SUPERNATURAL
THE PARCAEX RITUAL
Note: Nearing the finish line. Thanks for reading.
Chapter 21
He'd been waiting a long time.
The deep blackness of his eyes shone in the moonlight, reflecting a shadowy image of an elderly graveyard and a strong scent of rotten corpses and the bone-chilling wails of the wind that would send a horrific cold through the bloodstream of any regular person.
But he wasn't any regular person.
"Iahamu."
The deep voice echoed phenomenally throughout the clearing, but Iahamu stood his ground, staring into the deep blackness above, where not even the smallest light twinkled. Even the sky seemed to know that the day of reckoning had come, and its silence was eerie.
"Lucifer," Iahamu spoke into the darkness, and though he saw no physical figure, he knew that the presence to whom he spoke acknowledged his words, "We need to talk."
It was as if these words evoked a powerful understanding between the two demonic forces, and at last Lucifers physical presence came to rest in front of Iahamu. At last they looked upon each other, their mutual acquaintance recognisable within their eyes.
"I see you've brought along a little friend."
"Yes," Lucifer replied, "It doesn't serve me well to attempt to blend in among humans with my true form, so I improvised and – though this body demands high needs for feeding – it's working for me so far."
Iahamu nodded, "You know what I'm here about," his voice was firm, "There is business that needs attending to."
Lucifer kept to the shadows behind large gravestones and monumental structures, and all that could clearly be made out of his location where the flaming gems that were his eyes.
"Our plan is going perfectly," Iahamu whispered, "We've come to the end. Are we sure that it's full-proof?"
"There is nothing to fear," Lucifer replied sourly, "The events will unfold themselves as they wish, and the final outcome is yet to be foreseen."
"How do we know the brothers will come?"
"Oh, trust me," Lucifer grinned, pearly whites gleaming through the darkness, "They will come."
"What makes you so sure?"
Lucifer turned to him, "If I weren't, we wouldn't be having this conversation. I've spent hours spending quality time with those whom the boys trust most. If the discovery of their fallen friends bodies doesn't draw them here, then we'll take this war to them."
"Is there a possibility that we could lose?"
The idea of defeat hung in the air for a few seconds, a tense moment of anxiety washed over Iahamu as Lucifer gave this a little thought.
"The plan is full-proof." Lucifer assured him, "It won't be long now. The only doubts in my mind at this time are those three accursed weapons they possess."
Iahamu blanched at the upbringing of an unwanted topic. He doesn't know my secret. He doesn't realise that I hold the key to the Winchesters success. "The boys are incapable of wielding the power of those weapons," he answered, hoping that Lucifer did not pick up on his deceit, "There are no longer three Crusaders, and the power cannot be tapped into without the combined strength of three."
Lucifer grunted, "The light at the end of our tunnel is at last in sight. Tonight we will extract our revenge upon those who made me – who made us – suffer."
"What must I do until then, your lordship?" Iahamu was careful with his flattery, for he knew that Lucifers rage could be unleashed at the smallest of misunderstandings.
"Tonight you must bring to me the treasure you have held for so long. The one final piece to this puzzle that will seal the dominance I will unleash, the weapon with which I will close the gates of hell once and for all, therefore accomplishing an invincibility for me."
"Why have you not done this yourself already," Iahamu asked curiously, "Why wait until the Winchester's are dead?"
"Because I want them to rot in the place I've been bound to for centuries. I want them to suffer the pain I once suffered, and whilst the gates are open, I will unleash my ultimate army, and then…"
"Then what?" Iahamu delved cautiously, awaiting his master's answer.
"Then comes the apocalypse."
Dawn invaded the deep black sky that was once night, and Dean found himself being roused at the earliest possible moment, looking upon his brother's face as it angled over him. "What do you want?" He grunted, before lifting his head to check on the time. He groaned and then threw his face back down upon the pillow, "And why so early?"
Sam fought to find the right words, but he was sure that what he had seen in his dream was real, and if it was… he shuddered at the thought.
