CHAPTER 12
Paige was sitting in the swing chair on the back porch, lazily flicking through a magazine, and pushing herself back and forth with one foot. She wound a thick strand of hair around her finger and let her thoughts drift She was missing Glen, she hadn't seen or heard from him for a long time, since she had nearly caused his marriage to be a disaster.
She looked up in time to see a woman materialize in front of her, in the yard, and then heard the alarm from inside the house. It was the first time her 'demon warning bell' had sounded since she had set it up. Because she was the only one at home, she eyed the distance between the back door, and the strange female, wondering if she would have time to dash inside and lock the door – but even as she glanced back, her eyes were caught by the beautiful blue one's of the demoness, and her panic subsided as she relaxed. She didn't move as three other figures shimmered into the yard, to stand behind the first.
"Don't be afraid of us," the woman said. "I need your help – but I am not here to hurt you."
Paige said nothing, still staring at the woman. "My name is – my human name is Elizabeth," said the woman – "Where are your sisters?"
Paige finally blinked, and found she wasn't worried or panicked by the appearance of these demons.
"Are you using some sort of spell on me?" she asked. "I feel way too calm – this is not normal."
"No," replied the female called Elizabeth, "Not any more. But please remain calm – we have no intention of hurting either you or your sisters. I just need your help."
"My sisters will be back soon – But they will not help demons. We only help the innocent."
"So you are saying that there are no innocent demons?" said the handsome older man, standing behind. "I think your reasoning a little strange."
Paige glared at the group. "My reasoning is perfectly sound, thank you," she said. "We will not help demons."
"And yet, you say you help the innocent?" the man queried. "We need you to help us with a human, and with an innocent."
"Oh," she said, looking thoughtful. "What do you want, then, and I will go and see my sisters."
"There is someone who is trapped in the Underworld, by magic – someone who needs healing and freeing from a nasty situation. We need your help to free him."
"Wait here then, and I will talk to my sisters." said Paige, and orbed away.
***************************
"So you left then in our back yard?" asked Piper, raising her voice and her eyebrows at the same time. "In Our Back yard?"
She and Phoebe had been shopping together, something they hadn't done for a while, and enjoying themselves, when Paige came up behind them as they were leaving a shop. Paige nodded, and shrugged her shoulders.
"They were not threatening," she said – "They asked for help – but I got no feeling of fear or intimidation from them. I think we should listen to what they say."
Piper picked up her shopping bags, and headed towards the car park.
"Leo!" she called, as she went, the other two following. "LEO!"
"We can't help demons, Paige," said Phoebe, trailing along behind. "Only innocents – and I haven't had any premonitions lately."
"We should at least listen to what they say," said Paige
"We can't work with demons," said Phoebe again. "We have tried before, and it always ends badly."
They all piled into the SUV, and Piper headed back towards the Manor, with Phoebe still reiterating that it was impossible for them to help demons, for any reason.
When they arrived at the manor, Leo orbed in ahead of them, and as they walked through the front door, he turned to ask what the emergency was. He had Wyatt strapped to his back in a child sling, and Piper picked the baby up, and cuddled him close.
'What's going on?" he asked, as the girls headed to the back door.
Paige explained that there were some people/demons outside, who had requested their help, and they all jumped a little when Piper opened the door, and found the yard empty.
Both Phoebe and Piper turned and looked at Paige. "What?" she said, looking back at them. "They were here, do you think I would make something up like that?"
Piper turned back into the kitchen, placing Wyatt on the floor to crawl around, while she started to unpack the shopping bags. Phoebe perched herself on the bench, watching, while Paige started to walk up the stairs, heading for her bedroom, when the front doorbell rang.
Paige jumped down the stairs, and flounced to the front door, jumping back in surprise when she opened it, for standing there was the female she knew as Elizabeth, and the other three males.
"We thought we would come to the door, like ordinary people," said Elizabeth.
Phoebe and Piper had strolled into the hallway, behind Paige, and Leo had stuck his head around the corner, to see who was there. Phoebe cried out, and backed away quickly, recognizing Elizabeth as being the same person who picked up Wyatt, and cornered her in the lift, while Piper and Paige both made a quick lunge to shut the door, but with a quick motion the four Other World visitors stepped into the house.
Piper flung up her hand, but only two of the males froze. She made to blow up the female, but was caught first by the expression in her eyes, and slowly lowered her hand.
