FIVE

"Piper, what are you doing?" Phoebe asked.

"He's lying," said Piper. She walked over to a table and picked up an envelope. She showed the envelope to Phoebe and Paige. Written across the face of the envelope was the word "Kumak". "I saw this when we came in. I found it kind of odd that our Mr. David Post would have an envelope addressed to Kumak."

"Kumak," said Phoebe. "I remember that name. Cole mentioned him."

"Yeah he did," said Paige. "Wasn't he some kind of alchemist?"

"More importantly," said Piper, "Cole said that he was an alchemist who was trying to learn the secret to cloning witches and turning their clones evil."

"But Cole also said he had never been able to perfect that," said Phoebe.

"So maybe he figured out something else," said Piper. "Like using our blood to give doppelgangers our powers. It would also explain the man in gray robes that Zyoff told us about. Remember Kreegan? He said he still wore the traditional robes of an alchemist. Maybe this Kumak does, too."

"Well, there's one way to find out," said Phoebe.

Piper moved her hand and Post's head unfroze. He glanced around unable to move and then looked at the girls.

"What's going on?" he asked. "What have you done to me?"

"Okay, David," said Piper, holding up the envelope, "let's cut through the crap. We know you're working for Kumak and we know who he is. What we want to know is did you give him the blood you drew from us?"

"David, please," said Phoebe. "You really don't know how dangerous Kumak can be. If you're working for him you could be in real danger. We aren't after you. We want him. Just tell us where he is, please."

"I . . . I don't know," said Post. "All I know is he asks me to get him blood samples from certain patients from time to time. And he pays really well for them, too."

Piper ripped the envelope open and found a sealed vial inside filled with blood. On the vial was written the name "Tabitha Simmons".

"Is this for him?" Piper asked.

"Yes," said Post. "He said he needed her blood for some experiment he's doing. I didn't think I was hurting anything. He simply told me that he needed specific blood for his experiments. We just get rid of the stuff anyway so I figured it wouldn't hurt to sell it to him."

"How are you supposed to get the blood to him?" Paige asked.

"He sends someone by to pick it up," said Post. "They test it and when they're satisfied it's the blood they want he pays me. Then he pays me and takes the blood. That's all I know."

"What time is he supposed to be here?" Piper asked.

"Any time," said Post. "He just said he'd come by tonight to pick it up. He just appears. Then he takes the blood and leaves."

"Well, apparently Kumak has at least one apprentice working with him," said Phoebe. "The question is how do we find out where Kumak is? I don't think the guy who comes here to pick up the blood is going to lead us to him."

"Maybe he will," said Paige. "Piper, give me that vial."

"What do you have in mind?" Piper asked.

"We take some of the blood with us," said Paige. "Then when whoever comes for it picks it up we can just scry for it. Once we locate where the blood is we'll know where Kumak's lab is."

"And what if he has his laboratory protected?" Phoebe asked. "Remember Kreegan had his lab protected. If Kumak has his lab protected the same way the scrying may not work."

"And I'm willing to bet this is the blood of another witch who's in the hospital right now," said Piper. "I don't want to risk Kumak getting his hands on any more witch's blood."

"What would you suggest?" Paige asked.

Piper unfroze David.

"Okay, listen," she said. "You seem like a nice kid. We need your help."

"Okay," said David. "Are you going to tell my boss?"

"Not if you stop selling the blood," said Phoebe. "It's too dangerous and you shouldn't be doing it. If you promise to forget about your little side business we won't tell your boss."

"Okay, deal," said David. "What kind of help do you need?"

"We need another vial of blood," said Piper. "And we need another vial labeled with the name Tabitha Simmons."

"I can do that," said David.

"We'll wait until Kumak's assistant tests the blood," said Piper. "Then I'll freeze him and we'll switch the vials. That way he thinks he's getting the real thing but he won't get out with the real blood. Then when he takes the blood back to Kumak we can scry for it like Paige suggested. That way if the scrying works we can track it to wherever Kumak is. If he has his lab protected like Kreegan did we don't have to worry about him getting any more witch's blood."

"He won't be happy when he discovers it isn't the right blood," said David.

"Don't worry about him," said Phoebe. "We won't let him harm you. Besides, if this works he'll be much too busy with us to worry about you."

"Paige, go get the crystal and the map," said Piper. "That way if Kumak discovers the switch and decides to send his assistant back we'll be here to protect him."

"You can't be here when he gets here," said David. "If anyone else is here he won't stop."

"We'll wait in the next room," said Piper. "He'll never know we're here."

"What are you guys?" David asked.

"David," said Phoebe as Paige left the room to orb back to the manor, "it's best if you don't know. In fact, once this is over, it's best if you just forget all about this and that we were ever here."

"You know," said David. "Maybe you're right."

"Got him," said Paige as the crystal came to rest on the map of San Francisco. "He's on the outskirts of the city. I think there are some caves out that way. I used to have a friend in college who would go spelunking on the weekends out there."

"That seems like a strange place to set up a lab," said Phoebe. "If people go spelunking there he'd risk being discovered."

"Not if he has it protected somehow," said Piper. "Maybe some kind of illusion covering the entrance to it."

"Or if the only way in or out is by orbing or something like that," offered Paige. "Which could explain why he doesn't have it protected. We'd better get there quick before he finds out the blood isn't witch's blood and he comes here looking for revenge."

The three left the laboratory heading for a private place to orb from.

"Well, he certainly has this place well stocked," said Phoebe as they looked around the cavern Paige had orbed them to. "This looks like those laboratories in the old mad scientist movies."

"It kind of reminds me of Kreegan's lab," said Piper. "He seems to have a lot of the same type of equipment."

"Well, this is where the crystal said the blood was brought," said Paige. "But I don't see anyone else here. So what's our next move."

"Look around," said Piper. "Maybe we'll find something that will give us a lead."

The girls began to look around the lab. Most of the papers they found were written in some strange language that was made up of symbols and runes. Paige speculated that it was some type of code Kumak used to keep his experiments from being deciphered.

"Well," said Piper after they had searched the entire cavern, "I'm not finding anything that could be of help. Nothing in here is written in any language I've even heard of."

"Perhaps because it's not written in a traditional language. That language is the traditional language used by alchemists. It's quite old and outside of alchemists there are very few who even know the language."

They girls turned to see an older man wearing dark gray robes standing at the entrance to the chamber. Standing next to him were four demons.