"We seem to be further behind than we'd first thought," Sam revealed, and Dean rolled over to face him in the morning light.
"How so?"
"I had another dream."
Dean sat bolt upright, "A nightmare?" He fumbled with his words for a moment, and then blurted "Who?"
Sam sighed, "Lucifer and Iahamu."
All of a sudden Dean had forgotten how tired he was and picked himself up off the bed, strolling over to the refrigerator and emptying half a bottle of milk down his throat. He wiped his mouth and turned to Sam again, "What did they say?"
"Well, not much that I could clearly decipher," Sam admitted, "But they seem to have something in store for the two of us, well, at least that's what they said."
"How could they know that we plan to go after them?" Dean questioned curiously, "This was supposed to be a surprise attack on our part, and you're telling me they're expecting us?"
"Yeah, but I'm still unsure as to whether what I saw was true or not…"
Dean opened a few cupboard doors, searching for something he could eat, with no avail. "What do you mean whether they're true or not?" Dean looked shocked at the possibility, "Since when are your dreams ever wrong!"
Sam shrugged, "I don't know, but there was something Lucifer said, about hurting those we've trusted most, I've heard nothing about it as such, so I was beginning to wonder."
Dean pondered this thought for a moment, "I'll call Bobby, he'll know."
Sam just realised that Bobby wasn't with them, "When'd he sneak off?"
Dean shrugged, "Sometime in the night, he told me that there were some things he had to take care of before we marched upon the Devils Gates, and left."
Sam spent no time mulling over this, for his stomach ached with hunger. "Is there anything at all to eat?"
Dean looked at him curiously, "If there was, do you really think I'd be sitting here not eating it?"
Sam sighed, "Yeah, I get your point. Maybe one of us should go down to the stores and pick up something."
Dean laughed at him, "Yeah, and get ambushed the second we step foot out of this building."
"You're being to paranoid lately," Sam groaned, "We're not being watched!"
"And how would you know this?"
"I'd feel their presence if we were."
Dean didn't bother to question this, for he knew the extent of Sam's abilities and that the words he spoke, spoke truth.
"Fine," Dean gave in, "I'll go get something to eat. You stay right here."
"Fine with me," Sam smiled, smugly jumping back onto his bed and stretching his muscles, "I'll be waiting for you when you get back, okay?"
Dean exited the room with a jealous look etched upon his face at the image of Sam sleeping. Sleep hadn't exactly befriended them in the past few weeks.
Sam was settling down into a free hour of sleep when – to his extreme distaste – his phone began to ring, echoing through his ears.
Groaning, he pulled himself out from under the covers and went to retrieve it.
"Hello," he answered sleepily.
"Sam, it's Bobby."
"What's new?"
"I've got some good news, and some terribly bad news."
"I'll take the good news, for now."
"Well, I've managed to track down hunters from all over America. It seems that word has travelled fast about the approaching war, and many are keen to take part in defending their honour in battle."
"Battle?" Sam asked, confused.
"Sam, if by some chance we manage to defeat Lucifer, there's still the task of opening the gates of hell. Remember what happened the last two times this happened? Demons will be flying everywhere, and we've got to make sure they don't escape."
"But there are hundreds of demons!" Sam exclaimed, "There can't be enough hunters to hold them off."
"Clearly you've never been involved as much as I have in this business. In the past few hours alone I've rounded up over seventy hunters, and they're contacting others, who are sure to contact more. I'm expecting a number large enough to combat any and every demon that comes through those gates, even if by doing that means holding back hell itself."
"We're going to need some steel replacements for those railways," Sam reminded him, "We've got to repair those tracks so that the demons can't escape."
"Already got 'em."
"Good," Sam whispered, "So, the bad news?"
He heard Bobby sigh deeply, "Like I said, I've been in contact with over seventy hunters, and stories have aroused overnight. Lucifer has struck again."
Sam gasped, the words confirming everything he heard in his dream, "How many?" he asked, tensing his stomach and baring his teeth in anxiety.
