Damonculous pulled the athame out of his back and cast the offending weapon aside. Almost instantly the wound healed itself. The dagger couldn't kill him. Not even the attacks by the demons could kill him. But it forced him to expend his energy to protect himself. Energy he needed to keep the blocking in place.
He couldn't afford to let that blocking fall for even an instant. If he did the Elders would be able to put up a protective shield that would prevent their powers from being blocked. Only the one Elder with the Charmed Ones knew what was going on. The others would be busily trying to figure it out.
But they resided on some other plane. Neither the memories he had taken from the demon nor the warlocks that had joined him knew where the Elders were. And the memories he had taken from the Whitelighter during his first attack seemed to be lacking that information. There was only the single Elder at the manor currently on the mortal plane. He needed that Elders' power to block all magic and prevent anyone, demon or otherwise, from opposing him. And to gain the knowledge of where the rest of the Elders resided.
He cursed the demons at the manor. How could he have been so foolish? Thinking they would willingly join him. Now, the warlocks were vanquished and the Elder was still protected. Not to mention that Belthazor would quickly recover from the attack and be ready to stand between him and the Elder.
His path was clear. He wouldn't be able to go after the Elder until the demon was out of the way. But with the power he was expending on the blocking he wasn't strong enough to face Belthazor alone. He needed something that would provide him an advantage over the demon.
The Charmed Ones were the key, he realized. While they didn't have access to their powers, they still had their magic. And according to Persius, that magic was considerable. It might even rival that of the Gray Council itself. If he had that power not even Belthazor could stand against him. And with Belthazor out of the way there was no one to stand between him and the Elder.
He would have to change his tactics. First, he would need to get the witches' powers. That should be easy enough. The next time he showed up at the manor they would be expecting him to attack the Elder. The witches would practically offer to let him drain them. He would have the first one before any of them knew what was going on.
If they were as powerful as everyone seemed to think they were they should provide quite a boost for him. Once he had all three of their power he would face the demon. It should be an easy matter then to vanquish Belthazor. Then the only one standing between him and the Elder would be gone.
Damonculous smiled. He would rest for a time. Rebuild the strength and power he had expended in that useless fight. When he was rested, he would return to the manor and the beginning of the end for humanity would start.
Cole looked around the small house he had shimmered into. It was a modest house. Nothing at all like the manor Phoebe and her sisters lived in. But then the single occupant of this house preferred to remain anonymous, not drawing any attention to themselves. This was the type of house most people didn't give a second look at as they drove past it.
The house appeared to be empty at the moment. But like the warehouse where Caprick and his demons lived, appearances could be deceiving. It was dark out and there were no lights on inside the house, save for the glow of a clock on a desk in the living room. The occupant of this house would be about, Cole knew that.
"You're taking a grave risk shimmering in here like that," said a feminine voice behind him. "You must be either very brave or very stupid."
"Neither," said Cole turning around. "Call it a matter of necessity. Besides, you're not a threat to me. Are you, Angelique?"
"Cole Turner?" questioned the woman. She reached over and flipped a switch on the wall and an overhead light sprung to life. "Why, so it is. I heard you had been vanquished."
The woman appeared to be about thirty. She was dressed in a form-fitting black dress that accentuated her figure nicely. Her blonde hair hung to her waist and was braided down her back. She laid an athame she had been holding on a table near the door.
"The reports of my vanquishment have been greatly exaggerated," said Cole, smiling, "to coin a phrase."
"It's been a long time, Cole," said the woman, moving up to him. "What has it been? Two years? No, more like two and a half. The last time we talked you were preparing for a very special assignment. The Charmed Ones, if I'm not mistaken."
"That's right," said Cole. "A lot has happened since then. A whole lot."
"So I've heard," said Angelique. "They say you betrayed the Source and vanquished the Triad. All three at the same time. That's quite a feat, even for a demon of your status."
"Self-preservation," said Cole. "They were going to vanquish me. I didn't see I had any other choice."
"You could have completed your assignment," said Angelique. "You could have killed the witch and her sisters."
"I couldn't do that," said Cole. "I love her. I couldn't have killed her any more than you could have used that athame on me."
"Belthazor in love," said Angelique. "Who would have thought such a thing was possible? I suppose it was bound to happen eventually. That pesky human half of yours. It was bound to get you into trouble sooner or later."
"I suppose you're right," said Cole, smiling.
"So, this love for the witch," said Angelique. "Is it serious?"
"We're planning to get married," said Cole.
"Married?" questioned Angelique. "Cole Turner a family man? Now I've heard it all. I suppose next you'll be telling me you're planning a family. The little white picket fence and all."
"We haven't gotten that far yet," said Cole. "I still have the matter of the bounty on my head and the Source to deal with first."
"Is that why you're here?" Angelique asked. "You have some elaborate scheme designed to get the Source off your back? And you want me to help you with it?"
"Not, not the Source," said Cole. "But I do need your help. I'm sure you've heard there's a new power around."
"I've heard rumors," said Angelique. "Whatever it is is supposed to be pretty powerful. Someone who could even rival the Source, if my information is correct."
"More correct than you know," said Cole. "Actually, it's someone very ancient. He's powerful and he's dangerous. If he isn't stopped, no one is going to be safe. Not even someone like you."
"Me?" questioned Angelique. "If this person is that powerful how could I possibly be a threat to them? Now you I might understand. But me? It's hard to believe that someone that powerful would be interested in someone like me."
"Trust me," said Cole, "he is. His name is Damonculous. He's interested in anyone who has magical abilities. And he plans to destroy everyone so there's no possibility of them being a threat to him."
"Destroy all magical beings?" questioned Angelique. "I'm not sure that's even possible. It would take a great deal of power to do something like that. I've never heard of any single entity with that kind of power."
"He isn't alone," said Cole. "He has friends. Friends who are just as powerful as he is. At the moment the rest are locked away in a dimension where magic doesn't exist. But if Damonculous completes his plans then his friends will rejoin him on the mortal plane. If that happens they'll have more than enough power to deal with anyone who might be a threat to them."
"I see," said Angelique. "So if this guy is so powerful, why come to me? I'm sort of limited as to what I can do. A specialized job description, you might say. You of all people should be aware of that."
"I am," said Cole. "Which is exactly why I've come to you. Damonculous won't perceive you as a threat until it's too late. And the way I see it, you owe me. Several times over. Do this one little thing for me and we'll call it square."
"Well, you're right about that," said Angelique. "I am indebted to you. Considering you've saved my life on at least two occasions I guess I can't begrudge you one little favor. So, just what exactly is it you want me to do for you?"
"I want you to kill an Elder," said Cole very somberly.