Midnight Fawn: Part 2

Having been unable to sleep past 5PM, and finding it too unpleasant to remain in bed with Angel through the pre-sunset hours when he was at his coldest and most still, Cordelia was just brushing her hair when she realised there was a horrible smell coming from the kitchen, and went down to investigate.

Daimhina, who had obviously been up for hours, was flinging some ratty looking plant matter into a large silver pot which was seething viciously on the stove. Catching sight of Cordelia she smiled amiably and continued shredding herbs while she spoke;

"Good evening - I hope you don't mind the smell too much, I need a little helping hand to get us started. I'm determined to help you!"

"What's the stink?!" Cordy gagged and covered her nose, trying to waft the steaming vapours away from her. Daimhina dusted off her hands and lit the two blue taper candles she'd placed either side of the kitchen table;

"Mandragora, if I'm not mistaken. Among other things"

Cordelia nearly flew through the ceiling as she heard the voice from behind her, and turning saw Angel, dressed only in his trousers and looking with some interest at the goings on.

"Correct. Well then I expect you know what I'm up to?" Daimhina said, smiling a little sheepishly, heaving the pot over to between the candles. Angel smirked back and picked up the book she was using;

"What Cordelia can achieve with a simple migraine and without making the house reek?" He enquired with a pointed look, before obeying Daimhina's request that they sit round the table with her while she read the incantations, joining hands and repeating the lines she instructed them to. Within minutes the pot began to boil again without any heat, and all three felt a strong sensation almost like electric power racing through them as the vapours above the pot began to collate, and to form themselves into an image. Daimhina continued to chant, quickly telling the other two to look up and tell her what they saw, since as soon as she broke her gaze the image would fade. Out of the haze a derelict doorway swung open, and the place was full of shadows, no people - just shadows. Sounds joined the images, and they heard lapping water. Exhausted, Daimhina glanced up, and as abruptly as it had begun, the seething, the images and the sounds all stopped;

"Lapping water and old wood... the docks" Angel murmured to himself, standing up and pacing out of the room, returning a few moments later buttoning up his dark burgundy shirt;

"You two stay here - use the library, find out all you can about Lasair demons. I'll be back soon I'm just going to have a look around" He told them, sliding into his coat and striding out without another word. As soon as she heard the door bang behind him, Daimhina busied herself getting the kitchen tidied, wrapping up what was left of the various stinking herbs she'd used;

"What is it in your family with the work ethic?" Cordelia grumbled,

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean"

"You and Angel - you're just the same! A quick vision - oh and I can't decide whether headaches or stink is worse - and he's running off without his breakfast, and as soon as he's gone you're cleaning the house!"

"Things don't get done by themselves" She muttered, lapsing into silence, polishing, washing and generally busying. Cordelia thus had the opportunity to give her another look over, just to see what it was about her that was so imposing. She was around six feet tall, and with it she had a powerful, though not at all masculine, build and voluptuous curves, tonight she'd swept her hair off her neck in a simple ponytail, displaying her strong jaw to full effect. She noticed Cordelia watching her and smiled, making her eyes light up like a fruit machine.

"I'm sorry I'm barging in like this, but one Lasair breeds like nothing else, you could be overrun in a fortnight.

C'mon - let's do it right by Angel. Library duty" Cordy smiled back despite herself and followed the taller woman to the library downstairs.

Over in the docks, Angel had gone almost directly to the door they'd seen in Daimhina's conjure, sensing something was somehow not right. Cautiously he swung open the door, and saw that the space inside was deserted, so he walked in softly, his footsteps making no more sound than they ever did, and looked around.

Suddenly he felt a heavy blow to the back of his head, then a vicious punch in the chest - staying on his feet he spun to face the attacker and saw nobody - but felt a swift uppercut that sent him sprawling backwards. He groaned, having gone down hard and hit his head, and felt the side of his temple, his hand came away bloody but he'd no time to nurse that wound before a crack of pain went through the left side of his chest and he heard a few small horribly organic sounding crunches. The entire attack had taken less than a minute - looking up he saw a slight haze, the wood behind a patch of space seemed to ripple, and taking his chance Angel flipped himself upright, ignoring the grating pain in his chest and the throbbing head, and kicked out at the shimmering patch - only to have his foot grabbed and yanked hard. Barely knowing what had happened he suddenly couldn't move, he was being gripped by something that pinned his arms to his sides and elicited a few more sickly cracks from his chest - then the final wounds were dealt; he felt a double pinprick on the side of his throat and then a sinking, as though he were falling into the floor, though he knew he was still upright, struggling to get free he began to weaken, and just as the blackness started to close in on him, he felt himself hit the floor again.

It might have been a few minutes, or might have been several hours when Angel finally regained something akin to consciousness, he was cold, so cold he felt he was shivering right through to his core, and felt extremely queasy. Pulling himself upright on some railings he was violently sick as soon as he stood up, and had to clutch the railings until his head cleared enough for him to drive home, all the while wishing he knew what had happened.

Once back at the office Daimhina and Cordelia pattered up from the library having heard his footsteps, each clutching a book;

"You're back! Hey we found out *lots* about Lasairs - their immature form can't be seen, and it requires....

"It needs to drink blood to mature" he groaned, resting his head on his desk and feeling both women place a hand on his shoulder;

"Are you all right? what happened - you're hurt! "Cordelia squealed, as Daimhina saw he was clutching his chest and felt down his side herself - hitting several cleanly broken ribs and causing Angel to moan louder.

"How many fingers?" Daimhina demanded, holding three fingers up. Angel glanced up and answered six. She sighed, pulled his chin up again as he'd dropped his head back down and carried on;

"What's your full name?"

"Liam Kiearen O'Shea"

"Who's the President?"

"Uh, he never knew that anyway" interrupted Cordelia;

"Try the fingers again - how many?"

"Eight" Answered Angel quietly, resting his head back down. There were four.

Tutting under her breath Daimhina scooped her arms underneath Angel, took a deep breath, and lifted him, hooking the lift open with her foot and getting in, ignoring the amazed look she was receiving from Cordelia;

"He's concussed, but hopefully he'll be fine if he rests" She explained on the journey, before laying Angel gently on the bed and rummaging in her pockets for something;

"Would you fetch a glass of blood, Cordy? This needs diluting" She held up a little bottle with a strange, half-man creature on the front. Having been handed what she wanted she added ten drops and patiently forced Angel to drink the entire glass. Within a few minutes he'd slumped utterly unconscious, unresponsive even to Daimhina making sure the broken edges of his ribs lay straight against one another so they'd heal correctly.

"Will that help him?" Cordelia asked, motioning to the bottle. Daimhina smiled cruelly and studied the strange vial herself;

"Maybe - but in any case - I always wanted to knock him out for what he did to the family. Off to the library with you - I'll take care of Angel".