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Chapter 11
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"I had no idea that Angel had undertaken a full-out war from behind the lines. I would have cautioned him against it. It’s bloody hard to survive in the belly of the beast and it sounds like he nearly didn’t." Giles had listened in amazement to the long tale of Spike’s year with Angel as they worked at the Wolfram & Hart
branch in L.A.

Some of what had taken place, such as Angel’s inducement to accept the firm, Spike didn’t learn until after the final battle. Finding out his sire had mind-wiped all his friends and even his own son chilled Spike. He knew Angel could be manipulative, but that seemed extreme, even for him. Giles seemed better able
to accept that as being typically Angel than Spike had been.

"So, this Lindsey McDonald…was he on the side of good or evil? I cannot just accept Angel’s decision to have him killed as the final word on the subject, you
understand."

Spike thought about his answer for a while before replying. "Can’t really tell. I hope Angel was right, ‘cause Lorne’s gonna have to live with offin’ Lindsey. Then again, Lorne’s psychic, reads people when they sing. Pylean, he is. Lindsey sang for him more than once. I figure Lorne saw evil in him or he’d never have shot him. I’m not sure Lindsey was certain what side he was on himself. Mostly he was on his own side. Didn’t have real good judgement, gotta say that. Poor sod fell in love with Darla!"

"Did Angel seem in control at the end? He had to realize that his declaration of war was a suicide mission. He rather dragged all of you into his personal vendetta, didn’t he? It sounds as if he had set all the wheels in motion and would never have been able to either stop them or do all that was necessary to carry it out alone. He had his friends backed in a corner that way. You all had to help him or watch him be destroyed. I know he was always making decisions for others, manipulative bastard, but this was starting an apocalypse for God’s sake!"

Spike gave a bitter laugh and replied, "Well, wasn’t the first time, now was it? Remember Acathala, the great apocalypse started by Angelus that Angel credits
himself for stopping? ‘I told her to with my eyes’ my ass."

"Started to get along with the poof at the end, but that didn’t make me blind. No, he knew what he was doin’. I think he was just getting tired. All that
fightin’ evil and then losing the promised reward, losin’ Buffy, losin’ his son, losin’ his own way. I think he just wanted it to be over. Me … well, had
nothin’ to lose and love a good fight, I reckon. Keepin’ his sorry arse from a dustin’ seemed like the right thing to do, that and rescuing that baby. War was already started and all; couldn’t just walk away."

"Worse than the McDonald hit was Angel killin’ Drogyn to get into the Black Thorn.
Drogyn was about as pure as you get and Angel lured him to L.A. to be killed. Almost thought we were dealin’ with Angelus there. Poor bastard, decades peaceably guardin’ the Deep Well and then in a matter of months lost Illyria and got sacrificed to a cause that wasn’t even his!" Spike shook his head sadly in memory of the truth teller’s sad end.

"You say this Drogyn was lured to L.A. by Angel? How on earth did Drogyn find Angel in a city of that size? How did Angel contact him?"

"Didn’t. Just made the rumors go out that he’d been the one to sacrifice Fred to house Illyria and knew that’d draw Drogyn to him. Worked like a charm. Drogyn contacted us to warn us that Angel had gone over bad again."

"But how did he find you?" Giles was intrigued by this honorable man who was murdered to light the fire under a war he had no part in.

"Drogyn said he could track anyone who’d ever been in the Deep Well," Spike got a strange expression on his face and hit himself on the forehead. "I’m a bleedin’
idiot! Of course! Had to have some kind of replacement for the guard duty there! If Drogyn could track us anywhere cause we’d been to the Well…so can his replacement. I must have been daft to not think of it sooner."

"Think of what, Spike? I’m afraid I’m not following you." Giles looked puzzled.

