Blood Runes: Chapter 4
Chapter 4
Dean decided to keep the “Blood Blade” as the group had come to call it. Strangely, after he began carrying the weapon with him, they seemed to make better time through the Labyrinth. Even though they saw signs of groups of monsters in the area, they were not attacked again. Where they had been forced to hack their way through underbrush that seemed to regenerate almost as quickly as it had been cut away before, now straight, clear paths appeared before them, all heading in the direction of a spire in the distance.
As they grew closer, the vague outline of a structure could be discerned. Plants and layers of earth covered the majority of a tower that could easily be mistaken for a small mountain unless one looked very closely. Here and there the black openings of windows could be seen between branches of trees and bushes. Small patches of stone blocks held together by mortar peeked out of sediment and coarse grass.
They traveled around the base of the tower, looking for some way into the building. It was beginning to look like they might have to try scaling the vegetation covered walls to reach a window when Dean cursed softly. The others turned to stare at him.
“The knife,” Dean explained, “it’s vibrating.”
He drew the blade from the spot he’d placed in on his belt. The weapon was vacillating fast enough to blur the edges and produce a high whining sound. Dean felt his right palm beginning to go numb where he gripped the handle.
“Do you suppose it’s reacting to something inside the tower?” Alfred mused.
“I think I know what it wants.” Dean brought the pad of his left thumb to the edge of the blade, only flinching slightly as it cut into his flesh. Not a drop reached the ground, instead disappearing into the weapon with a burst of light. Dean brought the small wound to the back of his right hand and healed it.
The blade had stopped its frantic motion, though it now felt like it was pulling Dean toward the tower, so he obligingly followed. With a shrug, Haplo fell in line behind the Hunter, the rest of the group trailed after as well. Dean scanned the structure as they walked closer and did a double take when he thought he saw a small face peeking out one of the windows, but when he looked again, there was nothing there. He didn’t say anything to the others, merely continuing to follow where the blade led him. The pull ceased in front of a patch of wall covered in trailing vines, which revealed a doorway once cut away.
The doors were forged of some kind of thick metal and engraved with a complex Sartan rune structure that contained a blank spot in the center.
“The doors to the citadels on Pryan were locked in this way.” Haplo eyed the blank space. “This rune layout is different, though.”
“I’d be happy to open it,” Alfred offered, but Dean held out an arm to block him as he stepped forward.
The Patryn narrowed his eyes at the blank space, as though he were seeing something the others did not. He walked up to the door and traced a rune himself, speaking it at the same time, but it was like nothing any of them had seen or heard before. The rune was a combination of the hexagonal Sartan rune required to complete the construct on the doors and an equivalent octagonal Patryn rune embedded in the center of and entwined with the other symbol.
“That shouldn’t have worked!” Alfred gawked at the doors as they slowly opened. “The rune fit in the gap, but it was not the key meant to be used!”
“How did you know the way to interlock the runes?” Haplo asked. The rune Dean had traced was gone now, but Haplo could recall most of it. There were any number of ways runes could be connected to one another, but not all of them would work, and Sartan and Patryn runes should not work in combination. He had only seen the two magics combined once before, when he and Alfred had worked together to close Death’s Gate. It was all but impossible to have simply stumbled upon a combination that worked on the first try.
Dean shrugged. “I don’t know. I could just see it in my mind.” The younger Patryn’s grip on the handle of the blood blade was white-knuckled.
“Can I see that blade for a moment?” Haplo asked.
For a moment it seemed like Dean would refuse. He pulled the knife closer to himself, eyes narrowing, then he shook his head as though he were clearing it and handed it over.
Haplo slid a fingertip along the blade, drawing a few drops of blood, but they fell to the ground, soaking into the soil instead of the blade, which did not react in the slightest. Alfred changed the focus of his shock and the rest of the group were quite surprised as well.
“Maybe it needs time to build up its magic again?” Marit suggested.
Castiel stared intently at the blade, looked over to Dean, and back again. “Maybe it needs very specific blood.”
