The Golden Pawn
Paige and Phoebe are together at Phoebe's loft, they're sitting on the floor, with papers spread around the room. They were focused, and didn't realize Henry and Coop coming back, with bags in their hands.
-Who wants some lunch? –Coop asked raising the bags to show them what was inside.
-We appreciate it, but we can't stop right now, well, not until we find out who the hell is after us. –Paige said, frowning.
-She's right, we all have nightmares now, all the time; reality seems to slip from our hands when we're awake. It's driving me nuts. –Her sister added.
-Come on, you've got to take a break. Kids that don't eat their lunch don't get strong That goes for witches too. –Henry picked his wife up, making her laugh.
-Fine, fine. –She said. –Now put me back on the floor or I'll orb you to China. –She joked.
Phoebe sighed, smiling when Coop looked at her; she took off her glasses and went to the table with everyone.
-Alright, what have you got? –Henry asked, eating a huge amount of Chinese food at the same time.
-We can't find out anything. –Phoebe answered. –The underworld is a mess, we couldn't get any information there.
-Just some harpies running after us. –Paige added. –They can be really annoying if you insult them.
-What about those papers? –Coop asked. –That's all you got from magic school in two weeks?
-Unfortunately, yeah. –His wife answered. –We always find everything there, but this time there's nothing useful.
-We got a lot about sorcerers, seers, and upper level demons, but none of them seem to fit. –Paige added. –Someone used the darkness within us to drive us mad, she took advantage of me and probably used that to get to the others.
-Ok, but many demons can do that. –Henry said. –Maybe we just haven't seen it yet.
-She used my darkness to get those hounds. –Paige said. –This is maybe a step ahead from what an ordinary demon can do.
-And with the demonic energy she is messing with all of our powers. –Phoebe said. –Who can do something like that without even appearing to us?
-They're right. –Coop said. –This is something stronger. This is what the Angel of Destiny was talking about, this must be the last battle.
-A battle that we mustn't lose, may I add. –Paige said. –But how can we fight an enemy we don't know?
-How can we stop her if we can't even stop ourselves? –Phoebe said, remembering the message left on the wall, two weeks earlier. She didn't feel like eating anymore.
-Ok, we know it's a female… thing. –Henry said. –The Angel of Destiny called it a she, right? –Phoebe and Paige nodded. –The priest is working with her, he gave her your darkness to create the hounds…
-Henry, what are you trying to say? –Paige asked.
-He asked us to get the ring, a ring that, theoretically, belonged to one of the seven original demons. And one of those demons created the first hounds. We gave the ring to him; I bet it belonged to her. –He finished.
-Are you saying that Lilith is after us? But Leo said it's impossible… -She didn't sound so convincing.
-Yeah, that can't be. –Phoebe added.
-Well, do you know anyone else that can do all of this?
-But we looked everywhere; there should be more books about Lilith. –Coop questioned.
-We weren't looking for her, and if she's one of the ancient demons, I'm not sure we'll find anything else. Maybe everything got lost sometime… –Henry said.
-We already know everything. –Phoebe said. –But we should check this out with Leo.
-And here I thought that knowing the enemy would make it easier. –Paige commented. –Trip to the manor, anyone? –She orbed them away.
…
In the beach, Billie and Camille were talking, sitting on the sand, next to some rocks. Despite the sun, the place was empty. Camille had her necklace, but was wearing a long coat to hide her mermaid clothes; Billie was dressed as usual.
-You have to let go, slowly. –Camille said. She put her hand in Billie's shoulder. –You've already lost your witch powers, right?
-Yeah. But I can still do spells and potions.
-You're almost human now, and soon you'll start transitioning. We don't know when you'll get your mermaid powers fully, but it might be faster than you think, and then you'll have to come with us, you're gonna turn into one of us.
-I know, and I'm doing my best. I was with you down there the whole time, but I just…
-What?
-I need to help the sisters, they've always been there for me, and this last battle must be fought by all of us.
-What about the one that will come after that, and after, and after? You have to say goodbye, you won't see them anymore. –Her tone was cold, but her eyes were full of compassion; she wasn't trying to hurt Billie, she was trying to make things easier. –I'm sorry, I wish I could stop this, but I can't. And even though you asked them not to, I'm sure the sisters looking into ways of changing you back. If they had found something, don't you think they would have mentioned?
