Chapter 4 -- Alarums and Excursions (Go to Chapter 5) (Return to Home)

"He won't care if it rhymes, he'll want to see this now," a very junior demon was trying to insist to his superior.

"You're new here, Zolio. This is more than just data. Form is important."

"This is news. Speed is more important than form."

"The style book says: Use heroic couplets where ever possible."

"All right," Zolio said. "Let's record the prophecy in rhyme, but let's give him the raw data. After all, he has to sign off on this and he may want to write his own poem."

"He can't: he's a mere bureaucrat, a form-filler-outer. WE are the techs. WE write the oracles."

"None the less, I really think we should let him have some input. He'll like the taste better."

"Oh, very well. But you'll have to do it--we're busy."

"And I think 'orange' should go--try 'scarlet' or 'rust' instead."

"PI."

"What?"

"Poetically incorrect. 'Orange' stays.

"Good luck," Zolio said, and left.

*********************

Entering the reception area, Zolio again wondered why, Geiorse, so physically perfect himself, picked a wreck like Kartha as his PA. As always, he decided Geiorse liked the contrast.

"I need to see him."

"Why?"

"They're sitting on this, and I think he should see it now."

"What is it?"

"It's for the boss."

"Wait here," Kartha said, and went into the inner office. After a fairly long time, he returned. "He'll see you now," Kartha said, holding the door open for Zolio and following him in.

"Thank you for seeing me," Zolio said.

"Why am I seeing you?" Geiorse asked.

"I found this in when I arrived tonight," Zolio said, neatly shifting responsibility off his shoulders.

Geiorse glanced the notes the prophetic demon had scribbled down and handed them over to Kartha. After Kartha looked up at him: "When did you come on duty?" Geiorse asked in a quiet voice.

"About two hours ago," Zolio said. "It took me this long to get a copy."

"And this was ready how long before you found it?"

"I'm guessing maybe three or four hours into last shift. The gloss was done when I got here, and that always takes a while."

"Stay here," Geiorse said, and headed for the door, which opened before him.

Zolio moved to watch him exit Kartha's office and stride down the hall, Kartha right behind him. Good luck, guys, he thought.

Three minutes later, Geiorse returned. Tossing a pair of heads into a corner, he said: "You're now in charge of the Prophecy Department. Ignore the style book, give me the raw data at once, and the gloss as soon as it's written. Get out.

"Kartha! Get me a team of hounds. And a team of agents--No, two of each. One set starts at the Alvar gate and one goes to that damn vampire's address. They're looking for two Alves who came through tonight. Find them, bring them here."

"And the vampire?"

"Leave him alone, at least until we're sure if he knows about the Alves or about the portal. Take note if he is doing anything strange, but do not alert him."

Zolio passed beyond hearing as he headed down to the Prophecy Department.

*****************

"It's time for dinner. If you eat, that is," Cordelia said to Ivo. "Or we could just go for coffee and dessert."

"We eat. We want to try New England Boiled Dinner," Ivo said.

Wesley choked.

"I don't know what that is, let alone where we might find it here," Cordelia said.

"There's a soi disant Irish pub out on just east of here," Wesley said. "I believe if you order..."

"No, somewhere else perhaps. Or we could get MREs. We've heard good things about MREs."

"From who?" Angel asked.

"Sort of relatives," Filis said.

"I know," Cordelia said, "we'll head for the Gourmet Ghetto and stroll and look at the menus. We're sure to find something. Bring your credit card," she said to Ivo.

"I have mine," Filis said.

"Are we all going?" Cordelia asked. "Shouldn't you stay here and help Wesley and Angel"

"No," Filis said, fully as flatly and as unarguably as Angel ever did. Cordelia gave up.

After the other three left, Angel asked Wesley: "What did she look like to you?"

Wesley frowned, then said, "A very young and very imperious Dame Judith Anderson, costumed as Medea; which is rather revealing and more interesting than I care to think about. What did you see?"

"Buffy," Angel said shortly.

"Ah." After a short silence, Wesley continued: "There are records of an ability called glamour or fascination. You vampires can do it a little, or something very like it, but the very best practitioners are fays, also called elves or fairies. There is a whole song cycle about it in Scotland and Ireland, possibly several song cycles, depending on how rigorously you separate the various ballads."

"Damn, I wish I hadn't let Cordelia go off with them."

"You made it plain to them hurting her will mean the loss of your help, Angel," Wesley said. "I think they believe that. There is one thing, however: If they are fays, they were telling the truth about how poorly they deal with disappointment. Perhaps you should not turn your back on Filis. Now, what do we have about magic gates, I wonder."

**************

"Raw fish!?" Filis said. "We might as well be at home!"