"Angel and I were able to be tracked by Drogyn ‘anywhere’ since we’d been to the Deep Well. Illyria was buried in the Well for eons. We’ve been trying to find Angel and Illyria and we’ve had a bloodhound right under our noses all this time. Whoever took over for Drogyn should be able to tell us right where they are." Spike was a flurry of movement. "It’s in your neck of the woods, too. Suppose I’ll need to go and show you the entrance. Gotta get the right tree, after all. Still need to get the rest of the files we want from the W&H office here before we head to Merry Ol’ though. Wanna meet a sweet Italian lady while you’re here, Watcher?"

"Perhaps another time. I think I’ll only stay a night or two, then head back to London. I think I can use my sources to find the name of this Drogyn’s replacement. By the time you have had your…er…date, I should have that information ready. I rather hate pulling Dawn from her schooling right now, but I don’t feel
comfortable leaving her by herself after she was followed. I think she should come to England with us. Oh, and Spike, don’t even think about fixing me up with someone. Aside from Buffy, your taste has been truly appalling when it comes to
women. I mean Harmony Kendall, really!"

"Before I forget it, tell me as much as you can about Eve". Within an instant, Giles was back to business. "When I checked in with Willow earlier, she said another one of those extraordinary one-word clues had been slipped to Xander in Mykonos. He nearly saw the woman who placed it on his table. She had dark hair and long legs, according to Xander. Not much to go on, but at least we think she appears human for the most part. As it was quite sunny, a vampire can be ruled out. Since Eve was connected rather intimately with McDonald, we thought it might be she who delivered the glyphs to Dawn. This woman seems to know just who we are and which of us are working together."

"Can’t see that one helpin’ for any good purpose", Spike snorted. "Hated the lot of us, especially after sending Lindsey to hell and all. Then, when she lost her immortality due to us, let’s just say she was really pissed off as well as scared. I wouldn’t expect it to be her. She’s a blonde. I know women and their hair color aren’t the most constant things in the universe, but she doesn’t fit the ‘helpful Hannah’ mode either. Yeah, she had nice legs, but she wasn’t real tall." Spike was remembering Eve and Lindsey’s games and beginning to feel more nervous about these clues, especially if there was a chance their source WAS Eve..

"We’ve rather ruled her out, as it happens. I had Angel’s werewolf girlfriend and Connor do some checking in L.A. Eve’s body was found and identified in the rubble of the office building there. Naturally, death is not necessarily something to
discount one as a suspect. However, I agree with you that it is a long shot for her to be our mystery woman.

"Didn’t know Connor ‘til we started workin’ together after his daddy disappeared. Nice lad, not at all like his papa. Felt real sorry when I heard about him losin’ his family like that. Ugly business all around. His memories might not have been real, but his emotions were, just like our Dawn. How’s the boy doin’? Spike looked both interested and concerned.

