by Nat Faul <pruesdoux@charmedmail.com>
DISCLAIMER: (August 2001) This is not posted for any profit but to share creative ideas with other Charmed fans on this and other websites. The characters of Prue, Piper, and Phoebe Halliwell, and Darryl Morris are property of Warner Brothers Television. The concept for the realm of the dead is a creation of Ursula K LeGuin, for her novel The Furthest Shore, published by Bantam Books, 1972. Dunwich and Arkham are creations of HP Lovecraft and the property of Arkham House. Other characters were created by this author. Any similarities to real persons living or dead are purely coincidental. Lyrics to Changing the Moods were composed by the Tuesdays for their debut album, released by Arista, 1998. The following account is fiction. Its sole purpose is to entertain. Being conceived during the second season of the Charmed series, this series of stories is not parallel with those of the current season. (So Phoebe doesn’t meet Cole, Piper and Phoebe don’t have new powers, Piper and Leo aren’t married yet, and Prue still lives.)
RATED PG-13: Adult subject (incest) discussed
THE SCORPION CHRONICLES SO FAR: Realizing the need for privacy together, Phoebe and Derek decided to look for a place of his own. Derek used his contacts in high places to get Bane Jessup out on a work program and put him to work on turning a haunted cannery into a love nest, while allowing him out at night to enjoy some time with Prue. From a cult, the sisters found out that the Council of Demons appointed one Trindo Blinnyworm to oversee the death of the Charmed Ones. But a secret helper is causing demons and warlocks, who get near them, to turn to stone or vanish.
*****
The sound system announced, "Flight 2054 from Chicago now unboarding."
Phoebe stood at the receiving gate, anxiously waiting. Derek just sat down somewhere reading the newspaper. The first of the passengers began disembarking and Phoebe eagerly looked among them. Derek put down the paper and casually ambled over to her. Phoebe finally saw the familiar face in the crowd.
"Brenda! Over here!"
Brenda broke through the crowd. She and Phoebe hugged each other with exhilaration.
Phoebe gushed, "You look great! No more wheelchair! Not even crutches! Are you all healed? Any problems? Any pain?"
"Nope. All healed. Got a good surgeon and just took it easy, helping the healing process along. So I’ve got full use of my limbs again."
"I’m so happy for you! After all you’ve suffered just for me!"
"Oh, Don’t start getting sloppy on me again!"
"Well, what would you like to do? Where would you like to go? There’s so much we can do together!"
"First, I’d like to get settled in my hotel."
"Hotel nothing! You’re staying with me! You’re coming to Halliwell Manor!"
"Seriously? Your sisters won’t mind?"
"We’ve discussed it and all agreed. You’re our guest anytime you’re in San Francisco."
"I don’t know what to say! This is too much!"
"Nothing’s too much for the person who saved my life!"
"Oh, Phoebe! I wish you wouldn’t make such a big deal of it!"
Derek hugged Brenda. "Howdy, Cuz! Welcome back to the City-by-the-Bay! And saving Phoebe’s life is a big deal, so get use to being rewarded for it again and again."
"Right!" Phoebe agreed. "So get ready for a week of a lot of interesting activities together."
*****
In chaparral country the air is so dry, you get thirsty just by inhaling. The hills are baked hard by the sun and the shrubs, called chaparral, grow out of the rocky ground. Here, lizards and scorpions scamper around and the air is filled with the buzzing of insects. For one Gilmer Merrit, it was hell. He was found staggering through the brush in one of the valleys, disoriented and despondent. Two state patrol officers, on their route, noticed him in a distance. They pulled over and went out to meet him, with a canteen and first aid kit.
Officer Everard assured, "All right, Mister. We gotcha. How are you feeling?" When he received no answer, he moved a finger side to side in front of Merrit’s face. His eyes were glazed over and kept staring straight ahead.
Officer Freyne observed, "He’s out of it. We gotta get him to the hospital quick."
Officer Everard took him by the arm to lead him back to the patrol car. "Come with us, Sir. You’ll be all right."
But Merrit pulled back. "Wait! She’s still back there!"
"Who is?"
"My wife."
"Back where, Sir?"
"Back in the city."
"A city? Which city? How long have you been out here?"
