FIFTEEN
"Then you have doomed us all," said Tempus. "While the vortex remains
open, the magic you possess continues to flow against the natural order. It is
only a matter of time before that force becomes irresistible. The mortal world
will be unaffected by this, for the most part. But those beings of magic will
not be able to resist its effects."
"There has to be a way to send him back to his own time," said Leo.
"Tempus, you can manipulate time. Isn't there any way for you to return him to
his own time?"
"Not so long as he remains here," said Tempus. "My power comes from time
itself. What little power I still have is because of my demonic nature. But my
ability to manipulate time has been severely compromised because of this one.
"Your arrogance goes beyond that of any human. Did you think you could
simply move through time as you wished with no repercussions? Did you not think
there would be consequences to your actions? In magic, as in the mortal world,
all actions have consequences. And your actions will destroy us all."
"How long before this happens?" Cole asked.
"That I cannot say," said Tempus. "There are variables for which I cannot
account. But it will not take long. Like the proverbial house of cards, when
one falls, it will affect the others."
"I don't believe this," said Prue. "You're all insane. Witches, demons,
time travel? What kind of game is this? And what do we have to do with any of
this? As Leo told you, we don't have any special powers. Why come after us?
I'd think you'd rather go after someone a little more in your league."
"Prue," said Leo, "you three are witches. Your mother was a witch and so
was your grandmother. Grams bound your powers when you were little girls to
protect you. That's why you don't have any powers. But if what Tempus says is
true, that won't protect you. You're still beings of magic, in a manner of
speaking. Not even you will be able to withstand the destruction."
"No," said Cole. "There has to be some way to stop this. Some way to
send Chris back to his own time."
"If we only had the Book of Shadows," said Chris. "I'm sure there's
something in that book that can help us. Something that can send me back to my
own time."
"Book of Shadows?" questioned Phoebe. "You mean that big leather one in
the attic?"
'Yes," said Leo. "You know where it is?"
"We put it in the cellar with the rest of grams' stuff we packed up,"
Phoebe said. "I looked at it and it looked like so much mumbo jumbo to me.
Spells and demons and warlocks. We thought it was some kind of cult book."
"We?" questioned Prue.
"Okay, Prue did," said Phoebe. "Even after all these years I still can't
go down there."
"We need that book," said Chris. "It's the only thing that can help us.
Without it, there's no way for me to return to my own time."
"No," said the Source, taking a step forward. "It is too risky. I will
not allow them to have access to the book."
"My liege," said Tempus, "there is no other choice. Without that book, we
will all die. Because of your power, you will be one of the first to be
destroyed. The more powerful a being is the sooner their destruction. If we do
not allow them access to that book...."
"No," repeated the Source. "The Charmed Ones will not be allowed access
to the book which will give them their powers. I will not permit it."
"Are you such a fool that you would destroy us all?" asked Cole, stepping
up to the Source. "This is no longer a question of us against them. This means
the survival of all magical beings everywhere. You're afraid if they get the
book they might get their powers and they'll become a threat to you. Well,
without that book, there won't be any of us left. They won't become a threat to
you because you, them, all us, will no longer exist."
"Source," said Tempus, "I have been a faithful servant for a very long
time. Each time you have tasked me to do something, I have done it without
complaint. You know I would never side with witches. But Belthazor speaks the
truth. If we do not get that book, it will matter little if the witches receive
their power. We will all be destroyed."
The Source looked at Tempus. He had been a faithful servant. There was
no question where his loyalties lie. And if he was right, then the three
witches were the least of his problems at the moment.
"Very well," said the Source finally. "But we use the book only to send
this interloper back to his own time. Then I will deal with the rest of you."
"No," said Cole. "You will stay your need for vengeance until another
time. These are powerless humans. Even the White Lighter is ill equipped to
deal with you. You must agree that they are to remain unharmed once we have the
book."
"And if I do not?" the Source asked.
"Then we wait," said Cole. "Tempus said you would be one of the first to
be destroyed because of your power. If you do not agree to let them go, we will
simply wait until you are destroyed before we retrieve the book. Then we won't
have to worry about you."
"Very well," said the Source. "My vengeance will wait for another time,
Belthazor. But I will not forget your betrayal. You will yet pay the price of
a traitor."
"Just remember our bargain," said Cole. "If you try anything - I mean
anything at all - and you will be vanquished before I am. And you know I do not
make idle boasts."
"I will remember," said the Source.
"Come on," said Leo. "Prue, show us where you put the book. There's a
spell in it that can send someone through time. It should work to send Chris
back to the future."
"It's under the stairs," said Prue. "It shouldn't be hard to find.
There's a box of books there and it should be right on top."
They all moved to the kitchen and began to descend the stairs to the
cellar. All but Phoebe. Her nightmares of a Woogie that lived in the cellar
haunted her still. She knew it was only a childish phobia, but it was still
very real to her. She waited at the top of the stairs as the others began
looking for the book.
"I don't understand it," said Prue, digging through a box of books. "I
put it right here. I was going to take it to get it appraised. It looked kind
of old and I thought it might be worth something. I know we didn't throw it
out."
"No, you did not," said a husky voice from the back of the cellar.
Everyone turned to see who had spoken. The voice was barely a whisper.
Yet they all heard it clearly. Suddenly a black form moved out of the darkness
at the back of the cellar. It was a vague, indistinct cloudlike form that
hovered just above the floor. In the center of the cloud, floating as if
suspended in midair, sat the Book of Shadows.
"Oh no," said Leo. "It's the Woogie. And it has the Book of Shadows."
