Dawn – chpt 19
by: sifi.
--
The stone was warm beneath his feet as they walked and talked, he heard the voice he recognized as once having been his own, and felt his self turn, his arm around his woman's shoulders.
"I don't want you to do this Inanna... Ereshkegal let's no one return from the underworld, you will be NO exception..." he reminded her as they walked through the garden. The evening air around them perfumed with blooms at their peak as vines and tendrils seemed to strain toward the deific couple, almost as if seeking approval or appreciation.
"She is my sister, and with the death of her husband I have no choice my love... should I of all women show fear? Should I retreat from the road of no return?" she asked, there was no accusation in her voice, merely resignation. "You should have bestowed upon me her realm my lord," her hand stroked down his cheek, drawing his lips toward hers.
"You are ever hungry woman... Goddess of Battle, of the Heavens, even called upon by those who fear themselves lost to love... and more importantly than all of your status... of my heart... what more would you ask of me? Ask and I shall give it, if it is indeed mine to give," he grinned drawing his thumb down her cheek, passing it over her lips which snapped closed over the digit, her teeth grazing its edge, drawing a moan from him as his loins decided to stir.
She nodded, "Aye my love... For you, I am forever hungry, for your kiss I forever starve," she tasted his lips, her hand sliding beneath his tunic, "For your manhood I am forever wanting... your vessel to be filled," she grasped him under the fine cloth, his gasp drew her essence into himself and his rod sprang to life under her touch.
"My Goddess... my woman..." he pressed his mouth to her neck, his arms wrapped around her and he drove her to the garden wall, his fingers sliding beneath her skirt as her hand shoved aside his tunic.
Her legs closed around his waist as he drove himself deep into her. His mouth hovered over hers, drawing the breath of her life into him as she drew his essence into her, "For all those who have borne me sons and daughters..." he strained, his teeth snagging the skin of her neck, pulling as he thrust, clamping as he came, "... there is no other who holds my heart woman!" His teeth clenched, his rod pulsed over and over until breath itself eluded him as she took his seed deep into her, her body clasping at every jet he loosed.
Their mouths slightly parted, nearly touching, their breath mingling, their lives and love inseparable, their eyes met and finally so did their lips.
"My Lord, My King... listen closely and I shall bear you sons and daughters in numbers that will send you reeling! OUR children will build the future... we shall live through them my love... always and forever!" she pledged.
"Teach me woman..." his teeth sunk into her shoulder, the taste of her blood an elixir he'd long become addicted to.
As he withdrew himself from her, glistening, she grinned and crouched, "a taste of you my love to hold me till my return..." she muttered closing her mouth over his still erect shaft, and plentiful head. She stroked him with her tongue, draining him with tantalizing sips, tasting him, believing that if anyone could save her from the destiny that stood before her, it was none other than him. Her husband, her God.
Her mouth descended upon him, drinking his essence as she had a thousand times before, her passion made him quake, her giving drove him to his knees, her want made him rise again, and her love made him whole.
In time they walked again through the gardens he'd commanded to life for her enjoyment. One by one she pointed out the herbs, "That she will kill me is certain my love, if in three days after the journey begins I fail to return; then if you desire my return, you must send the gallas to retrieve that which is left of my body. These are what will bring life back to me... as always, and only if you desire it my love. My King," she pressed a group of herbs into his palm, "My life or death is only for you my love, the choice is yours," she pressed her palms to his cheeks and drew him in.
"With such knowledge why should you smile woman?" he asked despite the water from his own eyes.
She stroked his face, "For I alone, above all others have given you the son you know to be your king... all else... is for us, the world shall have its chosen, and in you, its champion."
"And in you, it's guardian... this sword has three blades..."
--
"...yeah well from what that thing said," she tapped the notebook with her forefinger, "this is the part that's important somehow."
Ellen glanced between Mercy and Tamara, who sat on the opposite side of the table, "Mercy? How bad are the boys?"
