CHARMED
"BALANCE OF POWER"
by J. B. Tilton
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB
television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is
a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.
A special thanks to Tracie Joy (a.k.a. Majklmoon) for her help in this story.
* * *
Authors' note: This story takes place after the episode where the Charmed Ones have
killed the Source but before the episode where Cole discovers he is inhabited by the
Source. It is based on the premise that It took the Source several days to manifest
himself inside Cole and Cole still believes himself to be only a human.
* * *
With the death of the Source, a struggle in the underworld ensues to see who will be
his replacement. In order to make the selection, a contest is started. The new Source
will be the demon who can kill the Charmed Ones
PART 3 - FAILURE AND BETRAYAL
The mimic demon, Zimlock, learns the price for failing Malevant and the high level
demons plot their next move against the Charmed Ones.
* * *
Malevant stood in the midst of the swirling mists. He waited for word on his plans to
destroy the Charmed Ones. Grmlor hobbled out of the mists and stopped in front of
Malevant.
Malevant looked down at the small, deformed, misshapen creature. Grimlor was not
much good for anything. Hi was slow and his twisted body made him appear ugly and
grotesque. He didn't even have any powers, as most demons. Being near the lowest
level of demons, his type were normally used as fodder for the plans of higher level
demons.
To be His speech was broken and halting; almost as if he had once suffered a
horrible accident which prevented him from speaking properly. Behind Malevants' back,
other demons made fun of him, tormented him. As one of Malevants' favorites,
however, those demons would never do so in his presence.
Despite all of his short comings, Grimlor was obedient. He obeyed Malevants'
orders immediately and without question or complaint. Something Malevant could not
say of any of his other underlings. That, above everything else, was why Malevant kept
Grimlor around.
"Others come," hissed Grimlor. "Wait for you."
"Has Zimlock returned?" asked Malevant.
"No," replied Grimlor.
"Send him to me immediately when he does," said Malevant. "The others can wait
until he has returned."
Grimlor didn't say a word. He simply faded into the mists. Malevant really didn't
need to hear Zimlocks' report. He already knew the Mimic demon had failed in his task.
Even now, the girl was with the Guardians and far away from any evil which might try to
seduce her.
Suddenly, Zimlock walked out of the mists. As before, he had no features, just the
vague impression of a humanoid creature. Dried blood was caked over one eye and on
his lip. He limped slightly, favoring his right leg. He walked up and stood behind
Malevant, waiting for his masters' voice.
"The girl," said Malevant, not bothering to turn to face the demon.
"With the Guardians," said Zimlock. "It wasn't my fault, Master. I was found out by
the Charmed Ones. And Michael was there. I was no match for them. I was lucky to
escape with my life."
"Yes," said Malevant. "You are no match for the Charmed Ones. And with my
accursed brother helping them, it is a wonder you escaped at all."
Slowly, Malevant turned and faced Zimlock. The lower demon looked at his master
nervously. He knew of the normal penalty for failure. But these had been extraordinary
circumstances. And he HAD brought news of Michaels' involvement. Surely that would
temper Malevants' temper.
Malevant just smiled and Zimlock relaxed noticeably. Suddenly, Malevant raised his
hand and cast a fireball at Zimlock. The lower demon howled in agony as he perished
in a conflagration, leaving only a pile of ash where he had once stood.
"Still," said Malevant, still smiling, "you did fail me."
Malevant called Grimlor and instructed him to bring the others in. He would miss
Zimlock. Mimic demons were rare. Still, he could brook no failure if he was to maintain
control of his underlings. The other four high level demons walked in, glancing at the
pile of ash that had once been Zimlock.
"We don't appreciate being kept waiting, Malevant," said Beelzbor. "That's no way
to foster our new found alliance."
"My apologies," said Malevant. He glanced down at the pile of ash. "I was
unavoidably detained with other matters."
"You failed," announced Mephistan, triumphantly.
"And I have dealt with that failure," said Malevant.
"Still," said Mephistan, "you failed to destroy the Charmed Ones. It proves you are
not the most powerful of us and should not be the new Source."
Malevant didn't say a word. Instead, he turned to face Mephistan. He eyed his
contemporary for a moment, then removed a dagger from his robes and thrust the
weapon up to the hilt in Mephistans' chest. Then he cast a fireball at Mephistan, forcing
the demon back. Then Malevant cast another fireball; and another; and another. The
attack was so sudden and so vicious Mephistan had no time to defend against it. As
Malevant continued to pummel the Mephistan, the latter demon, like Zimlock, died in a
flaming conflagration.
