"Yeah," he cheers, hopping up, and shrinking down in mid air. His leap takes his smaller form higher up until he alights on Paige's shoulder. "Ready? Let's go!"
Paige starts to orb as Dr. Kluger bids them Harwell with a warning. "Take it easy, Paige. You still need to rest!"
Blue lights formed around the group and their bodies lost their substance and floated away. Dr. Kluger collapsed into the chair by the desk, laid his elbows on the surface in front of him, and laid his eyes against the heels of his palms. He was tired. And too busy these days than was for the good. Crime had increased far too rapidly in the past week. There were people being wounded in gang fights as wars broke out over turf. Dr. Kluger didn't understand why there had to be so many bad things happening at once. There were sickness spreading, and the city was already in the heart of the flu season.
And here he was canceling entire day's blocks of patients to be running around with three girls. He reached across the desk and started flicking through papers. Patient forms, most stamped appointment canceled. He sighed. He wished there was more he could do. These girls were risking their lives trying to save people, literally walking into the lion's den. He didn't. He couldn't but he didn't know if he would even if he could. He had no magic, and he couldn't save as they could do. All he could do was help them, try and strike at the source of the worst evil, and then move on curing what he could. He hoped that at least helping them was doing the most good he can.
He leaned back in the chair, his face pointed to the ceiling. He closed his eyes, trying to review what could be the next task. What more could he do. The door creaked open. "Julia, we must knock before coming in here while there are guests." Dr. Kluger spun in the chair to face Julia, and was surprised to see a medium sized man in the room. "Who are you?" Dr. Kluger said, jumping out of the chair to face the man.
The man had a greasy smile on his face. He was dressed in a shiny pinstripe suit. It shone so much, it seemed to be made out of pure polyester. A wide green tie hung down a formal blue shirt. His head was mostly bald and what little hair he did have was slicked back with hairspray. He looked like a shady car dealer trying his best to impress a potential customer. As soon as Dr. Kluger got out of his chair, the man advanced and wrapped his arm around his shoulder. "Now, now, now, Doctor. Please, there is no need to be so short. Do you happen to know the Haliwell sisters?"
"What do you want?"
"Doctor, I am sure that you know about the recent crime wave beginning. Its getting worse. The forces of evil are just beginning to stretch their limits, see how much Rosaline's new tricks have really worked. They aren't fully sure that Rosaline really has trapped heaven's forces, so they are just testing right now. The carnage will begin if the sisters don't stop Rosaline before everyone else really realizes what she has done."
"Who are you?"
"Oh, just a friend."
"Which side are you on?"
"Side?" He laughed. "Technically, one would say that I belong with the bad guys." He smiled his most winning smile. It wasn't too winning, especially for Dr. Kluger. "But I am, how can I say, apt to change sides easily. I'm just looking out for numero uno. Right, Dr. Kluger."
"I am asking you to leave now." Dr. Kluger got out of the chair again, but the man was quick.
"Just a moment, Doctor. You've been canceling patients all day to run around with three girls. Don't you think you could spare a moment to hear a venture that could possibly be very worth your while." Dr. Kluger looked struck, and stopped in his tracks. "Come now, you could be powerful. Imagine the revenge you could have. Or even help save even more lives." He saw the light shine in Dr. Kluger's eyes, and pressed the point. "Imagine, magic dedicated to helping lives. And you could control it. That's what I offer, Doctor. I am offering you magic."
"Who are you?"
"Oh, most would say I am greedy. So that will do. Interested?" He paused for a breath, but didn't wait for a reply. "The girls must take Rosaline out quickly. You know it. When they do, you must be there. Rosaline stores most of her power in her roses. Capture them after she is destroyed, and I will show you how to integrate their power. To use it for yourself, to save lives."
"And what do you get?"
"Oh, I would say twenty percent of the power is fair. I keep twenty, you take eighty. A fair trade, no?"
"So we destroy one monster and allow you to become another. I'm not interested."
"Think about it Doctor." He walked over to the table and pulled a sheet of paper out at random, thrusting it toward Dr. Kluger. "Remember this one. You could have saved her. And this one too," he turned to the desk, and started throwing papers at Dr. Kluger. "And another here. Magic took these lives, you could have prevented that."
"Leave now, Mr. Greedy."
"I think you will come around in the end." He held out a green business card. No writing appeared on it. "When you want to discuss this further, just look at this card. It will tell you what to do." He put the card into Dr. Kluger's hand, and turned. "Assuming of course that you actually do care about saving lives." The poison in the words was evident.
Dr. Kluger again collapsed in the chair. He watched Greedy go, his eyes weary. As Greedy opened the door again, the dam of emotions inside burst. He shouted. "What, you're taking the door out? No magic bubbles or flashes of light? That's it!"
Greedy slowly tuned and smiled. An evil smile. "Come now, Doctor." He paused, measuring the words. "I wouldn't want to rub it in your face." He laughed and walked out.
Dr. Kluger leaned back. His body seemed to shrink as he let out his angry breath. He strength waned, and his thought turned to Greedy's proposal. They didn't sit there for very long.
Blue lights shakily moved into the room, and Piper's form materialized first. She was holding up Paige, her head under Paige's arm. They rose up together from a crouch as they came into view. Pheobe lay at their feet, unconscious. Dr. Kluger leapt out of his chair and took Paige's other arm.
"Where's James," he asked, his voice urgent.
Piper shook her head. "I'll tell you everything later. Quickly, they are hurt."
The two of them started moving he barely conscious Paige to one of the beds. Paige moaned, "no, I need to heal Pheobe." She's hurt. She got thrown, far." The words trailed off and he head hung.
Dr. Kluger spoke to her softly. "You need to rest first, Paige." He heaved her into the bed, and let her eyes close. "Keep her awake until I examine her," he said to Paige.
