Darkness Rising

(This is a continuation of the universe I started in Lineage and that appears in The Dark Half and Family Ties. It occurs about two weeks after the events of Family Ties.)

CHAPTER 1: Strategy

The members of the Dark Priesthood filed into their meeting chamber. The atmosphere of the room was especially somber and dreary this particular day. Word had spread that the Avatars had been destroyed, and although they did not directly influence the Underworld, their deaths were a great loss for evil. The Priests had gathered to discuss possible ways to bring power back to evil.

The High Priest Anton, former warlock who had been resurrected by Damien, opened the meeting. "You all know why we are gathered here," he began. "For the first time, evil is on the edge of total collapse. The Charmed Ones have now vanquished four Sources, and the Avatars are dead at the hands of the witch Michael Smith and the former Belthazor. We must reorganize, or they will destroy us."

"We should crown a new Source," suggested one Priest.

"I agree that evil needs a new leader," said Anton, "but simply crowning a new Source will not be enough. The Charmed Ones' magic is strong, and as I mentioned has already been the death of four Sources. What we need is someone on our side with power greater than theirs. Had the Avatars been able to directly involve themselves with us, we would have crushed them long ago. We need someone of that level of power."

"With all due respect," said another Priest, "such power no longer exists in the Underworld or among any of our ranks."

"It existed once," said Anton gravely. "Perhaps the time has come to resurrect it."

"How?" said another. "If you are referring to the Dark Lord himself, it is impossible. He was imprisoned thousands of years ago. No one knows where he was banished to or the spell to free his spirit."

"I am currently in the process of unraveling this mystery myself," said Anton. "I shall share what I have discovered so far. The Dark Lord was not imprisoned by good alone. His imprisonment was due to a joined effort by good and evil." There was a sharp intake of breath at this statement. "I was shocked at first, until I learned why. The Dark Lord was responsible for unleashing the Hollow the first time. When the Hollow was put back in its crypt, the joined forces were determined that the Dark Lord be prevented from pursuing that course of action again, and they imprisoned him."

"How do we locate his prison?"

"I am uncertain at the moment," Anton reluctantly admitted. "However, there are clues in the Ancient Prophecies. They say that the Dark Lord can be loosed from his prison if the Source of All Evil was destroyed."

"But has that not occurred already?" said a Priest.

"I said destroyed, not vanquished. At this moment in time, I take it to mean if our entire side was wiped out, the Dark Lord would return," said Anton. "However, I am still uncertain, so I will continue to search for more clues and inform this Council when I have found the answers. This meeting is now concluded."

****

Halliwell Manor, San Francisco...1922

"Why must you go, Louis?" asked Phoebe Russell.

"I told you, my father left me his business," said Louis Smith. "My mother doesn't want to run it. My hands are tied in this matter."

"But I need you here, my love," pleaded Phoebe. "My heart would die without you."

"Dearest Phoebe," said Louis, cupping her cheeks and giving her a warm smile, "whether it be in this life or the next, we will be together again. I swear it." He kissed her passionately even as tears were streaming down Phoebe's cheeks. "I love you with all my heart. Remember, my love, our souls shall always find each other." Louis kissed her once more and then walked down the steps away from the Manor.

Neither of them noticed the dark figure observing them across the street. "And so it begins," said the warlock Anton.

****

Halliwell Manor, San Francisco...2005

Phoebe opened her eyes and sat up in shock.

That was no dream she just had. It was in black and white.

That meant it was a vision of the past, of Phoebe's past life, when the warlock Anton had seduced her into using her powers for evil.

She looked at the other side of the bed at her husband and smiled. She found it interesting that just as in her life, Michael's past self had been past Phoebe's first true love, and he had also been forced to leave because of his father's death. Phoebe wondered that if Louis had been able to stay, maybe past Phoebe wouldn't have been seduced by evil.

Thinking of the love past Phoebe and Louis had shared warmed Phoebe's heart. She leaned over and gave Michael a long, soft kiss on the lips. Michael stirred, and then responded as he wrapped his arms around Phoebe, holding her tight.

Michael opened his eyes and smiled. "Morning, baby," he said.

"Hi," she said, laying her head down on his chest.

A giggling from the crib at the foot of the bed made both Michael and Phoebe sit up straight. "Well, it looks like our morning bird is up right on time," remarked Michael. The clock read 7:00 am.

"Mama!" called Tom happily.

"Well, I guess it's my turn," said Phoebe, getting her robe on and walking over to the crib. "Hi, sweetie," she said, lifting Tom out of the crib and resting him against her shoulder. Tom hummed to himself as Phoebe grabbed his bottle and sat down in the rocking chair.

"Did you sleep well, honey?" asked Michael.

"Very well, actually," said Phoebe. "I had a very interesting dream."

"Want to tell me about it?" he said.

"Let's just say that you've been keeping promises to me for a long time," said Phoebe, giving him a warm smile.