"I mean you no harm," said Elizabeth calmly, "Neither do my friends. We are here to ask for your help, and nothing more. If you don't wish to assist us, then we will leave."
For a tense moment, everyone started at one another. Then the freeze wore off Tems and Jael, and Leo entered the room, going to stand next to his wife.
"Say what you need to say, then leave," he said bluntly. "We will not help demons!"
"I have heard much about the Charmed Ones," said the Sorcerer Boraz, walking forward. He had been unaffected by Piper's freeze, and now came to stand next to Elizabeth, face to face with Leo. "I have heard that you are narrow minded, and quick to violence. I see now that it is true."
All three witches drew sharp breaths of indignation.
"That is not true," yelled Paige, clenching her fists. "We are the good guys around here!"
"Narrow minded!" exclaimed Piper, at the same time, "I don't think so!"
"Quick to violence!" screamed Phoebe, "As if ".
"My son is injured, and being held in the Underworld," said Elizabeth. "He has been captured, to be used as a ritual sacrifice, so that someone may prove to the rest that he is fit to be leader. It would be in your interests to help us foil this, for if Zaytak takes control, he will very quickly organize the Underworld and once again it will become a threat to you, and all people."
"Is your son a demon?" demanded Piper, with narrowed eyes, still standing with her arms folded across her chest, in a defensive position.
"Not any more," replied Elizabeth, with a look of sorrow in her eyes. She looked across at Phoebe as she spoke, and Phoebe fidgeted nervously.
"You don't know who I am, do you?" she asked, almost gently.
"No," replied Phoebe blankly, "Who are you?"
"If circumstances were different, I guess you could say, I would be your mother-in-law!" came the surprising reply, and the three just goggled at her.
Phoebe took several shaky steps backwards, and sank into a convenient chair.
"No, no, no," she said softly, "We vanquished him – we vanquished him for good."
"For good?" asked Elizabeth, "Or for your own reasons?"
"He was trying to turn me evil," Phoebe jumped up, and yelled. "I couldn't go there again. He threatened me he threatened my family. I can't cope with Cole being back – not again!"
The younger of the two male demons stepped forward, and said in a hesitant voice - "Cole rescued me from the Wasteland. He only got captured because he was helping me. He was very ashamed about his behavior, and was willing to die in the Wasteland till I needed his help. He was only staying around here, till I became accustomed to humans – then he intended to leave, go somewhere far away."
Phoebe tossed her head. "He would have tried to get to me somehow," she said, all traces of the softness she had once possessed gone.
"No, he would not," said Jael, more assertively than before. "He was suffering from some sort of weakness anyway, and had no intention of coming near you."
Her flare of temper over, Phoebe sat back down, biting her thumbnail.
Leo frowned. "He was self healing – his power immense. He should not have been suffering from anything. Surely no prison, here or in the Underworld would hold him."
"His power was lessening, the second trip through the Barrier took an awful lot of his strength, and he was carrying me. Zaytak and his followers have put a chain around his neck, a torc that blocks his magic, anyway." Jael turned back to face his companions. "They are not going to help," he said in disgust. "We need to go now, and see what we can do. They are too stuck in their short sighted ways."
Elizabeth nodded, and turned to leave.
"I said we will not harm you, and we won't," she said. "But I see now coming here was a mistake. You girls came late to your powers, and have not had enough time to see that not everything is black and white, that there are many shades of gray. There are many citizens of the Underworld who are harmless and loving creatures, just as there are few races as intentionally cruel as humans. Just because someone is human, it does not automatically make them an innocent, and just because someone is of demon blood, that does not make them evil. Perhaps you should all study the magical realm a lot more, then maybe your title as Champions of the Innocent would be better deserved."
Piper stepped forward, and put up her hand. "Just a minute," she said. "We – we need to talk for a moment. Would you wait outside?"
"For a moment," replied the larger of the two men. "I don't believe we have much time." He turned to Elizabeth, frowning. "Zaytak will be pushing for the ceremony to take place," he said. "I think we should go."
Paige, who had followed the whole argument with wide eyes, put her hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "We will just take a minute," she snapped, and shut the door on the Underworld envoy.
Phoebe surged out of the chair, and across the room.
"We can't help them – we can't", she said, "I loved Cole so much, but I can't go there again!"
