Death in the Mountains

We don't own the Ballad novel or Supernatural story elements.


Authors’ note: This is the second to last chapter. This epic is nearly finished. Hope you’ve enjoyed reading this story as much as we’ve enjoyed writing it. Thanks to all who reviewed.


***


“Dean! Dean! Wake up!” He snorted awake at the female voice. What the hell? He rarely stayed the night with his lovers. What was going on?

The cheap hotel room and the familiar stench of beer, cigarette smoke along with a hangover made Dean a little groggy until he suddenly realized the babe smacking his shoulder was Cheryl and the entire week came rushing back.

“We’ve got to go! It’s five o'clock. Atin’s going to kill me!” Random articles of clothing began flying in Dean’s direction as he sat up. “I'm supposed to be shipping out at seven and it’s almost a two hour drive back!”

His jeans hit Griffin, who woke up with a low, long yowl that was impressively scary. He had not been surprised to see his cat crawl out from under the front seat of the Impala when they were halfway to Clinton Highway and the honkytonks there. His familiar had no interest going into the bars with Dean and Cheryl and seemed content to nap in the back seat. Dean guessed that the cool leather made Griff’s aches feel better and he left a rear window rolled down for him.

The beer-soaked sawdust covered floors and minor bar fights had been something Cheryl had never experienced before but she rose to the occasion grandly. When some idiot purposely dumped beer down her chest and raucously announced a wet t-shirt contest she’d taken him down in a flash. Of course, afterwards they had to run like hell, which was why they ended up crashing at a motel.

Dean was glad he let Cheryl win their bet. She wanted to try out her time control abilities while fucking and it had been just mind blowing. He was looking forward to more booty calls with psychics. He snickered at the thought of how horrified Sammy’s expression would be when he suggested that he practice using his abilities while doing the horizontal tango.

A few minutes later they were sliding into the Impala, Dean carefully settling a still sore cat in the back before driving away. After agreeing that a stop by a Mickey-D’s drive through for breakfast and coffee was worth the extra time they had lapsed into a comfortable silence.

Suddenly he grinned. He’d had a real date with a real woman, not some bimbo he’d picked up for a quickie. Cheryl knew all about hunting and not only believed him, but also respected what he did for a living. From what he understood, there were thousands of women in this Hunter community. Suddenly the possibilities seemed endless. He never really dared to dream that it was possible to hunt and have a good woman.

He glanced over at Cheryl, who smiled back. Not that he was ready to pop the question any time soon, but he sure enjoyed whatever it was he had with her for the moment.

“Been meaning to ask you something,” she began. “The Impala is gorgeous, but why are you and Sam still using it? Most Hunters are going in for SUVs and even mobile homes these days.”

Dean’s hands gripped and twisted a bit on the steering wheel. “Me and Sammy grew up in this car. I remember us falling asleep together in the back seat when we were kids. This car’s been the closest thing to a home I’ve ever had.”

She was quiet a moment before she spoke. “I think you and Sam have outgrown the back seat.”

Dean shifted uncomfortably and gave his trademark leer. "You didn't complain about the back seat a few days ago," he retorted. She laughed. The awkward moment passed but Cheryl's middle-class background came between them. She could never understand that when you grew up with nothing, you hung on to every bit you had.


***


Emma felt nothing but dread as she watched the Comacine medical team prepare Jay for transport to Hawaii. She was beginning to understand Dean’s rage and why he had sent Sam away. These damned people were taking Jay to the opposite end of the planet. Unfortunately they seemed to hold all the cards. With a certain sadness Emma accepted that the Jay they’d be getting back wouldn’t be the same one she had known before all of this.

Jay’s meltdown yesterday had shaken her deeply. Having spent the last twenty years or so with Vera and her coven mates she was used to Vera and then Jay’s strange ways. Except for cases of exhaustion or illness they were always in control. They had their moments but nothing like what had happened. It made it easier for her to forgive Mike Jensen. He had been incredibly brave to throw himself between Jay and Nathan’s gun. In fact, she deeply respected all the Comacines for the hazardous work they did. Rescuing rogue psychics and the people they could hurt; she shivered. Having seen what powerful psychics were capable of, she did not envy their work. She wished now she had taken Vera’s warnings more seriously.

She paused to consider the young Seer she had exorcised. It was obvious to her that he and Jay had shared magic. The Comacines were wondering what the chunk of amber was they had found in Pascal’s luggage. They were livid when they heard it was a gift promise to learn magic from Jay. They glared at Pascal's sleeping form with retribution in their eyes. She still could not figure out what the problem the Comacines had with magic. They seemed almost afraid of her when she used magic to put up some wards around the farm.