"A big dark city. Full of fog. Cold ... and sad. The people there took her."
Officer Everard didn’t know what to make of this. Was this merely the rambling of a man who’s been out in the sun too long? "Come with us, Mister. We’ll ... sort all this out real soon. It’s gonna be all right."
They led Merrit to the car and eased him into the back seat. Before getting in, Everard took a look back and all around. He wondered if someone else might be out there, also in need of help. But all he could see were the faded green shrubs and dry, rocky hills far to the horizons.
*****
The restaurant patio was surrounded by an adobe wall, which screened out the city outside. Inside, trellises held up flowering vines and tree branches hung down giving shade. Phoebe and Brenda enjoyed a good lunch and sat in comfortable chairs with cold drinks.
Brenda was saying, "And my boyfriend would come over to Chicago more often, to help look after me while I healed. He can be so attentive, which is what we want in men. Right?"
"Right! Who is your boyfriend? Where did you meet him?"
"His name is David. He works for Derek, looking over his businesses on the Eastern Seaboard. We met when Derek was starting all that business with buying up property in Massachusetts. And in Derek’s absence, I check up on things there. We began enjoying the time we spend together."
"So it started with you mixing business with pleasure."
"Oh, lots and lots of pleasure!" They both laughed. "Speaking of which, how are you and Derek ...?"
"Just fantastic! He’s been spending more time with me rather than his treasure hunting and other business. He’s even started building a house for himself in San Francisco."
"Yes, I’ve heard! A love nest for you two lovebirds. Need a little more space between you two and your sisters? Getting embarrassed when they complain about the cries of ecstasy coming from your room?" They laughed again. Phoebe blushed.
"Right! And I’m also embarrassed by the things he tells me in bed, thinking my sisters can hear him. I mean, he gets all poetic when describing orgasms and I’m afraid someone might hear."
"Oh, I know! Like ‘a velvet explosion in the center of my being, which sends out waves of ecstasy to every fiber of my flesh and soul’."
"Right! How did you know that?"
"He use to tell me that a lot when we ... oops!" She quickly turned away, fearful that she set something loose that she shouldn’t have.
The wheels turned in Phoebe’s head and she slowly went into shock. "Oh my God! You mean ... you ... and Derek ... you two ... you ... you ...?"
Brenda turned back and ruefully nodded.
"But ... but ... you’re cousins!"
Brenda shrugged. "Well, ... he’s a country boy! He’d do his own sister if he had one!"
She turned away again, very embarrassed and worried, while Phoebe sat in stunned silence.
[Author’s note: This is not to say that all country people are incestuous but Brenda is in such an awkward position that, in grasping for straws, she falls back on a stereotype. Besides, Derek does have a sister (although adopted and who will appear in future episodes) but never had sex with her.]
*****
"We left Medford, Oregon, for Los Angeles, to stay with Lavina’s uncle for awhile. He’s very successful in Hollywood and owns a large house there. We stayed a day and a night in San Francisco, enjoying the sights, shopping, and restaurants. After that, we decided to drop by and see some friends in Chekameta Park. So at Half Moon Bay, we turned off of Highway One and into the Santa Cruz Mountains.
"We took the road that leads to Highway 35, but soon reached a fork in the road which doesn’t appear on the map. And there were no road signs on any of them. I stopped the car right there and we discussed what to do next. I was hoping another car would pass so we can see which way it goes. But there were no other cars on the road. I guess it’s because we got such an early start. After much deliberation, we figured the road that goes straight might take us to Highway 280, so we chose the road going south.
"The road took us out of the forest and into the wide open in a dry valley. It seemed to go on forever. I felt I was driving for hours. Still we passed no signs, no houses, nothing. Lavina fell asleep. She woke when we ran out of paved road and hit a dirt trail. She told me of a disturbing dream she just had. But I don’t remember it now. In fact that’s the weird thing that began happening from that point on. I had no memory of where we were going or why. I just felt we had to get there. I don’t know if she felt the same way. She didn’t ask any questions about where we were going or complained that it was taking so long. But she seemed just as confused as I was.
