From the ground

[ILLYRIAN]

From the ground, a new home is risen.

This effort uses characters copyrighted by the TV series BTVS and ATS. They remain their copyright material. I hold nor request any claim to them.

Amelia pulled her chair from under the table and sat on it. Amelia grinned as she noticed Gareth do the same. “Here is a thought Gareth what if we take some of the objects we saved and give them a new purpose,” said Amelia. Gareth was hesitant, it sounded okay but the objects they saved, what if they were people what would you suggest then?

Gareth handed Amelia a magazine. “There is a picture in this magazine of a stone circle I made,” said Andrew. He smiled as he continued, “That is what I do for pleasure, I build stone circles, look at the one the magazine has featured.” Amelia wondered what else could he do, “I guess you’d have some idea of what you wanted”.

Gareth smiled and said to Amelia that they would need to go to the circle, the one that was featured in the magazine. “There are things I need to tell you about that that circle and how we use it for travel.” They went to the field where Gareth said he had built the stone circle Amelia looked at the stones that poked from the ground.

Then she looked to Gareth and asked him what he intended to do with the stone circle there. He replied that he and his friends were going to use the circles to do what work they needed to do.
Amelia said she knew of some people that could do with a stone circle they could travel from. Andrew pointed out to them that there were ten stones \that made the circle.

Each of the stones was for a secluded person they were five wizards and five witches. Amelia said she knew of some people who would benefit from the use of the stone circle. The next evening they met at the circle Amelia had called upon her friends Giles and Willow to be at the circle. Gareth stated they gave the circle special powers.

Also that it picked up on the special powers of the person, Gareth started by making it known that it was a requirement for human people to be accompanied by those who had greater powers than a human. Willow told Giles that they who would have access were Buffy and Dawn, Faith, Angel Spike and Illyria none of whom were human in the fullest sense of its meaning.

The only real human was him he looked at Willow then remembered the time she spent with the Goddess that had left her tainted by the entities. Giles looked to Amelia. “Of the eight of us only one is an actual human, me,” he announced. Giles was told by Andrew the need to have a stone circle near to them.

Angel Spike and Illyria made plans to that end, they had bought a disused warehouse, one that had become run down during the global financial crises. The building was big enough to have a stone circle built in it to Gareth’s design. Living areas were made so people could stay at the warehouse while waiting to go on missions.

Gareth introduced the other druidic wizards, Bartholomew, Bertrand, Mervinus, Winston Amelia said of the four witch who she would bring to the circle, they were Amethyst, Pearl, Ruby and Chimerandah. Amelia grinned to Willow. I was about to learn about the benefits of a stone circle, that is why I asked you to be here.

Giles approached Gareth, he introduced himself then questioned why the stone circle could be of use to him. Gareth told him that he could read people’s minds though he chose not to think commands to people’s minds, he had Mervinus for that. About the stone circles I am in the process of making a sequence of them.

I’ve made a few circles but none are properly connected. I had Mervinus plant a thought in your friend Angel’s mind, he has built a stone circle in a warehouse he Illyria and Spike have bought. I will ask Mervinus to arrange for Willow to join us then we can all go to that circle. Six hours later Spike had another shock.

Willow and Giles with a few people he didn’t recognise appeared in front of him. Angel ran into the room, he stared at Gareth and Amelia. “Why should I let you stay here?” asked Angel. “I can tell you secrets that you don’t know, secrets that you will like to here,” Illyria walks into the room near them, “ever wonder how you escaped the alley?”

Angel looked to Illyria and Spike. “We have mentioned that.” “It was a friend of Spike’s, he felt guilty because he ran away from Sunnydale. He soon met others who had done and felt the same. As it was they had friends and their friends had friends. Soon they had an army of thirty thousand, they emerged in the alley above the demons.

They then fell onto the demons and that caused the death of those demons. Clem felt glad as he and those in the army that they had helped Angel win. Angel, Illyria and Spike were proud they knew Clem. Gareth strode from the rectangular altar stone in the circle’s center then measured the radius and again from the circle.

