Eternal Flame
part 9
"It's gone. We waited too long, and now it's gone," Paige Matthews retorted angrily, as she kicked a fairly small mass of pebbles with her foot.
Melinda looked thoughtfully up at her aunt, as she gently put a hand reassuringly upon her arm. "But it's a passage," she declared brightly.
"It was custom for the tombs to be composed of chambers," Cole explained, as he knelt down closer to the ground, rubbing a fresh dust-like substance between his fingers, immediately scraping it off, as he wiped a hand lazily upon his jeans. "Someone's been here. Whether they actually had a motive in mind, or were merely trying to destroy the place for the petty sake of destroying history, remains to be seen. This is still fresh."
"It's a cave," Paige quipped. "Not a-"
"The wreckage indicates otherwise," he pointed out. "It could have easily been demolished, as soon as the body was laid to rest. Grave robbers usually came by the numbers for treasure. They sought out wealth, and could've cared less about who the hell they killed in the process. Not to mention what mummified corpse was subjected to their malice."
"The Egyptians believed in the afterlife," Phoebe noted, looking up at him. "I mean, wasn't that how it went? They believed they'd see themselves return, quite possibly in a different form."
"The only afterlife a lot of these rulers probably saw, was the pits of the Inferno," Cole mused.
"And as we already know from you, they can make a person pretty touchy," Paige added.
"I am not touchy."
"Well, not now. But give it a few hours."
"Daddy, Miss Franklin said the Egyptians also preserved their animals too," Alex whispered to him excitedly.
"Miss Franklin would be correct," Cole told her, exhibiting a short grin to the teacher in front of him. "They also wanted to be buried with their possessions, because they believed those would be with them in their second life too."
"So who was buried here?" Catrina spoke up. "Sorry, Mr. T, but I'm not feeling any death-like vibes in this place. It's damp, and musty, and hardly the spot we'd find anything still intact."
"Catrina, did you know there was an alternate ending to The Goonies film?"
"Mr. T, you're joking. There was no-"
"At the end?" Cole recited, bending down to her level, his eyes meeting hers.
"What?" the little girl returned curiously, as she opened her mouth out of complete shock.
"They were all eaten by an invisible monster. Bet you never knew that, did you?"
Paige struggled to hide a smile, as she hit him roughly upon his arm, quietly rolling her eyes, as she averted her gaze from the first grader.
Catrina eyed him suspiciously, crossing her arms over her chest. "Was that the alternate ending?"
"I'm joking, sweetie."
"Of course, if there was one, daddy would find it right away," Alex noted hopefully. "He's an expert on monsters."
"And I kill them," a voice hissed through the air, as Cole felt a hand collide with his spine, as he was roughly beat to the ground, immediately falling right into the piles of dust at his feet. Turning over onto his back, and wincing from the deep pain, he tried to get a long hard look at his pursuer, as his hand formed a bolt of lightening within it, his strength faltering as he tried to focus his aim. With a quick roundhouse kick, the opponent was knocked beside him, offering a fairly loud groan, as Phoebe stood above him, still executing her fighting stance.
"For a woman, you pack quite a punch," he hissed angrily, struggling to regain his sense of balance.
"Make no mistake," Phoebe whispered, as she quickly knelt down beside her husband, an instant bout of worry clouding her brow, as she gingerly placed a hand to his cheek, her eyes threatening to falter. "Cole?"
"I'm alright," he assured her, gently placing a few fingers upon her arm. "But since this trip? I've had better days, believe me. Dammit..."
Phoebe smiled, as she let out a sigh of relief, rising to her feet once again, her hands finding her hips, as she studied their unprovoked assailant. He was a man draped in a long robe, his clothing beneath it nothing more than a thin white ensemble, his dark hair hanging wildly about his shoulders. His green eyes bore into hers with an undisclosed menace, as he formed a determined frown upon his handsome complexion.
Placing his foot directly on the man's chest, Cole narrowed his eyes at him, his mouth set in a tight line. "Who the hell are you?"
"Who do you want me to be?" the man quipped, as he choked slightly from the forced impact.
"Your name?" Paige countered. "I mean, that's if you even have one. Aren't you just the rebel without a cause."
"Hey, I can handle this," Cole snapped, glancing at her, a bit perturbed. "In case you forgot, this guy seems to be holding a personal grudge against me in particular."
"Oh geez, why ever would that be?" she added sarcastically, rolling her eyes in his direction.
"He's a good person," Alex put in, staring wide eyed at their captive.
