This actually getting quite creepy, this part just appeared in my head with
none of the normal plot planning that I do at the last moment. Well, here
it is. None of the characters belong to me, I'm just taking them out for a
test drive.
-Bows to Gryffindor620-
The warehouse had been empty for a long time, almost 10 years in fact. The lathes that had once lined the floors had long since gone, the workers scattered, the management gone to better, more profitable ventures in countries that didn't have quite such... bothersome labour laws. Only a few rotten packing cases remained here and there.
There had been talk of converting it into a nightclub, but the owner of the lease had died, his heirs had squabbled over the will and now only the lawyers remembered where it was. Strictly speaking, if ownership was 9/10ths of the law, then the rats owned it.
But the rats had deserted the warehouse, had left it with a suddenness that had first surprised and then delighted the stray dogs in the area, which were able to feed to their hearts content.
The reason for the rats' terror shimmered into the middle of the warehouse and punched a hole straight through the nearest packing case, before ripping it to splinters. Then the hooded figure stopped and stared down at his hand, before dropping both arms to its side.
Tethos was still angry, but the powerful rage that had almost consumed him earlier on no longer had him in its grip. A chill ran through him as he remembered the night's events. I can't afford to lose my grip now, he thought savagely, I can't afford to squander centuries of planning and effort now. It's now or never.
He looked back down at his hand and shivered. It had been too long since he had last performed the Ritual. The Fist of Osiris had to wait for a few hours, the Ritual took precedence. And he could also use the time to ponder the last part of the prophecy. He still didn't know exactly what it referred to.
The old demon held up his hand, palm down and whispered the first part of the ritual. Slowly at first, but then with gathering brightness tiny yellow stars of light appeared on the floor all around him. They flashed once, twice, and then a series of lines, straight here, curved there, appeared, snaking out to join the stars. Once the glowing symbol was complete, Tethos knelt and started the second, more painful, part of the Ritual. He would be able to get the third part of the Hammer of Ra soon. And no one would be able to stop him.
*********************************************************************
Paige looked at Phoebe as she ran a honing stone down the blade of the biggest axe she had ever seen in her life. "Gee, if he crumpled that shiny dagger thing of yours into a pretzel, what makes you think that will make a mark on him?"
Her sister stopped honing and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any better suggestions? Because right now we need all the weapons we can get."
She paused, watched Paige finally shrug and then went back to her work. After a while she looked around the silent room. Tom and Leo were both examining the Fist of Osiris in minute detail, Cole was in the kitchen bathing his neck, Theresa was staring out of the window and Molly and Piper were sitting in chairs looking slightly lost. The initial elation at getting the artefact had long since ebbed away. They all knew that once Tethos located the third piece there was very little that they could do to stop him from claiming it.
The clock struck five. Dawn was almost there. Time to get people motivated, she thought grimly. Then a different thought struck her. "Molly, why do you call that potion of yours a bomb?"
The English witch looked up and grinned for the first time that night. "Because it's so bloody powerful." She looked proud for a moment. "It probably can't hurt Tethos, but it might slow him down a bit."
Piper looked up at this. Potions were her chosen area of expertise. "What's in it?" In response Molly ran down a long list of ingredients with increasingly mundane names. Piper's jaw dropped. "You mix all those? Nothing exotic?"
Molly shook her head. "Why, what else can you use?"
Piper smiled herself and then beckoned to Molly. "Follow me and take a look at our cabinet of eye of newt and things that go bloop in the night... we might be able to give your bomb a little more bang for its buck!"
Phoebe blinked. So much for jazzing up Piper. She turned as Cole walked back into the room and sat down next to her. "Nice axe," he muttered and then looked over to Tom and Leo. "What do you think?" he asked.
Tom looked up and then slumped back. "I don't know. I can't feel anything from it. There's no power in it, no..." he trailed off helplessly.
"And it doesn't seem to be able to point towards the other pieces," said an equally aggravated Leo. He looked back down at it. "Whoever dismantled this thing did a good job. I can't feel anything from it at all either. It's like a hole in the universe. We've got too many questions and not enough answers."
"I've got another question," said Paige thoughtfully. "Why didn't he kill us?"
"What? Who?" asked Phoebe, pausing in her quest to get the perfect edge to her already razor-sharp axe.
"Tethos. He could have killed us back there, all of us."
