Death in the Mountains

Zip and Pascal had been ordered by Mike to stay in the van. Between Pascal having Visitations and Zip being under age and on the mission mainly for moral support for Sam, Mike thought it was best if the two of them stayed out of the action.

They were talking when Zip spotted Jay stumble out from under the house in the passenger’s side mirror. “There he is!” Zip shrieked excitedly, ready to bolt out the door to go after him. Pascal grabbed Zip’s arm, a sudden minor premonition hitting him. “Wait, he’s coming our way, I think he’s going to try jumping into the van.”

A very dirty, panicked teen leaped into the back seat, slipping and falling heavily into the floor before closing the door. Pascal hit the child safety locks so Jay couldn’t get out and Zip quickly blinded him by shining a high-powered flashlight in his face. Pascal quickly damped down a surge of elation. The guy practically threw himself into his hands. He’d had some basic negotiation training, time to put it to use. Maybe he’d get some answers now. But, first he needed to take control of the situation.

“Freeze, I have a gun pointed at your head.”

Pascal gritted his teeth, regretting pulling his firearm. Jay Kesterson was only wearing shorts and a t-shirt. He looked battered and bloody, with bruises all over his body. Was he being physically abused by his aunt? Just what the guy needed, more traumatizing. Pascal reached out and jerked Jay’s arm away from his face so he could get a better look at him.

Staring into his painfully blinking face made one of the last few pieces of the puzzle fall into place for Pascal.

Jay Kesterson was an underage and very frightened Guardian. What did that mean about Vera Kesterson?

~8~

Sam smothered a surge of hope as he saw his brother’s bedraggled familiar slink into the cave. He knew he was dying and his only hope was that these abominations would soon be destroyed. Sam wanted to hang on long enough to warn Dean about the other Hunters. Maybe he could do something to stop the blood bath that Ravenmocker had foretold.

Through his pain Sam Saw his tiny familiar spasm in near death throes. It was even more of an agony to realize that a tiny kitten would be the first victim of his selfish stupidity. He had been so willing to die to see Jess again. Now he would be ashamed to face her. He could only hope that Nora, Vera and Jay could somehow comfort Dean’s grief.

Sam began to scream and thrash around even more than he already was, hoping to distract the nameless demons torturing him.

Suddenly he saw Ravenmocker standing in a corner of the cave, his usually calm face contorted in a combination of fear, rage and helplessness. Sam knew he could not help Dean in the fight to come.

~8~

Dean looked at his unlikely allies in this fight; a grieving sheriff’s deputy, a middle-aged librarian and a cat. He motioned silently for Joe to join him. Vera understood that she was to enter last, same as the previous time. Dean reached down to grip Griffin’s shoulders gently in encouragement and thanks. He knew that his familiar needed no instructions. He was a predator and hunter by nature. Dean wished Griffin could share those instincts with Vera.

Dean and Joe flanked the entrance to the cave. He gritted his teeth in self control to keep from rushing in at the sounds of his brother’s screams. Crouching next the cave opening he peered in at the demons torturing Sam and fought down a wave of nausea.

The creatures were huge, looking too large to be human. Their skin was a sickly green and glowed with an unnatural light. Both were bald with no ears and just a slit for a nose. Their fingers ended in almost needle-like talons and their cocks were obscenely engorged.

Sam was partially hidden by the uneven cave floor. Dean almost vomited again at the sight at a shapeless mass at the end of one of Sam’s arms that looked like it used to be a hand. One of the demons was crouching over him, looking as if it were carefully slicing a pattern into his chest.

Griffin slipped silently into the cave; Dean didn’t try to stop him. He spared a glance for Joe and Vera. Joe’s face was mask-like and still. Vera looked like she was about to be sick and hadn’t even seen anything yet. Vera had shielded them, making it possible to sneak up on the demons that fact alone was worth bringing her along.

Dean bounded into the cave with Joe on his heels. The element of surprise was with them and he drew first blood stabbing the demon standing nearest the entrance in its side. Dean jumped out of range of the demon’s claws as Joe shot it with the shotgun, causing more wounds. Dean approved, Joe was falling back on the weapons he knew.

The demon crouching over Sam loomed up. The cave was so crowded it was difficult to maneuver and Joe suffered a glancing blow. Dean was relieved to see the deputy still on his feet, bleeding from a series of shallow slashes on his upper arm. The rumbling of a thunderclap caused dust and small rocks to fall from the ceiling distracting Joe for a moment; he was almost struck again, but he shot the nearest demon with the second round before throwing the shotgun aside; there was no time to reload. Ducking behind a small boulder Joe drew his sword and doused the blade in holy water.

Dean thrust his sword again at the first demon, this time cutting its upper leg and barely dancing out of the way of the return blow. Where the hell was Vera?

~8~

Vera stood frozen, watching the fight play out in front of her. The cave was small; she didn’t know how Dean and Joe hadn’t been slaughtered yet. Vera couldn’t seem to think of anything she could do; her brain seemed to be as frozen in fear as her body. The storm shattering the wooded silence behind her seemed to be just as violent as the battle in front of her.

“Damn it Vera,” Dean yelled as he barely avoided a blow, “do something!” Dean’s voice seemed to reactivate her brain. With another crash of lightning, Vera Saw another man standing at the back of the cave. Long dark hair, high cheekbones; he looked almost like he was a part of the stone behind him.

Her mind suddenly jolted with a revelation. The earth itself wanted rid of these abominations. The blood of her ancestors had intertwined with the spirits of this land. Sympathetic magic was the most ancient and basic of the mystical arts; like calls to like. This was the reason you needed a part of someone, their hair or an object close to them to scry them out.

Like calls to like; blood calls to blood. Vera drew her sword. The sword dedicated and sanctified to the spirits and creatures of the North; the direction that was connected to the mother earth, both land and family.

Vera fell to her knees, thrusting the sword into the few inches of soil on the cave floor until she hit bedrock. Not giving herself time to think, she clasped the sword blade tightly in her already injured left hand, severing tendon and muscle. A maimed and useless hand was worth destroying these abominations.

