Chapter Seven
"I don't trust him," Paige complained for the umpteenth time, hoping someone would finally support her practical way of thinking. Cole was insane and that they were blindly following his lead made it even worse.
"Neither do I," Piper agreed as she cautiously opened the heavy door to the warehouse, "but Phoebe's right, he has knowledge we don't have so we need his help."
"Thank you, Piper," Phoebe said a bit too smugly. She'd been keeping an eye on Cole from the time they left the manor. Something had changed between them and she knew Paige, at least, sensed it. But both sisters certainly disapproved of his presence and the last thing she wanted was to let Cole come between her and her sisters, whether they were actually hers or not. At the same time, she was also afraid she wouldn't have enough time to enjoy this surprisingly peaceful state between her and Cole before she returned to her own reality.
"Don't thank me," Piper quickly informed her younger sister after she followed Phoebe into the dark reception area, "because you and I are going to have a very long talk when we get home."
Phoebe sighed in anticipation of the lecture she'd be receiving and almost hoped she'd be gone before having to sit through it. It seemed to her that Piper's the same no matter which world she's in. To change the subject, she asked Cole, "Sense anything?"
He shook his head and motioned to the swinging doors opposite them. "But that doesn't mean we're safe. Keep your eyes and ears open."
Paige followed the others through the doors into the main area of the warehouse and instantly shivered. "Didja feel that?" But her sisters looked blankly at her and she shrugged in slight embarrassment, "My imagination, I guess. Warehouses at night. Too creepy."
There were rows and rows of stacks of crates and most of the overhead lights were out. The few that were lit cast eerie shadows along the crates and walls. Paige and Piper slowly walked down an aisle between two rows of stacks while Phoebe followed Cole in the opposite direction.
"Light!" Paige whispered loudly as she pointed to the frosted glass pane of a door at the far end of her aisle.
"Someone's home," Phoebe whispered to Cole as they turned around and joined her sisters.
"This Medallion," he reminded them in a low tone, "is like the Hollow in that it will absorb your magic leaving you vulnerable for attack and probable death." He saw Piper about to protest again and quickly cut her off by stating, "If you attack, it will absorb your baby's powers in addition to your own. Are you really willing to risk your baby's life as well as your own just to prove me wrong?"
Sudden fear washed over Piper. Over the past several months she had begun to take her baby's invincibility for granted and, when Cole had warned them before they left, she hadn't taken his words seriously because she was more pissed at him for actually having the nerve to be there than anything else. Unfortunately, he was right. She wasn't about to risk her daughter's life just because the information came from him. "We'll be careful," she promised in an unexpectedly choked voice and she was momentarily grateful for the comforting grips of her sisters upon her shoulders.
"You distract the demon," Paige declared, "while I orb the Medallion into my hands. Then a simple Power of Three spell will send the demon straight to hell."
"It should be so simple," Phoebe muttered. Ashamed of her negativity, she glanced to the others and forced a smile as she told them, "We're strong enough. We can do this." Her sisters nodded and she gave them a more natural smile.
But, as they walked toward the door, Phoebe suddenly stopped moving. "I know who the demon is," she announced. The others turned to her but she focused only on Cole, "You do, tooYou're the one who told us about the demon brothers who had gone after the Medallion in the pastThere was a third, wasn't there."
"Garazan," Cole realized with annoyance. "I should've thought of him before."
"Maybe you were distracted," she quietly suggested. His features softened slightly and she gave him a hesitant smile before she grew serious. "What do we do now?"
"Who's Garazan?" Paige interrupted with growing frustration at the silent communication between her sister and former brother-in-law.
Piper deliberately enunciated each syllable of her sister's name when she asked, "Phoebe, what's going on?"
Phoebe recognized the tone in her sister's voice but was more concerned about the dilemma she now faced. "Cole, we can't"
"We won't," he quickly assured her. "Unless he gives us no choice."
"No choice for what?" Paige asked with exasperation. But the answer to her question came in the form of a lightning bolt that narrowly missed her head. She and Piper ducked behind a stack of crates on one side of the aisle while Phoebe and Cole took cover behind a stack on the opposite side. Another bolt hit the side of the crate nearest her and she coughed from the smell of singed wood.
"What the hell is that?" Piper uttered when she grabbed Paige back from peeking around the side of the crate.
"Big dog?" Paige nervously asked. "Did I ever tell you I have a thing about them? Like the fact that I'm terrified of em?"
