Chapter 4

Lenya was furious. It was supposed to be a simple grab and lure. Unfortunately it didn't turn out that way. She didn't have what she wanted. She didn't have little sister and she was beyond pissed about it. She stood in the hall where she was to meet with the rogues.

Damion was well aware that things weren't going do well in this. In his opinion it was a mistake to bring in on the rogues. They had their own goals in mind and currently it had to deal with Sam Winchester and his starting all this. They could care less about what Lenya wanted unless they figured it out that their target was a dhampir.

Damion kept his composure though as he shuffled in a pacing fashion with his hands behind his back. "They did track them down when we couldn't. You have to give them that."

"They were to bring little sister to me. Not play around and demand a trade with Sam Winchester."

"Perhaps they were thinking to snare both, bring them to you and then expect the reward of Sam Winchester," Damion offered as well as he could.

"Perhaps but there is one mission in mind that Lucifer wants." Lenya turned away to think about what to do. They needed to use the rogues since no demon was able to detect where the Winchesters and Absolution were. She honestly didn't care too much about Sam since when the time was right, things would work out.

Lenya was more concerned about getting back little sister. She was also interested at what was in that little head of hers. It was no secret that the Egyptian pantheon had the triad of weapons that had been used against them before. After the wars and the original wielders were pretty much dust in the wind, they disappeared and were lost for thousands of years.

Over the centuries they probably were found and when their power was discovered, they were hidden. It wouldn't surprise Lenya since humans didn't seem to grasp what their ancestors knew about. They did get separated and it seemed that they were forgotten even by the gods who created them. It was only inevitable that they would be found by someone who would have a talent for sniffing out such things. Such a person would be just like Absolution, little sister and it seemed that she did know where they were, which was why she wanted her.

The heart, the eye and the staff were all part of a failsafe or something like that. The only ones who knew the full extent were the humans that wielded them and they died millennia ago. They were valuable and Lucifer figured that they might come in handy. He would have liked all three but he was willing to settle for one. Just one had the power to do whatever he had in mind. The problem was that they were found and only one person knew where they were.

That was the reason for the plan. They needed Absolution and the fact that Damion saw that she was compromised… it was too delicious to pass up. It was figured to be an easy grab and there were a few interesting ways of extracting information. As a bit of leeway they had the one who was guarding her and while he was being a stubborn ass, he did manage to help them. He just didn't know it. Now that goal was pretty much a mess and Lenya was trying to figure out how to salvage this.

The door opened and in walked in the two leaders of the rogues that they were using. One looked pretty beat up and the other looked like she was going to tear Lenya a new one because she was torn from hunting. It was bold considering that they were going to deal with the toughest demon or rather the most fearsome that existed.

Lenya looked at the pair as they approached. She smiled slowly as she said, "My, my. It seems that things are not going well for you. Are they Loretta?"

Loretta narrowed her eyes at the demon. "They were going fine. In fact we even had a lead on Sam Winchester and I'm wasting my time here because of you." She glared at the demon, not afraid if she was going to be sliced to the bone or not.

Lenya narrowed her eyes slightly but was still smiling. "Sam Winchester isn't your concern at the moment and you were given explicit instructions that he was not to be harmed. So your trying to kill him is counterproductive to that."

Loretta narrowed her eyes in anger. She was still sore that the Winchesters managed to escape. They escaped along with the vampire princess… who was really a dhampir. And her uncle helped them! That stung deep. They were not only a family of key builders but hunters as well. Her uncle should have known who he was dealing with when they darkened their door.

When they took on that job, it flew in the face of everything that they fought against. Hunters weren't supposed to make deals with the monsters. That was just unnatural. But there was one person on top of the hit list. That was Sam Winchester. It was no secret that he started the Apocalypse. Even more disturbing, or not, was the fact that he had demon blood in him. That was an abomination. Those kinds of things needed to be destroyed.

She had brought that up a hundred times when she worked with her uncle. She had asked him why he continued to take commissions from the monsters especially when one killed his brother, her father. Cesare Sforza she thought was a sentimental and idealistic fool. She couldn't understand how he could just let the fact that a monster killed his brother go so easily. The monsters were nothing but parasites.

There were others who shared her sentiment. There were plenty who thought that all the monsters should be eradicated. Unfortunately there were those that stood in the way of that. It was a pain in the ass but they managed to take care of a few of those freaks. Then the Apocalypse had to come and the word filtered out who was to blame.

