Faithfully Yours

Part 6: War is hell

 

Chapter 50

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

After a long, long walk across treacherous ground where the minions of magic were bother frightened and uncomfortable. Many who were suffering from the strain of the walk started to openly regret the coming.

 

Most of the discontent was because the witches had thought it was going to be a quick battle against the demons, not this endless trudge though a miserable orange barren landscape, broken only by the ugly blue soil, that appeared to have nothing in it that was worth fighting for. A couple of witches openly wanted to return and were furious when they were told there was no means of returning them from where they were. The whitelighter warriors with them did their best to keep up the support but it was clear they were concerned, and frightened.

 

All through the light the Minions of Good stumbled, fell and crawled over rough dry soil that seemed to burn every time they touched it, yet the air they breathed froze them to their bones. To add to their misery the movement of so many set a up a cloud of dust that choked them and burnt their eyes and faces.

 

It was also apparent that sporting gear, parkas, sneakers and jeans were of little use against the terrain. And the ripping of clothes not meant for these conditions was a common sound.

 

"Well now we know why Cole destroyed every bit of clothing he took here" muttered Paige looking bitterly at a huge rent in her jeans while Leslie glared in disgust as an upper seem on her very expensive sports shoes gave way.

 

"Do you know how many hours I had to work in that burger joint to pay or these?" she spat, misery and anger at the conditions overcoming her fear "You think the whitelighters can fix them" she asked bitterly. "Think the whitelighters can fix anything."

 

Some of the minions struggled to even keep up. Witches like Matilda who were not so nimble struggled in some of the rough climbing. Other witches coping better with the terrain helped them along, sister witches grimly determined to look after their numbers. Matilda kept trying to say she did not need help, she could make it, but her face, grimy and muddy from the tears she had cried for her friend told a different story.

 

Once when Paige held out a hand to help her up a rock, she refused, and Paige started to say "Matilda, I want to help you." Leslie looked at Paige and held out her hand. Matilda, all but falling as she tried to climb over the rocks reluctantly took it, but nearly pulled Leslie over. Paige held her hand out again and Matilda her face set to hold back her tears, was able to scramble, awkwardly over the rocks before finally stopping to gasp for breath.  She nodded a terse thanks. Leslie asked if she was okay.

 

"I'll make it" Matilda said grimly.

 

Those like Phoebe who came with footwear that was totally unsuitable, were suffering terribly as they hobbled over the stones, and soil that was acid laced from all the cycles of war bit at them.

 

"Now I know why Glock had those damn hobnailed boots "said Piper.

 

"What did you say?" asked a witch spitting out vile tasting dirt from her mouth as she struggled back to her feet after falling over a rock.

 

"I said the local people wear big hob nail boots because they are the only things that survive this terrain." Piper explained.

 

"Its a pity that the Powers that Be didn't think to warn people to wear hob nail boots then" muttered the witch spitting dust and all but gagging on the taste "It makes you wonder if they really knew what to expect" the witch declared. And several more around her trying to wrap inadequate woollen scarves against the biting winds murmured agreement.

 

The whitelighter warrior nearest to Piper murmered," Í suppose that was in your sister's premonition that you learned about the boots."

 

Phoebe swallowed hard but before she or Piper could answer the whitelighter grimly said "Your premonitions are certainly more accurate than our intelligence. It mentioned sand."

 

All the witches nearby sucked their breath at this admission from one of the servants of Good.

 

An Elder Warrior assisted by several whitelighters, and wearing very warm clothing and some sort of cushioned boot, that seemed to enable him to move relatively easily in the terrain did manage to catch up and offer the witches and other minions some encouraging words, that seems to those struggling in the cold, bitter misery of Burvjara as totally hypocritical.

 

"If there was any justice, those damned Elders would be walking at the front barefoot." muttered Tisha.

 

Phoebe froze "Be careful" she said.

 

"What?" asked Tisha confused.

 

"Be careful calling on justice" Phoebe told her. "It's got away of catching up with people and it isn’t pretty. Husband's a lawyer "she explained when Tisha looked at her curiously.

