A/N: Greetings to all my faithful readers!!
Ernie: Boy. Have. We. Got. A. Treat. For. You.
We most certainly do Ernie! I loved writing this chapter! I could see it all happening before my very eyes, and the words just flowed out of my fingerprints!
Talia: Can I do the thank-yous, Cinammon?
Go right ahead, Talia.
Talia: Thanks go to...
Frances: You flatter me!
Actually, when I was seven I made a list of all the things I wanted to do with my life. It now sits sealed in a bank deposit box, and the bank has been ordered to send it to me on my sixtieth birthday, courtesy of my wonderful aunt. In it, among other things, I said that I wanted to be a millionaire by the time was thirty (that leaves me just ten years...eek!), retire at forty/forty-five, travel the world and win the Pulitzer Prize for a novel I'll write on my aforementioned world travels. Ambitious seven-year-old, wasn't I? I guess I'll have to see how far on my list I get, but I'm afraid, despite your compliments, I don't see me ever getting the Pulitzer!
Chantedly: Have I told you that you have the absolutely BEST adjectives to describe my 'little' story? Fantabulous? Wow!
*Smiles coyly while studying her shoes* I have an idea for some kind of sequel concerning where Talia might end up next... It's very hush-hush at the moment, and I'm not sure it'll happen at all. It'll probably be a crossover and I'm quite excited at the prospect, but either way, it'll have to wait until after my exams at the end of May.
TanyaM: I'm so very glad that you enjoyed the last chapter! You most certainly deserve it for being the loyal and much loved reviewer you are! If you want to know what's next for Talia, read what I've told Chantedly above. I'd love to do a sequel, although it'll probably more for Talia and Wyatt than the Charmed Ones, but I'm worried that it'll take too much time and that I'll end up as overkill of a good character. What do you think?
Ori: Ah, I love sugar buzzes! They just make me so... happy! Your sugar buzz review most certainly made me happy! And, because you made me so happy...
Ask and ye shall receive!
You wanted a one-parter full of "T&V smoochies", you've got it! You wanted "gratuitous sex", you've got that too! What's more, you wanted Valdis in leather... oh, you've certainly given me some ideas with that one...
Anyway, what I'm saying is that a one-shot featuring your favourite couple is coming your way soon! Just warning you that it'll be rated R. It's already half-way written, and I'm not planning on stopping until the rather large window of my room is completely fogged up!
Svata: I hope this chapter satisfies your incessant hunger for more. At least temporarily...
Mickis: I know what you mean about being upset that it's ending. I most certainly am. I'm not ready to say goodbye to all my original characters... *sniff!*
Phoebe-Cole-lovers-foreve: What can I say, darling, I do what I can! *laughs coquettishly* Seriously, I'm so very pleased that people can see beneath the surface of the story, to find similarities between it and the Charmed series. The whole Valdis/Cole and Josh/Jason thing was risky. Fans tend to be rather fanatical about their preferences and though I wanted the comparison made, I didn't want it to be too obvious.
.
In this chapter, I've placed a little scene that some of you might find somewhat familiar. Nighcrawler I'm pleased to say, figured it out all immediately. He even gave me the title of the episode it came from and the changes that I've made to it! I was very impressed. See if any of you can do the same.
I've almost reached the end, and I'm blabbing like an idiot, trying to show you guys in the few chapters I have left, how much your support actually means to me. Still, if I made you smile or, dare I say laugh, if I made your eyes water or made your heart race, if I made you bite even a single nail in anticipation just once, then I have done my duty as a writer! I hope you've all enjoyed the ride, as much as I did!
.
Chapter 40: Walking on the Blade's Edge
"Where to next?" sighed Phoebe in defeat.
"The football pitch," answered Wyatt, "it's the last place I can think of."
"Okay, but if he's not there we'll have to give up and go back to the manor."
He nodded.
"I just wish I knew where Talia was," complained Phoebe.
She had told Wyatt a little about Cole's visit. Only the necessary parts of course. That Talia was not with the Source, as they had first believed, that Cole denied any involvement in this affair, and that he suspected someone else of using Talia to get to him. Wyatt had accepted it all and, though he still had his doubts, Talia had told him enough about her father and her relationship with him, that he found it all possible.
He was sceptic about Cole's claims of not being involved. He was the Source after all. But then again, Wyatt didn't really know what to think about the whole thing. None of them did. They were out of their depth and Wyatt knew it. They were dealing with the inner workings of the Underworld, as well as Talia's relationship with her father.
