"Don't bother," says Paige, before Piper leaves the kitchen. "Book of Shadows!" she calls, and the book appears on the counter.
While Paige talks to her boss, trying to sound as convincingly sick as possible, Piper browses the Book of Shadows and Phoebe cleans up the coffee she spilled on the table.
Once she has hung up, Paige spots a book resting on the counter, under her purse. She picks up the book, saying:
"Well, I'd better hide this before David arrives here; it's supposed to be a surprise for his birthday, but I think right now the mood has been pretty much spoiled."
"History of Board Games," says Phoebe, reading the name on the cover. "Board games?" she repeats, raising an eyebrow.
"I have to admit that it sounds quite boring," says Paige, giggling, "but David loves this kind of stuff: he has tons of books about the origin and history of games from all over the world, and he's been after this particular one for a lot of time. Ironically, I ran into it by accident, on a second-hand bookstore."
"Well," says Phoebe, smiling and touching her arm, "if it'll make him happy, good for you."
"Phoebe," says Piper, looking at the Book of Shadows, "there's a picture of an ogre here: see if it's the one you saw in your premonition."
Phoebe goes look at the Book of Shadows, and Paige is about to follow her when a piece of paper slips from between the pages of the book she's holding and falls on the floor. Paige kneels down and picks up the paper sheet: it looks old and yellowed, but the words written on it can still be read clearly.
"No, it's definitely not the same guy," says Phoebe, looking at the picture Piper is pointing at. "Did you find anything about side effects of changing powers?"
"What is this?" Paige mutters to herself, before Piper can answer.
"What's what, Paige?" Piper asks, looking at her.
"This," she says, reading it out loud, "Ich nehme Ihre Herausforderung an: lassen Sie die Spiele anfangen."
As soon as Paige pronounces the last word, she, Piper and Phoebe shriek in shock and surprise as an invisible force lift them from the floor and the world revolves around them. Seconds later, as Cole and David shimmer in the living room, there's nothing left in the kitchen but the Book of Shadows, resting on the counter.
"So," David is saying, "you think we're experiencing some kind of side effects of last Friday's powers mix up?"
"That's my guess," says Cole, looking around. "Phoebe!" he calls. "Baby?"
Getting no answer, he walks towards the stairs, motioning for David to follow him:
"Come on: they must be in the attic."
"You know," says David, following him upstairs, "I have been smelling Paige's perfume all week long, at the oddest moments." He blushes slightly as he adds: "I assumed it was just me missing her but, considering what you've told me..."
"Now that you've mentioned it," says Cole, "Phoebe's perfume has been following me around, too."
"This is way too weird," says David, waving his head. "How do we get rid of it?"
"That's what we're about to..." -- Cole stops at the attic door, looking at the pedestal where the Book of Shadows should be resting.
"They're not here," he says, frowning.
Right then, Leo orbs in. He looks from the empty pedestal to Cole and David, with an inquisitive look in his eyes.
"We have just arrived, too," says Cole. "But I don't think they're on the first floor."
"Did you look on the second floor?" Leo asks, concerned.
"No. Let's check the bedrooms."
The three men walk downstairs, starting to feel the first tingles of apprehension.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Piper, Phoebe and Paige fall heavily on the ground and immediately jump back to their feet, nervously looking around. They're in the middle of a meadow, with no one else in sight.
"Where are we?" says Paige, with some anxiety.
"Thanks to you, we don't know," says Piper, sourly. "Paige, how many times have I told you: if it rhymes, or it's written in a foreign language, you do not, repeat, do not read it out loud? Have you forgotten the evil sorcerer already?"
"Sorry," says Paige, embarrassed. "I guess I wasn't thinking..."
"Humph!" Piper grunts, wiping the grass from her pants.
"I say we call Leo," says Phoebe, trying to change the subject. Looking around and making sure there's no one in the surroundings, she sets the example, calling: "Leo!"
Piper and Paige soon join her, their voices rising in anxiety as Leo doesn't answer:
"Leo!"
"Leo!"
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Leo, Cole and David are on their way to the first floor when Leo stops short, looking around with a somewhat confused look.
"What's wrong?" David asks.
"They're calling."
"The Elders?" says Cole.
"No," says Leo. "The girls. All three of them."
"Well, that's good news," says Cole. "Where are they?"
"That's the weird thing," says Leo, frowning slightly, "I don't know. I can hear them, but their voices are muffled, as if there was some kind of, uh... interference."
"Are they okay?" Cole asks, worried.
"I think so," says Leo. Then he waves his head, saying: "It's gone."
"What do you mean, gone?" David asks, nervously.
"They must have given up, when I didn't answer," says Leo, starting to walk downstairs again. "Come on," he says, "we have to check the first floor, there must be a clue somewhere."
"Where were they when you shimmered to my apartment?" David asks Cole as they follow Leo.
"In the kitchen," says Cole, already heading to the kitchen's door, and David and Leo follow him.
Once in the kitchen, they're glad to see that the Book of Shadows is still there. While Leo walks towards the Book and Cole keeps a safe distance, David spots the book Paige has bought for him lying on the floor, and he kneels down to pick it up. He smiles as he reads the title, guessing that it must be Paige's birthday gift for him. The thought that she's missing brings a cold feeling to his stomach, though, and his smile has already faded when Leo exclaims:
"Here!"
Cole and David give him inquisitive looks and he says, pointing at the picture of the ogre that Piper showed to Phoebe earlier:
"They were probably searching the Book of Shadows for some info on Phoebe's premonition when they were attacked: fortunately, the Book stood open on the page showing the ogre she saw, so we shouldn't have trouble following them."
"That's great," says Cole. "David, do you recognize the guy from the premonition?"
"Sorry," says David, "it was very quick and kinda blurred: I hadn't even realized it was you on the bridge with him until Phoebe told me so." -- he studies the picture for a while -- "But I guess, yes, it could be him."
"Well, is there a vanquishing spell or potion there?" Cole asks.
"There's a potion," says Leo. "The name of the ogre is Targish: have you ever heard of him?"
"As a matter of fact, yes," says Cole. "Let's prepare this vanquishing potion and I'll shimmer us to his lair."
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
"This is useless!" Piper sighs. "If Leo could hear us, he'd already have come."
"We need to find out where we are," says Phoebe, giving an unenthusiastic look around. "So, what do you say? Should we walk towards that nothing," -- she points northward -- "that nothing," -- she points eastward -- "that nothing," -- she points southward -- "or that nothing?" -- she points westward.
"Maybe we should just wait here," says Piper, uncertain. "Sooner or later Leo and Cole will find the spell that brought us here: don't you think it'd bring them to the place we are now?"
"Uh, about them finding the spell..." Paige gives her sisters a sheepish look as she shows them the piece of paper containing the spell.
"Aaaaaaargh!" Piper snarls, as she glares briefly at Paige and walks past her without another word, heading east.
"I'm trying to support you here," Phoebe mutters between clenched teeth, as she and Paige follow Piper, "but you're not helping!"