CHAPTER 4
As Phoebe was entering the magazine offices, the next day, she bumped into
her boss Jason, as they both ran for the lift together.
As the doors shut, he turned to take her into his arms, and was about to kiss her passionately, when the doors opened again, and in stepped a woman.
Jason dropped his arms immediately, and looked at Phoebe, his eyes brimming with mischief, but was surprised to see almost apprehension in Phoebe's beautiful brown eyes. He studied her for a moment, seeing a trace of sadness behind her expression, and wondered what had happened since he had seen her just over a week ago.
When the lift jarred to a halt, between two floors, all three of the occupants looked at each other questioningly.
"Oh no, not again," said Phoebe, pushing the door closed button, and then the floor button.
The woman, who was no taller than Phoebe, and was wearing a drab brown skirt, brown jumper and thick brown stockings, dark glasses and had her dark hair pulled tightly back in an unflattering style, looked at Phoebe in alarm, and put her hand up to her throat in fear.
"Don't worry," said Phoebe in a reassuring manner, "This happens quite a bit. It usually clears itself in about 5 minutes or so."
Jason made a sound of disapproval – "I called a meeting for 10" he said, And if I'm late for the meeting, I'll be late all day. I am going to speak to the building management – this can't keep happening."
The other woman put her hand out, and grabbed Phoebe's. Suddenly Phoebe felt the slight dizziness that accompanied the onset of a premonition, and then she was hit with image after image, flashing through her mind at top speed, too fast for her to make any sense, but tearing at her emotions, causing her to sway on her feet, and catch her breath, trying to hold back the sobs that were building up.
"Oh God, no no no," she gasped out, sinking to her knees - "Please help him – Cole I didn't mean for this to happen –" and then she was sobbing, curled up in a ball on the floor of the lift, trying to block out of her mind the terrible things she saw happening to the man she realized she still loved, even while she hated him.
The woman knelt down beside her, and removed her dark glasses. She looked deeply into Phoebe's eyes, and put her hand on Phoebe's head.
"I need to find him," she said to Phoebe almost apologetically – "I have to use your power of premonition. If he is still alive, he will suffer for his treachery, I will make sure of it!"
As she stood up, Phoebe recognized her from before; she was the demon who had picked up Wyatt the day before. She shook her long dark hair free from the restraint, and suddenly went from being drab and unnoticeable to being beautiful. She walked over to Jason, stuck speechless against the rear wall of the lift, and reached up, kissing him passionately, then shimmered away, leaving both Jason and Phoebe shaking with fear and disbelief.
Phoebe watched in horror, as Jason turned to her, his eyes wide. "What – what's going on?" he demanded, "Where – how did she get out of here? Phoebe, who was that – what was that woman? And what happened to you?"
Phoebe closed her eyes in despair, there was no way she could persuade Jason that his eyes were playing tricks, and he would know that something really weird had happened – she had been compromised and Jason was a newspaper man, he would keep hunting till he knew the truth and then the whole world would know that she was a witch – She swallowed a sob remembering what had happened the last time their secret had become public – ending with the horror of Prue's death.
"Are you all right Phoebe?" he said, as if from a long way away, and then again, a little sharper "Are you all right?" and she opened her eyes to find herself standing outside the lifts, in the foyer of the building.
"I've got a 10 o'clock meeting," he said, "The blasted lift appears to be stuck up between the 5th and 6th floor. I am so sick of these lifts, I'm going to speak to the building management." And then looking down at her "I'm glad I ran into you out here, I wanted to see if you would come out to dinner with me tonight, before I go back to Hong Kong."
Phoebe looked around in disbelief, still feeling the sobs dying away in her chest, her tears still dampening her cheeks. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, turning away from Jason so he couldn't see, trying to calm herself down. The whole scene in the lift hadn't really happened – or had it? She could still feel the tearing at her heart, still see Cole strapped to some sort of cage, being tortured, bleeding and bruised, still see the dark blue, surprisingly familiar blue eyes of the woman in the lift, peering inside her soul...
The lift doors opened, and Jason stepped inside, turning around to look at her inquiringly, but she backed away.
"I forgot something," she said to him, "I have to go home – I'll ring you about tonight,"
"Phoebe – wait –" he called after her, but she was gone, running back through the building to her car, panic lending wings to her feet.
