TWO
The five people sat hidden in the alley where Phoebe's
premonition had shown the attack would occur. It hadn't been
difficult to locate. They had arrived just before dusk. Since Phoebe
had no way of knowing what time the attack would occur, they decided
to simply wait for the warlock to show up. They had been waiting just
over three hours.
"Their plan was simple. Since he didn't know they were there,
he'd probably wait for his victim to show up. When he got there,
Piper would freeze him and then Prue would cast the vanquishing spell.
It would all be over in moments. Of course, the case would
remain unsolved for the police. But the innocent would be saved. And
all the innocents in the future would be protected from this demon
possessed warlock.
"What do you plan to do after this? Piper asked Prue as they
waited.
"I don't know," said Prue. "Darryl said he'd help me get some
proper identification. I don't have any. And no one is going to
believe that I'm fifty-eight years old. I'll need to get a job. He
said he could get me some identification with some adjusted dates so I
can start looking for a job."
"I was thinking," said Piper. "Maybe we could get the manor
back. We could all move back there. It could be like old times."
"I've seen the manor," said Prue. "It's not habitable. They're
going to have to tear it down."
"That's a shame," said Piper. "If I hadn't been so pig headed .
. .."
"It wasn't your fault," said Prue. "I just disappeared. Even
Darryl and Phoebe thought I had run off. To be honest, I would
probably have thought the same thing myself."
"You know," said Piper, "I can't even remember what it was we
argued about."
"It was stupid," said Prue. "It was just after Leo proposed to
you. I said it was a bad idea to try to fool the Elders."
"Oh yeah, I remember now," said Piper. "I'm sorry about that.
As I recall, I accused you of trying to ruin my happiness. I think I
even accused you of being jealous. Afraid that you'd end up an old
maid or something. I'm so sorry about that."
"Yeah, you did," said Prue. "And you were right. I was
jealous. I'm the oldest one. I felt I should be the first one to get
married. It was my jealousy that caused all this. It wasn't any of
my business if you and Leo got married. I should have stayed out of
it. If I had, maybe you and Leo might have ended up together."
"Water under the bridge," said Piper. "But you're back now. We
can start to mend some fences. Besides, there's a lot you can teach
Heather. And she's going to need that now that she has her powers
back."
Suddenly a figure moved into the alley from the street. The
light from the streetlamp just barely illuminated Richard James as he
stepped behind a dumpster, obscuring him from the street.
"Looks like you're up," whispered Prue. "You freeze him and
I'll read the spell. He'll be vanquished before he even knows we're
here."
Piper just smiled. A quick test at Darryl's had proven she
still had her powers. Now, for the first time in twenty-five years,
she'd use those powers again to protect the life of an innocent.
"Piper raised her hands. Nothing happened. James didn't
freeze. Piper tried again with the same results. Her power was not
affecting him.
"Damn," swore Piper. "The innocent could come along any minute.
We have to get him away from the street."
Prue rose from her hiding place and reached out with her
telekinetic ability. She planned to throw the warlock back up the
alley. Where she and her sisters could stop him.
But her power never took hold of him. Instead, it reflected
around him as if he had an invisible shield protecting him. He spun
to face her.
"You," he hissed at her, surprise in his voice. "I thought I
had destroyed you the last time we met. But you did show me that I
had a weakness." He reached up and grabbed a necklace around his
neck. "In two hundred fifty four years you were the only witch ever
to try to stop me. So I decided to invest in a little insurance.
"A small talisman that protects me from your powers. I figured
if I ever ran into another witch, it might come in handy. It was
quite expensive, I can assure you. But I can see it was a wise
investment."
"Maybe it won't work on you," said Prue, "but it will still work
on other things."
Prue used her power on the dumpster he was standing next to.
The dumpster slid against him, pinning him between it and the wall.
But he was far from trapped. He simply blinked out and reappeared at
the entrance to the alley.
"You didn't really think that would hold me, did you, witch?"
asked James.
Suddenly a large rock flew across the alley, striking the
warlock in the back. He was knocked to the ground, but quickly
regained his feet. He looked around to see Piper, Phoebe, Heather,
and Darryl moving out of their hiding places.
