Thank you williewildcat for your review!! As to the tree, There will be a brief back story of it in the next chapter!! ;)
CHAPTER SEVEN.
"Go in? But that's impossible!" Dean replied, staring at the older hunter as thought Bobby had finally run mad.
"Not when you have a doorway is it!" Bobby responded, pointing to a crawlspace large enough to admit even Dean's tall frame easily, if he crawled in headfirst.
"No freaking way am I going in there!" Dean replied, before shaking his head. "No, I have to - the reason I breathe!"
He shot me a look, and I nodded once at him, in my pale imitation of Cas, and Dean nodded back. He was of course referring to my comments of last night to help him draw strength for the task ahead - a task he had to do for Sam, his own reason to breathe. I didn't need to be a mind reader to know how much he cared for his little brother, how much he wanted to protect him from everything he could, despite anything the pair of them might go through.
I watched him crawl through, before Bobby followed directly after him.
Cas and I remained outside, guarding the hole for fear of the return of the Headless Horseman.
I'd brought my katana from the trunk of my car, yet the normally sturdy looking blade looked puny in comparison to the blade which Castiel withdrew from seemingly nowhere. I watched him from the corner of my eye, reveling in the sight that Cas made, and I finally got the sense of how great a warrior Cas truly was, with just the way he held himself.
Dean and Bobby seemed to be taking an awfully long time returning with Sammy and I was about to point this out to Cas when from afar I heard the sounds of far off hooves coming closer. Instinctively I settled into a warrior's stance, settling forward on one foot and readying my blade. Beside me, Cas was doing the same, and I tried not to get distracted by him.
I watched as the horseman cantered to a stop in front of us, and I tried not to show my horror at his appearance. The body was there, whole, perfect, and not like the ghostly shimmering image I expected, yet his head was no longer where it should be. The head was staring down at us from the back of the saddle, eyes glowing an ominous red, teeth filed to dangerous points as he grinned at us.
The majority of the Horseman alighted and came towards us, drawing a sword of his own from a scabbard by his side, executing a perfect warrior's salute. Wordlessly both Cas and I returned the salute.
Without warning, the Horseman advanced, and I barely blocked the blow, before his blade bit into the flesh of my neck. I found my self staring into the space where the Horseman's eyes should have been, knowing that somehow, he was staring right back at me. I didn't know how, but I could feel his eyes boring into mine, almost burning me with their intensity.
Cas ran the Horseman through with his blade, flames licking from the metal to the Horseman's body, but the blow did nothing to detain him. The Horseman continued to fight us, never growing weak or tired, as I did, as even Cas did, eventually.
The Horseman took advantage of that, driving the angel to the ground, holding his blade to the angel's throat, an looking ready to administer the final killing blow.
A certain calmness descended upon me - the calm before the storm i'd heard so much about yet never believed. I could not stand here and watch while some freak took away all that I lived for, my one reason to continue to breathe.
I rushed forward, running the horseman through with my blade, twisting it heftily into the Horseman's body, swearing at the one who would take the angel from me. I laid one hand on the horseman's twitching body, withdrawing my blade, as flames licked hungrily at the body. Strangely the flames did not burn me, or affect me in any way - all I felt was the vaguest of tickles on the flesh of my hand.
The Horseman exploded around me in dusty motes, showering Cas with the remnants of his essence, making the angel choke, before the dust disappeared. I knelt by the angel's side, running hands over his body, checking to see if he was unharmed and really still there in one piece, before looking up and over at the horse.
The horse, of course, was no longer there - dispatched into non existence with his master, along with his master's head.
"What took you so long, Dean?" was the first thing I said to the other hunter. "Were you having a tea party down there or what? We were getting killed out here!"
"Who do you think I am - Alice?" Dean typically responded. "D'you realize how hard an unconscious Sammy is to move? I would have come sooner if not for the Sasquatch!"
"I heard that!" came Sam's tired voice from nearby.
"SAM? You okay?" I asked, upon hearing his voice.
"Been better! You?" Sam responded.
"Surprisingly good!" I said, as I looked down into Castiel's large blue eyes as he watched me during my exchange.
"I'm good!" I said, quietly, before leaning down to gently kiss Cas where he lay.
Dean was the first to break the silence.
"What do we do now?" Dean asked no one in particular.
"Burn it!" was all I said, pointing to the tree without taking my eyes from Castiel's.
When no one moved, Castiel said - "Do as she says!"
His tone brooked no argument and Bobby was the one to step forward, to light the tree with lighter and an aerosol stashed in pockets about his person.
"What good will that do, Bobby?" Sam surprised us all by saying groggily from where he leant on his brother,
"Burn the source of the Horseman's power and the horseman cannot return," Bobby replied, watching the flames lick up the ancient tree.
We remained at the site until the day drew in, and the stars started to glimmer in the night sky.
Bobby was the first to make a move, gesturing for us all to follow. Dean supported Sam's weight as they followed in the older hunter's wake, while Cas gripped me around my waist and just flew us back to the cars.
As we waited for the others to arrive, I hugged the angel to me, drawing comfort from him as he placed warm arms around my waist, neither of us speaking: as neither of us needed to speak.
It seemed an age before Bobby, Dean and Sam came, yet none of them seemed surprised that we were there already, and waiting.