Talia had left him hours ago. He remembered her face when she had told him that she was going to go see her father, and the memory sent shivers down his spine. He didn't envy the Source at all, having to deal with an infuriated Talia! But Wyatt could not forget that Talia was a wanted woman in the Underworld. Knowing her, she had probably flamed there as if she owned the place. It was dangerous, reckless, and everyone, including Talia, knew it.
She could take care of herself. Wyatt knew that better than anyone. But he was still worried about her.
"Take my hand aunt Phoebe, and I'll orb us over to the football pitch," he sad wearily.
********************
Talia smiled at Josh. She slowly rose from her seat next to him and offered him her hand.
"Take my hand. I'll flame us both back to my house."
He stared at her hand with a mixture of horror and fear. Talia winced.
"Please, Josh," she said, "trust me."
He hesitated for a long time and Talia could see the inner struggle in his eyes. Her hand remained where it was and she held her breath.
He finally seemed to reach a decision and, tentatively, took her hand.
"Well, well, well..." interrupted a mocking voice. "Isn't this sweet?"
The two teenagers turned to face the hooded figure standing a few feet in front of them, on the moist grass of the football pitch.
Talia stood defensively in front of Josh.
"Who are you?" she growled. "Reveal yourself."
A pair of pale hands rose to push the hood of the cloak, back. Grey hair surrounded a pale face with cold eyes.
Talia's eyes flashed with recognition.
She had met the demon in her father's court. He was a member of the Evil Council, not to mention one of the most politically influential and powerful demons around. Her father had never liked him, she knew, and neither had she. Talia had caught him leering at her once or twice in the official banquets she had to attend in her father's palace. What was he doing here?
"My lord Perdicus..." she said in a form of greeting.
"My lady Phoenix..." he answered bowing to her mockingly.
Talia bristled. That had been an unforgivable breach of protocol. The correct answer from any of her father's subjects was something in the line of 'Princess' or 'Your Highness'. Even, 'my Lady' would do! Phoenix was nothing but the nickname that had been granted her as the Source's assassin. Perdicus was being insolent and they both knew it. Talia reminded herself that by leaving the Underworld to join with the Charmed Ones, she had forfeited her title in the Underworld, but Perdicus' deliberate rudeness had touched a nerve.
"May I enquire as to the purpose of this visit?"
She had kept the conversation calm and polite, spoken softly, but clearly. Only the tone in which she had uttered those words proved how dangerous she really was. Her voice was cold and cruel, letting her father's blood speak through her.
"I have come for the mortal," he answered.
Talia started, then frowned. Her father had sent a member of the Evil Council to kill off her boyfriend? Something wasn't quite right here.
"I'm afraid I cannot let you have him, my lord," she said stonily.
But Perdicus had seen her shrewd calculations in the split second she had left her eyes unguarded. He was perceptive and a good judge of character; only two of the qualities that had earned him respect and power in the Underworld. In that split second, he had realised that he had to keep up the charade of the Source's involvement in this, if he wanted the desired effect to take place.
"My Lord requires the mortal's death. This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't defected. Come back to the Underworld, Princess. Defy the Source in this, and you condemn your little boyfriend here," he lied.
Much better, he thought to himself. Now whatever happened between them, Talia, would be angry at her father.
So that was it, thought Talia disappointedly. Her father had now resorted to blackmail to bring her back. He couldn't threaten the lives of the Charmed Ones or Wyatt, because they could protect themselves, but he had found a chink in her armour in Josh. Still, why had he sent a member of the Council for all this, rather than any other upper level demon?
Maybe Cole didn't think that anyone else would stand a chance against her... She mentally smiled at this.
Still, Cole hadn't even liked Perdicus, much less trust him. And Talia was very much aware of how... volatile, the situation that she had created by leaving the Underworld, was, for the Source. Why would her father send him of all people, to deal with her?
But Talia didn't have much time for thought. The demon in front of her impatiently awaited her answer.
"I refuse to be blackmailed, Perdicus," she said proudly. "Tell my father that I have chosen sides. I fight in the side of the Light now, and no amount of threats will change my decision."
Inwardly, Perdicus sighed with relief. His bluff had worked. He hadn't known that she would turn down his offer. In fact, the whole thing had been nothing more than a well-placed gamble, an educated guess at best, but he had laid the trap and she had fallen for it hook, line and sinker.
He wasn't sure what he would have done if she hadn't turned his offer down, if she had conceded coming with him back to the Underworld to rejoin the Dark side. He supposed he would have then had to reveal himself and fight her anyway. Perhaps, no longer expecting him to attack, he could have taken her by surprise and killed her. But that would do nothing to rid him of Belthazor. No; Perdicus needed her alive and furious to go after the Source, and he was convinced that for that to happen, he had to take the mortal boy out.
