Conversation with a Serpent
And some Manly Mamas
*AUTHOR'S NOTE: I am positive that Dante is turning over in his grave, but thankfully the Kogi are derisive of technology, and Kripke is a very busy man, so they cannot be offended by my writing. *
Castiel awoke first, and once he got over his initial panic, whywasIasleep? he found Dean stirring as well. A small scared part of him longed to reach out and touch the hunter, for reassurance, but he squashed that impulse as soon as it arose, instead sitting up and trying to look like he'd been awake the whole time.
Dean soon mimicked his motion, rubbing his eyes, looking around blearily. "Still dark," he muttered. "Not safe." Laboriously, he got to his feet, and waved his hand to indicate that Castiel should follow him.
Castiel wavered. No, he thought, feeling afraid for a reason he couldn't place. We need to talk, I need to tell you something, something's wrong…
But he didn't say anything, and he followed.
Their walking had settled into an uneasy rhythm when they began to feel the unmistakable pull that meant they were going downwards. Into a valley? Castiel thought with confusion. Daring a look at Dean, he could sense nothing unusual, nothing indicating anxiety or fear from the man. He didn't know why he felt he should be sensing any. But something was off, more than the increasingly potent smell of flowers, and the faint underlying scent of putrefaction. Castiel just couldn't pinpoint what it was.
Presently Dean made a gagging noise. The overwhelming odor of flowers was beginning to make him feel seriously sick. He thought that he detected a whiff of poppy, of all things. (1) And the slithery rustling sound coming from his right, which he presumed to be Castiel dragging his feet, was beginning to grate on his nerves.
He turned to upbraid the angel for it when what looked like Castiel's shadow reared upwards, becoming a towering column of black against a lighter black.
"Is this The Wizard of Oz, and am I Dorothy?" Dean whispered. "Because I swear I'm hallucinating…"
He wasn't, though, because Castiel had turned to exactly the same place Dean was staring at, and he looked every bit as petrified. In fact, he looked rather like a mouse caught in the gaze of a snake, which was more or less true.
"The Serpent," he hissed at Dean. From the tone of his voice, it can be inferred that he meant something more along the lines of you-idiot-don't-talk-it-might-hear-you…
Dean never thought he'd find himself wishing for the sword of Godric Gryffindor, but he wished for it then. Fervently.
OO
Sam couldn't remember what had happened in the last few hours. He strongly suspected that this was because he had been drugged. He was also tied up and in a dark room, which was comforting, because this situation was familiar, and he knew how to handle it.
It took him half a moment to realize that he probably shouldn't handle the situation like he normally would, because as far as he knew, the Kogi weren't monsters and weren't interested in killing him. Then he groaned, and wondered what he should do.
He could faintly make out voices, coming from outside of what he now recognized as a dirt-and-straw hut. He couldn't make out a good deal of what they were saying, other than it had something to do with aluna, and danger, and that they might have been debating on whether it was safe to kill him after all…
"Hey!" he shouted, trying not to sound unfriendly, "I'm not dangerous! Could you… let me go?"
The voices stopped, but he could hear footsteps approach the hut. Soon enough, the girl who'd passed out earlier walked inside, accompanied by a wizened old man wearing what looked to Sam like a small fabric dunce cap.
"H-he's awake," the girl stammered, poking at Sam's arm as if to make sure. Looking around the two people before him to the door of the hut, Sam thought he could see children poking their heads in, only to grin nervously and pop right back out again. Although he was tied up, he didn't really feel as if he was in any danger, but he measured his words carefully, just in case.
"Where am I?" he asked. That was usually a safe question.
The old man, who had previously worn a scrutinizing expression, now looked at Sam in wonderment, and maybe a little fearfully, too.
"The Younger Brother speaks our language, and comes with the sound of a trump," the man said in an impressive voice. "Is this what the prophecy forewarned? Is the world not to end by the heating up, but now? Is this Columbus?"
"I'm Sam," Sam said. "And I don't think that global warming is going to end the world, which is why I'm here, actually. I'm looking for something… a rock? With strange writing on it?"
The girl and the mean with the strange headwear exchanged a look. "Tomb-robber," the man spat.
Sam sighed, and looked as sincere as he possibly could, considering his mind was still a little foggy from the drug he'd been given. "I'm not a tomb-robber," he explained. "I've been sent for a stone tablet, by, by…" he cast about for a name, but he was having difficulty remembering what he'd researched on the Kogi. "… the Great Mother. You were… its caretaker, but I've come to retrieve it again."
"You are not from aluna," he old man said decisively. "You lie. You are Younger Brother, and you carry moths." He brandished Sam's cell phone, as if it were condemning evidence.
"He is Columbus!" the girl shrieked. "He comes to kill the Mamas and the Great Mother at the heart of the world!"
Sam gulped. Whatever accusations were being made of him, they sounded pretty severe. "Look, I haven't come to kill anyone_" he began.
