Eternal Flame
part 20
"Wake up, sleeping beauty. Rise and shine."
Phoebe slowly opened her eyes, wincing slightly at the sudden pain that pulsed through her neck, aching throughout her entire body. Her attempt to bring a hand to it, was immediately put to a halt by a pair of tightly woven chains that secured her from behind. She fought against them, but to no avail, as the figure in front of her propped a hand casually beneath his chin, the other curling itself curiously under his elbow. She dropped her pretty face into a frown, as she calmly tilted her head up at him, pursing her lips together in a look of pure defiance.
"Oh. I know. I won't get away with it, and when you finally get out of those, you're going to kill me. How am I doing so far?"
"Pretty good, considering your lack of intelligence must already be taking a toll on any brain power you have left," she quipped.
"I could have left you for dead back there," he reminded her. "Don't forget it."
"No, but you need me, Wosret. And that's the only thing standing between us right now, isn't it? I'm necessary...wanted....for as many ways you can think of to rule the world."
"Are you questioning my authority over you?" he snapped roughly.
"It's the only thing you've got over me," she offered simply, shrugging as best she could.
"Maybe so. But we'll see how far you've really come a lot sooner than you think."
"Is that right?"
"See your sisters over there? All tied up and just as helpless as you are? They've actually been awake this whole time, doubled over with fear that something drastic had actually happened to you...."
"Too bad for them," she whispered.
"I'm sorry?"
"Yeah, I guess you should be. Because if your little love slave filled you in on everything, you would know that you can't possibly stand a chance in hell of winning."
"All we need is your blood."
"I'm not exactly donating to evil causes these days," she stated smoothly.
"Oh, but we're not asking. In fact, we evil-doers usually like to just take what we believe is rightfully ours."
"And you're awfully well-versed in the English language for a guy who spent his entire life ruling minions in Egypt back in his glory days."
"I'm a quick study."
"Yeah. I guess you are," she recited sarcastically.
He moved closer to her, his gaze falling over her features with great intensity, as he brought his lips no more than an inch apart from hers. Chuckling slightly, he instantly pulled away, clasping his hands together with careful precision. The wedding band still lay across his finger, her brown eyes tracing it with a profound sadness. "Does it bother you that I look exactly like him?"
"It doesn't matter," she added indifferently, her voice just placed barely above a whisper. "Because you're not the man I loved. You can look like him all you want, but you can never be him."
"And Celia said I once had a romantic relationship with her. Can you imagine me ever devoting myself to someone so selfish?"
"So you know," she mused. "Actually, I must also be extremely important to you for you to even be having this conversation with me. So you figure it out."
"Oh, you are," he reasoned. "Because you're the one I'm going to take first."
"And you're just a victim in all of this," she pressed. "Don't you get it? She doesn't give a damn. She's had her riches for far too long."
"And it all went to her head, did it?"
"Listen to me, if you-"
"No...Witch...you listen to me. Whether she knows it or not, I'm in charge here. There's no other way around it. What I say, goes."
"Then maybe you should start behaving like the leader you claim to be."
"And maybe you should stop flapping that incessant jaw of yours," Celia prompted, as she entered the room, a vial hanging loosely in her grip, as her doned an entirely different dress, it's shade of red captivating to the eye, as it trailed absentmindedly along the dirt floor. She placed her free hand calmly upon her hip, as she offered a brief stare at the three of them against the wall, the equally bright shade of red on her lips forming a slow smile.
"Or what?" Phoebe taunted. "You'll insult me to death?"
"You're lucky you're still alive right now."
"Okay. Can't we just call Piper...or something...and get her here...and this can all be okay again?" Paige hinted in the far corner, as she looked hopefully up at Prue, her constant efforts to escape ending in nothing but defeat. "She must have taken our powers or something, because I can't even orb."
"Piper doesn't even know we're here, and I don't really think cell phones work in Ancient Egypt," Prue quipped, as she let out a tired groan.
"But haven't you guys been in situations like this before?"
"How so?"
"Well, what about that guy with the seven deadly sins?"
