Chapter Twenty-Nine: Forsaking the Sisters
The silence stretched on awkwardly. The Elder smoothed the front of his robes. "Well, I have to be on my way."
"Aren't you going to help us?" Paige demanded. "With all the magic you have at your disposal?"
The Elder shook his head negatively. "We can't risk any more exposure than what Christy already put magic through."
"Are you kidding?" Billie exclaimed. "You really think you'll be safe on your white cloud once we're out of the way?"
"Yes, he does," Phoebe replied dryly, reading his feelings.
"They believe Christy's only after the sisters an' you, Billie," Amos explained, reading the Elder's thoughts. "Nobody will come to our help. There is a ban on magical creatures appearing in public or anywhere near us."
Ava was looking at Piper, whose mind clearly was elsewhere. She didn't need the eldest Halliwell to speak her question to know exactly where to. "Leo?" Piper merely asked, her blank eyes on the Elder.
He shook his head, his gray-black shoulder-length hair brushing his shoulders. "We have no idea. And since he has no Whitelighter hooked to him, we can't be sure. Your sons would have better chances than us at locating him." He looked genuinely apologetic. But then he changed the subject, "You will need protection." His eyes held Amos's, then Billie's, before he orbed out with a "Good luck."
"Oh!" the blonde realized, going over to the male witch. Not asking permission, she dug her hand into the front of his shirt and tugged his pendant free, showing the Cross of Hosea for all to see. "That's what we need."
Billie fidgeted under the stares directed at her. She couldn't hold much longer. "What? Do you really think we would come to meet some random guy – no offense – who happened to receive powers the day we meet and actually wears some magical shielding pendant and that would all be a huge coincidence? Am I blonde or do I recall Paige telling me there was no such thing in our world?"
"Honey –" Phoebe began with a smirk, her arms around Piper's shoulders.
Billie lifted her hand to shush her. "That part was rhetorical."