The woman shook her head as an explosion vibrated through the floor from the kitchen out into the living room.
"We're okay..." Jo called as gray sooty smoke rolled out of the doorway.
"Dang woman a flake! a FLAKE of gold..." Shep's voice scowled.
"But it doesn't say how big a flake now does it?" Tom combated as the back door was opened and a breeze drew out the smoke.
"Well apparently that was just a bit too much now don't cha think?" Shep argued.
"Guys, guys!..." Jo interrupted, "Why don't we just ask one of the sidhe? I mean think about it, it's their spell, it's probably THEIR proportions right?"
"Well we need enough of this stuff for all of us... maybe even for a few others we might encounter on the way right? Well yer not gonna feed a dozen people with eight hot dogs if you get my drift... when you have a bigger crowd to feed you multiply the recipe!"
In the living room Ellen snickered.
"Why don't you go show 'em how it's done Ellen?" Tamara suggested grinning.
The woman shook her head with wide eyes, "Uh uh, not me... I blow up bean dip..." her eyes returned to Mercy, "So? The boys?"
The younger woman smiled tightly, "They'll be alright... as long as that son of bitch keeps his hooks out of Dean... once they get some solid rest and get their strength back, they should be fine... tell you though I'd love to get my hands on the bastard that tore him up like that," she growled.
"Don't you fret your head about it girl... the bitch met her end just right," Shep flopped into the chair near the sofa, his eyes fixed between Laura's body and a very agitated looking Mustard Seed, "What's the matter?" he asked the guard.
"The bitch?" she asked, "He let a woman tear him up like that Shep? Don't tell me he let her do that?" she flipped her thumb at Laura's body.
"Have you gone off yer head girl?" Shep half demanded with a scowl as the sidhe grabbed his hand and placed it on her head which was markedly cooler than it had been over the last twenty four hours, "She's cooling down," he noted as the warrior nodded frowning, "I'm figuring it's not a good sign?" the warrior shook his head.
"It was a demon. We figure it was workin' for the marauder, that's probably how she got her hooks in him," he explained looking back over his shoulder.
Mercy nodded then motioned to the body on the couch, "Y'know it's a fact of reality here fellas, corpses cool... they reach room temperature, it's the way things go," her glance moved between Shep and the sidhe male whose lips curled back from his teeth in a snarl at the young woman, "Don't get mad at me I'm just telling you the facts of OUR world," she explained.
"Mercy you're about as subtle as a sledgehammer girl..." Shep shook his head.
--
Her hand reached up, her fingers settling at her throat where the necklace had lain only a few steps behind her, at the front of the third gates, and was now in the hands of the gallas there. Oh no... she thought pressing her fingers into the divot of her neck where fear beat the flesh, Oh God... I'm not ready for this... and her fingers trembled with the realization.
The further she moved down the road of no return, the deeper she penetrated Ereshkegal's underworld; the more cohesive her spiritual self became leaving behind the body she'd worn in the mortal world, the memory of physical responses were being carried with her.
Breath trembled into her, I am going to be torn apart and I will only be able to wish for an end as it happens, and then I will finally die. Dean... she choked as her feet carried her toward the fourth gates, I'll look for you first in my next life, I only never wanted to risk hurting you. I'd never leave you willingly... forgive me.
Darkness moved before her as her hands came away from her eyes taking with them the first evidence of her loss. As the shadow moved and grew, ascending toward the orange and black sky above, her breath caught in her throat at the terrible sight before her. The glistening serpentine fangs that dripped their venom, leaving it sizzling on the rock below, the center set of triple eyes blazing cold hatred at her as it stretched its onyx wings, each one spanning a solid ten feet from its root at the creature's back to its furthermost tip.