"Then you have doomed us all," said Tempus. "While the vortex remains
open, the magic you possess continues to flow against the natural order. It is
only a matter of time before that force becomes irresistible. The mortal world
will be unaffected by this, for the most part. But those beings of magic will
not be able to resist its effects."
"There has to be a way to send him back to his own time," said Leo.
"Tempus, you can manipulate time. Isn't there any way for you to return him to
his own time?"
"Not so long as he remains here," said Tempus. "My power comes from time
itself. What little power I still have is because of my demonic nature. But my
ability to manipulate time has been severely compromised because of this one.
"Your arrogance goes beyond that of any human. Did you think you could
simply move through time as you wished with no repercussions? Did you not think
there would be consequences to your actions? In magic, as in the mortal world,
all actions have consequences. And your actions will destroy us all."
"How long before this happens?" Cole asked.
"That I cannot say," said Tempus. "There are variables for which I cannot
account. But it will not take long. Like the proverbial house of cards, when
one falls, it will affect the others."
"I don't believe this," said Prue. "You're all insane. Witches, demons,
time travel? What kind of game is this? And what do we have to do with any of
this? As Leo told you, we don't have any special powers. Why come after us?
I'd think you'd rather go after someone a little more in your league."
"Prue," said Leo, "you three are witches. Your mother was a witch and so
was your grandmother. Grams bound your powers when you were little girls to
protect you. That's why you don't have any powers. But if what Tempus says is
true, that won't protect you. You're still beings of magic, in a manner of
speaking. Not even you will be able to withstand the destruction."
"No," said Cole. "There has to be some way to stop this. Some way to
send Chris back to his own time."
"If we only had the Book of Shadows," said Chris. "I'm sure there's
something in that book that can help us. Something that can send me back to my
own time."
"Book of Shadows?" questioned Phoebe. "You mean that big leather one in
the attic?"
'Yes," said Leo. "You know where it is?"
"We put it in the cellar with the rest of grams' stuff we packed up,"
Phoebe said. "I looked at it and it looked like so much mumbo jumbo to me.
Spells and demons and warlocks. We thought it was some kind of cult book."
"We?" questioned Prue.
"Okay, Prue did," said Phoebe. "Even after all these years I still can't
go down there."
"We need that book," said Chris. "It's the only thing that can help us.
Without it, there's no way for me to return to my own time."
"No," said the Source, taking a step forward. "It is too risky. I will
not allow them to have access to the book."
"My liege," said Tempus, "there is no other choice. Without that book, we
will all die. Because of your power, you will be one of the first to be
destroyed. The more powerful a being is the sooner their destruction. If we do
not allow them access to that book...."
"No," repeated the Source. "The Charmed Ones will not be allowed access
to the book which will give them their powers. I will not permit it."
"Are you such a fool that you would destroy us all?" asked Cole, stepping
up to the Source. "This is no longer a question of us against them. This means
the survival of all magical beings everywhere. You're afraid if they get the
book they might get their powers and they'll become a threat to you. Well,
without that book, there won't be any of us left. They won't become a threat to
you because you, them, all us, will no longer exist."
"Source," said Tempus, "I have been a faithful servant for a very long
time. Each time you have tasked me to do something, I have done it without
complaint. You know I would never side with witches. But Belthazor speaks the
truth. If we do not get that book, it will matter little if the witches receive
their power. We will all be destroyed."
The Source looked at Tempus. He had been a faithful servant. There was
no question where his loyalties lie. And if he was right, then the three
witches were the least of his problems at the moment.
"Very well," said the Source finally. "But we use the book only to send
this interloper back to his own time. Then I will deal with the rest of you."
"No," said Cole. "You will stay your need for vengeance until another
time. These are powerless humans. Even the White Lighter is ill equipped to
deal with you. You must agree that they are to remain unharmed once we have the
book."
"And if I do not?" the Source asked.
"Then we wait," said Cole. "Tempus said you would be one of the first to
be destroyed because of your power. If you do not agree to let them go, we will
simply wait until you are destroyed before we retrieve the book. Then we won't
have to worry about you."
"Very well," said the Source. "My vengeance will wait for another time,
Belthazor. But I will not forget your betrayal. You will yet pay the price of
a traitor."
"Just remember our bargain," said Cole. "If you try anything - I mean
anything at all - and you will be vanquished before I am. And you know I do not
make idle boasts."
"I will remember," said the Source.
"Come on," said Leo. "Prue, show us where you put the book. There's a
spell in it that can send someone through time. It should work to send Chris
back to the future."
"It's under the stairs," said Prue. "It shouldn't be hard to find.
There's a box of books there and it should be right on top."
They all moved to the kitchen and began to descend the stairs to the
cellar. All but Phoebe. Her nightmares of a Woogie that lived in the cellar
haunted her still. She knew it was only a childish phobia, but it was still
very real to her. She waited at the top of the stairs as the others began
looking for the book.
"I don't understand it," said Prue, digging through a box of books. "I
put it right here. I was going to take it to get it appraised. It looked kind
of old and I thought it might be worth something. I know we didn't throw it
out."
"No, you did not," said a husky voice from the back of the cellar.
Everyone turned to see who had spoken. The voice was barely a whisper.
Yet they all heard it clearly. Suddenly a black form moved out of the darkness
at the back of the cellar. It was a vague, indistinct cloudlike form that
hovered just above the floor. In the center of the cloud, floating as if
suspended in midair, sat the Book of Shadows.
"Oh no," said Leo. "It's the Woogie. And it has the Book of Shadows."