"This is completely different," she protested. "And just between you and me, I doubt we're going to get any help from Cole anytime soon."
"But something's up with him....Wosret..."
"Like what? How evil is suddenly coming natural to him? He was born with that inclination. You can't just expect to shake it when you come back from the dead."
"I know that. But he's not even aware of what he's supposed to be doing," Paige objected, her voice cascading down to a small whisper. "Look at him. He's entirely confused."
"He looks pretty much-"
"No. He doesn't. I'm telling you something is wrong. And if I'm right, it means the spell backfired, and Cole is still in there somewhere yet. He can't be completely gone."
"Okay, let me get this straight. The minute we're actually bound at the wrists and pleading for our lives, you suddenly want to start playing detective?"
"Prue, I'm serious. Think about it."
"Yeah, and you don't know Cole like I do. You haven't seen him through the worst of times."
"Um...hello? Source? Of all evil? Big bad, wanting to destroy us, until we were nothing more than a speck of ash? Oh. Yeah. I don't know him at all."
"But that wasn't Cole," she reminded her. "Even Phoebe knew that...somewhere in her heart."
"And she still had to vanquish him. So you do the math on that one."
"Well, if it means my life is at stake, I'm going to do what I have to do," she countered.
"What happened to doing everything we can to try and save him?"
"It's Phoebe's decision, and if I know her, she'll want Alex and Melinda to be safe above anything else. And if that means..."
"I don't care what it means, Prue, he's family to us, and we should take that into consideration."
"Since when did you-"
"Silence," Celia snapped. "Did I command anyone to talk while I'm talking?"
"So just get it over with," Paige added. "Take our blood and get on with it."
"And you still think it's just so simple, don't you?"
"Well...yeah. At least, that's the way you guys are making it out to be. I mean, chop off a finger or two here, get some blood there...how hard can it be?"
"Let them loose."
"Wosret, my sweet, in case you haven't noticed, they're still a threat. Have you-"
"And in case you haven't noticed, I dumped you the day after we slept together."
"What?" she whispered.
"Oh, c'mon, Celia. Did you really think that I actually had real feelings for you? You were nothing more than a bet. Pharoahs didn't sleep with peasants, anymore than I claimed I loved you."
"You...you remember?" she breathed, her face growing crimson, as she took a step back from him.
"I don't know how you did it, or how you brought me back, but I gotta tell you, it's definitely been a pleasure."
"Wosret, you don't even-"
"Are you protected by these forces that love you?"
"I'm protected by my life," she hissed. "And nothing you say or do, is going to change my plan."
"Love, love, love....yes, to say I ever felt it would be an outright lie. Of course, you've already talked yourself out of it, so...tell me, dear Celia. Why is it that we're compatible enough to destroy the world together?"
"Because Celia is looking for what isn't there," a voice sounded to his right, as Xavier placed his presence in the ruler's view, his arms crossing themselves over his chest. "Because she still believes romance isn't really dead."
"Then someone must have filled her head with nonsense," he prompted, grinning. "Because as far as I'm concerned, she's still the peasant I first encountered years earlier, clothed in filth and never destined for prosperity."
"How dare you," she whispered. "After all I've done for you, you ungrateful bastard."
"Ungrateful? Really? Well, see, the way I look at, is my killing you...bringing me that bonus I needed to carry on with my mission. World domination and no queen at my side. Unless of course...the little Charmed One here wants to accompany me on my dutiful quest."
"In your dreams," Phoebe spat, her pretty face clothed in pure anger.
"I'd let you go, you know. You wouldn't have to be a prisoner under my rule anymore. You'd be free to sit right by my-"
"In your dreams," she repeated, blowing a long strand of brown hair away from her face.
"I warned you," Xavier told Celia, his lips pulled back in a tired smile. "I told you this was what would happen. But would you listen? Would you honestly think that for one second I could be bestowing upon you the ultimate truth that could just save you?"
"You never wanted to save me, Xavier. It was never about the power I'd gain from this. Your lying was never one of your positive traits, was it?"
"It's alright, Xavier. We won't need her," he assured him. "Trust me. You'll be answer to me, and we'll have a grand old time of it."