Holy shit, she tilted her head upward, her eyes scanning back and forth among all three of its own for a moment before the God of Death took a step toward her. The details of its form screamed out its other-worldliness, the divine number three, three faces, three eyes, three breasts... she couldn't help but see what was almost at eye level, three really big, painful looking penises... or is it peni? Holy crap they're each as big as forearm... I hope Ereshkegal knows what to do with those...
"If you're here for Ereshkegal... I don't mind waiting out here... you can go right on ahead of me if you want," she motioned toward the fourth set of gates.
Nergal beat his wings, his taloned hand grasped her by the waist and held her up so they were eyes to eyes. Now I get what Fay Wray felt like... damn I don't even get to look like Jessica Lange... man that sucks... The ground vibrated with the crushing weight of the God's stony footsteps as he turned, hauled back his arm and threw her across the expanse. Oh the landing's gonna hurt... she knew as she impacted with the fourth set of gates, startling the gallas into turning their heads to see what had dared to try and breech their post.
From the ground she took catalog of her hurts where the friezes in the gates had left their imprint on her. In the distance, despite her blurred vision she watched the God raise his hand and point, and as he did so the gallas descended, talons tearing through the lacings of the bronze breastplate she wore as well as through the plate itself.
Rending heat clawed at her through the leather beneath, tearing her skin and loosing the memory of warm fluid as it flowed over her. Am I supposed to be able to bleed here?
--
A squeak came from Mustard Seed at the same time a whine slipped from Ajax. They rose, the sidhe climbed up the couch and crawled onto the body, staring at the marble-like face as the dog pawed at the arm.
"What's goin' on?" Jack motioned to the activity.
"They're not happy that's for sure," Gary shrugged his jacket on, watching the small warrior turn and seem to say something to the dog, but all the humans heard was the sound of water.
Ajax sat, his nose pointed upward, his throat stretched open as he called out a single long cry that sent shivers through all parties present and drew Bobby, Tom, Shep and Jo from the kitchen, and as the note ended, bleary eyed Sam and Dean shambled from their bedroom.
"Oh no..." Dean noted the look on the warriors' face and shambled stiffly across the room, "What's wrong?" he asked running his hand over her forehead and down her cheek, "She's so cold," he frowned, "She's moving deeper into the underworld isn't she? She can't resist the draw can she?" he asked already knowing the answer as the warrior shook his head.
"Dean what's going on?" Ellen asked moving to stand beside him.
He took a deep breath, looking around and noting all the eyes gazing at him, all holding the same question and looking to him for answers.
"Cernunnos is nearby isn't he?" he asked the warrior who nodded.
He shook his head, breathing hard and wiping at his running eyes, "I need a book on herbs..."
They watched the diminutive male dash to one of the shelves, grab out a book that was larger than himself and drop it open on the coffee table.
Dean nodded, his fingers running over the pages while, trying to match what he'd seen her place in his hand in his dream to the pictures that were there.
One by one he found them and asked, "Do you have this here?"
There were two they discovered that the sidhe did not have on hand, "If Cernunnos is nearby, then he has an entryway to either his own or Morrigan's grotto close by as well right?" he asked the warrior, who again, nodded.
"Good," he grasped the smaller man's shoulder, "Tell him what's happening, tell him something's drawing her in and bring back those herbs," he watched as the warrior seemed to shimmer out of existence.
When he was gone, Dean looked over his shoulder, "Sam fill up the tub with hot water and..." he double checked the book, "Lavender, Angelica, and some of the ash from the oak leaves... they'll have her living blood in it. Mercy get a couple of old sheets," as Mustard Seed, Sam, and Mercy did as they were told Dean wrapped his good arm under the torso of the body.
"Shep...gimme some help here..." he ordered as the older man shoved him out of the way and picked up the body.
"Where to?"
"The bedroom till everything's ready," Dean nodded then looked at the others, "We'll take care of this..." he assured everyone.
"Is there something we can do to help?"
"Is there anything we can do?" Tamara and Ellen asked together.
He shook his head, "Just..." he motioned toward the table where everyone seemed to be working on a different part of trying to translate what he'd written.
