Title: Shadows at Noon
Disclaimer:
Author's note: No, I'm not dead and this story isn't on hiatus. Just a little behind in everything I meant to do…
Chris-21
Wyatt-23
Prue-16
Adam-12
Ria-15
People of Importance in this chapter:
Derek: A friend of Leo's, the son of Will, the half-manticore baby in Season Six, now a new member of the Resistance.
Kaia: A witch who works for Wyatt.
All other characters who appear in this chapter are not my invention but are taken directly from the television show and should be familiar to anyone who has seen Seasons Six and Seven.
Chapter Twenty-Five: One Step Closer
"What are you doing?" Bianca demanded, grabbing Prue by the arm and pulling her away from the open street and into a dark alley. "Do you not realize that there are several demons on your tail?"
Prue glared at Bianca and almost asked how the Phoenix had managed to find her. She'd been running for the past several hours, unable to find a way back to Valhalla, and as of yet, no one had come for her. She'd cloaked herself with a strong blocking potion to keep Wyatt from finding her during her mission, but it had the unfortunate side-effect of blocking out all the good witches and white-lighters as well.
But Bianca was an assassin, and she had her own methods, ones that Prue was fairly certain she didn't want to know about. Chris said that Bianca was trustworthy, and right now Prue wasn't in a position to argue.
"We know Wyatt is after that witch, the one with the ability to control moral polarities," Prue said under her breath.
Bianca rolled her eyes. "I know that," she snapped. "I'm the one who gave you that information."
Earlier in the week, Wyatt's probes had tracked down a new witch, one who apparently could infect other mortals and magic creatures and reverse their sense of right and wrong. She could make demons good and witches evil, and for obvious reasons, Wyatt wanted the witch either on his side or eliminated. Bianca had passed the information along to Leo, and he had quickly organized a team of scouts to find this witch and save her before her gifts could be put to other uses.
Prue glowered, but continued, "Myst, Lila, Chris, Ria, and I were trying to find this witch. Uncle Leo sent us in the right direction, but somehow Wyatt new that we were coming and ambushed us."
Bianca's face betrayed no emotion, but inside she smirked. She knew exactly why Wyatt's demons had been waiting; she had arranged it that way. The witches had been ambushed, but as usual, the demons had underestimated their ability to fight back. They had all escaped, alive.
"And let me guess," Bianca said coolly, "you got separated from the others, and no one has been able to find you yet."
"Cloaking potion," Prue admitted, leaning against the dirty wall of the building behind her and looking around the alley. "To keep me safe from Wyatt."
"Okay," Bianca said. There were several possibilities. She could take Prue back to Wyatt, but that would blow her cover. She could return Prue to the Resistance and hopefully ingratiate herself with Freya and the others. Or she could wait until one of the Valkeries showed up with a pendant, attempt to kill both women, and take the pendant back to Wyatt.
"Okay? There are demons trying to find me, I'm stuck here until someone manages to get past the cloaking potion, I have no way of knowing if the others are fine, and all you have to say is okay?" Prue sputtered indignantly.
"Be quiet," Bianca snapped. "I'm trying to think of a way to get word back to the Resistance and keep you safe at the same time."
"You always manage to get word to the Resistance. Or to find one of us if you have information. How do you do it?" Prue demanded harshly.
Bianca shook her head. "Nuh uh, Prue. Those are Phoenix trade secrets. I'm not telling." Before Prue could argue, she spun around and stared at the entrance to the alley. "And we have bigger problems."
Five demons had appeared.
"Shimmer us out of here," Prue ordered.
"No," Bianca said calmly, eyeing the demons. "We need to vanquish them."
"What? Why?"
"Because they work for Wyatt," Bianca hissed, her patience growing thin. "And if I shimmer away with you, they will report this to your cousin, and that would blow my cover, wouldn't it?" She seized Prue by the arm and said in a low voice, "Just play along, and hopefully I can't get us out of here in one piece."
"Hey, what are you…?"
Before Prue could finish the question, Bianca had hauled her towards the demons. She tossed the younger witch onto the ground, forcefully pushing her to her stomach in front of the demons.
"This the witch you were looking for?" Bianca asked mockingly. "A little late, boys."