“Blood calls to blood!” she cried out as her own blood ran freely down the blade in self sacrifice to the soil beneath. At that moment Vera was no longer Vera, she was Ashera, a priestess of her Gods, a powerful psychic and mage. At that moment she truly became a Guardian.

Ashera could feel the energy of the earth and sky surge through her, using her as a willing conduit to strike back at the unclean presence that was tainting them. Lightning struck, but not the ground. The electrical current snaked through the trees and cave entrance and into Ashera, who sanctified the power and merged it with the power vibrating from the earth and racing up the blade.

The power struck the two demons with a blinding, brutal light, causing them to convulse and scream in rage and pain; weakening but not killing them. Joe jumped out from behind the boulder where he had drawn and doused his sword with holy water. He struck at the nearest demon, the one furthest away from Sam, who had been slowed down by the pain and power of Ashera’s strike it was an easy target. Instinctively, the newly blooded Hunter aimed for the demon’s crotch, severing its’ obscenely large cock. With a soundless spasm, it imploded without as much as a flicker.

The second demon, on seeing its brother destroyed, leapt at Sam, its form twisting and becoming smaller and slug like, attaching itself like a leech just above his heart. Griffin, who had been trying to protect and comfort Sam during the fight yowled and struck at it as it attached itself to Sam. His claw swipe caused it to squirm, but otherwise didn’t affect it.

Dean and Joe paused to catch their breath as Ashera slowly rose to her feet, clutching her now useless left hand and leaving her sword embedded in the earth. Dean dropped by Sam’s side, his love for his brother keeping him from recoiling at the bloody ruin of his face. Most of Sam’s body showed signs of repeated torture, his face flayed and his hair matted with blood. He was bleeding from his anus and his genitals. His chest was sliced up and his left hand crushed.

“Kill me,” Sam said in a hoarse voice, “if you kill me, you’ll force it out. It’s getting stronger.” His voice ended in a gasp.

Dean gripped Sam’s uninjured hand, trying to keep his lips from quivering and his eyes from overflowing. Last thing Sam needed to see was him losing it. He took in the extent of Sam’s injuries and the time and difficulty it would take to get him to a hospital. Sam looked like he had internal injuries. Trying to get him to a hospital would probably just cause him pointless pain.

“What?” Dean asked in disbelief. “No! How can you even ask me that?”

Sam swallowed painfully, his lips slick from blood. “Look at me. I'm hurting, deep. Too much.”

"Sam, we'll figure out some way to get this thing off you, there must be some exorcism, just hang on a bit longer.” He took a deep breath, trying to hold back tears. He couldn’t lose it, not now; too many people were depending on him. “You've got to hang on Sam!” Dean ordered fiercely. After everything that had happened, the home they had found, Sam couldn’t leave him alone now. Not when they just got a family.

“One thing,” Sam rasped out; “other Hunters. Ravenmocker said--me dying tonight--other people could die.”

Dean was shocked. “Ravenmocker said you were going to die?”

Sam tried to focus enough through the pain to explain. “No, Ravenmocker said if I die, other hunters will think Vera did it. They may kill Vera and Jay, no Guardians left here.”

Dean took a shaky breath. How could things have gone so wrong since this morning? “More reasons to live Sam. You aren't a quitter.”

Sam suppressed a sob. “Too far from a hospital.”

Dean couldn’t keep tears from running down his face and said fiercely, "Don't do this Sam, don't you give up now. We have a home, just like you always wanted. Save your strength, we're going to get you out of here."

Dean was vaguely aware of an argument between Vera and Joe before Joe stormed out of the cave. Vera came to kneel on the other side of Sam, her face set and angry. “Joe is going to get two long branches so we can make a stretcher for Sam out of rope and your ponchos.” She scowled down at the writhing green blob on Sam’s chest. “We have to get him back to the farm; we’ve got to finish that thing off.”

Dean glared at her in fury over Sam’s rasping breath. “We’ve got to get him medical help.”

Vera was unmoved in the face of Sam’s pain and Dean’s fury and grief. “Do you think a hospital can help him right now? Medical help won’t do him any good until we separate the demon from him.”

Vera turned her attention to Sam, ignoring Dean for the moment. She began murmuring comfort to Sam as she pulled out the medical supplies they had brought with them to do as much first aid for Sam as they could while Joe dragged in two long, thick tree branches.

Even as they made a stretcher Dean began to despair. They were so far away from the truck and the KOA, they didn’t mark their trail, streams were flooded; how were they ever going to get him help in time? Vera continued bandaging Sam up as best she could, her face grim, keeping up a continuous chant under her breath that seemed to comfort Sam.

Suddenly the entire world seemed to move two inches to the left and Dean felt his gut twist painfully for a second. Sam moaned and Vera turned away from him quickly and threw up bile. Joe looked shaken and white, which considering the day’s events was stunning.

Dean looked around; they were no longer in the same cave. After a moment Joe finally found his voice, looking like he was about to be sick himself. “We’re in the first cave, where we found Kathy Wyler.” Dean jumped up and ran the few steps to the cave entrance to look over Joe’s shoulder.

He never thought that a flooded, wet, muddy hillside would be so beautiful. He could even see the bright orange plastic tags that would lead them back to the KOA. It was going to be tough getting Sammy past the somewhat narrow crack that was the cave’s entrance, but this cut off hours of wandering in the woods trying to find their back trail.

Dean turned around and snatched Vera up from the ground, giving her a rib crushing hug. “Dean!” she squeaked in protest.

“How’d you do it?” he asked, a laugh of relief bubbling from him.

Vera blinked at him, looking shaken. “Me? I didn’t do it. It must be a miracle or intervention of some type.” By this time Dean wasn’t listening to her anymore, he and Joe were working on getting Sam out of the cave.

The footing was still bad, but guided by the trail markers Clayt had insisted they leave behind them they headed back to the campground. Dean decided florescent orange was his new favorite color. Each time he saw one of those bright plastic ribbons through the rain and gloom of the night and storm it made his heart leap. It took them longer than Dean liked but they reached the campground very quickly.

The rain had almost stopped and Joe and Dean quickly loaded Sam into the back of Vera's truck. Dean jumped into the back closing the tailgate and but leaving the shell door open. Griffin stayed plastered to his side, looking pitiful.

