Disclaimer: Everything belongs to Laurell K. Hamilton, Jim Butcher, J.K. Rowling, The Berkley Publishing Company, and the creators of Charmed. Nothing belongs to me, this is just a parady for your entertainment.
Rating: R for possible violence and language.
I was sitting behind my desk in the study, glancing through my spell books. Finding the reason for Falcor's behavior was simple, now here comes the hard part. I was looking for the spell or potion that would change him back or vanquish him for good. Depending on how long he's been a dream demon, will depend on whether or not he could be saved. Chances were he couldn't be saved, so I'll have to vanquish him to the underworld. To bad Kash wasn't around, I could use her guidance. Tam didn't have much to say on the issue after we learned what I was dealing with. She just said good-bye and that she would talk to me later. Richard had left with Jamil and Jason an hour ago to get some supplies I needed from one of the herbal shops down town.
Lost in my own thoughts, while glancing at the Book of Demons, I didn't realize someone was banging on my door. The yelling was what brought me out of my trance. I got up to go to open the door, when the banging had gotten louder.
"Hold you shorts on. I'm coming," I yelled.
The knocking stopped and I heard soft whispering out in the hall. My mouth went up into a smile at the three voices. I knew immediately who they were and said to myself, 'they had good timing.' Opening the door to three smiling faces, which belonged to Sarah, Sarai, and Chessire. They had been extremely quite here lately and I've been wondering how they've been.
"Hey guys, how you've been," I asked.
They all shrugged and said in unison, "Ok."
I leaned up against the door and asked, "What brings you my way?"
Sarai and Chessire glanced at Sarah with eager looks, then pushed her forward. They obviously wanted something or they wouldn't be here.
Sarah cleared her throat and answered, "I need a few ingrediants that I'm out of."
I raised an eyebrow and replied, "Exactly which ingrediants do you need and I'll see what I can do."
I was expecting a small list, but Sarah pulled out this huge scroll that fell toward the floor. She handed it to me with a smile and I took it from her, trying not to laugh. I stood back and motioned for them to come inside. Once they were all in, I shut the study door and walked over to my desk. They followed me over and stood around it, watching me glance over Sarah's list. I sat down in my chair, then conjured up three more for them. Sarah sat down in hers with a smile, Chessire was awe strucked with hers and decided to jump into it, just to see if it was actually real. Sarai was skeptic about the chair for her and tried to move away, but Sarah and Chessire grabbed a hold of her, pulling her down into the seat. When Sarai realized it was safe, she sighed in relief. I hid my smile behind the parchment in my hands.
Looking over the contents, I noticed that Sarah needed a little bit of everything. She needed Abyssinian shrivelfig, which needs to be peeled. Armadillo bile, which is used for a Wit-Sharpening potion and why she would need that was beyond me. I'm going to have to talk to her teachers on that one. Root of ashpodel, the powdered kind. Bezoar, which comes from the stomach of a goat and protects from most poisons. Sarah also had on her list daisy roots, frog brains, horned toads, Jobberknoll feathers, and the list went on. I gave her a curious stare, which she returned with a smile. I smiled back and got up out of my chair.
"So Alex do you have what I need," she asked me.
I moved toward the lab and stated, "I'm not sure, let me go check. You three stay here and don't get into anything."
"Ok," they all chimed in at once.
I took off the wardings and spells to my laboratory and slipped inside. Looking around the shelves for the ingrediants on the list, I decided to call the teachers at the school. Making a quick fire, then calling out to the teachers of McGregar's school of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Their heads appeared, not long after I called them. We discussed the potions list and after a few moments of talking with each one, I knew which one's that Sarah needed and which one's she didn't. After saying good-bye to them all, I filled her order and was about to go back into the study, when I heard low whispers coming from the other side of the door. I shook my head and disappeard from the lab and appeared into the study, making sure my invisibility spell was working. I was able to watch them for sometime without them noticing me. Apparently the spell had worked, cause none of them noticed I had returned. Sarah had moved to my chair and was flipping through the books on the desk, while Chessire was browsing around the books on the upper level. Sarai was just sitting there, talking to Sarah and telling Chessire about them not playing around with the books. They don't know what will happen or when I might return from the lab.
"Alex won't mind. She let me look at them before," Chessire stated.
"Only because you were being supervised at the time," came Sarai's reply.
