A dangerous sorcerer named Felix Faust has come to Sunnydale, intent on raising an ancient demon to subjugate all of humankind. To succeed, he must perform a powerful curse to displace his enemies, transporting them from one time and place and exch...
Back at the hovel, Father Vestille wasted no time in taking Xander to his bedroom to begin praying over him. Before the priest closed the door, Buffy swore she could understand some of the Latin words he was praying, ordering demons to manifest themselves and leave the body of this boy, and for the wolf's curse to be broken completely. So strange, the way the Remnant curse allowed her to understand every language she heard.
She watched the door another few seconds, then turned.
Batman's stony face and dark spreading cape loomed over her. "Will the boy be all right?" he asked.
Buffy clutched at her throat, startled. "I don't know. But I won'tbe if you keep skulking around like that!"
"I apologize," Batman said in a monotone. "Force of habit."
Buffy blinked. "You're apologizing?"
"Will Xander be all right?"
Buffy ran agitated fingers through her hair, looking across the room at Helena, who held her crossbow at the ready. Willow sat behind her on the indoor stoop by the front door, hunched and holding her index finger on Faust's scroll as she read through it. "I don't know," Buffy said. "I hope so. We've gotta trust that Father Vestille knows what he's doing."
"He does," Helena assured her. "We just have to wait."
Batman moved to the door, staring at it as though he could see through it.
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"I guess there's nothing we can do up here," Buffy said. "We should probably all wait in the longhouse."
Batman didn't budge, or take his eyes away from the thick oak door. "For now, my place is here."
Buffy stared at him for a moment, surprised. Then she crossed the room to join the others.
Willow looked up from the scroll with an animated expression. "Wow, Buffy. Some of this stuff is really evil. I mean, this guy, Faust, really likes to summon demons. But I found a few things that seem useful. Maybe I can even find something to help get us home. I mean, after we stop Faust from raising Kalderon, so that we still have a home to go home to."
Buffy wrinkled her nose with concern. "Be careful, Will. Faust is into some pretty dark stuff."
Willow's eyes widened in agreement. "Oh, I know. And dark is bad. We prefer keeping the lights on. But if I can find something to help us, without going dark, I want to try it."
Helena frowned at the scroll. "Willow, you can't use witchcraft to fight the Lycanthru, or anyone else. Everything in that scroll, all the spells that Faust or the Lycanthru use, are the exact things that Father Vestille is praying against right now, to free Xander."
Willow's tone soured. "Look, Helena, I understand you're uncomfortable. But if one of Faust's spells will help us do what's right, I want to use it."
Helena fixed a hard gaze on Willow. "You can't do what's right by using what's wrong."
