Chapter Fourteen
The silence that had previously filled the Halliwell Manor was shattered by the arrival of several demons as they shimmered into the magical home. Piper, Wyatt, and Jennifer instantly got to work, each of them using their respective powers to try and deflect the demon storm that seemed to be assailing them from every side.
Piper soon found out that, unfortunately, most of the demons she was facing were higher level demons, meaning that they couldn't be blown up quite easily. Instead of destroying their body parts one by one, which took too long, she decided to put her potions to good use instead. Luckily, she had prepared enough for the occasion. Several vials were thrown at the demons, and one by one, they were engulfed in flames and destroyed.
Those that weren't destroyed by the potions faced either Wyatt or Jennifer. Jennifer seemed to be a blond whirlwind. Her hair was flying around all over the place as she ducked and stabbed, her knife firmly in her hand. She kicked and dodged, dispatching demon after demon. She didn't seem to mind the dark blood and guts that covered her after a while, and actually seemed to be relishing the fight. Before, while they'd been waiting, she'd seemed anxious. Now that she was actually fighting, there was something peaceful in her face, much like there was a lot of grace to her movements. It seemed that being in motion pacified her, while she couldn't stand planning. It was that moment that was important, and before then and the aftermath had no matter.
Wyatt couldn't allow himself even a glimpse of the lovely demon-killer, lest he become distracted. He was using his valuable powers to reinforce the fear the demons had of him. With a power that even he still felt was a little too destructive to use, he forced the demons away. Usually, he would have stuck to using other powers, like his mother's explosive ones or the energy balls. But, due to the sheer numbers of the demons who's shimmered into the mansion, it was absolutely impossible to keep them at bay with anything but the shockwaves that destroyed everything, living or dead, in their path.
They required concentration, though, and Wyatt made sure to keep his back turned to both Piper and Jennifer. He couldn't risk hurting them, and he trusted both women with his life. He was certain that they would be able to protect him. He was especially sure that his mother would do absolutely everything in her power to keep him safe, mostly because he would be needed in the clean-up afterwards. The demons were making a disaster in the house, and somebody would have to clean that up. Hopefully, by then, they'd have Chris back and he would be able to assist Wyatt in carrying out all the reparations to the Manor.
Speaking of Chris, there was still no sign of him. Malachi hadn't yet made his entrance, which puzzled all three witches as they battled for their lives. They'd expected the controlling spirit to be at the forefront of the demons, leading the charge against the legendary home. And yet, he wasn't anywhere to be seen. Piper even began to wonder whether they'd misjudged Malachi and that the attack had nothing to do with the evil ghost.
A cry of pain suddenly rang through the conservatory, accompanied by the smashing of glass. Wyatt turned, despite himself, and saw Jennifer on the ground, having crashed against a table and knocked over a vase. She was struggling to stand as a demon stood above her. Wyatt launched an energy ball that effectively ended her assailant's life, and was rewarded by a smile. Wyatt smiled back, wondering at her beauty, before noticing that blood, red blood, not demon blood, was dripping down her torso. His eyes widened, and he began to walk to her. More demons appeared in front of him, however, and he struggled against them to get to the girl who was slowly and steadily bleeding out. With his blue eyes, he begged her to hang on as he dispatched the demons, which were only replaced by twice their number.
It was Jennifer who, despite her wounds, noticed the sudden arrival of Malachi. The orbs were unmistakable, and the young man with the silver eyes looked around before spotting Wyatt. The Twice-Blessed was turned away from him, though, and was unable to tell what was going on. Chris, controlled by Malachi, steadily walked to the most powerful witch. The demons parted to let him pass, keeping the other Halliwells occupied.
Malachi was soon standing behind Wyatt. The injured witch's weak cry wasn't enough to make the Twice-Blessed turn and notice how a strange silver mist was slowly being exhaled by pale lips. Silver eyes began to turn back into green as the spirit continued to vacate the body of Chris Halliwell, brother to the most powerful witch of all.
