Hobs hill

[ILLYRIAN]

HOBS HILL part 1
(Buffy and Angel contents copyrights by Joss Whedon. Demon Hunter content copyrights by me)

The birds played in the trees, cats lazed on garage rooves, fish swam happily in their ponds and rivers.

The inside of Banbury Cross exploded into a thousand fragments, all the cars, shops and houses were peppered with bits of the stone cross. Dead people lay all around the square, where Banbury Cross once stood, there was now a girl, she seemed to be a normal looking girl of seventeen, apart from the wings and the red eyes.

Anathea quickly rang Giles, telling him the evil had now risen. Buffy rang Willow, she told her to call the slayers. Faith heard Willows call, she told Xander and Illyria.
At his home, Giles and Buffy went into the kitchen to see what was making the noise.
“Xander!, what brings you here?” asked Giles.
“I was with Illyria, we had gone to visit Faith, we were talking about the future when Faith said she heard Willow calling the slayers. Then I was here, Illyria did say she was going back with Faith to get the others.”
“Who do you mean by the others?” asked Giles.
“That’s what Illyria said to me, that’s all she said,” replied Xander.
“Giles,” said the voice of Miss Harkness, “the dark has risen, those that seek to protect the world need to be ready. This is the time, he needs to be called, so that he can lead us to learn of the trials.”
“We will call him, be ready when he comes, he will know who you are,” said Anathea
“How?” asked Giles.
“The time that Willow sought vengeance, he was called then. We only gave you a part of what was needed, he gave the entry toll so that she could enter you. Willow still has the entry toll.”

“Where do we go?” asked Giles.
“Willow can tell you, but when you get there, he will be waiting,” said Anathea.
Giles spoke to Willow later that morning, he told her to meet him, soon. Willow told him that the girls were moving into Westbury, she told him to be there to meet them.
“How do you know that I am not there now?”
“I am here waiting for you,” said Willow.
“Will my house be big enough for them?” asked Giles.
“No, but the other place will be.”
“Then why don’t you come to me and we can go there together?”
“Because the evil has risen, you need to be here now, so be here. You are but a watcher, you have helped in the past, but you do not know what can happen, do not try to guess, just be here, be ready and bring an open mind,” said Willow.
Giles had been at the Westbury village hall when Willow had spoken to him, so it didn’t take long for him to return home. The closer he went toward his house the more people he recognised, he greeted and talked with those he knew, he looked at those in and around his home. Going to the kitchen he met Willow.
“Did you see many you know ?” asked Willow.
“Most of the slayers, must admit, I did expect to see Spike here,” said Giles.
“As I told you, bring an open mind. Spike has gone to welcome him, so that he would be willing to bring her.”
“Who are they?” asked Giles, “where has Spike gone?”
“Spike’s gone to Uffington to wait for him,” said Willow, “he will bring her with him if Spike relays the importance of what could happen.”
“Spike will ask him to bring her, with him, who is she?” asked Giles.
“Giles, as I said before, you are a watcher. When you have the knowledge you can teach the girls, until then just do as Spike has begun to do and wait.”
“Ok, but why is she so important?” asked Giles.
“Because if she comes she will bring another, more may follow. Now I must go they are waiting for us, I will get the others to be here,” said Willow.
Giles followed Willow down to the cellar.
“How long until the others get here?” asked Giles.
“They are not coming here, they are going there. When your mind has been opened, you will begin to be there,” said Willow.

She looked at him. Giles tried to open his mind to something new, then he tried to see what had happened, he saw Angel working with Wolfram and Hart. He had thought that Angel was part of the evil, maybe he had been wrong, maybe Angel had tried to make change from within the belly of the beast. Maybe that Wolfram and Hart wanted to be evil, if so they were only leaders of humans wanting to be evil, to be seen by the evil as some-one to help them. Willow smiled at him.
“You are getting there, now we can get ready to be there,” said Willow.
Angel, Buffy, Dawn, Faith and Illyria appeared in the room. “Is that all?” asked Giles.
“One other needs to be here,” said Willow. “Who is he?” asked Giles.
“A friend, some-one who has the power to bring people together, well people who are not human,” said Willow.

