THIRTY-FOUR
"This is preposterous," said Cole. "Me? In a relationship with a witch? That's absolutely ridiculous. My specialty is killing witches, you know that Tempus. There's no way I would be in a relationship with her or any other witch."
"Perhaps not in this timeline," said Tempus. "But there is no way of telling how things may be in the alternate timeline. This witch seems to know you intimately. Even to your being half human. A fact, I believe, that is not well known on the mortal plane."
"But a witch?" Cole protested. "It's absurd."
"Perhaps she plays you for the fool, brother," suggested Baldasor, smiling slightly. Several Brotherhood demons sitting around the room chuckled. Belthazor shot them all an angry glance.
"No, I'm not," said Phoebe. "It's true. You and I were married in the real timeline. According to Tempus it's the reason you're the other half of the anchor. A magical being with a close connection to me."
"I don't believe it," said Cole.
"Then you would be wrong in your belief," said Tempus. "I have just checked you. And it appears that you are, indeed, the other half of the anchor."
"You're wrong," said Cole. "You've made a mistake, that's all. Just a mistake."
"There's one way to find out," said Phoebe. "Tempus, would he physically be the same as in the real timeline?"
"I don't understand," Tempus said.
"I mean if he's the other half of the anchor would his physical makeup be the same? Would he still possess the same attributes he had in the real timeline?"
"Of course. It is part of what makes him the anchor holding the folded timeline in place."
"Then there's a way to prove it," said Phoebe. "I need an athame."
"What do you have in mind, witch?" Cole asked suspiciously.
"Just to prove to you that you are half the anchor," said Phoebe.
Cole reached behind him and removed an athame. He hesitated a moment and then extended the athame to her.
"This had better not be a trick," he said. "If you try anything funny I'll kill you without a second thought."
"No tricks," said Phoebe. "Just let me see your hand."
"My hand?" questioned Cole. "Why do you want my hand?"
"To show you the prove," said Phoebe.
Cautiously Cole extended his hand. Phoebe took hold of his hand and held the athame up.
"Hold on a second," said Cole yanking his hand back. "Just what the hell do you think you're doing?"
"Proving you're the anchor," said Phoebe. "Don't tell me the great Belthazor is afraid of a little cut?"
Cole looked around the room. All the demons were watching the exchange intently. He was the great Belthazor. He feared nothing. He had earned the fear and respect that all demons I the underworld gave him. He couldn't back down now. Especially from a witch.
"Take care, witch," said Cole. "As I said, if you try anything funny, you die."
"Just a little cut," said Phoebe.
Cole extended his hand again and Phoebe held up the athame again. She drew the dagger over the palm of his had cutting it deep enough to draw blood. Phoebe looked around the room.
"Give me that torch," she said.
Baldasor pulled an unburning torch out of the wall bracket it was in. He handed it to Phoebe.
"Drip your blood on this," said Phoebe.
Cole held his hand over the torch and let his blood drip onto it. When the blood hit the wooden torch it began to sizzle, sputter, and smoke. It burned into the torch like some form of extremely corrosive acid.
"There's your proof," said Phoebe. "Acid blood. Tell me you've always had that."
"This doesn't make any sense," said Cole, staring at the burned torch. "It's just blood. It shouldn't do that."
"That's because you're not the same Cole," said Phoebe, glancing at Baldasor and the other demons. "Let's just say that recently you went through a change. A change that gave you that acid blood. How would I know that if you weren't the same Cole from the real timeline?"
Cole just stared at her. He couldn't what she was saying but he also couldn't dispute his own eyes.
"If I'm from the real timeline, then why don't I remember it?" Cole demanded.
"The corrupted timelines have suppressed your true memories for those of this timeline," said Tempus. "That is why you remember the events of this timeline. They have censored your true memories. Which means your true memories still exist simply submerged beneath the memories of this timeline."
"Are you sure?" Cole asked. "I find this all very difficult to believe."
"If you don't believe me believe your own blood," said Phoebe. "Do you have an explanation for why it's acid."
"No, I don't," said Cole.
"Then the matter is settled," said Tempus. "It is now possible for me to unfold the timelines and put reality back as it should be. I will need some time to prepare. Return here in one hour. I will be ready to make the attempt then."
They all turned and left the chamber. Tempus sent his underlings to collect the items he needed to cast the magic to unfold the timelines.
"What changes?" Cole asked as they walked back to the chamber the girls had been staying in while in the underworld.
"What?" Phoebe asked.
"You said I went through some changes," said Cole. "What changes?"
"You were vanquished," said Phoebe. "Some time later you returned from the Wasteland and you were like this. That's all I really know. You never told me how you did it."
"Vanquished?" questioned Cole. "Let me guess. By you."
"Yes, actually," said Phoebe.
"That doesn't make a lot of sense," said Cole. "You said we were married. You expect me to believe that you vanquished your own husband?"
"Let's say we had a falling out," said Phoebe. "There really wasn't much choice."
"I'm not sure how much of what you say I believe," said Cole. "But according to Tempus I'm from the real timeline. If Tempus says it then it must be true. No one knows more about time than Tempus. But I still don't trust you, witch. If you're pulling a scam I'll know it. And it won't be pretty for you if you are."
"No scam," said Phoebe. "I just want to put things back the way they're supposed to be."
"Just remember what I said," said Cole, turning and walking down the corridor away from the group.
"High spirited, isn't he?" Patty asked.
"Yeah, I guess he always was," said Phoebe.
"I'd take his threat seriously," said Cole. "Belthazor is one of the most efficient mercenaries in the underworld. And he specializes in killing witches."
"Usually with an athame," said Phoebe. "Yeah, I've read the entry on him in the Book of Shadows."
"So how does a daughter of mine end up marrying an upper level demon?" Patty asked.
"Well, we seem to have some time to kill," said Phoebe. "I guess it couldn't hurt to fill you in on a few details."
They entered the chamber and all took a seat as Phoebe began to tell them about her relationship with Cole.
In a distant chamber Cole picked up an athame running his finger lightly over the blade. If what Phoebe told him was true then he must truly be a powerful demon in the alternate timeline. Perhaps even the next Source of All Evil. Phoebe had mentioned they had vanquished the old one. That meant there would have to be a new Source.
The Source had ordered him to kill the witch once Tempus had cast the magic to restore the timeline. That was one order he planned to obey. With the Source dead and the Power of Three broken forever, no one would be able to stand against him. A simple stab of the blade and he would be the next Source of All Evil and every demon in the underworld would obey his every command.