"He made a good stab at trying to kill me," growled Cole, rubbing his neck gingerly. "Yes, but that's my point. He didn't, not once we arrived. He thought that you were still working for the Source, so that's why he tried to kill you, but once Pheebs was in between you and him... he stopped. He could have killed that security guy as well. But he didn't," she said, her hands shooting out in emphasis.
"He killed Cunningham," protested Theresa.
"No," Paige twisted in her seat to face Theresa, "The old guy died of a heart attack. He was untouched. Don't you get it? In London, and Egypt, he shredded people. Why not us? Why not the guys back at the house? We're missing something."
"She's right," breathed Tom. "But what?"
*********************************************************************
The room was silent now. The Source stood there, looking up into the darkness, seeing the silent form pinned to the ceiling. Occasionally he made himself come here. It made his skin crawl to see one of his predecessors in such a helpless state, but it was a valuable lesson. Never overreach yourself. Always have patience. And always kill off your potential enemies as soon as they stop becoming useful.
He was almost glad that Malchance was quiet. More often than not the ancient demon was a screaming, gibbering wreck, threatening to cut out the beating heart of Tethos with a blunt knife one minute and then weeping and saying that he was sorry, just please take the bolts out, just for a minute, pleasepleaseplease he was sorry he had hurt her, hurt all of them...
Pathetic. But sometimes he was almost lucid, you could have a sensible conversation with him. For a little while at least.
The Source turned and walked out into the corridor and back to the new throne room, where, he was sure, there would be a new list of disasters and failures to be reported. Gorgos, he knew, had failed for a third time. That would be a death sentence unless the wretch had some good news to report.
And he doubted that.
*********************************************************************
Piper looked up from the cauldron and grinned at the little glass flask. Between her and Molly they had brewed up a potion that should be able to blow the claws off the Source himself. The kitchen looked like a bomb had exploded in it and her best potion saucepan would need a week of soaking before the gunk from experimental version #14 could be scrubbed out, but they finally had a winner.
She linked arms with Molly and they marched out of the kitchen and into a room full of sleeping people.
"Hey!" she cried indignantly. "Some of us have been up brewing a super- duper potion bomb!" She nudged Leo, who came awake with a start. "Some guards you are!"
"Sorry, honey," said the Whitelighter with a yawn. "We kind of talked ourselves out here. We were trying to work out why Tethos didn't kill you back there."
Piper tilted her head. "Good question." Then she held up the potion. "Meet the latest in Anglo-American cooperation."
Phoebe rubbed her eyes. "Good. We're gonna need all the weapons we have, like I said. And we're going to have to fortify this place, as well as working on a spell that can use the power of three to vanquish him." She sighed. "Paige is right, though. We're missing something."
Her youngest sister tried to de-muss her hair and looked at Piper. "Now I know what you felt like yesterday morning." Piper raised her eyebrow mockingly at Paige.
"You get used to it. What's next? Anyone got any ideas?"
Leo turned to her. "I'm going to ask the Elders if they have any more information."
"The rest of us are going to hole up here and be extra-vigilant," added Phoebe, looking around for her axe.
"And alternatively you could just give it to me now," said a voice by the window and Tethos stepped out from the shadows. "Nice axe," he smiled at Phoebe, as he grabbed it and embedded it deeply into the wall.
Cole swore and leapt to his feet along with Leo, but Tethos simply made a sweeping gesture and both demon and Whitelighter were thrown against the wall, where they slumped down unconscious. He made another gesture and the table rose, turned and swept Tom, Theresa and Molly against the bottom of the stairs.
Phoebe danced back, swivelled and kicked, only to find her foot held in one taloned hand. "Impressive," he said and then he flipped her over into the sofa, which fell backwards. "And as for you," he pointed at Paige, "Sleep...." The young witch closed her eyes and collapsed back to the chair that she'd risen from, where she started to snore slightly.
There was a blur as a small vial flashed through the air and exploded against his robe. Smoke hissed out and suddenly he was enveloped in a thick miasma of vapour. "Yes!" cried Piper in triumph.
"Ow," said a voice from the smoke, and Tethos stepped out again, beating at a small flame on his robes where the potion had hit. "Not bad, you've got talent." He gestured and Piper staggered backwards into the next room, where there was a crash.
The demon looked around the room and then saw the Fist of Osiris lying where it had fallen from the table. "At last," he breathed and stooped down for it.
But just before his hand could close around it there came a cry of "Oh no, you don't buster!" and Piper burst back into the room. She was wobbling on shaky legs and there was a long cut on her forehead, but she threw herself forwards, her hand reaching out for the artefact...