Piper looked over at her husband. "Leo?" she asked "What do you think – and I mean you – not the Elders, what do You think?"
"I believe the demon called Zaytak has a following which is gathering strength," said Leo, "And that he is a nasty piece of work. I don't know about the rest of it. If she is Cole's mother, where has she been all this time? And wouldn't she be angry that you vanquished him? It may be a trap."
Piper uncrossed her arms, and pulled the door open. "I have some questions," she said to the four waiting there.
"Why is this the first time we have seen you?" she asked Elizabeth. "Surely you would have been upset when we vanquished Cole, the first time. And didn't you kill Benjamin Turner, his father, anyway? I don't know how you can stand there spouting about how bad we are, when you have a very long history of darkness."
Elizabeth looked down at the ground, then back up into Piper's eyes with anger highlighting her own.
"I have been held in what amounts to a state of suspended animation, for many years – in a cavern in the highlands of Scotland – along with these two. I escaped only a short time ago, and came back looking for Beltha – I mean Cole. As for my husband – I was in love with him, and hiding from the Source. I thought I could have it all, a happy family, a baby, a husband that loved me – but then Raynor found me, and told me if I returned to the Underworld, if I returned to the Source and took the baby with me, he would let Benjamin live. I had to make Benjamin think I had turned. I knocked him out with a low voltage energy ball, and grabbed Cole, and returned to my own world. Little did I know that Raynor went back, and killed Benjamin. I only found out much later. I paid greatly for my disobedience – and so did Cole, though he was only a baby. The punishment made me, and him, very strong. That is all I am prepared to tell you. Make your decision now; Cole is in danger, and possibly dying. You are a mother – you would know what I am feeling. Don't think it is only humans who love their offspring. I could have killed you – all of you, and taken your baby, but I didn't. Choose now, as we are going. My son does not have much time. It may already be too late."
Phoebe brushed away the tears that had formed in her eyes, as she listened to the story, told bluntly, about Cole's life. She stood next to Piper, and took her arm.
"What do you think?" she asked softly.
Piper squeezed her hand, and looked at Paige, with raised eyebrows. Leo shrugged his shoulders, and nodded to his wife.
"Cole saved my life many times," she said, "Let's go and save his."
Paige was sitting in the swing chair on the back porch, lazily flicking through a magazine, and pushing herself back and forth with one foot. She wound a thick strand of hair around her finger and let her thoughts drift She was missing Glen, she hadn't seen or heard from him for a long time, since she had nearly caused his marriage to be a disaster.
She looked up in time to see a woman materialize in front of her, in the yard, and then heard the alarm from inside the house. It was the first time her 'demon warning bell' had sounded since she had set it up. Because she was the only one at home, she eyed the distance between the back door, and the strange female, wondering if she would have time to dash inside and lock the door – but even as she glanced back, her eyes were caught by the beautiful blue one's of the demoness, and her panic subsided as she relaxed. She didn't move as three other figures shimmered into the yard, to stand behind the first.
"Don't be afraid of us," the woman said. "I need your help – but I am not here to hurt you."
Paige said nothing, still staring at the woman. "My name is – my human name is Elizabeth," said the woman – "Where are your sisters?"
Paige finally blinked, and found she wasn't worried or panicked by the appearance of these demons.
"Are you using some sort of spell on me?" she asked. "I feel way too calm – this is not normal."
"No," replied the female called Elizabeth, "Not any more. But please remain calm – we have no intention of hurting either you or your sisters. I just need your help."
"My sisters will be back soon – But they will not help demons. We only help the innocent."
"So you are saying that there are no innocent demons?" said the handsome older man, standing behind. "I think your reasoning a little strange."
Paige glared at the group. "My reasoning is perfectly sound, thank you," she said. "We will not help demons."
"And yet, you say you help the innocent?" the man queried. "We need you to help us with a human, and with an innocent."
"Oh," she said, looking thoughtful. "What do you want, then, and I will go and see my sisters."
"There is someone who is trapped in the Underworld, by magic – someone who needs healing and freeing from a nasty situation. We need your help to free him."
"Wait here then, and I will talk to my sisters." said Paige, and orbed away.
***************************
"So you left then in our back yard?" asked Piper, raising her voice and her eyebrows at the same time. "In Our Back yard?"
She and Phoebe had been shopping together, something they hadn't done for a while, and enjoying themselves, when Paige came up behind them as they were leaving a shop. Paige nodded, and shrugged her shoulders.
