Chapter 7

Tsura looked around as she heard the sounds of fighting and in panic. She looked at the entrance of the cave, knowing that if the defenses fell, then there was nothing stopping Michael from getting in and doing whatever to Angela. She turned a worried look towards the still body as it jumped almost as if it were suffering a convulsion. She swallowed as she watched the limbs flail like limp fish or something equally slimy.

She had never seen anything like this before. All she knew was the training in magic her grandmother had been instructing her in and that usually involved that of a fortune telling party trick as well as learning to fight and defend with said magic. Her specific specialty were the curses and they were the kind that could be used on the beings that harmed humans. Her first spell she had witnessed her grandmother prepare was done on a vampire, one of the ones that killed humans; one that the Romani said were perversions of the original ones.

Tsura never thought that she would be using her magic in the fight of her life though it may be moot since she wasn't exactly real. She got that she was probably a figment of the imagination but while she was physically here, she would do what she could to help her friends. But she felt powerless in this case since she had no idea what to do except to make sure that no one harmed Angela's body. Mac was in a better position to know what to do.

After Adam went out with Cerebus to confront Michael, Mac made more preparations. He pulled out a piece of chalk from his pack and started drawing on the walls of the cave. It had Tsura wondering who Mac was since he drew sigils that ranged from Romani to things she had never seen before. Most of them looked like squiggles that came from a child's painting.

"Just something I picked up here and there," was what Mac had said as he drew them all over the walls.

Tsura had to ask, "What are they for?"

"Well… Adam there is not going to last too long even with the hellhound," he replied, "These will make sure that the place is secure."

"Any idea how long?"

"As long as we can give ya."

"How long?"

Then Mac gave her a long look as he finished one of his squiggles. It was a long and thoughtful one and one where he wasn't sure about what to tell her. Finally he said, "It will stay indefinitely as long as these are here. Don't break them and even Lucifer himself won't be able to make it in here."

That was reassuring but it didn't help that Mac added the caveat that he had to be alive for it to remain intact. That meant the burden was on him to stay alive considering that he had backed himself out towards the entrance. That had Tsura in a panic and said that he shouldn't go out then; that he should stay and she would go and help Adam.

"Aye, makes sense love. But I'm a warrior, a soldier. Protecting is my calling." Mac then gave that lopsided grin that had Angela grin with him.

Tsura couldn't say or do anything to convince Mac to do otherwise. She had to let him go and she did, staying behind to be the last line of defense. She watched as he stood outside the cave and drew the last of his sigils and she saw the shimmer of the ward coming into place. He tested it by tossing a rock at it and it bounced off like hitting a wall. He then grinned and turned to go help Adam and she was left by herself.

Looking at Angela and then at the cave walls, Tsura sighed in worry. It was then that Angela's body jolted like someone had given it a good kick. She watched Angela's face seem to contort like she would if she was dreaming. Yet Mac told her that it was a trance since her awareness was in the spirit realm. She couldn't see the difference in that but she was willing to take the chance and go with it. After all, ever since she joined Angela on this journey she had been exposed to strange things.

Looking at Angela, she said in a low voice, "I hope you know what to do Angie. We need you here."

There was no response of course but it made her feel better. Tsura looked around and stared at the sigils that had been drawn everywhere. She had confidence that Mac would be able to stay alive and help Adam. She was more concerned that something bad may happen to Angela and they wouldn't be able to help her. True they could protect her body but they couldn't protect her mind if she was in serious trouble there.

There are things girl that defy what has been taught to the Romani and that involves that which we cannot always see.

Tsura made a slight snort since she could almost hear the old woman talking to her as she taught her more of Romani magic. It was true though. The magic she knew was more practical and reactionary meaning that if say a vampire killed one of their own, their magic could be used to curse them. There were harsh retaliations for disturbing of the dead. But there was little to nothing when it came to interacting with the spirits and the realm they occupy.

It wasn't that they didn't want to learn. It was more of a tradition of respect for the dead and the spirits. True there were some instances where there were interactions but the Romani had a particular branch of magic that was unique and they were more like protectors of the dead. This was something that was new and a little scary for her.

A noise caught her attention and Tsura was on her feet as she approached the entrance to the cave. She peered out when she noticed that the lighting had changed. She didn't exit since she didn't want to risk being locked out but she peered outside and noticed how the landscape seemed to change. It was more like open grass fields and she couldn't hear guns anymore. She thought she heard the clang of metal on metal. That meant…

A sound caught Tsura's attention and she turned to see Angela twitching again like she was undergoing a seizure. She started to head towards her to hold her down so she wouldn't hurt herself when a snarl caught her attention. Turning she saw the invisible ward reflect from impact from an invisible force. She jumped slightly when she saw it hit the wall again and the ward shimmered followed snarling and snapping. She was glad the ward was still there since she knew that it was a hellhound.

