SUPERNATURAL
THE PARCAEX RITUAL
Chapter 18
"Really makes you think, doesn't it?"
They were less than two hours from the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, and they'd been sitting quiet ever since they'd passed through South Dakota, but at last Dean had broken the silence.
"About what?"
Dean looked at him, "Well, if Lenore hadn't come to our rescue this morning, we'd both be fluffing up the pillows in our coffins right now."
"Yes, aren't you glad now that we didn't let Gordon slaughter them?"
"Yeah, but it really does make you wonder," he started, pausing to think for a second, "Well, of all the creatures that we killed without taking a backwards glance, I mean," he paused again for a breath, "How many of them could have changed? How many could we actually have lived in harmony with, hell, even become allies with."
"Not too many, you know," Sam replied, "If you really think about it. But I agree with you on some scale, there are many things we have killed that either weren't pure evil, or didn't deserve to die."
"Didn't deserve to die?" Dean questioned.
"Well, yeah," Sam began, "Remember Madison the werewolf back in Michigan? She didn't deserve to die, yet our only choice was to kill her."
Dean laughed, "Your girlfriends never seem to last long, do they?"
Sam said nothing. The crying face of Madison crept into the corners of his mind, and his stomach dropped violently at the thought, the memory of her last moments before he pulled the trigger and ended her life.
"All I'm saying is, you really need to loosen up, have some fun once in a while."
"Yeah, well, I'm not like you, am I?"
"Damn right."
They'd crossed into one of the smaller cities of the area, and were driving slowly down one of the main roads, looking for somewhere they could hide out until it was time to jump into action.
Dean looked out the window as they passed a fancy looking motel, dolphin statues rising above them out the front on the green lawn, spitting water from its snout. The triple storey building was glossed with a pearly yellow paint, and Dean couldn't keep his eyes off the swimming pool down the side, where a group of young ladies were swimming and basking in the sunlight.
Without hesitating, Dean turned the steering wheel and drove into the front entrance, "What do you say we treat ourselves, huh Sam?"
With a big grin on his face.
Sam looked at the time, "Okay, we have six hours until Lilith appears, so what do you think we should do?"
****
Dean was peering out the window, watching the happenings down in the pool.
"Dean, get your head out of the gutter."
"You want to know what I think we should do?" he grinned, glancing back out the window.
He needn't say anymore, Sam knew exactly what was on his mind. Sam cleared his throat loudly to gain Dean's attention, and Dean turned to him, "Come on! This is too good an opportunity to pass!"
"Tell you what," Sam started, "Once Lilith is lying in her deathbed, we can come back and we'll rest for a day or two, and you can have all the fun you want then."
Dean though for a second, and then he turned from the window and nodded his head, walking over and sitting down on the couch. "So what's the plan, Sammy?"
"Well, maybe we ought to go and have a look at the caves, before we actually have to face Lilith, as we have no idea what we're going to find when we get there."
"Okay..." Dean answered, "And what is your take on killing Lilith, how the heck are we going to manage that?"
"Well, we do own two of the crusaders weapons, that has to count for something."
"Knowing her, she'll already know that we're going to be there."
"You want to back out now? Go home and sleep safely in your bed because this is too dangerous for you, huh?"
"Sure would be better than this."
"Come on, let's go."
Iahamu paced around his own room, surrounded by no less than thirty of his own servants. They all stood quietly, waiting for him to cast his bidding onto them.
One of his servants stepped forward, "How are we to kill Astaroth, we do not even own a weapon!"
Iahamu turned to his follower, "Do not worry, my friend, the brothers will bring their own, and in this time we will seize control, release Lucifer from his unholy prison and unleash him upon the world. In return we shall be rewarded beyond our wildest dreams."
"Will he not have us killed?"
"If you are loyal to him, respect him and do what he would like, there will be no reason for him to hold any grudges and you will all live the rest of your lives in his service. If you try something, be sure that you will not live to see the next suns rise."
"But Iahamu," Another began, "Those weapons represent pure goodness, and that is something that none of us are capable of wielding."
"True," Iahamu agreed, "But that isn't one hundred percent accurate. Lilith has wielded her own weapon many times before; there is a certain ritual that can be taken which will reduce the effects of this for a short time. If all goes to plan, this time should be enough to take care of Lilith and flee, though we will not have time enough to escape with it."
