'm not so sure it would have any good anyway. You know how they just popped out of here? Look around. The door is still locked, and the window is closed. They probably just popped in too."

Willow realized that what she had found, was a golden bracelet with numerous, multi-colored crystals on it. "I don't believe it." She grabbed it and turned. "Tara, look!"

"One of them must have dropped it," said the blond. "That's why the other one got so upset."

"It's beautiful." She smiled at her lover. "And now, we can follow them, Tara. Wherever the Moorg are keeping Dariel's body, we can go there and bring her back!"

"You're talking about interdimensional travel. I don't think we're ready for that."

"Let's at least sleep on it. Neither one of us is in any shape to jump to another world right now."

"I know. I can hardly move as it is. But we'll talk about it in the morning, right?"

"Of course," said Tara. She looked around. "Before we go to bed, though, I think we'd better set up some wards just in case the Moorg come back. I know a couple that ought to work against someone popping in from another dimension. Where is the dolls-eye crystal?"

The redhead glanced up from the book she was reading to see a familiar, white-eyed figure.

"Dariel?" Willow looked around. "Wait, is this another dream?" Until this moment she'd thought she was in the library at UC Sunnydale.

Willow took this news surprisingly well. "Okay." She turned. "Is anything wrong?"

"Not at all." Dariel clasped her hands behind her back. "I just wanted to say...thank you."

Willow turned from the book she'd been reading or dreaming about; a leather-bound volume of A PARALLEL REALITY, and stood up. "For what? I haven't actually done anything yet."

Dariel nodded. "I realize that. But you're willing to. Most people would be horrified at the idea of what's going on in your head. Believe me, I know. I'm in here." She smiled. "But seriously, thank you Willow. Whether or not it works out, and regardless of whatever you may decide, thank you."

Early the next morning, the two witches were roused from a sound sleep by the ringing of the telephone. They strove to disentwine themselves from their blankets, and from each other, but it was Tara who finally succeeded in getting up and out of bed to answer it.

Willow, meanwhile, sat up and yawned. She picked up the Moorg's bracelet from the nightstand, and examined it until Tara said goodbye to whoever was on the phone and hung up.

It might have seemed like a strange question, but not in Sunnydale. Thanks to the Hellmouth, and to everything it brought with it, that was generally the first thing asked after a late evening, or early morning, phone call. Tara, though, shook her head.

"Xander was just wondering if we wanted to join him and Anya for breakfast? I said I'd ask, and..."

Willow chuckled. Tara had a healthy appetite. What wasn't as widely known was that despite her comparatively smaller frame, she was no slouch in that department either.

"Call back and tell him we'll meet them at the restaurant. I'm taking a shower first, though." She peeled off her pajama top as Tara headed for the phone. When the redhead bent over—her behind pointed towards Tara—to take off her pants as well, the blond let out an appreciative whistle.

On the way to the shower Willow glanced at the mirrored front of the medicine cabinet, and was struck by the eerie whiteness of her eyes. She stumbled in mid-step, one hand on the shower curtain, as it occurred to her that her eyes were not supposed to be white.

Going back to the mirror, Willow realized the face she had seen, in passing, was that of Dariel. The girl was in fact still there, though only as a half-image. The redhead closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to decide if perhaps she was going crazy after all.

Willow looked around, but she was alone in the room. Except for the mirror, of course. There, the phantasmal image of Dariel shook her head.

"I'm really here, Willow. I know this is confusing, but ever since you and Tara did that spell yesterday, I've felt closer to you. Our minds are more connected than before."

"I think when you elevated your mind, to walk upon the other plane where I was, it altered the way you connect with your inner eye. And with me. I can speak to you now."

"No," the redhead replied. "I mean yes she's still here. I can feel it. But I can't hear her right now, because she's not saying anything."

"She's seeing through my eyes and hearing through my ears. That's kind of...you know..."

Willow was distracted all throughout breakfast, listening to Dariel's comments on how her mind responded to her body's reactions to the various things she was eating, and Anya finally called her on it. So the redhead had to spend the next few minutes telling her and Xander everything that happened.

The ex-demon was not particularly phased by any of it. But then again she had been around for over a thousand years, and very little ever surprised her. Xander, on the other hand, was still having kind of a hard time wrapping his mind around the whole other-dimensional thing.

"Take it easy," Willow whispered. "It's going to be okay." The others were looked at her funny. "It's Dariel. She sounds terrified, Tara. We have to help her."

"I have been outside of my body for several days now. There is a limit to how long a shell can be vacant before it shuts down. And if that happens..."

"Your spirit will be lost. I understand." She turned to Tara. "We have a problem."

The redhead unlocked the door of their room and rushed inside. She was searching for the bracelet, which she had left behind went they went to breakfast.

"No, we have to help Dariel." Willow turned to face her lover. "Tara, you can't hear her. I can. She's practically crying. I think it just hit her that she may not make it home."

"But Willow, this isn't something we can just rush into you know. We're talking about interdimesional travel. I don't think you realize..."

Willow's brow furrowed. "No, I don't think you realize how serious I am. I lost Joyce, and Buffy. And I almost lost you to Glory. I'll be damned if I'm going to let anything like that happen to anybody else if I can do anything about it." She put the bracelet on. "So are you with me, or not?"

"Do you really have to ask?" Tara stepped forward and took Willow's other hand. "Honey, I still don't think this is a good idea. But I'm not going to let you waltz off into who knows what kind of trouble, without me. Together to the end. We agreed on that, remember?"

Willow nodded. "I know." Her eyes softened, and she smiled. "I'm sorry I was snippy girl."

Willow and Tara were, at Dariel's prompting, standing in the center of the room with their hands clasped, eyes closed, and taking slow, shallow breaths.

Everything Dariel said to her, Willow was repeating to Tara. Now the blond started to shake her head, but kept her eyes closed and her hands entwined with Willow's.

"Wait, how can we do that? We've never been to her world. How do we visualize it?"

"You don't have to," Dariel said to Willow. "I can do it for you, Willow. Trust me. I'll concentrate on Hakimos, the two of you only have to get us there."

"If you say so." Tara wasn't sure how much she trusted the disembodied 'Princess', but she trusted Willow with her life. As long as they were together, everything would be fine.

The crystals on the bracelet Willow was wearing began to flash in unison. Each one was brighter than the one before, and in seconds all eight were glowing. Light erupted from the bracelet and enveloped the two witches, and they were both swallowed up as reality folded around them.

From one brief, terrifying instant the air itself seemed to catch fire as reality unfolded to release Willow and Tara on top of a large, flat rock.

All around them, as far as the eye could see, was lush, blue-green grass, knee-high, with oddly shaped yellow, red and purple-leaved trees dotting the rolling landscape. There were also flowers of various sizes, some silver and others gold, with what appeared to be multi-winged, butterfly-like insects fluttering about. Overhead, there was a dark gray sky, a single sun and several moons visible.

Willow took a deep breath. "Wow." She hadn't even considered the possibility she might not be able to breath in this world. "That was fun. I feel like I was turned inside out."

"It was just as intense as I remembered it," Dariel said within Willow's mind. "But your heart is racing. Would you like to sit down and rest?"

"I'm fine, Dariel." Willow turned to Tara, who was rubbing her forehead. "Honey? Are you okay?"

Tara opened her eyes, again, to see that same rainbow-colored corona of energy surging and crackling around Willow's body as before. It was as if her aura was on fire.

Deep within Willow's mind, Dariel's essence trembled. The redhead, however, was too preoccupied to notice the sensation. She moved closer to Tara, who actually took a step back.

"I feel so strange, Willow. It's as if...." Tara's eyes widened. "The plants. They're calling to me." She jerked her head up. "A bird. I can feel it's hunger, it hasn't eaten in days."

Willow followed her gaze, but could see nothing except a dark shape high in the sky.