The hellhounds had been added nearly a week ago. It was a feat to keep them away since once they caught your scent, they hounded you until you were dead or killed it. What had them baffled was how they could be in the cage. It was hard to remember that nothing was real. Everything created by Lucifer or them was made to be real enough to inflict damage and could kill them… well kill Angela and Adam. Angela and Mac had been able to keep them at bay with the tricks they knew including having Cerebus take them on and exerting his influence as the big boss hellhound.

From the pounding on the ward, she could see there were at least two of them. And they were being relentless in pounding on the ward. True Mac said that as long as he was alive they would be up but Tsura had to think about the possibility of him being injured. If it was based upon his individual strength, then that would mean it could weaken. Looking at the ward, she saw the invisible wall quiver and that made up her mind.

It was one of the last few things she had learned from the elder. It was the only thing that she was truly good at. Offensive magic, hers in particular, was out of control. Everyone said she put too much emotion into it and went overboard. But when it came to barrier magic… that was her specialty. Her desire to protect drove it and they were nearly impossible to break. And right now she needed to make a contingency plan just in case. It wasn't that she didn't have faith in Mac but he was only human and their job was to keep Angela's body safe until she woke up.

The snarling and snapping drove Tsura to attention as she pulled out the piece of chalk that Mac had left behind, thankful that he did leave it behind. She began drawing on the walls some basic sigils, taking care not to disrupt anything Mac had done. Then she used it to draw the circle in the sand on the ground. She also drew the sigils on the ground while chanting the song that she used. She never knew why she sang while she cast her spell but it was pretty effective.

The snarling and the snapping intensified but she ignored them as best as she could while she continued to sing. She did note that the ward Mac laid seemed to shimmer in weakness. She needed to speed things up but she couldn't get sloppy. Pressure was not her thing but she had learned fast how to take it. They were constantly on the move and every other day they were fighting for their lives and Angela was the one that did all the heavy lifting no matter what Adam or Mac said.

Tsura pulled out her herbs and placed them in the shallow hole she had made for them while she chanted in the language of her people in an almost singsong of a voice. The snarling and snapping was growing louder and sounded like a pack of dogs that were slavering for the kill. She kept her focus on the herbs in the bowl as she lit a match and flung it into the mixture.

The smell of herbs started to fill the air and she wafted it towards her. The scent of the herbs hit her nose and she felt herself sink into that place that she always felt when she did a spell. As a little girl, she had always liked the smell of herbs. They were unique and exotic even if they were local herbs. She strove to learn about the different kinds of herbs that were out there and what they were used for and learned that each caster had their own unique blend. This was hers.

The snarling and thuds became incessant until the ward gave way. The telltale sign was that of the fading of the ward. Tsura had hoped that it wouldn't happen and she refused to think the worst. Rather she figured that something wore Mac down and the ward responded. She opened her eyes when she heard the snarling as one of the hellhounds managed to get through. It landed through the entrance with a thud and she saw the dirt splatter, like it plopped.

The hellhound was quick to be back on its feet and growling and snarling. Tsura could hear their feet padding on the ground. There were at least two of them and they were pretty big. Not as big as Cerebus since he was huge when he went invisible and charged. That dog was strong enough to knock over a tree if he wanted to. She could smell them; they had the stench of death and sulfur on them. The sulfur was from the pit and the death… from their victims that they chased down and carried to hell. And here they were on the hunt and she was the only thing standing between them and Angela's body.

Tsura looked at the hellhounds even though she couldn't see them with a narrowed look. They were doing a classic pincer attack. They loped until there was one on either side of her. She looked to the left and to the right. She could feel their noxious breath even though they weren't close enough to touch her but she didn't flinch. She raised her brow at one and said something in the Romani language and then in English, "You're not going to get her you sons of bitches."

The hellhounds charged together as she screamed out the phrase she knew so well and used in her spells. The hellhounds would have tackled her and tore her apart but they never touched her. There was a flash of light and whimpers. Tsura opened her eyes, unaware that her eyes had glowed in reaction to the spell taking effect. All she saw were dents in the ground and the plumes of dirt from the paws pounding the ground.