He crouched down to look at Pheobe. The back of her shirt was covered in blood. He rolled her over, and pulled her shirt up her back. Deep cuts gouged inter back. She still bled, and some glass shards were in the wounds. He picked a few of them out. "Piper, please go ask Julia to come in her quickly. We will need to do some stitches." He looked over the rest of her and found that she had a large bump on her. Didn't feel like there was much damage or a concussion, but he would have to look into it further. Paige couldn't just heal her she was too weak herself. And he had no magic to do it with himself, dammit. His hand went to the pocket of his shirt holding the green card without him even knowing it.
The three sisters had slept the night in the back room of the clinic. In the morning, Dr. Kluger knocked lightly on the door, and walked in to wake Piper up. He let the other two sleep. His finger over his mouth, he motioned for Piper to follow him out. Once outside, he said to her, "You will want to see this." He led her to the waiting room where the television was turned on to the morning news.
A girls head was in the corned, and the newscaster was blaring out his article. "Crime has been increasing dramatically in the past week. In what is hoped to be the climax of the current wave, noted philanthropist and acclaimed aristocrat Jessica Burns was murdered last night in penthouse apartment. April O'Reilly is on the scene reporting the latest. April?"
The screen flashes to a woman standing in the hallway of an apartment building. The door to the apartment behind her has been destroyed, literally blown off its hinges. Police tape cross the entrance, preventing access. "I am here at the late Jessica Burns' apartment in suburban San Fransisco. The police are currently baffled as to the culprit of this most heinous crime. The door to the apartment, as you can see, was literally exploded before the murders gained access to the apartment. The apartment inside is a mess, and it is quite clear that a large struggle occurred before Jessica was forced to give up her life." Pictures on the screen flash of the destroyed living room and hanging chandelier. "The police suspect that the weapon used was kitchen knife found in the dumpster outside with the victim's blood on it. Signs of burns are expected to have come from other explosives used by the culprit once inside the apartment. No fingerprints have been found, and the identity of the culprit is not yet known. Nothing appears to have been stolen.
"The police are issuing the following guidelines to the general public..." Dr. Kluger turned the volume down on he Tv until it was silent.
Piper spoke up to fill the void. "Now the world knows."
"They do. They won't connect it though."
"Rosaline did this." She smiled for a moment. "Well, except the doors. I did that." The smile left her immediately. "She must be stopped."
"Agreed." His hand went to his jacket again.
Around muffins in the conference room, Pheobe happily munched on a muffin. "How are you feeling?" Dr. Kluger asked.
"Great, thanks. How is Paige?"
"She needs the rest. When she wakes up, she will be able to heal you better. Until then, I think she needs to not be disturbed."
"What's next?" Pheobe asked Piper.
"Next, we take back our house. I don't want Rosaline to have anything of ours anymore. We sisters are going to stand together. And then we are going to take Rosaline out."
Rosaline was sitting in a tall chair in her cavern lair. She toyed with a rose in her hand, stroking the petals. Her eyes were closed, and her mouth part slightly in pleasure. After a long stroke of the rose, her eyes opened and she sighed. "Wonderful memories. I shall surely find a use for them." She put the rose down on a table behind. Sharing the table was a large leather book. Embossed on its cover was a golden blossoming rose.
"They must surely be done by now," she said, her voice rising to accent her frustration at the time. "How long can they take to deliberate. I will go and speed the process along. Now." A white light flashed and climbed along her body as she faded into smoke.
She reappeared a moment later in a cave. Heavy burnished double doors blocked the entrance to the deeper portion of the cavern. The doors were marked in copper with a dark ball pierced by a nail. Two large guards, their appearance almost identical, flanked the doors. Each was dressed in leather armor and carried halberds in their arms. As Rosaline walked forward, the guards intoned. "You may not enter.
Wait until the council has completed."
"I will not wait." She reached into her pocket and the leather armor creaked as the guards tensed themselves.
Before a spell could be cast, the door split and Greedy walked through them. Quickly, her closed the doors behind him and turned to leave. Spinning, he saw Rosaline standing before him. "Ah, Rosaline. Good, now that you are here, I won't have to go to you."
"What does the council say?"
"They do not believe in your claim. They will not accept your claim until you can prove that you have indeed captured Heaven's forces. Your dema--request is denied."
"What?" He face turned red with rage, and she quickly withdrew a rose from her pocket. Brandishing it towards Greedy, lighting leapt out of it striking his legs. "They will not defy me!"
Greedy jumped back as the lighting struck him. He collapsed backwards into a heap. The guards lept to action quickly and rushed towards Rosaline. She quickly motioned the rose wand to the earthen floor beneath them. The guards quickly found themselves literally tapped in the ground as the earth reached up, forming hands, clasping their legs tightly. The guards strained themselves to go free, but found that their strength could not snap stone
"Now then, worm." She again raised the wand to Greedy. "You will go back there and you will repeat my demands. Let them test my victories for themselves if they want."
Greedy merely looked at her. The guards relaxed their pose, held their halberds to their chests and folded their arms. "Guards," said Greedy.
The guards intoned a single word. "Begone." The word felt dark and echoed through the chamber. A ball of black ink exploded in front of Rosaline. The ball quickly expanded until it consumed Rosaline's form. Once it grew to fill the chamber where she stood, it continued to grow, dissipating like smoke as it continued. Quickly, the ball faded away and Rosaline was gone. Greedy got up, dusted off his suit, and cursed the enchantress before reentering the door.
The blue sedan pulled up the Haliwell manor. Dr. Kluger parked the car and he, Paige, and Pheobe piled out. Paige bounded up the pathway to the house. "Looks just like we left it." The manor was basically untouched. Most of the windows had their curtains drawn, but the windows to the kitchen were all clear. The sun was out and shone brightly making the inside of the manor appear dark and ominous.
"This is your house?" asked Dr. Kluger, walking next to Piper.
