Paige woke up to Sera licking her face with a very rough tongue. Paige
stroked her and lay in bed for awhile.
The cat meowed and she guessed it was hungry. "Just wait a little bit longer." She could hear Phoebe plodding around. Surprisingly she was the first on up by the sounds of it.
Sera stopped what she was doing and jumped off the bed in a flash scratching at the bedroom door. This behaviour was very different to the usual temperament of the cat.
"Alight, alight, I'll let you out." Paige opened the door and immediately Sera bolted through the hallway, nearly being trodden on by Phoebe and continued to go down the stairs.
Paige stood at her door. It was too early for this kind of confusion. Phoebe had managed to dodge the white blur and slammed the bathroom door closed.
Piper emerged from her room stretching her arms. "Morning Paige."
"Hi."
"So are you going to stand there all day?"
"Um.."
"Rhetorical question." Piper went into the bathroom even though Phoebe was having a shower.
Paige got dressed into whatever she could find and was comfortable. 'Thank god it's the weekend.' Even though she had nothing planned she was glad for the two day break from school.
"Paige, sort out your mad cat!" Grams shouted.
When she got into the hallway downstairs Sera was sitting on the book Andy had returned which Grams had left on the table. Sera wouldn't shut up; she was meowing over and over.
"Figure out what she wants before I throw her out the house," Grams said.
"Do you need any help?" A mean with a wagon pulled by two horses asked stopping on the road next to Briar and Prue,
"We're just travelling."
"Where to? You look like you could do with a ride."
"Aren."
"I'm going there too! My son isn't expecting me back so soon, he'll be very surprised."
"Interesting." Briar couldn't give a damn, he was worried about Prue.
"You can sit in the back and I'll take you to Aren, it'll be much faster than walking."
"We don't want to be any trouble."
"Nonsense," the man got down from his seat to stretch his legs. When he saw Prue his eyes went slightly wider. "Need any help getting her in?"
"I'm fine thanks." Briar carefully picked Prue up and set her down on the wood floor of the wagon and then hopped in himself.
"You ready to go?" The man had attached Briar and Prue's horses to the wagon.
"Yes."
The wagon lurched forward and Briar felt it rolling over stones and grit. It wasn't going to take very long to get to their destination now especially that there were four horses and they were travelling at a fast pace.
Briar needed an explanation from Isis for why he left Prue when she slid off the horse. He was hoping to use her for what he ordered, and that meant he needed to take responsibility for her, not leave her dangerously on the road.
Prue moaned again but this time her eyes opened and she sat up. He was shocked to see that her eyes were turning white slowly, the blue disappearing. He thought that inside the good spirit inside her must have been battling the new evil part growing within. She looked at him and the blue in her eyes flashed.
"Where is he?" Her voice carried no emotion, it had a flat tone and to match it he couldn't interpret anything from her blank facial expression.
Briar knew that she was talking about Isis. "He's further up ahead, we'll be joining him soon."
'I've got to get to him, got to serve him, free the people from their pain. I've got to get to him, I've got to do my duty,' this was all that ran through her mind. 'But this isn't you' a small voice said in the back of her mind, beneath the darkness of everything that had recently been put there. She clutched her head as she felt pain throb intensely under her skull.
Briar sat at her side as she stifled a scream.
"Is everything alright back there?" The driver asked.
"Just keep on going and don't stop," Briar ordered putting his hand on Prue's back.
Her eyes closed again from the pain. 'There's no escape it's not going to end. This is my punishment for not being with him, I need his words to tell me what to do.' She drew her knees up folding her arms around them. 'I have to get their now.' Briar tried to find out her thoughts with his magic but found that he couldn't. 'Fight it,' Fight what? 'You know this isn't you, fight it, reach for what was, not what will be.' No, that's wrong. What will be is greatness, her loyalty to Isis will help him rule everyone; crush the disbelievers doubting his power. 'But they are the good people; he will turn everyone into evil slavery.'
A sound escaped from her mouth as the more her mind debated and the small voice got louder the pain increased. She had to fight against what the voice was telling her.
Her head fell against Briar's shoulder, needing something to support her so he didn't fall on her back.