It was a risk to even agree to work with a demon but it sounded good at the time. They would get the one who started everything and the demon would be able to take care of one of the freaks that they hunted. It was a win-win situation but now it looked like that it was not going to be one of those. Loretta looked at Lenya and replied, "It was agreed that we get to hunt Sam Winchester…"

"That's the thing," Lenya interrupted as she stepped forward. "You were to hunt Sam Winchester but you weren't given leave to kill him or to bargain for Absolution though that would have been a good way of getting her." She paced in front of the two rogue hunters. "However, you were supposed to track Absolution down, grab her since she is vulnerable and 'persuade' Sam Winchester to bargain for her."

"We did that. Our way was better. We grab them both. You do what you want with them and then give Sam to us." Loretta was still glaring at the demon as she went over the terms of their deal. She still felt dirty for making it but… "That was the agreement."

"You were to hunt Sam. Not kill him. You see we have plans for Sammy Winchester as well as Absolution… and Dean as well." Lenya smiled in pleasure as she conjured up the planning meetings from memory and the discussions regarding those.

Loretta looked at the smiling demon. "That is semantics. You agreed to give us Sam and any of the others that you said were found by Absolution. We wanted the abominations." She gestured with her fist to make a point.

"And you should know that it would be folly to go after them. You think you can go up against Absolution by yourselves?" Lenya couldn't help but mock them. She knew what little sister was capable of. That didn't mean that these rogues did.

"We are hunters. We hunt things like you."

"And here you are working for me."

"Only because we will get what we want. We want the one that broke the world. We want Sam Winchester."

The one that was accompanying Loretta decided to intervene, "We want him and we will have him." He withdrew his weapon and had it pointed at Lenya. It was a gun with iron rounds and while it wouldn't kill the demon, it would make life painful for it.

His action sparked tension as Damion started forward to intervene. There was no need to since Lenya lashed out and grabbed the offending wrist. Her eyes were narrowed in anger as she stared at him. She was ready for Loretta's move since she pulled out a flask of holy water. With a flick of her hand, she sent the hunter flying and pinned her to the ground. The flask flew away and it left Loretta helpless to what the demon intended.

If there was one thing that Lenya was good at, it was making people suffer. She had learned from the best and she had a field day with both little sister and Deanie. Of course they were her favorites. She looked at the hunter that tried to pull a gun on her and put pressure on the offending hand until she effectively crushed it. She smiled sadistically as the hunter cried out in pain. "I told you what you were to do and you didn't follow orders."

"We don't take orders from demons," Loretta spat. She struggled but she was pinned to the ground. Still she was going to try.

"Oh but you do." Lenya laughed at Loretta's struggling. She still hadn't released the other one and he wasn't going to try anything soon. She was still applying pressure to his damaged limb. "You started following orders the moment you agreed to acquire Absolution. I made the concession for you to hunt Sam Winchester but you weren't allowed to harm him. It was your fault that you took it the wrong way."

"You said hunt."

"But not kill. Now you must be punished for disobedience." Lenya applied pressure to the injured limb and smiled at the cries of pain that the hunter was trying not to let it out. She looked at Loretta and asked again, "So I ask, if you think this is being able to take on me, how is it that you will be able to take on Absolution if you were to harm Sam Winchester?"

"You said that she was vulnerable. And we verified it. How much trouble is that?"

Lenya couldn't help but laugh at that. Having enough of the hunter she was holding, she lifted him up with one hand. Taking in his attempts to not to cry out in pain she looked at him with a bemused expression. With a nonchalant shrug she threw the hunter aside and watched as he landed hard. She could tell he was a smart one for not getting up. Dusting her hands off, she turned her attention to Loretta, "You ask the silliest of questions. It makes me think that you really don't understand that there are things that need to be here and need to happen."

"Yeah. All you monsters need to die."

Lenya couldn't help but laugh. Dealing with these kinds of hunters always amused her because of their circular logic. It was entertaining because they often forgot about their origins. Even the rogue slayers operated the same way. "You hunters are all the same. You fail to see the fact that if you were rid of all of us, then there wouldn't be a need to terrorize the pathetic humans into obedience."

"You are nothing but scum…"

"We are a necessity," Lenya replied as she kneeled by Loretta. She ran her fingers on the hunter's face. "In fact if it weren't for us, you wouldn't exist. Where did you think that your gifts came from? Ask the rogue slayers about their origins."