He marked a line in the soil and made a path in rock to the circle. From the line he had drawn he made a small stone circle. Holding a piece of stone from Angel’s Warehouse stone circle from the first stone laid there he went to the altar and held the piece of stone on the altar and spoke the words, “Ring O ring O Rosey, a pocket full of posey, atishoo, Atishoo, we all fall down”.

He appeared in the warehouse and looked around it looked as though all was ready so he returned for the others. When they were all in the office at the warehouse he said they would create more stone circle near where Willow and Giles spoke of so that Buffy, Dawn and Faith could join them.

That evening they enjoyed freshly cooked food, there was a take away a few doors down and had someone lived in the building it would have been called home cooked food. While Buffy Willow and Dawn were collecting the food Faith and Spike went to the liquor shop. The following afternoon Giles called the meeting to order, a meeting to decide what to do first.

End of part 1

To be continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

From the ground, a new home is risen. Part 2

Illyria said she didn’t care what they did as long as she could learn a way of the world. Neither Angel or Spike were that bothered. Faith was willing to see others being happy before she should. Buffy Willow and Dawn wanted to speak to the women of the coven that Giles was friends with. Giles said of a circle to start with, not far from where he lived.

He said the stone circle was also known as Dawn’s Circle that the church had made up an excuse to have it as theirs, even though it was put there a thousand years before the church was thought of. Amelia and Gareth wanted to go there to add the circle to their group of places to go. Also Giles hoped he’d find where the watcher who held the secrets book was.

Once at the circle Gareth knew who to get and return with; Winston. When he knew where the watchers location was and he found him Gareth could read the mind of the Watcher. Given that information Giles said he could start the watchers council again. When he did he promised to make a few changes to the way it was run.

Illyria looked at the offices of the warehouse, she said that they need organize some people to watch over the place or they would soon be living in a tip. Amelia thanked Illyria for that, she said she would contact Amethyst and get a girl to care for them and the premises. And she would care for them. Amelia gave the warehouse a mind of its own.

Amelia went in search of the woman who would take care of them, all she knew of her was the name Cynthia. Cynthia was in her front room, she watched the television though she was bored at the early morning children’s programs. Cynthia asked herself if the rest of the day would get any better for her. She stood up and crossed the floor to turn off the television set.

Cynthia left her apartment, she closed the front door behind her then wandered along the garden path to the road. On the path beside the road she looked both ways. “Which way should I go?” she asked herself. She turned left and slowly began the long haul along the path, she passed a line of shops. The noises from one disturbed her, it was if a man had fallen.

She looked into the shop, it was a Liquor shop she saw a man fall onto the shop counter then climb off it and head to the back of the shop. Cynthia continued on her way along the street then turned towards the old factories. Amelia watches the lads run after the Cynthia who enters an old disused factory unit through a gap in the fence.

Cynthia crossed the parking area before going into the main building that housed the offices. She pushed the doors into the main building and ran up the stairs to the landing of the first floor. The lads followed her through the fence they ran to the main building then onto the stairs. Cynthia heard them wander up the stairs.

Cynthia stood on the first landing and faced around her, she closed all the windows that had been opened. She waited until the lads stepped to be on the same level, Andrew saw her and looked to his friends. Cynthia broke down in tears as the dust on the floor of the landing began to move.
Andrew exclaimed that the dust was beginning to move to his friends.

Andrew glared at it as the dust began to circle around Cynthia, it began to get higher until it is as high as she is, a woman appears in front of her and the dust drops to the floor. “Who are you?” asked Cynthia The woman told Cynthia to place her hand on hers and they disappeared and emerged in the warehouse.

She looked to Amelia “Where are we now?” Cynthia nervously looked to Amelia and waited for an answer. “Five minutes ago you were in the city of Plymouth in England. Now we are in Los Angeles in America, people have gathered here to help those people who need help or to stop those people who want to harm others.

If we stay here so be it but we could go close to home to a factory unit on the verge of the city of Penzance in Cornwall UK. Giles walks to them. “That would be handy us going there for I have just discovered the Parchment of the History of the Watcher are still there, and as I may be one of the few senior Watchers left I should find and retain it.