 

"Well I could cheer justice catching up with some people, because they deserve to suffer for this" muttered Tisha as another Warrior Elder offered hearty words about they way they would face and defeat the enemy before striding away in their cushioned boots.

 

All through the light, the Minions of Good trudged across Burvjara, struggling over rocks, forcing themselves to push through the blue soil that seemed to bog them down, climbing paths, and sliding down some hills that seemed like cliffs, occasionally encouraged by a hearty cheerfulness, by Warrior Elders who well shod and clothed covered the ground easily. The cheerful exhortations were greeted by more and more surly responses from the Minions of Good. Archangel leaders and whitelighters stood respectfully aside for the Elders and it seemed to the Charmed Ones that the archangels were almost taking on a faded spirit existence.

 

Piper pointed this out to Paige who sucked her lips in concern.

 

"Creatures of total magic, unable to connect to magic here, near the pole" Phoebe said unthinking. She hit her head. "Those premonitions …hurt" she moaned bitterly.

 

The light stated to fade in a spectacular orange blaze that burst of the dust clouds like fireworks. The Minions of Good were on a high ridge and had a dramatic view of the light fading over Burvjara.

 

"It's almost beautiful when you see it like this" Piper said straining her eyes to look at the expanses below. Burvjara seemed to be a system of long narrow plains surrounded by high hills and ridges.

 

The whitelighter warrior who was with them, concerned anxious for their welfare seemed caught in a telepathic argument about not trying to move down the ridge in the dark. He was speaking about the terrain being to rough out loud and then he caught his head in pain when he tried to press the conversation. Almost angrily he told the witches to rest while they could, they would move before the new light.

 

"The Elder leaders are down on the plain and want us to move but it seems I have lost contact with them and cannot follow their orders" he said bitterly.

 

It looked like he was not the only whitelighter warrior to feel the same because all along the ridge, the Minions of Good were making as if to settle against the rocks.

 

"Francesca says it's hard to be a leader without followers" Phoebe said.

 

"Francesca knows a thing or two" Paige answered.

 

"Francesca is another Burvjarian you see in premonitions" The warrior whitelighter asked.

 

"No, whitelighter" said Phoebe unthinking.

 

"The only whitelighter I know of that name is one who walks a path among the great ones. One whose name is said with honour." said the whitelighter warrior "How do you know her?"

 

"Just crossed paths "muttered Phoebe.

 

"I don't suppose the food and water caught up" Piper asked the whitelighter warrior to change the subject.

 

"You don't suppose correctly" the whitelighter warrior answered grimly and moved away to explain things to other minions.

 

"We've only been here a few hours at the most, home time" Piper said.

 

"We've been here a whole day in Burvjarian, what did Glock call it" Paige replied.

 

"Phase" said Piper.

 

"We've been here a Burvjarian phase, walking and climbing the whole time and I'm starving like I have not eaten for a day." Paige said viciously.

 

When it became clear, they were not getting any helps from the Powers that Be, the witches in the Charmed Ones troop, all dug into pockets and backpacks they had brought. They pulled out bottled water, some fruit and chocolate bars which they shared amongst the group. One small group had packed two packets of biscuits each, and were treated as heroines by the others. Then when the whitelighters came asking or assistance for some of the ranks that had no food with them, they handed half of their supplies over.

 

All of them ate and drank the minimum they could because none of them by this stage had any expectation that any supplies would be forthcoming.

 

"Bloody Elders couldn't organise a boozeup in a pub" said someone with a strong Australian accent.

 

As the dark fell and the witches miserably huddled against the rocks for another miserable night, the whitelighters did their best to heal what they could of the injuries and bruises the witches had received after their long, long trek, but even their smallest magic was having a startling effect, causing screeches of pain and hisses to go away and Phoebe her feet blistered and bruised was to scared for Pookie to accept any help.

 

Piper pulled her socks off and gave them to Phoebe who declined regretfully saying they would be shredded in the terrain.