Lucio had given Andy some of his clothes to wear so that he looked like he belonged in Aren than from the normal world.
"Here, you need a sword," Lucio handed Andy a scabbard and one of the better handling swords.
"This should be interesting," how Andy was supposed to protect himself with a sword seeing as he didn't know how to properly fight with one was beyond him.
"How are you going to get your girlfriend away from Isis if she is an Axel? She's completely devoted to him now, and no one else."
"I need to find the Shadow."
"Do you know how you're going to get whoever it is?"
"No." He knew what the shadow would have to do, and wasn't happy about it but if it would get Prue back then it had to be done.
Both walked through the streets, different to the one Lucio had been on before they were walked towards the more busy part of the city where in the middle sat proudly Isis's palace.
"What's that?" Andy asked stopping in his tracks.
"What's what?"
"Listen." It was hard to hear anything over all the people around them but looking back up the road they could see movement and a lot of it because people were retreating to the shelter of the buildings and the walls. The sound of horses galloping at speed increased and soon they could see five horses.
"It's him!" Someone shouted running in their direction fleeing away and disappearing down an alleyway.
"Who is it?" Andy asked Lucio. They were standing in the middle of the road, which wasn't such a great idea as the forms got bigger as they came closer.
Lucio glanced around at the people all around and lastly looked at Andy. "Isis."
Andy felt the anger dance inside at the thought of Isis coming right now. He was the one who had taken Prue, and planning to use her as an Axel. Now Andy would have a chance to show Isis exactly what he thought of that.
"We shouldn't be standing here," Lucio said tugging at Andy's sleeve. The men on the horses were coming dramatically closer and he knew they wouldn't stop for anything. He tried pulling Andy away but Andy stood firmly in his spot, waiting.
"I'm getting Prue back," Andy said fire blazing in his eyes.
As the five horses were on the street and almost upon Andy and Lucio they could make out four burly soldiers and one man wearing a cloak over his clothes.
A light rain began to fall, the sky turning a dismal grey slowing, as if knowing the trouble lying ahead.
Andy and Lucio stood in the street, other people staring at them wildly thinking they were mad, the men bounding down the street, the horses hooves hitting the ground furiously, knowing where they were headed from the commands of the people riding them, the atmosphere was intense, anything could happen.
Lucio began to worry as Andy continued to concentrate on Isis and e horses were 30 feet away; there was no way for them to stop without running into the two boys.
Isis watched the two people standing in the way. "It looks like we've got easy targets," he sneered to his guards and they laughed. "Some people are just too full of themselves."
Only ten feet away from the two, Andy's hand suddenly came up, his palm facing Isis and the guards riding behind him and a stream of light blue swam through the air between them. Lucio stood amazed as the horses shrieked and threw off their riders and ran off past Andy and Lucio. The guards were clumsy and landed on their backs on knees but Isis landed on his feet.
"What a nice little power," Isis said walking straight up to Andy. Andy lowered his hand, confused by what had happened and why but didn't what seem disheartened in front of Isis.
"Where is she?" He made no effort to add the anger to his tone; it just came as he spoke.
"Who?" Isis didn't bother looking behind as his guards came to their feet talking to each other about the blue swirl that had 'attacked them.' They were talking fast and their small eyes darted around making sure there weren't any more threats.
"Prue, a Charmed One who you've taken and I know you're hoping to make her an Axel."
"Oh her," the way he said it so calmly, without meaning infuriated Andy even more. "I don't have to hope for her to become an Axel, she's already one. It wasn't much work at all, and she'll be here soon." He walked between Andy and Lucio in the direction of the palace. "Now I need some horses," he said to himself.
"Why isn't she with you?"
"She fell off a horse, I'm not entirely sure why, she said she could ride them," he turned back to Andy, but was watching his men.
"And you've just left her?"
Grey eyes stared at him. "I can't waste time and she'll find her own way here. Now it was very nice talking to you but I have important things to be doing." He called over his men.
Andy was mad that Prue was alone somewhere and Isis hadn't bothered to help her. Before he knew what he was doing his closed his eyes and focussed on he guards behind him. They were for Isis's protection but he didn't deserve it and they shouldn't be serving him, they were crazy for killing people for him.
