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Hope you all enjoy this chapter too...
Chapter 2: A Storm Is Coming
The San Franciscan police department was a hectic bustle of activity. 'It had obviously been a busy morning.' though Chris wryly as he negotiated his way around paper-covered desks and harassed looking officers.
Chris knocked lightly on Darryl's office door and pushed it open at the exasperated "Yes?"
Darryl looked up as Chris entered, his expression on annoyance at being disturbed being replaced by a more welcoming one.
"Chris. Hey, how are you?"
"I'm good." answered Chris. Noticing the many reports cluttering up Darryl's desk Chris said, "I'm guessing you're not so good?"
Darryl sighed, "It's all this…" Darryl paused, gesturing to Chris to shut the door and lowering his voice, "…demon activity. I'm trying to pass it off as gang warfare but soon someone's going to question why victims are having their throats torn out rather than the usual bullet in the heart."
"I know. Its getting crazy." agreed Chris, "I just dropped by to see whether you got anything from the scene that could lead to who did it."
"Who?" muttered Darryl darkly, "What did it, you mean. Anyway," Darryl picked up a sealed evidence bag, "This athame was left there. I can lend it to you to scry with, or whatever you do with it, but I need it back soon. I may be the boss here but even bosses have bosses."
"Kay." Chris took the evidence bag and began orbing out.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Darryl hissed to the swarm of blue-white orbs.
Chris reformed looking surprised, "What?"
"People saw you come in here." whispered Darryl significantly, "I don't want anyone getting suspicious."
"Oh right." muttered Chris sheepishly, "Bye then. I'll drop this back off later."
Darryl shook his head in despair as Chris left and his gaze fell back to the stack of paperwork. "I really hope Chris gets this demon problem sorted out really soon." he grumbled to himself.
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Wyatt turned the aged page of the Halliwell Book of Shadows and sighed in exasperation as it informed him of yet another demon.
Demons he could handle. No, what he was looking for was something more subtle. Something that could help him turn Chris, and hopefully Prue too.
But Chris was the most important. It was Chris Wyatt wanted to rule by his side. Of course if he could turn his cousin too so much the better but he wouldn't be too put out if he had to kill her.
Wyatt let out a yell of frustration and slammed the book shut.
He couldn't find anything that could help him. True, half the pages still held spells for 'good' witches. 'Useless spells.' sneered Wyatt, but the rest of the book had changed with him.
Yes, Wyatt would admit that he had changed, that he had 'turned' whatever that meant. But not to evil. To power.
Because power was what everything boiled down to in the end. When everything else had gone, power still remained.
Good and Evil were such pointless categories, created by two opposing sides to justify their actions.
Wyatt had seen past all that. Seen what it was really all about.
Power.
It was as simple as that.
There were those with power and those without it.
And Wyatt Halliwell intended to be the one with the most power.
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Chris was having little more luck than Wyatt. After half an hour of solid scrying, with an aching arm to add to his problems, Chris had realised that the demon who had owned this athame was no longer in San Francisco, or the surrounding area, or indeed, the world.
That left the underworld.
The underworld full of demon and warlocks who would like nothing better than to kill him.
Millions of demons with no chance of finding the right ones.
Chris wished he had the Book of Shadows. Wyatt had taken it when he had disappeared, after declaring he was evil and had been consorting with demons, or, as he put it, "searching for power."
It sounded so clichéd when Chris repeated it silently to himself. Maybe the shock was finally wearing off.
After more than two months of not knowing where Wyatt was or what he was doing, Chris was all the more worried.
What was Wyatt doing? Where was he?
Chris had tried scrying for him but had drawn a blank. He supposed that must mean Wyatt was in the underworld, with his demon followers.
But in this case no news was definitely not good news. Wyatt's silence had all the feeling of a calm beforea storm.
Wyatt was definitely up to something, And with demons at his side, that something was definitely not good.
Chris considered that Wyatt was somehow involved with the recent attacks. 'It was all too possible' Chris reluctantly realised.
But Chris had expected Wyatt to come back himself. At their last meeting Wyatt had been livid that Chris wouldn't join him and had sworn to continue trying.
But that was something Chris was adamant about.
He was good.
It was a simple as that.
There were those that were evil and those that were good.
And Christopher Halliwell intended to be good.
-----
For what seemed like the millionth time, Prue's eyes found the clock hanging on the wall of the classroom. With difficulty she restrained herself from tapping her foot in impatience. 'Two minutes?' she thought incredulously, 'Only two minutes since I last looked?'
Prue felt the urge to go and shake the clock, try to knock some sense into it.
'The lesson must be nearly finished.' she silently groaned.
English was most definitely not her favourite subject and at the present moment she could not think of anything more boring than reading, 'more like translating,' she thought darkly, Shakespeare.