"She's not alone this time," said Piper.
"And she's not the only one who can move objects," added
Heather.
James looked around him. Even if he was protected against their
magic, he was greatly outnumbered. The police may not be able to
prove anything, but the longer he remained in the public eye, the
greater his chances of exposure.
"I suppose we'll have to postpone our little reunion," said
James. "I'm afraid I don't care much for crowds."
"He's going to blink out," shouted Piper.
"No," screamed Heather, reaching out toward the warlock to stop
him.
She was much too far away to stop him, of course. Reaching out
had been a reflex action. Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed
directly in front of the warlock's face. Almost everyone was too far
away for the light to have any substantial affect on them. But it had
flashed directly in front of James' eyes. He reached up immediately
and covered his eyes, cursing at Heather.
"Whoa, did I do that?" asked Heather in total amazement.
"Quick, the talisman," shouted Phoebe.
Darryl was the closest to James. He moved into grab the
protection device. As he did, James cast an energy ball in
desperation. The weapon struck Darryl full in the chest, sending him
flying back across the alley.
Everyone froze for an instant as Darryl struck the wall of a
building and slumped to the ground. Seeing that he wasn't moving,
they once more turned on the warlock.
Just then a woman walked around the corner of the building
nearest James. It was the woman Phoebe had seen in her premonition.
She stopped short, looking around at the battle scene. James had
recovered from the flash attack and reached out and grabbed her by the
arm. He held her in front of him as a human shield.
"Well, it seems I have what I came for after all," said James.
"Sorry I can't stick around, ladies. But I'm afraid I have more
urgent business which demands my attention at the moment."
Before any of the women could move, the warlock blinked out of
the alley and was gone. Along with his hostage. They had no way of
knowing where he was. And he had gotten his fifth, and final, victim.
"The four women rushed over to help Darryl. But it was already
too late. Darryl lay unmoving in the alley where he had fallen. He
was already dead from the energy ball the warlock had used on him.
The five people sat hidden in the alley where Phoebe's
premonition had shown the attack would occur. It hadn't been
difficult to locate. They had arrived just before dusk. Since Phoebe
had no way of knowing what time the attack would occur, they decided
to simply wait for the warlock to show up. They had been waiting just
over three hours.
"Their plan was simple. Since he didn't know they were there,
he'd probably wait for his victim to show up. When he got there,
Piper would freeze him and then Prue would cast the vanquishing spell.
It would all be over in moments. Of course, the case would
remain unsolved for the police. But the innocent would be saved. And
all the innocents in the future would be protected from this demon
possessed warlock.
"What do you plan to do after this? Piper asked Prue as they
waited.
"I don't know," said Prue. "Darryl said he'd help me get some
proper identification. I don't have any. And no one is going to
believe that I'm fifty-eight years old. I'll need to get a job. He
said he could get me some identification with some adjusted dates so I
can start looking for a job."
"I was thinking," said Piper. "Maybe we could get the manor
back. We could all move back there. It could be like old times."
"I've seen the manor," said Prue. "It's not habitable. They're
going to have to tear it down."
"That's a shame," said Piper. "If I hadn't been so pig headed .
. .."
"It wasn't your fault," said Prue. "I just disappeared. Even
Darryl and Phoebe thought I had run off. To be honest, I would
probably have thought the same thing myself."
"You know," said Piper, "I can't even remember what it was we
argued about."
"It was stupid," said Prue. "It was just after Leo proposed to
you. I said it was a bad idea to try to fool the Elders."
"Oh yeah, I remember now," said Piper. "I'm sorry about that.
As I recall, I accused you of trying to ruin my happiness. I think I
even accused you of being jealous. Afraid that you'd end up an old
maid or something. I'm so sorry about that."
"Yeah, you did," said Prue. "And you were right. I was
jealous. I'm the oldest one. I felt I should be the first one to get
married. It was my jealousy that caused all this. It wasn't any of
my business if you and Leo got married. I should have stayed out of
it. If I had, maybe you and Leo might have ended up together."