"I know." Tara turned. "I feel your fear, Willow. I really do. It's amazing. It's as if some new kind of awareness has woken with me. I mean, I can even..." She put a hand out—resting it between Willow's breasts and just above her heart. "Dariel. I can sense her within you, Willow."

Tara began to spin in a slow circle. "I feel so light." Her feet lifted from the ground. "Like all the bonds of the earth are just...slipping away." She actually began to float away.

"No!" Willow grabbed Tara's ankles before she was too high to reach, and pulled her back down. "Tara, please, concentrate. Try and stay with me honey. Okay?"

Tara lips trembled. "I'm here, Willow. I'm not going to let the madness win again."

"Good." Willow took her lover's hand and kissed it gently. "Now, talk to me, Dariel. What's going on? What is happening to Tara?"

Willow shook her head. "What are you talking about? Dariel, you're not making any sense."

"I know. I'm sorry." The disembodied princess was silent for a moment. "There is something about my world I neglected to mention before. Stories, legends really, hidden in the history of my people say that our realm was formed when the demon Hakimos died after a ferocious battle with another entity. His living heart, a source of almost unlimited magical power, lies at the very core of this world. As a result, it is said, any magic performed within the bounds of Hakimos is touched by the demon himself."

"It becomes stronger. If your lover is truly able to read lifelight, or what you call auras, then it is likely she is being overwhelmed. You see the plants and animals, everything in my world has been touched, in some way, by the mystical power of the demon."

Willow nodded. "So we have to help Tara focus. Reign in her senses, keep them under control until she needs them. That way she can block out all the extraneous information." She turned. "Tara? Honey? Do you remember that meditation and breathing exercise we did, after all that stuff at Lowell House?" Tara nodded. "Do you think you could do them here? They might help."

"I'll try," said Tara. She sat down on the edge of the rock and closed her eyes.

Willow desperately wanted to help, but she knew anything she did at this juncture could very well distract her girlfriend. So she bit her lip and walked a short distance away.

"Dariel," the redhead said to herself. "Does what you were saying apply to all magic?"

"Actually, no. You see, long ago my father banished the use of magic anywhere in the realm."

"It is feared by many of my people, especially the elders, that the demon Hakimos still exists somewhere. He is said to be asleep, somewhere far beyond our reality, and that every beat of his heart brings the beast one step closer to reawakening. Each use of magic, then, is believed to stir the dark one's spirit, which makes magic one of the most dangerous talents any Asyrian could display."

"Better." Tara held her hand out and Willow helped her up. "I think it worked." She cupped Willow's cheek and smiled. "Thanks to you."

"So, where to now?" Willow asked, with one arm around Tara's waist. "You said the Moorg have a base hidden somewhere?"

"If the conversation I overheard is true," Dariel replied. "But I have no idea where it could be. My people have rallied against the Moorg for over a century, without their being able to gain so much as a foothold. At least, as far as I know."

"I've been meaning to ask you about that," said Willow. "You said earlier that your people have no warriors? If that's true, how have been able to fight the Moorg? Especially for a century?"

"We had no real warriors when the Moorg first began their assault on our world. But we do have a strength of will that is second to none, and we stood against the invaders. Over time, by necessity, the Asyri have become stronger. The Moorg are also fewer in number which, obviously, limits their campaign. And, fortunately for us, they also do not seem to possess the capacity, or at least the desire, for magic. If they ever managed to tap into the heart of Hakimos, my people would surely lose."

While Willow and Dariel were talking—a conversation she could only hear half of, Tara's eyes began to water from the onslaught of a deep, pounding headache. She realized it was because she was sensing something much too strongly for her to fully recognize, at first.

Willow put an arm around her girlfriend and nodded. "I know. It's okay, Tara. Relax."

"We should hide," said Dariel. "If it's the Moorg, we can fight them. But if one of the other Asyri sees you, I'd hate to think what might happen to you."

The witches headed off into a clump of trees, out of sight of a dirt path they had not noticed before, just as an unusual looking creature shambled into view.

It resembled an elephant, except that it was closer in size to an Earth horse and had coarse, reddish-brown fur all over its body. It wore what appeared to be a leather harness, tethering it to another such creature, which was in turn pulling a small wagon. In the driver's seat was an Asyrian, like Dariel, but this one was a tall, dark-haired male who wore something like armor over his robes.

"My father's advisor," the disembodied princess replied. "He is also in charge of leading the campaign against the Moorg. He has long espoused a more martial stance for our people, and has trained his troops accordingly, but my father is still reluctant." She was silent for a moment. "I wonder what he is doing all the way out here? If I'm not mistaken, our palace is back in the direction he came from."

"Let's follow him," said Willow, after telling this to Tara. "And maybe we can find out."

The driver of the wagon was obviously not in any great hurry to get wherever he was going, so it was a simple enough matter for Willow and Tara to follow him. But since they wanted to keep out of his sight they had to be cautious, so they periodically ducked back into the trees, or behind a rock. It was during one of these times the witches lost sight of him.

When they finally located the wagon again, it was parked by the jagged mouth of a cave, at the base of a small mountain. From the angle they could tell the cave led down into darkness instead of straight back, and they also saw the flickering of what they presumed to be torches. The wagon, though, was empty, and as far as they could tell there was no sign of the driver, or anyone else for that matter.

Tara briefly considered allowing her senses to expand outward, to see if she could find the man who had been driving the wagon, or at least to determine who or what might be inside the cave. But after what she had already experienced since coming to Hakimos, she was fairly sure she didn't want to risk it. The mere thought of it was enough to make her head start hurting all over again.

At least, that was what she thought caused the new headache, at first. It didn't take her long to realize what she was actually feeling was a separate, but sadly familiar, sensation. Danger. More than once on Earth she'd had an unexpected mental flash, an inkling of this talent—but here she could hardly control it. She put her hands to her head as it all came flooding into her mind at once.

Tara saw dark, scaly faces, smoldering red eyes, and flashing claws. They were coming at them from all sides at once, and they were being overwhelmed. She stumbled and reached for Willow, who put her arms around the blond in order to keep her from falling on her face.

A hooded figure leaped out of the trees. The Moorg hissed and raised its clawed hands, as several others rose from the underbrush around them. They were surrounded.

"No..." the redhead whispered. "It's not you, it's this place." The Moorg were coming closer. "Look, we're here to help Dariel, remember? I'm going to say something really stupid now." She turned to the nearest Moorg, and cleared her throat. "Take us to your leader."

Willow and Tara were being led down into the darkness of the subterranean cavern with several torch-bearing Moorg in front of them and several others behind. They had not even tried to put up a fight, which surprised the blond almost as much as the fact she wanted to fight in the first place.

"Trust me," said the redhead. "If this works like it's supposed to, everything will be fine."

The Moorg ahead of them took a sharp turn to the right, leading Willow and Tara off into a side corridor with numerous smaller openings on either side. One had been fitted with metal bars, and it was to this door that Tara and Willow were directed. A demon undid the lock and pulled it open, then the ones behind the witches shoved them both inside and slammed the door behind them.

Grunting and laughing, the Moorg stomped away. They didn't even bother to leave a guard.

"Is this what you had in mind?" Tara asked. "Us being locked away for the rest of our lives?"

Willow, understandably, decided not to mention this to Tara, and instead started to look around. "Hey." There was someone else in the cell with them. "Who's that?" She approached the small figure, sitting on the ground at the back of the cave. "Hello?"

Tara turned away from the bars and approached the motionless, blond-haired body. She glanced from Willow, to the girl, and back again. "Is that Dariel?"

"This was your plan all along wasn't it?" said Tara. "But how, Willow? How could you possibly have known the Moorg would bring us to the same place they were hiding Dariel?"

The redhead shrugged her shoulders. "I figured...how many hideouts can they have on Hakimos? Besides, they acted as if they knew us, when they came after us on Earth. I figured maybe they would want to get the princess back in her body just as much as we did, if for different reasons."

