REMNANT : Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider

REMNANT: Buffy, the Vampire Slayer meets Batman and the Red Rider - Chapter 45.

Thunderstorms were rare in Sunnydale. Especially one with rumbling clouds and flashes of lightning like the one that had rolled in over the last hour and was expected to last for another two hours afterward.

Giles took it as a dark omen as he opened the door to the Harbinger Shop, its bell announcing his arrival with Ethan Rayne and the enigmatic demon, Whistler. They stepped all the way inside, surveying the clutter that filled every portion of the room, with stacks upon stacks of boxes, books, and candles. The place had no visible furnishings save for a counter with an old register and a table with a crystal ball and two wicker chairs.

Ethan pursed his lips at the claustrophobic atmosphere. "And I thought I created messes."

To their left, a wall of clutter magically parted down the middle like a curtain and an elderly woman stepped through it. Giles allowed a hint of a smile at the illusion. It actually was a curtain, designed to look similar to the piles of items littering the walls. He wondered for an instant whether the woman actually knew any real magic or was simply employing various tricks to fool gullible visitors.

She didn't have the look of a charlatan, however. Giles could tell the difference. She held her head high with a welcoming but wary smile, as her keen eyes studied the three of them, much in the same way that he was studying her. She didn't need their belief or their money, let alone their approval.

She was clearly a practitioner.

"May I help you?" the silver-haired woman asked.

"You're Delvina Reyes?" he asked.

She nodded.

"I'm Rupert Giles. I'm the librarian at Sunnydale High School. This is Ethan Rayne, and this is Whistler, a, uh ... an associate of ours who recommended you to assist us with a rather important matter."

Whistler stepped forward, tipping his black hat to the woman.

"Did he?" she asked, sounding almost scornful as she regarded Whistler. "And what is that, Mister Giles?"

"We need to reverse the Remnant curse."

Delvina's eyes rose sharply. "And why ... would anyone ... ever need to reverse such a spell?"

"It wasn't his fault," Whistler interjected, stepping forward. "Sorcerer named Felix Faust performed it. Human. Looking to promote himself to be Kalderon's head servant as one of the Summoners, when they unleash hell on earth."

"I see," Delvina said, narrowing her eyes with displeasure. She regarded Giles again. "I am familiar with Whistler. The Remnant curse is not something I would discuss with strangers, unless there was sufficient reason. Who else knows about this?"

"Only those who were affected," Giles promised. Then he counted quickly in his head. "So ... twenty of us. Not including the Lycanthru wolves."

She stared coldly at him. "The Lycanthru," she repeated with distaste. She heaved a deep sigh and scowled at them all. "You mean to tell me this spell has not only been revealed to the Lycanthru, but is has also displaced some Lycanthru wolves in our own time?"

Giles frowned. "I'm afraid so."

"Well, that is just marvelous," she said, gritting her teeth. "I suppose Genghis Khan and Count Dracula were too difficult to pinpoint for the curse, so they aimed at random for the most dangerous predators they could find. Tell me what happened."

Giles cleared his throat. "Faust recruited a criminal from the east coast, the Scarecrow, to create pandemonium here, in order to fuel the spell. Then he obtained the Gachnar Scroll to cast it." He didn't mention that Ethan was the one who read the incantation from the scroll that he himself provided.