A/N: Just in case you didn't already know… I have no illusions of ownership of nor will I gain personal wealth from this transformative bit of fiction based on CW's and Erick Kripke's Supernatural, it's themes or its characters.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of my friends here, in the U.S. Have a wonderful turkey dinner, eat some pie in Honor of our SPN friend, and watch some football. Hope your team fares well.

Thank you for all you lurkers and visitors. Thank you Ccase13 for looking at all my offerings and giving me such insightful feedback! *grin*

**********************************Part Three**************************************

Daily Watch Log Wyrmfire Crag

Incident report according to watch commander, Silver Arrow Dean Winchester

Third Watch

The sun peeked above the horizon midway through the fifth hour and the patrol checked in with two new arrivals, the Warlock Castiel from Rivers' Run Tower and his apprentice, Samuel Winchester, as well as Castiel's bound-demon, Meg- a standard red demon from the Third Realm. A note was made and sent attention Master Gabriel at the Spire of Sentinel Host.

The Warlock debriefed us regarding an attack days prior and confirms that the patrol at Midway station was missing. See full report and witness statements enclosed.

The new arrivals were offered food and lodging as they appeared to not have had restful night's sleep in many days. It was reported as well that the bound-demon, Meg, failed to report to her Warlock information regarding the impending demon attack referenced above. This is a significant deviation from her binding to Master Castiel and contrary to standing instructions. As Wyrmfire does not boast a resident spell caster, further investigation into this anomaly will need to be conducted by the demon's warlock and the apprentice. This report will also be sent to the Spire as it may be necessary to defer to the Prime Order for dispensation of her behavior.

For full disclosure: Samuel Winchester is the younger brother of Silver Arrow, Dean Winchester.

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Master, Samuel and the very frightening Silver Arrow sat on the bench seat at a long wooden table. I sat huddled in a corner of the room and was able to feel the scrutiny of all three men. I knew they were talking about me, though they attempted to keep their voices low. I wrapped my wings about my body and pulled my tail in close. I dipped my head under the edge of my wing so the only part of my face visible was my lavender eyes. I was attempting to make myself as small and inconspicuous as possible. Master knew I was sorry, but I was unable to tell him why I did not follow orders I knew to be long-standing. He was angry since Whitefell and he now had a target on which to focus that potent anger—me. I shook with trepidation. Master could do so many things to punish me for not warning them of the impending attack and then not responding when the demons attacked.

He could thrash me for my transgression. I would prefer this to any of the other punishments. He could exorcise me, sending me back to the Third Realm. That would be a death sentence for me. Bound demons returned to our homes are targeted by powerful wild demons as well as the hierarchy of demon society. We are tortured and killed in gruesome ways. That was likely what would happen if he didn't choose to thrash me. He could sell me to other warlocks or slavers—not being bound to them, but being enslaved by them. A bond between a demon and her Warlock is intimate and surrounds our beings during the bonding ritual. Being sold to slavers would trap me in arcane bindings for the purpose of my new masters. They would be able to order me to do anything they wish and I would be compelled by magical means to obey. The same restraints that would compel me would also keep me completely numb during times of inactivity. I would be unable to entertain myself, protect myself, or employ any other means of distraction. Bound-demons who are sold into slavery often go mad within months. I quivered in the corner I was trying to press myself into until I became one with the rough wooden walls.

"Were there magical coercions?" The Silver Arrow asked.

Master shook his head as did Samuel. "She seemed twitchy, but I just thought it was because we hadn't seen the sky in a couple of days." Samuel said with a shrug.

His brother looked at me with a thoughtful expression. I could tell he was trying to process all the information Master and Samuel had given him in the short time. I did not speak at all since the incident aside from offering my apologies. I knew I was wrong. I couldn't help myself. Master hadn't addressed me except to deliver commands, and after… completely ignore me. He sent me back to the tower each evening and told me to remain until I was called. Sometimes, I wasn't called until midday. I don't know if he knew how miserable I felt. I don't know if he cared.

The brother to Samuel rose from the table and stalked over to me. I watched him with caution and fear. He was a warrior. His muscles rippled under his tunic and his posture was guarded. He would not be caught off-guard even in his sleep I would wager. I pulled in even tighter within my wings. His scowl was frightening even as Master's quiet rage was. While I enjoyed looking at Samuel's eyes, Dean's were fierce and strong. Where Samuel had moments of shy self-consciousness, Dean was sure and hid any doubts behind a tight wall of self-assurance. He compelled without magical means. I could see in those green eyes that all the punishments I had imagined being mete out by my Master were tame compared to what this man could devise for me.

"I want to know why you didn't warn your master about the other demons." He said with a terse quiet voice.

I gulped and trembled. I shook my head and squeezed my eyes shut tight. He touched me on my shoulder. "Tell me." He insisted.

