The Orb of Xordapth Part One: They
1
Prue sat on one of the white wicker chairs on the conservatory. The sun shone through the stained glass windows above and around her. Her black leather trousers felt uncomfortable in the heat but she managed to ignore it. She sat with the Book of Shadows in her lap wide open at a page near the beginning.
Paige entered the room, followed by Piper and Phoebe. Phoebe sat on the wicker sofa and Paige settled down next to her. Piper, however, looked suspiciously at the Book of Shadows, which lay mysteriously open on the white wicker chair in the corner.
"Who left the Book down here?" asked Piper.
"Beats me." said Phoebe, looking over at the chair.
Prue smiled as she stood up and carried the Book into the living room, calling for her sisters. She plopped herself onto the sofa and lay the Book onto the table in front of her. She scanned the page, biting her lip. She looked up and saw a notepad and a pen sitting upon the mantel. She squinted her eyes and the pad shot across the room, landing with a loud snap on the coffee table.
Phoebe and Piper watched as the Book sailed up across the conservatory and through to the living room. It rested on the living room table, and a notepad flew across the room and landed loudly on the table beside the book. Paige, however, sat staring at her fingernails and seemed shocked when she looked up to find no one there.
She stood up and walked into the living room to find Piper and Phoebe stood there with puzzled looks on their faces, looking at the couch on which sat no other than their dead sister, Prudence Haliwell. Paige recognised her from pictures.
"What's going on?" asked Paige, looking flummoxed.
"I think we might have a poltergeist." said Phoebe.
"Yeah," replied Paige, "in the form of Prue."
She pointed to where Prue sat on the couch. Prue smiled up at her, as though she had known her like the other sisters. Then she stood up and walked around the coffee table to Paige. A little scared, Paige took a step back. Piper and Phoebe turned to look at Paige, bemused. Then, Prue spoke to Paige.
"I can't stay long," she said, her expression hardening. "I've come to give you a message, but seeming as you're the only one who can see me, I'm guessing you're the only one who can hear me too."
Paige looked around Prue to the others. As they were stood there looking at Paige as though she was crazy, Paige guessed they hadn't heard a word of what Prue had said. Looking back at Prue, smiling, she said, "Go on."
"I'm here to tell you that They are coming," said Prue, "and They're pissed off." Cutting off Paige as she was bout to say something, she said, "Nobody knows what They are. All anybody knows is that They won't stop until They have killed the Protectors and have gotten the Orb of Xordapth. It's a mystical orb that was created to rip down the dimensional barriers between Hell and Earth. They want it and you three are the Protectors. The information you need is in the book at the open page."
Prue vanished.
Paige looked at the sisters and walked towards the Book. She sat down where Prue had been on the couch and looked down at the open page. There, the page full of twisting black writing told the story of the Orb of Xordapth.
2
The Story of Xordapth (as written in the Book of Shadows) :
Xordapth was a powerful god. He controlled the skies, crashing down the punishment of lightning down on those who were dark, and Sun and rain on the crops of those who were good.
When the leader of a demonic hierarchy was destroyed by Xordapth, his followers set out to destroy Xordapth, though great his power was.
A great battle erupted between the demons and Xordapth's warriors, which were humans. Though there were great losses on both sides, the demons stood victorious by trapping Xordapth in an orb of ruby. His last words were, "My warriors shall pay for their failure, and my enemies' dimension will be expanded as a reward upon my release."
3
Paige looked up at the others.
A blue flash of light erupted behind Piper and Phoebe and small spheres of the light danced around each other. The fused and gave the form of Leo, Piper's husband. A White lighter.
"Did you see Prue?" he asked.
"No," Piper said, lengthening the sound, "but I think Paige may have lost her."
"I saw her," Paige cut in. "She told me about They. Who the hell are They and why are we the protectors of this orb thing?"
"Show then them the book." said Leo.
"Book." Paige muttered, waving her hand from the coffee table to Piper.
The Book of Shadows disintegrated into dancing orbs of light and flew across the room to Piper, who out stretched her arms. The spheres of light fused to give the Book which fell from a few inches into piper's arms, open.
Phoebe looked over Piper's shoulder and they read the page, which was decorated with a runic border and a picture of a bright red orb in the top right hand corner.
Piper looked up, having read the page, and snapped the book closed. ("Hey, I wasn't finished," from Phoebe, was ignored.) She thrust the book at Leo and headed for the stairs. The others followed her, Leo looking disgruntled at having had the Book thrown at him.
