Chapter 6
"Why am I in Angie's body?"
Kesset stared at Sam or rather Angela's body and was actually impressed that Sam's facial expressions could be achieved on her face. His brow was raised mostly because he was trying hard not to laugh. He didn't want to agitate Sam further about this but it would be trying since Balthazar was grinning like that expression of the cat catching the canary. He really didn't have an answer for this but he would try if an answer was what Sam wanted. Balthazar beat him to the punch.
"You decided on a sex change," the angel said more to be annoying than helpful.
The result was Sam scowling like he normally would but to everyone looking at him, they were seeing Angela's face scowling. He growled, "Not funny, Balthazar."
"It's hilarious. Trading in the jewels for…" He made a gesture to hint at breasts.
The loud crack and the falling tree was clue enough that Sam was pissed and it was clear on his face as he growled out, "Don't you dare."
Kesset knew that this could get out of hand and stepped between Sam and the angel to reduce destruction and not terrify the others that were confused about what was going on. He held up his hands in a placating gesture while his wings fluttered to indicate that he wouldn't hesitate to defend himself. It was a relief that Sam backed down a little and it allowed him to say, "I don't really know, Sam. This is the princess' area."
"The beauty and the brains," Balthazar chimed in.
Kesset fluttered his wings when Sam started again. "Sam, please. Calm down."
"Then what is going on?" Sam looked around and gestured around. "Last thing I know was that I was kidnapped by some witch bitch who pulled out memories from my head, tried to use them to hurt Angie and Dean and then this."
Kesset would have said something but Balthazar intervened, "Short story is that the earthbound angel is trying to rescue you while at the same time trying to fix something that has been festering for a long time." He glanced at the Avian to let him know that he wasn't going to agitate Sam and continued, "Long story… rescue you and this is just something to get these dismal warriors powered up but it looks like they failed."
"We've all gone on a spiritual journey," Nanuq spoke as he stepped forward. He eyed Sam warily since he knew that the shaman that came to them wasn't in that body. "We were guided and told that we couldn't be what Shifa' opened to us but we would have easier access to our abilities. We didn't fail." He narrowed his eyes at the angel before turning to look at Sam and added, "We are spirit warriors. The woman holding you captive is Izhu and presumably she told you she has a grudge against Shifa'."
Sam nodded at that, "Yes." He crossed his arms over his chest but realizing what was his chest, he lowered them and shuffled uncomfortably. "But that's not unusual since we've met plenty of people that didn't like Angie or had a grudge." He looked at everyone with a slight frown.
Nanuq nodded, "True, but this is something that… Apparently it is a powerful force and they are using you to get to her. And it involves things that are old and…"
"I get it," Sam interrupted with a raised hand. "Most things Angie knows are the kinds of things we've come across when we started out." He shrugged his shoulders like it was nothing since it was nothing new. "What does it have to do with my brother and my girl?"
If Nanuq was surprised at the way Sam referred to Angela, he wasn't showing it. He looked at Sam and said, "The fact that our shaman and your brother and Angela are not awake are indicators that there is something else going on in the Valley of the Dead. The place where all of us go to find our gifts."
"But that doesn't explain why I'm in Angie's body." Sam looked at everyone. He got that Angela was doing what she had to do to get to Izhu and finish whatever this grudge was.
Balthazar raised a finger, "I might be able to answer that. It's because you're banging her." He held up his hands in surrender when he saw Sam get pissed. He got closer and managed to touch the left side of Sam's neck. "I'm talking about this."
Sam batted the angel's hand away with an actual slap and glared at the angel. "Don't," he warned.
"Relax," Balthazar countered in an annoyed tone. "God, I never thought it would be this hard to help but I had to at the juju witch's insistence." He looked at Sam and continued, "Anyway, that little keepsake you have. Lot more powerful than it looks. And more likely because of Angela. Though I think you already knew that." He grinned at Sam as if daring him to come out and say that he was lying or he didn't know what he was talking about.
Sam continued to glare at the angel. He had heard enough from Dean about this angel so he wasn't sure why he was even there helping. He did hear mention of a juju witch and inwardly he hoped that Haley hadn't gone and done something stupid with this angel.
"Before you answer, yes, I am helping your juju witch friend and no, it wasn't stupid. Mutual consenting adults," Balthazar said after seeing the look pass over Sam's face. "Now, answer."
Sam huffed at that, "Fine. Yes, I know about the mark a little. Angie told me about it. What does that have to do with this?"
Balthazar looked at Kesset and grinned while pointing at Sam, "He doesn't get it does he?"