The Comacine hunt leader, Atin, seemed very taken with Vera. She snorted. Vera was married to her job, teaching and researching. He could not expect anything more than a fling from her and he’d be lucky to get that. At the moment, he was looking irritably at his watch, waiting for Dean and Cheryl to return.

She was not too sure what to make of the Winchester brothers. Dean said he would protect Jay and she believed him. He spoke little about the night he and Vera rescued his brother, other than saying that he had not expected Vera to survive and he had sworn to watch out for Jay. It was a promise made in ritual space, she would know by now if he meant to break it.

Dean had his hands full with his brother Sam. Emma could feel the power radiating from that boy. If Jay could destroy the farm, she had no doubts Sam could level all of Hamelin.

When Dean and Cheryl arrived, it was obvious from their disheveled appearance what they had done to pass the time. Atin just wrinkled his nose and told Cheryl to shower before they left. The Priory members shared knowing grins among themselves and one woman gave Dean a look that was clearly asking for her turn.

Emma had overheard some Priory members gossiping about Dean. He had quite the reputation as the ladies man. Now that she had an interest in the Winchesters because of the way they had inserted themselves into all of their lives, it bothered her to hear them talk about sleeping with him as if he was some prize bull put to stud. These strangers valued psychic ability and looked at Jay greedily. It did not take a genius to figure out that while Jay was in Hawaii the Comacines were going to take advantage of that. Jay was too young to be a father. She asked the Priory medics to give her a few minutes to say her goodbyes privately before Jay was shipped off to Hawaii. Alone, Emma set to work. She had a few magic tricks up her sleeve to protect Jay. She smiled fiercely. If the Comacines detested magic then they would not be able to remove her protections.

She watched as first Jay and then Pascal were loaded into the private ambulance to take them to the airport. Jay’s familiar, Thunder, curled up on the floor beside his human. Emma thanked the Gods that a familiar had chosen to help him through what lay ahead. Atin and Cheryl got in with them and closed the doors without as much as a glance back. Jay was so heavily sedated he wouldn’t be awake until he reached Hawaii.

In the van were the rest of the Comacines. Of the original team, only Ben and Mike would be staying behind with the four new Comacines that arrived that morning. Atin had requested members that had experience with horses or farm work. Emma was glad for the extra help. The work on the farm did not stop just because half her coven needed medical attention.

After the cars were gone, Emma quietly turned and made her way to the ritual circle. It still held the currents of her coven’s blood and the singing power of sanctity it took to destroy a demon. She had more magic to work today. She would not leave Jay completely helpless and she would do what she could for Pascal. Dean tried as best as he could to explain the Comacine politics. The young Seer that saved Vera’s life was being blamed for the disastrous mission. His youth and inexperience were a convenient excuse for the mistakes the Comacine leaders had made. Emma may not be a psychic, but she was every bit as dangerous and powerful as Vera in her own way. While the majority of her energy would go to her adopted nephew and coven mate, Pascal would also get his share of her magic.

***

Hradani "Rad" Tudor, Mistress of the Full Order of the Comacine Masters sighed. It was hard to believe less than two weeks had gone by since the Winchester contact team was selected. She was beginning to believe the reports in the files about that family being cursed.

This disastrous mission had consumed her complete attention this week, forcing her to put off the other regions while she handled this crisis. She regretted that her sister Reena, who was nominally the Head for the North American region of the Order, was turning out to be worse than useless. It was mainly on her recommendation that she chose Greg Timmons to head the security unit but it had been her own decision to have Mike Jensen lead the mission despite having no previous experience. He had wanted it so badly and Mike had done so much for the Order she let him have his little prize. It was just a Hunter contact mission and she knew that Mike was anxious to dote on the two brothers after failing them all those years ago. Thank the stars that she had. If Greg had been in charge, he would have executed Vera and Jay Kesterson outright and Sam Winchester would not have survived his possession and injuries. The Priory of Nyx had kept back important information about Vera, denying they knew her, when in reality it seemed she was nominally under their protection. If the Kestersons had been killed, Will may have declared war.

For her part, she had come perilously close to declaring war on the Priory when their recently discovered booster ended up in their hands. She was sure he was under some sort of magical compulsion to have turned his back on his own Order. Their phone conversation had not gone well and she had to admit that getting angry had not helped the situation. Will Woodfin had called to gloat. His wife, a powerful long-range Seer, predicted an alliance between their Orders. She had to admit she had a hunch that she needed to send the underage linguist on this mission but even she could not have foreseen this outcome.

