Damonculous moved on the Elder confident in his victory. Piper lay on the floor unconscious. Prue and Phoebe were little more than helpless mortals, their potions having proved more of an annoyance than a hindrance. Cole was busy defending himself against the attacks of two warlocks unable to assist any of them. Leo still faced off against the warlock he was fighting. And the Elder was as helpless as the rest of them. Within moments the battle would be over and Damonculous would have his prize.
Suddenly seven figures shimmered into the living room at various positions. Cole glanced up only for an instant, recognizing Caprick and the demons that lived in exile with him. The demons wasted no time. Seven energy balls suddenly struck the remaining warlocks vanquishing them where they stood.
Startled by this turn of events, Damonculous stopped his advance. He glanced behind him to see an eighth demon almost cowering in the entryway. This demon was barely three feet tall and it was clear it was no match for anyone in the room. Damonculous turned his attention back to the intruders who had just appeared.
The demons quickly moved positions. Three demons took positions beside Prue, Phoebe, and Leo. Another two moved over and took up positions next to Percy. Caprick looked around the room and smiled, the seventh demon standing next to him.
"Really, Belthazor," said Caprick, "did you think I would be fooled by your little fairy tale? It was clear to me from the beginning that the Charmed Ones were powerless. That's why you came to me. And did you really think I would pass up such a golden opportunity? To rid us of these accursed witched? And an Elder to boot? How could you not know such an opportunity was too rich to pass up?"
"Caprick, what are you doing?" Cole asked. "We had a bargain."
"I am altering that bargain," said Caprick. He turned toward Damonculous. "I am Caprick. You must be this Damonculous I've heard so much about."
"You are demon," Damonculous said.
"That's right," said Caprick. "Actually, I'm an outcast demon. All of us are. It seems we had the misfortune of displeasing our masters at one time or other. And most of them were such minor infractions. But the demon hierarchy is so petty about such things. Most do not realize that there are simply times when you have no control over what happens."
"You vanquished my servants," said Damonculous.
"Yeah, sorry about that," said Caprick. "But you really can't trust warlocks. They'd turn on you the first chance they got. All their interested in is gaining more and more power. If they saw the chance to get yours, trust me, they wouldn't have hesitated."
"What is it you wish?" Damonculous asked.
"Well," said Caprick, glancing over at Cole, "we're in a position to help each other. You need new servants. And I'm willing to bet the rewards are pretty hefty. Something we demons are quite familiar with. We, on the other hand, have no loyalty to the underworld. We can't go back there without getting ourselves killed. And if you're as strong as I think you are, you'll have no trouble defeating the Source and taking over down there."
"And you wish to join me," Damonculous said.
"Exactly," said Caprick. "They can all tell you that demons usually side with whomever is the strongest. We like to be on the winning side. Up until now there wasn't much we could do. The underworld wants us dead and there's no way the Charmed Ones or any witches would trust us. So we have to hide out on the mortal plane, jumping at every little sound.
"You can change all that. We join you and become your new servants. You rid us of our enemies and those who want us dead. Once you take over we get to rule alongside you. You're in charge, of course. But no one, no matter how powerful they are, can physically control everyone. You're going to need help. We'll be that help."
"The memories I have usurped tell me that demons are not to be trusted," said Damonculous. "Just as with the warlocks, if you see the opportunity to strike me down and take my place, you won't hesitate. As I understand it, that is the way in the underworld."
"True enough," said Caprick. "But those memories should also tell you that demons only serve those stronger than ourselves. As long as you are stronger you will have nothing to fear from us. Take the Source for example. Demons have been serving him for about five hundred years. That's because there's no one strong enough to oppose him. If you defeat him it will prove you are stronger than he is. And defeating the Charmed Ones also proves how powerful you are. There's not a demon in the underworld that would challenge you after all that."
"Caprick, you traitor," snarled Cole. "I should have known better than to trust you. Remember my threat? Don't sleep too heavily. One day you're going to wake up and I'll be there. Count on it."
Caprick glanced at Cole and smiled. Then he turned back to Damonculous.
"So, what do you say?" Caprick asked. "Unlike the warlocks our loyalty to our masters is well known. Your memories should tell you that as well. If you're as powerful as you claim, you should have no problem controlling anyone who serves you."
"I will need the Elder," said Damonculous. "His power will allow me to accomplish my goals."
"He's all yours," said Caprick. "There's no love lost between demons and Elders. It will be a pleasure to watch you destroy him."
"Very well," said Damonculous. "It seems the warlocks were not as powerful as I first thought. You will make much better servants. And in return you will be rewarded with great power."
"That's what we're after," said Caprick. "What about the others? What do you plan to do with them?"
"The witches are of no concern to me," said Damonculous. "You may do with them as you please. The White Lighter may serve my purposes. While his power is less than that of the Elder, it will only serve to strengthen me. As for the demon," he looked at Cole. "He must be removed. I will not tolerate those who oppose me."
"Sounds good to me," said Caprick. "But give us the pleasure of taking care of Belthazor. I was always a better demon than he was. But because of my place in the hierarchy I was forced to serve him when his whim dictated. It will be a pleasure to dispose of him. And he can die knowing that his precious witch and her sisters are next."
"Do as you wish," said Damonculous, turning to face the Elder again. "My goal is the Elder. I care not what you do with the others."
"Belthazor, it's been a pleasure," said Caprick, forming an energy ball.
The other six demons in the living room also formed energy balls. They all turned to face Cole. Prue, Phoebe, Leo, and Percy knew that not even Cole could withstand so great an attack all at once. Just as Prue had said, you can't trust demons. Now they would all pay for that trust. And they all knew that the Elder Council, and all of humanity, would soon follow.