Faithfully Yours

Part 6: War is hell

 

Chapter 49

"The good ended happily, and the bad unhappily. That is what Fiction means." 
 Oscar Wilde

In the 'up there' on the edge of the rim, the Minions of Good waiting in companies of fifty or so, each with a warrior whitelighter guardian shuffled nervously. The Charmed One kept looking around trying to hear from murmurings whether Phoebe's 'premonition' had had any effect. But the quietness that overtook the minions may have been as much from awe at the leaders as total concerns about the premonition.

 

The Charmed Ones noted that all the archangels, whitelighters and Elders all wore some form of magic armour and protective robes. Most of the witches, wore relatively sensible clothes and shoes, and some form of warm clothing. Some wore coats and thick sweaters.

 

Piper remembered the state of Cole's clothing every time he returned from Burvjara, and Glock's big hobnail boots, caught the warrior-whitelighter type who was standing with them by the arm.

 

"Did anyone warn the witches just how bad Burvjara is, how rough it is, how cold it gets, no food anywhere?" Piper asked.

 

'The warrior whitelighter looked down at her "You do not have to worry" he said in a voice that sounded like the one Piper used to reassure Melinda. “it is arranged. There will not be far to travel. You will not be there long enough to have problems with the climate."

 

"Are you sure?" Piper pushed.

 

"How do you know so much about Burvjara?" The warrior whitelighter asked suspiciously.

 

"Read about it" muttered Piper

 

The warrior whitelighter turned away and Piper caught her breath.

 

"What did he say?" Paige asked.

 

"He said not to worry' Piper said through her teeth.

 

“Oh god. I'm worried" said Paige her voice getting very high.

 

"Me too" said Piper "You don't suppose Cole was making it up, how bad the place is."

 

"He wasn't lying" Phoebe said. She flicked her white dress. "I don't suppose you thought to bring me a change of clothes?" she asked

 

"A parka" Paige said all good sister "and your toughest sneakers."

 

"Oh good" Phoebe voice did not hide her relief as she held up her foot with flip flops on it.

 

Paige dived into the backpack she had brought and pulled out Phoebe's ski parka and a pair of very tough looking but not very fashionable sneakers. "Thought these looked the toughest" she said and then noted Phoebe's horrified expression "What?" she asked apprehensively.

 

"Grams bought those for me when I was sixteen" Phoebe said "I hated them. Never wore them except when Grams made me, And my feet have grown since I was sixteen. And I'm pregnant" she added putting her hand on Pookie to make her point.

 

"Oh god I am so sorry" said Paige. "Phoebe I never thought… you kept anything old. I am so sorry. Try them" she begged "maybe …“ her voice trailed off

 

Phoebe desperately tried the sneakers but it was apparent the only way her pregnant feet would fit in the shoes was if she cut off her toes.'

 

"I'll go back and get some more" promised a conscious stricken Paige. She tried to orb and was blocked. She ran to the warrior whitelighter and begged to go back but he shook his head. When she angrily demanded to be allowed to leave, he appeared to contact someone telepathically and smiled benignly. "You will not be there long enough for the footwear to be a problem" he said.

 

Paige scornfully looked at the whitelighter's armour like robe and protective clothing. And catching sight of a Warrior Elder she noticed they seemed to have some sort of cushioned footwear.

 

"Sure" she said sarcastically as the whitelighter smiled and order her to return to her company.

 

Paige guiltily returned to her sisters.

 

Phoebe swallowed hard faced with the prospect of going to Burvjara in flip flops. "Maybe Cole was lying about how bad it is" she tried to placate a guilt stricken Paige who kept saying she didn't mean it, she should have known Phoebe would never buy anything as ugly as those shoes.

 

“I thought you said Cole couldn't lie to you" Paige said nearly in tears.

 

Before Phoebe could answer, the order to hold their ranks to be transported to the realm came telepathically. The word Burvjara came as an afterthought.

 

"So" muttered "Phoebe "Does using magic to create telepathic communication in land where if anyone but Burvjarians uses magic makes the air explodes, cause a problem?"

