The old man looked back at Cole curiously. Normally Akiketuk could read the intentions of people, it was one of his gifts, but this man was like a dark impenetrable shadow. He couldn't get the smallest hint of what was going on behind those blue eyes at all. That made him curious and alerted his senses. It shouldn't be that way if the guy in front of him was a human without any magical abilities.
Akiketuk motioned Cole to follow him as he got up and left the tepee. A young man was waiting outside the tent. Akiketuk talked with him in their language then the man nodded and went away. They walked along a small path deep into the forest. They had been walking quietly for some 30 minutes when the woods opened at a small lake. In the clearing stood a small wooden hut. Cole was already tired of the game. Without Phoebe by his side his evil energy was reboiling. Next to the hut were some piles of wood. Akiketuk motioned Cole to carry some of them inside the hut.
"You are a hell of a talker you know", Cole said testily, he wasn't used to be ordered around by anyone, let alone some old toothless jerk.
"You only talk to put someone down", Akiketuk answered, "I prefer quiet to that". He vanished into the hut.
Cole grumbled but snatched some of the logs and carried them into the hut. He only had to get through these 12 hours. After that Phoebe would be his and they would leave this freak town to never come back. He threw the logs in the middle of the hut and stood watching Akiketuk. For some time neither of the men said a word nor changed his position. The old man had sat down on the ground and stuffed his pipe thoroughly. The twilight of dusk was changing into total darkness since the moon hadn't risen yet. The woods started to come alive with the noises of the night. Cole couldn't see Akiketuk anymore at least not with his human senses, with his demonic vision he could see as well as if there was the brightest daylight. So he was sure Akiketuk couldn't see him. He moved noiseless right next to the old man.
"What are we going to do now?" he whispered suggestively into Akiketuk's ear.
He had expected to scare the shaman but this one answered with an even voice
"You should light a fire. The first step in the ritual is to cleanse you. Therefore you have to sweat."
Cole was puzzled. Maybe he had underestimated the shaman? Maybe the old man had some powers and had figured out he wasn't a mere human. Cole wasn't sure if he should reveal his demonic nature to Akiketuk. What if he then refused to marry him and Phoebe? This surely would come down to another temper tantrum with his bride to be.
"Some matches anywhere?" Cole asked. He could have ignited the whole hut with a single fireball.
Akiketuk threw a match box in Cole's direction. Cole caught it easily and then froze. Akiketuk couldn't have seen him. He had only thrown the matches directed by Cole's voice.
"You have the eyes of a wolf", Akiketuk declared smiling at himself that he had outsmarted Cole, "I didn't hear the matches fall to the ground."
"I was just lucky", Cole answered lightly.
He crouched down and worked on lightning the fire. Some time later the hut was lit up by the dancing flames of the bonfire. Cole took a closer look at the interior. The whole inside of the hut was lined with skins, so that the smoke and heat could only escape through some small loop at the top. The ground was bare soil. The temperature in the hut was rising fast. Cole was sitting nonchalantly against the wall opposite Akiketuk, the fire between them. The shaman was smoking his pipe contently observing Cole with his sharp black eyes.
"What if I don't sweat?" Cole teased and raised an eyebrow, "can I go then and have a good nights sleep?"
"You will, just be patient", Akiketuk answered confidently, "I've done this ritual many times. Haven't met a guy yet who wouldn't drench in sweat in the end."
"I guess you haven't met anyone like me before", Cole boasted.
"So what's so special about you? Will you tell me?" Akiketuk asked.
"No", Cole answered, "I figured you like to discover things yourself. I won't spoil you the fun."
With that their conversation ended and both men stared into the flames. After an hour or so Cole really started sweating. Even if he was accustomed to the temperature of hell, the hut was blazing hot now. Cole cursed and took off his shirt, shoes and socks. His trousers were glued to his legs. Sweat was running down his chest in broad streams. Akiketuk threw him an amused smile. He still wore his full clothing and didn't seem bothered at all. From time to time he threw some herbs into the flames, which consumed them hungrily.
"You don't have to be embarrassed", Akiketuk said, "you should take off all of your clothes. It belongs to the ritual. You have to be as naked as the day you were born. It is a sign of the transition you are going through. From bachelor to husband. You won't be the same after that."
Cole looked at Akiketuk unbelievingly. "I don't think I will undress in front of you."
"Are you afraid or a prude?" Akiketuk challenged, "I didn't think the man of Phoebe would be either".
