Confrontation

The sequel to "Surprise." I do not own any part of Charmed, I just write about it.

"My god," Phoebe gasped. The rest of the group could only stare in wonder at the structure before them. It shot up into the heavens beyond their range of vision, and was beautifully portrayed with gentling arching buttresses and amazing sculptures dotting the place.

The Founder smiled, "It is quite impressive, and we've seen many of the greatest structures of the human race."

"You're sure there are books in there," Cole wondered as he tried to take in the majestic site.

The Founder nodded, "We've found many ancient texts referring to this place as a place of knowledge, and the few people who have come out of there refer to great expanses of books rivaling the Library."

"Why haven't you entered?" Piper asked.

"Because of this," The Founder explained. He picked up a rock and threw it gently at the structure. When it got within 50 feet of it, the rock bounced off some sort of invisible wall. "We've tried every method we can research and devise, but have been unable to get past the barrier. Every person we've sent there has been judged unworthy, and those few people who came out of there never remembered how they got in."

"Well, we have no choice but to try," Gabriel mentioned. He then began to walk forward as the rest of the group fell in behind him. Gabriel tensed as he approached the barrier, and prepared to use his powers to blast through. When he came in contact with the barrier, Gabriel was immediately awash with power and he felt a forceful presence touch his mind.

Wha.state your name?

Gabriel hesitated, and then said, "I am Gabriel Coleridge Turner, Guardian of Life, and I request entry."

Gabriel felt the presence judge him, and then he felt faint surprise. Gabriel felt the barrier receding and heard softly in his mind, "Welcome old one. It is good to feel your touch again."

The Founder positively shook with happiness as the group walked forward and opened the main door, entering a long hallway. "This is amazing, I'm going to be the first of my kind to ever enter this place. It is a momentous occasion."

"Don't lose focus," Gerald warned, "We're here to find information on that gem, not spend the next century down here looking at the collection."

Any response the Founder would have made was lost as the group emerged from the hallway. All around them were books, stretching up beyond the range of the vision of everyone in the group. The bookshelves ran in every direction, and the group was caught by the sheer volume of it all.

"This is unbelievable.where are we even going to start?" Piper questioned.

"Think there's an index?" Paige muttered hopefully.

"Actually, this room is the index," a new voice interjected. The group turned to see an ancient figure approach them. His face was heavily lined and weary, and he was completely bald. He seemed to be wearing some form of feathered shawl that draped over his shoulders and down to just past his waist. The figure looked at them and said, "I must admit, I haven't had guests in here for quite some time. I wonder why the barrier let you in?"

"Well, we're here on a very important quest, so." Piper began, but the figure waved.

"Everyone who tries to come here has some compelling reason to enter, some life or death quest," the figure interrupted. "And with very few exceptions, the barrier has kept everyone out. I wonder why." the man trailed off as his gaze fell on Gabriel, who was fixing the man with a hostile expression.

"Wonder all you want," Gabriel said shortly, "Will you try and impede us?"

"Gabriel," Cole admonished.

"Father," Gabriel hissed, "Use your powers, and then you'll understand."

Cole looked puzzled, but he accessed his powers to scan the man from this place. Everything seemed normal, except.

Cole gasped, and said, "You're Azarian!"

As the group stared at him, the figure smiled, "Yes, I am. And while you two appear to be half-breeds of some sort, he is a full Azarian, something I haven't seen.in far too long."

"How do we know we can trust you," Gabriel snapped.

The figure shook his head, "I suspect you've had problems in the past with Azarians, but I do not consider myself one of them anymore. When the call to war came, I refused, saying I only existed to help people who come to our conservatory looking for answer. For my refusal, I was punished.severely."

Gabriel's eyes widened, and he said in a pitying tone of voice, "What happened to your wings?"

The group looked closer, and realized the feather shawl he wore were actually his wings. The bone tissue appeared to be completely removed, leaving him with two useless wings. The figure looked pained as he said, "Our leader used his powers to remove the bone from my wings, rendering me completely flightless."

"You're talking about Angel?" Pheobe asked.

The figure looked puzzled, and said, "I don't recognize the name, but if he was the first Azarian, then that is him."

"What is his real name," Gabriel demanded.

The figure sighed, "I don't know. We always called him 'my lord' or 'master'. To my knowledge, only God and himself knew his real name. But he's long dead, and that's all the matters."

Gabriel sighed, and said, "Actually, he's not."

"What!" The figure demanded. As Gabriel filled him in, the group saw rage come over his face. "That two-timing back-stabbing." The figure began to curse heavily in Azarian, leaving most of the group clueless as to what he was saying. Of the three that could understand, they all winced at the vile inflections coming out of his mouth.

Finally, the figure stopped. "That is truly an interesting story, and I pledge to help you in your quest. Now, describe this gem for me."

"Don't we need to look it up in the books?" Phoebe asked.