"Lord Wyatt will be pleased to see his cousin," the lead demon snarled with a triumphant grin. He took a step towards Prue, who was looking up at the demon with rage and a little fear. Bianca, however, stopped him by throwing a low-voltage energy ball at his chest.
"You really think I'm letting you drag her back to Lord Wyatt?" the Phoenix snapped. "I caught her, I get the credit for it."
"Caught me?" Prue pulled herself to her feet, glaring at Bianca with uncontrolled fury. "I told Chris you weren't trustworthy! I told him, but did he listen to me?"
Bianca back handed her easily and then turned to the other demons with a sigh. "I guess I was a little more lax in my infiltration of their organization than I wanted to be. Oh well."
The demons all chortled at her words, finding the entire situation amusing.
Until Prue raised a hand and conjured a burst of fire that hit the first demon in the chest and instantly incinerated him. With a howl of rage, one of the other demons launched himself at Prue, but Bianca jumped in between them and kicked the demon to the ground.
"The witch is worth more to us alive than dead," Bianca spat. "Remember that." Then she spun around and caught Prue by the shoulders, pushing her backwards and pinning her against the wall. In a voice so low only Prue could hear it, she said, "I told you to play along, not get yourself killed. Watch it. I can only keep you alive for so long." Loudly, so that the four remaining demons could hear, she said, "Try something like that again, Ms. Halliwell, and I won't stop the four of them from attacking you. Got it?"
Prue blinked, thoroughly confused by the entire situation, but now realizing that trusting Bianca was her best chance at survival. "Sure," she said sarcastically, but she gave the Phoenix the tiniest of nods.
"Good," Bianca said smoothly. She pulled Prue away from the wall, but still held onto her with one hand. Slanting a look at the others, she asked, "The rest of the group that were trying to rescue the moral polarizing witch, did they get away?"
One of the demons nodded. "Yeah. We couldn't catch them, they jumped through the portal back to Valhalla and were gone."
"And the witch?"
The demon crinkled his nose. "Kendra Connelly. She escaped as well, although not with the others."
Bianca nodded, then said, "I suppose that's all the four of you knew, which mean you've served your purpose." She'd vanquished two of them with well-placed energy balls before they had a chance to react, and Prue had taken the opportunity to vanquish the third with another burst of fire.
The remaining demon threw a fire ball at Prue, who ducked out of the way just in time to avoid it. Then the demon began to shimmer away, but Bianca tossed an athame and caught him in the shoulder mid-shimmer, effectively bringing him back into the alley. He fell to his knees with a furious snarl, and reached up with one hand to rip out the athame in his shoulder. Then he launched himself at Bianca.
Prue stepped back and watched in stunned amazement as the demon and the Phoenix fought. She had never seen anyone move as quickly, as gracefully, as deadly as Bianca did. It was only a matter of moments before she had efficiently achieved the upper-hand, and vanquished the enraged demon by snapping his neck.
Bianca took a deep breath, then turned and glanced at Prue. "Come on," she said tersely, grabbing Prue by the arm. "Let's go." And she shimmered the two of them away.
"Where is she?" Jason hissed as he followed Myst along the dirt path. "Myst, what the hell happened to her? Where is she?"
"Jason, please, we are doing everything we can to find her," Myst said, placing a calming hand on his shoulder. "You need to relax."
"Relax?" Jason demanded, near hysterics at this point. "My only child is missing in a world where she could be killed on sight, and you want me to relax?"
"She won't be killed," Leo said he appeared next to Myst and Jason. "She's still Wyatt's family, and he still wants her alive."
"Is that supposed to make me feel better?" Jason snapped, annoyed.
"Well, it's like I keep saying," Derek muttered as he too approached the group with a glare for Leo and a sympathetic look at Jason. "Leo only cares about his own children."
"That isn't true, Derek, and you know it," Leo said harshly, spinning around to look at the other man. Although he still felt guilty for betraying Derek's trust and failing him in the past, he refused to let the bitter man cloud the truth of the situation. The Charmed One's inability to find and save Derek's half-manticore son was not a reflection on how he felt about any of the endangered innocents out there, least of all his own niece.
"Is that why you've stopped looking for my son?" Derek demanded viciously.