She shook her head. "Yes. I doubt if there will be much trouble her, but just wait right outside until you know everything is fine. OK?"
"I'll help as I can."
Pheobe arrived at the door first and fit the key into the lock. Piper walked up beside her and Dr. Kluger sat down on the wooden swinging bench outside the door. Pheobe hesitantly pushed open the door and crossed the threshold.
The inside of the house seemed dark and dusty compared to the beautiful day outside. Pheobe walked a few more steps inside, scanning the room. Glass cracked at her feet and she looked down. A glass vial was broken on the floor and a dead and decomposing rose lay by its side. Pheobe bent down and touched the vial. Immediately, she was assaulted by a vision.
The room was dark night had set outside. In the dark, she could recognize the couch in the living room. It had been tumbled over and a woman straddled it, one foot on the floor and one foot on the turned over seat. "Surprised to see that they live here in a house like this?" She sounded angry and frustrated.
A slight hissing sound was sounding in the room, like air being let out of a balloon. Another woman was standing by the darkened window. She seemed to be leaning on something, but nothing was visible. Her voice was much higher. If not more easily cheered, than at least she was in awe of her current situation. "Yes. Its so beautiful."
"Yes, it is. But I think its the power of the place that attracted them. Do you feel it, the nexus of power. Our own coven doesn't generate so much strength."
"Yes, it must be a powerful and long family to have inherited such a--"
"Quiet." The woman's angry voiced pierced the air. The hissing noise had quit. "There, that's the end of the traps."
"They were very poorly set. Most didn't even trigger when we arrived."
"Aye. For someone so powerful, I would expect their aim to be better."
"What now?"
"We wait. When they arrive. We will kill the murderers. We will have vengeance."
The vision ended and Pheobe shocked herself back awake. Piper walked in the door behind her, and Pheobe lept up and tried to push Piper back outside. "Look out," she shouted.
A vial crashed at their feet and shattered. A thick fog poured out of the remnants until the room was clouded in a veil of smoke. Pheobe could barely see the door in front of them. The light pouring in from it shone even in the cloud. Quickly she grabbed Piper's hand and dashed for the door. And then the door closed with a slam.
A person whizzed by them, breaking the contact between the sisters. "Piper," Pheobe shouted, and Piper called her name back.
"Murderers," the heavy voiced woman cried from somewhere in the room. Pheobe suddenly felt herself being assaulted. She could only see a silhouette of a person rushing towards her, as if they were riding a skateboard through her house. At each pass of the silhouette, a fist struck out and slammed against her. She cried out and attempted to find the culprit, but the smoke prevented her from following the shadow. She could hear Piper undergoing a similar tussle.
Pheobe managed to collect herself through the blows to attempt to watch the motions of her attacker. After another two strikes, she predicted where the woman would come from, and was ready for the next pass. As the woman came by again, Pheobe sidestepped the move, and spun her leg out and around. The woman let out a cry as Pheobe locked her in a leg hold. Spinning quickly, Pheobe funneled her momentum to rocket the woman away from her towards one of the walls in the room.
Dr. Kluger was sitting outside on the bench. The green card was in his hand, and he was turning it over. suddenly, black letters flowed down the card to read in a calligraphic script: "Incoming."
Dr. Kluger looked at it, puzzled. "Huh?" Suddenly the door burst open with a bang and a woman tumbled out of it. Dr. Kluger lept out of his chair to halt the woman's roll, and managed to stand in front of her so that he grabbed her legs as she rolled into him. She stopped flat on her back, and Dr. Kluger released her as soon as she had stopped moving. Her legs flopped to the ground. She was a blonde, and her hair was a mess, covering half of her face. She blew the hair out of her face before talking to Dr. Kluger. "Thanks, Mister. Who are you?"
"Dr. Kluger, a guest of the residents. And may I ask, who are you?"
"A guest?" She rolled quickly to her feet, and assumed a boxing stance. "Are you with them?"
Dr. Kluger smiled. The girl in front of him was probably only in his twenties, and he didn't know how fit or trained she was to actually fight him. More than likely, he looked like an old man who wasn't going to go down easily. "Hold it, please," he said, raising his arms in peace. "What is going on?"
"Look, you answer my questions and then I will hear your's. If I like your answers. Are you with them?" Her face and tone were clearly angry.
Dr. Kluger sat down on the swing again. "Look young lady. I don't know what the problem is her. But I have been the doctor of the owners of this mansion to know that they are lovely ladies and who positively seek out good. Do you even know who they are?"
She put down her fists, but didn't relax. "No, all I know is that they hurt someone very close to me. If you are with them--"
"Impossible. The Haliwells wouldn't do that."
"They did! We saw it last night and tracked them."
"They were with me last night, all three--" Recognition passed over Dr. Kluger's face. "You tracked their magic, you mean." Her face drooped. "You tracked the Haliwell's magic to its home from Jessica's apartment! You knew Jessica."
"Who are you really?"
"I really am Dr. Kluger, a friend of the sisters. And if you'll tell me your name and sit down here, I can explain to you exactly what happened last night."
Pheobe heard a crash and the light of the door again shone into the room. Pheobe started to head towards it when the other woman's voice sounded again. "Enough!" A vial cracked in the floor beneath Pheobe's feet and the fog started to thicken. Pheobe felt like she was moving through slush. She has to fight to move. When she heard another vial whizz through the air, she started to scream to Piper, but time stopped before she needed to.
"Pheobe, where are you?"
"I am here. Its hard to move through the fog."
"I'm coming."
A hand reached through the fog, and Pheobe grasped it. Piper started to tug and Pheobe pushed forward through the thick fog. Each groaned with the strain. In a moment, Pheobe felt as if all of her but her leg was free. It sounded like a cork had popped off a bottle of champagne and then the fog started lightening. Pheobe and Piper tumbled forward as the fog lifted and their vision cleared. The blonde was standing in the doorway holding a vial. The fog was flowing into it. Dr. Kluger walked around her and entered the room. "Hello Piper, Pheobe," he said, addressing them on the floor. "This is Eliazabeth."
