"A FAMILY AFFAIR"
CHAPTER THREE
Paige smiled at the handsome, middle-aged man who sat next to her. She sunk her fork into the quivering slice of quiche on her plate. "So," she began, "you're really Cole's uncle?"
"Marbus." The daemon smiled back. "I'm his mother's older brother."
"When we first met you at the Mortons', you had introduced yourself to Mark Giovanni as Miles Farrell." Paige paused. "Are you really the same Miles Farrell, who had written "SO FAR AWAY"? I had read it in college."
Marbus nodded. "Yes, I'm that same Miles Farrell. I use that name, while I'm amongst mortals."
"How old are you?"
Olivia could not believe what she had just heard. "Paige!" Did the woman ever heard of tact?
Another smile graced Marbus' lips, eerily reminding Olivia of Cole. "Don't worry. I don't mind." He added, "I'm 243 years-old. I was born in 1760. In Dublin, believe it or not. My mother was residing in the mortal world, when she gave birth to me."
Phoebe frowned. "So that makes you at least . . . what? One hundred and twenty-five years older than Cole?"
"That's right."
Olivia heaved a sigh, as she scooped a forkful of Eggs Florentine from her plate. "Was Cole's mother also born in the mortal world?" she asked.
Again, Marbus nodded. "Same place. Dublin. She was born in 1788. Our mother was rather fond of Ireland."
"No wonder," Paige wryly commented. "Who could stand the Underworld, with all those rocks and caverns? Must be depressing, down there."
Marbus chuckled. "Trust me. There are places within the Source's Realm that is more pleasing to the eye." He paused, as he took a sip of his juice. "Mind if I ask you a question, Paige? Why do you use the word - Underworld - to describe the Source's Realm?"
"Huh?" The youngest Charmed One blinked.
Piper spoke up. "Isn't that where all of the demons come from? The Underworld?"
"Actually Piper, the Underworld is considered by many as a place for the dead," Olivia's mother explained. "Where the spirits of the dead reside temporarily before they ascend to another dimension or are reborn into other bodies. I believe that the Wasteland is one place in the Underworld where certain daemons end up." Gwen smiled politely at Piper. "Of course, some of the newer religions view the Underworld as Hell. I think it has something to do with a fear of death. Many are so afraid of it, they consider it evil."
Cole added, "Like Prue."
The Halliwells stared at the half-daemon. "Excuse me?" Piper demanded.
Unfazed by the oldest Charmed One's hostility, Cole continued, "Remember when Prue had that encounter with Death? It was around the time those two Seekers were after me. Prue thought Death was evil."
Piper's hostility faded. "Oh. Oh yeah. Now I remember." She then gazed at Marbus. "By the way, have you ever known a witch named Lucia . . .?"
"When did you first join the Gimle Order?" Paige asked, interrupting her older sister. Olivia noticed how she ignored Piper's dark look.
Marbus stared at the two sisters. "I had joined in 1861." He paused. "So, you know about the Gimle Order. I gathered that our host and hostess must have told you. Not many outside the supernatural world know about it."
"It's mentioned in our Book of Shadows," Piper coolly remarked. "I guess a lot of mortals find the idea of a 'good demon' hard to accept."
Gran added, "Not in Wiccan circles, dear. In fact, we don't believe in demons. Daemons, but not demons." She frowned. "I thought Olivia had given you all a lesson on this."
Piper rolled her eyes. "Oh. Yeah."
"If you must know . . . Piper? Is that your name?" Marbus asked. The Charmed One nodded. "If you must know, I was a top assassin for the Source for nearly eight decades, before I gave it up and joined the Gimle Order."
"So, you did know . . ."
Again, Paige interrupted, "I'm surprised that you were able to maintain contact with Cole and his mom all this time. Considering that you were all on different sides of the fence."
"Well, we're family," Marbus simply stated. "What can I say? Blood is blood. Not even the Source and his advisors could come between us. Although they did try."
Jack nodded. "You're talking about the Source's contract on your life, right?"
Cole grunted. "Are you kidding? The zoltars were after him for over a century, before they finally caught up with him. But I was the one assigned to kill him." He shrugged his shoulders. "But I couldn't go through with it. He was family. So Mother helped me fake his death."
Phoebe asked the older daemon, "So what are you doing here?"