"Yeah, and he works with us," Melinda added defiantely.
"Isn't there a better approach to this?" Chloe spoke up. "We don't have to show so much violence towards him."
"You're new to this, aren't you?" Paige offered. "I mean, hey, it's just a guess..."
"Look, why did you attack him?" she asked him, ignoring her. "There must be some-"
"There is," the stranger replied. "He must be destroyed."
"And that's it? Just like that?"
"I can sense his evil. He's not one of you. He's tarnished many a village in his day. I can feel it. His remorse extends beyond the boundaries of the soul, yet he holds onto that which has harmed others."
"Anyone needing a translation here?" Phoebe asked lightly, raising a hand.
"He knows what Mr. T was like with his demon part," Catrina sided, nodding. "When he was dead set on his evilness."
"Who are you?" Cole asked again.
"I am the man who will be doing you a favor."
"Okay, can I kill him now?"
"Hey, I'm all for it," Paige responded. "Afterall, he could just be a demon. I mean, whose to say he's really all that innocent, right? I mean, apart from being so dangerous already?"
"Your sin is my ticket back to this world," the man sneered. "I will not rest...I can't rest...until I have taken them all."
"All of what?" Phoebe returned, her expression drawing a blank.
"The tokens of the damned," he explained rather hoarsely.
"Then I guess we now move on to who sent you," Cole started, tightening his hold rather quickly.
"I work alone. I seek out those you-"
"Yeah, look, we've heard it all before- so now would be your time to save it for somebody who actually gives a crap," Paige retorted, throwing him a cruel smile.
"Your hands reek of demonic influence," he noted, still focusing his full attention upon Cole.
"And so do yours," Chloe challenged him. "I mean, you're the one who's killing all of them, aren't you?"
"Are you implying that he's actually still human? That's a ridiculous story, if I ever heard one."
"No, what's ridiculous is how you won't even tell us who you are, let alone how you know who he is," Phoebe told him, indicating Cole with a brief gesture of her hand. "Start talking, buddy."
"And who exactly might you be?" he inquired, throwing her a soft smirk. "Judging by your kickboxing skills, you're obviously a black belt."
"Oh. No. See, I'm actually a bit rusty. Which means...given some time, I could probably kick your ass completely."
"Nicholas Merrick," he drawled, reaching out a hand.
"Phoebe," she replied simply, as she hesitantly took a step back.
"And you would be Mr. Cole Turner. The Cole Turner who previously wore the name of one of the baddest demons in all the land."
"Belthazor," Phoebe filled him in.
"Right. As a matter of fact, you've got one extremely pissed off chick looking for you. Ran into her myself a few miles from here-"
"Wait. The crazy mummy chick?" Paige asked, tilting her head to one side with a renewed interest.
"Mummy chick?" Nicholas returned, confused, as he shot her a glare.
"Why'd you drop the accent?" Phoebe countered, crossing her arms over her chest.
"Accent?"
"He's from America," Cole offered, absentmindedly shrugging, as he lifted his foot. "And he's a mortal who takes pleasure in getting in our way."
Impatiently dusting off his wardrobe, Nicholas coughed slightly, as he slowly got up, reaching for the small pocket knife that lay beside him, consumed within the dirt.
"That...stays there," Cole replied, his voice low in his throat, as he calmly covered it with his shoe, nearly crushing the other man's fingers in the process.
"Look, I'm not working for her, if that's what you're going to imply. I-"
"Then how'd you get here, and where did you get the clothes?" the former half demon questioned.
"Same way you did, probably. A portal."
"Oh really? Well, if I recall, demons don't just open their portals to anybody. Needless to say, a worthless human."
"I told you. I'm on your side. I kill dem-"
"Even if they're good?" Cole interrupted, picking up the knife, touching it calmly with his fingertips, as he kept his gaze trained on the stranger.
"Does it matter?" Nicholas objected, nervously watching him with big eyes.
"More than you probably know."
"You can't just keep killing because you believe you're doing the world some good," Chloe spoke up. "It's almost like harming innocent people who have-"
"You say you can sense things," Cole cut her off, as he kept his blues trained carefully on the dark-haired man. "How?"
"Is this the lawyer in him again?" Paige whispered to Phoebe. "Surprising to say, he's really....good at this."
"Well, a hundred years and counting," Phoebe reminded her, pursing her lips.
"A gift?" Nicholas proclaimed, his hands clenching in and out of tight fists.