"Enough," the old man said authoritatively. "This is Younger Brother, and we do not kill Younger Brother." This was said pointedly, and seemed to be directed at the girl. "But Younger Brother must leave us in peace. We will kill his moths, and show him out, when he vows to stop destroying the Great Mother."
"I would never dream of harming the Great Mother_"
"Silence. There will be a council. You will sleep."
OO
Dean knew he wasn't a Parselmouth, which meant that the Serpent was definitely speaking English.
"Greetingsss, Cassstiel," it seemed to hiss.
Dean decided it was a great time to test his new-found talent for Enochian. "A-Bai-ekrond!" he shouted.
The thing swayed in the air a moment, as if confused. Then, hesitantly, "What doesss he mean, geranium?"
OO
Eventually Sam did go to sleep, and when he awoke, he found himself surrounded with people wearing the same strange hat… Mamas, he remembered. He was outside now, in what appeared to be the center of a gathering of huts with straw roofs. Every Mama had a small gourd-like object and a stick in their hand, which they were using to scratch some substance onto their gourds. All of them seemed to be chewing something, and had meditative looks on their faces. It was some time before one Mama glanced up and recognized Sam was awake.
"Younger Brother," he croaked.
Sam was beginning to be a little freaked out. It might have had something to do with the fact that no one bothered calling him by his name.
"I'm Sam," he said, for the second time that day. "Look, I don't know what's going on, but I really need this… tablet. The fate of the world kind of depends on it."
All the Mamas were looking at him now, their faces blank and stony. Sam felt intimidated.
"The Younger Brothers are always needing things from us," another Mama said slowly. It was almost as if the Mamas were collectively one organism; they all spoke the same thoughts, with the same inflection, the same cadence. "They destroy the Great Mother, tearing up her liver with the trees, taking the water away from the world. Were it not for the Mamas, chaos would are arisen long ago. We keep the balance. But we cannot be held responsible for what the Younger Brothers do; there is only so much even we can accomplish. We sent out our warning long ago, but the Younger Brother continues to pillage, destroy, pillage, and destroy."
"I'm really sorry about that," Sam said, placating. His mind was becoming clearer and clearer, and he began to remember what he'd been planning to say when he first arrived within Colombian shores. "The Younger Brothers will pay for their crimes. The Great Mother made you caretakers of the Word at the Heart of the World, and I have been sent from aluna to relieve you of this burden. You have done well. Now it is time for the Great Mother to renew herself and… purge herself of all damaging elements. I need the Word you protect… a stone tablet, with strange symbols on it…" Sam knew he was making a gamble, and a pretty big one considering his limited understanding of Kogi ritual, but he was beginning to feel desperate, with all of those empty eyes boring into him.
"We have journeyed into aluna," yet another Mama said. Sam had to spin around to look at him. "No spirit there takes the form of a Younger Brother. Spirits do not carry moths."
Sam didn't like the feeling of lying, it seemed to crawl under his skin and fester there like a disease. He especially didn't like the feeling of deceiving an entire people, about something that was obviously sacred to them. However, he was, quite literally, on a holy mission, and he couldn't back out now. So it was with a pained expression that he drew himself upwards, straining only slightly against his bindings, and booming out grandly,
"When you travel into aluna, you become spirit. When spirit travels to the world, it becomes corporeal. Now where is the tablet?"
OO
"You are supposed to be guarded by angels," Castiel said, still not moving.
"Yesss," the Serpent said, "But then they left, and now theresss a bit of a pessst control problem."
Dean might have laughed, if he was in a laughing mood. As it was, he was in more of a Serpent-slaying mood. "Who are you?" he yelled.
The Serpent ignored him, ducking its head and beginning to slither around Castiel in a scaly circle on the grass.
"Interesssting. You've come to redeem yourssself," it whispered directly into Castiel's ear. Miraculously, he didn't flinch.
"We've come to escape," he stated.
"Nonsssensse. The only reassson sssoulss assscend isss that they ssseek purification. Although, for you thatsss impossible. You will have to ssstay here forever."
"Oh?" Dean said in challenge. He was beginning to be bothered by the degree to which the Serpent was ignoring him. But the great Snake responded to him this time, although his words were aimed at Castiel.
Serpent's Tricks 101 Topic: Repentance.
He will say that you cannot repent because you have sinned too greatly
"You have ssslain your brethren, deceived and betrayed your friendsss, performed the mossst sssacreligiouss act… there is no degree of purification sssufficient to cleanssse you," it hissed venomously. "You could not conceivably complete the assscent." Castiel shuddered then, his eyes closing briefly, as if he was hoping he could blink away the scaly monstrosity before him.
"You say that to proceed, one must be purified," Castiel said. "What does that require of me?"
The Serpent drew back, surprised. "Sssomething that you do not possssesss. A ssspirit of true repentance. But even with that, you would be consssumed before ever reach the peak. For your sssinss…"
"Maybe so," Castiel said neutrally. "But if I can make it yet a little ways, that would be enough." He hadn't looked at Dean as he said this, rather gazing unfalteringly into the glowing eyes of the Serpent, whose head was almost touching Castiel's nose. Nonetheless, the creature swung its head to face Dean for a fraction of a second before turning back to Castiel. Snakes are observant, after all.