Tara walked over to the bars and peered out into the corridor, watching for the Moorg, while behind her there was a sudden flash of light that filled the room. She glanced over her shoulder, where she saw Willow sprawled out on the far side of the cell, shaking her head, while Dariel sat up.

"Dariel?" Willow crawled over to the wide-eyed Asyrian princess. "Are you all right?"

"I-I think so." The white-eyed girl looked at her hands, then at Willow. "You brought me back. I don't know if I can ever thank you enough for this."

Tara gasped and took a step back, as she realized there was suddenly someone standing right on the other side of the door. It was the Asyrian man from the wagon.

"Of course, Princess." He did something with his hands and the lock came open. "I've been worried about you, Dariel. And so has your father."

Tara leaned in and whispered in Willow's ear. "Janos? Why does that name sound familiar?"

"I don't know," said the redhead. "But let's get out of here now, and we can worry about it later."

Janos put his arms around Dariel, who hugged him back, and smiled at Willow and Tara. "You two must be the witches who interfered with my associates." He shook his head. "I must admit...you've both been a considerably more formidable obstacle than I was expecting."

"Oh no." Realization struck Tara like a punch to the face. "Janos. One of the Moorg mentioned that name back at the dorm. Remember?"

The taller Asyrian clamped his hand down on the top of the princess's head, and lightning-like tendrils of blue energy erupted from his palm. Dariel's entire body shuddered and she screamed, briefly, before succumbing to unconsciousness, and she collapsed into his arms.

"You monster!" Willow took a step forward, her fists clenching. "Leave her alone!"

"I don't think so," said Janos. He brought his free hand up, palm out, and pointed it at Willow and Tara. Before either witch knew it, a burst of invisible force slammed into the two of them and sent them flying back into the cave wall. They slid to the ground, groaning. "Humans." He gestured, and the cell door closed all by itself. "You chose the wrong protectors, Princess."

When Dariel came to, she found herself bound by the wrists, and hanging precariously over a pit in the center of yet another cavern. Her cheeks were soaked with tears.

"I don't understand. You are my father's oldest friend. His most trusted advisor. Why are you doing this? Why have you betrayed our people?"

Janos shook his head. "On the contrary, Princess. I haven't betrayed anyone. Our people are suffering because of your father. Because he was too weak-willed to take a stand against the Moorg, until it was too late for us to do anything but hold them at bay for decades on end." He clenched his fist, which began to surge and pulse with crimson energy. "Worst of all, he denied our people the only weapon we could have used to wipe out every last one of our enemies! The power of Hakimos!"

All around them, the Moorg started to slowly rock back and forth on the balls of their feet, chanting the same word over and over again. "Hakimos! Hakimos!"

The elder Asyrian lowered his hand, the energy fading, and stroked Dariel's cheek. "It's such a shame, that this pretty young face must be sacrificed for the good of our people!"

Janos grabbed one of the Moorg by its neck. The demon let an angry hiss, but did not otherwise make a move against the Asyrian. "Haven't you ever wondered why they came to our world in the first place? I did. You see, I have been studying the dark arts for many years, Princess. Long before you were born. I have touched the heart of Hakimos, and I know its power!" He released the Moorg, who dropped to its knees, and returned to the same apparently meditative state as all the others. "So do they. You see, I discovered that the Moorg believe they are descended from the blood of Hakimos, the entity whose essence is said to have created our realm. Whether or not this is true I do not know, nor do I actually care, but they see it as their right...no, their destiny, to claim the mystical birthright waiting at the core of our world."

"What does this have to do with me?" Dariel asked. "Why did they chase me to Earth?"

"The Moorg plan to offer you up as a sacrifice to their dark master, Hakimos, in the hopes they can rouse the demon from his ageless slumber. But just when we were preparing to make our move, you vanished. It took me quite a while to locate you in that other realm, and just when I thought they had you, you escaped the Moorg by releasing your mind from your body. A noble effort. But as soon as the Moorg brought your body back, I knew what you had done, and I instructed them on how to locate your new host." He smiled. "I will admit, the witches were an interesting choice. The Moorg side with me because of my powers, because they believe I am touched by Hakimos. When your new friends struck back, using powers similar to my own, they panicked. They told me what had happened, and I knew you would find a way to convince the witches to bring you back to our world, so I just told the Moorg to sit back and wait. They brought you right to me!"

"Perhaps I am." Janos slowly rose into the air. "But once you're out of the way, Princess, the Moorg are going to help me take the throne of Hakimos. Under my leadership our people will reach a new plateau of power, and become the dominant force in the multiverse, as we were always meant to be." He nodded, and a stone near one of the Moorg burst into flames and then exploded, showering several demons in a fiery hailstorm. "The perfect combination of physical prowess, and mystical might!"

The redhead's pulse was strong, and her breathing steady. As Tara put a hand to her cheek, gently caressing it, Willow began to stir. Her eyelids fluttered open.

"I think so." Willow sat up. "What happened?" She looked around. "Where's Dariel?"

"Of course. He zapped us. But didn't Dariel tell us her people don't use magic?"

Willow shook her head. "I don't think so. You saw it. He zapped her too." She turned, her eyes pleading. "Tara, we have to help her."

"...so we should finish what we started," said Willow. "We got Dariel back to her body all right. But if it hadn't been for us, Janos would never have been able to take her mind too."

"One last time. Please?" Willow smiled. "After this, I promise we'll take a vacation. We'll go somewhere, just you and I. No Hellmouth, no Scoobies." She took Tara's hand. "Please?"

Tara got to her feet. "Let's just hurry up and do this..." She helped Willow up, and crossed her arms. "..before I change my mind." Her jaw tightened.

"Try charming the tumblers," Tara offered. "Like I showed you back home." It was a variation of an entry spell she had learned when she was young.

Willow nodded. "Okay." She placed her hand on the inner side of lock. While this was a fairly simple spell, in the grand scheme of things, she could never quite get it to work right. Both of two times she tried she ended up ruining the locks in question, and one of those belonged to Giles, so she was still trying to make up for that. "A little bit of energy, focused on the tumblers, and..."

The air all around them was instantaneously but only momentarily ionized—causing their hair to stand on end, and a moment later the lock literally seemed to explode from the inside out. The rest of the door ripped off its hinges and rocketed into the opposite wall of the corridor, with enough of an impact to imbed it several inches into the stone. When the smoke cleared, both witches were wide-eyed.

Tara felt her lover's concern, and no small amount of pride, at her feat. "It's this world. You said Dariel said it enhances the power of magic, right? On Earth the worst thing that could have happened from that spell you just cast is that a lock gets damaged. Here, the same small amount of energy is potentially destructive. We'll both have to be extremely careful using magic, Willow. Or else our powers could get out of control in a hurry, and I don't think either one of us is really ready for that."

"You're right," said Willow. She was staring at her hands, though, when they stepped out into the corridor, and found themselves being approached by two angry-looking Moorg.

"Let me handle this." Willow held her hands out, palms facing the demons, who hesitated. "Go away! Or you'll feel my wrath!" She put on a cocky smile, and waited.

The demon's glanced at one another, then turned and ran. They were gone in seconds.

The first two Moorg had reappeared, but with backup. A half dozen of the scaly, lizard-like creatures stormed the corridor, grunting and hissing as they charged the witches.

"Oh man," said Willow. "I know it was too good to be true!" She put her hands back up, clasping them together this time, but the demons did not even slow down. "This is your last warning!"

"Always," said the redhead, as her hands started to glow. "Last chance!" She had a strange twinkle in her eye, a look Tara had never seen before. "Have it your way. Don't say I didn't warn you!" A wave of pure energy erupted from her hands, filling the length of the corridor in a matter of seconds and scorching the walls as it enveloped the demons before they even had the chance to react.

Tara tried turning and clamping her hands over her ears, but it was no use. She could hear their screams in her mind no matter how hard she tried to block it out. "Stop it! You're killing them!"

