Just wanted to thank everyone for the kind reviews. I'm one of those writers that gets a real buzz out of reader feedback, and it really does get me motivated to keep writing. I'd better let you know that you're letting yourselves in for a fairly lengthy story here. I have twenty-four chapters already written and ready to post, currently working on number twenty-five. I have all the plot points worked out and I guess I probably need about five more chapters to tie up all the loose ends so it'll probably run to about thirty chapters. I 'm hoping to finish it fairly soon and I promise I'll try to update pretty regularly (my main reason for writing most of this before posting anything). Those of you who want to know more about Prue's death don't worry; we're getting to that. I promise all will be revealed – eventually

Anyway here is the next chapter -enjoy

The energy ball hit the demon square in the chest and he exploded in a blaze of flames and screaming agony. 'I told you before, stop wasting my time' Cole snarled.

'Now' he turned to the suitably nervous looking dark haired warlock seated opposite him on the leather couch, 'I trust you have something useful to tell me.'

'Ye… yes my liege' the Warlock stuttered keeping his head bowed.

'Good' Cole nodded his approval. Heading over to the drinks cabinet he poured himself a generous whiskey. Ignoring the Warlock he strode over to the window and stared out at the city. It was strange looking at the people way down below on the street, all going about their daily lives with no real idea of what was going on around them, no knowledge of the magical world at all. For a moment he wondered what it would be like to be one of them. He smiled wistfully. If he and Phoebe had been just another normal couple they'd still be together right now, probably spending the afternoon buying last minute Christmas gifts before curling up together on the couch.

Tentatively the Warlock cleared his throat, wondering if Cole had forgotten about him. Startled Cole turned around to face him 'Oh I'm sorry, where are my manners? Would you like a drink?' he asked, suddenly the charming benevolent host.

'Well ye…yes' the Warlock stammered, unnerved by the unexpected change in Cole's demeanour.

Cole smiled, but the smile didn't quite reach his eyes. 'Well in that case you'd better start talking otherwise you'll never have another drink ever again. I hope I'm making myself clear?'

'Two covens have been destroyed, the one that aligns itself with the element fire, and the one that is associated with spirit' the Warlock said quickly, cowering under Cole's fierce scrutiny. 'The protective shield is still holding, but it's not as strong.'

'Good, that's good work' Cole acknowledged, pleased with the information. He took a sip of his whisky, savouring the burning sensation as the liquid slid down his throat. 'You know this really is good stuff' he acknowledged, and with a wave of his left hand he conjured up a second bottle. Then remembering that he had company, he turned to the Warlock all business again 'Okay what I need you to do is find out the location of the next coven.'

The Warlock nodded his understanding 'Yes my liege.'

'Now' Cole roared impatiently.

Not even bothering to watch as the Warlock blinked out, Cole shook his head in disgust. Amateurs, he was surrounded by amateurs.

'According to the Elders, the five covens form a pentagram with the Manor situated exactly in the centre' Leo explained carefully. 'The covens are bonded together by powerful magic, and each coven member bears the mark of the coven in the form of a tattoo on their left wrist. The ritualised branding is what binds them together, and when they work in harmony they create a protective shield around the Manor. It makes your powers stronger, and it's more difficult for demons and warlocks to attack. It's one of the reasons why the Manor is the place where you're the strongest.'

He paused momentarily, rubbing his eyes in an attempt to stave off the exhaustion he was feeling. It had been a long and difficult discussion with the Elders, and that was only the beginning of their problems.

'You mean it's like the nexus?' Phoebe asked from her seat on the arm of the couch.

'Sort of.' Leo scratched his head, trying to think of a better way of explaining what the Elders had just told him. 'Think of it as a kind of Wiccan defence system, a little extra firepower for the forces of good' he suggested.

He paused again, but this time looked intently at each of the girls in turn, to make sure that the gravity of his words was sinking in. 'It works to maintain the balance of power between good and evil, to ensure that the power of three is always a match for the evil beings that might try to destroy you.'

'So this is it' Phoebe said glumly. 'This is what the dreams were warning me about. The dreams that you told me were nothing to worry about' she looked at Leo accusingly.