There was no one home, when she burst through the front door of the manor, so she ran up to her room, and threw herself on the bed, still shaking from her experience in the lift. She curled up on her side, and closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop racing, and her breathing to return to normal. She knew now that the demon female was not after her, or Wyatt, but was after Cole, and that if he did come back from the Wasteland again, this female would find him out and destroy him, all over again, slowly and with relish.
*****************************
The demon took one step forward, growling in his throat, and grabbed Cole by the arm. "Who are you, and what are you doing in these chambers?" he demanded.
Cole shook his arm free, and sent the demon flying into the rocky wall, then walked over and placing his hand on the demon's throat, picking him up and pinning him against the wall.
"You don't know me, you didn't see me," said Cole, staring into the demon's eyes.
"What are you doing?" asked Jael, emerging from the shadows.
"Trying a little mind manipulation," replied Cole, not taking his eyes from the demon.
"Well it's not working Belthazor," said the demon, struggling to break free, and finally succeeding. "What the hell are you doing here? We thought you were dead! And pretty soon, when the others come back, you will wish you were. Zaytak will pay well for your head!" Even as he spoke, he was aiming an energy ball at Cole, who dodged to one side, and watched as the energy ball hit the opposite wall.
"That wasn't nice, Toben," said Cole, tossing a similar ball back at the demon, even as he was ducking. "I think it's about time to leave here." He grabbed Jael's hand, and blurred again, even as the blue and black demon lunged for him.
This time he crossed over Realms and materialized in the mausoleum.
Jael sat down on one of the stone caskets, putting his head in his hands. "Now they will all know we are still alive," he moaned, "And send out the Brotherhood after us. Where are we, by the way," and looked around with interest.
"Toben didn't recognize you," said Cole, "They will only know I am alive. They won't be too keen to send the Brotherhood after me, and in any case, they can't track us in a cemetery; or a church for that matter. We will stay here for a while, till I figure out what we can do. I'm tired, and I need to rest, all that blurring and energy ball tossing when I haven't eaten or drunk anything in ages is very wearying." He sank down in a corner, and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he was back here, in this place – and that somewhere out there, not very far away, Phoebe was going about her daily living. That thought, more than any other, was making him feel tired and sick.
As the doors shut, he turned to take her into his arms, and was about to kiss her passionately, when the doors opened again, and in stepped a woman.
Jason dropped his arms immediately, and looked at Phoebe, his eyes brimming with mischief, but was surprised to see almost apprehension in Phoebe's beautiful brown eyes. He studied her for a moment, seeing a trace of sadness behind her expression, and wondered what had happened since he had seen her just over a week ago.
When the lift jarred to a halt, between two floors, all three of the occupants looked at each other questioningly.
"Oh no, not again," said Phoebe, pushing the door closed button, and then the floor button.
The woman, who was no taller than Phoebe, and was wearing a drab brown skirt, brown jumper and thick brown stockings, dark glasses and had her dark hair pulled tightly back in an unflattering style, looked at Phoebe in alarm, and put her hand up to her throat in fear.
"Don't worry," said Phoebe in a reassuring manner, "This happens quite a bit. It usually clears itself in about 5 minutes or so."
Jason made a sound of disapproval – "I called a meeting for 10" he said, And if I'm late for the meeting, I'll be late all day. I am going to speak to the building management – this can't keep happening."
The other woman put her hand out, and grabbed Phoebe's. Suddenly Phoebe felt the slight dizziness that accompanied the onset of a premonition, and then she was hit with image after image, flashing through her mind at top speed, too fast for her to make any sense, but tearing at her emotions, causing her to sway on her feet, and catch her breath, trying to hold back the sobs that were building up.
"Oh God, no no no," she gasped out, sinking to her knees - "Please help him – Cole I didn't mean for this to happen –" and then she was sobbing, curled up in a ball on the floor of the lift, trying to block out of her mind the terrible things she saw happening to the man she realized she still loved, even while she hated him.
The woman knelt down beside her, and removed her dark glasses. She looked deeply into Phoebe's eyes, and put her hand on Phoebe's head.
"I need to find him," she said to Phoebe almost apologetically – "I have to use your power of premonition. If he is still alive, he will suffer for his treachery, I will make sure of it!"
