Leo and Kritt had been poking around the Underworld for over an hour and not come up with anything. They'd come close to getting caught several times, dodged a stray fireball or two, and were no better informed than they had been when they left the manor. Finally, Leo turned to Kritt.
"What, exactly, are we supposed to be looking for?" he asked.
Kritt put his finger to his lips, silencing the Whitelighter, then led him to a dark corner where it would be safe to talk. "Anything," he responded simply.
Leo shot him an exhasperated look.
"Okay, so I'm not exactly sure," Kritt sighed. "But we'll know it when we... Holy shit!"
Leo spun around to see what Kritt was pointing at. Two demons, both wearing the blood-red cloaks of the Alliance, were coming toward them.
"Don't move," Kritt warned. "As long as we stay in the dark, they won't see us. See that one on the left? That's Aarden."
Leo stared at Aarden, anger coursing through him as he thought about what this demon had done to Prue. She wasn't only his charge, but also his sister-in-law and his friend. He loved her as such, and knowing the way Aarden had hurt her, it made him wish that Whitelighters weren't required to remain pacifists. If only he could get in a couple of good punches...
Kritt nudged him. "Hey, pay attention."
Leo elbowed him back. "I'm sorry, the demonic jackass who nearly got one of my closest friends killed today is standing ten feet away from me. I'm finding it a little difficult to concentrate."
"Fine," Kritt hissed, "Then shut up and let me concentrate."
As Aarden and his fellow Alliance-member got closer, Kritt and Leo were able to hear most of their conversation.
"I assure you," Aarden said, "I am taking steps to... rectify the situation."
"Yes," his companion replied, "I heard about the failed attempt on the child's life. It's one thing to go after all three Charmed Ones and not succeed, but you couldn't even get the baby?"
"That baby is more powerful than anything the world has ever seen, including it's mother," Aarden shot back. "Give me time, Ecied. The Kurqi I've conjured almost succeeded. It will succeed, just as soon as I've had time to learn the best way past the Charmed Ones. I've bedded one of them before, I can certainly kill her just as easily."
"We're not after the witch, Aarden," Ecied said harshly. "We're after her child."
"Yes, of course, but if we kill her, that solves both our problems-" Aarden stopped short as Ecied put his hands up, shaking his head.
"You've got a lot to learn, Aarden," was all Leo and Kritt could make out before the two members of the Alliance moved out of earshot.
Leo and Kritt stepped out of their corner.
"Think we've heard enough?" Kritt asked.
Leo nodded. "We'd better go talk to the girls." He orbed out, and Kritt blinked after him.
They reappeared in the manor seconds later, standing in the conservatory. Piper, Phoebe, and Victor were waiting for them there.
"What did you find out?" Piper asked.
Kritt repeated the conversation they'd overheared. "We know they don't want to kill Prue," he finished, "But what we need to know is why."
"But that doesn't make sense," Phoebe said, "Prue's a Charmed One. Since when does evil not want to kill the Charmed Ones?"
"She's right," Victor agreed. "I may not know much about magic, but I know enough to know that my girls are evil's prime target. What's the difference now? Why would they want to keep Prue alive, but not the baby?"
"We don't know," Leo answered. "We do, however, know that a Kurqi demon has been called up for this, and that's what attacked Prue this afternoon. Do you remember seeing anything about a Kurqi in the Book of Shadows?"
Piper shook her head. "Leo, I went through that book cover to cover several times today, and I don't think it's in there."
Leo nodded. "I'll have to check with the Elders, then, although I suppose there's no point in doing it now." He looked over at the clock in the hall. "It's almost two in the morning. Where's Prue?"
"She went upstairs an hour ago, but I doubt she's asleep," Victor answered.
"Cole went into Kritt's room, in case something happened," Phoebe added.
"Okay, well Leo's right," Kritt said. "There's nothing more we can do tonight, and none of us is going to be any help to Prue if we can't keep our eyes open tomorrow, so we might as well just go to sleep."
Slowly, everyone else nodded their consent. They went upstairs, and filed into their own bedrooms, Piper and Phoebe stopping first to check on Prue. As her father had predicted, she was wide awake, but nodded quietly when her sisters ordered her to get some sleep. Finally, everyone got into the beds. All the lights in the house were turned off, but it was hours before anyone fell asleep.
