Chapter 9

"Good angels are fallible ... they sin every day and fall from Heaven like flies"

Castiel arrived at the driveway where he had been told to wait by the text message he had received the night before. As far as he could see there were only fenced pastures with a few horses in the distance. On the other side of the road past the river he could glimpse a farm house at least one mile away. When he heard his cell phone ring he moved his hand to his pocket of his trench coat and pulled the phone out, recognizing the number flashing on the screen.

'Dean, are you alright…Where are you?'

'Hi Cas, yeah we're alright…I'll be with you in a few minutes'

Castiel waited looking out onto the fields ahead of him until he started to see an outline of a figure appear out of nowhere in the distance. The figure became more solid the closer it came and soon Castiel was able to make out the features of Dean jogging towards him.

Impatiently he started to walk towards the drive way but after a few steps suddenly stopped, unable to lift his feet, his breathing becoming laboured and wincing in pain. Stuck like a fly in a spider web he was unable to move and confused to what he had encountered, he stopped struggling and instantly the pain subsided. It took him a few seconds to catch his breath again.

'Cas good to see you…what's the matter?'

Dean noticed the forced stance of his angel friend and the slow deliberate breathing. Concerned he approached Castiel who looked puzzled.

'I'm not sure…this has never happened before'

'Dean, wait…' called out Elizabeth who was walking up the drive way. Dean turned, noticing that she had thrown over a three-quarter length coat before leaving the house. The suspicious bulge on the left side of her coat meant that Elizabeth was carrying a concealed weapon.

'What have you done to him' angrily he faced her 'Release him now'

Elizabeth ignored Dean walking past him towards Castiel, finally stopping right in front of him.

'It has been awhile since I have seen an Angel and the last one betrayed my family.' Elizabeth locked eyes with Castiel.

'Dean, do you trust this Angel with your life, Sam's life?' She continued to look up into Castiel's face searching for any sign of betrayal, not turning to direct her question to Dean who had pulled up behind her.

'Yes' was his curt reply.

Castiel returned Elizabeth's gaze openly with a hint of curiosity.

Seconds passed in silence only Castiel's laboured breathing could be heard.

'Well, Dean trusts you so I will give you the benefit of the doubt'

She held up a gold medallion that had been hidden in her right coat pocket. 'Let's commence the introductions'

Castiel's eyes widened in recognition of the sigil belonging to the Warriors of the Angel Nathanial.

'The Warrior's of the Light' Castiel's husky voice betrayed his emotion "I have heard of them but Nathaniel has been lost to us for so long…I thought they had all been killed centuries ago'

'I'm Elizabeth Campbell St. John, first daughter of the circle' continued Elizabeth earnestly waiting for Castiel to acknowledge this information who had bowed his head in contemplation. 'The Warriors have continued in secrecy over the centuries waiting for the time Nathaniel will call us to duty. I fear the time is near!'

Castiel looked up at the last statement.

'Nathaniel is still alive?' Hope echoing in the simple question.

Dean had listened to the exchange, growing impatient.

'Okay, and I'm Dean Winchester, breaker of the first seal …Elizabeth, release Castiel so we can go back to the house' and as an afterthought he added 'please!'

Elizabeth solemnly stepped up to Castiel, laying her left hand over his heart as she recited:

'Angelei Dei, qui custos es mei, me tibi commissum pietate superna;
Hodie illumina, custodi, rege, et guberna.'

Castiel looked down into her eyes, reaching for her hand covering it with his right and both completed the prayer together.

'Amen'

Elizabeth stepped back gently leading Castiel forward. 'From now on be welcome in this house, Castiel'

The pressure weighing down on Castiel disappeared and as he took a few more steps under Elizabeth's guidance Castiel became aware of the double story house at the end of the drive way, the garden, the trees and Sam standing on the porch.

Elizabeth smiled at Dean whose frustration was clearly visible.

'Come let's go back to the house and have breakfast. I'm starving' with that she turned on her heel and walked towards the garden, leaving both men behind.

'Cas, what just happened?' asked Dean walking up to the Angel who was smiling faintly, his gaze following Elizabeth as she disappeared into the garden.

'We do not stand alone anymore' was the laconic answer.

Dean sucked in a deep breath, fighting the urge of screaming out loud but after a few seconds relented: 'Right, it's time for breakfast…and afterwards we're having a catch up session'

Dean stomped off to the house with Castiel closely following.

*******

By the time the bacon, eggs and toast arrived Dean and Sam had found their appetite and tucked in while Castiel sat at the table watching them. Dean covered the details of the last two days for Castiel starting with the rifles, visiting Howell and O'Connell and the contents of the safe deposit box. Elizabeth joined the trio with a stack of pancakes and freshly perked coffee and sat down at the head of the table.