"I… I can't!" I cried.

He looked at me a long moment. "Do you feel like you physically can't or do you just don't have the words to say why?"

I blinked. I considered what he was saying. I tried to recall what I felt. I tried to articulate what I felt while he was asking me. I shook my head with tears in my eyes. "I can't." I turned to Master. "Please, Master. I don't know why! Please!" I was miserable. I ducked my head under my wing. I wanted to disappear. I wanted Master to send me to the tower. I wanted to curl up in my nest and remain until Master forgave me.

I felt movement nearby. Another human approached me and sat near Dean. I felt the charged touch on my wing near my shoulder. I lifted my head to peer into the crystal blue eyes of my Master. I knew his serenity was as dangerous as the glint in Dean's eyes. I feared my Master now.

"It's there. It's subtle, but there." Master looked at Dean, a smile on his face. It was genuine. Master was relieved and happy. I lifted further out of my cocoon and looked into my Master's face for a clue. A surge of warm energy filled me and I felt a tight band around me snap. I felt the hex break and I was able to remember why I remained still during the attack. I heard a whisper in my mind telling me they weren't there. I had believed the voice though I could clearly feel the demonic energy nearby.

"That was powerful magic, Dean." Sam said from behind his brother. He had the unfocused look in his eyes that told me that he shared rapport with Master to show him what had been done to me.

Master nodded. "Powerful and beyond what humans practice. It is Infernal magic."

I shivered again before becoming very angry. I wove spells of protection about me and growled in my rage. My lavender eyes began to darken to black and I mantled my wings. The humans nearby pulled their weapons and began approaching us. I began to harness my power to thwart the attack of the humans when Dean stood up and lifted one hand toward me and the other toward his men.

"Whoa, whoa… we're all still friends here." He addressed me instead of his men.

"Megastrine! Stand down." Master commanded.

I released the spell I was in the process of readying and looked to my Master for directions, though I did not lower the shimmering protection from infernal magic I had woven around myself. I was angry to have been tampered with and manipulated.

Dean's Rangers stood with weapons in hands as Dean leaned into my Master and told him to get me out of there. Master reached into his pouch and withdrew a chord. I eyed the leash with disbelief. I didn't even know Master still had my leash. I pouted as he affixed the chord to my collar and walked with me out of the building.

"I'm sorry you were tampered with, Meg. I'm sorry I didn't see the tampering."

I looked at my Master with disbelief. He never apologized to anyone. I stopped in the middle of the lane between the mess hall and the barracks.

"We were both tampered with, Master." I stated. He started and I could tell he was doing an internal magical assessment. I shook my head. "You have been angry about something since Whitefell. Your tampering started there. You don't ever get that angry, Master. Ever."

"I am finding wisdom in very odd places today." He said shaking his head. He led me to the small white building where the three of us would be staying.

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Correspondence from the Silver Arrow of the Western Reach at Wyrmfire Crag by my hand to Master of the Prime Order, Gabriel of Sentinel Host

Sir,

The matter of the bound-demon, Megastrine, was determined to have been tampering by a wild demon magic-user. We are currently scouring the Reach for signs of a group of demons that may be in the area based on reports that continue to come in. On a personal note, Gabe, this stuff is really upsetting. That demon of Cas' is really pissed off. Cas has had to forbid her from leaving their quarters. Boy, does she have one Hell of a mouth on her!

It looks like my baby brother needs to stay here after all and I really don't like it, but damn it, Gabe. Cas is freaking out over the losses of even minor magic users. He is emotionally compromised, according to Sam, and I am inclined to agree. He walks into the forest against our orders and returns looking like a freaking stampede ran him over. My allies are telling me that he has been trying to compel Infernal informants to give up the ghost. They aren't inclined to acquiesce, apparently. Sam tells me that he isn't taking proper precautions to correctly perform the ritual. He says that's why he has to fight whatever he summons.

Hell, I think I might be compromised, too, after seeing the three of them the other day. We flushed out a small pocket of wild demons and the two warlocks and Meg roasted them. I've never seen anything more disconcerting.

This is what you do, Gabe? This? I can't believe I let you talk me into letting Sammy stay with you at the Spire if this is what you were planning on training him to become. It is the scariest crap I have ever seen. Cas walked away from the nest like, "What's next on the schedule, Sam?" and my baby brother looked like he wanted to puke, thank all that's holy for that.

In the meantime, Meg is taking on every wild demon as if it was personally responsible for killing her favorite puppy. She sure isn't letting a little thing like Infernal family values stand in her way. I think she might be a little annoyed with her siblings for tampering with her back when they first arrived.