They stopped briefly at the campground office to let Mrs. Rice know they had found Sam and to get Joe's car. Dean could see Joe talking on his car radio. Then he got out of his car to speak to Dean while Vera was in the office. “I have to go help Spencer; there are accidents all over town because of the storms. He needs help." Joe looked both enraged and torn. "Finish it,” he said curtly.

Dean could tell he wanted to stay, but knew that people needed mundane help tonight as well. Vera reassured Mrs. Rice before almost running out of the office and jumping into the truck. Her useless left hand clutched to her chest.

Dean slid open the small window into the cab. “Vera, let’s go!”

She looked at him in the rear view mirror, and for a moment Dean could swear that she was more afraid now then she was at the beginning of the search. Dean quickly forgot it as soon as he turned back to Sam. After all, they’d all survived the search, found both Kathy Wyler and Sam and had killed one of the demons. They knew how to kill the last one. Other than Sammy’s injuries, what else was there to worry about?

~8~

Ravenmocker watched in anxiety as his Hunter/Guardian group drove off to their separate destinations. He knew he had helped too much. He shouldn’t have teleported them from one cave to another. He had crossed the boundaries, which meant the unbalanced and unclean forces could push back. As unfair as it seemed, there was a Balance. ‘Light’ and ‘Dark’ were complementary forces, all actions had an equal and opposite reaction. Both were needed for Existence to continue. Now the forces of ‘Dark’ could do something as powerful as he had done for their agents. All he could do now was to watch and ensure they didn’t exceed the license he had just given them.

~8~

"We don't want to hurt you Guardian. We came in peace."

Jay was shaking in the back seat; he didn’t think he’d ever been more terrified in his life. “W-what? Why are you talking like Lord of the Rings or Star Trek?” Despite the gun Jay was scared enough to be fumbling for the door handle in the dark, not realizing he couldn't get out because of the child locks.

The man with the Canadian accent started talking again. "Wait! We just want to talk!"

Jay heard another voice from the passenger’s seat. "Look we are putting our guns down here on the floor" Jay blinked, didn’t the idiots realize he couldn’t see a damned thing with the flashlight in his face? He did hear movement but didn’t trust them, there was no way for him to know if they’d put down their weapons or not.

“Shit!” Jay gasped out, realizing not only did his captors have guns but also he was outnumbered. “Your-your friends want to kill my aunt. They are out there right now looking for me, what the hell do you want to talk about?”

He heard someone take a deep breath. "Your aunt is a danger to the community; we are here to rescue you from her."

Jay was confused. “What? Rescue me? I don’t need rescuing from her. Besides, what community?”

“I’m Pascal,” the accented voice said rather regretfully, as if he knew he should have told him their names sooner, “and this is Zip. We are the Comacine Order; I'm talking about the Guardian and Hunter community. Zip, turn off the light.”

Suddenly Jay was plunged into a darkness so profound he wondered if he could ever see again. He decided to risk a quick probe to both of them now that he was calming down some. Pascal was a Seer and his shields were all but blown. The Zip guy was spiking energy all over the place. Jay shook his head in annoyance at both of them. “Yeah, I know about Hunters and Guardians. Aunt Vera isn't a danger to them! Sam's about to go rogue, and she's been keeping him grounded.”

Now it was Zip’s turn to sound regretful and amazingly condescending at the same time. “But now Sam Winchester is missing, what does your aunt know about that?”

Jay ignored the question, becoming more agitated over Zip spiking power and Pascal projecting his rather unsettled emotions. “Dude, what is wrong with both of your shields? You're both leaking all over the place!” Jay was picking up on both of their agitation, which was just making his fears worse. “Sam? She's out looking for him!”

Jay could make out a little movement in the front seat and Zip’s voice sounded confused when he answered him. “What do you mean both our shields? I'm not a psychic.” Jay grunted in annoyance and threw external shields over both of them out of self-defense, gasping both in relief and exhaustion once he finished.

There was total silence in the van for several seconds. Pascal spoke first. “Thank you!” he blurted out, sounding grateful, but then he was silent again, as if he shouldn’t have said it.

Zip sounded confused, "How come I feel better?"

Jay groaned, slumping in the seat. He wasn’t quite as afraid anymore; these guys were idiots. “You've been channeling energy, you were spiking all over the place.” Jay could see their outlines turn towards each other. Damn it, he wished he could see! Zip was still fluxing energy wildly within the shield he put up, battering it from the inside as he tried to hold it in place. Jay shuddered. “Dude, tamp it down! I can't ground you right now! I'm too tired with all the shielding.”

Zip asked nervously, "How is this happening?"

Jay snorted; they were really stupid if they didn’t understand something as basic as energy work. “You're channeling the power of the storm. Damn you're powerful. You're channeling as much energy as some full covens I've seen.” Jay began panting a little, feeling strained. Something suddenly occurred to Jay. “Why aren't you calling your buddies on me?” he asked suspiciously.

The two of them ignored him. “Zip, I think you’re a booster!” Pascal’s voice held suppressed excitement.

Jay could see Zip’s outline stiffen. “Me?” he yelped, his voice high pitched enough to make Jay wince. Shit, hadn’t this dude hit puberty yet? “But that’s really rare! How can I be…?” Zip’s voice trailed off.

Jay decided to break up the little love fest in the front seat. “Why aren't you telling them where I am?”

Much to Jay’s annoyance, they ignored his question again. Pascal started interrogating. "Where did you learn to shield like that? How are you doing it? How can you shield more than one other person?"

Jay was confused again; frightened by the intensity of the questions as he felt his heart pounding in his chest. “My aunt, who else? Can't you do it, too?” Jay could have kicked himself, of course they couldn’t do it, otherwise he wouldn’t have to! Some of Jay’s night vision was coming back and he could see Pascal shaking his head, “Not like you are.” Jay was getting even more upset; they weren’t answering any of his questions. “You still haven't told me why you're not telling them where I am.”

Pascal sighed, "I think the situation is volatile enough without the rest of the team here trying to talk to you at once don't you think?"