Loretta said nothing. She merely glared at the demon. She didn't need a history lesson and from a demon no less. She bucked her head away when Lenya touched her face. She couldn't move and this demon was touching her.

Lenya got a perverse pleasure when her victims were uncomfortable. She also loved pointing out the technicalities in a manner that would get the job done. Little sister was the same way. That was why she liked her and was disappointed that she escaped from the pit. Chuckling softly at Loretta's discomfort she said, "I see I hit a nerve. Are you willing to take orders?"

"From a scarred face bitch like you? Forget it."

Lenya's gaze darkened and with lightning quick reflexes, she grabbed underneath Loretta's chin. Applying pressure she jerked the hunter's face to look at her. "You know what happened to the last person who made mention of my face? Let's just say that he's in no position to make such comments again. You think you and your friend here have it bad? Think worse. You made your bed and now you're going to lie in it. Do you understand?"

"Loretta."

Loretta looked at her companion. He had been pulled to a half slouching and half standing position. The other demon, Damion, had his hands on him and had the injured wrist pinned with one hand. The other was around his neck. The threat was clear. This was the most disgraceful thing she was going to do. Looking at the demon, she gritted her teeth. "Fine."

"That's better." Lenya lessened her hold on Loretta's chin. She was still kneeling by the hunter. "Now the plan is that you will bring me what I want the most. My favorite little sister."

"They would have gone somewhere else by now. How the hell are we supposed to track them?"

"You're hunters. The best of the rogues that is." Lenya shrugged like she didn't care. Looking down into the eyes of Loretta and added, "But don't worry. I'll give you a little bit of a helping hand. Leave that to me."

It was a bright day and it smelled of freedom. It was a perfect day to visit his special oasis. It was the one place he could go to and not be tormented by his peers. That is if he had any and he highly doubted it. There was a reason for that and he had long accepted it… but not completely.

The oasis was as how he remembered it. It had been months since he had last been there. Training for the guard left little time for luxuries like solitude. Like it mattered much anyway since he was always alone. Hardly few of the others ever wanted to associate with him. The sins of the father truly were the sins of the son.

He sat on the sand and looked at the clear blue water. It looked perfect and calm. It was one of the few places that brought him contentment and allowed him to think things through. He needed it considering the latest comments and… the fight. He looked at his arm, at his shoulder. There was a nasty welt that was surely going to bruise.

A gash was on his abdomen from the knife slash. That was counted with the other bruises on his body. As far as anyone was concerned, it was a bit of roughhousing that was typical of living in the barracks. No one really looked closely and who would? Who would care considering his father?

Kesset?

He turned to face the water more. He didn't want to hear the voice. He just wanted to be alone with his thoughts. And he didn't and wasn't going to take the demon's trickery.

Son? Talk to me.

Kesset slowly opened his eyes. It hurt to open them and his whole body hurt. To be honest, it wasn't that bad. He suffered that much when he was in training. His wings though were another story. One was broken and the other was stabbed and sprained. Every little movement sent sharp barbs down his spine. He partially wished that he couldn't feel them anymore but he didn't want to lose the one thing that was like his salvation.

His wings had enabled him to have an advantage when he was ganged upon. They provided freedom when he was able to get away, going to places that most people couldn't go. He loved the thrill of racing through the air and performing maneuvers that rivaled the birds that were kept as pets in the royal court or in the wild. Even when he was in his bird form, he felt free.

"Son? Are you okay?"

Kesset turned a reddish brown eye up at the man that wasn't his father. "Don't call me that. You're not my father." He turned his head to look at the wall he had been facing when he woke up.

He had been lying on his stomach since any pressure on his wings hurt and he couldn't retract them because of his collar. He wouldn't have been able to anyway since his wings were injured and needed to be treated. His chain on his collar allowed him to be able to lie down and he found a sort of comfortable position on a pile of hay. Definitely too much sentimental value on the old nostalgic dungeons and he was paying for it.

Setna looked at his son and his refusal to look at him. He hated to see his son in pain. He knew he was in pain because of the damage to his wings. He wished Lenya didn't hurt him. He was powerless to stop it though. The branding he had prevented him from rebelling. He was compelled to obey anything that Lenya wanted him to do. Plus it was part of the deal he made so that his charge's life be spared. He regretted that it had come to this since it caused his own flesh and blood so much pain. He chose to uphold to duty and he hadn't considered the consequences to his son. He deserved this.

