Witch Or Warlock?

[noazmale]

CHARMED
"Witch Or Warlock?"
By J. B. Tilton
email: [e-mail]
Rating: K+ (for mild language)

Disclaimer: “Charmed” and all related characters and events are the property of the WB television network, except for those characters specifically created for this story. This is a work of fan fiction and no infringement of copyright is intended.

* * *

(Authors note: This story takes place between season 2 episodes “That Old Black Magic” and “They're Everywhere”.)

* * *

The girls come home to the manor to find the manor has been broken into and the intruder is still inside. The events that follow point to a startling conclusion. Instead of the benevolent witch everyone thought she was, Grams may have been a warlock.

* * *

ONE

“Phoebe, I’m ready,” Prue called up the stairs of the manor.

“On my way,” said Phoebe coming down the stairs. “I just had to grab my jacket.”

“It’s not that cold out,” said Prue.

“Yeah, but the weatherman said the temperature was going to drop later,” said Phoebe. “I want to be prepared, just in case.”

“This isn’t New York,” said Prue. “A low temperature is anything below eighty degrees. I don’t think you’re going to need that jacket.”

“Well, better safe than sorry,” said Phoebe, reaching for the door handle.

“Whatever,” laughed Prue as Phoebe opened the door and nearly collided with the postal carrier.

“Oh, excuse me,” said Phoebe, backing up a step. “I didn’t realize anyone was out here.”

“Just me,” said the man, smiling at them. “Here you go.”

He handed them a stack of envelopes.

“Thanks,” said Phoebe, taking the envelopes from him and glancing at them

She tossed them on the entryway table as the man headed for the next house.

“I’ll look at them when I get back,” Phoebe.

“Good idea,” said Prue. “Right now I need to get to work and you need to get to the store. If there isn’t any coffee in the kitchen in the morning someone one is going to pay for it.”

“I’ll make sure there’s plenty of coffee,” said Phoebe. “God knows I don’t want to go through what I went through this morning. You can be a total bear without your morning fix.”

“It’s not a fix,” said Prue as they headed for her car. “I just like to start my day with a fresh cup of coffee, that’s all.”

“You know what they say?” said Phoebe smiling. “Denial is the first sign of guilt.”

“Very funny,” said Prue. “Get into the car before I turn you into a toad or something.”

“Then you wouldn’t get your coffee,” giggled Phoebe.

Prue pulled out of the driveway and headed up the street.

A couple of hours later Phoebe pulled back into the driveway in Prue’s car. Without a car of her own she had to rely on the good graces of her sisters to help her out. Fortunately they were usually very accommodating even if they did chide her teasingly. She carried the groceries into the kitchen and put them on the table. Piper was probably somewhere finalizing her plans to start her club. It promised to be something special. Piper left nothing to chance practically designing the entire place herself.

As Phoebe she walked into the entryway she noticed the pile of letters sitting on the table. She picked them up and started to flip through them. There was something odd about the envelopes. At first she wasn’t sure what it was. After a moment she realized what seemed out of place.

The top letter was the bank statement. Nothing so unusual except that she distinctly remembered one of those “you may have just won one million dollars” envelops being on top. She knew she wasn’t wrong. Which meant that someone had rifled through the envelopes.

It couldn’t have been Prue. Phoebe had dropped her off at work. And Piper had plans to be out the entire morning working on her club. Besides, if Piper had gone through the mail, she certainly wouldn’t have left the envelopes unopened on the entryway table. And this type of junk mail went immediately into the trash unopened. Just as she was considering that maybe Piper had come home, looked through the mail, but hadn’t had time to open any of them, the front door opened and Piper walked in.

“Hey, Pheebs,” said Piper, smiling at her. “Get all the shopping done?”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe. “Say, did you come home earlier and then leave again?”

“No,” said Piper. “I’ve been gone all morning. I just now got home, why?”

“Someone’s been going through the mail,” said Phoebe. “It came just as Prue and I were leaving and when I got home I found the envelopes in a different order.”

“Are you sure?” Piper asked. “It seems kind of strange that someone would break into the manor just to rifle through….”

Suddenly there was a creaking upstairs. They both knew that sound. It was the attic door being opened. But whoever was opening it was doing so slowly. Prue would still be at work. And when she was ready to come home, Phoebe would have to pick her up.

Piper and Phoebe looked at each other. Obviously someone had broken into the house and it sounded as if they were still there. With all the uninvited guests that had come to the manor in the last year or so, it wasn’t hard to figure out who – or what – this one might be.

There was no time to go get Prue. Whoever it was would probably be long gone before they got back. Piper and Phoebe would have to handle this intruder without the benefit of the Power of Three. Cautiously, they began to make their way up the stairs.

[noazmale]

TWO

Piper and Phoebe made their way to the attic. As the climbed the last set of stairs that led to the attic they saw that the door was open. That was decidedly odd. They never left the attic door open and certainly not when they were all going to be away from the manor.

Quietly they moved up to the door and peered inside. Inside the attic they saw a man rifling through the boxes and furniture stored there. He was throwing items out of the boxes and furniture in a haphazard fashion. All the while he was mumbling something to himself that neither of the sisters could understand. Piper stepped inside the door and Phoebe followed here.

“Need a hand?” Piper asked, her arms folded across her chest.

The man spun to face them. He appeared to be about forty with brown hair. He was clean-shaven and dressed in blue jeans and some type of work shirt. He glared at the sisters for a moment, pure hatred flashing in his eyes.

“Where is she?” the man demanded taking a step toward them. “We had a deal and she double-crossed me. I want what’s mine.”

“Listen fella,” said Piper, “we’re the ones asking the questions here. Who are you and what are you doing in our house?”

“I’ve come to get what was stolen from me,” insisted man. “You must be the granddaughters. She told me about you. Now, where is she? She’ll soon learn she can’t betray me and get away with it.”

“Okay, I’ve had enough of this,” said Piper, raising her hands and freezing the guy. She turned to Phoebe. “Go call the police. This guy is nothing more than a common burglar. We’ll just turn him over to the police and let them handle it. I’ll keep him frozen until they get here.”

Phoebe turned and started to head down the stairs when an energy ball suddenly struck Piper from behind, sending her crashing against the wall. Phoebe turned to see the man free of the freeze. He was forming another fireball.

“Witches,” he hissed. “That’s impossible. Your powers were bound. She told me she did it herself. Now, where is your grandmother? Tell me what I want to know and I’ll make your deaths quick. Unlike hers. She’s going to pay for betraying me.”

“Piper,” said Phoebe, rushing over to her sister.

Piper was hurt but conscious. Phoebe knelt down to check her as the man advanced on them again another step.

“Well,” said the man, “I guess I’ll just have to show you that I mean business. First, I’ll kill her,” indicating Piper. “Then you’ll tell me what I want to know. Before I’m done you’ll beg me to stop.”

The man raised his hand and cast the energy ball at Piper. Still groggy from the attack Piper was unable to bring her power to bear against the weapon. As the energy ball flashed toward her sister, Phoebe suddenly reached over and pulled a cloth from an object leaning against the wall. In one fluid motion she pulled the object in front of Piper.

The object turned out to be a mirror. The energy ball struck the mirror and was cast back at the man from the reflective surface. The energy ball struck him sending him flying across the room. As he started to regain his feet, Piper and Phoebe stood up again.

“I guess we take care of this ourselves,” said Piper, anger in her voice. “I don’t like to be sucker-punched, bub, especially from a warlock.”

“This isn’t over witch,” said the warlock. “I underestimated you. That won’t happen again.”

Suddenly the warlock just vanished from the attic.

“Great,” said Phoebe. “He blinked out before we could finish him.”

“He’ll be back,” said Piper as they both noticed the phone downstairs ringing. “And when he does we’ll be ready for him. Go answer the phone. I’ll see if he found whatever it was he was looking for.”

“Will you be okay up here by yourself?” Phoebe asked.

“Yeah, I’ll be fine,” said Piper. “I don’t think he’s coming right back. See who’s on the phone and then call Prue. We need to get ready for when he returns.”

“On my way,” said Phoebe, heading for the stairs.

As Phoebe went to answer the phone, Piper looked around the attic. She had just finished straightening it up. Now she would have to do it all over again. That was two she owed the warlock. The attack from behind and the mess he’d made in the attic. She was going to make sure he paid for those mistakes.

[noazmale]

THREE

“Hello,” said Phoebe, answering the phone.

For a moment there didn’t seem to be anyone on the line.

“I’m sorry,” said a female voice. “I seem to have dialed the wrong number.”

“That’s okay,” said Phoebe. “It happens to me all the time.”

Phoebe started to put the receiver down when the woman spoke again.

“Excuse me,” said the woman. “If I may ask, how long have you had this number? The only reason I’m asking is because I have it on my speed dial and I’m sure it’s the right number.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “it’s been this number as long as I can remember. Who were you trying to reach, anyway?”

“I’m trying to reach an old friend,” said the woman. “Her name is Penelope Halliwell.”

“Oh, I see,” said Phoebe. “Well, you do have the right number. Penny Halliwell was my grandmother.”

“Was?” questioned the woman.

“Yes,” said Phoebe. “I’m sorry to have to tell you but Grams passed away March 5th of last year. I guess we never realized that some of her friends weren’t aware of it.”

“We?” questioned the woman.

“My sisters and I,” said Phoebe.

“I see,” said the woman. “Tell me. Was Penny’s death. . . sudden?”

“Sort of,” said Phoebe. “She suffered a heart attack. The doctor said it was very quick and she didn’t suffer much. We were a little surprised since she had never told us how bad her heart condition really was.”

“Heart condition?” questioned the woman. “You’re sure that’s what it was?”

“Yes,” said Phoebe confused. “Apparently she had suffered from a heart condition for a couple of years. One day it just couldn’t sustain her any longer. You sound like you think it might have been something else.”

“Oh, uh, well, I hadn’t seen Penny in about twenty years,” said the woman. “Since I moved away from San Francisco. I was just curious, that’s all. Sometimes the actual cause of death can be unknown so the doctor just lists the most probably cause.”

“I see,” said Phoebe. “I’m sorry, I don’t mean to be rude but I need to make a very important phone call right now. If you’d like, you can give me your number and I can call you back later.”

“I see,” said the woman. “Could I ask just one more thing?”

“Okay,” said Phoebe, wanting to get the woman off the phone so she could call Prue and let her know about the warlock.

“It might sound a bit odd,” said the woman. “I was just wondering. What…. religion do you and your sisters belong to?”

“Religion?” questioned Phoebe, thinking this was a very odd question indeed.

“Yes,” said the woman. “It could be important.”

“Actually,” said Phoebe, “we belong to a religion called Wicca.”

“I see,” said the woman. “Are you and your sisters devout followers of your religion?”

“Yeah, I guess you could say that,” said Phoebe. “I’m sorry, but I really need to make this phone call. It’s extremely important. I’ll be glad to call you back later and answer any questions you might have.”

“I have no doubt the call is important,” said the woman. “I think it’s important that we talk as soon as possible. It could be as important as the call you need to make. A call about your visitor, I’m assuming.”

Phoebe was speechless for a moment. How could this woman know about the warlock in the attic? She placed her hand over the mouthpiece and called for Piper.

“Our visitor?” Phoebe asked the woman as Piper came down the stairs.

“Yes,” said the woman. “The uninvited guest you just had in the attic.”

“How could you know about that?” Phoebe asked.

“It’s why I need to speak with you and your sisters,” said the woman. “Look, I can imagine what you’re thinking right now. And if I’m correct, I might be able to help you. Penny was a very dear friend of mine. But I think there’s one thing I can tell you right now that might help clear things up. Assuming you understand it.”

“And just what might that be?” asked Phoebe as she held the phone so Piper could also hear what the woman was saying.

There was a slight pause at the other end of the line and then the woman said only two words.

“Blessed be,” said the woman very slowly and deliberately.

“You’re a witch?” Phoebe asked before she had even realized what she had asked.

“Yes,” said the woman. “My name is Jessica Bishop. I live in Salem, Massachusetts. And I knew your grandmother for most of her life. We need to talk as soon as possible. I’ll give you my number. Please call me as soon as you can.”

Phoebe read back the number as Piper wrote it down. Then they said their goodbyes and Phoebe hung up the phone.

“I don’t like it,” said Piper.

“Piper, she’s a witch,” said Phoebe excitedly. “And she knew Grams.”

“So she says,” said Piper.

“She also knew about the warlock upstairs,” said Phoebe. “If she’s a witch, she probably has powers like ours.”

“Or,” said Piper, “this could be a trick by the warlock to get us to drop our guard. If she lives in Salem, how could she possibly know we had a warlock in our attic two minutes ago? She called practically as soon as he blinked out of here.”

“Well, that makes sense,” said Phoebe. “What do we do?”

“You go to Bucklands and get Prue,” said Piper. “I’ll call her and explain everything and let her know you’re on your way. Then I’ll start cleaning up the attic. At least I’ll be here if our friend decides to pay us another unannounced visit.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “You really think this could be a trap?”

“I don’t know, sweetie,” said Piper. “I just know when it comes to warlocks, we can’t be too careful. Go get Prue. We may need here if the warlock returns.”

Phoebe headed out to the car while Piper dialed Prue’s office number.

[noazmale]

FOUR

Piper was in the living room when Prue and Phoebe got home.

“Are you okay?” Prue asked sitting on the sofa next to Piper. “Phoebe said that warlock attacked you.”

“Yeah, I’m okay,” said Piper. “A little singed around the edges but otherwise I’m fine. And I had a little help.”

“Hey,” said Leo, coming in from the kitchen with a glass of juice that he handed to Piper.

“Leo,” said Phoebe. “What are you doing here?”

“I sensed the attack on you,” said Leo. “Piper filled me in on what happened.”

“Yep,” said Piper. “And Leo filled me in on Jessica Bishop, if that’s who that really was.”

“What do you mean?” Prue asked.

“Jessica was a very old friend of your grandmother,” said Leo. “They were in the same coven in San Francisco. About twenty years ago Jessica moved to Salem, her ancestral home. I understand she and Penny kept in touch over the years.”

“So she is a witch,” said Phoebe. “I knew it.”

“Not so fast, speedy,” said Piper. “It’s possible the warlock also knew that and is using it to bait us. We need to know for sure before we go trusting some strange voice over the phone.”