Isis watched his men scream loudly in pain before crumpling to the floor. His brow creased and he went back over to them. Kicking on over so that he wasn't lying on his back he found that all four of them were dead. He stared at the back of Andy's head.
"Come on, we need to find Prue," Andy said to Lucio.
Lucio was speechless and just followed Andy as they walked past Isis and the four dead men.
"Who are you?" Isis called after them.
"Andy Trudeau."
Briar watched the rain falling splashing on the ground as puddles formed on the road.
"We're nearly there." The driver said. Briar thought about how wet he must be steering the horses in the rain.
Prue's eyes were open, still turning white. She was sitting in a corner watching the sky. She had managed to sit crossed legged on her own and moved away from Briar. All she needed was Isis. The little voice that had been stating things before was silent because she had over powered it. The words had been lies. She was eager to be with Isis and make people pay for hurting other people like the first town Prue had seen.
Briar wished he could be washed away with the rain. Dark times were ahead and he didn't want to be any more of a part of it than he already was. He had helped it begin and that was enough. Secretly he sided with the people who didn't follow Isis and only used their magic for good, like helping the people around them and only when necessary. Instead he was with the man who used it for power and self gain. But if he wasn't to help Isis then he would end up dead or in an eternity of torture.
Prue was mumbling something but as she said it louder he recognised it to be another language, an old dialect spoken centuries ago in Amory Tara. No one spoke it anymore and few even understood the basics of the language, but Briar knew it because he read prophecies and needed to know it.
He listened closely to what she was saying. There was no way for her to be able to speak it, even with being an Axel.
"Tih raa naq." She was saying that over and over.
It was unmistakeable. That short saying meant 'I love you with everything I have."
Briar tried to understand who she was saying it to. It could only be one person, Isis. But Axel's weren't supposed to have emotional feeling, so how was she managing to say it, and say it in an old tongue of the land?
Isis had underestimated her already just from being alone with Prue, Briar knew that there was still a smidge of good in her and now she was speaking in a practically unknown language. With the arrival of the Shadow some time, Isis was going to receive the unexpected.
Paige had taken Sera and the book into her room. Still Sera wouldn't be quiet so as much as she had to regret it she had shut her bedroom door closed with both inside as she had her breakfast. She was glad that she could orb now, and actually be able to, not just out of luck, even if she did end up in places she didn't intend to.
"What was wrong with Sera?" Phoebe asked. All three of them were sitting around the table in the kitchen.
"I don't know."
"That's weird isn't it," Phoebe said giving Piper a strange look.
"Well she is a cat, so she's going to meow."
"But wasn't she sitting on that book of yours as well?"
"Yeah, so."
"Nothing." Phoebe put her bowl in the sink and left Piper and Paige in the kitchen.
"Why is Phoebe acting unusual?"
"Phoebe is never usual to be unusual."
Paige had to say Piper's words in her head before she said anything else. "Why is Phoebe acting unusual to her usual behaviour which is unusual to normal usual behaviour?"
Both of them laughed at how dumb it sounded.
"She's pretending to be an inspector or a spy or something."
"What about?"
"She's got this weird idea that your hiding something from us about that book and what you were doing with Andy yesterday," Piper put her bowl in the sink on top of Phoebe's. "But you wouldn't be right?"
"Er.."
"Because we are sisters so you don't need to hide anything from us."
"I know."
"So then Phoebe's wrong isn't she?"
"Umm."
"Paige?"
"I've got to get ready to meet someone." She rushed of. She didn't want to have to lie to her sisters again. They had always shared everything before but she had lied to them about the book and she didn't want to keep on lying because that just wouldn't be right. Why did everything have to be so confusing? She asked herself. It wasn't the first time she had asked that question.
Piper stood in the kitchen. Paige had avoided her question which meant that she was hiding something. Maybe Phoebe was right, for once. Paige had hidden things before, but never for very long. Or maybe she was taking Phoebe's words too seriously and Paige was just, well just doing something. Did it really matter? What was more important was that Prue was brought home. How many times had she thought of that already?
Briar sat in front of Prue. She stopped saying tih raa naq and her eyes searched his. Her eyes were flashing blue again, but it was more extreme. It was fascinating to watch but it gave Briar the idea that she might not have been saying it to Isis.
