"Oh God! Oh no, please!" Willow held Taras body tightly as tears streamed
down her grief-stricken face. "Please, come on! Come on Tara. Please, come
on baby!"
The blood from the blond witch was sprayed over Willows top; her hands were
also covered in her attempt to stop the flow.
"By Osiris, I command you, bring her back!" Thick, dark clouds immediately
covered the ceiling, "Here me, keeper of darkness!" Her eyes were large and
black.
An angry face formed in the cloud, "How dare you invoke Osiris in this
task!"
"Please, please bring her back!" She begged.
There was a short silence, "There is a way."
"Ill do anything. Please, bring her back." She looked desperately at the
image, then back to her girlfriend, dead in her shaking arms.
"You will have one chance only. If you fail, your life will be taken as
well." He growled.
"Ill do it."
"So it shall be!"
^^^^
After the darkness cleared slightly, Willow found herself at the entrance of
a tunnel, without Tara.
She began to walk, slowly at first. She broke into a run, but stopped when
the walls started to fade away.
Outside the crumbling tunnel she could see only trees. The sky above and the
ground below were not visible; branches and dark green leaves covered
everything like a cocoon.
A strange green light seemed to pulsate from the towering trees. The redhead
walked out into the woodland; she felt the spongy layer of foliage beneath
her feet
'Where am I supposed to go?' Willow thought. There was no trail or path to
follow, just trees randomly spread about.
As if they had heard what she was thinking, the six trees nearest to her
moved to form a pathway.
Amazed, she walked through them. As she reached the end, she noticed that
the tree directly in front of her was different from the others. It had
blossom growing from it. She picked a small bunch of the pale pink flowers.
She held it to her nose, smelling it. It was sweet...it smelled like Tara.
Tears formed in her wide eyes as emotion tore through her body, "I will
bring you back, baby."
At this, branches on the pink-covered tree before her shifted, revealing a
small doorway.
Willow looked inside, but she couldnt see anything, it was pitch black. She
pushed her fears aside and stepped inside.
^^^^
Instead of her foot finding spongy ground, like that outside of the large
tree, the redhead felt flat, hard stone.
Tall stone walls towered on either side of her. It was dark, except from
lines of torches set into the stone which were ablaze.
In the flickering light of the flames, Willow saw engraved images of
monstrous warriors. She started to walk. She tried to ignore them, but as
she passed each strange figure, it was as if they were watching her. Please,
no... She thought, as she realised that any moment they would come alive.
Willow heard a cracking sound. She was right., 'I can do it. I will do it,
Ill do it for Tara.'
She spun around to see one of the three engravings which were moving, reach
a large stone arm out from the wall, slowly it pulled the rest of its body
out as well. All three creatures were standing before the witch armed with
swords and axes.
She didnt know what to do. They attacked, the closest to her first. It hit
her hard on her arm, sending her flying across the floor.
The second joined the first and held its axe high, ready to strike. It
advanced.
^^^^
"By loves powerful bond, I will not fail her. Disintegrate!" She threw out
her hands, fingers apart, pointing towards the second axe-wielding warrior.
Shocks of purple and blue lightening flashed from her finger-tips and hit
the stone figure. Before it was completely destroyed, it let out an almighty
roar, causing the two others to lunge towards Willow. The dust of the slain
image collected in a small mound on the hard flagstones.
The redhead saw the flamey torch in the corner of her eye. She reached high
and grabbed it. Even using both hands, it wouldnt budge.
"No!" She groaned. "Remove!" She commanded, her eyes turning the familiar
black.
The torch ripped away from the wall it was attached to and levitated in
front of Willow. She clasped her slender hand around it. Waving her
new-found weapon at the remaining two, she wondered if fire would hold them,
after all, they were made from stone.
It wouldnt. The first live-image knocked the torch out of her hand. The
third monster rammed Willow, she stumbled backwards from the impact, landing
against the cold wall.
The witch held her shoulder to help the pain of the bleeding gash in her
smooth skin.
She turned to look behind herself to find the cause of the wound.
Spikes. Hundreds of razor-sharp spikes had appeared from the stone either
side of her.
'Oh, God.' She thought, again unsure of what to do, 'Think...think!'
The first drew a long sword, and charged at the redhead.
As Willow jumped aside, she tripped over something and fell hard onto the
floor. The enormous sword from the second warrior.
She climbed to her feet, aching, and retrieved the heavy stone.
The third tried to lunge at her, but missed as she moved away again. Willow
swivelled around just in time and swung the sword, slicing through stone
with stone.
The friction hurt her whole body, she collapsed. The ugly stone head rolled
freely away from its former body.
The redhead was week.
She thought of Tara.
Black flooded back into her eyes as she got to her feet.
She clasped the sword of the second monstrous being she had slain for her
beloved.
"Bury stone deep into stone." She said releasing the sword. It imbedded
itself into the chest of her opponent.
The figure fell close to Willows feet. As the warrior hit the ground, it
shifted into the form of Tara.
The redheaded witchs breath caught in her throat. Tears swelled up in her
eyes, she knelt down beside the body as the tears rolled down her devastated
face, "No...no!" She screamed, holding her love and lover close, "No!"
^^^^
When she opened her streaming eyes, Willow realised she was kneeling on hot
sand, not the hard, cold stone she had felt before.
The wound in her shoulder was still bleeding, it was deep and painful.
She stood up and looked around. She was in a desert, she could see only
sand.
The redhead began to walk forwards from where she had found herself. Nothing
or no one was in sight, she was relieved.
Willow was exhausted and almost crying as the thought of her girlfriends
death flooded back to her. She had to get through this, for her sake. She
needed Tara, she knew she couldnt go on without her.
"You think you can defeat death?"
The redhead swung around upon hearing the familiar voice.
She stood face-to-face with a female figure. It was Tara.
^^^^
"Tara, baby!" She wrapped her arms around her love.
But something was wrong. It wasnt Tara. She couldnt feel the powerful,
overtaking bond she felt every time she was close to her.
"You think you can trick me? Youre wrong." She pulled herself away,
"Reveal!"
Slowly, the Tara look-a-like shifted into a tall, angry demon.
"You will not win, witch." It said with a grin, it lashed out at her face,
claws scratched her cheek, "No one has ever brought one back killed by
natural forces."
Her wide eyes turned black, "I will." She threw out her hands.
The lightening bolts hit the demon in its torso with the force of the pain
Willow had felt when Tara fell into her arms, dead.
It enveloped the demon, suffocating it. It seeped through its thick skin,
tearing up its insides.
It howled once, the ground beneath them shook. Twice, The sand fell away
into gaping cracks. Three times, the sky turned black and it was gone.
^^^^
Willow found herself back in her bedroom .Tara was in her arms, not moving.
"No, please, please!" Tears streamed down her face, following the path of
those before, "Tara? baby..."
The blond witch opened her sapphire eyes, seeing her lovers sparkling
emeralds staring back.
"Willow."
The feeling that tore through her body and soul at that moment was
indescribable.
"I got so lost." Tara started to cry as well, getting to her knees and
facing Willow.
"I found you, baby. Ill always find you!" She replied through intense
emotions.
They wrapped their arms around each other tightly. So close they would never
let go.