They made their way up to the attic where Piper headed to a wardrobe on the right hand side of the room. She opened the door gently and began rummaging through a cardboard box full of old herbs, candle stubs and other discarded magickal materials. She eventually pulled a small wooden box from inside and closed the wardrobe door, again a little too gently.
Walking to the table where they usually cast their spells, she set down the wooden box, which was carved with the same runic border on the page in the book. There was also a small dint in the centre of the box's lid, where Piper placed her index finger.
"I call the powers of Xordapth from the depths of the box of the unknown." she said.
The crack where the box would open glowed with golden light and the box sprang open to reveal a dark red sphere of stone, surrounded by midnight blue silk.
Piper lifted the Orb of Xordapth from the box and looked at it with sternly. She closed the box and set the orb in the dint, where it sat perfectly.
"Gramps told Prue and I that story when we were little. She always told us that Prue, Phoebe and I were the protectors. Prue and I just thought she told it to make us feel better, because she only did tell it when we were feeling low. I found it after she died and put it up here 'cause I just thought it was a spell or something. Guess I was wrong huh?"
"Leo, what can you tell us about They..Them..erm, whatever?" asked Phoebe.
"Just that They are wanting this orb." he replied.
"What did Prue tell you, Paige?" asked Piper.
"Just that if Xordapth is released he'll tar down the barriers separating Earth and Hell. Or. that's what I'm guessing from what I read in the book and what she said."
At that moment, the floor of the attic collapsed. A large, black robed figure, its head hooded, rose up out of the hole and screeched, "Where is the Orb?"
Piper waved an arm in front of herself and the demon exploded. She turned back to the table, opened the box and dropped the orb back in. Just as a second demon rose from the hole, Piper slammed the lid shut.
"Box of the Unknown!" cried Paige, and the box disintegrated, flying as the blue light towards her.
She took Phoebe's hand and orbed down to the living room. There they were met with a group of seven or eight black robed demon. They all screeched in unison, so loud that the girls had to cover their ears. The demons ran at them full pelt, and as Paige muttered, "Wrong place." She orbed herself and Phoebe out again and to the club.
"What do we do now?" asked Paige.
1
Prue sat on one of the white wicker chairs on the conservatory. The sun shone through the stained glass windows above and around her. Her black leather trousers felt uncomfortable in the heat but she managed to ignore it. She sat with the Book of Shadows in her lap wide open at a page near the beginning.
Paige entered the room, followed by Piper and Phoebe. Phoebe sat on the wicker sofa and Paige settled down next to her. Piper, however, looked suspiciously at the Book of Shadows, which lay mysteriously open on the white wicker chair in the corner.
"Who left the Book down here?" asked Piper.
"Beats me." said Phoebe, looking over at the chair.
Prue smiled as she stood up and carried the Book into the living room, calling for her sisters. She plopped herself onto the sofa and lay the Book onto the table in front of her. She scanned the page, biting her lip. She looked up and saw a notepad and a pen sitting upon the mantel. She squinted her eyes and the pad shot across the room, landing with a loud snap on the coffee table.
Phoebe and Piper watched as the Book sailed up across the conservatory and through to the living room. It rested on the living room table, and a notepad flew across the room and landed loudly on the table beside the book. Paige, however, sat staring at her fingernails and seemed shocked when she looked up to find no one there.
She stood up and walked into the living room to find Piper and Phoebe stood there with puzzled looks on their faces, looking at the couch on which sat no other than their dead sister, Prudence Haliwell. Paige recognised her from pictures.
"What's going on?" asked Paige, looking flummoxed.
"I think we might have a poltergeist." said Phoebe.
"Yeah," replied Paige, "in the form of Prue."
She pointed to where Prue sat on the couch. Prue smiled up at her, as though she had known her like the other sisters. Then she stood up and walked around the coffee table to Paige. A little scared, Paige took a step back. Piper and Phoebe turned to look at Paige, bemused. Then, Prue spoke to Paige.
"I can't stay long," she said, her expression hardening. "I've come to give you a message, but seeming as you're the only one who can see me, I'm guessing you're the only one who can hear me too."
Paige looked around Prue to the others. As they were stood there looking at Paige as though she was crazy, Paige guessed they hadn't heard a word of what Prue had said. Looking back at Prue, smiling, she said, "Go on."
