Queen's note: I think I scared people with the last chapter, oops. Trust me, it gets better frens!

Garnets

Chapter Forty Seven:

Heartbeats

Castiel grinned wide in his modified helmet, he almost laughed as his battle ax sank into the Baron's neck from behind. He still had more discipline than that.

Yet it was satisfying following the bigger demon's body down. Adjusting his balance from standing on the back of the Baron to being able to land on Castiel's own feet in the death char and ash that spread out.

He growled, turning to see the companion that followed Castiel into the southernmost spiral of the Howling Canyons. The Marauder was really only able to tell the difference between this hulking Hell Knight and those of the Baron because of the thick growths of green sea glass following its spine.

The beast was shaking itself free of the ash from what it had killed. Teeth exposed in a wicked, feral grin of its own delight at fighting. It mattered not what it was killing as long as it did not have its Gorgon master's mark. It looked over at the once Sentinel, recognized him again only because of the crystal chest plate and that his horns were broken off, and gave a bloody grin. Waiting for orders.

"Track." Castiel said, determined to find what they were searching for. The Murderer was sure it would be here, though the gorgon was searching closer to normal hatching grounds. The way things echoed in the canyons themselves was always tricky.

He was sure it was around.

The old Hell Knight stood to its full height at once, sniffing and flicking out a thick forked tunge to scent and taste the air. Clearly concentrating hard as it sorted out what was around them. Slow steps started back up, going deeper in this canyon.

Perhaps shallower in the canyon, as the walls were slowly lowering.

The Hell Knight corrected his path and kept tracking, much like those prized hounds from Immora and the temples in Hell. Something soft and warm touched Castiel's hand, the once Sentinel smiled at the phantom form of his wolf. He rubbed the purple-orange 'fur' that was back on his wolf's form, the marauder looked down at his own chest next. The shimmering crystal, or diamond like chest plate to replace his old broken one.

He still cherished this gift, as he stood from the slight stoop to give attention to the phantom wolf. "Stay on alert little sister."

The phantom of his wolf gave a yawn like motion before stretching and then trotting around in a wider circle around her still living person. There was an odd boof-like sound from the Hell Knight. It was looking back at Castiel, showing a fanged filled grin of excitement, clawing at the ground as it waited for him.

The Marauder checked his shield and started after the beast. It seemed to have found something as they followed the not quite roadways that were winding through the lowest level of the canyon. Castiel slowed at one point, realizing that the rough paths did have some stone bricks in them, like closer to the old gorgon city he had been staying in.

The altered man knelt, his shield deactivated for now on his left arm and his ax resting on his back. He stared at the bricks, scrapping at the stone with blunted fingers as Castiel never really had claws. At least as far as he knew.

After getting a good look at himself for the first time in the Gorgon kingdom, Castiel was not all that keen on prying off parts of his armor any more. Or take his gauntlets and gloves off, if anything it drove him to cover his face fully now. As well as break the horns he had not realized had grown on himself.

Castiel had known his skin tone had changed after his wraith gift finally gave out. Aware of the slow changes in his mass over time, needed to adjust his armor several times now, as well as being able to feel sharper teeth and harder muscles. His overall presence shifted from attracting demons in hunger to intimidating most of the lesser or mid-tier ones. It was so different to see himself changed so much.

Suddenly seeing himself for the first time in ages had Castiel reflexively attacking his reflection before the breaking glass had belatedly told him something horrific. The gorgon lady had turned to defend him before she realized what happened before he did. Castiel was immensely grateful that she had been kind to him in the following breakdown. Even holding the murderer to keep himself from trying to kill himself in the shame of realizing what he turned into.

Golden eyes stared at the brick he exposed. The pattern was not just carved into the stone but… inlaid. Most of the shimmering inlay was still there as he scraped off dirt and hell-growth. He recognized it after a few moments, though it looked like the Lady's pearly scales he finally realized what the right term was.

Mother of pearl.

Castiel smiled, that was such a beautiful term… name? He needed to bring it up to the Lady, as she still had not given herself a new name or said what her old one was. The once Sentinel pried the brick up, shaking the dirt off, and as he brushed the sun design off noticed something else.

The once man was quick to drop the brick and reach for a small canister he normally had argent rations in. it was currently empty but for a few drops, and Castiel was sure that it would be okay as he safely kept the small sprouting seed from being exposed to hell's atmosphere. Castiel grabbed the brick and shoved the small canister in a gap of his armor where it would stay safely wedged.

Golden eyes wide as a curious thing happened. Spreading from his chest as he started to walk, absorbing this near impossibility of this treasure Castiel had found. The only real plants that could ever grow in hell were in the largest, keep-like temples. As well as in the hidden ruby city of Immora.

What world did the Howling Canyons originally come from?

Castiel looked at the almost stepping stone of a brick he held as the Hell Knight made an excited sound. Starting to lope off ahead, while the phantom wolf gave it an almost disapproving look.