"Fifty so far I've heard of. But there may be more."
The pits of Sam's stomach dropped. Fifty hunters. Fifty good people lost their lives because of him.
No, Sam shook his head. Don't think that, it's not your fault, he assured himself, it was Lucifer.
Just the thought of what they went through - whether unknowingly being struck by Lucifer or not - sent a cold chill down the length of Sam's body, causing his knees to give way and he collapsed to the floor.
"Sam," Bobby called, "You there?"
:"Yeah," he replied weakly, pulling himself to his feet with the support of a nearby windowsill that looked out over the streets.
Down on the pavement below, in the corner of his eye Sam saw something.
Someone.
By the time his brain had processed what it is that he'd seen, it was too late, and when he looked back he saw nothing.
"Bobby, I think I just…" His voice drowned upon itself as he attempted to explain.
"What is it?"
"I could've sworn that I'd just seen Bella!" Sam exclaimed.
"Bella? What the heck would she be doing there?"
"I don't know, I'm not even one hundred percent sure that I saw her, but if it wasn't her, then someone was looking up at me anyway."
"Okay, well keep an eye out and tell me if you see anything else suspicious. I've got to get back to work."
"Okay, I'll talk to you later."
"Sure thing. I'll be back around noon."
Sam hung up the phone and collapsed on the couch. His mind ached from too little sleep, and yet he forced himself to stay awake.
A loud rapping on the front door made Sam jump upright very quickly in his seat.
"Dean?" he called out, hopeful.
"No, not Dean," A familiar female voice replied.
Sam rushed to the door and opened it, allowing Lenore entry to the apartment. He was in total shock to see her so soon after their talk two nights ago.
"I'm here to help," she proclaimed, wasting no time with greetings.
"I thought you said that this was out of your hands?" Sam grunted, "You told us that you wanted no part in this."
She was unfazed by his questions, "I heard what happened to those friends of yours," she replied, "I am truly sorry."
"No hunter deserves such a death."
"I'm here to offer you my – and my fellow vampires – allegiance in this war, whatever we can do to help, as I am aware that there may be a limited number of hunters available to withstand the full force of Hell."
"How many of you are there?"
She thought for a second, "Close to a hundred, maybe more depending on what time period you expect them in."
"We're leaving tonight."
"No problem."
Though he didn't show it, Sam was extremely relieved to know that Lenore was backing them too. When the Devils Gates opened once more, he knew that they would need every ounce of manpower that they could muster.
"Thanks."
"Don't mention it," Lenore waved him off, "You've done more than enough for us already. As I've told you before, if it weren't for you, we'd be extinct already. Instead we've flourished into an equal species sharing the Earth with you humans in a way that affects you very little."
Sam smiled at the praise, "Before we'd faced you, we just thought of every creature we came across as monsters. We'd never given it a second thought that maybe some of them didn't deserve to die, until we met you. As you know fully well, we struggled to accept the possibility that you weren't evil, and from that experience we've taken much more care when we confront the supernatural."
She nodded, "I'm glad. Truly, I am."
In the few seconds' silence that issued following this sentence, the floorboards outside the door creaked and another familiar voice yelled out to them, "Sammy, it's me! Let me in, would ya?"
Sam pulled the door open and Dean strolled in, throwing onto the bench armfuls of-
"Pie?" Sam shook his head incredulously, "Is that all?"
"What?" Dean hadn't noticed Lenore yet, "Do you not like pie?"
Sam groaned, "We've eaten nothing but pie for two freaking weeks!"
"Come on!" Dean answered, "We had, err… umm…. Hmm."
Sam shook his head and beckoned him over to where Lenore was sitting. Dean registered her presence for a moment and spoke nothing of it. It seems he wasn't surprised that she was there.
He pulled a pie from its plastic pocket and threw it into the oven before sitting down with Sam and Lenore, "So, let's get down to business, yeah?"
Sam nodded, "So how are we going to do this?"