 

"Do you think they know the air explodes?" asked Paige.

 

'The warrior- whitelighter appeared close behind them and immediately asked how they knew magic explodes in Burvjara.

 

"Read it" muttered Paige.

 

Before the warrior-whitelighter could answer however a huge transparent bubble formed around the group of witches that included the Charmed One, Leslie and Mark's other charges and Sara and Matilda Riggs and their group. It started to buzz and the witches were asked telepathically to hold hand with those around and warned not to let go. The order was calm and quite and authoritative and the Charmed Ones looked at each other suspiciously as the warrior whitelighter raised his hands to touch the edge of bubble

 

They were dematerialised with a buzz that seemed to ring in their ears. The effort to move so many made the bubble sway and the witches inside it staggered to maintain their balance.

 

"Keep holding hands" ordered the warrior whitelighter calmly.

 

The bubble seemed to stay dematerialised for ever, causing the witches inside to become hot and nauseous and struggle for air. To the Charmed Ones who were used to the ease of whitelighter orbing, and demonic shimmering, this dematerialising seemed amazingly slow awkward and uncomfortable.

 

It was even worse as they started to come out of the dematerialisation.

 

Instead of just reforming in another space. The bubble seemed to lurch and shudder and the edges of it started to break up. The warrior whitelighter who was with the witches did not hide his concern and his calm started to disintegrate as the bubble seemed to become more transparent and fragile. The witches in the bubble could see something of the fiery orange surroundings, and grim stony landscape when the transparent bubble suddenly lit up like a fireball and for what seemed minutes but was only seconds, the minions transported in it, felt a huge burst of flame and all they could see was the fire that surrounded them..

 

The witches fell against the edges of the bubble, feeling it breaking under the pressure.

 

'"Keep holding hands" ordered the warrior whitelighter as he fought the movement of the fiery ball.

 

After what seemed very long time, the witches inside held tight to each other, struggling to breath. Several like Leslie whimpered desperately trying not to cry out in fear and panic, as the bubble seemed to break apart. Outside the bubble they were surrounded by brilliant orange flames that hurt their eyes and they all calmly accepted they would be incinerated, even those who were most frightened.

 

The warrior whitelighter desperately held onto the failing bubble however, and the flames seemed to die down so to their shock, the witches inside it, instead of being surrounded by flames, found themselves materialised in a very dark, cold place. They landed hard against rocks and stones, bruised and battered. Some on top of each other. Phoebe was protected by Paige actually grabbing her and half orbing so that Pookie was left unharmed. But the air crackled like forked lightning and both were singed fortunately not seriously.

 

"Cole wasn't lying about the magic" Paige said smacking her smouldering parker out.

 

"No, he doesn't lie" said Phoebe catching the ends of her hair which was smoking.

 

A witch started to demand what the hell happened, when all noise from the ranks stopped as another large bubble seemed to materialise near them but it was far more damaged than theirs and before anyone could react, burnt into a fireball that lit the sky in an horrific red and blue flash before fizzling into nothing.

 

"God" breathed Matilda who was keeling in a crushed heap, one arm hanging uselessly, while her friend Sara was gasping for breath, her head in Matilda's lap "are they did them. Several other members of her groups were lying badly bruised and battered. "The witches in it, the others, they are gone."

 

"Yes "said warrior-whitelighter who was with them in a whisper. He pulled himself up "Pray " he said in an odd calm voice that unnerved the witches around him.

 

"They didn't get to fight" Matildas said stunned. She looked down at Sara, lying in her lap and sobbed. Sara was breathing shallowly and her face was devoid of all colour. "They just...died." sobbed Matilda

 

And she started to moan.

 

Several whitelighters moved among the minions who had survived and started to lay hands on the bruised and injured. The air immediately lit up in fiery orange balls that caused some serious burns as the injured screamed in agony at the pain the whitelighters caused them.

 

The whitelighters hastily stopped trying to heal, shaking their heads in dismay and concern.

