Another "Cousin"
Part 5 (the conclusion)
Disclaimer: All characters which have or do appear in Charmed aren't mine. Leonora, Cassandra, and the whole deal with the Enchanted Four were co-created between myself and theladyoflorraine. The concept of Firebrights are mine, as is the storyline itself.
My muse came crawling back on Tuesday, so I'm gonna finish this up.
That afternoon's attack had tired Melinda. She slept in Piper's room, and Leo watched over her. In the attic, Prue, Piper and Phoebe were devising a battle plan.
"This is going to be a problem," Piper said. "This says that the only way to destroy Machria is with the combined forces of many witches. We have what? Three witches, a Whitelighter and a Firebright? Melinda and Leo have a lot of power, but I still think we're going to need more."
Phoebe looked over Piper's shoulder. "We could do something like get rid of his little servant dudes, or imprison him into something different."
"Hey, that would work." Prue squinted at the book. "Here's something. 'To Kill Warlocks'. If he doesn't have servants, how can he attack anyone?"
"Good thinking." Piper began to copy down the recipe for the potion.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Phoebe was watching the potion when the phone rang. "Prue, would you get that?" She called.
"Got it." Prue shouted.
A moment later she came back into the kitchen. "It was someone called Clarence. He asked if everything was all under control. He's coming over."
Something occurred to Phoebe. "You don't think he's one of them, do you?"
"A warlock? Why not? We've seen them in disguises a lot better than his."
"Okay," Phoebe said. "So Clarence is working for Machria. I have the potion, so get ready to vanquish him."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The doorbell rang. "Prue, get that," Phoebe urged.
Prue projected her body to the inside of the door and opened it. Clarence stepped inside. "Hi. I'm Clarence."
Prue's projection smiled. "Yeah. Follow me." She walked towards the kitchen. The moment she got around the corner, Prue returned to her body.
"Okay." she said. "He's coming."
They charged out to meet him. Phoebe raised her hand to throw the potion and...
WHAM!
Melinda came out of orb and collided with Phoebe. The bottle flew out of Phoebe's hand and smashed on the floor behind them. "Stop!" she cried.
Prue looked at Melinda. "Are you insane? He's working for Machria!"
"Stop." Melinda said. "Clarence is a Whitelighter. He's Dad's friend."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was a couple of minutes before things calmed down enough for anyone to talk. Finally things became clear. Clarence was Leo's friend who had promised to look after things for two weeks. (if you don't know about that, reread Part 1) Piper knew about him, so he had assumed that Prue and Phoebe did too. Melinda had heard things from upstairs, and orbed down.
After apologizing profusely for trying to kill him, and, more importantly, mistaking him for a warlock, Prue and Phoebe asked about Machria.
He smiled a little. "Use a timelink to connect to Melinda's coven and family in the future to now. Defeat him that way."
Melinda hit herself on the head. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? What sort of Firebritght am I?"
It was Phoebe who asked. "How do we do a timelink?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Melinda sat at the low table in the attic. From each of the glass vials on her necklace, she drew out a single hair. "By using a timelink, I can communicate with those from the future, and they can send me their power. Together we can defeat Machria."
A bowl of water sat in the middle of the table. "Water symbolizes depth and life. Through water they can send their power." She put her hands on the table, palms up, in summoning, like Phoebe had seen her do in her vision. Phoebe had asked her about the vision, which had been one of Melinda's earlier vanquishings, from when she was seventeen. Melinda spoke.
"Across the leagues of time and space,
I call to all of Wiccan grace,
Of coven, kindred, to me heark,
Together end the coming dark."
The surface of the water rippled.
"To those who rally to my aim,
to those who share my brightest flame,
to the powers of my family near,
to all allies, send power here."
The water's light played over the surface of the water.
"We are here."
A multitude of voices spoke as one. Melinda held a mirror in front of her, and drew a deep breath.
"I summon the demon Machria."
Machria slowly came to the mirror, until he was clearly visible. Piper shuddered. Melinda kept going, and the voices joined her one by one.
"I call on the power of the Enchanted Ones,
I command the powers summoned here,
No longer, ever, to bring the fear.
By powers of the light and good,
I banish the demon of shadowy hood,
All power now forever lost,
Not returned at any cost,
Life reduced to cobwebs frail,
The power of your life to die and fail.
By fire, by light, so mote it be."
The mirror blackened and cracked. A shadow came out like a wisp of smoke. Melinda spoke again. "By fire, by light, so mote it be." The smoke desintigrated.
A voice spoke out of the water. "Melinda," it said. With a shock Piper recognized it as her own. "It's safe to come home. It was Machria who created the draining demon. You destroyed Machria, so she was never born."
"I'll come in just a mintue." Melinda blew on the water, and it became still, reflecting the roof.
She turned around. "I gotta go." She hugged Piper. "You'll see me again," she said, blinking back tears. "Sooner than you may think." She gripped her Firebright sign, whispered something, and was gone.
"What did she mean by that?" Leo asked.
"I think I know," Piper said softly. Slowly she turned and headed down the stairs.
THE END
Okay, let's put it this way: Melinda will be back, but in theladyoflorraine's fics. We created them together, so we're both gonna use them. This is the end of this series. I'm going to retreat back to my sinkhole of Tamora Pierce fics. If you people are very, very good, The Lady Song might post one. Review this anyway.