Leo narrowed his eyes. "Your son murdered Kyra," he said coolly.
"And how many children has your son murdered?" Derek replied pointedly.
Leo opened his mouth to say something, then shook his head silently, and stormed away. Myst glanced from Leo's retreating back to Derek, and said softly, "I think I would walk away as well if I were you, Derek."
Derek glowered, but left.
"We will find her," Myst said, turning her attention back to Jason. "Don't worry. We will find Prue."
"And maybe sooner than you think," a voice said, and Chris stepped out of the underbrush and joined the other two on the path. "Bianca just made contact. She found Prue and brought her to a safe house."
The safe house was an old abandoned grocery store in one of the more dangerous parts of town. It had sunk underground during a great earthquake, and it's entrance was through a set of staircases that had originally lead to the roof. It was hidden with fairy magic, but it was still less secure than the sanctuary at Valhalla, and the Resistance knew that it was only a matter of time before Wyatt discovered the location.
Inside, the place was dark and gloomy, and Prue didn't like it. Bianca had left her while she went to contact the Resistance and then scour the location for any signs of danger. So the younger witch paced back and forth across the dust covered floor, and waited.
A sudden bright light filled the room, announcing the presence of orbs, and Prue raised a hand and conjured burning flames, prepared to attach whoever the newcomer was.
But when she saw Chris' form, she breathed a sigh of relief and extinguished the flames.
"Where are the others?" Prue asked without preamble.
"Myst brought us to the alley behind the ruins of the movie theater across the block," Chris replied, crossing quickly to his cousin. "I'll take us back to her and we can go home."
Most of the safe houses allowed witches to enter by means of magical transportation. They had to be structured this way so that they could be quickly accessed or abandoned if the situation required it. Unfortunately, it also meant that demons and warlocks could just as easily shimmer or blink in, assuming they knew the location. Because of this, Valkeries never opened a portal directly into a safe house in case there were demons lying in wait, prepared to ambush.
Which meant that while Myst, Jason, and Ria all waited in the alley, Prue and Chris were left alone to face the several demons that suddenly shimmered into the room.
"I thought this was supposed to be safe?" Prue murmured under her breath as a thousand questions raced through her mind. Had Bianca known that demons would come? Had she sent them here? Was this all some elaborate trap to get her and Chris?
One of the demons threw an energy ball at Prue, but she easily dodged it and responded with an attack of her own. The wind that burst from her fingertips sent two of the demons colliding backwards against the far wall, and she scrambled to her feet and raced towards Chris.
Before she could reach him, however, another demon sent an energy ball at her back. Chris reacted instantly, crying, "Prue, look out!" and waving a hand and telekinetically throwing Prue to the ground, and out of the path of energy ball. It flew over her head and smashed into the wall instead, leaving a dark scorch mark behind.
Prue pulled herself to her feet once again, and threw more fire at the demons. They responded by sending a bolt of pure electricity towards her, and she was unprepared to avoid the attack. Chris flung himself forward, diving in front of Prue, protecting her as the electricity hit him in the shoulder. He groaned in pain, and collapsed to the floor.
"Chris!" Prue screamed, panicked, as she realized that her cousin was injured and there was now know way to quickly leave the building. She would have to fight her way out, and somehow save Chris in the process.
She dropped to his side, looking over him, silently thanking God when she saw the rise and fall of his chest, and indication that he was still alive.
The remaining demons stepped forward, circling her menacingly. "If you come quietly," one of them said, yellow eyes sparkling with triumph, "Lord Wyatt might just spare your lives."
Prue stood, eyes narrowed in hatred, and snarled, "Over my dead body."
The demon shrugged. "As you wish."
Before any of the demons could attack, however, two of them screamed and burst into sudden flames. The lead demon spun around, fury etched onto his face, glaring at the intruder who dared to attack his followers.
Ria stared back at him, unafraid.
Prue, seeing her cousin, said quickly, "Ria, Chris is hurt. Get him out of here." As Ria rushed towards their fallen cousin, Prue stepped forward and attacked the three remaining demons. The first one was easily vanquished, and then she glanced over her shoulder to see orbs surrounding Ria and Chris and carrying them to safety. But even as the sight reassured her, it was that moment of distraction that allowed the two demons still alive to gain the upper-hand and attack ferociously, backing her into a corner.