 

Around them the witches watched bubbles materialize, some in very bad condition but nothing exploded to the extent that one had, to their profound relief.

 

The later bubbles were not in the same bad condition that the first ones had been even though the air flamed and cracked when they arrived. So they supposed the Powers that Be had realised it was impossible to dematerialise where they planned and moved the arrival point.

 

The warrior-Elder types arrived last of all, safely coming out of orbs in a ball of flame and great cracks of noise like lightning strikes. Some of their golden armour like robes were seriously singed but they clearly protected the wearers from the worst of the flames. The whole assembled Minions of Good saw them arrive and all noted that they took none of the risks that the slower dematerialising bubbles had to dematerialise.

 

………………………………………………………………………..

 

As they all materialised the Minions of Good who survived were spread out over what the fireballs made looked like a very large plain, with the leaders a very long distance from the rest of them. The whitelighter warriors close by were clearly disconcerted. They were observed by witches, huddled together to have a rapid and difficult conversation, fairly close to where the Charmed Ones were standing.

 

They saw whitelighter try and orb and fall back as two companions were seriously scorched while a couple of witches close by screamed. The Charmed Ones were close enough to see another one put his hands on either side of his head as if using telepathy and then fall back in agony clutching his head.

 

"So much for assurances that Burvjarians had prepared them for what to expect." said Piper.

 

"You don't think they really believe that?" said Paige astounded.'

 

"Yeah they do" said Phoebe sure" they really believe because they are Good, they are right, the people will welcome them, want to be like them, want to live the way they live." There was a small crackle in the air

 

"Maybe we should have introduced them to Glock, he might have explained things differently Paige said. She froze "Phoebe was that a statement or a premonition."'

 

"Just a small premonition" Phoebe admitted, "came in really clear. Why?"

 

Paige nodded toward the whitelighter who had tried telepathy still clutching his head. "You used magic "she said ".why can't they."

 

"It was only small" Phoebe answered. “I barely thought, barely touched the magic and it came in loud and clear." She frowned. "Piper what the smallest freeze you can do?"

 

"Just immobilise something for a second" Piper said.

 

"Do that to something" Phoebe told her.

 

"There's only rocks here" Piper informed her '"they're already immobilised.

 

Phoebe and Paige glared at her.

 

"Use the smallest power you can" Paige ordered Piper.

 

Piper pointed her hands at a rock some distance from the group and very gently used her freeze power. The rock made a noise as it fissured because the freeze was so hard it could not take the pressure. Then it shattered sending shards of rock splinters over the witches and other Minions of Good nearby, like shrapnel exploding, only just missing hurting the witches, who stared at her in shock and fear.

 

"Hell" Piper breathed "That was barely using it." She shook her head "Not good" she said "really not good. How do you fight a war when your powers are out of control?"

 

Paige looked at her sister. “Don't know" she said "Phoebe barely thinks and she gets a premonition, you try your smallest freeze and small magic really connects. Big magic kills you "she said.

 

"This is so not good" said Piper

 

Matilda who was shuddering in pain from her injured arm demanded that Paige use her whitelighter power to help her. Paige quietly moved over to Matilda.

 

"Save my friend" Matilda demanded.

 

“I'm… I am to scared I will make her worse" Paige said, her voice shaking. "I'm not sure I can do anything without causing you agony?" she explained.  I don't know how much magic I can use."

 

"Then, fix me" demanded Matilda. "I can't help Sara with a broken arm." And she stared at Paige intently. Practice on me then fix Sara."

 

Paige, looked at Matilda's miserable face and nodded. “I'll try and use just a little magic" she said gently tried to touch Matilda's arm, making herself think "Ease the pain. Softly, softly."

 

Matilda screamed in agony as her arm set with a creak like iron girders being pushed together.

 

"Bitch" Matilda hissed at Paige, gasping in agony and then her face crumpled. "Help my friend, Sara" she demanded.