"Eli," she corrected, as the fog cleared to reveal the form of their other attacker frozen in the middle of the room. "Dreadfully sorry about all this but it seems like a mistake has been made," she said sheepishly. "Would you just maybe mind just letting Cassandra go?"
Dr. Kluger and Pheobe are sitting in the couch in the main room and Piper walks out of the kitchen carrying a pitcher and some glasses on a tray. Cassandra turns from the window and takes a glass and Piper pours herself a drink. Eli is still standing, again leaning n something that no one can see. It seems to be nearly as tall as her, and her arms are folded over the top of it like a snowboarder leaning on his board. Piper pours out a few more glasses and hands them around the room.
"So how do you intend to catch Rosaline," Eli says.
"Well," Pheobe replies. "We don't fully know yet. Any suggestions?"
Cassandra returns to looking out the window. "We cannot return to Jessica's apartment and track her from there. We must find another method."
"How did you know Jessica?" Piper asks.
Eli answers. "We were from the same coven. We are friends, and have been for...well, a while. Our friendship only deepened once we learned that we could do, well, magic stuff."
Cassandra continues. "We will not allow her murder to go unrevenged."
"And how do you intend to do that?" asks Piper. "Do you have any powers or anything? She is very powerful."
"Well," says Eli. "I have my board." She throws down the invisible board on the ground and hops on. With a push from her leg, she starts gliding around the room. "She never catch me." She glides back to where she was standing, and kicks her board up.
"We have our potions. She won't be able to win."
"Great," says Piper, exasperated. "A magic board and a couple of potions against a woman armed to the teeth with weapons coming from a long line of powerful enchantresses."
"Please," begs Pheobe. "Rosaline is very powerful. I understand that you have suffered a loss, but you can't do this alone."
Cassandra cuts her off. "We can. And we will take her down. She is going to pay for the pain she has caused."
"Yes, Jessica will be avenged. She was my friend, too."
"She was not your friend. You've known her for a few days. We've known her years! A lifetime! Her blood demands vengeance."
"Stop it Cassandra. Don't let your thirst for blood make you run into a mistake. You can't avenge her if you are dead."
"I won't fail. Come on, Eli. We're leaving."
"No, Cassandra. Please, listen. At the very least, lets team up against her. We can get the most done that way. Just wait, we have to move forward with planning."
"No, Pheobe. We leave now. We hunt now." She turned to Eli, and reached out. "Eli, come."
Eli glided over on her board and stood next to Cassandra. "Sorry Pheobe." Cassandra threw a vial to the floor and puff of smoke erupted form it. "We need to go after Rosaline. And we're going now." She looked almost sad as the cloud seemed to draw them into before consuming itself and disappearing.
"What now?" Pheobe asked Piper.
"I don't know. We have to get to Rosaline before those two though. They will die if they take her on alone. Can we scry?"
"We can try. I'll go get the crystal."
Dr. Kluger was pacing outside on the porch. In his hand was the green card. His eyes were focused on the blank paper. "Dammit, Greedy . Where are you?"
Words appeared on the paper suddenly, reading "Drop me." Dr. Kluger looked at it. "What? This is the contact information?" He held the card for a moment more before it began to shake. Dr. Kluger dropped it quickly with a jolt and stepped back. The piece of paper floated to the ground, growing larger as it fell. By the time it had landed, it was the size of a circle about two feet wide. The surface of the paper rippled, and Mr Greedy shot up out of the circle. At first, his body was pure green, but quickly reverted to its normal color.
"Are you ready to accept the deal?"
"We agree at least that Rosaline needs to be stopped. How can we find her?"
Greedy clicked his tongue. "Do we have a deal or not?"
"I'm not allowing you to get any more power than you already have."
"You want it. Paige is still unconscious because you can't heal her. Rosaline could, if you had her powers. She could save those other two fools who are headed towards their death. Come now, Dr. Kluger, in fact, you probably could have saved your daughter--"
Dr. Kluger advanced on him quickly and slapped him against the face. Greedy reeled with the blow. "Don't you dare bring her up! She died because she believed in saving lives. All lives! You care only about yourself!"
"Then honor her memory, Doctor! She wanted to save lives no matter what the cause! You have in front of you the chance to gain such power, you would be unstoppable. Hell, you could dress up in tights, plaster an S across your chest, and no one would look at your crosswise. Doctor, I will tell you again, no matter who stops her, someone will stop her eventually. And when they do, those powers will be up for grabs. Someone will have them. May as well let it be a superhero like yourself." Greedy wrapped his arms around Doctor Kluger's shoulders. Dr. Kluger's head was drooped. Greedy patted his chest. "Come now, don't pass up on it."
He sighed. "Fine. Its a deal."
"Great. I promise. We will both benefit from this."
"Now, how can we find her? The girl's scrying isn't working, and they don't know how to track her or where to begin."
"They can follow a regular person though, right, if they are shown the way? I believe that its in their Book of Shadows?"
"I don't know. They mentioned this Shadow Book though. I didn't see it."
"I doubt you would have. Long family lines have books. They don't like to share too much." Greedy rubbed his bare chin. "I'll see what I can rig up." He started to disappear the same way he had come, diving down into a green pool. "Don't worry, Doctor. We're a team now." Dr. Kluger sighed and walked back into the house.
Pheobe is sitting over a map, waving a crystal hanging from a chain over the map. Nothing happens, but Pheobe continues to watch it as she speaks to Dr. Kluger. "How's Paige?"
"Julia says that she is fine. She woke up for a few moments, long enough for Julia to ask her how she is feeling. She said she was tired and achy, but otherwise well. She will probably be feeling up to her normal self tonight."