The team. The realization that these Comacines were here to take Sam and Dean away and kill Aunt Vera came crashing back down on him. He swallowed back tears. “Oh, Gods, I don't understand you people. Why are you doing this? Why can't you just leave us alone?”

Zip cleared his throat, uncomfortable with Jay’s show of emotion. "We first got involved when Dean got arrested. We've been trying to contact the Winchesters for years. So we came here and found out there were murders going on. We came to help protect you and the Winchesters. That's our job."

Jay stifled a sob. “We don't need your protection! I am so outta here.” Jay had to leave; he had to warn his aunt, Sam and Dean. This couldn’t happen; he couldn’t let it happen. He began scrabbling at the door, trying to find the handle and the door locks. When he couldn’t, Jay started throwing himself against the door, not realizing his fight or flight instinct had kicked in, completely forgetting the two other men were armed.

Pascal recognized what was happening with the younger man, and reached over the seat to grab one of his arms. The kid looked perfectly willing to try to break out a window to get away. He knew that abused people would go to great lengths to protect their abusers. "We are sworn to protect all Guardians. You have to stay here." He got Jay to calm down a little, Pascal tried to keep his grip on Jay’s wrist firm but not tight enough to hurt.

“Then why are you trying to kill Aunt Vera?” Jay tried jerking out of Pascal’s grip, his voice breaking and Pascal knew they were about to lose him to panic again. Pascal kept a tight hold on his arm, but he could feel his own face go pale. Sweet Mary, Mother of God; the last piece of the puzzle fell into place. "Your aunt is a Guardian? I thought it was Dean. Oh God, Zip call Mike and tell him to stand down."

The meanings of Pascal’s visions suddenly became painfully clear. Why he was getting the Visitations, why he saw Jay, Sam and Dean attacking the Comacine Order, why seeing Jay thrusting his hand into bloody soil next to his aunt filled him with such dread. He had been a Guardian here two hundred years ago, now Ravenmocker was desperately trying to get him to stop his Order from killing another Guardian by mistake.

Jay totally gave in to panic, this time trying to jump into the front seat to stop Zip from calling. He obviously had misunderstood what Pascal had said in his confusion and was trying to keep Zip from contacting anyone else on the team. Pascal started shouting at him, trying to make him understand "They have orders to shoot her on sight, we got to warn them!"

Jay screamed; an anguished cry. Pascal winced out of sympathy. “Shoot her on sight; no trial, no chance to defend herself?”

Jay’s voice was raw and Pascal could see Zip shaking over the implications, finally understanding what was at stake tonight. “Listen Jay,” Pascal began urgently. He had to make him understand; to cooperate with him to stop this chain of events. "Those are the orders and the team is trained to follow orders. Mike is the only one now who can call this off. We got to call him or they’ll shoot her on sight."

Jay looked at him glassy eyed and Pascal shook his arm, trying to get a response out of him. Suddenly Jay began clawing at the door again. Pascal cursed; he’d lost him. He probably shouldn’t have said the word “shoot”. He swore to himself he was asking for more negotiation training after this mission. Giving up on talking, Pascal threw himself into the back seat to subdue Jay while Zip tried calling Mike. Within a few seconds he had Jay face down in the floorboards, his arm twisted tightly and his knee holding him down. It was almost too easy; Pascal decided he must be exhausted, he expected more of a fight from him.

Pascal could hear Jay sobbing and feel him shake under him. He thought it would be kinder to sedate him rather than leave him awake for all of this, but Mike might want to talk to him. He could hear Zip talking to Mike in the front seat when he heard a car and saw headlights. A truck roared past them, crashing through one of the fences. Jay resumed struggling beneath him. Pascal was worried that Jay was perfectly willing to break one of his arms to get away from him. He quickly cuffed the panicked teen. Jay might be a young Guardian and a powerful psychic, but he obviously needed a lot of training. He was glad the young Guardian couldn’t defend himself; it made things much easier for him.


~8~


Vera fought down a moment of panic when she saw two vans parked in the driveway. The other Hunters? All the lights were on in the house. Her thoughts immediately went to Jay. A shudder ran through her. A quick psychic search told her Jay was still alive. She had to cleanse Sam, and then they would try dealing with them. They were seriously outnumbered. She couldn’t use the ritual room like she planned; she’d have to use the outdoor ritual area in the back field.

Wishing she had some way to warn Dean, Vera gritted her teeth and starting driving though fences, glad the truck had four wheel drive. Vera was relieved the horses had enough sense to get out of the way but winced when she hit one of the goats. In the distance she saw figures running toward them; she prayed that the truck didn’t get stuck.

She stopped just outside the Circle, the truck sliding in the mud. Vera almost slipped and fell in the slick earth as she jumped out. She heard Dean throw open the tailgate and shell doors.

“Vera, what the fuck?” she heard Dean roar over the rain.

“The other Hunters,” she yelled back, “they’re here! Sam said they want to kill me and we don’t have time to explain. This is the outdoor Circle, it might be better to try this out here. We have to get Sam within the boundaries.”

Dean was startled by the fact that these other Hunters were already here and wondered how they had found them so fast. His anger at Vera was replaced by relief and pride in the fact that she’s quickly came up with an alternate plan rather then panicking and freezing up the way she had when they found Sam.

Through the rain Dean could see the ritual area, Griffin’s white fur showing up against the darkness helping lead the way over the uneven ground as he stumbled towards it. It had one large altar and three large stones set in a circle. Vera helped him to maneuver Sam and laid him down in front of the altar. Dean shuddered; to a stranger this was going to look really bad. The rain was getting worse and Dean could see and hear more lightning and thunder approaching them; another band of storms was coming in.

“Now what?” Dean yelled.

Vera blinked at him through the rain washing over her face. “Stay with Sam.”

Dean cradled Sam’s head in his lap, Griffin crouching next to both of them, his attention split between his human and his human’s littermate. Once again, Vera’s voice seemed to carry unnaturally well through the sounds of the storm. Dean shook his head; if they all came out of this alive he was having a very long talk with her.

