TWENTY-ONE
The party enjoyed a restful night with no interruptions. Leo kept watch since he was a spirit and didn't require sleep as the others did. Still, when they awoke the next morning he told them that the night had passed uneventfully.
Just as the strange creature had promised, their trip down the mountain took less than half a day. It was a peaceful walk without any of the obstacles they had encountered the previous day. Once they reached the base of the mountain they turned west just as the Oracle had said.
They traveled for three and a half days just as the Oracle had told them. As before they had to rely on fruits, vegetables, roots, and berries that Margaret could find for them. And just as before she had no trouble finding them.
The few villages they came across were friendly and accommodating. Especially when Cole mentioned that he was demon. No one questioned him. They simply took his word for it. And most bent over backwards to cater to his every whim. At the end of the fourth day they topped a hill and saw a small village below. From the looks of the village this was the one they were looking for. It seemed to be festively decorated. The decorations were crude but were obviously designed for a celebration.
"This looks like the place," said Piper. "Now, let's find Phoebe and get the hell out of this place."
"Not so fast," said Cole. "We have no idea where she is. And don't forget that Gastion has been using his secretions to keep her memories suppressed. She's not likely to remember or trust you."
"What do you suggest?" Paige asked.
"Well the ceremony isn't supposed to take place until tomorrow," said Cole. "I think it's best if we check the place out. Gastion may have other demons helping him. Without our powers we could be at a distinct disadvantage."
"You still have your powers," said Piper. "Even if it is only in your Belthazor form."
"That's not an option," said Cole. "Every time I change it's harder to change back. I can't risk changing again. Belthazor will take over completely and I won't be able to protect you."
"Okay," said Paige, "we should be able to get a place to stay. And if this celebration is as big as it looks we shouldn't have any trouble finding out about it."
"The marriage of a demon is always a very big event," said Margaret. "The entire village will turn out for it. Especially if Gastion is the demon living in this village. All of the villagers will want to impress him to gain his favor."
"Let's just slip in quietly," said Cole. "We don't want to give Gastion any advance knowledge that we're here. The element of surprise is our best weapon right now."
The five moved cautiously into the village. Leo remained invisible so as not to alarm any of the villagers. There was a boarding house of sorts on the edge of town and they were able to get some rooms there. Cole made no mention of the fact that he was demon only that they had come for the wedding.
They spent the rest of the day looking around the village and asking questions. Most of the villagers were more than happy to answer their questions. They discovered that the wedding was to take place the next day at precisely noon. It would be held in the town square where all the villagers would be able to attend. And Gastion was introducing a new marriage ritual. One, from the descriptions, sounded very reminiscent of a human wedding.
"That would be in keeping with his fascination with human rituals," said Cole.
"Then I guess we wait until noon tomorrow," said Piper. "Anyone have any suggestions how we go about saving Phoebe and getting out of this village without resorting to magic?"
"I'll try to bluff Gastion," said Cole. "Maybe my being here will be enough to make him back down."
"What if that doesn't work?" asked Paige.
"We always have Leo," said Phoebe. "He can just materialize by Phoebe like he did with Margaret. Then we convince the villages he's an evil omen and they have to send Phoebe away."
"That may not work," said Margaret. "With Gastion here they'll be looking to him for protection. And from what you've told me, he's not likely to back down easily."
"We'll just have to play it by ear," said Leo. "But I do have a suggestion. While Cole is distracting Gastion, Piper and Paige can try to quietly slip Phoebe out of the square. If we have to we can tie her up until the secretions that Gastion has been using have worn off and she remembers who we are."
"How long will that take?" Piper asked.
"I'm not sure," said Cole. "But it's worth a try. I'll confront Gastion and you two get her out of the square. You can bring her back here. The rest of us will keep Gastion and the villagers busy while you do. After that we'll just have to see what happens."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Paige.
With their plans set for the next day the group settled in to get some sleep. Their plans rarely went as predicted and they would need to be ready if, and when, something went wrong.
