(And I'm back in action. I have so many ideas for other stories... but I've promised myself not to start any new ones until I finish a few that are already started. Just a little note: The chapters from here on will be named as the time of the day in which that particular scene takes place. Enjoy!!)
Chapter 5
1:30-2:30
Phoebe looked up at the castle and then behind her. She wasn't sure where anyone else was, but that was maybe for the best. The power of three couldn't overcome what she would be going through. No... it'd have to be a one woman show.
She braced herself and walked forward, towards the castle, feeling the muggy breeze against her sweat dampened skin. Hopefully the building was air-conditioned.
Reaching the steps, Phoebe felt her stomach drop to the ground. What was in there? What would be waiting for her? Tony had said he couldn't prevent what happened to her, yet he had already saved her. It was doubtful he would show the same courtesy to her family.
She looked at the doors and for a moment just stared, bewildered. There was no doorknob. The wooden double doors were the size of at least three of Phoebe, with intricately carved people and animals decorating it. It almost seemed to be spelling out some sort of story.
The first picture was that of a woman with a swollen stomach, her hands placed gently on it. The second was of the same woman and another, older woman battling a demon, two younger girls, the oldest five at the most, sat aside. The third was a picture of a hawk, it's wings encircling the younger woman and the fourth depicted the same woman with her arms outstretched. A baby laid in her hands. It looked as though she were giving it up. The last picture was of the triquetra. The symbol of her and her sisters.
Phoebe gazed up at the large door for a few more moments and then desperately dug her fingers in between the two doors, hoping to pry it open. It didn't work. She looked from side to side, both ends stretched for hundreds and hundreds of feet. Maybe there was a back door or a side door somewhere.
Nodding, Phoebe took off to the left and hoped she wouldn't waste too much time.
***
Paige winced in agony as she hobbled between Piper and Leo who tried to drag her up the large hills made of stone. It wasn't easy considering Piper was in almost as bad of shape as Paige.
"You ok, Paige?" Piper asked when they finally reached the top.
"Just a few broken bones," She managed to force out through tears of pain that were welling up in her eyes.
The two of them laid Paige down and Piper sat next to her. Piper looked horrible. A dried trail of blood lead from somewhere above her temple, hidden by hair, to down her neck. Another trail on the same side of her face came from a large cut above her eyebrow. Her cheekbone was badly bruised and swollen.
"Are you ok?" Paige asked, forcing every word out. It hurt to talk.
Piper nodded and looked at Leo who was beginning to tear his plaid shirt into pieces.
"We need to get some water," Leo said. He hovered over Paige.
"I can go look. I'm sure there's some somewhere," Piper offered.
Leo shook his head. "If anyone goes it should be me. I'm the strongest at the moment." He looked down at Paige. "Where does it hurt?"
Paige shook her head causing a tear to stream down her face. "Everything. My face my right arm, my right leg, my insides." She inhaled deeply which she realized was a mistake. He lungs felt like they were going to collapse. "My inside hurt so badly."
Leo gently slid up Paige's shirt a little to expose her stomach and gently placed his finger on her rib cage. He went up two inches and immediately Paige started crying out in pain. "There are probably a few broken ones in there."
Looking over at Piper, Leo shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going to look for water. We need it to clean out both yours and Paige's wounds. Especially Paige. Cover up Paige's deep leg and side wounds with my shirt until I get back."
Piper nodded as if she didn't like the idea, but knew there was no other choice. Paige no longer cared though. She gently closed one of her swollen eyes and tried desperately to get some peace.
***
Phoebe had been running along the wall for at least twenty minutes, she noted and came to a stop. The faster she ran, the longer the wall seemed to become. It was almost as if it didn't end.
She gazed back at the door. It was at least a mile behind her by now. When she had been standing there on the door step she would have never guess the wall to be this long. Maybe it didn't end. Maybe it was an illusion set up by Tony to keep her busy.
It was working. She slammed her back against the wall and sunk down.
'I need to get in!' She searched her mind for ideas but came up blank. She couldn't levitate, so she couldn't possibly go up. Going either way, left or right, was hopeless and it didn't look like there were any secret passages from where she sat.
Letting out a sigh, Phoebe laid her forehead against her kneecaps and rested.
***
Cole reached a door and looked at it for a moment. He was a demon anymore, but he almost had a sixth sense for the demonic and bad. This door was white. White should signify good, but he still had a feeling. Maybe Tony would be beyond this door or maybe a horrible henchman of his awaited to hack Cole to pieces.
Whatever it was Cole would be ready. Tony might be one of the most powerful beings ever. Certainly more powerful than the Charmed Ones. The only difference between him and most beings of power was that Tony wasn't capable of using his power for any other evil than bad dreams and making them real. He could protect himself with his powers and kill demons with them but, he had to rely on demons of lower levels to kill with power.
The story was that Tony's ancestors were good, normal Sandmen who did dreams like any other typical sandman. One day though the source had an idea to use a sandman for his own bidding. Tony's great, great, grandfather answered the call because he knew the source would make him more powerful than he already was. The source's plan failed and Tony's family line was cursed with evil.
The Source took revenge for the failure and made sure the family wouldn't become to powerful. That where the marriage came in.
If a sandman doesn't marry by a certain age, some which of magical powers he will become powerless and this way, easy to kill. But the shadow men like games and the Source added a few rules to make it even harder.
Why he put so much work into the process, Cole didn't know. He did know that he needed to go inside this room and fight whatever was in there. Tony wouldn't be able to use magical power on him, but the man could use physical power and his physical power was supernatural.