"Ah," said Michael, realizing what she was referring to. "I guess now you realize that we really are soulmates."

Phoebe looked at him with genuine surprise. "How did you know?"

"Remember, I do have the ability to traverse through time," said Michael. "In this case, it was completely passive. I observed through Louis' eyes, and I felt the same pain I felt when the two of us parted company seven and a half years ago." He sighed. "I knew that even if I wanted to, I couldn't interfere with the past. I learned my lesson after...recent experiences with altering time."

"I know how you feel," said Phoebe. Michael knelt next to the chair and held Phoebe's hand. "I'm very grateful that you did what you did, though. You gave me, as well as yourself, a chance to make things right, and I love you for that." She leaned down and kissed him.

A tugging on her arm made Phoebe break off the kiss. "I guess Tom's done feeding," she said with a giggle. She replaced the bottle back on the dresser and put Tom back in his crib. "How about we head down and grab some breakfast?" suggested Phoebe.

"Sounds good to me," said Michael, grabbing his t-shirt.

****

"You know, I really hate waking up in the morning and KNOWING that Leo isn't next to me," said Piper in an annoyed tone. She was serving breakfast for herself, Phoebe, Paige, and Michael, while Tom and Wyatt were in the nearby playpen. "I mean, if it was every once in a while that he had to orb out in the middle of the night, I could understand, but this is getting ridiculous, especially since that nine times out of ten, that leaves me stuck with Wyatt for half the day."

"Come on, Piper;" said Paige, "you know it's his job to look out for all of us. Do you realize how many times over we'd probably be dead right now if it wasn't for his information?"

"Why do you always defend him?" said Piper in mock anger.

"Maybe my Whitelighter half likes to assert itself on his behalf," said Paige with a playful smile. Piper gave her a fake glare in return which melted into a warm smile. Suddenly, Cole faded into the room.

"Hey, Cole!" said Michael, getting up to embrace his cousin.

"How've you been, Cole?" asked Phoebe as he pulled up a chair.

"I've been alright," he said. "I have to say doing work is a nice change from watching the nasty red sky of the Wasteland all day long." He chuckled.

"So, what brings you by?" asked Piper pleasantly.

"Well, as much as I'd wanted this to be just a visit, I do have some news for you," he said gravely. The others became more alert and turned to listen to him. At the same moment, Leo orbed in.

"Perfect timing!" said Piper, pulling Leo into his chair and giving him a fake death-glare. "You were saying, Cole?"

"Word on the demonic grapevine is that the Dark Priests have something big in the works," said Cole. "Nobody is really sure what, but evil is definitely up to something. You guys might want to be on the lookout for increased attacks."

"Well, as it turns out, the Elders gave me pretty much the same news," said Leo. "A large number of demons and warlocks have dropped out of sight. The Elders think that the Dark Priests are training them to become an elite fighting force, and that you guys should start preparing yourselves. We could have an all out war on our hands in the near future."

The others allowed the news of Cole and Leo to sink in. Phoebe spoke up first. "So, what should we do to prepare?" she asked.

"It probably would be a good idea for you guys to practice using your powers in simulated combat," said Leo. "The more you refine them, the greater your powers become."

"What about the kids?" Piper asked, indicating the two happy toddlers in the playpen.

"I could take them to stay with my mom," suggested Michael. "I don't think she'd mind, and besides, she's pretty powerful herself." He turned to Phoebe. "Do you have any problems with that, honey?"

"No, I think it's a good idea," she said. "Piper, are you ok with that?"

"Yeah," she said half-heartedly. She really didn't like the idea of being separated from her son.

"It'll be ok, Piper," said Leo, putting a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

****

"Report," said Anton to the Priest in front of him.

"The training program is in motion as we speak, my lord," said the Priest. "Soon, our soldiers will be stronger and more powerful than ever."

"Good," said Anton. "Now that I've figured out the last piece of the puzzle, we just have to wait for them to make the first move."

"Are you sure they will?"

"Of course," said Anton with an evil grin, "especially after they learn who they're up against. Phoebe won't hesitate to take me out, not after what I did to her in her past life."

****

The Charmed Ones began their training that very afternoon. Hand-to- hand combat was first up on the list since this was an area where everyone could participate. Phoebe was by far the more experienced in this area, so Michael and Cole spent more time on Piper and Paige. However, when it came time to switch over to using their powers, Phoebe felt kind of left out.

"You know, this is another one of those times when I really wish I had an active power," she said to Michael. "I mean levitation is all well and good, but if we're going to be facing down an army of evil soldiers, I think I'm going to need something with a little more firepower."

Michael put an arm around his wife and held her close. "I know honey. If I could do something about that, I would..." He broke off as a sudden thought came to him. "Firepower..." he said to himself.

"What is it?" Phoebe asked.

"I was just thinking about your past life," said Michael. "You had the ability to throw fire, right?"

