NINE
"So this is the Wasteland," said Phoebe. "Not exactly what I expected."
"Technically it's not the Wasteland," said Cole. "It's a region that borders the Wasteland. No living being can enter the Wasteland and survive."
They looked at the landscape around them. It was dotted with small shrub-like bushes that looked to be on the edge of dying. A range of mountains seemed to ring the area at a distance. Here and there they could see what looked like large stone protrusions out of the ground and many were dotted with caves.
"Okay, so which way do we go?" Piper asked.
"This way," said Cole, heading for one of the caves. "As far as I can sense there's only one other creature here. He's in that cave."
They approached the cave cautiously. Even though Cole only sensed one other being they all knew that could be misleading. There could be other creatures around that Cole couldn't sense and those creatures could be demons. Cole hesitated for a moment and then entered the cave, followed closely behind by the sisters.
The inside of the cave looked very much like an apartment. The rock outcroppings in the cave had been formed and molded to resemble furniture. On one wall was a shelf that contained several books. In the center of the cavern was a table with a bottle of wine and five glasses on it. Sitting in a molded chair in one corner was a very, very old man. He looked up from a book he was reading as the five entered the cavern.
"Ah, I see you've finally arrived," said the man standing up. He walked over to the table with the bottle of wine and uncorked the decanter. "Right on time, too. Can I offer you a glass of wine? It's very good. I've had this particular vintage for quite some time."
"You must be Calliston," said Cole. "Funny, I thought you'd be taller."
"Ah yes, a small joke to break the ice, so to speak," said Calliston. "I understand that's a human trait. And you are, after all, half human, are you not, Belthazor?"
"You know who I am?" questioned Cole.
"I know all of you," said Calliston. He held up his hand and a crystal ball suddenly appeared in it. "I keep an eye on the mortal plane and the Underworld." The crystal ball suddenly vanished. "I've been here a long time and it's necessary for me to find ways to occupy my time."
"Okay, so if you know who we are then you must also know why we're here," said Piper.
"Certainly," said Calliston. "There aren't many things that can remain hidden from me for long. You've come in search of what I told Trinnsia. Something she has told you that you wouldn't believe from her."
"So what is this big secret you and she share?" questioned Piper.
"My, my, so impatient," said Calliston. "But then that's another human trait. If you humans should learn to be a bit more patient and understanding you might find many of your troubles solving themselves."
"Look, we don't have a lot of time," said Phoebe. "Another demon may attack at any minute and we have to be there to protect Trinnsia. Assuming we need to protect her."
"Time is not a consequence here," said Calliston. "As you are aware time does not move the same in all domains. Here, time is at a virtual standstill. When you leave you will notice no substantial movement on the mortal plane. So Trinnsia is in no danger. For the moment."
"We just want to know what you told her," said Paige. "She said it was something really important and that it could free female demons from their servitude to the male demons."
"Anything is possible," said Calliston. "You three, of all people, should know that."
"So what she told us is true?" asked Piper. "Her unborn child is half human?"
"That much is true," said Calliston. "The father was disposed of once she became pregnant. So in answer to your first question, yes, the child is an innocent."
"And we should believe you because?" questioned Piper.
"Because I have no interest in the fight for good versus evil," said Calliston. "I have no reason to lie to you. And just because I'm technically a demon doesn't mean I'm lying." He glanced at Cole. "Demons do tell the truth."
"Yeah," said Phoebe, "when it suits their purpose."
"And it suits my purpose to be honest with you," said Calliston. "I have nothing to gain by lying to you. I left the Underworld long ago because I did not agree with many of their policies. I have chosen to extricate myself from the fight."
"Tradition says you were vanquished," said Cole.
"Of course," said Calliston. "If I'm dead no one would come looking for me. And it is extremely easy to fake your own death during a war. Such as the war to choose a new Source. So many demons are vanquished during such a struggle it's quite easy to make it appear I was one of them."
"So, why all the subterfuge?" Cole asked. "From what I know you were supposed to be one of the most powerful demons in the Underworld. Are you saying you had no desire to be the Source?"
