"We have to do something," Paige demanded. "He just took Phoebe. We can't sit by and do nothing."
"Relax," said Leo. "You heard what he said. He wants her as his queen. I don't think he's going to hurt her."
'At least not for the moment," said Michael. "That could change."
"What do you mean?" Piper asked.
""Every day the Source takes control a little bit more," said Michael. "Very soon everything that was Cole Turner will be gone. That will leave only the Source. If that happens it won't be long before Phoebe does something to displease him. And he won't hesitate to kill her when that happens. And that may not even be the worst of it."
"What could be worse than that?" Paige asked.
"One of the reasons you were able to defeat the Source in the first place," Michael said, "is because he doesn't understand humanity. Like Phoebe said, he could never understand humanity because he's a demon.
"But that has all changed With Turner he has the understanding that he once lacked. And he has the pages from the Tome of the Ancients. But he's still evil. Which means he still wants to rule over mankind. With his new found understanding of humans he may be impossible to beat."
"How long before that happens?" Leo asked.
"That's hard to tell," said Michael. "But right now we have a bigger problem. The Source plans to strip the girls of their powers. All he has to do it cast the spell he has on Phoebe and it will permanently strip them all of their powers forever. We can't let that happen. They're the only ones strong enough to stop the Source."
"What do we do?" Piper asked. "You certainly can't go back down there now. And if we go down there Cole is liable to forget about his promise not to hurt us. He only did that to get Phoebe to go with him."
"He won't do anything just yet," said Michael. "He'll give her time to adjust to what's going on. There's still enough of Turner in him that he will hesitate before he does anything that harms her. Which means he won't strip her powers right away. We have to act fast if we're going to separate the Source from Turner and put a stop to him."
"You have a plan all ready?" Paige asked.
"You forget," said Michael. "I've been personal advisor to the Source of all Evil for more than sixty years. I think best on my feet. There's a lot to do and very little time to do it in. It's going to be dangerous. But I don't think we have much choice."
"We're with you," Leo said. "Just tell us what we need to do."
"First," said Michael, "we need a couple of spells."
Phoebe sat in the empty chamber. It had been nearly two hours since Cole had brought them to the underworld. He had said something about giving her time to adjust. That and some plans he had to take care of. He had then left her alone in the chamber with a demonic escort outside of course.
"The Source has said no one is to see the witch," Phoebe heard one of the demon guards say.
"Surely that does not apply to me," she heard the Seer respond. "It is because of me the Source has been successful so far."
Nothing happened for a moment, and then the Seer entered the chamber flanked by two demons. Not the demons that stood guard at her door.
"Welcome, Phoebe," said the Seer. "It's so good to see you again."
"Save it," said Phoebe. "I'm only here to protect my sisters. Cole promises not to harm them if I came here with him."
"Of course," said the Seer. "And once your powers are gone you'll have no reason to fear us any longer. You won't be a threat to us any longer."
"For how long?" Phoebe asked. "How long before the Source gets tired of me?"
"That's not going to happen," said Cole standing in the doorway to the chamber. With him were the two Brotherhood demons that had accompanied him to the manor. "As I said at the manor, you will rule with me forever."
"Nothing is forever," said Phoebe. "It's only a matter of time."
"What are you doing here?" Cole demanded of the Seer.
"I came to help you," said the Seer. "The ascension draws near."
"Yes," said Cole. He turned to the Brotherhood demons. "Spread the word. Malevant is a traitor to the underworld. He is to be vanquished on sight. I don't care how many demons it takes. If he comes to the underworld he is not to leave here alive."
"No," said the Seer.
"What?" Cole demanded. "You dare countermand my orders?"
"Forgive me, my Lord," said the Seer. "But it would be precipitous and dangerous to let the underworld know about his betrayal just yet. You have been accepted as the new Source in no small part because Malevant supports you. Imagine how the hierarchy will respond if they discover you no longer have that support."
"Right," said Cole thoughtfully.
"Not to mention," said the Seer, "the fact that he has fooled everyone, including you, for more than six decades. If word about that should get out many may feel you are too weak to ever rule the underworld. Even with the support of the Brotherhood you may find it impossible to rule."
