A/N: Thank you guests Pony and Loreley for your reviews! Pony, sorry about Friday's cliffhanger. (And today's *cough*)
Chapter 6
The second Ryn's feet touched solid ground outside the void, she twisted in Cain's grip and rammed her knee up into his groin. Even demons felt that one. He snarled in response, his hand still clenched around her bicep, and flung her around into a nearby stone wall with enough force to knock loose some silt from the ceiling.
Ignoring the bone-jarring pain, Ryn dropped to the floor and rolled onto her back. She swung her leg up in a windmill arc that caught Cain in the jaw and sent him reeling back a step. Ryn scrambled to her feet in the cold, stone chamber they'd materialized in. It looked like a steam pipe distribution center for an old, dilapidated building, with rusted pipes running along the ceiling and boilers set around the edges of the brick walls. Nothing was running, and there were even splotches of mold growing in corners of stagnant water.
Ryn whirled in search of an exit, but Cain was on her in an instant, delivering an arm chop across the back of her neck. Her knees hit the concrete floor with a crack. What a time to be without a weapon. She felt her blood quicken with fire, her power gathering to be ignited. Before she could wield it, however, Cain threw an iron chain around her torso, looping it twice. Where the metal touched her skin it sizzled, and Ryn let out a strangled cry as Cain yanked her down to the ground and straddled her.
His nostrils flared with rage as he tightened the chain, the iron searing into her neck. Ryn gritted her teeth. The iron wouldn't kill her, but it sure did sting like a bitch. She tried to buck Cain off, but he was too strong and held all the leverage.
"Shh, shh, shh," he crooned, reaching one hand up to cup the back of her head like a vice.
Ryn forced herself to stop struggling. It wasn't doing any good and she needed to use her head, not her adrenaline. "What do you want?" she ground out.
"I want to rid the world of my stain. And you're going to help me."
Cain wrapped part of the chain around his fist and punched Ryn in the side of the head. White spots exploded across her vision, and before she could recover, she felt Cain's weight lift off her chest and his arms scoop her up. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying to dispel the daze, but then she was thrust down on something hard and flat, and the chains around her were cinched tighter. When her senses finally started to return, Ryn found herself strapped down on a large metal container.
Cain stalked around her, twirling his serrated blade and coming to hold it over her. He closed his eyes and began to chant something Ryn didn't recognize, yet as the words rolled off his tongue, she felt the static in the air increase. Molten heat bloomed deep inside her, responding to the call of the spell. Her heart leaped into her throat as she realized Cain was channeling her inner fire.
He lowered his knife to his palm and slit it. "My blood to my blood," he intoned, letting it dribble down the blade onto her stomach. The litany returned to that ancient tongue, but Ryn understood the words. Bloodline. Purification.
Cain was going to harness the power Ryn would have used to cure Dean…and turn it toward every single one of his descendants, burning them all out in the process.
And there was nothing she could do to stop him.
Castiel rolled off the truck Cain had thrown him into and staggered toward the barn door where he could hear Sam banging from the inside. Apparently, rather than following Austin right into their trap, Cain had for some reason locked him and Sam in the barn. Castiel's heart thudded with terror for Dean, but instead of running blindly into the night looking for the other Winchester, he forced himself to wrench the barn door from its hinges. Sam practically tumbled out, expression harried.
"Where's Dean?" he gasped.
Crowley appeared behind him, having been in the barn as well. "Didn't I bloody well say this was a disaster waiting to happen?" the demon nearly shrieked.
A twig snapped, and they whipped their heads toward the sound. Dean came lumbering around the corner of the barn, one arm up and rubbing the side of his head. Castiel felt a wave of relief.
"Dean, what happened?"
"I could ask you the same," he retorted.
Castiel's jaw tightened. He'd been unable to weaken Cain like he was hoping to. Something he probably should have known would happen given their last encounter. But that didn't explain why Cain had abandoned his hunt for the kid.
Sam shook his head. "I don't know. Austin ran into the barn and we got him out. Crowley set up the illusion double. But instead of barging in, Cain locked the damn door!"
Castiel looked Dean over. He didn't seem that injured, just a bruise on his temple. If he'd fought with Cain, especially without the Blade, he should have taken more of a beating. Unless…
Castiel swept his gaze out at the surrounding field, fear spiking through him at the nighttime stillness. "Where's Ryn?" She had been with Dean, waiting for the trap to spring.
"Cain took her," Dean said tightly.
"What?" Sam exclaimed. "Why?"
