Disclaimer: I do not own anything Supernatural, it is all property of the CW11 Network, and whatnot, so don't sue me, please.
Chapter 14
Sam Winchester let out a deep sigh from where he sat in a soft, leather cusioned chair.
In his lap was a book of ancient Latin.
More specifically, it was a book of Demon exorism spells and very powerful white magic.
And though he looked like it, Sam hadn't actually been reading anything from the pages, he'd been trying for the last half hour to try and literally absorb the words from the pages into his very being. ( Think Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer after she goes totally berserk Wicca, after Tara got shot by Warren. Yeah, like that, just without the evil pissed offness.)
" Any luck?" Asked a familiar, disembodied female voice.
" Nada." Grumbled Sam.
" Well, keep at it. You managed a few small verses yesterday, today I want the whole book absorbed into your mind." Said Alkaya, a hint of sterness in her voice.
" Yes Ma'am." Sighed Sam.
" Hey, don't call me that. Now take a deep breath, focus your mind, and let your abilities do the rest. And remember, no lunch if you don't get this done. Got it?" Asked Alkaya.
" Slave-driver." Hissed Sam under his breath before he could stop himself.
" What was that?" Asked Alkaya, feigning ignorance with a warning tone.
" N-Nothing. I'll get back on it." Answered Sam quickly, not wanting to get on Alkaya's bad side just yet.
He'd already gotten his good share of the pale eyed woman's wrath in the two months he'd been here in this world.
To be absolutely honest, Alkaya made John Winchester look like Susie Home Maker.
Seriously.
Sure, Alkaya could be gentle and caring, someone Sam could talk to about just about everything. Always trying to the best of her abilities to be there for the youngest Winchester whenever he needed her. Making him laugh with her smart-ass antics or being a shoulder for him to lean on.
The fact that she was an awesome cook was something he absolutely adored.
In the two months he'd been here, he'd grown quiet fond of the pale-eyed being with powers much like his own.
But when they were training, it was all business. She made him work till he reached his limit and then some. She always made his rise to the challenge.
And rise, he did.
Sam took all that Alkaya threw at him without complaint or vanity.
This wasn't like growing up with his father and brother anymore, not like it had been in the beginning.
This had been what he chose for himself, he'd chosen the path of Light, and all the responsiblities that came with it.
He had to master the powers and abilities that were slowly coming out of dormancy from within him.
He didn't have to master some, he had to master all.
One good thing that had come from this new sense of determination and drive was that, the agony and woe of the past had vanished.
Gone were the head-splitting migraines and hellish nightmares that had plagued him contantly were now far and few. He'd actually been getting a decent night's sleep for a change.
Sam had taken Alkaya's words, that it was supposed to be him in control of his abilities and not the other way around, straight to heart.
Now, he had complete control of the visions. Within a month, he'd learned to hold them at bay until he wanted to see what they could show him.
This had been bittersweet.
He could see the future, and the people that would be affected by the darkness and evil of the demonic world but, there wasn't anything he could do about it.
That would change the second his twelve months were up in this place.
The second Sam Winchester was back in the real world, there'd be hell to pay for the powers of Darkness.
But for now, Sam had a book that needed to be mentally absorbed.
And, he really wanted his lunch.
He set to work, focusing all his concentration on the big, Encyclopedia Britannica-like book currently situated in his lap.
Some other abilities that were slowly being mastered included the powers to read and control minds thanks to Alkaya's ability to conjure real people from the real world for him to practice on, telekinetic abilities at a low level, like levitating small objects and minutely moving larger ones, he was still working his way up to the big leagues. Then, there was the ability to electrocute objects, that too needed some fine tunning, a poor leather chair had met an untimely, high voltage demise one afternoon when this new ability decided to show itself. And as far as his abilitiy to heal others with those pulses of energy, Alkaya was slowly showing him how to harness that tremendous power, so that he didn't end up taking the wounds into his own body, like he had that night in the cabin. Now, he could heal himself, regenerate so that all the small injuries he would ineveitably get with all the vigorous training would vanish within a few minutes of being received.
He'd have to test it out on major injuries in the future.
But, only time would tell just how much power Sam Winchester possessed.
For now, he's just take them as they came. One power and a time.
For now, he'd focus on trying to absorb the damn spell book in his lap so that he could have lunch.
Sam got up from the chair, carrying the heavy book to a large circular table at the center of the spralling room.
He set the book with the pages open and looking up at him.
" Alright, focus." Whispered Sam under his breath as he cleared his mind, his gaze firmly gluing itself to the words that were printed onto the paper.
Then, a low humming began to fill Sam's ears as his eyes slowly turned from deep moss-green to pale, milky ice blue.
With slow, fluid movements, Sam's hands moved, fingertips ghosting over the words on the pages.
Sam stopped and splayed his hands across the glossy paper. The humming grew louder and louder as Sam's eyes began to glow with a supernatural light.
Suddenly, the words on the pages began to glow white around the edges.
They began to move...
Sam stared down at the glowing ink as the words of latin began to literally swim under his palms and fingers.
The words swam around for a few seconds before Sam felt a small pin-prick of heat at each of his fingertips.