Pheobe sighed. "I hope she feels better soon. We could use her help here."
"I know. But we will have to make do with what we can. Have you found anything?"
"No, nothing. I doubted I would be able to find Rosaline though."
"Have you tried looking for Cassandra or Eli?"
"Hmm," replied Pheobe, pondering the idea.
Piper bounded down the stairs. "There wasn't an entry in the Book of Shadows about Rosaline, but there was about her family. All it says is that she is from the family Bavordel. The Book says that it is originally a German line of enchantresses. They pass their magic down from mother to daughter. To ensure that no generation goes without the gift, they developed the custom to tie much of their power to roses and hand those down. The custom has grown stronger over the generations.
"And check this out, they've got a Book too?"
"A book," replied Pheobe. "What do you mean?"
"Not just a book, a Book. Like the Book of Shadows. Their's is called the Book of Beauty."
"All of this is nice," interrupted Dr. Kluger. "But where does it leave us?"
"Nowhere. The Book doesn't list anything about a specific person, where they might be, or spells keyed to them. Nothing else other than general history."
"Well," suggested Pheobe. "Dr. Kluger had an idea. Why don't we try to find Cassandra or Eli? I'm sure that if we work together, we will be able to find her quicker."
"Good, and we can keep those two from killing themselves while they are at it. Where do we start?"
"I know where their coven is located. In a park. You driving, Doctor?"
Rosaline dragged a rose across the table. As she dragged the rose, a path of white sand was left behind like a pencil's lead on paper. She moved the line until it formed a triangle. At the three corners, she drew a circle. She then took the rose and held it in the middle of the triangle, as still as a plumb line. She grasped it between her two palms and started rubbing the palls. The rose spun, turning from a red to a light blue. As it spun, the sand started falling out, taking a blue tint. After a small pile was formed, Rosaline threw her hands backwards and the rose fell into the pile and sand and went through it. The rose disappeared into the sand until the end of the stem and the sand flowed outwards. As it shimmered across the triangle, it appeared like a pool of sand. Rosaline peered into it and smiled. She walked around to the other side of the table and made a few markings in an open book with a quill pen. She then slammed the book shut, and triumphantly proclaimed "I've done it".
She pulled the rose out of the pile of sand and the pool ceased shimmering. She placed the rose back in her pockets, and slammed an open hand on the table. "Greedy, I summon you." A flash of light responded from behind her, and Greedy appeared behind her.
He glared at her back. She started to turn around, and he turned his face to serenity. Or at least impassivity. "What is it you want?" he asked.
"I have the proof. I will present it to the council without further delays. Relay the message to the council immediately."
"Rosaline, there are procedures to be followed. Just a moment." He reached into his jacket and withdrew a small piece of paper. He held it in one hand, and flicked it down like unfurling a roll of parchment. At the same moment, he dropped with his other hand a green card on the ground. When he flicked the small piece of paper, it grew into a full piece of parchment. Pointing at it, a quill grew in his hands and he took it up. "What is your request?"
"To present the requisite proof of power to the council. Immediately, Greedy. Immediately."
"As soon as possible. But what is that you are requesting from the council?"
"We've gone through this Greedy," she said through gritted teeth. "I will not bear my humiliation again."
"I am sorry Rosaline, but the case must be referred to as the session begins again. What is your request from the council?"
"For the witches curse on my womb to be removed. For me to be able to give birth to my daughter and heir."
"And your reason for why the council should give you this boon?"
"For my accomplishment in trapping the Heaven's Forces."
"And the purpose of the requested session?"
"To present the requisite evidence of my accomplishment. Enough, Greed--"
"Quite right, my lady. Enough. I've been her longer than I wish." He rolled the parchment up, and it again reverted to a sheet of paper no larger than an index card. He put that into his pocket. "Guards," he called out. Immediately, his form started to turn black and translucent and he faded away.
Rosaline called after him. "An hour, Greedy. I want word back in a hour. Or I will come for you!"
Greedy reappeared in the antechamber of the council. "Or the reverse," he said.
Dr. Kluger and the sisters walked through the trees. Dr. Kluger reached into his pocket and withdrew Greedy's green card. There were words written on it. "All done."
"What's that?" asked Pheobe.
"Nothing. Are we there?"
"Just ahead."
The rounded around a final copse of tree and came to a clearing. A bird bath was standing between some trees. The water of the birdbath overflowed and poured down some groves in the rim of the bowl. The water dripped on the grassy floor and was absorbed into the ground. A blonde woman was sitting on the ground, her head wrapped in an arm and leaning against a dry side of the bird bath. "Eli?" called out Pheobe.
Eli looked up at her with a tear stained face. "Its so peaceful here normally. But now I just cannot enjoy it."
Pheobe sat down next to her and held her. "What's wrong?"
"Cassandra's gone," she said through tears. Her voice was quiet and sad. Not at all the happy voice Pheobe was used to hearing. "A man came. If he was a demon, he was a professional one, dressed in a pinstripe suit. I saw him tell her that if she wants revenge, she should come now. They both disappeared, and then he came back alone. I was too late to catch Cassandra, but he knew I was coming. He waited on me to arrive, just standing there. I tried to attack him with my board, but he just faded away. His words still sounded though. 'If you want to save her, follow her.'" She broke out into tears.
Pheobe tried comforting her. "Its alright honey, we'll go after her together. Come on, get up." She rose up to her feet, attempting to pull Eli up. Like a dead weight, Eli allowed herself to be dragged to her feet, but she just hung there limp.
"You were right. We can't do it alone. We need you guys. There's nothing I can do."
"That's ridiculous," Pheobe said. "We are going to help each other, right? Come on, get over it. We need to go after Cassandra."
"But how? You can't get there, or you wouldn't be here. And I can't get there either. Its hopeless!" She started sniffing again.