But, I guess I don't want to complain too loudly, here. I mean, it has been all kinds of awesome having Sammy around. We spend at least an hour each day hanging out without Cas and Meg. I get to just talk to him like when we were kids. But, I know the question will come, and I'm not sure how I want to answer it. I can see it in his eyes, Gabe. I can see how he wants to ask me why I never wrote to him when he left. What can I say to him that will help to make any sense at all to him? "Yeah, Sammy, while you were learning how to make minced meat of demons with your brain at the Spire, I was recruited to a kind of secret organization and wasn't really able to make contact with people I loved in case the bad guys found out and used you for leverage. I mean, how do you think I became Silver Arrow, Sam? But, don't worry because the Master of your Order recruited me to do this thing and the only reason I agreed at all was because he told me he'd keep you safe."

And the worst part is that the kid blames himself. I guess we did a number on him, all right. He thinks that leaving really was his idea after all. He thinks I have been angry with him all these years. He thinks that I was angry with him! How screwed up is that?

Did you keep him safe, Gabe? I mean, how is this not putting my kid brother smack dab in the middle of danger? I agreed to do this… this thing for you, Gabe. I became what you said I should in order to keep Sam safe. But, is this what you meant all along? Are you just using me like we see them manipulate people? I really thought we were friends. I thought I could count on you. Now, I see what has been going on and Sam is telling me stuff…

Awaiting further instructions, Master of the Prime.

Regards,

Dean Winchester, Wyrmfire Crag

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Correspondence To Dean Winchester, Silver Arrow of the Western Reach at Wyrmfire Crag by my hand from Master of the Prime Order, Gabriel of Sentinel Host

Dean,

I imagine that much of the angst and anger you shared in your last missive was due to the fact that you hadn't heard from me in a while. Let me start with the easy stuff first, okay.

It was disturbing to find out that someone was able to tamper with Meg. Cassie is the best Infernalist we have on the rolls. He is a master at the subtle arts and is always so much smarter than the demons because he studies so thoroughly. Not to mention, Meg is a very self-involved, self-absorbed and completely dedicated little piece of… work. I am surprised that any spell was able to get under his attention. It is equally disturbing to find that it got past Meg.

I was saddened to find out that my brother is become unstable due to the deaths and information he has gleaned from locals regarding what's happening on the Reach. It is utterly unlike him to take these kinds of risks, Dean. He is highly dependable and had been completely devoid of initiative. That was why I was the one who had to find him an apprentice instead of him coming here to find one for himself. He only acquired Meg because his master told him he needed to summon a familiar. She's been with him a very long time. He never thought of releasing her in favor of another familiar.

As for finding the demons, we have sent out aerial servants and elementals into the Western Reach to do some recon and figure out where the biggest nests are and you can get Cassie and his pet to go clean them out. As for the magic users disappearing, until your report, we had no idea it was happening. Lesser mages and herb wizards are not under the purview of the Spire since they have such a small amount of actual magical talent and they are largely self-taught. We don't know who or where they are since they are not included in the rolls of spell casters I keep here. I will send a notice to Bobby and ask if he watch and note when they identify the Lesser magic users and if there are disappearances. He may actually have this information already because he tends to have one of the best "information gathering" forces on the planet.

I'm really glad that you and Sam are able to reconnect, Dean. I know I heard enough from you when he was here to know how you worried for him. He really has a tremendous talent that even the wizards and warlocks here had a hard time narrowing down a strategy for his instruction. Cassie tells me great things about his progress since becoming his protégé. I know that doesn't do much to allay your fear and anxiety, Dean, but without the instruction Cas is giving him, he would be more a danger to the realm than the demons you have been seeing. Believe me. I am doing this for Sam. I am keeping him safe.

I originally assigned him to Castiel because my brother never leaves Rivers' Run. Or, at least, he didn't. He's a bookworm, Dean. I know he has experience and power well enough to train Sam, but he really prefers research and experimentation. He was supposed to be a placement where Sam could learn to control his abilities and help Cas with his crazy theories. I have to admit that I also got tired of Cas and Meg sending me letters requesting an apprentice and deriding me for not being able to spot talent. I can spot talent, but I don't want to send promising practitioners to Rivers' Run to get stuck in a library.

This isn't your first rodeo, Dean. You have worked with magic users before. This is nothing new. You have seen worse than what Cassie has done. You have likely done worse. But, brother, if I could I would make it so our brothers never had to deal with demons. I would rather Cas had stayed up in his friggen ivory tower with his books and alchemy set. I would be very happy if he was there now with Sam and Meg. But they're not there now. You and I have to do what we can to keep them safe. That means you have to suck it up.

I'll send help, as soon as I can get them there. Dean, ask Cassie about the Prophecy of the "Beast in the Cage" and the "Swords of Heaven and Hell". It's more than a bed-time story and Castiel knows it backward and forward.

I am still your friend,

Gabriel