“Leo, did you know this Jessica Bishop?” Prue asked.

“Not personally,” said Leo. “I wasn’t Penny’s White Lighter. But George, her White Lighter, told me about Jessica. Even though Penny kept in touch with Jessica, George didn’t. She wasn’t one of his charges.”

“Okay, so what do we do?” Phoebe asked. “If that really was Jessica on the phone, she said we needed to talk about the warlock.”

“And it if wasn’t,” said Piper, “we could be walking into a trap.”

“We need to make sure this Jessica is the person who called,” said Prue. “I suggest we call her back and ask her some questions. If she was such good friends with Grams she should know things that warlock wouldn’t know.”

“Why not just go ask her?” suggested Leo.

“Sure,” said Piper. “Just hop a plane and fly all the way across the county just to ask her if she called here.”

“Well, not exactly a plane,” said Leo. “I could orb you all there.”

“Orb?” questioned Piper. “You mean that bluish cloud thing you do when you leave here?”

“Yes,” said Leo. “It’s called orbing. It’s the way a White Lighter gets around.”

“And you can orb us to Salem?” Prue questioned. “That’s a long way to go.”

“You’d be surprised how far I can orb,” said Leo, smiling. “It won’t take more than a few seconds to get there and get back. I can orb all three of you there and still have you back in time to go to bed when you usually do.”

“Is it dangerous?” Phoebe asked. “For us, I mean. We aren’t White Lighters.”

“No more dangerous than walking across the room,” said Leo.

“That might work,” said Prue. “If it wasn’t Jessica who called we’d know it for sure.”

“What if the warlock comes back while we’re away?” Piper asked.

“I can orb you guys back in an instant,” said Leo. “

“Okay,” said Prue, “how does it work?”

“You three hold hands,” said Leo. “I’ll hold Piper’s hand and when I orb I can take you with me. It’s perfectly safe, I assure you. As your White Lighter I couldn’t do anything that might put you in danger. And I’ve orbed a lot of my charges around.”

“Well, okay,” said Piper. “It won’t hurt will it?”

“The sensation might be a bit unsettling the first time,” said Leo. “Not unpleasant, though. Just something that takes a bit of getting used to.”

“Can you teach me to orb?” Phoebe asked.

“I’m afraid not,” said Leo. “It’s a standard White Lighter power. Only White Lighters can orb. I can’t teach you any more than you can teach me to use your powers. Now, if we’re all ready.”

As they all took each other’s hands, Leo took Pipers’ hand in his. Smiling at them he began to orb out of the manor. Piper had her eyes shut tight as if she expected there would be pain or something. It was very similar to the face she made when she had to get a shot at the doctors’ office.

“There, that wasn’t so bad, now was it?” Leo asked after a moment.

Piper opened her eyes. She was standing in the middle of a living room of a modest house. Standing across the room was a woman about Grams’ age. She stood in a stance that suggested she was ready for a fight.

“Who are you?” demanded the woman. “What do you want here?”

“Well, if you’re Jessica Bishop,” said Phoebe, “we spoke on the phone earlier. I’m Phoebe Halliwell and these are my sisters, Prue and Piper.”

“Yes, I’m Jessica Bishop,” said the woman. “You must be their White Lighter.”

“Leo Wyatt,” said Leo.

“So, Ms. Bishop,” said Prue, “I understand you called us earlier.”

“Yes,” said Jessica. “And please, call me Jessica. It was about the warlock in your attic. I thought he was attacking Penny. As I told Phoebe, I didn’t know she had passed away.”

“Just how did you know about the warlock, anyway?” Piper asked. “You called almost as soon as he took off.”

“I’m clairvoyant,” said the woman.

“The ability to see what’s happening at distant locations,” Leo explained to the sisters. “That would explain how she knew about the warlock.”

“That’s a pretty long way to see,” said Prue.

“I’ve been a witch a long time,” said Jessica. “Please, have a seat. As I’m sure you’re aware, your powers get stronger the longer you have them.”

“So we’ve been told,” said Piper. “You said we needed to talk about the warlock. And you made it sound urgent.”

“It is,” said Jessica. “Or it could be, anyway. All I saw was the warlock attacking. I didn’t see whom he was attacking, although I recognized your attic. I just naturally assumed it was Penny. I’m surprised you three know about the Craft. Penny told me she wasn’t going to teach you about it.”

“We sort of learned by mistake,” said Piper. “After Grams died, Phoebe found a book in the attic. That kind of started everything.”

“The Book of Shadows,” said Jessica. “I made a few entries in that myself some years ago.”

“So, what’s so important you needed speak to us about?” Prue asked. “Like Piper said, you made it sound very important.”

“It is,” said Jessica. “It involves something your grandmother was working on the last couple of years. And I think it might involve that warlock as well.”

“What?” Piper asked.

“Someone has been killing the descendents of the prosecutors from the Salem witch trials,” said Jessica. “Penny was trying to figure out who it was and stop them. I think it might be that warlock. If it is, then all three of you could be in terrible danger.”

“From a warlock?” questioned Prue. “We’ve dealt with them before. We can handle one warlock.”

“Not this one,” said Jessica. “At least, not without some preparation. That’s why I asked if you were sure of how Penny died. I think it’s very possible that this warlock may have murdered her.”

[noazmale]

FIVE

“Grams died of a heart condition,” said Prue. “We didn’t know just how serious it was until after her death and the doctor told us about it. What makes you think she might have been murdered?”

“Let me put on some coffee and I’ll try to explain,” said Jessica. “This might take a bit of time.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “It will be nice to talk to someone who knew Grams as a witch. She never said anything to us about it.”

“I’m not surprised,” said Jessica. “She used to tell me you three would never be able to work together. You fought like cats and dogs.”

“Still do,” said Phoebe.

“But we pull together when it’s necessary,” said Piper.

“I was really sorry to hear about Penny,” said Jessica as she prepared the coffee. “She was a very special person. And a very good friend. She taught me a great deal about the Craft.”

“You two knew each other a long time, didn’t you?” Piper asked.

“Most of our lives,” said Jessica. “We met in high school. It was quite a shock to learn that there was another witch in the school. Back then the Craft wasn’t as accepted as it is now. We had to practice in secret most of the time.”

“I can understand,” said Prue. “You said something about someone killing the descendents of the prosecutors from the Salem witch trials.”

“Yes,” said Jessica. “How much do you know about those trials, anyway?”

“Oh, believe me,” said Phoebe, “after we got our powers I sort of went on research overload. I learned everything I could about those trials.”

“And she insisted on telling us every little detail,” said Piper.

“Good,” said Jessica. “That will help save on some of the explanations. As you probably know, a total of twenty people were executed for being witches, including Melinda Warren, your ancestor. She was the last one to be executed and despite popular opinion, the only one who was actually burned.”

“That’s right,” said Phoebe. “The rest were hanged.”

“Yes,” said Jessica. “That’s because Melinda was the only true witch they executed. Most of the others were just innocents caught up in the hysteria of the time.”

“Some of those accused died in prison, didn’t they?” Piper asked.

“Yes,” said Jessica. “At least four. As many as thirteen others may have died in prison, but the records conflict on a lot of them. But they died without being convicted. And two others were pressed to death for refusing to submit to the court.”

“They were allowed to do that?” Phoebe asked.

“They did a lot of things back then,” said Jessica. “For example, Bridget Bishop was the first convicted witch hung on June 10, 1692. She was a direct ancestor of mine. Ironically, she wasn’t a true witch. Her mother was and so was her daughter but it seemed to jump past her.”

“That happens some times,” said Leo. “Even in the girls’ family there are descendents of Melinda Warren who didn’t inherit her power. It seems to occasionally skip a generation.”

“Yes,” said Jessica. “Ordinarily, women weren’t hanged back then. It wasn’t considered proper to hang a woman. But they made an exception for the convicted witches. Especially since most of them refused to confess.”

“That must have been a hard life,” said Piper.

“It was,” said Jessica. “In our coven in San Francisco, one of our duties was to teach new witches about their heritage, especially that of Salem. And your grandmother was by far the most knowledgeable expert of all of us.”

“She always was,” said Leo. “She had a particular dislike for the prosecutors and those who accused others of witchcraft. She often called them narrow-minded bigots and some other things I won’t bother to repeat.”

“That sounds like Grams,” said Prue. “But what has that to do with someone killing their descendents?”

“A couple of years ago,” said Jessica, “Penny wrote me. She said she had read a newspaper article that told about a man named Phillip Putnam who died mysteriously and they couldn’t discover the cause of death. She recognized the man. Phillip Putnam was a direct descendent of Edward Putnam, one of the men who swore out a complaint against accused witches Tituba, Sarah Good, and Sarah Osborne. Sarah Good was eventually hanged as a witch and Sarah Osborne was one of those who died in prison.”

“What about this Tituba?” Phoebe asked.

“She was eventually pardoned by Governor Phips,” said Jessica. “She actually confessed and they spared her life. I don’t know why, but Penny suspected a demon or a warlock is behind the current murders. So she asked me to see what I could find out about the current descendents of the prosecutors.”

“Why you?” Prue asked.

“Because I live in Salem,” said Jessica. “The witch trials are a major business in Salem. We have access to nearly all the original records. It was easy enough for me to track down nearly all of the descendents. I run a small shop in town that sells souvenirs including books about the witch trials.”

“What did you find out?” Piper asked.

“Of the thirty-one descendents from the original thirty-one people,” said Jessica, “seven have either died or disappeared under mysterious circumstances or without any identifiable cause of death.”

“Seven out of thirty-one?” questioned Prue. “That could just be coincidence.”

“Maybe,” said Jessica. “But that’s not all. Penny discovered that each of them died on the same day. September 19th. Beginning in 1991, at least one of the descendents died every September 19th for each successive year.”

“That’s a little too coincidental,” said Piper.

“Especially when you factor in another thing that connects them,” said Jessica. “Each of the descendents is dying in the order in which their ancestors became involved in the witch hunt.”

“That’s definitely not a coincidence,” said Prue.

“Not, it’s not,” said Jessica. “And now that Penny’s dead, we have no way of knowing who the murderer is. But it’s very possible he or she may have known Penny was on to them. If that’s true, and if it’s the warlock that attacked you, he might think Penny told you. Which means he may be out to kill you so you don’t stop him from taking his revenge on the descendants.”

[noazmale]

SIX

“But we don’t know anything,” protested Phoebe. “We didn’t even know he existed until he showed up at the manor.”

“He may not know that,” said Leo. “He may just be assuming that Penny told you everything.”

“Leo’s right,” said Prue. “But he seemed surprised to find that we were witches. And he kept going on about getting what she took from him.”

“That’s odd,” said Jessica. “If he knew Penny was a witch he should have just assumed that you three were, too.”

“That’s not the only odd thing,” said Leo. “You said the deaths began in 1991 and that there were seven of them.”

“Yes,” said Jessica.

“That means the last one occurred in 1997,” said Leo. “Are you sure none of the descendents were murdered in 1998?”

“Well,” said Jessica, “the next victim on the list would be a Marissa Williams. She’s descended from Abigail Williams who accused Rebecca Nurse of being a witch. That was March 19th. On March 23rd, Edward and John Putnam also accused Rebecca Nurse of being a witch.
“But the last I checked, Marissa Williams was fine. That was about November of 1998. Oddly enough she works as a nurse in a pediatric ward for a hospital outside Desmoine, Iowa. If the warlock had kept to his usual pattern, she should have been murdered on September 19, 1998.”

“What do you think it means?” Piper asked.

“I don’t know,” said Leo. “But Penny died on March 5th, 1998. Which means she wouldn’t have been around to stop the warlock in September of 1998.”

“Unless she somehow prevented him from killing this Marissa Williams before,” said Prue. “Maybe this warlock is using some special device or something and Grams stole it from him. That’s why the next victim on the list wasn’t murdered.”

“That would also explain this year, too,” said Phoebe.

“What do you mean?” asked Prue.

“Well, it’s November,” said Phoebe. “Jessica hasn’t said anything about another victim in September of this year. That means two years have gone by with none of the descendents being murdered. If Grams was able to take whatever it was he’s been using, he probably can’t kill any more of the descendents until he gets it back.”

“But what is it?” asked Piper. “We have absolutely no idea what we’re looking for.”

“My guess is a special athame,” said Jessica. “In the old days, humans weren’t just murdered. They were sacrificed. That involves a whole special ritual and a specially blessed athame. This warlock seems to be following that pattern. The details I’ve been able to uncover on the other murders indicate that he’s following some kind of ritual, although I haven’t been able to determine which one.”

“That would make sense,” said Leo. “If he’s going after the descendents of the prosecutors and accusers, he probably thinks it’s appropriate that they be sacrificed in the traditional ritualistic manner. Especially since he’s going through the trouble of murdering them in a specific order at a specific time and not just going after them as he can find them.”

“But why go after them at all?” Prues asked. “They had nothing to do with the witch trials. He couldn’t be getting any power from them. They’re mortals. And it’s not like it’s going to bring any of the victims back.”

“For that matter,” said Piper, “why would a warlock be trying to avenge the deaths of accused witches? Especially witches that died hundreds of years ago? Jessica said that most of the victims weren’t even true witches. Even if this warlock believed they really were witches, why avenge the murders of who would ostensibly be his enemies?”

“I’ve never been able to figure that one out,” said Jessica. “The best I could come up with is that he must be a descendent of one of the mortals who was executed for witchcraft. But I’ve checked the dates of the victims in Salem thinking he might be using one of those dates as the date for his murders. None were executed on September 19th.” The closest date is September 22nd when eight convicted witches were hung. Before that it was August 19th when they hung five of the convicted witches.”

“Who knows why he’s chosen that date?” asked Leo. “I’m sure there’s some connection but it may make sense only to him. It might even be something we know nothing about.”

“Well, we need to find whatever it was he was looking for,” said Prue. “He seemed to think it was in the attic. That’s a good place to start. Piper and Phoebe interrupted him before he could finish searching it. I think it’s safe to assume that whatever it is is still there, assuming it’s in the attic at all.”

“What would this athame look like?” Piper asked Jessica.

“That’s hard to say,” said Jessica. “Many athames’ we specially designed for a specific purpose. But I’m willing to bet it’s probably distinctive. And it’s probably also enchanted. Most of the victims so far haven’t had any knife wounds. Which means the athame is probably magicked to do something specific. If you do find it, be very careful with it. There’s no telling what it might do.”

