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Chapter 14Eleven Lugels were gathered for another emergency meeting, and many of them were starting to think that it was about time to rename these meetings into weekly emergency summits. Dorian sighed tiredly and continued his update, "Thankfully the alternative reality created by Phoebe Halliwell has been reverted to normal without any serious consequences. It seems that Elizabeth Turner had travelled into the past and prevented Miss Halliwell from changing the course of events, which was what triggered the alternative universe in the first place."
The members of the Council sighed with relief. But one of them was not content with this explanation.
"I don't understand," Celina's voice rang with agitation, "Why did not we interfere earlier?"
Dorian to whom she directed her question, shrugged, "You should ask why this reality change had affected the Chosen Two at all. They are even more powerful than us! If we could feel that the Charmed Ones little trip to the past had resulted in creation of the alternative universe, they should have felt it as well."
"Well, then, why?" Celina demanded, looking around the Lugel's Council
"I don't know for sure," Dorian looked thoughtful. "But I am convinced it was some sort of a test for the Chosen Two. Before the prophecy is fulfilled, this was the last check. To see if they were really destined to be together."
"But I thought there was no doubt!" Sylvester remarked concerned.
Dorian shrugged, "I don't know, I don't have an explanation. But I did not want to interfere. We are entering a very serious stage, after tonight there would be no way back and the lives of the Chosen Two are at stake here. And with them the rest of the Universe."
The Lugel Council fell into a tensed silence, which was interrupted by Vladimir, "I don't think we will find the answers here, but I want to attract the Council's attention to one important point in this whole accident. The fact that Elizabeth Turner was not affected by the change as well. She is not the Source yet and no demon is powerful enough not to be affected by the reality change."
Radgiv' eyes sparkled suspiciously, "What are you getting at, Vladimir?"
"I don't know," the Eastern European Lugel answered, "I don't have an explanation but I think it is obvious that this demoness has a very special place in the Prophecy."
"Good or bad?" Radgiv asked. "Is she our enemy or is she our friend?"
Vladimir shrugged, "I don't know," he said for the second time. "But as we have not interfered into the reality change created by the Charmed One, I sincerely doubt we should interfere into Elizabeth Turner's destiny."
Carlos who stayed quiet so far raised his voice, "I don't like this," he said suspiciously, "There are too many things we don't know. It's never happened to us before. And since it might be the most important mission in our existence I don't see how we can take such risk."
"We don't have an alternative," Celina remarked calmly, "It's too late to go back and, if anything, this ordeal had proven that our Chosen Two were destined to be together." She paused and added thoughtfully, "William told me once that we would have to face a lot of uncertainty if we were to try and bring together this peace deal. You all know how he liked mathematical abstractions. He said there would be too many variables and the Lugels would have to learn to trust their intuition, not the facts."
Dorian nodded, "I agree with this. And therefore I am putting this to the vote. We'll keep going as planned. Nothing changes. Except I would recommend all of you to be constantly vigilant. We are entering the final stage and I don't have to remind you what is at stake." The hooded figures nodded in agreement.
When Celina got home, she went straight into her office. She unlocked a safe hidden behind the painting and pulled out a small a small folder. She whispered a short spell and it disappeared leaving an old photograph lying on the table. The woman stared at the picture, her face filled with emotions. "William," she whispered. "I so much wish you were here." She fell silent just staring at the picture of a blond haired man in his forties hugging a petite dark haired woman. The sound of the bell startled her. She waved her hand and the folder disappeared. Celina checked that the safe was hidden properly and headed to the door.
"Vladimir," she exclaimed opening the door. "What..." She stopped realizing that he question was about to sound rude. He smiled at her and finished her question,
"Am I doing here?"
She returned his smile, "Come in," she offered, "I am glad to see you."
She led him to a living room and without asking poured him a glass of brandy.
"So what brought you here?" she asked again sitting opposite him. "I thought you don't like spending time in the US."
Vladimir smiled wryly, "I wanted to make sure, you were okay," he answered calmly and seeing her raised eyebrows added, "It's my own initiative, Dorian did not send me. Plus," he continued, "I wanted to tell you some of my thoughts, which I did not want to share with the rest."