Prue could feel her eyes grow heavy as she tried to concentrate once more on the small black words that filled the page in front of her. She managed a line before losing focus again. The words seemed to blur and grow, masking her vision with a growing darkness.
She tried to blink, but found her eyelids were already closed.
The blackness engulfed her.
-----
I am running.
My feet scramble over tree roots and fallen leaves, while creeping branches grab at my hair.
I am gasping for air, tired from running, yet I know I mustn't stop. I must keep going. Excalibur must not find me.
The forest seems never-ending, a continuous prison of leering trees. I don't know how much further I have to go. I don't know where I am. All I know is that I must keep running.
Measured footsteps fall behind me. He's not running, yet he's gaining on me. Getting closer by the second. With Excalibur.
I am almost overcome by fear.
Suddenly I realise I am no longer running.
I try to move, but my muscles won't obey me any more. They obey Excalibur. And he is telling me to stop.
"Why?" I choke out.
The only response I get is a malicious curving of his lips. He is mocking me. He is enjoying this.
"Please!"
My eyes are round with terror as Excalibur swishes through the air in front of me.
I wrench my gaze away from the hypnotic path of Excalibur and meet the eyes of one I thought I knew.
There is nothing recognisable in his eyes.
Suddenly I know without any doubts that I am going to die here.
Die by the sharp blade of the renowned sword, Excalibur. By the hand of him.
I try to fight but am still frozen to the spot.
Bitter wind whistles through the trees, their leaves rustling their applause. The trees seem to gather closer, creating a circle around us.
A circle of death.
Excalibur plunges forward and coldness spirals out from my stomach.
The blade slices out and I fall to my knees, gasping.
'How could he do this…?'
-----
"Prue?" "Prue, are you okay?"
"Huh?" Prue lifted her head dazedly, the bright lights of the classroom contrasting with the gloominess of the forest.
"Are you okay? You fainted."
Prue lifted herself up off the floor to a sitting position, meeting her friend Lily's worried stare.
"I…I'm fine."
'I fainted?' wondered Prue. It had felt so real. Maybe it had just been a dream, a nightmare. 'Or,' thought Prue grimly, 'it could have been a premonition.'
"You sure? You're still really pale."
"No, I'm okay, Lily, really." Prue assured her, getting to her feet.
The whole class was gathered around her, staring curiously. Prue shifted uncomfortably at their relentless gazes. 'Typical.' she thought grumpily, 'why is it always me who embarrasses themselves?'
"Lily, could you take Prue to the medical room, please." their teacher cut in, "Maybe you just need to rest a little." she added kindly, "It's nearly the end of the lesson, so you can go home early if you don't feel up to staying."
"No, I'm…" Prue trailed off. If it had been a premonition she should probably get home straight away and talk to Chris. And if it had just been a nightmare then maybe it was connected to Chris's. He had said his nightmare was about Wyatt and Excalibur too. 'There must be a connection.' she realised
"Yeah, I think I'll do that." she told her teacher.
-----
"Chris!"
Chris started, Prue's urgent voice shaking him from his thoughts.
"Up here." he called back, dropping the scrying crystal as footsteps quickly thudded up the stairs.
Chris rushed out to the landing and saw Prue gaining the top of the stairs, with Sheila following behind. "What's up?" he asked worriedly.
"Well, I fainted or something, I'm not sure what, and I had this, well, this dream or nightmare thing, or it might have been a premonition, or something…" Prue gabbled excitedly.
"Whoa, wait." Chris held up his hands to stop the flow of Prue's unintelligible babble. Sheila was looking just as confused. "Slow down, start again." he instructed Prue.
Prue took a deep breath and tried to clarify what had happened. "I was in school and I fainted…"
"You fainted?" Chris interrupted anxiously, "Are you okay?"
Prue gave him an annoyed look, "Of course I am." she told him, "And don't interrupt. This is important."
Chris shook his head in disbelief and gestured for her to carry on.
"Anyway," Prue continued, "while I was out I had this dream slash premonition, I'm not sure which, but I think it's really important. It was about Wyatt and he had Excalibur and then I remembered that you said you had a nightmare this morning about them so I'm thinking that they're connected somehow." Prue realised she had speeded up again and made a conscious effort to slow down again, "I was in a forest," she explained, "running. And then I wasn't running anymore and Wyatt was there, with Excalibur. And then he stabbed me and I…I knew I was going to die." she trailed off, quietly.
Chris reached down to give his cousin a hug. Behind Prue, Sheila was looking scared, although she gave Chris a brave smile.
"They sound similar." Chris agreed slowly, "But I don't think it was a premonition. Aside from the fact I had a dream like yours, you only get premonitions when you're awake. I'm sure they must mean something though."
"Something to do with Wyatt?" Sheila asked.
Chris nodded. "I think they're giving us a warning. Telling us that Wyatt's planning something and, " Chris paused, reluctant to say it, "and that we're in danger. From him."
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