“Well, we need to get back to the manor right away,” said Prue. “Thanks for all your help, Jessica. You’ve given us a lot of information we might not have been able to find anywhere else.”

“Penny was a good friend,” said Jessica. “If she was murdered, I’d like to help find her murderer. And when you find the athame, bring it to me. I know some rituals and incantations that should be able to destroy it. That way it can never hurt anyone else ever again.”

“We will,” said Piper. “Well, I guess we should orb back to the manor now. Actually, orbing isn’t so bad. I supposed I could get used to it pretty quickly.”

“I told you there was nothing to worry about,” said Leo, smiling. “Thanks, Jessica. I’ll let you know how things turn out.”

“Thanks,” said Jessica. “I’ll look forward to hearing what you’ve learned.”

The sisters held hands and Leo took Piper’s hand in his. Smiling at her, he orbed them back to the manor. This time, Piper kept her eyes open for the entire orb.

[noazmale]

SEVEN

“Well, I’m not finding anything that looks even remotely like what Jessica described,” said Piper as she went through a dresser in the attic for the third time. “We’ve found two athames but they aren’t anything special. Just regular athames that Grams probably used in her rituals and incantations.”

“Maybe it’s not here,” said Phoebe. “Just because that warlock was looking up here doesn’t mean it’s here. Maybe Grams hid it somewhere else.”

“Maybe,” said Prue. “I’ve been wondering why the warlock waited so long to come looking for it. Grams died twenty months ago. Now I can understand the first six months. No one could get into the attic until Phoebe came home. But why did he wait the other fourteen months before he came searching for it?”

“He said something about making a deal with her,” said Piper. “Frankly, I can’t imagine Grams making a deal with a warlock for anything.”

“Well, mom did,” said Phoebe. “Remember that warlock that tried to kill us for our powers? When we cast that time travel spell and went back in time? Mom made a deal with him.”

“Yeah, but that was to protect us,” said Prue. “The same reason Grams bound our powers.”

“Maybe Penny made a similar deal for the same reasons,” said Leo. “She was a powerful witch but she wasn’t invulnerable. And with you girls having no powers, you would have been unable to defend yourselves against a warlock. Especially since you didn’t even know they existed.”

“He did seem to know our powers had been bound,” said Phoebe. “He said Grams had told him that. But he seemed surprised that we had our powers back. And he asked where Grams was. As if he didn’t know she had died.”

“But that brings us back to our original question?” said Prue. “Why wait so many months before coming after that athame? Assuming that’s what he was after.”

“Jessica seemed to think it was,” said Piper. “What she said makes sense. But why go through the hassle of trying to find it? Why not just enchant another one?”

“That might not be possible,” said Leo. “It would depend on the enchantment. It might be easier to get the old one back instead of trying to enchant a new one. Plus, it might be a special athame. From what we know it seems he went to a lot of trouble for these murders. It makes sense he’d use an athame that had some significant meaning. Which means he’d have to get it back instead of using another one.”

“Leo,” said Phoebe, “do you have any idea where Grams might have hidden something? We’ve been through everything in the attic at least twice. I’ve even searched the chest where she kept the Book of Shadows three times, going so far as to empty it completely just to make sure I didn’t overlook anything. Did Grams have any kind of special hiding place or something?”

“I don’t know,” said Leo. “Like I said, I wasn’t her White Lighter. I did come by from time to time but I rarely stayed long. And she never really confided in me.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “there has to be someplace where she would….”

Her statement went unfinished as she stumbled suddenly. Leo was able to catch her from falling to the floor. Phoebe looked back at where she had stumbled. One of the floorboards was loose. Cautiously, she walked back over and bent down.

“Look what we have here,” she said. “A hiding place. It looks like the floorboard was pried up and then replaced.”

She pulled the floorboard up and reached in the hole. When she brought her hand out, she was holding a small metal box.

“That could be what we’re looking for,” said Prue. “Phoebe, bring the box over to the table. Let’s see what’s inside it.”

Phoebe put the box on the table and stood looking at it for a moment. It looked like the type of metal boxes sold at many stores. The type people kept valuable in. When Phoebe tried to open it, they discovered it was locked.

“Okay,” said Piper, “what now? I don’t remember seeing a key anywhere that might fit that box.”

“Easy,” said Prue.

She tapped into her telekinetic power and the hasp on the box suddenly sprang open, breaking the lock.

“That was almost too easy,” she said. “Now, let’s see what we have inside.”

Prue opened the lid and everyone looked inside. There was a small notebook, a pile of papers, a small pendant, and an athame. The handle of the athame looked like two snakes intertwined and the handle guard curved back toward the handle. There was a dark substance dried on the blade of the athame that looked suspiciously like blood.”

“Bingo,” said Phoebe, taking the notebook out and flipping through it. “There are a bunch of notes in here in reference to the Salem witch hunts. And several pages of names. It looks like she had them categorized. Victims, accusers, participants, bystanders, all sorts of lists. The entire notebook is practically full.”

“Okay,” said Piper picking up the athame. “This looks like what Jessica described. It’s very ornate and probably has some significance to the witch trials. I’d say it’s a pretty good bet we found what the warlock was after.”

“I think you’re right,” said Prue, looking over the papers in the box. “These papers are mostly news clippings. Obituaries, reports of car accidents, deaths by natural causes, missing people, all sorts of new clippings. I’d say we found what we were looking for. Let’s get this stuff downstairs so we can go through it. Maybe now we’ll start to get some answers.”

Prue picked up the box as the four headed downstairs.

* * *

“Well,” said Prue after they had gone through the box thoroughly, “this is definitely the list of names that Grams asked to Jessica check out. According to what Phoebe found in that notebook, Grams was trying to track down the descendents of those involved with the prosecution of the accused witches in Salem. And the news clippings correspond with the names on the list. Everyone one of them is about the death of someone descended from one of the prosecutors or accusers.”

“This athame is certainly unusual,” said Piper. “It has some weird markings on the blade.”

“Let me see it,” said Leo, taking the dagger and looking at it. “This is a rare one. It’s a sacrificial athame.”

“Sacrificial?” questioned Phoebe.

“Yes,” said Leo. “It’s used only by the most powerful warlocks. It’s used when they go against a particularly powerful witch. These types of athames usually have a special enchantment on them to make them even more affective against a witch than normal. Penny must have taken it from the warlock.”

“So why didn’t she just vanquish the warlock?” Piper asked. “Why take the athame from him and hide it?”

“Guys,” said Prue, pulling a news clipping out of the box, “you’d better have a look at this. I thought the photograph on this one was odd but I couldn’t figure out why until just now. Look at it.”

“Okay,” said Piper as she, Phoebe, and Leo looked at the photo. “What’s so odd about it?”

“Look at that person in the background,” said Prue. “Right behind what looks like a paramedic.”

Piper, Phoebe, and Leo looked closer at the photo. Piper even pulled out a magnifying glass to get a closer look at it. What they saw startled them. Standing in the background of the photo was a woman. A woman that looked remarkably like Grams.

“Is that Grams in the photo?” Phoebe asked. “Where was the photo taken?”

“According to the article,” said Piper, “it was taken in Seattle, Washington at the scene of a double murder. A murder on September 19, 1995. Mark Preston and his wife were stabbed to death during a suspected robbery attempt. The robber was never caught. And no murder weapon was ever found.”

“Preston?” questioned Phoebe, looking through a stack of papers. “That’s one of the names on the list. Mark Preston was a descendent of Thomas Preston. Thomas Preston was one of the men who swore out a complaint of witchcraft against Tituba, Sarah Good and Sarah Osborne. He was the fifth victim of the warlock.”

“That’s not all,” said Prue. “Look at what Grams has in her hand.”

They all looked closer at the figure of Grams in the background. In one hand, partially obscured by another figure standing next to her, was what appeared to be a large knife. A knife that looked suspiciously like the athame that Leo was holding.

[noazmale]

EIGHT

“What does that mean?” Phoebe asked looking at the picture again.

“I don’t know,” said Prue. “But that’s definitely Grams. And that knife she’s holding looks like the athame Leo has. The one that’s enchanted to kill witches.”

“That’s not possible,” said Leo. “An enchantment like that is very powerful. It’s like the poison from a Dark Lighter’s bolt. Even touching it would have had some very unfortunate affects.”

“So when you showed up here with that bolt in you,” said Piper. “It wasn’t that you were just shot with it? Those things are poisoned?”

“Yes,” said Leo. “It’s a very unique type of poison. It only affects White Lighters. On humans it’s not even dangerous. But a White Lighter can’t even touch the bolt without being affected by the poison. It’s the same with that athame. If Penny had even touched it it would have killed her. That can’t be the same athame.”

“So what was she doing in Washington State in 1995?” Prue asked. “I remember that. She said she had to go out of town on business but she wouldn’t say what kind of business. She just said she’d be gone a few days and then she’d be back.”

“I remember that, too,” said Piper. “She was gone about four days. When she got back she wouldn’t talk about where she’d been or what she had done.”

“I don’t recall that,” said Phoebe.

“That’s not so surprising,” said Prue. “In those days you were more interested in partying than anything else. Most of the time you just went to your room when you did come home. You may not even have noticed that Grams was gone.”

“And Grams did spend a lot of time in the attic in those days,” said Piper. “I remember she kept the door locked constantly and kept the only key with her all the time. I tried to get in there once but couldn’t get the door open.”

“More than likely,” said Leo, “she had put a charm on the door to keep you out.”

“So what is she doing holding an athame that’s supposed to be deadly to witches?” Prue asked.

“Wait a minute,” said Piper. “I picked that athame up. Doesn’t that mean I’ve been poisoned or whatever?”

“Not necessarily,” said Leo. “You don’t seem to be any the worse for having touched it. My guess is that whomever enchanted it is dead now. So their enchantment would have been cancelled. Otherwise you’d be feeling the affects of the enchantment by now.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe, “maybe that’s what happened with Grams. Maybe whoever enchanted it was all ready dead when she picked it up. Maybe she vanquished them and then took the athame so it wouldn’t fall into the wrong hands. That would explain how she could be holding it in the picture.”

“So why is the warlock after it?” Prue asked.

“We aren’t even sure it’s the same athame,” said Leo.

“Look at the picture,” said Prue, holding the photograph up. “Look how the handle guard curves backward toward the wielders’ wrist. That’s to protect them from accidentally cutting themselves when they use it. And the handle itself looks like two snakes intertwined around each other. I haven’t seen anything like that anywhere in the manor. Is it likely there are two such daggers sitting around here?”

“No, not very likely,” said Leo. “As I said, these athames are very rare.”

“So,” said Prue. “We have someone apparently killing the descendents of the Salem witch trials. Our prime suspect is still alive but the enchantment on the athame doesn’t seem to be there any more indicating whoever enchanted it is dead. Why would the warlock be so gung ho about getting this athame back if the enchantment is gone? If the person who enchanted it is dead, he can’t go back to them.”

“Maybe he knows someone else who can enchant it for him,” suggested Piper. “Only, I don’t know why he doesn’t just enchant it himself.”

“Maybe it’s a special enchantment,” suggested Leo. “Maybe it takes a special warlock or a more powerful one to cast the enchantment.”

“And he doesn’t have the power to do it himself,” said Prue.

“Exactly,” said Leo. “It would also explain why there haven’t been any more deaths since Penny died. She had the athame here so he couldn’t use it. And even if he did have it, the enchantment is gone so it won’t do what he wants it to any more.”

“We still seem to have more questions than answers,” said Phoebe. “So, what are we going to do about it?”

“Maybe I should take the athame to Jessica so she can get rid of it,” said Leo. “It doesn’t seem to hurt your girls but there’s no sense in taking any chances. She can make sure the enchantment is completely gone so that it can’t be used against another witch.”

“No,” said Prue. “Let’s keep it here. I think it might be a bit more helpful here at the manor for the time being.”

“What are you talking about?” Piper asked. “If this thing is enchanted to kill witches it could be dangerous to us. If the warlock comes back and gets hold of it he might try to use it against us.”

“Well,” said Prue, “we have a lot of questions and he seems to have the answers. So I say we get the answers from him.”

“And just how do you propose to do that?” Piper asked.

“By giving him what he wants,” said Prue.

[noazmale]

NINE

“Are you sure this is going to work?” Phoebe asked as they sat in Prues car a couple of blocks from the manor. “I don’t understand why we couldn’t just wait in the manor.”

“Because,” said Prue, “the warlock may be watching the place. He might not come back if we’re there. So we wait here for a while and if he shows up Leo can orb us back into the manor and take him by surprise.”

“I still think we should have brought that athame with us,” said Piper from the front passenger seat, “instead of leaving it out in plain sight where he an see it. Once he gets it in his hands we could be in some serious danger.”

“I’m not going to let that happen,” said Prue. “Besides, if we took the athame with us he might know. That’s the bait. We have to lure him back so we can ask him our questions and get the answers.”

“You realize if something goes wrong,” said Leo, “I won’t be able to orb you away.”

“I know,” said Prue. “I considered that. But this is just one warlock. And we know he’s coming. This time we have the element of surprise on our side.”

“Are you sure you can sense him in the manor?” Phoebe asked Leo, sitting next to her in the back seat.

“Yes,” said Leo. “But I need to concentrate so it would be best if you didn’t talk to me so I’ll know when he gets there.”

“Oh, okay,” said Phoebe as Leo closed his eyes and began to concentrate.

“What do we do when the warlock shows up?” Piper asked. “We can’t just orb in and start asking questions. A warlock isn’t likely to be very forthcoming with a witch.”

“True,” said Prue. “We’ll deal with that when we get to it. Right now we just need to wait until he shows up, assuming he does. I hope it doesn’t take long. I don’t like just sitting out here doing nothing.”

“Looks like you get your wish,” said Leo, opening his eyes. “I think he just showed up.”

“Are you sure it’s him?” asked Phoebe.

“Well,” said Leo, “I sensed someone just suddenly appear in the attic. So it must be the warlock.”

“Great,” said Prue. “Now, everyone be ready. He’s likely to put up a fight so we need to be prepared. Leo, orb us into the attic on the opposite side of the room from the warlock.”