Dean rolled his shoulder, wincing at the action. "He said he figured out why she was here, and then something about how she shouldn't bother curing one man when she can…I don't know, purify them all or something."
Castiel felt his heart drop into his stomach. Ryn was only here because of him, and now she was in danger.
Sam quirked a confused brow. "I don't get it. Cain wants Ryn to cure…his entire bloodline? Can she do that?"
"Pretty sure 'cure' wasn't what he had in mind," Dean said, then lifted eyes full of regret to meet Castiel's. "I'm sorry, Cas."
He slowly shook his head. This wasn't Dean's fault; it was his. Castiel should have been better prepared, should have left Ryn at the bunker. This fight with Cain wasn't hers to begin with. "We have to find them," he said hoarsely.
Crowley cleared his throat, canting his head at Castiel. "And who exactly is your new girlfriend?"
"She was the way to get the Mark off my arm," Dean replied sharply. "Now I'm guessing Cain plans to use her to kill off his bloodline."
"A witch, hm?" Crowley hummed thoughtfully. "Not powerful enough to do that."
"She's not a witch," Dean countered, taking a step closer to the demon. "So you'd better hand over the Blade and let us finish this before whatever Cain's doing tracks you down too. Remember, you're on his list."
Castiel barely paid attention to the lie Dean had apparently told Crowley to get the demon to cooperate. His thoughts were a whirlwind of worry and anxiety. Cain could have taken Ryn anywhere. She wouldn't help him murder half the world, but Castiel suspected she wouldn't have a choice in the matter, especially if Cain had discovered a spell of some kind. Would he need her alive? Or just her ashes? What if she was already dead?
"Cas, buddy."
Castiel felt a hand on his shoulder, and he turned to find Dean watching him worriedly. Sam was standing off to the side. Crowley was gone.
"We'll find her," Dean assured him.
"How?" He hated how his voice cracked with despair, but it wasn't just Ryn he'd lost—again. If Cain managed to harness her power, Dean and Sam could be struck dead at any moment, and Castiel would be helpless to do anything.
Dean regarded him with an odd measure of sympathy. "She's strong, Cas. She'll hold on long enough. You just gotta believe that."
"You don't even know her," he found himself saying bitterly. Neither did he. And now he may never get the chance to find out—about her, about his own past.
"I know enough," Dean said quietly.
Before Castiel could respond, Crowley was suddenly standing in their midst again.
"My sources detected a strong concentration of power growing not far from here," the demon informed them.
"Great," Dean said, then raised his brows expectantly. "The Blade?"
Crowley glowered at him, but nevertheless slowly reached into his suit jacket to pull out the blade made from an animal's jaw bone. Instead of handing it to Dean, however, he passed it to Sam.
Crowley jabbed a finger at the older Winchester. "Just get it done."
Dean gave a sharp nod. "Now show us where."
Dean gunned the Impala down the highway toward the industrial part of town Crowley had pointed to on a map. According to the demon's source, whoever that was, a lot of magical energy was being gathered there. They didn't know for sure it was Cain, but they'd find out soon enough.
Dean had yet to feel any tingling or sensations that suggested a spell was being worked to burn him out of existence, but maybe the Mark would protect him from that. He kept throwing concerned glances at Sam, though, watching for signs his brother was about to become a target too.
He also couldn't stop flicking looks in the rearview mirror at Cas, either. The angel had seemed in shock earlier after Ryn's abduction. Cas might not have had his full memories of the woman, but there had to be some underlying connection there. Dean didn't think Cas was even aware of it. It made Dean want to save Ryn even more, not just because he and Sam and half the world were probably about to be eradicated in one fell swoop, but Cas had lost enough, dammit. Dean wanted to be able to help his friend, for once.
"Pull over here," Cas suddenly said, going ramrod straight in the backseat.
Dean veered off the road in front of a series of old, abandoned buildings. "What is it?"
"That power Crowley said was gathering—I sense it." Cas was climbing out of the car before Dean had even killed the engine.
Swearing under his breath, Dean scrambled after the angel. The level-headed side of him was urging that they needed a plan before barging in there, but the faint buzz he started feeling in the Mark on his arm said otherwise. They were running out of time.
Cas headed straight for the building in the middle and kicked in the door with enough force that the metal buckled and went flying several feet in. Dean and Sam hurried to keep up.
A quick sweep inside revealed the place was empty, but even Dean could tell something was happening in the vicinity. Cas spun in a desperate circle searching for clues. Dean spotted an orange glow wafting up from a stairwell and gestured silently to it, even though Cain had probably heard their raucous entrance.
