FIVE
"I just love game shows, don't you?" asked the warlock, smiling
as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Intuitively, Piper started to raise her hands to freeze the
intruder.
"Ah, ah, I wouldn't do that," said the warlock, holding his hand
up.
Dangling from the hand was a necklace. Piper and Phoebe
recognized it instantly. It was the same necklace Prue had been
wearing the day her body had disappeared.
"Where's our sister, you bastard?" demanded Piper.
"She's safe," said the warlock. He looked over at the weakened
astral form of Prue lying on the sofa. "Well, as safe as can be
expected under the circumstances."
"What do you want?" asked Phoebe.
"Weren't you paying attention?" asked the warlock. He made a
sound like a buzzer. "I'm sorry, but that's going to cost you all
your points. Would you like to play our bonus round?"
"Enough of the game shows," snapped Piper. "Just tell us what
you want."
"My, my, testy, aren't we?" asked the warlock. "Oh well. It's
very simple. I just want the Book of Shadows."
"You're crazy," said Leo. "Evil can't use the Book of Shadows.
It would be useless to you."
"Oh, no, you don't understand," said the warlock. "I don't want
to use it. I want to destroy it."
"You are insane," said Piper.
"Oh, you've wounded me," said the warlock, feigning pain. "It's
so upsetting. Actually, I'm quite lucid. More so than most of my
contemporaries. They would be satisfied with jut taking your powers.
But what makes the Charmed Ones the Charmed Ones?"
"The Book of Shadows," said Phoebe after a moment.
"Correct," said the warlock. "You are now in the lead of our
game. Would you like to double your points by telling me why I want
to destroy the Book of Shadows?"
"Jut get on with it," said Piper.
"Oh, you are really no fun," said the warlock. "Okay, take your
powers and sooner or later someone else gets the book. And then they
get powers of their own. Which means we have a new set of adversaries
to contend with. Now, for the one hundred point bonus question,
what's the surest way to win this little battle between good and
evil?"
"End the Charmed Ones forever," responded Piper.
"Ding, ding, ding," said the warlock. "Correct for one hundred
points. And the bet way to do that is make sure no one can ever get
any use from the book again. Once the book is destroyed, we never
have to worry about you coming back ever again. It's very simple.
Destroy the book and you get your sister back."
"How do we know you'll keep your word?" asked Phoebe.
"You don't'," said the warlock. "But then again, as I see it,
you really don't have a choice." He pulled a card out of his pocket
and laid it on the coffee table. "Think about it. When you make up
your mind, come to this address. And bring the book with you. Oh,
don't wait too long. There's less than eight hours left for your
sister to get back into her body."
The warlock blinked out of the manor, leaving them alone.
"Phoebe," said Piper, "go get the Book of Shadows. Bring it to
the kitchen."
"Piper, you can't be serious," said Leo. "If you destroy the
book, you'll loose your powers. You'll have no way to protect
yourselves, especially from him."
"And if we don't, Prue dies," said Phoebe. "Leo, we don't have
a choice. Either way we're going to loose our powers. We have no
idea where Prues' body is or how to find it. This is the only chance
we have to get her back."
"She'll die in less than eight hours," said Piper. "I'm not
going to let that happen. Not if there's any way for me to prevent
it."
"You know the warlock will probably just kill you all anyway,"
said Leo. "He's a warlock, for heavens' sake."
"We have to risk it," said Piper. "Right now, we have to get
ready to meet him."
"I guess I'll go check with the Elders again," said Leo. "Maybe
they've come up with something by now."
Leo orbed out of the manor while Phoebe went to the attic for
the Book of Shadows. Piper headed for the kitchen to make
preparations to meet with the warlock. Whatever she had to do, Piper
vowed that Prue would not die at the hands of that warlock.
"I just love game shows, don't you?" asked the warlock, smiling
as if he didn't have a care in the world.
Intuitively, Piper started to raise her hands to freeze the
intruder.
"Ah, ah, I wouldn't do that," said the warlock, holding his hand
up.
Dangling from the hand was a necklace. Piper and Phoebe
recognized it instantly. It was the same necklace Prue had been
wearing the day her body had disappeared.
"Where's our sister, you bastard?" demanded Piper.
"She's safe," said the warlock. He looked over at the weakened
astral form of Prue lying on the sofa. "Well, as safe as can be
expected under the circumstances."
"What do you want?" asked Phoebe.
"Weren't you paying attention?" asked the warlock. He made a
sound like a buzzer. "I'm sorry, but that's going to cost you all
your points. Would you like to play our bonus round?"
"Enough of the game shows," snapped Piper. "Just tell us what
you want."
"My, my, testy, aren't we?" asked the warlock. "Oh well. It's
very simple. I just want the Book of Shadows."
"You're crazy," said Leo. "Evil can't use the Book of Shadows.
It would be useless to you."
"Oh, no, you don't understand," said the warlock. "I don't want
to use it. I want to destroy it."
"You are insane," said Piper.
"Oh, you've wounded me," said the warlock, feigning pain. "It's
so upsetting. Actually, I'm quite lucid. More so than most of my
contemporaries. They would be satisfied with jut taking your powers.
But what makes the Charmed Ones the Charmed Ones?"
"The Book of Shadows," said Phoebe after a moment.
"Correct," said the warlock. "You are now in the lead of our
game. Would you like to double your points by telling me why I want
to destroy the Book of Shadows?"
"Jut get on with it," said Piper.
"Oh, you are really no fun," said the warlock. "Okay, take your
powers and sooner or later someone else gets the book. And then they
get powers of their own. Which means we have a new set of adversaries
to contend with. Now, for the one hundred point bonus question,
what's the surest way to win this little battle between good and
evil?"
"End the Charmed Ones forever," responded Piper.
"Ding, ding, ding," said the warlock. "Correct for one hundred
points. And the bet way to do that is make sure no one can ever get
any use from the book again. Once the book is destroyed, we never
have to worry about you coming back ever again. It's very simple.
Destroy the book and you get your sister back."
"How do we know you'll keep your word?" asked Phoebe.
"You don't'," said the warlock. "But then again, as I see it,
you really don't have a choice." He pulled a card out of his pocket
and laid it on the coffee table. "Think about it. When you make up
your mind, come to this address. And bring the book with you. Oh,
don't wait too long. There's less than eight hours left for your
sister to get back into her body."
The warlock blinked out of the manor, leaving them alone.
"Phoebe," said Piper, "go get the Book of Shadows. Bring it to
the kitchen."
"Piper, you can't be serious," said Leo. "If you destroy the
book, you'll loose your powers. You'll have no way to protect
yourselves, especially from him."
"And if we don't, Prue dies," said Phoebe. "Leo, we don't have
a choice. Either way we're going to loose our powers. We have no
idea where Prues' body is or how to find it. This is the only chance
we have to get her back."
"She'll die in less than eight hours," said Piper. "I'm not
going to let that happen. Not if there's any way for me to prevent
it."
"You know the warlock will probably just kill you all anyway,"
said Leo. "He's a warlock, for heavens' sake."
"We have to risk it," said Piper. "Right now, we have to get
ready to meet him."
"I guess I'll go check with the Elders again," said Leo. "Maybe
they've come up with something by now."
Leo orbed out of the manor while Phoebe went to the attic for
the Book of Shadows. Piper headed for the kitchen to make
preparations to meet with the warlock. Whatever she had to do, Piper
vowed that Prue would not die at the hands of that warlock.