"He seems to be more angry than anything. He feels responsible in a way for the Reillys being put in harm’s way. I tried to explain that he was an innocent in all of this. As I understand it, Wolfram & Hart selected the family he was placed in and he was not even aware of his true origins until just before all hell broke loose there. I’m not sure if what I said helped at all. He’s furious at the Senior Partners and their entire evil organization for the way they’ve wrecked havoc on everyone he’s cared about. He’s appointed himself protector for Angel’s
girlfriend and seems to think she may be in jeopardy as well.

~~~

Giles didn’t wait to get the information on the replacement of guardian of the Deep Well. He was able to get the information from an old acquaintance, shaman of a pre-Christian Roman sect, who owed the Watcher a favor. As his religion still worshiped the Old Ones buried at the Deeper Well, he was quite familiar with those charged with playing prison guard there.

"No, we shall NOT be killing the guards and releasing the Old Ones, Marco. Why on earth would you expect us to do such a thing? The one god who was returned has
created enough disorder as it is. This information pays the debt you owe me, by the way. I can’t imagine there being any need to contact me again, especially with some hare-brained scheme to return the world to some imagined glory days with the release of ancient demons. You really should have abstained from the hallucinogens while at University. I’m beginning to think I did you a disservice in protecting you from your father’s wrath. Had he not been one of my few
friends at the Council at the time…well, take care of yourself, Marco, and do try to keep safe from what you’ve chosen to worship."

Spike entered the apartment as Giles concluded his call. "Any word on the Drogyn replacement?"

"Yes, I have the name. You did say there was a small group of armed demons that attacked you and Angel before you actually got to the entrance, correct?"

"Yeah, we used wire and beheaded them. Don’t remember how many there were, but more than a handful."

"I’ll arrange for some of our better trained girls to join us, then. A slayer unit should make short work of any who attempt to stop our talking with the
guardian. We are banking a lot on Buffy being in the same location as Angel and Illyria, you know. I sincerely hope it does turn out to be that simple, even
though it rarely does."

"Even if we only get a location on the poof, it’ll help somewhat. It all has to be tied together because of the timing. I want Buffy back safe and sound, and if that means she’s been cozying up to her first love in some demon dimension…well, as long as she’s safe. She did make some promises to Angel, after all, at least
according to him. Let’s just see about getting the lovebirds back in one piece, yeah?"

Giles could tell from Spike’s expressive face that there were deep and painful wounds exposed in that statement. He couldn’t really see Buffy ever making a
future life with Angel, but he didn’t want to see her do so with this other vampire either. In truth, Giles had yet to meet any male good enough for his
surrogate daughter. If one set aside the fact that Spike was annoying and a vampire, he supposed one could see how Spike and Buffy had connected. They had much in common and each seemed to complement the other in many areas. Suddenly, Giles had the desire to remove his brain and scrub it thoroughly for even thinking such thoughts!

~~~

Giles called Willow and gave her an update about the Deeper Well and the plan for Spike and Dawn to return to England with him in a few days. He asked about her research progress as well.

Willow had been going through every codex in the Council library trying to find information on the clue given to Xander. The name, Tezcatlipoca, was an Aztec god and there were lots of web sites with information, as well as old dusty tomes. The most compelling information about this god seemed to be that he was a god of destiny. "Didn’t Spike say something about Angel and this prophecy of destiny and
all?"

"Yes. Something called a Shanshu. I really wish we had that scroll that Wesley used to discover this prophecy. As it is, we only have what Spike remembers
being said of it. It would seem to follow that Angel might have some connection to this Old One. There may be more we can learn from this guardian of the Deep Well about this particular god, too."

"Here’s what I’ve found out from my sources…" Willow began to read from notes she had taken from both the internet and the codices and files. ‘Tezcatlipoca was the Aztec god of night, sorcery, and all material things. He carried a magic mirror that gave off smoke and killed enemies. It also showed him the thoughts and deeds of men. He was called God of the North, Lord of the World and the Natural
Forces. He sometimes appeared as a tempter, urging men to evil; he tested men's minds with temptations. He’s a magician, a shape shifter, often seen as a jaguar. He challenges warriors at crossroads at night".

"He’s referred to as ‘The Creator God, the God of the Hunt, Patron of Princes, God of Providence, Lord of the Here and Now, the Enemy on Both Sides, the true invisible god who walked over the heavens and surface of the earth and hell. He’s also called the ‘Master of Men's Destinies’. Wherever this god went, wars,
anxiety and trouble were sure to follow. Tezcatlipoca was thought to incite wars and was called Necocyautl, which means "sower of discord on both sides".

Willow took a deep breath and went on.

"He was the god of sin and misery and used an obsidian knife, kinda like they used to cut out the hearts of their sacrifices to him. Oh, this is helpful…on his
ankles he wore twenty golden bells, that ought to keep him from sneaking up on you!"

"Tezcatlipoca and his brother Quetzalcoatl worked together to restore creation by transforming themselves into two enormous trees. Wow, lots of these ancient gods are involved with trees. Just like the coven taught me,it’s all connected!"

"Indeed, much of myth is rooted, no pun intended, in truth", Giles pointed out. "Interesting, the entrance to the Deeper Well is a tree also. I wonder if this is the only entrance, or if there might be another in North America? I suppose that will be yet another question for this guardian when we get there."