Vera stood before the altar and took a deep breath. She usually gave herself a few moments to mentally prepare herself and plan the ritual but she knew she had no time. She didn’t even know if she really had time to finish the ritual before the other Hunters got to them but she had to try. Ashera began, realizing she would have to create this ritual on the spot.

She lifted her arms to the she and threw back her head.

“Spirits of the North;
Of Earth and Mother,
Resting place of my Ancestors and the Beloved Dead
I ask you for your Presence here tonight
To guard this Circle and aid my rite
Hail and welcome!”

She moved a quarter of the way around the Circle to one of the large stones.

“Spirits of the East;
Of Air and Dawn,
I ask you for your Presence here tonight
To guard this Circle and aid my rite
Hail and welcome!”

The wind howled, driving rain painfully into Dean’s face before he turned away. Ashera moved on the stone directly across the Circle from the altar as if she didn’t even feel the near bruising rain.

“Spirits of the South;
Of Fire and Passion,
I ask you for your Presence here tonight
To guard this Circle and aid my rite
Hail and welcome!”

Lightning stuck nearby, almost knocking Ashera off her feet. She could see the people were getting closer and quickly ran to the West, skidding to a halt in front of the last stone.

“Spirits of the West;
Of Water and Healing,
I ask you for your Presence here tonight
To guard this Circle and aid my rite
Hail and welcome!”

For a moment the rain intensified, momentarily blinding everyone in the field, slowing down the group running towards them. She strode to the center of the Circle and held her hands palm down, looking to the earth.

“Spirits of Below;
The dark and chthonic forces,
I ask you for your Presence here tonight
To guard this Circle and aid my rite
Hail and welcome!”

Ashera raised her hands and looked to the roiling sky, cloud to cloud lightning flickering above them.

“Spirits of Above;
The endless sky and mysteries of space,
I ask you for your Presence here tonight
To guard this Circle and aid my rite
Hail and welcome!”

She cupped her hands in front of her.

“Spirits of Center;
The navel of the universe,
I ask you for your Presence here tonight
To guard this Circle and aid my rite
Hail and welcome!”

As Ashera cried out the phrase, lightning arced from the sky towards them. Dean flinched back, at first thinking she had been hit, but when his vision cleared he saw her standing in the center of the Circle, panting. There was a faint, shimmering blue-green dome enclosing the ritual area.

As Vera stumbled back to them Dean could see several figures slide to a halt at the Circle’s boundaries, a few of them slipping and falling into the mud. Dean called out a warning when he saw a woman draw a gun and began firing at Vera. She froze again. Dean screamed at her in a combination of fury and fear for not throwing herself flat. Dean reared up, returning fire.

“Wait!” Vera screamed. “Look!”

Dean suddenly realized that the shimmering globe was absorbing the bullets that were being fired. “Why didn’t you tell me that would happen?” Dean yelled.

Vera looked at him blankly for a moment. “I didn’t know it would.”

Dean stared at her for a moment. “What?”

She shook her head. “This isn’t how Circles usually go. No shimmering bullet proof domes. Must be part of that whole ‘stronger here’ thing Nora Bonesteel told us about.” They could see and hear the people outside the Circle beating on the dome and yelling.

“Get to work” Dean yelled above the thunder and rain.

Vera shuddered and turned her attention to Sam’s broken body before her. She took a few deep breaths, trying to decide what to do.

Dean grabbed her shoulder, “Do something!”

Vera looked onto Dean’s face. “Give me a time to figure out what to do.”

Dean almost hit her for the second time that night. “You don’t know what to do?” He sounded furious.

“Damn it Dean,” Vera roared back. “I’ve never done this before. I’m trying to decide how!”

Dean swallowed what he wanted to say and stepped away and back to Sam, trying to give her space and time to think. Yelling at her wasn't going to help. After a few moments he was relieved to see her frantic expression clear and give way to some type of realization.

“Sanctify him; force it out. Initiation, blessing, passing power…a Hunter…” Her voice was barely more than a whisper but Dean could hear it even over the growing violence of the storm. Wind and rain were still lashing them and lightning danced around the Circle like a fury looking for an outlet.

Vera fumbled to remove the multicolored cord from her waist; the movements breaking open the wounds on her left hand again, a steady trickle of blood. When she pulled it free, she fell to her knees next to Sam. Vera wrapped the cord around one of Sam’s ankles. “Feet neither bound nor free, choosing the path of a Protector.” She leaned over Sam, touching his forehead with her bloody left hand. “Ateh”, she whispered, then touched his chest gently “Malkuth”.

Dean shuddered when he saw that she was leaving bloody hand prints behind on Sam that the rain was washing away. The green blob began to writhe. She reached out to his right shoulder “ve-Geburah” and then his left “ve-Gedulah.” She clasped her hands above Sam’s heart. “Le Olam Adoni.”

Vera’s hands dropped to Sam’s feet. “Blessed be your feet, that has chosen to walk the path of a Hunter.” She rested her hands lightly on his knees. “Blessed be your legs, which run to the defense of the helpless.” Vera’s hands hovered above Sam’s ruined penis, a few drops of her blood dripping onto him. “Blessed be your phallus, without which the next generation would not be.” Her face contorted as she laid her hands gently on his almost shredded chest next to the leech-demon, their blood mingling over his heart. “Blessed be your chest, formed in strength and beauty.” Vera laid her fingertip on Sam’s mouth. “Blessed be your lips, which give comfort to the frightened.”

Vera rested her hands on Sam’s forehead. “You have past the Ordeal and shall be purified!” she cried out and the demon writhed on Sam’s chest in response.

Dean unsheathed his sword in the hope of having something to fight. Vera dipped her left hand into the mud, her blood still trickling from the cuts on her palm to her fingertips. She traced a pentacle on Sam’s forehead; her blood mixed with the water of the storm and soil of the earth. For just a moment Dean could swear the shape she traced glowed blue-white.

“I consecrate you as Hunter and Protector.” At these words the demon erupted from Sam’s chest, towering over them. Dean was vaguely aware of more shouts and gunfire from outside of the Circle. He was about to strike the abomination that had tortured his brother when Dean saw that the demon was screaming in pain. Dean suddenly realized that the rain falling through the protective globe around the Circle was becoming holy water, burning it like acid. Something was pushing it backwards away from them. Dean instinctively glanced at Vera, her face set and strained as she staggered to her feet.

