Almost crushing the demon's throat Cole pressed him against the wall of the dark cave. The demon stopped fighting Cole when he had discovered that it was futile. Cole thrust the Athame precisely into the demon's lower section. It was not the first time he did it. Carefully he avoided hitting any vital parts. He didn't want the demon vanquished. He still needed some information from him. The demon grunted in pain but spat Cole in the face nonetheless.
"You won't get any information from me", Kiwik hissed.
"I wouldn't be so sure," Cole growled through gritted teeth as he wiped the spat form his face with a bloody hand, "I learnt from the Source's executioners themselves."
Cole pulled the Athame out and decided to hit another part. He pushed the Athame deep into the demon's lungs. Kiwik exhaled, surprised, and started breathing with a whistling sound. Blood was spraying from his mouth with every breath he took. Still he wouldn't give in to the other's demand.
"I'll ask you one more time," Cole threatened, "Who cast the spell for you?"
"Go to hell," Kiwik snarled. The blood from his mouth stained Cole's white dress shirt as he spoke.
"First I send YOU there," Cole answered nonchalantly, pulling the Athame out again.
Blood was flowing freely down the demon's body and soaking his robes. Cole had already placed quite an amount of stabs to Kiwik. The demon was more resistant than Cole had thought. Demons always worshiped strength, but this wouldn't stop him from finishing his mission. Cole was majorly pissed for the assault on him in conjunction with the evil desire spell. All demons involved would have to face his wrath.
"Any preference for my next target?" he asked mockingly, holding the Athame threateningly before the demon's face.
Before he could administer the next blow he felt someone's presence. In a flash he turned round, pushing the body of the demon in front of him, using him as a shield. The Athame was pointing at the demon's throat to prevent him from doing anything unexpected. In his free hand Cole had already conjured an energy ball.
"Why am I not surprised?" Cole heard a familiar voice.
The Charmed Ones entered the cave, Piper at front. He watched them warily but distinguished the fireball.
"You are not after me again?" Cole asked them only half joking.
"Cole, relax," Paige said, "we are just after the demon who put us under that spell. But I guess you beat us to that." She motioned at the battered looking demon in Cole's grip.
"I was just now interrogating him," Cole answered. He felt that they were on the same side on this matter.
"We can clearly see that," Piper said disgusted. She didn't need to have Phoebe's power of premonition to have a very clear picture of what Cole had been doing to the demon.
"He is too discreet for his own good," Cole said shrugging.
He pushed the demon forward and Kiwik fell to the ground between Cole and the Charmed Ones. Piper pulled up her hands and froze the demon on the spot.
"What was that for?" Piper hissed, she was caught off guard by Cole's sudden movement.
"I was tired of grabbing him all the time," Cole answered, wiping the Athame at his slacks.
Phoebe watched Cole with disgust in her eyes. He was wearing a black suit with a white shirt. The red blood on the white shirt stood out eerily. This was the side of Cole she feared. The evil one. The one capable of almost everything. In the trouble of the last days she had almost forgotten about this side of him.
"Please Phoebe, don't look at me like that," Cole acknowledged her staring at him. "I guess you want to find all participants in that nice little spell too." Phoebe looked away.
"Looks like we have him already," Paige said looking at the frozen demon, "but we prefer not to play with the demons before we vanquish them."
"So let's vanquish and go home," Piper said, raising her hands.
"He couldn't have cast the spell himself," Cole stopped them, starting to pace the cave, "he doesn't have the power. Hell, even I don't have this power. He must have had a helper. Some dark priest or sorcerer. The spell is very complicated and needs a lot of power and knowledge."
Phoebe was watching him walking up and down the cave. She had been through a rollercoaster of feelings the last 48 hours. She had tricked him, desired him, used him, loved him and dumped him. She felt guilty and confused. Just now she was disgusted by what he did to that demon. A bizarre thought entered her mind. Without thinking about it she blurted it out.
"Oh, now I see right through you," she hissed, "YOU plotted all this to get me back!"
"What?" Cole spiraled around to face her. Paige pulled up an inquisitive eyebrow and even Piper was stunned.
"Very clever Cole." Phoebe stepped menacingly closer to him, "you find some demon to cast the spell on us. Somehow make us choose you as the target and then play the hero in helping to break the spell. You counted on Leo using the True Desire spell. You thought I would fly back to your arms once you used it on me. And right now you are not helping us, but trying to cover your tracks. Killing all who know of your sneaky little plan. But let me tell you, it doesn't work."