Olivia noticed the brief exchange shared between the two daemons. "To see Beltha . . . uh, Cole," Marbus finally answered. "I haven't seen him since his return from the Wasteland. But with this trouble he's having with his client, I might just stick around for a while. Help him out."
"That's it?"
Marbus shrugged casually. "What other reason can there be?" Olivia regarded him with thoughtful eyes.
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"You have no intention of telling them." Olivia said to Marbus, later that afternoon. She, Cole and the older daemon had returned to Cole's penthouse, following the brunch. "Do you?"
Marbus stared at Cole, who added, "I told her everything."
"I figured as much. Especially, after Jack and I had a little discussion about the matter."
Olivia continued, "What about Leo and the girls? Are you going to keep them in the dark? About the whitelighters' desire to get rid of Cole?"
Coolly, Marbus brushed a piece of lint or two from his jacket. "I'm sure that they're well aware of what the Whitelighter Council want." He paused, "Of course, if you find it hard to believe . . ."
"Who said I did?" Olivia allowed herself a mirthless chuckle. "In fact, I'm not really surprised. That would explain Leo's constant nagging that I end my relationship with Cole. But what can he do? Other than strip Cole of his powers? As far as we know, no one's that strong."
Cole added in a low voice, "Except for Dako."
"Who?" Marbus demanded with a frown.
Olivia told the older daemon about their encounter with the spirit of an 18th century Vodoun sorcerer, last December. "Even though he had possessed the body of a friend of mine, Cole wasn't able to kill him or do any major harm. And it was the same for Dako."
"Bloody hell!" Marbus looked upset. "You mean to say there is some bokor, running about just as strong as Belthazor?"
"Don't worry," Olivia replied. "He's gone. A friend of mine, who's a Vodoun priestess, managed to send his spirit back to the Underworld."
Looking somewhat alarmed, Marbus demanded, "Is there anyone else who knows about this Dako?"
"Phoebe and her sisters," Cole said. "The McNeills and Leo. And before your mind starts forming scenarios, Dako had nearly killed Paige in an attack and tried to rip Piper's baby out of her womb. I really don't see the Charmed Ones bringing his spirit back from the Underworld."
Olivia added, "Or the Whitelighters Council, for that matter." She paused. "Do you?"
"No," Marbus answered. "I don't see them going that far. Besides . . . the two whitelighters who had warned me, weren't sure that the entire Council was plotting against Cole . . . uh, Belthazor. It's possible that one or several Elders want him dead as an excuse to assume leadership of the Realm."
Both Cole and Olivia stared at the older daemon. "What?" the former demanded.
Marbus looked embarrassed. "I forgot to tell you that, didn't I?"
"Marbus!"
The older daemon took a deep breath. "Now, let me get my facts straight." He paused for another minute or two. "According to Ms. DeVilliers and Ms. Stepanova, they had accidentally stumbled across a research project going on. One that involved methods on how to kill you, Belthazor. Although they had questioned the whitelighters involved in the research, no one seemed willing to talk. However, the Elders Council has been forthright about their fears that you will reorganize the Source's Realm. Ms. DeVilliers believes that someone - possibly one or more of the Elders - is being mum about this research. She thinks that even the Council is in the dark."
"Cole's death would be quite a coup for whomever arranges it," Olivia said. A thought came to her. "Why are these two particular whitelighters so against Cole being vanquished?"
"Because they don't consider him a threat, but a valuable ally," Marbus answered. "And they feel that the Source's death was a big mistake. Like the rest of us, they feel that the chaos in the Source's Realm would spread to other magical realms. And it has."
Olivia shook her head. "But it's not like Paige and her sisters had deliberately went after the Source." Cole gave her a long look. "Okay, except that one time when Cole was possessed. But other than one incident, they really had no choice but to kill the Source. I mean, the guy wouldn't stop coming after them."
Cole sighed. "She's got a point, Marbus."
"I understand," Marbus said with a nod. "All the same lad, I suggest you keep a steady eye out for any trouble. If you want to tell Fran . . . uh, Phoebe and her sisters about the Elders, fine. But I don't think they will believe you."
A long-suffering expression appeared on Cole's face. Olivia reached over to give his arm a reassuring squeeze. "Poor baby. You really have a lot to deal with right now, don't you?"
"No kidding!" Cole shot back. "Some Elder wants me dead." He snorted with derision. "No surprise there. And I also have this Magan Corporation to deal with."