"We don't need to have sushi. How about Thai?" Cordelia asked. "Everything is cooked and can be spicy or bland, any way you want. Or over there is a smorgasbord place. It was trendy last year, but it's still good food."

"No," Ivo said. "Let's try the shish kebab place up that way."

****************

"There is only one trace. They must still be inside."

"I don't think so," another hound said. "I don't think they're anywhere around right now."

"Go around the block again," the second team leader said. "We are to leave the vampire alone. I will report." He opened his phone and called Geiorse.

"Sir, either they have been here or they are still here with the vampire. I was wondering: can they apport?"

"An excellent question. Get out of the vampire's sight and I will call you back." Geiorse called the first team, who were staking out the Alvar gate on Mt. Griffith.

"Sir!"

"Have you found any trace of them?"

"No, sir. As far as we can tell, they arrived here, opened the cave and exited via the gate."

"Very well. Go down to the vampire's office." He thought again. "Do not, repeat, not, go in. Leave the vampire alone. Call the second team and obtain their location. Go there and meet the team leader. He will direct you to a trail. Follow it. If you find the Alves at the end, bring them here. Understood?"

"Yes, sir."

Geiorse disconnected and sighed. You had to be very careful what orders you gave to enlisted demons; they took the strangest things literally. And if you used smarter underlings, they tried to usurp your place.

******************

"No, not that way. That way leads back to the vampire's. Go the other way, towards all those little food places," the second team leader said. "I don't know why Geiorse uses them," he continued as the first team of agents and hounds moved along Cordelia's and the Greens' track. "We should have been given the chance to score."

"They could still come out," one of the hounds muttered.

"Maybe. We'll wait until they do or we're relieved."

*****************

"That's a lot of food," Cordelia said.

"So we don't eat all of it. I'm sure some of the starving mendicants without would like it."

"Probably," Cordelia guessed. "So where are you guys really from? Far away can mean anywhere."

"That's why we said that," Filis said.

"Do you ever go anywhere alone?" Cordelia asked Ivo.

******************

"Wait here," the team leader said. "When I call you, you all go in the front. I will be coming in the back. We all know what their auras look like, so we grab them and no one else. What do we do?"

"We go in when you say, we grab the Alves, and we don't grab any one else. Then what?"

"We return to Geiorse for praise and promotions."

"OK."

***************

"Baba ghanouj," the waiter said, placing a dish of green dip in the center of the table. "The cart will be right with you."

"Thank you," Filis said, eyeing him in a thoughtful way.

"We don't have time," Ivo said.

"I suppose not. How do we eat this?"

"Dip the bread in," Cordelia said, demonstrating.

"What was in this?" Ivo indicated his glass.

"Vinegar, sugar, mint and water."

"No wine?"

"Not here."

The door to the kitchen swung open and a cart passed their table and stopped at a table near the door. Ivo watched as the chef threaded slices of meats and vegetables on skewers and laid them on the grill.

"It looks good."

"It can be spicy," Cordelia said.

The kitchen door opened again, and this time, the cart headed directly for their table. Before the door closed completely, it was slammed open.

At the same time, the main door opened. Through each door, three demons entered the restaurant. The three coming at Cordelia and the Greens from the front door knocked the grill cart out of their way.

The coals from the grill landed on the table and ignited the tablecloth. Some skidded over the edge to land on the rug and the banquette seat behind the table and start them smoldering.

The three from the kitchen glanced around, then headed for Filis and Cordelia. Ivo had taken one look at the intruders and dived under the table. The chef wheeling the Green's cart looked startled and glanced behind him to see what had aroused Ivo and Filis's interest.

Seeing the demons from the kitchen, the chef ran the cart into the back of the diner at the table next to Cordelia. The diner, rising abruptly, knocked over the cart. The charcoal started burning the rug. The sprinklers came on.

The demons reached Filis and grabbed at her. Cordelia hit the nearest one in the face with the baba ghanouj. Filis kneed the second, doubling him over, but the third got a large cloth bag over her head and pulled it down to her feet.

The three demons from the main entrance joined them as two of the demons gathered up the bag containing Filis and headed for the kitchen. The team leader wiped baba ghanouj from his face. He eyed Cordelia with annoyance and shoved her away with a hand flat on her chest.

Cordelia flew back. She stopped when she tripped flat on her back over another diner already on the floor. She rolled over and started to get up.

The team leader picked up the table and tossed it through the front window, revealing Ivo crouched down and apparently whispering to his hand. He glanced up, then around, and skidded something across the rug to Cordelia, who covered it with one hand.

The team leader growled, grabbed Ivo, pulled him to his feet and knocked him out. Two more demons gathered him up and carried him out through the kitchen door. The other demons followed them.

Cordelia stood up, then ran out of the restaurant and headed straight for the office.

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