Willow took a step back and lowered her hands, the attack ceasing immediately. "What?" The smoke began to clear. "No, I'm..." Her eyes widened. "Goddess!" Where once there was an approaching pack of crazed, reptilian demons, now there was only ash. Six evenly spaced, still smoldering piles. "No!"

"Honey..." Tara put her arms around the trembling redhead, from whom she could sense the disbelief and fear radiating. It was almost painful to her. "...take it easy."

"I killed...I killed them, Tara." Willow began to shake, and her eyes filled with tears. "I killed them all, without even batting an eye. What's happening to me?"

Tara rested her forehead against Willow's. "You only did what you had to." She understand, literally, what was going through Willow's mind. Her girlfriend had killed before, of course, though only vampires, and jamming a wooden stake through an unnamed creatures heart was a lot different than using ones own inner power to fry an entire group of demons right before her eyes.

"I know," said Willow. "But that doesn't actually make me feel any better." She gazed down at her hands. "Tara, I think I'm beginning to understand what you told me a while back. When you said it scared you, how powerful I was becoming? It scares me too."

"This wasn't your fault," Tara replied. "Goddess, Willow, give yourself a break. This place is getting to both of us, and I for one will be glad when we're back home. Together."

Willow nodded. "Okay." She wiped her eyes. "Let's go. We've got to find Dariel before it's too late."

Janos smiled. "Don't tempt me, Princess." He chuckled. "No, the truth is, the Moorg have a very specific plan in mind for your demise. It follows a precise timetable, involving planetary alignments and such. Oh, but it will be soon, don't worry your pretty little head."

Dariel wanted to spit in his face, but her throat was too dry. She settled for swearing.

"In the meantime," said Janos. "I don't believe the rituals require you to be in any particular physical condition other than alive." He glanced back at the Moorg. "What do you say, my friends? Would you care to have a bit of fun with..." Something drew the elder Asyrian's attention, and he jerked his head up to glare at the exit; a hole in the cavern wall at the top of a crude set of stairs. "What on Hakimos? A tremendous surge of energy. I've never felt anything quite like it. But it's gone now." He frowned. "The witches. Blast! They must have escaped the cell somehow. I knew I should have finished them when I had the chance!"

Janos turned to the nearest Moorg. "Your guards have failed me." He reached out with one hand, and clenched his fist in the direction of the demon, which clutched at its throat and began to gag. Just when it seemed he was going to kill the demon, he let go. "I'll offer you one last chance for redemption!" He gestured toward the other Moorg in the cavern. "Take these fools with you! Find the witches. Do whatever you wish with their bodies, but bring me their still beating hearts! Do you understand?" The demon nodded, and he shrugged it aside. "Go, now, before I change my mind and decide to put someone else in charge!"

The demon nodded. It grunted, motioning for the other Moorg to follow it. Janos watched them swarm up the stairs, and then turned back to Dariel.

Willow and Tara were standing on either side of a large opening, really more of a hole, tucked into the end of the corridor they had been exploring.

"No," said Willow. "But we didn't find any other way out of here except for the door leading up, and I'm pretty they didn't take Dariel out of this place."

Tara shook her head. "I don't like it. We can't see what's down there." She looked to Willow. "Hey, maybe you could cast one of those light spells? You know, the tinkerlight?"

"But Tara, after what happened with those demons, I'm afraid of what might happen. I might end up setting this whole place on fire."

"You can't think like that." Tara put a hand on her lover's shoulder. "Willow, don't fear the power. Look I know what I said before, but it wasn't your power that scared me. It was what I was afraid it would bring you to. Magic is a very seductive force, and if you're not careful it could take you to places you're not ready to go. But here, I think it's safe to say all bets are off. Our magic is the only thing that can save us, and Dariel, and as long as they have Janos on their side the Moorg will have the edge otherwise."

Willow sighed. "Okay. But don't blame me if this thing blows up in our faces." She held out her hand. "I hope I can do this without the ingredients." She took a deep breath, then faltered. "You know what? I think it might be a good idea if we closed our eyes. Just in case."

"Okay." Tara did just that, after putting a comforting hand on Willow's shoulder.

It was only supposed to be a golden globe of energy about the size of a baseball, and bright enough to light up most of the corridor. Instead she got one bigger than a volleyball, and so bright they could still see it with their eyes closed. It also felt hot, so much so her palm started to burn.

Willow did the only thing she could think of in that situation—she let it go. The fiery orb dropped out of sight down the hole, followed by a few moments of silence, and then a loud hissing sound, like a branding iron being applied to flesh. Then a loud roar, and then claws clacking against stone.

Seconds later, Moorg came swarming out of the hole. There were quite a few of them, and they seemed to be very upset by the fact that several had scorch marks and burns upon their heads, shoulders and upper backs. The fiery ball had obviously struck them on the way down.

Willow flexed her hand and nodded. "Just a sunburn really. We've got bigger problems."

The lead Moorg pawed at the left side of its face, which had been burned almost to the point of losing the use of its eye. "Get them!" it roared. "Kill them! Now!"

"It's okay." Tara knew that what had just happened with that light spell had been the last straw; Willow was way too concerned about losing control of her magic now. She was almost paralyzed with fear, and that wasn't good for either of them. She took a deep breath. "I'll take care of it."

Tara took one of the redhead's hands in her own, and held up the other. Her eyes narrowed and she gritted her teeth, as she tried to decided how best to act. After seeing what Willow had done before she, too, was reluctant to unleash too much of her power. But she also knew if she didn't do something, and soon, the Moorg would be upon them and then they would both be dead.

"Stop!" A shimmering wave of force burst from the palm of her hand. It rippled down the corridor and washed over all of the Moorg, encasing the whole group in a solid block of blue-white ice. The blond lowered her hand and blinked. "Whoa. I didn't..."

They slipped around the Moorg, back to the hole the demons had come out of. They could see all the down to the next level, thanks to the light spell Willow had cast. The shaft was smooth, with no visible handholds, and it did not appear to offer any way down, or up for that matter.

"Obviously the Moorg can climb," said Willow. "But how are we supposed to get down there?"

Tara smiled. "That's easy." She grabbed Willow's hands in her own and pulled the redhead to her, wrapping her arms around her. "Hold on tight." She levitated both of them off the ground, over the hole, and all the way down to the corridor below. At the bottom she wasn't even breathing hard, or straining.

"Wow," said Willow. "Tara, you did that so easily." She looked her lover up and down. "And you are positively beaming. This place really agrees with you."

Tara brought up her hands for Willow to see that her fingertips were glowing. "I've never felt like this before, Willow. It's incredible. It's like...I'm on the verge of something, you know? Something I need to see and do, but I can't quite reach it. I'm so close though."

"Tara..." Willow reached for her lover, but was startled by a bolt of what appeared to be static electricity from Tara lashing out at her. "I-I can't touch you."

"It's this power," said Tara. Both of her hands started to glow. "It's coursing through me because I'm not afraid of it. I've embraced it. You have to let it in, Willow. Make it a part of you. Otherwise, you'll never be able to be everything you can, in this world or our own."

"Like those demons?" Willow shook her head. "Tara, I reveled in the power already, and look what happened. I killed them, all of them, and I didn't even realize it. I don't want to do that again."

Tara dropped her arms and the glow faded. "Believe me, I understand. Back when I thought I was half demon, I was scared, every second of every day, and not just that you would find out and leave me. I was terrified I might lose control and the monster inside me would burst out and hurt someone I loved." She cupped Willow's cheek and smiled. "Hurt you." She sighed. "But Willow, what's inside you is not a monster at all. It's a blessing. You've got the kind of power I could only ever dream about, even back on Earth, and here you've got the chance to be a real hero." She smiled. "Like I've always known you were."

Janos was sitting, cross-legged, and floating several feet above the ground, with his head bent forward and his eyes closed. He had his fingers steepled in front of him and appeared to be meditating, while a faint bluish aura pulse around his entire body, glowing most brightly in the form of a crown.