Olivia frowned. "You know, that name sounds familiar. I just can't put my finger on it. What's the CEO's name?"
Cole replied, "Arthur Winslow. I've discovered a few things about him."
"Of course!" Olivia exclaimed. "San Francisco's mystery man!"
"What?"
Olivia continued, "Now I remember. Arthur Winslow had arrived in San Francisco about . . . oh, six or seven years ago, I think. He had appeared once at a party. Don't ask me what he looks like. No one from the family had attended the party. Bruce, Harry and I didn't care less about attending. Gran had been visiting her sister in Virginia, at the time. And Mom and Dad were out of the country. But all of society was talking about him. He made one appearance and was never seen again. Like Howard Hughes. What do you know about him?"
"Well, he was born in Pittsburgh," Cole finished. "Around May 1951. He had attended Northwestern University and received his Bachelor's in 1973. He received his Master's in Business from Harvard in '75." Cole went on to explain that Winslow had worked at various corporations, before starting his own business consultant firm in 1985. The CEO eventually switched from consultant to corporate raider within a few years. "Around '92 or '93, he eventually formed Magan Corporation and moved the firm to San Francisco about four years later. Oh, uh he married a Lydia Black in 1989 and became a widow, three years later. No children."
Pure admiration hummed in Olivia's voice. "Impressive! You really did your homework, did you?"
"Of course. I didn't become one of the Source's top assassins for nothing. You know what they say - 'Information is power'.
Olivia rolled her eyes. "That's great, Cole. But what if all that information you had gathered is fake? Were you able to find Winslow's private address?"
Cole hesitated. "No. Nor any photographs of him, since his arrival to this city. Like you said, quite the mystery man."
"Or the daemon," Marbus commented. "He sounds a little too mysterious to be true. And sending a daemon to kill your client was a mistake. It exposed this Winslow. Or whoever in his organization had connections to Cassandra. It's possible that one of Mr. Winslow's employees is pulling the company's strings behind his back."
Cole added, "Or pulling Mr. Winslow's strings."
Olivia gave a little shiver. "Don't you just love a mystery?"
The half-daemon retorted, "No, I don't. And what's even worse is that I now have two to deal with." He paused. "What about Paige and the others? Are you going to tell them about the two whitelighters?"
"I don't know," Olivia said with a shrug. "Perhaps I'll tell Paige. I don't think this is something I should keep to myself. Do you?"
Cole shot back, "Yes, but I know you're not going to listen to me, and tell her, anyway." A large sigh escaped from his mouth. "I should have known my good luck wasn't going to last long. What other kinds of shit are the fates going to dump in my path?"
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A slender, feminine figure with short, curly pale-blond hair and dark-blue eyes that matched her dress, appeared before Artemus in a cloud of smoke. She smiled at the daemon. "Artemus. It's good to finally meet you. I believe that you had summoned me?"
Artemus rose from his chair to greet the darklighter. "So, you're Nina Ziegler, I believe. Have a seat."
"Thank you." The darklighter gracefully eased into a blue Chippendale chair that faced Artemus' desk. Her eyes examined the rich furnishings inside the daemon's library. "Exquisite," she commented. "You have excellent tastes. I hope to acquire something similar for my home, in the future."
The daemon walked over to the liquor cabinet. "Perhaps I can help you. Would you like a drink?"
"Scotch whiskey, please."
Artemus poured a glass of malt Scotch whiskey into a glass and handed it to Nina. "How long have you been a darklighter, by the way?"
Nina took a sip of her Scotch. "Fifteen months. Why?"
"For one who hasn't been a darklighter very long, you've become quite accomplished."
A long silence followed. The glass hovered at Nina's lips, while she gave the daemon a hard stare. "Pardon me for asking, but what do you want, Artemus?"
The daemon finally answered, "I need a fellow daemon killed."
"Hire one to do it."
"I need this daemon to be killed by witches."
"You've got the wrong woman," Nina shot back. "I haven't been a whitelighter for over a year and no longer have any contact with my former charges."
Artemus sighed. "Yes, I realize that, Miss Ziegler. But what I need is information. Have you ever heard of Marbus?"
Nina took another sip of whiskey, while she contemplated Artemus' question. "Wasn't he a high-level daemon? One of the old Source's top assassins? I heard that a relative of his had killed him."