On the third day an extra circle had joined the family Amelia went to the Cathcombe forest to find the graveyard of the Living dead, a graveyard where only the accused witch was buried, for those accused were also prophesized to be brought back to life, that was a reason why they were buried upright, so they wouldn’t get grain of soil in their eyes.

Those there were witches who had been accused after they had been found to have practiced witchcraft on the living, the result being those living ended up dead. It was important that they be found guilty on one charge or the other. Luckily for them England was a Protestant country as only in Catholic domains were witches burnt.

Amelia returned to Penzance with four witches, one who had the power of the earth: a healer. One who had the power of the air: a flier. One who had power from the earth’s core, from the volcanoes, from Lava: Fire was hers to control. One had the power of water and all life contained within it. They were willing to help Giles.

The first day they spent at the stone circle south west of Penzance. The history of the stone circles brought several arguments as Buffy said the powers that be and the first watchers came about because of God and his men, those who followed the religions brought about by his son. Amelia stated the stones of the stone circle pre-dated God’s son by two thousand years.

That statement got them nowhere though it taught them to appreciate another person’s viewpoint
Amelia and Chimerandah took to the clouds and looked for trails that Giles would be interested in. Amelia took them to the chalk animal near Uffington. The trails Giles would have wanted to see were visible to them.

An old mini bus was bought for them to travel to the hill near Uffington Amelia said that the Parchment they sought was there but it was hidden somewhere. Amethyst said they should begin their investigations just below the trailing paw, Amethyst stated the chalk animal wasn’t a horse it was a depiction of a werewolf.

End Of Part 2

To Be Continued

 

[ILLYRIAN]

From the ground, a new home is risen part 3

Amelia looked at the chalk outline of the werewolf on the hill, it seemed to have much more meaning than it did when it was said to be a horse. Giles looked to Amelia he said he had read many parchments that referred to werewolves, he said that the chalk outline on the hill had meaning. Amethyst said the forest home had more meaning.

The mini bus took them back to the stone circle in the forest, Amelia called for Cynthia to gather the two remaining witches and take them to the stone circle near her home. After Cynthia had been at the circle with Angharad and Lavinia for twenty minutes Amelia arrived with Amethyst and Chimerandah, Amelia directed each of them to watch their stone.

Even though no storm cloud existed in the sky lightning ran down the edges of the trees into the ground. Amelia motioned the other witches to join her, she had them watch the lightning illuminate all around the stones. With the witches in place near the stones the lightning ignited all on and above the ground.

The witches wandered around the stone circle they looked at the marks on the ground left by the lightning. The track marks up the stones to the top of them and the mark on the central boulder, they inspected the power that nature had shown them they accepted that Amelia would offer them the protection they needed until they gained full power.

Each of them accepted the power of their element and began to seek its benfits, while Amelia took the knowledge of all the elements so that she could empower the others at will. And use that element herself. Each of them wandered around the stone circle and looked at the marks on the ground left by the lightning. They could see the track marks up the stones to the top of them.

Giles asked Buffy how she wanted the two properties to work together she was confused by what Giles had requested as Willow had told her the witches had planned to help Angel invigorate the investigations business he once had. Willow said the witches were not intent on solely working within the demonic world.

Buffy said that being at the warehouse could be fun for her yet she knew that many of her friends would prefer to be near the graveyard of the living dead, to be within easy reach of the coven that Miss Harkness belonged to. One thing that both Buffy and Giles liked was that if needed they could travel between the circles in the warehouse and the one near Penzance.

Amelia stood beside Willow as Oz approached them he told Amelia that a woman’s body had been found near the graveyard. Amelia told Oz that normally he should keep clear of the graveyard as the entity that protected the grave would refuse entry to any males who were not witches and any females who were not witches, the entity would know.

Amelia led Willow and Oz to the edge of the graveyard, she told Willow and Oz that neither of them would be allowed near the graves, she also told them to be near her. Oz asked why so Amelia had them stay where they were, as Amelia left the graveyard an old wooden church appeared with it the sound of a church bell sounded.

Amelia called to Willow and Oz to look in the church as there was no bell in the belfry. A woman dressed in black began to appear as she walked towards them. Amelia called to Oz and Willow to return to her. As they did they turned to see the woman and the church had vanished. Amelia said they ought to go and see the woman’s body.