“That rules out Wesley,” said Illyria.
“Wesley helps, but it is not him,” said Willow.
“Of all who I can think of, there’s only one who fits all the requirements, it has to be Clem,” said Dawn.
“Everybody say well done Dawn!” said Willow, smiling, “now we can go there, and she will see them again.”
“Who will see them?” asked Giles.
A girl walked into the room, she went to Willow, knelt to her. “They have returned.”
“Who is.....where are we?” asked Buffy looking around, “the last time this happened you were evil, Willow.”
“I used to a dark power, but for good,” said Willow.

“Dark magic, even when used for the good, is still dark magic, it is evil,” said Buffy.
“Magic had been around a long time, since before the written word, magic is magic there is no good or bad but humans had called it good, or bad,” said Willow.
“Buffy, is it evil to kill?” asked Faith.
“It is evil to kill what is good,” said Buffy.
“It is evil to kill is wrong, it is not evil to kill. Would you say your a killer Buffy?” asked Willow, “it is not evil to kill but it can be, if the one that is killed is good.”

“That girl with the beautiful sword that knelt to you, I remember being told of her,” said Dawn, “Molly!, when did you get here?, it’s good to see you again.”
“Somebody will not be impressed that you have that cross bow,” said Molly.
“She said it was to be buried with me, she didn’t say that I couldn’t use it,” replied Guen
“What is going on here?” asked Buffy, “who are they?”
“There is an evil risen, you have been sent help, from a time the past and from a time of it’s the side. Guen is from the past, I think Hope is from the time of the side, Molly is in all times,” said Willow.
“Who was it that allowed her to be here?” asked Giles.

“A folklore says he will rise if England is threatened, he is King Arthur. But he does not come himself, he allows another to be here, it is she who brings the others to help, this time she has brought Hope,” said Willow.
“Then she’s.”
“No,” interrupted Willow, “Guen was to marry, but she was to marry Lord Arthur. She died before she could, she died before her sister was born. It was her sister who was Lady Guinevere. Guen does has the knowledge where the sword Excalibur is, but she is not the only one.”
“If she isn’t the only one, why couldn’t Buffy have had it?” asked Giles.
“She wasn’t given the sword. Excalibur as a sword has great power, but only when wielded by she who it was given to,” said Willow.
“Lady Guinevere was given the sword wasn’t she?” asked Giles.
“No, it was Guen who was given the sword by Myrddin,” said Willow.
“Who is Myrddin? how do you know all this?” asked Buffy.

“Because if you go sideways in time, to where Hope lived, you will soon know that Willow is known as another, she is the Goddess Turee, Myrddin is Merlin,” said Molly.
“Then who else knows of where the sword is?” asked Giles.
“He who gets news from the Powers That Be, Gunn. He gets them after they have been seen and interpreted by Wesley.”
“That’s enough about us for now, what are we up against?” asked Vi.
“The devil, she is planning to release her army,” said Willow.
“Do we have enough to beat her, there is an army of slayers ready plus we have the new potential slayers,” said Buffy.
“Not quite true, they’re not potential slayers, they are now slayer potentials,” said Willow
“What’s the difference?” asked Buffy.
“They had the potential to be slayers,” said Faith, “because of the scythe they are now slayers with potential.”
“Thank you Faith. Now about the devil, her army is in a hill about three miles south of Banbury, near the town of Bloxham. There is a hill known as Hob Hill,” said Willow.
“Hang on, now I know this, Hob is an old name for the devil,” said Giles.
“The keepers need to be called, get Miss Harkness to gather those like her and be with those of her kind near there. There’s a village that’s home to many witches the also the surrounding countryside and several previous witches live there,” said Will.
“What is the name of the village?” asked Giles.
“Compton,” replied Willow.
“Where are we?, are we near there?” asked Buffy.
“We aren’t near there, but we can be there now if need be. This place is below the White Horse near the town of Uffington.”
“Thanks will, but I did about the white horse’s of England at school, and this one is on a hillside,” said Buffy.