"At one point, we hit a fogbank. We didn’t even see it coming. All we saw was miles and miles of bushes and sand ahead, then we were just suddenly in fog. And we were back on a paved road. Through the fog I could make out buildings -- old grey buildings with dirty windows. There were movements in the mist so we knew people were there. But they moved away from our car so we couldn’t get a clear view of them at first. And despite the heaviness of the fog, no one had any lights on.
"My mind was still a blank -- not knowing anything, not wondering about anything, just doing. At one point, I parked the car and we got out. We wandered around, not knowing what we were looking for, ... or maybe not looking for anything at all. We were just walking around. We came across some people, doing the same -- just wandering around. They also looked like their minds were in the same muddle as ours. They had no expression. Their eyes were empty. I imagine I looked the same way. I had no thoughts about all this. I had no thoughts at all. Soon I was wandering alone. I looked beside me, with some memory that someone had been there. Lavina was gone. And soon my memory of her was gone too.
"Later on, I was outside the city. A wide, long, dark plain, with mountains beyond, lay before me. The sky was clear but fog still hung over the city. It was night and the stars were out. But the stars didn’t look familiar. They didn’t look like the star I’ve usually seen at night. They seemed large, spread apart evenly, and none of them twinkled like the stars I’ve usually seen. They made me feel sick deep inside. I felt this hatred and despair at them. I began walking towards the mountains. I don’t know why. I just knew that I had to go to them. Soon I had no memory of anything at all.
"When I ran into the highway patrol, some of my memory was coming back. I remember I had left my wife behind, but little else. Since then, more of my memory came back but still not all." Across from Gilmer, at the table, sat three police detectives, looking over maps and papers. One asked, "Now, Mr Merritt, you say you took the road into the mountains from Half Moon Bay. That would be Highway 92?"
"Yes. I think so."
"And you were picked up by the highway patrol at Highway 84, between San Gregorio and La Honda. That’s less than 15 miles away. How do you account for driving for many hours without seeing any city, town, or even houses?"
"I can’t. Like I said, much of my memory just faded away. Maybe I just walked in a big circle before I was found."
"Yes. ... Maybe."
Gilmer could tell that they found all this hard to believe. He couldn’t blame them. He himself was having difficulties accepting all this.
*****
Phoebe stormed through the front door and went straight to the telephone in the hallway. She furiously punched out a number. "Derek! ... Did you have sex with your cousin? ... What do you mean ‘which cousin?’ How many cousins did you have sex with? ... Four? Ewwww! You animal! ... Ewww! You filthy creep! ... No, I don’t want to meet with you and discuss this ... or anything else for that matter! I don’t want you touching me! I don’t even want to look at you! Just stay away from me!"
She slammed down the phone and turned to see Piper standing in the livingroom doorway, looking wide-eyed. "Phoebe, don’t ever have your tiffs out loud in front of me again. I was not prepared to hear that."
*****
Brenda entered the American Psychic Society and went upstairs towards Derek’s office. On the second floor, Irene caught up with her. "Oh, Brenda! We have an assignment for you!"
"For me? Are you sure?"
"Yes. Derek recommended you himself. He says you’re experienced with this sort of thing."
"Well, I’m going up to talk to him right now. I’ll be back down real soon."
"All right, Dear. We’ll be waiting in the conference room for Research and Investigation."
*****
Piper and Phoebe sat in the livingroom over tea. Phoebe was complaining, "And I’m sick of that ‘It just never came up in conversation’ crap!"
"But, Pheebs, you can’t expect him to tell you everything that he’s done in his life. That could take months -- years. And he’d rather discuss your future rather than his past."
"He should tell me the important things in his past!"
"I’m sure he wants to put it all behind him."
"Well, getting things out in the open is the beginning of putting things behind you!"
"And it’s not like he told you he was a virgin when you first met. You knew he’d been with many other women before you."
"I know but ... his cousins?" She shuddered. "Ewww!"
"I know in our part of society that seems revolting. But in many other parts, and cultures of the world, that’s perfectly acceptable. For many it’s just an ordinary thing."
Phoebe buried her face in her hands and sighed. "My best friend and my boyfriend -- the story of my life!"
"It’s not the story of your life!"
The front door opened, Brenda rushed past and went upstairs.
Piper asked, "What about Brenda? Are you going to stop being her friend now?"
"No! ... Of course not! ... I just can’t figure out ... what to say to her now."
