"I thought you said he wasn't a threat," Piper said her hands rising slightly from instinct.
"Hang on," said Cole, moving to the forefront of the group. "Something isn't right. Demons don't knock on doors. Cartrack, what are you doing here? And why are you in your human form?"
"It's rather a long story, I'm afraid," said Cartrack. "One I'd rather not tell standing on the porch if you don't mind. I can assure you I am not a threat to any of you. I knew the middle sister worked at that paper so when everything happened I decided to seek her out to see if she could help. When I saw Belthazor at the paper with her I decided it was best if I didn't confront her there. You have quite a reputation for attacking demons on sight."
"When what happened?" Cole asked.
"If I could come in for a moment," said Cartrack, "I'll explain everything."
"We aren't about to invite a demon into the house," said Piper.
"Wait a minute," said Cole, looking at Piper. "Something's not right here. If Cartrack had wanted to speak with you he would have shimmered into the manor. And he only takes his human form when he brings demonic children to the mortal realm."
"All part of what I need to explain," said Cartrack. "Please, I wouldn't be here if it weren't absolutely necessary."
"Just don't try anything funny," said Piper. "One false move and you'll be vanquished before you can do anything."
"That is not a problem, I assure you," said Cartrack.
The small group filed into the living room. The sisters each took up positions that would make it impossible for Cartrack to attack them all at the same time. Cole sat in a chair across from the sofa looking at Cartrack.
"What are you doing here?" Cole asked again.
"As I said," said Cartrack, "I need your help. Before your betrayal of the Source and the vanquishing of the Triad, the Source was quite pleased with your performance. He decided that it would be advantageous if there were more human/demon offspring. So he chose some demonic females to mate with human males. To produce the hybrids he felt would be of great benefit to the underworld and his plans."
"That makes sense," said Cole. "The Source always was a very devious leader."
"Yes," said Cartrack. "Well, many of the offspring were next to useless. They were either too human or they didn't have enough power to make them useful enough. But some few were beginning to exhibit great power. A couple were nearly as powerful as you."
"And the Source sent them to you to be trained," Leo said.
"Yes," said Cartrack. "I trained all of them. Even those who weren't powerful enough could be useful. One in particular seemed not to have any powers at all. Still, he was half demon. The Source felt he could be useful as a source of information if nothing else."
"What does that have to do with why you're here?" Piper asked impatiently.
"Everything," said Cartrack. "Even though this offspring had no apparent powers I felt he would be best utilized for passing on information. I've been training him what to look for. We've made several trips to the mortal realm so he would be familiar with it when he took his place."
"I'm assuming something must have gone wrong," Cole said. "That's why you're here."
"Precisely," Cartrack said.
"So what happened?" Paige asked. "Did someone discover who he was and kidnap him? And you want us to get him back for you? Is that it?"
"Not exactly," said Cartrack. "I brought him to the mortal realm earlier today as I have done on so many occasions in the past. Everything was going perfectly. He was one of my better students even though had no powers. In fact, he reminded me a great deal of you, Belthazor. So eager to learn about his human heritage."
"This is real touching," Piper said. "But that doesn't explain what you're doing here."
"Piper, please," Cole said. "I'm sure this is connected somehow."
"Actually, it is," Cartrack said. "The boy was..."
"Does he have a name?" Phoebe asked.
"I beg your pardon?" Cartrack asked.
"This boy," Phoebe said. "Does he have a name?"
"Oh, yes, of course," Cartrack said. "His name is Biltok. His human name is Carson Spencer."
"Okay," Phoebe said. "I was just curious."
"Anyway," Cartrack continued, "Biltok was quite curious about everything involving human culture. He said to me many times he hoped his powers would manifest soon. He seemed to relish the idea of proving himself to the hierarchy of the underworld."
"Oh, lovely," said Piper. "How old did you say this kid was?"
"In human years about twelve," Cartrack said.
"Wait a minute," Leo said. "I thought you said he didn't have any powers."
"Demonic children don't manifest their powers at the same time," Cole said. "Just like human children any special talents or abilities can surface at different ages."
"Precisely," Cartrack said. "Even though many of them hadn't exhibited any powers we always held out hope that they would one day. And we were very careful to explain to the children that it might take some of them longer to get their powers than others."
"Fine," said Piper. "So this half demonic child was eager to prove he's as much a demon as full demons. Real big news flash there. What do you need our help with?"
"As I said," Cartrack continued, "I had brought young Biltok to the mortal plane for another training session. He is quite enthusiastic. He's a very fast learner. I felt very soon that we would be able to place him with an appropriate human trainer to begin his life among humans.
"Then, out of the blue, as you humans say, Biltoks' power suddenly manifested itself. I can't really say how long he's had it. Probably no longer than a few days. I would imagine he's been planning the most opportune moment to use it. It seems our visit to the mortal plane today provided that opportunity."
"Power," Cole said. "You said power, not powers. He only had one power?"
"He only needs one power," Cartrack said. "You asked why I used the front door and why I didn't shimmer in. That's because I can't shimmer. In fact, I have no powers at all any longer. I can't even assume my demonic form any longer. Young Biltok seems to have relieved me of them."
"Relieved you of them?" Paige asked.
"What you're describing is a duplicator," Cole said. "But a duplicator is able to mimic another's' powers, not take them."
"He's not a duplicator," Cartrack said. "He's an absorber. And he's taken all of my powers. Which means we have a twelve-year-old human boy with the powers of a mid-level demon loose on humanity. A young boy who is eager to demonstrate his usefulness to the demonic hierarchy. And with virtually no concept of the normal restraints most humans utilize every day."