"I'm here to tell you that They are coming," said Prue, "and They're pissed off." Cutting off Paige as she was bout to say something, she said, "Nobody knows what They are. All anybody knows is that They won't stop until They have killed the Protectors and have gotten the Orb of Xordapth. It's a mystical orb that was created to rip down the dimensional barriers between Hell and Earth. They want it and you three are the Protectors. The information you need is in the book at the open page."
Prue vanished.
Paige looked at the sisters and walked towards the Book. She sat down where Prue had been on the couch and looked down at the open page. There, the page full of twisting black writing told the story of the Orb of Xordapth.
2
The Story of Xordapth (as written in the Book of Shadows) :
Xordapth was a powerful god. He controlled the skies, crashing down the punishment of lightning down on those who were dark, and Sun and rain on the crops of those who were good.
When the leader of a demonic hierarchy was destroyed by Xordapth, his followers set out to destroy Xordapth, though great his power was.
A great battle erupted between the demons and Xordapth's warriors, which were humans. Though there were great losses on both sides, the demons stood victorious by trapping Xordapth in an orb of ruby. His last words were, "My warriors shall pay for their failure, and my enemies' dimension will be expanded as a reward upon my release."
3
Paige looked up at the others.
A blue flash of light erupted behind Piper and Phoebe and small spheres of the light danced around each other. The fused and gave the form of Leo, Piper's husband. A White lighter.
"Did you see Prue?" he asked.
"No," Piper said, lengthening the sound, "but I think Paige may have lost her."
"I saw her," Paige cut in. "She told me about They. Who the hell are They and why are we the protectors of this orb thing?"
"Show then them the book." said Leo.
"Book." Paige muttered, waving her hand from the coffee table to Piper.
The Book of Shadows disintegrated into dancing orbs of light and flew across the room to Piper, who out stretched her arms. The spheres of light fused to give the Book which fell from a few inches into piper's arms, open.
Phoebe looked over Piper's shoulder and they read the page, which was decorated with a runic border and a picture of a bright red orb in the top right hand corner.
Piper looked up, having read the page, and snapped the book closed. ("Hey, I wasn't finished," from Phoebe, was ignored.) She thrust the book at Leo and headed for the stairs. The others followed her, Leo looking disgruntled at having had the Book thrown at him.
They made their way up to the attic where Piper headed to a wardrobe on the right hand side of the room. She opened the door gently and began rummaging through a cardboard box full of old herbs, candle stubs and other discarded magickal materials. She eventually pulled a small wooden box from inside and closed the wardrobe door, again a little too gently.
Walking to the table where they usually cast their spells, she set down the wooden box, which was carved with the same runic border on the page in the book. There was also a small dint in the centre of the box's lid, where Piper placed her index finger.
"I call the powers of Xordapth from the depths of the box of the unknown." she said.
The crack where the box would open glowed with golden light and the box sprang open to reveal a dark red sphere of stone, surrounded by midnight blue silk.
Piper lifted the Orb of Xordapth from the box and looked at it with sternly. She closed the box and set the orb in the dint, where it sat perfectly.
"Gramps told Prue and I that story when we were little. She always told us that Prue, Phoebe and I were the protectors. Prue and I just thought she told it to make us feel better, because she only did tell it when we were feeling low. I found it after she died and put it up here 'cause I just thought it was a spell or something. Guess I was wrong huh?"
"Leo, what can you tell us about They..Them..erm, whatever?" asked Phoebe.
"Just that They are wanting this orb." he replied.
"What did Prue tell you, Paige?" asked Piper.
"Just that if Xordapth is released he'll tar down the barriers separating Earth and Hell. Or. that's what I'm guessing from what I read in the book and what she said."
At that moment, the floor of the attic collapsed. A large, black robed figure, its head hooded, rose up out of the hole and screeched, "Where is the Orb?"
Piper waved an arm in front of herself and the demon exploded. She turned back to the table, opened the box and dropped the orb back in. Just as a second demon rose from the hole, Piper slammed the lid shut.
"Box of the Unknown!" cried Paige, and the box disintegrated, flying as the blue light towards her.
She took Phoebe's hand and orbed down to the living room. There they were met with a group of seven or eight black robed demon. They all screeched in unison, so loud that the girls had to cover their ears. The demons ran at them full pelt, and as Paige muttered, "Wrong place." She orbed herself and Phoebe out again and to the club.
"What do we do now?" asked Paige.