Prue and Piper held hands and Leo held Prue and Phoebe’s hand. Looking around to make sure there was no one watching he orbed them out of the car. They appeared in the attic just inside the door. The warlock was in the back of the room rummaging through a box. The athame sat fully exposed on a table in one corner. Suddenly the athame slid off the table and into Prue’s hand. The warlock caught the movement out of the corner of his eye and turned to face them.

“Sorry I wasn’t home when you stopped by earlier,” Prue said, holding the athame. “I was at work. But we figured you’d come by for a visit so I thought I’d hang around for a chat.”

“Three witches,” hissed the warlock. “You’re the Charmed Ones I’ve been hearing about.”

“Hey, Prue, we’re getting to be famous,” said Phoebe.

“Seems like it,” said Prue. “Now, we have some questions for you. And you’re going to answer them like a good little warlock.”

“Not likely, witch,” said the warlock. “I don’t want any trouble with the three of you.”

“Well, you’ve got trouble in spades,” said Piper.

“I don’t think so,” said the warlock, smiling at the sisters.

He stood smiling at the sisters for several moments and then the smile suddenly faded from his face. His brow furrowed in a look of confusion as he looked around him.

“What’s wrong?” Prue asked almost innocently. “Can’t blink away? Oh, I guess that’s because of the spell we put on the attic. A spell that prevents magical movement out of the attic. So I guess you’re stuck here at least for a while.”

“I don’t think so,” said the warlock, forming an energy ball and casting it at the sisters.

Prue took hold of the energy ball with her telekinetic power and cast it back at the warlock. It struck him sending him back against the wall. He struck the wall and fell to the floor. He looked up at the sisters with fear in his eyes.

“I don’t want any trouble,” said the warlock. “I just came to get what’s mine. That old woman made a deal with me then double-crossed me. I just came for what she stole from me.”

“Well,” said Prue, looking at the dagger, “that’s not going to happen. Now, as we said we have some questions. Questions you can answer. We want those answers.”

“Listen, I’ll make a deal with you,” said the warlock.

“We don’t make deals with warlocks,” said Phoebe.

“You might want to think twice about that,” said the warlock. “Look, I know you plan to vanquish me when you’re through. That doesn’t give me much incentive to cooperate. And even if I do you won’t know if what I tell you is true.”

“He has a point,” Piper asked. “What kind of deal?”

“I’ll answer your questions,” said the warlock. “And I’ll tell you the truth. I’ll tell you everything I know.”

“And what do you get in return?” Prue asked.

“You let me walk out of here unharmed and in one piece,” said the warlock. “No vanquishing. I know I can’t stand up to the three of you. And I’m not really in the mood to die just now.”

“How do we know you’ll tell us the truth?” Piper questioned.

“Because if I lie to you you’ll find out,” said the warlock. “That’s the other part of the deal. You don’t come looking for me. You let me walk out of here unharmed and don’t come after me and I’ll tell you whatever you want to know.”

“Well,” said Prue, “looks like we actually have an intelligent warlock for a change. But we keep this.” She indicated the athame. “That’s the other part of our deal.”

“Yeah, okay, whatever,” said the warlock a look of confusion on his face. “Just give me your word that if I tell the truth you won’t vanquish me.”

“Okay, fair enough,” said Prue. “As long as you’re honest, we won’t vanquish you. Now, let’s start with your name.”

“Palmer,” said the warlock. “Palmer Stuart.”

“Okay, Mr. Palmer Stuart,” said Piper. “You’ve been killing innocents. We want to know why.”

“I was hired to,” said Stuart.

“You’re a mercenary?” questioned Phoebe.

“Sure,” said Stuart. “Lots of warlocks are. A man’s got to make a living.”

“So, who hired you and why?” Prue asked.

“The why I can’t tell you,” said Stuart. “All I know is this old woman shows up at my place one day. She gives me this list of names and that athame. She said she wanted those people killed in a specific order and on the same date each year. I was going to turn her down but she was paying a lot more than was normal for that kind of a job so I figured what the heck. They’re all mortals and no threat to me. I figured it would be easy money.”

“You have no idea who those people are, do you?” Piper asked.

“No, and I couldn’t care less,” said Stuart. “All I know is this female warlock wanted them dead. She gave me that athame enchanted to steal their souls when I used it. Like I told you, they weren’t a threat to me and it was an easy assignment.”

“A female warlock?” questioned Prue. “Just who was this female warlock that hired you and what does that have to do with our grandmother?”

“I would have figured you’d have guessed that by now,” said Stuart. “It took me a while to figure out who that warlock was that hired me. She never told me her name. But I did a lot of checking and I finally figured out who it was. That’s why I’m here. The female warlock that hired me to kill those people was your grandmother, Penny Halliwell.”

The girls just stared at the warlock in total disbelief.

[noazmale]

TEN

“You’re a liar,” Prue said deliberately holding the athame menacingly.

“Hey, we have a deal,” said Stuart. “Besides, why would I lie? Like I said, if I lie, you’re going to find out. I don’t want you coming after me. I can’t help it if you don’t like the answers.”

“What makes you think it was Grams that hired you?” Piper asked.

“Like I said,” said Stuart, “I had to do a lot of checking. That’s why it’s taken me so long to get here. The warlock that hired me was about sixty with brownish gray hair. And she was wearing a pendant with that symbol that’s on your book on it. She told me she needed those humans dead but didn’t want it connected to her. That’s why she hired me.”

“Anything else?” Phoebe asked. “That seems like very little to go on.”

“She mentioned the three of you,” said Stuart. “Only she said I wouldn’t have to worry about you. She said she bound your powers when you were kids. She also said that if I went after you for your powers she’d hunt me down and vanquish me. And it wouldn’t be quick or painless either. I believed her.

“She said she used to be a powerful high priestess here in San Francisco before. I asked her why she wanted those people dead. All she would say was something about the sins of the parents being visited on the children. I didn’t really care, I was just curious. Anyway every time I completed a job she showed up to pay me. And she’d use her magic to suck the souls out of the athame.”

“So what changed?” Piper asked.

“A couple of years ago she didn’t show up when I finished a job,” said Stuart. “I was pissed to say the least. I was real creative with each job. She seemed to like that. But when I didn’t get paid for the job I was hired to do, I went looking for her. While I was away she broke into my place and took a bunch of stuff. That’s why I’m here. I came to get back what she stole.”

“How did you finally track her down?” Prue asked.

“It wasn’t easy,” said Stuart. “Then I started hearing rumors about these Charmed Ones. Three sisters, all witches. The granddaughter of a high priestess. At first no one seemed to know exactly who you were. But eventually I was able to piece together who she was. When I found out she was dead I figured what she took must be here. Your powers were supposed to be bound so I came looking for my stuff. That’s when you two showed up in the attic.”

“Is that it?” Piper asked.

“That’s all I know,” said Stuart. “Look, like I said, I don’t want any trouble with the three of you. We had a deal. I’ve answered all your questions honestly. I expect you to keep your word and let me go.”

No one spoke for a moment. They all looked at Prue who seemed to be seething with anger. As much as they disliked letting a warlock go free, they had given their word. Prue had been closest to Grams. They were concerned how she was going to react.

“Once you leave the attic,” Prue said, “you can blink out of the manor. I suggest you get out of here before I forget we gave our word to let you go.”

Without hesitation the warlock turned and headed for the attic door. Just as he passed Prue, watching her to see if she was going to try to use the athame on him, she reached out and grabbed his arm. She turned and looked directly into his eyes.

“If I ever see you again,” said Prue, “you’re a dead man. I promised if you told us the truth I’d let you go. I keep my word. But once you leave here, our deal is complete. I won’t hesitate to kill you if I see you again. And if I find out that anything you’ve told us is a lie, no matter how small it is….”

“It’s all true,” said the warlock. “Can I go now?”

“Get out of here,” said Prue, letting him go and turning from him.

The warlock had no sooner left the attic then he blinked out of the manor.

[noazmale]

ELEVEN

“Well,” said Leo when they had all returned to the living room, “that explains why the athame doesn’t affect you. It’s enchanted to steal a mortal’s soul. You three are witches. You aren’t considered mortal. So it wouldn’t have any affect against you.”

They were all startled as the athame suddenly flew across the room and embedded itself in the far wall. Prue stood in the entryway fuming. She was so angry she was shaking. Piper and Phoebe glanced at each other and then slowly made their way over to her.

“Prue, honey,” said Piper. “Are you okay?”

“He’s a liar,” said Prue. “He’s nothing but a liar. Leo, I want you to find that warlock. Then I want you to take me to him. I’m going to vanquish his sorry butt and I’m going to take my time doing it. He’s going to be very, very sorry he ever came here.”

“Prue,” said Phoebe, “take it easy. I know how you feel. I don’t like it any more than you do. Neither does Piper. And I’m sure Leo doesn’t, either. But we need to take this one step at a time. Just calm down.”

“Calm down?” Prue shot at her sister. “Calm down? He said Grams was a warlock. That’s a damn lie. Grams was no warlock. I knew her better than any of you, even better than Leo. There is no way she could have turned. That warlock lied and I’m going to make him pay for it.”

“Prue,” said Leo calmly, “Phoebe and Piper are right. You need to calm down. We have to sort this out.”

“Like hell I’ll calm down,” said Prue. “I want you to find that warlock now.”

“No,” said Leo very deliberately. “Prue, if you’re right, then you have every right to vanquish him. But not like this. Not when you’re so angry. I’ve seen this happen before. You strike out at someone out of anger. But that doesn’t make you feel better. So you find someone else to punish. All the while your anger continues to grow and fester inside you.

“It doesn’t take long before that anger turns to hatred. It continues to grow. And the more people you vanquish, the more your hatred grows. Pretty soon you’re hatred is so large it consumes everything inside you. All you’ll be concerned with is making someone pay for what they did. When that happens you’ll no longer be a witch. The hatred will turn to evil, as you believe that you’re justified no matter what you do.

“No, Prue, I won’t find that warlock for you. I won’t let you loose yourself like this. Not before we have a chance to learn the truth. Calm down and give us a chance to sort this out and find the truth. Then, when you’re interested in justice and not vengeance, I’ll help you find the warlock if you want.”

Prue looked at Leo. Part of her seethed with anger at what the warlock had said. That part refused to hear her White Lighter. But part of her heard what Leo was saying. She looked at Piper and Phoebe and saw the looks of pain on their faces. They were worried about their sister. They had never seen her this angry, even when Andy had died fighting Rodriquez. Prue closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She held it for a moment and then let it out. Then she looked at Phoebe and managed a weak smile.

“Since when did you become so level-headed?” she asked.

Piper and Phoebe sighed at the same time. They both hugged Prue thankful that she was once again thinking like the older sister they had always known.

“Since it looked like you were ready to rip that warlock apart with your bare hands,” said Phoebe. “I was really worried there for a second. You’ve been mad at me before for some of the stupid things I’ve done but that was nothing compared to what I just witnessed.”

“She’s right,” said Piper. “We know how much Grams meant to you especially and how much it must have affected you what Stuart said. But, Prue, I’ve never seen a look of pure hatred in your eyes like I saw just a moment ago.”

“Well,” said Prue, “I haven’t changed my mind. I still think Stuart lied to us and I plan to make him pay for that. But Leo is right. If I went after him now it would be revenge, pure and simple. Grams taught us better than that. I don’t like it but I guess you’re all right. We have to sort this thing out before we do anything. Thanks, Leo. For being there for me.”

“That’s my job,” said Leo, smiling. “I am your White Lighter. Part of my duties are to try and keep you from doing something stupid.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “We know Stuart lied to us. Grams was not a warlock. There’s no way that happened. So we have to figure out why he lied to us.”

“He describe Grams perfectly,” said Piper. “Right down to the triquetra. I remember she used to wear a necklace like the one he described. But if he lied about that then he lied about why he was at the manor. So what was he looking for in the attic?”

“Well, he wasn’t after the Book of Shadows,” said Phoebe. “It was sitting on its pedestal in plain sight and he never even glanced at it.”

“He couldn’t have touched it anyway,” said Leo. “Remember, the book protects itself from evil.”

“Right,” said Prue, walking over and pulling the athame from the wall. “Well, I suppose we can send this to Jessica. We now know what it does. She said she could remove the enchantment. If it’s enchanted to steal mortals’ souls then it’s more dangerous than ever. Every mortal is in danger from it.”

“I’ll take it to Jessica in a bit,” said Leo taking the athame.

“Why don’t we just get rid of it?” Phoebe asked. “Aren’t we supposed to be the most powerful witches in the world?”

“Yes,” said Leo. “But do you have any idea how to remove an enchantment from an item?”

“Well, no,” said Phoebe. “But there must be something in the Book of Shadows for that. Shouldn’t there?”

“Maybe,” said Leo. “But if Jessica belonged to your grandmothers’ coven, then she’s had a lot of experience in things like this. As powerful as you are you still have a great deal to learn. And there’s no guarantee there’s a way in the book to remove an enchantment or that you’ll be able to do it properly. Those kinds of rituals can be very intricate. It’s probably best if we just let her take care of it.”

“Okay,” said Phoebe. “I guess you’re right.”

“Now,” said Piper, “we still have a lot of unanswered questions. Assuming he did lie to us, what was the warlock doing in the attic? And who was this female warlock that supposedly hired him to kill mortals?”

“You believe he was telling the truth about that?” Prue asked.

“It makes sense,” said Piper. “He admitted to killing those people. He even seemed to be proud of it. It doesn’t make sense that he would lie about why he was doing it. So I’m thinking someone did hire him and they probably impersonated Grams so he wouldn’t find out who it really was. Remember, he told us this female warlock didn’t want the murders traced back to her. The best way to prevent that is to make the person you hire believe you are really someone else. That way if they come looking for you they’re actually looking for the wrong person.”

“That’s pretty smart,” said Prue. “Except we have no way to find out who hired him and why.”

“Maybe we do,” said Leo. “There might be someone who can give us some answers.”

“Who?” Prue asked.

“George,” said Leo, “her White Lighter. He would have known her even better than Prue did. And he would know of any supernatural events that you guys wouldn’t have known about. You didn’t know she was a witch, after all.”

“Okay, that makes sense to me,” said Prue. “Can you go talk to him for us? Find out if there’s anything he knows that might help us?”

“I can do better than that,” said Leo smiling.

Leo closed his eyes for several moments. He seemed to be thinking very deeply. Suddenly a figure orbed into the attic. When the orb was complete, a man old enough to be the girls’ grandfather stood three. He was balding and was dressed in a white-colored robe. He smiled at them.