“That weapon was practically delivered to you,” Haplo added. “It led you to the tower door. I think the Labyrinth wants you here.”
“Well, isn’t that a comforting thought?” Dean peered through the doorway into the dimly lit interior of the structure. “It’s a good thing we were headed here anyway.” Dean took the weapon back from Haplo, squared his shoulders, and walked through the entrance. The others followed, all but Alfred who was rooted in place, deep in thought.
“Why?” Alfred wondered. Marit returned to drag him along behind her by one bony elbow.
“We can worry about the ‘why’ later.”
When the last of the group crossed the threshold, the doors swung shut with a booming thud. Despite the somewhat ominous portent, the group pressed forward to explore the rest of the tower. Outside, the vines slithered down to cover the portal again.
***
There had been nothing of interest in the entry hall. Unlike other Sartan structures both Haplo and Alfred had explored previously, this one had no guide runes running along the base of the wall. Traditional searching would have to suffice.
The first door exiting the room they opened led into a stairwell that coiled up and around the outside of the building. They decided unanimously to check the rest of the ground level before proceeding any higher.
The next door led into a dark room that apparently had no windows to the outside. Almost simulatenously, all the Patryns and the Sartan conjured their own small sources of light; the dragon simply stared into the darkness as though he could see quite clearly, and for all the others knew, he might.
Alfred scanned the wall near the door, locating a rune carved into the stone. As Alfred sang the rune and traced it with a long finger and movements of his feet, magical lighting blinked on throughout what proved to be a large hall. Large rectangular insets in the walls contained shelves of strange items on display behind rune reinforced glass.
“What are all these things?” Marit wondered aloud, peering at strange rectangular object small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. It was cover in small raised pieces of varying shapes that were inscribed with symbols that appeared to be in human.
“That is something called a remote control,” Castiel explained, though he did not appear to find the items very interesting at all. “It’s an ancient item of the pre-sundered world. It would appear that whomever once occupied this tower was a collector of ancient artifacts.”
Dean was entranced by another of the cases a short distance down the right-hand wall of the room; it held weapons. He traced the index finger of one hand along the shape of one of the odd metal weapons without actually touching the glass. Most of them were too small to make an effective club, and each had mysterious holes in one end. Small cylindrical pieces of tapered metal sat next to some of them on their display shelves.
“You seem to know a lot about these ‘relics’, Castiel,” Dean stated, gesturing for the dragon to join him. “What kind of weapons are these?”
“Those are known as guns,” Castiel obligingly explained. “Those small pieces of metal are called bullets. Through the use of an explosive called gunpowder, they were fired from the guns at a high velocity.”
“Distance weapons,” Dean remarked with a small amount of disdain. He had always preferred to meet his opponents face to face, though he had, on occasion, used thrown spears when fighting up close was not a viable option. He was entirely unsure why he found these “guns” so fascinating.
“They were equally destructive at close range, but yes, they were frequently used from a distance.”
“As fascinating as this look at ancient history is,” Haplo stated pointedly, “there is a lot of this tower we haven’t explored yet, and we don’t know when the dragon-snakes might return.”
No sooner had the words been spoken than the sound of the heavy entry doors booming closed reached them. They all warily approached the door to the hall and Alfred stammered a negation to the lighting spell.
***
Sam stared up at the tower. He could feel anticipation thrumming though him, practically vibrating beneath his skin, though that might be the blood magic. He’d been increasing the amount of blood he consumed from Ruby, amazed at what he was now capable of doing. He hadn’t even determined his limits because monsters had stopped attacking him. He felt a satisfied thrill that the Labyrinth itself seemed to fear him!
“So,” Ruby mused, “this is it--the site of the new gate.” She didn’t sound particularly impressed, but other than being a rather tall structure, the tower certainly didn’t present much to inspire awe.
She casually ran a hand down Sam’s arm. Ruby had been touching him every chance she got. He wondered if she could feel the power simmering under his skin as well as he could because he doubted she was doing it out of affection. Sometimes he almost forgot that she was not the woman she appeared, but then he’d catch her watching him with a knowing smile, eyes glowing red.