"Damn you both," Celia screamed, as she stomped her foot to the pavement below. "I cannot believe this. I was loyal to you. I spent every waking hour thinking of our life together. I put my faith in you, Wosret."
"In my world, faith ceases to exist," he whispered.
"No. This is not going down like this. You will love me!"
"And someone's throwing a tantrum," Xavier retorted.
She immediately picked her head up, snapping out of the mood as soon as it had come. Her eyes darted to her companion, as she quietly licked her lips, a soft chuckle escaping her. "You," she accused in a rather hoarse voice. "I knew it. I told myself....you wanted me dead so, Wosret could claim this throne alone. They weren't just suspicions, they were the truth. Weren't they, Xavier? You really would betray me like this, after I let you in. You would sacrifice the loyalty I gave you, just to see me on that ground, bleeding 'til your heart's content."
"You have that all wrong, Your Grace, and you know it."
"Do I? Honestly, I guess we'll never know. You have the girl, don't you?"
"She still resides in your chambers. I have not moved her since."
"Good."
"I be your pardon?"
"I said, good. Now I won't have to think too hard to find her." And with that, she quickly pulled back her hand, revealing a shiny dagger among its emptiness, tossing it directly to him. The weapon lodged itself right into his heart with no trouble at all, as she wiped her hands clean of the dirty mess, inspecting her work from a distance, as she shyly waved goodbye to him with a pair of nicely manicured fingernails. "So long, my friend. I shall hope to see you in hell when this is over."
The blue man exploded into a great many pieces, as he faltered instantly, his voice failing him to cry out, as the sword brought him to his knees, his hands going out to her in one last attempt to redeem himself for her cause.
"Why the hell did you do that? He could have aided us in our-"
"No, Wosret, he would have aided you in your gift for breeding chaos. Not mine. Don't fool yourself into thinking we can actually still work together now. You just lost your only chance."
"And I never had a chance, just as much as you never did...if not more. Matter of fact, you still don't."
"So help me, I will kill you with my bare hands," she whispered.
"Oh, but immortality is the most deadly weapon of all," he teased her, laughing softly to himself.
"Bring out the ceremonial knives!" she called out gleefully, as she eyed up the three witches again.
"Guess this means we don't survive to see this end," Paige mumbled quietly, as she took a deep breath.
"We can always say we tried," Prue offered hopefully, as she mindessly shrugged beneath the chains that held her, watching as several minions entered the lair with three gleaming utensils wrapped in a sacred cloth, their blades wiped clean from the last kill. They bowed their heads in response, as Celia accepted their gifts with a profound sense of impatience, easily holding one out to Wosret, as she took the remaining two into her other hand. He hesitated, his strong grip lingering directly above the object with a prolonged pretense.
"You do remember how to kill, do you not?"
He nodded, painfully, as he finally took it into his hands, turning it over with great curiosity, as he advanced towards Phoebe once again, the weapon now poised and ready in his grasp.
"Look, can't we just try and be friends?" she pleaded, shutting her eyes, as she prepared herself for the worst. "You don't have to do this."
"I'll make it quick," he promised.
"Kiss for good luck?" a voice asked, as a slender hand rested calmly upon his shoulder.
He turned around, immediately falling into Celia's lips, as she tightly pressed him against her, responding with a sudden urgency, savoring the moment for all it was worth. She reluctantly pulled away, a self-satisfied grin sparking her youthful features with a strange intensity. "See? Nothing to it."
"Yeah, and when you leave a girl all by herself in a room with her hands bound by ropes, you might want to consider the fact that there might be sharp rocks nearby."
Caught offguard, Celia was knocked to the floor by a fist connecting with her jaw, as her hands rushed to her face, fingering the spot with complete and utter surprise, as her visage became a complete mass of shock. "You little bitch," she snarled.
"Girl Scouts, grade school," Chloe Franklin proclaimed, as she easily placed a foot upon the other woman's chest, digging the toe deeper into her neck. "Besides that, you didn't exactly give me the best babysitter either. He got lazy, and what can I say? I got bored."
