Wow! Sorry about the long delay. I will try very hard not to let my story go un-updated for that long again! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Anyway, here is the next installment of Tis the Season!

Chapter 9

Demon of Hypnosis

"Okay, human like demon with glowing yellow eyes," Prue muttered as the girls walked to their repective Books of Shadows. She telekinetically flipped the pages in the book. April and May scoured through their book finally reaching the section on demons.

"Any luck over there?" March asked joining her sisters.

"None, maybe I can make this go faster," Paige said. "Demon that just attacked us!" she called.

Both books' pages started flipping wildly. "Handy little power if I do say so myself."

Phoebe sent her a rather annoyed look. Paige just smiled back at her.

"Got him," Prue and March said simultaneously.

"They have been spending way too much time together up there," April replied looking at the Whitelighters and trying not to pick up on their thoughts.

"Xanthos, a demon of corruption," Prue read from the Book. "He is an upper level demon with glowing yellow eyes."

"Tell us something we don't know," May quipped sarcastically.

March sent a scowl her way. "Xanthos' power is to hypnotize nacent witches with his eyes and turn them evil. It would be wise to avoid looking straight into his eyes."

"Nice, just dandy. A demon is out to kill us because we are 'nacent' witches," April commented, voice dripping with sarcasm. "I need to reverse this bloody spell."

"Do it then. Just negate the spell that you used," Phoebe said.

"Okay...It was the spell to hear secret thoughts," April said.

"Oh great. Not that one again."

"Yeah, I wanted to get inside March's Whitelighter brain."

"Okay, but I think that there is a reversal spell in the Book," Prue said as she flipped through the pages once more. "Here."

April chanted:

"Secret thoughts I don't want to hear

Take them away from my mind's ear."

"So, can you hear what I'm thinking, Sis?" May asked afterwards.

"No. Thank the heavens!"

"Makes sense that this demon would call himself Xanthos," March said after a while.

"What do you mean?" Phoebe asked.

"The term 'xanthic' means 'yellow in color'. His eyes were yellow and his skin had an yellow tinge to it." March answered. "Don't look at me like that April. There is a reason why I go to college."

"Yeah, confuse us with fifty cent words when penny ones will do," April muttered.

"Is there any way to vanquish Xanthos?" Paige asked moving to stand next to Prue.

"There is a potion to blind him-keep him from hypnotizing witches, but no mention of a vanquishing spell or potion," Prue replied.

"He's a upper level demon though," May replied. "How are we going to get close enough to vanquish him?"

"I remember reading something about that," March spoke up concentrating. "You can vanquish an upper level demon with a potion made from-from-" she paused searching for the answer. "his flesh!" she finished.

"Right. Piper would be proud of you."

"At least someone pays attention to Piper's lectures," Phoebe quipped back at Paige.

Paige scowled at her older sister.

"Anyway, we need to brief Piper about this demon. You three should stay at the Manor since Xanthos is after you," Prue told the younger Charmed Ones.

"I'll go get Piper at the club," Paige said orbing out.

"I hate being stuck here," April pouted.

"You'll get your chance soon," Prue reassured her. "You girls start on the blinding potion. I'm going to check on my nephews. Yell if you need me."

Prue left the attic.

"Let's get cracking on that potion," March said.

"I'll read the list," April suggested.

"I'll measure."

"I guess that leaves the brewing to me. 'Double double toil and trouble. Fire boil and cauldron bubble!'" she added cackling. "What? Haven't you ever read Macbeth?"

"Some of us don't read Shakespeare for fun, March," April said rolling her eyes.

March shook her head heading for the door.

"You guys coming?" she called over her shoulder.

"What's the last ingredient on the list?" March asked as she stirred the potion.

"A teaspoon of ground black pepper," April replied as May searched for the pepper.

May sneezed. "I hate pepper."

"Yeah well, it makes your eyes burn. Probably why our ancestor put it in the potion."

May measured out the pepper and handed it to March.

"Watch out guys. This potion may flame a bit."

She slowly dropped the pepper into the potion and backed away. It flamed upon contact emitting noxious smoke.

"Ugh!" April moaned in disgust. "That reaks!"

"Can't say that I don't agree with ya, Sis," May added.

"Now it has to cool and turn acid yellow."

"Great," May said as March turned off the burner.

"A year of college Chemistry, and they never taught me how to do this," March said wryly. "Shouldn't take long for it to cool."

"Yuck! What is that smell?" Prue asked as she entered the kitchen.

"That would be our potion," May said pointing to the cauldron. "Lovely, isn't it?"

"Just brilliant," Prue replied sarcastically. "How long until it is done?"

"It just needs to cool and change colors," May said looking at the Book.

"Okay," Prue replied. "Piper, Phoebe, and Paige are in the living room."

"Waiting on us and the potion?" April asked.

"So that we can plan," Prue answered with a nod.

"You guys go ahead. I'll bottle the potions and join you later," March replied.

"Okay."

Prue and her sisters headed for the living room.

March settled herself in a chair and waited for the potion to cool.

Okay. That is a good point to end this chapter. More will be coming soon, I promise. Catch ya next chapter!

Blessed be,

AstronomyGirl85

(Maylee)