"I'm afraid that you're behind the times." Artemus walked over to the leather chair behind his desk and sat down. "Marbus had betrayed the Source over 140 years ago, and joined the Gimle Order." He paused. "Have you heard of them?"
A sneer marred Nina's pretty face. "Of course, I have. Unlike a number of my former colleagues in the Whitelighters Realm, I've been aware of the Gimle Order's true calling. Are you saying that you want this Marbus killed by witches? But how? He was killed by another daemon, nearly 40 years ago."
"Marbus is still alive," Artemus declaring, relishing in the darklighter's surprise. "His nephew, Belthazor, was supposed to kill him. Apparently, Belthazor decided to spare him and fake his death, instead."
Nina frowned. "Is this the same Belthazor who had married one of the Charmed Ones? Who had been the Source?"
"Now, you're on the right track," Artemus said with a smile. "Only Belthazor had been possessed by the Source's spirit, at the time. Because of that, the Charmed Ones eventually killed him, and . . ."
". . . he returned from the Wasteland, more powerful than ever," Nina finished. "Yes, I know all about that. But why do you want witches to kill Belthazor's uncle?"
Artemus sighed. "I'm interested in a certain piece of property in Santa Rosa County. Unfortunately, Belthazor stands in my way. Like his uncle, he has defected to the other side of the fence. He now practices law in this city and one of his clients owns that particular piece of property. I want this client out of the way, in order to get my hands on said property. And in order for me to do this, I need Belthazor out of the way. Or distracted. Or even alienated by his new loved ones."
A smirk curved Nina's pink lips. "Oh, I see. If you kill Marbus, you'll have a pissed-off Belthazor on your trail. But if witches were to kill Marbus, he would go after them. And become distracted from protecting his client." Nina finished the rest of her drink. "The only witches I know who are powerful and clever enough to kill this Marbus are either the Charmed Ones or the McNeill coven. Both are here in San Francisco. And all of them, save the McNeill elders, are charges of a former colleague of mine. Leo Wyatt."
"So, who would you recommend?" Artemus asked.
The darklighter hesitated for a minute. "Hmmm, the Charmed Ones." Artemus smiled. "The only way to get those witches to kill your Marbus is to frame him for the death of another witch or a mortal. The McNeills are known for being a suspicious and careful bunch. They can smell a rat at ten paces. The Charmed Ones, on the other hand . . ."
". . . are powerful and smart enough to kill Marbus," Artemus finished. "But, they have this little tendency to act before thinking."
Nina added, "Plus, Belthazor already has a grudge against them. They had killed him with extreme prejudice, when he had been possessed by the So . . ." Her voice drifted into silence. Artemus frowned at her. "I just remembered. One of the Charmed Ones - Belthazor's former mate - has the power of precognition. She's a seer . . . although not a very good one, in my opinion. All you have to do is arrange for her to receive a vision of Marbus killing an innocent . . ."
Artemus interjected, "Mark Giovanni."
"Of course." Nina nodded. "Once the Halliwell witch receives this vision, she and her sisters will go after Marbus with a vengeance."
"And how do you plan to arrange this?"
Nina blinked. "Me?"
Smiling, Artemus added, "You thought up this plan, not me. Besides, I would consider it a favor . . . that will be handsomely rewarded upon its success."
The darklighter stared at her host. "Well . . . uh, there's this warlock . . ."
Prax entered the office, interrupting Nina. "Pardon me, Artemus, but I have received a message from Kelson."
Artemus explained to his guest, "A warlock I had installed as a spy within Giovanni's organization. Go on, Prax."
"According to Kelson, Giovanni has just hired a new bodyguard for his home. Kelson has recognized her."
"Her?"
Nodding, Prax continued, "Yes, Kelson gave me a description. Her name is Andrea - a half-daemon with the Gimle Order."
Artemus dismissed his assistant. "Thank you, Prax. Tell Kelson to refrain from any action, at this moment." Prax left the office, as Artemus returned his attention to the darklighter. "Before we set this plan of yours into action, I suggest we have a test run. What exactly does this warlock of yours, do?"
Nina hesitated. "He's a telepath. And one of my former charges. He had defected with me to the other side. I can hire him to give visions of Marbus killing an innocent to Belthazor's former mate."
"Before you do, why don't we start with Mr. Giovanni's new bodyguard, first?"
Nina responded with an unpleasant smile. "If you insist."
END OF CHAPTER THREE
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