"Please be a sign." Castiel said as he walked after, making himself just lengthen his stride and not run. For a moment closing his eyes and he could not help but reach to the plated armored gauntlet and the strap of his shield on his left arm. Ripping it with his right arm and the canister with the seed with his left hand as Castiel could not help but prey. "My Lord Slayer, please… Please let this be a good sign. I have not lost my faith in you, my War King, my God of Death. Let me live long enough to find you again. Give me strength to help this Lady, and we can find and free you from the grip of the blood Priests."

Golden eyes opened, and Castiel took a deep breath. He could almost swear he smelled that distinct scent of his Lord. Unable to not straighten up and salute before realizing the imposing presence, if shorter in the physical way, was not really there.

"Let me find it my god, and I will do everything I can to get back to you." Castiel could not quite kill himself, but if he found the Slayer King… even if he could not recognize Castiel either, as he did not recognize himself. Castiel knew all too well that he would be happy to give his now broken soul to his king to use or whatever was needed.

That would be a fate worth dying for.

Castiel would rather his soul sate his king or be useful to him in some way, then to feed the fodder of hell.

The Hell Knight howled an alert, thrilled as it seemed to have found something important.

The Marauder clutched at the edge of his new chest plate. Grinning under the mask, "Thank you, my Lord Slayer."

The demon with the green sea glass growths was scratching at loose rocks on the wall to Castiel's left. Sniffing where the scratches were, moved to one side and then scratched and sniffed more. The Knight stopped and stared pointedly at a wide flaking, almost shale like rocks. Breathing deeping and intently before licking one spot.

If this creature was not so fully charmed by the Lady, it might have tried to blindly dig out what was in the wall of a canyon. To obsess over or even try and eat. The Hell Knight just whined and waited until Castiel carefully put a hand on the large head and guided him back. Seeing the edge of…gold.

Tiny, delicate and transparent yellow crystals were exposed where the slate had been scratched off.

"Little one," Castiel breathed as he carefully moved to pry a few surface flakes off the wall, finding the rough outline of an oval. The Hell Knight started pacing back and forth behind him, on a look out as much as wanting to see what they had been searching for. "Found you… don't worry, I'm here to help."

Castiel looked around, as easily as it would be to just rip chunks off he had to be careful. A gorgon in and just out of the egg would likely be at their most valuable. This was a space no more then… maybe three feet or so, not nearly as big as the Lady, its mother. He pulled the slate off, following the threading trail of yellow crystals. Clear like citrine rather than frosted like seaglass the awake gorgon made.

The once Sentinel felt over the thicker centerpiece blocking his way. Wedging his blunted fingers around the edges, paused and reached back for the handle of his battle ax. It was not activated as he just used the hilt itself to help carefully wedge out the larger piece. Flexing his abdominal muscles to help stabilize his core and ease the cover stone down to the ground.

Behind and partly to the side, the Hell Knight… Crooned as he got the first look inside. The sound it made was so out of place that it had Castiel looking back at it, seeing how the demon sat down and stared into the opening. He turned and almost felt his altered heart break.

Flowers.

Real flowers, edged in crystal, some made of crystals, others having been covered in it? Six pedals that fanned out, some having a darker splash or freckling in the middle of orange.

There was a decent pocket of space in the canyon wall, just enough that he might be able to reach in, maybe pull himself through. Castiel could only imagine that this was what a gorgon hatchery was supposed to look like. The floor and walls of this pocket were covered in soft gold and yellow crystals, not really sharp or large. It was like the inside of a geoid Castiel realized. In the center was shimmering pale sand that let the flowers grow and protected the clear egg from becoming too hot on any one spot.

Then again, it was cool inside this pocket. A buffer from the constant heat and burn of hell, almost like a few areas in the gorgon ruins.

Something faintly moved in the egg.

Castiel looked startled, having thought the egg was empty, given how clear it was. He looked around, setting his ax hilt down and carefully started to climb inside. Grunting in surprise as that Hell Knight shifted to duck and then push up under his legs. Letting the Marauder use its back as a stepping point to get up inside easier.

He had to be very careful to not catch himself or his armor on the edges of the geoid opening. Castiel easing himself in and found a little more space once past it. He reached out with his left hand, feeling the smooth, cool shell of the egg once close enough. It was soft but held against the light pressure of his hand.

It felt like a polished crystal stone, only he could see liquid inside and the faintest of shapes. Castiel could just make out the soft lines inside the gorgon egg. The longer he stared the more he realized that the young one was almost fully formed inside the egg, except it… she was as clear as the shell.

"Oh my little one, I'm so sorry." Castiel hummed as he gently stroked the egg's shell, then touched one of the soft flower pedals. There was no soul he could sense in this egg, and he could only imagine what happened. "You must have died only for a moment, just a few heartbeats to start to arrive here before going back."

The altered man closed his eyes so he would not have to see his reflection in the egg's shell while resting his head on it. Able to faintly sense who might have been this little life. "...we'll keep this safe for you, bring it back to a hidden hatchery. I'll try and find you, little one, and keep you safe until you're ready to be reborn. Don't worry, your mother has been searching for a way back to you."