Joleca: Thanks for reading, I guess you and CherryLilly compose my readership. /Crai
Hellstorm
Chapter 8: The Storm (Part I)
Thinking back, he wasn't altogether sure why he had been confident. Maybe he had been excited about finally striking back against Belthazor, the Betrayer, the wretched husk. He had hurled his first bevy of energy balls at him, hoping he would take the bait and follow the two of them down into the underworld to fall into the master's clutches, to his fate worse than death.
But things had gone to hell extremely swiftly. His compatriot, who had stepped forward instead of backwards, was now a pile of ash on the floor and he found himself dangling by his throat half a foot off the ground, all of his pain receptors flashing on and off. He could barely blink, much less answer Belthazor's questions. He felt the man clench his fist around his throat ever tighter as he spoke through clenched teeth.
"I'm only going to ask you once more," he said with an ever-maddening expression. Leo breathed, unsure of what he'd just seen, stepping across the pile of ash, cautiously toward Cole.
"Cole," he said, going through the events of the past ten seconds. It was like he had been in three places at once. "Cole," he put a hand on the man's shoulder, feeling the taught muscles beneath his coat. "I don't think he can answer you," he said a bit squeamishly. "you squeeze much harder and you're going to pop his head off,"
"Doesn't seem like such a bad idea," Cole growled.
"But you wouldn't find Phoebe," Leo retorted and saw the man visibly cool. "Concentrate on Phoebe, Cole," Cole released the demon and he fell to his knees. Cole gestured lazily and the demon screamed as pieces of him seemed to slough off and meld to the floor. He knelt, obviously restraining himself.
"You're very lucky the white lighter is here," Cole whispered. The demon blinked back the agony of being contorted as he was. The best he managed was to stop screaming and to stare back angrily at Cole.
"Good," Cole smiled mirthlessly, "you're listening,"
"Where are the Charmed Ones," Leo interjected. The demon turned an angry expression to the white lighter, suddenly becoming aware that he could tough talk.
"They're safe, they're waiting for the both of you," he sneered.
"Where?" Cole said.
"Why?" Leo said at the same time. The demon coughed.
"The underworld, near where the Triad used to convene," he could feel himself dying, growing bold "You should know the place, Belthazor,"
"But why?" Leo asked again.
"It was the place in the underworld where Belthazor died, and this weakling before me was born," he tried laughing and couldn't quite manage it.
"I think I know the place," Cole said, reaching forward. Leo stepped in, but too late. "But just in case," Cole finished, reaching his hand forward, the demon's face and skull was no impediment to Cole's movement as his hand became energy, reaching into the demon's mind. The demon, moored to the floor, howled in pain as his eyes glowed briefly, and then exploded in glowing ash.
"Cole," Leo said, his eyes wide. Cole stood to his full height, his gaze focused.
"I know where they are," he said, buttoning up his shirt and straightening his overcoat. "Follow me," Leo reached out and grabbed him.
"No, Cole," he yelled, preventing the demon from shimmering. Cole's response was to take Leo by his throat and lifting him easily into the air and slamming him through a nearby table, his face flushing insane. Leo struggled against him. "Listen to me. I know how you feel," he struggled. "She's all you have, anywhere, everywhere, and you can't lose her, you can't," he felt the man's grip loosen. "I know, Cole. I understand, more than you know, but when has there ever not been other forces at work, some secret plot or plan, just take a moment to think it through, or we'll lose them both, Cole," Leo breathed heavily as he watched the steady blue return to Cole's gaze. The man nodded, and allowed Leo to stand, who did so gingerly, gripping his back.
"You're right," Cole said. "Of course, you're right, I just can't," he gathered his thoughts. "We need a plan," he looked at the other man definitively. "It's going to depend on both of us," he said finally, looking at Leo, and at the spot where the last demon had died.
Phoebe was distantly aware of Pipe and Paige helping her into a seated position. Still, she felt like she was floating. Years ago she had come to accept her premonitions without such a powerful reaction, but with the Seer it had been different. She felt her own premonition spurned on, powered, given clarity and insight by someone with much more power and experience. Phoebe's own premonition had been driven, or swept along more like, not like a car driving down a static, solid road, but a boat being carried by powerful currents that moved without respect to the boat. She could numbly hear Paige and Piper alternating between talking to her and yelling at the Seer who Phoebe could see was just staring down at her. Phoebe tried working her arms, to get them to leave her alone. She tried her voice.
"No," she said, "I'm fine, just, gimme a sec," she put her hands on the table, feeling the solid flatness of the wood and used it to anchor her returning sensations. She shook her head, which she quickly found didn't help, but within a few more moments she was mostly back, staring into the big, concerned eyes of her sisters.
"Phoebe," Piper said slowly. "What did you see," she asked.
"Yeah," Paige chimed in. "That looked pretty intense, I hope there's no permanent damage," she glanced over at the Seer as if to say 'for your sake.' Phoebe put her hand on Paige's shoulder, using her to help her stand.