"Alright... if you need anything just holler," Ellen nodded.
He nodded curtly as Mercy returned with a couple sheets and accompanied him and Shep into the bedroom.
"What now?" she asked as Shep set the body down.
At her side Dean sat pulling off her gym shoes and socks, "Get these clothes off her..." he instructed, "then wrap her in the sheet," he left them to do as he said and moved into the bathroom where Sam had the hot water running and was peeling off lavender and angelica into it.
Jo returned from the shed a moment later carefully carrying the tray that held the oak leaf ashes and handed it to him, "What's this gonna do?" she asked.
"Thanks Jo," Dean smiled tightly, taking the tray from her, and adding its contents to the water, "The leaves were soaked with her blood when she was still alive, it's a connection to this world..."
"The oak and angelica act as protectants... what about the lavender?" she asked, beginning to understand.
"Preservative," Sam explained as the tub filled with steaming water.
"That's not possible Shep!" they heard through the wall.
All three exchanged looks before Dean dashed to the bedroom, "What's not possible?" he asked with Sam behind him, and Jo at his side.
"Corpses don't bleed Dean!" Mercy argued angrily pointing to patches of blood that were bright red and soaking through the sheet they had wrapped around her, "There's no pulse, no heartbeat, no respiration, she's almost room temperature now and despite being dead as a freakin' doornail... bleeding!" she shook her head as Shep swept the body into his arms and made for the bathroom with the others following behind, "I wish I had the equipment for an EEG right now... I'd love to see if there's brainwave activity..."
Jo grabbed the woman's arm, "Can't you show just a little sensitivity here?" she asked quietly and motioned to the group in the bathroom, "It's tearing him up... whether she's gone for good or not, if you really give a damn you'll help him, no matter what it means trying..."
"Look I know you've had your little schoolgirl crush on him, and that's great... but I'm a woman of science Jo, and what's happening here just isn't empirically possible..."
"What? What isn't empirically possible? That people can come back from the dead? That there's an army of extradimensional entities waging war on both us and our own dimensions' demons... which in the world of science aren't supposed to exist? Or that there are ghosts, and poltergeists and werewolves, and vampires... and all manner of creatures that again, according to science aren't supposed to exist... and hey let's talk about the ancient gods... you know in particular the one that wants to destroy an entire universe because it can't have it for a chew toy... what part of ANY of hunting is based in quantifiable, replicable, empirical science Mercy?" her voice had grown in volume until she was nearly yelling at the older woman, all eyes, from those in the bathroom and kitchen to those in the living room had turned to the two women.
Such was the surprising distraction caused by the two women that it wasn't until the two newcomers entered the living room proper that anyone noticed them. One of them stood about 5'10" and wore only a pair of brown corduroy pants. His body was covered in dark brown, almost black curls, and his hair was equally full and curly. His companion in contrast stood at 6' 6" and was able to meet the youngest Winchester eye to eye. His body was nearly copper in color and was hairless. He wore only a skirt of linen bound around his hips, and his eyes blazed and odd mix of green-gold, but it was the vertical pupils that gave away his identity.
As the two men crossed the front room the assembled hunters fell silent and opened a pathway.
The shorter man led the taller one toward the bathroom, everyone except Sam and Dean slid past them out into the living room where they stood in curious silence, the burgeoning argument between the two women already forgotten.
As the tall copper man approached him, Sam's eyes locked onto his, and he stumbled backward reflexively, tripping over his own feet as Dean stepped protectively in front of him, both of them knowing full well who these two men were.
"Why is he here?" Dean asked motioning to Anunnaki.
"My vision was incomplete... obscured by the veil..." the king of the igigi nodded at Sam.
The young Winchester stood up straight, pushing himself upright from the wall recognizing the voice as his fear subsided, "You?" he asked, his brow twisting, "You pointed the way out for me... you let down the wall..."