She was trapped.
And then…
"Going somewhere, boys?"
The demons spun around in time to see the energy balls flying towards them. The first demon ducked, but the second was not as lucky, and was vanquished immediately. Prue took advantage of the momentary confusion and conjured the wind, channeling it through her palm and slamming the demon across the room and into the far wall.
Then she turned to her savior.
"Are you out of your mind?" Prue hissed. "What if one of the demons had escaped and reported back to Wyatt? He would have known you don't work for him anymore, and the Resistance would have lost a spy."
"And if Wyatt had captured you, Chris would have fallen apart, and the Resistance would have lost an important member," Bianca replied, carelessly tossing an energy ball at the final demon and vanquishing him while he lay stunned by the wall.
"I was fine," Prue retorted.
Bianca rolled her eyes. "You were caught. Admit it, Prue, you weren't strong enough to take on those demons by yourself. I saved you."
Prue huffed. "Well you don't have to gloat."
Bianca just shrugged, grabbed Prue's arm, and shimmered the two of them away.
They reappeared in the alley were everyone else was waiting. Myst was leaning over the injured Chris, attempting to determine the extent of his wounds. Jason was pacing nervously, and Ria seemed to be on the verge of hysterical fear. But Prue's appearance calmed them all down, and Jason rushed to her side and pulled her into a hug.
"What happened?" Myst asked Bianca, looking up from Chris.
Bianca hesitated, then said, "I left Prue in the safe house. I didn't realize that Wyatt had already discovered it. I called you all, and then I went to search around the area, to see if we were followed. I didn't see any demons, so I went back to the safe house, and Prue was cornered by two demons. I vanquished them."
"You sure you didn't know that there were demons there?" Jason asked suspiciously.
Bianca looked at him unemotionally. "Do you really think I would have gone to all that trouble to save Prue, just to let her die?"
"Still, of all the safe houses you could have taken her to, it's convenient that you chose one that Wyatt knew about. Convenient that you chose one that apparently already had demons hiding out in it, waiting for the opportune moment to strike."
Bianca crossed her arms over her chest. "I didn't know, and that is the truth." Her eyes flickered momentarily to Chris, and then she added, "You can believe whatever you want, it doesn't matter to me. But you need to get him back to a white-lighter, and soon."
"Pity you couldn't have shown up in time to keep Chris from getting hurt," Jason sneered.
"Dad," Prue said softly, "she saved my life at great risk to her own safety. Twice."
Jason didn't say anything, although Prue's words seemed to have calmed him a little. Instead, he turned to Myst and said tersely, "Get us out of here." Myst touched the pendant at her neck, and a portal opened. Ria quickly pulled Chris through, and then Prue jumped in after him. Jason turned to Bianca and asked, "Coming?"
"No," Bianca said, "I have a few other things I need to do."
Jason gave her a hard look, then stepped through the portal. Myst walked through last, and the portal closed behind her.
Bianca stood still for a moment, then licked her dry lips and said, "Come out, Kaia. I know you're there."
The young witch appeared from nowhere, her cloak of invisibility slipping away. She allowed herself a small smirk and she commented, "So Prue trusts you now."
"Yes," Bianca said. "She does."
"Clever," Kaia murmured, "and rather convenient that you just managed to save her from demons twice. I have to wonder if maybe Jason wasn't partially right, if you didn't have a hand in making sure she was attacked in such a way that you would be able to save her." She looked at Bianca, but the Phoenix stared back with an unreadable expression. Kaia's smirk grew. "After all, she was one of your biggest obstacles, and with her trust, and Christopher Halliwell's trust as well…"
Again, Bianca said nothing.
Kaia nodded slowly. "I'm sorry," she said at last, "for doubting you before. You are better at this than I believed you would be."
Bianca tilted her head to the side. "I know," she said, and then shimmered away.
Wyatt frowned as he watched the witch before him struggling in her captors' grip. Her long blonde hair, slick with sweat and dirt, tumbled in front of her face, falling into her soft brown eyes.
Eyes that were currently glaring at him in disgust.