"So we're just going to leave it with those Winchester boys?"
"Remember, we need them to follow us, without them our plan is useless."
Iahamu kept on pacing, a plan forming itself together in his mind.
"Have you found Lilith?" One of the servants asked.
"She is at the caves, awaiting the hour of her reckoning. She realised that it was not safe in the open world at this time, and took refuge a little early. Do not fear, our traps are all in place, and it will not be long before Lucifer is free; it will not be long before the world is shrouded in darkness once more. The Earth will go back to the way it was, all those years ago after the fall of Satan and the birth of Hell."
Without warning, another servant ran into the room. "We have news. Astaroth has been captured, but the magic will not hold her off for too much longer."
"Do not fear, the ritual will be over in a few hours. First we must wait for the brothers to arrive. We must plan this out carefully, these brothers are not to be underestimated. I am under no false impression that they do not have the power to destroy us all, because that would be wrong. They may only be mortal, but the things these boys have accomplished are phenomenal, and we must be cautious."
Following their road map closely, they came to the entrance of the caves, some few miles along a dirt road leading off highway 94. The caves were as inconspicuous as could be, marked only by a small sign, ragged and stained with dirt, and a broken down warning sign embedded in the turf beside the entrance.
Sam looked down at the watch on his wrist, which told him they had little more than twenty minutes before Lilith was due to arrive. The world was darkened, and the air was icy.
They parked the car a little further along the road as a safety measure and proceeded down into the cave, walking cautiously and quietly, not knowing what to expect down in the darkness.
They turned on a small lamp and the cave was instantly cast in a shallow light, allowing them only a small range of vision, but it was vision none the less.
"Do you think Lilith is already here?" Dean asked, stepping over something that looked scarily like human bones.
"No," Sam replied with an air of confidence, "She won't come until the last minute, I'm sure of it."
"That'd better be true."
Sam reached into the pack he held on his back and felt around for the weapon they would be using. He stopped and pulled it off his back, searching more thoroughly, before turning to Dean, "It's not there."
"What do you mean, it's not there? I saw you put it in!"
They turned slowly behind them, making sure that nobody was there, "Maybe we should head back to the car," Dean suggested, holding up the pistol he was holding, "I don't think this 45' is going to do much against a creature like Lilith."
"I don't think so."
A scarily familiar voice rose from the shadows and echoed throughout the cave around them. Sam held the lamp as far above his head as he was able, trying to see further than the light was willing to give. But he didn't have to wait long. There were at least twenty of them, all in a perfect circle surrounding them, and coming closer with each passing moment.
They stopped within a few feet of the brothers, and from behind them Iahamu broke through the circle and was facing the brothers, twirling the small silver weapon in his hands.
"I'm assuming that this is some feeble attempt to rid yourselves of Lilith?" he sniggered, "Come, boys, I'd like you to witness this."
He said no more and signalled for his followers to carry Sam and Dean with them. They walked slowly down through the caves, slowly descending further and further underground, until they came to a room at the end of the long hallway, illuminated completely by a large lamp hung on the ceiling.
Lilith stood in one corner of the room, looking as if there was nothing more that she would like in that moment than to lash out at Iahamu's throat, tear out his insides and dangle them out in front of his nose.
It was in this moment that Sam realised what was keeping her back. Countless patterns of ancient rituals and strange symbols painted the ceiling above her, though Sam had never seen anything like it. Whatever it was, it sure was powerful.
"You have no idea what you're unleashing, Iahamu," Lilith whispered, "This will destroy us all."
"No, this will free us all," he answered, "This will be the beginning of a new world, a better world in which us demons can live in peace. As for you humans," He cast a glance at Sam and Dean, "Lets just say you won't be as lucky."
Sam could feel the power radiating from his captors, their muscular limps holding him and Dean at their sides. "Tie them down," Iahamu ordered, and instantly they dragged the brothers into the corner opposite Lilith and they were bound tightly together.
Iahamu turned to Lilith and smiled, "I know why you don't want this to happen. You've had Lucifer under your influence for a long time now, have you not? He will not be happy with you, will he."
Lilith just stared at him, anger radiating from her glaring eyes.
"What do you mean 'destroy us all'?" Sam piped up, "Unleash what?"