"She needs some assurance right now."
Phoebe got up and went to see her. But in the hallway, she saw her coming back downstairs with a suitcase. "Oh no, Brenda! You don’t have to move out just because ...!" But on taking hold of her sleeve, a vision flashed in her head. She saw white blank faces, surrounded by fog, and dilapidated buildings behind them.
"Oh no! I’m not moving out. I’m going out on assignment by the APS."
"What kind of assignment?"
"It’s a long story and Taylor’s waiting out in the car."
"Wait! Just you and Taylor? Don’t you need more?"
"No. I’ve been through this kind of thing before. I can do it alone but Irene insisted I take at least one person with me."
"Brenda, I just had a vision of ‘this kind of thing’."
"What did you see?"
"White-faced zombies in a foggy city."
"Uh ... Yes. That’s the gist of it."
"And when I have visions, it’s a sign that I must be there. So you have to let me come with you!"
"Well ... Okay. But wait a minute." She went to the front door and called out, "Taylor! Just a little longer! Phoebe’s coming with us!" Then she led Phoebe back upstairs. "You need to pack a little something. We might be out awhile. I’ll explain on the way. It started when a man, named Gilmar Merritt, came to the APS. He had told the police how his wife mysteriously disappeared but they won’t believe him...."
Soon they came back down, Phoebe carrying an overnight bag, as Brenda was winding down the story. "So, after he tells us what he had told the police, the police come in (among them your friend Inspector Morris) and arrest him. They had found his car but not his wife. So they say that they think he took his wife out to the middle of nowhere, murdered her, hid her body, then told the police ‘a cock-and-bull story about a mystery city’ to convince them he was sunstruck. But from his description of the city, Derek and I remember a similar experience, when we accidentally went through an opened portal to the realm of the dead. So Derek told Irene to put me on the case."
"Why isn’t Derek himself on it?"
"He was feeling down after ... you know...."
"Yes. So what’s he doing now?"
"He’s on his way to Dunwich. He always goes there when he wants to get away from it all."
Phoebe turned to the livingroom and told Piper, "We’re going to the Santa Cruz Mountains for a few days."
"What?! Now? All of a sudden? What’s going on?"
"A woman is trapped in what we believe to be the realm of the dead and her husband is accused of her murder. So we got to get her out of there so we can get her husband out of jail."
"But won’t you need ... Prue and me?" She wanted to say "the Power of Three" but not in front of Brenda. That would cause too many questions.
"I need you here to keep in touch with Darryl, while I keep in touch with you by cell phone. Whenever you talk to him, just refer to the Merritt Case."
*****
Soon they were on their way. Brenda drove Derek’s red pickup, with the little wooden house on the back. The cab is extended so there’s a back seat where Phoebe could sit.
Taylor was commenting to Brenda, "You should have had Phoebe go with you in first place instead of me. She is the star psychic, so would be a lot more useful."
Phoebe modestly waved her off. "Oh come on, Taylor! I’m sure you’re going to be very useful to us on this assignment." Then to Brenda, "Since you’ve been there before, shouldn’t you let us know what to expect?"
"Right. First thing you’ll notice is your memory being drained away. You’ll start forgetting even the basic facts of your own life; your job, your address, friends, family, and eventually your own name. To fight this, concentrate on something real; something logical; such as the times table. Also, we can’t go out the way we come in. We will enter by the city and leave through a passage in the mountains."
"Is there anything to keep us from leaving?"
"Only ourselves. If we allow our memories to drain away, we’re stuck there forever."
Taylor wondered, "What causes that? Why do the dead lose their memories?"
"That I never found out. But I’m guessing it’s to empty their souls for re-incarnation."
Phoebe theorized, "Which is why we can’t remember our past lives without some special procedures."
"Could be. All I saw were parents and children walking together without knowing each other. Many friends, even lovers who died for each other, passed in the streets as strangers."
Taylor decried, "How horrible!"
"Well, if they’re really soulmates, they’ll get together in another place and time."
"But to lose all those happy memories!"
"...To make room for new happy memories."
"How can you be sure about that?"
"I’m just sure that it all turns out for the best. That’s all you can do to carry on. To hang onto life, you need to believe that the best will come out of it all."