"What, exactly, are we supposed to be looking for?" he asked.
Kritt put his finger to his lips, silencing the Whitelighter, then led him to a dark corner where it would be safe to talk. "Anything," he responded simply.
Leo shot him an exhasperated look.
"Okay, so I'm not exactly sure," Kritt sighed. "But we'll know it when we... Holy shit!"
Leo spun around to see what Kritt was pointing at. Two demons, both wearing the blood-red cloaks of the Alliance, were coming toward them.
"Don't move," Kritt warned. "As long as we stay in the dark, they won't see us. See that one on the left? That's Aarden."
Leo stared at Aarden, anger coursing through him as he thought about what this demon had done to Prue. She wasn't only his charge, but also his sister-in-law and his friend. He loved her as such, and knowing the way Aarden had hurt her, it made him wish that Whitelighters weren't required to remain pacifists. If only he could get in a couple of good punches...
Kritt nudged him. "Hey, pay attention."
Leo elbowed him back. "I'm sorry, the demonic jackass who nearly got one of my closest friends killed today is standing ten feet away from me. I'm finding it a little difficult to concentrate."
"Fine," Kritt hissed, "Then shut up and let me concentrate."
As Aarden and his fellow Alliance-member got closer, Kritt and Leo were able to hear most of their conversation.
"I assure you," Aarden said, "I am taking steps to... rectify the situation."
"Yes," his companion replied, "I heard about the failed attempt on the child's life. It's one thing to go after all three Charmed Ones and not succeed, but you couldn't even get the baby?"
"That baby is more powerful than anything the world has ever seen, including it's mother," Aarden shot back. "Give me time, Ecied. The Kurqi I've conjured almost succeeded. It will succeed, just as soon as I've had time to learn the best way past the Charmed Ones. I've bedded one of them before, I can certainly kill her just as easily."
"We're not after the witch, Aarden," Ecied said harshly. "We're after her child."
"Yes, of course, but if we kill her, that solves both our problems-" Aarden stopped short as Ecied put his hands up, shaking his head.
"You've got a lot to learn, Aarden," was all Leo and Kritt could make out before the two members of the Alliance moved out of earshot.
Leo and Kritt stepped out of their corner.
"Think we've heard enough?" Kritt asked.
Leo nodded. "We'd better go talk to the girls." He orbed out, and Kritt blinked after him.
They reappeared in the manor seconds later, standing in the conservatory. Piper, Phoebe, and Victor were waiting for them there.
"What did you find out?" Piper asked.
Kritt repeated the conversation they'd overheared. "We know they don't want to kill Prue," he finished, "But what we need to know is why."
"But that doesn't make sense," Phoebe said, "Prue's a Charmed One. Since when does evil not want to kill the Charmed Ones?"
"She's right," Victor agreed. "I may not know much about magic, but I know enough to know that my girls are evil's prime target. What's the difference now? Why would they want to keep Prue alive, but not the baby?"
"We don't know," Leo answered. "We do, however, know that a Kurqi demon has been called up for this, and that's what attacked Prue this afternoon. Do you remember seeing anything about a Kurqi in the Book of Shadows?"
Piper shook her head. "Leo, I went through that book cover to cover several times today, and I don't think it's in there."
Leo nodded. "I'll have to check with the Elders, then, although I suppose there's no point in doing it now." He looked over at the clock in the hall. "It's almost two in the morning. Where's Prue?"
"She went upstairs an hour ago, but I doubt she's asleep," Victor answered.
"Cole went into Kritt's room, in case something happened," Phoebe added.
"Okay, well Leo's right," Kritt said. "There's nothing more we can do tonight, and none of us is going to be any help to Prue if we can't keep our eyes open tomorrow, so we might as well just go to sleep."
Slowly, everyone else nodded their consent. They went upstairs, and filed into their own bedrooms, Piper and Phoebe stopping first to check on Prue. As her father had predicted, she was wide awake, but nodded quietly when her sisters ordered her to get some sleep. Finally, everyone got into the beds. All the lights in the house were turned off, but it was hours before anyone fell asleep.
