Thanx to the Reviewers:
Lady Fae: Wow, is the Boromir die or not die thing really creating such a racket? Almost all of my reviewers are asking about Boromir's fate. But you won't find out until I get to that point in the story.
Roos: Thanks so much for being such a consistent reader. And thank you for being my muse also. I'll ask for help when the deadly disease called writer's block hits me, but for now I have plenty to write about. English is my first language, but I also know Chinese and a tiny bit of Spanish and Elven. I have already decided Boromir's fate, but readers won't find that out quite yet. evil cackle
Nikki: Don't worry, all shall be revealed. . . eventually snickers Angel and Leggy make out, huh? Interesting concept. . . And I have read each and every single one of your reviews quite thoroughly. winces painfully
Soccer-Bitch: Thanks for coming back again. It's always nice to see readers returning to read the next chapter. Hope you'll be back soon!
Songbreeze1125: Back again I see. Yay! Like everyone else, you wanna know what I'm gonna make happen to Borri. And, as I've said to everyone else, you'll just have to wait and see. Heehee. I'm gonna miss the double reviews.
Lady Light: There won't be much about the guys in Middle-earth in this chapter either, but I added a small passage or two on your account. Don't you just feel so special? Lol
ElvenWitch13: Sry I still haven't gotten around to reading your updates, but cross my heart and hope to die, I will! Thanks for your support. "One of the best I've read" I'm flattered.
Miriellar: Glad you enjoyed the last chappie. Hope that the rest will live up to your expectations. Lol
Alandra: Sry that I didn't reply to you in the last chapter. It's just that I posted the chapter before I checked to see if I got any more reviews. I'm glad to see that you've started watching Charmed. Don't you agree it's an awesome show? But I missed the last two episodes. breaks down and starts sobbing
You guys rock! bows formally Thank you, thank you. ditches the formal act and pulls everyone into a huge Telitubby hug
Ch. 9
Kendall watched Angel leave the room. She could tell that the younger Halliwell was horrified that Boromir needed to die. She couldn't blame her. Deliberately allowing a charge to pass on at need was one of the hardest things for a witch to do. And her own feelings about Boromir couldn't interfere with it either.
Kendall closed her eyes in mental pain. It felt like she was bleeding inside. Although she had only known Boromir for a few hours, the roots of love were already taking hold. 'Falling in love with a man from the past is a temptation of fate. It can't work,' said the voice of reason within her.
And that brought up another topic: what Angel was feeling for the elf. From what Kendall sensed between them, Angel was really only feeling a childish infatuation for him, and the elf was just fond of her, not quite true love. . . yet. It might not be true love now, but Kendall was sure that that was what it could become sooner or later. And would inevitably lead to complications on risky mission like this. Kendall could do nothing about it, but she just hoped that it didn't develop into love.
It had been hours since Angel left with the stranger who claimed she was her sister. The veil of night had fallen over Lórien and the elven city was sleeping beneath a starless winter sky. Legolas was sitting beside Aragorn at the foot of an ancient mallorn, contemplating whether he should tell Aragorn his suspicions about Angel. Would the Ranger even believe him?
The Heir of Isildur was lying on his back gazing into the heavens. Sensing the discomfort of the elf, he asked without moving, "Mani naa ta' tanya rashwe lle, Legolas? [What is it that troubles you, Legolas?]"
Legolas hesitated for a while, then decided to confess his fears. Aragorn had probably begun to suspect things too. "Angel naa nurtien nat' tuulo lye [Angel is hiding something from us]."
Aragorn nodded in agreement. "Uma, nan' feith ten'he nyar lye iire re naa desiel. [Yes, but wait for her to tell us when she is ready.]"
"Amin n'rangwa mankoi re nurta nat' tuulo lye. [I don't understand why she would hide anything from us.]"