“So?” asked Willow.
“Oh come on, you don’t think I’m going to believe that a big cavern was built under one of the white horses?” asked Buffy.
“She does have a point,” said Giles.
“Yes, it would be a bit silly, mind you it isn’t just one big cavern. There are many big caverns down here,” said Willow, “why not ask some-one who was here when this place was built.”
“You know some-one that was here when the caverns were built?” asked Giles.
“No not really, but only because the caverns weren’t built,” said Willow.
“I was here in spirit, but not body. My sister told her husband that a secret hide for him, and his armies would help them, unknown to him he was helped,” said Guen.
“Who are you again?” asked Buffy.
“I am Guen, the vampire slayer.”
“That’s what I thought I was told, your sister was the Lady Guinevere. The sword that you carry, who gave it to you?”
“The man who was to be my husband, he who seventeen years later married my sister. His tutor was known by many names, you know him as Merlin, he gave me the sword just before I went to help Hope.”
“So where was Hope?” asked Buffy.
“She was in the town of Totnes, nine hundred in my future, then sideways in time, I saw what is with us, what we are part of. As the evil is everywhere, so are we.”

“Merlin, was said to be a magician but that is not all he was, in all the aspects of this time that I have been in, Merlin has also been there,” said Molly.
“What! bloody ......!!,” exclaimed Faith, her mouth opened and she stared at Willow.
“It is just as well that he likes you. Do not tell any-one else,” said Willow.

“Going back to the hill, the White Horse, below the trailing leg is a mound, folklore has it that St George slew the dragon there. Is there any truth in that ?” asked Giles.
“Not really,” said Guen, “but I’d ask you not to mention the real happening.”
“That is easy, I don’t know the real reason, so another question then, many times now Willow has told us of the past, how?” asked Giles.
“In my time she is known as another, in Clem’s time she is thought to have been yet another, if you had those answers, you wouldn’t ask those questions,” said Hope.
“Do not forget why we are here,” said Willow.
“Okay!, but answer my last question please?” asked Giles.
“One of the demon’s steeds, a black winged horse with large red eyes was trapped by several of our charges the winged white unicorns, the General of them and the General of the Cavalry were called to capture it, their General was mortally wounded by it, but the
* other, a General Serajoss finally captured it. It was his fight with it that was spoken of and many years later it became remembered as St George and the Dragon,” said Molly.
“What is the name of those Generals ?” asked Buffy.
“Kra-noy and Serajoss,” replied Molly.

“As you said, back to what we are here for. How many are we Molly?” asked Dawn.
“I am not the right one to ask.”
“This talk is becoming unreal, we are getting close to discussing about Gods and Goddesses,” said Giles.
“True,” said Buffy, ”but one of those who was and is with Angel, is Illyria.”
“But she is from the deeper well, where the old ones were kept,” said Giles.
“And I agree with you, how-ever Illyria is said to have come from another dimension, so she should not governed by our beliefs, thereby she can be a Goddess, a God-king et cetera, et cetera,” said Buffy.
“To reply to your question Dawn, as many as are needed,” said Willow, “now Giles, have you been in touch with Anathea from the coven?”
“Yes, she and a few of hers are staying at a farm near the village, the one owned by Carrisma and Paul.”
“Good, get them to start calling to the other covens, they will all need a lot of protection, so get them out there. Next, they will need to help trap the devil and her forces, so they’ll need extra power.”