"Who do you love?" He asked.
Love? Who did she love? She didn't love; she was committed to Isis, or was that the same thing?
"Do you even know what you're saying?"
"Tih raa naq."
"Yeah, that, do you know what it means?"
Of course she knew what it meant; the words had come out of her mouth on their own but also the meaning. Other words had come with them, a whole language in fact but it had been those words that came first.
"I know exactly what it means,"
"So who are you saying it to?"
There wasn't really someone she was saying it to. It just came.
"Andy," her mind spoke for her mouth. The sound of her own voice saying that name brought everything back. Andy, she could never forget him, the way he kissed her, the way he was always there. He was her boyfriend. She loved him, and no one else. She would do anything for him. But she wasn't with him to do what he wanted her to do. She was heading towards Isis to serve him, not Andy.
"Don't you mean Isis?"
Perhaps she did love Isis, she was doing this for him, had killed that man for him and become a different person for him. No, she loved Andy.
Briar saw Prue's eyes flash blue brighter; she was turning back to who she was all by herself. What he had thought was impossible was now becoming possible. He couldn't wait to see Isis's reaction when he would see Prue again.
"I love Andy," she said it softly as he smiled. "He's not here, he's in the normal world, I can't tell him I love him."
"I know, but you'll get to when you go home."
"Home? How can I get home?"
"I'll help you, but first we need to get to Isis, you need to prove to him that you love Andy."
"But I'm supposed to do everything for Isis."
"Wouldn't you prefer to do it for Andy?"
"Yes."
"Then don't listen to Isis."
The wagon stopped and the man appeared at the back. "I have to leave you here, we're in Aren but you need to walk just a little bit farther to get to the more city part."
"Thankyou for your help." Briar helped Prue get down.
"It's no problem, I hope you don't come across too much trouble on your way. Let me detach your horses from the wagon."
"Keep them, it's the least we could do."
The man smiled and thanked them before driving the wagon down another road.
Prue was a target for any eyes and most people would wonder why she had so much blood on her, but that didn't matter, they just needed to get to the palace where Isis would be.
*-*-*-*-*
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The cat meowed and she guessed it was hungry. "Just wait a little bit longer." She could hear Phoebe plodding around. Surprisingly she was the first on up by the sounds of it.
Sera stopped what she was doing and jumped off the bed in a flash scratching at the bedroom door. This behaviour was very different to the usual temperament of the cat.
"Alight, alight, I'll let you out." Paige opened the door and immediately Sera bolted through the hallway, nearly being trodden on by Phoebe and continued to go down the stairs.
Paige stood at her door. It was too early for this kind of confusion. Phoebe had managed to dodge the white blur and slammed the bathroom door closed.
Piper emerged from her room stretching her arms. "Morning Paige."
"Hi."
"So are you going to stand there all day?"
"Um.."
"Rhetorical question." Piper went into the bathroom even though Phoebe was having a shower.
Paige got dressed into whatever she could find and was comfortable. 'Thank god it's the weekend.' Even though she had nothing planned she was glad for the two day break from school.
"Paige, sort out your mad cat!" Grams shouted.
When she got into the hallway downstairs Sera was sitting on the book Andy had returned which Grams had left on the table. Sera wouldn't shut up; she was meowing over and over.
"Figure out what she wants before I throw her out the house," Grams said.
"Do you need any help?" A mean with a wagon pulled by two horses asked stopping on the road next to Briar and Prue,
"We're just travelling."
"Where to? You look like you could do with a ride."
"Aren."
"I'm going there too! My son isn't expecting me back so soon, he'll be very surprised."
"Interesting." Briar couldn't give a damn, he was worried about Prue.
"You can sit in the back and I'll take you to Aren, it'll be much faster than walking."
"We don't want to be any trouble."
"Nonsense," the man got down from his seat to stretch his legs. When he saw Prue his eyes went slightly wider. "Need any help getting her in?"
"I'm fine thanks." Briar carefully picked Prue up and set her down on the wood floor of the wagon and then hopped in himself.
"You ready to go?" The man had attached Briar and Prue's horses to the wagon.
"Yes."