Celina perked up, "What thoughts?" she asked wary.
"Why the reality switch affected the Chosen Two," he explained nonchalantly.
"And why is it?" she asked tensing.
"I think it happened to make sure that Belthazor's feelings for Nicole are real."
She looked at him questioningly.
"I mean, all of us doubted that he had really moved on from his relationship with the Charmed One. And we both know that Nicole had similar fears. Now at least we know that he's truly over it. And if occasion comes we can tell Nicole about it."
Celina thought about his words and her face brightened up, "I think you are right," she agreed her eyes sparkling, "I have not thought about it. But such knowledge is very helpful to us and to Nicole for that matter."
He hesitated for a moment and then shook his head, "I think there are two more ladies who had to learn the truth." Her eyes stared at him questioningly. "I mean the Charmed One and Belthazor's mother. In case of the first one she needed to learn the lesson that her and Cole were not meant to be. And Belthora needed to learn that her son's destiny is tied to Nicole and his happiness lies with her and only her. Now she would become the most powerful ally the Chosen Two could hope for. And she will protect Nicole as much as she's protecting her son."
Celina listened to him with acute interest. "Why did not you tell all this to the rest of the Council," she asked finally.
"Because I don't have any proof for it and also because I know that for you this is more than just a part of the Lugel mission." Celina paled and turned away from him. "I did not mean to embarrass you," he assured her gently, "I would have been surprised if it was otherwise."
She did not say anything and he sighed. "I am going to go," he got up from his seat.
Celina nodded and followed him into the hallway. His hand had already reached for the handle when he stopped and looked at her, "Be careful, Celina. Emotions are dangerous in our missions," his voice sounded almost pleadingly.
She looked at him defiantly, "I made a promise, Vladimir. And I won't break it."
He sighed, resigning to her decision, "I know," a sad smile touched his lips, "And I hope that everything will end well... for all of us."
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Cole was pacing his mother's apartment. He was already dressed in a ceremonial robe and had nothing else to do except wait untill it was time to go. He hated waiting. Demons did not wait, well except for the Source, but in that case nobody was really in a rush to see him. The half demon stared at the bottle of scotch. This always made the waiting easier. He shook his head. Not tonight. For God's sake it was his wedding day and also the coronation of his mother as the next Source. "All in all an eventful day," he smirked to himself thinking for already umpteens time what an understatement it was. Cole did not like elevated speeches but he fully appreciated that today was a start of the new era in the whole magic world. He sighed: bringing this new era was not easy. They were dealing with many forces and had to be very careful in keeping all sides satisfied and on board. For the last months Cole and Nicole ordered, charmed, threatened and manipulated, used their powers together with the old fashioned carrot and stick approach. But things kept popping up so Leo, Elizabeth, her council and all Lugels were working around the clock to keep everything on track. The latest development was warlocks deciding that they wanted the wedding and the coronation to happen on the same day. This would emphasise their new place in the Underworld hierarchy and especially the fact that a warlock was joining the Source's family and becoming the princess of the Underworld. After discussing it Elizabeth and her council decided there was no great harm in agreeing. So the two ceremonies were to go one after another. Cole sighed again, they worked for so long to come this far, but it was just the beginning...
The sound of a shimmer interrupted his thoughts. He sighed with relief, Elizabeth was finally here.
"Belthazor," she greeted studying his face. "How are you?"
Cole looked at her surprised. His mother was not the one for the casual chit chat. "Fine," he mumbled not knowing what she wanted to hear, "and you?"
"Ready for the wedding?" she asked smiling brightly and completely ignoring the question.
Cole's eyebrows shot up, "As you can see," he muttered pointing at his robe. She smiled, a relief obvious on her face. The half demon eyed her warily, "Mother, are you okay?" he asked finally.
"I am great", she answered smiling warmly finally allowing herself to relax: his obvious surprise being an ultimate proof that she managed to reverse the reality back to normal.
If Cole was not so preoccupied with his own thought he might have questioned her further, but his mind was too busy with other sings, so he just shrugged and asked her curiously, "Where have you been?"
"Oh, I had to run some errands. Big day with the wedding and coronation, lots of things to organise."