 

Paige was pale with fear and found herself shaking "I'm scared I will kill her if I try" Paige explained, trying to hold back the tears. "Matilda I'm so sorry." And she slapped her hands helplessly against her side

 

"Save my friend" begged Matilda "God. Save her." she cried. "Sara doesn't deserve to die."

 

Paige started to shake her head and backed away. "I'll kill her she said "I'm only half whitelighter and I need to use a lot of power to heal. I'm so sorry," she pleaded with Matilda to understand, while Matilda sat rocking her friend Sara."

 

"Maybe the whitelighters can do it "said Phoebe. She looked at the whitelighters still in a huddle and clearly not sure what to do. She walked over to them, stubbing her toe on a rock as her flip flops bet in half

 

"If you need to find out what is happening use the smallest amount of power you can from the telepathy or it will kill you. Small magic works" she said. "Very small magic".

 

The whitelighters looked at her, surprisingly with some respect and one finally nodded.

 

One came over to Sara and started to touch her with his hands, and the air lit up in such a flame that he had to throw himself over both of them to protect them from beings scorched. The whitelighter backed away from Matilda, shaking his head in frustration and helplessness. Matilda was left huddled on the ground nursing her dying friend while witches hovered and offered what support they could, all feeling just as helpless as the whitelighter.

 

A whitelighter tried to orb the injured witch, Sara, away but was pushed back by the fire in the Burvjarian air. Eventually he put his hands as lightly as he could on the witch.

 

Those around held their breaths and they went silent as they heard the sound of the witches death rattle followed by Matilda's shrieks of anger. Two witches in her group moved forward to put their arms around her while the whitelighter stood by devastated.

 

The Charmed Ones could do no more than huddle close with the group of witches they had travelled with to Burvjara as the dark Burvjarian night fell on them.

 

"What is happening?" whispered Edna. "What the hell did happen?"

 

"I think they tried to bring us to close to the magic pole" Piper told her putting an arm around Paige who was shuddering from her inability to heal Sara.

 

“Magic Pole" muttered Edna "Something else you know the Elders did not tell us" she asked the tension making her voice sarcastic. "More premonitions."

 

Piper shook her head and looking at Phoebe, explained in their magic they had met a Burvjarian who told them about the devastating civil wars of the magic pole of Burvjara and how it was the magnetic centre of magic that Good and Evil had fought over for years."

 

The witches around them just sucked their breaths. To cold frightened and miserable to do anything but huddle. A warrior whitelighter nearby clearly overheard but must have decided this was not the time and place to ask how the Charmed Ones knew so much about Burvjara.

 

As all the Minions of Good stood around miserably, the fireballs from their arrival finally burnt themselves and they were surrounded by a miserable cold darkness that ate into their souls. They could smell the acrid burning air. In the darkness further away and some of the flames seemed to have lit flammable rocks, like coal, because they could see embers shooting into the dark.

 

"I guess this is not doing to be a surprise attack on Burvjara" Paige said.

 

"Sure it is "said Piper whose teeth were chattering like out of tune piano keys.

 

"Every demon and Burvjarian within two realms must know we are here" Paige told her huddling arms around herself and wondering if her padded parka was an illusion.

 

"We're the ones who get all the surprises" Piper explained.

 

A few witches nearby laughed mirthlessly.

 

What seemed an age later; the whitelighter warrior near them finally managed to reduce his magic enough to communicate telepathically with some others. Keeping his hands pressed hard against the side of his head he ended huddling on the ground in pain for some seconds before dragging himself to his feet and coming over to the witches.

 

"We have telepathic communication" he told them grimly.

 

"Thanks to Phoebe" said Tisha.

 

Her voice carryed in the freezing air so many witches heard and murmured "Thanks to Phoebe.

 

"I helped figure it out "Paige muttered and Piper shushed her.

 

"Yes" the whitelighter agreed. "Thanks to the witch Phoebe" he said. He hesitated then explained "It appears we have not been able to get as close to our objective as we planned. It seems our magic cannot work" glancing toward the Charmed Ones he added "Our large magic. So we must walk to where we need to go, to where evil are …ensconced."

