CHAPTER 9
Piper came downstairs the next morning, a little bit anxiously for Wyatt was not in his room. She found Phoebe curled up on the sofa in the lounge room, with Wyatt cuddled up next to her, and laughing in delight at the television. "Did you have a sleep in?" Phoebe asked brightly. "I heard Wyatt talking to himself, and thought I'd bring him down here and let you have an extra hour."
"Thank you sis," said Piper, tying her long hair back into a ponytail. "Has he had his breakfast?"
She walked into the kitchen, and took in the spilled milk, the bowl of breakfast cereal half tipped over the table and nodded. "I can see that he has," she answered herself.
"Oh I'll clean it up," said Phoebe, "Wyatt just wanted to see his Aunty Phoebe on television. Thanks for taping the ad – what do you think?"
"You look beautiful, as if you didn't know," said Piper, "I think it will lift your ratings."
"I just wonder if it's the right thing to do – I mean it makes me pretty high profile – I hope it won't make it easier for the nasties and the weirdos to find us!"
"Well they haven't had much trouble finding us so far," replied Piper, filling the kettle, and turning it on.
"And it's your writing that is being advertised, not your witchcraft."
"True," replied Phoebe happily 'Oh – hang on I'll get it," and she grabbed the phone as it started to ring.
"Hello Darryl," she said into the mouthpiece, then "Hang on – I'll see if she's up yet."
"Paige!" she called, and Paige opened her door upstairs. "What?"
"Darryl's on the phone – he wants to talk to you."
"O.k. hang up and I'll get it up here," she called, so Phoebe did so, and then looked at Piper.
"What's going on?" she asked idly, sitting down at the table, watching Piper clean up the spilled breakfast cereal.
"I don't know," replied Piper, wiping the table clean, and turning on the toaster. "Paige is being very industrious lately. She probably wants to know if anything strange has been happening. You know, forewarned is forearmed. She is writing potions and practicing spells constantly. Do you want coffee?"
Upstairs, Paige found herself staring down at the receiver in her hand in dismay. Darryl had just told her that FBI Agent John Grant had returned to Atlanta the day after she had met him last week, and had not returned to San Francisco since then. Darryl knew this because he had just been speaking to him on the phone. Paige had a sinking feeling in her stomach, she was wondering just who Elise had seen dining in the little waterfront restaurant yesterday.
By the time she went downstairs, order had been restored in the kitchen, and Piper and Phoebe were drinking coffee, watching Wyatt play in the corner with his blocks.
"What alarming news did Darryl have?" asked Phoebe in her bubbly manner, "Any unsolved strange happenings?"
"No," replied Paige, turning her back on her sisters, and pouring herself a coffee. "Just touching base, so to speak, and keeping me informed." She put on her own bright smile, as she turned back to her sisters, and sat down at the table. Piper smiled at her and turned to Phoebe.
"See," she said, "I told you Paige was turning into super witch. Keeping ahead of what's happening."
She put her own cup in the sink, and picked up Wyatt, twirling around with him a few times, till he chuckled.
"I'm going to give my son a bath, and then wake up my husband. I think it's time that he fixed up the back screen door."
"I'm going to have a bath after Wyatt's finished," said Phoebe, sipping her coffee. "It's Saturday, and I intend to do nothing as long as I can. I really enjoyed last night, Paige, we will have to do it again."
Paige nodded, and smiled brightly at her sister. She was not going to say anything yet, to Phoebe, because it was always hard to know which way her sister would react, but she would be vigilant, and start to stock pile certain vanquish potions.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jael reappeared in the hotel room, only to find that Cole had beaten him back.
"Oh wow, thanks so much," he told Cole, "It is a very frightening experience to lose your powers."
"Oh, don't worry, I know," replied Cole, as he sank down onto the sofa. "What were your other powers? You'd better see if you have regained them as well."
Jael nodded. "My other power was invisibility," he said, "I never developed a lethal power – I never wanted one, either."
As he faded from sight, there was a sudden rush of air into the room, and three men appeared, and without a word, two of them launched into an attack on Cole, throwing energy balls. One threw an atheme, which thudded into Cole's side, hitting a rib, and causing him to sink sideways, and straight into an energy ball.
The third person suddenly morphed into his demonic shape, and threw a slender chain of unusual design around Cole's neck. The slashing wound in his side, which had started to repair itself, stopped healing, and blood began pouring out. Cole looked down in surprise, raised a hand to form an energy ball, and found he couldn't move.
"Well, Belthazor, we meet again – this time the surprise is on me," said the demon, with the blue tribal markings. "You should never have returned to our world – we followed your shimmer back here."
"Toben, how nice of you to drop by," said Cole, breathing a little heavily, he was experiencing waves of pain from the knife wound, and the chain tightening around his neck was like a huge and heavy weight.
"Don't try and struggle," said Toben, "The torc around your neck has a magic blocking force. Zaytak had it forged especially for his enemies. You will wear it around your neck, when you crawl to him on your knees."
"Oh yeah, that's going to happen," said Cole, "Besides, as far as I can remember, no one made Zaytak the leader." He was on his feet now, swaying a little in pain and shock.
"Oh we have made Zaytak our leader," replied Toben – "Those of us of the Upper Level that are left, after your disastrous but mercifully short stint as The Source. Most of us have issues with you – Zaytak will make you pay – for your betrayal of us all."
Cole opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by the other two who had also morphed into their demonic form. One came up behind him, and hit him savagely across the back of the head.
"Take him," said Toben, "We will return to the Underworld, Zaytak will be pleased."
And in a shimmer, they were gone, taking Cole with them.