Phoebe agreed and felt she had to hang onto hope of her relationship with Derek.
*****
On Highway 92, they moved slowly, looking around for any clues of where the Merritts turned off the road. At one point they saw an area, where the vegetation was flattened by what appeared to be tire tracks. They turned off at this point and followed the tracks.
Brenda warned, "At this point, the realm of the dead begins to affect the mind. So start thinking on the logical. What’s two times two?"
Taylor responded, "Four."
"What’s three times two?"
"Six."
"And four times two?"
"Eight."
"Good. Keeping going over that in your head, as far as you can go, then start over again. That will keep you in touch with the real and the familiar."
They came out of the thick vegetation and onto the rocky-bottomed valley, surrounded by chaparral. There were no tracks to follow but Brenda knew, from Gilmar’s account, that they should continue south. After a few miles, they caught sight of a car; the Merritt’s car. Brenda parked the pickup a few yards behind it and they got out. The car was wrapped in a yellow tape, reading, "POLICE CRIME SCENE -- DO NOT CROSS". They walked around it, looking it over. Phoebe placed her hands on it to pick up a vision. She got it. She saw a woman, with a vacant look, walking on a sidewalk in a foggy city.
Brenda noticed her reaction. "Pick up something?"
"Just the same -- zombies in the fog."
Brenda handed her a photograph. "Did one of them look like this?"
Phoebe took it and looked it over. "Yes. Is this the one we’re looking for?"
"Right. Lavina Merritt. Mr. Merritt gave it to me as the police were leading him away. You hang onto it, since you’re the one with second sight."
Taylor asked, "What’s the car doing out here? Didn’t he park in the city of the dead?"
Brenda offered, "I think the portal of the realm shifted, leaving the car here."
"Can it do that to the woman we’re looking for?"
"I don’t think so. She’s organic. The car isn’t. I’m not sure but that’s my theory."
"What about the concrete and stuff in that city?"
"They were created in there. This car wasn’t."
"If the opening shifted, how are we going to find it?"
"Like the Merritts, we blunder into it. Let’s scout around."
They continued south, on foot, two arms length from one another; Brenda in the middle, with Phoebe at her right and Taylor to her left. They moved slowly with trepidation. After awhile, Phoebe realized she was walking alone. "Brenda? ... Taylor?"
She backtracked to where she last remembered seeing them, then quickly bolted back along the trail on the left side. In less than a minute, she walked into a wall of fog. It was grey, thick, and swirling like fog. But it wasn’t moist and refreshing. It was dry, luke warm, and stifling. Standing still, she tried orienting herself, trying to make out the outlines through the mist. She noted figures moving ahead of her. "Brenda? Taylor?"
"Phoebe! Over here!"
She moved quickly and cautiously over to them.
Brenda warned, "Now that we’re in here, its power to drain memory is especially strong. So here you really need to focus on your logic exercise. You start losing your concentration, you’ll start losing your soul. So we really need to be alert as to how we feel and help out each other. It’ll be hard enough getting Lavina out without having to drag along another or all."
"Got it," Phoebe acknowledged.
Then Taylor asked, "How are we going to find Lavina? We don’t know how big this city is or which way she went when she entered. So how do we even begin?"
Brenda concurred, "Good question."
Phoebe got an idea. "I have her picture. Maybe if I concentrate, I can get a vision."
She held the photograph, running her fingers over it with her eyes closed. It took awhile, but she finally saw her face and picked up a directional impulse. "This way. Follow me."
They made their way through the dreary city, passing the souls in the streets. Some just stand; others walk around aimlessly. They are in clothing of different cultures and different time periods. The faces of all of them are pale and vacant. None have any expression, except that of hopelessness. Their eyes look straight ahead, never blinking.
Taylor asked Brenda, "What do they do here? I mean, do they go into the houses? Do they eat and sleep? What purpose do they serve here?"
"I don’t know. I didn’t stay long enough to find out, the last time I was here. And I don’t think you’d want to either."
They seemed to go several miles, through streets and past buildings which all look alike. It looked like a slum. The buildings and their windows are dingy. The sidewalks and streets are cracked and littered. No one is seem to be going in or out of the buildings. No motor vehicles move along the streets. Finally, Phoebe walked up to a woman, comparing her face to the photo. "This is her."
