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...
Giles entered the claustrophobic trappings of the Harbinger Shop, with a large duffel bag over his shoulder, from which Delvina's long black bag protruded. He glanced about as the bell announced him. Delvina was not out front, and the stacks of antique books and containers piled high in the front room made it impossible to find the entrance to the rear of the shop.
Thankfully, Delvina emerged from the back room, parting the camouflage curtain that blended into the clutter, making her seem to appear out of thin air. "Mister Giles," she said. "I'm glad to see you were successful, and that we all woke up alive this morning."
Giles smiled. "Yes, well ... so was I," he said. He handed her the duffel bag. "I'm returning your book and the sword you loaned us. They proved most effective. Along with the Gachnar scroll and the, eh ... the petrified form of Kalderon."
Delvina spread open the duffel bag to peer inside. "I greatly appreciate this, Mister Giles. I have been worried about Kalderon for some time."
He pushed his glasses up on his nose. "I was wondering about that," he said. "Do you mind telling me how you came across Kalderon and the Remnant spell in the first place?"
She paused, still fixated on the statue. Then she closed up the bag. "I suppose I owe you that much, despite your error in trying to contain this demon." She met his gaze. "After the knight and the priest first confronted Kalderon, he saved himself by shrinking and turning to stone, to wait for someone to revive him. The priest tried to destroy the statue. But this sort of demon cannot be destroyed, only contained. While our coven seeks power through the conjuring of certain demons, we have no desire to be consumed with all of mankind, or to bring about Hell on Earth and be dominated by them. So the coven stole Kalderon from the priest, to contain it themselves. We have done so for centuries. Until it was stolen from us, twenty years ago."
Giles narrowed his eyes, surprised. "Stolen."
The camouflage curtains parted again and a slim elder man stepped through them. "By me, regrettably."
Giles cocked his head, trying to place the familiar man. Finally recognizing him, he gasped. "Wait. You're – "
"Mister Wickham," the man said.
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Giles stepped forward, incredulous as he scrutinized the man. "You're the man who sold Kalderon to me and Ethan at that curio shop in Surrey, along with instructions for the Remnant curse." He glared at Delvina. "What's the meaning of this? The two of you have been working together all along."
"Yes," Delvina admitted. "But I promise you, we are doing no harm. Quite the opposite."
Giles returned to his study of Mister Wickham. "But you look no different than when you sold it. After twenty years, you should be ... uh ..."
"Dust?" Wickham said with a grin. "Not everything is as it seems, young man. Including my temporary alliance with Ms. Reyes." He exchanged a casual glance with Delvina. "We can't explain everything, but rest assured, we have no desire to let Kalderon destroy the world. If we did, we could have simply let him do it."