Sam turned his focus from his internal rambling back to the building before him. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this...nothing. There was no evidence at all that anything here had been disturbed recently, no sign of the dragon-snakes.
A small part of Sam warned him that this was highly suspicious--a sign of a trap. The smart thing to do would be to stay away, especially since this was the very place Azazel and the others wanted him. He didn’t know if he was strong enough to face a single dragon-snake yet, let alone unknown numbers of them potentially lying in wait. Sam was resolutely ignoring this part of himself.
A far larger part of Sam was eager to test the limits of his new powers. He was almost disappointed not to have been confronted. The dragon-snakes thought they were invincible, but every creature had a weakness. They had hoped to use Sam to further their own plans and he was looking forward to showing them firsthand that he was no one’s pawn.
Sam and Ruby split up to search for a door into the tower. Sam was examining a section of wall when he felt phantom eyes upon him. He snapped his head up to look at the windows above him, but there was nothing there. It was strange--the observer didn’t feel threatening. Instead, it was almost as though he were expected.
“I think I found the entrance.” Sam was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t hear Ruby come up behind him. He decided not to mention the odd feeling, silently following her to the vine covered doors. The camouflage was disposed of in short order.
The rune structure on the door was simple, it would be easy to complete it and open the door the way the Sartan builders would have. Though somewhat more complicated, he could use his own Patryn magic to create his own doorway through the walls if he chose. Instead of either obvious option, Sam decided to give vent to some of the power surging through him. He used his new magical strength to force the door open. Normally he would frown upon such brutish methods, but now he gloried in a tangible display of his capabilities.
Sam had already started to pass through the entrance before he noticed Ruby was no longer beside him. He looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised in question.
“Something feels wrong,” she answered the unspoken question with a shrug. “I thought I would wait out here, just in case. Maybe I’ll be able to warn you if the other dragon-snakes arrive.”
Sam nodded in acknowledgement and walked through the doors. He glanced around the large empty hall as the doors closed behind him. He thought he heard noises from behind one of the doors along the far wall, but when he listened again, he heard nothing. Still itching for a chance to prove himself on his own terms, Sam decided to ignore prudence for the moment.
“Is anyone there?” he called out.
There were startled exclamations by several different voices from behind the suspect door before it burst open to reveal a small group that included someone unexpected.
“Sam?” Dean asked in surprise, rushing forward despite a few attempts by his companions to restrain him. Dean glanced around and behind Sam as though he were expecting others. “Are you here alone? Are you all right? I’m glad I found you!”
“You’ve been looking for me?” Sam asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why? Where’s our father?” He had noticed John was not with the others still standing by the door through which they had entered the hall.
“Father?” Dean looked decidedly uncomfortable for a moment. “We got...separated. I was injured and I was found by their group.” Dean gestured at the strangers behind him. “They said you might be in danger from something called dragon-snakes? I’ve got to say, I’m surprised to see you back in the Labyrinth after how eager you were to get out.”
Sam’s expression had hardened further at the mention of the dragon-snakes. He tuned out further inquiries from his brother in favor of assessing his companions. Two members of the party were other Patryns, one appeared to be a Sartan of all things, and the last man...
“Dragon-snake!” Sam accused with a hiss. He recognized the inhuman aura coming from the stranger with the intense, blue eyes. He was not as he appeared to be.
“A dragon, yes,” the man corrected calmly, “but not a dragon-snake.”
“The dragon-snakes are their enemies,” Dean explained. “He’s not so bad. A little strange, but he seems trustworthy enough.”
“Oh, really?” Sam sneered. “I suppose these other dragons are the ones that said I was in danger?”
“Well, yes...”
Sam laughed bitterly. “How do you know they weren’t just trying to get you to lead them to me? For all you know, they might be working with the dragon-snakes. They might even be a greater threat!”