“Hello, Leo,” said the man.

“Hello, George,” said Leo. “I’m glad you could come. This is Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell, the Charmed Ones. This is George Pouring. Your grandmothers’ White Lighter.”

“Hello,” said George, smiling at the girls.

[noazmale]

TWELVE

“So,” said Prue, “you were our grandmother’s White Lighter.”

“For many, many years,” said George smiling. “It’s nice to finally meet the three of you. Oh, I was around some while you were growing up. But Penny felt it was best if I didn’t interact with you. She was trying to protect you from demons.”

“That sounds like Grams,” said Piper.

“Considering how Grams felt about men,” said Phoebe, “I’m surprised she had a male White Lighter.”

“Witches don’t always get to choose their White Lighters,” said Leo.

“Leo, you sounded urgent when you called for me,” said George. “I assume you need my help for something. Something that involved Penny.”

“He told you that?” Phoebe asked. “How could he do that? He never left the room.”

“Telepathy,” said George. “All White Lighters can communicate with each other and with the Elders.”

“That is so cool,” said Phoebe, smiling.

“So, how may I be of assistance to you?” asked George.

They quickly filled him in on what had been going on. They showed him the athame the warlock had been looking for and of the story the warlock had told them. All the while George sat listening, no emotion showing on his face to betray what he might be thinking.

“That’s very interesting,” said George.

“Interesting?” questioned Prue. “Is that all you have to say is interesting? Grams was a powerful high priestess. You don’t honestly think she turned evil, do you?”

“I don’t really know what to think,” said George. “The last couple of years of her life Penny began to act very strangely. She began doing things that didn’t make any sense. I’m not saying it’s because she turned evil. I’m just saying she did things that weren’t in character for her.”

“Like what?” Leo asked.

“She began shutting me out,” said George. “I would ask her what she was working on and she refused to tell me. She even put an enchantment on the attic so I couldn’t orb into it. And she kept the attic door locked and carried the only key with her everywhere she went. She even had a special hiding place where she kept items of particular importance. Once she locked me out of the attic I wasn’t sure what she did with those items or what others she might have put with them.”

“Well,” said Prue, “we found her hiding place. That’s where we found the athame and the other items we told you about. But not much more than that. And it doesn’t get us any closer to the truth than we were before.”

“I see,” said George. “Penny was an expert of sorts on the Salem witch trials.”

“That’s what Jessica told us,” said Piper.

“All I can tell you,” said George, “is she suddenly became obsessed with it after seeing an article in the newspaper.”

“Which article?” Piper asked.

“I’m not sure,” said George. “She mentioned it to me but I never saw the actual article. At first all she did was write letters and make phone calls. Then she began to get very secretive about it all. She never neglected any of her responsibilities, but she spent every spare minute working on it.”

““We think she was tracking someone who was killing the descendents of the prosecutors from the Salem witch trials,” said Leo. “Whatever that article she read was it must have alerted her to whomever was doing the killings. Since there have been no more murders since Penny died we think she may have vanquished him or her before that.”

“That would make sense,” said George. “Although it does seem kind of strange. Penny never had much good to say about the prosecutors. She thought they were bigoted, narrow-minded people.”

“Yeah, I remember,” said Prue. “But their descendents are innocents. She would have protected them no matter what their ancestors may have done.”

“That’s true,” said George. “So, why don’t you show me what you have? Maybe we can figure this out together.

They showed all the items they had found hidden in the attic to George, including the picture with Grams in it. He carefully examined everything as if he were a forensic scientist trying to piece together a puzzle.

“That photo,” George said indicating the newspaper photo with Grams in the background, “it was about that time she became so secretive. Maybe that’s the article she read.”

“But what changed?” Prue asked. “There’s nothing in the article that might indicate who the killer is.”

“Nothing we can determine,” said George. “Maybe there was something Penny recognized that we don’t. She was an expert on Salem, remember?”

“Jessica thought the same thing,” said Piper. “That maybe there was something that tipped Grams off that might not mean anything to anyone else.”

“I remember Jessica,” said George. “She and your mother were very close. And they shared a lot of the same opinions. Except as I remember it Jessica disliked the Salem trials even more than your grandmother did. If there were something that tipped Penny off I’m sure it would have tipped Jessica off as well.”

“Well,” said Leo, “the athame isn’t much help. Other than the usual arcane writing there aren’t any identifying marks that might identify who it belongs to. If Grams took if off a warlock or demon there’s no way to figure out which one.”

“That’s unusual,” said George. “Virtually all of these types of athames have some type of identifying mark. Warlocks are notorious about wanting credit for what they do and whom they kill. But I can’t find anything that might be called an identifying mark.”

“If we just knew what it was that first made her suspicious,’ said Prue. “Then maybe we could figure out who’s doing all this.”

“What did you do with the rest of the items she kept in her hiding place?” asked George.

“Other items?” questioned Prue. “This is all there was. What other items did she keep in there?”

‘I’m not really sure,” said George. “She never let me see. I do know she kept other items in there. Especially when she became obsessed with this. But she refused to tell even me what it was.”

“There really wasn’t much more room in there,” said Phoebe. “It was just big enough for that metal box?”

“What are you talking about?” George asked. “The false bottom is much bigger than that. It would be able to hold a lot of items.”

“False bottom?” Prue asked. “Grams’ hiding place was under a loose board on the floor, wasn’t it?”

“No, it wasn’t,” said George. “That chest over there.” He indicated the chest where Phoebe had first found the Book of Shadows. “It has a false bottom in it. She used it to protect items she didn’t want found.”

The girls looked at each other and Leo. They had been through the chest several times. But none of them had thought it might contain a false bottom. Hurriedly, they moved to the chest and began to remove the items in it. When it was completely empty, George reached in and pressed on one corner. The bottom of the chest pushed up at an angle and he pulled it out.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “When you mentioned her hiding place I just naturally assumed you meant this. I didn’t know about that loose floorboard. But this is where she kept things that were very important to her.”

Cautiously, he began to remove items from the false bottom. There was a large black book, several robe-type items, two athames similar to the one they had found in the metal box underneath the floor, several candlesticks with black candles in them, and a small notebook. Leo and George looked at the items, a look of shock on their faces.

“What is all this stuff?” Piper asked. “Grams was a high priestess. Could this be some of the stuff she used for her rituals?”

“I hope to God they aren’t,” said George. “This isn’t possible. She was a witch. There’s no reason for her to have these.”

“Take it easy, George,” said Leo. “There must be a reasonable explanation she had these items.”

“What’s with you guys?” Phoebe asked. “You act like you’ve just seen a ghost.”

“No, not a ghost,” said George. “Something far worse. This could explain so much. Her obsession, the changes she seemed to go through, all of it. I can’t believe it.”

“Believe what?” Prue asked.

“Those items,” said Leo. “There’s only one reason to have them. They belong to the most evil of warlocks: a Dark Priest or Priestess. And George is right. There’s no reason for Penny to have them. Unless she had turned to evil. It looks like she wasn’t tracking someone killing the descendents. She must have been killing them herself.”

The sisters just stared at Leo and George in utter disbelief.

[noazmale]

THIRTEEN

“No,” said Prue angrily. “I don’t believe it. Grams could not have been a warlock. She was a high priestess for crying out loud. We lived with her every day of our lives. We would have known if she was evil.”

“Just like you knew she was a witch?” Leo asked. “Prue, I don’t like this any more than you do. I knew Penny a lot longer than you did. But I’m telling you those items could only belong to a Dark Priestess. That black book? It’s called a Dark Grimoire. It’s the spell book of a warlock. It’s similar to the Book of Shadows, containing all their spells, descriptions of creatures, everything they need. Those robes are their vestments that they use during rituals as are the black candles.”

“And the pendant,” said George. “An inverted pentagram. That’s the traditional symbol for a Dark Priestess. I could never understand why she suddenly sent me away like she did. Why she enchanted the attic so I couldn’t orb in or why she wouldn’t let me know what she was working on. If she had converted to evil it would explain everything. She knew she couldn’t kill me. All she could do was keep me from knowing what she was doing.”

“Wouldn’t the Elders have known she turned evil?” Phoebe asked.

“Not necessarily,” said Leo. “If she hid it from them she might have been able to keep it a secret for quite a while.”

“I’m with Prue,” said Piper. “Grams couldn’t have been a Dark Priestess. She cared about us too much. She did everything she could to vanquish demons and protect us.”

“Look at the evidence,” said George. “You keep the Book of Shadows on the pedestal in the attic. She did too for many, many years. Then one day she suddenly took it off the pedestal and put in the chest. There’s no reason for her to do that. And the items in the chest. Only a Dark Priest or Priestess would have them.

”And the murders of the descendents. They stopped the year Penny died. And there was no murder this year either. The warlock is still alive and if she had hired him to kill them, why didn’t he continue? You said he told you he didn’t know she had died. If that’s true, why did he suddenly stop killing?”

“Because the warlock who hired him didn’t show up with his payment,” said Prue.

“Which would have been the murder in 1997, not 1998,” said George. “But there was a murder in 1997. And Grams was still alive after that. If she had hired the warlock to kill them, she would have paid him like she did every year before. But according to him, she didn’t. How do you explain that?”

“I can’t,” said Prue.

“Stuart said that Grams stole some stuff from him,” said Phoebe. “Couldn’t that be the items she stole? The ones he came looking for? He didn’t seem interested in the athame. It was sitting out in plain sight and he was still searching the attic.”

“That’s not likely,” said George. “A Dark Priestess would have been comparable in power to Penny. Even if she had somehow managed to steal them, she would have destroyed them. And the warlock would have come looking for them immediately, not wait almost two years before he did.”

“Besides,” said Leo, “if that warlock was a Dark Priest, you wouldn’t have stood a chance against him. Especially the first time with Prue not here. You may be the most powerful witches in history but you’re still learning to use your powers. A Dark Priest has had decades to master their control. He would have just killed you and then kept looking for these items.”

“He did try to kill us,” said Phoebe. “We stopped him.”

“No,” said George, “that wouldn’t have stopped him. A Dark Priest without these items would be like the three of you without the Book of Shadows. Especially the Dark Grimoire. A Dark Priest will die before giving that up.”

“No,” said Prue. “I don’t believe it. I won’t believe it.”

“Leo told me you found a power-stripping potion after Penny died,” said George.

“Yeah, so?” questioned Piper.

“Don’t you see?” George asked. “There would have been no reason to strip your powers. She had bound them when you were little girls. The only reason to strip them would be to assure that you never got them. A witch wouldn’t have done that.”

“But you said a witches’ spells are cancelled when they die,” said Phoebe. “If she knew how sick she was she might have planned to strip our powers so that we’d always be protected from demons.”

“No,” said George. “She connected the binding to the Book of Shadows. Only she and I knew that. Even with her death the binding would remain in place by the power of the book. Only by finding the book and reading the incantation would the binding be released.

“The only thing to gain from stripping your powers would be to weaken the forces of good. To take away their most powerful weapon. The Power of Three. As her White Lighter, I was her only connection to the Elders. She would never have shut me out the way she did, especially if she were after a powerful warlock.”

“So why ask Jessica to help her find out who was killing the descendents if she were doing it herself?” Prue demanded. “If she were doing it she wouldn’t need Jessica’s help.”

“Because of this photo,” said George, picking up the newspaper article. “She was potentially exposed by this. I think when she saw this photo she realized that she might have left clues to what she really was. So she contacted an old friend on the other side of the country to check into it. Then she could take what Jessica learned and eliminate anything that might connect her to the murders.”

“But why go after the descendents?” Prue asked. “They didn’t do anything. Even assuming you’re right, and I’m not conceding that point, why go after innocents who had nothing to do with the Salem trials.”

“Remember what you were like a little bit ago?” asked Leo. “You were so angry you were ready to go after that warlock and rip him apart. You said yourself how much Penny despised what had happened in Salem. Her anger over something she couldn’t do anything about must have grown little by little over the years.

“Remember what I said about anger? Hold it in long enough and it turns to hatred. And then to evil. I’ve seen it happen. So has George. In fact, George has seen a lot more of it. He’s been a White Lighter for more than three hundred years.”

“That’s true,” said George. “I’ve seen some very powerful witches twisted and corrupted by hate. Corrupted so much that they eventually become evil and seek nothing but revenge for some wrong or imagined wrong. And I’ve seen it happen in mortals as well.”

“Not Grams,” protested Prue.

“Prue,” said Leo, “the only reason you feel that way is because she was your grandmother. You loved her very much, I know that. Think about it unemotionally for a minute. Look at the facts. Look at all the strange things she did, especially the last couple of years of her life. Can you honestly say that if this all applied to a complete stranger that you’d believe them innocent?”

Prue glared at Leo. He was right about that. If this had been anyone other than Grams she would have been the first to agree that the person had been corrupted to evil. But this was Grams they were talking about. Leo may have known her longer but Prue knew her better. She knew there was no way Grams could become evil, no matter what the evidence said.

“Prue, I’m sorry,” said George. “I knew Penny for almost fifty years. I’ve seen all the good she did in the world. How she raised you after your father left and your mother died. I’ve seen how she helped young witches reach their full potential. But the evidence is overwhelming. Despite how we may have felt about her, everything points to only one possible conclusion. Your grandmother was corrupted by evil and became a Dark Priestess.”

Prue just stared at George not knowing what to say.

[noazmale]

FOURTEEN

“Here you go,” said Leo, handing the athame to Jessica. “It’s just as you described. We found it under a loose floorboard in the attic.”

“I see,” said Jessica. “It’s a good thing you did. There’s no telling what damage this might have caused if the warlock had found it.”

“You’re sure you can remove the enchantment on it?” Leo asked. “I know those rituals can be very complicated.”

“Oh, quite sure,” said Jessica. “Penny and I came up with a special one once. Guaranteed to remove virtually any enchantment. When I’m done this athame will never again be used to steal a mortal’s soul. And I’m going to melt it down once the enchantment is removed. That will keep it from being used ever again.”

“Good,” said Leo. “But I do have some bad news. Since you and Penny were such good friends, I think you should know.”

“What is it?” Jessica asked. “You make it sound serious.”

Leo told her what they had discovered about Grams. When he finished, Jessica just looked at him.

“Penny turned evil?” she questioned. “I find that very hard to believe.”