Tethos grabbed one end, Piper had hold of the other, and as the demon shimmered out Piper went with him.
The warehouse had been empty for a long time, almost 10 years in fact. The lathes that had once lined the floors had long since gone, the workers scattered, the management gone to better, more profitable ventures in countries that didn't have quite such... bothersome labour laws. Only a few rotten packing cases remained here and there.
There had been talk of converting it into a nightclub, but the owner of the lease had died, his heirs had squabbled over the will and now only the lawyers remembered where it was. Strictly speaking, if ownership was 9/10ths of the law, then the rats owned it.
But the rats had deserted the warehouse, had left it with a suddenness that had first surprised and then delighted the stray dogs in the area, which were able to feed to their hearts content.
The reason for the rats' terror shimmered into the middle of the warehouse and punched a hole straight through the nearest packing case, before ripping it to splinters. Then the hooded figure stopped and stared down at his hand, before dropping both arms to its side.
Tethos was still angry, but the powerful rage that had almost consumed him earlier on no longer had him in its grip. A chill ran through him as he remembered the night's events. I can't afford to lose my grip now, he thought savagely, I can't afford to squander centuries of planning and effort now. It's now or never.
He looked back down at his hand and shivered. It had been too long since he had last performed the Ritual. The Fist of Osiris had to wait for a few hours, the Ritual took precedence. And he could also use the time to ponder the last part of the prophecy. He still didn't know exactly what it referred to.
The old demon held up his hand, palm down and whispered the first part of the ritual. Slowly at first, but then with gathering brightness tiny yellow stars of light appeared on the floor all around him. They flashed once, twice, and then a series of lines, straight here, curved there, appeared, snaking out to join the stars. Once the glowing symbol was complete, Tethos knelt and started the second, more painful, part of the Ritual. He would be able to get the third part of the Hammer of Ra soon. And no one would be able to stop him.
*********************************************************************
Paige looked at Phoebe as she ran a honing stone down the blade of the biggest axe she had ever seen in her life. "Gee, if he crumpled that shiny dagger thing of yours into a pretzel, what makes you think that will make a mark on him?"
Her sister stopped honing and raised an eyebrow. "Do you have any better suggestions? Because right now we need all the weapons we can get."
She paused, watched Paige finally shrug and then went back to her work. After a while she looked around the silent room. Tom and Leo were both examining the Fist of Osiris in minute detail, Cole was in the kitchen bathing his neck, Theresa was staring out of the window and Molly and Piper were sitting in chairs looking slightly lost. The initial elation at getting the artefact had long since ebbed away. They all knew that once Tethos located the third piece there was very little that they could do to stop him from claiming it.
The clock struck five. Dawn was almost there. Time to get people motivated, she thought grimly. Then a different thought struck her. "Molly, why do you call that potion of yours a bomb?"
The English witch looked up and grinned for the first time that night. "Because it's so bloody powerful." She looked proud for a moment. "It probably can't hurt Tethos, but it might slow him down a bit."
Piper looked up at this. Potions were her chosen area of expertise. "What's in it?" In response Molly ran down a long list of ingredients with increasingly mundane names. Piper's jaw dropped. "You mix all those? Nothing exotic?"
Molly shook her head. "Why, what else can you use?"
Piper smiled herself and then beckoned to Molly. "Follow me and take a look at our cabinet of eye of newt and things that go bloop in the night... we might be able to give your bomb a little more bang for its buck!"
Phoebe blinked. So much for jazzing up Piper. She turned as Cole walked back into the room and sat down next to her. "Nice axe," he muttered and then looked over to Tom and Leo. "What do you think?" he asked.
Tom looked up and then slumped back. "I don't know. I can't feel anything from it. There's no power in it, no..." he trailed off helplessly.
"And it doesn't seem to be able to point towards the other pieces," said an equally aggravated Leo. He looked back down at it. "Whoever dismantled this thing did a good job. I can't feel anything from it at all either. It's like a hole in the universe. We've got too many questions and not enough answers."
"I've got another question," said Paige thoughtfully. "Why didn't he kill us?"
"What? Who?" asked Phoebe, pausing in her quest to get the perfect edge to her already razor-sharp axe.
"Tethos. He could have killed us back there, all of us."
"He made a good stab at trying to kill me," growled Cole, rubbing his neck gingerly. "Yes, but that's my point. He didn't, not once we arrived. He thought that you were still working for the Source, so that's why he tried to kill you, but once Pheebs was in between you and him... he stopped. He could have killed that security guy as well. But he didn't," she said, her hands shooting out in emphasis.