Iahamu looked at him in surprise, "All this fighting, and you don't even know what the manuscripts are used for?"
"Of course we do," Dean spat, "The Ancient Manuscripts of Vanatuhi are used to manipulate and partially control happenings in hell, as a kind of replacement leader after Vanatuhi vanished. When used correctly, performing the Parcaex Ritual - as has been done - unleashes from the depths of hell the devil himself."
Iahamu nodded, "But do you know exactly how much influence those manuscripts have over the underworld itself?"
Sam and Dean said nothing. It seemed from the way he was talking that they had missed something, and it would cost them.
Iahamu nodded, "Yes, I thought as much. Let me explain." He cleared his throat and turned to check upon Lilith before beginning, "The Ancient Manuscripts of Vanatuhi is the most powerful object on this Earth. Not only do they have the power to manipulate hell, but also they have the power to control it. These manuscripts have more power than anybody could ever dream of, but there are limits to its use. The awesome power of these scripts can only be fully tapped into by one being, and it doesn't take a genius to guess which one. Without their power controlling hell, a demon could never cross the path between hell and earth. Though the destruction of the manuscripts is near impossible, and it is known that there is simply one method of doing so, and it is very rare. You could say that the manuscripts actually are hell.
"The Parcaex Ritual, once performed, does indeed bring Lucifer back from his fiery grave, but his power is all but useless to him. At the current time, Lucifer is under the influence of Astaroth, - or Lilith as you may know her - but that can all change in a matter of seconds. You see, once Astaroth here is dead, something of even greater power will be unleashed. My master will be free at last."
Sam had a horrified look on his face, he just couldn't believe it. Dean was edgy tied to Sam's back, and he couldn't see as well and was fidgeting as a result trying to move into a better position.
"But first," he whispered, walking towards Lilith, "I need to know where you have hidden the manuscripts. There is little time left, and you are going to tell me."
"Go to hell."
"I'll see you there, hun," he smiled, "I'll have to find them myself, won't I?"
"Once your grip over Lucifer ceases, he will be unstoppable."
He smiled viciously, turning to check upon the brothers before walking towards Lilith once more.
"That time has now come." he finished with an ice-cold tone.
As if triggered by the end of his speech, Lilith began to jerk wildly where she stood, her head twitching and her image flickering. Dean turned his head to its maximum reach to watch the events unfolding, and Sam was simply stunned. This hadn't turned out how they had planned at all.
The noise was utterly deafening. The echoes of Liliths screams and howls penetrated their ears and when everything went silent Sam looked up, as Lilith's face began to swell wildly. This was but the eye of the hurricane.
And then it all came out. Deep black smoke filled the room, and crashing sounds of thunder erupted with it. At long last Liliths true form came out of its shell, and devil-red eyes glared out from its shadowy form. It let out a long howl and Iahamu drew once more from his pocket the silver knife he had stolen from Sam.
It was all just too easy. After all this time hunting, searching for Lilith, sacrificing so much along the way, the job was about to be taken care of for them. Though Sam knew that although Lilith was out of the picture, a completely new evil had taken her place, one which seemed to be much more powerful and threatening.
It all took place in a few seconds. It seemed much too quick for something so dramatic. With one strikingly swift movement, Iahamu struck the dark creature with the small dagger, piercing what could be called its body. The thing let out a terrible cry, before it seemed to implode upon itself, scattered remains of its outer shell disappearing into the thickness of the air around them. And Lilith was no more.
The silence struck them all hard, and an unknown energy passed through the room. Thunder erupted from somewhere outside, and a wide smile spread across Iahamu's face.
"My work is done here." he said, gesturing towards Sam and Dean, "Let them go, they are no use to me dead."
Use? Sam thought to himself, what does he mean?
Sam and Dean were untied, and within seconds Iahamu was nowhere to be seen, and the brothers were left to find their own way out. The two of them didn't speak a word the entire trip, and yet they knew that their quest for the past few months had been completed. Though it didn't feel like the end. This was but another stepping-stone.
They rest for a few minutes and then walked out into the strangely hot night air, but stopped instantly and glanced upwards.
The sky was masked in a deep, blood red, and in the distance it was almost as if they could hear a terrible roar rising above the clouds.
They both knew it, and in his shock Dean whispered into the arisen darkness, "Lucifer."