THIRTEEN
Three days passed without any word from Cole. Piper called twice in that
time asking Leo when he was coming by for a visit. He and his cousins, of
course. Leo didn't need telepathy or any other magical powers to know that
Piper was still interested. It was kind of a shame, really. If things had been
different, he might be with her now instead of Tiffany.
He kept telling her that he was busy and would stop by as soon as he had
the chance. He hated lying to her. But he also knew that that was a dead end
road. Even assuming things were different, there was no way the Elders would
ever allow him to become involved with her. Even his relationship with Tiffany
was covert. Finally, Cole called. Tiffany answered the phone and called Leo
and Chris as soon as she found out who it was.
"I've got some information," said Cole. "You'd better get over to the
manor as fast as you can. There have been developments that you need to be made
aware of."
"We'll be there right away," said Tiffany. She hung up the phone. "He
sounded concerned. Whatever is going on, I think it's big. Under the
circumstances, Leo, I think we'd better orb there. Driving would take too
long."
"We should be able to orb into the backyard unnoticed," said Leo. "I hope
he has some good news. We aren't any closer to solving this thing than we were
when Chris first arrived."
Together, the three orbed to the manor. So that it wouldn't look
suspicious, they moved around to the front of the house. The sisters might
think it odd if they arrived at the back door. Leo rang the doorbell and they
waited. After a few moments, Cole answered the door.
"Good you're here," said Cole. He seemed nervous. "Come in."
Everyone walked into the entryway. Looking in the living room, they saw
Prue and Piper sitting on the sofa. They looked around nervously. Leo was
beginning to get a bad feeling. Suddenly Tiffany turned to him.
"It's a trap," she said. "Leo, get us out of here now."
"I wouldn't do that," said a voice from the stairs.
They all turned to see a man standing at the top of the stairs. He was
dressed in robes and behind stood Phoebe and two other figures. Figures that
were obviously demons. Suddenly, four more demons shimmered into the living
room, taking up stances beside Prue and Piper. Two more demons came out of the
kitchen, Andy in tow.
"If you orb, White Lighter," said the figure in the robes, "I will kill
everyone in the house. You and your witch join the others in the living room.
This should prove quite interesting."
Leo, Tiffany, and Chris walked into the living room, Cole beside them.
"I'm sorry, Leo," said Cole. "They just appeared. They had Phoebe before
I could move. He knows you've been to the manor. And he knows about you and
Tiffany. He said if I didn't get you here without suspicion, he'd torture the
others to death and make me watch."
"Oh, I'm still going to do that, Belthazor," said the robed figure. "Did
you really think your little ploy would work with me? Did you think I would
believe your little fantasy about the Book of Shadows being destroyed? It's
much too valuable. The witch would never have destroyed it."
"What is he talking about?" asked Phoebe as she and Andy were forced into
the living room with the others. "Who is that guy? And what are these....
things?"
"They are demons, my dear," said the man in the robes. "As for me, I am
their master. I rule the underworld. And I have for more than five hundred
years. And your husband is one of us. Until he betrayed me. Now he's going to
pay for that betrayal."
"Leave her alone," said Cole. "She doesn't even have any powers. She
can't protect herself against you."
"Cole?" questioned Phoebe, "what's going on? What's this talk about you
being a demon? Demons don't exist. They're myths and legends."
"Oh, they're quite real," said Tiffany. "That one," she indicated the man
in the robes, "is called the Source of all Evil. He's their leader. And one
day someone's going to come and put an end to him."
"Not today, witch," said the Source. "Today, it is your turn to die.
After the others have died, of course. The White Lighter," he looked at Leo,
"will, of course, have to die at the hands of a Dark Lighter. I shall enjoy
watching that. But you others are a different matter. You're as vulnerable as
any mortal. And I promise you a long, excruciating death."
"You think you can kill a cop and get away with it?" Andy asked.
"Why not?" the Source asked. "I've had them killed before. When they
became an annoyance. But I will take particular pleasure in watching Belthazor
die. I will make an example of him. To the rest of the underworld. An example
of what happens to those who betray me."
"Why does he keep calling you Belthazor?" asked Phoebe, looking at Cole.