He nodded and sat down in a chair pulling up the sleeves of his robes, "I hate these ceremonial gowns," he complained. "Could never understand why are we still wearing them. Humans got rid of these things years ago."
"Never thought you minded them so much." Elizabeth lifted her eyebrows. He did not answer and just shot her a dark look. Elizabeth sighed impatiently, "It's just for the ceremony," she continued, "Plus you are lucky enough that you look great in robes. Not a lot of demons can say that."
The half demon scowled, "Mother, I am not gay, you know."
"But you are impatient like a little boy," she retorted and then added eyeing him inquisitively, "unless, there is something else and you are just avoiding talking about it."
Cole waved his hand annoyed, "What else can be there?"
"I don't know," Elizabeth remarked calmly, "But if you want to talk about it, I am here."
He chuckled sarcastically, "Never thought you were into counselling, Mother. It's not something you'd expect from the Source of All Evil."
Pain struck the demoness' eyes, but she contained the outburst, which was almost ready to erupt and took a deep breath, "I am your mother, Belthazor," she said calmly but very seriously. "No matter where I am or what I do, I will always be there for you. Please don't forget about it."
He stared at her in surprise. He never heard her speaking like that and wondered what had caused it. "I will remember," he answered simply.
"Good," she forced herself to smile coolly. "Now," she continued. "I have something for you, or better said, for your wife-to-be." She walked to the bureau and got out a small box, which she handed to him. He opened it and speechlessly stared at the beautiful jewellery set.
"Mother," he uttered in total shock, "but those are your favourites."
She shrugged, "I am too old for them," she answered curtly. "And anyway I want Nicole to feel that she is part of the family now. This jewellery has been in our clan for a long time, so it is only fare that she would have them. And you know, I have plenty more."
Cole was very impressed with this gift and he studied Elizabeth's face. "I have not expected you to be so forthcoming towards my marriage," he said finally. "In the past you were never keen on me getting married."
"That was different," she said forcing herself to look him straight in the eyes, "You were too young to settle. But now I think you're ready and also I have to complement you on your choice of bride." Her lips twisted into a smile, "Neither of your past girlfriends came even close to Nicole. She's a good match for you. So why should I be against it?" She shrugged and turned around to avoid his penetrating eyes. "Anyway," she continued casually, "this is not about me, it's about you, Belthazor. I have a feeling that something is bothering you."
He shook his head, "I must be really getting old if I am so transparent," he joked but Elizabeth did not pay attention to it and just raised her eyebrow questioningly.
Cole sighed, "I had a bad dream last night," he admitted. "As if I was still married to Phoebe. It brought back the memories."
Elizabeth had to bite her tongue to keep herself from crying out, "No." It could not have been happening. He could not possibly be still in love with that damn witch. What she saw in the alternative reality showed her that even there he chose Nicole over Phoebe. She counted to five and then asked in a calm voice, "Do you still love her? I mean Phoebe."
"What?" Cole asked surprise obvious on his face, "No. It's not what I am talking about. I am happy with Nicole, I believe that we were made for each other. I don't have any doubts that I want to marry her. What worries me is that we are in the middle of such a magical ordeal that has never been attempted before. I know from personal experience that when you try to manipulate magic things can end up very different from what you expected. And now I can't stop thinking that we are playing a very dangerous game here. And I hope that we won't have to pay for it." He looked into the window and added silently to himself, "And if we have to pay let it be somebody else: anybody, even myself, but not Nicole."
Elizabeth was immensely tempted to tell him everything she knew. She already opened her mouth but the warning of the prophet sounded in her head and she restrained herself. She took a step closer to her son, wishing for a second that he was still a little boy whom she could take away and protect. She stretched her hand and touched his shoulder. He turned around looking at her surprised. The demoness immediately regretted her impulse and pulled her hand back. But Cole stopped her and took her palm in his.
"Things will be fine, Belthazor," Elizabeth said warmly and as if reading his thoughts added, "for both of you. I always knew you were destined for great things, from the moment I was pregnant with you. And I believe in it even more now." She took a deep breath and added in a lighter tone, "Especially, you have one powerful demoness as your ally here."
He arched his eyebrow, "You always had a way high opinion of yourself, Mother."