The residents from Bloxham were beginning to leave their town, the strange and the unusual was starting to happen, every animal had left the town. Caged birds, even ones that appeared to be happy escaped at the first opportunity. In Banbury shops that sold milk began to get complaints that the milk was off, fruit in the greengrocers visibly went mouldy.
Storm clouds began to form over the town but no storm activity was registered. People in their homes wondered what was going wrong when all the TV reception was lost, the internet connections failed. The electricity stopped, phone lines ceased to operate. Winged demons flew onto roads in or out of the town as the sky around Banbury began to turn to fire. Any cars that passed the demons on the roads were attacked, the occupants never made it out of their car. Towns people in the main shopping areas grouped in the car parks, looking around them. The winged demons moved towards the town, destroying anything that moved.
The police from surrounding towns never reached Banbury, their cars slammed into invisible walls on the roads. The Royal Air Force had despatched two jets to investigate, but they vanished before they entered the area of the town.

Willow was having a drink with Giles and Xander in the caverns at Uffington, the ghosts of King Arthur and two hundred of his soldiers moved past them just before they were approached by the vampire slayers Guen and Hope. As soon as Willow saw them she stood. “What is it, what has happened ?” asked Willow.
“Its forces have started rising, the town of Banbury now belongs to the devil, initiate the call.”
“Giles! get the coven to put a field of protection six miles around Banbury. Xander, find Buffy, Faith and Molly get them here, go.”
“Guen, do you have the sword with you?” asked Willow.
Guen pulled the sword from it’s sheath.
“Hold the blade Guen, is he that gave you Excalibur going to come here ?”
“He is already on his way here, he wants me to tell you that your others will be here soon as well,” replied Guen.
Xander ran up to Willow.
“WILL!, Buffy and Faith are following, but look!”
Buffy and Faith ran to be at Willow’s side as Molly, Diana, Julie and Saffron became seen. Two others appeared.
“Miss Harkness, Anathea, welcome,” said Giles.
“How did we get here?”
“Hello,” said Willow.”

“Willow, how are you?, what is this, what is happening?” asked Anathea.
“The devil has risen, as we speak his forces are rising, spilling on to the earth. When you saw me before you, you were afraid of what you could not see in me. Now see what you could not see, the evil tried to contain one of me, Xander helped keep me in this world. Today you and he will see what I am. Buffy, Giles, Xander, I was not trying to destroy the world before, hell wanted to open its mouth and swallow me. Now the devil tries to defeat us, it will not. Merlin!”
Merlin joined them, then a blue light filled the cavern, Molly and the other immortals knelt and bowed as the Goddess T’ara took form.
“Miss Harkness, Anathea, the one that was in me will now be as me,” said Willow.
The figure of Willow became the Goddess Turee, the blue aura around her grew in intensity, suddenly white then blue, and yellow light filled the cavern.
“Who are they?” asked Anathea.
“The Goddesses Medusera, Curremy, Dawn.”
“Girls, get all the Riders to tell those that started the fields of protection to keep it there. Merlin will you imbue the sword with its power. Faith, meet Faith and understand who you are. The General of the Armed Forces of Byzantium took form, The General and Faith shook hands, hugged then they became one.

“Faith, take your troops, guard the fields of protection, but do not allow yourselves to be seen,” said Goddess Turee.
Buffy, Giles and Xander stood in awe.
“Buffy, Giles, Xander, one you have met, the Goddess T ’ara moved to them, then became Tara.
“What!, then you didn’t really die?” asked Xander.
“No, I knew after Spike nearly broke my nose,” said Tara.
Tara then noticed who was standing next to the Goddess Turee, Tara immediately became Goddess T’ara and with the Goddesses she arrived with, they knelt and bowed.
“Soon?” asked Goddess T’ara.
“I hope not, but then I also hope that it will be soon, then my hopes will begin to happen,” replied the Goddess Turee.
“I am sad that we will not be together, yet I am glad that you will get what you’ve always wanted,” said Goddess T ’ara.
“What is going to happen?” asked Xander.
“In a short time she will try and take control of this world,” said Buffy.

