Post by StoryGirl83 on Aug 27, 2008 21:20:09 GMT -5
Chapter Eight – Win, Lose, or Draw
and ten demons: Aithen, Aitha, Riz, Kasinda, Syre, Huller, Merig, Kasib, Morka, and Lukman
Back at the manor, Piper and Chris stood in front of a cauldron. There were empty jars and various spice containers. There were newly ground powders that were in small jars. Piper reached her index finger and thumb into a jar and brought out a pinch. She dropped the powder into the caldron.
Leo was looking through the Book of Shadows, hoping to find anything new to help them.
Wyatt walked in the door of the attic, carrying a glass of water.
Chris looked up as he came in. “You walked?”
“Why not?” Wyatt asked with a shrug. “I’m allowed to. It there anything else you need?”
“No,” Chris told him with a shake of his head. “That’s it. Would you grab some vials, so we can fill them.”
Wyatt placed the glass of water on the table. Then, he walked over to the shelves and started picking up vials. Without turning around he asked, “How many do we need?”
“Just grab some,” Chris told him.
“Do you have anything for stronger demons?” Leo asked, looking up from the Book.
“Yes, Dad,” Chris told him trying to conceal a bit of irritation for his father’s lack of trust. “We have some for stronger demons and some for the spies.”
“Good,” Leo replied in relief, “because I don’t think the spies are likely to attack. They just spy.”
Chris nodded before pouring some of the water into the potion. A small puff emitted from the caldron. “I know.”
“This potion if for stronger demons,” Piper added. “It should take care of any spy demons who attack as well.”
Wyatt brought over the vials and he began filling them along with his little brother.
“Good,” Leo repeated. “It does say something about a spy master. Perhaps we should try summoning him. It might . . .”
Leo stopped speaking as three demons shimmering into the attic. The first demon was a humanoid male in a leather jacket named Aithen. The second demon was his female counterpart in pink leather. Her name was Aitha. The third demon, Riz, was a male with skin so pale it was almost white. He bore a slight resemblance to a grimlock.
Aithen formed a fireball and threw it at the table with the potions forcing Piper and Chris to jump out of the way.
As Piper raised her arms to freeze the room, another demon shimmered in behind her. With her pale hair and flawless skin, Kasinda, resembled a prep school cheerleader more than she did a demon. Kasinda pushed Piper, causing the witch to hit the floor with a thud.
Just before it hit the potion table the fireball disappeared in blue-white orbs, reappearing about a foot from Aithen, and headed toward him. The fireball hit the stunned demon before he could react and caused him to explode.
Angered Aitha formed an energy ball in her hand and threw it at Leo, believing him her easiest target. Seeing the energy ball, Chris drove it off path with a fling of his arm while Wyatt orbed over to Leo and put up his shield.
Two more demons, Syre and Huller, shimmered in as Piper looked up at Aitha, fire in her eyes directed toward the demon who dared try to hurt Piper’s beloved husband. Piper flicked her hands and watched with more than a little satisfaction as Aitha exploded into a million tiny pieces.
Syre assessed the scene with eyes that were less than human, resembling a snake’s more than anything else. He cast a look of disgust at Huller. Huller had shoulder length brown hair and multiple piercings visible. With one last disgusted look at the demon next to him Syre spit some sort of acid, an acid that bore more than a passing resemblance to the acidic venom of scaber demon, in Chris direction.
Seeing it, Wyatt called out, “Chris! Watch out!”
Chris orbed out of the way just in time.
With his brother no longer in danger Wyatt turned to his dad next to him. “If I get you to the potions do you want to take care of some of the demons or do you want me to orb you downstairs.
On the other side of the room Piper put Syre perminately out of commission with a flick of her wrists.
Chris orbed back in and picked up Riz with his bare hands. In all my years as a witch, have I ever seen so many demons attack at once? It seemed a strange yet true failing of demons that because they trusted no one they almost always worked alone. Controlled once more he threw the offending demon at the wall.
Almost at once something caught his attention just inside his peripheral vision. He turned to see four new demons shimmer into different places in the attic.
The first was Merig, a male of which to say he was slimy was to be taken literally. Slimy oozed on him and some dripped to the floor.