 

"Who says?" demanded a witch.

 

"The Elder leaders" the whitelighter told them. "They have managed to confer and make some contact with friendly locals. Who have explained the way."

 

"How far?" asked Tisha suspiciously while other minions muttered their discontent.

 

"Not to far according to the Elders" said the whitelighter almost furtively.

 

A witch with a strong Irish accent put her hands on her hips and fronted the whitelighter "They tell a story at home" she said "about a trekker who stopped at a farm gate and asked farmer how far to Tipperary. The farmer told him about five miles. The trekker thanked him and walked for what turned out to be twenty miles until he reached Tipperary. Some days later when the trekker was returning he noticed the same farmer leaning on the same gate and demanded to know why the farmer had told him it was five miles when it was really twenty. The farmer replied "If I had told you it was twenty you might have become discouraged and given up trying to get there." The Irish witch crossed her arms "Were any of those Elders Irish farmers?" she demanded.

 

The whitelighter swallowed uncomfortably

 

"So" insisted the Irish witch "How far is it really?"

 

"Quite a distance" admitted the whitelighter. And tried to ignore the groans of the witches particularly Phoebe as she contemplated the prospect of walking across Burvjara wearing flip-flops.

 

"Do we have supplies? Food and water" Phoebe asked eventually.

 

"It with catch up with us "said the whitelighter with not a great deal of reassurance in his voice. He put his head on the side wincing with pain as he received more messages. "We have to move as soon it is light. This is not a safe place to be. We cannot stay" he said. His face contorted with pain and deliberately broke the connection. "I fear those who send messages must be a little further away from the source of magic, so they do not feel the pain so much when they use it.'" he explained weakly

 

"Figures" said Paige "those who want the fighting the most, stay furthest away from the danger." She waited for the whitelighter to reprimand her but he just shook his head and sat down beside the witches. She put her hand on his shoulder and he nodded.

 

For a while the witches huddled miserably in the dark, the cold air biting into the warmest clothing they had brought. And the few like Phoebe who were not practically dressed, despite the parka her sister had brought shivering miserably, no matter how close sister witches huddled together to keep warm. Not even the usual over heating presence of Pookie helped Phoebe.

 

The witches nervously jumped at every noise in the dark, looking around and trying not to let the fear of being in a strange forbidding land overwhelm them. Some of the other types of magic minions rattled armour every time they moved uncomfortably against the rocks and this added to the fear because the Burvjarian air distorted the noise and witches were not always certain it came from their own ranks.,

 

Piper jumping for the tenth time tried to be bright. "Glock told me the night was a friendly place, "she assured her sisters, "He told me the Burvjarians don't fight at night."

 

"Demons do" said Tisha who was miserably huddled by a rock her arms around Leslie and Edna. "Who's Glock?"

 

"The Burvjarian I knew" Piper said. She put her head on the side as the whitelighter looked at her and then he shrugged far to concerned about the immediate situation to worry about a Burvjarian a witch once met.

 

"Í have a feeling demons are just as scared of being here as we are" Phoebe murmured trying to pull Pipers damaged and unravelling wool coat closer around her.

 

"Is that a premonition?" Paige asked, her voice rasping in the cold

 

Phoebe grinned and then swallowed as they became aware that the murmur from the  witches around them and further across the groups that the Burvjarians did not fight in the dark and the demons were to scared to attack. The Charmed One who had the premonitions told them so.

 

"It wasn't a premonition" Phoebe muttered "I was just talking."

 

"Shhh. It makes them feel better" said Paige.

 

The long darkness slowly passed.

 

"So the friendly Burvjarians gave the Elders wrong information?" asked Leslie after what seemed like hours. Leslie's voice was almost normal because she had got to the point where she had no feeling left, so she was beyond fear.

 

"I don't think the locals like us coming" said Tisha and general murmur went through the witches that the Elders did not know anything about the place they had landed the army of good in.