The spell had worked. She watched as they tried again but this time trying to get to Angela's prone body behind her. They were repelled just like before. And they were angry that they couldn't get in. She heard the snarls and the repeated attempts. Her spell will hold them back for now but she needed a miracle or something that would take care of the hellhounds. She prayed that Adam and Mac would get there in time.

She turned when she heard a slight moan from Angela. She saw the body start to convulse as if it were being hit. She couldn't move though. She had to stay rooted where she was in order to keep the ward going strong. Location as well as stamina figured into this. The repeated pounding though wasn't going to make things easy. The hellhounds were determined to get in and it looked like they didn't care who they tore to shreds.

Looking back at the body, Tsura pursed her lips into a determined line even though she was worried. She took a couple of deep breaths as she looked at the cave entrance and the hellhounds pacing around her ward. She breathed, "Please find your way back, Angie. We need you. They won't stop."

The human mind was a fascinating thing. Fascinating to hold interest even though the beings that held it were flawed abortions. Lucifer had interest in the things that people could come up with to cope with whatever trauma happened to them. They were so peculiar about it especially with the fantasies that they came up with. What he was interested in was what she had going on in her head. It was a desire that he had ever since she decided to barge in when he was trying to convince Sam to say yes in the beginning. Since then…

He had to make do with Sam. The things he saw in that melon… It was probably enough to make the most sane of person insane. The secrets, the lies… everything was spilled out in front of him and all because Sam said yes. And the perplexing thing was that she didn't even do anything to stop it. He still didn't get why she didn't bother to do anything until the very end. The whole jumping into the cage… that was her but everything before that…

He peered at Sam as he maneuvered to put the little girl in a position to be protected. It was amusing to see since he knew how vicious Sam could be. Then again there was a reason he was acting that way and he knew full well what it was. He had been in Sam's noggin and had seen a few things that influenced his treatment of Sam. He could see thought that Sam was intending to fight and that was actually quite stimulating since previously any resistance was halfhearted at best.

He watched as Sam stepped forward, ready to fight. He taunted, "What are you going to do, Sam? Fight me?"

"I'll do what I have to do."

Lucifer laughed. He could tell that Sam was going to make good on what he said. He saw the balled fists and he couldn't help but taunt him some more, "So you're going to rip me apart from the inside out?"

It was amusing when Sam paused a bit. Of course Lucifer would remember that one. He thought it amusing since it was clear at the time that Sam had no hope of taking the gag off or getting back control. He did underestimate him though since Sam did manage to take control of the wheel. He pulled off the impossible and now they were back here and he didn't come back alone. So it wasn't completely bad and it was uplifting now that Sam was starting to fight back.

"I still can do that."

"I'm sure you can," Lucifer mocked. He grinned as he looked at Sam. He then made a waving motion and the little girl came flying towards him and suspended her in the air. He chuckled as she watched her struggle and noticed Sam make a move. He held his hand out to stop him, "Don't try it Sam. Not unless you want to see the worst of your nightmares play out."

"Let her go."

"Why?" Lucifer frowned at Sam. "You know she's not real."

"Let her go."

Lucifer pursed his lips as it turned into a grin as he took a couple of steps forward. He moved towards the little girl as she struggled to get free. There was a terrified look on her face as he stepped forward. "What are you worried about? What are you afraid of?"

It was a rhetorical question but it was fun for the fallen angel. He liked hearing the excuses that were made. Some were creative and intrigued him. Besides, he wanted to see how far Sam Winchester would go in terms to admitting his reasons why. He smiled at Sam as he reached up and held onto one of the little girl's hands and played with her fingers. He relished in the fact that she was too scared to do anything and he was getting a reaction from Sam.

"Don't touch her."

Lucifer didn't respond but he grinned at Sam as he continued to play with the little girl's fingers. He noted the trembling she took. So innocent she looked at this age. Didn't even know what life was full of down the road, what she would encounter, the things that make her who she was. He looked at Sam and grinned at him. "What are you afraid of, Sam? Why shouldn't I touch this beautiful specimen?"

"Leave… her… alone!"

Lucifer was expecting the charge and with a wave of his hand, he sent Sam flying back and into the wall of one of the buildings. "You think I wasn't expecting that? I know you Sam. Such anger… and not directed at the right person."

"No, it's at the right one. You."

Lucifer was impressed that Sam was able to get to his feet. He had thrown him hard enough and it was enough for his body to feel it in the real world. Probably he was spitting up blood from the injury. He would have to be careful if he didn't want Sam to expire anytime soon. Still, if he wanted to make an impression on her, he was going to have to do something to make her react and find him. He tsked at Sam, "Now, now. You and I both know that if it hadn't been for her, things would have been a lot different."