Nearby, Dariel still struggled to escape from her bonds. But the ropes were too tight, and the harder she tried to free herself the tighter they seemed to become. She was long past crying, however, and all she really wanted to do now was make certain Janos paid for his crimes against their people.

The elder Asyrian's eyes abruptly snapped open. He unfolded his legs as he was lowering himself to the floor of the cavern, and then turned to glare up at the entrance.

"Blast. I never should have sent demons to take care of such important business."

Dariel smiled. "What's wrong, Janos? Are two lowly humans turning out to be more than you can handle? You could always give up, you know. I promise I'll see to it you get a fair..." She arched her back and screamed as he unleashed a bolt of energy from his hand which shot through her system and made every fiber of her being feel like it was on fire all at once. She was left panting and moaning.

"Be quiet!" Janos roared. "I don't have time to listen to this prattle." He stomped over to the nearest torch, and stuck his hand right into the flames. "So, ice is it? Amateurish, and easily dealt with." He extended a fraction of his mind and power out to the imprisoned Moorg. "Thaw!"

Upstairs, the ice surrounding the demons started to melt away. One by one they began to move, again, and the corridor was soon filled with water, and angry snarling.

Tara and Willow found themselves wandering through yet another seemingly endless series of dead-ends and circular corridors that only led them back to where they had started. Obviously, the only people who could find their way through it were those who were supposed to be there.

"I'll give it a shot." Tara extended her senses, ever-so-slightly, examining her surroundings while trying not to be overwhelmed by any stimuli she happened to receive.

Almost immediately, she felt two separate dark energies—one nearby, the other closing fast. The second, she soon realized, was not one single presence but rather a lot of smaller ones closer together. She was already far too familiar with these entities, and shook her head.

The group of Moorg they thought they had already beaten came charging around a corner, some still dripping and a few with icicles falling off various body parts. They gnashed their teeth and hissed as they came bounding toward the witches, who moved even closer to one another.

"Didn't you get enough the last time?" Willow asked. "Why don't you just leave us alone?"

"Fine," said Tara. She raised a hand. "Let's just get this over with." She concentrated for a moment, and then an eerie glow turned her palm almost transparent for a moment.

The stone beneath the Moorg suddenly turned molten. It wasn't actually hot, but the demons nonetheless sank into the gooey clay up to their knees, trapping one or both of their arms as well when they tried to pry or climb their way out. They were trapped, they could hardly move or make a sound.

Willow blinked. "Whoa." She'd read about these kinds of entrapment spells of course, had even thought about trying it once or twice back in Sunnydale, but still... "Incredible."

"They couldn't have gotten free on their own," said Tara. "Janos must know where we are." She pointed toward a door at the end of the corridor. "Come on, Willow."

Janos stood in plain view of Dariel, sharpening the wicked-looking dagger he was planning to use to sacrifice her. He had already explained to her, in explicit detail, what was going to happen to her in just a short time, and yet Dariel refused to give him the satisfaction of seeing her cry anymore.

"What? Those idiots!" The elder Asyrian clenched his fists. "Why do I even bother?"

"Your ugly friends aren't coming back, are they?" Dariel chuckled. "I guess we're just going to have to call the whole thing off. Maybe the next alignment..."

Janos floated forward, grabbed Dariel's hair, and jerked her head back. "Listen to me, Princess! Just because I said I was keeping you alive for the sake of the Moorg, doesn't mean I can't get by just as well with your bloody corpse laying at your father's feet. Understand me?"

"Yes, I do!" Dariel brought her legs up, kicking the dagger right out of Janos' hands. It tumbled through the air and, by pure chance, embedded itself in a cleft on the cavern wall.

Janos' eyes narrowed as he floated back. "You're only delaying the inevitable, little girl! You think I care what the Moorg want? I don't give a damn about their alignment, their demon, or anything else but wearing the crown I so rightly deserve." He gestured, and the dagger ripped its way out of the wall, bobbing up and down in mid-air as it seemingly waited for further instructions. "Hakimos be damned! I'll just take care of you once and for all!" He pointed, and the dagger abruptly shot toward Dariel.

The Princess closed her eyes. She knew with a certainty she was about to die, but she still did not want to see it. Seconds went by, an eternity in an instant, and nothing happened. Slowly, hesitantly, Dariel opened her eyes, in case Janos was playing some kind of cruel game with her.

She saw the dagger hovering scant inches from her heart, but other than the fact it was vibrating slightly it did not appear to be moving. Past it, Janos had one hand up and was clenching his fist, and the look on his face told Dariel he was not happy with what was going on. Clearly he was trying to get the dagger to move, to finish what he had started, and she could not understand what was stopping him.

"Why not?" a voice asked. "Wait, let me guess." He and Dariel both looked up to see Tara on the landing at the top of the stairs. She had one of her own hands pointed at the dagger. "You didn't think a human would have it in them, did you?"

"Actually, it is." Tara smiled as Willow walked out on to the landing beside her. "You see, my girlfriend made a promise to Dariel. She said we'd get her back to her body and reunite her with her father, and we've only done half that." He was unfocused, distracted, and she was able to wrench the dagger away from him. She pulled it up into her own hand, and smiled. "We humans like to finish what we start."

Janos glared at Dariel for a moment, and then back up to Tara. "Fine." He sneered. "You're welcome to her...if you can get past me." He rose into the air.

Willow nodded. "Okay, but be careful." She put her hands on Tara's shoulders. "I love you."

"Patience." Tara floated down to confront Janos, whose body was starting to pulse with crimson energy. "You seem to be really upset about something." She held up the dagger. "Is it this? Maybe I should get rid of it just to be sure." She flung the dagger over her shoulder, toward the hole underneath Dariel. "There now. You should be able to concentrate fully on the task at hand."

Janos began to tremble with rage. "Shut up!" he hissed. "Shut up!" Spheres of energy formed in and around his hands. "SHUT UP!" He unleashed twin bolts of energy right at Tara, who crossed her arms in front of herself as she was engulfed in an explosive impact that knocked her backwards. The beam carried on to the far wall of the cavern, much of which was reduced to nearly molten slag.

Willow, who had come down the stairs and was almost to Dariel, had used her power to snatch the dagger out of the air and drawn it to with her own power after Tara tossed it aside. Now she stared, wide-eyed, as her lover was struck down by energies far greater than she had ever imagined possible.

He had caught the witch off guard, not that it mattered, as he was certain she didn't have the power necessary to stand up to him for more than a heartbeat. She would not have been much of a challenge, even if he had given her an opportunity to face him directly, so it was better to get her out of the way and move on to more pressing business. Like taking care of the Princess.

Janos glanced down at Dariel, and saw Willow instead. He smiled. "Well now, isn't this my lucky day? I get to kill both witches, and the Princess."

To everyone's surprise, his especially, a huge piece of rock from the shattered cavern wall flung itself toward Janos, who just barely able to swoop out of the way. As the smoke and flames dissipated they could clearly see Tara was alive and surprisingly well, albeit still smoldering.

"If that's...the b-best you...can do," Tara panted. "You're in...b-big...trouble." The protective barrier she had cast an instant before the impact had taken its toll on her, but the fact she was still alive at all said a great deal about the power and control she possessed.

She could not reach the rope holding the Princess, though, so she floated up and put her arms around Dariel's waist. The Asyrian smiled back at her.

Admittedly, that wasn't the most powerful blast he could have used, but he had nonetheless expected it to turn the witch to ashes. He certainly hadn't imagined she would still be standing.

"You might not be human," said Tara. "But you are, more or less, a man. Your ego must be killing you because a human, a female no less, is proving to be your equal."

Janos laughed. "I'll admit you have a few pretty moves. But my equal?" He clapped his hands, releasing a pulse of white light so impossibly bright it forced her to turn away for a moment. When she could finally see again it was too late, he had vanished.