The wagon lurched forward and Briar felt it rolling over stones and grit. It wasn't going to take very long to get to their destination now especially that there were four horses and they were travelling at a fast pace.
Briar needed an explanation from Isis for why he left Prue when she slid off the horse. He was hoping to use her for what he ordered, and that meant he needed to take responsibility for her, not leave her dangerously on the road.
Prue moaned again but this time her eyes opened and she sat up. He was shocked to see that her eyes were turning white slowly, the blue disappearing. He thought that inside the good spirit inside her must have been battling the new evil part growing within. She looked at him and the blue in her eyes flashed.
"Where is he?" Her voice carried no emotion, it had a flat tone and to match it he couldn't interpret anything from her blank facial expression.
Briar knew that she was talking about Isis. "He's further up ahead, we'll be joining him soon."
'I've got to get to him, got to serve him, free the people from their pain. I've got to get to him, I've got to do my duty,' this was all that ran through her mind. 'But this isn't you' a small voice said in the back of her mind, beneath the darkness of everything that had recently been put there. She clutched her head as she felt pain throb intensely under her skull.
Briar sat at her side as she stifled a scream.
"Is everything alright back there?" The driver asked.
"Just keep on going and don't stop," Briar ordered putting his hand on Prue's back.
Her eyes closed again from the pain. 'There's no escape it's not going to end. This is my punishment for not being with him, I need his words to tell me what to do.' She drew her knees up folding her arms around them. 'I have to get their now.' Briar tried to find out her thoughts with his magic but found that he couldn't. 'Fight it,' Fight what? 'You know this isn't you, fight it, reach for what was, not what will be.' No, that's wrong. What will be is greatness, her loyalty to Isis will help him rule everyone; crush the disbelievers doubting his power. 'But they are the good people; he will turn everyone into evil slavery.'
A sound escaped from her mouth as the more her mind debated and the small voice got louder the pain increased. She had to fight against what the voice was telling her.
Her head fell against Briar's shoulder, needing something to support her so he didn't fall on her back.
Lucio had given Andy some of his clothes to wear so that he looked like he belonged in Aren than from the normal world.
"Here, you need a sword," Lucio handed Andy a scabbard and one of the better handling swords.
"This should be interesting," how Andy was supposed to protect himself with a sword seeing as he didn't know how to properly fight with one was beyond him.
"How are you going to get your girlfriend away from Isis if she is an Axel? She's completely devoted to him now, and no one else."
"I need to find the Shadow."
"Do you know how you're going to get whoever it is?"
"No." He knew what the shadow would have to do, and wasn't happy about it but if it would get Prue back then it had to be done.
Both walked through the streets, different to the one Lucio had been on before they were walked towards the more busy part of the city where in the middle sat proudly Isis's palace.
"What's that?" Andy asked stopping in his tracks.
"What's what?"
"Listen." It was hard to hear anything over all the people around them but looking back up the road they could see movement and a lot of it because people were retreating to the shelter of the buildings and the walls. The sound of horses galloping at speed increased and soon they could see five horses.
"It's him!" Someone shouted running in their direction fleeing away and disappearing down an alleyway.
"Who is it?" Andy asked Lucio. They were standing in the middle of the road, which wasn't such a great idea as the forms got bigger as they came closer.
Lucio glanced around at the people all around and lastly looked at Andy. "Isis."
Andy felt the anger dance inside at the thought of Isis coming right now. He was the one who had taken Prue, and planning to use her as an Axel. Now Andy would have a chance to show Isis exactly what he thought of that.
"We shouldn't be standing here," Lucio said tugging at Andy's sleeve. The men on the horses were coming dramatically closer and he knew they wouldn't stop for anything. He tried pulling Andy away but Andy stood firmly in his spot, waiting.
"I'm getting Prue back," Andy said fire blazing in his eyes.
As the five horses were on the street and almost upon Andy and Lucio they could make out four burly soldiers and one man wearing a cloak over his clothes.
A light rain began to fall, the sky turning a dismal grey slowing, as if knowing the trouble lying ahead.
Andy and Lucio stood in the street, other people staring at them wildly thinking they were mad, the men bounding down the street, the horses hooves hitting the ground furiously, knowing where they were headed from the commands of the people riding them, the atmosphere was intense, anything could happen.