“Sam,” Dean protested, “I really don’t care if they have secret plans. All I wanted was to make sure you were all right. They can’t make either of us do anything.”
Any further arguments from either brother were cut off by the sound of someone coming down the stairs from higher in the tower. Animosity forgotten in the face of a common threat, both brothers turned to face the door to the stairs, back to back and prepared to fight if necessary.
“It’s good to see you’re both still ready for anything,” a figure in the shadows of the stairs declared gruffly.
“Father?” Sam and Dean chorused together.
“I was sure you were still alive somehow!” Dean’s tension relaxed as Sam’s only increased.
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Sam asked his brother.
Dean ignored him and continued to address their father. “I know you told me not to follow, but that thing you were facing--I think it might have been something called a dragon-snake. Right before I fell unconscious, I thought I saw...” Dean paled at the memory.
“It decided to leave on its own,” John explained with a shrug. “I don’t know why it didn’t kill me. I sent you away to keep you safe and then tracked it back to this place. There were more of them and they’re planning something. I can’t do anything alone, but together, we might be able to stop them. Their plan seems to center on the roof of the tower; come with me.” John gestured for them to follow.
Dean started to step forward, but then paused, squinting at the man on the stairs. Something wasn’t right.
“Maybe we should wait,” Dean countered. “Let’s find an empty room and come up with a plan.”
“There’s no time!” John insisted.
Sam was growing more and more uneasy himself. If Dean doubted their father, there was no better sign to be wary! As their father clung to the shadows, Sam was reminded of his first meeting with Ruby.
“Step into the light,” Sam demanded.
John laughed, and the sound sent shivers down the spines of both his sons, the voice and appearance of the man swiftly changing as he stepped forward.
“You really are determined not to make anything easy for me, aren’t you, Sam?”
“Azazel!” Sam glowered at the dragon-snake.
Dean looked absolutely devastated, though that quickly turned to rage. “Where is our father? What have you done with him?”
“I think you know.” Azazel smirked, red eyes gleaming. “I was planning to wipe out your bloodline other than Sam,” Azazel explained, “but your father begged so nicely.”
“Liar!” Dean accused.
“So, he’s dead?” Sam managed to remain impassive, but Dean flinched at the words.
“That’s right,” Azazel confirmed. “Traded his life for his son. It was touching, really. Besides, I knew Dean here would find his way right back to me eventually. Just had to dangle the right bait.”
Dean turned to glare at Castiel accusingly. The dragon said nothing in his own defense to the Patryn, instead speaking to Azazel. “You knew we were watching you. I was meant to carry news of your plans back all along.”
“That’s right, and now that the gang’s all here, let’s head up to the roof.” When no one moved, Azazel’s smile turned more sinister. “I insist.” Three more figures with glowing red eyes appeared in corners of the hall, stepping forward.
“I’m not going to let you use me without a fight!” Sam snarled and began mentally pooling his magic. He momentarily regretted wasting some of his stored power on the doors, but that couldn’t be helped now. He was considering what kind of attack would catch Azazel most off guard when the world flashed white and he suddenly found himself, Dean, and the rest of Dean’s group outside, a good distance from the tower.
“What happened?” Dean voiced the question on everyone’s mind first.
“A confrontation would have been ill-advised.” Castiel was looking back at the tower with a frown. “We were outmatched. Hopefully, I have moved us far enough that we will have time to seek reinforcements.”
Sam bit back the retort he wanted to make about wanting to face Azazel. He scowled at the dragon, deciding that perhaps it was better not to reveal his full capabilities to a potential enemy.
***
Back in the tower, Azazel stopped his brethren from pursuing their prey.
“The emissary of order will bring his fellows down on us,” one of them protested. “We cannot jeopardize the gate!”
“He will require time to bring reinforcements.” Azazel gazed out one of the tower windows as though he were visually scanning for the escaped group. “Our young Patryn friends are not the patient sort. We have only to wait a while, and they will come to us.”