"He killed Cunningham," protested Theresa.
"No," Paige twisted in her seat to face Theresa, "The old guy died of a heart attack. He was untouched. Don't you get it? In London, and Egypt, he shredded people. Why not us? Why not the guys back at the house? We're missing something."
"She's right," breathed Tom. "But what?"
*********************************************************************
The room was silent now. The Source stood there, looking up into the darkness, seeing the silent form pinned to the ceiling. Occasionally he made himself come here. It made his skin crawl to see one of his predecessors in such a helpless state, but it was a valuable lesson. Never overreach yourself. Always have patience. And always kill off your potential enemies as soon as they stop becoming useful.
He was almost glad that Malchance was quiet. More often than not the ancient demon was a screaming, gibbering wreck, threatening to cut out the beating heart of Tethos with a blunt knife one minute and then weeping and saying that he was sorry, just please take the bolts out, just for a minute, pleasepleaseplease he was sorry he had hurt her, hurt all of them...
Pathetic. But sometimes he was almost lucid, you could have a sensible conversation with him. For a little while at least.
The Source turned and walked out into the corridor and back to the new throne room, where, he was sure, there would be a new list of disasters and failures to be reported. Gorgos, he knew, had failed for a third time. That would be a death sentence unless the wretch had some good news to report.
And he doubted that.
*********************************************************************
Piper looked up from the cauldron and grinned at the little glass flask. Between her and Molly they had brewed up a potion that should be able to blow the claws off the Source himself. The kitchen looked like a bomb had exploded in it and her best potion saucepan would need a week of soaking before the gunk from experimental version #14 could be scrubbed out, but they finally had a winner.
She linked arms with Molly and they marched out of the kitchen and into a room full of sleeping people.
"Hey!" she cried indignantly. "Some of us have been up brewing a super- duper potion bomb!" She nudged Leo, who came awake with a start. "Some guards you are!"
"Sorry, honey," said the Whitelighter with a yawn. "We kind of talked ourselves out here. We were trying to work out why Tethos didn't kill you back there."
Piper tilted her head. "Good question." Then she held up the potion. "Meet the latest in Anglo-American cooperation."
Phoebe rubbed her eyes. "Good. We're gonna need all the weapons we have, like I said. And we're going to have to fortify this place, as well as working on a spell that can use the power of three to vanquish him." She sighed. "Paige is right, though. We're missing something."
Her youngest sister tried to de-muss her hair and looked at Piper. "Now I know what you felt like yesterday morning." Piper raised her eyebrow mockingly at Paige.
"You get used to it. What's next? Anyone got any ideas?"
Leo turned to her. "I'm going to ask the Elders if they have any more information."
"The rest of us are going to hole up here and be extra-vigilant," added Phoebe, looking around for her axe.
"And alternatively you could just give it to me now," said a voice by the window and Tethos stepped out from the shadows. "Nice axe," he smiled at Phoebe, as he grabbed it and embedded it deeply into the wall.
Cole swore and leapt to his feet along with Leo, but Tethos simply made a sweeping gesture and both demon and Whitelighter were thrown against the wall, where they slumped down unconscious. He made another gesture and the table rose, turned and swept Tom, Theresa and Molly against the bottom of the stairs.
Phoebe danced back, swivelled and kicked, only to find her foot held in one taloned hand. "Impressive," he said and then he flipped her over into the sofa, which fell backwards. "And as for you," he pointed at Paige, "Sleep...." The young witch closed her eyes and collapsed back to the chair that she'd risen from, where she started to snore slightly.
There was a blur as a small vial flashed through the air and exploded against his robe. Smoke hissed out and suddenly he was enveloped in a thick miasma of vapour. "Yes!" cried Piper in triumph.
"Ow," said a voice from the smoke, and Tethos stepped out again, beating at a small flame on his robes where the potion had hit. "Not bad, you've got talent." He gestured and Piper staggered backwards into the next room, where there was a crash.
The demon looked around the room and then saw the Fist of Osiris lying where it had fallen from the table. "At last," he breathed and stooped down for it.
But just before his hand could close around it there came a cry of "Oh no, you don't buster!" and Piper burst back into the room. She was wobbling on shaky legs and there was a long cut on her forehead, but she threw herself forwards, her hand reaching out for the artefact...
Tethos grabbed one end, Piper had hold of the other, and as the demon shimmered out Piper went with him.
