SIXTEEN
"Yes," hissed the creature. "The humans brought it to me. Its power is
now mine. All shall bend to my will. All shall serve me and call me master."
"I serve no one," said the Source defiantly.
Suddenly, bolts of lightning shot out from the cloud striking the Source.
He was cast back against the back wall of the cellar. Unsteadily, he rose and
faced the Woogie.
"This is not possible," said the Source. "No power is greater than mine."
"My power is greater," hissed the Woogie. "With the power of this book, I
cannot be challenged. You will all serve me."
"This can't be," said Chris. "Evil can't even touch the book. How can
this thing be getting power from it?"
They all noticed the huge crack in the floor of the cellar. The Woogie
was kept beneath that crack by the power of the spell Grams had written. The
spell that Phoebe had used to lock the creature away again when an earthquake
had released it. How it had escaped was anyone's guess. Probably another of
the changes Tempus had mentioned.
"It can use the power of the book because of the alterations," said
Tempus. "I told you the natural order has been subverted. Enough so that this
evil can draw power from the book. It has begun. We have little time left. As
each minute passes, the changes will become greater. We must wrest the book
from that creature if we are to prevent the catastrophe."
"How?" Leo asked. "If not even the Source can stand up to it, what chance
do we have against it? That book is very powerful. If the Woogie can draw on
that power, combined with its own, how can we fight something like that?'
No one spoke. Even the Source seemed unsure what to do. In his five
hundred year reign he had been unchallenged. No demon, no combination of
demons, had ever been powerful enough to challenge him. But now a single
creature of evil seemed to have enough power to destroy even him.
"Phoebe," Cole said suddenly, turning to her, "always remember that I love
you. No matter what happens, no matter what you may learn about me, always
remember that it was our love that made me change."
"Cole?" questioned Phoebe, feeling sick to her stomach. "What are you
talking about?'
Cole turned from her and faced the Woogie. Suddenly he changed form.
Cole Turner no longer stood in the cellar of the manor. Instead, Belthazor
stood facing the evil holding the Book of Shadows. Phoebe suddenly realized
what he was going to do. Her love for him was greater than even her fear of the
Woogie. In an attempt to stop him, she began to race down the stairs.
"Now, Woogie," said Belthazor, "or whatever you call yourself. You think
you're powerful? Let's see just how powerful you really are. You have
something that belongs to us. And we want it back."
Belthazor launched himself at the Woogie. Phoebe tried to follow him; to
prevent him from attacking the creature. But Tempus grabbed her and held her
back.
"No," said Tempus. "You would be destroyed in an instant. Belthazor is
powerful. If anyone can wrest the book from the creature, he can."
They all stood and watched the Woogie. Belthazor and the book had
vanished from sight. The cloud creature swirled and twisted upon itself
resembling a great storm cloud. Lightning flashed inside the cloud but
illuminated nothing of the struggle that must surely be going on. They all
waited impatiently wondering if Belthazor was truly strong enough to face the
Woogie.
Suddenly Belthazor came flying out of the cloud. He struck the back wall
of the cellar and fell to the floor, curled up in the fetal position. A great
wailing came from the Woogie. Without hesitation the Source cast a fireball at
the Woogie, vanquishing the creature in an instant.
Belthazor rolled over on his back. Wrapped in his arms was the Book of
Shadows. For a moment nothing happened. Then, Belthazor shimmered slightly and
changed form. Cole Turner lay on the floor of the cellar, beaten and bruised.
"Cole," cried Phoebe, rushing to her husband's side.
"Don't cry," gasped Cole. "It was a good fight. And I won. I got the
book. Phoebe never forget that I...."
Cole never finished his sentence. He simply lay on the floor staring
blankly up at the ceiling.
"No," cried Phoebe, tears beginning to flow.
Chris walked over and took the book from Cole's lifeless body as Prue and
Piper moved to comfort their sister. Chris knew how badly Phoebe must be
hurting. But time was critical. Every second that passed brought them all that
much closer to destruction. Chris looked at the book he was holding. Only the
book appeared to be no more than half an inch thick.
"Wait a minute," said Chris. "The book should be at least three times
this size. It's like a large portion of it has been removed. Could it still
have been in the Woogie when the Source vanquished it?"
"No," said Tempus. "As I told you, time moves in both directions, forward
and back. Changes are occurring even as we stand here. Those who have gone
before no longer exist or have had their lives changed. Much of what was
recorded in that book was never recorded. Quickly. Find the spell you seek.
There is not a moment to loose."
Chris began to flip through the book. As he did, he scanned each page
looking for the one with the time travel spell he needed. He reached the end of
the book and began to search through it again. He searched the book completely
three times.
"It's not here," he announced. "The spell is not here. It's gone."
"I was afraid of that," said Tempus.
"What?" Leo asked.
"As I said, when the timeline is altered as it has been," said Tempus,
"the most powerful magic is the first to be extinguished. Moving through time
is one of the most potent forms of magic. It is no small feat to pierce the
veil that separates the years. It takes a powerful force to open a portal and
allow someone to pass through."
"Okay," said Tiffany. "We know that all ready. What does that have to do
with the missing spell?"
"Because of its power," said Tempus, "any magic connected with time is the
very first to be changed. This includes any spells that can be used to alter or
move through time. We are too late. The magic to move through time has been
erased from history. And without it, there is no way to correct what has been
changed."
"You mean we can't send Chris back?" Leo asked.
"No," said Tempus. "The young fool has remained in the past for too long.
Belthazor gave his live to save us. It is only a matter of minutes now before
the power will be too much for us to withstand. We will all be consumed by it.
And there is no power that can stop it now."