Piper came downstairs the next morning, a little bit anxiously for Wyatt was not in his room. She found Phoebe curled up on the sofa in the lounge room, with Wyatt cuddled up next to her, and laughing in delight at the television. "Did you have a sleep in?" Phoebe asked brightly. "I heard Wyatt talking to himself, and thought I'd bring him down here and let you have an extra hour."
"Thank you sis," said Piper, tying her long hair back into a ponytail. "Has he had his breakfast?"
She walked into the kitchen, and took in the spilled milk, the bowl of breakfast cereal half tipped over the table and nodded. "I can see that he has," she answered herself.
"Oh I'll clean it up," said Phoebe, "Wyatt just wanted to see his Aunty Phoebe on television. Thanks for taping the ad – what do you think?"
"You look beautiful, as if you didn't know," said Piper, "I think it will lift your ratings."
"I just wonder if it's the right thing to do – I mean it makes me pretty high profile – I hope it won't make it easier for the nasties and the weirdos to find us!"
"Well they haven't had much trouble finding us so far," replied Piper, filling the kettle, and turning it on.
"And it's your writing that is being advertised, not your witchcraft."
"True," replied Phoebe happily 'Oh – hang on I'll get it," and she grabbed the phone as it started to ring.
"Hello Darryl," she said into the mouthpiece, then "Hang on – I'll see if she's up yet."
"Paige!" she called, and Paige opened her door upstairs. "What?"
"Darryl's on the phone – he wants to talk to you."
"O.k. hang up and I'll get it up here," she called, so Phoebe did so, and then looked at Piper.
"What's going on?" she asked idly, sitting down at the table, watching Piper clean up the spilled breakfast cereal.
"I don't know," replied Piper, wiping the table clean, and turning on the toaster. "Paige is being very industrious lately. She probably wants to know if anything strange has been happening. You know, forewarned is forearmed. She is writing potions and practicing spells constantly. Do you want coffee?"
Upstairs, Paige found herself staring down at the receiver in her hand in dismay. Darryl had just told her that FBI Agent John Grant had returned to Atlanta the day after she had met him last week, and had not returned to San Francisco since then. Darryl knew this because he had just been speaking to him on the phone. Paige had a sinking feeling in her stomach, she was wondering just who Elise had seen dining in the little waterfront restaurant yesterday.
By the time she went downstairs, order had been restored in the kitchen, and Piper and Phoebe were drinking coffee, watching Wyatt play in the corner with his blocks.
"What alarming news did Darryl have?" asked Phoebe in her bubbly manner, "Any unsolved strange happenings?"
"No," replied Paige, turning her back on her sisters, and pouring herself a coffee. "Just touching base, so to speak, and keeping me informed." She put on her own bright smile, as she turned back to her sisters, and sat down at the table. Piper smiled at her and turned to Phoebe.
"See," she said, "I told you Paige was turning into super witch. Keeping ahead of what's happening."
She put her own cup in the sink, and picked up Wyatt, twirling around with him a few times, till he chuckled.
"I'm going to give my son a bath, and then wake up my husband. I think it's time that he fixed up the back screen door."
"I'm going to have a bath after Wyatt's finished," said Phoebe, sipping her coffee. "It's Saturday, and I intend to do nothing as long as I can. I really enjoyed last night, Paige, we will have to do it again."
Paige nodded, and smiled brightly at her sister. She was not going to say anything yet, to Phoebe, because it was always hard to know which way her sister would react, but she would be vigilant, and start to stock pile certain vanquish potions.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Jael reappeared in the hotel room, only to find that Cole had beaten him back.
"Oh wow, thanks so much," he told Cole, "It is a very frightening experience to lose your powers."
"Oh, don't worry, I know," replied Cole, as he sank down onto the sofa. "What were your other powers? You'd better see if you have regained them as well."
Jael nodded. "My other power was invisibility," he said, "I never developed a lethal power – I never wanted one, either."
As he faded from sight, there was a sudden rush of air into the room, and three men appeared, and without a word, two of them launched into an attack on Cole, throwing energy balls. One threw an atheme, which thudded into Cole's side, hitting a rib, and causing him to sink sideways, and straight into an energy ball.
The third person suddenly morphed into his demonic shape, and threw a slender chain of unusual design around Cole's neck. The slashing wound in his side, which had started to repair itself, stopped healing, and blood began pouring out. Cole looked down in surprise, raised a hand to form an energy ball, and found he couldn't move.
"Well, Belthazor, we meet again – this time the surprise is on me," said the demon, with the blue tribal markings. "You should never have returned to our world – we followed your shimmer back here."
"Toben, how nice of you to drop by," said Cole, breathing a little heavily, he was experiencing waves of pain from the knife wound, and the chain tightening around his neck was like a huge and heavy weight.
"Don't try and struggle," said Toben, "The torc around your neck has a magic blocking force. Zaytak had it forged especially for his enemies. You will wear it around your neck, when you crawl to him on your knees."
"Oh yeah, that's going to happen," said Cole, "Besides, as far as I can remember, no one made Zaytak the leader." He was on his feet now, swaying a little in pain and shock.
"Oh we have made Zaytak our leader," replied Toben – "Those of us of the Upper Level that are left, after your disastrous but mercifully short stint as The Source. Most of us have issues with you – Zaytak will make you pay – for your betrayal of us all."
Cole opened his mouth to reply, but was cut short by the other two who had also morphed into their demonic form. One came up behind him, and hit him savagely across the back of the head.
"Take him," said Toben, "We will return to the Underworld, Zaytak will be pleased."
And in a shimmer, they were gone, taking Cole with them.