“Spirits of evil, unclean presence; begone! Leave this place; leave this Circle; and leave the realm of earth!

Go, or be cast into the howling darkness
Go, or be scattered by the wind
Go, or be drowned in the downpour
Go, or be struck by the sacred lightning.
By the powers of life, death and rebirth
I banish you. I banish you. I banish you.”

Vera had been advancing on the demon the entire time, somehow backing it away from Sam, Dean and the main altar. Dean heard a louder commotion coming from outside of the Circle and heard Jay’s voice. Vera’s concentration broke for a moment when she heard her nephew. The demon took that opportunity to lash at her, throwing her through the air and into the altar and sending Dean reeling as it struck him a glancing blow. Dean could hear Vera’s voice screaming something from the ground near the base of the altar and two bolts of lightning struck the creature as it arched his back and screamed as it flickered out of existence.


~8~


Mike softly punched the door frame of a fully equipped ritual room while he leaned against the wall next to it. There was evidence on the main altar of the room of blood magic; three blood smeared quartz crystals. The library was crammed full of books on all forms of magic from all over the world, good, evil, indifferent. The Winchester brothers and Jay Kesterson were all missing, but Ben had Felt a young male presence here. Now that young male, who they presumed to be Jay from the information they could glean from there police scanners had disappeared. The team had searched the farm for over an hour and not found him. It was as if the earth had opened and swallowed him whole.

Mike had a sick feeling deep in his gut as he bit his upper lip. He normally didn’t go into the field; he ran the Order’s medical division. This was supposed to be an easy mission; find Dean Winchester, find out if Sam was still alive, establish contact and offer them any aid or assistance they might need. From the moment the team officially formed in the airport, things had spiraled out of control. The back up they had called for had been delayed due to this damned storm. Mike knew he was out of his depth out here and this simple mission had turned into a disaster. The team was supposed to be in control of the situation, instead they had only been able to react to events so far, not direct them.

Mike’s cell started to vibrate and he looked at the caller display, hoping for some good news. He frowned when he saw it was Zip calling, the boy was supposed to be staying in one of the vans with Pascal. “Yes Zip?” Mike answered crisply, giving no evidence of his inner turmoil.

Zip sounded almost impossibly excited. “We have Jay, sir! He jumped into the van to hide and I blinded him with a flashlight. We subdued him and he’s cuffed in the back seat.”

Mike shook his head. “Let me talk to Pascal,” he demanded. Then he remembered he was supposed to be leading a team and threw in a belated “uh, and good job!” Mike could hear Zip talking to Pascal and what sounded like sobbing in the background. Mike cursed mentally. Why hadn’t they sedated him yet?

Zip came back on the phone quickly. "Mike, Pascal's restraining Jay, and says he can’t talk to you right now. Jay Kesterson is really freaked out. Something else has come up, I just found out I'm an energy booster and Jay is shielding me, so Pascal can't sedate him."

Mike shook his head. Once again, events were getting away from him. “You're what? How do you know that you're a booster? What the hell is happening out there?”

Zip jumped at bit at Mike's yelling. "Jay is a power booster so he recognized that I am too." Zip added excitedly, "I was glowing a minute ago!" Mike could almost hear him bounce.

That could explain some of the weird events of the day if Jay had an ability as rare as boosting and why Vera Kesterson would want to manipulate events to keep him under her thumb. Boosters could amplify the psychic abilities and magical workings of other people. There were only three known boosters alive right now; one with a large Hunter group in New York, one with the Knights and another with the Fellowship of Apollo, a minor Order. If both Jay and Zip were boosters then that would raise the total worldwide to five. It would be a major triumph for the Comacine Order to have Zip as a booster, but they could unravel that later. “Things have been off since we got here.” Mike said, trying to keep up with all the implications. “Try to get Jay to tell us where his aunt might be.”

About that time he heard Atin yelling and Zip squeaked. “There they are!” Mike heard a crashing sound from outside and the thrum of a high powered engine.

“Zip! Are you all right?” He was terrified for a moment that the van Zip and Pascal were in had been rammed.

“Yes sir! It was them! They drove through the fence.”

Mike could hear Atin calling for him. Mike sprinted out the back door after Atin and the rest of the team. He could see the truck careening to a stop in the field beyond one of the barns. The ground was slick with mud; he could see people getting out of the truck. He saw another car heading across the fields, following the truck. Mike saw it was one of the vans. It could only be Pascal and Zip with Jay; those two were supposed to stay out of it.

Suddenly a glowing transparent, blue-green dome appeared, lighting up three people within. The wind was raging again, thunder and lightning was striking all around them. The storm was obviously magical in origin and very dangerous. There was an altar within the Circle; he could see two figures on the ground before it and a woman standing in the center. As he caught up with the rest of the team he saw Cheryl open fire, but the woman just stared at her arrogantly. That must be Vera Kesterson. Mike felt panic rising in his throat; she was about to sacrifice both of them. He could hear one of the men screaming.

Meanwhile the van had slid to a halt and three figures came tumbling out. Mike could hear Zip’s high pitched screech above the rain and wind. “No! Stop!” One of the figures tried to break away but Zip expertly tackled him into the mud while Pascal came sprinting up to him. That must be Jay Kesterson and it looked like Zip was about to drown him in the mud in his trademark exuberance. “Zip!” Mike bellowed at him, “Let him up before he drowns!”

Suddenly he heard a young male voice crying out “Oh Gods, no, why is she attempting a Major Working?” The voice caused Mike’s neck to prickle; it carried true and clearly through the storm.

Pascal skidded to a stop, almost falling and Mike had to grab him to keep him upright. "Mike, don't hurt Vera, Jay will put a blood curse on all of us!"

Mike had never seen Pascal this upset. “A what? A curse?"

Pascal was desperate, "Don't hurt Vera, she's a Guardian."

Mike grabbed him and shook him. “A Guardian? Pascal, are you sure?” Mike noticed that Pascal had what looked like the beginnings of a spectacular black eye.