Wyatt did notice, however, as a flash of metal shone past him. A gurgling cry sounded in his ear, and he turned to notice his brother, green eyes blinking in surprise, as Chris fell to the ground. The silver mist remained hovering in the air over the body, uncaring about the host's probable demise. Its target was right in front of him, the one it had wanted for so many years.
So much pain was shown on Wyatt's face as, instead of walking to his brother like he wanted to so badly, he retreated. His love for his brother was surging inside of him, but it was battling the knowledge that if Malachi took possession of him he'd likely lay waste to the entire world. He was meant to control Excalibur, to be the next Future King of Good Magic. He couldn't allow the spirit to gain control of him and so take control of the world. The fact that the future of magic rested heavily on his shoulders kept him from running to his brother's side, heedless of his own safety. Wyatt felt as if he was betraying Chris as he backed away, but he had to hope that his brother would hang on for just a bit longer, just enough for the spirit to die.
With a flick of his fingers, Wyatt summoned a vial and threw it at the mist, which only dodged and flew above it, still approaching the witch. Piper noticed the danger and began to throw her own potions as well. The spirit seemed to know what to expect as it swerved and avoided them, finally arriving right before Wyatt. One of the potion's vapors rose and barely touched the ghost, but then the silver shape just moved out of the way. It knew what to expect from the family, it had been inside one of them after all.
As the spirit followed Wyatt, it began to dip down towards the ground, gathering together and becoming thicker and more visible. The mist seemed to take the shape of a man, and Wyatt was able to detect an evil smirk on its features before the mist froze, the face suddenly becoming a scream.
Wyatt glanced down and noticed he could see the faint shape of a knife through the smoky being, the tip still dripping with blood. The mist seemed to coalesce into a small grey ball, before it exploded in a blinding flash of light. As the light faded, Wyatt saw that Jennifer was holding the knife, and on her face was a look of satisfaction and happiness, a feeling that Wyatt hadn't detected on her until that moment. Her task had been completed.
With that, she sank to her knees, and Wyatt raised his hands and once more called upon his wave of destruction. The demons had mostly fled after seeing their leader dispatched of so spectacularly, and only a few stragglers remained to take out. Wyatt took care of them quickly, before he allowed himself to place a hand on Jennifer's side. His hand shone with the powers of healing, and color soon returned to her cheeks.
"I did it," she whispered, almost as if she was unable to believe it herself. Wyatt simply smiled back at her, knowing that she would finally be at peace. She'd avenged her fiancé, after so many years of having waited. It had finally happened, and from the look on her face Wyatt could see that never in her wildest dreams had Jennifer thought that she would reach that moment. She'd assumed that the spirit was more powerful than she was. And yet, she'd managed to vanquish it. She'd demonstrated that she was, indeed, a strong and capable witch.
(A/N) I'm sorry, you guys! I know I was supposed to have posted this yesterday, but please believe me when I say that I honestly forgot! In fact, I was out for most of the day so I wouldn't have been able to post it anyway. Still, it's up here now, and that's what matters, right? Anyway, now Malachi is dead. That's pretty cool, huh? But Chris has been stabbed by Jennifer and we don't know what has happened to him, and Jennifer is injured as well. Two more chapters after this, guys, and I promise I'll post them on Friday, like I was supposed to. I'm sorry, again!
As usual, thanks to everyone who added this to their Alerts or Favorites. You guys rock. And to those wonderfully fantastic people who reviewed: darcie-magicae-anima, and Fanycharmed. Anyway, please review this chapter, it's more interesting than the last one! And you never know, you might get a chocolate cake for your troubles! Or you could just let me know what's going on in your head, and that's cool too.
Now, I promise the next chapter shall be posted on Friday. I won't forget! Oh, and Happy Thanksgiving to those who celebrate it, I hope you ate a lot of turkey, stuffing, apple pie, etc. I know I did! Anyway, see you guys next week, and don't forget to review!