Aragorn sighed and answered in the Common Language. "Let her be, Legolas. I have been watching her. Gandalf was right about what he said; Angel isn't all that she seems to be. If she is hiding something from us, then she must have a reason for it, but I want her to know that she can trust us."
"But why did Gandalf want her to join the Quest? He must have known something that we do not."
The Ranger shared the same thought. "Yes, I deem it must be so. Mithrandir would not have made such a choice in haste. Angel has a purpose in traveling with us, or she would not be here."
The wood-elf paused for a moment, remembering the maiden who came to Angel at the fountain. "Angel has a sister."
"Does she now?" Aragorn said without understanding why Legolas was bringing this up.
"Yes. Her name is Kendall, and she came to Angel a while ago and asked that she may speak with her."
The Ranger sat up swiftly. "Angel's sister is in Lórien? Do the guards know?"
Legolas shook his head. "I do not believe that they do. She managed to get past the March-Wardens somehow. When I asked her how, she avoided my question."
Aragorn was staring at him with a questioning look. "How do you know she is Angel's sister?"
"Angel seemed to recognize her, and that was how she introduced herself," replied Legolas. "They still have not returned." Turning to the Man with a worried look on his face, he added, "Perhaps we should search for them."
Aragorn seemed troubled, but he advised, "No, that may not be necessary. If Angel trusted this mysterious maiden enough to go with her, then there is no need for alarm. She can take care of herself."
The woodland elf sighed and lay down on his back. 'I hope you're right.'
The next morning at the Halliwell manor, the house was bustling with the usual morning activities. Piper and Paige were setting up breakfast for everyone in the kitchen and Leo was going around to each of Wyatt, Adrian, and Angel's rooms, waking them up.
Kendall, being the morning person as always, was already up and about without the slightest trace of sleepiness. Completely contrasting to her energetic vivacity were Angel and Adrian who were coming down the stairs, stumbling on every third step and yawning.
Piper smiled brightly up at them. "Oh come on you two. You went to bed at eight-thirty last night. Look at Kendall."
"Aunt Piper, it's the crack of dawn," whined Angel as she collapsed onto the couch and lay there unmoving.
"Exactly, and you guys still have two warlocks to hunt down and vanquish," replied Piper. "Now where's Wyatt?"
Her question was answered when Wyatt orbed down. He was still half asleep with his hair unkempt. "What are we doing up at six in the morning on a Saturday?" he asked, stifling a yawn.
Kendall pushed him into a chair at the dining table. "We need to find those two warlocks and vanquish them ASAP."
Wyatt slouched in his chair and helped himself to toast. Following his example, Angel and Adrian sat down and starting eating. Piper, Paige, and Leo sat down as well.
Piper glanced at her son. "Oh, and Wyatt. . ."
Wyatt looked up.
"After you finish breakfast, I want to talk to you for a moment."
He nodded.
The Halliwells ate in silence, the quiet broken only by the occasional clatter of silverware. Finally, Piper stood up and beckoned to Wyatt to come with her. He finished the last of his meal and followed her up to the attic.
Once they reached the second floor, Piper turned to him. "Wyatt, you remember the sword Excalibur I showed you on your eighteenth birthday, don't you?"
The Whitelighter searched in his memory. "Yeah. . ." The sword Excalibur was a weapon of great power and made anyone who used it unstoppable. It was the sword of the legendary King Arthur, ruler of Camelot. Wyatt was one of the chosen few who were destined to wield the sword. On his eighteenth birthday, Piper had presented to him the sword for the first time.
"Well," said Piper slowly as they approached the attic door. "At the time, I didn't allow you to take the sword because I wasn't quite sure if you were ready to use it. But now, with all the experience you have with fighting evil, I think it is time for you to take it."
Wyatt could barely contain his rising excitement as they opened the attic door. A single shaft of sunlight fell on a magnificent sword buried up to a foot from the hilt in a large stone anvil.
Piper smiled fondly. "Go ahead."