-I-I… -Billie clenched her hands until the knuckles turned white. –Ugh, I hate not having a choice.
-But you do, that's why you called me, isn't it? You wanna stay here a little longer, you don't want to go back now. And that's your choice, staying here until you don't have another option.
Billie sighed, looking at her friend.
-You've been so great to me, I don't want you to think that I'm ungrateful.
-Of course not. I know it's hard, but I'm afraid you're choosing a path that will only make it harder. I don't agree with you, but I'm here in case you need.
-I have to. It's the right path for me, but thanks. This is my fight too, remember? I've got darkness inside of me as much as they have.
-Where are you gonna go?
-To the manor, I'll talk to the sisters, see how they're dealing with whoever is after tem this time.
Billie got up in time to see Camille jumping back into the ocean. She sighed and headed to the manor.
…
When she got there, she was greeted by Andy.
-Billie, I'm glad you're here, the sisters were about to go after you. –He said.
-Why? What's wrong?
-You'll see. –He took her to the noisiest attic ever.
The sisters, Leo, Wyatt, Chris, Coop and Henry were there; the kids were shouting about some broken toy, while his parents tried to reason with them. Paige talked loudly to Prue about something and Phoebe and Coop were arguing about him putting himself in danger by staying there.
-You two go back down immediately. Or I'll ground both of you! –Piper said.
-Listen to your mom, she's right. It's just a toy. –Leo agreed.
-I'm not gonna let you stay! You know what's coming! –Phoebe shouted.
-I'm standing beside you, whether you like it or not! –Coop argued back.
-Oh, for heaven's sake! –Prue exclaimed. –I wish everybody would just shut up! –She shouted and an invisible wave left her and spread across the room. Suddenly, everybody went quiet. –The sound of silence. –She sighed.
-What was that? –Billie asked after a while.
-Prue's going all super-powerful-witch. –Paige commented. –Next step is flying and having super strength.
-I'm not superman, ok? –Prue complained. –But I won't say I didn't like this power. It's just like your projection, Billie.
-Whoa, aren't you getting too strong?
-That's what I think. –Phoebe said. She stopped arguing with Coop. –We also think we know who's after us.
-But it's very unlikely. –Leo interrupted.
-Ok, let's calm down and explain everything to me, what do you think? –Billie asked.
-We think it's Lilith. –Phoebe continued. –She's one of the seven original demons, and is part of the stories about the hounds, and vampires, and dark priests. She and her brothers created demons, warlocks, sorcerers, and others.
-The first record of her is very vague, it comes from ancient Egypt. –Paige added. –After that there's only mentions based on memories and stuff.
-So the first demon is younger than humanity? That doesn't sound right. –Billie questioned.
-The legend says she was sleeping until then, and that after that she was sent back to sleep. –Leo said. –But come on, there should be more about her if she was so strong.
-That's what Coop said, but I think the records were vanished. –Henry explained. It's a long shot, but it's the best we've got.
-Ok, how do we defeat her? –Billie asked.
-We? –Piper said. –I thought you were living with the mermaids now. You can't stay…
-I'm gonna stay here until this is solved, or at least until I'm forced to leave. I'm with you. –Phoebe smiled when she heard it. –Besides, I have to get rid of the darkness too. No one can stand those nightmares.
-That's great. –Phoebe commented. She sighed in relief.
-We have a plan. –Prue said. –Lilith gets stronger with chaos and confusion, so we're gonna rid ourselves of that.
-Like cleansing? –The blond asked.
-Kind of. –Paige said. –The priest cleansed me, but he used that for evil, so Leo found another way.
-We can open a "door" in your mind, send positive energy in and negative out, it's an old ritual that the Elders can do. It hasn't been needed in a long time, but maybe it will help. –He said. –Whitelighters are not strong enough to do it, so Nathaniel is coming. Actually, he's the one who helped me find this ritual.
-Great! When do we start? –Billie felt a rush of adrenaline.
-By sunrise. –Nathaniel answered, orbing into the attic. His robe was clean, but he had scratches in his hands and face that, strangely, didn't heal. You need to meet me in an open space; you have a garden, right?
-Yes. –Leo answered. –What do you need?
-I need Datura, Hemlock root, Mandrake root, Rosemary, fairy wing dust and ashes from a volcano.