“Who is she and who are you?” asked Xander.
“She is the devil, I am the General of the Elite of Bouicandeni. Now is soon Goddess.”
Goddess Turee and Merlin began to move and be as one.
“Oh!, my!, God!” exclaimed Giles.
Screams were heard from the fields near Bloxham, figures had been seen running just before the screams were heard.
Giles, Fred, Xander and Chaser were called to attend in their most respectable clothes. Hope and Faith were told to stay with them
“Why do you want those people nearby,” asked Buffy.
“Something like this, the humans will be sending people here soon, we will need to have people who are respected by them, who can talk to them and make them see our viewpoint,” said Tara, “that is why we are requesting certain people are sent here.”
“What if they want different people ?” asked Buffy.
“We’ll just tell them, if they won’t use those people, we’ll sit back until they want our help. We are letting them be here, not the other way around.”
“We’d sit back? what could they do?” asked Buffy.
“Nothing, the barrier that is there cannot be penetrated by either side yet,” said Tara.
“So what do we do now, Tara?”
“We keep building up the required force, certain creatures have been called to help us, some animals have offered us their expertise.”

“Now you’ve got me, what do you mean?”
“Just between you, me and Goddess Medusera, some animals have offered to get information for us, Moles, Rabbits, Owls. When they get back they tell us what they’ve found out,” said Tara.
“How?” asked Buffy.
“Remember back in the vampire slayer days, demons helped you?, well that is still true, one of the demon sects we came across were The We, they can talk to those animals, then they’ll tell us what was said. Then we can send in the big boys.”
“The big boys? what do you mean by that?”
“Before Merlin joined with Turee, he told us of other creatures that existed, ones we didn’t know about,” said Tara.
“He kept them a secret.”
“True, but at their request, the world isn’t ready to accept them, we offered them a safe haven. All their young have been taken there, where they can grow and be looked after,” said Tara..
“How long has Merlin known of these creatures?”
“That reminds me, I’ll need to get Guen here, she met one of them about a thousand years ago, we didn’t know this then but they may attract evil, and that is why that area of the world is known as the devils country.”
“That’s the south west of England, but why are we here?” asked Buffy.
“We’re here because of the devils escape, in that area is the devils moend, Hob Hill.”
“So why did the demons go to....., right, these creatures attracted the demons to that part of the world, so what are those creatures, why has no-one heard of them ?”
“Oh, they have heard of them, many tales are told of them. It’s just that they kept away from most humans, they are dragons,” said Tara.
“What, I thought that they were a myth,” said Buffy.
“They were a myth, to those that didn’t know of them. Ask Guen, she saw one of them, she also saw a dead one, to her they are not a myth.”
“So what will they do here?”
“When we are ready, they will attract the demons to where we want them.”
“Where’s that?”

“To the south east of Banbury is an old fighting ground, once before we had to fight the demons,” said Tara.
“But if you fought them before, won’t the devil know of that place and warn the others,” said Buffy.
“The devil is mankind’s creation, before the devil was said to be there were the Kuh-rotan and the Som-rotan, when the organised religions came to be accepted the devil was brought into being, the fight we had before was before the devil,” said Tara.
“Oh, so where is this place then?”
“Many years ago that place was where salt was taken, the salt slows the demons, some of them it stops completely, the dragons will be attracting the demons to there.”
“Are there any places where they may try to get to?” asked Buffy.
“Yes that is why there are many of the Riders and Infantry to the north west about three hundred and fifty years ago we fought a great battle over Edge Hill near Kineton. They had been trying to get to just south of Leek Wootton, no-one is to sure why, the only tales are of a ghost truck on the road,” said Tara.
“Why is a ghost truck there, what could it do, I don’t know that area at all,” said Buffy.
“There’s a chance that the ghost truck is old, as old as time itself. It may release powers unknown. It is said to have been a horse, a wagon, a stage coach. There have been tales of something always being there, but only one thing, it may have changed over time, usually nothing is seen of it, only one sighting has been made and it happened during daylight.”