"The desire, yes," said Calliston. "And, yes, I was one of the most powerful demons. But not the most powerful demon. There were a few more powerful than I was. And I had no desire to be vanquished. Self-preservation is a very strong motivating force even for demons."
"Trinnsia said she found a book you had written," said Cole. "A history of the Underworld?"
"Yes," said Calliston. "That was one of my functions. To maintain a written record of the Underworld. The first Source felt it was necessary to document everything."
"That doesn't make any sense," said Cole. "Every Source I've ever heard of, including the current one, has always seen that as too human. They've never allowed a written history of the Underworld."
"It was not always so," said Calliston. "As I said, the first Source felt it was necessary."
"The first Source?" questioned Paige. "Just how old are you anyway?"
"I really don't know," said Calliston. "That far back there really was no accurate way of keeping track of time. Everyone had their own methods, not all of which were exactly accurate. Let's just say I've seen most human civilizations rise and fall and I still exist."
"We came here to learn what you told Trinnsia," said Piper. "Impatience may be a human trait but then we are human. So if we could just get on with it."
"Of course," said Calliston. "Trinnsia came to see me about a dozen human years ago. As you have said, she found one of my old histories. I had thought them all destroyed. Apparently at least one escaped my purge."
"Purge?" questioned Cole. "You destroyed them yourself."
"Yes," said Calliston. "On the orders of the Source himself."
"But I thought you said the Source ordered you to keep the history?" questioned Phoebe.
"The first Source did," said Calliston. "It was the third Source that ordered them destroyed. He was the one who instituted most of the traditions the Underworld now observes."
"Boy, you must really be old," said Phoebe, "if you've lived through three Sources."
"Not so much," said Calliston. "The first Source served for many hundreds of years. When the second Source came to power, he served only a few months before he was challenged. Well, perhaps challenged is not the right word. To be honest, he was stabbed in the back by the one closest to him. Literally."
"And the third Source ordered you to destroy the histories?" questioned Paige.
"Yes," said Calliston. "He also ordered that no written history of the Underworld be kept. He knew the histories would be passed down by word of mouth. He also knew that, over time, those histories would become corrupted. That eventually any resemblance to the truth would be coincidental at best."
"That doesn't make any sense," said Piper. "Why would he want to corrupt the history of the Underworld?"
"Believe it or not," said Calliston, "he had the best of intentions. He knew that at some future time someone might want to bring retribution down on those who were responsible for what had happened to the first Source. Demons can be singularly vindictive, as I'm sure you have discovered."
"Yeah, we've learned that well enough," said Phoebe. "But why would demons want to bring retribution down because of what happened to the first Source? I thought demons just served whoever was the successor of their vanquished masters?"
"Now, yes," said Calliston. "But it was not always so. In the beginning most demons belonged to one faction or another. And those factions were fiercely loyal to their masters. The death of a master required retribution for the vanquishing. Infighting in the Underworld was even greater than it is now. That's because now the Source has the power of all the Underworld at his disposal. It was not always so."
"So the third Source ordered the histories destroyed so he could protect the servants of the second Source?" questioned Piper.
"No, the servants of the first Source," said Calliston.
"Okay, I'm confused," said Phoebe. "Why would the Source be worried about the servants of a previous Source?"
"I suppose you could say it was because he didn't want his sisters punished for what his father had done," said Calliston.
"You aren't making any sense," said Piper. "Why should his sisters be punished for what his father had done?"
"His father had vanquished the first Source," said Calliston. "Many of her servants had helped him vanquish her believing he would give them more power. It was this betrayal that caused the third Source his concern."
"So the third Source felt that the servants of the first Source might take their retribution out on the servants of the first Source for betraying him," said Paige.
"Precisely," said Calliston. "Lillith had a large following of servants and retribution on them could have decimated the demonic ranks."
"Lillith?" questioned Cole. "That's a female name."
"Exactly right," said Calliston, smiling coyly. "Now you know what is probably the most closely guarded, albeit least remembered, secret in the Underworld. The first Source of All Evil was female."