Without warning Janos reappeared, behind her. His inhumanly strong arms enveloped her upper body, pinning her arms to her sides and threatening to crush her ribs.

Willow cut the rope holding Dariel easily enough, but when she tried to will the two of them to the floor, she found them heading for the ceiling instead.

Dariel realized this, and shifted her position in Willow's arms so she could put her arms around the redhead's neck. She brought their faces close together.

"You must remain calm. Magic is forged by your emotions. If you become unfocused, you will not be able to control the power within you."

Willow shook her head. "I can't control it now!" They were only seconds away from crashing into the ceiling, and there didn't seem to be anything she could do about it.

"Yes," said Dariel. "You can. You just have to believe in yourself." Her voice softened. "I do."

Willow lowered her head, as she was struck by how much Dariel sounded like Tara just then. Not in her voice so much as her words, and the emotions behind them.

Dariel nodded. "Of course. How could I not? You have saved my life more than once." She gently reached out and stroked Willow's cheek. "But what's truly important is that you believe in yourself, Willow. It is your mind, and your heart, which you must come to understand."

"I-I..." Willow was feeling somewhat flustered by the Princesses' attention, which seemed to be going beyond that of a grateful friend. "Dariel, no." All at once they stopped rising, and instead sank straight back down to the ground. "I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I'm flattered. Really." Their feet touched down and she released the Princess. "You mentioned my heart, Dariel, and since you were inside of my mind you must know my heart only belongs to one person. Period."

Janos felt Tara going limp in his arms, and he knew she was almost unconscious. He was considering whether to just finish her off entirely, when he sensed movement out of the corner of his eye, and glanced down to find that the other witch had freed the Princess.

"If she escapes, Dariel might be able to convince her father to arrange a full-out assault against me before I'm ready." He lowered the two of them back down to the ground and casually shrugged Tara aside. "I will not allow that to happen!" Crimson tendrils of energy began crackling around his hands.

Tara watched, teary-eyed and too exhausted to move, as Janos stalked toward Willow and Dariel—who did not seem to even be aware of his approach. "N-No..."

Willow was in the process of talking to Dariel—actually 'letting her down easy' would probably have been the more correct term—when an invisible force suddenly slammed into her and sent her, face-first, into the wall of the cavern. She slumped to the ground, blood on her face.

"Hey now..." He grabbed her by the scruff of the neck and lifted her off her feet. "Is that any way for a Princes to talk to her elder?" Chuckling, he put his other hand on Dariel's chest. "Tell me...have you ever wondered why our people have two hearts?" A searing bolt of energy struck the Princess in the chest and burst out of her back a split-second later. A scream died in her throat. "So in case anything happens to one of them, we can hopefully stay alive long enough to be saved." Laughing, he tossed her aside as well.

Dariel, her young body still shuddering, landed by Willow. The redhead's eyes were the only thing on her that moved, and they filled with tears as she saw the charred hole in Dariel's chest.

From across the cavern, Tara felt her stomach twisting in knots, as she saw what happened to the girl they had come here to protect. A sweet, innocent child who had wanted nothing more than to explore a world outside of her own, and now this had happened.

"No more!" The witch forced herself up to her hands and knees. A shimmering, blue-white aura began to form around her entire body. It crackled and popped like so much static electricity. "I can't let this go on!" She got to her feet as a newfound strength flowed into her. "Hear me, Janos?! No more!"

The Asyrian turned, a bemused expression on his face. "Interesting." He looked Tara up and down. "You found your center. Well done." His own aura surged and grew brighter, stronger than before. "Not that it matters. You still don't have any chance of winning, human." He walked toward her. "Though your powers may have increased far beyond your means, I know the truth. You simply don't have the rage inside of you, the fire, needed to make the most of what you've been given." He shook his head. "Such a waste, really."

"Are you just going to talk?" Tara asked, sneering at him. "Or do you want to fight?!"

Janos sneered back. "Very well. I suppose I could spare a few moments." He wagged his finger. "But don't you disappoint me." He glanced over his shoulder at Willow, who by then had recovered just enough to slowly start crawling toward Dariel. "I only hope you're capable of dieing on your feet, like a warrior, and not as a sniveling coward like these other two."

"Oh..." Tara stepped forward and raised both hands. "...shut up!" Invisible waves of force struck Janos one after another, again and again, driving the Asyrian back.

"By Hakimos!" Janos crossed his own arms in front of his face and deflected as much of the energy as he was able. "You're stronger than I thought!" He actually began to lose his ground. "Perhaps I was hasty to dismiss you as an amateur!" He lunged forward, ducking under the brunt of Tara's assault, and slapped his palms down on the floor of the cavern. "Or perhaps not!"

Janos generated rippling waves of force which sent shockwaves in a wide circle around him—sending Willow and Dariel tumbling head over heels, and threatening to do the same to Tara. But the blond avoided it, by lifting herself off the ground and spreading her arms.

Freed from Tara's unrelenting assault, however, Janos willed a bizarre change in himself. Transforming into a huge, ebony-scaled serpent with broad, leathery wings took only seconds, and the creature screeched as it flew into the air and dove up at Tara. Her eyes grew wide.

"Goddess!" Thinking quickly, Tara bent the light around herself and seemed to turn invisible. While Janos was momentarily distracted, hovering in place as he searched for her, she flew up behind him and grabbed the spiny tip of his tail with both hands. In the back of her mind she heard herself say..."Fiat lux incindie!" A combination of two separate spells, back in Sunnydale it would have likely resulted in little more than burning light, perhaps like that of a small torch. Here, it resembled that spell Willow had accidentally cast when she was tried to create some light, but was willfully taken to the extreme.

Janos bellowed and thrashed in pain as the lower segment of his reptilian body burst into flames. The odor of scorched flesh was sickening as the Asyrian plummeted back to earth and transformed once again back into his humanoid form. One of his legs was blackened and smoldering.

"I'll kill you!" In tears, Janos placed both hands on his leg. "I will tear you limb from limb!"

"How are you going to do that?" Tara asked. "You can't even walk anymore." She crossed her arms. "Maybe, if you give up now and you're really lucky, Dariel's father will get you treated before he throws you in jail for the rest of your miserable life."

Janos' hands started to glow once more. "I think...not..." When he pulled his hands away from his leg the burns were gone, and he chuckled as he sneered up at her stunned face. "You should have killed me when you still had the chance." He rose easily to his feet. "I promise, I won't be as generous."

She tried to check the Princess' pulse and found nothing, until it occurred to her that Dariel was a demon. Her pulse, if indeed she had one, wouldn't necessarily be located in the same place as on a human. The witch felt a slight ease, when she realized Dariel was, for the moment, still breathing.

Everything was far from all right, of course. Even demons had their limits, and if she did not get Dariel to her people soon there was every chance she would die anyway. The redhead ran her fingers through her sweaty hair and tried to figure out what she was going to do.

Unnoticed by the terrified young witch, Dariel's eyelids fluttered. Her lips parted slightly.

Healing spells, of the sort she had just seen Janos demonstrate almost without effort, weren't supposed to be possible. It would have taken far more energy than anything a normal human caster could have performed, back on Earth, but here it was available for the asking.

"Oh yes," Janos hissed. "I most certainly can!" He rose into the air in front of her. "I may have underestimated you, little witch, but with good reason." His flesh became almost translucent, and she could see his skeleton as if it was glowing on its own. "My body and spirit are born of Hakimos, and I have been practicing for far longer than most of your people have been alive. I cannot be defeated!"

Tara's confidence began to waver. She hadn't expected anything like this. Janos wasn't just channeling energy, like she had been, he was literally a part of the very world which gave her the power she had tried to use against him in the first place. She trembled, her aura dwindling.

"I know what is within you, Willow. The power is there, you just have to unleash it."

Willow shook her head. "I can't. Dariel, you don't understand. If I let go, if I lose control..."