"Hey, watch your tongue, young man. Otherwise I will have to show you what I am made off."
He laughed and bowed jokingly, "No need, madam. I am all shame and remorse."
"Good," she said coolly though her eyes were still tingling teasingly, "because, it's time to go. Otherwise those warlocks would come up with some other last minute request."
She was ready to turn but Cole squeezed her hand, "Thank you, mother," he said quietly, "I am really glad that you are back."
Her eyes filled with tears but she managed to contain them. Instead she moved forwards and gave him a quick peck on a cheek. "I am glad too, Belthazor."
Xxxxxxxxx
Nicole was walking towards the ceremonial chambers of the Underworld with Henry Karenian and Phillip des Noures following her, both of them looking very sombre. The corridors were well lit up and heavily guarded. It was an important night for the Underworld and nothing was left to chance. But nobody stopped Nicole and her companions. The guards hurried to step aside to let them pass since all of them knew that this tall blond woman was a future princess of the Underworld, the bride of all mighty Belthazor.
If this was not enough all three were wearing black silk robes, the sign of their high position. The robes were compulsory for both wedding and coronation ceremonies. According to the Underworld tradition the marriage ceremony was going to be attended only by the closest relatives of the couple. Afterwards the newlyweds and the rest of the group were going to join the High Council of the Underworld for the coronation. Nicole found all of this demonic etiquette very weird. For example, the robes had to be worn on bare skin. Also the wedding ceremony was going to take place next to the pit with what was generally known as hell fire. According to the warlocks all these traditions had a lot of meaning behind them, but Nicole did not bother to listen when Henry Karenian was giving her a lecture on all the details and preferred to concentrate on getting ready for the celebration party, which would follow the coronation. She picked up a beautiful dress, of course a black one, but she had to admit it looked good on her. She was looking forward finally being able to be with Cole. During the last weeks they spent a lot of time apart since warlocks took a lot of her time. Now she was hoping that they would get a bit of a honeymoon. They took a week off from DLM and planned to spend it travelling between all the houses she inherited from her uncle and only show up to the most important meetings with Leo, Lugels and Elizabeth. Nicole frowned under her hood. That sounded like a hell of a honeymoon... Not...
They finally arrived into the chamber. The guard bowed stepping aside, the doors magically opened and Nicole walked into the room. Elizabeth and Cole were already waiting for them. The half demon stood next to the black ring in the middle of which there was a round fire pit. Nicole knew full well what she had to do, the young woman headed straight to the ring. Both her and Cole exchanged quick glances and stepped into the circle. The next moment the edge flared up into the ring of fire and high priest Corado appeared next to them. He started to chant in ancient Latin. But unlike in Upperworld ceremonies the speech was very short, the athame appeared in Corado's hand and he handed it to Cole. The half demon took Nicole's hand into his and with a swift move cut her wrist. She squeezed her palm allowing the blood to drop into the crystal chalice. Now it was her turn and she took the athame, which was still covered in her own blood and made a light slash on his wrist. Red drops mixed together and Corado waived his hand above the chalice before handing it to Cole. The half demon took a small sip his face completely blank. Nicole followed his example the salty-sourly taste filling her mouth. Two rings appeared in the high priest's hand and he dropped them into the chalice. The gold bands fell into the scarlet liquid and started to glow red absorbing it. It was over in mere seconds, the rings sparkled once more and returned to their normal colour. Corado waived his hand and the rings reappeared in his hand. He placed one on Nicole's finger, the other one on Cole's and then joined their hands together. The rings sparkled again and the flames around the circle rose higher. The newly wed couple turned and stepped through the fire wall, which disappeared behind them. The ceremony was over.
Elizabeth took a step forward towards her son and his wife and said trying to hide her emotions, "Congratulations." She did not add anything else fearing that she would betray the feelings, which as the Source-to-be she could not admit having.
"Let your marriage be prosperous and fertile," Karenian did not hide his triumphant smile.
The French warlock frowned at this obvious hint to the deal, which lied behind this marriage. He looked at his "daughter" and her husband and said in a quiet voice, "Let the Fortune always be with you."