He knew Cole was a proud man and wouldn't allow him to be called a coward. Cole looked at Akiketuk hard and then got up, ripped open the buttons of his jeans and pushed them down together with his pants. Then he threw both in the corner of the hut.
"Satisfied?" Cole smirked at Akiketuk, who just nodded his head slightly.
Cole perched down next to the fire. Without his clothes the heat was bearable.
Cole started pacing around the hut, the heat didn't help his energy go away; instead it amplified his yearning to do evil. With a groan he whirled around and cast a fireball directly at Akiketuk. The shaman reacted in an instant. He snatched his medicine bag and deflected the fireball directing it back at Cole. Cole caught his fireball with one hand and let it hover over his palm casually.
"Impressive old man", Cole said looking expectantly at Akiketuk, "Why don't you tell me about your powers".
Akiketuk's breath came quickly. He had been on the watch otherwise he wouldn't have stood a chance in deflecting the attack. But still he had underestimated Cole. He had thought the maybe he was a sorcerer but now he wasn't even sure he was a human. Thank goodness he had sent his son away in the afternoon. It was good he always trusted his instincts when it came to magic. He had to figure out what Cole exactly was and what he wanted with the witch. Surely the witch wasn't aware of the nature of her fiancé.
"Evil spirit", he breathed.
"Please stick with Cole", Cole said patronising.
He enjoyed that at last the old man wasn't so sure of himself anymore. Good. He hadn't liked his all knowing attitude. What did the shaman know at all compared with him?
"That wouldn't be the name your fellow spirits call you." Akiketuk said.
"I don't have fellow spirits", Cole said, "I command them."
He summoned a second fireball in his other hand, playfully juggling them. "And my name is none of your business", Cole closed the matter.
It was dangerous to give your true identity. Only with your true identity was the other side able to come up with vanquishing potions and the like. That was why the sisters always and at first had wanted to know from him which demon had attacked them.
Akiketuk watched Cole carefully. He couldn't hope to escape or deflect more than one of the fireballs. He was too old and much to slow for fighting an evil spirit of that power.
"Does Phoebe know who you are?" Akiketuk asked.
He knew it was dangerous to interrogate Cole, since he seemed to become more and more agitated by the minute, but Phoebe had helped them and it was his duty and honour to repay her for her help.
"Don't you ever stop?" Cole yelled angrily and let his fireballs smash to the ground left and right of Akiketuk. The shaman had his medicine bag ready but hadn't moved. If he tried to escape one fireball by jumping to the other side he surly would have been killed by the second fireball. Cole's eyes had turned pitch black. Akiketuk couldn't help but shudder under Cole's dark and merciless gaze.
"Either you are really cold blooded", Cole chuckled, "or just so old that you don't react quickly enough."
He had already summoned two new fireballs, this time he threw them into the bonfire.
"I've got to get out of here", he said fidgety then turned to the shaman and commanded with a low voice, "If you want to live to see the dawn I recommend you don't tell anyone. Stay here and wait for me. I'll be back in short time. We will finish your childish rituals then so that I can have my wedding." With that Cole flamed out of the hut.
Akiketuk sat waiting in the hut. He didn't dare to oppose Cole. He knew the spirit would find and kill him or even his family or tribe if he ran in to the woods to get help. He wondered what Phoebe knew about her fiancé. She was a powerful witch and had the gift of premonition. Could the spirit have fooled her? It had seemed that the wedding had been Phoebe's idea, so probably she didn't know. Why would she want to marry such a dangerous creature?
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Phoebe followed Inra to the women's tepee. It was situated some minutes into the woods in the shadow of a big rock. They entered the tepee to be greeted by a crackling fire. The inside of the tepee looked very cozy. The ground was covered with blankets and furs. Some pots with unknown liquid in them stood right next to the fireplace. Three of the women who had welcomed Phoebe where sitting around the fire. They were chatting animatedly. One of them invited the newcomers to sit down in the circle. Phoebe felt a little uncomfortable as she didn't know what she had to expect from the Indian rituals. She played unconsciously with the ring on her thumb; it was Cole's wedding band.
"What are we going to do until the morning?" Phoebe asked Inra. She had to arrange for her next moves.
"We will start with a cleansing ceremony to prepare you body and soul, sing some sacred songs to strengthen your spirit and later ascend the summit. The women here will give you some sisterly support, since you are here without a family. That's the official part", Inra said, "and we will have some fun talking shit about men", Inra winked. The other women smiled at Phoebe.
"I don't want to cross you", Phoebe apologized, "but I have to leave for some minutes. I have to spend a penny. I hope that is no problem?"