-Great, we've got most of that. –Paige said. –I'll get the volcanic ash.
-I'll go with you. –Prue said. –I need to go out a little.
-Well, I must leave now; I'll come back in a few hours, but… -Nathaniel said.
-But? –Leo asked.
-I must speak with Piper first. Alone. –He got surprised looks from the others and she followed him to another room.
-What is it? –She asked, crossing her arms.
-I've got a mission for you, and it must be done by you.
-Hmm, what? And why didn't you tell them?
-It's something else that might be necessary. You must go to this place, it's lake, and deep inside, there's a golden pendant. You must get it and keep it with you, ok?
-Why me?
-That, I can't tell you, I'm sorry. But you can take another witch with you, I recommend the mermaid one. –He turned around to leave.
-Wait! What am I supposed to do with it?
Your destiny is something very curious, Mrs. Halliwell. I hope you'll know what to do when the time comes. –He walked away, orbing in the middle of a step.
Piper sighed and ran her hand through her head, worried. She got back to the attic, and Prue and Paige were already gone.
-What did he want? –Leo asked.
-Oh, just to check out the kids. He made it sound a lot more serious than it was. –She lied, laughing.
-Hmm, ok then. –He frowned.
-Phoebe, can you separate the ingredients for us, please? I have to go somewhere with Billie. –Piper asked her sister.
-You do? –Billie asked. –Oh, right, you do, we do. –She lied, clumsily, after seeing the look in Piper's face.
-What is it? –Leo asked.
-Oh, nothing important. –Billie answered. –Come on, Piper. –She dragged the woman out of the room.
-Thank you. –Piper said once they were in the car.
-You're welcome. You're lucky that I'm a great liar. Why was I lying, again?
-Nathaniel gave me a mission, I need you to come with me to get a pendant from the bottom of a lake.
-What? For what?
-He couldn't tell me. He only gave me the address.
-You know I can't breathe underwater, right?
-Yes, I do. He told me to bring you, I hope you get an idea on the way, otherwise you'll have to become a mermaid very quickly. –Piper joked.
-Aren't you funny, huh? –Billie snapped, sarcastically. –I hate these tasks, they make no sense until the last minute, and you often realize there was a whole easier way to do it.
-You're absolutely right. –Piper added, with a half smile.
…
They drove for an hour or so until they found the place. It was a small lake, surrounded by some woods. There was no one there, and it was strangely silent.
-It's quiet in here. –Billie said. –Not even birds or something.
-Yeah, too quiet. –Piper commented. –You said you lost your witch powers?
-Yep, you're pretty much on your own.
-Great. Let's just do this quickly. –Piper walked towards the lake.
-Wait! Look at that. –Billie pointed at a stone. On top of it, there was a golden necklace.
-Do you think this is it? But the elder said it was inside the lake.
-Maybe he confused the exact place, I mean, it's not like someone would get it from the lake and leave it there. –She went to the stone and grabbed the necklace. –See? –She raised her hand, showing the jewel.
-No, this is not right. He said specifically inside the lake. Billie, leave it there…
It was too late, the necklace started to shine and turned into dust in Billie's hand.
-What did I do?
Before Piper could answer, the dust spiraled into the lake, and the water rose. It started to form the shape of a man, with a necklace in its neck. He had a sword made of water.
-You fell into the trap. –He said. His voice was like the one of a drowning person. –Now you must fight. –He threw the sword at Billie, but Piper froze it.
-Oh, don't you dare. –She waved her hands and the water sword exploded. –I'm definitely not in the mood for this. –She waved he hands again, this time blowing the man up. –Are you ok? –She rushed to Billie.
-Yeah, he didn't hit me. I'm sorry for…
-It's ok. Now, let's get the real neck… -She was interrupted when a water tentacle grabbed her. She screamed as it threw her against a tree.
Billie grabbed the biggest stone she could find and threw it at the man, who had regenerated. It passed right through him, not having any effect. He created another tentacle and hit Billie.
-Piper! –She shouted as the other woman tried to get up.
Piper waved her hand, freezing the man, but after some seconds, he unfroze.
-What? Why isn't it working?
-Your witch powers are stopping to work. –Billie shouted.
Quickly, she waved her hands and blew up the tentacle that was holding Billie; she was set free and fell into the lake. He created four more tentacles to attack Piper.