Lucio began to worry as Andy continued to concentrate on Isis and e horses were 30 feet away; there was no way for them to stop without running into the two boys.
Isis watched the two people standing in the way. "It looks like we've got easy targets," he sneered to his guards and they laughed. "Some people are just too full of themselves."
Only ten feet away from the two, Andy's hand suddenly came up, his palm facing Isis and the guards riding behind him and a stream of light blue swam through the air between them. Lucio stood amazed as the horses shrieked and threw off their riders and ran off past Andy and Lucio. The guards were clumsy and landed on their backs on knees but Isis landed on his feet.
"What a nice little power," Isis said walking straight up to Andy. Andy lowered his hand, confused by what had happened and why but didn't what seem disheartened in front of Isis.
"Where is she?" He made no effort to add the anger to his tone; it just came as he spoke.
"Who?" Isis didn't bother looking behind as his guards came to their feet talking to each other about the blue swirl that had 'attacked them.' They were talking fast and their small eyes darted around making sure there weren't any more threats.
"Prue, a Charmed One who you've taken and I know you're hoping to make her an Axel."
"Oh her," the way he said it so calmly, without meaning infuriated Andy even more. "I don't have to hope for her to become an Axel, she's already one. It wasn't much work at all, and she'll be here soon." He walked between Andy and Lucio in the direction of the palace. "Now I need some horses," he said to himself.
"Why isn't she with you?"
"She fell off a horse, I'm not entirely sure why, she said she could ride them," he turned back to Andy, but was watching his men.
"And you've just left her?"
Grey eyes stared at him. "I can't waste time and she'll find her own way here. Now it was very nice talking to you but I have important things to be doing." He called over his men.
Andy was mad that Prue was alone somewhere and Isis hadn't bothered to help her. Before he knew what he was doing his closed his eyes and focussed on he guards behind him. They were for Isis's protection but he didn't deserve it and they shouldn't be serving him, they were crazy for killing people for him.
Isis watched his men scream loudly in pain before crumpling to the floor. His brow creased and he went back over to them. Kicking on over so that he wasn't lying on his back he found that all four of them were dead. He stared at the back of Andy's head.
"Come on, we need to find Prue," Andy said to Lucio.
Lucio was speechless and just followed Andy as they walked past Isis and the four dead men.
"Who are you?" Isis called after them.
"Andy Trudeau."
Briar watched the rain falling splashing on the ground as puddles formed on the road.
"We're nearly there." The driver said. Briar thought about how wet he must be steering the horses in the rain.
Prue's eyes were open, still turning white. She was sitting in a corner watching the sky. She had managed to sit crossed legged on her own and moved away from Briar. All she needed was Isis. The little voice that had been stating things before was silent because she had over powered it. The words had been lies. She was eager to be with Isis and make people pay for hurting other people like the first town Prue had seen.
Briar wished he could be washed away with the rain. Dark times were ahead and he didn't want to be any more of a part of it than he already was. He had helped it begin and that was enough. Secretly he sided with the people who didn't follow Isis and only used their magic for good, like helping the people around them and only when necessary. Instead he was with the man who used it for power and self gain. But if he wasn't to help Isis then he would end up dead or in an eternity of torture.
Prue was mumbling something but as she said it louder he recognised it to be another language, an old dialect spoken centuries ago in Amory Tara. No one spoke it anymore and few even understood the basics of the language, but Briar knew it because he read prophecies and needed to know it.
He listened closely to what she was saying. There was no way for her to be able to speak it, even with being an Axel.
"Tih raa naq." She was saying that over and over.
It was unmistakeable. That short saying meant 'I love you with everything I have."
Briar tried to understand who she was saying it to. It could only be one person, Isis. But Axel's weren't supposed to have emotional feeling, so how was she managing to say it, and say it in an old tongue of the land?
Isis had underestimated her already just from being alone with Prue, Briar knew that there was still a smidge of good in her and now she was speaking in a practically unknown language. With the arrival of the Shadow some time, Isis was going to receive the unexpected.