"Sam understands. Stop being a pest," Kesset replied as he crossed his arms over his chest. He looked at the younger Winchester inhabiting the princess' body and said, "What he is trying to say is that even though it looks like a mark, it is more powerful than you think. At least for creatures that are not consistent with what you call normal."
"So because Angie and I are connected… that is why I'm here and…" Sam gestured around.
"What was the last thing you were doing before you lost consciousness? Balthazar took over the conversation before Kesset could make things boring in his opinion.
"Izhu was pissed at me and…" Sam thought about it. He recalled what happened and turned to face Kesset and Balthazar when suddenly the world went black. The next thing he knew he was awake and back in the cave, staring up at the ceiling. "What the hell?"
"You've been wandering around I see and a bad boy."
That was enough to have Sam roll his eyes. He tried sitting up and when he felt the pounding in his head, he slowed down to avoid making himself sick. That would just fuel the flames. He rubbed his head with his hand as he pushed himself into a seated position. He was suddenly face to face with Izhu and it was too close for comfort.
"What did you do?"
Sam stared at Izhu. He had learned that it was a rhetorical question mostly since she knew what had happened but he had noticed that it was the details that eluded her. That would work to some point but it wasn't a definite cure all. He had a choice of whether or not to answer. He replied in typical Winchester fashion, "Go screw yourself."
The punch was expected but he didn't expect the burning of his skin. He realized that she had scratched him as she hit him. He shook his head and reacted. He swung back to hit Izhu. Normally he didn't try to hit girls. He had a hard time sparring sometimes with Angela unless she made it clear that she was going for the kill. Since then if it was for his life, he gave it his all. So he was aiming for the face and to give a nasty welt in the process if he could. The problem was that he couldn't make contact.
It was like an invisible force had stopped him and he wasn't within the wards. He would have felt the familiar burning if he had. He glanced at his fist that seemed frozen in midair. He struggled to get it to move but it was like it was stuck. He grunted when Izhu grabbed his hand and squeezed to get him to release the fist as she mocked, "You think I would let you wander around without a leash?"
The pressure and the shaking revealed a mark on the top of his hand. He didn't recognize it but he knew that he didn't have it put there. He grunted, "What did you do to me?"
"Put you on a leash," Izhu replied tersely. She made a waving motions to allow Sam's arm to drop. She went to her fire pit. "I grow tired of you sitting there and it is almost time to meet Shifa'."
Sam looked at his hand. It looked like it was painted on so he tried licking his thumb to create moisture and rub it off. He rubbed but it was being stubborn and that was when he noticed another on his left. He looked at his hands.
"They won't come off unless I will it," Izhu replied as she turned to face him. She had pointed at herself to emphasize that it was her will alone that kept those markings on his hand. She smiled at him with a feral smile. "So… I guess the phrase is you are my bitch."
"Screw yourself," Sam retorted.
It was only a slight gesture and Sam felt himself being pulled to his feet by his arms as if someone was holding onto his hands but they were opened like it would stop it. He really hated this. It was on par with possession and it pissed him off. He resisted but was eventually pulled to his feet. He wobbled on his feet and glared at Izhu. He was so going to end this bitch.
Izhu chuckled at the resistance Sam was giving. She was amused by him but he also annoyed her. Every time she tried to get to her rival, something happened that prevented it. She was certain that Shifa' warded off the double of Sam and her thralls but this last thing was Sam and she wanted to know what he did. Now that she had him where she wanted him, she walked up to him and demanded, "Now tell me what you just did."
Sam shook his head in refusal and tried, "I don't know what…"
The punch made the scratches on his cheek sting. Sam gritted his teeth from the sting and managed to glare at Izhu and she was glaring daggers back at him. She pointed a bloodied finger at him and said, "Don't lie, Sam. I can do this in a less pleasant manner and it won't remain a secret."
Sam paused. He knew what she was referring to and he really didn't want to go through that again. Then again if she did do it again, he didn't know if he would be able to protest against her doing that. But he wasn't going to admit to something that he really didn't have the faintest idea of how or why he did something. It was like the fluke when he made the bureau that was blocking the door move. Eventually he found out the why and then later the how. He said, "I don't know."
"Don't lie. The moment you fought me sending out my damned souls to kill Shifa' and your brother, you decided to fight."
That was true. Sam muddled through it since he did remember waking up and seeing Kesset and Balthazar and a bunch of people he didn't know. He saw Dean lying on the ground like he was asleep and Angela was nowhere around only to find that he was in her body. That threw him for a ride and he didn't even have a whole lot of time before he woke up. He was right in the middle of figuring things out with Kesset and Balthazar though he wondered how the hell that happened and he made a note to ask Haley about it since the angel mentioned juju witch and she was the only one he knew.