"It's not true, is it? You're not one of them?"
"I was," said Cole. "But I've changed. I'm no longer like them. Since I
met you, my human half has taken over." He looked at the Source. "I swear to
you, if you harm them, I'll see you vanquished before I am."
"Brave words," said the Source. "Arrogant to the end. I would have
expected nothing less from one of my best mercenaries. However, it really makes
no difference. Not even you can stand against so many demons. You will die,
Belthazor, in a manner befitting that of a traitor."
Suddenly, another demon shimmered into the manor. He stood next to the
Source. He had long hair and wore robes similar to those of the Source. Only
he didn't have the hood drawn. He had long hair that hung below his shoulders.
And his face was crossed with lines and creases.
"Tempus," said the Source, "what are you doing here? I didn't summon you.
You were instructed to find the source of the interference with your powers."
"I have," said Tempus, turning to Chris. "It is this one. He has somehow
blocked my power to manipulate time. It is why I have had such trouble locating
the source of the interference. He is not from this time. He's from the
future. And his being here has somehow interfered with my ability to manipulate
time."
"What are you talking about?" Chris asked. "I haven't got anything to do
with you. Time manipulation is not one of my abilities. And I certainly can't
interfere with your powers. If I could I would have destroyed them to keep you
from using them against the innocent."
"You young fool," said Tempus. "It is your presence here in your past
that has interfered with my powers. You must return to your own time if my
powers are to be restored."
"Just one more reason for me not to go back," said Chris, smiling. "At
least you can't manipulate time for evil any more. Some good has come out of
all of this."
"You don't understand," said Tempus. "The interference with my powers is
only the first symptom. There will be others, many others. And unless you
return to your own time immediately, the affect will only continue to increase.
And when it is finished, no being of magic will be safe. They will all be
destroyed."
"What are you rambling about?" the Source asked.
"By returning to the past," Tempus told the Source, "this young fool has
caused a shift in the magical energies in this realm and all others. If he
remains here much longer, that shift will build to the point that it will not be
able to be contained. When that happens, all beings that use magic will suffer
the same fate. They will simply cease to exist."
Three days passed without any word from Cole. Piper called twice in that
time asking Leo when he was coming by for a visit. He and his cousins, of
course. Leo didn't need telepathy or any other magical powers to know that
Piper was still interested. It was kind of a shame, really. If things had been
different, he might be with her now instead of Tiffany.
He kept telling her that he was busy and would stop by as soon as he had
the chance. He hated lying to her. But he also knew that that was a dead end
road. Even assuming things were different, there was no way the Elders would
ever allow him to become involved with her. Even his relationship with Tiffany
was covert. Finally, Cole called. Tiffany answered the phone and called Leo
and Chris as soon as she found out who it was.
"I've got some information," said Cole. "You'd better get over to the
manor as fast as you can. There have been developments that you need to be made
aware of."
"We'll be there right away," said Tiffany. She hung up the phone. "He
sounded concerned. Whatever is going on, I think it's big. Under the
circumstances, Leo, I think we'd better orb there. Driving would take too
long."
"We should be able to orb into the backyard unnoticed," said Leo. "I hope
he has some good news. We aren't any closer to solving this thing than we were
when Chris first arrived."
Together, the three orbed to the manor. So that it wouldn't look
suspicious, they moved around to the front of the house. The sisters might
think it odd if they arrived at the back door. Leo rang the doorbell and they
waited. After a few moments, Cole answered the door.
"Good you're here," said Cole. He seemed nervous. "Come in."
Everyone walked into the entryway. Looking in the living room, they saw
Prue and Piper sitting on the sofa. They looked around nervously. Leo was
beginning to get a bad feeling. Suddenly Tiffany turned to him.
"It's a trap," she said. "Leo, get us out of here now."
"I wouldn't do that," said a voice from the stairs.
They all turned to see a man standing at the top of the stairs. He was
dressed in robes and behind stood Phoebe and two other figures. Figures that
were obviously demons. Suddenly, four more demons shimmered into the living
room, taking up stances beside Prue and Piper. Two more demons came out of the
kitchen, Andy in tow.
