==000==

The three women stood looking in awe up at the cave paintings. Isobel reached out and reverently almost touched the symbol painted there so long ago. She had recognised it instantly. It was hers, her symbol. The one in the grimoire held in her other hand, the one on this daughter through time's back.

"It begins to make sense. Why I was resurrected here in this time a thousand miles from my home. It was destiny."

Staring at the wall, she asked the others who she had called forth over the eons to be by her side just as she had promised on that fateful night as the flames took them, "Can you feel it? Calling to us. The first stone of power lies behind this wall. And with it, our magic shall increase tenfold. And when we possess all the stones, we shall walk on earth as gods among men. Reach out and seize what was meant to be."

Yes, they could feel it. It was so close. The power that belonged to them, was theirs by right, that was their due. Each one could feel it, and the retribution that they would wreak upon the world for the agonies of the fire.

Opening the grimoire to the page with the three symbols of power on, exactly the same as the three painted on the cave wall, the same as the one on her back, Isobel passed her hand over the rock face saying, "Murus scinde!" The wall did indeed 'tear open' and a blinding white light began to seep from within.

With that light reflecting in three pairs of eager eyes, the women chanted, "Volutus vista nostra est", over and over, stating that their lives had been turned around. They walked through the expanding crack knowing also that soon, all they desired would be within their grasp.

Eyes wide, Isobel stared down at the large stone table and the palm sized stone nestled in the indentation designed for three. She did not know who had found the stone, who had placed it there and what was more, she did not truly care. She would need to find out, she reasoned, because whoever had managed to locate this could possibly lead her to the others. But right now she looked to her sisters in time.

"All of our suffering, all of our pain and persecution. It ends tonight." She moved around the altar like edifice, her eyes transfixed.

The woman, Brianna, speaking with Lois' mouth agreed, "And our future begins."

Chloe's eager eyes shinning with Madeline's desire spoke, "Take it, Isobel. Lead us to glory." She would have reached for it herself but knew that the woman she 'followed' far outweighed her in power and that was before she had stolen those from that interesting boy. Maybe she would return for him later. He already wore her marks. He would make a nice pet.

Isabel spoke with an almost awed veneration mixed with an acceptance of her rightful due, "The first stone. How I've dreamed of this moment. And at last, it has arrived." A tremor of lust and fulfilment passed through her starting from her outstretched hand as she slowly reached for the stone.

A discordant noise, unfamiliar to her, staid her movement and she looked up to see that annoying bug stood at the entrance with a gun in his hands, the other annoying insect close by his shoulder.

"Not quite," Clark contradicted as he held the shotgun, aimed at her, tightly gripped in both hands. They both knew he would never use it, would never fire on this young body.

She smiled at him ruefully, telling him with a smirk, "You shouldn't have come… Clark."

"Silly boy," added the blonde witch. Still she looked at him, admiring his body and face, even with the bruises. She would give him plenty more before she tired of him.

"We owe you a debt for revealing this chamber to us. We were going to let you live." It had been a delight to watch his struggle against her, against her powers but as all men would, he had given into her, giving up the secret of this cave. It must have been him that found this stone.

"I'm sorry, Lana, but I can't let you do this." He felt Jason at his back, his impatience and anxiety as Clark still pointed the gun at Lana, making it so hard to do even though they both knew that it was Isobel Theroux that they were facing.

"You don't have a choice!" spoke Brianna. Clark hated it when Lois called him 'Smallville' but right now he would give anything for this to be over and the woman to be back to her annoying, infuriating self. But she just pointed at him, a look of scorn on her face worse than any of the derision and impatience Lois usually bestowed on him. A moment more as they all stood frozen and then her arm moved in a whipping motion and the shotgun flew out of Clark's hands to crash broken against the cave wall.

Enough of this foolishness, Isobel lifted her chin commanding, "Bear witness, Clark Kent, to the dawn of a new age."

He moved as Isobel reached forwards once more, wanting to scream 'no!' and he felt Jason's hands on his sides, whether urging him forwards or holding him back, he would never know. Isobel grabbed up the stone, a look of triumph on her face turning to despair and pain as the stone began to glow white hot and, screaming, she let it fall from her hand.

Clark dived for it, hindered by Jason's hold on him but he managed to catch it in his outstretched hand before it had chance to hit the dirt floor. It was stone and would not be damaged but it was his stone, one of three that had been placed here on this planet as part of his heritage. He did not know exactly what they were for but they were his and he did not want to see it in the dirt. Or for Isabel to somehow reclaim it.

Standing slowly, watching the formally inert artefact, he saw as did all the others present, light begin to trail from the object up towards his chest. He heard Jason's astonished intake of breath then stood straight as the light faded knowing that he was healed and once again invulnerable, not only to these witches but to Jason's touch too. And, Jason had seen.

The women were confused looking from Clark to Isobel. "His powers are restored," 'Lois' stated shocked.

"How?" 'Chloe' asked him in amazed disbelief.

Casting his eyes around, looking at each woman levelly, he told them, "I'm not from around here."

"Wha… what's happening? Clark?" Jason had just seen with his own eyes, the stone, the light and now Clark, his hurt damaged youth was unmarked and 'strong'. But no one answered him or seemed to be giving him any consideration, it was as if he was not even there. Powers? What powers?

"It doesn't matter. We took them from you once before. Do you really believe that this time will be any different?" Isabel scoffed.

"I'm counting on it." He could not afford to consider what Jason might think, what he would feel about Clark having abilities, he had to destroy that book, just as the man himself had told him. His heat vision striking out, the symbol that was causing so much trouble and pain to his friends in the grimoire began to blur, growing into a blinding light that filled the whole expanse of the cave.

There was a scream of "No!" as Isobel shouted her defiance but bolts of energy shot up out of the pages as the symbol disappeared and the whole place turned to pitch.

=0=

Slowly awakening, Clark lifted a hand to rub at his eyes. He felt stiff and uncomfortable. He looked up puzzled and then around him realising he was lying on the floor of the Kawatche caves, his back lying across someone's legs. There was light coming from the entrance and he realised that he must have passed out. He sat up and twisted around to see Jason still unconscious next to him. The three women were also laying scattered about on the ground.

Pushing himself to his feet, his hand brushed Jason's leg and the man began to moan and slowly open his eyes, his own hand immediately moving to hold onto his head. Standing up, he heard Lois, unmistakably the grumpy Lois he actually held a begrudging friendship for, ask exasperatedly, "Why are we lying in the dirt?"

"And what the hell are we wearing?" added Chloe in shock.

Clark held out a hand to Jason and seeing something like suspicion in the green eyes, helped him to his feet. He turned to Lana and did the same asking, "Are you okay?"

"Clark, what happened?" she asked looking around, her surprised eyes lighting on her boyfriend.

"Well," he answered, "let's just say that you haven't been yourself lately."

She folded her arms over her chest. He was not lying, she could not believe what she was wearing and moved to stand next to Jason gazing up at him but he was staring at Clark. He looked so angry. She touched him gently on the arm and said his name questioningly.

"And she's not the only one, is she, Clark?"

Clark looked over at the man and saw what he had always dreaded witnessing in those eyes. He saw, suspicion, wariness and a little hatred. He dropped his head and knew that it was over. There was nothing he would be able to say, nothing he could do to get Jason back. He had lost him.

==000==

TBC...