Previous || Master Post || Next
Dean decided to keep the “Blood Blade” as the group had come to call it. Strangely, after he began carrying the weapon with him, they seemed to make better time through the Labyrinth. Even though they saw signs of groups of monsters in the area, they were not attacked again. Where they had been forced to hack their way through underbrush that seemed to regenerate almost as quickly as it had been cut away before, now straight, clear paths appeared before them, all heading in the direction of a spire in the distance.
As they grew closer, the vague outline of a structure could be discerned. Plants and layers of earth covered the majority of a tower that could easily be mistaken for a small mountain unless one looked very closely. Here and there the black openings of windows could be seen between branches of trees and bushes. Small patches of stone blocks held together by mortar peeked out of sediment and coarse grass.
They traveled around the base of the tower, looking for some way into the building. It was beginning to look like they might have to try scaling the vegetation covered walls to reach a window when Dean cursed softly. The others turned to stare at him.
“The knife,” Dean explained, “it’s vibrating.”
He drew the blade from the spot he’d placed in on his belt. The weapon was vacillating fast enough to blur the edges and produce a high whining sound. Dean felt his right palm beginning to go numb where he gripped the handle.
“Do you suppose it’s reacting to something inside the tower?” Alfred mused.
“I think I know what it wants.” Dean brought the pad of his left thumb to the edge of the blade, only flinching slightly as it cut into his flesh. Not a drop reached the ground, instead disappearing into the weapon with a burst of light. Dean brought the small wound to the back of his right hand and healed it.
The blade had stopped its frantic motion, though it now felt like it was pulling Dean toward the tower, so he obligingly followed. With a shrug, Haplo fell in line behind the Hunter, the rest of the group trailed after as well. Dean scanned the structure as they walked closer and did a double take when he thought he saw a small face peeking out one of the windows, but when he looked again, there was nothing there. He didn’t say anything to the others, merely continuing to follow where the blade led him. The pull ceased in front of a patch of wall covered in trailing vines, which revealed a doorway once cut away.
The doors were forged of some kind of thick metal and engraved with a complex Sartan rune structure that contained a blank spot in the center.
“The doors to the citadels on Pryan were locked in this way.” Haplo eyed the blank space. “This rune layout is different, though.”
“I’d be happy to open it,” Alfred offered, but Dean held out an arm to block him as he stepped forward.
The Patryn narrowed his eyes at the blank space, as though he were seeing something the others did not. He walked up to the door and traced a rune himself, speaking it at the same time, but it was like nothing any of them had seen or heard before. The rune was a combination of the hexagonal Sartan rune required to complete the construct on the doors and an equivalent octagonal Patryn rune embedded in the center of and entwined with the other symbol.
“That shouldn’t have worked!” Alfred gawked at the doors as they slowly opened. “The rune fit in the gap, but it was not the key meant to be used!”
“How did you know the way to interlock the runes?” Haplo asked. The rune Dean had traced was gone now, but Haplo could recall most of it. There were any number of ways runes could be connected to one another, but not all of them would work, and Sartan and Patryn runes should not work in combination. He had only seen the two magics combined once before, when he and Alfred had worked together to close Death’s Gate. It was all but impossible to have simply stumbled upon a combination that worked on the first try.
Dean shrugged. “I don’t know. I could just see it in my mind.” The younger Patryn’s grip on the handle of the blood blade was white-knuckled.
“Can I see that blade for a moment?” Haplo asked.
For a moment it seemed like Dean would refuse. He pulled the knife closer to himself, eyes narrowing, then he shook his head as though he were clearing it and handed it over.
Haplo slid a fingertip along the blade, drawing a few drops of blood, but they fell to the ground, soaking into the soil instead of the blade, which did not react in the slightest. Alfred changed the focus of his shock and the rest of the group were quite surprised as well.
“Maybe it needs time to build up its magic again?” Marit suggested.
Castiel stared intently at the blade, looked over to Dean, and back again. “Maybe it needs very specific blood.”
“That weapon was practically delivered to you,” Haplo added. “It led you to the tower door. I think the Labyrinth wants you here.”