Cole starred at Phoebe in disbelief. Then he looked at the faces of her sisters. They looked undecided like they were considering this absurd story.
"You. Are. insane," he stated and something inside him snapped. He got really angry with her. He walked closer to Phoebe a vicious smile on his face and spoke right into her face.
"You are right Phoebe. I craved for Piper losing control on top of me." He threw a meaningful look in Piper's direction, who winced. "And if I knew just how good she was I would have never hit on you."
All he wanted was to hurt Phoebe with his words as much as she did to him.
Phoebe wanted to slap him in the face but Piper beat her to that.
"Shut up!" Piper cried out as she blew Cole up with her power.
He slammed into the wall of the cave by the impact.
Kiwik looked around. The last thing he remembered was the traitor Belthazor pushing him at the feet of the witches. It looked like Belthazor had worn out his welcome with the witches, since he was rolled up at the distant wall of the cave. Kiwik quickly pondered his options. Attacking the Charmed Ones in his weakened state was suicide. He better leave as long as the witches were distracted and Belthazor was diverted. He started to shimmer out, when the energy ball hit him and threw him to the ground again.
After taking some slow and deep breathes, Cole picked himself up, brushing some dust from his clothes.
"I didn't dismiss you," Cole growled, approaching the demon. He was apparently unharmed by Piper's power.
"Do you see that?" Paige whispered to Piper. "He didn't blow up. Not even as the Source he didn't blow up, he had to reform."
Piper nodded gravely. She had to be even more on the ball with a seemingly invincible Cole.
Kiwik struggled to get to his feet. He would die with dignity, standing straight up and facing the enemy. Not cowering at the witches' feet like a whining child.
But he didn't get this far. Cole kicked him hard in the rib cage. "And I didn't allow you to get up."
Cole started kicking Kiwik frantically several times. The demon didn't even try to escape the blows. Cole was seething for Phoebe thinking something that absurd of him and Piper using her power on him. He had had too much to endure these last few days to have any patience left. He had to blow off some rage urgently and Kiwik was the perfect target.
"Stop that Cole," Paige pushed him away forcefully. She couldn't see someone – not even a demon – being tortured. Especially not right after what she had done to Cole.
Irritated Cole turned to her, "Regardless of what you," he threw an angry glance at Phoebe, "or your mental sister thinks, I still want to find out who cast the spell. So mind your own business and let me attend to mine."
"This demon is our business," Paige stated unwaveringly.
"I don't need your pity," Kiwik groaned from the ground.
"But maybe you need mine," Cole kneeled down next to Kiwik and turned him on his back.
"I'll give you one last chance. You tell me who helped you and I make your death quick and painless. If you don't talk to me I hand you over to the witches. They will trap you in a state of eternal pain just for their pleasure. I can assure you it's no lie. It's up to you."
Cole looked up at Paige. She looked down on the demon and then smiled, "I would love to have another demon at my hands for some experiments."
She tried to say it as malicious as possible. Inside she cringed at her own words. That was what evil Paige would like to do, not her. But it seemed the demon was very persistent in not revealing anything.
Kiwik's glance darted from Cole to Paige and back. Eternal torture was a disturbing thought, even for a brave demon like him.
"I'll tell you if you spare me," Kiwik suggested to Cole. He could as well try to deal his life out of it.
"Not likely," Cole answered.
"Maybe we'll spare you," Piper had come over, Phoebe on her heels.
Kiwik jumped at the small chance of survival. "You prevent him from killing me. Then I talk," he offered the sisters.
The witches had sent Belthazor to the ground. It seemed he obeyed their wishes. It looked like they had really domesticated Belthazor, Kiwik thought scornfully.
Phoebe, Paige and Piper exchanged some looks. They didn't like to let the demon go free. But if they got the demon who did the spell instead? It looked like a reasonable deal.
"Agreed," Piper spoke for them all.
"I don't agree," Cole said heatedly standing up.
"You are not asked," Paige said icily. "Now tell us," She ordered Kiwik.
Kiwik looked at Cole gleefully, and Cole glowered back.
"Her name is…" Kiwik started but burst into flames before he could disclose the name of the other demon. Seconds later he was gone. Not even a scorch mark marking the place of his demise.
"What's that?" Paige shrieked. "What did you do?" She turned to Cole furiously.