He hadn't expected Talia to be with the boy. He had expected him to be an easy target, but now that he found her here, there was no other solution but to fight her. Perdicus wasn't sure he could defeat her in a battle of magic. He was very powerful, but so was she. He smiled when he realised that he didn't have to defeat her at all. All he had to do was distract her, simply get around her, to the mortal boy she currently shielded with her body. All he needed was one second, one solitary moment and his work would be done.
"You asked for it," he said, narrowing his eyes at her, "Anything that happens to him from now on, lies on your head! You are a traitor to your people Talia," he said dramatically, purposefully disregarding any and all titles.
Talia simply glared defiantly at him, waiting for his next move.
"Come now, Phoenix," he drawled. "You know how this works."
Before Josh's very eyes, Talia was suddenly surrounded by high flames. He backed away, terrified once again beyond belief. He had followed the conversation so far, watching in disbelief the exchange between these...creatures that lived in a world so very different from his own.
It seemed that Talia's explanation of the situation had been rather...abbreviated. It looked like she had left certain things out...a lot of things out.
He watched in fascination as Talia momentarily disappeared from the stands next to him to appear opposite Perdicus on the football pitch, in a burst of flames that soon died out. That must be what she had called flaming, he realised.
Talia reached in her long, leather coat.
To Josh's astonishment, she withdrew a long sword from its confines. Even an enraged Talia had not dared walk the corridors of the Source's lair unarmed.
Directly opposite her, Perdicus drew his own deadly sword.
Talia thought back on her training and her first sword fighting lesson.
********************
~Hand to hand combat is too safe. Sword fighting teaches confidence, integrity. ~
She was barely eleven years old when she first lifted a sword, and she had already been training for the past five years.
Her father taught her himself. She was grateful. His time was precious and she knew not to waste it. She was getting to be good...very good. Her father had never told her in so many words, but she had seen it in the proud twinkle of his eyes when she flawlessly performed a high kick or an acrobatic stunt she had spent hours on her own, practising. It was worth it.
~"You need to learn how to fight like a demon, Talia," her father had told her, "training must come before everything."~
And so, he taught her to fight.
Cole was always hard on her. He never pulled his punches, even when she was only tall enough to reach his waist. He had always treated her as an equal and Talia wouldn't have it any other way. Many were the days that she had left the Training Hall covered in bruises and cuts, with two black eyes, aching all over.
She never complained. That would have been beneath her as Princess of the Underworld, daughter of the Darkness. And Talia was proud to a fault.
She always went to bed after those gruelling training sessions, exhausted beyond thought. Invariably, she was woken up hours later, in the middle of the night, by her father. They hardly spoke during Cole's nightly visits, but he lay his hands on her wounds and healed them. The softer side of the Source was something that they kept between them. She accepted those acts of kindness without question, and it was enough...for both of them.
~"I think it's twisted badly," complained a thirteen-year old Talia, cradling her throbbing ankle on the floor.
"Stand up," said Cole coldly.
"I can't stand up. I need a time out."
"No other demon would ever give you a time out when you need it, Talia..." he growled. "Now get up!"
"I said I can't get up!" She was tired and she was hurt. Her shoulder was aching where she had landed on it previously; she had a split lip and the beginnings of a black eye. "Damn it father, I'm your daughter, can't you see that it hurts?!"
"Demons worship strength, and power, and nothing else. To defeat a demon, you must channel all of your energy into your strength, including the pain!" he roared.
He grabbed her arm roughly and pulled her to her feet.
"Let go of me!" she snapped and pushed him away. "I can do it myself!"
She glared daggers at her father, while she limped onto a fighting stance.
Cole's expression remained neutral and cold as he surveyed his daughter. When he finally spoke however, his voice was surprisingly gentle.
"I don't want anything to happen to you Talia."
Her eyes softened. She understood. She was her father's daughter after all.
She nodded curtly as if nothing had happened between them, and drew on her stubbornness to block the pain of her hurt ankle.
Her eyes showed her steely resolve as she raised her sword once again.
"Let's go. I'm ready." ~
A feral grin stretched on Talia's face as she looked into Perdicus' beady eyes. She had heard a lot about him and his skill with the sword, but despite the more-than-a-century's worth of experience he had on her, she would give him a run for his money.
*********************
Josh watched in horrified fascination as Talia and the stranger faced each other. They both raised their swords solemnly in salute to their opponent.
"I, Perdicus, Lord of Kilnair, Member of the Evil Council, challenge you, Lady Talia, Princess of All Evil, to a duel."
He swept his sword down, cutting the air diagonally.
"I accept your challenge," Talia answered formally, imitating his gesture. Her expression betrayed nothing. "Arm yourself."