"Maybe it had to do with almost killing you," Izhu mused as she turned around and started to pace, musing on possibilities.
Sam had to admit that sounded more plausible but even to him not entirely logical. He looked around and tried to move but his arms kept him from going too far. He could move the rest of his body but it was like his wrists were pinned to a wall. He tried pulling but he only stretched his muscles to the point that he would be pulling them out of the sockets. He still wasn't going to stop trying to get free but it did give him a chance to think about what happened.
Balthazar had asked him what the last thing he remembered was. That was a good place to start and he had been in the middle of that when he woke back up in his own body. The more he thought about that the more it came to him. It was the one thing that had been the driving force when she was small. But would that be enough? He didn't have time to think about it since Izhu was making noise that caught his attention.
His limbs pulled him forward, closer to the fire pit. Sam eyed it warily thinking that Izhu was up to no good. He was right when she came into his view and was smiling that feral smile. He narrowed his eyes and pulled against his restraints. His arms were sore but he wasn't going to make it easy for her. He glared daggers as he resisted.
"Since you can't tell me what you did, I am going to send you back and you will do what you fear the most," Izhu said as she threw a bunch of herbs into the flames. She fanned her hand to get the scent to flow through.
"Screw you," Sam replied in protest.
Izhu turned to look at him and pointed at his hands. "You have no choice. Into the Valley you go."
Sam resisted as best as he could. It wasn't like he could shut her up from her chanting. He didn't even understand it. He did prove to be annoying enough since she whacked him on the back of the head, knocking him out. All that he heard was Izhu chanting something and it sounded foggy.
"Well that turned out to be interesting," Balthazar said as he wiped his hands looking down at the unconscious body of Angela. "A pity that Sam couldn't talk fast enough. And I thought he was the talker."
Kesset snorted and replied, "He would have said something if you hadn't been goading him."
"And I didn't see you defending his virtue."
"Stop, both of you," Nanuq's voice entered as he stepped between the angel and the Avian. He glanced at the angel before turning towards the Avian. He nodded, "Thank you for coming."
"I only came because I couldn't ignore what the princess was feeling," Kesset replied as he adjusted his stance.
Balthazar shook his head, "Can't you just accept thanks?"
Kesset merely stared at the angel. He then shifted to look at Nanuq and added, "I came for my charge."
"I know," Nanuq replied.
Kesset relaxed a little and ruffled his wings a little. He absently reached to pet Moira who had come to join the group. She whined a little but accepted the ear rub. Kesset cleared his throat and continued, "I do not know the details of this job the princess has gotten herself into but it seems clear that it is a threat on her life. Therefore, I will stay."
Nanuq nodded, "That is better than nothing and is appreciated." He was being diplomatic since the rest of the tribe was awake save for three and they were more than capable of defending the area. He glanced at the Avian and the angel and tried to figure out a means of figuring out what to do.
"I've finished scouting the area and checked the wards," Nita said as she walked up holding her bow. "However they got in… I don't know but it kept out most everything else." She paused when she saw Kesset and Balathzar standing there, not sure of what to do.
Kesset had been listening and asked, "What are the wards for?"
Nita looked at the Avian, "Things that could attack us. How did you get in?" She frowned in suspicion.
"More likely your shaman and fearless leader made it possible for him to enter," Balthazar cut in. He pretended to pick at his nails. "Seems like what I heard about her preparedness is true."
"That and I am her guardian," Kesset added as if it were the answer to everything even though it was. There were still a few things that could keep him at bay. For the most part he was able to break most of them because of the guardian-charge bond.
"I am inclined to agree," Nanuq replied to cease the potential arguments. "We can go more into but we need to move the shamaness back to the others." He gave a signal and a few of the other warriors came to start work.
"Why not just pick her up and be done with it?" Balthazar conveyed his impatience once he saw how slow the warriors were working to move Angela's body.
"Because," Nita replied while working, "What is done here is felt there. Do it too much and we could wake them prematurely. It would be bad."
Balthazar made a slight shrug at that. He had heard of something like that. He didn't realize it forced the humans to be so damned slow about it. He gave a wave and started walking around to check out the wards to find out what they did put up. He had to admit that the angel warding ones were good. He mocked the Winchesters for their dismal attempts but Angela… she was something else and he was pleased that she was out so he could pop in and make friends and maybe get her to start thinking about the war between Castiel and Raphael.