"You're an empath," Paige reasoned then, as she pointed an accusing finger at him, nodding her head in constant agreement with her statement.
"Daddy, what's an empath?" Alex asked, her eyes travelling up to her father's with a tremendous bout of confusion.
"Isn't it when they can see emotions?" Melinda threw in.
"They can read them," Cole answered. "So if he's not a demon...."
"Nope. Never in my life," Nicholas insisted. "But you know...redemption is still a long way off for you. You may think you've conquered everything...became a man in the process. But the truth of it is, you're only halfway there."
"So, what? You tell fortunes now too?"
"Turner, you're still made with guilt. Your road to redemption was closed the minute you got here."
"And again, I still can't quite place how you heard-"
"That woman you all talk about? I think she's the crazy one the redhead knows. Because I've crossed her path once, and I don't intend to again."
"Oh, see, now that's where I beg to differ," Cole countered, clasping his hands neatly together in a casual manner. "Because I was just thinking that you could take us right to her."
"No way, man. No can do. Sorry. But you know, I wish you the best of luck and all. I hear she only tortures someone for half the time if they're nice to her."
"Is that right?"
"You talk too much," Catrina sided, looking up at Nicholas with a curious grin.
Cole struggled to hold back a smile, as he knelt down beside her once again, placing a hand gently upon the small of her back. "Catrina?"
"Yes, Mr. T?"
"Can you, um, please let me finish this by any chance?"
"Are you interrogating him?"
"Something like that."
"But you're not a cop. How can you do that?"
"We also shouldn't place our own faults on other people."
"What faults? I have faults?"
"Besides, you're not the one I was really after, anyway," Nicholas put in. "I mean, I sensed you more or less last minute...thought I'd move in for a fast kill. But the woman....she's the one with the potential."
"I...hope you're not talking about my wife," Cole offered, as he slowly brought himself to his full height, his eyes lingering lightly upon the ground.
"Well, I don't know," Phoebe added. "Now that he mentions it..."
"I mean....the blonde. Stoneage Barbie over there?"
"Chloe?" Paige asked, clearly perplexed. "What would you want with Chloe?"
"She has no idea who she is, does she?" he stated.
"Who I am?" Chloe repeated. "No. See, I think you must have me mixed up with someone else. I'm a teacher from San Francisco. I don't-"
"You're also the one woman who is entitled to stand beside the crazy woman herself. And sad to say, she knows it."
"What? You mean, like a battle?"
"Once you join forces with the witches, anything is possible."
"What are you talking about?" she asked again.
"Piper," Phoebe whispered.
Nicholas nodded. "You're one short."
"They know this?" Cole said quietly. "It's been proven?"
"In more ways than one, according to.....geez, what the hell was her name...."
"Drawing a blank?"
"Either way- she claims it, and I can sense it. It's altogether true."
"I just got my teaching degree. Trust me, I'd know if I had anything remotely-"
"Take or leave it, you've got it," Nicholas mused.
Cole frowned. "How about you try and show us where she lives now, hmm?"
"Didn't I just tell you that's beyond my control?"
"So make it within your control."
"Look, Turner, with all due respect, I just can't fathom why you want to play the big strapping hero all the time. Truth be told, it just doesn't suit you."
"Merrick, you've got five seconds to get moving."
"Threats," Paige sided. "Now we're talking."
"You might want to let your lady friend test her capabilities."
"Yeah, see, it's all just a little too weird for me," Phoebe uttered. "Because as far as I know? There are only three most powerful witches living in-"
"I'm not saying she's the most powerful," Nicholas added. "I'm just saying she's got it. Far as I know, you don't have to be a Charmed One to save the world."
"How did you-"
"Like I said, I know more than you think."
"And you're really only just a mortal?"
"Last I checked, I couldn't get myself to branch out in demonic form. So you do the math."
"We're here with a motive in mind," Cole told him. "It revolves around a curse. A very-"
"That curse may just be the key to your undoing," Nicholas observed plainly, throwing out a nervous chuckle.
"This is definitely way better than tv!" Catrina claimed, raising her voice, as she eagely looked towards him for more. "This is the best vacation ever. It just keeps geting even creepier, doesn't it?"
"Who is that?"
"Oh. Nevermind her," Cole sighed, absentmindedly wincing. "She's been plotting against me since we met."
"Are you mad, Mr. T?"
"No. I'm not mad, Catrina."
"Then can we try some spells and stuff? Because I really want to see how all of this magic stuff really works. Can we, please?"