“Well, Prue and her sisters don’t believe it, either,” said Leo. “But considering all the evidence we’ve uncovered there really isn’t another explanation. I wish it weren’t true. I’m sorry. I know you and Penny were close.”

“Almost like sisters,” said Jessica. “She was a very powerful witch and a good friend. It’s hard to imagine her evil. I think I’ll just remember her as I knew her when I lived in San Francisco. A very prominent force for good.”

“Well, I think Prue and the girls will eventually accept what happened,” said Leo. “I know how hard it is for them. They loved their grandmother very much. It’s going to take some time until they accept that she may have been corrupted.”

“She loved them, too,” said Jessica. “And if she were corrupted, it wasn’t her fault.”

“I know,” said Leo. “I’ll tell them you said hello.”

“Please do,” said Jessica. “And tell them to come for a visit some time soon. I have a few stories about Penny they might just like to hear. The Penny they knew and loved. It might make them feel a little better.”

“That sounds like a good idea,” said Leo. “I’ll tell them.”

Leo orbed out of the house heading back for San Francisco.

* * *

“Mind if I come in?” George asked Prue standing at the door to her room.

“You are exactly my favorite person right now,” said Prue, wiping tears from the corners of her eyes.

“I realize that,” said George. “But we still need to talk about this.”

“Where’s Leo?” Prue asked.

“He took the athame to Jessica so she can destroy it,” said George. “He just got back. He’s downstairs with Piper and Phoebe.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “I guess you can come in.”

George walked in and sat down in a chair across from the bed. Even considering all that had happened, Prue couldn’t help but like him. He seemed like a father figure to her. Since her father had abandoned them when she was very young, she really had very little to compare him with. But she imagined he was the type of man that a father should be like.

“I still don’t believe it, you know,” she said.

“I know,” said George. “It’s not an easy thing to accept. And I know how difficult this is for you and your sisters.”

“There has to be another explanation,” said Prue.

“I’d be more than willing to listen to any,” said George. “Any reasonable explanation that might explain everything. If you have any ideas, I’d like to hear them. I haven’t told the Elders about this yet. I know how they are going to react.”

“Why tell them at all?” Prue asked. “Grams is dead. What would telling them accomplish?”

“She was my charge,” said George. “I’m duty bound to inform them of something like this.”

“It doesn’t make any sense to me,” said Prue. “What good will it do?”

“Probably none,” said George. “I don’t always agree with the rules. But I do have to follow them. Just like Leo has to follow them. If one of you turned evil he’d have to report that.”

“Yeah, I guess so,” said Prue. “This whole thing is just so crazy. How could Grams be evil and I not know about it?”

“I don’t have all the answers, Prue,” said George. “I wish I did. I wish I could tell you this has all been one huge mistake. But I can’t. The only reasonable explanation is that your grandmother turned evil. I wish it weren’t true. And like I said, if you have another explanation, any kind of explanation, I’d like to hear it.”

“I don’t,” said Prue reluctantly. “But just because I can’t think of one doesn’t mean there isn’t one. You’re right about one thing. If this were anyone other than Grams, I wouldn’t feel so passionately that you were wrong. I’d probably agree with you. But this is about Grams. Other than you, I probably knew her better than any living person. I just can’t accept that she was evil.”

“People change as they grow older,” said George. “Not always for the better. Things happen that alter our judgments and perceptions. And as Leo said, the prosecutors of the witch trials were probably her least favorite people. Having that fester inside you for as long as it did her has to have some consequences.”

“But to go after innocents,” said Prue. “That just wasn’t like Grams.”

“No, it wasn’t,” said George. “Look at it this way. Once she turned evil, the Penny Halliwell you grew up with no longer existed. So in a way, she wasn’t doing the murders.”

“That doesn’t help much,” said Prue.

Suddenly there was a creaking sound in the distance. Prue looked toward her open door but saw nothing.

“I didn’t see Piper or Phoebe go by,” she said.

“No,” said George. “They’re downstairs with Leo as I said.”

“Get them now,” said Prue hurrying over to her door.

“Why?” asked George, looking worried.

“Because if they’re downstairs with Leo and you’re in here with me,” said Prue, “that means we have an uninvited guest in the attic. That creaking sound? That’s the loose floorboard where we found the athame.”

George hurried downstairs to get Piper and Phoebe as Prue headed for the attic.

[noazmale]

FIFTEEN

When Piper and Phoebe reached the attic they found Prue waiting outside. Leo and George were close behind. Prue looked at them and put a single finger to her lips indicating they should remain quiet. They could all hear someone in the attic but what they were doing wasn’t exactly clear.

Prue held up three fingers, then two, and finally one. She nodded at them and turned to the door. Using her telekinetic power she swung the door open and stepped inside, Piper and Phoebe close behind. Leo and George stood outside the door looking in knowing that as White Lighters they weren’t equipped for a fight. The girls were. As the girls stepped inside they all saw Stuart kneeling on the floor with his hand inside the hole where the loose floorboard was. He looked up at them startled.

“I told you what would happen if I ever saw you again,” said Prue.

She tapped into her telekinetic power but Stuart just held up his hand. Instead of throwing the warlock across the room as Prue had intended, her power passed around him harmlessly.

“Not this time, witch,” snarled Stuart.

Suddenly Stuart blinked and was gone. Prue rushed to the spot where had been kneeling, furious that he had escaped her.

“Damn him,” she swore. “I’m going to vanquish that warlock if it’s the last thing I do. And don’t give me any crap about vengeance or anything like that, Leo. This guy is really getting on my nerves. He’s been to the manor three times and managed to leave all three times unharmed. That’s not going to happen again.”

“No lecture this time,” said Leo. “That’s normal anger, not the rage you were feeling. Before I was concerned because the rage could consume you and turn you evil. I’ve seen you vanquish plenty of demons when you were mad without it corrupting you.”

“Okay, so what was Stuart doing here?” Piper asked.

“Obviously come to get the athame,” said Phoebe.

‘I’m not so sure,” said Piper. “He was frightened of us before. He even made that deal just to get out of here alive. Then he comes back with all of us downstairs? That doesn’t make any sense.”

“No, it doesn’t,” said Prue. “Especially after I told him what I would do if I ever saw him again. And another thing. He knew exactly where to look. How did he know about the loose floorboard? I put it back after Phoebe took that box out of the hole. But he went straight to it as if he knew exactly where it was. If he didn’t know where it was the first two times, how did he know where it was this time?”

“That’s a good question,” said George. “What I’m curious about is that power of his that seemed to nullify your telekinetic ability. You never mentioned him having that before.”

“He never used it before,” said Piper. “So if he had that power, why wait until now to use it? He could have used it against Phoebe and me the first time he was here. And he didn’t seem frightened of us this time. I find it hard to believe that anyone could become that much more powerful in so short a time.”

“They can’t,” said Leo. “It takes years or decades for power to increase that much. No one can increase that quickly. The human body wouldn’t be able to withstand that much power being introduced all at one time. That’s why it took generations to prepare you guys for your powers.”

“Something’s not right,” said Prue. “I’m beginning to think that Phoebe was right. That warlock wasn’t interested in the athame. There was something else he wanted. Maybe that Dark Grimoire and the other items we found in the chest. I know what you said. That a Dark Priest would die before giving them up. So I’ll ask you the same thing you asked me just a moment ago, George. What other explanation is there?”

“I don’t have an answer for that,” said George. “But I’ll give you the same answer you gave me. Just because I can’t think of an alternative doesn’t mean there isn’t one.”

“Fair enough,” said Prue. “Now, assuming that Grams had converted to evil, what is this warlock after? Why would he risk coming here with the three of us in the manor? He has to know this is where we’re the strongest. Leo, George, could this warlock be another Dark Priest?”

“I doubt it,” said Leo. “You have no idea how powerful a Dark Priest really is. You know how powerful Penny was. Just imagine that power but for evil. And while you have the Power of Three, you don’t have a spell prepared for it. That would make you vulnerable to him. He would know that.”

“And Dark Priests aren’t known for working together,” said George. “Both would insist on being in charge and you can’t have two bosses.”

“Phoebe,” said Prue, “I want a spell for this guy. One that will take care of him permanently. He left empty handed again. Which means he’ll be back for whatever it is he’s after. When he returns we won’t bother with anything else. We’ll just use the spell on him and vanquish him forever.”

“Right,” said Phoebe. “You want anything special?”

“No,” said Prue. “I just want it powerful enough to vanquish a Dark Priest. I’ve got the sneaky feeling that he’s watching us and laughing at us. When he returns I want to have that little surprise ready for him. You said the first time he thought our powers were still bound and that he was surprised you used magic against him. Well he’s really in for a shock when we hit him with the Power of Three when he comes back.”

“He’ll probably be ready for that,” said George. “He knows who the three of you are. And he doesn’t strike me as being particularly stupid. He has to be aware you’ll eventually use your full power against him.”

“We’ll worry about that when and if it happens,” said Prue. “But I’m tired of messing with him. It’s about time we took care of this guy permanently.”

Prue didn’t wait for anyone to say any more. She turned and headed downstairs. Leo looked at George and smiled.

“That’s the Prue I know,” he whispered to the senior White Lighter.

“Forceful, isn’t she?” questioned George smiling back.

“That’s how she’s kept this family together through all the bad times,” said Leo.

Together, everyone else followed Prue downstairs.

[noazmale]

SIXTEEN

“How’s it going?” George asked Phoebe who was still scribbling on a notepad.

“This is harder than I thought,” said Phoebe. “It’s not like writing a spell for a regular warlock. I’m just glad that Prue’s anger is directed against him. I’ve been on the receiving end of her wrath. It’s no fun, let me tell you.”

“So I see,” said George. “In many ways she reminds me of my wife.”

“You’re married?” Phoebe questioned. “I didn’t know White Lighters got married.”

“When I was alive,” said George. “I was human at one time, you know. You only become a White Lighter after you die.”

“Oh, yeah, right,” said Phoebe. “I had forgotten that. Leo said something about you being around for more than three hundred years?”

“Yes,” said George. “I was born in Virginia colony in 1542. I died during an Indian uprising in 1604. That’s when I became a White Lighter.”

“So you were around when Melinda Warren was alive,” Phoebe said.

“Yes,” said George. “I wasn’t her White Lighter but I did actually meet her once. Many years before the witch hunts, though. I never gave her much thought back then. No one did. She was just another witch in the fight against evil. We had no idea she would start what the three of you have become.”

“Well, hindsight is 20/20, so they say,” said Phoebe.

“That it is,” said George. “Your power is precognition, isn’t it?”

“Yeah,” said Phoebe, slightly annoyed. “The only one without an active power. And one I can’t even control. I can’t pick and choose when I get a premonition. It would be nice if I could.”

“You will eventually,” said George. “I understand it was the same way with Melinda. When she first got her power it worked much like yours does now. Over time, as it grows, you learn to use and control it better. Eventually you’ll be able to have a premonition at will.”

“That would be nice,” said Phoebe. “Sometimes I feel so useless. I see what’s going to happen but Prue and Piper usually do most of the work.”

“Don’t berate yourself,” said George. “Your power is very important. After all, Prue and Piper may be the ones in the thick of the battle. But without your precognitive ability none of you would know when or where evil was going to strike. Forewarned is forearmed. You’ve helped save a lot of innocents just by knowing when and where to be.”

“I guess so,” said Phoebe. “I guess it’s like Jessica. Without her we wouldn’t know as much as we do. It was fortunate she was able to see the warlock attack the first time and called us.”

“She always did like that ability,” said George. “Especially after she learned to control it. I remember many times warning her about using her powers for personal gain. But she just couldn’t seem to resist peaking in on people from time to time.”

“What do you mean?” Phoebe asked. “I thought her clairvoyance worked like my premonitions. She just had them when someone was in danger.”

“Well, at first that was true,” said George. “But like I said, as you grow older and gain more control over your powers you learn to use them at will. Jessica is about your grandmothers’ age. She’s had a long time to learn to control it.”

“Does she ever have visions without trying?” Phoebe asked.

“Yes,” said George. “If the danger is great enough. Just like your premonitions. Even after you learn to control them, you’ll still have premonitions spontaneously from time to time.”

“I see,” said Phoebe thoughtfully. “I never knew that. I just figured I’d always have to deal with having them just whenever they happened.”

“No,” said George. “They’re like any other skill or ability. You just have to learn to use and control them properly.”

“How’s it going?” asked Prue coming into the living room where Phoebe and George were.

“That’s exactly what George asked,” Phoebe said smiling. “Not so good, really. I’ve never written a spell like this before. It’s turning out harder than I first thought.”

“I know you’ll do your best,” said Prue, smiling back at Phoebe. “And I know you’ll come up with something. In the mean time Piper is working on a power-stripping potion. That should give us an edge over the warlock.”

“That’s a good idea,” said George. “Even if he’s a Dark Priest he’s still a warlock. A power-stripping potion should work quite well against him.”

“Why don’t we just use a power-stripping potion on everyone who attacks?” Phoebe asked. “We could make up a whole batch of it and keep it on hand. Then, when a demon attacks we just strip their powers. No muss no fuss.”

“Because you have no idea how difficult it is to make a power-stripping potion, sister dear,” Piper said, coming into the room, Leo close behind. “Besides, we couldn’t afford all the ingredients we would need to make a large batch of it. Some of them are very expensive.”

“And it doesn’t work against everyone,” said Leo. “Like all magic it has it’s good points and its bad points. Otherwise you wouldn’t need different powers. You could just use the same ones against everyone.”

“So I’m learning,” said Phoebe. “George also told me that I’d eventually be able to control my visions. I’ll be able to have them whenever I want.”

“That’s true,” said Leo. “It will just take time, that’s all. But one day you’ll be able to have a premonition on command, so to speak.”

“Just like Jessica and her clairvoyance,” said Phoebe. “It’s a good thing she had one of her visions when she did. If it wasn’t for her we might still be in the dark about what’s going on.”

“Yes, it is,” said Prue. “I’ll have to thank her for that. She’s really been a big help.”

“I just don’t understand why she had a vision to begin with,” said Phoebe. “George said if the danger were great enough they happen automatically. Piper and I really weren’t in that much danger the first time the warlock was here. Stuart acted like he was afraid of us and blinked out as soon as Piper used her power against him.”

