TWO

"Is he out of his mind?" asked Prue. "If we use the Power of
Three against him, he'll be destroyed. Doesn't he know that?"

"Not necessarily," said Cole. "Isladec is a sort of mercenary
demon. Just like I used to be. He has no desire to rule the
underworld, although he could do so easily. The last few hundred
years he's spent training mercenaries. He grew bored with those who
opposed him. He said they didn't present any challenge to him any
longer. That's why he turned to training mercenaries."

"You sound like you're talking from personal experience," said
Leo.

"I am," said Cole. "Isladec is the one who trained me to be a
mercenary."

"Good," said Piper. "Then you'll know his weaknesses."

"That's just it," said Cole. "He doesn't have any. Not any
more. The last time he personally faced anyone was over three hundred
years ago. Four upper level demons decided to make a name for
themselves by taking him out. He destroyed them all and he had no
trouble doing it."

"Let's check the Book of Shadows," suggested Piper. "There has
to be something on him in there if he's as powerful as the two of you
say he is."

They all went to the attic to consult the Book of Shadows.
Piper flipped through the pages of the book until she found the entry
for Isladec. It was two full pages long.

She read the entire entry out loud for the rest of the group. I
didn't tell them anything which Cole and Leo hadn't already told them.
It did have one other point, however, which Piper read with trepidation.

"This is no ordinary demon," she read. "Under no circumstances
should he be confronted in combat."

"We have to get them out of here," said Cole. "Isladec will be
back to make good on his promise. He's never failed to complete an
assignment once he's taken it."

"I agree," said Leo. "Under the circumstances, I think I'd
better orb them up there until we can figure out what to do."

"No," said Prue. "We can't go running scared from this
Isladec."

"Prue," said Cole, "you have no idea what you're saying."

"Prue's right," said Piper. "If Isladec is after us, he'll just
wait until we come back down. We will have to face him eventually.
Might as well get it over with."

"Piper, you can't," pleaded Leo. "It's too dangerous. Phoebe,
surely you can see how insane it is to simply wait for him to show
up?"

"We'll need a Power of Three spell," said Phoebe. "I'll get
started on it right away. Piper, what about some kind of potion?"

"I don't think a potion will work on this demon," said Piper.
"Besides, we would need a portion of him for me to create a potion to
use against him. The spell will be more useful."

"Right," said Phoebe. "I'd better get started on it right
away."

"You're all crazy," said Cole. "Believe me when I tell you that
you have no idea what you're doing. When Isladec comes for you, it
won't be like any other demon you've ever faced. Facing the Source
would be preferable to facing Isladec."

"Then we'd better be ready," said Prue. "I'll look through the
Book of Shadows some more and see if there's anything else it can tell
us about this Isladec."

Cole and Leo watched in total disbelief as the sisters prepared
to face their greatest opponent yet.

* * *

Two days passed with no sign of the demon. Leo and Cole seemed
more apprehensive than the sisters. It was as if the girls had
resigned themselves to the fact they would have to face this demon and
that decision gave them a measure of peace.

Phoebe had finished the Power of Three spell and each of the
sisters had committed to memory. They didn't want to have to waste
time fumbling for a piece of paper when they faced such a powerful
adversary.

Finally, Cole couldn't take it any longer. He said he couldn't
just stand around any more. He announced he was going to the
underworld to see if there was anything he could do or find out.

"Cole, that's crazy," said Phoebe. "The Source wants you dead.
It's too dangerous for you to go down there."

"It's not any crazier than you waiting here for Isladec to
attack," retorted Cole. "Listen, Isladec doesn't just go after
someone for no reason. He's after you because someone hired him. If
I can find out who hired him, I might be able to get them to call him
off."

"That's not going to happen and you know it," said Prue. "You
told us that once Isladec takes an assignment, he never walks away
until it's completed. The Book of Shadows confirms that."

"I know that no one has ever cancelled an assignment once
they've hired him," said Cole. "But it's worth a try. I might be
able to convince them to cancel the assignment."

"Phoebe's right," said Piper. "It's too dangerous for you to go
down there. We can't allow you to go."

"It's not your decision," said Cole. "It's mine. And I'm
going. I'll be careful, I promise. But this is something I have to
do."

"You'd better be careful," said Phoebe, kissing him. "I want
you back in one piece."

"You just be careful, too," said Cole.

Cole shimmered out and was gone.

"You think it was wise to let him go?" Leo asked Phoebe.

"He was right," said Phoebe. "It was his decision. I don't
have to like it but I do have to respect his decision. Just like it
was our decision to stay and face Isladec."

"I hope none of you regret your decisions," said Leo.

"Well, if we do," said Prue, "let's hope we live long enough to
regret it for a very long time."