"If you had not interfered," said Malevant to the still smoldering pile of ash, "and
alerted the Charmed Ones to what the girl was, I wouldn't have failed."
He turned to the remaining three demons.
"Our agreement," said Malevant, "was that I was to have my chance at the Charmed
Ones. He violated that agreement. I have exacted my payment for his betrayal."
"True," said Beelzbor, "he did violate the agreement. I don't think any of us would
deny you your right to vengeance. Still, he did have a point. Regardless of the reason,
you did fail. Just as your Mimic failed."
"Perhaps," said Malevant, "but my failure was because of interference. Zimlocks'
failure was due to stupidity. It's not the same."
"I agree," said LaTarrin. "If not for Mephistans' interference, Malevant may well have
captured the girl. And with her power, he might have destroyed the Charmed Ones.
And they would no longer be a problem for us."
"Still," said Taristar, "Malevant was given his chance. I believe our agreement called
for each who wished to have a chance. It would be unfair to allow him a second
chance before any of us have had our first."
"Fair enough," said Malevant. "Who would like to try next?"
None of the demons spoke. Instead, a human man walked out of the mists and
stood next to Beelzbor. The man was about six feet tall and weighed close to two
hundred pounds. He had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a smile on his face
that belied his demonic heritage.
"How dare you?" screamed Malevant angrily. "You know I don't allow even the
human form of a demon in my presence. He will change immediately or I will destroy
him where he stands."
"My apologies," said Beelzbor.
The man immediately changed form. In his place, a demon five feet tall stood. The
demon was uniformly black, except for the dull yellow eyes. It had no nostrils, only two
small slits where the nose should have been. His hands ended, not in razor sharp
talons, but instead in suction cup-like appendages.
"Trellman will succeed where Zimlock failed," said Beelzbor.
"This is risky," said Malevant. "Getting to one of the Charmed Ones initially might be
easy enough. But if this Trellman is to complete his task, he will need to be there
personally. Undoubtedly, the others will have discovered what has happened to her
and will be protecting her."
"That's my problem," said Beelzbor. "And we only have to kill one of them to destroy
the Power of Three forever."
"True," said LaTarrin. "If he is successful, he will have nothing to fear from the
Charmed Ones."
"Very well," said Malevant. "Have you decided which of the sisters' will be the
target?"
"The youngest, of course," said Beelzbor. "She will be the least experienced. And
she should be the easiest to get to."
"Sounds like a fine plan," said Malevant. "But the rules for proven victory have not
changed. I insist on seeing the girls' body as proof of any claim that you make about
being successful."
"Certainly," said Beelzbor. "And I shall expect each of you to keep your underlings
out of my way. I do not intend to suffer failure because of an overzealous underling
trying to impress one of you."
"No one shall interfere with your plan," said Malevant.
"See that they don't," said Beelzbor. "I will be as displeased with interference as
Malevant was."
"Notify us when the mission is complete," said LaTarrin. "Whether you succeed or
fail."
"Rest assured, I will," said Beelzbor.
The three demons turned and walked into the mists. Malevant smiled to himself.
His attack on the Charmed Ones had failed, but he had been able to eliminate an
opponent without suspicion. In fact, the others had practically given their blessing. Or
curse, as the case may be. Each of them understood about betrayal. It was a way of
life for demons, especially demons as high level as they were.
Beelzbors' plan just might succeed. Malevant couldn't have that. Still, they had
made an agreement. He would have to abide by it and not interfere in Beelzbors' plan.
At least not in any way that could be linked to him. He already knew what he was
going to do. It's not like he hadn't done it before. His subterfuge had gone on for some
time without any detection whatsoever. If he was careful, he could continue it for some
time to come.
It had taken him a long time to put his plan into action. The death of the Source had
provided the perfect opportunity to do so. And so far, his plans had worked out
perfectly. He smiled to himself once more as he reviewed his plans for the immediate
future.
To be continued . . .
Be sure not to miss Part 4: What the Doctor Ordered. When Paige is attacked by a
syphon demon who is slowly draining her life force, Piper and Phoebe run a race
against time to save their youngest sister..
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more of my stories for a variety of shows and
subjects at http://pub57.ezboard.com/bjerrysfanfictionsite. You can also post your
stories if you like to write fan fiction.