No sooner had they taken two steps, however, when Sam suddenly let out a sharp gasp and staggered to his knees, clutching his chest.
"Sam?" Dean dropped down and gripped his brother by the shoulders.
Sam grunted in pain. "Gah, Dean. I feel it—burning."
Dean's adrenaline spiked with terror. He looked up frantically at Cas, but the angel was already rushing toward the stairwell, angel blade in hand. "Cas!" Dammit, Dean knew stopping Cain was the only way to save them all, but he couldn't leave Sam.
His brother pushed something hard wadded in fabric into his hand, and Dean felt the thrum of the Blade rising up over whatever other magic was building on the air. It both called to him and repelled him.
"Go." Sam gave him a feeble shove.
Dean slowly got to his feet and unwrapped the Blade. Once that ancient handle was in his hand, his blood coursed with renewed vigor. The thirst was nearly all-consuming, but then Dean's gaze focused on his brother writhing on the ground. The Mark would get its satisfaction in blood, but it would be on Dean's terms. He turned and sprinted toward the stairs.
The echoes of a fight traveled up to him, and when Dean burst into the basement, he saw Cain grab Cas by the lapels of his trench coat and throw him across the room into a boiler. The metal dented, just as the door upstairs had, and Cas collapsed in a heap, unmoving.
Fear and anger pulsed through him, and Dean charged forward. He registered Ryn, chained down on a metal container, her entire body alight with an eerie orange aura. She was killing Sam. And for a split moment, Dean didn't know who to direct the Blade's teeth to—her or Cain.
But then Cain stepped into the center of the room, drawing his attention.
The man leveled a cool look his way, arching an unruffled brow. "How's it feel, Dean, to be holding the Blade again?"
Dean couldn't help but glance at it. The Mark's song crescendoed, yet Dean beat it back by sheer willpower alone. "It feels like a means to an end," he said.
Cain spread his arms in invitation. "Then do it."
Dean's jaw tightened, and he lunged. Cain blocked the first swing, and the next. Rage billowed up inside him, and with a cry, Dean slashed more furiously. Cain parried each blow with his arms, delivering punches between blocks until he flung Dean backward across the floor.
Dean winced as he rolled to his feet. He glanced at Ryn again, who was still glowing. Cain looked over too and uttered a strange word that sent a pulse of energy through the aura.
Sam.
Dean attacked again, but once more each strike was deflected easily, and Cain kicked him in the stomach, almost making him lose his breath. With a gasp of pain, Dean charged. This time he finally managed to sucker punch Cain in the jaw, but just as he followed up with a swing of the Blade, Cain grabbed his wrist, stopping the Blade's momentum and holding it precariously between them.
Cain hardly seemed affected as he flipped some of his hair from his eyes. "That seems a bit weaker than I would expect from you with the Blade," he said, leaning close. Dean's muscles quivered under the strain. "I think you can do better."
Cain grabbed his other arm and hefted him off the ground. Dean didn't let go though, didn't allow himself to be tossed away from the Blade, and as soon as his feet hit the ground, he punched Cain again. Still the guy didn't loosen his grip on Dean's arm.
"Unless…" Cain started, and Dean hit him again, finally knocking Cain back enough for Dean to reclaim full control of the Blade.
Cain turned slowly and ran a hand over his hair. "You're holding back," he sneered, jabbing a finger at Dean.
Dean lunged, first with a swipe of the blade followed by a punch, but Cain caught both his hands, holding him at bay like a child, despite Dean vibrating with explosive energy.
"What is it, Dean? Do you think if you hold back just enough, you won't succumb? That you'll leave this fight the same as you entered!" Cain wrenched him around and Dean hit the concrete floor yet again. Pain radiated down his back, and Dean half rolled in a daze, even as a distant part of his brain was screaming for him to get up.
"Look to my example, boy!" Cain raged. "There is no resisting the Mark or the Blade. There is only remission and relapse!" He stormed over. Dean tried to get up, but another brutal hit had him fully collapsing on the ground, coughing for air.
Cain stepped away, reaching up to push his hair back again.
Dean shakily got to his feet. "You told me that this day would come. You told me that I would have to kill you." Had Cain known he would lose out against the Mark? Or had he merely wanted Dean to stop him before it came to that? Was a part of that man who'd made Dean promise still in there?
Cain regarded him coldly. "Is that so?" He uttered another string of foreign words under his breath. The light emanating from Ryn throbbed, and she screamed, the echo of a screeching bird splitting Dean's ears.
Suddenly it was like a harpoon of fire speared his chest, and with a breathless gasp, Dean's knees buckled and he dropped the Blade.