When Willow knelt by the body she exclaimed that the woman was still alive, an ambulance was called for and the woman taken to hospital. Willow spoke with Amelia about how they could find out about the woman both of them said they’d be able to if the person was conscious or dead but they were unable to anyone in the middle. Willow had Oz go to the warehouse.

As soon as he got there he spoke to Illyria about the woman, Illyria was intrigued by meeting the witches. She said she could talk to the woman so Oz took her to meet Amelia. The witches were intrigued at what Illyria could do as Illyria was intrigued by what the witches could do and she grinned as she watched Angharad be stood on a large rock and she rose twice her height into the air.

Illyria was able to find out the woman was a distant relative of one of the witches she was intent on leaving a bunch of flowers at the border of the graveyard. She thought a man had followed her but she hadn’t seen him. While they were stood there Lavinia joined them, “What did you want me here for?” Amelia told her they wanted to know who had walked on the path.

Lavinia said that a man who worked at one the hosiery shops in the town had followed her and attacked her for her money. Amelia said Willow and Oz should wait beside the bed, Illyria was taken to the rooms in the chapel where Cynthia looked after them; she made a nice meal for them. Illyria was introduced to each of the witches, fulfilled she returned to the warehouse.

A few days later Willow and Oz brought the news that the woman had died in hospital. Her name was Corinne and the witch Chimerandah was her ancestor. Amelia went to see Giles, she was intent on explaining to him how extreme their powers were. She told Giles that a tree could drop its seed into the ground that the seed might grow after a few days or years.

Amelia explained that the earth could kill or give birth Giles was bemused by what she told him then Amelia added that the earth’s powers were that a body might die in the earth or a seed might grow. As Chimerandah was the witch of earth she had the power of healing, by the two of them going to Corinne’s grave they said they should be able to heal the death that Corinne lived through.

Corinne was amazed that Chimerandah and Amelia had been able to resurrect her from the grave she was equally impressed to learn that Chimerandah was the ancestor that she used to take flowers to the graveyard for. And she was amazed that her ancestor had been dead for two hundred and fifty seven years.

Amelia told Corinne that Chimerandah and Lavinia were Amethyst’s daughters although Angharad was the same age as Lavinia even though she had been in the ground the ground for five hundred years more.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[ILLYRIAN]

From the ground, a new home is risen part 4

The witches stood by the edge of the stone circle, Amelia looked to each of them, there was another perpetrator. Corinne must have been a target for some reason, Amelia had them link hands to have their powers combine. What they found amazed them, Corinne had been corresponding with a person online she had been telling the person all about herself.

She had disclosed her links to the coven, even said how to get to where the members of the coven was at rest, though she didn’t know that at rest meant still in the grave. They found where the perpetrator lived, Cynthia was asked to go with Angharad to search his house. A newspaper article said of the belief of the rise in witchcraft related crimes.

He said he was interested in where covens were, how close to the next coven they were how many were in each coven Angharad laughed at his stupidity. Cynthia asked her what she meant Angharad grinned she said there had been a rise in the number of crimes mainly because the witches had been targeted by some group who thought that all witches were evil.

Angharad looked to Cynthia smiled and said we can be. She told her that covens could only be as near to other covens when their psychic messages didn’t mix with other covens, as for how many could be in a coven the churches had lied to the population saying that witches coven were always up to a certain size as usual with the church it only knew what it had written.

Angharad quietly laughed as a coven would only be a large as needed and the only limit to a coven’s size was the amount of power wanted for the coven. Cynthia stared at her, “Only five in the coven that means you are seriously powerful or you aren’t planning to do much. So what are you going to do? Are you here to discover who killed Corinne?”

Angharad could only smile to Cynthia, “Finding Corinne’s killer was just a side note that we have spent too much time on. We will be leaving her killer to the protector of the dead witches and as we have just released several occupants from the graveyard the entity needs something to do. You wait until you see the entity,” said Angharad.