The next was Kasib, pale skinned and pale haired, he flicked a look at the pale haired Kasinda. Had anyone cared to look the resemblance between the two demons would have been obvious. However, no one was really interested in how the demons, now totaling ten, were connected to each other, only how to get rid of the remaining seven.
The third of the new demons was a dark haired demoness named Morka. She appeared to be rather unobtrusive, though in truth her trophy list was rather long.
The fourth and final of the new demons was a dark skinned demon called Lukman. Weary eyes took in their fill of the four members of the family.
As he looked at the seven demons in turn Leo responded firmly to his son’s question. “Potions.”
Without so much as a nod, Wyatt dropped his shield and orbed Leo to the potions’ table. With his shield down, Lukman took aim and threw a blue gel pack at Wyatt from behind. Lukman’s aim was true and the gel pack hit Wyatt on the back of his neck. A tiny explosion formed as the packaging dissolved at the touch of the skin of good magic. The impact was so small that only Wyatt noticed anything, and to Wyatt is was merely an irritant that caused him to reach back and rub his hand against his neck. Gel that hadn’t yet been absorbed got onto his fingertips, absorbing before his eyes as he quickly brought his hand back and looked at it. What was that? Wyatt wondered as he turned around to look. He turned around just fast enough to see Lukman shimmer out, his task accomplished.
At the potion table, Leo was unaware of what just happened to his son. He threw one of the potions at Morka and ended a long, illustrious career of death and destruction with one explosion.
Piper finally managed to get to a standing position. She surveyed the scene around her as Chris telekinetically lifted one of the potions off the table and threw it at Huller.
As Huller exploded Kasib pulled out an athemé and threw it at Wyatt. Wyatt saw it coming and blinked, expecting it to orb away, but nothing happened. Confused he tried to orb out and still nothing happened. Almost panicked since his obing had never before failed him, he threw his shield up at the last second and stopped the athemé just short of hitting him. Reflief flooded threw him only to be stopped by dread as he tried to figure out why he couldn’t orb.
Several feet away, Riz held up his hands, shooting electricity at Chris.
Anxious, Wyatt called out to his brother. “Chris, problem.”
Chris ducked out of the path of the electricity. Piper waved her hands over her son's head, causing Riz to blow up. Leo threw a potion at Merig, blowing him up as well. “Little busy,” Chris retorted. “What’s wrong?”
“I can’t orb,” was all that Wyatt said.
It was all he needed to say. Chris spun around to look at his older brother. “What?!” Chris exclaimed as Piper and Leo, also turned to look at their son.
Kasinda saw her chance, took aim, and threw a gel pack at Chris.
The pack hit Chris, causing him to turn around and face her. He waved his arm to telekinetically throw her just as she tried to shimmer out. Chris’ telekinesis won out, sending Kasinda against the wall so hard the she was knocked unconscious.
Seeing Kasinda knocked out, Kasib shimmered over to her and shimmed them both out before anyone can react.
Only after both of the remaining demons were gone did Chris reach up and rub the right side of his neck where the gel pack had hit him. The gel was completely absorbed. He looked across the room at Wyatt. At Wyatt’s nod, Chris held out his hand. “Vial.” When nothing happened, Chris’ shoulders slumped.
Wyatt sighed.
Annoyed, Chris flicked his wrist at a piece of broken wood, moving it fast and hard against the wall.
“Mom, I think we found out what the spies were after,” Wyatt announced. “They used some sort of gel to make sure we couldn’t orb.”
“Is there any left to test?” Piper asked looked at her two sons, worried. “We need to find out how to reverse it.”
“No orbing,” Chris mumbled to himself. “What will that prove?”
“Chris?” Piper questioned.
“What?” Chris asked, looking at her surprised. Realizing she had asked him a question he thought back. “Oh. No. I don’t think so.” Turning to Wyatt he deflected the question. “Wy?”
“Nope,” Wyatt replied with a shake of his head. “Unless some fell off. I got some on my hand and it was just absorbed.”
“That does not sound good,” Leo commented, concerned.
Piper sighed and started pacing. “I think it’s time to summon that spy master.”