"Yes," hissed the creature. "The humans brought it to me. Its power is
now mine. All shall bend to my will. All shall serve me and call me master."
"I serve no one," said the Source defiantly.
Suddenly, bolts of lightning shot out from the cloud striking the Source.
He was cast back against the back wall of the cellar. Unsteadily, he rose and
faced the Woogie.
"This is not possible," said the Source. "No power is greater than mine."
"My power is greater," hissed the Woogie. "With the power of this book, I
cannot be challenged. You will all serve me."
"This can't be," said Chris. "Evil can't even touch the book. How can
this thing be getting power from it?"
They all noticed the huge crack in the floor of the cellar. The Woogie
was kept beneath that crack by the power of the spell Grams had written. The
spell that Phoebe had used to lock the creature away again when an earthquake
had released it. How it had escaped was anyone's guess. Probably another of
the changes Tempus had mentioned.
"It can use the power of the book because of the alterations," said
Tempus. "I told you the natural order has been subverted. Enough so that this
evil can draw power from the book. It has begun. We have little time left. As
each minute passes, the changes will become greater. We must wrest the book
from that creature if we are to prevent the catastrophe."
"How?" Leo asked. "If not even the Source can stand up to it, what chance
do we have against it? That book is very powerful. If the Woogie can draw on
that power, combined with its own, how can we fight something like that?'
No one spoke. Even the Source seemed unsure what to do. In his five
hundred year reign he had been unchallenged. No demon, no combination of
demons, had ever been powerful enough to challenge him. But now a single
creature of evil seemed to have enough power to destroy even him.
"Phoebe," Cole said suddenly, turning to her, "always remember that I love
you. No matter what happens, no matter what you may learn about me, always
remember that it was our love that made me change."
"Cole?" questioned Phoebe, feeling sick to her stomach. "What are you
talking about?'
Cole turned from her and faced the Woogie. Suddenly he changed form.
Cole Turner no longer stood in the cellar of the manor. Instead, Belthazor
stood facing the evil holding the Book of Shadows. Phoebe suddenly realized
what he was going to do. Her love for him was greater than even her fear of the
Woogie. In an attempt to stop him, she began to race down the stairs.
"Now, Woogie," said Belthazor, "or whatever you call yourself. You think
you're powerful? Let's see just how powerful you really are. You have
something that belongs to us. And we want it back."
Belthazor launched himself at the Woogie. Phoebe tried to follow him; to
prevent him from attacking the creature. But Tempus grabbed her and held her
back.
"No," said Tempus. "You would be destroyed in an instant. Belthazor is
powerful. If anyone can wrest the book from the creature, he can."
They all stood and watched the Woogie. Belthazor and the book had
vanished from sight. The cloud creature swirled and twisted upon itself
resembling a great storm cloud. Lightning flashed inside the cloud but
illuminated nothing of the struggle that must surely be going on. They all
waited impatiently wondering if Belthazor was truly strong enough to face the
Woogie.
Suddenly Belthazor came flying out of the cloud. He struck the back wall
of the cellar and fell to the floor, curled up in the fetal position. A great
wailing came from the Woogie. Without hesitation the Source cast a fireball at
the Woogie, vanquishing the creature in an instant.
Belthazor rolled over on his back. Wrapped in his arms was the Book of
Shadows. For a moment nothing happened. Then, Belthazor shimmered slightly and
changed form. Cole Turner lay on the floor of the cellar, beaten and bruised.
"Cole," cried Phoebe, rushing to her husband's side.
"Don't cry," gasped Cole. "It was a good fight. And I won. I got the
book. Phoebe never forget that I...."
Cole never finished his sentence. He simply lay on the floor staring
blankly up at the ceiling.
"No," cried Phoebe, tears beginning to flow.
Chris walked over and took the book from Cole's lifeless body as Prue and
Piper moved to comfort their sister. Chris knew how badly Phoebe must be
hurting. But time was critical. Every second that passed brought them all that
much closer to destruction. Chris looked at the book he was holding. Only the
book appeared to be no more than half an inch thick.
"Wait a minute," said Chris. "The book should be at least three times
this size. It's like a large portion of it has been removed. Could it still
have been in the Woogie when the Source vanquished it?"
"No," said Tempus. "As I told you, time moves in both directions, forward
and back. Changes are occurring even as we stand here. Those who have gone
before no longer exist or have had their lives changed. Much of what was
recorded in that book was never recorded. Quickly. Find the spell you seek.
There is not a moment to loose."
Chris began to flip through the book. As he did, he scanned each page
looking for the one with the time travel spell he needed. He reached the end of
the book and began to search through it again. He searched the book completely
three times.
"It's not here," he announced. "The spell is not here. It's gone."
"I was afraid of that," said Tempus.
"What?" Leo asked.
"As I said, when the timeline is altered as it has been," said Tempus,
"the most powerful magic is the first to be extinguished. Moving through time
is one of the most potent forms of magic. It is no small feat to pierce the
veil that separates the years. It takes a powerful force to open a portal and
allow someone to pass through."
"Okay," said Tiffany. "We know that all ready. What does that have to do
with the missing spell?"
"Because of its power," said Tempus, "any magic connected with time is the
very first to be changed. This includes any spells that can be used to alter or
move through time. We are too late. The magic to move through time has been
erased from history. And without it, there is no way to correct what has been
changed."
"You mean we can't send Chris back?" Leo asked.
"No," said Tempus. "The young fool has remained in the past for too long.
Belthazor gave his live to save us. It is only a matter of minutes now before
the power will be too much for us to withstand. We will all be consumed by it.
And there is no power that can stop it now."