"Yes, of course," said Cole. "You're right. If they learn of Malevant's betrayal right now I may be faced with a civil war."
"We must also deal with them," said the Seer, looking at Phoebe. "As long as the witches have their powers they are a threat. You must use the spell of the Ancients to strip them of their powers. Once you have done that, you need never again fear their intervention."
"Perhaps you're right," said Cole. "Take Phoebe to the great hall."
"What do you have in mind?" the Seer asked.
"I promised the hierarchy I would deal with the Charmed Ones," said Cole. "They can witness my keeping that promise. We'll gather in the great hall in a few minutes. Then I'll use the spell while the entire hierarchy watches."
"Very good," said the Seer. "That can only strengthen your leadership as the Source. Torgas, take the witch to the great hall. See that she is unharmed until we arrive. We shall be there shortly."
The two underlings with the Seer took Phoebe by the arms. Cautiously they escorted Phoebe out of the chamber and headed for the great meeting hall.
"Once her powers are gone," Cole said, "she won't be a threat any longer. But we must proceed with the Ascension Ceremony as soon as possible. Once the ceremony is complete I can announce Malevant's betrayal."
"Yes," said the Seer. "But first we must deal with the witches. As long as they have their magic you are at risk. Once their magic is gone, we can turn our attention to other matters."
"I'll get the spell," said Cole. "We need to finish this as quickly as possible. Gather the hierarchy. I'll meet you in the great audience hall in a few minutes."
The Seer bowed slightly and then turned and left the chamber. Cole thought about what was happening. Phoebe would resent him for what he was going to do. But once her magic was gone he could use the spell the Seer had provided him with to control her. She would accept him eventually. And nothing her sisters could do would change that.
Cole went to his private chamber and retrieved the page containing the spell from the Tome of the Ancients. Once this was finished Phoebe and her sisters would be as powerless as any mortal. And he knew that eventually she would come to accept him again.
Cole entered the great audience hall. It was the place traditionally used by the leader of the underworld to address the leaders of each demonic faction. The eleven demons that had been there when his returned had been announced were present. As was a twelfth demon. The one that had replaced Kralor after Cole had vanquished him.
The Brotherhood bodyguards were also present. They were never far away from Cole. The Seer was also present along with the two demons that had brought Phoebe here. They stood on either side of her protecting her as well as guarding her. Most of the demons in this room would not hesitate to destroy her if given the chance.
"Leave us," the Seer commanded of the two demons.
They bowed slightly and left the chamber. Cole moved up and stood in front of the gathering. The Seer moved off the dais and stood in the forefront of the gathering of demons.
"Earlier," said Cole to the crowd, "I promised to rid us forever of the plagued of the Charmed Ones. I shall now keep that promise. This," he held up the page with the spell, "contains the spell I mentioned. It will forever strip Melinda Warrens' line of its' power. And the Power of Three will never again be used to vanquish a demon.
"The spell is a generic stripping spell. It must be tailored to whatever creature it is being used against. I have all ready made the necessary modifications so that it will affect not only Phoebe, but also all of Melinda Warrens' line. Once I cast this spell, their powers will be gone forever. And no power will be able to restore them."
Cole turned and faced Phoebe.
"It's really for the best," he said. "You'll see."
"Get it over with," said Phoebe.
Cole looked at the spell for a moment. Then he began to read the incantation that hadn't been used since before man had walked the Earth.
"A witch before us with the Power of Three, remove this power and set us free.
"Unbind her powers from whence they began, and make her mortal unto time without end."
The magic of the spell engulfed Phoebe as she stood glaring at Cole. It surrounded her and flashed varying colors of light. Within moments the magic detached itself from her and hovered in the air above her for a few moments. Then it simply faded from view as if it had never existed.
"It is finished," said Cole. "The Halliwell witches are witches no more. The Power of Three is gone forever. And no power can ever restore it to them."
The demonic hierarchy began to murmur amongst itself. Truly, Cole had proven he was the most powerful among them. So many demons had gone up against the Charmed Ones. Virtually all had been vanquished by these witches. Now they knew they would never again have to worry about the Power of Three. Cole had done what no other demon had been able to do in the past four years. He had defeated the Charmed Ones.