He watched in silent triumph as the glowing words, stilled for a second before in rapid succession, they slid off the paper... straight onto his skin.
The words now glowed pure white and Sam watched as they slowly snaked up his arms, then over the sleeve the dark gray T-shirt he had on. The words snaked up his arms in two shimmering tendrils as they glided over his skin, they traveled over the arch of his shoulders and neck,.
Sam tilted his head back as the humming stopped and a wave of warm energy washed over him, the white light ghosting over the curves of his jaws and cheeks before they found his eyes.
Sam's eyes turned pure white as the ancient words of sorcery and White magic entered his mind through them.
Sam let his eyes slide shut as he continued to hungrily absorb the book before him.
One down, the rest of the library to go.
Downstairs in the Kitchen, Alkaya's eyes were glowing as well.
She was having a very important conversation.
The Higher Powers were getting a progress report.
" He's very strong for one so young." Said the Neutral voice.
" Yes. And as you know, he's upstairs successfully absorbing one of the Ancient Latin texts." Answered Alkaya with a small smile.
" I'm very proud of him and all that he's accomplished in these two months alone." She added.
" But... Pride is not the only thing you feel for him, is it?" Asked the voice of the Higher Powers.
" Say what?" Asked Alkaya, taken off guard by the question.
" We are the Higher Powers, we know things. You'll figure it out for yourself, it's why we gave you a heart when we created you, dear child. You have a destiny of your own to fulfill. But for now, guide him as you are meant to. Guide him on the path towards his destiny, but most of all, just be there for him." Said the Voice before with a whisper, it was gone.
" I will." Whispered Alkaya to the silence, utterly shaken by this revelation concerning herself.
She shook herself out of her atonishment and went back to preparing lunch.
Back upstairs, Sam let a triumphant grin spread across his face as he stared with pale blue eyes at the now blank white pages of the heavy book laying on top of the circular table.
With a small exhale, Sam stood back and held out his right hand, palm facing up.
" Incendia." He said, speaking in the ancient tongue he'd just absorbed into his mind.
As soon as the word escaped his lips, a bright blue ball of flame ignited in his hand, floating a few inches from Sam's palm.
" Ego Voco Thee Key of Solomon.( I summon thee Key of Solomon.) " Said Sam softly, his eyes flashing whit ewith engery for a moment as the glowing ball of blue flames floated away from his palm and up into the air.
It hovered there for a few moments before it began to morph itself into what had been asked for.
A perfect, burning blue replica of the Key of Solomon, flotaing in a slow circle above the table.
Sam pulled the empty book into his hands before he looked up at the floating symbol made from flames.
With another flash of white from his eyes, Sam gave a silent command, which was instantly obeyed.
The floating symbol suddenly slammed itself down, onto the polished wood of the table top.
There was a soft, sizzling sound as blue flames burned into glossy mahogany.
Then, in a small spark of light, the flames flickered and disappeared.
Pale blue eyes returned to there normal moss-green as Sam stared at his handy work.
" Here's to you Bobby." Sighed Sam with a sad smile as he remembered the seasoned hunter before he turned and walked over to one of the numerous shelves of books that still hadn't been absorbed. He'd figured two books absorbed was better than just one.
He found another heavy book of ancient Latin and set to work. The more he did in a day, the quicker the time would pass... The sooner he could...
Get back to Dean and John. The sooner he could get back to his family.
Behind him, burned perfectly centered with the round circumference of the table, was a still smoking Key of Solomon, standing deep black against the light colored wood of the table top.
Lunch could wait for a few more minutes.
Meanwhile, in Lawrence, Kansas...
Dean Winchester let a small, shaky breath that hitched softly as tears welled and fell from his eyes.
They cut tiny little rivers of bitter salt down his pale, ashen and stubble covered cheeks before they slid from his jaw and fell onto the white porceline edge of the sink he was standing over.
The shuddering breaths he took echoed across the cold, light blue tiles of Missouri's bathroom.
With a tiny sob, Dean reached out with a badly trembling left hand for the hot water knob.
The metal knob squealed in the dominant silence as Dean barely stiffled another sob.
A small, steady stream of clear water flowed from the faucet, steam coming off it in tiny whisps of white smoke.
Dean stared down through bitterly weeping eyes at his right hand, and the dried, caked on stain that still graced it.
The blood...
His Sammy's blood...
It was brownish red now, brittle and itchy.
With another shaky breath and tiny, silent sobs wracking through his body as he used every ounce of his will to get his right hand under the stream of water.
As he drew nearer and nearer to the water, Dean felt his resolve crumbling very rapidly.
Just as the water hit the side of his index finger, he jerk his hand back violently.
Not because the water was scalding hot, but because he couldn't and wouldn't let go of one of the last remnants of his baby brother.
Blinking rapidly and scrubbing at the tears stains on his cheeks with his unstained hand.
Dean stared at the running water with a growing disdain.
With a small growl of anger, Dean wrenched the hot water knob shut and stormed out of the bathroom.
Dean knew that he'd have to wash the stain off one day. But quite frankly, he could care less.
He wasn't washing it of this day.