Chapter 37
Castiel stared at the phone in his hands, hardly daring to believe what he had just watched. He played the video again, savoring each of the words Dean spoke.
"… I'll never let you out of my sight again… I swear it, baby… I… I love you… and I'll see you soon, OK? I'm gonna fix this for you, Cas. I promise."
It had been several hours since he had sent Dean the message and he hadn't been able to safely check for any messages until then. But now, it didn't matter. For the first time in days Castiel felt a glimmer of hope within him. Dean was coming for him. He was going to get him away from there. And they would be together again.
But first Dean had to get to him. And Castiel had a demon to take care of.
He didn't waste any time. He decided the first item he would need would be some holy water which he knew he could make himself. Grabbing an empty water bottle Castiel ran into the bathroom and filled the bottle full. He then covered the top of the bottle with his open palm and closed his eyes. With every ounce of concentration he had he began to chant softly.
"Meus Abbas, Senior of orbis terrarum quod Polus, defaeco is unda quod planto is sanctus."
Castiel repeated the chant over and over, the effort of his concentration causing the sweat to start pouring off his face and made his arms tremble. He continued to chant, however, for several minutes before he felt a sudden warmth come from the liquid. Letting out a relieved sigh Castiel smiled broadly he put the cap on the bottle. His confidence grew as he saw he still had the ability to make holy water, although it took far more effort now without his grace than it had in the past. But he could do it, and that was all that mattered.
Glancing around the room to see if there was anything worth grabbing and seeing nothing Castiel quickly slipped out the door and down the hallway. He watched out for any of Lucifer's minions as he went down the back staircase and headed for the basement.
When they had first arrived to the hotel Castiel had gone exploring and had stumbled across a door in the basement that opened into a narrow tunnel. The tunnel, he had discovered, led to a cow pasture south of the hotel. Of course, once Lucifer had learned of the tunnel he had put one of his minions on guard there. Castiel had assumed that Lucifer wasn't very concerned about anyone using the tunnel to try to enter the hotel since he had it so loosely guarded.
Castiel prayed that it hadn't changed.
When he arrived Castiel saw to his relief only one guard at the door. He knew the demon's name to be Ornias, a demon who always liked to start trouble and get the other demons riled up.
Castiel decided he had no problem taking out this demon.
Coming around the corner Castiel called out to him.
"Ornias!"
"What?" Ornias said as he turned.
Castiel swung the bottle and set a splash of the liquid into the demon's face and eyes. Ornias let out a howl of pain and staggered back. Before he could call for help Castiel quickly jumped on top of him and knocked the demon to the floor. Holding him down with every ounce of strength he had Castiel began to chant.
"Regna terrae, cantate Deo, psallite Domino qui fertis super caelum caeli ad Orientem Ecce dabit voci Suae vocem virtutis, tribuite virtutem Deo."
The demon began to cough and seize and Castiel could see the tendrils of black smoke start to trickle from its mouth. It tried to fight harder against him, but Castiel pushed back.
"Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio infernalis adversarii, omnis legio, omnis congregatio et secta diabolica."
The demon began fighting harder. Castiel groped along the floor and grabbed the bottle of holy water and dumped the rest of its contents on the demon's face. The demon howled with pain and Castiel recited faster and louder.
"Ergo draco maledicte et omnis legio diabolica adjuramus te. cessa decipere humanas creaturas, eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare!"
To Castiel's relief the smoke poured from the host's mouth and disappeared. The body went limp and Castiel knew that the human was dead. He sat up weakly and panted for breath. The exorcism had exhausted more than he had expected.
Suddenly, he heard the passageway door open behind him. His heart jumped into his throat with fear and he spun around.
There stood Bobby. And following him was Sam.
And then Dean stepped into the room.
Their eyes met and Castiel thought he was going to burst into tears of joy. He was too exhausted to move, but Dean quickly covered the distance separating them and wrapped his arms around Castiel in a warm embrace. Castiel clung to him desperately, not wanting to let go. It was Dean who finally pulled back enough to cup Castiel's face with both hands.