"It's fine. I'm fine," she paused, shuffling the images in her head around. "But," she girded herself. "we have to let Kaia's plan work," Piper and Paige's jaws dropped open.
"What?" they both yelled incredulously. Phoebe put a hand up.
"It's just, better this way,"
"Trust in her premonition," the Seer said, staring at the other two.
"You mean the premonition you gave her," Piper said, angry for the first time. "This is not happening, Phoebe. You can't trust her,"
"She does not have to trust me," the Seer began. "Premonitions come from elsewhere, the beyond, to those who can receive them, slivers of truth translated into sound and sight. They cannot lie. If Cole is allowed to continue to disrupt the balance, the balance will assert itself however it can,"
"What?" Paige said, looking at Phoebe, "what is she talking about,"
"Evil and Good both exist in realms bound by time, and culture and invention, and innovation" the Seer said, speaking quickly. "There were times when the demons you face now would pale in comparison to the weakest of evils birthed from the pit. Demons with no sophistication and no give, when the world was a terrible place, they were the horrors that villainous mortals named nightmare," Phoebe nodded, cringing at the memories of scenes filled with gore and blood. "If there is no evil to balance out the good, there will be nothing but for them to return," Paige was silent. Piper looked into Phoebe face, searching for truth.
"But Phoebe," she began, unsure how to continue her statement. "Cole," she simply said. Phoebe collapsed into tears, clutching onto her older sister and exploded in tears. Piper grabbed onto her just as fiercely. Paige looked away from the two, out beyond the shield at the approach of one of the demons the robed leader had sent away.
"Hope comes," the Seer intoned. She touched Phoebe lightly on the shoulder. "All he must do is surrender, it is not guaranteed that he perish. It is as it was before. He submits, but you are the only one who has ever had the power to save him, or destroy him," she said, stepping past Piper and Phoebe to stand next to Paige. The two of them watched Kaia grin at them before turning around.
"Is he on his way," the robed demon demanded of his satrap. "Where is," he began when his subordinate interrupted him.
"He comes, master," he said slowly. "I am all that remains," he said, strangely. The robed demon opened his mouth to respond when Cole appeared suddenly, hurling an energy ball at one of the pair standing off to one side. He perished in a screaming explosion before Kaia held up a hand towards the shield and contained within it.
"One more move Belthazor," she began, sneering. "And the witch and her sisters, die," she finished with a flourish. The red shields brightened to orange and then to a bright yellow. Inside, the sisters, and what looked to be a Seer passed words from one to another, silently. Cole raised an energy ball, as if contemplating, then relinquished his grasp on the malevolent energies. Kaia laughed. "Child's play," she said, looking over at the robed demon, who still wore a thoughtful expression. "What are you waiting for?" she asked. His vision turned angry and he stepped forward bringing forth the athame.
"Kneel," he commanded. Cole looked down into the demon's eyes, noticing the red gleam. He began dropping to a single knee.
"You think she'll let you alive once you do this?" he asked.
"You should worry more about your precious witch following this, Belthazor," the demon took satisfaction from that statement. He glanced over at Kaia. His subordinate he noticed was staring into the field at the witches and the Seer.
"She's more resourceful than you'd think," Cole said, staring over at Phoebe. Their eyes met and Cole became transfixed by something he saw there. His breath caught. The robed demon saw the two of them and grabbed Cole's hair, yanking his gaze upward.
"I hope this hurts," he spat into Cole's face "a lot," and began chanting. The athame in his hand began to glow subtly and after another moment brightly. After another moment it steamed visibly.
"Piper," Paige said, trying not to move her lips. Piper, splitting her time between pouring trace amount of some of the exploding potion into the space between the column and the floor and staring up into the demon henchman who had taken an odd interest in her.
"What's happening," Phoebe asked the Seer.
"Cole's passive defenses are excellent, but without his active attempt to deflect an attack, a knowledgeable enough person within the craft can surmount them without enough time and the right spell," the Seer said, her gaze locked on the scene. "When he strikes it will pierce Cole's heart, and the athame, if it has been enchanted properly, will absorb all of his powers," Phoebe had stopped listening halfway through. She knew what was happening; she was going to have to watch him die, again. She wished he would look at her again the way he had before. She could feel all of his love, every bit of it. "Be strong, Phoebe," the Seer said.
"Piper," Paige said, more loudly. Piper stood, staring into the demon's face, both of them inches from the shield.
"We'd better move away from here," she said slowly, when the demon mouthed a word through the shield. She squinted. He mouthed it again.
"Piper?" Paige asked, looking at the demon.
"Leo?" Piper asked the demon, her eyes growing wide, then wider as the last unattended demon of the pair came up from behind him ominously.
"Phoebe," the Seer said, looking at the witch.
"Cole," Phoebe whispered.
The athame had grown white in color, a shard of light the demon gripped in his hand. Pieces of his flesh burned away, just from gripping it. His eyes flashed red, and he yanked backwards again on Cole's hair, driving the dagger into his chest.
"Phoebe!" Cole screamed.