"As senseless it is to say this to you, I didn't do anything," Cole said tiredly.
He let himself fall in one of the armchairs in the cave, resting his head on the backrest and closing his eyes for a second. He was tired. He hadn't allowed himself any sleep since he had left the Manor. That was 2 days ago now. He had immediately started searching for the assassins.
"We have seen this before," Phoebe said, "The Triad killed one of their own demons that way. Looks like the other conspirator wasn't so sure this demon wouldn't betray him."
"It takes a very powerful demon to do such a charm," Cole said more to himself. In his thoughts he was going through the sorcerers, warlocks and the like, he knew were able to do this, but it was far too many to go after each one.
"I say we go home," Piper suggested. "We don't know the name of the demon, and the only one who knew it is vanquished. I say we leave it for the moment and come up with a spell or potion or so to fend off such a spell in the future."
"He said SHE," Phoebe called out suddenly.
"Come again?" Paige asked.
"The demon said she," Phoebe repeated. "So it has to be a female demon."
"And how does this help?" Piper asked. She was tired of this demon chasing. She had more urgent matters to deal with at home. Her marriage for example.
"We already met one of these high priestesses once," Phoebe said thinking hard, "you know, Piper, the own who turned Prue evil, when she married that warlock."
"Ahh yes," Piper groaned, "I remember. That was a tough one."
Paige looked confused from Phoebe to Piper. "Prue was married to a warlock? You never told me that. Thought you were the only one with a weakness for the evil kind," she said throwing a teasing glance at Phoebe.
"Nice," Phoebe pulled a face.
"It's a long story. We were evil too," Piper closed the subject, "we'll tell you later. But we vanquished her, Phoebe, so what's the point?"
"Maybe she has some relatives, a coven, followers…" Phoebe iterated.
"How are we going to find them?" Paige asked.
She was stunned by the revelation. Prue married to a warlock. It looked like there were still secrets in their family history her sisters hadn't told her yet.
"That's easy," Piper said, getting into high spirits. "Last time Phoebe had a premonition of her. She just has to do it again. By the way," Piper remembered, "you never told me how you got that premonition."
Phoebe looked uneasy, she hadn't planned on this ever coming out.
"I didn't exactly have a premonition," she started squirming at her place.
"But you told me…" Piper interrupted.
"I was evil then," Phoebe defended, "you lie when you are evil."
Paige followed the exchange of her sisters attentively. Cole was sitting in the armchair following their conversation with a slightly amused expression.
"Cole told me," Phoebe choked out, looking to the ground.
"What," Piper shrieked, "you told us you weren't seeing Cole."
"I wasn't!" Phoebe defended, "I just went to him for help. To. Save. Prue. Nothing else."
"Seems like a bad habit," Paige smirked, "Phoebe not telling the truth to her sisters when HE is involved." She sent a mistrustful glance in Cole's direction.
"Won't happen again," Phoebe said firmly.
Cole stood up. "As amusing it is to watch you catch up on old times, I have to go."
He had a very good idea now, where to find the priestess responsible for the spell. There were just so few female priestesses who had a connection to late Dantalia.
"You can't leave now," Piper demanded, "You have to tell us who the priestess is."
"Watch me!" Cole stated and blurred from the cave.
"Son of a bitch," Paige cursed.
"He is going after her." Phoebe was sure. She went over to the altar where she had spotted the Book of Shadows. Fondly she took it in her arms.
"So we don't have to take care of her? Good." Piper was satisfied.
"What, we let Cole be the executioner of our vanquishes now? I don't like the message that sends to the underworld," Paige complained.
"Would you rather fight with Cole to restrain him from doing that, provided you knew where he is going?" Piper asked.
"Ah, no, I don't think I wanna fight with Cole right now, since he seems immune to your power." Paige gave up. "Still I don't think we should let him do our work. I don't want him to came back later insisting on how he helped rescue us or whatever."
"And you are sure that he isn't behind that plot himself?" Phoebe asked, unsure. She just couldn't assess Cole anymore unprejudiced.
"Honestly Phoebe, I don't think Cole would set up a plot, where he is beaten up that much. Not even for you," Paige said thoughtfully. "But I enjoyed how it pissed him off that you thought that," she added gloating. Phoebe just shot her a look.
"Let's go home," Piper ordered. They took each other's hands and orbed out.
tbc
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