"I'm afraid you've misunderstood my intentions here, Dean," Cain said, stalking closer. He shifted his eyes to Dean's right.
Dean followed Cain's gaze to the Blade, but no matter how close it was, he was in too much agony to reach for it.
A flash of tan leaped over him, and Dean squinted against the burning pain as Cas attacked Cain with his angel blade. But just like with Dean, Cain blocked the blows deftly and after disarming the angel, knocked him to the ground too. Cain grabbed Cas by his shirt and started raining down punch after punch.
Gritting his teeth, Dean stretched his fingers toward the Blade. There was a burst of strength upon contact, and Dean forced himself up, onto one foot first, then the other. He lumbered toward Cain, who turned to stop him once again. But Cas grabbed Cain's arm and wrenched it back with a crack. Cain's body torqued, giving Dean the perfect opening, and he drove the First Blade straight into the man's heart.
Cain's mouth flew wide in a silent scream. There was no explosion of light as with angels and demons, just a small puff of air and then his eyes rolled back, and the body dropped with a dull thud.
Dean stared, shock momentarily blunting the thrilling hum of satiated bloodlust the Mark was currently drinking in. It would've been worse were he still touching the Blade, but Dean had managed to let go of it when Cain fell, taking the Blade still stuck in his chest with him.
"Dean." Cas staggered upright, swaying on his feet and sporting several bruises and cuts. "It's over."
He nodded dumbly, only then remembering that his brother was upstairs, possibly dying. He whirled toward Ryn, who was still glowing like a star.
Cas stumbled toward her and began ripping off the iron chains. With a gasp, she rolled onto her side and tried to get off the metal container. Cas reached to help her, and she jerked back.
"Don't. I'll burn you." She slid off the edge and crumpled to the floor.
Cas stood over her, looking utterly at a loss as his hands hovered helplessly. "The spell Cain was working…"
"It's stopped," she choked out.
At a clang from the stairwell, Dean looked up to find Sam teetering down the steps. Though he could barely walk a straight line, Sam at least looked okay. He cast a wary glance at Cain's body before hurrying over to them.
"Dean! Are you okay?"
That was not a question he wanted to answer right now. Because no, he was far from okay. Maybe he hadn't turned into a psychopathic killer just from this battle, but Sam and Cain had been right—he didn't come out of it unscathed. The Mark was burbling with glee while a good chunk of himself felt like it was shriveling up and dying.
He jerked his thoughts away from that though and focused on Ryn. "Are you…?"
"Castiel," she interrupted. "You and Sam go upstairs. Now." Ryn squeezed her eyes shut against what looked like a wave of pain.
Cas quickly knelt beside her. "What, why?"
Her hands were fisted at her sides, and if they weren't currently haloed in fire, Dean would think they'd be white-knuckled. "I can't rein back in the energy Cain ignited," she ground out.
Dean stiffened. "But you just said the spell—"
"It's not going to Cain's bloodline." Ryn lifted eyes rimmed in flames to meet his. "But it has to go somewhere." She flicked her gaze to his arm.
"Now?" he asked incredulously.
Ryn made a horrible sound in the back of her throat. "Might as well."
Cas started shaking his head. "But, you're weakened. What if it…?"
"I can do this," she said, fixing her gaze on his. One hand lifted up as though to reach out, but Ryn pulled herself back. "Now go, please!"
"Sam, go." Dean gave his brother a shove, and watched as Cas reluctantly got to his feet and followed. Something told Dean he should have given Cas and Ryn another moment, something private. But deep down he knew there wasn't time.
Once Sam and Cas were up the stairwell, Dean crouched down next to Ryn.
She struggled to push herself into an upright position. "I'll try not to kill you."
Somehow, she sounded completely sincere about that.
"Are you gonna survive this?" he asked.
Ryn's burning eyes were terrifying to look at, and everything in Dean screamed at him to recoil from this otherness, but underneath the ethereal smolder he saw traces of uncertainty. "I don't know."
She lashed out to grip his arm, her palm wrapping around the Mark with searing pain. Dean grunted as the smell of charred flesh wafted up to his nose. Ryn shuddered.
"Take care of Castiel," she said.
In the next moment, Dean felt a geyser of fire get pushed into his arm. It surged through his veins like rivers of molten lava. He threw his head back and screamed. Somewhere he heard Ryn screaming too, and then they both went up like torches.
A/N: Only one more chapter after this! But I have a sequel that will delve more into the personal relationships and the specifics of Cas and Ryn's past, for those who want to see more of that. *g*