'C'mon Phoebe we don't know that the dreams have any connection to this at all.' Leo protested.

'Okay, but we do know that this is serious' Phoebe responded. 'That we're in real danger?'

'Yes' Leo admitted reluctantly.

'So how come we never knew anything about this before? There's nothing in the Book of Shadows about a network of covens or a protective shield' Paige exclaimed angrily. She felt a little cheated. She'd studied the book from cover to cover and there hadn't even been a hint of this. She wondered resentfully what other secrets the Elders were keeping from them.

'Well didn't you ever wonder how you were linked to the covens in the area?' Leo asked in exasperation, tiredness and worry making him irritable. 'Didn't it occur to you that they might have a role to play in the greater scheme of things?'

'I guess we never really thought about it' Piper admitted softly. 'I mean I knew that there were other covens in San Francisco, but the idea that they were giving us some sort of magical energy boost, never even crossed my mind.' She frowned. 'How come mom never told us about this, or grams? This is the sorta thing we really should know about.'

Leo shrugged 'Maybe they didn't know' he said reasonably. 'Or maybe they figured it was safer to keep it quiet to stop evil finding out about it.'

'Well someone's obviously found out about it now' Paige said bitterly. 'So Leo what happens if all five covens are destroyed?' she asked.

'The Elders aren't sure' Leo admitted reluctantly. 'There's never been an instance of this happening before, there's no way of knowing what the magical fall out might be.'

'Not sure' Piper fumed, throwing up her hands in disgust. Instinctively Phoebe grabbed hold of Piper's hands, hoping to avoid any explosions.

'It's their job to be sure.' Piper continued, signalling to Phoebe that she had her temper under control. Tentatively Phoebe let go of Piper's hands.

'What else do they have to do all day?' Piper asked. 'Except sit up there on their asses and make up stupid rules, they're pretty darned good at that!'

'Ssshh honey, calm down' Leo said looking up nervously. 'They might hear you.'

'I don't care if they hear me. In fact I want them to hear me' Piper said angrily. 'I'm carrying a magical baby here, one that the underworld wants to steal no less, and your bosses are up there sleeping on the job.'

'Piper please calm down' Leo pleaded. 'All this upset is bad for the baby.' Instinctively he reached for her stomach, but she caught hold of his hand and pushed it away.

'Don't even think about it Mister, you don't get to touch my stomach again, or any other part of me' she added giving him a meaningful look, 'until you know a whole lot more about this mystical force field thingy, and just who is trying to destroy it.' She moved away from him decisively 'So off you go, chop, chop, orb up there and get us some answers.'

Instead of orbing, Leo slumped on the couch, a wounded expression on his face. He couldn't believe that Piper was pushing him away at a time like this. They hadn't exactly been getting along that well lately, but he hadn't realised things had gotten quite this bad.

'Sorry Leo, but I agree with Piper' Phoebe said grimly, interrupting his brooding. 'We need to know what we're up against and right now we don't know anything.'

Paige shook her head in disbelief ' Phoebe what are you talking about? We know exactly who's behind this. I can't believe you still won't admit that Cole's involved. I mean he was right there in your premonition.'

'What!' Piper exclaimed in horror. 'Are you telling me that Cole's behind all this?'

Phoebe shifted uncomfortably 'Yes. No. I don't know.' She shook her head as though trying to clear the confusion. 'This morning he came to warn me. He said that we were in danger, danger that could mean the end of the Charmed Ones.'

She paused, reluctant to continue. 'Then this afternoon at the crime scene I got a premonition off a pendant that I found on the grass. Another coven was being attacked with energy balls.' She hesitated, and then after taking a deep breath said sadly 'I saw Cole there.'

'Well it sure makes sense to me' Paige said confidently. 'When are you gonna get it Phoebe? Cole is evil.' She sighed heavily. 'You know you wouldn't believe me the last time when I said that Cole was evil, and look how that turned out, you ended up being Queen of the Underworld!' She looked at Phoebe smugly. 'It'll save us a whole lot of time and energy if you'll just listen to me this time.'

'And what exactly did you have in mind?' Piper asked suspiciously.

Paige looked at her determinedly. 'Isn't it obvious? We have to vanquish Cole.'

To be continued …