'Warrior's of the Light…can one of you fill us in' asked Dean looking at Elizabeth and Castiel who exchanged brief glances, Elizabeth quietly nodding at Castiel to go first.

'It is said an Angel was sent to John to announce the Revelation which he then wrote down, a prophecy of what was to come. Nathaniel feared that giving the message alone would not be enough and he selected a circle of men and women who would be trained to fight evil. He did not choose randomly but persons who were able to be used as vessels encouraging the continuation of the blood line through careful intermarriage so that he and other angels could walk on Earth if need be. Over the centuries the number of Nathaniel's Warriors of the Light grew, the twelve families leaving the Holy land with the fall of Jerusalem and settling throughout Europe. In the late Middle Ages, under the cover of the plague a battle raged between the Warriors and demons. Although the Warriors won the battle in the end, all had lost their lives in attaining this goal or so it was thought. It was known that Nathaniel would take a vessel to lead in battles and he was considered lost because he had not been heard of since that time' Castiel fell silent.

'As it is written in the St. John family chronicles, Elizabeth continued 'the leader of the Warrior's, the first son of the circle, sent his wife to the far north of England, hiding her in a remote monastery before the final battle ensued. She was pregnant with twins- a boy and a girl. The boy grew to be the head of the St. John family and the beginning of a new circle. The girl though married into a local clan, the Campbell's and over a few generations the connection to the St. John's was forgotten. A branch of that family emigrated to the New World a few centuries later, eventually settling in Southern Wyoming in the mid 19th century.'

Elizabeth briefly stopped to sip at her coffee. 'My father Robert did some research on the Campbell family while he was studying in England and found a reference to the St. John family. He traveled up to Scotland to find out more which led him to the ancestral home and my mum. The St. John's welcomed my father into the family and this is also where I went into hiding after Jeremiah's death. I hadn't planned to return but the suspicious deaths of my father, grandfather and his closest friends with the increase of demonic omens made the circle decide to send me back to investigate. That was in 2006.'

'How many members of the Warrior's are here beside yourself?' asked Sam

'Only one other, Andrew St. John. He accompanied me as he was the best hunter the family could spare for my protection. Over the years we have managed to establish a network of hunters and others who are aware of the supernatural like Howell and O'Connell.'

'So, the meeting I stumbled onto last night is part of what you do here?' Dean queried

'Yes, information gathering is a major objective and the meetings like the one last night are held on a regular basis. Hunters who stop overnight are valuable sources of information. I mainly stay at the house coordinating the information gathering whereas Andrew follows up on leads.'

'Talking about leads…the other property among the two deeds gives details of an address in southern Wyoming' interjected Dean

'Yes, the old Campbell farm. My Great Grandfather lived there but we only visited him once when I was very small. No one lives there currently but a care taker checks on the place every month. If you were given the deeds then it is another piece of the puzzle for you and Sam. Unfortunately I'm not that well versed in the Campbell side of the family history as this was always told to the oldest son and the diaries were handed over on his 18th Birthday.' Elizabeth's voice shook slightly recalling memories of long ago.

'Jeremiah was next in line but he was killed shortly before his 18th Birthday. He did tell me bits of the lore, I think he liked teasing me as he knew it made me furious that as a girl I wasn't privy to the secrets.'

'You said you may have an idea how to open your Grandfather's chest, Elizabeth?' Sam pushed the chest towards his cousin.

All eyes fell onto the small wooden chest standing on the dining room table.

'Yes, I suspect that the medallion may help' She withdrew the antique medallion from her pocket laying it on the table in front of her while she inspected the chest, her fingers running over the surface of the carving. She then placed the medallion face down into the carving till the ridges of the sigil fit snugly pushing down gently.

Everybody in the room heard the faint 'pop' of a locking mechanism releasing and Elizabeth removed the medallion, sliding the chest back across to Dean.

Dean placed his hands on the lid and after a moment of hesitation he gripped the lid swinging it open. He reached into the chest and removed several leather bound diaries which he placed on the table in front of him for all to see.

'So you have no idea why Raphael would be after any of these items?' asked Dean in a pensive voice.

'Raphael?…Raphael is involved!' Elizabeth was visibly upset at this piece of information. She abruptly stood up from the table, starting to gather up the breakfast dishes in order to hide her distress.

'I saw him staking out the bank yesterday and then the city went into lock down' explained Dean watching Elizabeth closely.

'Yes, added Castiel 'only an Archangel has the power to do this, and whatever he is after is important, very important!'

'What do we have that could be of such value to Raphael?' questioned Sam

Elizabeth stopped stacking up the plates and sighed.

'Raphael was the angel who betrayed my brother. I think I know what he is after'

She moved across the room to where she had draped her coat over a chair and reached inside to remove the old Palmer carbine from it. She then turned to the men who had watched her holding up the rifle for all to see:

'He is after this rifle…it's the only weapon on earth that can stop an Angel!'