The newly weds were about to respond but high priest Corado cleared his throat interrupting them, "It's time," he said quietly.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
The main hall of the Underworld was filled with demons, warlocks, vampires and darklighters and many other creatures of Evil. All of them were waiting to swear allegiance to their new leader. And when the doors at the head of the room opened the crowd rose to their feet. One after another the figures dressed in black silk robes filled the podium standing in a semi circle. Cole and Nicole were the last to come out. The Chosen Two stared at each other and mentally counted to ten. Their voices echoed in a complete silence of the room, "Long live the Source".
Elizabeth who was waiting for this signal stepped forward and witnessed her subjects kneeling in front of her, their voices roaring the answer, "Long live Belthora." The demoness looked around the room. She achieved more than she ever expected. She became the Source of All Evil. She had her son and his wife by her side. Now looking at her subjects she once again realized what a massive task she was facing. But at the same time she had a strange confidence that she would fight for her family and her goals till the end and she would win. She raised her hands and smiled regally,
"I thank you for your loyalty. It will be rewarded." The room roared and Elizabeth continued, "It's time to celebrate our first victory: the union of the Underworld. The order is restored and this is just the first step in our rise to glory. And I swear to you that I will serve the forces of Evil as the true Source: wise and ruthless."
Elizabeth waived her hand and goblets of wine appeared in her hand and in the hands of her Council. She raised it high waiting for the rest of her subjects to follow her example.
"For the Powers of Evil," she exclaimed.
"For the power of the Source," the crowd roared.
The demoness lifted the goblet to her lips and cast a discrete look to her left where her new daughter-in-law stood. Elizabeth watched the young woman finishing her wine and the potion it contained. The demoness hid a sigh. It was done.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
The dinner was finally over and the crowd spread through the adjoining rooms. The demonic party was at full swing and Nicole finally was able to escape and change into her dress. She felt slightly uneasy. Today she had had the most bizarre experience. She got married to the man she loved but instead of saying "I do," they drank each others blood. Her husband was an over a century old half demon and her new mother-in-law was now the Source of All Evil. If this was not freaky enough Nicole herself had just become an unofficial princess of the Underworld. Her subjects, relatives and allies were demons, warlocks and vampires - creatures of evil. They had blood on their hands and crimes on their conscience. Everything Nicole was ever taught told her that she should hate and despise them. Being good meant fighting Evil not collaborating with it. But life was no longer that simple. Over the last months she came not only to know this world but she had also seen a lot of good from demons and warlocks. Elizabeth Turner, now the Source of All Evil, helped her more than her own mother ever did. Henry Karenian and Phillip des Noures were ready to fulfil her every wish. Sometimes Nicole felt really confused. Her life changed so quickly and so drastically, it was almost spinning out of control. And for sure the line between good and evil seemed more ambiguous than ever. Nicole sighed. It was not the place and time for philosophical musings. She had to return to the celebration if she did not want the rescue party to be sent after her.
The young woman walked into the main chamber and started to look for her husband. She noticed him talking to Phillip des Noures and her heartbeat increased. Cole looked gorgeous dressed in an immaculate tuxedo with dark red shirt instead of white. She could not help but study his face, that usual cool smile and distant look. She knew this man for less than six months. But it felt as if she's known him all her life. At that moment he turned and looked straight at her and immediately his eyes softened. Warmth spread into Nicole's heart washing away all her doubts and fears. This was the answer to all her questions. She was meant to be with him: as the Chosen Two they had a destiny to fulfil but most importantly they were intended to spend a life together. And everything else did not matter. She probably was self centred egoistic woman with very questionable morals but she did not care what she had to do to be with him, what he did in his past and even who were her newly found relatives and allies. If it meant that Cole and her were together it was absolutely worth it.
Nicole snapped of her thoughts when Cole appeared in front of her. "You look very thoughtful, Mrs Turner, I hope you are thinking about me." The young woman raised her head and looked into the piercing blue eyes.
"I actually was," she smiled at him. "But you were too busy talking about politics."
He raised his eyebrows and leaned towards her, "I don't think you have to complain about lack of attention form my side, Mrs Turner," he whispered sultry. And Nicole shivered from the desire she heard in his voice.