(Please review. I'm so proud I got another chapter up! I'm going to start the next chapter and post it Monday I hope. Maybe I could post a chapter a week. heh... yea right. Anywho hope you enjoyed it!)
Chapter 5
1:30-2:30
Phoebe looked up at the castle and then behind her. She wasn't sure where anyone else was, but that was maybe for the best. The power of three couldn't overcome what she would be going through. No... it'd have to be a one woman show.
She braced herself and walked forward, towards the castle, feeling the muggy breeze against her sweat dampened skin. Hopefully the building was air-conditioned.
Reaching the steps, Phoebe felt her stomach drop to the ground. What was in there? What would be waiting for her? Tony had said he couldn't prevent what happened to her, yet he had already saved her. It was doubtful he would show the same courtesy to her family.
She looked at the doors and for a moment just stared, bewildered. There was no doorknob. The wooden double doors were the size of at least three of Phoebe, with intricately carved people and animals decorating it. It almost seemed to be spelling out some sort of story.
The first picture was that of a woman with a swollen stomach, her hands placed gently on it. The second was of the same woman and another, older woman battling a demon, two younger girls, the oldest five at the most, sat aside. The third was a picture of a hawk, it's wings encircling the younger woman and the fourth depicted the same woman with her arms outstretched. A baby laid in her hands. It looked as though she were giving it up. The last picture was of the triquetra. The symbol of her and her sisters.
Phoebe gazed up at the large door for a few more moments and then desperately dug her fingers in between the two doors, hoping to pry it open. It didn't work. She looked from side to side, both ends stretched for hundreds and hundreds of feet. Maybe there was a back door or a side door somewhere.
Nodding, Phoebe took off to the left and hoped she wouldn't waste too much time.
***
Paige winced in agony as she hobbled between Piper and Leo who tried to drag her up the large hills made of stone. It wasn't easy considering Piper was in almost as bad of shape as Paige.
"You ok, Paige?" Piper asked when they finally reached the top.
"Just a few broken bones," She managed to force out through tears of pain that were welling up in her eyes.
The two of them laid Paige down and Piper sat next to her. Piper looked horrible. A dried trail of blood lead from somewhere above her temple, hidden by hair, to down her neck. Another trail on the same side of her face came from a large cut above her eyebrow. Her cheekbone was badly bruised and swollen.
"Are you ok?" Paige asked, forcing every word out. It hurt to talk.
Piper nodded and looked at Leo who was beginning to tear his plaid shirt into pieces.
"We need to get some water," Leo said. He hovered over Paige.
"I can go look. I'm sure there's some somewhere," Piper offered.
Leo shook his head. "If anyone goes it should be me. I'm the strongest at the moment." He looked down at Paige. "Where does it hurt?"
Paige shook her head causing a tear to stream down her face. "Everything. My face my right arm, my right leg, my insides." She inhaled deeply which she realized was a mistake. He lungs felt like they were going to collapse. "My inside hurt so badly."
Leo gently slid up Paige's shirt a little to expose her stomach and gently placed his finger on her rib cage. He went up two inches and immediately Paige started crying out in pain. "There are probably a few broken ones in there."
Looking over at Piper, Leo shook his head in disbelief. "I'm going to look for water. We need it to clean out both yours and Paige's wounds. Especially Paige. Cover up Paige's deep leg and side wounds with my shirt until I get back."
Piper nodded as if she didn't like the idea, but knew there was no other choice. Paige no longer cared though. She gently closed one of her swollen eyes and tried desperately to get some peace.
***
Phoebe had been running along the wall for at least twenty minutes, she noted and came to a stop. The faster she ran, the longer the wall seemed to become. It was almost as if it didn't end.
She gazed back at the door. It was at least a mile behind her by now. When she had been standing there on the door step she would have never guess the wall to be this long. Maybe it didn't end. Maybe it was an illusion set up by Tony to keep her busy.
It was working. She slammed her back against the wall and sunk down.
'I need to get in!' She searched her mind for ideas but came up blank. She couldn't levitate, so she couldn't possibly go up. Going either way, left or right, was hopeless and it didn't look like there were any secret passages from where she sat.
Letting out a sigh, Phoebe laid her forehead against her kneecaps and rested.
***
Cole reached a door and looked at it for a moment. He was a demon anymore, but he almost had a sixth sense for the demonic and bad. This door was white. White should signify good, but he still had a feeling. Maybe Tony would be beyond this door or maybe a horrible henchman of his awaited to hack Cole to pieces.
Whatever it was Cole would be ready. Tony might be one of the most powerful beings ever. Certainly more powerful than the Charmed Ones. The only difference between him and most beings of power was that Tony wasn't capable of using his power for any other evil than bad dreams and making them real. He could protect himself with his powers and kill demons with them but, he had to rely on demons of lower levels to kill with power.
The story was that Tony's ancestors were good, normal Sandmen who did dreams like any other typical sandman. One day though the source had an idea to use a sandman for his own bidding. Tony's great, great, grandfather answered the call because he knew the source would make him more powerful than he already was. The source's plan failed and Tony's family line was cursed with evil.
The Source took revenge for the failure and made sure the family wouldn't become to powerful. That where the marriage came in.
If a sandman doesn't marry by a certain age, some which of magical powers he will become powerless and this way, easy to kill. But the shadow men like games and the Source added a few rules to make it even harder.
Why he put so much work into the process, Cole didn't know. He did know that he needed to go inside this room and fight whatever was in there. Tony wouldn't be able to use magical power on him, but the man could use physical power and his physical power was supernatural.
(Please review. I'm so proud I got another chapter up! I'm going to start the next chapter and post it Monday I hope. Maybe I could post a chapter a week. heh... yea right. Anywho hope you enjoyed it!)