As she stood up, Phoebe recognized her from before; she was the demon who had picked up Wyatt the day before. She shook her long dark hair free from the restraint, and suddenly went from being drab and unnoticeable to being beautiful. She walked over to Jason, stuck speechless against the rear wall of the lift, and reached up, kissing him passionately, then shimmered away, leaving both Jason and Phoebe shaking with fear and disbelief.
Phoebe watched in horror, as Jason turned to her, his eyes wide. "What – what's going on?" he demanded, "Where – how did she get out of here? Phoebe, who was that – what was that woman? And what happened to you?"
Phoebe closed her eyes in despair, there was no way she could persuade Jason that his eyes were playing tricks, and he would know that something really weird had happened – she had been compromised and Jason was a newspaper man, he would keep hunting till he knew the truth and then the whole world would know that she was a witch – She swallowed a sob remembering what had happened the last time their secret had become public – ending with the horror of Prue's death.
"Are you all right Phoebe?" he said, as if from a long way away, and then again, a little sharper "Are you all right?" and she opened her eyes to find herself standing outside the lifts, in the foyer of the building.
"I've got a 10 o'clock meeting," he said, "The blasted lift appears to be stuck up between the 5th and 6th floor. I am so sick of these lifts, I'm going to speak to the building management." And then looking down at her "I'm glad I ran into you out here, I wanted to see if you would come out to dinner with me tonight, before I go back to Hong Kong."
Phoebe looked around in disbelief, still feeling the sobs dying away in her chest, her tears still dampening her cheeks. She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, turning away from Jason so he couldn't see, trying to calm herself down. The whole scene in the lift hadn't really happened – or had it? She could still feel the tearing at her heart, still see Cole strapped to some sort of cage, being tortured, bleeding and bruised, still see the dark blue, surprisingly familiar blue eyes of the woman in the lift, peering inside her soul...
The lift doors opened, and Jason stepped inside, turning around to look at her inquiringly, but she backed away.
"I forgot something," she said to him, "I have to go home – I'll ring you about tonight,"
"Phoebe – wait –" he called after her, but she was gone, running back through the building to her car, panic lending wings to her feet.
There was no one home, when she burst through the front door of the manor, so she ran up to her room, and threw herself on the bed, still shaking from her experience in the lift. She curled up on her side, and closed her eyes, willing her heart to stop racing, and her breathing to return to normal. She knew now that the demon female was not after her, or Wyatt, but was after Cole, and that if he did come back from the Wasteland again, this female would find him out and destroy him, all over again, slowly and with relish.
*****************************
The demon took one step forward, growling in his throat, and grabbed Cole by the arm. "Who are you, and what are you doing in these chambers?" he demanded.
Cole shook his arm free, and sent the demon flying into the rocky wall, then walked over and placing his hand on the demon's throat, picking him up and pinning him against the wall.
"You don't know me, you didn't see me," said Cole, staring into the demon's eyes.
"What are you doing?" asked Jael, emerging from the shadows.
"Trying a little mind manipulation," replied Cole, not taking his eyes from the demon.
"Well it's not working Belthazor," said the demon, struggling to break free, and finally succeeding. "What the hell are you doing here? We thought you were dead! And pretty soon, when the others come back, you will wish you were. Zaytak will pay well for your head!" Even as he spoke, he was aiming an energy ball at Cole, who dodged to one side, and watched as the energy ball hit the opposite wall.
"That wasn't nice, Toben," said Cole, tossing a similar ball back at the demon, even as he was ducking. "I think it's about time to leave here." He grabbed Jael's hand, and blurred again, even as the blue and black demon lunged for him.
This time he crossed over Realms and materialized in the mausoleum.
Jael sat down on one of the stone caskets, putting his head in his hands. "Now they will all know we are still alive," he moaned, "And send out the Brotherhood after us. Where are we, by the way," and looked around with interest.
"Toben didn't recognize you," said Cole, "They will only know I am alive. They won't be too keen to send the Brotherhood after me, and in any case, they can't track us in a cemetery; or a church for that matter. We will stay here for a while, till I figure out what we can do. I'm tired, and I need to rest, all that blurring and energy ball tossing when I haven't eaten or drunk anything in ages is very wearying." He sank down in a corner, and closed his eyes. He couldn't believe he was back here, in this place – and that somewhere out there, not very far away, Phoebe was going about her daily living. That thought, more than any other, was making him feel tired and sick.