Paige had taken Sera and the book into her room. Still Sera wouldn't be quiet so as much as she had to regret it she had shut her bedroom door closed with both inside as she had her breakfast. She was glad that she could orb now, and actually be able to, not just out of luck, even if she did end up in places she didn't intend to.
"What was wrong with Sera?" Phoebe asked. All three of them were sitting around the table in the kitchen.
"I don't know."
"That's weird isn't it," Phoebe said giving Piper a strange look.
"Well she is a cat, so she's going to meow."
"But wasn't she sitting on that book of yours as well?"
"Yeah, so."
"Nothing." Phoebe put her bowl in the sink and left Piper and Paige in the kitchen.
"Why is Phoebe acting unusual?"
"Phoebe is never usual to be unusual."
Paige had to say Piper's words in her head before she said anything else. "Why is Phoebe acting unusual to her usual behaviour which is unusual to normal usual behaviour?"
Both of them laughed at how dumb it sounded.
"She's pretending to be an inspector or a spy or something."
"What about?"
"She's got this weird idea that your hiding something from us about that book and what you were doing with Andy yesterday," Piper put her bowl in the sink on top of Phoebe's. "But you wouldn't be right?"
"Er.."
"Because we are sisters so you don't need to hide anything from us."
"I know."
"So then Phoebe's wrong isn't she?"
"Umm."
"Paige?"
"I've got to get ready to meet someone." She rushed of. She didn't want to have to lie to her sisters again. They had always shared everything before but she had lied to them about the book and she didn't want to keep on lying because that just wouldn't be right. Why did everything have to be so confusing? She asked herself. It wasn't the first time she had asked that question.
Piper stood in the kitchen. Paige had avoided her question which meant that she was hiding something. Maybe Phoebe was right, for once. Paige had hidden things before, but never for very long. Or maybe she was taking Phoebe's words too seriously and Paige was just, well just doing something. Did it really matter? What was more important was that Prue was brought home. How many times had she thought of that already?
Briar sat in front of Prue. She stopped saying tih raa naq and her eyes searched his. Her eyes were flashing blue again, but it was more extreme. It was fascinating to watch but it gave Briar the idea that she might not have been saying it to Isis.
"Who do you love?" He asked.
Love? Who did she love? She didn't love; she was committed to Isis, or was that the same thing?
"Do you even know what you're saying?"
"Tih raa naq."
"Yeah, that, do you know what it means?"
Of course she knew what it meant; the words had come out of her mouth on their own but also the meaning. Other words had come with them, a whole language in fact but it had been those words that came first.
"I know exactly what it means,"
"So who are you saying it to?"
There wasn't really someone she was saying it to. It just came.
"Andy," her mind spoke for her mouth. The sound of her own voice saying that name brought everything back. Andy, she could never forget him, the way he kissed her, the way he was always there. He was her boyfriend. She loved him, and no one else. She would do anything for him. But she wasn't with him to do what he wanted her to do. She was heading towards Isis to serve him, not Andy.
"Don't you mean Isis?"
Perhaps she did love Isis, she was doing this for him, had killed that man for him and become a different person for him. No, she loved Andy.
Briar saw Prue's eyes flash blue brighter; she was turning back to who she was all by herself. What he had thought was impossible was now becoming possible. He couldn't wait to see Isis's reaction when he would see Prue again.
"I love Andy," she said it softly as he smiled. "He's not here, he's in the normal world, I can't tell him I love him."
"I know, but you'll get to when you go home."
"Home? How can I get home?"
"I'll help you, but first we need to get to Isis, you need to prove to him that you love Andy."
"But I'm supposed to do everything for Isis."
"Wouldn't you prefer to do it for Andy?"
"Yes."
"Then don't listen to Isis."
The wagon stopped and the man appeared at the back. "I have to leave you here, we're in Aren but you need to walk just a little bit farther to get to the more city part."
"Thankyou for your help." Briar helped Prue get down.
"It's no problem, I hope you don't come across too much trouble on your way. Let me detach your horses from the wagon."
"Keep them, it's the least we could do."
The man smiled and thanked them before driving the wagon down another road.
Prue was a target for any eyes and most people would wonder why she had so much blood on her, but that didn't matter, they just needed to get to the palace where Isis would be.
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