Demon Seals
Chapter Twenty: Tangled Webs
I lost my job.
It was a charter school. I tried. They decided I wasn't a good fit, so they let me go. I've been subbing in various public schools for the past week (thank goodness that was something I was doing before I got hired, so it was easy to get back into), and I've been trying to deal. I never thought I'd fail at a job I worked so hard to train in and get in the first place. I made mistakes, plenty of them. I tried to do better when I screwed up. I guess it just wasn't enough.
Anyway, in chapter twenty-three of "Demon's Year", Bela went to Danielle's sister Elise and performed a séance to speak to Danielle about how to go about killing Sam. Here is the other side of that conversation.
Castiel wasn't sure what he had walked in on.
Danielle wasn't prone to outbursts of anger without an angel already present, so to hear her yelling like this was confusing.
"Whatever you did to my sister, stop it now."
"You can't do a thing to me," a strange voice laughed. "You're in Heaven!"
"Dani, calm down," Jared said quietly. "What do you want?" he asked in a louder voice.
"Simple," the voice said. "I want to know how to kill Sam Winchester."
Castiel watched as Danielle stared blankly before her for a few seconds, and then she threw her head back and started laughing, though it sounded like it wasn't happy at all. "You're not serious," she finally said.
"Deadly," the formless voice snapped. "I've done my research, I know you're the one who killed him and left Dean no other choice but to make a Deal for his life. How did you do it?"
What was going on? Who was Sam Winchester? And who was this Dean? Castiel shared a confused look with Sariah, who gestured for him to remain silent. It was clear that she wished to let the scene carry out, possibly in hopes of learning something new about the "troublesome soul", as she still liked to call Danielle.
"Why the fuck would I tell you?"
"Dani, calm down —"
"Jared, I love you, but stay out of this."
"How on earth did I manage to reach the both of you?"
"We're Soulmates," Danielle snapped at the unknown voice. "Soulmates share a Heaven. Y-you reach out to one, you'll likely reach both if they're right by each other." Ah, this must be a séance. Castiel had heard of them, but had never witnessed one firsthand. "Now put my sister right and leave," the young soul before him insisted.
"Darling, you can't make me, remember?" the unknown voice sighed. "Go on, tell me what I want to know."
Danielle didn't say anything for a long moment. "Does Sam still have the ability to sense emotions?" she finally asked, running her hands through her hair.
"Yes," the unknown voice answered.
"Then you need to train your mind," Danielle said tersely. "Train it against invasion from the mind of another."
"How?"
Castiel and Sariah glanced at each other again. This conversation was becoming stranger with every second that passed.
"Go find a psychic," was Danielle's reply. "Someone legit. Or find a witch who can create a barrier using magic. You have to get up close, give Dean no chance to react."
"Fine. Any last tips?"
"Just one," Danielle said, and Castiel could see her face growing dark with anger. "You won't kill Sam."
"Of course I will," the voice said derisively. "He's still human."
"You misunderstand me," Danielle's entire countenance turned cold. "I don't know why you want to kill Sam, but you cannot kill him because it is not your place."
"What does that mean?" the voice asked, confused.
"The big plan," Danielle told the woman's voice shortly. "There are some big-ass players on the chess board, and Sam's continued existence is vital to their winning strategy. So go on, take your best shot. I hope you burn in Hell for even thinking of trying."
The woman's voice was silent for a few seconds. "Killing him is what will keep me from burning in Hell," she finally said.
Danielle laughed. "Made a Deal, did you?" She shook her head. "Too bad. I hope you enjoy being on the rack when your time is up."
"Enough of this," Sariah said, raising a hand and ending the séance with a forceful wave her hand. "How did she get through to you?"
Danielle glared at Sariah. "You really expect me to have all the answers?" she asked incredulously. "You made it clear years ago that your superiors didn't want me to contact anyone, or have anyone contact me." She glanced at Castiel. "I don't know how everything works or why this happened," she said. "You'd better figure it out."
"I believe she is telling the truth," Castiel spoke quietly to his leader. Sariah glanced at him before nodding.
"There will be a full investigation of this… incident," she informed Danielle and Jared. "I expect you to cooperate, understood?"
"Of course I do," was Danielle's cynical reply. "Anything for the Host of Heaven."
"Assemble a team," Sariah told Castiel, completely missing the sarcasm in Danielle's voice that was so apparent to Castiel. "I want Uriel, Ishmael, and anyone else you think will help in on this. You will lead the investigation."
Castiel met Danielle's wary gaze briefly. "Of course," he said. "I will begin right away."
"Excellent," Sariah nodded. "Thank you, Castiel."
Castiel met Danielle's eyes one last time before he left to begin his newest assignment. He could clearly see her worry, and found himself pondering the strange conversation he had witnessed.
"I know you're the one who killed him and left Dean no other choice but to make a Deal for his life," says the unknown voice through the séance.
"Do you even know what I did?" Danielle asks Castiel as she stands outside of Heaven's prison following a year of imprisonment for her actions.
Had Danielle killed a man? And if she did, then how was it that she was in Heaven? How was it that a human killing another human could be the work of Heaven?
"What did she do?" Balthazar asks the very first time he sees Danielle.
"I do not know," Castiel answers, "only that it was the work of Heaven."
Balthazar frowns at the young soul. "Then why isn't she pleased?" he asks. "Unless she had to take a life…"
"Why would she take a life?" Castiel asks, confused.
"It's just…" Balthazar trails off. "I heard rumors of a steady stream of souls coming into Heaven that had been killed on Earth due to unusual impurities."
"Impurities," Castiel echoes. "What sort of impurities?"
"I don't know," Balthazar says. "I suppose I am just… speculating that she was the source of the deaths. Unless she tells Jared what it was that she did, we may never know."
