EIGHT
"Agnes Miller?" questioned Constance as they tended the woman from the warehouse. "But you came through here almost twenty years ago. I thought for sure you had been killed once you had reinforced Logan's enchantment."
"He couldn't afford to kill me," Agnes said. "If I died, any spells I had cast would have been instantly negated. He had to keep me alive but he also couldn't have me running around loose. In case I found a way to break the enchantment."
"We knew she had to still be alive," Piper said. "If the enchantment was still in place, she couldn't be dead. That's why I wanted to know where Logan might keep someone captive. It's a nice little setup. It's probably sound proofed to keep anyone from hearing her cry for help."
"It's why he kept me there," Agnes said. "He knew he had to have the witch alive to keep the enchantment in place. As the witches aged and died, he'd find another to take her place. Once the new witch reinforces the enchantment, he wouldn't need to worry about the old one. I've been sick of late. He's afraid I might be dying. It's probably why he wants you to reinforce the enchantment. So he won't have to worry about me dying on him."
Just then Phoebe came into the hotel.
"What happened?" asked Piper.
"I locked the guard in the room," Phoebe said. "With any luck, they'll think he just took off. We couldn't leave him lying in the warehouse. As soon as he woke up, he'd tell Logan what had happened."
"Good thinking," Paige said. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything in the library that was of any use. That thing is so out of date. I think the newest book in it was about thirty years old."
"Great," said Piper. "That's no help in breaking this enchantment. And without our powers, I don't know how we're going to fight Logan."
"What we need is a very powerful spell," Agnes said. "Something so powerful that it will shatter the enchantment completely."
"Well, since we can't use our powers," Phoebe said, "the only spell that will work is the one that reinforces the enchantment. Even if we had a spell, we couldn't cast it."
"That's not entirely true," Agnes said. "I know of the witch that originally cast the enchantment. She was powerful but the spell doesn't negate magic. It just suppresses it. If we could find a witch more powerful, her magic might be able to break the enchantment. The only problem is that we have no way to contact anyone outside of the town."
"Wait a minute," Piper said, "are you saying that a spell could be cast from inside the town? Even with the enchantment on it?"
"I think so," Agnes said. "As I said, the enchantment only suppresses magic. If the magic were powerful enough, it might be able to overcome even the enchantment. It would be like blowing up a balloon. Put too much air in the balloon and it will burst. I think that might happen with the enchantment. Use a very powerful magic and it will shatter. The only problem is I'm not sure any single witch is powerful enough to provide that kind of power."
"Phoebe, get started writing," Piper said.
"Already on it," Phoebe said, grabbing a pad and pencil.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Constance.
"Well," said Piper, "if it takes a more powerful form of magic to overcome this enchantment, then we just might be able to provided that magic. If Agnes is right, I think we might just have found Mr. Logan's Achilles heel."
"I don't understand," Agnes said. "You said none of your powers work, just as mine don't. If that's true, then not even a spell will be of any use."
"Maybe not alone," Paige said, "but if we combine our power, it should be just the extra push we need to shatter this enchantment forever. Then we're going to have a chat with Mr. Logan."
"It won't work," Agnes said. "If you think you can combine your powers, you must be new to the Craft. Witches can't combine their powers. It's been tried. It's like they operate on different frequencies or something. Each witch has her own frequency."
"True," Piper said, "but we aren't just witches. We're sisters. Blood sisters. That kind of gives us an edge."
"Sisters?" questioned Agnes. "Three sisters? All witches? Then that means...."
Her voice trailed off as she realized what Piper and Paige were saying.
"That's right," Paige said. "If a stronger magic can break this enchantment, then we're about to give it the most powerful jolt it could possibly get. Courtesy of the Charmed Ones."
"Agnes Miller?" questioned Constance as they tended the woman from the warehouse. "But you came through here almost twenty years ago. I thought for sure you had been killed once you had reinforced Logan's enchantment."
"He couldn't afford to kill me," Agnes said. "If I died, any spells I had cast would have been instantly negated. He had to keep me alive but he also couldn't have me running around loose. In case I found a way to break the enchantment."
"We knew she had to still be alive," Piper said. "If the enchantment was still in place, she couldn't be dead. That's why I wanted to know where Logan might keep someone captive. It's a nice little setup. It's probably sound proofed to keep anyone from hearing her cry for help."
"It's why he kept me there," Agnes said. "He knew he had to have the witch alive to keep the enchantment in place. As the witches aged and died, he'd find another to take her place. Once the new witch reinforces the enchantment, he wouldn't need to worry about the old one. I've been sick of late. He's afraid I might be dying. It's probably why he wants you to reinforce the enchantment. So he won't have to worry about me dying on him."
Just then Phoebe came into the hotel.
"What happened?" asked Piper.
"I locked the guard in the room," Phoebe said. "With any luck, they'll think he just took off. We couldn't leave him lying in the warehouse. As soon as he woke up, he'd tell Logan what had happened."
"Good thinking," Paige said. "Unfortunately, I couldn't find anything in the library that was of any use. That thing is so out of date. I think the newest book in it was about thirty years old."
"Great," said Piper. "That's no help in breaking this enchantment. And without our powers, I don't know how we're going to fight Logan."
"What we need is a very powerful spell," Agnes said. "Something so powerful that it will shatter the enchantment completely."
"Well, since we can't use our powers," Phoebe said, "the only spell that will work is the one that reinforces the enchantment. Even if we had a spell, we couldn't cast it."
"That's not entirely true," Agnes said. "I know of the witch that originally cast the enchantment. She was powerful but the spell doesn't negate magic. It just suppresses it. If we could find a witch more powerful, her magic might be able to break the enchantment. The only problem is that we have no way to contact anyone outside of the town."
"Wait a minute," Piper said, "are you saying that a spell could be cast from inside the town? Even with the enchantment on it?"
"I think so," Agnes said. "As I said, the enchantment only suppresses magic. If the magic were powerful enough, it might be able to overcome even the enchantment. It would be like blowing up a balloon. Put too much air in the balloon and it will burst. I think that might happen with the enchantment. Use a very powerful magic and it will shatter. The only problem is I'm not sure any single witch is powerful enough to provide that kind of power."
"Phoebe, get started writing," Piper said.
"Already on it," Phoebe said, grabbing a pad and pencil.
"What do you have in mind?" asked Constance.
"Well," said Piper, "if it takes a more powerful form of magic to overcome this enchantment, then we just might be able to provided that magic. If Agnes is right, I think we might just have found Mr. Logan's Achilles heel."
"I don't understand," Agnes said. "You said none of your powers work, just as mine don't. If that's true, then not even a spell will be of any use."
"Maybe not alone," Paige said, "but if we combine our power, it should be just the extra push we need to shatter this enchantment forever. Then we're going to have a chat with Mr. Logan."
"It won't work," Agnes said. "If you think you can combine your powers, you must be new to the Craft. Witches can't combine their powers. It's been tried. It's like they operate on different frequencies or something. Each witch has her own frequency."
"True," Piper said, "but we aren't just witches. We're sisters. Blood sisters. That kind of gives us an edge."
"Sisters?" questioned Agnes. "Three sisters? All witches? Then that means...."
Her voice trailed off as she realized what Piper and Paige were saying.
"That's right," Paige said. "If a stronger magic can break this enchantment, then we're about to give it the most powerful jolt it could possibly get. Courtesy of the Charmed Ones."
