Resurrecting Ravana
Page 26
Willow nodded. “Or that.”
Angel came up behind Buffy’s chair, got down on a knee, and put an arm around her. “I’m going to go,” he said quietly. “You know . . . keep an eye on things out there. You should go home, get some sleep.”
“I don’t think the jungle will be quite as wild from now on,” she said, matching his volume and tone. She put a hand to his cheek. “Thank you.”
They kissed briefly, with warmth, then Angel stood and went to the door.
“Thank you very much, Angel,” Giles said. He turned to the others. “I’d like to thank you all. You were very brave tonight. You risked your lives and beautifully accomplished what we set out to do.”
“But what if they come back? What if they aren’t all dead? What if someone else . . .” Xander looked a little nervous, as if he were being forced to consider eating brussels sprouts without catsup.
“That’s always a possibility,” Giles replied. “All we can know is what we saw. They seemed to be gone.”
Angel left the library and Buffy gazed at his departing figure.
“This power you were talking about harnessing, Willow,” Xander said. “Is it an energy field created by all living things? Does it surround us? Penetrate us? Does it bind the galaxy to —”
Cordelia groaned. Her injury had been dressed, but she looked miserable. “Come back to earth, guys! Can’t you see I’m in pain here?”
Xander stepped over to her and asked, “How do you plan to explain that to your parents?”
“Explain that?” she croaked. “How am I going to explain my hair? And now I’ll have to wait weeks for another appointment with Froi.”
“Why don’t you just go to someone else, Cordelia?” Buffy asked.
“Buffy, please. Life is filled with challenges . . . and then you find the perfect hairstylist. And you do not let go.”
“Buffy,” Willow said, and they looked at each other across the table. “Rama believed in Vishnu, and Mila’s brother believed in Rama, Vishnu, and Ravana . . . what did you believe in when you shish-kebobed that thing?”
“Well, it was your idea. You told me the Rakshasa were afraid of the carving. I just sorta went with it. So . . . I guess . . . I believed in you.” And they both smiled.
About the Author
Ray Garton is the author of thirty-seven books and numerous short stories. He and his wife, Dawn, live in northern California with their six cats and assorted outdoor wildlife. Garton is hard at work on his next novel.