"Krillik," Cole corrected as he fired an energy ball down the aisle. "But, I suppose you're right, in a way," he admitted as he crouched back. "A Krillik's level of intelligence is closer to that of an animal like a dog. Mainly, they're used for protection because of their thick skin and ability to attack with lightning. But they also have a powerful sense of smell and can hunt down prey in mere minutes by blinking straight to their target."
"Great," Paige muttered, "demonic Cujo."
"Who needs Stephen King when you've got the Power of Three?" Phoebe quipped unconvincingly.
"You won't need the Power of Three," he told her. "All I need is one shot."
"Why would this Garazan need a Krillik if he's got the Medallion?" Piper wondered aloud.
"Maybe it's not his," Paige suggested. "And you still haven't told us about Garazan, Phoebe. How do you know him?"
"Garazan wouldn't risk going after the Medallion himself," Phoebe decided as she ignored her sister's question. Cole nodded and she added, "He probably hired some sort of middle-man, er, demon to get the Medallion and that demon's the one who hired the kid who shot Misty."
"Doesn't explain how you managed to get hit over the head when Kenny was in front with Misty," Piper said. "And why wouldn't this demon finish the job after he killed Kenny?"
"Sounded more like Cujo here got to Kenny," Paige interrupted.
"Maybe by the time Kenny turned over the Medallion," Phoebe figured, "Misty and I were already being taken care of and were surrounded by people. The demon probably didn't want to draw any unnecessary attention to itself."
"Witches aren't the only ones who don't want to be revealed in public," Cole agreed. "Besides, it had the Medallion and that's what was important."
Piper shook her head, "Still doesn't make sense."
"Do they ever? Bunch of cowardly demons if you ask me," Paige determined, "using a mere human and demonic dog to do their dirty work." But she heard a low rumbling growl near by and huddled closer to her older sister.
"Then Garazan might not even be here," Piper suddenly realized while she tried not to let Paige's nervous reaction aggravate her own nerves. "We probably scried for this other demon and not Garazan who actually has the Medallion."
Cole shook his head. "Garazan will be here. He doesn't leave loose ends and will eliminate the demon and its Krillik. Then he'll go after Misty and," he glanced at Phoebe, "you when he learns you were at the scene." He peered around the stack. "Strange that Garazan would even entrust such a task to a low-level demon."
"I just hope that low-level means we can vanquish it easily," Phoebe commented. "It'll be hard enough confronting Garazan."
"Any demon that needs to own a Krillik," Cole told her, "and still need use of a human isn't much of a threat on its own. You won't need the Power of Three." He saw a shadow move and he faded from Phoebe's side.
She suddenly saw a flash of fire from over the top of a nearby stack and grinned, "Cole, one, Krillik, nothing."
"Phoebe," Piper chastised.
"Get ready," Cole warned them when he suddenly reappeared by Phoebe's side.
"For what?" Paige asked in surprise.
Suddenly the crate on top of the stack they were hiding behind exploded in splinters of wood that rained down upon them. Cole covered Phoebe with his body and, from the corner of his eye, noticed that Paige and Piper were shielding their heads with their hands and arms.
"Who is responsible?!" a deep voice boomed. "Show yourselves and face my wrath!"
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"Why do demons always make their headquarters in warehouses?" Paige complained as she and her sisters cautiously walked down the dark alley toward a warehouse.
"Because they don't enjoy hanging around the beach club," Phoebe retorted but still flashed her sister a look of amusement. "Don't worry, sweetie, we'll protect you."
"Can the chatter," Piper grumbled. She was missing bath-time with Wyatt and had no desire to be demon-hunting. "Let's just get this over with. Everyone remember the plan?"
Paige nodded, "You distract the demon while I orb the Medallion to safety. Then we say one fabulous Power of Three spell and, boom, no more demon."
"Piece of cake," Phoebe confidently replied.
Piper tempered her sisters' enthusiasm by warning, "Remember what Leo said, the Medallion can absorb our powers so no direct confrontation with the demon."
"Leo said it might absorb the powers only after the witch is dead," Paige reminded her.
"Let's not test that theory," Phoebe advised while she gave one last glance down the alley while Piper opened the door to the warehouse.
The three sisters linked arms and carefully made their way through the dark reception area into the actual warehouse.
"Didja feel that?" Paige whispered when she involuntarily shivered as soon as she passed through the swinging doors.
"Your imagination," Piper told her. "Dark warehouses at night give anyone the creeps."
Phoebe snapped her head to the right. She was sure she saw something dark, something large, dart by. "What was that?"