"So you're Kendra Connelly," Wyatt said thoughtfully. "You killed several of my best demons in the past few weeks, turning them against each other with your power."
Kendra smirked. "It was fun to watch them battle to the death," she sneered.
Her power, which was channeled through her hands, could be summoned only when her fingers made contact with another's skin. The demons Wyatt had ordered to catch her this time were smart enough to dress in long robes and gloves, cutting off her ability to influence their morality.
Wyatt, however, was wearing only a black t-shirt, and his arms were bare. If she could just break free long enough to reach him, to place her own hand on his arm…
Near the door at the far wall, Bianca stood, arms crossed over her chest, eyes pinned to Kendra. Kaia was standing next to her, but the younger witch seemed a lot less interested by this scene. She was holding a fireball in her hand, bouncing it up and down in boredom.
"Why would you waste your power on something as hopeless as fighting me?" Wyatt said finally, walking closer to Kendra. He stopped right in front of her, clearly disregarding any threat she could possibly be to him.
Kendra stopped struggling and said, "Because you're evil?"
Wyatt laughed, a cold, dark laugh, and the laughter did not reach his eyes. "Am I?" he taunted. He glanced at the two demons, then ordered abruptly, "Let her go." The demons holding her tightly in their grip hesitated, but Wyatt's steely gaze convinced them to obey, and they released her and stepped backwards.
Kendra looked around quickly, trying to figure out if there was anyway to escape. Her eyes traveled over the two demons, Kaia and Bianca, and finally Wyatt. Then she lunged forward, wrapping her slender fingers around Wyatt's wrist, and watching as her palm glowed a silver-blue. A strange substance, some sort of silvery gel, appeared on Wyatt's skin, and was quickly absorbed into his body.
For a moment, Wyatt froze, standing completely still. Then he blinked and looked at Kendra with a strange light in his eyes. "Did you really think that would turn me?" Wyatt asked softly, taking one threatening step towards her. He waved a hand, telekinetically sending her flying into the back wall. Her head snapped back onto the wood, and she fell to the ground, unconscious.
Wyatt rolled his eyes, then turned to Kaia and Bianca and said with the air of someone who has been severely put-upon, "How many times am I going to have to tell people that I'm past the ideas of Good and Evil?"
Kaia seemed a little more interested by this turn of events, although most of her excitement was directed towards the fact that Wyatt had just attacked another witch. Bianca, however, watched the entire exchange with an inscrutable expression. So Wyatt was not affected by Kendra's powers…? The Phoenix had no idea what this meant in terms of Wyatt's morality or the strength and longevity of his reign, but she stored the information away for future reference.
"Get rid of her," Wyatt said to the two demons, gesturing dismissively at Kendra's still form. Then he turned to Bianca. "I want a full report on what happened today."
Bianca fell into step beside the Twice Blessed as the two demons shimmered Kendra's body out of the room.
"I hear you have gained my cousin's trust," Wyatt said.
Bianca nodded slowly. "Yes, Prue and Chris both trust me now. As does Leo. Jason is proving to be a problem, but… I am not worried. He will believe Prue in time."
"And how much time will this take?" Wyatt demanded crossly. "I want my brother by my side."
Bianca turned to him, her eyes widening ever so slightly. "Of course," she said calmly, collectedly. "But you must understand, gaining the trust of people who are very suspicious by nature… that isn't easy."
Wyatt frowned, his anger rising. "You are a Phoenix. You are supposed to be the best."
"I am the best," Bianca answered quickly, slightly offended by his insinuation. "Do you want this job done quickly, or do you want it done right?"
Wyatt's eyes darkened, and he clenched one fist tightly, using his telekinetic powers to choke Bianca and prevent her from shimmering from the room. "Do you dare talk back to me?" he asked in a deathly quiet voice. "Do you dare?"
Bianca struggled for a moment, then collapsed to her knees as the decrease in oxygen made her vision blurry. The pain in her throat was terrible, but she maintained her senses enough to fight back, and conjuring an athame in one hand, she flung it straight at Wyatt.
He released his hold on her and caught the athame easily. Bianca pulled herself to her feet, and for a moment the two of them just stared at each other.