Wyatt unconsciously held his breath as he laid a hand on the hilt and withdrew the sword from the stone. It came out easily in his grasp. He marveled at the pulsating flow of strong magic that seemed to automatically connect him with the sword.
"Does it suit you, your Highness?" she asked teasingly.
"This is amazing," Wyatt breathed in awe.
Angel smiled back weakly. "Wish us luck," she said shakily.
"As long as you come back in one piece," said Paige, trying to disguise her concern with a cheerful manner.
This didn't fool Kendall, of course, and she said reassuringly, "Don't worry. We'll be fine."
Leo patted his son on the back. "We're proud of you guys."
The Halliwell kitchen disappeared in a swirl of brilliant blue and white lights. When her vision cleared, Angel found herself in the Hillview Cemetery again. The ominous clouds above it seemed to filter out all sunlight. The graveyard was as grey and forlorn as the last time they had been here, even though now it was daylight.
The long abandoned streets nearby were grown over with weeds and cracked with years of exposure to the elements. The familiar sounds of civilization were nonexistent here in this corner of the city.
Which was why this was an ideal place for the Rowes to summon their ancestors.
Angel shuddered and turned her attention to the two shadowy figures at the far end of the cemetery. They were speaking to each other in low undertones. Angel strained her ears to try and catch what they were saying, but the still air muffled the words, blending them together in a dull drone.
Suddenly the conversation ceased all at once. The two warlocks turned in their direction, and Angel knew that their presence was no longer a secret.
With enraged snarls, both warlocks sprang forward. An energy ball flew past Angel's ear, missing her by mere millimeters. The air in the path of the attack was scorching hot from its heat. Angel turned her attention back to the warlock running towards her. She flicked her hand to explode him, but suddenly he wasn't there anymore. Angel blinked. She scanned the surrounding area for the warlock, but he was nowhere to be seen.
Where would a warlock shimmer in combat? Wherever his opponent was unprotected, and that would be her back. Of course! Angel whirled around and barely had enough time to dodge the second energy ball. But dodging it also threw her off balance. She landed hard on her side.
The warlock stood over her, the lust of revenge glinting in his cold grey eyes. He held up his hand, palm outward. Angel could only watch in frozen horror as another energy ball took form in his hand.
"This is for my brother Darien," he hissed.
At the last split-second, Angel's instincts kicked in and she kicked up with all the strength he could manage in her position. The warlock grunted as she landed a forceful kick in his stomach. The energy ball went flying upwards and was lost from sight.
The witch seized the chance and scrambled up. She flicked her wrist and her opponent froze. Angel knew that her own attack alone would not be enough to vanquish him. Once time resumed, she would be in the same place as she was before. She looked around for help, but Adrian and Wyatt had their hands full with the other Rowe.
Suddenly, Kendall was up beside her. Breathlessly, she gasped, "You alright?"
Angel nodded. "Fine. What do I do with him?" she asked, indicating to the frozen warlock on the ground.
Before Kendall could reply, the warlock sprang back into action. Clutching his stomach and grimacing in pain, he staggered to his feet. He held up his hand, palm outwards, and an electric blue lightning bolt flew through the air at the two witches.
Angel threw up her arms to freeze it, but instead, the bolt sprang back and rebounded upon the warlock. It struck him square in the chest, and flames began to swallow him up from the point where the lightning bolt hit him, then spread over his body like a raging forest fire before he vanished.
Kendall turned to her sister with a slight grin. "I didn't know you could do that."
Angel shrugged in shock. "Me neither."
The two sisters turned to help Adrian and Wyatt. They were fighting with the oldest Rowe, who proved to be more skilled and powerful than either of his brothers. Devin Rowe battled with strength and experience beyond his years, and now he fought not only for revenge, but also for his life.
Seeing now what the witches and their Whitelighter were capable of, he knew that the odds of him escaping alive was slim, but he was not ready to admit it, not even to himself.