Why did the rarest of psychic gifts turn up in Zip of all people? She had been chewing out the team at the Hawaii base for the past week. All this time, right under their noses and no one spotted it. Then to have him slip through their fingers so easily with Sam Winchester…

Zip, now in Priory hands, was by all accounts learning magic with the same precocity that he learned languages. LaShonda had left her post without permission to join Zip at the Priory. She had been considering disciplinary action but then Zip called to thank her for allowing LaShonda to stay with him. Apparently, the fact that LaShonda had shown an interest in him before they knew he was a booster had caused him to develop a deep bond with her.

If any of the fools had defected to any Order other than the Priory of Nyx they’d be dead by now. She twitched a bit in irritation. There always seemed to be a vision just out of reach when she thought of the Priory.

Then to add insult to injury, this non-psychic, Emma had the nerve to demand more money for the repairs to the farmhouse claiming loss of income. She had already generously footed the bill for a complete rewiring of the old house and replaced the electronics that Zip had damaged. She really doubted that the farm had five wide-screen plasma televisions, but Mike insisted that they had and Zip had destroyed all of them. Now the nag was carping on about the damages to the gardens and vet bills for a mare that was now in foal.

It didn’t help that during these phone calls she could hear Mike egging her on in the background. Her healer seemed to be enjoying himself immensely and was bending much of his considerable talent to irritate her. Once he got back to Hawaii he was staying there unless he was desperately needed somewhere else. She’d given him too much free reign and he needed to be reminded of his place.

Rad pulled a memo pad toward her and started writing furiously. Her sister should have been handling most of this crisis but had crumbled under pressure. She needed someone more trustworthy and she had few options to consider. It was time for reorganization, time to reign in her sister and keep her on a tight leash. With the Winchesters establishing a new Line and the Kestersons bursting onto the scene, the new Head of the North American region had to be resourceful and strong. Rad considered her options carefully.

* * *

Living with the Priory was something Sam would never forget. He just wished Dean had been here to share it with him. Despite missing his brother and being homesick (homesick!) he was having a good time.

The second day he was there, he had accidentally pushed a carton of milk telekinetically off the table. The other people in the cafeteria just laughed and teased him about it before telling him stories about other psychics who had lost control with amusing results. Sam wasn’t sure he believed the story about the telekinetic six-month old that kept tearing the shirts and bras off women because she was hungry but at least he no longer felt like a freak.

Memories of his father punishing him harshly for using his abilities made him want to lash out in frustration and fear. Using his abilities scared him and he felt like he needed permission to use them. He called Dean several times a day for reassurance before Will stepped in and made him start seeing one of their empath-therapists.

Dean visited him once and Sam was relieved when he stayed the night. Sleeping alone was pretty stressful. He didn’t know how to ask his brother to stay but Dean seemed to understand and for once didn’t comment. It was the best sleep he had since he came to the Priory. He knew it wasn’t ‘normal’ for brothers their age to want to sleep together, but the empath-therapist assured him it was common between some grounds and their psychics.

Sam never felt like he was in danger either. Despite what occurred between Nathan and Jay, he realized that it only happened because the head injury caused Jay to lose his center. He found himself unexpectedly missing Jay. He’d just begun exploring his full sexuality when he was abruptly separated from the only lover he had since Jessica.

Despite everything else, the training sessions were fun. It was hilarious the morning after they arrived when they were told to report to the swimming pool an hour after breakfast. Red Dog and a few other trainers were in the pool and proceeded to give all of them a lesson in shielding and mastering their abilities.

None of them had bathing suits, but after borrowing some, Sam, Zip and Maryanne went down to the basement for their lesson. They went back to the basics of grounding, centering and shielding for Zip and Maryanne's benefit but it helped him as well. It was not like he was expert or anything. Maryanne acted like she was bored, impatient and none of this had anything to do with her. Her trainer seemed to have no idea what to do with her and Maryanne wasn’t helping any. Sam glanced at her; Dean had gotten her to admit she was psychic but not much else. None of them had any idea what she could do.

Red Dog told them that their first lessons would be in the pool since water was such a good conductor of energy. Sam could push water around, it apparently made things easier for Zip to master his ability and Maryanne had given up on her trainer and was swimming laps in another section of the pool. The half hour Sam spent trying to push around a blob of food coloring telekinetically was not going to be repeated to Dean.

Within an hour and a half the lesson had degenerated into a water fight, but Red Dog and the rest of the trainers didn’t seem to mind. Sam noticed the water also had a calming effect on Zip. He had been extremely nervous of Red Dog at first, but by the end of their lesson, he was completely relaxed.