“Well, isn’t that a comforting thought?” Dean peered through the doorway into the dimly lit interior of the structure. “It’s a good thing we were headed here anyway.” Dean took the weapon back from Haplo, squared his shoulders, and walked through the entrance. The others followed, all but Alfred who was rooted in place, deep in thought.
“Why?” Alfred wondered. Marit returned to drag him along behind her by one bony elbow.
“We can worry about the ‘why’ later.”
When the last of the group crossed the threshold, the doors swung shut with a booming thud. Despite the somewhat ominous portent, the group pressed forward to explore the rest of the tower. Outside, the vines slithered down to cover the portal again.
***
There had been nothing of interest in the entry hall. Unlike other Sartan structures both Haplo and Alfred had explored previously, this one had no guide runes running along the base of the wall. Traditional searching would have to suffice.
The first door exiting the room they opened led into a stairwell that coiled up and around the outside of the building. They decided unanimously to check the rest of the ground level before proceeding any higher.
The next door led into a dark room that apparently had no windows to the outside. Almost simulatenously, all the Patryns and the Sartan conjured their own small sources of light; the dragon simply stared into the darkness as though he could see quite clearly, and for all the others knew, he might.
Alfred scanned the wall near the door, locating a rune carved into the stone. As Alfred sang the rune and traced it with a long finger and movements of his feet, magical lighting blinked on throughout what proved to be a large hall. Large rectangular insets in the walls contained shelves of strange items on display behind rune reinforced glass.
“What are all these things?” Marit wondered aloud, peering at strange rectangular object small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. It was cover in small raised pieces of varying shapes that were inscribed with symbols that appeared to be in human.
“That is something called a remote control,” Castiel explained, though he did not appear to find the items very interesting at all. “It’s an ancient item of the pre-sundered world. It would appear that whomever once occupied this tower was a collector of ancient artifacts.”
Dean was entranced by another of the cases a short distance down the right-hand wall of the room; it held weapons. He traced the index finger of one hand along the shape of one of the odd metal weapons without actually touching the glass. Most of them were too small to make an effective club, and each had mysterious holes in one end. Small cylindrical pieces of tapered metal sat next to some of them on their display shelves.
“You seem to know a lot about these ‘relics’, Castiel,” Dean stated, gesturing for the dragon to join him. “What kind of weapons are these?”
“Those are known as guns,” Castiel obligingly explained. “Those small pieces of metal are called bullets. Through the use of an explosive called gunpowder, they were fired from the guns at a high velocity.”
“Distance weapons,” Dean remarked with a small amount of disdain. He had always preferred to meet his opponents face to face, though he had, on occasion, used thrown spears when fighting up close was not a viable option. He was entirely unsure why he found these “guns” so fascinating.
“They were equally destructive at close range, but yes, they were frequently used from a distance.”
“As fascinating as this look at ancient history is,” Haplo stated pointedly, “there is a lot of this tower we haven’t explored yet, and we don’t know when the dragon-snakes might return.”
No sooner had the words been spoken than the sound of the heavy entry doors booming closed reached them. They all warily approached the door to the hall and Alfred stammered a negation to the lighting spell.
***
Sam stared up at the tower. He could feel anticipation thrumming though him, practically vibrating beneath his skin, though that might be the blood magic. He’d been increasing the amount of blood he consumed from Ruby, amazed at what he was now capable of doing. He hadn’t even determined his limits because monsters had stopped attacking him. He felt a satisfied thrill that the Labyrinth itself seemed to fear him!
“So,” Ruby mused, “this is it--the site of the new gate.” She didn’t sound particularly impressed, but other than being a rather tall structure, the tower certainly didn’t present much to inspire awe.
She casually ran a hand down Sam’s arm. Ruby had been touching him every chance she got. He wondered if she could feel the power simmering under his skin as well as he could because he doubted she was doing it out of affection. Sometimes he almost forgot that she was not the woman she appeared, but then he’d catch her watching him with a knowing smile, eyes glowing red.