 

"I don’t see why they could not have just landed us near the enemy" muttered Edna.

 

"They don’t know who the enemy is" said Paige and was rewarded by the ripple of discontent through the company.

 

"You know if I had any belief this was a just battle, the amount of problems we are causing would make me guilty as hell" Paige whispered. "Coming here not to fight."

 

"It isn’t a just war, that's why we can do it:" Phoebe whispered back, "you don't want me to shut up?" she asked.

 

"There are times I love you being a truth speaker" said Piper.

 

"I don't get why they would even let a pregnant witch come" Phoebe whispered.

 

"They wouldn't if they knew she was going to commit mutiny "Paige muttered.

 

"They want the power of the Charmed Ones as part of the battle plan" said Piper "so they have the big guns to get  the most dangerous of the enemy. They let the less powerful witches become a buffer to weaken them, and then we finish them off."

 

"Until you get finished off" said Edna

 

"I'm supposed to be the one with the power of premonition" hissed Phoebe.'

 

"Its not premonition" hissed Piper back "Its common sense."

 

"And history" said Edna.

 

"You think they have a plan?" Phoebe asked as some witches around them moaned and then muttered,

 

"Not a good one" said Piper "unless you think one that is about overwhelming with numbers and calculated on acceptable losses is a good plan."

 

"Okay to lose the Charmed Ones" sighed Paige beyond anger at it all.

 

'There's a powerful witch at home who could replace them" said Piper "and be a lot more useful if her cantankerous mother and aunts weren't around."

 

"And Patsy "said Paige.

 

"They don't know about Patsy and Cole would not let them touch Melinda" Phoebe insisted.

 

"They don't know that "said Paige.

 

"Want to tell them so they don't let us get killed?" asked Piper.

 

Most of the long darkness was silent and frightening as the previous one. Once however the whole sky lit up with almost angry showers of light. And the Minions of Good all huddled together in fear. The whitelighter with them suddenly clutched his head. He huddled against a rock, gasping in pain.

 

Finally whatever they were telling him finished because he shudder and then without rising told his charges that the archangels had left.

 

"Why?" demanded Edna.

 

"They no longer see any justice in our march" the whitelighter explained. "Or the magic of this place defeats them, take your pick."

 

"So we're going back" said Matilda almost crying.

 

"No "said the whitelighter. "The Elders are not of the opinion the loss of the archangels constitutes a major crisis." His voice cracked.

 

"If you whitelighter types refused to go on, this would end." Piper said, her voice rasping.

 

"I am a soldier" said the whitelighter. "I follow orders.

 

"Even when the elite of your soldiers think the orders are unjust."

 

"Maybe they just cannot connect with their magic" said the whitelighter.

 

Piper slapped her hands against her sides in frustration. "We so need a mutiny" she told her sisters.

 

"Won't work until the whitelighters know the war is unjust" Phoebe said "Yes it’s a premonition" she added

 

Long before it became light again, to the Minions of Good distress, they were asked to move on, and despite protests from Piper and others, that it was sheer folly to move in the dark, the whitelighters, many regretfully, insisted their orders were there.

 

The Minions of Good began a dangerous scramble down the trail which had a terrifying habit of disappearing. They got some help from whitelighters through very small orbs which lit the sky in fiery colour that rained flames on them but showed the way.

 

Twice whitelighters stopped and grabbed their heads as if they were getting orders sent with little concern for what the strong magic would do to them. For a little while they stopped using the orbs until two elf like creatures using the normal surefootedness fell off the trail. They survived by luck of their own near immortality but not without doing some serious damage which needed a whitelighter to fix as carefully as they could with the smallest magic they had. Even so the Elfin screams of pain shattered the old dark night of Burvjara.

 

"Damned sure every Burvjarian in the realm knows we are here from the noise and dust we have been raising "said the whitelighter with the Charmed Ones group and he defiantly continued to use orbs and pretend that he could not receive any orders because it was to painful.