“Well, he’s obviously more powerful than he let on,” said George. “It might be that’s what caused Jessica to have her vision.”

“Maybe,” said Piper. “But Stuart didn’t even try to fight back. He said he thought our powers were still bound and was surprised we could use magic, even though Grams was dead. Then he just blinked out. We really weren’t in any danger.”

“Really?” George asked. “That’s strange. If he knew Penny had bound your powers and that she had died, he would have known her binding spell would be cancelled. The only reason it wasn’t was because, as I told you, she connected the binding to the Book of Shadows.”

“Well, we know he was lying about a lot of things,” said Leo. “He was probably lying about that as well. Trying to make you think he was weaker than he obviously is.”

“But they have a point, Leo,” said George. “If he didn’t really try to fight them, they wouldn’t have been in any real danger. Why would Jessica have a vision if there wasn’t any danger present?”

“Maybe she was using her power to look in on the manor when it happened,” suggested Phoebe. “Maybe that’s how she saw what was happening.”

“She just happened to be looking in on the manor at the same instant a warlock attacks?” Prue asked. “That seems convenient. And if she was looking in on the manor, why didn’t she know Grams was dead? It’s been nearly two years. I would think after not hearing from Grams for so long she’d use her clairvoyance to look in and make sure everything was okay. George and Leo both said that she and Grams kept in touch regularly.”

“That’s right,” said George. “At least every couple of months they’d write to each other.”

“So how does she know about a warlock attack but not that Grams has died?” Piper asked.

“She said she couldn’t tell who was being attacked,” said Phoebe. “She only saw the warlock attacking and just figured it was Grams.”

“That’s not how her power works,” said George. “She was always amazed at how much detail her visions contained. She said it was often like watching a movie in crystal clear focus.”

“She lied to us?” Phoebe questioned. “Why would she do that?”

“She’s hiding something,” said Prue. “She knows more than she’s told us. And I, for one, would like to know what that is. Everyone, including George has told us what good friends she and Grams were. Almost like sisters. Now it appears she hasn’t been completely honest with us and may even have lied about what she knows. That doesn’t sound like much of a friend to me. Piper, finish that potion. Phoebe, do your best to get the spell done as quickly as you can. I’m going to check the Book of Shadows to see if I can learn anything. We’ll take Jessica up on her invitation to stop by for a visit as soon as we’re ready.”

“Forceful, isn’t she?” George questioned as Prue headed upstairs.

“Very,” said Piper.

“She reminds me of a charge I had during World War I,” said George. “He was a drill sergeant for the Marine Corps.”

“Oh, Prue would have made a great Marine,” said Phoebe.

They all just laughed as they set about preparing for their meeting with Jessica.

[noazmale]

SEVENTEEN

Prue called everyone into the living room. Piper had finished the power-stripping potion but Prue had insisted they wait until Phoebe had finished the Power of Three spell before they went to Jessica’s place. Even then she had spent an unusually long time in the attic going through the Book of Shadows. She had been mysteriously quiet about her reasons. Now, everyone sat in the living room waiting for her.

“Okay,” said Prue, “let’s make sure we have everything. Piper, you said you finished the power-stripping potion.”

“Yes,” said Piper, holding up a small vial. “It should do the trick.”

“Okay,” said Prue. “Phoebe should carry that. She doesn’t have an active power and she can’t orb like Leo and George. Now, Phoebe, have you finished the spell yet?”

“Just now, you know that,” said Phoebe holding up three sheets of paper. She handed one sheet to each sister. “It should work. I tried to combine a power-stripping spell with a vanquishing spell. Hopefully at least one of them will work.”

“Great,” said Prue, looking the paper over and then putting in her pocket.

“Prue,” said Piper, “what’s going on? Not even you are usually this anal when we’re facing a demon. What did you find in the Book of Shadows?”

Prue pulled out several sheets of paper from her pocket. She looked them over before saying anything.

“The Book of Shadows had quite an extensive entry on Dark Priestesses,” said Prue. “While it’s most common for a high priestess to be converted to evil, it’s not uncommon for a lower level witch to convert as well. Apparently, there are a number of examples where the witch just below a high priestess is the one that actually converted. It’s theorized that one cause is this second-in-command, so to speak, becomes jealous of the high priestesses’ position and authority. And this jealousy eventually leads to them turning evil.”

“Well, Jessica was one step below Penny in their coven hierarchy,” said George. “But she never seemed to be jealous. In fact she did everything she could to help Penny lead the coven.”

“I said that was one cause,” said Prue. “There can be others. Such as anger over some wrong done that the witch has no means to correct.”

“Like the Salem witch trials,” said Leo.

“Like the Salem witch trials,” repeated Prue. “George, you said that Jessica was even more fanatical of her hatred over the prosecutors than Grams was.”

“Yes, that’s true,” said George. “But she also said it was so long ago there wasn’t anything anyone could do about it. She rarely spoke of it unless someone else brought it up.”

“Prue, what are you telling us?” Piper asked. “That Jessica became this Dark Priestess?”

“Yes,” said Prue. “I think her hatred over the witch trials and being second to Grams in the coven pushed her over the edge. Helped turn her evil. I think Jessica impersonated Grams and hired that warlock to kill the descendents of those prosecutors. And I don’t think her clairvoyant vision was an accident. I think she was watching the whole thing using her power. When she saw us defeat her hired hand she decided to get involved herself.”

“Then why are the Dark Priestesses items in your attic?” George asked. “Penny wouldn’t have kept them. She would have destroyed them as soon as she found them.”

“What was it you said to me in my room?” Prue asked. “You don’t have all the answers? Well, I don’t either. But you said if I had any idea to explain what we had discovered that you would listen to me. That’s all I’m doing. Presenting a different scenario.”

“Yes, I did say that,” said George. “And I meant it. But so far you haven’t presented any evidence. Just your suspicions. We don’t have anything that might suggest you’re right.”

“That’s not necessarily true,” said Leo. “I didn’t think about it at the time. But when I gave the athame to Jessica, she said when she was done the athame would never again be used to steal a mortal’s soul.”

“So?” questioned Piper. “That’s what Stuart said it was enchanted to do.”

“Yes,” said Leo, “only I never told Jessica that. I only asked her if she was sure she could remove the enchantment on it?”

“So how did she know what it was enchanted to do?” Phoebe said. “She told us herself it was used to kill mortals but how did she know it was enchanted to steal their souls?”

“That’s what I’ve been wondering since it occurred to me,” said Leo.

“Not only that,” said Prue, “Piper and Phoebe said that Stuart thought our powers were still bound. He knew Grams was dead. He should have been ready for their powers. But he wasn’t. He was surprised they had any. So that means he believed the witch who bound our powers was still alive, meaning it couldn’t have been Grams if she was all ready dead, or….”

“Or,” continued George, “he knew the binding was connected to the Book of Shadows. And as far as I know only Penny and I knew that.”

“If they were such good friends,” said Phoebe, “Grams might have told Jessica. I know when I was in high school my friends and I use to tell each other everything. Even things we wouldn’t tell our families.”

“Exactly,” said Prue. “Now, I’m pretty sure a White Lighter isn’t going to give a warlock that kind of information. Which leaves only one person he could have learned it from.”

“Jessica,” said Phoebe.

“Yes,” said Prue. “If Grams and Jessica were as close as everyone says they were, Jessica would never have betrayed us like that. She would have thought of us almost as her own daughters. I’ve seen people who were that close before. I used to envy them because dad had left us. Betraying us would have been the same as betraying Grams. And someone that close to her would never had done that.”

“Unless she had turned evil,” said Piper.

“Precisely,” said Prue.

“Okay, if that’s true,” said Phoebe, “what does the date of the murders have to do with it? They don’t correspond to any of the dates the witches in Salem were executed. If Jessica was avenging the murder of those witches, I’d think she be using one of the dates of those execution. More precisely she’d probably use the date of the execution of her ancestor.”

“That makes sense,” said Piper. “But her ancestor was hanged on June 10th, not September 19th.”

“No he wasn’t,” said George.

“He?” questioned Prue.

“Yes,” said George. “Bishop was her married named. Her maiden name was Corey. Her ancestor was Giles Corey. He wasn’t executed. He was pressed to death trying to get him to submit to the court.”

“Giles Corey?” Phoebe questioned. “She said her ancestor was Bridget Bishop.”

“I guess that depends on your point of view,” said George. “Her husband, Robert Corey, was descended from Bridget Bishop so in one way you could say her ancestor was Bridget Bishop. But she herself was descended from Giles Corey.”

“That’s the connection,” said Phoebe. “Giles Corey was pressed to death on September 19th. The same date as the victims in the present.”

“One more point that indicates that Jessica is this Dark Priestess and it wasn’t Grams,” said Prue. “You asked for an alternate explanation. I’ve given you one. One that is at least as plausible as Grams being a Dark Priestess. Only I know it’s impossible for Grams to have turned. So it has to be Jessica.”

“Prue,” said Piper, “what you say makes sense. But it still doesn’t explain why you’re being so mysterious about our visiting Jessica.”

“The Book of Shadows also said that when a witch becomes a Dark Priestess,” said Jessica, “her power can increase. It can as much as double. If that’s true Jessica may be more powerful that we’ve been led to believe. If she’s working with Stuart, there’s no telling what we’ll be facing. Stuart is also more powerful than we first thought. But Jessica will be the one we need to watch out for.”

“Double?” questioned Piper. “That’s not good.”

“Now you know why I’m so anal, as you put it,” said Prue. “If she was one level below Grams in the coven, and if her power has doubled since she turned, she may be even more powerful than an upper level demon. I just wanted everyone to be prepared before we went there.”

“We appreciate that,” said Leo. “If you’re right and Jessica has become a Dark Priestess going to visit her could be very dangerous. Maybe we should think of something else instead of going to see her.”

“No,” said Prue. “I want to find out why she’s trying to convince us that Grams was a Dark Priestess. Why she doesn’t have the guts to confront us herself without sending her warlock lackey.”

“Okay,” said George. “If something goes wrong Leo and I can always orb you out of there.”

“Fine,” said Prue. “Now, let’s go get some answers from Jessica. And maybe put an end to a Dark Priestess in the process.”

Together the group orbed out of the manor heading for Salem, Massachusetts.

[noazmale]

EIGHTEEN

The group appeared in the same place they had appeared before. Ready for a possible attack, they found the room mysteriously empty. A quick search showed that the entire house was empty. Jessica was apparently not at home.

“This is odd,” said Piper. “It’s nearly midnight here. Where could Jessica be at this time of night?”

“I don’t know,” said Prue. “The shop she runs in town closes at five. But she has the athame back. She might be trying to reinchant it. So that Stuart can start using it again to kill the descendents.”

“If the enchantment was gone at all,” said George. “If Penny had it long enough, she would have removed the enchantment. But we don’t know how long she had it before she died.”

“Well,” said Phoebe, “according to the newspaper article, it looked like she had it in 1995. That would have given her two years to remove the enchantment.”

“But there were two more victims,” said Prue. “One in 1996 and one in 1997. If Grams had the enchantment, how could it have been used to kill those two victims?”

“It’s possible it wasn’t Penny in that photograph,” said George. “As a Dark Priestess, Jessica would have access to some pretty high level spells. Including one that could change her form. I suppose it’s possible that she assumed Penny’s form so that if anyone saw her they’d think it was Penny and not her.”

“So if Jessica was killing the victims,” said Leo, “where does the warlock fit in? I thought we had agreed that he was doing the killing.”

“They’re working together,” said Prue.

“Together?” questioned George. “That’s very unusual for warlocks. They don’t like to share power. Besides, they’re also serial killers. And from what I know of serial killers they always work alone. I’ve never heard of a single case where two of them worked together.”

“They may be serial killers,” said Prue, “but remember they’re killing the descendents of the prosecutors. Somehow I don’t think it has anything to do with revenge. I can’t explain it I just feel like there’s something else going on here than punishing the families of those people who persecuted the accused Salem witches.”

“That would make sense,” said George. “Warlocks, even a Dark Priestess, are interested in one thing. Power. Revenge isn’t something that’s likely to give them much power.”

“Uh, guys,” said Phoebe, peering through a door, “maybe you’d better come look at this.”

They all walked over and peered through the same door that Phoebe was looking at. It was apparently a stairway leading to the basement. Hanging from the top of the doorframe was what appeared to be some form of charm. It was made of silver and looked like an upside down pentagram with a circle in the center.

“Protection charm,” said George. “And from the looks of it a very powerful one.”

“Protection for what?” asked Phoebe, reaching for the charm.

“No,” said George, pulling her hand away. “Don’t touch it. If it is a charm it’s going to be enchanted. There’s no telling what will happen if you touch it.”

“Okay, so what do we do?” Piper asked. “If that’s a protection charm that means there’s something in the basement she doesn’t want disturbed. And with all the unanswered questions we have I’m betting we’ll get some answers down there.”

“Everyone move back,” said Prue.

They all moved back into the living room away from the open door. Prue tapped into her telekinetic power and ripped the charm from the spot where it was hanging. As the charm fell to the floor bolts of lightning shot around the doorway.

“Whoa,” said Phoebe. “Good thing I didn’t grab that thing. It would probably have fried me.”

“What now?” Piper asked.

“It’s probably safe to go down the stairs now,” said George. “That booby trap was designed to keep anyone from going down there. But we need to be very careful. Don’t touch anything down there. There’s no telling what other traps she has set up to protect whatever it is she has down there.”

“Maybe I should orb down there first,” suggested Leo. “Just to check it out. There’s nothing that can hurt me permanently. And I can make sure there aren’t any more booby traps set up down there.”

“Good idea,” said George. “Only let me go. I’ve had more experience with these types of things. You might not recognize a trap.”

“Okay,” said Leo. “If you get into any trouble, just call. I can orb you out if necessary.”

George just smiled and then orbed out of the living room. They waited for several moments before they heard him call from the basement. He told them it appeared safe and they should come down.

When they got to the basement they just looked around. The room was completely set up and appeared to be some type of study. A pedestal similar to the one on which the Book of Shadows sat, was in one corner. A large chest like the ones Grams had sat next to it. In the center of the room was a table on which sat the athame they had found in the floorboard of the attic. Next to the athame sat a small box that contained all types of papers and news clippings. Several books sat on bookshelves attached to the walls.