"It would have happened regardless."

Lucifer blurted out a chortle. Now that was a laugh. He really believed that? "You really believe that? What happened is off script because of her." He made his point by slamming Sam into the wall again. He watched as blood dribbled out of Sam's mouth.

"It's because of her, that you are here and not topside."

"And in case you haven't noticed, you're here with me," Lucifer pointed out. He held onto the little girl's hand and played with her fingers only to annoy and taunt Sam more. He watched as Sam spat out the blood that was in his mouth. No doubt there was blood dribbling out of his mouth. Just as long as he didn't die in both here and there things would be fine.

It was amusing to watch Sam huff and puff but it was fast becoming boring. Now was the time to step up the game and really make Sam squirm. He said, "And I still have her." He played with the little girl's fingers. "You know she was always meant to be mine."

"Stop touching her."

"Or what?"

Lucifer knew that it was a bit of child's play going into that dialogue. Still it was fun on some level since this was the most her got out of Sam ever since coming back down to this hell hole. He grinned as he continued, "Are you afraid that she won't… recognize you?"

It was probably the cruelest trick in the book but he had done it to Sam before. Only this time he was going to play harder as he took on the form of Sam Winchester. He grinned as he moved to put a hand on the little one's head. He looked at her and smiled a disarming smile as he stroked her hair. "Afraid that she won't recognize who you really are?"

"Stop it. Let her go."

Lucifer heard Sam but ignored him. He plucked the girl out of the air and held her. He took in the scared expression that was also mingled with confusion. He knew that she didn't understand what was going on but he knew full well that Sam did. He held her and looked at her with a smile. "Now, now, Angie. You remember me, don't you? You know me better than anyone here in this room." He turned slightly so he could get a good look at Sam's expression and asked him, "So what are you going to do Sam? Fight yourself?"

Lucifer watched as Sam battled with what to do. This was way more amusing than he thought. He held onto the little one and then glanced at Sam's companion. She was just standing there, like she didn't know what to do or she was ready to pounce on him. Either way, it was going to be a good fight if Sam decided the risk was worth it. He asked, "Or are you going to let your bodyguard fight me? She looks pretty riled up."

It was clear that Sam was confused about the whole thing. Lucifer watched as the confusion fell on Sam's face until he looked at his companion, which was the perfect version of his pretty, and then it became clear. That was an interesting turn of events and Lucifer filed it away to think about and contemplate the possibility of using it to further torment Sam. Or he could just do it now and really put a spin on things. He taunted some more, "Don't you recognize who that is?"

"I know who it is."

Lucifer raised a warning finger as he held onto the little one. As it were she was leverage of a sorts. It kept Sam from attacking him and doing anything before he fully had his fun. "Don't lie to me, Sam," he warned, "You can show me that much since I have never lied to you. Not once since you opened my cage."

"I know who it is and right now I want you to put her down."

"Put who down?"

"Don't you dare…"

"Or what?" Lucifer shrugged like it was nothing. He pointed out, "I am merely trying to clarify who it is you're talking about. See, this little one is someone you know." He then pointed at Sam's companion, "And that one is someone you know. And she looks magnificent by the way."

"Only in your perverted dreams."

"And she speaks," Lucifer replied with glee. He tightened his grip since he felt the little one start to struggle. No way this was going to end so quickly. "I was wondering when you would open your mouth. Please tell me you've told him what you are."

"He knows."

"I know."

"Ah but the question is will he remember?" Lucifer took in the puzzled looks from both until he sighed in boredom and explained, "Sam… you didn't know what I was talking about until I gestured towards her." He gestured again at the elder Angela, "And she didn't speak because she can't… unless you want her to."

"I speak when I want, fallen angel," Sam's companion replied, "And it is only the beginning."

"We'll see about that," Lucifer cast a knowing look in her direction before looking at Sam. He then asked, "So… what's it going to be Sam?"

"Let her go and I'll do what you want."

"Tempting, but…" Lucifer let it hang for a moment before he held the little one in full view of Sam. He then muttered in a soothing tone, "Now what are you scared of? It's me, Sammy."

Lucifer spared only a glance at Sam before looking at the little one and with a deft twist, snapped the child's neck with his bare hands. It was much more satisfying than using his powers. Plus it had the desired effect on Sam. He heard the younger Winchester scream out in anger and the next thing he knew he had a six foot four man charging at him and he welcomed it.

A/N: Mac goes to help Adam but hellhounds get through and barely held off and Lucifer plays on Sam's worst nightmare. More to come on Over the Edge...