She held up the picture so that Brenda and Taylor could confirm it. They agreed. They were sure.
Phoebe put her hand on her shoulder. "Lavina? Are you Lavina Merritt?"
Brenda told her, "Forget it, Pheebs. Her mind is gone. She remembers nothing of her life. She may not even be aware that we’re here. Only after we get her out of here, will her memory start returning."
"How horrible!" Taylor complained. "What’s this all for?"
"That’s something we won’t know until after we end up here. But even beyond that, we’ll still never remember it."
Then Phoebe asked, "All right. Now what? You say we can only get out through the mountains. Do you know which way there?"
"Yes. This city is on a slant. We just continue down hill and we’ll eventually be out."
Phoebe and Brenda linked arms with Lavina and led her along. They turned at an intersection and followed the street’s downward tilt. The further they moved along, the more the city appeared deserted. Fewer souls were seen roaming about. The buildings look more deteriorated.
Phoebe led Taylor to take over holding Lavina’s arm, then went over to Brenda’s side. She spoke lowly, out of Taylor’s hearing. "Brenda, can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"When ... you and Derek ... um ... did it, ... how long ago was that? How ... often did you do it?"
"It happened when we were teenagers. We were just beginning to explore out sexuality. But living on a farm, remote from the rest of society, he didn’t have much contact with girls; except at our family reunions. We found each other attractive and would slip away to explore each other’s bodies. We’d have our ‘encounters’ whenever we had our reunions, or when he’d come over to visit my family, or I went over to visit his. And he had encounters with three other cousins; but only once or twice. So I was his favorite. What we did was by no means acceptable. If our parents ever found out what we were doing, they would have beaten the hell out of us. But it was just a phase. As we got older, our encounters grew less. Then after high school, it was over."
"You’ve never done again?"
"Only one time, a few years ago. It was after we had settled in Chicago. He had just broken up with his girlfriend and I had just broken up with my boyfriend. Feeling sorry for ourselves, we went out drinking. Later that night, we wound up in bed together. But now he has you and I have David. And that’s the way we want it."
"Was he mad at you for telling me?"
"No. I saw him, before he left, and apologized no end. But he says it’s not my fault. It was never really meant to be a secret. It’s just that he never got around to mention it before."
"How was he when he left?"
"He was hurt. He’s gone to Dunwich to mend his broken heart. You don’t really know what you mean to him. He keeps coming back to San Francisco, with no business motive; just for you. He’s never done that for anyone before."
Phoebe went into a quandary. Had she been too rash in driving him away? Or was she justified in holding his past against him? Should she wait for his apology or go to him and get it? Or should she apologize? She wanted to keep him, but should the next move be his or hers?
When they passed a section of mere crumbled walls and crack foundations, they broke out of the fog. Before them lay a wide-open plain, black and empty. Nothing grows there; no trees, no shrubs, no grass, not even weeds. The silence is deafening; no songs of birds, no hums of insects, not even the whisper of a simple breeze. The only sources of light are the stars. Along the horizon lies an outline of jagged crags against the starry sky. They knew that across this vast, black emptiness, is their way out. Phoebe and Taylor were entranced by the stars. They looked so unnatural, so foreboding. They gave the feeling of a malevolence lying in wait. The overwhelming feelings made their hearts sink.
"Don’t look at the stars!" Brenda warned. "Come on! We’ve got to move quickly! Just keep looking straight ahead, to the mountains! And keep focusing on something real!"
They descended into the plain, escorting Lavina along. Their way curved downward to the flatland. Walking was difficult. The plain was stony and in the dimness, it was hard to see where they were stepping. And there was the ever-present force, pulling at their minds and souls. It was about the middle of the plain, when Phoebe noticed Taylor slumping over and her face looking vacant.
"Taylor. Don’t give up. We’re almost there. Just keep focusing." But Taylor stopped, sat down flat on the ground, and began sobbing. Phoebe shook her. "Come on, Taylor! Focus!"
"I can’t remember where I live! I don’t remember what my mother looks like!"
Phoebe also realized that parts of her own life were slipping away. She couldn’t remember if she had a job or not. She remembered how the front of her house looks but not the inside. She remembered that she lives with others in the house but not who they are. A heaviness pulled at the core of her being. Soon Brenda was shaking both of them.