"BALANCE OF POWER"
by J. B. Tilton
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: "Charmed" and all related characters and events are the property of the WB
television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is
a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.
A special thanks to Tracie Joy (a.k.a. Majklmoon) for her help in this story.
* * *
Authors' note: This story takes place after the episode where the Charmed Ones have
killed the Source but before the episode where Cole discovers he is inhabited by the
Source. It is based on the premise that It took the Source several days to manifest
himself inside Cole and Cole still believes himself to be only a human.
* * *
With the death of the Source, a struggle in the underworld ensues to see who will be
his replacement. In order to make the selection, a contest is started. The new Source
will be the demon who can kill the Charmed Ones
PART 3 - FAILURE AND BETRAYAL
The mimic demon, Zimlock, learns the price for failing Malevant and the high level
demons plot their next move against the Charmed Ones.
* * *
Malevant stood in the midst of the swirling mists. He waited for word on his plans to
destroy the Charmed Ones. Grmlor hobbled out of the mists and stopped in front of
Malevant.
Malevant looked down at the small, deformed, misshapen creature. Grimlor was not
much good for anything. Hi was slow and his twisted body made him appear ugly and
grotesque. He didn't even have any powers, as most demons. Being near the lowest
level of demons, his type were normally used as fodder for the plans of higher level
demons.
To be His speech was broken and halting; almost as if he had once suffered a
horrible accident which prevented him from speaking properly. Behind Malevants' back,
other demons made fun of him, tormented him. As one of Malevants' favorites,
however, those demons would never do so in his presence.
Despite all of his short comings, Grimlor was obedient. He obeyed Malevants'
orders immediately and without question or complaint. Something Malevant could not
say of any of his other underlings. That, above everything else, was why Malevant kept
Grimlor around.
"Others come," hissed Grimlor. "Wait for you."
"Has Zimlock returned?" asked Malevant.
"No," replied Grimlor.
"Send him to me immediately when he does," said Malevant. "The others can wait
until he has returned."
Grimlor didn't say a word. He simply faded into the mists. Malevant really didn't
need to hear Zimlocks' report. He already knew the Mimic demon had failed in his task.
Even now, the girl was with the Guardians and far away from any evil which might try to
seduce her.
Suddenly, Zimlock walked out of the mists. As before, he had no features, just the
vague impression of a humanoid creature. Dried blood was caked over one eye and on
his lip. He limped slightly, favoring his right leg. He walked up and stood behind
Malevant, waiting for his masters' voice.
"The girl," said Malevant, not bothering to turn to face the demon.
"With the Guardians," said Zimlock. "It wasn't my fault, Master. I was found out by
the Charmed Ones. And Michael was there. I was no match for them. I was lucky to
escape with my life."
"Yes," said Malevant. "You are no match for the Charmed Ones. And with my
accursed brother helping them, it is a wonder you escaped at all."
Slowly, Malevant turned and faced Zimlock. The lower demon looked at his master
nervously. He knew of the normal penalty for failure. But these had been extraordinary
circumstances. And he HAD brought news of Michaels' involvement. Surely that would
temper Malevants' temper.
Malevant just smiled and Zimlock relaxed noticeably. Suddenly, Malevant raised his
hand and cast a fireball at Zimlock. The lower demon howled in agony as he perished
in a conflagration, leaving only a pile of ash where he had once stood.
"Still," said Malevant, still smiling, "you did fail me."
Malevant called Grimlor and instructed him to bring the others in. He would miss
Zimlock. Mimic demons were rare. Still, he could brook no failure if he was to maintain
control of his underlings. The other four high level demons walked in, glancing at the
pile of ash that had once been Zimlock.
"We don't appreciate being kept waiting, Malevant," said Beelzbor. "That's no way
to foster our new found alliance."
"My apologies," said Malevant. He glanced down at the pile of ash. "I was
unavoidably detained with other matters."
"You failed," announced Mephistan, triumphantly.
"And I have dealt with that failure," said Malevant.
"Still," said Mephistan, "you failed to destroy the Charmed Ones. It proves you are
not the most powerful of us and should not be the new Source."
Malevant didn't say a word. Instead, he turned to face Mephistan. He eyed his
contemporary for a moment, then removed a dagger from his robes and thrust the
weapon up to the hilt in Mephistans' chest. Then he cast a fireball at Mephistan, forcing
the demon back. Then Malevant cast another fireball; and another; and another. The
attack was so sudden and so vicious Mephistan had no time to defend against it. As
Malevant continued to pummel the Mephistan, the latter demon, like Zimlock, died in a
flaming conflagration.