"Hey, Cas," Dean said with a watery smile as he carefully looked Castiel over. "It's OK. Told you I'd be here."
Castiel covered Dean's hands with his own, his heart overflowing with joy. Tears ran down his cheeks and he smiled with pure joy.
"You came. You're really here," Castiel whispered in awe.
Dean nodded. "I'm here. Are you hurt? Are you OK? Did that demon hurt you?" He asked, gesturing to the body on the floor.
Castiel shook his head. "No… no, I was able to exorcise him before he could hurt me. And I was able to subdue him with holy water."
Dean smiled proudly, but Sam cleared his throat.
"Uh, guys? I really hate to interrupt, but we have got to get moving."
"He's right," Castiel said quietly. "I'm sure they know by now what happened to Ornias."
Dean sighed. "Yeah, and they know about us being here too."
Castiel's eyes widened. "How do they know?"
"We got attacked by a possessed cow," Bobby said with a sigh.
Castiel stared at Bobby incredulously. "A cow?"
Dean sighed and helped Castiel to his feet. "Long story. Look, we can't use the tunnel again. Is there another way out of here?"
Castiel frowned anxiously. "There's a back door on the main level, but Lucifer's minions are everywhere. They're going to find us."
"Yeah, well, we have something they're not expecting," Dean said with a smirk as he displayed the Colt proudly. "To give you a quick recap, Cas, I talked to God and He gave me to Colt to kill Lucifer with."
Castiel stared at Dean in stunned silence for a moment before managing to make his voice work.
"You what?"
"I talked to God and He gave me the Colt."
Castiel dropped his gaze and it only took Dean a second to recognize Castiel's look of hurt on his face. Dean felt a stab of guilt as he remembered that Castiel had never had seen or spoken to God before. Trying to make Castiel feel better Dean took his hand and pulled him close.
"Hey," Dean said softly as he touched Castiel's cheek. "You'll get to talk to him yourself when all this is over. I promise."
Castiel looked at Dean and nodded reluctantly, even though Dean could tell he didn't fully believe him. He wanted to prove it to the angel, but knew there was no time.
Castiel began leading them out of the basement. At the top of the stairs he looked around and made sure it was clear before the others came up. The kitchen area was deserted when they entered and Castiel began leading them to the next doorway.
"The back door is in this next hallway. We can get out through there and hide in the woods while we get back to your car," He whispered to them.
"And where are you going, little brother? Your party is about to begin."
Everyone froze. To Castiel's horror Lucifer casually strolled through the doorway with a mock scowl on his face.
"That's not a very nice thing to do, Castiel. After all the work I've done to make this night special just for you."
"Don't you go near him," Dean growled furiously as he reached for Castiel's hand.
Lucifer glared at Dean. "After what you have done to my brother I think you do not get much of a say what happens to him."
He reached over and grabbed Castiel's hand. The angel made no attempt to struggle as he felt himself become overwhelmed by Lucifer's mere presence. Lucifer smiled triumphantly at Dean.
"Although I suppose you and your brother and friend could stay for party. It's something you won't want to miss!"
And before Dean could say a word Lucifer had disappeared.
And he took Castiel with him.
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Holy Water Translation:
My Father, Lord of the Earth and Heavens, purify this water and make it holy.
Exorcism Translation-
Kingdoms of the Earth, sing unto God, Praises to the Lord that carry above the sky of heaven to the East. Behold, He sends forth His Own Voice, the Voice of Virtue. A tribute the Virtue to God.
We exorcise you, every impure spirit, every satanic power, every incursion of the infernal adversary, every legion, every congregation and diabolical sect.
Thus, cursed demon and every diabolical legion, we adjure you. Cease to deceive human creatures, and to give to them the Poison of Eternal Perdition.
Boy, you guys are lucky I'm trying so hard to finish this up tonight! This is definitely a cliffy I'd love to leave you guys with! *really evil grin*
OK, so there will probably be two more chapters after this. Brace yourselves!