"Hey guys, wonder what Alex was going to do with this book?" Sarah announced holding up my demons book.
That peaked Chessire's interest and she ran over to take a look. "Ooh, maybe she's going to call a demon. wonder if we can watch," she said all to excitedly.
I rolled my eyes, then smiled evilly. Pointing my fingers at the door, causing it to open silently, then slammed it shut with a loud bang. The girls jumped, then ran back to their seats as if nothing happened. They haven't caused any trouble, yet, so I let them slide for the time being. Going over to them with the bag of ingrediants in my hand, I smiled brightly at them and they smiled back.
"So did you have what I needed," Sarah asked with hope in her eyes.
"I had most of what you needed, but not all," I replied and handed her the bag.
She took it from me, then said, "Ah ok. Thanks for what you've given me. I appreciate it."
"Your welcome Sarah. If you don't need anything else, I would like to get back to work. I have alot to do," I stated.
They just sat there and stared at me, making me wonder what they were up to. "Ok guys what are you three up to?" I asked.
Sarah shook her head and answered, "Nothing we were just wondering why you had a demons book on your desk."
I frowned at her and said, "I'm trying to solve a problem."
"Really, maybe we can help," said Sarah hopefully.
I shook my head and answered, "I don't think so Sarah, this is out of your league and it's to dangerouse."
She dropped her head and replied, "Oh ok, but if you need help you know where to find us."
I smiled and said, "Thanks."
She smiled back, then got up from her chair. The other two followed suit and I let them out of the study as we said our good-bye's. The hallway was dead silent and I wondered where everyone was. Shrugging my shoulders, I went back to the task at hand, trying to find the potion or vanquish spell that was needed. No sooner had I sat down did someone came flying through a portal, to land on top of my desk. Colter Gravits was pulling himself off the frame, when an arrow went speeding by, nearly missing my head. I glanced over Colter to find a figure coming out of the portal. Shit, this was a way to spend the day. A demon knight came strolling in with a cross bow and wearing nothing but black leather. His head was bald with a tattoo covering it.
I threw my hand forward, causing a fire ball to hurl across the room at the black knight. It hit him square in the chest and he went up in smoke. Once he was gone, I sealed the portal shut and destroyed it. Colter had sat down in one of the chairs, throwing his feet on top of my desk. I glared at him and tapped my foot, while he just sat there with a smile on his face.
"Hey thanks for the help, Alex," He said.
I glared at him that much harder and kicked his feet off my work bench. "What the hell was all that about?" I asked.
He started to fidget with his clothes, while glancing behind the chair, then looked up at me. "You mean that?" he replied pointing at the place where the black knight was last standing.
I crossed my arms and eyes at the same time and said through clenched teeth, "That's what I was refferring to."
He shrugged and continued with his annoying habit of playing with things. "Um well I was on a raid and my party ran into a group of demon knights. We got rid of the other's but the leader got away. He's been stalking me ever since then and I've escaped more death traps then you can imagine," Colter stated, while glancing everywhere but at me.
I moved to my chair and stared at him for a few minutes, then asked, "What are you doing here?"
His head jerked toward me and he lost all color. "The council knows about Falcor. They sent me here to help you get rid of him, plus I'm seeking a witch by the name of Lua Ling."
I slipped out of my chair at the mention of Lua Ling being a witch. Colter peeked over the top at me and asked, "Are you all right."
I shook my head and answered, "I'm fine, but what do you mean by Lua Ling being a witch?"
He snorted, then replied, "So you know who see is. Well that saves me time. How do you know here anyway?"
I pulled myself off the floor and back into my chair, trying to sort all this in my head. "Yes I know who she is and the reason I know is cause she's pack," I stated, seeing the look of surprise on his face.
"You've got to be joking me," he questioned.
I shook my head and he resumed his seat. "No I'm not. She came to us from California. Said something about her old pack being brutally murdered by the were-jaguars and leopards that roam that state," I commented.
Colter gave a whistle and said, "No wonder the dragon hunters couldn't find her."
I raised an eyebrow and asked, "What dragon hunters?"