"Come on! Don’t let it take you over! Otherwise we’re all stuck here forever! Come on! Keep thinking on the real! Concentrate on the familiar!"
Phoebe struggled against the force. She helped Taylor to her feet. "Come on, Taylor! Think with me! What’s two times two? ... Come on! What’s two times two?"
"Uh ... uh ... f-f-four."
"All right. What’s two times three?"
"Uh ... s-six."
"Good! Now two times four!"
"Eight."
"Great! Let’s just keep that going now. We’re almost there."
They continued this way, following Brenda and Lavina. Phoebe noticed that Brenda had no problem holding onto her memory and her control. She wondered if her experience here before had given her some kind of immunity. But she and Taylor had to really work on their concentration while walking on an uneven, poorly lit surface.
It seemed like ages ‘till they finally reached the mountains. They loomed darkly over them, drawing a border across the starry sky. Brenda looked side to side along the foot of the range.
Phoebe asked, "Which way now? Do you remember?"
"I’m looking for a reference point. It’s not that easy under this light. All right. This way."
She led the way to their left and they followed a trail along the feet of the mountains. Phoebe kept concentrating on keeping control of her mind and keeping Taylor focused, while stepping carefully on a lumpy path. Soon she & Taylor caught up with Brenda and Lavina, waiting for them at the mouth of a cave. Brenda led them on in. The cave floor is smooth and even; a welcome relief. Stones and pieces of wood, of all sizes, are piled up against the wall. A soft glow from the walls and ceiling lights up the way.
Phoebe asked, "Where’s that light coming from."
Brenda said, "Derek says it’s a luminescent fungus."
"That sounds familiar. But not in a good way."
"This use to be a river at some time. The water pushed all these rocks and driftwood aside and smoothed the floor."
"Good for us! It makes walking much easier."
She noticed that Taylor fell silent. "All right, Taylor! What’s six times seven?"
"Uh ... uh ... I don’t know."
"What is six times six?"
"Uh ... Thirty-six."
"Good! Now what’s six time seven."
"Um ... forty ... two."
"Okay. Let’s keep it going."
As they continued following the riverbed, they noticed light up ahead.
Brenda announced, "This is it! We’re almost there!"
Suddenly a dark figure appeared in their way. "I am ruler of this realm and all within. No one gets out."
"The dead need no ruler! Besides, we’re alive. We don’t belong here."
"I rule the dead! And soon I shall rule the living as well!"
Phoebe asked, "How do you plan to do that?"
"By keeping the gates between the realms open, the two will eventually merge."
Brenda noted, "So it’s been you doing this all over the world. Just who are you? What are you?"
"I am Ellerord, ruler of the realm of the dead."
"A demon!" Phoebe concluded. Then to Brenda, "Can he really merge the two realms?"
"I wouldn’t want to take the chance."
Ellerord intoned, "You have no choice. It will happen."
"Not if I can help it," Brenda defied. She led Lavina forward but ran into an invisible barrier.
"You can’t help it. No one here does anything without my permission."
"I know how to close the gate. I’ve done it before, three years ago, and I can do it again."
"How can you, of the living, know anything of the dead?"
"My cousin is learned by many mystics and shaman. He taught me all of his secrets."
"But you need to be at the gate to close it. And you can’t get passed me."
Taylor covered her face and loudly wailed, "I can’t remember! I can’t remember my home, my mother, my name! Oh God! My mind is going!" She wildly staggered around, wailing and yammering.
Brenda called out, "Phoebe! Do something!"
But Phoebe was paralyzed, struggling with her own despair within. She was trying hard to picture her mother’s face but couldn’t. She remembered there was a man she loved, but couldn’t visualize him. He felt a pain deep inside but didn’t know what to do about it.
Ellerord chuckled. "Your friends can do nothing. Soon you will also succumb to the realm’s power and all of you will be forever lost." He raised his arms in triumph. "I will rule all!"