She did not have time to reply when Cole grabbed her hand and headed towards one of the rooms. Nicole followed him but then stopped in horror. Her husband brought her to a dim lit room, where several guests were dancing. Panic struck Nicole, "What the hell are you doing?" she hissed into his ear.
He raised his eyebrow. "Don't you want to dance with me, sweetheart?" he asked teasingly, "I thought you wanted some attention from my side."
Nicole gave him a dirty look, "I don't want to make a fool of myself on my wedding day," she hissed, "I can't dance especially these demonic dances, and neither can you."
His eyes sparkled at her and he pulled her to the dance floor. The next moment Nicole found herself in his arms, her body pressed firmly against his. The music changed and the other guests immediately formed two rows of couples on both sides of them. It looked like a Medieval ceremonial ball with the couples moving in a complicated patterns and highly formal way except for her and Cole who were dancing in the centre. There was nothing formal about the movements Cole was taking. It was the most dirty dancing Nicole had ever seen. Cole kept her in a firm embrace and the only thing she could do was to follow his every move. The rhythm of the music was very strange and had nothing in common with the music of the mortal realm. It was wild and invigorating. And the strange contrast of the formal almost puritanical movements of the couples in the rows and extremely sexual movements of herself and Cole made the whole situation even more bizarre. But soon Nicole forgot all about it. All she could think about was Cole, his body so close to hers and an immense desire she felt for him. The half demon turned out to be a perfect partner. He led her with a firm hand and all she had to do was to submit to his every move.
The music ended as abruptly as it started and they stopped both of them breathing heavily. Cole leaned closer to her and whispered into her lips, "I can dance but not mortal dances with their false movements. Now it's time for you to learn what real dancing is about. And I know that you'll be good at that." As the music picked up again even in more wild rhythm than before Cole swirled Nicole and she felt herself spinning down. His hands caught her up and she rubbed herself against him the intoxicating music making her blood ignite. In her normal life Nicole would never be able to keep the wild pace of the dance. But there was nothing normal in this evening or in the way she felt. The passion of the music, the craziness of still having the aftertaste of her beloved's blood in her mouth made Nicole forget all her restrains. Her mind was infatuated with the desire she felt and her whole body was on fire, it was craving for the wild movement of the dance and especially for the feel of her husband's body next to her. All she wanted was to be close to him and when he leaned down on her after lowering her on her back she saw in his eyes the same passion as she felt herself. She ran her hand up his shoulders and his eyes narrowed. He jerked her up and pressed her against his body. They continued to dance staring at each others eyes the aura of sexual tension surrounding their every move. By now the straight rows of dancers on both sides of them had broken up and the couples continued to move in a way, which had more to do with an orgy than dancing. Avoiding the others Cole and Nicole found themselves near the far end of the room and he pressed her against the wall his broad shoulders shielding her from the rest. They kissed wildly and pulled apart almost gasping for breath.
For a second he saw her darkened eyes staring at him pleadingly and then she closed the space between them, capturing his mouth. They blurred together never breaking the kiss.
Only two pairs of eyes noticed their disappearance. Two shadows vanished from the wall and reappeared in the Lugel's realm.
"It is done," Vladimir announced seriously.
"Did the potion have the expected effect?" Dorian asked.
The Eastern European Lugel nodded and the Chairman lifted his hands.
"Lets the Destiny take its turn," he announced and eleven figures raised their heads and for a minute silence reigned over the Council meeting. The all powerful Lugels were praying for success to the gods only known to them.
But in the unison of ten prayers, there was one lone silent plea. Under the hood of her grey rob Celina shut her eyes and begged, "I promised that I would only ask to keep her safe and nothing else. But I was wrong. There is no way she would survive if he is not by her side. So please, keep them safe, just keep them both safe. And if there have to be a sacrifice, take me, but not them."
Even as a Lugel she had no knowledge whether her plea was heard. But after the rest of the Council left she waived her hand above the platform and saw the objects of her prayers. Celina waived her hand again and the vision disappeared. A sad but at the same time very warm smile touched her lips. For this night the Chosen Two would forget about their destiny to safe the magical world. Or at least be unaware that they were embarking on the next level in their lives. This night they were living in their own world.