"I'm sure," the young Seer gasped out.

Out of the corner of his eyes he saw a mud plastered Jay running towards the Circle again; somehow he had gotten out of the cuffs and shaken Zip loose. Things were spinning out of control again. Mike yelled as loud as he could over the storm. “Someone stop him!” He was relieved to see Atin tackle the kid into the mud again. At least Atin had enough experience not to accidentally drown him.

Mike carefully made his way through the mud to Atin, who had pinned both of Jay’s arms behind his back and was trying to get him to calm down. Atin was an Empath, so he could manipulate the boy’s emotional state, but he seemed to be having no effect on Jay. Mike grabbed Jay’s face between his hands, seeing how pale and bruised he was. “Jay,” Mike asked desperately, “can you get us past that shield?”

Far off lightning was reflected in Jay’s eyes for a moment and he looked confused. “Why?” That one word rasped out with anguish. “I won’t help you kill her!”

Mike threw a wild look into the Circle; he could see Vera kneeling over Sam’s body. He whipped his head around and stared into Jay’s face. “She’s trying to do some combination of magic, psionics and mysticism. If her will breaks, or her concentration is broken or if she doubts her faith it will all blow up!” Mike did a quick probe of Jay; he was only a very minor psychic and he was too young to know much about magic. He felt sick; there was no way he could get them through. Pascal ran up and took over restraining Jay from Atin.

Suddenly there was a small psychic boom from within the Circle and Mike turned and almost choked. The most evil inter-dimensional he had ever seen was suddenly in the Circle, and he watched Vera Kesterson slowly drive it away from the Winchester brothers. Dean was standing now over what Mike thought must be Sam’s body. The inter-dimensional was writhing and screaming in a voice worse than anything Mike had ever heard. Mike felt his heart in his throat; she just might be a Guardian. They had to check. “Stand down on the execution order,” he screamed so loud he thought he tore his vocal cords to ribbons.

Suddenly Vera’s voice rang through the storm the same way Jay’s did, but hers rang like a bell.

“By the powers of life, death and rebirth
I banish you. I banish you. I banish you.”

Then almost simultaneously, two bolts of lightning snaked through the air. One hit Vera and was channeled through her and struck the demon and it lashed out and threw Vera Kesterson against the stone altar with an audible crack. The second bolt looked like it was about to hit Jay, but then at the last moment snaked through Zip, who screamed and threw both hands out towards the demon. With the second strike the inter-dimensional folded up and disappeared. Mike saw LaShonda run to Zip, who was still standing but was pale and shaking. Leaving Zip to her he turned his attention back to Sam, Dean and Vera.

The Circle was still up and Vera was not moving. Dean had been thrown as well and he crawled up beside her. She obviously had spinal cord injuries. “Don’t touch her!” Mike called out, “don’t move her!” He saw Dean touch her face, apparently urging her to take down the Circle. Dean looked up and squinted through the darkness, the rain was letting up and the storm was rolling out just as quickly as it came in. Mike’s attention was centered on the knot of people in front of the altar, but he could hear Jay screaming about his aunt. Suddenly Dean got to his knees, the shield came down, and Dean leveled a gun at Atin, ready to fire.


~8~


Dean gritted his teeth and rolled over holding his side, Griffin frantically pawing and nudging him. It felt like he’d cracked some more ribs and his left ankle hurt. Sammy was breathing hard and whimpering. Despite his horrific wounds, he looked better now than he did when they found him. Dean realized that although he was still hurt and bleeding, Vera had cleaned the touch of the demons from his soul. Dean crawled over to Vera where she laid with her legs intertwined with Sam’s. All Dean could think was that he was relieved that the two of them were together so he could stay with both of them to see this through, whatever the outcome.

Dean checked Sam’s pulse, which was fast but steady. He was whimpering and tossing his head slightly. He laid his hand gently on Vera’s neck, wondering if her premonition of her own death had been played out. He was relieved when she laughed weakly and said, “I'm still with you for now.”

Dean grunted, the day catching up with him. “Yeah, you better stay with me, remember no one's going to die tonight.”

Vera just looked up at him, not moving her head. “Dean, I can't feel my legs, it hurts to breathe.” Her voice was both frightened and brave. “You're okay though, right?” she asked desperately, her face drawn with more than pain. Dean didn’t want to think of what her unnatural body position and words implied.

“I'm fine,” he answered tersely, cutting off any ‘last words’ she might have. He refused to believe she would die tonight and he didn’t want to hear it. He checked his Glock, the only gun he had brought with him into the protective Circle. "Damn, almost out of ammo."

Vera took a deep breath and her eyes roamed until she saw the figures outside of the Circle. “Who are they? I can still feel them,” she said surprised.

Dean guessed it was because her abilities were still working. “No idea,” Dean answered her as gently as he could. “Maybe the ones who were in your office earlier? I haven't seen Jay anywhere...” He trailed off thinking he shouldn't be saying this to her.

Vera moaned “No.”

Dean looked around at the people yelling and pounding on the barrier, trying to see the young Guardian. He turned back to her urgently. “You still feel Jay right? He's alive?”

Vera closed her eyes. “He's very tired...”

Dean snorted, wiping water from his face and eyes. Damn it, he couldn’t break down; he was not crying. “Teenagers, he's probably sleeping through all the excitement.” He looked back up at the small crowd when he heard someone yelling his name. Something about getting away from Vera, not touching or moving her.

Vera whimpered, drawing his attention again. “Dean, I can't take the Circle down, not while they might kill you or Sam.”

Dean grunted in anger, looking at Sam’s near butchered form. “I got to get you and Sammy to the hospital. I got five bullets left, five of them will die.”

Vera’s breath was becoming more labored, and he could see that it was hurting her to speak. “Maybe...find out what they want?” She seemed desperate to be sure he and Sam would survive.

Dean snapped at her, losing his patience. “I got the message earlier, give me a count of three and I'll start answering them.”

Vera moaned again. “Something’s wrong.” She tossed her head slightly, hissing in pain.

Dean looked at her incredulously and got sarcastic, “You think? I’m outnumbered six to one.”