"Yeah, but I lost that power since past Phoebe abused it," Phoebe reminded him.

"Maybe not," said Michael. "Isn't it possible that you could write a spell to transfer that power from past Phoebe to you right before she died?"

Phoebe's face lit up with a big smile. "You are one smart witch," she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I guess I really hadn't given much serious thought about doing that before now. And the last time I had that power, I was the Queen of All Evil."

"But you're not evil anymore," said Michael. "And something tells me that you'll use it more judiciously that you did in your past life."

"You really think this is a good idea?" said Phoebe. "I won't do this unless you're sure about it."

"Trust me, if all three of you had active powers, it would help a lot in battle," said Michael reassuringly.

"Ok," she said. Phoebe reached for a piece of paper and a pen. "I think I can modify the spell to call for a lost witch so I can call that power to come to me." After a minute, the spell was complete. Michael gave Phoebe one last reassuring look, and Phoebe read the spell.

Power of my soul, climb. Move unseen across time. Come to me, I call you near. Come to me and settle here. Leave now from my past life's death. Enter me through this life's breath.

A swirl of wind moved through the attic for a moment and then settled. Michael said, "Do you feel any different?"

"No," she admitted, "but at least there are no sinister feelings or anything bad."

"That's a good sign," he said. "Try summoning for a fireball."

Phoebe gestured with her right hand. To her surprise, a small fireball, about the size of a baseball, formed in her hand. She grinned, and let the fireball dissipate.

"Wow it worked," said Michael, pulling Phoebe into a hug. "Now, what do you say about shocking the hell out of your sisters when you go down to practice with your powers?"

"I think I'm up for that," said Phoebe, giggling. She and Michael made their way downstairs to the basement.

****

"It's about time you showed up," said Piper to Michael and Phoebe as they came down the basement stairs. "Paige and I were starting to get bored."

"Sorry," said Phoebe, giggling. "We had to take care of something." She bit her lip so she wouldn't burst out laughing.

Piper immediately sensed that Phoebe was hiding something. "What did you do?" she asked in her stern older sister voice.

"What makes you think I did something?" Phoebe said in her best innocent voice.

"Oh, never mind!" said Piper. She never won these kinds of arguments with Phoebe.

"Paige, why don't you go first? Orb some objects at Phoebe, and Phoebe, you levitate over them," said Leo.

Phoebe could barely keep the laughter inside. Paige was going to be so freaked out that Phoebe would never let her live it down.

"Ok," said Paige when they were in position. She spotted a staff resting against the wall. "Staff!" she called out. The staff dissipated into orbs. Paige then gestured and the staff orbed at Phoebe. Rather than levitate, Phoebe threw out her right hand, and a small fireball flew through the air and incinerated the staff.

Paige's eyes grew huge. "What the hell was that?" she exclaimed.

Michael and Phoebe burst out laughing. "Did you see the look on her face?" said Michael when he stopped to catch his breath.

"Paige, thank you," said Phoebe. "Every time I feel rotten, I'll remember how your face looked, and it'll cheer me up right away." She started laughing again.

"Um, excuse me," said Piper, "but would you mind explaining to me HOW THE HELL YOU DID THAT?!"

Michael and Phoebe immediately stopped laughing at Piper's VERY serious demeanor. "Sorry, Piper, I didn't mean to upset you," said Phoebe in a much calmer tone of voice. "Michael suggested to me that it would help us if I had an active power. He came up with the idea to summon for the power I had in my past life."

"Looks like it worked," said Piper. She sighed. "Next time, at least warn me before you do something like that again, ok?"

"Of course, sweetie," said Phoebe. She walked over to Piper and gave her a tight sisterly hug. "I didn't mean to upset you. I just thought it would be a little funny to freak you guys out."

"Hey, you almost gave ME a heart attack," interjected Paige.

Phoebe motioned for Paige to join her and Piper. "At least next time, it won't be completely by surprise, ok?"

"Ok," said Paige. "I forgive you." Then, on a flash of inspiration, she added, "Do you think I could do that too?"

"You mean, summon for the power you had in your past life?" Phoebe clarified. Paige nodded. "If it worked for me, it should work for you, too. Piper, do you have any objections?"

"NOW you ask my opinion?" Piper said in disbelief. Then, turning a sisterly smile toward Phoebe, she said, "I think it's a good idea, but we'll need to have the two of you develop your new powers so you can use them accurately."

"I have no objection to that," said Paige. Phoebe took out the spell she had written and handed it to Paige. When Paige finished reading it, a swirl of wind went through the basement, and stopped after a moment. "Ok, better test it," she said. Paige gestured at an old jar of flour. An energy bolt leapt from her hand and disintegrated the jar. "Very cool," she said.

"Well, if the two of you are done, I think we can get back to the training session," suggested Leo. Phoebe and Paige giggled. This was definitely going to be fun.

TO BE CONTINUED...