"Enough of this, young lady," Dr. Kluger spoke forcefully. "Listen to me. You said that you had a spell that could track magic right? Well use it, my dear."
"I can't! Cassandra was always better at potions than me. At anything than me. All I have is my board... And her."
"Now stop this. Eli, you know me. I know you can do this. You can make the magic you need to save Cassandra. Only you."
"How do you know I can?"
"A father's intuition."
"You're not my father."
"No, I'm not, but I am a father. or would have been. If my daughter had still been alive, she would only have been a few years older than you. Well, maybe more than a few." He tried to catch Eli's eyes with a smile, but it didn't reach. "She always tried her hardest to do whatever she could. She always helped those in pain. I know you can do it too. Just believe in yourself, we do."
"What happened to her?"
"Who?"
"Your daughter."
"That isn't a story for now. Your story is playing out now. Come on, Eli, we need you to make that potion. Can you do it?"
She took a deep breath before answering. "I think so."
"Good. I know you can."
In the manor kitchen, Eli pours out a measured amount of clear liquid into two vials. In one of the vials, she shakes it around up and down, and the liquid turns purple. She shakes the other around in a circle, and it turns black. "The purple one is for following. Cassandra called it a tunnel tracker. We throw it down and it takes us to the source of the magic. Kind of like burrowing a tunnel through their magic trail. This one is for returning. We throw it down and we come back here. They should work."
Piper held out another two bottle. "We should each carry a return spell. Safer that way."
"Good plan," Eli said, taking the bottles and treating them the same.
Dr. Kluger, who was watching the preparations, spoke up. "You need four returns then, one for me?"
"What?" said Piper, incredulous.
"Yes, I am coming."
"Why? We don't want you to get hurt. I'm sorry, Doctor, and we thank you for all the help you've given us so far. But you can't come with us. Its too dangerous. Rosaline is very powerful, and you don't have any magic. You must stay here. Its for your own good." Before he had a chance to speak, Piper turned to Eli. "Are they done?"
"Yes, Piper."
"Good." She held out her hand and Eli put two return vials into her open palm. She handed one to Pheobe. "Let's go." She said. Eli threw bottle to the ground and a puff of smoke blew out of the bottle In an instant, they shrank into the cloud.
The group appeared in Rosaline lair. Rosaline had her attention focused elsewhere as they appeared in. Cassandra was hanging by her arms. Two vines were holding her from the ceiling by her wrists. A slash was cut against her cheek. "Foolish witch," Rosaline was saying. "What good are your potions if you have no hands to use them."
"Let her go!" shouted Piper, throwing her hands up to cast her explosive magic towards the vines. But nothing happened. Rosaline turned towards them
"Ah, the Charmed Ones have arrived. Welcome to my abode," she said with a curtsy before thrusting a rose towards them. Lighting jumped from the tip of the rose, but it passed harmlessly through Piper.
"It seems we have a stalemate again, Charmed One." Piper threw her hand towards the pendant still hanging from her neck. "What a shame? Well, if that's the rules, then lets play. You can't touch me, I can't touch you." She pointed her rose towards the hanging Cassandra. The vines around her wrists her wrist started to climb down her arms, constricting around her flesh. A drop of blood raced down her arm. Cassandra jerked and whistled through clamped teeth.
"Stop it!" shouted Eli. "You're hurting her!"
"Throw away your shield, Charmed One. Lets even the playing ground. I have always so wanted to challenge another family as old as mine." She smiled. "I'll even make you a deal. You get first move. First spell is your's to cast, and then the battle truly begins. Of course, I would suggest using that spell to save your friend here." The vines tightened even further and Cassandra jerked hard and cried out in pain.
"Damn you," Piper said. She grabbed the pendant off her neck and ripped it loose. She could hear Pheobe behind her do the same. "Ready?" she called out. Quickly, she threw her hands up and quickly exploded the vine holding Cassandra. Cassandra fell to the floor hard with a thump. As soon as Piper cast her magic, Rosaline pointed at the floor below Casandra's falling body. Hands of earth grew from the ground and grabbed Cassandra, holding her steadfast to the floor.
Rosaline spun to the others and lanced out with another lighting bolt. The others scattered: Piper leaped to the side and Eli took off on her magic board. Pheobe activated her high jump and leapt over the bolt, her feet headed straight for Rosaline.
"Damn," cursed Dr. Kluger as the group disappeared in a puff of smoke. "Now what?" He withdrew the card from his pocket. Words were written on it reading:
Left behind?
Drop me.
Dr. Kluger immediately dropped the card and it again grew into a puddle from which Greedy walked out of. "What happened? You were supposed to go with them!"
"They wouldn't take me! Where have you taken Cassandra?"
"That's none of your business, but I really did take her to Rosaline. She wanted it, her vengeance and all. But now she is serving the bait."
"Take me there."
"What? That's not in the deal. You were supposed to get there yourself, tagging along with the witches."
"You want your powers? Take me there. I know you can, you took Cassandra."
"Fine. But the deals is rapidly growing thin. I can't be held accountable for what happens now."
"Let's go. Quickly." He stepped forward and they both walked into the green circle left by the card before collapsing down into like falling into a pool of water.
Pheobe's kick headed straight for Rosaline. Rosaline held the rose level in one hand and the rose grew instantly to a full sized staff. A thick vine now formed most of the staff's height with a giant rose finalizing the flourish. Rosaline started to spin it quickly, but Pheobe landed a good kick to her side before she could get it moving very quickly. Rosaline rolled with the kick to the side and kept on rolling. Stopping only a few feet away from where Pheobe was standing, she pounded the ground with a fist and earthen hands grabbed at Pheobe's feet.
Eli rushed by on her board while Pheobe went flying towards Rosaline. She quickly went over towards Cassandra. "Are you alright?"