"Water under the bridge," said Piper. "But you're back now. We
can start to mend some fences. Besides, there's a lot you can teach
Heather. And she's going to need that now that she has her powers
back."
Suddenly a figure moved into the alley from the street. The
light from the streetlamp just barely illuminated Richard James as he
stepped behind a dumpster, obscuring him from the street.
"Looks like you're up," whispered Prue. "You freeze him and
I'll read the spell. He'll be vanquished before he even knows we're
here."
Piper just smiled. A quick test at Darryl's had proven she
still had her powers. Now, for the first time in twenty-five years,
she'd use those powers again to protect the life of an innocent.
"Piper raised her hands. Nothing happened. James didn't
freeze. Piper tried again with the same results. Her power was not
affecting him.
"Damn," swore Piper. "The innocent could come along any minute.
We have to get him away from the street."
Prue rose from her hiding place and reached out with her
telekinetic ability. She planned to throw the warlock back up the
alley. Where she and her sisters could stop him.
But her power never took hold of him. Instead, it reflected
around him as if he had an invisible shield protecting him. He spun
to face her.
"You," he hissed at her, surprise in his voice. "I thought I
had destroyed you the last time we met. But you did show me that I
had a weakness." He reached up and grabbed a necklace around his
neck. "In two hundred fifty four years you were the only witch ever
to try to stop me. So I decided to invest in a little insurance.
"A small talisman that protects me from your powers. I figured
if I ever ran into another witch, it might come in handy. It was
quite expensive, I can assure you. But I can see it was a wise
investment."
"Maybe it won't work on you," said Prue, "but it will still work
on other things."
Prue used her power on the dumpster he was standing next to.
The dumpster slid against him, pinning him between it and the wall.
But he was far from trapped. He simply blinked out and reappeared at
the entrance to the alley.
"You didn't really think that would hold me, did you, witch?"
asked James.
Suddenly a large rock flew across the alley, striking the
warlock in the back. He was knocked to the ground, but quickly
regained his feet. He looked around to see Piper, Phoebe, Heather,
and Darryl moving out of their hiding places.
"She's not alone this time," said Piper.
"And she's not the only one who can move objects," added
Heather.
James looked around him. Even if he was protected against their
magic, he was greatly outnumbered. The police may not be able to
prove anything, but the longer he remained in the public eye, the
greater his chances of exposure.
"I suppose we'll have to postpone our little reunion," said
James. "I'm afraid I don't care much for crowds."
"He's going to blink out," shouted Piper.
"No," screamed Heather, reaching out toward the warlock to stop
him.
She was much too far away to stop him, of course. Reaching out
had been a reflex action. Suddenly, a brilliant light flashed
directly in front of the warlock's face. Almost everyone was too far
away for the light to have any substantial affect on them. But it had
flashed directly in front of James' eyes. He reached up immediately
and covered his eyes, cursing at Heather.
"Whoa, did I do that?" asked Heather in total amazement.
"Quick, the talisman," shouted Phoebe.
Darryl was the closest to James. He moved into grab the
protection device. As he did, James cast an energy ball in
desperation. The weapon struck Darryl full in the chest, sending him
flying back across the alley.
Everyone froze for an instant as Darryl struck the wall of a
building and slumped to the ground. Seeing that he wasn't moving,
they once more turned on the warlock.
Just then a woman walked around the corner of the building
nearest James. It was the woman Phoebe had seen in her premonition.
She stopped short, looking around at the battle scene. James had
recovered from the flash attack and reached out and grabbed her by the
arm. He held her in front of him as a human shield.
"Well, it seems I have what I came for after all," said James.
"Sorry I can't stick around, ladies. But I'm afraid I have more
urgent business which demands my attention at the moment."
Before any of the women could move, the warlock blinked out of
the alley and was gone. Along with his hostage. They had no way of
knowing where he was. And he had gotten his fifth, and final, victim.
"The four women rushed over to help Darryl. But it was already
too late. Darryl lay unmoving in the alley where he had fallen. He
was already dead from the energy ball the warlock had used on him.