 

"Which is probably nearly the truth" said Paige gasping for breath as she scrambled over some particularly awkward rocks, that would have been nearly impossible top get over without the light. She then stopped to help Matilda and several other witches who were less agile than she was. Matilda said a tight thank you and assured Paige she could make it on her own.

 

Paige thanked the whitelighter who grinned "I promised Mark I would look after his charges "he said "I do not believe he would understand I allowed one of you to fall down a chasm, merely because I was following orders from Elders."

 

"Mark's not great about orders" Paige agreed.

 

"Not great about orders that are dangerous or ill advised'" agreed the whitelighter. "I have much respect for Mark "he added "And I am not the only one."

 

"Glad to hear that" Paige said and scrambled on, not sure what else was safe to say about Mark.

 

Piper put her hands on her hips "But you still follow the Elders" she said "through this crazy march."

 

"I am a soldier" said the whitelighter as he threw another orb in the air.

 

Piper shook her head, unsure whether she was feeling anger or respect or both.

 

All through the dark the Minions of Good tripped and struggled their way down the trail. Eventually it seemed to veer and go upward again, which apart from the fatigue and occasionally having to crawl over rough bits was easy because going uphill, they were less likely to slip.

 

 Finally until they finally climbed another high mountain, just as the bright now almost painful orange light was appearing and as they reached the top, they all stopped to stare at the plain below because the light made mist on the plain seemed appear as a sea of blazing orange fire. The trail disappeared down to the mist winding its way across the mountain. The area on either side of the trail was covered by bluish earth that had a rank smell and interspersed with sparse orange bushes and, to the minion's eyes, ugly orange weed-like, scrub plants.

 

"'Why would anyone even bother fighting for a place like this" said Tisha as she sat on a rock and examined her bruised and bleeding legs.

 

"I'd be fighting to get out "said Leslie trying to wipe the burning dust off her face,

 

"Why would anyone bother dying for a place like thi?s" muttered Edna whose face was looking battered after falling hard on the rocks in the dark.

 

Pipier glanced at her sisters. "I wonder if they could understand that scrub is a miracle, a tribute to peace, something Burvjarians want to keep, will fight to keep." she said sadly. "I wonder I Glock is excited seeing the scrub."

 

Phoebe reached over and put an arm around her, smiling awkwardly at Matilda who nodded.

 

"If its your home its worth fighting for" Matilda said and determinedly moved past them.

 

The witches and other minions staggered on, down into the plain toward the orange light which rather than diminishing seemed now to be spraying up like an ugly fountain or firework show.

 

Looking at the light and not watching where she was going Phoebe fell hard against a rock.

 

"Ouch" she said as she stubbed her toe in the ground. "Bugga" she said as she realised she had broken her shoe sole. "What the hell am I going to do now?" she screamed sitting on the ground, glaring at the broken shoe.

 

"I'll give you mine" said Paige riddled with guilt "It was my fault your sneakers did not fit."

 

"And you not being able to walk is going to help how?" demanded Phoebe still examining the shoe.

 

"I won't let my sister get crippled because I wasn't thinking" said Paige wracked with remorse.

 

"Oh shut up Paige" said Phoebe less than understanding. She sat on the ground despite the urging of those around her to rise and keep going. "I have an idea" She told her sisters. "This place reacts to small magic. Some very small magic."

 

Phoebe held her hand out and Paige hauled her awkwardly to her feet. She closed her eyes and lifted into a small levitation. As she moved above her sister the air immediately sparked all round her and Piper had to catch the edge of the now dirty and ragged white dress to stop it catching fire.

 

"Don't use magic" came the severe voice of an Elder Warrior who chose that moment to pass, striding along in special shoes that seemed to float over the burning earth.

 

"Now they figure out about magic here,“ snarled Piper nastily.

 

Phoebe muttered under her breath and then slowly came down from the levitation. "Oops "she said "I barely thought about levitation and it was too much." She took a deep breath and this time managed to hover. "It’s a matter of almost not thinking about it" she explained. "Almost just breathing.