"Yeah, but I can't move. Quickly. Take the potions off my belt. Two there are good ones. Use those against her. Go, go." Eli reached through the earthen hands and pulled two vials off Cassandra's belt, one a deep red and the other a gray.
Before the hands had finished grabbing at Pheobe, Rosaline leapt up quickly and rushed at Piper. Once, twice and again, Piper threw her hands up, but only small pieces of the staff flew away. As Rosaline charged Piper, she started spinning the staff. Piper threw her hands up once again, intending this time to freeze time. Time froze for a moment, before a bubble of air seemed to collapse into the spinning staff and time resumed. Rosaline finished her spin and thrust the staff toward Piper. The bubble of air shot out of the staff, and Piper was flung backwards. Rosaline took the staff and held it upright. She then banged on the ground with her staff's bottom twice. Earthen hands formed out of the wall to catch Piper, taking care to hold her hands at her sides.
Eli rushed by on her board and made a grab at Rosaline's staff. She managed to rip it away from Rosaline and dashed around the room. Rosaline pointed at it and said the word "Thorns". Eli cried out and dropped the staff. Looking at her hand, she saw a cut across her palm. Gritting herself against the pain in the wound, she soared back towards Rosaline and threw the red vial to her feet. A circle of fire blossomed around Rosaline and then flared upwards in pillars. The pillars started to spin, trapping Rosaline in their fiery fury.
Eli raced towards Pheobe and started trying to pull away the hands from her feet by one of the fingers. Rosaline watched them. "Nice trick, witch. But you forgot, I can just--" with a flash of light, she dissapeared from between the flames and reappeared by her staff. "--teleport."
She bent down to pick up her staff and then pointed it forward at Eli. "Watch out!" Pheobe shouted at Eli, and Eli leapt up and back onto her board. Vines started to emanated from the staff and creeped across the room. Eli raced back towards Rosaline and again flipped out the gray potion. It left her hand just as a vine went taut as a tripwire. She tumbled over it to the ground and didn't get back up. The vial hit Rosaline square in the chest and a patch of sticky fog covered her upper body. She doubled over, leaning on her staff and started coughing.
Greedy and Dr. Kluger popped out of a green pool behind the Enchantress. As soon as Greedy came out, he quickly looked around before whispering in Dr. Kluger's ear. "There she is, the evil enchantress. We must kill her now."
"But that was the sister's job to do. You said so."
"They failed. Look around the room. You are the last hope. She is going to kill everyone here if you don't kill her now. You know so. She killed Jessica. She is a killer." He withdrew a curved dagger from his jacket and placed it in Dr. Kluger's hand, closing his fingers around it. "Quickly, before she recovers. Kill her." He led Dr. Kluger forward with a gentle push, and Dr. Kluger continued walking forward with quiet steps. He approached Rosaline's hunched back while she was still coughing and raised his knife.
"Time to pay for your sins, evil one." He slammed the knife in her back and Rosaline froze. He threw the knife down a second and third time, and blood poured from the wounds. After he withdrew the knife on the third time, Rosaline slumped over on the floor.
"Now come, Doctor! Claim you prize," Greedy proclaimed. He was standing beside the stack of roses in one corner of the room. "Come! In accord with our deal, I will now enable you to claim the magic you have longed after!"
"No," shouted Piper. "Dr. Kluger, stop! Don't listen to him!"
"He can't hear you," said Greedy in a sing song and victorious voice. "I've only got one power, and I am making good use of it. Well, until now, I only had one." He held the doctors hand and touched it to the pile of roses. "Ready, Doctor?"
"I am."
"Good." He clamped down on the doctors hand and the doctor's hand glowed yellow for a moment and then it faded. Dr. Kluger clenched his hand to his stomach and cried out in pain. Greedy let go of his hand and he collapsed to the ground.
"What are you doing to me?"
"Oh nothing, Doctor. I'm sorry, but our deal is officially broken." He turned to the rose and raised his hand drawing in their power. "It will be about time that I get some respect!" He turned again to Dr. Kluger. He staggered up, clutching his stomach and leaning on the cave wall. Greedy approached him and held his head up by his chin. "And its all thanks to you, dear Doctor. That's the irony of it all." Dr. Kluger winced as Greedy shook his face. "You don't get it? Watch!" He raised a hand towards Rosaline's fallen body. A vine sprouted a grabbed Rosaline's arm and neck. She was lifted into the air and hang, her arms spread out to the side. Her figure resembled that of the white lighter hanging in her lair not too long ago.
Dr. Kluger turned to follow Greedy's hand. He followed the rise of the body and watched as she was lifted. And then a rose vine grabbed Rosaline's head and lifted it. And for the first time, Dr. Kluger's eyes rested on Rosaline's face. "Meredith!" He shouted and clambered over to her. The vines shrank and Rosaline fell to the ground and lay still on her back. He collapsed over her body. He took her face in his hands and cupped her cheeks gently. A tear dropped from his eyes onto her cheek. "Meredith, my daughter. What has happened?"
"Greetings, beholder of the Bavordel legacy." She spoke weakly. "Hello, father. I'm sorry."
"Don't you understand, dear Doctor?" Greedy walked around the room, basking in his power while he continued to absorb and processed it. "You married and birthed Bavordel witches and never realized you lived among them. You see, you had the key. After the last witch dies, you are the only one who had any chance of redeeming their power. You and you alone. And I used you. I had you open the power of these roses and then I stepped in and usurped them from you."
"Greedy," Cassandra shouted from the floor. "you're twisted."
"No, I'm genius, my dear Cassandra. Ive been using all of you the entire time. The council for my demon clan determined that I had only one power: to increase the desire of a person until it blinds them to everything else. And even with that alone, I couldn't even use it until the victim agreed to join me. Be employed by me, whatever. But I needed them to agree to me before it worked. They thought I was the weakest demon, worthy of serving as only a messenger boy. And so for hundreds of years. Until I met dear Rosaline!