Talia crouched in a fighting stance even as Perdicus lunged at her, sword raised high. She parried his thrust and twisted. He turned and thrust at her again. The empty football pitch echoed with the angry clang of metal on mental as her blade prevented his latest attack. She threw him off of her.
Talia turned and aimed a high kick at the hands that gripped the hilt of his sword. He took a step backwards and avoided her potentially disarming boot. Talia didn't miss a beat. She finished her turn and brought her sword-carrying arm up for a blow to Perdicus' midsection. He brought his sword down just in time to stop her blow, but he stumbled backwards with the force she had put in it.
The half-breed was good, he had to admit.
He feigned a move to the right and as she moved to block him, he turned to elbow her sharply in the kidneys. Perdicus smirked. A gasp of pain left Talia's lips as she arched her back, but she still managed to bring her sword up to block the blow aimed at her stomach.
Her father's voice echoed in her pain-filled mind even as she moved to block another of Perdicus' cuts.
~Channel all of your energy into your strength, including the pain!~
Talia gritted her teeth against the pain, and swept one leg under Perdicus' feet. He jumped just in time to avoid it, but when he landed, he found her too close to him to allow the use of his sword. Her raised nails scraped painfully against his cheek drawing blood. He stumbled backwards once again, rivulets of blood dripping down his face.
Damn it! All he needed was one tiny opening, one minute distraction, and a well-placed fireball would do his work. But their frenzied fighting hadn't given him a moment's chance.
Talia didn't wait for him to find his feet. She lunged at him viciously with her blade. He brought his up to block her, but her momentum was too great and he only managed to divert her aim from his chest to his shoulder.
Her blade pierced his flesh and he growled like a wounded animal with the pain. She slid her sword out of his shoulder, before whirling it around for what would have surely been the final blow in their duel, if he hadn't raised his sword barely on time to prevent her from taking his head off.
He was physically stronger than her, almost twice her size, and in the end that was what worked against her.
He pushed her off him and this time she was the one to stumble backwards. Before managing to regain her balance he grabbed her hair in a bloodied hand and pulled her forward. She brought her blade in front of her and dug it into the ground to prevent her fall. With no time to turn his blade round, Perdicus kept his hand in her hair and dug the blunt hilt of his sword in the base of her neck.
Talia's vision swam before her eyes with the pain. She saw black spots and forced herself to retain her hold on her sword and stay conscious. If she passed out now, she knew she would never wake up again.
This was his chance. He could send a fireball and Talia would be unable to stop him from killing her mortal little friend.
But Perdicus had gone insane with bloodlust. He brought his blade round.
His mind filled with the pain from his throbbing shoulder and the blood from his wound dripped down his arm to soak her long, brown hair in his hand. The need to feel her blood mingling with his, was almost unbearable. Perdicus thought nothing of thrones and schemes in that moment. He just wanted to watch her die by his hand.
Talia refused to give him the pleasure. She waited until the final second, when she could feel the blade slicing the air towards her exposed neck, before she moved sharply.
Perdicus' sword sliced through the silky strands between his fist and her scalp as she gave a sudden jerk of her head.
Free from his grasp, Talia stumbled away, dragging her sword with her to face him once again.
Perdicus looked angrily at the cinnamon tresses in his palm before throwing them disgustedly away. He had lost control back there; something that shouldn't have happened and would not happen again.
Her death was not the aim here. He raised his eyes towards the boy that was watching them from the stands. His was.
Talia raised her eyes, while fighting for breath, to see Perdicus holding a fireball in his hand, an evil grin on his face. Her face twisted in horror at the sudden realisation of what he was about to do.
"NO!!!" she screamed as the fireball left his hand. She followed the fireball's trajectory. It seemed to travel impossibly slow. It slammed into Josh, who seemed too shocked to even scream as he was shot backwards by the force of the fireball.
Talia's scream tore through the night.
It reached the ears of the four dark figures that had just magically appeared on the football pitch.
.
A/N: Okay, I have to say, that I am quite proud of the sword fighting scene in this chapter. I feel that it turned out fast, vicious, cruel and cunning, just like I imagined a demon duel to be like. I'm also fond of the small flashback scene between Talia and Cole. What do you think? I love writing action scenes, but I'm worried that I get carried away. Did I overdo the action? Nightcrawler convinced me otherwise, which is why I left the chapter as is, but I guess, in the end, you are all the only judges that count...
This should be the second to final chapter. Everything will be settled on this night at the school football pitch. I promise more action and drama to follow. I'll also probably have a small epilogue at the very end and then the story will be finished... *Sniff!* This is all very moving!