"You can't really expect to save them all," she choked out between gasps, as her fingers dug into Chloe's leg, fighting to regain her strength.
"No," Chloe considered. "But I see no harm in trying." She quickly threw a hand at The Charmed Ones, just as she was knocked off balance, a foot easily pulling itself out to trip her, sending her spiraling to the ground in a rough attempt, as she defeatedly fell beside her nemesis, groaning from the agressive kick that took her down. The chains fell off with little effort, as Phoebe flew at her target, tackling him with the weight of her body, as she fought him with all her might, getting in a few hard blows to his face, as she brought her leg up for a precisely executed roundhouse kick.
"I've got the minions!" Paige yelled.
"Oh. Great. Leave me with mummy dearest over there," Prue mumbled, as she situated herself in a fighting stance. "No powers....well, this should be good."
"And if you stupid little witches hadn't come in here to find him, I would have succeeded by now."
"Then you should've put a barrier on your own damn portal," Prue shot back.
"I was supposed to have him at my side. Me! Not you, or your sisters. He was going to be mine!"
"And you really thought you'd get him, acting like that? When was the last time you dated?" Prue quipped. "I mean, my guess is the stone age, but hey..."
Celia angrily tossed a series of bright yellow sparks her way. "I deserve more!"
"Oh, you mean hell? Don't worry, you're going there soon," she assured her.
"Not if I can help it." Straightening herself up, she wove a careful circle around her, chanting deeply to herself, as she positioned her hands to the sky, clenching them to her in a claw-like attempt, her eyes penetrating with a deep glowing blue, as her lips formed a growl. The dirt began to swirl around her in a wild dance, it's pattern displaying a bright orange ring of fire, her entire body beginning to crackle with a pulsating form of red energy. "What has erupted, will end in flames, I seek out the victims, who shall take the blame. Let the wall come down, with no better grace, let hell on earth, leave its trace. What cannot be undone, let its toll remain, seek out the guilty, refrain from the sane." She recited the words once more, letting their importance seep into the space around her, her hair turning vibrant, startling shades of white, as she continued to chant, her frame of vision remaining oblivious to everything around her.
A piece of stone from above began to crumble, as Prue ducked out of the way just in time, the rubble beginning to take form at her feet, as the lair comprised itself of a rapid form of destruction, pieces now flying about in every direction, as a deep wind took its place among the debris, weaving in and out of the rocks with great expertise.
"You son of a bitch," Phoebe snapped, as she threw another punch.
But her hands were soon caught and held into place, as her pursuer shoved her up against the wall, her back feeling the sharpness behind her, as she let out a painful scream. Her arms were carefully pinned back, even as she continued to defy him, using the last ounce of strength she had left.
"You'd really keep this up for a man you believe yourself to be in love with?"
"I wouldn't expect you to know the slightest thing about real feelings," she stammered through closed teeth, as she butted heads with him, sending him backwards, as she took in a kick to his chest, once again gaining on him, as she dove in for another.
"Do you know what it feels like to be dead?" he whispered. "I know it better than anybody or anything."
"Oh, build me a bridge," she deadpanned, breaking free from his hold, just as he pulled her agressively to the right, a large piece of stone falling in their place, its weight having been enough to kill them both. She stared at him long and hard, as she caught her breath, her chest rising and falling with extreme intensity, as she tried to speak, a hand going to her stomach.
"You haven't given up on me already, have you?"
"Why did you do that?"
"What?"
"You saved my- why...."
"I-"
"I saw you. You pushed me out of the way. Why?"
"You don't know what you're talking about," he countered.
"No? Well, come to think of it, I'm still going to kick your ass, so what difference does it make?"
"A lot," he whispered.
"Huh?"
But she didn't get to finish. He shoved a fist into her side, just as she kicked his feet out from under him, sending him beneath her, as his back hit the pavement with a loud thud.
"If you were smart, you'd have finished her by now," Celia hissed, as a firm hand enclosed itself over Phoebe's neck. "But if you won't, I will. Time to say goodbye, little witch."