Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Charmed. I think I got the idea across by now. I DON'T OWN CHARMED.

princesscatie21: thanks! And I'll try to write more often, I've gotten annoyed with myself since I haven't been updating…

"Imagination is intelligence having fun." – Anonymous

Chapter 17 – The Caves

"You're in the Caves." Aurakmet answered her.

"The Caves? Where's that? Where are Paige and Piper?" Phoebe began to get a little worried. "Paige? Piper! Where are you?"

"The Caves is the lowest part of Faeryland. In the Wood." Jemwest told her.

"In the Wood? Oh, I so can't be here! How did I manage to get here?" Phoebe was beginning to panic. This was just where they had been trying to avoid. And where were Piper and Paige? Did they at least get back to camp?

"Why can't you be here?" Vek asked her.

"It's a long story. Is there anyway I can find my sisters if they're here?"

"There is a way to find them, no matter where they are. But you have to do something for us." Aurakmet glided up to meet Phoebe at eye level.

"Just call the Sphinx Sisters. A human couldn't help us with our problem, Gor would murder her, and we'd be without the power of the Charmed Ones." Jem argued.

"No! A Charmed One could definitely overpower Gor! She must do this for us, or I won't call them!" Aurakmet glared into Phoebe's eyes.

"Wait, who's this Gor you two keep talking about?"

"Gor is a very evil and smelly Giant! One of the foulest, most evil Giant ever known to the creatures of the Wood." Jem started.

"The King won't send his men to bring him down, since he's in different neck of the Wood. He's sent a few of his warriors, and has offered a reward to any faery of the Wood that manages to defeat it." Aurakmet continued.

"A Giant, huh? How come no one's been able to defeat it?" Phoebe asked.

"We don't know, the warriors never come back! But if you defeat it, then I'll send my cousins, the Sphinx Sisters to find your sisters, and lead you to them." Aurakmet replied.

"Well, I don't know if I can defeat it alone, but if you send these Sphinx Sisters of yours and find my friends, then I'm sure we can defeat Gor."

"I think it's a good idea Aurakmet! A whole gang of her could maybe beat the Giant! Send them!" Jemwest urged her friend.

After a short pause, Aurakmet pulled out a small wooden flute, and whistled a short, leery tune. Almost at once, two little moon beams shone on the stone ground – The Caves were actually a collection of small caves – and two small faeries materialized. Both had human female torsos, and the legs of a horse, starting a little above the knee. Their wings sparkled in the fading moon glow as they giggled at Phoebe's surprised expression.

"Lilith, Minerva, would you do your dear cousin a favor?" Aurakmet gave them each a small hug.

The Sphinx's giggled again and nodded. Giggling seemed to be the way they communicated…

"Would you please go to find the human's kin?" The purple faery looked at each sphinx, one on either side of him.

"They should be somewhere on the outskirts of the Wood." Phoebe told them.

The enchanted beings chuckled, and nodded again. The moon beams reappeared, and the little faeries faded into the soft moonlight.

"Won't be long now. Give them, perhaps a quarter of an hour." Aurakmet lowered himself to sit on a little rock.

Phoebe also sat down and got comfortable, ready for the wait.

Rose flew into camp, with two strange looking faeries in tow. Those faeries were in fact, the Sphinx Sisters, Lilith and Minerva, that Aurakmet had sent to find Phoebe's companions.

Piper stood up at Rose's grave expression, hopeful and scared at the same time.

"Did you find her?"

"She has been found." Rose replied.

"Prue! Paige! We found her!!" Piper called. Paige orbed in with TJ, Wicked, the MP, Prue, Lucina and Angras a few minutes later.

"Is she ok?" Paige asked worriedly.

"She's fine. Let me introduce you to the Sphinx Sisters. They say that they were sent by a cousin of theirs to find you and bring you to her." Rose's face was grim as she explained this to the company in front of her.

"Ok, let's go! What are we waiting for?" Piper began to urge everyone to their feet.

"Not so fast Piper. She's at the Caves. In the heart of the Wood." Rose put a hand up in caution.

"So? The fact that she's in the wood doesn't change anything! I'm still going in there to get her! Even if I have to go there alone!" Piper spun around angrily, and began to pull her pack onto her back.

"You're not going alone Piper." Paige grabbed her pack as well.

And the rest of the company followed Paige's example and grabbed their packs. Only Rose stood alone.

"Wait, I didn't mean we should abandon her. I'd never abandon a friend in need. I only think we should consider where she is, and formulate a good plan to get her out of there without the King noticing us!" Rose tried to reason with them.

Piper sighed in resignation, tossed her pack to the floor, and put her head in her hands as she sat down on it.

"I'm sorry. I know. You're right. It's just, I already lost a sister. I don't want to lose another one." Prue and Paige sat next to her and put their arms around her.

Piper pulled her head out of her hands, and gave herself a shake.

"Ok, what's the plan?"

"I don't see why we can't just orb in." Paige suggested.

"The Wood is protected. Only faeries can perform that type of magic in, out, or around it." Rose replied.

"So we can do our regular magic…" Piper started.

"… But we can't orb." Leo finished.

The brunette sphinx, Lilith giggled something at Rose.

"There is?"

Minerva, the blonde sister, giggled a reply.

"Why haven't I heard of it before?"

Minerva giggled again, and the two Sphinxes gave a simultaneous chuckle.

"Oh." Rose turned to face Piper and the gang. "They say there's a secret passage we can take about a mile and a half from here. It's the only way we can get to the Caves from outside the Wood."

"So we'll use that." Prue responded.

"It's not the prettiest way through. Minerva says that no one's used it in centuries. It may even have caved in." Rose warned.

"It doesn't matter. If it takes us straight to Phoebe, and will keep us hidden from the King… we'll take it." Piper began to get up. "So is it a plan?"

"It's a plan."