In all truth, that was not going to well for Castiel. Rafael, for one, was an archangel and much stronger than the angel that had been mocked with keeping the Winchesters as pets and accused for disobeying the will of heaven. It was no surprise that Lucifer turned him into a pile of pulp. Certainly a worse end than having Angela beat Uriel's face in not once but twice and taking on Grigori. Not to mention that she more than likely insulted Lucifer and she had mouthed off to Michael. It was a sight to see. Which was why he wanted to play nice with her. Plus, it was a way to make it up to Gabriel after he gave a small amount of help when he asked.
The wards were good and covered just about every known thing so it had him wonder why the spirit like things got through. Unless it was something that they didn't consider. What was even more pressing and in the forefront was how Sam took over her body. He knew it had to do with the mark on her neck and he surmised Sam had a similar one. It was interesting since he hadn't seen anything like it in a long time. They were common enough among creatures marking their pets but a two way exchange was very rare indeed and it seemed that there were the unintended consequences that weren't taken into consideration.
It was an interesting situation and the angel decided to look at it later. He looked at the wards and added his own touch. He didn't know if it would cover the things that got through and possessed the merry little band but it would make things difficult. Most things of darkness had a hard time or were repulsed by anything that was bathed in light. Duality and balance thing that while boring had its uses when you wanted to get something done.
That done, the angel made his way back to where the merry band of misfits were lowering Angela's body down and a few were helping the one that was now awakening. He raised his brow and tapped Kesset on the shoulder, "Did I miss anything?"
"Their chosen first is awake now."
"I can see that but I am guessing that wasn't supposed to happen," Balthazar pointed out.
Kesset watched the group before glancing around to take in the surrounding area. His eyed riveted over every inch of the landscape like they were the ears of an animal. He replied, "He has completed his task. Therefore he must wake." He looked at Balthazar with a pointed look as if to dare him to say different.
"True but I get the feeling that there is more to this than she has told anyone. Why else would she and Dean still be on the other side?"
That was the pressing question that was on Kesset's mind. He sensed that there was a larger plan at work or the person that his charge was after was a lot more powerful and not in the good way. This battle would take more than a simple journey to discover the inner strength or second wind as he had been told it was. It was one of the things that had him wondering what else she knew that she wasn't telling. He understood that there were secrets that could kill and were kept out of the desire to protect the people that mattered the most to her. He replied, "I agree with that. This darkness… Shifa' is familiar with it."
"And being the good guardian of the people, she got them far enough to protect themselves but trudged on alone. I love me a good dark hero," Balthazar replied with a smirk. His tone was lighthearted to almost mocking and patronizing.
"Or it is something she has to do to remember." Kesset frowned slightly before continuing, "When I was younger, the equivalent of a boy of twelve, my father would take her to the chamber of souls. It was a place that only a select few would be able to go. Best example the ones born healers."
"So you are aware of what she is," Balthazar stated rather than asked.
Kesset looked at the angel with a raised brow, "I know that she has abilities that no other of her kind would ever possess. Even the ones that are healers like her would never have the same level. My father was trying to help her tap into them but she was most reluctant." He looked over at the campsite and scanned while he remembered. "She would demonstrate but nothing like what she was capable of. Perhaps as a result of her imprisonment."
"So she really did go to hell?"
"Don't be an idiot," the Avian groused ruffling his feathers. "Your kind know what she went through." He cleared his throat and added, "My father managed to get her to open the door a little so that at least her healer abilities worked. After she left Karnak…" He shrugged his shoulders. He didn't want to go too much into that since it was also around the time his father made his choices and the condemnation that followed…
"Ah traveling and trying to discover the meaning of life," Balthazar put into perspective. "Hence the merry band of fur clad Neanderthals and being known as the beloved of Shiva. That was interesting to hear about."
Kesset would have said something but the one who woke up was speaking. He stepped forward to hear even though his hearing was better than most humans. He walked up and noticed that his charge and Dean looked like they were asleep but they could also be mistaken for dead since their bodies were that still. There was also an unknown shadow crossing them, making them look paler than what could be considered healthy.
"Everything is alright," the shaman was saying, "We need to keep moving and take them with us."
"But won't that do more harm than good?" Nanuq was looking at the shaman with a raised brow. "You know as well as I, Quentin, that to be woken abruptly out of the trance can do more harm than good."
Quentin nodded, "And normally I would agree. But Izhu knows where we are and no doubt she will send more damned souls to try and kill Shifa'. Plus… she told me to pack up and move."
"She told you that?"
"Yes."
A/N: So Sam has no idea what happened and Izhu yanks him to for more nefarious purposes and everyone else is awake now and on the move. More to come on Redemption of the Soul...