Sam turned his focus from his internal rambling back to the building before him. He wasn’t sure what he’d been expecting, but it certainly wasn’t this...nothing. There was no evidence at all that anything here had been disturbed recently, no sign of the dragon-snakes.
A small part of Sam warned him that this was highly suspicious--a sign of a trap. The smart thing to do would be to stay away, especially since this was the very place Azazel and the others wanted him. He didn’t know if he was strong enough to face a single dragon-snake yet, let alone unknown numbers of them potentially lying in wait. Sam was resolutely ignoring this part of himself.
A far larger part of Sam was eager to test the limits of his new powers. He was almost disappointed not to have been confronted. The dragon-snakes thought they were invincible, but every creature had a weakness. They had hoped to use Sam to further their own plans and he was looking forward to showing them firsthand that he was no one’s pawn.
Sam and Ruby split up to search for a door into the tower. Sam was examining a section of wall when he felt phantom eyes upon him. He snapped his head up to look at the windows above him, but there was nothing there. It was strange--the observer didn’t feel threatening. Instead, it was almost as though he were expected.
“I think I found the entrance.” Sam was so caught up in his thoughts, he didn’t hear Ruby come up behind him. He decided not to mention the odd feeling, silently following her to the vine covered doors. The camouflage was disposed of in short order.
The rune structure on the door was simple, it would be easy to complete it and open the door the way the Sartan builders would have. Though somewhat more complicated, he could use his own Patryn magic to create his own doorway through the walls if he chose. Instead of either obvious option, Sam decided to give vent to some of the power surging through him. He used his new magical strength to force the door open. Normally he would frown upon such brutish methods, but now he gloried in a tangible display of his capabilities.
Sam had already started to pass through the entrance before he noticed Ruby was no longer beside him. He looked over his shoulder, one eyebrow raised in question.
“Something feels wrong,” she answered the unspoken question with a shrug. “I thought I would wait out here, just in case. Maybe I’ll be able to warn you if the other dragon-snakes arrive.”
Sam nodded in acknowledgement and walked through the doors. He glanced around the large empty hall as the doors closed behind him. He thought he heard noises from behind one of the doors along the far wall, but when he listened again, he heard nothing. Still itching for a chance to prove himself on his own terms, Sam decided to ignore prudence for the moment.
“Is anyone there?” he called out.
There were startled exclamations by several different voices from behind the suspect door before it burst open to reveal a small group that included someone unexpected.
“Sam?” Dean asked in surprise, rushing forward despite a few attempts by his companions to restrain him. Dean glanced around and behind Sam as though he were expecting others. “Are you here alone? Are you all right? I’m glad I found you!”
“You’ve been looking for me?” Sam asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. “Why? Where’s our father?” He had noticed John was not with the others still standing by the door through which they had entered the hall.
“Father?” Dean looked decidedly uncomfortable for a moment. “We got...separated. I was injured and I was found by their group.” Dean gestured at the strangers behind him. “They said you might be in danger from something called dragon-snakes? I’ve got to say, I’m surprised to see you back in the Labyrinth after how eager you were to get out.”
Sam’s expression had hardened further at the mention of the dragon-snakes. He tuned out further inquiries from his brother in favor of assessing his companions. Two members of the party were other Patryns, one appeared to be a Sartan of all things, and the last man...
“Dragon-snake!” Sam accused with a hiss. He recognized the inhuman aura coming from the stranger with the intense, blue eyes. He was not as he appeared to be.
“A dragon, yes,” the man corrected calmly, “but not a dragon-snake.”
“The dragon-snakes are their enemies,” Dean explained. “He’s not so bad. A little strange, but he seems trustworthy enough.”
“Oh, really?” Sam sneered. “I suppose these other dragons are the ones that said I was in danger?”
“Well, yes...”
Sam laughed bitterly. “How do you know they weren’t just trying to get you to lead them to me? For all you know, they might be working with the dragon-snakes. They might even be a greater threat!”