“No,” she whispered. “It's more than that...they've stopped shooting...this isn't supposed to be this way...”

Dean looked at Sam again. Damn it all, he needed to get to a hospital now. Dean knew he’d have to leave her and send someone back; Vera couldn’t move her legs, she likely had spinal injuries. He could understand her not wanting to be left alone, but right now Sam had a much better chance of survival than she did.

Dean decided to try to reason with her. “Saving their ammo I suppose. What do you want me to do Vera, wave a white flag? I guess now is a bad time to tell you I went commando.”

Her eyes were becoming more unfocused and she looked paler in the light of the truck and the high powered flashlights being shined on them by the other Hunters. “I don't know...” she mumbled, sounding confused.

Dean laid a hand on her cheek. “On one drop the shield okay?” He flipped the safety off his gun. “Three, two...”

“No!” Vera almost yelled, breaking off with a whimper. “It's not that easy, I have to let the spirits go, thank them, finish the ritual.”

Dean was breathing hard himself, from pain, rage and adrenaline. “Just do it and give me a warning!"

Vera began mumbling, and Dean could see the energy of the Circle beginning to flux and then stop. “Dean, are you sure?” Vera asked once more, sounding desperate. “You and Sam can't die. There's too many of them.”

Dean was getting angry with her. “Vera, we can't stay in here forever, you and Sammy don’t have that long.”

Vera sobbed; both from her own pain and the tone of Dean’s voice. “What are they doing now? It's almost done.”

Dean aimed at a tall, Polynesian man. "I’ve got a target; do it."

“Ready? Are you sure?” Her voice sounded defeated, broken, as if she was sure they we're all going to die.

His voice was tight as he answered her. "Do it, NOW!"

Dean could see the shield pop like a soap bubble. He began to squeeze the trigger, suddenly the people running towards them seemed to blur with speed. He could hear a woman screaming “Atin get down!” The gun was snatched out of his hand before he had a chance to fire and he found a slender, dark-haired woman standing over him.

People began to rush towards them in normal time as the rain began to let up. A tall dark-skinned man with a black buzz cut got to Sam first; his teeth gritted, as he looked him over for injuries. A black woman with her hair braided in cornrows was touching Sam’s neck. “No head or spinal injuries” she called out. “Crushed left hand, torn anus, pierced testicles, face and chest flayed.”

At that point a petite Asian woman took her place, her hand also on Sam’s neck. “No problem keeping him stable,” she said to the man with the buzz cut. He grunted in satisfaction.

The black woman crossed to an amazed Dean and she gently touched his neck. “Mild concussion, almost healed, two cracked ribs on the right, left ankle sprained.” Griffin hissed at her but she ignored him.

The tall Polynesian man he almost shot crouched next to him. “Hey Dean, I’m Atin and we’re not here to hurt you. The guy working on Sam is Mike, the woman with him is Lin Yao and this is LaShonda.” Dean gaped at him; apparently Atin wasn’t holding any grudges over Dean trying to shoot him.

Dean thought he had a good idea what psychics could do, but these people had freaky abilities. The dark-haired woman standing over him looked at Vera and grimaced as the others loaded Sam onto a gurney. Suddenly it looked like Vera had stopped breathing.

Before Dean could say anything Atin began speaking again. “Dean, it's over. Sam is going to be fine. We have a healer here.”

Dean was wild eyed, looking fearful as they left with Sam. "You freaks,” he burst out, “you tried to kill Vera. What are you doing to Sam?"

Atin’s eyes narrowed to slits for a moment. “We don't have time to go into that now. We need to get you and Sam into the house.” LaShonda finally came over and put a hand on Vera's neck.

Dean looked at her in fury and spat out a response to Atin. “We’re not going anywhere except a hospital.”

Atin sighed, and began again, as if he was explaining something to a very young child. “We have a medical team here; you and Sam don't need a hospital. By the time we get you to the house the worst of Sam’s injuries will be healed.” Atin smiled. “And yes, Sam will be able to have children,” he said in a tone that said he thought that would make everything right.

“Whoa, major league freakage here, what are you? Aliens?” Dean asked, and the dark-haired woman chuckled, “And where is Jay?”

“That’s Cheryl by the way, and no, we are not aliens, just a secret society made up of a lot of very powerful psychics. We can explain it later. Jay's in the house; we’ve got to get you inside.”

Dean looked over to Vera and could see LaShonda kneeling in the mud next to Vera, shaking her head at Cheryl, saying something about probably not enough for her and Sam. Vera still didn’t look like she was breathing. “I’ll continue,” Cheryl said softly “for Jay’s sake.”

Atin and LaShonda began loading him onto a stretcher. “What's going on?” Dean asked Cheryl, confused by the way they were all but ignoring Vera. “What’d you do to her?”

Cheryl smiled gently. “Same thing I did to you earlier, time is moving very slowly for her right now.”

Atin pushed Dean down on the stretcher and began strapping him down. “Don't worry about her; we need to take care of you and your brother. Vera Kesterson is no longer your concern.”

Dean stared at Cheryl and LaShonda for a moment, and then looked back to Atin. “Of course she's my concern! I'm Hunt leader; I'm responsible for everyone on my team! Vera is teaching Sammy, she gave us a home! You can’t just leave her out here.” Griffin yowled in agreement, intertwining himself around Atin’s ankles.

Atin raised an eyebrow, both at Dean and his familiar. “Team? Never mind; we don't have time to talk. They're taking Sam to the house and he’s going to need you. Come on.”

Dean struggled, but he was injured and helpless against Atin and LaShonda, who was a lot stronger than she looked. Dean was torn between concern for Vera and for Sammy. He went limp in their hands. They were right about one thing, Sammy would need him. Vera was dying just like she had foreseen. He gazed back at Vera’s broken body for as long as he could. He was glad to see that Griffin had stayed with her so she wouldn’t die alone among strangers. He vowed then and there to take care of Jay, it was the least he could do for her sacrifice and saving his brother. The rain slowed to a sprinkle and the stars began to appear. He alone saw Ravenmocker, standing next to Cheryl, looking down at Vera with an unmistakable expression of grief.