They had just finished their lesson when LaShonda rushed in and snatched Zip up in a hug even though he was sopping wet. It was heart warming to see Zip's reaction; he acted as if every wish he’d had came true that morning. In some ways, Zip acted like a confused teen and in other ways he was too mature for his age. Since his Order always thought he was older than he was in reality, they had expected more from him. By sending LaShonda as his foster mother, they recognized his need for a family.

Sam was jealous. He wished Dean and what was becoming his family could stay with him too.


* * *

Griffin watched in amusement as Dean tried to court Jordan St James. Why couldn't his human tell by her scent that she wasn’t interested? Humans could be so dense about mating. The female shut him down hard and fast while her familiar, Dino, lifted his leg in the direction of Dean’s boot, telling him to back off. Dean grumbled but listened intently to Jordan's instructions on how to keep psychics from getting lost in their overwhelming sixth sense.

Jordan's lesson continued while they scouted the woods looking for bodies. They had been searching for the past week and had not found one yet. The storm had wiped out any scent trails they may have been able to pick up.

“Imagine having hearing that’s ten times better than what you have now,” Jordon lectured his human. “You need help to keep aware of your other senses. That’s the job of a ground; we keep ‘em from getting lost in all the noise.”

Griffin trotted beside the bloodhound. He was about the same age as Thunder but his personality was more serious, he was all business. While Thunder could be serious, he had a wicked sense of humor, which made him ideal for Jay.

Dino gave a snort. "About time your human stopped drooling long enough to listen. He needs to learn." Griffin agreed but defended his human on principle. "Your human has been doing this for years; Dean’s doing pretty well for a beginner."

Dino was about to reply when he scented the air and froze. Griffin stopped and tried to catch whatever scent Dino had found. A faint, sickly sweet odor told him a body was nearby. Dino gave a low bay to alert his human and started tracking to the west. Jordan stopped talking to Dean and hurried after her familiar with Dean a step behind.

Dino halted abruptly at the edge of a blackberry patch growing up against a cliff face. The hound snuffled at some scratch marks in the ground and looked back over his shoulder at his human. With an abrupt spin, Griffin scrambled up the nearest tree to act as lookout, his hair rising along his spine. Dean was smart enough to know if he yowled, trouble was on the way.

Jordan saw the faint traces of paw prints and took a better grip on her rifle as she knelt on the forest floor, cautiously peering through the blackberry brambles. Nerves twitching, Dean scanned the area, carefully testing his weight on his newly healed ankle. "What is it?" he asked quietly.

"There are bones and clothing under the brambles. We’ve found one of the hikers, probably one of the first victims for the blackberries to be growing over them. A momma bear is nearby with a couple of yearling cubs, foraging for berries.”

Dean blinked. He had never had to stay behind after a hunt to deal with the aftermath. More often than not, the locals they had saved viewed him and Sammy with suspicion. It had always been best just to get the fuck out of Dodge.

Dino growled quietly, looking to their left. Griffin was looking intently in that direction as well. A black bear and two unbearably cute cubs lumbered into view. Dean glanced at Jordan looking for a cue. He did not want to have to kill the bears.

“Back up slowly.” Dean was surprised at how loud Jordan’s voice was. He thought it would be better to stay quiet and avoid upsetting the bears. The mother bear shuffled a moment, watching and uncertain. He glanced at Jordan, seeing the sweat bead on her brow, her hair getting damp.

Abruptly she began shouting at the bear, throwing nearby sticks and rocks. With a huff, the black bear decided that this patch of berries was too much trouble and retreated in a hurry.

He let out a breath, watching the flank of a surprisingly fast moving bear while Jordan bent over and started peering through the brambles again. Normally he’d be enjoying a great view of her ass but he was too preoccupied with what was about to come next. Griffin had already started without him, his small size and sleek, thick coat made him ideal for finding what looked like half-rotted body parts under the blackberry bushes.

Glancing up over her shoulder as she was chopping away brambles with a tree limb cutter, Jordan’s face showed a quick flash of compassion before she covered it. “Want to go back to the truck to get extra bags? There might be more than one body under here.”

Dean knew what was coming next. They would have to crawl through the thorns and drag out rotting body parts. Somebody’s friend, daughter, sister, mother, father or brother was hidden in that twisting patch of thorns. Blackberries hung in large, ripe clusters and bees and butterflies were feeding on the overripe berries that had burst. If it were Sammy, he would want to get back every bit of him they could find. They were going to be combing over this piece of woods for at least a day.

With his gut clenching, Dean realized that hunts were no longer slam-bam-thank-you-ma’am adrenaline rushes.