Serpent's Tricks 101 Topic: Repentance
He will say that no one else cares about your fate; that you cannot repent because no one loves you enough to desire it of you.
"And you think that mattersss?" it asked with faux curiosity. Dean had no idea what it was referring to. "The human agreesss with me, it knowsss you cannot do it, and isss disssgusssted by your pressscence even now. Would it not be better to allow him to proceed in peace?"
This time Castiel did look at Dean, with an expression on his face that Dean had never seen before. And Dean noticed, for the first time… the Serpent wasn't just circling around Castiel… it was wrapping around him, and seemingly without the angel being aware of it. Even now, he could see it beginning to squeeze…
"Hey," he said lowly, addressing the snake. He brought out his knife quietly as he spoke. "Whatever the hell you're saying, it's wrong. Wrong, alright? I won't deny that a lot of the time I feel like socking the sonuvabitch, yelling at him until my lungs collapse… but I have never," he breathed harshly, "been disssgussstedwith him. He's staying with me, dammit!"
And he threw the knife, directly into the Serpent's eye. With a terrible scream, it began to thrash, tossing Castiel a good five feet away and face-first into the ground in the process. Only when it had completed its last death throes did Dean dare to approach it, to draw his knife out of the steaming sockets of the great adder.
Looks like a regular old knife did the trick after all, he thought in wonderment. Castiel picked himself off of the ground and stood beside him, watching him draw it out.
"And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the knife that is in thine own eye?" Castiel murmured with a chuckle. Dean turned to him, incredulous.
"Did you just make a joke?"
"You just," Castiel hiccuped a laugh, "killed the Serpent."
They both laughed at that. In fact, they were so busy laughing that when the large golden eagle swooped down to pick them up, they couldn't even manage to raise their arms to defend themselves.
OO
The Mamas had decided to sacrifice Sam to aluna once dawn began to light up the sky. Their reasoning ran thus: if Sam really was from the spirit world, killing him shouldn't be a problem, and he could always come back later in another form. If he wasn't from aluna, then they would be keeping the balance of the world, performing a service. It was a very logical course of action actually; the only problem was that Sam really didn't want to die.
Will you, uh, protect me from my adversaries? he prayed silently. Since I'm carrying out your Work?
God's voice seemed to bounce around in his skull as he replied. I think it's safest for you to get out of this on your own. Don't know if I can bring you back if you die at this point, and I can only intercede so much on the corporeal plane before I begin to accelerate the decomposition of the Law.
Damn you, Sam thought.
So it was that much later, in the dead of the night, Sam was still trying to saw away the rope binding his wrists on an increasingly blunted rock. If he ever got off of the mountain alive, he was planning on taking some of their rope with him. That stuff was made well.
Sam had just about given up hope when he heard the crack, not of displaced air, but of a careless foot stepping on a twig.
"Who's there?" Sam asked.
A very small boyish voice gave an involuntary yelp. After some more cracking, Sam could feel small hands touch his wrists, before beginning to work on untying him.
"I eavesdropped on the council," the tiny, youthful voice explained softly. "I heard you were going to be sacrificed. I don't think that's right, though, because once when the Mamas couldn't cure my sister when she was sick, a tomb-robber gave her some medicine, and she got better. Are you a tomb robber?"
"No," Sam said. "I am looking for a stone tablet though, with strange writing on it."
"You are a tomb robber then," the boyish voice gasped. "I knew it, but that's fine, you know, you just have to promise to leave without taking anything, and you'll be fine, I won't give you away."
The ropes now gone, Sam massaged his wrists, wincing as he did so. "I can't leave without it," he tried to explain. "It's very important."
"You don't mean to say you were really sent by the Great Mother?" the little voice said suspiciously.
Sam sighed, feeling a twinging feeling in his gut as he lied again. "Yes, that's what I'm saying."
"I guess then… I guess that's okay. Follow me, I know where it is, everyone does."
One of the small, soft little hands curled around his fingers, and Sam was drawn away to the outskirts of the "city."
OO
"It glows," the boy whispered in awe. They were standing just inside of an ancient temple, Taironian, the boy had said. Sam felt his own breathing catch when he saw it.
The tablet was there, just beneath what appeared to be an altar, pulsing with a faint bluish glow. Sam had seldom felt so entranced, and he could understand now why the Kogi felt they were guardians of "the heart of the world." The mystical aura around the object was too strong to expect them to have thought anything else.
"Thank you," Sam whispered, going to pick it up.
"But once you take it, what will happen to u_" the boy whispered back, frantically.
Sam never heard the end of his sentence, though, because once he touched the tablet, he was borne away to his next chosen location.
(1)Why does Dean know so much about flowers? Because he lived with Lisa. 'Nuff said.