"Well," Dean began, "We've got to make sure that both Iahamu and Lucifer are in that graveyard when we seal it, otherwise our entire plan goes down the drain."
"What's the plan?" Lenore asked curiously.
"Not get killed," Dean shrugged, standing up to check on his pie.
"Well, I happen to know that both Lucifer and Iahamu will be in that graveyard tonight, so I guess we'll take 'em on then, yeah?"
Lenore looked at him, "Another vision?"
Sam nodded, and Dean walked back towards them, a glum expression on his face at the absence of cooked pie, "What exactly did they say?" He questioned, pacing the room and occasionally checking on his food.
"The only thing I'm very unsure of is what this weapon is they spoke of."
"Weapon?"
"I don't know. It was something that Lucifer had asked Iahamu to keep away from him, but now he wants it, tonight. He says with them he will be able to rid himself of us and become invincible."
Dean stopped, "Invincible?"
"That's what he said."
"This is just getting more confusing by the second."
"We'll just take it as it comes, one hurdle at a time," Sam enthused.
Dean pulled a steaming pie from the oven, smiling, then turned to Sam, "Have you spoken to Bobby yet?"
"Yeah, actually, I have."
"When's he getting back?"
"Sometime around mid-day."
Dean groaned, then walked to his bed and collapsed upon it, "Wake me up when he gets here."
****
Bobby didn't show up until 2pm, and by that time Sam had become extremely worried. Lenore had left an hour beforehand and Sam had been sitting at the table twiddling his thumbs and staring absent-mindedly at the door.
"Where were you?"
"I met Ellen and Jo along the way. They're keen on helping."
Dean was half-asleep when he heard this, but he roused himself and sat upright on his bed. "No." he answered flatly.
"Why?" Sam looked curious, "Why shouldn't they get the chance to help, when everyone else is?"
"Because they're not as experienced as the others, that's why."
"Dean, you shouldn't underestimate them, just because they're girls."
He laughed, "Dude, if you think after Bella, I still underestimate girls, you've got it all wrong."
"Then why?"
Dean sighed, "They're almost like family, you know? They've care for us, helped us out in difficult spots and we know that they're trustworthy. They've taken us in many times when we needed shelter or food, and not to mention they were close friends with Dad. I just don't want to see them get hurt."
"Dean, you should let them do what they think is best. If they want to fight, then let them fight! I know that I sure as hell wouldn't want to be left behind as something this big commenced, would you?"
"Yeah," he nodded, "I guess you're right."
Bobby clasped his hands together, "Okay then! Now, how are we going to do this?"
The night was young, and the wind whistled through the leaves surrounding them as they wait on the southeastern side of the railway tracks, sitting among the plantation silently and waiting anxiously..
Bobby had called to them a few close friends of his, who helped him apply the first steel replacement for the railway lines, and the brothers watched as they lined up the second.
"We've got to wait until they arrive," Sam whispered, "It shouldn't be long now."
Bobby nodded, and they sat still, unsure of what to expect. They had hidden their cars well, so unless they were spotted in their hiding place, their plan was set to go ahead as scheduled.
Dean was wide-awake and alert, a duffel bag strung over his shoulder. The bag was not large enough to contain the sword of Amaethon, and so its blade gleamed in the moonlight above, held in his hand. For the first time in centuries it's power was about to be unleashed once more, and Dean could feel it's energy force beneath his fingers.
Sam sat bolt upright as a faint wail could be heard in the distance. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he felt the dark presence envelop his senses.
With a curt nod, the four men with Bobby hammered down the final piece to the railways, and a burning electrical current erupted from the tracks completion and ran along its edge for as far as their eyes could see.
The light blinded them, and they knew that the deed was done. Dean nodded to Bobby who pulled out his cell phone and dialled a single number, whispering in a deadly quiet voice. "We're ready."
The final battle was about to commence.
The final few chapters will be posted within the next day or so.
Still to come:
Chapter 22 - Finale Part 1
Chapter 23 - Finale Part 2
Epilogue
"Oh yes, there will be blood."