"They were not threatening," she said – "They asked for help – but I got no feeling of fear or intimidation from them. I think we should listen to what they say."
Piper picked up her shopping bags, and headed towards the car park.
"Leo!" she called, as she went, the other two following. "LEO!"
"We can't help demons, Paige," said Phoebe, trailing along behind. "Only innocents – and I haven't had any premonitions lately."
"We should at least listen to what they say," said Paige
"We can't work with demons," said Phoebe again. "We have tried before, and it always ends badly."
They all piled into the SUV, and Piper headed back towards the Manor, with Phoebe still reiterating that it was impossible for them to help demons, for any reason.
When they arrived at the manor, Leo orbed in ahead of them, and as they walked through the front door, he turned to ask what the emergency was. He had Wyatt strapped to his back in a child sling, and Piper picked the baby up, and cuddled him close.
'What's going on?" he asked, as the girls headed to the back door.
Paige explained that there were some people/demons outside, who had requested their help, and they all jumped a little when Piper opened the door, and found the yard empty.
Both Phoebe and Piper turned and looked at Paige. "What?" she said, looking back at them. "They were here, do you think I would make something up like that?"
Piper turned back into the kitchen, placing Wyatt on the floor to crawl around, while she started to unpack the shopping bags. Phoebe perched herself on the bench, watching, while Paige started to walk up the stairs, heading for her bedroom, when the front doorbell rang.
Paige jumped down the stairs, and flounced to the front door, jumping back in surprise when she opened it, for standing there was the female she knew as Elizabeth, and the other three males.
"We thought we would come to the door, like ordinary people," said Elizabeth.
Phoebe and Piper had strolled into the hallway, behind Paige, and Leo had stuck his head around the corner, to see who was there. Phoebe cried out, and backed away quickly, recognizing Elizabeth as being the same person who picked up Wyatt, and cornered her in the lift, while Piper and Paige both made a quick lunge to shut the door, but with a quick motion the four Other World visitors stepped into the house.
Piper flung up her hand, but only two of the males froze. She made to blow up the female, but was caught first by the expression in her eyes, and slowly lowered her hand.
"I mean you no harm," said Elizabeth calmly, "Neither do my friends. We are here to ask for your help, and nothing more. If you don't wish to assist us, then we will leave."
For a tense moment, everyone started at one another. Then the freeze wore off Tems and Jael, and Leo entered the room, going to stand next to his wife.
"Say what you need to say, then leave," he said bluntly. "We will not help demons!"
"I have heard much about the Charmed Ones," said the Sorcerer Boraz, walking forward. He had been unaffected by Piper's freeze, and now came to stand next to Elizabeth, face to face with Leo. "I have heard that you are narrow minded, and quick to violence. I see now that it is true."
All three witches drew sharp breaths of indignation.
"That is not true," yelled Paige, clenching her fists. "We are the good guys around here!"
"Narrow minded!" exclaimed Piper, at the same time, "I don't think so!"
"Quick to violence!" screamed Phoebe, "As if ".
"My son is injured, and being held in the Underworld," said Elizabeth. "He has been captured, to be used as a ritual sacrifice, so that someone may prove to the rest that he is fit to be leader. It would be in your interests to help us foil this, for if Zaytak takes control, he will very quickly organize the Underworld and once again it will become a threat to you, and all people."
"Is your son a demon?" demanded Piper, with narrowed eyes, still standing with her arms folded across her chest, in a defensive position.
"Not any more," replied Elizabeth, with a look of sorrow in her eyes. She looked across at Phoebe as she spoke, and Phoebe fidgeted nervously.
"You don't know who I am, do you?" she asked, almost gently.
"No," replied Phoebe blankly, "Who are you?"
"If circumstances were different, I guess you could say, I would be your mother-in-law!" came the surprising reply, and the three just goggled at her.
Phoebe took several shaky steps backwards, and sank into a convenient chair.
"No, no, no," she said softly, "We vanquished him – we vanquished him for good."
"For good?" asked Elizabeth, "Or for your own reasons?"
"He was trying to turn me evil," Phoebe jumped up, and yelled. "I couldn't go there again. He threatened me he threatened my family. I can't cope with Cole being back – not again!"