The ancient being smiled, "I merely pointed the way, it was you who broke down the wall on your own.
At the tub the god of fertility and rebirth crouched beside Dean and pressed several of the herbs he'd requested into his hand, together they added the rest of them to the water, "She would have had more power to return on her own if she'd waited..." he glanced at the elder hunter, taking in the extent of his injuries, "Nergal is... angry," he swept the last crumbs of the herbs from his hands then gently grasped Dean's chin, "You have suffered," he smiled sadly while looking deep into those green eyes, experiencing and witnessing first hand every travesty that had been perpetrated on the young human, his eyes leaking in sympathy.
"We all have..." Dean nodded between Sam and Laura too, "Can you do anything to help her? Can you bring her back?" he asked fearfully.
Reluctantly the embodied deity shook his head, "I can't."
"But if all this is the same for her as it was for Inanna, and the parallels are for us," Sam indicated himself and Dean, "and OUR patrons, then the lore says Enki himself had brought Inanna back..." he half argued.
Cernunnos smiled benignly, his hand cradling Dean's face as he reached for Sam and did the same, "So much strife for my poor humans," he sighed with a nod before turning to Anunnaki and nodding, "It's time."
The copper man, with his back filling the doorway so none but them could see, held up a closed fist then unfolded his fingers. A tiny white darting light seemed to zip up from his palm, the boys tried to track it around the room, wondering what it was but lost sight of it quickly just before Dean felt a faint pinch in the neck near the shoulder much like a mosquito bite.
With a faint smile the two other-worldly beings looked at one another then at the boys, "I hope it is not too late to help," Anunnaki told Cernunnos as they turned in unison, stepping from the bathroom and moving back through the house toward the rear door.
"What was that!?" Dean asked.
"What'd you do?" Sam shambled after them.
They chased the two men through the house and out into the back yard, "Cernunnos!" Sam barked as finally they turned.
"What did he do to my brother!?" he demanded.
"He has taken his gift," the woodland god shrugged.
"What? What gift? Whaddyou mean?" Dean huffed trying to rub away some of the soreness in his legs as a darting gray figure made him duck reflexively, "What the hell!? Sam? Do you see that?" he asked.
"It's just an igigi..." he shook his head then looked between his brother, Cernunnos, and Anunnaki, "You made him able to see them?" he asked.
"It is much more difficult to fight that which you cannot see..." the creature that had once used Dean to try and kill Sam, explained.
"Did you do that to me too?" Sam asked.
Cernunnos grinned, "No, that was the emissary... time was short, her heart was full of fear for you..." he looked at Dean too, "Both."
"What?" they asked together.
"She's like Dean, she's one of the ones they just can't feed on..." he thought back, remembering the sensation of being over crowded inside his own body, the feel of her legs wrapped around his hips, her mouth pressed to his forcing a hot thick bloody mix between his lips, and not letting go until he swallowed it down, and even then, the sense that something was chased out of him, it was the same feeling of spinney sudden emptiness that had come when Meg was finally forced out from inside his skin. That was when she'd taken the demon into herself, pulling it from his body so he could return safely.
"She shared with me that gift at the same time she enabled me to see them didn't she?" he surmised.
Anunnaki nodded, "From the moment Nergal's brothers priests took you, the igigi had been feeding on your guilt, your pain, growing it for their needs... they had almost managed to drive you from this world... then all would have been lost," he explained.
"The gun... when I almost..." he nodded swallowing hard, remembering the feel of the metal under his chin, the vacuous crushing despair that he was certain had left huge canon sized holes in his heart and soul.
"She gave me her protection?" Sam asked.
"Shared it," Cernunnos nodded.
"What about Dean?"
"Since he was a child he's been safe from them, but now he can see."
"And Laura?" Dean asked.
Cernunnos hung his head and sighed, "Ereshkegal let's none escape her realm once the seventh gate is closed behind them."
--
tbc.
Please R&R
Thanks.
sifi.