"If you orb, White Lighter," said the figure in the robes, "I will kill
everyone in the house. You and your witch join the others in the living room.
This should prove quite interesting."
Leo, Tiffany, and Chris walked into the living room, Cole beside them.
"I'm sorry, Leo," said Cole. "They just appeared. They had Phoebe before
I could move. He knows you've been to the manor. And he knows about you and
Tiffany. He said if I didn't get you here without suspicion, he'd torture the
others to death and make me watch."
"Oh, I'm still going to do that, Belthazor," said the robed figure. "Did
you really think your little ploy would work with me? Did you think I would
believe your little fantasy about the Book of Shadows being destroyed? It's
much too valuable. The witch would never have destroyed it."
"What is he talking about?" asked Phoebe as she and Andy were forced into
the living room with the others. "Who is that guy? And what are these....
things?"
"They are demons, my dear," said the man in the robes. "As for me, I am
their master. I rule the underworld. And I have for more than five hundred
years. And your husband is one of us. Until he betrayed me. Now he's going to
pay for that betrayal."
"Leave her alone," said Cole. "She doesn't even have any powers. She
can't protect herself against you."
"Cole?" questioned Phoebe, "what's going on? What's this talk about you
being a demon? Demons don't exist. They're myths and legends."
"Oh, they're quite real," said Tiffany. "That one," she indicated the man
in the robes, "is called the Source of all Evil. He's their leader. And one
day someone's going to come and put an end to him."
"Not today, witch," said the Source. "Today, it is your turn to die.
After the others have died, of course. The White Lighter," he looked at Leo,
"will, of course, have to die at the hands of a Dark Lighter. I shall enjoy
watching that. But you others are a different matter. You're as vulnerable as
any mortal. And I promise you a long, excruciating death."
"You think you can kill a cop and get away with it?" Andy asked.
"Why not?" the Source asked. "I've had them killed before. When they
became an annoyance. But I will take particular pleasure in watching Belthazor
die. I will make an example of him. To the rest of the underworld. An example
of what happens to those who betray me."
"Why does he keep calling you Belthazor?" asked Phoebe, looking at Cole.
"It's not true, is it? You're not one of them?"
"I was," said Cole. "But I've changed. I'm no longer like them. Since I
met you, my human half has taken over." He looked at the Source. "I swear to
you, if you harm them, I'll see you vanquished before I am."
"Brave words," said the Source. "Arrogant to the end. I would have
expected nothing less from one of my best mercenaries. However, it really makes
no difference. Not even you can stand against so many demons. You will die,
Belthazor, in a manner befitting that of a traitor."
Suddenly, another demon shimmered into the manor. He stood next to the
Source. He had long hair and wore robes similar to those of the Source. Only
he didn't have the hood drawn. He had long hair that hung below his shoulders.
And his face was crossed with lines and creases.
"Tempus," said the Source, "what are you doing here? I didn't summon you.
You were instructed to find the source of the interference with your powers."
"I have," said Tempus, turning to Chris. "It is this one. He has somehow
blocked my power to manipulate time. It is why I have had such trouble locating
the source of the interference. He is not from this time. He's from the
future. And his being here has somehow interfered with my ability to manipulate
time."
"What are you talking about?" Chris asked. "I haven't got anything to do
with you. Time manipulation is not one of my abilities. And I certainly can't
interfere with your powers. If I could I would have destroyed them to keep you
from using them against the innocent."
"You young fool," said Tempus. "It is your presence here in your past
that has interfered with my powers. You must return to your own time if my
powers are to be restored."
"Just one more reason for me not to go back," said Chris, smiling. "At
least you can't manipulate time for evil any more. Some good has come out of
all of this."
"You don't understand," said Tempus. "The interference with my powers is
only the first symptom. There will be others, many others. And unless you
return to your own time immediately, the affect will only continue to increase.
And when it is finished, no being of magic will be safe. They will all be
destroyed."
"What are you rambling about?" the Source asked.
"By returning to the past," Tempus told the Source, "this young fool has
caused a shift in the magical energies in this realm and all others. If he
remains here much longer, that shift will build to the point that it will not be
able to be contained. When that happens, all beings that use magic will suffer
the same fate. They will simply cease to exist."