Magdalena Walsh's backup plan

"So what do we do now?" asked Buffy as she, Laurel, and Sir Roderick followed Magdalena Walsh back into the Violet Moon.

"Fortunately, I have a backup plan," said Magdalena.

"Oh, really?" asked Buffy. "What is it?"

"You'll find out in a few minutes," said Magdalena.

Ten minutes later, there was a knock on the front door. The innkeeper opened it and in walked a knight dressed in black armor with a bleary-eyed blonde leaning on his left shoulder. In his hands was a mysterious black box.

Magdalena took one look at the recent arrival and smiled as the two most recent arrivals walked in and closed the front door behind them.

"Ah, Sir Reilly," she said. "So glad that you could make it on such notice. Who's your friend?"

""Oh, this damsel," said Sir Reilly. "She's um...er... What was your name again?"

"Querida," said the blonde. "Querida... er, I forgot what my last name was. Does it really matter, dear boy?"

"Not to me," said Sir Reilly.

"Nor to me," said Magdalena. "Er, you didn't tell her about the you-know-what?"

"No, he didn't," said Querida. "And frankly, I don't care. Anyone have any rabbit blood, by the way? I'm feeling kinda peckish."

"Rabbit blood?" said the innkeeper's wife. "Don't tell me she's --"

"That's right," said Sir Reilly. "She's a bunny-eater."

"Oh my God!" cried the innkeeper's wife.

And with that, she hastily ran upstairs.

Sir Reilly smiled a cold smile. "I'm only kidding, of course. She's really just a vampire. Although Madame Cornelia calls her a lamia to impress her more posh clients."

"Madame Cornelia?" asked Laurel. "You mean she's also a --"

"A very good kisser," said Querida with a grin.

Then she saw the pale expression on Laurel's face and said, "Don't worry. I won't bite you -- at least not until I get to know you better."

"This is all very interesting, Mistress Walsh," said Sir Roderick, "but what about this backup plan you supposedly have?"

"Oh, it's right here," said Magdalena, pointing to the box in Sir Reilly's hands. "Right here in this box. Take it out, Sir Reilly."

Sir Reilly reached into the box and pulled out a metal glove that was covered with spikes. One end of the glove consisted of metal hooks specifically designed to secure the glove to any hand it was placed upon.

"What's it do?" asked Buffy in spite of herself.

Sir Reilly smiled, placed the glove on his left hand, watched silently as it magically secured itself to his wrist and then aimed the glove at a nearby window.

Almost instantly a large glove-sized hole appeared in the glass.

"It's called the Meggido glove," said Sir Reilly. "Fired in the right direction, it can kill almost anything -- even a dragon."

"How ever did you get it?" asked Sir Roderick.

"Easy," said Sir Reilly. "Me and the rest of the boys who work for the Prerogative -- the favorite secret project of our current monarch -- managed to borrow it from Mistress Walsh's former associate Guadalupe Post."

"How ever did you manage to get her to part with a weapon like that?" asked Laurel.

Again Sir Reilly smiled -- but this time his smile was even colder than before. "I can't really tell you how but I will say one thing -- she did not give it up voluntarily."