Angel was amazed at how expertly Wyatt was handling the sword. He dealt blow after blow swiftly with the skill of a seasoned swordsman. She could see that he and the legendary weapon were already becoming one. Apart from the sweat that covered his forehead from concentration, he showed no signs of strain or fatigue.
Excalibur flashed brilliantly with every stroke, but each time, it clashed with some kind of invisible barrier in front of it. It was as if an unseen sword was there blocking every blow. The eldest Rowe warlock moved his hands out in front of him as if he was directing the invisible sword, twisting them sharply whenever Wyatt swung his blade. His breathing was labored, and his face contorted with nervous tension.
Nearby, Adrian was firing energy balls at him one after another in an attempt to distract the warlock long enough for Wyatt to make his move.
The warlock shimmered, and Wyatt's sword cut through air. He turned around, lowering the sword slightly.
For a moment, Angel thought the warlock had retreated, but then she saw him lurking in the shadows of a large dead tree. He had an energy ball ready in his hand aimed at Wyatt.
She took aim and, holding her hands up, jerked them sharply. Instead of freezing him as she had been intending to do, she blew his entire left arm off instead. The warlock shrieked, and turned on her. He raised his remaining arm up and brought it down in a sweeping motion.
Angel felt something hard and icy cold cut through her stomach. She took in a sharp intake of air as she was jerked half around by the impact and looked down. There was a wide laceration in her midsection. She expected to see some sort of knife or other blade buried there, but nothing was there as far as she could see but torn flesh and bright red blood streaming out. The clothes around the wound was stained scarlet, and as she watched, the stain spread. The pain, numbed by the initial shock, came in full. White-hot flames licked her body, so intense that Angel was sure that she was on fire. Breathing became a struggle as flames ripped at her midriff with every gasp.
She staggered back and collapsed upon the dry grass. Slowly, she lifted her gaze and watched the fight through clouding eyes. Her mind couldn't process what she was seeing. The shouting and sounds of combat sounded dim and far away to her ears. Now even the pain became a dull throb.
Wyatt saw Angel fall, her midsection bloody and torn as though she had been stabbed with some invisible sword. With a cry of rage, the Whitelighter cast out his arm. The sword Excalibur flew through the frigid air with deadly accuracy, as though guided by some unseen hand and impaled the warlock through the chest. A look of surprise was etched on his face as he was engulfed in dancing flames. It all happened faster than any eye could follow.
By the time the warlock disappeared into a wisp of dust that was soon scattered by a light zephyr, Wyatt, Adrian, and Kendall were already at the youngest Halliwell's side. Angel watched them through half-open eyes as Adrian turned away, swearing under his breath.
Wyatt laid a hand on her arm and grabbed Kendall with his other hand. "We'll take her back home first," he said to Adrian. With that, they disappeared in a cloud of light. Adrian cast a final look around the forlorn graveyard and followed.
The four of them reappeared in the living room of the Halliwell manor. Wyatt put down Excalibur, laid his hands over Angel's midsection and started healing.
Piper came down the stairs carrying a box of Domino's pizza. "You're back! We ordered pizza for lunch, and then we could rent a movie or something, you know, just kinda hang back and–" She stopped in her tracks as soon as she caught sight of Angel lying on the floor with a bloody stomach. She dropped the pizza box. "Paige! Leo!"
Paige and Leo appeared out of a swirl of blue-white lights.
"Hey you're back –" Paige began. Both she and Leo froze at the sight of Angel with four other people hovering over her and they ran over. "Oh my God."
"Damn. What happened?" asked Leo as he put a hand on his son's shoulder.
By now, the wound was almost completely closed and Wyatt looked up without moving his hands. "I have no clue." He removed his hands.
Angel sat up slowly and felt her stomach gingerly. It was fully healed and now only her bloodied clothes gave any indication of the incident. Her face was pale, and she was shivering, but otherwise the young witch was unhurt. "Thanks Wyatt, she said shakily.