Part 5 (the conclusion)
Disclaimer: All characters which have or do appear in Charmed aren't mine. Leonora, Cassandra, and the whole deal with the Enchanted Four were co-created between myself and theladyoflorraine. The concept of Firebrights are mine, as is the storyline itself.
My muse came crawling back on Tuesday, so I'm gonna finish this up.
That afternoon's attack had tired Melinda. She slept in Piper's room, and Leo watched over her. In the attic, Prue, Piper and Phoebe were devising a battle plan.
"This is going to be a problem," Piper said. "This says that the only way to destroy Machria is with the combined forces of many witches. We have what? Three witches, a Whitelighter and a Firebright? Melinda and Leo have a lot of power, but I still think we're going to need more."
Phoebe looked over Piper's shoulder. "We could do something like get rid of his little servant dudes, or imprison him into something different."
"Hey, that would work." Prue squinted at the book. "Here's something. 'To Kill Warlocks'. If he doesn't have servants, how can he attack anyone?"
"Good thinking." Piper began to copy down the recipe for the potion.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Phoebe was watching the potion when the phone rang. "Prue, would you get that?" She called.
"Got it." Prue shouted.
A moment later she came back into the kitchen. "It was someone called Clarence. He asked if everything was all under control. He's coming over."
Something occurred to Phoebe. "You don't think he's one of them, do you?"
"A warlock? Why not? We've seen them in disguises a lot better than his."
"Okay," Phoebe said. "So Clarence is working for Machria. I have the potion, so get ready to vanquish him."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
The doorbell rang. "Prue, get that," Phoebe urged.
Prue projected her body to the inside of the door and opened it. Clarence stepped inside. "Hi. I'm Clarence."
Prue's projection smiled. "Yeah. Follow me." She walked towards the kitchen. The moment she got around the corner, Prue returned to her body.
"Okay." she said. "He's coming."
They charged out to meet him. Phoebe raised her hand to throw the potion and...
WHAM!
Melinda came out of orb and collided with Phoebe. The bottle flew out of Phoebe's hand and smashed on the floor behind them. "Stop!" she cried.
Prue looked at Melinda. "Are you insane? He's working for Machria!"
"Stop." Melinda said. "Clarence is a Whitelighter. He's Dad's friend."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
It was a couple of minutes before things calmed down enough for anyone to talk. Finally things became clear. Clarence was Leo's friend who had promised to look after things for two weeks. (if you don't know about that, reread Part 1) Piper knew about him, so he had assumed that Prue and Phoebe did too. Melinda had heard things from upstairs, and orbed down.
After apologizing profusely for trying to kill him, and, more importantly, mistaking him for a warlock, Prue and Phoebe asked about Machria.
He smiled a little. "Use a timelink to connect to Melinda's coven and family in the future to now. Defeat him that way."
Melinda hit herself on the head. "Of course! Why didn't I think of it before? What sort of Firebritght am I?"
It was Phoebe who asked. "How do we do a timelink?"
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Melinda sat at the low table in the attic. From each of the glass vials on her necklace, she drew out a single hair. "By using a timelink, I can communicate with those from the future, and they can send me their power. Together we can defeat Machria."
A bowl of water sat in the middle of the table. "Water symbolizes depth and life. Through water they can send their power." She put her hands on the table, palms up, in summoning, like Phoebe had seen her do in her vision. Phoebe had asked her about the vision, which had been one of Melinda's earlier vanquishings, from when she was seventeen. Melinda spoke.
"Across the leagues of time and space,
I call to all of Wiccan grace,
Of coven, kindred, to me heark,
Together end the coming dark."
The surface of the water rippled.
"To those who rally to my aim,
to those who share my brightest flame,
to the powers of my family near,
to all allies, send power here."
The water's light played over the surface of the water.
"We are here."
A multitude of voices spoke as one. Melinda held a mirror in front of her, and drew a deep breath.
"I summon the demon Machria."
Machria slowly came to the mirror, until he was clearly visible. Piper shuddered. Melinda kept going, and the voices joined her one by one.
"I call on the power of the Enchanted Ones,
I command the powers summoned here,
No longer, ever, to bring the fear.
By powers of the light and good,
I banish the demon of shadowy hood,
All power now forever lost,
Not returned at any cost,
Life reduced to cobwebs frail,
The power of your life to die and fail.
By fire, by light, so mote it be."
The mirror blackened and cracked. A shadow came out like a wisp of smoke. Melinda spoke again. "By fire, by light, so mote it be." The smoke desintigrated.
A voice spoke out of the water. "Melinda," it said. With a shock Piper recognized it as her own. "It's safe to come home. It was Machria who created the draining demon. You destroyed Machria, so she was never born."
"I'll come in just a mintue." Melinda blew on the water, and it became still, reflecting the roof.
She turned around. "I gotta go." She hugged Piper. "You'll see me again," she said, blinking back tears. "Sooner than you may think." She gripped her Firebright sign, whispered something, and was gone.
"What did she mean by that?" Leo asked.
"I think I know," Piper said softly. Slowly she turned and headed down the stairs.
THE END
Okay, let's put it this way: Melinda will be back, but in theladyoflorraine's fics. We created them together, so we're both gonna use them. This is the end of this series. I'm going to retreat back to my sinkhole of Tamora Pierce fics. If you people are very, very good, The Lady Song might post one. Review this anyway.