Billie tried to swim back to surface, but something was holding her inside the lake; she couldn't move and needed to breath. Billie kicked and punched around, but she didn't move an inch; she could feel the panic inside her growing. She looked down and saw a tentacle holding her feet.
Out of the lake, Piper was fighting the man.
-Let me teach you something. You don't mess up with me. –She raised her arms and his body started to boil.
He got distracted, and Billie emerged as Piper fell on the floor, tired. The man disappeared back into the water. Billie swam back to the edge of the lake and ran to Piper.
-Are you ok? –The blond asked.
-I-I'm tired. I can't use my powers anymore.
-Maybe not your old ones, but what about the new ones?
Right after she said that, the man emerged from the lake, being followed by a huge wave.
-Piper, now!
Piper raised her hands and the wave stopped. The water started to vanish, and so did the man.
-No! What are you doing? I… must… protect…
Instinctively, Billie raised her hand, the water from the man started to move, bringing the necklace to her.
-Got it! –Billie said, without touching the necklace, which had fallen on the floor. –Let's go.
-He'll deal with the consequences of his acts. –Piper said; there was a dark aura around her. The man and the wave were almost completely vanished.
-Piper, stop! –She pulled Piper, waking her from the trance.
-Oh, what was I doing? –She looked around, confused. –Let's go. –She grabbed the necklace and went back to the car.
-Piper…
-It's getting to me too. I was the only one who wasn't having nightmares, but I'm losing control too.
-Hey, calm down. In a few hours this will all be gone, ok? And Lilith won't be able to attack any of us. If she's trying to rise, we'll stop her.
-Do you really think this is the great battle?
-I don't know, it's too easy, isn't it?
-I hope not. But let's talk about what you did there, with the water.
-I, hmm. I think I'm becoming a mermaid faster than I'd like. But this is not a problem right now, ok? Let's finish this.
…
Next day, right before sunrise, they were all together in the garden. The elder had brought a golden mirror, pointed at the place the first sunray would hit.
-Do you know how hard was to find this mirror? God knows when the last time we used it was.
-When do we begin? –Paige asked.
-Now. –He answered, looking at the sun.
Nathaniel grabbed some of the mix he had prepared and drew a symbol in the girls' foreheads. He began to chant as the sun appeared in the horizon:
"Darkness inside, cross the door
Leave their minds
I trap you in this mirror,
the one that reflects only the good
I call the light of the sun
to clean their soul
Open the door
Banish the evil
Welcome the good"
The sisters rose from the floor, glowing a dark aura appeared around them; it spiraled away as the light reflected from the mirror hit them. However, as they descended back to the floor, the darkness didn't go into the mirror, it disappeared on the floor.
-Oh no. –Nathaniel gasped.
-What happened? It was supposed to go into the mirror! –Leo exclaimed.
-It didn't work? –Henry asked.
They were interrupted by a silent explosion of darkness. The sky turned red, the wind made scary noises, and a thunder resounded far away. A throne ascended from the floor, with Lilith sitting on it, as everyone stared, astonished; she got up, breaking the chains in her hands. She walked around, everywhere she touched, the grass died.
-I'm afraid I have to tell you that you finally did it. You freed me. –She said calmly. They could just stare, too stunned by her presence. –Now watch as I burn your world. –She vanished in the darkness, with a cold, devilish smile.
-What have we done? –Phoebe said, shocked.
-This can't be happening. –Prue added.
-You! –Piper rushed to Nathaniel. –What did you do? You said it would work! What is this for? –She ripped the pendant from her neck.
-Piper, calm down. –Leo interfered.
-What is that? –Paige asked.
-Piper, I thought it would work, I thought it would at least slow her down. I didn't think she was gonna use your darkness to release herself from her prison.
-Then why did you ask me to get this? You said this might be necessary, you knew this was coming!
-I didn't! Now, it will be necessary. There's a reason you were the least affected by the darkness, there's a reason you got the least evil power advance. You have a destiny to fulfill. And the angels are on your side. I'll come back, I promise. –He orbed away.
-She tricked us. –Paige said. –It wasn't Nathaniel's fault, we just fell right into her trap…
-In a scale of 1 to 10, how screwed are we? –Billie asked.
-I'd say 20. –Phoebe answered.