Wyatt nodded in response and helped her up. "Glad to see you alive."
"We almost lost you there, kid," said Adrian, his light mood masking his relief.
They all sat down on the couches and floor. Angel settled herself on the carpet at the feet of one of the couches. Piper picked up the pizza box and passed it around.
"Well, we vanquished the last two Rowes," started Kendall as she picked a pizza slice from the box and passed it on to Leo on her left.
"But it almost cost us Angelyn," Adrian cut across.
"Does anyone know how the last warlock we vanquished attacked Angel?" asked Wyatt. "I think he was using the same tactic when he was fighting me and Adrian."
Piper shifted position and fixed her son with an inquisitive gaze. "And what was that?"
"I'm not sure. It was like he was using some sort of invisible sword. I could feel it there, it felt completely solid, but I couldn't see it."
Kendall sat with a pensive look on her face. "I think I know. . ." she said softly.
Everyone turned to her and waited for her to continue.
Kendall looked up from her folded hands and went on. "He might have had a power that allowed him to adjust the molecular density of air." At the confused looks from Wyatt, Angel, and Adrian, she explained, "Some magical beings have the ability to control the elements, right?"
"Yeah. . ." said Angel slowly.
"Well, then this Rowe warlock probably had a power like that. By compressing air molecules into extremely tight areas, he could have created a sort of sword made from air. He could make it into whatever shape or size he wanted to, and in this case, an invisible lethal blade."
Piper voiced her opinion. "From what I've heard, that sounds like a reasonable explanation. I remember fighting a demon like that, back when Prue. . . and. . . Phoebe were alive. . ." Piper fought to control her emotions at the memory of her two sisters. "We fought a demon named Athulak. He was a wind demon, and he had the ability to alter his own molecular concentration, and at will, could turn himself into an invisible sword."
Angel winced and patted her stomach with the sick knowledge that she could have been sawed in half. 'I was lucky to have just been run through.'
"Wow. A slice-and-dice wind demon," Adrian commented before taking a bite from his pizza.
Kendall turned to Angel. "And another thing, when the Rowe fired his lightning bolt at you, how did you reflect it back at him?"
Angel shrugged. "I don't know. I meant to just freeze it, but somehow, the attack was rebounded back at him."
Paige smiled brightly. "Who knows? It just might be your new power."
Angel sat up sharply. "New power?"
"Well, when demons and warlocks are vanquished, usually their powers are sent with them to the Demonic Wasteland, but you know, sometimes they don't, and the people who vanquished them gains their powers."
"So you're saying. . ."
"Maybe all four of you have new powers from vanquishing the Rowes," Paige finished.
"And you would have to learn to control them too," added Leo.
Wyatt set down his pizza and said quietly, "Then that means that one of us has the power to manipulate the molecular density of air."
They all fell silent at that. New powers, as they all knew, took time to get used to and learn to use properly. Having abilities such as turning air into invisible blades was especially dangerous in the time it took to learn to control it.
Angel knew that very well. It was around the time that she was three that she started coming into her powers, but learning to control it took quite a long time. Whenever she was angry or surprised, she would accidentally freeze or set fire to something. When she was twelve she gained the power of exploding, which was even worse because of the risk that she might explode anyone who surprised her by mistake. But by the age of twelve she had learned some self control already.
Now the prospect of having new powers to adapt to scared her, especially now at such a potent point in her mission. What if she sliced Legolas or Aragorn or someone in half with an invisible sword of air by accident? How would she explain that?
"Well, there's really nothing we can do about it. I guess we just have to get used to them as soon as we can," said Adrian, shrugging his shoulders.
Angel sighed. She had come to help vanquish three warlocks with the potential to become the most powerful force of evil the world had ever known. Now she was stuck with powers that she barely knew anything about and needed to learn to control in order to fulfill her task of countering Belthazor. She had really gotten more than she had bargained for.