Cynthia wondered who or what the entity at the graveyard was and what she looked like. She turned to Cynthia but Chimerandah was stood in front of her. Angharad stared at Chimerandah smiled then told her that the entity had wandered from the graveyard stood over the spot that Corinne had been found. She left there saying she was going to find a lap top with the World Wide Web.

She said she was going to locate where Corinne had been communicating and found it was a meeting house for a religious group though no connection was found for anyone. Angharad said they should draw all curtains then use a black light. In case a message had been left on one of the walls, she waited there for someone with a black light. When Amelia arrived she turned on the light.

They read a message that had been written, Amelia made a note of the message. “What do you think it means Angharad?” Angharad faced Chimerandah and shrugged her shoulders. “It says that there will start at a time that is in two days though it doesn’t say what will happen at the time and who will cause it to happen or if an attack is going to take place,” said Cynthia Angharad smiled to her.

“What is going to happen needn’t be an attack and no mention was specified of what would happen,” Amelia was happy, “at least something is going to happen,” she breathed in deeply, “wish I knew what though.” They looked at each other, “Amazing isn’t it we have no idea what or who sent the message, or what it means.”

Cynthia, Angharad, Amethyst, Amelia and Chimerandah faced along the track, they were near the graveyard. As they rounded a corner they saw Lavinia with another woman, as they neared her Amelia asked who it was. “This is my new friend, the Lady in Black, she left the message for us to read, though it does not say what will be.”

Chimerandah was the first of them to ask what it was. “There is a witch hunter who seeks to help us, he seeks witches who are like us. He has a group of witch hunters as assistants they travel the country, from what I’ve been told a witch by the name of Dawn has been found. A fourth generation witch who lives in a forest and help people of the country.”

The Lady in Black told Amelia that Corinne wanted to tell Chimerandah about the witch hunter
but an antagonist attacked her and left her for dead, luckily though she was only unconscious. The Lady in Black had farmers from near the forest to help move Corinne’s body to a graveyard.
Amelia asked that one of those in the warehouse be called, the known as Illyria.

The following day Illyria appeared at the stone circle with Angel and Spike. They were invited to go to the graveyard, as they wandered along the path Spike had Angel and Illyria stop he saw a pair of red eyes two thirds the way up the tree. Angel put a foot inside the bounds of the graveyard, he heard a bell toll.

Angel stopped he faced Buffy and asked her what the reason was why they were called, Buffy said the witches wanted to ask Illyria a few questions. Amelia looked to Spike and smiled they red eyes you saw belong to The Lady in Black; she protects those in the graves. Spike looked to Amelia he asked her why a woman was needed to protect the dead.

Amelia said The Lady in Black protected the dead so they were fit a ready for when they were returned to life. Amelia asked Illyria to tell her where he who attacked Corinne was. Amelia said the witches would be up to full strength in a day or two. Illyria looked at where Corinne’s body had been left, she faced Lavinia and said a Quakers meeting house was allowed for the people.

Finding where Corinne’s attacks had come from was easy enough Illyria told the witches where to look, who to look for and what excuses to expect from the person. Lavinia questioned why the person had been allowed to go free, Amelia said it was acceptable to the justice system that criminals be allowed to return to society to duplicate the misdoings.

TO BE CONTINUED

 

[ILLYRIAN]

From the ground, a new home is risen part 5

Amelia stood and looked at the empty path, she noted Elizabeth who pointed further along the path to the boundary of where the haven of the witches was Chimerandah had Illyria stand with one foot either side of the boundary line, she then had her go to the circle of stones where Illyria was imbued with a safe form of her abilities. Illyria and Angel went back to the warehouse.

Five witches stepped from the stone circle they walked towards the cemetery along the path until they stood at the edge of graveyard. Chimerandah called to speak to the Lady in Black. Chimerandah asked her new friend Willow could be allowed access to the wooden church. Inside the building Willow was led to a room where she could she into the past.

Chimerandah opened the door of a room she motioned for Willow to enter the room. “There is something in the air that will help you to live in the past.” Willow went into the center of the room, the light under the door had reflected on the legs of wooden chair that was usually kept at a kitchen table.