The most noticeable thing in the room, however, was a large cabinet-like item. It had two large glass doors on the front and appeared to be filled with more than two dozen glass orbs, each about three inches in diameter, each sitting on a separate stand. Seven of the orbs appeared to have some type of gas or mist in them and the mist swirled about inside creating a variety of colors. The remaining glass orbs were empty.

“Those are pretty,” said Phoebe admiring the mist filled orbs. “I wonder what she uses those for?”

“Soul orbs,” gasped George.

“Soul orbs?” questioned Prue.

“Yes,” said Leo. “Specially enchanted orbs that hold the souls of people. The multi-colored mist in the orbs? That’s someone’s soul. Now we know what she’s been doing with the souls the athame takes. She’s collecting them. But for what?’

“Some dark ritual no doubt,” said George. “I’ve seen orbs like these before but never one with a soul inside. They’re very rare. I’ve never seen more than two or three together at one time. I wonder how she got so many. These are not easy to enchant to hold a soul.”

“I had twenty years to prepare them,” said a voice behind the group.

They all turned to see Jessica and Stuart standing near the stairs. Stuart was holding the Dark Grimoire from the manor. Obviously they had gone back into the house and stolen it after the others had come to Jessica’s house. Jessica was holding another athame similar to the one on the table.

“And you’re right,” said Jessica. “They aren’t easy to enchant. That’s why it’s taken me so long to go after my victims. I needed enough of the orbs to hold all the souls.”

“What do you need souls for?” Prue asked, keeping a watchful eye on Stuart. “Are you going to torture their souls as punishment for what their ancestors did to your ancestor?”

“Revenge?” questioned Jessica, laughing. “You think that’s what this is about? I couldn’t care less about revenge. That all happened three hundred years ago. Any revenge I might try to take now would be misplaced.

“But this has nothing to do with revenge. It’s about power, pure and simple. I found a spell that will allow me to resurrect my ancestor. But in order to complete the ritual, I need the souls of all those who murdered him. Or a blood relative of those people. Once I’ve collected all the souls I’ll be able to complete the ritual and bring my ancestor back.”

“Giles Corey,” said Piper.

“I see you found out my little lie,” said Jessica. “No matter. You’re not strong enough to stop me. I knew about your powers being bound. Penny told me all about it. Remember, we used to be almost as close as sisters. Even after she died I knew your powers would remain bound until you found the Book of Shadows.

“Then, when rumors of the Charmed Ones began to circulate, I knew you had found the book. Penny used that book to protect the items she took from Palmer. She put them in that chest and put the Book of Shadows on top of them. We couldn’t get to them because we couldn’t touch the book.”

“That’s why she suddenly put the book away,” said George.

“Yes,” said Palmer, holding up the Dark Grimoire. “We didn’t know about that false bottom. And before these witches got their powers back the enchantment their grandmother had put on the attic kept either of us from getting in there to look for the items.”

“It wasn’t you, George,” said Leo. “Penny enchanted the attic to keep them out, not you.”

“That’s right,” said Jessica. “You may be the Charmed Ones but I know you haven’t had your powers long enough to really master them. And with the power contained in this Dark Grimoire not even you can stop us. We’ll get what we’ve been after all these years and there’s no one who can stand in our way.”

“Just what is it you’re after?” Prue asked. “Isn’t the power of a Dark Priestess good enough for you?”

“Oh, no,” said Jessica. “There’s a much greater prize than that. A prize so great that whoever finds it will be unstoppable. Not even the Elders will be able to stop me once I’m finished.”

“What could be that powerful?” Phoebe asked.

“The Tome of the Ancients,” said Jessica. “One book containing the sum total of the magic of those beings that were ancient before the first witch even appeared. Magic so powerful that whoever wields it becomes unstoppable. Magic that has been forbidden to mankind since before recorded history. And when I’m finished, that tome will be mine. And no one, not even the famed Charmed Ones, will be strong enough to stand against me.”

[noazmale]

NINETEEN

“That’s impossible,” said George. “The Tome of the Ancients has been lost for millennia. No one knows where it is. And I don’t see how resurrecting your ancestor is going to help with that.”

“Oh, it will help plenty,” said Jessica. “You see, Giles Corey wasn’t a wizard. That’s what they often call male witches back then. But he was a bit of an historian. Specifically, the history of ancient civilizations. With his knowledge he was able to piece together what happened to the tome.”

Jessica walked over to the books on the shelf and pulled out one of the books. It looked very old. She casually flipped through the book as she talked.

“After they murdered him,” continued Jessica, “the prosecutors packed up his belongings. Normally everything a condemned witch owned became the property of the state. But the prosecutors had little use for Giles’ personal belongings. They were packed up and stored for destruction later.

“But they never got around to it. After the hysteria over the witch hunts died down, one of the surviving victims sent the belongings to a relative of Giles’. Part of those belongings included this, his personal diary. Outlining his revelation that he had located the Tome of the Ancients.

“But it didn’t say where the tome was. Or how he had figured out where it was hidden. Without that information it’s impossible to duplicate what he did and locate the tome. There’s only one person who can answer the question of where the tome is hidden. Giles himself.”

“So you plan to resurrect him and learn where it is,” said Leo.

“Exactly,” said Jessica. “Once I have the tome I will be invulnerable. There are magicks in that book that make even the powers of the Elders and the Source’s pale in comparison. Palmer and I will rule both the Elders and the underworld together.”

“There’s just one little problem with your plans,” said Prue. “Us. We figured out what’s going on. And we’ve come to stop you.”

“Stop me?” laughed Jessica. “You think I’m not prepared for you? When you appeared in my home for the first time the other day I thought you had come to stop me then. I thought you might have figured out what was going on. I’ve heard you can be quite resourceful. Palmer and I were ready to kill you then.

“But as it turned out you didn’t know anything. So I steered you in the right direction. So that we could learn where Penny had hidden what she had stolen from Palmer. We needed the Dark Grimoire back to complete our plans. Not to mention the athame specially enchanted to steal the souls we needed.

“I used my clairvoyant power keep an eye on you. I saw you find that loose floorboard where the athame was hidden. I figured Penny had put the other items in there with it. But Palmer didn’t find them when he went back for them. That’s why he didn’t just kill you then, although he was quite capable of it. We still needed to know where the Grimoire was hidden.”

“You played us from the beginning,” said Piper.

“Of course,” said Jessica. “The Tome of the Ancients is too great a prize. I must admit I thought you’d figure it out sooner than you did. Especially after I made that little slip to Leo about the enchantment on the athame. But everything worked out fine. I knew I’d have to kill you before I could go ahead with my plans. You know too much. The next time one of the descendents was killed you’d have figured out what was going on. I’ll make your deaths quick and as painless as possible. I owe Penny that much for all those years of friendship.”

“We aren’t exactly unprepared ourselves,” said Prue. “Maybe we haven’t been fighting evil as long as you did but we’ve learned a thing or two since we got our powers.”

“You mean your little spell and potion?” questioned Jessica. “Yes, I know all about those. Being clairvoyant has certain advantages over other powers. Like knowing what your enemies are up to without them knowing. The magic in Palmers’ book makes your little preparations ineffective. I knew you’d be coming back here. Before you arrived Palmer and I both took a special potion. One that makes us immune to your potions. It won’t last long but it will last long enough to finish you.

“As for your spell, I’m afraid that won’t do you any good either. You see Phoebe prepared a spell for a Dark Priestess. Only I’m not a Dark Priestess. And Palmer isn’t’ a Dark Priest, either. When I learned the truth about the power evil can give you and decided to pursue it instead of good I didn’t gain the powers of a Dark Priestess. I wasn’t powerful enough for that.

“That Dark Grimoire belonged to Palmers’ master, a true Dark Priest. He made the mistake of believing I wanted to follow him, too. Now, we have his magic, I’ll soon have my ancestor alive to tell me where the Tome of the Ancients is hidden, and you will be out of the way forever. And I will take my rightful place as mistress of all magic. Those who don’t swear loyalty to me will pay for their insolence.”

Prue just glared at Jessica. If she were telling the truth then all their preparations went for nothing. The spell wouldn’t affect either her or Stuart. The potion would prevent them from stripping the powers of these two warlocks. Stuart had all ready proven he was more powerful than they had first thought. And it was a safe bet that Jessica was also more powerful than she appeared.

“Oh, you’ll try something foolish, I’m sure,” said Jessica. “You won’t believe that we’re protected against your magic. But you’ll learn that everything I’ve told you is true. Unfortunately it will do you no good. By the way, I must thank you for the idea of enchanting your attic to prevent Palmer from blinking out. I took the precaution of preparing this chamber in the same manner. Neither of your White Lighters can orb out of this room. And the little charm you had to bypass to get down here? It was real enough. But it was also a ruse. To make you think you were safe. But you really don’t want to try going back up the stairs again. You wouldn’t care for the results.”

“You can’t harm us, you know that,” said George. “We’re immortal. Nothing you do will have any permanent affects against us. And you can’t keep us prisoner forever. Eventually we’ll escape. Once we do you’ll never be able to complete your plans. We’ll make sure of that.”

“You’re wrong,” said Jessica, pulling a vial out of her pocket. “Concentrated Dark Lighter poison. Courtesy of a Dark Lighter who thought he’d share in the spoils. Someone else who underestimated me. You see I’ve thought of everything. I’ve had a long time to prepare for this eventuality.”

Jessica formed an energy ball in one hand.

“You survived Palmer’s attacks the first time only because he didn’t use his full power against you,” said Jessica. “We had to make you believe he was serious about attacking you without causing any serious harm. You won’t be so lucky this time. Palmer, use the spell we discussed earlier. That should make it quick and relatively painless for the witches. Then we’ll deal with the White Lighters.”

She turned back to the sisters.

“I would suggest you not try anything stupid,” she said. “Dying by energy ball takes some time and I understand it is quite painful. The spell from the Dark Grimoire will simply drain your magic. You shouldn’t feel much. It’s a much more desirable way to die. Trust me, it’s easier this way. Very soon you will be reunited with Penny. Give her my regards when you see her.”

They all watch as Stuart smiled at them and then opened the Dark Grimoire to cast the spell that would end their lives.

[noazmale]

TWENTY

As Stuart opened the Dark Grimoire and looked down to find the page with the spell he needed, the book suddenly burst into flames. Stuart screamed in pain and dropped the book as the flames engulfed his hands, setting them afire as well.

Jessica instinctively turned to see what Stuart was screaming at. She saw him screaming in agony trying desperately but vainly to put out the conflagration that was steadily spreading up his arms. She turned back toward the sisters intent on destroying them with the energy ball she held.

Prue reacted almost instantly. She reached out with her telekinetic power and took hold of the athame sitting on the table. Then she cast the dagger at Jessica. The weapon flew across the room embedding itself in Jessica’s chest all the way to the hilt. Jessica now began to scream in pain as flames erupted around her. Within moments the flames flashed and Jessica disappeared, the dagger falling to the floor.

Once again Prue used her telekinetic power on the athame sending it into Stuarts’ chest. He, too, died in the same conflagration that had vanquished Jessica. Piper quickly moved over and stamped out the flames that burned on the Grimoire. Then everyone turned looking at each other, confusion on their faces.

“What happened?” questioned Phoebe. “The book didn’t burst into flames when I looked through it.”

“I never thought I’d use what I learned in chemistry in college,” said Prue, picking up the athame.

“Chemistry?” questioned George.

“Yep,” said Prue. “I never cared for that class. But it was part of the required curriculum. So I did my best in the class and then forgot about afterwards. I never thought I’d have any use for it. Jessica wasn’t the only one who can set booby traps.”

“Wait a minute,” said Leo. “I don’t understand. What does chemistry have to do with this?”

“Did you know,” asked Prue, “that there are certain elements that, when you mix them together and expose them to the air, they become extremely volatile? I nearly set fire to the entire chemistry lab during one class. Boy, my professor was really pissed about that, too.”

“Is that what happened?” Piper questioned, picking up the still smoldering book.

“I just coated two opposing pages with each substance,” said Prue. “Then I closed the book. I knew the next time the book was opened they’d react like they did. And I used enough of both compounds to make sure the fire was a big one.”

“Pretty smart, sis,” said Phoebe. “I thought we were finished for sure. That’s why you just stood there when Palmer opened the Grimoire. I thought you might try to take it from him or something. Or that Piper would freeze him.”

“I couldn’t risk that Jessica might use that energy ball,” said Piper. “She said she was protected against our magic and I thought if I tried to do anything she’d just kill us.”

“At least this is all over now,” said Leo. “With Jessica and Stuart vanquished their plans died with them. George and I can make sure that all these items are destroyed so they will never fall into the wrong hands again.”

“I want to look through this,” said Piper, holding the Grimoire. “There might be something useful in it.”

“Only if you’re evil,” said George, taking the charred book. “Trust me, Piper, the only magic in this book is evil magic. Just looking through it might contaminate you. That’s why a high priestess destroys it if they get their hands on it. Leo’s right. All this needs to be destroyed. We have to make sure that nothing of it remains to tempt anyone else.”

“What about these?” Phoebe asked, looking over at the orbs in the cabinet. “You said they contained the souls of the victims. We can’t just leave them here like this.”

“Those orbs are actually very fragile,” said George. “We just need to release the souls so they can move on.”

“Everyone watch out,” said Prue.

Prue tapped into her telekinetic power once more and the doors to the cabinet flew open. Then the orbs inside the cabinet suddenly flew across the room, shattering on the far wall. The broken glass fell to the floor as the souls inside seemed to hover in midair for a moment. Then the souls simply faded from sight as if they had never existed.

“That should do it,” said Leo. “They’ll be at peace now.”

“Good,” said Prue. “Let’s get back to the manor. With Jessica and Stuart dead you should be able to orb out of the room. I’m going to build a nice big fire in the fireplace. And we have lots of stuff at the manor right now to feed it with.”

“I’ll join you in a bit,” said George. “I want to make sure we have everything.” He handed the Grimoire to Leo. “Make sure this is destroyed completely. When it is, take the ashes and scatter them somewhere where no one will ever be able to find them again.”

“Sure thing,” said Leo, taking the book.

“Come on, Leo,” said Prue. “Let’s get this done. The sooner everything is destroyed the better I’m going to feel.”

The girls all linked arms as Leo orbed them out of the basement. George began to systematically search the room, and then the entire house, to make sure nothing of the warlocks’ power remained.