“Sam,” Dean protested, “I really don’t care if they have secret plans. All I wanted was to make sure you were all right. They can’t make either of us do anything.”
Any further arguments from either brother were cut off by the sound of someone coming down the stairs from higher in the tower. Animosity forgotten in the face of a common threat, both brothers turned to face the door to the stairs, back to back and prepared to fight if necessary.
“It’s good to see you’re both still ready for anything,” a figure in the shadows of the stairs declared gruffly.
“Father?” Sam and Dean chorused together.
“I was sure you were still alive somehow!” Dean’s tension relaxed as Sam’s only increased.
“Why wouldn’t he be?” Sam asked his brother.
Dean ignored him and continued to address their father. “I know you told me not to follow, but that thing you were facing--I think it might have been something called a dragon-snake. Right before I fell unconscious, I thought I saw...” Dean paled at the memory.
“It decided to leave on its own,” John explained with a shrug. “I don’t know why it didn’t kill me. I sent you away to keep you safe and then tracked it back to this place. There were more of them and they’re planning something. I can’t do anything alone, but together, we might be able to stop them. Their plan seems to center on the roof of the tower; come with me.” John gestured for them to follow.
Dean started to step forward, but then paused, squinting at the man on the stairs. Something wasn’t right.
“Maybe we should wait,” Dean countered. “Let’s find an empty room and come up with a plan.”
“There’s no time!” John insisted.
Sam was growing more and more uneasy himself. If Dean doubted their father, there was no better sign to be wary! As their father clung to the shadows, Sam was reminded of his first meeting with Ruby.
“Step into the light,” Sam demanded.
John laughed, and the sound sent shivers down the spines of both his sons, the voice and appearance of the man swiftly changing as he stepped forward.
“You really are determined not to make anything easy for me, aren’t you, Sam?”
“Azazel!” Sam glowered at the dragon-snake.
Dean looked absolutely devastated, though that quickly turned to rage. “Where is our father? What have you done with him?”
“I think you know.” Azazel smirked, red eyes gleaming. “I was planning to wipe out your bloodline other than Sam,” Azazel explained, “but your father begged so nicely.”
“Liar!” Dean accused.
“So, he’s dead?” Sam managed to remain impassive, but Dean flinched at the words.
“That’s right,” Azazel confirmed. “Traded his life for his son. It was touching, really. Besides, I knew Dean here would find his way right back to me eventually. Just had to dangle the right bait.”
Dean turned to glare at Castiel accusingly. The dragon said nothing in his own defense to the Patryn, instead speaking to Azazel. “You knew we were watching you. I was meant to carry news of your plans back all along.”
“That’s right, and now that the gang’s all here, let’s head up to the roof.” When no one moved, Azazel’s smile turned more sinister. “I insist.” Three more figures with glowing red eyes appeared in corners of the hall, stepping forward.
“I’m not going to let you use me without a fight!” Sam snarled and began mentally pooling his magic. He momentarily regretted wasting some of his stored power on the doors, but that couldn’t be helped now. He was considering what kind of attack would catch Azazel most off guard when the world flashed white and he suddenly found himself, Dean, and the rest of Dean’s group outside, a good distance from the tower.
“What happened?” Dean voiced the question on everyone’s mind first.
“A confrontation would have been ill-advised.” Castiel was looking back at the tower with a frown. “We were outmatched. Hopefully, I have moved us far enough that we will have time to seek reinforcements.”
Sam bit back the retort he wanted to make about wanting to face Azazel. He scowled at the dragon, deciding that perhaps it was better not to reveal his full capabilities to a potential enemy.
***
Back in the tower, Azazel stopped his brethren from pursuing their prey.
“The emissary of order will bring his fellows down on us,” one of them protested. “We cannot jeopardize the gate!”
“He will require time to bring reinforcements.” Azazel gazed out one of the tower windows as though he were visually scanning for the escaped group. “Our young Patryn friends are not the patient sort. We have only to wait a while, and they will come to us.”
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