"Go away. Tell that bitch of a demon that I won't tell her where to find the princess." Kesset didn't have to look to know that Setna was staring at him again. It had been that way for… he had no clue. Time was passing different or he was disoriented enough to not be able to discern time. The consistent thing was a nice fist session with Lenya and then Setna coming in to almost beg him to say anything. It wasn't working.

"Then tell her something."

"Pfft."

Setna stared at his son. He was proud at his resilience but watching him in pain was too much. Kesset's broken wing was in bad shape. If it wasn't set soon, then he was in danger of losing it forever. Motivated more by the fact that it was his son and not as a means of garnering trust, he boldly grasped the broken wing in a firm and gentle grip.

Kesset felt the movement and turned his head to look up. He wasn't strong enough to fight but he could struggle and not make it easy. "What the hell are you doing?"

"Stop struggling."

Kesset muttered something that was equivalent of 'fuck you' in ancient Egyptian. He continued to struggle since he didn't want anyone touching him. Anyone that wasn't a familiar friend. He was weak but not helpless and actually tried to beat off Setna with his wing and grumbled in his language. "Leave me!"

Setna had enough and used his foot to plant it firmly in the small of his back. It was enough to hold Kesset down without hurting him. With a firm and gentle grip he took the broken wing and deftly set the bone. There was a dull crunch and a yelp of pain from Kesset and the wing was set. Setna couldn't do anything about the stab wound in the other wing but at least the immediate danger to the broken one was passed. He removed his foot from his son's back and stepped back.

Kesset didn't like that he was restricted in his movements. He looked and glared at Setna. As he did, he twitched his wing slightly and found that it had been set. The pain had been dulled and he had a bit more movement. That meant he had some semblance of a chance if he were to fight his way out. His other wing throbbed from the stab wound but he was in better shape than he was previously. He made a slight growl.

"A little show of gratitude would be acceptable."

"Possibly."

Setna sighed. Even when given aid, his son was being particularly stubborn. He was proud but also worried. That stubbornness was going to eventually get himself killed. "Stupid boy."

"I won't give you what your bitch of a master wants." Kesset pushed himself up to a sitting position. It was less painful now and he could fold his wing somewhat. He would have liked to have been in his bird form but that was not a possibility. "I won't betray my charge."

Setna gazed down with an almost pitiful expression. "What is so important that you are willing to die by refusing to say anything?"

Kesset looked up at Setna and studied the expression on his face. He was suspicious of it. He gave the standard line, "It is a duty I uphold. I take it seriously especially when no one else does."

Setna stared down at his son. As much as he didn't want to help the demon, he had to. He was bound to it. His choice. At least he helped his son out a little. "So you think you're the only one that can do a job properly?"

"I do my duty." Kesset wasn't going to even try and go for that. He knew that the Winchesters were on the same level in terms of protecting her. Dean was the loyal brother but Sam… After his conversation with Cerebus and quiet observation, he could tell that if push came to shove, Sam would be just as fierce as she was. He was her mate even if it wasn't official yet. "I protect my charge. Nothing will change that."

"And do you really believe that your service will be rewarded?"

"I don't seek reward."

"But you seek acceptance on some level." Setna didn't like bringing up the past and what had possibly been done to his son. He knew hazing with the Guard recruits was vicious. The Lord of the Warrior Royalty had tried to put a stop to it but there were things he didn't know and he wasn't one to accuse without proof. No doubt such a thing was done to Kesset and probably on a more vicious level since he was his son and essentially he was going to be punished for what he had done. "You do have a thirst to prove that you are not like your father."

"Finally someone who gets that." Kesset narrowed his eyes at Setna. He twitched his wing slightly. "I'm not my father. I would rather die than sell my soul."

Setna turned away with a slight nod. At least his son was determined to not make the same choice he did. He just didn't like that he was willing to risk his life. He looked at the door where he knew Lenya was watching… or one of her more pathetic underlings.

"But I understand why he did it."

Setna turned and saw Kesset looking at him. There was an unreadable expression on his face. "You do?"

"Yes."

A/N: Lenya is whipping the rogue hunters and looks like Kesset is still getting worked on. What is going to happen? Keep watching for more Memory Resolved...