“Tara, where was this?”
“Sorry, on the road between Warwick and Kenilworth, this thing approaches you head on then disappears just before it touches what-ever your in, but most people swerve out of its way,” said Tara.
“What is strange about that?”
“It’s a straight road, imagine finding tyre marks of a car going around a corner? mention was made of the driver having glowing red eyes.”
“No-one knows what cargo the thing has?” asked Buffy.
“We haven’t a clue as yet.”
“Good idea to keep them away from it,” said Buffy.
“That is why we want to get them to the south east, I’d best be getting ready,” said Tara
“I’ll be going to be with the others like me,” said Buffy.
“Before you go, you’ll be going to Salt way, you’ll be in charge of all the vampire slayers and the demon hunters, the live ones the dead and the immortals. You’ll each have an un-ending supply for the cross bows,” said Goddess T ’ara.
“You want us to fight to the last?” asked Buffy.
“No, I was thinking more along the lines of killing yourself to live.”
“Understood,” said the General of the Elite.
“Giles,” said Scherry, “do they know and understand what they are to do and when.”
“They have reluctantly accepted their lot, mind you, them having a chat with King Arthur may have swayed them to our line of thinking, especially when he disappeared.”
“As long as they know that they are here to watch only until it’s over, then they can see if any-one is left alive in Banbury,” said Goddess T ‘ara, “just tell me when they are ready.”
“They say they are,” replied Giles.
“Tell them to start praying, now we go in.”

The dark clouds over town vanished, filling the land with light. The Goddess Dawn took form at the exit of Hob Hill. Winged demons looked up and around at the brightness, in confusion they tried to comprehend the four suns.
Howling winds burst from the north, uprooting trees blowing walking demons into the air. Behind the Elite three dragons rose into being, demons felt them and rushed them,
demon hunters, Elite and slayers formed. Waves of arrows filled in the sky, bodies of demons began to litter the ground. The camera crew headed by Tina stood just a little to close to the barrier, Tina was plucked from the soil, her body slammed into the ground. The camera-man had been unable to move, he kept recording then fifteen demons circled Tina, the flames of hell sprang to life around her as the devil glared into her eyes, she just had time to scream, ”Oh no, no !, please god help me.” as her life ended. Shrill screams of pleasure lifted from the demons as the Cavalry of Byzantium carved the existence from all of them, except the devil that had just left. The devil knew it’s forces were not enough called those of hers to follow her. The full contingent of the Soldiers and Infantry with the Riders stayed in her way, slayers, Elite and hunters flashed to block any escape she may have had. Showers of blood sprayed those fighting on the ground, from beneath her demons, the devil felt the presence of who she would fight, rising above the hordes she flew to Hob Hill.

Goddess Turee and Merlin had joined to make the being Ili-uowm Ewellnter, he grew in stature, the Goddesses Curremy, Darla, Medusera, T ’ara bore an area that no demon could enter. The devil took her infamous appearance, five times the size she was when she appeared in the Banbury Cross, her body shone red almost matching the burning red eyes, the hoofed feet burnt into the ground releasing clouds of steam, as she moved her very skin made the air around her burst into flames, Ili-uowm Ewellnter caste a gown of a shrinking silver rainbow around her. Unable to move in the heavy burnt air the devil glared, her being shrank pushed in by the forces around her. When all she looked like was as a normal seventeen year old with wings she heard a voice in her head.
“Even down here you cannot be trusted, you will return with me. Nothing you will do will ever let you be returned here,” said Ili-uowm Ewellnter, “your army has gone, again mine is victorious.”
Garet and Fred signalled to Stephen Bertrand to start sending people into the town of Banbury. Tina’s crumpled body was carried to a waiting car by Stephen Bertrand


* General Serajoss. The letter A is silent, his name is pronounced sir-joss.

TO BE CONTINUED in a week or two.