He shrugged, then plopped his feet back onto my desk and replied, "The people that her family sent to fetch her home, so she can marry the guy she's bethroded to. She had ran away from her family many years ago to move to California. Lua hid herself from her family, because she didn't want to marry Lord Chang. When she disappeard, they sent various dragon hunters to find her. Lua apparently got away from them, by changing her appearance, became the vagamore of one of the packs in California. So her family never found her and those who were sent to find her, wound up dead. Well a year later, when the attack occured, word got back to China, that she had been spotted. According to a source she had been attacked by a rogue wolf outside the lupanar. The leopards and jaguars came into the clearing on the other side, taking the pack by surprise, killing everyone but her. Lua excaped but had been hiding here and there since the war, avoiding her people and those chasing her. The Ling family had ask the council for there help in finding her. They had given us information on where their source last seen her and we've gone from there. So as you can see, they sent me here to find her and bring Lua back to her family."
My mouth dropped ten feet to the floor as I sat there staring at him. "You're shitten me Colter," I said.
He gawked at me and pronounced, "Nope I'm not and I have proof."
Colter pulled out a file and threw it at me and I caught it in mid-air. I began to flip through it and I was totally stunned. Lua's family were mage's, who could turn into dragons. Lua was the baby and had yet to shed her skin. I wondered how this was going to affect her being a were-wolf. I've seen her change, and don't understand how she could be both, unless she was an Animagi like myself. Shaking my head, while closing the file, sighing in frustration.
I glanced back up to see Colter watching me and asked, "What does this have to do with me?"
He got up, moving toward me. He leaned into me as he said, "You help me convince Lua to go back to China and I'll help you get rid of Falcor."
We looked at each other for some time and before I could say anything, there was a knock on the door. Colter moved out of the way, then snapped his fingers. The door opened, allowing whoever was on the other side to come in. Richard walked in with Jamil right behind him. He stopped in his tracks as he eyed Colter. Richard let out a growl, springing forward to put himself between me and Colter. Colter ran for his life toward the otherside of the room. He was scared out of his wits, putting the other chairs between him and Richard. I had to hid a smile behind my hand, while the enforcers blocked the entrance to my study.
Shaking my head, I put my arms around Richard, stepped on tip toe, and whispered into his ear, "Honey, it's ok. He's here to help me with Falcor."
Richard snorted, turned pulling me into his arms, then sat down in my chair taking me with him. Richard kept his eyes on Colter, as he held me tighter. He was making it clear to Colter that I belonged to him and no one else.
Colter stayed where he was, but tried to be peacefull. "Hello Richard. Nice to see you again," he said.
Richard snickered and I elbowed him in the ribs, causing him to bite me on the shoulder. I jumped at his playfullness, turning to bite him back. We wound up on the floor, with him on top of me. He kissed me, then heard someone mumble, "Why can't they get a room?"
Richard growled in frustration and I giggled. We got up from the floor, with three pairs of eyes staring at us. Grabbing my books, I sat down on the edge of my desk, while Richard took my chair. Jamil was still standing at the door, while Colter stayed at the back of the room.
"Ok Colter. Here's the deal. You help me first and I'll help you find your dragon witch," I stated, trying to keep the truth away from the others.
He caught my jab, nodded and said, "Ok, were do we start."
I handed my book over to Colter and said, while pointing, "This is the demon that Falcor has become. He's a dreamweaver and he's been coming into my dreams."
Colter took the book and started pacing the floor. He read over the two pages that deal with dreamweaver demon's. He scratched his head and glanced up at me. "The council has heard stories about him working with the Dark Arts, but they didn't take them seriously until now. Father didn't want to see the truth about the governor. Now he's scared for the children of the school. Wonder how he did it?" he stated.
I shrugged and replied, "If your asking about how he became a demon. It tells you right there. If your asking about how he came upon it, that's a whole different ball game."
"So have you found what you need to vanquish him?" he asked.
"Nope, not yet," I answered.
Colter continued to pace back and forth, while I sat there and watched him. Richard stayed seated watching Colter as well. Jamil was a good bodyguard and stayed at the door. Making sure nothing could get into the room. No one was prepared for what was about to happen and if they were, they couldn't move fast enough to stop it. A shadow came up from the floor of my study and wrapped itself around me. I tried to scream, but nothing came out. The creature pulled me through the hole in the floor, before Richard or anyone could help me. It happened all to fast and the last thing I heard was Richard yelling my name, just as the portal closed behind me. They didn't realize that would be the last time they would ever see me again alive. My life was about to close one chapter and began another one with a totally new twist. Blackness surrounded me and that was the last thing I remembered.