The figure smiled. "Ma'am, I am the Librarian. There is not a word of text in this entire collection that I don't know by heart. If there is any reference to such an object in these texts, I will know about it."

The Founder quickly explained the dimensions of the Amethyst gem. The figure paused, and said, "Are you sure that is the only gem that has been taken by this figure?"

The group looked startled, and Gabriel explained, "It's the only one missing from the Library. There are others?"

The Librarian sighed, "If what I believe is true, yes there is."

"What do you think it is," Gerald asked.

"Throughout the era of our race, the figure known as 'Angel' ran a lab," the Librarian explained, "He researched and created countless magical artifacts, spells, and devices. Many of them were dangerous, all of them were immensely powerful."

"And you think this gem is part of one of those devices?" Gabriel surmised.

The Librarian nodded, "Yes, a piece of one of his greatest creations. He never explained what it did, only that it could change the outcome of the war. Before he could use it, however, God stepped in and ended our conflict. As far as I know, the device was scattered to the four winds."

"How many gems were required for this thing to work?" Phoebe wondered.

"According to what I know, four." The Librarian answered.

"So, we know he has at least one gem, but how will we find the others?" Piper put forth.

"Well, 'Angel' put a spell on all of his creations," the Librarian mentioned, "so that should pieces ever be stolen or lost, he could find them again. I'm fairly sure a fully powered Azarian could copy that spell, and use it to track down the gems."

Gabriel sighed, and said, "What do I need to do?"

The Librarian gestured, "Follow me, and I'll explain."

As the two walked off, Gerald turned and said, "Do you trust him?"

"Not really, but I'm willing to give him some slack," Cole whispered back. "He seems to want to help us, and that is enough for me.for now."

***

"This is silly, we're going to miss the Games for today," Norad whined.

Bonar smacked him on the head, "Quit whining. Our leader has ordered us to patrol, and so we shall."

Norad snorted at Bonar and said, "Alright, alright."

Bonar would have snapped back when he saw a figure approaching from down the road. Bonar drew his sword and demanded, "Who goes there!"

The figure immediately dropped to his knees, and said, "A humble slave here to present a gift to his majesty."

Bonar examined the slave. It was a scrawny male, quick underdeveloped. Even with its interesting sapphire colored eyes, it was a useless thing, hardly worth ten zenaries. "Very well, slave. Hard over the gift from your master, and we shall see that our majesty receives it."

The slave looked panicked, and began, "My lord, I was told."

Quite as a flash, Bonar delivered a crushing blow to the slave's face, knocking it down. "Are you questioning me slave?"

"No great one, of course not," the slave groveled. He quickly held up a decently sized diamond as he kept in a bowed, obedient position.

Bonar turned to Norad, and said, "Let's take this in to his majesty. Looks like you'll get to see the Games after all. As for you," he added, "as punishment for questioning me, you may not move from this spot for a day."

"Yes great one," the slave intoned. Bonar and Norad immediately turned and walked off, the slave forgotten. Once they were out of sight, the slave fluidly got up and dusted himself off. He smiled as the illusion faded. "That should do the trick," Angel chuckled to himself.

***

"What did you discover?" Cole asked when Gabriel and the Librarian returned.

Gabriel looked worried, "Of the four gems, I could only detect one."

"Maybe the others were destroyed?" Gerald interjected.

Gabriel shook his head, "No, they were still in existence, I could feel that. But there location was.masked from me."

"You're saying Angel has all but one of the gems, aren't you?" Cole surmised.

Gabriel nodded, "Yes, and we have to hurry before he can get to this last one. But there's a problem."

"What's the problem?" Phoebe wondered.

"The realm Gabriel detected the gem in is a very brutal and harsh world," the Librarian explained. "In this realm, all humans are slaves kept in deplorable conditions by a race that vaguely resembles minotaurs of human myth. These minotaurs are quite powerful, and many of them are immune to most forms of magic. Your only hope is to sneak in and get it."

"I can provide illusions that we look like minotaurs," Gabriel continued, "but only for my father, uncle, and myself. It would be too much of a strain to try and provide it for non-Azarians."

"In addition, this realm is on the very outskirts of the known realities, and it would be very unlikely they would be able to contact anyone from your home reality," the Librarian concluded.

"There's no real choice, we need that gem," Piper said in a commanding tone. "I vote the three of you should go, and we'll go back to the home front and coordinate with the other Guardians to continue the search for Angel."

Gabriel nodded, "That is what we thought should be done as well. We'll get back as soon as we can."

Cole hugged Phoebe as Gerald walked over to Gabriel, "Don't worry, I'll keep him out of trouble," he promised her.

"But who'll keep you out of trouble?" Phoebe demanded before kissing him. She then watched as he walked over to Gabriel and Gerald and all three of them faded out.

TO BE CONTINUED.