Taylor, who had maneuvered herself behind him, quickly picked up a large piece of driftwood and swung it with all her might. It shattered into splinters across his back. He still stood and turned his rage towards her. But it broke his concentration and Brenda was able to move forward. Seeing that Taylor was now in danger, Phoebe snapped out of her spell. With a high-flying kick, she slammed into the demon, knocking him off of his feet. She ran to Taylor, linked arms with her and Lavina, and all four women made for the light.
They moved as quickly as they could with Lavina in tow, until they found themselves back in the brush-covered valley, under the sun and blue sky. Looking around they saw their cars a few yards away.
Phoebe and Taylor knelt to rest. Phoebe put an arm around Taylor. "That was pretty quick thinking back there, despite the circumstances. I knew you’d be useful to us."
Brenda eased Lavina down to sit, went back to the point from where they emerged, and began collecting stones. "Help me! We’ve got to make a circle around the portal and there’s no sand in which to draw it! So we’ve got to make it out of stones!"
Phoebe and Taylor joined her, gathering stones and building a circle according to her instructions. As Phoebe looked over the circle taking shape, she saw Ellerord appear in its center, glaring with rage. Brenda and Taylor, looking down as they set their stones, didn’t see him. Phoebe was about to sound the warning when he went flying backwards and vanished. She turned around to see Prue running towards them.
"Prue, what are you doing here?"
"We haven’t heard from you in three days, so I had to come look for you."
"Three days? We were hardly in there half a day!"
Brenda explained, "Time moves differently in the two realms."
Phoebe then asked, "Being this close to the realm of the dead, sapped people’s memories. How are you feeling?"
"I was warned by Irene. I’ve been going over what camera speeds and f-stops, I’d use in every setting I see, in my head over and over. It’s been holding my sanity together."
Phoebe recounted to Prue, "We need to build a circle around the gateway to the realm of the dead to close it."
"I’ll give a hand."
Prue helped out, staying in front of the portal to keep an eye on it. On both sides of her, Brenda formed two unfamiliar symbols with stones. When they were finished, Brenda stood between the two symbols, she raised her arms, and chanted, "With the last words spoken, you were opened. With the first words spoken you are closed. Be made whole!"
They saw nothing special happen, but felt the pull on their minds and souls fade out and their despair lifting.
Phoebe asked Brenda. "Where did you learn that spell?"
"From Derek. He learned it from a druid in Scotland."
"So is it closed for good?"
"Only if the realm’s power of forgetfulness overcomes Ellerord. If not, it will open some other place in another time."
"If it happens around here again, we’ll be ready."
Soon Lavina started muttering, "Gil? ... Gil? ... Where’s Gil?"
Brenda went to her. "We’re going to see him right now."
*****
Brenda came downstairs with her suitcases. The sisters were there to see her off.
Phoebe told her, "I wish you could stay longer."
"So do I. But a friend of mine is getting married and I promised to be back in time for her wedding."
Prue offered, "You know you’re welcome to stay here anytime you’re in San Francisco."
"I know. And I appreciate it."
Piper asked, "So, how are the Merritts?"
"Back to normal and back on the road to LA."
"You come her for a vacation and the APS puts you to work."
"It was the high point of my stay. Well, here’s my taxi." She handed Phoebe a piece of paper. "Here’s Derek’s phone number in Dunwich. If you can’t get through to him, because their technology is over a hundred years old, I’ve included David’s number in Arkham."
"Thank you. Thank you for everything."
"I should be thanking you."
They said their good-byes and Brenda rode off to the airport.
Piper asked Phoebe, "Are you going to call him?"
"Maybe." She went upstairs to her room to think about it. She was caught in the middle of feeling betrayed, that he keeps so many secrets from her, and having grown so close to him, she feels an emptiness when he’s gone. She went to his picture, on her bedstand, and picked it up. She held it close to her as her anger and longing clashed within.
I’ll be here changing the moods.
I’ll straighten out my head
And all the foolish things I do.
And I’ll be here changing the moods
Only ‘cause I need the time,
So I can get back to you.
I’ll be changing the moods.
*****
Later in the day, as Piper was preparing to leave for work and Prue was about to begin work on her photographs, Phoebe came bursting into the livingroom, pale and breathing hard. "He’s gone!"
"What?!"
"He wasn’t there when I called him! And David said he hasn’t been heard from in a week! Many people have disappeared in the area before! Now he can’t be found!"
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