Finally, Wyatt said with some begrudging respect, "You are good." Bianca smirked, but Wyatt continued, "But I am still better, and if you cross me…" He left the threat hanging.
Bianca nodded slowly. "Of course," she said.
Wyatt reached out to take her by the arm, but the moment his hand touched her, he was drawn into a sudden premonition.
It was dark. They were gathered in the attic, several demons, himself, and Chris and Bianca. Behind Chris, a triqueta was drawn on the wall. Bianca had her hand linked with Chris'.
"Welcome home, Chris," Wyatt said, walking forward.
"Hello, Wyatt," Chris answered.
Wyatt opened his eyes, surprised. He had never had premonitions before. Was this his powers expanding? Would he now be able to see the future? A slow smile spread across his face; it would be so much easier to control the future if he knew what was going to happen every step of the way. He would focus on this new gift, cultivate it as much as possible.
Then he looked at Bianca. She was staring back at him, waiting for him to say something. He gave her a pleased look and said, "It would appear that, in the future, you do succeed."
"I bring Chris to you?" Bianca asked, wondering what exactly Wyatt saw in his premonition. Wyatt nodded, and Bianca smiled. "I told you I would succeed," she murmured.
A Phoenix did not fail.
Zankou appeared in the Underworld in a rush of wind and flames. It had been a long time since he had relied on flaming for transportation. Contrary to what most witches believed, some demons were able to use more than one mode of transportation, and he was one of those select few. And although he found flaming rather unpleasant due to the extreme heat he was forced to endure for the length of the journey, he knew that it was also a much more impressive way of appearing anywhere, and his aim today was to impress.
The demons in the cave looked at him in surprise, but almost immediately fell into fighting stances. Among the demonic Underworld, he was well-known as both a powerful demon and a dangerous supporter of Wyatt's rule. And these demons, who were congregating here with the expressed purpose of overthrowing Wyatt's rule, had a reason to fear his wrath.
But Zankou waved his hand in an attempt to put their fears at ease. "I mean no harm," he said calmly, "I merely want to talk."
One of the demons, braver than his companions, stepped forward and hissed defiantly, "Zankou never wants to talk. You only come to kill us."
Zankou considered this, then said, "Well, that was true in the past. But now, I think we have a reason to work together. A common enemy."
"You work for the witch," the demon shot back with a snarl. "You work for our enemy."
"And what if I told you that I didn't want to do that anymore?" Zankou asked with a smirk. His eyes roamed over the others in the room. They were mostly low-level demons with a few more dangerous upper-levels among them. But he was by far the most powerful of anyone in the room, and it would be easy to bend them all to his will.
"You want to turn on the Halliwell?" the demon asked disbelievingly.
"I have spent a very long time putting myself in the perfect position to destroy him," Zankou answered. "He trusts me, he values my skills enough to barely pay attention to what I do with my time. His arrogance keeps him from seeing how much of a threat I really am."
"So you mean to betray him?" another demon asked, stepping forward.
It took Zankou a moment to recognize the demon, but when he did, he smiled grimly. "Hello, Gith," he said. "I see you are still hiding in the Underworld like a scared puppy."
Gith growled, but knew better than to attack Zankou. "I am not foolish enough to risk exposing myself to the Halliwell's fury," Gith answered. "Not unless I can be sure that I will come out alive."
"Ah, but wouldn't it be so much better if you could practice your gifts freely?" Zankou prompted. "Imagine the havoc you could wreak in this world, if only you let everyone give into their desires… and die from them."
"What did you have in mind?" Gith asked, intrigued.
"The Senate has just passed legislation requiring that all magical beings wear badges that mark them as such," Zankou explained. "Our dear Lord Wyatt has ignored this problem for the meantime, but sooner or later the Senate will want to wrest power away from him, and I can ensure that the first place they attack will be the Halliwell Memorial Museum."
"Wyatt won't be pleased by that," another demon said with a cruel laugh, delighting in the idea of destroying Wyatt's most precious monument.
"No," Zankou agreed, "he won't. And when the time comes, he will fight back, he will wage war on those who try to take power from him. It is then, when he will most need my help, when he will be most engaged in other matters, that we will strike."
Next Chapter: All At Once
Due: Sun 1/13