"If you had not interfered," said Malevant to the still smoldering pile of ash, "and
alerted the Charmed Ones to what the girl was, I wouldn't have failed."
He turned to the remaining three demons.
"Our agreement," said Malevant, "was that I was to have my chance at the Charmed
Ones. He violated that agreement. I have exacted my payment for his betrayal."
"True," said Beelzbor, "he did violate the agreement. I don't think any of us would
deny you your right to vengeance. Still, he did have a point. Regardless of the reason,
you did fail. Just as your Mimic failed."
"Perhaps," said Malevant, "but my failure was because of interference. Zimlocks'
failure was due to stupidity. It's not the same."
"I agree," said LaTarrin. "If not for Mephistans' interference, Malevant may well have
captured the girl. And with her power, he might have destroyed the Charmed Ones.
And they would no longer be a problem for us."
"Still," said Taristar, "Malevant was given his chance. I believe our agreement called
for each who wished to have a chance. It would be unfair to allow him a second
chance before any of us have had our first."
"Fair enough," said Malevant. "Who would like to try next?"
None of the demons spoke. Instead, a human man walked out of the mists and
stood next to Beelzbor. The man was about six feet tall and weighed close to two
hundred pounds. He had sandy blonde hair and blue eyes. He had a smile on his face
that belied his demonic heritage.
"How dare you?" screamed Malevant angrily. "You know I don't allow even the
human form of a demon in my presence. He will change immediately or I will destroy
him where he stands."
"My apologies," said Beelzbor.
The man immediately changed form. In his place, a demon five feet tall stood. The
demon was uniformly black, except for the dull yellow eyes. It had no nostrils, only two
small slits where the nose should have been. His hands ended, not in razor sharp
talons, but instead in suction cup-like appendages.
"Trellman will succeed where Zimlock failed," said Beelzbor.
"This is risky," said Malevant. "Getting to one of the Charmed Ones initially might be
easy enough. But if this Trellman is to complete his task, he will need to be there
personally. Undoubtedly, the others will have discovered what has happened to her
and will be protecting her."
"That's my problem," said Beelzbor. "And we only have to kill one of them to destroy
the Power of Three forever."
"True," said LaTarrin. "If he is successful, he will have nothing to fear from the
Charmed Ones."
"Very well," said Malevant. "Have you decided which of the sisters' will be the
target?"
"The youngest, of course," said Beelzbor. "She will be the least experienced. And
she should be the easiest to get to."
"Sounds like a fine plan," said Malevant. "But the rules for proven victory have not
changed. I insist on seeing the girls' body as proof of any claim that you make about
being successful."
"Certainly," said Beelzbor. "And I shall expect each of you to keep your underlings
out of my way. I do not intend to suffer failure because of an overzealous underling
trying to impress one of you."
"No one shall interfere with your plan," said Malevant.
"See that they don't," said Beelzbor. "I will be as displeased with interference as
Malevant was."
"Notify us when the mission is complete," said LaTarrin. "Whether you succeed or
fail."
"Rest assured, I will," said Beelzbor.
The three demons turned and walked into the mists. Malevant smiled to himself.
His attack on the Charmed Ones had failed, but he had been able to eliminate an
opponent without suspicion. In fact, the others had practically given their blessing. Or
curse, as the case may be. Each of them understood about betrayal. It was a way of
life for demons, especially demons as high level as they were.
Beelzbors' plan just might succeed. Malevant couldn't have that. Still, they had
made an agreement. He would have to abide by it and not interfere in Beelzbors' plan.
At least not in any way that could be linked to him. He already knew what he was
going to do. It's not like he hadn't done it before. His subterfuge had gone on for some
time without any detection whatsoever. If he was careful, he could continue it for some
time to come.
It had taken him a long time to put his plan into action. The death of the Source had
provided the perfect opportunity to do so. And so far, his plans had worked out
perfectly. He smiled to himself once more as he reviewed his plans for the immediate
future.
To be continued . . .
Be sure not to miss Part 4: What the Doctor Ordered. When Paige is attacked by a
syphon demon who is slowly draining her life force, Piper and Phoebe run a race
against time to save their youngest sister..
If you've enjoyed this story, you can find more of my stories for a variety of shows and
subjects at http://pub57.ezboard.com/bjerrysfanfictionsite. You can also post your
stories if you like to write fan fiction.