The party enjoyed a restful night with no interruptions. Leo kept watch since he was a spirit and didn't require sleep as the others did. Still, when they awoke the next morning he told them that the night had passed uneventfully.
Just as the strange creature had promised, their trip down the mountain took less than half a day. It was a peaceful walk without any of the obstacles they had encountered the previous day. Once they reached the base of the mountain they turned west just as the Oracle had said.
They traveled for three and a half days just as the Oracle had told them. As before they had to rely on fruits, vegetables, roots, and berries that Margaret could find for them. And just as before she had no trouble finding them.
The few villages they came across were friendly and accommodating. Especially when Cole mentioned that he was demon. No one questioned him. They simply took his word for it. And most bent over backwards to cater to his every whim. At the end of the fourth day they topped a hill and saw a small village below. From the looks of the village this was the one they were looking for. It seemed to be festively decorated. The decorations were crude but were obviously designed for a celebration.
"This looks like the place," said Piper. "Now, let's find Phoebe and get the hell out of this place."
"Not so fast," said Cole. "We have no idea where she is. And don't forget that Gastion has been using his secretions to keep her memories suppressed. She's not likely to remember or trust you."
"What do you suggest?" Paige asked.
"Well the ceremony isn't supposed to take place until tomorrow," said Cole. "I think it's best if we check the place out. Gastion may have other demons helping him. Without our powers we could be at a distinct disadvantage."
"You still have your powers," said Piper. "Even if it is only in your Belthazor form."
"That's not an option," said Cole. "Every time I change it's harder to change back. I can't risk changing again. Belthazor will take over completely and I won't be able to protect you."
"Okay," said Paige, "we should be able to get a place to stay. And if this celebration is as big as it looks we shouldn't have any trouble finding out about it."
"The marriage of a demon is always a very big event," said Margaret. "The entire village will turn out for it. Especially if Gastion is the demon living in this village. All of the villagers will want to impress him to gain his favor."
"Let's just slip in quietly," said Cole. "We don't want to give Gastion any advance knowledge that we're here. The element of surprise is our best weapon right now."
The five moved cautiously into the village. Leo remained invisible so as not to alarm any of the villagers. There was a boarding house of sorts on the edge of town and they were able to get some rooms there. Cole made no mention of the fact that he was demon only that they had come for the wedding.
They spent the rest of the day looking around the village and asking questions. Most of the villagers were more than happy to answer their questions. They discovered that the wedding was to take place the next day at precisely noon. It would be held in the town square where all the villagers would be able to attend. And Gastion was introducing a new marriage ritual. One, from the descriptions, sounded very reminiscent of a human wedding.
"That would be in keeping with his fascination with human rituals," said Cole.
"Then I guess we wait until noon tomorrow," said Piper. "Anyone have any suggestions how we go about saving Phoebe and getting out of this village without resorting to magic?"
"I'll try to bluff Gastion," said Cole. "Maybe my being here will be enough to make him back down."
"What if that doesn't work?" asked Paige.
"We always have Leo," said Phoebe. "He can just materialize by Phoebe like he did with Margaret. Then we convince the villages he's an evil omen and they have to send Phoebe away."
"That may not work," said Margaret. "With Gastion here they'll be looking to him for protection. And from what you've told me, he's not likely to back down easily."
"We'll just have to play it by ear," said Leo. "But I do have a suggestion. While Cole is distracting Gastion, Piper and Paige can try to quietly slip Phoebe out of the square. If we have to we can tie her up until the secretions that Gastion has been using have worn off and she remembers who we are."
"How long will that take?" Piper asked.
"I'm not sure," said Cole. "But it's worth a try. I'll confront Gastion and you two get her out of the square. You can bring her back here. The rest of us will keep Gastion and the villagers busy while you do. After that we'll just have to see what happens."
"Sounds like a plan to me," said Paige.
With their plans set for the next day the group settled in to get some sleep. Their plans rarely went as predicted and they would need to be ready if, and when, something went wrong.