| Summer Series 2002: The Journey of the Fool Story the 8th ~ Strength By Kuzibah |
| Disclaimer: Spike is not mine, more's the pity. Spoilers: For "Grave." Also, this references two earlier stories I wrote imagining where Oz is now, �Boy on a String� and �In Days Beyond Recall�. In a nutshell, Oz is with a traveling circus in Europe. Archive- Please email request. Feedback- Absolutely. ******************* ~The countryside outside Toledo, Spain Spike awoke with a sudden start, alone in the back of the hearse he'd purchased in Cadiz. Since they'd been traveling overland, Ariel had taken to leaving the vehicle in late afternoon, when the sun was mostly shadowed behind trees but before Spike woke up. Spike pulled on his boots and climbed out into the deep blue twilight. He found the Ghee demon in the long grass at the edge of the copse of trees where he had hidden the vehicle for the day. It was quietly chewing on some clover flowers. Spike crouched down beside it. "Are you getting enough to eat?" he asked. "Because we can go to a market and get more." Ariel nodded its head, smiling, and Spike nodded back. "Finish up, then," he said. "We can get on our way..." Ariel had half-stood, and seemed to be listening intently. "What is it?" Spike said, then he heard it, too. Calliope music, and not too far off. Ariel bolted to the top of the rise and looked off in the direction of the sound. "Just a minute, now," Spike growled, climbing to his feet and joining it. The valley below had been transformed. A red-white-and-blue-striped tent, an enormous structure supported by three center poles, dominated the meadow, but it was surrounded by dozens of trucks and caravans. Strings of light bulbs criss-crossed back and forth, illuminating the grounds. Beyond the tent, Spike could see rows of cars, with a steady line joining them from the city, and clumps of people moving towards the entrance. In addition to the calliope, he could also hear the bellow of elephants and the roar of big cats. Ariel was bouncing beside him with excitement, and Spike gave a resigned sigh. "Oh, go ahead," he said. "Get your disguise in place, and we'll go to the circus." Ariel moved more quickly than Spike had seen up to that point, bounding back to the hearse to fetch the cloak that would create the illusion it was a human child. Annoyingly, even that image was androgynous, so Spike still could not place if Ariel was male or female. "Take my hand," Spike said when the glamour was in place. "Don't let go for anything. I don't want you to get lost." The demon nodded gravely, and with another sigh of resignation from Spike, they descended towards the tent. As they strolled down the midway, a barker caught Spike's attention, mainly because his rapid-fire patter alternated between Spanish, French, and English as he described the oddities and miracles to be found in the Parliament of Wonders, the circus sideshow. "Let's go in," Spike said, as he handed the ticket girl six of their gold-colored Euros. A guide inside made them wait several minutes until they had been joined by enough people to make a group of twelve, then began to lead them through the darkened passage. They entered one room after another, all draped with curtains, and the guide introduced and explained each "exhibit": a dwarf, a rubber man, an Amazon, a human pincushion. "Now, ladies and gentlemen," the guide said in Spanish as they entered the darkened room, "we present an ancient legend brought to life..." At that, another uniformed guide entered and whispered into the first guard's ear. "My apologies, ladies and gentlemen," the first guide said, "but this exhibit is not ready to be shown. If you will follow me and direct your attention..." Spike, near the rear of the group, passed by the curtain last and caught a scent that stirred something at the back of his memory. But then Ariel was pulling on his hand, eager to see the next attraction, and Spike put it from his mind. The circus itself was a welcome respite from travel he hadn't realized he'd needed. He was able to relax and simply enjoy it, and Ariel was completely delighted with the experience, which pleased him. There were clowns, aerialists, tumblers, bareback riders, elephants, trained dogs, a lion tamer, jugglers and fire-eaters. There was an act with motorcycles inside a ball-shaped cage, and American Indians who did sharp-shooting and rope tricks. Then the lights dimmed and a blue spotlight illuminated the ring. Three lithe bodies cart-wheeled out and began a beautiful contortionist ballet. But Spike could only stare, open-mouthed. The performers were Ghee demons, the same as Ariel. Towards the end of the act, as the three were arrayed