"No, of course not. We have plenty of time", Inra answered, "just be careful not to get lost in the woods, will you?"
Phoebe slipped out of the tepee quickly and strode into the woods to the other side of the big rock. She leaned against it and searched for something to write in her bag. She found a peace of paper and a pen. She started to scribble busily. The light was fading quickly now and a creepy darkness was crawling in from all sides. As soon as Phoebe has finished writing she whispered urgently "Leo, Leoo"
It took only some seconds, but it seemed like hours for Phoebe, before Leo orbed in. He looked around. He wore some blue jeans, trainers and a blue sweater.
"Phoebe!" he exclaimed and closed the distance between them. "Where are we?" he asked incredulously.
He hadn't expected to orb into a dark forest at night. He had been prepared to meet Phoebe in a fancy suite on Maui with Cole at her heels.
"Are you all right? Where is Cole?"
He had to find some sense in the event. But the white lighter in him prevailed over his astonishment so he quickly scanned Phoebe for any injuries. Relieved he noticed that she was ok.
He looked around for a sight of Cole, but couldn't see him. After the story Paige had told them about her encounter with the horny couple it was better to look out.
It was dark already. If he hadn't been standing right next to Phoebe by now he would not have seen her.
"Sch be quiet Leo", Phoebe said in a hushed voice, "nobody must know you are here."
That statement from Phoebe was unsettling. "What is wrong?" Leo asked.
"I tell you in an instant, but not before you give your sister-in-law a hug", Phoebe demanded. Leo smiled at her and embraced her affectionately.
"As good as it is to see you, I don't have much time. They think I'm peeing. Let me explain and please don't interrupt me. Questions later" Phoebe babbled, "I have to chant a power of three spell tomorrow exactly at dawn. The problem is my sisters must not be near me. So here is the spell."
Phoebe handed the piece of paper to Leo, who took it curiously.
"I guess Cole doesn't know about this?" Leo asked. In fact it was more a statement then a question. If Cole was supposed to know about it, Phoebe wouldn't be all alone in the middle of a dark wood in the night.
"Of course not Leo, the spell is about him", Phoebe confirmed his suspicion, "I'm trying to protect our family. If the spell works it will prevent Cole from coming after you guys when I have passed away. You know as well as I do that the truce is probably going to end the day I kick the bucket."
Leo nodded. He had been thinking about the same thing since they had learned of Phoebe's illness. He wasn't sure his family could withstand a full force attack of the Source after the Power of Three was gone.
"I'm trying to spare my daughter the pain of fighting against her father or worse to be turned to the evil side", Phoebe explained herself.
"I understand", Leo confirmed and put the spell securely in this pocket.
"You have to make sure, Paige and Piper chant the spell at exactly the same moment as I do", Phoebe insisted, "and you have to guarantee that they don't come here. It would spoil all my efforts."
She knew that Leo would have a hard time in preventing her sisters from coming to her rescue.
"How should we know the exact time you say it?" Leo asked.
Synchronizing the chanting of a spell over a distance from some thousand kilometers didn't seem like an easy task to him. Besides they had to hide it from Cole at the same time.
"We use my mobile phone", Phoebe took Leo by surprise, "I say I lost it in the woods if someone asks."
Leo was confused. Should her sisters call Phoebe to do the spell together and how could that be hidden from Cole?
Phoebe took out her mobile and looked at the display. "I adjusted it to local time here, so you know what time it is."
The blue glow of the mobile phone looked rather displaced in the dark woodland. In the faint light Leo picked up that Phoebe had a ring on her thumb.
"Do you know the exact time of sunrise?" Leo asked. He didn't believe that Phoebe's plan was going to work.
"That's the problem", Phoebe sounded a little desperate, "nobody could tell me the exact time. They don't care about it, normally so am I." She gnawed at her lower lip for some time.
Then her features relaxed. "It's so easy Leo, why didn't I think of it before", Phoebe scolded herself, "I will put a spell on it."
She held the mobile in her hand and Leo heard some soft-spoken words.
"When Phoebe sees the first morning light, let the ringing guide her sisters to do it right."
The mobile glowed for the blink of an eye in bright white light. Phoebe was at one with the world and very proud of herself when she shoved her mobile in Leo's hand.
"Just remember to tell them they should chant for some 10 minutes or so, just to be on the safe side." She hugged him again and kissed him on the cheek, "Give a kiss to my daughter."
"I will, and Good luck Phoebe." Leo orbed out to carry on with Phoebe's plan.
tbc