"She had been a bad girl. She may have turned over a new leaf, but her legacy of pain preceded her. Someone had gotten too angry at her and wanted revenge. I found them and turned their want into blinding desire. They cursed Rosaline's womb. Prevented from continuing her legacy and with no one to turn to, she started building her powers, and then the real fun begins. I found her and built her desire to continue the Bevordel lineage. And then I connected her with the council and offered the cure. And then I needed her dead. So I got the Charmed Ones to take her down."
Greedy paused and walked over to Cassandra's restrained form. He laid a foot on top of her and leaned down on his leg. His face stared straight into her face. "And I needed a big red arrow to take them to her. So I killed Jessica and inflamed your desire for vengeance." She spit throw the earthen hands at him. He ducked backwards and clicked his tongue. "You know what they say about spitting in the air."
Rosaline shouted as loud as she could manage. "The council will hunt you down for this broach--"
He interrupted. "The council knows nothing, Rosaline. Thats the genius. I couldn't risk them wanting their powers for yourself. Or worse, actually granting your appeal." He smiled at her. "Just another of my tricks. I've got plenty of them. More now that I have your powers."
"My own powers are not yet fully consumed, Greedy." She raised a limp fist, and whispered to Dr. Kluger. "I'm sorry, father. I have never killed before." She dropped her fist on the ground and uttered a spell. "Death comes to us all." The ground began to shake.
Dust flaked in the air. Dr. Kluger threw his body over his daughter and the ground rumbled. Greedy hunkered down to keep his balance. And then, as quickly as the ground shake started, it ended. Greedy rose up and laughed. "That's it, Rosaline? The last of it? I must nearly have all of your powers now. Another moment and--"
A vial cracked against his back and fire began to burn at his feet. Greedy screamed out in pain. The fire burned larger and Cassandra walked into view, free from her encumberment. "We had a deal greedy." She threw another glass at him and the fire doubled in intensity. "I told you I would have vengeance." Greedy screamed and exploded into flames.
Dr. Kluger sighed in relief. Rosaline spoke to him softly. "You should feel at ease now, father. The Bavordel legacy is yours now."
He cried and cupped her face again, kneeling in front her. "Quickly, daughter. Which power do you have to heal? I can heal you."
"Be at ease. I have lived a life that I do not wish to live further. I am too far gone for magiks now."
"Daughter, please don't."
"Yes, father. From when I left you, from when I hid away, I have hurt many people. I tried to change that by leading a life of healing. But it seems that it was too hard for me to keep up, to change the nature my mother instilled within me. I doubt I could have done as much as I did without your wise guidance, father." He closed his eyes and put his forehead against hers. They rested that way for a moment, before she spoke again.
"Please, father, I have a last request. Take a rose, you know which. Take my memories from me before I die. And raise another daughter. Continue the legacy of an elder family, but change it for good. I doubt that the Bavordel legacy could be transformed by anyone other than you."
"I cannot. Please do not ask it of me."
"Please. It has been tradition for many generations. To pass down wisdom is more important than power. Please father, let my legacy live." A tear passed from his eyes and landed on her cheek. "Quickly, please. I will speak no more."
Quietly, Dr. Kluger arose and withdrew a pure white rose from the pile. He stroked it once against his peaceful daughter's face and she started to fade away. Another tear fell on her bodice. Another stroke and again, and the tear landed on stone ground only.
Dr. Kluger sniffed and clutched the rose closely. A moment passed before Pheobe spoke up. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Dr. Kluger, but could you maybe let us out now?"
He turned to her, his face hollow and sad. She gave him a smile and a sheepish wave stretching a leg forward. He put on a smile over his sad face and spoke. "Let's do better than that. Lets go home." He held out a hand and snapped. Pheobe in a flash of light and smoke dissapeard from the room. He turned around the room, snapping once for Piper, Cassandra, and Eli.
In the silence of the chamber, he walked over to the table. On it lay the leather bound book with the tooled rose on front. He ran a finger over it. He already knew its name. The Book of Beauty. He picked it up and put it under one arm. With the other, he snapped his finger and dissapeared.
Piper walked out of the kitchen, her hands covered in cooking mittens. She was carrying a large tray. Eli was standing at the table with a party horn in her mouth. Cassandra, Paige, and Pheobe were in chairs or standing around the room watching Piper come in. Streamers and balloons decorated the room. Dr. Kluger was sitting in a big armchair, the Book of Beauty resting in his lap. Piper dodged around the assembled and laid the tray bearing a hot chocolate cake on the table. "Ok, Leo," she called out. "You can come in now."
Blue lights hovered into the room and Leo's form materialized. Eli blew her horn, and the other girls called out "Welcome home Leo." He smiled and walked over to his wife to give her a hug.
Turning to the group, he said, "Its good to be back. And I speak for all of us up there when I say that."
He walked over to Dr. Kluger in his armchair. As he approached, Dr. Kluger got up, laying the book in the chair behind him. He held out a hand to Leo, and Leo accepted it firmly. They shook for a moment before Leo drew him close and patted his back with his other arm. "Thank you for releasing us."
"It was nothing. Rosaline--" he paused and took a deep breath. "Rosaline wrote the spell out very neatly in the book. I just had to cast it."
Leo looked straight into his solemn eyes. "We have heard about your loss and grieve for you."
"She lived the life she wanted to live and left the legacy of good she wanted to leave. I hope that we can all do the same." He paused for a moment and looked at Leo's face wryly. "I have lived long and seen many white lighters, but I wonder. Which of us is older?"
Leo didn't pause before answering. "Not all age is measured in years." He turned, dragging Dr. Kluger over to the table. "Come on, old man, lets join the party." They both moved back over to the table. Eli blew her horn again and someone threw confetti in the air and the normal hum of happy conversation around the table resumed.