 

"Great. How are going to move? You can't hover there all day" Paige told her.

 

"How are you going to walk?" Piper asked.

 

"Take my hand "said Phoebe' "Now you walk and I float behind."

 

Piper shook her head as she moved forward with Phoebe managed to hover just off the ground.

 

They moved through Burvjara with Piper and Paige holding her hand and Phoebe floating over the ground. As they moved along she started to find also that a very small push could lever her forward so she did not put to much strain on Piper and Paige. It worked well except for one time she mistook the height of a large rock and crashed painfully into it.

 

Edna following the Charmed Ones told Phoebe that she looked like a guiding angel in the white dress lit by the orange light. "Only a fat one" she added "Baby alright" she asked.

 

Phoebe nodded "I am worried about what she is learning in utero though" she sighed.

 

"How to hate Elders probably" said Tisha coming up behind Edna and spitting blue dust from her mouth and wincing as she ran her tongue around some nasty acid type burns the blue soil left on her lips.

 

The Minions of Good scrambled down the last mountain to the plain and moved into the light mist, which was surprisingly clear, just gave everything a brilliant orange glow. When they reached the plain they rested then formed into a company and started to move across s the plain. They no longer had any sense of day and night. The brilliant ugly orange light showed them the way and they trudged on fatigued beyond caring, hurting from injuries received along the way, forgetting night and day existed in the endless journey. Most totally unprepared for they had found in Burvjara, sister witches ignored their own pain to carry and help those who struggled. They shared food support and an increasing anger at the Powers that Be who had put them in this situation.

 

As they moved toward the plain Phoebe was so connected to the power, she could levitate herself forward with just a breath and was able to help sister witches struggling to lift one foot after another. The whitelighters chose to ignore her use of magic, just grateful the Charmed Ones were doing everything they could to help their sister witches make it through the long painful journey.

 

"'Where the hell are the demons?" Paige demanded.

 

"Be careful what you ask for" said a whitelighter beside her.

 

The company found themselves moving down a narrow expanse the going seemed softer sandy and they even felt under foot some vegetation.

 

"This must be where it is regrowing" Phoebe said.

 

"Won't be much of it left when this is over" said Piper.

 

“I'm supposed to be the one with the premonitions" Phoebe sniffed.

 

“I'm supposed to be the one with common sense" snorted Piper.

 

Throughout the long march whitelighter types were sending words to all the witches warning them not to use their magic and as they trudged or in Phoebe's case allowed themselves to be dragged along, all of the witches started to feel a their magic hanging heavily on hem. It was as almost a crushing weight.

 

"What I don’t get" said Tisha in one of the breaks “Is what they are doing this, what in the hell do they expect us to fight evil for. I mean fight it here. The whole place is a ruin, there is nothing here anyone wants what now we fight about.

 

"Maybe evil finds a rock they like and we all fight them to win that rock" Leslie said

 

"Then they find another a rock and we fight again" said Leslie who grinned as Paige clapped her

 

"This makes the whole thing futile. The pole is no real use without the Burvjarians so anything we win is just symbolic.'" Paige agreed.

 

"I think you just described most of the wars of the realm" Edna said. "If what history I learned is anything to go by. Shut up Piper" she added.

 

A silence fell on them as walked floated and stumbled and the orange mist that as they entered it seemed to be dry like a sand storm. And as they moved the walls of the mist lifted on either side, creating a magnetic barrier that made it impossible to walk more than a few abreast and it seemed to become narrower and narrower as they walked.

 

Phoebe's levitation became more difficult to manage because even the slightest thought of levitating sent her spirally away. She was finally forced to admit defeat and walk on blistered and burnt feet across the blue earth and orange rocks

 

"I feel out of control" Phoebe whispered as another order not to use powers was issued from the Elders.

 

"Scared someone who is pissed off might mistake one of them for a demon and fry them" Piper snarled.

"Don't think they would be mistaken" said Paige and the witches around her laughed.

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