Was this Sam Winchester one of the souls with the unusual impurities Balthazar had spoken of so long ago?
"We have reached a conclusion," Castiel reported to Sariah two weeks later. "Ishmael, if you would."
The angel stepped forward. "According to Danielle and Jared, the living soul who contacted them was named Bela Talbot. Uriel was sent to investigate her mind, and he learned that her name is a falsehood to cover up what she did ten years ago, that she did indeed make a Deal with a demon, and that the only way out of her Deal is to kill an accomplished psychic named Sam Winchester. Although she is skilled in contacting spirits on the other side of the veil, she is not a natural-born psychic. We believe that because she is not a true psychic, her ritual confused the wards previously erected around Danielle's Heaven and allowed her to slip through unchecked."
"I see," Sariah said. "What is your recommendation, Castiel?"
"Uriel says that additive wards can be constructed into the current wards, which will prevent this from happening again," Castiel answered. "He would like to work with a team of specialists to see that this is done in a timely manner. I recommend that this team be given access to the current wards so that they can create new warding that will not be in conflict with what is already there."
"I will report this to my superiors," Sariah said, "but I believe that what you ask will be granted without qualm. Thank you, brothers, for your hard work."
The group was dismissed, and Castiel returned to his normal duties. He couldn't stop pondering what he had heard Bela say to Danielle, but he could not bring himself to ask the young soul about it.
Surely there was a logical reason that Danielle's work in the name of Heaven was just and necessary. It just wasn't his place to ask what that reason was.
"Dean Winchester is dead."
Castiel started and looked up at Danielle, who was staring right back at him. He glanced at Balthazar, who shrugged in confusion.
"Who is Dean Winchester?" Castiel finally asked, making himself visible.
"The guy you angels are supposed to be saving from Hell," Danielle answered. "He was just dragged off, so I expect the word to go out soon that he needs to be rescued."
Balthazar made his form visible. "Why would we save a soul from Hell? Particularly one who must have made a Deal, from your wording?"
"He did," Danielle answered.
"Is he related to the psychic named Sam Winchester?" Castiel asked.
"His older brother," Jared said from where he was sitting next to his wife.
"What was his Deal for?" asked Balthazar. "For his brother?"
Danielle didn't answer, silently twisting the claddagh ring on her left hand.
"Bela Talbot said you killed Sam Winchester," Castiel ventured. "Is that true?"
Jared glared at him as he wrapped an arm around his love. "Are you really ready to have this conversation?"
Castiel paused, but never got a chance to decide. My brothers and sisters,the voice of Sariah called out, please report to the Garden.
"Maybe that's the announcement about this Dean Winchester," Balthazar said quietly.
Castiel nodded and looked back at Danielle. "We will continue this conversation at a later time," he said. Danielle nodded, and the two angels set off for the Garden.
When they arrived, it was to see Sariah standing with another angel who Castiel didn't know by name. Many angels were murmuring among themselves, wondering what this meeting was for. Castiel and Balthazar exchanged glances as Sariah stepped forward and called for attention.
"My brothers and sisters," she began, "I have asked you to gather here because of a strange happening that occurred on the planet below." She gestured to the angel Castiel didn't know. "I would ask that you listen to all that Zophiel has to say. This may be… difficult to comprehend as possible, but I know what Zophiel has to say is the truth. Please, Zophiel, go ahead."
Zophiel stepped forward nervously. "I am among the angels whose duty it is to observe the happenings on Earth," he began. "As of late, our attentions have been attracted to the North American continent. A powerful demon managed to have a Devil's Gate opened, which unleashed an ancient demon, possibly the first Lucifer created. The demon goes by the name Lilith, and has displayed powers not seen for several millennia."
There were quiet murmurs among Castiel's brothers and sisters at this.
"This demon showed particular interest in having a human named Sam Winchester killed," Zophiel continued, and Castiel froze.
"How can this be?" Balthazar whispered.
"Why would a demon want just one human dead?" called out another angel. "They are creatures of chaos and destruction for all humans!" Sariah stepped forward.
"Sam Winchester is an… abomination," she sneered. "The powerful demon that released Lilith bled into his mouth when he was but six months old, as well as many others."
"Sam is the last of his generation who is still living," Zophiel added. "That alone made him a threat."
"What happened to the demon who infected him?" asked another of Castiel's sisters.
"Dead," Zophiel answered, "by the hand of Sam's brother, Dean."
Dean Winchester is dead.
"However, that is not the strange happening I came here to report to you," Zophiel continued. "Dean made a Deal with a demon for Sam's life, and was given one Earth year to live. Sam tried to stop the Deal from coming due by killing Lilith, but was unsuccessful." He leaned forward. "What was strange was that Lilith in turn tried to kill Sam, and was just as unsuccessful."
The uproar caused by this statement startled Castiel. Many expressed disbelief, others confusion, still more anger. It took Sariah several minutes to calm the Host of angels.
"Our leaders have asked that we shift our focus from Heaven to Earth," she announced. "It is not known why this abomination is immune to strongest demon we know of, nor why it was created and remains the only one of its generation still alive today. We need answers because it is believed that the demon who created Sam Winchester had a much greater reason for his existence than we know of. If we observe Sam, we may learn what this reason is."
After that, Sariah set about organizing a team that would observe and take notes on Sam Winchester a period of one month on Earth. Castiel was disappointed when he was assigned to that first team. That was ten years of Heaven's time that he had to wait before he could resume that conversation with Danielle.
"I promise to wait until your return to speak with Danielle," Balthazar said just before Castiel left.
"Thank you, brother," Castiel replied.
And with that, he set off for the planet below.