Piper yanked on both sisters' arms, "Would you both stop it? It's just the overhead lights casting shadows."
"Someone's home," Phoebe announced and indicated to the frosted glass pane of the door at the far end of the aisle.
"Piece of cake," Paige whispered encouragingly to herself even as she squeezed Piper's hand a little tighter while she walked between her sisters toward the door.
Phoebe suddenly stopped moving and slapped her forehead in annoyance, "Garazan! Dammit, I should've made the connection when Leo told us about the Medallion."
"What's a Garazan?" Paige warily asked.
"We're in trouble," Phoebe nervously thought aloud, "I can't"
"Can't what?" Piper questioned. Worried by the expression on her sister's face, she deliberately enunciated each syllable of her sister's name when she asked, "Phoebe, what's going on?"
"Is Garazan the one who has the Medallion? What haven't you told us?" Paige quickly asked in a slightly miffed tone. But the answer to her question came in the form of a lightning bolt that narrowly missed her head.
Piper grabbed her sisters and ducked for cover behind one of the stacks of crates. She then pulled Paige back from peeking around the side of the crate.
Paige automatically dropped to the floor when a lightning bolt suddenly hit the edge of the crate. She scrambled back, closer to her sisters, and coughed from the smell of singed wood.
"Is that Garazan?" Piper demanded from Phoebe.
"Of course not," Phoebe snorted. But she didn't want to get into the subject of Garazan. Her real sisters or not, Piper and Paige wouldn't understand. Once again, she was unable to escape her past with Cole and she scowled. She almost wished she was back home so she could avoid the inevitable conversation with them. But Cole was there and she wasn't in that big of a rush to get back yet. Instead, she sighed and admitted, "I've got no idea what this thing is. Big dog?"
"Great," Paige nervously muttered, "we're trapped by demonic Cujo. Did I ever tell you that I'm terrified of big dogs?"
"Who needs Stephen King when you've got the Power of Three," Phoebe quipped with a nod to Piper.
But Piper frowned, "It still doesn't make sense."
"Does it matter?" Paige wondered. "We'll just vanquish this thing in addition to Garazan."
"But," Piper countered, "if Garazan has the Medallion, why would he need the attack dog from hell?"
"No idea, but if you wouldn't mind blowing it up," Paige requested, "I'd sure appreciate it."
"Garazan wouldn't go after the Medallion himself and it doesn't sound like Cujo here has the ability," Phoebe decided. "He probably ordered someone else to do the job and that person, er, demon is the one who hired Kenny to kill Misty."
"Only Misty wasn't alone and stood up to Kenny," Piper considered, "and, when she wasn't killed, the demon had to clean up his mess."
"Sounded like Cujo's the one who took care of Kenny," Paige wrinkled her nose in distaste. "Didn't Darryl say Kenny'd been ripped apart?"
But Phoebe was still puzzled, "If Kenny shot Misty, who hit me over the head? And Kenny was found only a few blocks away so why not come after us and finish the job?"
"Maybe because the demon had the Medallion it needed and you and Misty were already surrounded," Piper suggested.
Phoebe understood. "Demons are just as wary as witches of being revealed in public."
"And maybe this demon couldn't finish the job," Paige contemplated. "Maybe it's not powerful enough. Why else would it need Cujo here or even have to hire a human to get the Medallion in the first place?"
"Then how dumb is Garazan that he uses a demon who can't handle the job?" Piper sniffed in disapproval.
"Garazan's not dumb," Phoebe mumbled to herself.
"What do we need to know about him?" Piper demanded. But another lightning bolt hit the side of the crate and she threatened, "That's it! I don't care how any of it happened, this dog is history!" She darted into the aisle and threw her hands up at the large black creature opposite her. She only caught a glimpse of its glowing red eyes and dripping fangs before it blew up and sprayed green goo all over the crates. She looked down at the splotches on her shirt, "Dammit, I finally got all of Wyatt's spit-up stains out of this shirt."
"Piper, one, Evil Doggy, nothing," Phoebe grinned. She couldn't help but feel comforted by the fact that her sister's the same in any reality.
"Phoebe," Piper chastised.
"Maybe this demon'll be as easy to vanquish," Paige hoped.
Suddenly, the crate on top of the stack behind them exploded in splinters of wood that rained down upon them.
"Maybe not," Paige whispered as she and her sisters shielded their heads with their hands and arms.
"Who dared?!" a deep voice boomed. "Show yourselves and face my wrath!"
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