 

"This reminds me of that British invasion, where they landed all the troops on the wrong beaches " muttered Edna in Portuguese.

 

All three Charmed Ones had been the recipient of understanding languages magic from Cole when he got pissed at them misunderstanding local warning in other countries some years ago. They all understood her.

 

But the strength of the magic caused a pain much like the telepathy had gone through the whitelighter s head. The three of them grabbed their heads, screaming, Piper actually hitting the ground in agony and rolling around.

 

"Speak English "Phoebe begged, clutching her head in agony.

 

Pip was on the ground beat it with her hands "Cole "she cursed" Cole bloody Cole."

 

The other witches in their group watched them in concern until the Charmed Ones pain abated and they sheepishly reassure their companions they were all right.

 

"Why is Piper made at Mr Turner?" Leslie asked curiously. "I mean Cole" she added remembering she was grown up.

 

"Piper always blames Cole for everything" Phoebe explained not completely untruthfully.

 

As the pain disappeared Paige asked Edna about the British invasion "Only tell us in English" she begged.

 

"I did history at university" Edna explained "Many years ago the British invaded a country, claiming they would liberate it, only the information they got from 'friendly' locals and old maps was worthless. They landed on the wrong beaches and their ships were sunk and many soldiers died. Not even in battle but  by disease when they were forced by the country being invaded to fight on the beaches for months before they could get out, by accidents getting ashore, by drowning.

 

"But they won?" Leslie asked eventually."

 

Edna shook her head. And Leslie bit her lip

 

"I hate history" Piper cursed.

 

"So do" answered Edna "because no-one seems to learn from it."

 

Finally as an orange light crept into the sky, the whitelighter warrior, after clutching at his head, clearly communicating with Elders and leaders, came and told the group of witches to move in a direction toward the light. As the light rose, turning everything a shadowy orange, an aching cold hit them like an arctic gust, so that it hurt to even breath. All around the Charmed Ones, there were gasps of shock and even pain as the Minions of Good were forced to breathe the freezing putrid air.

 

"And Cole says it's better now" said Phoebe. "At least you can breathe without quite throwing up. He says."

 

A witch behind was making gagging noise.

 

"Sort of "said Paige.

 

"Who says?" asked some one near them,' "Its better."

 

"I saw in my premonition it used to be worse" Phoebe said quickly "and if it's like this after cycles of peace, not fighting…"

 

Judging from the murmurs that went through the ranks of the witches, they thought there as a long way to go before things improved.

 

The witches gathered what small things they had with them and prepared to move. They first covered the body of the witch Sara who died. Paige helped while Matilda Riggs watched, stood supported by friend from her group, her face breaking but unable to shed tears in the cold biting air.

 

"I am sorry Matilda" Paige said, her voice harsh form the cold but got only a sob as an answer from Matilda, who finally still sobbing allowed herself to be lead away by the witches in her group.

 

Around them they saw other Minions of Good doing the same for lost companions whose injuries had not allowed them to survive the miseries of the Burvjarian night.

 

Ahead of the minions, archangels, carrying swords and passing over the landscape with an eerie lightness of foot led the way to go.

 

The minions were urged to move after them by fearful whitelighter warriors. They fell into a straggly line, as they clambered up what looked like a very rocky but quite wide trail cut deep into the blue soil. The edges were jagged but moving off it almost bogged them in the deep blue soil on either side so they trudged through the rocks. Cole or Glock could have told them the track was one of the old highways of Burvjara.

 

"How come they can move so easily?'" Phoebe muttered, glaring in the direction of the archangels as the rocks bit into her feet. '

 

"It is their nature" explained a whitelighter, "as is the nature of Elders to move.. more easily than mortals.'

 

"Why didn't they send an army of archangels?" demanded Edna. She fell over a rock and cursed as her hand caught ion the shale. "I know" she muttered "Read any history book. It isn't the cavalry that wins the battles. It’s the accursed foot soldiers.'

 

Piper ground her teeth.

 

"I know" said Paige. "You hate history."

...................................................................