"You won't. Trust me." Dariel looked up into the redhead's eyes. "Willow, I believe in you. Take the demon by the tail, and bend his power to your will." She tried to point at something, but then her strength gave out and her arm fell back to her side. "All of Hakimos is counting on you Willow. I'm counting on you." Her eyes widened as she saw something past the redhead. "And so is she."

Willow turned her gaze upward, and felt all the remaining blood drain from her face.

"I suppose I could simply destroy you from afar," said Janos. "But frankly..." He raised his hands. "...I'm rather bored with this whole affair."

Tara felt herself being suddenly jerked toward the Asyrian by an unseen force. She tried to resist, exerting an immense amount of her own power to resist him, but try as she might she simply wasn't strong enough. Even if she had been at one time, her concentration had been decimated.

Janos grabbed Tara by the throat as soon as she was close enough, and pulled her face inches from his own as he licked her cheek. She shuddered. "It's really a shame I have to kill you, child. You taste delicious." His other hand turned intangible, and the Asyrian jammed it right into Tara's chest.

She screamed as his hand became slightly more solid, clamped her heart and squeezed. The stress was far too much for her fragile human system to stand, and she passed out.

Willow was on her feet, her spine arched as a pillar of raging golden energy surged and pulsed around her, its sheer intensity carving a crater out in the cavern floor. Her hair was swirling and churning on top of her head, a crimson crown of sorts, and her eyes had become pools of pure golden light. With each step she rose ever into the air, until she was face to face with the Asyrian.

"I never wanted it to come to this, Janos, but you've given me no choice!" She swept her arms and Janos found his own abruptly empty. Tara was with the redhead, and Janos could only look on in disbelief as Willow floated the two of them back down to the cavern floor. She lay her lover gently on the ground, and gave her a kiss, then turned to face the Asyrian. "This is between you and me."

Janos floated above her, his mind still trying to comprehend what his senses were telling him. Her power had grown to a degree he never imagined possible. His skin was tingling, the very air seemed to be on fire, and still her energy continued to build. For the very first time in all his two hundred plus years of life, the Asyrian knew what it meant to be scared. It didn't incapacitate him, however.

"You couldn't...this can't be...no! It's a trick! It has to be!" Janos created a sphere of crackling crimson energy and flung it at the redhead. "Catch this, witch!"

Willow waited until the last possible moment, and then with the casual effort of swatting an insect she batted the flame-sphere away. It struck the far wall of the cavern and exploded.

Janos was almost speechless. "N-No, that's not...possible!" He unleashed blast after blast, each one more than strong enough to kill a dozen human beings.

They streaked through the air, which sizzled and burned and they centered in on Willow. She cocked her head slightly and smiled, not even trying to move out of the way. The bolts crashed one after another into the golden corona of energy surrounding Willow's body, and soon the redhead was enveloped up in a monstrous explosion that sent a shockwave throughout the entire cavern.

Janos grinned. "I knew it! There's no way a lowly human could have had that kind of power!" The conflagration died down, and the smoke dwindled, but Willow was nowhere to be seen. It appeared she had been destroyed by his desperate, last-ditch attack. He began to laugh hysterically. "I did it! I did it!" But as the Asyrian was soon to discover, even mystical sights could be deceiving.

Willow was, in actuality, hovering a short distance behind and above Janos—with her arms crossed and a stern expression on her face. If she had been at all hurt or weakened, she wasn't showing any signs. He didn't seem to see or sense her, either, but he did hear it when she cleared her throat.

Willow frowned. "You're nothing but a bully, Janos." She took one of her hands and pointed two fingers at the Asyrian. "And I..." Tendrils of golden energy began to crackle around the tips, growing in seconds to a softball-sized sphere. "...hate..." It swelled like a balloon, doubling in size. "...bullies!"

"No!" Janos held up his hands, his face contorting with sudden realization. "Have mercy!"

"Like you did with Dariel?" Willow asked. The energy flowed up her arm, nearly to her shoulder, increased in size and brightness once again, and then hung there. "It's over, Janos!" All of the energy was released at once, in a monstrous blast that dwarfed anything Janos had ever attempted.

The Asyrian caught it right in the stomach, was doubled over by the impact, and despite his best efforts found himself being forced toward the ground. "N-No..." He couldn't believe this was happening. All of his power, his decades of planning, ruined by a childish witch from a backwater dimension. His concentration and confidence were shattered beyond repair, and with the loss of his protective aura the energy of Willow's devastating attack began to sear the flesh of his entire body. "Not like this!"

Willow's brow furrowed, as Janos pushed back—one final time—with all his might, and she had to concentrate to shift the beams direction. It drove the still struggling Asyrian down into the hole where Dariel was supposed to have been sacrificed, and straight toward the very heart of Hakimos.

When her senses finally told her they were far enough, Willow clenched her fist. For one long moment there was nothing but silence and stillness. Then the rumbling started from somewhere deep within the bowels of the world. The resulting tremors, very high on the Richter scale, shook the entire mountain range to its foundation, bringing chunks of rock and stalactites crashing down all around them. A column of flames belched forth from the mouth of the pit, billowing up and outward, in that instant nearly matching the explosive force of any of the volcanic eruptions back on Earth. They scorched the ceiling of the cavern, turning much of the stone black, and leaving molten pits all over the surface of the walls and floor.

As Willow willed herself down to the ground, she saw fissures tearing open the surface of the planet. Molten lava was beginning to bubble to the surface, and if it didn't get them first, it wouldn't be long before the seismic upheaval she had caused would eventually claim all their lives.

Thinking fast, Willow kneeled between Tara and Dariel, and placed a hand on each of them. A golden glow swept over the three of them as the floor of the cavern cracked open, and they disappeared just before the wave of molten rock washed over where they had just been sitting.

The redhead's eyelids fluttered open briefly, and through the haze she caught a glimpse of a familiar face. But it was no easy task for her to find the words.

Willow trembled as a warm, soft hand caressed her face before gently cupping her cheek, and she opened her eyes once more. She saw the girl kneeling at her side more clearly now, her worried ivory eyes softening when they met the strong, emerald gaze of her human friend.

"Thank Hakimos!" Dariel smiled. "I was beginning to fear you might never wake up."

Willow groaned. "Oooh, I feel like I was run over by a really big truck." She sat up, with help from Dariel, and looked around. They were in a small, stone-walled structure of some kind, with a single doorway that had beads over it, and no windows to speak of, though there did appear to be an opening in the ceiling. A torch on the wall provided both light and warmth, and she discovered she had been laying on a surprisingly comfortable, if rather crude, cot made of something resembling bamboo, and a furry material that probably came from those animals she had seen pulling a cart earlier. "Dariel? Where are we?"

Startled, Willow turned her head to find an Asyrian woman standing over her with a half-empty bowl of water and a rag in her hands. She was wearing long white robes with an unfamiliar symbol on her breast, and had most of her hair tied into a rather severe ponytail.

"At the behest of the Princess," said Lyria. "To be honest, I have never dealt with offworlders."

Willow was a little taken aback by the woman's obvious contempt for her, though in truth she was being civil, at least. Of course, that was probably only because Dariel was there.

Lyria was clearly unmoved by the sentiment. "I have rounds. With your permission, Princess..."

"Of course," said Dariel. She returned her attention to Willow as the healer slipped out of the room. "How do you feel?"

Dariel shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure. I was unconscious at the time. But I was told that we appeared in the middle of the throne room, in front of my father and the royal court. Lyria said you were awake at first, but you passed out as soon as we had materialized. That was two days ago."

Dariel's smile dimmed slightly at that, but Willow was too distracted to notice, and the Princess was quick to recover. "She is resting in the next room."

"Take me to her," said Willow. She slid her legs off the side of the cot. "Please."

Willow dropped to the floor beside her lover, who was curled up in a near fetal position, sleeping soundly on another of those cots. She touched the blonde's cheek.

"I'm here, baby." The redhead leaned down and kissed her cheek. "I'm right here."

