SEVEN
Victor rushed into the manor. He glanced in the living room and then headed for the kitchen.
"Leo. Leo, where are you?"
Before he reached the kitchen door Cole stepped out of the upstairs. He hurried down the stairs as Victor looked at him in confusion.
"Good, you're home," said Cole. "We weren't sure Talistar would release you once he had the girls."
"What are you doing here? You were just with the girls."
"No, that was Leo. We changed places. If they think they have me they won't be expecting me to shimmer in once they get the girls where they're taking them."
"So you're a secret weapon now?"
"Something like that. What happened when you got to the warehouse?"
"They put some kind of bracelets on the girls and you, or Leo. I don't know exactly what they were but Adasar said it would prevent them from using their powers."
"Binding bracers," said Cole thoughtfully.
"Yeah, that's what Leo called them. Adasar also said something about presenting you to someone called Malevant."
"He's the chief advisor to the Source. If they had captured me that's who they would have taken me to. Damn. We weren't expecting them to separate us this quickly."
"What do we do now?"
"You stay here. I'm going to shimmer into the underworld and free the girls. Then we can go after Leo. That's going to be difficult. If he's been taken to Malevant it will be hard to get to him."
"I want to come with you. They are my daughters."
"And you'll be helping them best by staying here. Victor, you have no powers. In the underworld you'll be in more danger than here. At least here you have some protection. Demons won't attack in public for fear of exposing themselves. They won't be under that restriction down there."
"I can't just stand around here waiting. I have to do something. Besides, as long as the girls have those bracers on they don't have any powers either."
"I can fix that once I get there. The magic of the bracers prevents the wearer from removing them. But anyone else can. All I have to do is get the bracers off and they'll be able to use their powers again."
"I remember Phoebe once told me that you had said you didn't know how their powers would work in the underworld. What if they don't have their powers down there?"
"We'll deal with that when and if it happens. But the longer I take to get down there the more likely it is that something will happen to them. You just stay here and wait for them. It shouldn't take me long to locate them and free them. Then we'll come directly back here."
"Cole," said Victor, fear evident in his eyes, "bring them back to me. I've lost their mother and Prue. I don't want to loose any more daughters."
"Don't worry, Victor. I'm not going to let anything happen to them."
Victor said a silent prayer as Cole shimmered out of the manor.
"Speak to me, White Lighter," Malevant said glaring at the Belthazor standing before him. "Impersonating Belthazor and coming down here is a very foolish thing to do. Surely even White Lighters know he is wanted for betraying the Source."
"Of course. But if you think I'm going to tell you anything you're crazy. Whatever you and Talistar have planned you'll have to do it without my help."
"Talistar? What has he to do with this?"
"As if you don't know."
"Which White Lighter are you?"
"Just one of many. And by the time you figure it out it will be too late."
Malevant stared at Belthazor. He seemed to be studying the younger demon. Suddenly his expression changed.
"The Charmed Ones. You would only be here if it were part of a plan to infiltrate the underworld for some reason. And the only ones powerful enough to attempt something like that would be those accursed sisters. But why infiltrate the underworld under the guise of a condemned traitor? And what does Talistar have to do with all this?"
"Like I said, you'll get no answers out of me."
"I have no interest in you, Wyatt. I know you are the White Lighter of the Charmed Ones. And I know the traitor is involved with the middle sister. So why would you impersonate him? There can be only one reason I can think of. To distract us. Allow us to think we had captured the traitor when in reality he is somewhere else."
Leo just looked at Malevant.
"I can see I'm right. The look in your eyes tells me as much." He called into the distance. "Gimlore. Tell the others he is not to be harmed. And send someone to get Adasar back here. I want to have a chat with him when I return. He has to explain how he could be fooled by this imposter."
As other demons walked up to stand guard over Leo Malevant shimmered out of his domain.