The younger of the two male demons stepped forward, and said in a hesitant voice - "Cole rescued me from the Wasteland. He only got captured because he was helping me. He was very ashamed about his behavior, and was willing to die in the Wasteland till I needed his help. He was only staying around here, till I became accustomed to humans – then he intended to leave, go somewhere far away."
Phoebe tossed her head. "He would have tried to get to me somehow," she said, all traces of the softness she had once possessed gone.
"No, he would not," said Jael, more assertively than before. "He was suffering from some sort of weakness anyway, and had no intention of coming near you."
Her flare of temper over, Phoebe sat back down, biting her thumbnail.
Leo frowned. "He was self healing – his power immense. He should not have been suffering from anything. Surely no prison, here or in the Underworld would hold him."
"His power was lessening, the second trip through the Barrier took an awful lot of his strength, and he was carrying me. Zaytak and his followers have put a chain around his neck, a torc that blocks his magic, anyway." Jael turned back to face his companions. "They are not going to help," he said in disgust. "We need to go now, and see what we can do. They are too stuck in their short sighted ways."
Elizabeth nodded, and turned to leave.
"I said we will not harm you, and we won't," she said. "But I see now coming here was a mistake. You girls came late to your powers, and have not had enough time to see that not everything is black and white, that there are many shades of gray. There are many citizens of the Underworld who are harmless and loving creatures, just as there are few races as intentionally cruel as humans. Just because someone is human, it does not automatically make them an innocent, and just because someone is of demon blood, that does not make them evil. Perhaps you should all study the magical realm a lot more, then maybe your title as Champions of the Innocent would be better deserved."
Piper stepped forward, and put up her hand. "Just a minute," she said. "We – we need to talk for a moment. Would you wait outside?"
"For a moment," replied the larger of the two men. "I don't believe we have much time." He turned to Elizabeth, frowning. "Zaytak will be pushing for the ceremony to take place," he said. "I think we should go."
Paige, who had followed the whole argument with wide eyes, put her hand on Phoebe's shoulder. "We will just take a minute," she snapped, and shut the door on the Underworld envoy.
Phoebe surged out of the chair, and across the room.
"We can't help them – we can't", she said, "I loved Cole so much, but I can't go there again!"
Piper looked over at her husband. "Leo?" she asked "What do you think – and I mean you – not the Elders, what do You think?"
"I believe the demon called Zaytak has a following which is gathering strength," said Leo, "And that he is a nasty piece of work. I don't know about the rest of it. If she is Cole's mother, where has she been all this time? And wouldn't she be angry that you vanquished him? It may be a trap."
Piper uncrossed her arms, and pulled the door open. "I have some questions," she said to the four waiting there.
"Why is this the first time we have seen you?" she asked Elizabeth. "Surely you would have been upset when we vanquished Cole, the first time. And didn't you kill Benjamin Turner, his father, anyway? I don't know how you can stand there spouting about how bad we are, when you have a very long history of darkness."
Elizabeth looked down at the ground, then back up into Piper's eyes with anger highlighting her own.
"I have been held in what amounts to a state of suspended animation, for many years – in a cavern in the highlands of Scotland – along with these two. I escaped only a short time ago, and came back looking for Beltha – I mean Cole. As for my husband – I was in love with him, and hiding from the Source. I thought I could have it all, a happy family, a baby, a husband that loved me – but then Raynor found me, and told me if I returned to the Underworld, if I returned to the Source and took the baby with me, he would let Benjamin live. I had to make Benjamin think I had turned. I knocked him out with a low voltage energy ball, and grabbed Cole, and returned to my own world. Little did I know that Raynor went back, and killed Benjamin. I only found out much later. I paid greatly for my disobedience – and so did Cole, though he was only a baby. The punishment made me, and him, very strong. That is all I am prepared to tell you. Make your decision now; Cole is in danger, and possibly dying. You are a mother – you would know what I am feeling. Don't think it is only humans who love their offspring. I could have killed you – all of you, and taken your baby, but I didn't. Choose now, as we are going. My son does not have much time. It may already be too late."
Phoebe brushed away the tears that had formed in her eyes, as she listened to the story, told bluntly, about Cole's life. She stood next to Piper, and took her arm.
"What do you think?" she asked softly.
Piper squeezed her hand, and looked at Paige, with raised eyebrows. Leo shrugged his shoulders, and nodded to his wife.
"Cole saved my life many times," she said, "Let's go and save his."