Fifteen minutes later Willow emerged from the room, her smile told Chimerandah she seen what they hoped she would see, being invited into the hall they sat and faced Lavinia and Amelia. “And?” asked Amelia, Willow looked at all the other witches, “You might not like what I’m about to say,” Willow looked at Lavinia, “I was told there should be four of us your names would be Lavi, Angha, Amey and me Will.

“The voice in there it said it would change us, when we wake tomorrow and have breakfast we are going to be vampires,” said Willow. Angha playfully elbows Lavi. “She doesn’t mean we’ll be together in the morning.” “She doesn’t mean we’ll be together in the morning.”

Angha smiled, then she turned and faced Willow, “Vampires huh, what sort? Those whose skin sparkles in the sunlight or those whose veins bulge from the under the eyes what about them who have demon like faces,” Willow laughed.

“What you know about them is a joke, the two early stages of vampires are sparkly skin and bulging veins under the eyes. When a vampires gets close to being a demon it develops bumpy skin over the eyes,” stated Willow. “Then what?” asked Angha.

“The four of us will take on the appearance of demons, I’m talking leathery wrinkly skin, wings with talons oh and to take those smiles of your faces, you will be balm your pretty, pretty shoes will be gone and oh you will be without clothes.”

Angha looked at Willow then she stared at her “Oh”! Willow grinned “How many winged demons can you think of who need to be clothed?” With the other chosen witches they stepped from the wooden church, the Lady in Black stood near the open doorway she had the witches stop then go to be stood in the doorway.

Where they emerged it was morning, judging by the height of the sun as it rose over the horizon it was early morning Willow gazed at the other witches. “Today I will show you where they are to live when heaven has been founded.” Amelia stood at the gateway, she looked at where those who created Gods heaven on earth would live.

“Willow,” she said, “lead the way we ought to find where the young one is.” Even though it was still midday, Willow wandered towards where the sun would set she shook her head and led to them to where they could stand under the surface of the ground. Willow told them they would need to go into the church, and back into the room she had been in.

Will hoped the entity would allow them to go back in time, to visit Monica and Jessica before they died. When they were stood about the chair in the room and each of the witches touched it. The entity allowed them to appear stood on a path from the next village to where the girls lived, people from the village were running scared

Willow asked a few of them what was wrong? The person said some witches had been tortured in the dungeons of the castle they were going to be tested to see if the Devil lived in them. They were going to be dragged in a river and tested for buoyancy. When she was dragged from the river she coughed up some water them walked away. They are to be tried in front of the magistrate in the morning.

Will looked to the others and smiled, “It looks as though we are in time we should spend the night in the wooden church in the cemetery, we may be lucky enough to meet Deborah. Lavi asked Willow if she knew what year it was, “Sixteen forty one,” said Willow who suggested they could speak to Deborah, to learn about the real mother of the girls Jessica and Monica and to learn what was.

They walked along the path into the cemetery a figure appeared by the. “Who are you and what are you doing here, I am known as Deborah.” Just the person we wanted to see, I want to ask you about their real mother. Deborah was confused. “I can take you to see them tonight or tomorrow morning,” said Deborah.

“I know but in the time we are from they are still in the grave, we are from the year two thousand and seventeen.” Deborah stared at them, Will looked around, “where is The Lady in Black and the church.” Lavi faced Will, “Without Jessica and Monica being in the graveyard she might not need to be present.”

Deborah faced Will, “How do you know of the Lady or the church?” Amey pulled Will away from Deborah, the two of them stood with the three others. “What I was told was how Deborah’s ghost visited her daughters in the jail after the trial, if she is here now it can only mean she was returned from the grave,” said Amey.

Angha stated that The Lady in Black must have done it, “Or the entity in the room,” said Will. Lavi looked at them, “None of you have said why, in our time we were told that the girls had killed the father and used witchcraft to return their mother to life.” Will smiled “If our time was the time the entity saw the outcome and decided to change it.”

“I see what you mean,” said Angha, “by returning Deborah to life it will stop Jessica and Monica thinking they are evil.” Will said that they were probably there to see that to say they had understood that and explain it to the girls lest they feel conflicted about being buried in the witches graveyard without them being known as witches.”

“Makes you wonder why we have been chosen by the entity,” stated Will.

TO BE CONTINUED