in a living tower, their bodies began to shimmer, as tiny patterns of light began to glow on their skin. Spike turned to Ariel. "Can you do that," he asked quietly. The demon smiled and nodded. "You never told me," Spike said fondly, and Ariel smiled even more broadly. Naturally, the departure of the Ghee contortionists was also Spike and Ariel's signal to exit, as the demon was bouncing excitedly and pulling on Spike's hand like the child it resembled. "We'll find them," Spike said reassuringly as they slipped through the darkness under the bleachers and out through a flap at the back of the tent. "We'll..." And suddenly they were surrounded. Three boys and a girl stood armed with stakes, and a fourth boy, whom Spike recognized as one of the jugglers, was standing firm with flaming torches. "What are you doing here, Spike?" the smallest boy snarled, and Spike's eyes narrowed as he caught the scent. "You're Buffy's werewolf friend," he said. "The witch's ex. I should have recognized your scent in the sideshow." "Answer the question," the werewolf said sharply, and the juggler waved his torches in the vampire's direction anxiously. "Don't," Spike said, fearful for both Ariel and himself. "I won't hurt you. I can't. And I won't." "Then tell us what you're doing here," the werewolf repeated, raising his stake threateningly. In a sudden move, Ariel threw itself between Spike and the fire and let out a long, piercing wail, like a siren. The humans each took several involuntary steps back, the girl going so far as to drop her stake and clamp her hands over her ears. Four older men came running at once, one of them formally dressed and clearly in charge. He spoke first. "What in hell's blue blazes is going on?" he demanded. The werewolf pointed at Spike. "That man is a vampire, Mr. Carling," he declared. "But I'm not dangerous," Spike protested as Ariel began chattering in its own chirping language. "I've a soul, now, and besides that, I've got an electronic thing in my head... Ask the werewolf! He can tell you!" "Shut up, all of you," Mr. Carling said, and the three Ghee contortionists glided up from around the tent. "Please, everyone," the tallest Ghee said in low, sibilant tones, and Ariel immediately abandoned its disguise to join its fellow demons and explain itself at last to someone who understood it. "The vampire is telling the truth," the tall demon declared after a few moments. "He has delivered this child from the hands of the Demonic See. Please lower your weapons." "I told you," Spike said. Ariel said a bit more and the tall demon approached Spike. "Thank you for bringing this one here to us," it said. "We will provide our best care and protection." In a flash of understanding, Spike realized what the demon meant. "So Ariel's staying with you," he said. "Of course," the tall demon said. "Did you expect to keep her as a pet? Take her home as a companion?" "Alright, I get it," Spike said, a bit petulantly. "I'll miss the little bit, it all." Ariel returned to Spike's side, cupping his face with both hands and drawing it down to touch foreheads. "So, you're a girl, are you?" Spike said, and the demon nodded. "Well, you're a very good girl," he went on. "Thank you. For everything." And he gave one last stroke to the fur on the back of Ariel's neck. When Ariel and the rest of the Ghee demons had retreated into the darkness, the werewolf, Oz, spoke again. "So... you have a soul now," he said. "Yes," Spike said. "Like Angel?" "No," Spike said. "Not like Angel. He has his soul, I have mine." He looked up at the sky, noting the position of the stars. "I have to get going," he said. "I've a lot of time to make up by morning." Oz walked him to the edge of the circus encampment and halfway up the hill where Spike's car was hidden. "Where are you going?" he asked. "Back to California, eventually," Spike told him. "You could stay here," Oz said. "The sideshow has had vampires before. I've seen Carling's postcards." "Thanks," Spike said sincerely, "but I think I'm meant to go where the slayer is." "Safe trip, then," Oz said. "And if you see Willow... don't tell her you saw me." "I won't," Spike said. ~:~:~ At 2:43 the next afternoon, Spike awoke from a nightmare, a scream dying on his lips. He was tangled in a sheet in the rear compartment of the hearse, and though the air inside was hot and stagnant, he was shivering from the memory. Not fully alert, he reached for the Ghee demon that was not there, and gave a moan of loss when he remembered she was gone. Sleep eluded him for the rest of the day, and at sunset he continued north, towards France. Go on to the next part - The Hermit Main Menu ~ Return to Summer Series 2002 Menu |