SIX

"That's not possible," said Phoebe. "Cole is Belthazor. He can't be standing there."

"How little you understand the nature of magic, witch," said Belthazor. "Or the nature of demons. You have muddled Turner's mind. Caused him to doubt that for which he was born. But soon he will return to the place he belongs. His brothers will welcome him back to his rightful place."

"And just how do you plan to do that?" Piper asked.

"By completing the assignment he was sent here to do," said Belthazor. "By destroying the enemies of the Source."

Without warning Belthazor cast the energy ball he was holding directly at Phoebe. Paige called for the energy ball and it orbed instantly to her hand. She then cast the weapon back at Belthazor, striking him in the chest. It pushed him back a step but didn't seem to cause any damage.

"Okay, this isn't good," said Piper.

Phoebe shrieked. Everyone involuntarily turned and saw Cole lying on the floor with a large burn mark in his chest. His breath was coming in labored gasps and he was shaking uncontrollably.

"I'll be back for you, witch," snarled Belthazor. "You will die by my hand."

Suddenly Belthazor shimmered and vanished from the manor. Everyone hurriedly move to see how badly injured Cole was. It was evident to everyone that he was dying. Within a few moments he would be dead.

"Leo, do something," screamed Phoebe. "You have to heal him."

"I'm not sure it will do any good," said Leo. "I can only heal his human half. As badly injured as he is it may not be enough."

"Try," screamed Phoebe. "You can't let him die."

Leo placed his hands over the burn mark in Cole's chest and activated his healing powers. A soft yellow glow covered Cole's chest and within seconds the wound was healed, including Cole's shirt. Even the blood on his chest vanished under Leo's healing ability. Cole sat up and looked at Leo.

"Thanks," he said. "I don't know what happened."

"Neither do I," said Leo, confusion in his voice.

"Okay," said Paige, "just how did Cole get hurt? That Belthazor only cast the one energy ball and I orbed it to me, and then cast it back at him. How did Cole get hurt?"

"I wish I knew," said Piper. "I was watching Belthazor, not Cole."

"We have another mystery on our hands," said Leo. "When I healed Cole, I healed him completely. Not like I did before. Before I was only able to heal his human half, not his demonic half. This time I healed him totally. That shouldn't be possible."

"It might if I was fully human," said Cole. "If I didn't have my demonic half then your healing power would have worked completely on me."

"But that's not possible," said Phoebe. "You're half demon."

"I was half demon," said Cole. "It would explain why my powers are suddenly missing. Somehow, someone has figured out a way to remove my demonic half leaving me fully human. That's why I don't have any powers. And how Belthazor could attack us."

"Even if that's true," said Paige, "it doesn't explain how you got hurt."

"Unless Belthazor and I are still somehow connected," said Cole. "If that's true then whatever happens to him hurts me and vice versa."

"If that's true," said Phoebe, "then we have no way to defeat Belthazor. If we vanquish him it will kill you."

"Is the witch dead?" Teltrick asked when Belthazor had shimmered into the Underworld chamber.

"No," replied Belthazor. "They attacked me and Turner was hurt. I couldn't risk further confrontation. Turner could have been killed."

"Jorlan," snarled Teltrick. "He's betrayed us. Bring the human to me. He'll pay for his subterfuge."

"Not so fast," said Baldasor. "Perhaps he didn't betray us. Belthazor and Cole are different sides of the same coin. The absorption crystal can capture and hold magical beings. But the Cole Turner half of my brother is human. It's why only Belthazor was trapped in the crystal. Absorption crystals have no power over mortals."

"So?" questioned Kempac.

"So, even though it trapped Belthazor, Cole is still half of who Belthazor is," said Baldasor. "Short of actually being vanquished, they are still connected. It is possible that the injuries and damage that Belthazor suffers would be transferred to Cole."

"The energy ball did not injure me," said Belthazor. "The witch's sister used her power to redirect my own attack back at me. But it caused me no injury."

"Because you are fully demon," said Baldasor. "That would have protected you even from your own attack. But Cole is fully human. He's as vulnerable to demonic attacks as any human. Which means even a minimal energy ball would be enough to injure him. Your demonic constitution protected you from the attack but his human constitution was inadequate to the task."

"Which changes the complexion of the situation," said Teltrick. "We have to kill the witches without endangering Cole. Everything we've worked for will be for naught if Cole is killed in the process. We will need a new plan."

"Perhaps not," said Baldasor. "Belthazor attacked the Charmed Ones when they were together. Every demon knows they are stronger together. That their combined magic protects them even better than their individual magic does. If we could separate them; get one of them alone. Then Belthazor could kill her weakening the other two."

"Why not send someone else to deal with them?" questioned Kempac. "Surely they wouldn't be expecting another demon to attack them. They'll be expecting Belthazor to return."

"The assignment to kill the Charmed Ones was given to Belthazor," said Teltrick. "If he is to redeem himself and prove to the Source he is still loyal it must be Belthazor that kills the witches. It's the only way the Source will remove the sentence of death he has placed on him."

"We must bide our time," said Baldasor. "The witches cannot remain together forever. When one of them is away from the others, that will be the time to strike."

"Agreed," said Teltrick. "Contact the changeling. Have him let us know when the sisters have separated. Then we can decide which sister will afford the best opportunity to attack."