Tara grinned as put her arms around Willow's neck, and pulled her close enough to kiss her the right way. "By the Goddess, I love you so much."

Dariel cleared her throat. "Forgive the intrusion. But I thought I should let you know, as soon as you're rested my father would like to have a word with the both of you."

Willow and Tara glanced at one another, silently wondering just how much trouble they were in. After all, the two of them were unwanted strangers in an equally strange land.

"Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll give you some privacy." Dariel started to back out of the room. "Oh, and please feel free to call for Lyria if you need anything." She drew the beads behind her.

Willow sat down on the edge of the bed, and took Tara's hand. "How do you feel?"

"I'm not exactly okay dokey," Tara replied. "It feels like there's an anvil on my chest." She sighed. "But at least I'm alive. By the way, why is that exactly? What happened?"

Willow shook her head. "I'm not sure. I was talking to Dariel, she had told me how I had to take control of my power. Just like you did? Then I saw Janos, and what he was doing to you, and I got so...angry. Something inside me just snapped, I totally lost it." She sighed. "Tara, it was incredible. It's like I stepped outside of my body, and I was watching somebody else wail away on Janos."

"Sounds like Buffy would have been proud." Tara smiled up at the redhead. "Goddess, I love you."

Willow glanced over her shoulder, toward the beaded door, and then turned back to Tara with a wicked gleam in her eye. "How much privacy do you think that thing gives?"

Despite the blonde's rather feeble protests she soon found herself on the very pinnacle of pleasure, only to be denied when Lyria stuck her head into the room, wondering if she was all right, in spite of all the noise she was apparently making. The Asyrian paused, in mid-sentence.

Willow jerked her lips up from Tara's chest, and her hand from the blonde's inner thigh, while Tara slapped her hands over her bare breasts and grinned sheepishly.

"I do not...believe this..." Tara's face turned several shades of red. She half-pushed Willow away and started to button up her blouse. "Could this day get any worse?"

Willow stood up and shrugged her shoulders. "Well..." She did her best to fix her hair without the benefit of a mirror, or a brush for that matter. "...we do still have to meet with the King."

They were escorted to the Baths, where they were bathed—by several young Asyrian woman—anointed with oil for their skin and the finest perfumes, given manicures and pedicures, and had their hair done. Finally, they had a variety of dresses presented to them and were told to choose, from them and the accessories than went along with them. Willow selected a long, emerald gown that went perfectly with her hair, as well as a necklace and an unassuming bracelet, while Tara picked out a simple blue top, and skirt, along with a jewel encrusted pendant in the shape of a star. They admired one another for a time before one of the servants, most of whose names were not given, led them to a waiting area just outside the royal chamber.

Dariel appeared a short time later, wearing white robes and what appeared to be a crystalline tiara in her silky blond hair. "My friends," she said with a smile. "Welcome."

Dariel started to reach for the redhead, stopping only because she saw Tara arch an eyebrow her way. "I think, after everything we've been through, you can call me by name. Both of you. I never stand on formality except at the most official of functions."

"Thank you, for all of this," Willow added, motioning to her and Tara's dresses.

"Don't mention it," said Dariel. "Father would probably have said your clothing was...immodest. No offense, I assure you, it just so happens that we have a different sense of decorum."

Tara nodded. "It's all right. I don't have anything as nice as this in my closet anyway."

"Keep them, please." Dariel smiled. "With my compliments. It's one of the perks of being a Princess. I have a tailor at my beck and call, though I rarely have reason to use him."

"Dariel," said Willow. "Do you have any idea what your father wants to see us about?"

"No," the Princess replied. "But you needn't worry. If he intended you harm, he would have done it by now. I'd wager he merely wants to say thank you for everything you did."

Tara was just about to say something else the door of the royal chamber creaked open. A small, wiry Asyrian man came out and bowed to Dariel. He ushered the three of them inside and then closed it, with himself on the outside. The royal chambers walls were lined with beautiful, multi-colored tapestries and fancy pennants. They saw various flags with strange looking symbols on them, and two story tall statues; one a three-headed, dragon-like creature, and the other a muscular, nearly nude Asyrian man. The two of them had been arranged, as if they were locked in an endless combat, but with the Asyrian clearly dominant.

"Hakimos," Dariel replied, her voice low and soft. "It is our only representation, because anything more risks attracting the ire of the demon itself."

"My father," said Dariel. "Andreas. Our lord and protector." She pointed to the center of the room, to a multi-tiered platform bearing the weight of an enormous, golden throne.

On it was Andreas, King of Hakimos, and a mountain of a man. He was taller than either of them, even seated, and his shoulders were broader than Tara's extended arms. His stark white-blond hair was cropped short, and he had a neatly trimmed beard and moustache. He wore what was likely the finest in Asyrian royal garb, along with rings on each of his fingers, and a beautiful jeweled crown.

"Father..." Dariel walked up the steps of the platform and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "May I introduce my friends. This is Willow Rosenberg, and Tara Maclay. My father, King Andreas."

Andreas rested his hands in his lap. "I am told we are doubly indebted to you. Not only have you rid our realm of a grave threat, but you brought my daughter back to me."

"I had long suspected Janos might have been dealing with the Moorg behind my back, but I never imagined his treason to extend this far." Andreas shook his head. "To risk the ruin of our entire world for the sake of his own personal power, it's an almost unthinkable act." He reached out and pulled Dariel to him, then kissed her on the top of the head. "But more importantly, you have brought my daughter back to me. There is nothing in Hakimos I can offer to repay for this gift. However, I shall try." He clapped his hands, and a door at the back of the room opened. Several Asyrians emerged. One held an old leather-bound book, another a bag of assorted crystals, and the last a small, ornate mirror. "My daughter tells me the two of you are versed in the da..." He paused, glancing at Dariel, and she nodded. He sighed. "...in magic?"

"Then this should be of interest to you." Andreas stood up, and crossed his huge arms. "All of these...artifacts, were taken from those visitors—some intentional, some not—who have found their way to Hakimos at one time or another. I have been informed all of them are mystical in nature, though none of my people, including Janos, were ever able to tell me what magics they actually possess." He nodded to the servants, who came forward and presented the trays to Willow and Tara. "I pass them on, now, to you both."

"Sir, your Highness, that's very generous," said Willow. "But, we can't. It's too much."

Andreas shook his head. "Nonsense. I have no use for them. If kept here, they will only rot away in some back room of the palace. Surely your people would find them more valuable?"

Tara, after a few moments, nodded. "It would be an insult to turn down the King's gifts."

"Then I guess we accept," said Willow. She took the bag of crystals and the mirror, Tara the book, and both of them bowed slightly and smiled. "Thank you."

Later that afternoon, after being fed and treated to a concert in their honor, Tara and Willow were led outside the palace grounds by Dariel and a band of royal guards.

The Princess hugged them both, several times, and even got away with giving Willow a kiss on the cheek. She also made them promise to try and visit some day. Then she made the guards look the other way, as the witches used the magic of the Moorg bracelet to vanish from Hakimos.

"We're home." Willow sighed. "It's strange. I feel kind of empty now, you know? Smaller."

"I know what you mean," said Tara. "I'd kind of gotten used to the power too. It's going to be kind of strange to not just have it at my fingertips." She clutched the book to her chest. "We should probably go see Giles and the others. They must be worried about us by now."

"Sure." Tara put an arm around the redhead. "Whatever you want." She couldn't feel Willow's emotions like on Hakimos anymore, but guessed she was thinking about those demons again. It would still take her some time to get over that. "By the way, I love you."

"I love you too," said Willow. She lay her head on Tara's shoulder. "Forever..."

Main What's New Fiction by Author Fiction by Pairing eBooks

Subject Index Submissions Gallery Forums Links Awards Contact Us

If you find problems on these pages please email your host.

Touched by Destiny

By Kirk Baldridge

Kirk@mysticmuse.net